Feature, Excerpt & Giveaway: Girl Before a Mirror: A Novel by Liza Palmer

Girl Before a Mirror: A Novel by Liza Palmer

Release Date: January 27, 2015



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SYNOPSIS


The author of Conversations with a Fat Girl—optioned for HBO—returns with the hilarious and heartfelt story of a woman who must learn how to be the heroine of her own life—a journey that will teach her priceless lessons about love, friendship, family, work, and her own heart.

An account executive in a Mad Men world, Anna Wyatt is at a crossroads. Recently divorced, she’s done a lot of emotional housecleaning, including a self-imposed dating sabbatical. But now that she’s turned forty, she’s struggling to figure out what her life needs. Brainstorming to win over an important new client, she discovers a self-help book—Be the Heroine, Find Your Hero—that offers her unexpected insights and leads her to a most unlikely place: a romance writers’ conference. If she can sign the Romance Cover Model of the Year Pageant winner for her campaign—and meet the author who has inspired her to take control of her life—she’ll win the account.

For Anna, taking control means taking chances, including getting to know Sasha, her pretty young colleague on the project, and indulging in a steamy elevator ride with Lincoln Mallory, a dashing financial consultant she meets in the hotel. When the conference ends, Anna and Lincoln must decide if their intense connection is strong enough to survive outside the romantic fantasy they’ve created. Yet Lincoln is only one of Anna’s dilemmas. Now that her campaign is off the ground, others in the office want to steal her success, and her alcoholic brother, Ferdie, is spiraling out of control.

To have the life she wants—to be happy without guilt, to be accepted for herself, to love and to be loved, to just be—she has to put herself first, accept her imperfections, embrace her passions, and finally be the heroine of her own story.




EXCERPT


“I don’t understand what Bruce Springsteen has to do with why you haven’t been on a date in over a year,” Hannah says.
“You haven’t heard the ‘Thunder Road’ story?” Michael laughs.
“Everybody has a ‘Thunder Road’ story,” I say, smiling at the approaching waiter as the single candle flickers in the scoop of very pink gelato. My friends sing me “Happy Birthday” and I can’t help but smile. They’re off-key and terrible.
“Make a wish!” Allison says.
A moment. I close my eyes and breathe in.
You can wish for anything, Anna. You’re forty now. Forty. My mind riffles through the wishes I have for this next year as if they’re in a virtual photo album: me atop mountains, the breeze blowing my hair back. The pages flip and now we’re in Paris, meandering through a farmer’s market. Flip. Drinking a pint of Guinness overlooking all of Dublin. Flip. A red gingham tablecloth, a picnic, and the Jefferson Memorial. The flips are growing more manic. A gray-shingled cottage in a small beach town along the California coast. Flip. Fresh, lavendery linens, a perfect Sunday morning with nowhere to go, and a muscular chest beneath my cheek. Flip. I’m dressed to the nines and ac- cepting the Clio. Flip. I’m lying on the grass and covered in squirming golden retriever puppies.
I open my eyes. Everyone is staring at me. Concerned.
“It’s just a wish, not an exorcism,” Ferdie says, taking a swig of his beer. My mind goes blank and I blow out the candle. I’m forty years old and I have no idea what to wish for.
My friends clap as I pull the candle from the gelato and lick the end. Raspberry. The other desserts arrive and we all dig in.
“So, the ‘Thunder Road’ story,” Allison asks, pulling the chocolate monstrosity she and Michael ordered closer to her.
“I went out to dinner with this guy who worked in my building. He seemed nice enough.”
“Seemed being the operative word,” Nathan adds.
“Never a good sign,” Hannah says, taking Nathan’s hand in hers. He makes no attempt to hold Hannah’s hand back. She smiles and picks up her fork, digging into her tiramisu. We all let her think we didn’t see. We’ve been not seeing Nathan’s annoyance at Hannah for years now.
“Dinner is fine. Not terrible. Worthy of a second date, anyway, and as we’re driving home, ‘Thunder Road’ comes on the radio,” I say, stopping to take a bite of my gelato.
“That’s such a great song,” Ferdie says.
“Somehow I don’t think that’s where the story is headed,”
Hannah says, laughing. Nathan rolls his eyes.
“I just wanted to put it out there. It’s not the song’s fault,” Ferdie says.
“Always the protective brother,” Hannah says.
“He’s being protective of the song, not me. So,” I say, nudging Ferdie. “So this guy starts singing along—not really knowing the words, but enough. Enough for me to think better of him, you know?”
“Knowing the lyrics to ‘Thunder Road’ is a definite plus on a first date,” Michael adds.
“Right? And it was one of those beautiful D.C. nights right before the summer turns evil and there we are: windows down and singing along with The Boss. Then we get to that part—” Allison pulls her cardigan over her face, attempting to shield herself from what’s coming next. Michael barks out a laugh and she continues to cringe as if both I and the story I’m telling are some kind of horror film. “We get to that part, ‘you ain’t a beauty, but hey you’re alright.'” The table gasps in unison. I continue, “And the bastard motions to me.” I raise my eyebrows and hold my hand aloft. “You ain’t a beauty, but hey you’re alright.” And then I just sit back and nod.
“Your wedding vows are writing themselves,” Michael says, cracking both of us up.
“No. That . . . that didn’t happen,” Hannah says.
“Oh, yes it did,” I say, taking another bite of my gelato. “And he just . . . he just kept singing?” Hannah asks.
“Like nothing had happened. Like he was just hilariously
acting out the song,” I say.
“No no no no no,” Hannah says, picking up her wineglass.
“And it was right then—and you know I don’t care about
looks, but I sure as hell know that the person you’re dating should think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” I say. I catch Michael gazing at Allison as she finishes off their chocolate cake. Hannah and Nathan can’t make eye contact.
Ferdie gives me that sheepish grin of his. I know he hates this story, but telling it helps. “I needed a break. Ever since the divorce, I’d been way too focused on moving on with the wrong kind of men. But in that moment, I knew enough to know I was nowhere near ready for the right one.”
“So you put yourself—”
I interrupt Hannah. “On a Time-Out, yes.” “Since when?” she asks.
“It was just before summer last year, so—”
“A year? You’ve been doing this for over a year?” she asks. “I needed to take some inventory,” I say.
“You needed a training montage. We get it,” Michael says. “A training montage?” I ask, laughing.
“Yeah, you needed to run through North and South Philly
while being thrown oranges and then hit sides of beef,” Michael says absently. We all just look at him. He finally notices our expressions. “Please tell me you know what I’m talking about.”
“Oh, we know,” Ferdie says. “Oh, we got it,” I say.
“Thank God, I thought I had to get a new group of friends there for a minute. Who doesn’t know about Rocky?” Michael asks.
“The question is: Are you at the Philadelphia Museum of Art yet?” Allison asks, clearly more used to Michael’s Rocky analogy than the rest of us.
“That’s the only question?” I ask. She laughs.
“No, I get it. Are you ready for the fight? Ready to step into
the ring?” Michael asks.
“I think you’re taking this whole Rocky thing a bit too far,” I say.
“I mean, I don’t think Rocky analogies can ever be taken too far, but that’s just me,” he says. I laugh.
“Kids have a way of making personal inventory-taking impossible. Sadly, no training montages for us,” Hannah pipes up.
“Unless this is a training montage containing a series of clips where I try to figure out where all our money and sleep went,” Nathan says.
“Sense of self, cleanliness, how many elastic-waist pants you now own . . . ,” Allison adds.
“Chronicling all the neuroses you’ve clearly passed on to them as you watch them interact with other kids,” Michael says.
Everyone laughs, happy to move on. Hannah’s eyes dart to her wineglass, her finished dessert, and Nathan now looking at his phone under the table. She looks back up at me and I smile. Allison excuses herself to the bathroom and Hannah joins her. I take this opportunity to check the time. Ten p.m.
“You got somewhere to be?” Ferdie asks, eyeing me. “I have a plan,” I say.
“You’re Marpling someone, aren’t you,” he says. “What?” I ask innocently.
“Without question,” he says.
I ignore him. And I totally am.
It was in my second year at the local community college that I came up with my Marple Theory.
The Anna Wyatt Marple Theory is named after Agatha Christie’s Miss Jane Marple, the elderly lady detective who brought countless criminals to justice. Miss Marple was effective because everyone underestimated her and no one ever noticed her observing, chronicling . . . working. No one ever noticed her at all. Ergo, the Anna Wyatt Marple Theory was born: If people don’t perceive you as a threat, how will they see you coming? They won’t.
A text from Audrey. It’s an address on K Street. From where we are in Adams Morgan, it won’t take me long at all to get over there.
“Your boss is texting you at ten p.m. on a Sunday?” Ferdie asks, craning over to see my phone.
“Nosy,” I say, tucking my phone back into my purse.
“Marple away, birthday girl, Marple away,” he says, finishing his beer.
I smile at Ferdie and let him chastise me. Thing is, my birth- day dinner was lovely. There were flowers delivered to my apart- ment this morning from Michael and Allison, and I had a lovely lunch with a couple of people from work. While I don’t regret or second-guess my decision to go on a dating sabbatical for the last year, I do welcome the prospect of not having to go home to an empty house just yet. Michael’s words come roaring back. Am I ready to step into the ring yet? Guess that’s a resounding no. I check back in just as Nathan is settling the bill, much to everyone’s chagrin.
“It’s on me. I insist,” he says, sending the waiter away. Hannah beams. We are all unfailingly polite and thank Nathan for his generosity. We always do. That’s the deal: he buys dinners and we act like he wasn’t a complete jerk the whole time.
“We’d better get going. The babysitter is going to think we finally made a run for it,” Michael says. Allison nods. We gather our belongings, make our way out of the restaurant, and say our goodbyes.
“Happy birthday, Anna,” Nathan says. I situate my purse over my shoulder, hold on to my phone with the address to where I’m going, and try to stabilize the beautiful handmade mug Allison made me inside the very elaborate pink gift bag it came in.
“Oh, thank you,” I say, reaching out and putting a hand on his arm. He smiles and softens for the slightest of moments, his salt-and-pepper hair ruffling in the summer wind. He says his goodbyes to everyone and walks over to his waiting car, beeping it unlocked. Hannah’s smile falters as he strides away. Michael and Allison remind me that our book club is reading Hamlet and that they’re making Danish meatballs for our gathering.
“Don’t you mean—”
“We mean Danish meatballs. They’re Danish,” Michael says as he hails a cab.
“Even though they may very closely resemble Swedish meat- balls,” Allison adds.
“Let’s just say there will be plenty of dill and discussions about what exactly happened in that closet between Gertrude and Hamlet,” Michael says, arm held high into the night sky.
“I thought we were reading Twelfth Night,” Ferdie says, scrolling through his phone.
“Nope, that’s next,” Allison says. “Next?” Hannah asks.
“We’re reading Shakespeare in order,” I say. “Nerds.” Hannah laughs.
“Proudly,” Michael says, as a cab slows in front of him. He opens the door and signals to Allison.
“Happy birthday, my darling,” she says, giving me a huge hug. “Thank you,” I say, letting her warmth surround me. One last smile and she walks over to the cab and climbs in. Once she’s in, Michael walks back over to me.
“Happy birthday,” he says, towering over me one minute, then engulfing me in a hug the next. He bends down just enough to whisper “and the rest is silence” in my ear. I can’t help but laugh. A quick squeeze and he’s climbing into the cab with Al- lison. They wave and speed off.
“I’m sorry about . . . ,” Hannah says, gesturing over to Nathan waiting in the car. Ferdie walks a few steps away to where his bike is chained to a parking meter.
“Oh, honey, don’t worry about it. Birthday dinners for your
wife’s friends are a scourge to couples everywhere,” I say.
“I keep thinking it’s a phase, you know?” she says, in a shocking moment of honesty. One I will ask her about later and she will “forget” ever happened. “How did you .  .  . how did you know it was over with Patrick?” I decide to answer with the truth.
“We were driving home from somewhere and having one of our fights—the same fight, really. Right?” Hannah nods and allows a small smile. “Always the same fight. And then this calm passed over me. Completely out of place. I remember it so viv- idly. Like I could breathe again. And then this germ of an idea:
I could get out. It shouldn’t be this hard.”
“Marriage is hard.”
“But not all the time.” Hannah pulls a tissue from her purse
and dabs at her eyes. “I’d forgotten what being happy felt like.
Happy with him, anyway. I filed for divorce a week later.”
“Happy. God, we were so happy,” Hannah says.
“I know.”
“I was much thinner back then!” Hannah laughs.
“Honey, you’re beautiful. Stop with that,” I say, watching as Hannah pulls at her clothes, trying to smooth out her growing curves. Curves made from trying to comfort herself in a loveless marriage.
“If I could just lose a little weight, you know? Maybe we
could—”
“Hannah—”
“Leave it to me to be the crying girl at your birthday,”
Hannah says, looking back at Nathan. She gives him the “just a sec” sign and he nods. God, they were so in love. They were the couple you hated because they could never keep their hands off each other. They were scandalous and hot and he was all she thought about and vice versa. Now they can’t even look at each other.
“You going to be okay?” I ask, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Yes. Of course I am. Now. Enough of my histrionics, it’s your birthday,” Hannah says, giving me a big hug. She was always such a good hugger. “Happy birthday,” she whispers in my ear.
“Thank you,” I say as we pull apart.
“Don’t work too much tonight.”
“I won’t.” Hannah reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Call if you need anything,” I say.
“I will. Ferdinand Wyatt, come over here and give me a hug.” Ferdie walks over and lets Hannah lunge into him with a hug, idly patting her back with his mitt of a hand. She busts him about getting a real job and walks off to the car.
Tonight’s festivities, while lovely in every way, still feel a bit off. In transition. There’s been a lot of that “in transition” feeling over the past year. On top of the dating hiatus, my training montage has also been about cleaning house of all the friends in my life whom I’ve outgrown or who just weren’t working anymore. And while that may be empowering in the abstract and feel impressive as I wax rhapsodic about it to my therapist, the truth of it—the daily reality of it—is much quieter. The lack of white noise in my life has been a bit harder to get used to than I thought it would be. Having people around that caused drama was, I’m finding, quite the hobby of mine. Now that it’s gone? It’s just me. In my apartment. Feeling evolved and valiant as I smugly troll the various social media of ex-friends who look like they’re having way more fun than I am.
I haven’t been ready to step into the ring, so for right now it just feels lonely. I watch as Hannah closes the door behind her, pulls the seat belt across her body, and smiles at me. Nathan says something to her and she nods. Then she looks down at her lap, her body utterly deflated. They drive off and all I can do is watch. I’ll be very happy when I don’t have to act as though I like Nathan anymore.
“I have never been around two people who hated each other more,” Ferdie says, pulling his messenger bag over his shoulder and situating the strap across his chest. His wild brown curls are cut into this end-of-summer weird fauxhawk thing that he does. He’ll shave it all off within the week. His tall frame, powerful from a lifetime of hockey, is still settling around a knee injury that left him hopeless as he disappeared into a fog of pot smoke, barroom brawls, and nights in the drunk tank. But tonight he’s cleaned up and clothed in khaki Dickies and a plain white T-shirt. Nine years my junior and quite the surprise to our parents, Ferdie looks like every kid you screamed at to get off your lawn.
“They weren’t always like that,” I say, hailing a cab.
“Well, they’re like that now,” he says. He wheels his bicycle over and wraps the chain around his waist. “So, where are you meeting Audrey?” I pass him my phone and show him the ad- dress. “Here?” he asks.
“Yeah, do you know it?” I ask, waving down a cab.
“Oh, I know it,” Ferdie says, handing me back the phone. “I worked as a bouncer for them a coupla times.” A cab pulls over and I tell him the address through the open window.
“And?” I climb into the back of the cab and settle in.
“It’s The Naughty Kitty,” Ferdie says, climbing onto his bike.
“Wait, what?”
“It’s a strip joint, Anna.”
“I . . . what?”
“Maybe you can make it rain for your fortieth,” he says.
“I don’t even know what that means,” I say, as the cab pulls away from the curb.
“You’re about to find out,” Ferdie yells after me.
As I ride to The Naughty Kitty, I allow myself to get excited. I got the idea several months ago. I’d just finished pitching an ad campaign for this line of bras and panties—or “intimates,” as the client insisted on calling them. They’d been known as the relics your grammy bought you for Christmas. Now, thanks to me, they were going to be the line of bras and panties you—yes,  you, working professional—are thinking about buying for their function as well as form. It’s a huge account and I nailed it. I’ve certainly come a long way from when I first started at Holloway/Greene as a file clerk fifteen years ago.
***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Liza Palmer is the internationally bestselling author of Conversations with the Fat Girl.  Conversations with the Fat Girl became an international bestseller its first week in publication, as well as hitting Number 1 on the Fiction Heatseekers List in the UK the week before the book debuted.  Conversations with the Fat Girl has been optioned for series by the producers of Rome, Band of Brothers and Generation Kill.

Palmer’s second novel is Seeing Me Naked, which Publisher’s Weekly says, “consider it haute chick lit; Palmer’s prose is sharp, her characters are solid and her narrative is laced with moments of graceful sentiment.”

Her third novel, A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents, which Entertainment Weekly calls a “splendid novel” and Real Simple says “has heart and humor” was released in January 2010.

More Like Her is Palmer’s fourth novel. The book received a starred review from Library Journal in which they said, “The blend of humor and sadness is realistic and gripping, and watching Frannie figure out who she is and what matters is gratifying.”

After earning two Emmy nominations writing for the first season of VH1’s Pop Up Video, she now knows far too much about Fergie.

Palmer’s fifth novel, Nowhere but Home, is about a failed chef who decides to make last meals for the condemned in Texas. Nowhere but Home received the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction for 2013.

Palmer’s sixth novel, Girl Before a Mirror, is the story of Anna Wyatt, a driven ad exec who must attend the annual RomanceCon to land the Romance Novel Cover of Model of the year for Luxe Shower Gel’s spokesman.

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EXCERPT REVEAL: Silver Bastard (Silver Valley Series) by Joanna Wylde

EXCERPT REVEAL

Silver Bastard by Joanna Wylde

Releasing April 7, 2015



Check out the excerpt below from Silver Bastard, the first book in Joanna Wylde’s new Silver Valley series. Our review is scheduled for next month but I will tell you I loved this book! I loved Puck! Be sure to add to your TBR and/ or pre-order. You are going to want to read this one. /Cori

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SYNOPSIS

First in the new Silver Valley series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Reapers Motorcycle Club Novels.

Fourteen months. For fourteen months, Puck Redhouse sat in a cell and kept his mouth shut, protecting the Silver Bastards MC from their enemies. Then he was free and it was time for his reward–full membership in the club, along with a party to celebrate. That’s when he saw Becca Jones for the first time and set everything in motion. Before the night ended he’d violated his parole and stolen her away from everything she knew.

Five years. It was five years ago that Puck destroyed Becca and saved her all in one night. She’s been terrified of him ever since, but she’s even more terrified of the monsters he still protects her from… But Becca refuses to let fear control her. She’s living her life and moving forward, until she gets a phone call from the past she can’t ignore. She has to go back, and there’s only one man she can trust to go with her–the ex-con biker who rescued her once before.

Puck will help her again, but this time it’ll be on his terms. No more lies, no more tears, and no more holding back what he really wants…

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Excerpt from Silver Bastard
By Joanna Wylde
http://www.joannawylde.com

Prologue


California
Five years ago

Puck

Motherfucker that burned.
The shot was a double, and the fact that it’d come cradled between two beautiful, giant tits attached to a stripper with endless legs and a tight ass didn’t hurt one goddamned bit. Tequila hit my stomach, the alcohol shocking my system, and shit finally got real.
Freedom.
Fourteen months since the last time I’d had a decent drink—all but forgotten what it felt like, too. That sweet, harsh pain that comes from losing the surface layer of skin all the way down your throat? Gorgeous. Never felt better in my life, and that’s a fact. Helped that the queen of body shots had sucked me off right after we’d pulled up to the party.
Spent the last year trying to decide what I’d do first when I finally got out. Kept going back and forth between getting laid and getting drunk, but God apparently has a soft spot for assholes because we’d found one hell of a good compromise.
I’d been free nearly four hours now. Still felt like a dream. The California Department of Corrections took its own sweet time with everything, up to and including processing a man out. I’d spent half the wait wondering if the cockwads would change their minds or if the club lawyer had forgotten something. Figured they’d find some way to fuck with my head.
FBI, state cops, even Homeland Security—they all wanted a piece of my club, the Silver Bastards MC, and not a week went by inside that they didn’t try to cut it out of my hide. Guess they figured a prospect made an easy target.
Not fucking likely.
My old man died for the Bastards. If I turned, he’d haunt my ass the rest of my life because that shit does not stand in my family. I’d been born to wear a Bastard cut. And tonight? For the first time I finally had the right to show those colors off.
A hand slapped my shoulder, then a burly man caught me up in a hug so tight it hurt. My fucking ribs creaked.
“That patch feel right on your back, brother?” asked Boonie. He was the president of the Silver Bastards in Callup, Idaho, and I’d heard him call me a hell of a lot of things—but never brother. Felt good. Damned good. Until an hour ago, I’d been a prospect and I’d never gotten any special treatment because of my old man.
That’s how I wanted it.
“Best night of my life,” I admitted. He pulled back, and his face grew serious.
“Proud of you,” he said. “You did what you had to. Protected the club, took care of business. Painter told us how things were inside, how you took his back. You earned this, earned it with your life and your blood. I know you won’t shame this patch, Puck.”
“I won’t,” I replied, his words almost too much. Boonie grinned suddenly, then grabbed my arm and turned me toward the bar again.
“Drink up,” he told me. “Then find yourself some pretty little thing to play with, because tomorrow we’re ridin’ home. Your bike’s in good shape—took care of it for you.”
“Thanks.”
“Another shot, baby?” the stripper asked. She rolled onto her side, reaching out to catch my neck with her hand, pulling me in for a kiss. That brought me a little too close to her face. She was sweaty, and her mascara had started running. Didn’t smell that great, either.
“More shots,” I said, pulling away. I’d appreciated the blow job, no question. But she wasn’t exactly the fantasy I’d been jacking off to the last year and I’d promised myself I wouldn’t settle once I got out. I wanted someone fresh—someone clean and soft and sweet enough to eat. I’d play with her for a while before letting myself go, punching through all that softness until she screamed and begged for mercy.
Mouth, cunt, ass.
That’d been what got me through those long nights wondering why the fuck I’d let myself get caught.
Ignoring the bitch on the bar, I reached across and grabbed the bottle of tequila, chugging nearly a third of it down. Christ, there went the rest of my throat. Then I turned to look out across room. Four of my new Silver Bastard brothers had come down from Callup—Boonie, Miner, Deep, and Demon. Joining them were four Reapers and two Reaper prospects. They were here to welcome Painter, who’d gone down with me on a weapons charge. This sucked, but such is life. We’d been fighting for our clubs, so no regrets there. Through a combination of luck and well-placed payoffs, we’d managed to stick together for the duration of our time served. The clubs provided the funds and the attorneys—to protect them, we matched that investment with our silence.
Painter caught my eye from across the room, grinning. After so much time together I could almost read his thoughts. I gave him a nod, one of those chin jerks that speaks volumes.
Congrats to you, too, asshole.
“You havin’ fun?” a man asked. I looked down to find a painfully skinny, greasy little man missing half his teeth standing next to me. Tweaker called Teeny. His face was just a little too eager, his eyes a little too bright. Unfortunately, Teeny was our host for the night so I had to be nice to him. We were out in the middle of nowhere, tucked back in a canyon where this douche had somehow acquired a house. The Longnecks MC—one of our “allies,” although their loyalty was questionable—had a warehouse set up in a shop right next to this guy’s house.
This Teeny asshole wasn’t even part of the club . . . Apparently his brother Bax was patched in, though, so they used him as a pit stop. Something didn’t quite add up about the situation, but fuck if I cared. In the morning I’d be riding for home. With luck my future association with the state of California in general and Teeny in particular would be extremely limited.
“See anything you like?” he asked. “That’s my old lady, there. “You want her? She’s real good, welcome you home right.”
I shrugged, glancing over toward his woman. She was probably in her midthirties, I decided. Pretty enough, but she had a hard, tired look around her eyes that didn’t appeal. Not only that, she was wiry and skinny as fuck. Probably smoking meth to block out the fact that she had to live with this dickwad.
“No, she’s great but not my type,” I said, casually taking another drink of tequila. Wasn’t burning so much now, which in retrospect should’ve been a sign to slow down. Maybe things would’ve turned out different.
Shitty thing about time—only runs the one direction.
“What’s your type?” he asked. I shrugged. The day I needed some tweaker to find me pussy, I’d cut off my own cock and get it over with. Swallowing another drink, I glanced across the room, pointedly ignoring him.
That’s when I saw her.
Now, I fuckin’ hate clichés, and shit like this only happens in movies . . . but I swear to fuck, I think I fell for her in that instant. She was small, with long brown hair in one of those knot things on top of her head. Not dressed to show off her figure, either. I could still see she had a tiny waist, though, along with generous tits and the kind of round, healthy curves you just know will cradle your hips perfectly when you’re pounding her.
I had to have her.
Like, needed her. Now.
“Good call,” Teeny said. I ignored him, focusing on the angel I had every intention of owning just as soon as I talked her out of her pants. God, she was pretty. Kind of out of place, too. Not flirting with anyone, and not a ton of makeup. Just wandering around, picking up empties, and avoiding conversation. Fascinating.
“I’ll introduce you.”
Teeny walked across the room toward my Dream Fuck. I started after him, because I didn’t want the asshole speaking on my behalf. Then Boonie caught my arm.
“Heads‑up,” he said, his voice pitched low, difficult to hear through the noise of the party. “We think somethin’s going on with that guy. Don’t be afraid to talk him up, okay? Can always use good information.”
I nodded, wondering why the fuck Teeny had to pick me to buddy up with. Tonight was for relaxing, enjoying myself. Just looking at him made me feel dirty, and considering some of the shit I’ve pulled in my life, that’s an accomplishment. Another hand slapped my back, then Painter caught me by the neck, squeezing me as he laughed.
“Never ends,” he said. “Boonie cock-blocking you?”
I punched him in the gut—not hard. Just enough to make him back off.
“No, right now you have that honor,” I muttered, glaring at him. “Christ, we just spent a year together in a fuckin’ cell. Think we’ve covered everything, so let me get laid? Please?”
He answered by punching me back, and I reeled . . . damn, hadn’t realized how drunk I’d gotten. Still, I wasn’t about to go down easy. I swayed, watching him as our brothers started crowding around us. The wild gleam in his eyes—a mixture of almost manic happiness and pent‑up energy—matched my own.
“Take it outside,” Boonie said. “I got fifty on Puck.”
“Hundred on Painter,” Picnic Hayes, the Reapers’ president, answered and then we were bundled outside for the fight.
I couldn’t wait.
We’d sparred before, of course. Nothing but time to kill in the pen, so I knew Painter’s moves like they were my own— and he knew mine, too. We were a good match, could go either way. Neither of us had much in the way of formal training but we’d both picked up a fair amount along the way. Hell, I’d gotten caught in my first bar fight when I was fourteen years old, seeing as my pop wasn’t exactly Father of the Year material. Still loved the old bastard, though.
The sun was fading as we stepped outside, painting the sky in pinks and oranges shot through with smudged clouds. I paused a moment, struck by the incredible beauty all around me, and smiled, breathing deep. So fucking good to be outside again. Nobody knows what it’s like, trapped in a cell like an animal. Nobody but the guys who’ve heard the sound of those gates closing behind them.
Fortunately for me, I wasn’t exactly the first Silver Bastard to do time for the club, which meant my brothers got me. They knew what this was like.
“Okay, we got a circle here,” Pic was saying. I blinked, starting to process the fact that maybe boxing with Painter while I was drunk might not be such a hot idea. Of course, he was drunk, too, and the booze would numb the pain . . . “Fight goes until one of you is down or taps out. Time to make your bets, brothers.”
Boonie caught my arm, pulling me to the side and looking into my face.
“You ready?” he asked. I nodded sharply, because drunk or not, I wasn’t going to pussy out in front of my president on the same day I got my colors. I glanced across the dusty circle to see Painter, who gave me a friendly sneer. Laughing, I flipped him off, then shook my arms out, loosening up.
That’s when I saw her again. Off to the side, standing next to Teeny, who was talking rapidly and pointing to me. I frowned, because I really didn’t need or want that asshole on my side. Knowing my luck, the fucker would send her running. I nudged my brother, Deep, who was standing next to me.
“See that girl?” I asked, jerking my chin toward her. “Make sure Teeny doesn’t scare her off, okay?”
“Sure,” he said. “I’ll keep an eye out.”
“Thanks.”
Painter and I stepped into the circle together, and I felt the thrill of adrenaline cut through the haze of alcohol. My blood started pumping, pounding through me until I could all but taste it. Christ, but I loved to fight. Always seemed to clear my head, and I’d gotten good enough over the years that I won more than I lost. Inside, those skills had saved our asses, and I’d picked up my fair share of pointers from the very man I found myself facing.
Painter moved first, coming in with an experimental jab toward my stomach. This wasn’t a real attack, just him testing my limits. I’d had a lot to drink, which would slow my reflexes. So had he. That changed the baseline, something we both needed to feel out.
“Can’t believe they gave you a top rocker,” he said, taunting me.
I grinned.
“Try harder, old man. I know you too well.”
Painter laughed, then came at me again, suddenly. He punched me square in the stomach and I doubled over. Shit. I fell back and almost stumbled out of the ring, catching myself at the last minute. I heard the shouts of my brothers urging me on.
Oh, hell no.
No fucking way I’d lose a fight tonight. Painter could fuck right off, because he’d had his colors for years. This was my night. I owned this bitch and he’d just have to suck it up and deal.
Still staggering, I lurched forward toward him like I was out of control. Then I attacked, and this time I caught him. One hit, two. Three. Right in the gut. Painter gasped and I moved in for the kill.
Somehow he pulled himself together, catching me across the chin. My entire head rattled as I staggered to the side. I felt blood in my mouth, then found a loose tooth with my tongue.
Asshole.
I thought of the pretty girl I’d just seen, which pissed me off. The anger was good. Cleared my head. Didn’t matter if I won or not, she wouldn’t want to suck face with someone bleeding like a stuck pig. This wasn’t a fight—it was a cock-block.
Time to end it.
Painter waited for me, swaying. I’d gotten him pretty good.
He was definitely favoring his left hand, which was great news because he was left-handed. Lucky me. I was ambidextrous.
I launched myself at him, turning that to my advantage.
He tried to block me but his arm was weak. I landed a blow to his gut followed by one that caught the side of his cheek. Pain seared through my hand, parting the fog of alcohol.
“Dick,” he managed to gasp as I danced back, flexing my fingers. That last one had been bad—if I’d been any more off-center, I’d have a fist full of broken bones.
“You got him,” Boonie shouted. I stretched my hand again. Did I want to risk another head blow? I hadn’t even wrapped my knuckles. . .
Fuck it.
I caught his chin again and Painter went down, falling hard. Blood dribbled from his nose and for long seconds I wondered if I’d actually hurt him for real.
Then he managed to roll onto his stomach, tapping out and flipping me off, all in one gesture.
“Congrats on getting your colors, Puck,” he groaned. “I’ll give you this one. Enjoy it while you can because next time I’m killing you.”
I staggered back, grinning and raising my hands once I realized he wasn’t seriously hurt. It’d been a lucky shot and we both knew it—we were well matched, could’ve gone either way. As I heard my brothers shouting in victory I didn’t care. This was my night. I had my freedom and my patch.
Still needed that girl, though.
I looked around and spotted her standing next to Deep. Teeny stood on the other side of him, looking all sorry for himself. She was hugging herself with both arms, obviously nervous, and I felt my smile fade. Shit. I hadn’t wanted her scared. I shook my head, wishing things weren’t moving so fast. Waving off the men crowding around me, I headed toward her, half expecting her to run off.
She didn’t, though.
As I came to a stop in front of her, she gave me a wavering smile, then spoke. “Can I help you find another drink?”
“Fuck yeah.”
I took her arm and pulled her into my side, exchanging a satisfied look with Deep.
“Let me know if you need anything!” Teeny yelled after us, and
I felt the girl shudder.
“Christ, but he’s a nasty little shit, isn’t he?” I asked her conversationally, and she gave a startled snort of laughter. I liked the sound. Sweet and sort of innocent. Made my dick happy, that was for sure. Still, I didn’t want to fuck things up and push her too hard, because the skittish vibes were intense.
“Yeah, he is,” she agreed quietly, and I leaned down to kiss the top of her head. She smelled good—fresh and clean, just like I’d been fantasizing all those months inside. Fresh and clean and perfect.
I wondered what she’d taste like.
“They’re lighting a fire out back,” she told me, her voice soft. “By the kegs. Maybe we should go over there?”
Hmmm . . . I could work with that.
“Okay.”
She tried to pull away from me then, but I caught her hand playfully, tugging her back toward me.
“I can’t get you a beer if you don’t let me go,” she pointed out.
Fuck. She was right. Still, I wasn’t about to let her get away that easy—knowing my luck, Painter’d swoop in and take her, just to fuck with my head. If anyone could pull it off, he could. Fucker was pretty in his own weird way—even I could see it. I couldn’t compete, not with the nasty scar on my face.
I’d just have to keep a close eye on her, I decided. Protect what was mine.

* * *

An hour later I found myself leaning back against the wall of the house, wondering how I’d gotten so lucky. My girl’s name was Becca, and she was rapidly turning into my all-time favorite female. Not that we’d talked much—she was pretty quiet. But she was soft and warm, and now I had her tucked between my legs, leaning back against me.
“Skittish” hadn’t been the right word for her, either. She’d been nervous as hell, so nervous I’d been afraid at first she’d pull a runner on me. Beer helped with that, and now she was relaxed into me, eyes closed, head turned toward my chest so that my chin brushed her forehead. I’d have said she was asleep if it wasn’t for the little noises she made every time my fingers circled her nipples under her shirt, or slid down her stomach.
We’d pushed up the bra about ten minutes ago, and I’d explored down below just enough to know she wasn’t sopping wet for me yet . . . but she was getting there. This was a good thing, because my dick was harder than a rock and ready for more. I shifted my hips, sliding my erection against her back, and groaned.
Feeling her up in the firelight was great, but time to move things along.
I pulled out one hand, catching her chin and tilting it up for a kiss. God, she was sweet. She tasted like sunshine and beer, with a hint of tequila mixed in for good measure. I could tell she didn’t have a ton of experience, because when I slid my tongue into her mouth she wasn’t quite sure what to do with her own.
Turned me on in a big way, gotta admit.
“Becca, you should take him on upstairs, don’t you think?”
Teeny’s voice cut through the kiss, and Becca stiffened. She pulled away from me, shutting down so hard I could practically feel the arctic chill. Fuck. For an instant I gave serious consideration to killing Teeny. It’d taken me nearly an hour to get her to this point, and he was not going to fuck it up for me.
I stared him down, eyes narrow.
“Is there a reason you’re talking to her?”
He smirked.
“Just making sure it’s all good here.”
“Go away.”
“Take him upstairs, Becca.” If anything, she got more tense, and I groaned. Sure, I could just go find someone else. But I didn’t want anyone else, and this asshole was ruining things for me. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into me, tight, making it clear that she didn’t need to worry about Teeny.
“Now would be a real good time to disappear,” I told him, my voice full of a quiet menace designed to convey one message—fear. Becca shivered, which pissed me off. Been hard enough to get through to her, and now she had to see this. “Otherwise I’ll make it happen. Got me?”
Boonie came to stand next to us.
“We got a problem here?” he asked.
“No,” Teeny said, glaring at me and Becca. Then he turned and scuttled off like the fucking roach he was. She shivered, and I rubbed my hands up and down her arms.
“Don’t worry, babe,” I told her absently. “Thanks, Boonie.”
“No prob,” he muttered looking after Teeny. “Glad we’re leaving in the morning. There’s something wrong here—been a very educational trip.”
I nodded, although I didn’t have the full story. They’d fill me in later, so until then I’d just follow Boonie’s lead.
“Let’s go inside,” Becca said. “Find some privacy.”
She pulled free and stood up. This startled me, but I wasn’t exactly unhappy about the development. I lurched off-balance as I rose, and things were a little hazy around the edges. Wasn’t messing with my dick, though, so all good where it counted. She led me into the house and up the stairs to a small room in the back. It had a twin-size bed that was rumpled and stained. There was a puddle of beer spilled on the floor next to a turned-over bottle. More cups and bottles littered the area, and an ashtray was half full on the bedside table.
“Guess we aren’t the first ones looking for some privacy,” I commented, but I didn’t really care. Nope. I just shut the door and locked it. When I turned back, she’d already stripped down to her bra, and was busy unzipping her jeans.
Holy shit.
Becca was gorgeous.
I mean, I’d seen how pretty she was outside, but those sweet little boobs I’d been groping the last hour were even more perfect than I’d imagined. Somehow the fact that a plain cotton bra cradled them just enhanced the experience. Then she slid her pants off and I nearly died because I’d never seen anything sexier. I wanted to tie her down and take possession of every hole in her body. Twice.
Becca saw it all written in my face—clearly it scared her. She took a step back, and held up a hand. A deeply disturbing question flickered through my foggy brain.
“Are you a virgin?” I asked, the words tasting strange in my mouth. She gave a harsh laugh, then shook her head.
“No, I’m not a virgin.”
She reached behind to unhook her bra and I saw her nipples for the first time. Pink and pointy and gorgeous, exactly the right size for my mouth . . . I stepped toward her and she surprised me, dropping to her knees and reaching for my fly.
“How long has it been?” she asked, her voice almost businesslike. I groaned as she pushed down my jeans and briefs, cock springing free. I’d never been harder—wasn’t entirely sure I’d survive the next ten minutes. Fuck, would I even last ten minutes? Then her hand wrapped around me and I closed my eyes, reaching out to lean against the wall because otherwise I would’ve fallen flat on my ass.
She started out slow and steady, wrapping her fingers around me and rubbing up and down. After a minute she paused. I opened my eyes to see her peeking up at me as she licked her palm, looking older and more seductive than I’d pegged her before. Fuck. Fuck. Then her other hand reached down to cup my balls as she started working me again with all ten fingers.
I gasped, falling into the sensation again. Definitely wouldn’t be lasting that long, I realized. No way. But that was just fine, because tonight I had a lot more than one load saved up and ready to go.
“Use your mouth.”
She obeyed, opening up and taking me in, her tongue flicking at me expertly. Almost too expertly . . . weird, and a little surprising, given how she kissed. Then she sucked me deeper and I stopped thinking at all. Everything was warm and wet and fucking perfect.
Thirty seconds later I blew up in her mouth without warning. Hell, it caught me off guard, it happened so fast, and I cringed. Reaching down, I caught her hair in my hand, pulling out the rubber band holding it so the long, brown strands fell around her face. She stood, wiping her face with the back of her hand, soft brown eyes meeting mine.
She looked like an innocent little angel again.
“Becca, that was . . .” I didn’t have the words. God, I’d missed sex. Real sex, not just jacking off in my hand. Nothing in the world quite as sweet as the feel of hot wet woman wrapped around my dick.
She turned away, reaching down to grab a half-empty fifth of rotgut vodka off the bedside table, taking a big drink, and swishing it around her mouth. Then she spat it out on the floor so it mingled with the pooled beer before taking another swig.
Okay, not a total angel.
I reached out, and Becca handed the bottle to me wordlessly. Then she slid off her plain cotton panties and laid back on the bed.
“You ready?” she asked. I drank deep, my head spinning because I’d never been more ready for anything in my life. She didn’t look ready, though. Her eyes were distant, and when I kicked off my pants and stepped between her legs, I could see her body wasn’t with me, either.
Fortunately I knew how to fix that.
Pulling off my cut, I looked for somewhere safe to put it. The only available flat surface was the little table, but in the back corner was one of those hanging racks with some clothes on it. I walked over and grabbed a hanger, hung up the leather vest, and turned back to Becca.
She’d closed her eyes, and I’d have thought she was asleep if I didn’t know better. Fuck, maybe she’d passed out.
“You awake?”
She nodded her head.
“Yeah, just sort of drunk,” she muttered. “Don’t worry about it.”
Shrugging, I pulled off my shirt, then knelt down beside the bed and caught her legs up and over my shoulders. She squawked as I spread her pussy lips, giving her a long lick straight up to her clit.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, suddenly awake and alert. I licked her again, and Becca squirmed and gasped as her little nub started to harden for me. Nice. “Oh my God! I can’t believe how good that feels . . .”
She fell back on the bed as I got going. I love pussy. Of course, most men do, but not all of them love going down on a nice, juicy cunt as much as me. I licked and tickled, every once in a while giving a little nip as Becca came to life under me. I think she was trying to keep still at first, but no way was I having any of that shit. Nope. I wanted her soaking wet and screaming, because I planned to ride her hard the rest of the night.
Then I slid two fingers deep inside, searching for just the right spot as I sucked on her clit like candy. Found it on the first try, and she blew up around me, crying out and sobbing. I pulled away, grabbing a chunk of loose sheet to wipe off my mouth, and she moaned, little shivers running through her body.
I’d been hard for her before—almost constantly, even right after I’d come in her mouth—but that was nothing compared to my cock now. Fluid seeped from the tip, and I reached across the floor for my pants, pulling out a condom. Along the way the vodka caught my eye and I took another drink, following her lead as I swished out my mouth and spat on the floor.
The place was truly disgusting, but I’d spent fourteen months in prison so a little filth was the least of my concerns. Tilting back my head, I sucked down the rest of the booze, swaying as I stood. I caught her under the arms and scooted her up the bed before I slipped on the condom. Seconds later I pushed deep into her. Fuck, this had been the right call tonight, because—I shit you not—never felt anything that good before in my life.
She moaned and I caught her mouth with mine, kissing her hard and claiming her. This time I didn’t hold back. Nope. I just took as much as I could, savoring her sweet taste and wondering if she wanted to see Idaho . . . We’d be leaving in the morning, and the thought of throwing her on the back of my bike and taking her along worked for me in a big way.
Then she squeezed down on me hard and I stopped thinking altogether.

* * *

We slept for a while. Maybe we passed out. Dunno. Same difference. When I woke up, Becca was tucked into my side, one leg thrown over mine. Her hair trailed across my chest and her breath tickled my skin.
That’s all it took.
I rolled her over onto her stomach, sliding a pillow under her hips and spreading her legs before grabbing a condom. She murmured, not really talking, but the sounds coming out of her mouth weren’t unhappy when I found her clit again. Seconds later I pushed into her. I’m sure some man—somewhere in history—had enjoyed the feel of a woman’s cunt more than I did in that moment. Hard to imagine how, though.
I’d taken off the edge earlier and now that I had her nice and warmed up, I was ready to do this thing for real. Grabbing her hips, I pulled back and slammed deep. Becca screamed and stiffened, now well and truly awake. Fuck, so hot and slick . . . I started pumping in and out of her hard, loving how she convulsed around me. Her arms reached out, clawing the sheets, and I lowered myself across her back, using my knees to spread her legs out even wider. Then I caught her hands in mine, nipping at the back of her neck before groaning into her ear.
“Reach down below and finger your clit.”
“I can’t,” she gasped. I paused, catching her hand and shoving it down beneath her stomach as I lifted my weight. We found her clit together, then I shoved back into her roughly.
“Oh my God . . .” she moaned. “That’s incredible.”
Damn straight.
“Now keep it there,” I ordered. “You’re going to come for me at least twice, got it?”
She nodded into the sheets and I pulled my hand free, bracing myself as I started moving again. It wasn’t gentle, but that was okay because I felt how wet and slick she was around me. Tight, too. Even better than I’d imagined back in my cell, and I have a hell of a good imagination. I leaned up on my elbows, catching her hair and jerking it back because I get off on that shit. Each twist of my hips took me closer, and when she started convulsing around me and crying, I nearly lost it. Not quite, though. I wasn’t finished.
Mouth. Cunt. Ass.
I’d planned it all out in my head, dreamed about it for months . . . Now I finally had the staying power to finish it. As she shuddered and trembled, I pulled free and sat back on my heels. Becca’s ass spread wide in front of me, and I smiled because it was fucking gorgeous. Heart shaped, pretty. Not too big, but not fucking skinny and nasty like a half-starved donkey, either.
Christ, I wanted to fuck her there.
My cock was still wrapped tight and dripping with her juices, but I spat into my hand a couple times for good measure, slathering it on for a little extra lube. Then caught her hips and pulled her up and onto her knees.
“Brace yourself.”
She nodded, stretching out her arms in front of her like a cat, which was cute but totally inadequate under the circumstances. I caught her hair again, yanking her head to the side. Becca gasped.
“I said brace yourself,” I repeated. “Gonna fuck your ass now.”
She squawked, and her entire body stiffened.
“That a problem?” I asked. She shook her head quickly.
“No, do it.”
Shit, could she sound less enthusiastic? I stilled, realizing my prison dream girl might not be up for the full porno fantasy in living color. Fuck.
“It’s okay,” I said, pulling back. I closed my eyes, running a hand through my hair and shuddering. I’d just fuck her cunt some more. I could do that. Then she shocked the hell out of me by reaching around behind to grab my cock. She pushed back with her hips, awkwardly trying to guide me to her asshole, which was funny and pathetic at the same time.
Because I’m a shitty human being, I went for it. Not a complete dick, though. I could see the tension radiating off her.
“You never done this before?” I asked her. She shook her head violently, not looking at me.
“Okay, we’ll go slow.”
She nodded this time, but she still didn’t give me her eyes. It bothered me for some reason, although why, I had no fucking idea. I dug my fingers deep into her hair, twisting her head around enough to kiss her. Hard. My tongue dug deep, forcing her to kiss me back and, I shit you not, I felt like fireworks were going off in my head. Clichéd as all fuck, but there you have it. After long seconds we came up for air, and I stared into her eyes, seeing how her pupils grew wide.
Slowly, steadily I found her opening with my cockhead, pushing in as she gasped.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, eyes wide, her lips trembling. I held her there, my heart beating so hard I thought it might come right out of my chest as I pushed down deep. She was tight—really tight. Sure as hell hadn’t been lying when she’d said she’d never done this before. I sank into her for what felt like forever before I hit bottom, balls resting against her pussy. Her heartbeat pulsed around my cock and I realized that I would be happy to die in that moment. That’s how good it was.
Becca closed her eyes and turned her face into the covers, spasming around me. I didn’t like the position—I wanted to watch her face— but she seemed to need some privacy. I got it. I’ve never been a nice, vanilla kind of guy, but this was a different kind of intensity than even I was used to. No screaming, no scratching, no fighting with each other until we both lost our minds . . . No, this was powerful on a whole new level, and looking into her eyes the whole time was probably too much for me, too.
I pulled back out, then slid in again. She gasped.
“Play with your clit some more.”
She nodded without speaking, burrowing her hand back down until she found her target. I started moving, going slowly and carefully at first. But it felt really good, and I’ve never been one to take things slow and careful.
Looking back, I can’t decide if that’s when things really fell to shit, or if they’d been falling to shit all along and I was just too stupid to see it. Never have figured that one out, but what happened next was not my finest hour. I started moving faster. It felt fucking amazing. She felt fucking amazing. Then I was pounding her and she was shuddering and I thought she was coming and it was perfect.
Becca sobbed suddenly. Loud. Not a pretty crying kind of noise, and not one of those moans bitches give when they’re getting off so hard they can’t quite control themselves.
No.
This was the kind of noise a puppy makes when you kick it, and I felt it all the way down to my gut like a knife ripping me open.
Big. Fucking. Mistake.
I pulled out and caught her up and into my arms. She flinched and I hated myself, because even like that she was soft and pretty and I just wanted to keep nailing her ass. Becca knew it, too, because she tried to pull away from the press of my cock against her back. More sobs escaped and tears rolled down her face and I knew for a fact that I’d burn in hell for this.
Rubbing her head, I tried to think of soothing noises. Instead I was full of questions. Why had she let me do it?
‘Cause you’re a pushy, scary bastard.
Fuck.
“I’m sorry,” I told her, my head starting to spin. Shouldn’t have drunk so much. I had no idea what time it was, no idea how long we’d been up here . . . I heard noises outside, the sounds of music and the party still going, but that didn’t mean much. A good party could last all night and into the next morning.
“It’s okay,” she finally managed to whisper, and I bit back a harsh laugh because that was a huge fucking lie and we both knew it. Then she did something that blew me away. Becca turned in my arms and pushed me down onto my back. Seconds later she had the condom off and was sucking me deep again, which made no fucking sense at all.
Unfortunately my dick wasn’t the sensitive, caring type because it really didn’t care that she was clearly so scared and drunk off her ass she’d lost touch with reality.
I could’ve stopped her.
I should’ve stopped her.
Instead I sank my fingers into her hair and blew up into her mouth and it was even better than the first time. The room was seriously spinning all around me as she tucked into my arm and stroked my chest.
“Tell him I did good, okay?” she whispered. “Just tell him I did good. Please?”
I passed out, wondering what the fuck she was talking about.

* * *

My bladder was about to explode.
Needed to pee. Maybe rinse out my mouth, too, because it tasted like something died in there and that was not an exaggeration. Shifting, I realized that Becca was still tucked into me, sleeping heavily. I managed to crack my eyes open, blinking. Faint light was creeping in through the window, although even now I could still hear music down below.
Great. Gonna be a long ride home with no sleep. Sliding carefully out from under Becca, I stood and pulled on my pants. My shirt had fallen into the sticky puddle of beer and vodka, so I stumbled out of the room half naked. The door across the hall was locked, although from the smell it had to be the bathroom—either that or people had started pissing and vomiting in the bedrooms, which I supposed wasn’t entirely impossible. Felt great to be back with my brothers, but our hosts kind of sucked ass. Bunch of assholes and meth heads, so far as I could tell. No wonder Boonie didn’t trust them.
I walked down the stairs into the living room, where despite the fact that music still blared, people were passed out all over the place. My brother Deep leaned back against the bar separating the living room from the kitchen area, arms crossed, a look of faint disgust on his face.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice low.
“You look like death. Have fun up there?”
I shrugged, feeling like an asshole.
“She’s perfect,” I said. “But I think I hurt her.”
His eyes narrowed.
“We got a situation? Should I go get Boonie?”
Shit.
“No, not like that,” I said quickly. “I mean, I think I pushed her too far. Tried to fuck her ass, and it didn’t go over so well. She’s okay, but I still feel like a douche.”
“We got a girl who’s gonna cry rape?” he asked quickly, and I snorted.
“Probably should,” I replied. “She told me to do it, though. Afterward she sucked me off. Feels wrong, somehow.”
“You want another drink?” I turned to see Teeny standing there, his beady eyes bright and full of something I couldn’t quite follow. God, I hated him—he was like a cockroach that wasn’t smart enough to stay out of the light.
Anger replaced my disgust. He needed to leave me the fuck alone.
“Are you serious?” I asked him, turning and cracking my knuckles. The fight with Painter had taken off my edge, but it’d come back again as I told Deep about Becca. Hitting someone— anyone—would feel good, but hitting this guy? That’d be a flat-out pleasure. “God, don’t you ever go away? Fucking piece of shit!”
I started toward him, but Deep caught my arm, pulling me back.
“Careful, bro,” he said quietly. “This isn’t about him. You’re pissed about the girl. Pick your battles, because there’s a lot more Longnecks than Reapers and Bastards combined. All he did was offer you a drink.”
Fuck. I breathed deep, looking at the scared little shit and wishing desperately he’d do something—anything—to give me an excuse to take him down. My brothers would back me no matter what, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think there wouldn’t be a price for my actions.
“I’m going back to bed,” I said after a tense minute or so, pulling free. “Talk to you later, brother.”
Deep nodded, watching Teeny as I turned and stalked back up the stairs. This time the bathroom door was open. Sure enough, someone had missed the toilet, and I felt my own stomach heave sympathetically. For a sec there I thought I might lose it. Then I pulled it together enough to piss without barfing. Afterward, I turned to look at myself in the mirror. As always, the face looking back at me was ugly as fuck. Dark, ragged hair. Scar cutting across my face. Nose that’d been broken at least four times now . . .
Shit, no wonder Becca had been scared of me—I looked like a fuckin’ serial killer. I wanted to punch the mirror and break it into a thousand pieces, which would accomplish even less than beating the shit out of Teeny.
Instead I went back into the room and found her still sound asleep on the bed. Her skin was pale and fragile, dark shadows ringing her eyes. Still gorgeous, but younger and more frail-looking now. Christ. What had I done? I crawled back into bed with her, sure I’d never get to sleep. I’d underestimated how much booze was still floating around in my system, because everything went dark again.

* * *

This time the sun was bright and harsh. I blinked, trying to remember where I was . . . Then it all came back and I looked around, wondering where my girl went.
Shit. Becca was gone.
What the hell really happened last night? I sat up, spotting my colors hanging from a rack next to . . . school uniforms? Fuck, some kid must live in this room, I realized. That’d suck, coming home to a mess like this. I turned and lowered my feet on the far side of the bed, figuring I’d open the window to air things out, check the lay of the land in the process. I stepped on a pile of books, which fell over. I reached down to pick one up.
Textbook.
I picked up another. Shit, it was another textbook, and under that was a notebook. That’s when I started to get a very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach—something I wouldn’t have pegged as possible, given how shitty I already felt about how the night had played out.
The notebook opened in my hands, and I saw the name Becca Jones written on the top of the front page, along with English: First Period and the date.
Below were notes.
Maybe she was in college, I thought desperately. Please, fuck . . . let her be in college. A piece of colored paper fell to the ground, and I dropped the notebook to pick it up.
What I saw nearly made me throw up.
It was a flyer for a dance—a high school dance.
Becca was still in school. Jailbait. The fuck? It didn’t add up . . . Then her last words to me sank in, and it all added up far too well.
“Tell him I did good, okay? Just tell him I did good. Please?”

* * *

I flew down the stairs half dressed, my boots thudding loudly. My shirt was filthy from her floor, but my cut was still fine—safe and sound after a night spent hanging next to Becca’s little school dresses. Fucking piece of shit pimp Teeny.
Had to be him.
This was his house. Who the hell was she? His kid? What the fuck kind of asshole pimped out his own daughter? But shit, I guess it happened all the time, all over the world. About halfway down I heard her scream, which should’ve woken up everyone all over the goddamned house. Most of them were still passed out drunk, though. I heard more shouts outside and knew my brothers were probably coming.
That turned out to be a good thing, because I came damned close to ending a man’s life that day—fucking craptastic way to start parole . . .
Teeny stood in the center of the kitchen, Becca huddled at his feet as he kicked her. Then he whacked her across the head with a fucking soup pot, of all things, and I lost my shit.
“You cocksucking asshole!” I shouted, launching myself at him.
“Fucking twat! I’ll kill you!”
My fists destroyed his face with a crunch. It felt good— cathartic.
He fell like a bag of concrete and some part of my brain noted vaguely that Becca was scrabbling away from us, chunks of her long hair torn loose and left on the floor. Blood, too. Another woman shouted and tugged at her, but I didn’t turn to look.
Nope. I had work to do.
Specifically, I needed to kill Teeny with my bare hands. Then I’d tear him apart and eat his heart. Raw. He screamed like a bitch the whole time, and I heard Boonie yelling in the background. Then they hauled me off his ass, kicking and fighting because I’d well and truly lost my shit.
“What the fuck is happening here?” Picnic Hayes demanded. Beside him stood one of the Longnecks, a guy who looked a fuckuva lot like Teeny and I realized this must be the brother who was part of the club. Bax.
Bax wasn’t a happy camper. Fair enough. I was pretty fucking unhappy myself.
Teeny moaned on the floor, rolling onto his back, and I spat at him. Then I heard a sobbing noise—one that’d already been burned into my brain. Becca was crying, and I looked over to find her huddled up against Teeny’s old lady.
Shit. I hadn’t seen it before because the woman was so nasty and used up, but under that scrawny, tweaker body was an older copy of Becca. Had to be her mother . . . Even with the meth eating her, though, she seemed too young. If that was the mother, she must’ve had Becca really fucking early.
“She his daughter?” I asked her, my voice like a knife. The woman shook her head quickly, lips quivering. “You let him pimp her out?”
She looked away.
“Damn,” Picnic said. “This is a hell of a clusterfuck.”
“I’m not leaving her here. He’ll kill her.”
Pic shook his head slowly, thoughtfully, but I could see it in his face—he knew I was right.
“Yeah, she can come with us,” he said. “You up for that, Boon?”
My president nodded, eyes never leaving the huddled mass of blood and human filth crying on the floor.
“We’ll head out in twenty minutes,” Boonie said decisively. “Anyone got a problem with that?”
He looked around the room in challenge, and several of the Longnecks glanced away—apparently they weren’t going to stand up for Teeny. Said a hell of a lot about them in general and Teeny in particular. I mean, I was glad that we weren’t fighting our way out, but that’s just pathetic. They were happy to party with him. When it came time to take his back, they were out.
“C’mon, let’s go upstairs and grab some of your shit,” I said to Becca, reaching toward her. She gave a little scream and pushed back with her feet, sliding across the floor to get away from me. Fuck.
“I’ll get her ready,” her mother said suddenly. Her voice quavered, but her eyes were resolute as they met mine. “She’ll go with you—just get her away from here. He’ll hurt her bad for this. Real bad.”
I nodded, watching as she drew her daughter to her feet, then pushed her toward the stairwell.
“Jesus, you can sure pick ’em,” Boonie said. “How old you think she is?”
“She’s still in high school,” I said, my voice grim. “Fairly certain I’m up for statutory if this goes down wrong.”
“Damn,” Painter said, coming up behind me. “That’s fast work—usually takes a little longer to violate parole, bro.”
I met his gaze, and for once his face didn’t hold even a hint of mockery. Fuck. This was really bad.
“Outside,” Picnic said sharply. “Horse, Ruger—you stay here. Make sure the girl gets out safe, okay?”
He caught my arm and pulled me toward the door. Boonie flanked us, and I sensed real danger beneath their calm expressions. We walked over to the bikes as the others scrambled to grab their shit and pack up.
“I won’t leave her,” I told them again. “I know she’s scared of me, but I don’t give a fuck. That girl’ll die if she stays here.”
“Not gonna leave her,” Pic said. “But we do need to get out fast, before they have time to figure out what happened and get pissed off. They decide to fight for her, things’ll get ugly. Not sure we can take ’em.”
“Thanks for standing with me.”
Boonie snorted.
“You’re our brother, Puck,” he said, his voice casual. “This is what we do. You went down for us, you think we aren’t prepared to do the same for you? Now pull your shit together. We can put the girl in the truck with the prospects, or you can take her on your bike. No time to fuck around.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I watched as Horse, Becca, and her mom walked out of the house. At least thirty members of the Longnecks MC stood watching, talking quietly among themselves. I kept waiting for one of them to reach for a gun or challenge us, but they didn’t.
No sign of Teeny.
Becca had stopped crying, but her face was still covered in tear-smeared blood, and nasty bruises were popping up all over. Her breath sounded wheezy, too, and I hoped to hell she didn’t have broken ribs.
“I don’t want to go,” she whispered, catching at her mom’s arm. “I want to stay with you.”
“You’re getting out,” the woman replied, her eyes hard and calculating. “Let him cool off, then we’ll talk. Figure something out.”
Becca shook her head, but when I caught her arm gently she let me pull her away.
“You want to ride in the truck or on my bike?”
Becca glanced at the truck, eyes widening at the sight of two Reaper prospects. “I’ll stay with you.”
I nodded and climbed on my bike, eyes alert as I monitored our audience. She climbed up behind me, and then her mother gave a satisfied nod. Becca wrapped her arms around me and I felt her tits press tight against my back. My cock stirred to life. What the fucking hell was wrong with me?
“How old are you?” I asked, my voice low.
“Sixteen.”
Shit.
“Like, you’re almost seventeen?”
“No, I turned sixteen last week.”
Double shit.
Boonie kicked his bike to life, and we followed his lead, pulling away from the house in formation.
So that’s the story of how I committed statutory rape less than twenty-four hours out of prison—on my birthday, no less. In retrospect, I probably should’ve stayed inside, served out my full five-year term. Would’ve been less work for everyone.

 

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PRE-ORDER

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Amazon PBK $12.34 http://amzn.to/1zUwPD6
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Kobo $5.99 http://bit.ly/18SpsQF
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Amazon Global Link: http://geni.us/3Ufb

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✿Reapers Motorcycle Club Series by Joanna Wylde✿

✦#1: Reaper’s Property Kindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo 
✦#2: Reaper’s LegacyKindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo 
✦#3: Devil’s GameKindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo 
REVIEW 5 STARS
✦#4: Reaper’s StandKindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo | iBooks 

REVIEW 5 STARS

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Joanna Wylde is a New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Reapers Motorcycle Club series. She currently lives in Idaho.

Social Media Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

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Release Blitz & Excerpt: Hot and Bothered (Rough and Tumble #3) by Crystal Green

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Hot and Bothered (Rough and Tumble #3) by Crystal Green

March 17, 2015

Check out this new release from Intermix! Yummy cowboy romance. /Cori

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SYNOPSIS

On the dusty outskirts of Vegas, there’s a down and dirty saloon where all sorts of lethally charming—and genuinely dangerous—men carouse to seduce the women who happen to venture inside on their way to and from Sin City.

Despite the many women he’s bedded over the years, Gideon Lane has never been able to get Rochelle Burton completely out of his head. He certainly never expected to see the city girl again, now a successful author, all grown up in all the right places and asking for his protection.

After their disastrous night together, Rochelle was determined to put Gideon—and the things he made her want—far behind her. But when an obsessive fan expresses their anger over her latest book in a disturbing way, Rochelle’s overprotective cousins insist she hire the best bodyguard the Rough & Tumble saloon can offer.

Both Rochelle and Gideon intend to keep their relationship strictly professional, but when the threat to Rochelle puts them in close quarters, Gideon can’t help wanting the chance to prove that some things are better the second time around…

EXCERPT

Hot And Bothered (Rough and Tumble #3) by Crystal Green

Release Date: March 17, 2015

 When Rochelle Burton first decided to track down Gideon Lane, she’d wondered how much he might’ve changed from the eighteen-year-old man-slut she’d known all those years ago. But when she found him in the middle of the Rough & Tumble Saloon’s courtyard doing what he had always done best, she immediately stopped wondering.

The light from a small fire going in the pit was hitting the brim of his gray Stetson at a slant, hiding his eyes in shadow. But his hat didn’t cover his lazy smile or the smoke from the cigarillo angling out of his mouth that curled into the mild May night air. He was slumped in his seat, resting one square-toed black boot on his knee and draping his arms over the two rickety chairs on either side of him. If he noticed that Rochelle was leaning against the door frame, where whisky-soaked rock ’n’ roll spilled out of the saloon from a nearby jukebox, he didn’t show it.

Then again, she suspected he was much too busy enjoying the private striptease that four fluffy-haired women were putting on for him. And she was damned sure that he hadn’t been hired by these girls to be their bodyguard, even if that was his profession. No, this was an entirely different sort of personal bodywork.

Two of the ladies, who were twins—and bleached blondes, at that—each had one leg straddled over either side of him while the other two felt themselves up, unbuttoning their blouses, laughing and tipsy.

No, Gideon hadn’t changed a bit. He was still a player, even after seventeen years had passed them by, still the only guy who’d ever left her in tears, even though she’d put that behind her a long time ago.

Definitely.

Rochelle eased her sunglasses down her nose, looking at him until he had to sense her stare. She could tell the moment he caught sight of her, and it wasn’t because she could see his gaze under that hat brim. It was because he tensed in his seat, sliding his arms off the backs of the chairs and then taking the cigarillo out of his mouth.

Well, a grand entrance had been pretty simple. She’d see about the rest of this necessary reunion.

The four girls stopped gyrating and glanced back at her. The non-twins shrugged and kept dancing, but the two blond lookalikes kept their legs draped over Gideon, almost as if they were claiming him.

Rochelle didn’t mind. She merely told herself to smile and pushed her sunglasses up and onto her head, where they held back her dark waves from her face.

Was Gideon thinking that she looked different? The same? Or . . .?

Ugh—she wasn’t here to compete for Miss Nevada or his attentions, so she swiped the thoughts out of her head.

“What do you know,” she said instead, smoothly raising her voice over the music. “It looks like things never change in this town.”

He was still tense, still staring. Her belly flipped, although she wasn’t about to let him know that he affeceted her, even after all this time.

How was that even possible when she’d put him in her past? Scratch that—when he’d been only such a tiny, insignificant moment in her past?

One of the blond twins glanced down at Gideon. “You know her?”

He let the cigarillo drop to the ground, then mashed it into the concrete with his boot. He nudged back his cowboy hat, revealing a face that used to make Rochelle’s heart skid and bump through her chest: light brown eyes that could burn a girl, a strong whiskered jaw, a dimple in his firm chin.

Damn, even now her body was reacting like a runaway sports car, an accident just waiting to happen. But she didn’t do accidents these days—those were things that happened to people who let challenges happen to them, not the ones who brought challenges on.

His gaze rolled over her, from her face and then down a body that had developed more than a few curves and swerves since they were just a couple of dumb kids, and she flushed all over.

She sure felt like a kid now, but she blanked out the weakness.

“I’ll be damned,” he finally said in that velvet twang she’d never quite forgotten. “Rochelle Burton.”

 

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BUY LINKS

Kindle $4.27 | B&N $4.99 | Kobo $4.99 | iBooks $4.99

ADD TO GOODREADS

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Rough And Tumble Series

Rough and Tumble (Rough and Tumble #1)

Down and Dirty (Rough and Tumble #2)

Hot and Bothered (Rough and Tumble #3)

 

ABOUT CRYSTAL GREEN

You can call her “Crystal,” “Chris,” or “Christine”—she’s the same person, even though her different pen names reflect different writing personalities.

Under “Crystal Green,” she writes romance. “Chris Marie Green” is in charge of the urban fantasy series Vampire Babylon, which features six full-length books, three novellas, and one short story. Chris Marie has also indie published a New Adult Single Girl/Geek Lit hybrid with illustrations by Billy Martinez called The She Code, along with other shorter works that follow the rules that all girls should know in life.

Crystal used to be an 8th grade teacher of reading, writing, and US History, but she promised herself if she ever sold 3 books in a year, she would take a chance and write full-time. Ten years later, she is still feverishly writing and loving it!

SOCIAL MEDIA: WebpageFacebook | TwitterGoodreads 

Release Blitz: Naughty King, Part 1 by Michelle A. Valentine

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Check out this new release in a 3 part serial from Michelle A. Valentine. The title alone hooked me and the synopsis had me 1-clicking. /Cori

*****

The first part in Michelle Valentine’s A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale series is available now – grab NAUGHTY KING for just .99c!

naughtykingAbout NAUGHTY KING

The King Always Gets His Way.

Women, business, pleasure: When I want it, I get it.

I’m never denied.

Including her.

I will break her.

I will show her who the king of this city really is.

The Feisty Princess of Manhattan will learn I am not a man that can be tempted.

No matter how damn bad I want her in my bed.

Book one in a three part erotic romance series from NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Michelle A. Valentine (Rock the Heart, Phenomenal X, Wicked White, Demon at My Door).

 

Naughty King (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part One)
Feisty Princess (A Sexy Manhattan Fairytale: Part Two) — Coming Soon
Dirty Royals (A Sexy Manhattan Fairylate: Part Three) — Coming Soon

 

BUY LINKS

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Google Books | iBooks (Coming Soon)

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ABOUT MICHELLE A. VALENTINE

Michelle A. Valentine is a Central Ohio nurse turned New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic and New Adult romance. Her love of hard-rock music, tattoos, and sexy musicians inspired her erotic BLACK FALCON series.

 Website | Newsletter | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Be a little naughty – join Valentine’s Vixens on Facebook for sneak peeks at Michelle’s upcoming works, as well as fun and chatting with her and other readers!

ROMANCE NEW RELEASES 3/15-3/21 Freebies, Deals & Giveaways List



✿ROMANCE NEW RELEASES 3/15-3/21 Freebies, Deals & Giveaways List http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2bG

✦Romance✦ParanormalRomance✦Erotica✦RomanticSuspense✦NewAdult✦HistoricalRomance✦

*This list will be pinned to the top of our FB page and updates will be made throughout the week. Buy links for Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and Paperbacks. Genre codes included with titles. Key to codes listed at the bottom of the list.

✿MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015

✦Soaring (The Magdalene Series Book 2) by Kristen Ashley #CR ➢ $3.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1yavtSp | B&N http://bit.ly/1x6EhKJ | Kobo http://bit.ly/1NXULdd
✦Get Lucky: Six Sexy Romances with an Irish Twist by Robin Covington, Nicola Marsh, Kelsey Browning, Avery Flynn, Sara Humphreys, & Kimberly Kincaid #CR ➢ $0.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1zcVSMa | Kobo http://bit.ly/19fmYvZ | iBooks http://bit.ly/1D4IEYe
✦Out of the Game (In the Zone) by Kate Willoughby #CR ➢ Kindle $2.99 http://amzn.to/1LfO8nL | B&N $3.99 http://bit.ly/1MD6qMW | Kobo $3.99 http://bit.ly/1NXV87E
✦One Night of Pleasure: Military Romance Featuring a Sexy Navy Hero (Take a Chance Book 5) by Caridad Pineiro #RS #CR ➢ $0.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1CjnhS3 | B&N http://bit.ly/18PmYlD | Kobo http://bit.ly/18tnuFY
✦The Risk (Xtreme Heroes 1) by Skye Jordan and Joan Swan #CR ➢ Kindle $2.99 http://amzn.to/1LfPcb4 | B&N $2.99 http://bit.ly/1BIVFVy | Kobo $3.99 http://bit.ly/1wN5phh

✿TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2015

✦Hot and Bothered (Rough and Tumble Book 3) by Crystal Green #CR ➢ Kindle $4.27 http://amzn.to/1MD7mkt | B&N $4.99 http://bit.ly/1BIWkGJ | Kobo $4.99 http://bit.ly/1GIxztO
✦The Warlord’s Wife (A Sons of the North Romance) by Sandra Lake #HR ➢ Kindle $4.27 http://amzn.to/1G9o6f9 | B&N $4.99 http://bit.ly/1HUy45q | Kobo $4.99 http://bit.ly/18trLJv
✦Tryst by Alex Rosa #CR #NA ➢ Kindle $3.79 http://amzn.to/1Ash4yr | B&N $3.99 http://bit.ly/1xq0DRR | Kobo $3.99 http://bit.ly/1HUyWqy
✦When I Fall (Alabama Summer Book 3) by J. Daniels and Ellie McLove #CR #ER ➢ Kindle $2.99 http://amzn.to/1MDIKWK | Amazon PBK $11.01 http://amzn.to/1LfW0pl | B&N $2.99 http://bit.ly/1baO1ts
✦Adam (Cyborgs: More Than Machines Book 6) by Eve Langlais #SFR ➢ $3.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1EhEkQN | B&N http://bit.ly/1NY03oV | Kobo http://bit.ly/1G9yzas
✦Love, Exes, and Ohs (Cactus Creek Book 4) by Violet Duke #CR ➢ $2.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1G9z5p4 | B&N http://bit.ly/1MDK6Rl
✦Kissed by a SEAL: Hot SEALs by Cat Johnson #CR ➢ Kindle $2.99 http://amzn.to/18twJG6 | Amazon PBK $6.83 http://amzn.to/1G9zZlg | Kobo $2.99 http://bit.ly/1BmkCl0
✦Shaken, Not Stirred (The Last Call Series Book 5) by Sawyer Bennett #CR #ER ➢ Kindle $4.99 http://amzn.to/1MDcJ2V | Amazon PBK $12.88 http://amzn.to/1x6K435 | B&N $4.99 http://bit.ly/1MDd1XE
✦Retribution (Deception Series Book 2) by K.A. Robinson #CR ➢ Kindle $3.99 http://amzn.to/1Lg10u4 | Amazon PBK $13.66 http://amzn.to/18PxhGr
✦The Silent Princess: The MacKellen Alphas by T. A. Grey #PNR #ER ➢ Kindle $3.81 http://amzn.to/1Asp5U5 | B&N $3.99 http://bit.ly/1x6Lc6P
✦Disillusioned (Swept Away Book 2) by J.S. Cooper #CR #RS ➢ Kindle $7.99 http://amzn.to/1CkiRf8 | Amazon PBK $12.96 http://amzn.to/1MDdPf1 | B&N (PBK $12.96/ Nook $7.99) http://bit.ly/1FptBs3 | Kobo $7.99 http://bit.ly/1baPZKj
✦Protecting Fate (Entangled Brazen) (Serve) by Katee Robert #CR ➢ $2.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1Lg2ULd | B&N http://bit.ly/1FlU5dv | Kobo http://bit.ly/1Dp40jz
✦Chase Me: A Broke and Beautiful Novel by Tessa Bailey #CR ➢ Kindle $2.99 http://amzn.to/1FlUEUN | Amazon PBK $4.99 http://amzn.to/1FlUoVN | B&N (PBK $4.99/ Nook $2.99) http://bit.ly/1FlUQ6m | Kobo $2.99 http://bit.ly/1MDeFbK
✦Leaving Amarillo: A Neon Dreams Novel by Caisey Quinn #CR #NA ➢ Kindle $4.74 http://amzn.to/1CkkUQe | B&N $4.99 http://bit.ly/18PAo0N | Kobo $4.99 http://bit.ly/1Cjz82o
✦Fever: Club Inferno by Jamie K. Schmidt #CR #ER ➢ $2.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1CjzaXX | B&N http://bit.ly/1EnZ0Jw | Kobo http://bit.ly/1Cjzw0U


✿WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

✦Consolation (Book One in the Consolation Duet) by Corinne Michaels #CR ➢ $2.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1CjzxC1 | B&N http://bit.ly/1GILMH7 | Kobo http://bit.ly/1GSYTsU
✦Coda (The Submission Series #9) by CD Reiss #CR ➢ $2.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1CjA3jl | B&N http://bit.ly/1x6NbrA | Kobo http://bit.ly/1wNlrI6

✿Link to Previous Weekly Release Lists: http://bit.ly/1jz5V8S

✦GENRE ABBREVIATIONS✦
#CR – Contemporary Romance
#PNR – Paranormal Romance
#RS – Romantic Suspense
#NA – New Adult Romance
#ER – Erotica Romance
#YA – Young Adult Romance
#UF – Urban Fantasy Romance
#FR – Fantasy Romance
#HR – Historical Romance
#SFR – Science Fiction Romance
#RC – Romantic Comedy

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✿OPEN GIVEAWAYS✿

✦GIVEAWAY: HARDBACK OR EBOOK COPY – THE SHADOWS BY J.R. WARD (Ends 3/20)
►Enter Rafflecopter ➢ http://gvwy.io/lr7215

✦Feature, Excerpt & Giveaway: Girl Before a Mirror: A Novel by Liza Palmer http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2cz
►Enter Rafflecopter (Paperback Copy) ➢ http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/275e66a347/

✦DARK-HUNTER SERIES BY SHERRILYN KENYON RE-READS PROGRAM http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2cQ
✦Join me on the #KenyonReReads & re-live or discover the best moments of the Dark Hunter series! ► http://t.co/FAwVdUPMg5  
ENTER GIVEAWAY
1. Participate by commenting on #KenyonReReads “Night Play” Here ► http://t.co/FAwVdUPMg5
2. Tell me you participated by commenting at either of these 2 places:  
BLOG post here ►http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2cQ OR
Facebook post here ► http://on.fb.me/195RveV


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✿ADDITIONAL BLOG POSTS✿

✦COVER REVEAL/ NEW SERIES ALERT: BLOOD KISS: The Black Dagger Legacy Series by J.R. Ward

Releasing December 1, 2015

Blog Post: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2cD

PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $7.99: http://amzn.to/1BlQjuG
Amazon PBK $7.19: http://amzn.to/1NXGNbe
Kobo $7.99: http://bit.ly/1HUkrD9
iBooks $7.99: http://apple.co/1BIx5nN
B&N not available yet

✦DARK-HUNTER SERIES BY SHERRILYN KENYON RE-READS PROGRAM http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-22V

✦READING IN PAJAMAS FAVORITE ROMANCE BOOKS 2014 http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-1Ux

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✿UPCOMING RELEASES/ PRE-ORDERS✿

✦MANWHORE (The Manwhore Series, Book 1) by Katy Evans
Releasing March 24, 2015
Excerpt Reveal: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-21X
Add To Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1JWYC7e
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle: http://amzn.to/16bbLeL
Amazon PBK: http://amzn.to/1BEXajC
B&N: http://bit.ly/1CLtMfv
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Clut0u
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1Hyd7k7
BAM: http://bit.ly/1BUOc3B
IndieBound: http://bit.ly/1sdhgmI
S&S: http://bit.ly/1x3F08

✦The Closer You Come (Original Heartbreakers) by Gena Showalter
Release date: March 31, 2015
Kindle $4.99: http://amzn.to/1ApzmT1
Amazon PBK $7.99: http://amzn.to/1EZ6fqh
B&N $7.99: http://bit.ly/1DFkdPT
Kobo $7.19: http://bit.ly/1AaMz3g
iBooks $7.99: http://bit.ly/1Dxphaj
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1w2xNw1

✦The Shadows: A Novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward (Coming March 31, 2015)
Pre-Order:
Kindle $11.99: http://amzn.to/1BAHVJT
Amazon HBK $20.47: http://amzn.to/1wcBSrv
Amazon Global: http://geni.us/2hiv
B&N (HBK $20.47/ Nook $11.99): http://bit.ly/1AgptsV
Kobo $14.99: http://bit.ly/14pJQXy
iBooks $11.99: http://geni.us/2SQk

✦Total Surrender (Sin Brothers, Book 4) by Rebecca Zanetti
Publication Date: March 31, 2015
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $2.99: http://amzn.to/1ExpxXv
Amazon PBK $8: http://amzn.to/1ExqfEc
B&N $2.99: http://ow.ly/JPK6Q
Kobo $2.99: http://bit.ly/1aZG4XW
iBooks $2.99: http://apple.co/198R0lf

✦Deep (Stage Dive Series Book 4) by Kylie Scott
Publication Date: March 31, 2015

PRE-ORDER:

Kindle $3.99: http://amzn.to/1B1gIht

Amazon PBK $11.81: http://amzn.to/1DBbhNi

B&N (PBK $11.81/ Nook $3.99): http://bit.ly/1xyN8iS

Kobo $3.99: http://bit.ly/1Ewr51e

iBooks $3.99: http://apple.co/1xft4re

Amazon Series Link: http://amzn.to/1DBbDmU

✦Silver Bastard (Silver Valley) by Joanna Wylde (Releasing April 7, 2015)
✦EXCERPT REVEAL: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2bU
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $5.12 http://amzn.to/1yOjsib
Amazon PBK $12.34 http://amzn.to/1zUwPD6
B&N (PBK $12.34/ Nook $5.99) http://bit.ly/16IVvC0
Kobo $5.99 http://bit.ly/18SpsQF
iBooks $5.99 http://bit.ly/1Ic72ud
Amazon Global Link: http://geni.us/3Ufb

✦Hard to Be Good (Hard Ink) by Laura Kaye (April 14, 2015)
PRE-ORDER ➢ $1.99 Kindle http://amzn.to/1FumL2i | B&N http://bit.ly/1A3X0Ba | Kobo http://bit.ly/1HgWt4M

✦Born of Defiance (A League Novel) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Release date: May 12, 2015
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $14.99: http://amzn.to/1FjYIpH
Amazon HBK $20.51: http://amzn.to/1vQw78N
B&N (HBK $20.51/ Nook $14.99): http://bit.ly/1v7iT6N
Kobo $14.99: http://bit.ly/19pnw2t
iBooks: http://apple.co/1CHTbZl

✦Vicious Cycle (A Vicious Cycle Novel Book 1) by Katie Ashley
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Ffzt4U
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $5.12: http://amzn.to/1wJXEJs
Amazon PBK $11.25: http://amzn.to/1wJYhCR
B&N: http://bit.ly/1EjMn4D
Kobo: http://bit.ly/17WnldV
iBooks: http://apple.co/1AMluPn

✦Wicked Ride (Realm Enforcers Book 1) by Rebecca Zanetti
Publication Date: June 23, 2015
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1AmlVmO
B&N: http://bit.ly/1MyjIuX
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CK6yD2
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1yYVQXj
ADD TO GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/1DDlyq9

✦Ride Steady (Chaos, #3) Kristen Ashley (Releasing June 30, 2015)
Kindle $3.99 http://amzn.to/1DcUdLs
Amazon PBK $8 http://amzn.to/1DYNtij
B&N (PBK $8/ Nook $3.99) http://bit.ly/1G1F2oj
Kobo $3.99 http://bit.ly/1zNH7yy
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23341855

✦Toxic by Kim Karr
RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2015
Pre-order:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1zqmTuV
iTunes: http://bit.ly/1y1Hu8e
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1B49fTK

✦Dragonbane (Dark-Hunter Novels) by Sherrilyn Kenyon (August 4, 2015)
►Reading in Pajamas Blog Post: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-1EP
http://officialsanctuary.com/dark-hunters/dragonbane/
✦Pre-Order ➢ Amazon http://amzn.to/1H8NVNF | B&N http://bit.ly/1vsq48A | Kobo http://bit.ly/1r4xIOR | iBooks http://smarturl.it/osgciip

✦Edge of Danger: A Deadly Ops Novel, Book 4 by Katie Reus (November 3, 2015)
PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $5.99: http://amzn.to/1E04v3l
Amazon PBK $7.99: http://amzn.to/1JQUadQ
Kobo $7.99: http://bit.ly/1AwgWkN
iBooks $7.99 http://apple.co/18pLLxd
B&N not available yet
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1Bhto8X
Amazon Series Link: http://amzn.to/1AbLoMn

✦Born of Betrayal (The League Series) by Sherrilyn Kenyon http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2ad
Release Date: November 3, 2015
PRE-ORDER
Kindle $14.99: http://amzn.to/1aQFagq
Amazon HBK $20.51: http://amzn.to/1NqwpIJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/1MfbOFQ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1MfbWVM
iBooks: http://apple.co/1KyepgD

✦BLOOD KISS: The Black Dagger Legacy Series by J.R. Ward

Releasing December 1, 2015

Blog Post: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-2cD

PRE-ORDER:
Kindle $7.99: http://amzn.to/1BlQjuG
Amazon PBK $7.19: http://amzn.to/1NXGNbe
Kobo $7.99: http://bit.ly/1HUkrD9
iBooks $7.99: http://apple.co/1BIx5nN
B&N not available yet

******************


✿FREEBIES & DEALS✿

✦FREE ➢ Let Me Love You (Blue Lake Series, Book 4) by Kristin Miller
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1wM1MIC
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Fkctn4
iBooks: http://apple.co/1GSes44
B&N: not available
✦Books 1-3 are on sale for $0.99 ➢ http://amzn.to/1MJlZm6

✦FREE ➢ Point of Return (The Nordic Lords MC Book 1) by Stacey Lynn
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1EfnVfT
B&N: http://bit.ly/1MBTrJo
Kobo: http://bit.ly/18MvEJn
iBooks: http://apple.co/1ElBKfi

✦FREE ➢ Make It A Double (The Last Call Series Book 2) by Sawyer Bennett
Kindle: http://amzn.to/19m2xOt
B&N: http://bit.ly/1ChwyLG
iBooks: http://apple.co/1ApseUA
Kobo not available

✦FREE ➢ When Lightning Strikes (A Whiskey Creek Novel Book 1) by Brenda Novak
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1BhghnG
B&N: http://bit.ly/18tesZl
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1EtU48w
iBooks: http://apple.co/1GwcaaM

✦FREE ➢ A Vampire’s Promise by Carla Susan Smith
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1Hv93NV
B&N: http://bit.ly/1xaHUtE
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Bt2Yzo
iBooks: http://apple.co/1aZQ43f

✦FREE (reg. $3.99) ➢ Luke: Unzipped by Cassia Leo
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1MdjOFv
iBooks: http://apple.co/1x2dgCw
B&N: http://bit.ly/unzippedbn
Kobo: http://bit.ly/unzippedkobo
Google: http://bit.ly/unzippedplay

✦FREE ➢ Crux: Southern Arcana, Book 1 by Moira Rogers
Kindle: http://geni.us/3sb9
B&N: http://bit.ly/1sFvA4J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1r75bd3
iBooks: http://geni.us/1COy

✦FREE ➢ The Tycoon’s Revenge (Baby for the Billionaire – Book One) by Melody Anne
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1csvhSN
Nook: http://bit.ly/1csvlSy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1iK9ZoX

✦FREE ➢ Dare to Love by Carly Phillips
Kindle: http://geni.us/1G69
B&N: http://bit.ly/1qAPcmd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1zOiHaV
iBooks: http://geni.us/tIU

✦FREE ➢ Season for Love (McCarthys of Gansett Island Series, Book 6) by Marie Force
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1MbS4Tx
B&N: http://bit.ly/17WzoI8
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1GoAH1f
iBooks: http://apple.co/1EjXjPI

✦FREE ➢ A SEAL’s Song (SEAL Team Alpha Book 1) by Jennifer Lowery
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1NEw45o
B&N: http://bit.ly/18xTDMp
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1HuMfOp
iBooks: http://apple.co/1AddEiO

✦FREE ➢ Blind Attraction (Reckless Beat #1) by Eden Summers
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1wvjTml
B&N: http://goo.gl/Yb0XOf
iTunes: http://apple.co/1ASfLLF
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ABXzXD

✦FREE ➢ Bite Me, Your Grace (Scandals with Bite Book 1) by Brooklyn Ann
Kindle: http://amzn.to/18FXQi1
B&N: http://bit.ly/18hmO6f
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1K9t8hK
iBooks: http://apple.co/1zAZtD3

BOOK 2 ON SALE FOR $1.99!
✦$1.99 SALE ➢ One Bite Per Night (Scandals with Bite Book 2) by Brooklyn Ann
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1FBb7Tf
B&N: http://bit.ly/1EvRP4J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1E1BejM
iBooks: http://apple.co/1Abr0Mz

✦FREE (Kindle & Nook) ➢ The One You Want (Original Heartbreakers Novella) by Gena Showalter
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1FCCkYI
B&N: http://bit.ly/19JDQeE
$2.99 via Kobo: http://bit.ly/1MELtSA

✦FREE ➢ Forever & Always (The Ever Trilogy: Book 1) by Jasinda Wilder
Kindle: http://georiot.co/3HOG
B&N: http://bit.ly/1vqVa1t
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1p2tmtY
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1zyhgvA

✦FREE ➢ Her Dakota Man (Dakota Hearts, Book 1) by Lisa Mondello
Kindle US: http://amzn.to/1FqB9bA
Kindle Global: http://georiot.co/2PV7    
B&N: http://bit.ly/1vv1TTu
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1hS3gcW
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1Bpe8s1

✦FREE ➢ Troubled Son: Savage Sons MC Romance by Jayna King
Kindle: http://georiot.co/3HSN
B&N: http://bit.ly/1y5opFn
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1jsBOgX
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1neDSLU

✦FREE ➢ A Dark Guardian (The Shields) by Donna Grant
Kindle US: http://amzn.to/17YtBBQ
Kindle Global: http://georiot.co/fDa
B&N: http://bit.ly/1bOAV4d
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1gEGQGl
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1xY6Rgr

✦FREE ➢ Hard Knocks: An Ultimate Novella by Lori Foster
Kindle http://geni.us/zGK
B&N http://bit.ly/1AMC5Xd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1EBUd6v
iBooks: http://bit.ly/17lGbei

✦FREE ➢ Burns So Bad (When SEALs Come Home Book 1) by Anne Marsh
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1vX4yux
B&N: http://bit.ly/1viYCLy
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CJhT6o
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1CJieGj

✦FREE ➢ Storm Damages by Magda Alexander
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1AFuSJH
B&N: http://bit.ly/1DvndOz
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CxkhwV
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1FeWYOx

✦FREE ➢ The Wolf Within by Cynthia Eden
Kindle: http://amzn.to/16MqmoK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/17cLj47
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1m6GP3H

✦FREE ➢ BEFORE MIDNIGHT by Jennifer Blackstream
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1xIW97O
B&N: http://bit.ly/1zIOISq
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1D8fgyL
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1C6PFEU

✦FREE ➢ The Charmer By C.J. Archer
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1AjLOpK
B&N: http://bit.ly/1tWtf97
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1AjMVGa
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1DxtzLD

✦FREE ➢ Love, Chocolate, and Beer (Cactus Creek) by Violet Duke
Kindle: http://georiot.co/2ojS
B&N: http://bit.ly/1qEhxer
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1cHhFG8
iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/ChocolateBeer-iTunes
GooglePlay: http://tinyurl.com/ChocolateBeer-Google

✦FREE ➢ Tear (A Seaside Novel Book 1) by Rachel Van Dyken
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1zdc3eJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/1DbpNXR
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1K5ZCnO
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1v5X4ow

✦FREE ➢ The Look of Love: The Sullivans, Book 1 (Contemporary Romance) by Bella Andre
Kindle: http://geni.us/2O7R
B&N: http://bit.ly/1y2Ycbm
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1xLO3QY
iBooks: http://geni.us/31l4

✦FREE ➢ Primal Instinct: Pendragon Gargoyles 0.5 by Sydney Somers
Kindle US: http://amzn.to/1CbyeUB
Kindle Global: http://geni.us/PWi
B&N: http://bit.ly/1sNRxS6
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1yaWFQx
iBooks: http://geni.us/zaM

✦FREE ➢ Fever (Blood Moon Rising) by Lola Taylor
Kindle: http://georiot.co/3zqW
B&N: http://bit.ly/Sl0XTY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1nrEEWp
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1i5PkXa

✦FREE ➢ Rocky Mountain Heat (Six Pack Ranch) by Vivian Arend
Kindle: http://geni.us/1InL
B&N: http://bit.ly/1nEQXT4
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1kYW0bd
iBooks: http://geni.us/aEr

✦FREE ➢ Black Gold: Takhini Wolves, Book 1 by Vivian Arend  
Kindle: http://geni.us/1RXb
B&N: http://bit.ly/1qODx8J
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1DlTtDt
iBooks: http://geni.us/25Bu

✦FREE ➢ The Craving (Rogues of Scotland #1) by Donna Grant
Kindle: http://geni.us/1onK
iBooks: http://geni.us/3N7Z
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1BAfeig
Nook: Not Free

✦FREE ➢ Single Wolf Female (Midnight Liaisons Book 4) by Jessica Sims
Kindle: http://geni.us/v4t
B&N: http://bit.ly/1EjbEJd
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1nzGe7F
iBooks: http://geni.us/7tk
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1sxR1T8

✦FREE ➢ Samson’s Lovely Mortal (Scanguards Vampires Book 1) by Tina Folsom
Kindle: http://georiot.co/2XmX
B&N: http://bit.ly/1vPqkPW
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1pjsEat
iBooks: http://bit.ly/UQVtSJ

✦FREE ➢ A Touch of Midnight: A Midnight Breed Novella by Lara Adrian #PNR
Kindle: http://georiot.co/3rRJ
B&N: http://bit.ly/125MJuy
Smashwords http://bit.ly/1bXoDEd
Kobo http://bit.ly/19XXHn7

✦FREE ➢ Heart of the Hunter (Dragon Chalice) by Lara Adrian
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1b5WVpQ
✦FREE ➢ White Lion’s Lady (Warrior Trilogy (historical romance) by Lara Adrian
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1dAwPNH
AMAZON ONLY

✦FREE ➢ Crossing the Line by Nicola Marsh
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1FSkUEv
B&N: http://bit.ly/1sIXY2h
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1zQIEco
iBooks: http://apple.co/1xgNZ7R

You can get the $4.99 bundle for $0.99 right now!
✦$0.99 SALE ➢ World Apart Series (1-3) By Nicola Marsh
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1B8Fj3Q
B&N: http://bit.ly/18eTptJ
Kobo: http://bit.ly/18eTCgq
iBooks: http://apple.co/1wZyXZH

✿SALE – Sweet, Texas Series by Candis Terry✿
✦$1.68 ➢ Anything But Sweet (Book 1) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1BC4GhV | B&N http://bit.ly/1x1nJ71 | Kobo http://bit.ly/1x1oRre
✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Sweetest Mistake (Book 2) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1BC5cN5
✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Something Sweeter (Book 3) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1EGUDfp
✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Sweet Surprise (Book 4) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1Av0vki
✦Series Links ➢ Amazon http://amzn.to/1EGVM6x | B&N http://bit.ly/1GMT28B | Kobo http://bit.ly/1FiL2uh

✦SALE $0.99/ $1.99 ➢ Rock Canyon, Idaho Series by Codi Gary
Series Links (Books 1-2 $1.99/ Books 3-4 $0.99)
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1D2UXEM
B&N: http://bit.ly/1AeGJdR

✦$0.99 KINDLE SALE ➢ Hard to Come By: A Hard Ink Novel by Laura Kaye #TopFav2014
KINDLE: http://amzn.to/1GJYn0d
Grab it! Great series and this one was one of our favs in 2014. Price won’t last long! Hot ex-military guys. /Cori
Review 5 Stars: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-1Ox

✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Darkness Awakened (Darkness Book 1) by Katie Reus  
Kindle http://amzn.to/1H0DXxl
B&N http://bit.ly/17BBSZG
Kobo http://bit.ly/1aMH23z
iBooks http://apple.co/1BbC6np

✦$0.99 Kindle SALE ➢ The Mane Event (The Pride Series) Shelly Laurenston
Kindle: http://amzn.to/17OjFuJ
Amazon Global: http://georiot.co/s3R
✦$1.99 SALE (B&N, Kobo, iBooks) ➢ B&N: http://bit.ly/HmkdeG | Kobo: http://bit.ly/1F5O82u | iBooks: http://apple.co/1BRldC4
Love this book! grab it while it’s on Sale! /Cori

✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Beast Behaving Badly (Pride Series) by Shelly Laurenston
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1DqRCht
B&N: http://bit.ly/1g3zjE1
Kobo: http://bit.ly/17IOj8X

✦$0.99 SALE ➢ The Will (The Magdalene Series) by Kristen Ashley
Kindle US: http://amzn.to/1B8Hmtv
Kindle: http://georiot.co/2kBP
B&N http://bit.ly/PKow7e
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1lGRK2f
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1ApeQTU
Smashwords: http://bit.ly/PVCUtg

✦$0.99 SALE ➢ Deception (Deception Series Book 1) by K.A. Robinson
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1Ld4eOX
Link to all stores: http://bit.ly/1BGiDgd

✦$0.99 SALE ➢  All Revved Up (The Dangerous Series Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1E9BBKB
B&N: http://bit.ly/1vEP5Pw
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Ac4Hf9
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1Chrhhr

✦$1.76 SALE ➢ Born In Blood: The Sentinels by Alexandra Ivy
Kindle: http://georiot.co/42P2
iBooks: http://geni.us/17AT
Review 5 Stars: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-V1

✦$1.99 SALE ➢ Letting Go (The Surrender Trilogy) Maya Banks
Kindle US http://amzn.to/1sX53Ts
Kindle Global http://georiot.co/2m7U
iBooks http://bit.ly/1yIlyp1
(Kindle & iBooks only sale)
Review 4 Stars: http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-YM

✦$1.99 Kindle & Nook Sale ➢ OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon
Kindle http://georiot.co/aZy | B&N http://bit.ly/1cfezly

✦$1.99 SALE ➢ Heart of the Dragon (Atlantis Book 1) by Gena Showalter
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1zQSuZX
B&N: http://bit.ly/1AQQ9RB
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1zQTEEO
iBooks: http://bit.ly/1DdrAOa

✦$1.99 SALE ➢ Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1M9ShVj
B&N: http://bit.ly/1KtuBjh
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1GonEgh
iBooks: http://apple.co/1DYPCMn

✦$2.99 KINDLE SALE (reg. $16) ➢ Bared to You (Crossfire Series, Book 1) by Sylvia Day
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1EewBba
(Amazon Only Deal)
✦CROSSFIRE SERIES BY SYLVIA DAY ~ READING ORDER✦
✦ #1: Bared to You – http://amzn.to/1EewBba
✦ #2: Reflected in You – http://amzn.to/1fLqtef
✦ #3: Entwined with You – http://amzn.to/13ULRcr
✦ #4: Captivated by You – http://amzn.to/1p3M3LU

✦SALE ➢ TREX Series by Allie K. Adams✦
✦FREE – First Response (Book 1) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1zh44er | B&N http://bit.ly/1zG0VUl | Kobo http://bit.ly/1L1WyLK | iBooks http://bit.ly/1yI3d5l
✦FREE – Rescue Me (Book 2) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1yHXdJN | B&N http://bit.ly/1AsmBKy | Kobo http://bit.ly/1MoKlm8 | iBooks http://bit.ly/1zh5DJ8
✦$0.99 – At Any Cost (TREX Book 3) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1L0NWDe | B&N not on sale | Kobo http://bit.ly/1zXnOY7 | iBooks http://bit.ly/1FfmeUJ
✦FREE – No Way Out (TREX Book 4) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1CxglPc | B&N http://bit.ly/1DebYeZ | Kobo http://bit.ly/17eowok | iBooks http://bit.ly/1AFZTgF

✦SALE $0.99 EACH Deadly Angels Series (Books 1-3) by Sandra Hill
✦Deadly Angels Series by Sandra Hill✦
✦$0.99: Kiss of Pride (Book 1) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1CB9W96 | B&N http://bit.ly/1owgiwi| Kobo http://bit.ly/1tBWtFR
✦$0.99: Kiss of Surrender (Book 2) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1DCSWzk | B&N http://bit.ly/1cUvev6 | Kobo http://bit.ly/KIYIFX
✦$0.99: Kiss of Temptation ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1xjUlsG | B&N $5.99 http://bit.ly/1p80MsX | Kobo http://bit.ly/1owgX0D
✦$4.99: Kiss of Wrath (Book 4) ➢ Kindle http://georiot.co/1gdH | B&N http://bit.ly/1kfnLPS | Kobo http://bit.ly/1jMjH9
✦Novella: Christmas in Transylvania ➢ $1.99 Kindle http://geni.us/3so7 | B&N http://bit.ly/1rLvftS | Kobo http://bit.ly/1wCdT6l
✦$1.99: Vampire in Paradise (Book 5) ➢ Kindle http://amzn.to/1Gvp2KU | B&N http://bit.ly/1yMj44w | Kobo http://bit.ly/1y7TRD6
REVIEW 5 Stars:  http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-1M9

✦HUGE SALE✦ Love at Stake Series by Kerrelyn Sparks
A bunch of the Ebooks are only $0.99 and some are $1.99! Check out the links and grab them if you haven’t read this series! It’s a great vamp PNR series. Sexy and fun! /Cori
Kindle http://amzn.to/1B25mty
B&N: http://bit.ly/1FClhoY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1BX5TSs
iBooks: http://apple.co/1EwKlM5

✦SALE $0.99 Each ➢ Lords of Avalon Series by Sherrilyn Kenyon writing as Kinley MacGregor
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1EvOI7P
B&N: http://bit.ly/19D99rN
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1CxRY5O
Series Info: http://www.sherrilynkenyon.com/book-series/lords-of-avalon/
This series connects with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter Series starting with “Son of No One.”

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Rock Hard (Rock Kiss Series, Book 2) by Nalini Singh

Meet Gabriel (sexy rugby player turned CEO) & Charlotte in this fantastic addition to the Rock Kiss Series!

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BUY LINKS

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Kobo http://bit.ly/1zsmqI1

SYNOPSIS

In New York Times Bestselling author Nalini Singh’s newest contemporary romance, passion ignites between a gorgeous, sinfully sexy man who built himself up from nothing and a shy woman who has a terrible secret in her past…


Wealthy businessman Gabriel Bishop rules the boardroom with the same determination and ruthlessness that made him a rock star on the rugby field. He knows what he wants, and he’ll go after it no-holds-barred.

 

And what he wants is Charlotte Baird.

 

Charlotte knows she’s a mouse. Emotionally scarred and painfully shy, she just wants to do her job and remain as invisible as possible. But the new CEO—a brilliant, broad-shouldered T-Rex of a man who growls and storms through the office, leaving carnage in his wake—clearly has other plans. Plans that may be equal parts business and bedroom.

 

If Charlotte intends to survive this battle of wits and hearts, the mouse will have to learn to wrangle the T-Rex. Game on.

REVIEW

Publication Date: March 10, 2015

Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori

Rated: 5 Stars

 

I loved this story so much! This is book two in Nalini Singh’s Rock Kiss Series and can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading them all. The entire series is incredible! Rock Hard is my new favorite in this series. I loved the characters in this book and the plot captivated me. Gabriel, the big and sexy rugby player turned CEO, is the perfect man for Charlotte. Charlotte’s past is heart wrenching and she lives a life of fear. Gabriel draws her out. They’re chemistry was off the charts and sizzled. Rock Hard is a beautiful love story and it’s one of those stories that stay with you long after you close the book. I highly recommend this entire series. Go grab them and devour them!

 

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT

Charlotte arrived at work at seven thirty the next morning to find Gabriel Bishop’s office door open, but no carnivorous predator inside. A fresh suit was hanging on the back of his door, however, which meant he’d been in already.

Deciding to catch up on e-mails that had come in overnight from international suppliers as well as stores involved in a stock take, she was typing a reply when a sweaty Gabriel arrived fifteen minutes later. He was dressed in black running shorts and a faded University of Auckland T-shirt that was currently sticking to his body.

She’d known he was in shape, but now she realized none of it was an illusion created by his well-cut suits. Okay, she’d already known that, but seeing his muscled body in the flesh was a whole different ball game. He was built like a tank, hard and powerful.

Each of his thighs was thicker than both of hers put together, his biceps toned, his shoulders appearing even wider than usual. Everything about him was big. Civilized clothing didn’t make him look better, she realized—it toned down his intense masculinity. Out of his suits, with the ink on the upper part of his left arm exposed, as well as that on his opposing thigh and…

Her skin hot and lower body clenching, she just nodded in response to his “Good morning.”

Disappearing into his office, he returned with his suit pants and a fresh shirt slung over his arm, along with a sports bag. “Push the meeting with Sales to nine, will you, Ms. Baird? I need to talk to HR about something before then.”

“Yes, sir,” Charlotte said almost soundlessly, but he was already gone, heading toward the employee shower one floor down.

The thigh tattoo went all the way around, the design intricate.

Heart rate a rapid stutter, Charlotte got up after he disappeared and decided to go grab him a coffee. He’d bought her one yesterday after all. She was just being nice. “Oh, shut up, Charlotte,” she muttered once she was in the elevator, and slumped her face into an upraised hand.

The truth was she was running away. Only for a few minutes, but that’s what this was: strategic retreat. Gabriel Bishop was overwhelming. Once, before she’d ever met him and under the influence of cocktails, she’d told Molly she wanted to rip off his shirt and sink her teeth into his pecs.

That desire hadn’t waned even now that she knew he was a T-Rex. Of course, the desire was all strictly in her imagination. The idea of actually handling him in real life? So impossible as to be laughable. Charlie-mouse was not about to play with a predator who could eat her alive and not even notice the bones. The good news was that she could admire him in relative safety—there was no chance in hell he’d ever notice her as a woman.

Getting the coffee from a nearby café, she took it back upstairs. He was in his office when she entered, the striped dark gray of his tie hanging around his neck and his damp hair roughly combed. The scent of clean, fresh soap over warm skin permeated the office. Shooting her a smile that turned him from gorgeous to flat-out devastating, he flipped up the collar of his white shirt to get the tie in place. “Thank you, Ms. Baird.”

Nodding, Charlotte escaped, though she really wanted to stay. She’d never realized how erotic it was to watch a man dress until this precise moment. And she shouldn’t be having these thoughts about her boss—especially since she couldn’t keep from quivering like a rabbit in his presence. Sometimes she just annoyed herself.

“Get to work,” she muttered and knuckled down.

Gabriel was fine for the first hour, but then he began barking orders even a six-armed woman with a split personality would have had trouble handling.

Finally, pushed to the edge, Charlotte snapped. “I’m going as fast as I can!” she yelled when he asked her for something a minute after he’d asked her to complete another task.

He scowled and held out a file. “This is a priority.”

Grabbing it from his hand, she said, “Fine,” and slapped it down on her desk.

It was over an hour later that he disappeared for ten minutes. When he returned, it was to put a small bakery box on her desk. “I think you need something to sweeten your mood today, Ms. Baird.”

What she needed was for the T-Rex who was her boss to stop snarling and growling, she thought as he returned to his office. Not opening the box until her curiosity had almost killed her, she found it held a slice of decadent chocolate cake with a white-chocolate ganache topped with curls of both white and milk chocolate. “I cannot be bribed with cake,” she muttered, eating a bite nonetheless.

 

 

Full two-chapter excerpt available on Nalini’s Website: http://nalinisingh.com/rockhard.php

 

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The Rock Kiss Series

Rock Addiction (Book One)

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Rock Courtship (Book 1.5)

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Rock Hard (Book 2)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

NEW YORK TIMES AND USA Today bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series Nalini Singh usually writes about hot shapeshifters and dangerous angels. This time around, she decided to write about hot and wickedly tempting rock stars (and one gorgeous ex-rugby player). If you’re seeing a theme here, you’re not wrong.

Nalini lives and works in beautiful New Zealand, and is passionate about writing. If you’d like to explore her other books, you can find lots of excerpts on her website. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the Psy-Changeling series, while Angels’ Blood is the first book in the Guild Hunter series. Also, don’t forget to swing by the site to check out the special behind-the-scenes page for the Rock Kiss series, complete with photos of many of the locations used in the books.

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Review: Get Lucky: Six Sexy Romances with an Irish Twist by Robin Covington, Nicola Marsh, Kelsey Browning, Avery Flynn, Sara Humphreys & Kimberly Kincaid

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Get Lucky: Six Sexy Romances with an Irish Twist

Robin Covington, Nicola Marsh, Kelsey Browning, Avery Flynn, Sara Humphreys, & Kimberly Kincaid

Publication Date: March 16, 2015

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PRE-ORDER $0.99

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Six brand new Irish-themed contemporary, new adult and paranormal romance novellas that will give Get Lucky a whole new meaning.

From USA Today bestselling author Nicola Marsh – Walking the Line

Ellie is a decade older than Finn but that doesn’t stop the charming Irishman from wooing her.
Ellie doesn’t believe in the happily-ever-after dream any longer, not since hers imploded a long time ago. But can a smooth-talking Irishman sway a hard-hearted cynic to believe in love again?

From reader favorite Kelsey Browning – Amazed by You

Author’s assistant Olivia McLaughlin must pull off an extravagant St. Patrick’s Day garden party to win a coveted promotion, but her success hinges on landscape designer Cody Kavanaugh, her old high school boyfriend. Now, Olivia must decide which she can’t live without—the job that will make her a success or the man offering her a second chance at love.

From sizzling hot and bestselling Robin Covington – One Little Kiss

Trapped by a snowstorm in the same place at the same time, Leighton and Jonas must decide if their hot night together was the end of their story or if they started forever with just one little kiss…

From RT Book Review Award nominee Avery Flynn – Big, Bad Red

There’s nothing little or naive about this Red Riding Hood. Red runs the biggest fencing operation for fairytale treasures out of the back of Granny’s Pub. But when she comes into possession of the Caladbolg sword things get hairy–as in hot, sexy Liam MacTíre the werewolf hairy.

From paranormal darling Sara Humphreys – Luck of the Irish

Banished to the mirrored realm for hundreds of years, Declan Aherne had nothing but time to plot his revenge and mourn the loss of his beloved wife. But when a beautiful human woman, with a familiar amulet, stares into the mirror….Declan’s luck was about to change.

From the sexy sweet Kimberly Kincaid – Something Borrowed

When her successful brother announces his plans for an impromptu wedding in Ireland, unlucky-in-love chef Sasha Arrington is stuck between the Blarney Stone and a hard place. Sasha needs a wingman for her brother’s wedding, and the romantic destination could be just what James Sullivan needs to tempt Sasha out of the friend zone.

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REVIEW

Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 4.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this anthology. It had it all from contemporary to paranormal romance with everything in between. WALKING THE LINE was all about taking chances on life and love. It is a nice hot little romance. AMAZED BY YOU is a hot little number about finding that love is what makes life worth living and that sometimes you get a second chance. ONE LITTLE KISS tugged at my heart strings with its heartfelt story that blended well with the sexy romance. BIG BAD RED is a quirky paranormal romance and was a sexy fun read. LUCK OF THE IRISH is a hot story about a leprechaun of all things and I loved it. I think I’ll go look for my own mirror now. SOMETHING BORROWED is an all-around feel-good romance that made me smile over and over. A great way to end this anthology! The length of each story was perfect. I would read and then do a little housework before reading the next one. I loved it!

*Review copy provided by the authors in exchange for an honest review. 

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Review: Every Little Kiss: The Harvest Cove Series, Book 2 by Kendra Leigh Castle

Every Little Kiss: The Harvest Cove Series, Book 2 by Kendra Leigh Castle

Publication Date: March 3, 2015

 

SYNOPSIS

The second novel featuring small New England town of Harvest Cove, where the residents know that Emma Henry likes things nice and orderly—but everyone has to let loose sometimes…

Event planner Emma Henry is used to focusing all her attention on reaching her goals and letting romance fall by the wayside. But when her sister Sam’s bachelorette party prompts the most tightly-wound Henry to let her hair down, Emma’s night ends with the entire town linking her to a man who could lay waste to anyone’s best-laid plans.

Army vet Seth Andersen thought that joining the police department in sleepy Harvest Cove would offer a quiet, normal life. But when he finds himself responsible for uptight Emma Henry at the end of her wildest night ever, his world turns unexpectedly complicated—and he’s surprised to discover he doesn’t mind at all…

 

REVIEW

Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated: 3.5 Stars

 A pleasant contemporary romance set in a small town.  Emma and Seth both have issues from their past that make them cautious but Emma’s seemed a bit of a stretch for me.  I loved Seth and did enjoy their blossoming relationship once she relaxed a bit.  The romance part was nice and warm and not too graphic.  Emma does something toward the end of the book that made me not care if she got her happily ever after but I wanted Seth to get his.  He’s a very understanding man and I was glad he found his forever.  I like Ms. Castle’s writing style and look forward to her next Harvest Cove book.

*Review copy provided by Berkley/NAL in exchange for an honest review.

BUY LINKS

Kindle | Amazon PBK | B&N | Kobo 

 

Check out Book 1’s Spotlight, Review & Interview: For the Longest Time: The Harvest Cove Series by Kendra Leigh Castle http://wp.me/p3d0RZ-1pN

EXCERPT

http://www.kendraleighcastle.com/every-little-kiss//?action=excerpt

PLAYLIST

http://www.kendraleighcastle.com/every-little-kiss//?action=playlist

 

 

IMG_8210ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kendra Leigh Castle is a RITA award-nominated, multi-published author of contemporary and paranormal romance. Raised in the far and frozen reaches of Northern New York, where her love of curling up with a blanket and a good book came early, she penned her debut novel as a Navy wife living in the Nevada desert. Since then, she has managed to continue working in her pajamas while moving around the country. Kendra currently makes her home in Maryland, where she lives with her husband, three children, and a menagerie of pets. She drinks too much coffee, stays up too late, and loves to hear from her readers, who make this crazy job worthwhile.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA: WebsiteFacebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

 

Review: TY AND EDEN: A Red Team Wedding Novella (#4.5) by Elaine Levine



TY AND EDEN: A Red Team Wedding Novella (#4.5) by Elaine Levine

Publication Date: February 25, 2015




SYNOPSIS

Weddings are the spice of life…

After reuniting with his bio dad, Cord Ryker, Ty Holt is all too aware of how easily life can change–for better or worse. He convinces Eden Miller to pin down their wedding plans and set a date, pronto!


And family drama’s the hot sauce…

When a woman from Cord’s past makes a startling accusation, the team discovers an unexpected new clue in the mystery they’re unraveling. Eden’s mom, stepdad, dad, and stepmom, out for the nuptials, worry their daughter has fallen into the grasp of an insidious crime lord–a concern that Ty can’t, in all honesty, put to rest.

Note: TY & EDEN: A RED TEAM WEDDING NOVELLA (Red Team) is the 2nd novella in a serialized story that is expected to include nine installments. I highly recommend you read this series in order, starting with The Edge of Courage!

REVIEW

Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna

Rated 4.5 Stars

I am a big fan of the Red Team series and was glad she put this wedding in as a novella.  It was the perfect way to introduce Ty’s dad, Cord and serve as a nice segue to the next novel.  This is not a read-alone novella so the target audience would be those who have kept up with this hot exciting series.  I cannot wait for Red Team #5!

*Ebook purchased from Amazon for this review.


EXCERPT

http://www.elainelevine.com/blog/2015/2/21/ty-and-eden-a-red-team-wedding-novella.html



BUY LINKS

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Red Team Reading Order

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks 

1) The Edge of Courage
2) Shattered Valor
3) Honor Unraveled
3.5) Kit & Ivy: A Red Team Wedding Novella
4) Twisted Mercy
4.5) Ty & Eden: A Red Team Wedding Novella


About the Author

Elaine Levine lives on the plains of Colorado with her husband, a middle-aged parrot, and a rescued pit bull/bullmastiff mix. In addition to writing the Red Team Contemporary Western series, she is the author of several books in the Historical Western series Men of Defiance.


Join the conversation on Facebook: Visit the Red Team Readers Group – on.fb.me/19M1moR

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Facebook Fan Page  | Facebook Profile Page  | Facebook Red Team Readers Group  | Twitter  | Booklist 

Blog Tour & Review: Cursed by Fire: The Immortal Brothers Series by Jacquelyn Frank





BLOG TOUR & REVIEW: Cursed by Fire: The Immortal Brothers by Jacquelyn Frank

BUY LINKS

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SYNOPSIS

The scorching-hot first book in New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Frank’s new paranormal romance series: The Immortal Brothers—perfect for fans of Nalini Singh and Larissa Ione.

For centuries, Dethan has been cursed by fire for defying the gods. Once a fierce warrior, he now faces eternal damnation in the eight hells…until the Goddess of conflict offers him a deal: help her conquer cities and raise an army to defeat the enemy faction of gods and she will free him from his punishment. His first conquest is the city of Hexis, where the beautiful headstrong Selinda—heir to the throne—suffers under the machinations of her cruel, calculating betrothed. Dethan knows he cannot be distracted from his mission, but he cannot resist striking a bargain with the lush beauty: she will share her bed—and body—every night in exchange for saving her city from forces within and without. But with each tempting kiss and each burning caress, Dethan discovers that he will risk all—even the Goddess’ wrath—for the chance to make Selinda his forever.

Story Locale: The City of Hexis (Fantasy World)

Series Overview: Cursed by the gods, four warrior brothers wage war and conquer cities to atone for their sins, all the while trying to resist the temptation of love.



REVIEW

Publication Date: February 24, 2015

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Cori

Rated: 4 Stars

Cursed by Fire is the first book in an exciting new paranormal series by Jacquelyn Frank. The Immortal Brothers Series will feature books for four warrior brothers who have been cursed by the gods. Cursed by Fire is Dethan and Selinda story. Dethan is a torture warrior and Selinda is a princess in need of a champion. Jacquelyn Frank has created a unique, intriguing and dangerous new paranormal world that captured and held my attention from start to finish. Cursed by Fire has a great plot and plenty of smoking hot romance between the characters. I can’t wait to read the next brother’s book. I think this is going to be a great new paranormal series.

*Review copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT

Chapter One


The heat was unbearable, searing and constant, burning his skin until it crisped. He could smell the aroma of cooking flesh and knew it was himself that he smelled. It was all too familiar, singeing and sinking into his nostrils, a vile stench he would never forget. Would never be allowed to forget. As usual, the metal around his wrists burned first, glowing a hot red … as though it could melt away or be smelted along with his flesh. But it never melted away; it held true time and time again. He had torn at his manacles, strained against them. Every time the fire came, he prayed it would melt his hands away first, allowing him to slip free.

But that was not how things worked here. There was never going to be freedom for him. His was an eternal damnation. He had sinned against all the gods and they, who usually warred amongst themselves, had come together to see him punished. That was how deeply he had sinned.


Dethan and his brothers had been chained, entombed in these forsaken caverns, and their immortal lives, the ones they had dared to wrest from the secrets of the gods, were now their curse as they died again and again. Death by fire. Or rather, as near to death as was possible for an immortal. Dethan suffered and singed and crackled to a crisp until his lungs could no longer breathe in the flames, until his marrow boiled within his bones and until his chains held only a desiccated corpse turned mostly to ash.

And then the flames would subside, and slowly, ever so excruciatingly slowly, his body would heal. Flesh would rebuild itself along the lines of his bones, cell by cell, one healing piece of sinew after another. Immortality repairing itself, birthing him new again, making his skin supple and whole, and preparing him to be fresh and healthy, and ready to be burned all over again.

The chains he wore went around his forearms in gauntlets from wrist to elbow, and for good measure a bolt had been shot through them, spearing through the flesh and bone of each forearm from one side to the next, making certain there was no way he could slide free. Not that it was necessary. These were chains forged by gods. If you were dressed in the chains of the gods, there would be no freedom from them until the gods decided to set you free.

He laughed, the sound hollow in the echo of the abated flames. But the flames were growing again; he could hear them with his newly healed eardrums. He had long ago ceased begging the gods for mercy. They had not heard him, although he had screamed it for hours. For days. For decades. For centuries. He no longer knew how much time had passed, and it had ceased being important to him. Nothing was important to him. His lot in this existence was merely to burn and to suffer. Again and again, over and over.

You thought you deserved eternal life. Now see what your ambition has won you. See it. Feel it. Deserve it.

No. No one deserved this. True, his crimes had been brash and arrogant, but they had been crimes of hubris, not unabashed wickedness. He had never been evil incarnate.

But he dared not think that he was blameless for his lot. No. Nor did he dare blame the gods. Oh, he had cursed them. Screamed their names and damned them. Renouncing them one moment and yet pleading to them with utter devotion mere hours later. Such was the nature of torment like this.

But he had not tried to bargain for his release or promised to be the most devout of men should they set him free. No. He knew that freedom would now be wasted on him. His mind was so scorched, so torn, it was nothing but a wasteland.

No. He would simply sit here and burn. He did not even think of his brothers any longer. How often he had wished he could turn back time, wished that he had heeded Garreth, who had tried one last time to recall them from the task they had set for themselves. But by then they had almost reached the mountain’s pinnacle. By then they had already fought and killed two manticores, vile powerful creatures with the head of a Sholet lion, the torso of a man, and a powerful cat below the waist. Its tail was that of a Bytwyte scorpion. Its massive arms were capable of great strength, and each of its wings was tipped with savage talons meant to rip the flesh from a man.

But more alarming than the frightful creatures Dethan and his brothers had faced was that they had almost frozen to death, exposed on the face of Mount Airidare. Garreth had been dying at their feet from the crippling cold, and the only way to save him had been to continue onward in hopes of finding their prize.

At the heart of it all had been nothing but selfish desire for the power of immortality. As warriors, they had faced death every day and without fear, but what they had wanted was the glory of being invincible. Like the demigods, the gods’ own children, or the special heroes that had been awarded immortality as a prized gift for their service to the gods.

They had first tried to obtain the gift through their deeds—winning battles and waging war, overtaking heathen lands and building monuments to the gods, teaching their ways to the untaught. They had converted land after land into the lands of the shield goddess or the god of peace and tranquility. But the gods had been unimpressed and had offered no reward for their service.

And now he knew why. He knew it was because they had never really done any of it in the name of the gods. They had done it for their own ends and no other reason, and the gods had seen through them.

The four brothers had grown tired of waiting for the gods to get around to rewarding their so-called faithful servants and instead had researched a tale, told to them all through their lives growing up, about the hero Gynnis, who had climbed a great mountain and had found atop it a fountain of gold and gems, and within that fountain had been the waters of immortality. One sip of these waters and they would be gifted with youth, health, and life everlasting. The waters would heal all wounds, new and old, they would erase the hardest years from face and form, and again .?.?. bestow life everlasting.

And through much work, much research, much capturing of holy scrolls from holy cities, Jaykun had finally concluded that the fountain was on Mount Airidare. It could not be anywhere else, for all other mountains had reportedly been conquered by other men and there had never been tales of success of finding the fountain. No mortal other than Gynnis had ever gained immortality by drinking its waters. So by process of elimination and by the use of many signs and landmarks in those holy scrolls, they had known it would be there.

After days of deadly progress, days when they could have and should have failed dozens of times, they had seen the pinnacle and there, running free and gleaming of gold and gemstones, had sat a fountain where water should’ve been frozen solid, but was not. They had been in the thinnest air the world had to offer—that was how far up near the field of heaven they had climbed. They could barely breathe, it was so thin.

But laying eyes on that fountain had been like a bolt of pure oxygen and exhilarating, revitalizing energy. Just from the sight of it.

And still Garreth had tried to stay them. Upon seeing it, he had hesitated and asked them to rethink this, had claimed a sense of foreboding. But they had ignored him and had pressed on, and in the end all four of them, even Garreth, had drunk deeply of the fountain’s waters.

It had truly been the most miraculous thing Dethan had ever known. His battle-scarred and weather-frozen body had healed before his very eyes. Frostbite that had claimed at least three of his fingers had reversed itself, revealing warm, pink flesh once more. Old battle wounds, like the one that had nearly dismembered his left leg from the rest of his body, had healed, the tightness and pain he had dealt with every day since evaporating with alacrity. The scar had disappeared from beneath his many layers of clothing. He had not needed to see it because he had felt it. And in the reflective surface of the fountain’s waters he had seen the years melt away from his face, until he looked as he had looked fifteen summers past, a younger man in the prime of his life, no more than thirty, no less than twenty-five, from what he could see. Garreth, previously near death, had sprung to his feet, laughing and full of life once more.

And then .?.?. then the gods had come. With a mighty storm of fury, clouds full of lightning and thunder, snow driving them down to the ground, the ground itself hauling and shuddering with rage. Oh yes, they had come.

You dare steal this reward when you have not deserved it in our eyes? You dare to do so without permission, without honor? You will pay for your folly, foolish, arrogant worms. You will pay for your immortality with blood and bone and flesh. We cannot take this gift back, but we can see to it you wish you had never dared to think you could push the hands of the gods to your will and your liking.

Then Dethan had been thrown down from that mountain and into the deepest chamber in the eight hells and had been left there to burn. He did not know what had become of his brothers, Garreth, Jaykun, and Maxum. He could only assume they had been thrown into similar caverns and were suffering similar fates. He had been alone ever since, day after day, with nothing to keep his interest and nothing but the fire for company.

So Dethan was not prepared when, just as the fires were about to roar to life once more, the softest waterfall of sparkling light appeared before his eyes. It started small, with just a falling dot of light, then two, then twenty, then hundreds. The sparkling bits of light began to form into the shape of a woman. Then, in a flash, a woman of dark hair and blinding beauty was standing before him.

He blinked hard several times, trying to rid himself of the vision. It would not be the first time he had hallucinated under the stress of his torment. But there she stayed and there she stood, wearing a dress so glittering and beautiful it refracted the firelight like diamonds might do. Or perhaps kitomite, which was harder and more brilliant than diamonds. Yes, that was it. The dress, he realized, was a suit of chain-mail armor, fitting her form with perfection and looking as stunning and impervious as it must be if made from kitomite.

That was when he knew it was Weysa, the goddess of conflict. The shield goddess. He had erected statues of her above her altars, where spoils of war were frequently laid in homage to her when an army or fighter was victorious. He had prayed to her before every battle and he had seen her fury when he had drunk from the forbidden waters and subsequently banished him to this place in the eight hells, so it was no wonder that he recognized her once he had seen past the blinding brilliance of that armor. He shuffled about on his hands and knees, rolling himself into obeisance, his forehead touching the scalding hot rock, his palms doing the same, his flesh searing against the stone like a cut of fresh junjun beast being seared in a pan.

She regarded him in silence, and as she did so, the fires remained completely abated for the first time since he had come there. He was grateful for the reprieve, no matter what the reason, no matter what further curses she might rain down upon his head.

“Low beast,” she said after long moments.

“The lowest,” he agreed with her, fearful that she might grow angry with him for speaking aloud to her.

“What have you learned here, in your time spent?”

He did not know how to answer her. He did not know what she wanted to hear. So he fumbled for the most honest of answers he could come to. “Never to cross the mighty gods, for their will is the only will.”

“Do you beg for mercy?”

“No, mistress,” he said, “For your will shall be done, and there is nothing I can do to change it.”

“Good, because we have been merciful thus far. Your fate could have been much worse, but we took into account all that you have done in our name.”

Merciful? This torment had been the gods’ idea of mercy? Dethan felt a wash of rage overcoming him, and he struggled to fight it back. What if she could divine his thoughts? He would anger her and then she would show him what it meant for a god to be unmerciful.

“So,” Weysa said, “your time here has not cowed you completely.”

Dread filled him. Surely she would become angry with him now. What would she do with him?

“Good,” she said then, surprising him. “I need a true warrior. A man loyal to me who will fight in my name.”

She wanted him to fight for her? Yes. He would fight for her. Anything. Anything to be free of this hell.

“Fortune has told me that you are my one true hope in this matter. And so you will be. Rise.”

He did so, leaving strips of his flesh behind, burned to the floor, all the while keeping his eyes cast downward. Partly to honor her, partly because her armor was too brilliant for his eyes to bear.

“I have grown weak,” she said, again surprising him. “Things have changed greatly since the times when you fought for me. My strength lies in those who worship me, and so many have fallen by the wayside, worshipping false gods instead or .?.?. following my enemies and giving them the strength I need. You see, the gods have split into two factions, low beast. We war. We war violently. But we cannot win or find advantage unless we have devotion to us. I need you to find me that devotion, to win over those who do not believe and those who would choose my enemies over me.”

Dethan remained silent as she relayed this, but all the while his mind was racing. A war between the gods? This did not surprise him. They had always been a contentious lot. But things must have grown desperate if she was coming to him for help.

“I will give you these gifts and you will not squander them or you will pay dearly for it,” she said. And suddenly a suit of plated armor appeared at his feet. It seemed to be made of hedonite, a black, shining stone known for its lightness of weight. It was far too fragile to be of use in armor.

“Do not let the look of it deceive you, for this is god-made armor, forged by my own hands and imbued with my strength. It will protect you against any weapon. It will make you invulnerable. Invulnerability coupled with immortality will make you nigh invincible. But be warned: You can die if your head leaves your shoulders by way of a god-made weapon, and my enemies will make gifts of such weapons to stop your progress. Do you understand?”

“Yes, mistress,” he said.

“Good. Then there is this.” A sword also appeared at his feet. It too seemed to be made of the black hedonite. “This is a mighty weapon. In your hands, be your intentions true and just, it will cut down your foes, of which there will be many. It can pierce god-made armor, no matter how strongly imbued. This was forged with the strength of six gods. All of our faction together.”

“Mistress, may I ask which six gods?” he asked, knowing there were twelve gods in all and this meant they were split exactly down the middle.

“Our faction consists of Hella, the goddess of fate and fortune; Meru, the goddess of hearth, home, and harvest; her brother Mordu, the god of hope, love, and dreams; Lothas, the god of day and night; and last is Framun, the god of peace and tranquility.”

“So you war with Xaxis, the god of the eight hells; Grimu, the god of the eight heavens; Diathus, the goddess of the lands and oceans; Kitari, the goddess of life and death; Jikaro, the god of anger, deception, and storms; and Sabo, the god of pain and suffering.” He swallowed. That Kitari had sided with five of the darkest gods did not ring true to him; she was the queen of all the gods and demanded much respect.

“Your thoughts do you justice, low beast. Kitari has been swayed by these other gods. I believe she is held hostage more than she has sided with them. They together have the power to subdue her in spite of her great powers. And that is part of your goal. You will be gaining worshippers for me and the other gods who side with me. By doing this I believe I will be able to rescue Kitari from their influence. Such a coup would no doubt turn the tide of this war. And there is something else ..”

“Yes, my mistress,” he encouraged her. His mind was racing. If she was rescuing him from this fate worse than death, then things were as dire as they appeared. He would fight for her, as he had done in the past. This in spite of the rage he felt toward all the gods for the suffering they had subjected him to. Especially if it meant freedom from this torment. It was the only choice, really, because there was nothing he could do in the face of their power. But perhaps he could convince her …

No. He would not try to manipulate his goddess. That was a slippery slope and he would not risk angering her. But he would ask … he would beg ….

“There is a great weapon that can be used against Xaxis’s faction.”

So it was Xaxis leading the faction, Dethan thought. That figured. Xaxis had been trying to wrest power from the other gods for time immemorial.

“This weapon is surrounded by a great city, a city that guards the mouth of the eight hells.”

“Olan?” he asked.

“Olan,” she agreed. “I need you to conquer this city and to wrest control of this weapon.”

Suddenly she looked over her shoulder, as if she heard someone coming. She turned to him quickly. “This is Xaxis’s territory and he is beginning to sense that I am here. I must leave before I am captured by him. But you are freed. I will take you above the hells and you must begin your work. But be warned: You do not go freely. You are cursed ever after, to make you remember where you have come from and where you will return should you fail me. Every night, at dusk, you will conflagrate and burn until the juquil’s hour. If you perform well for me, I will consider lifting the curse. Do you understand?”

Dethan’s fists clenched in anger, but he controlled the emotion with an iron will. So he would be made to suffer this same hell again and again, even while he worked for her honor and ends. But the rest of the time … the rest of the time he would live in reprieve, and that was far better than what he suffered now.

“Yes, mistress, I understand. But … if your humble servant might ask … my brothers are great warriors. If you were to rescue them from this torment as well, they too could fight for your faction.”

“Your brothers, unlike you, are not here in the hells. However, like you, they are made to suffer in the territories ruled by the other faction. I have risked all coming here and cannot do so again. The only reason I was able to come at all is because the others have distracted Xaxis in order to free me to do this. Your brother Garreth is chained to the very mountain where you found the fountain, freezing solid again and again. The territory is controlled by Diathus. Jaykun is chained to a star and, like you, burns again and again. This is Grimu’s territory and I have no access to the heavens. Maxum .?.?. I do not know where Maxum is. He was given to Sabo to be dealt with and Sabo never shared with us the punishment he meted out.” She looked over her shoulder again and this time Dethan saw true anxiety on her features. “I must go now. Fight, warrior, as you have never fought before. Find an army. Fight to take my name to the people. Fight until the day I deem your worth restored. And never forget who has set you free and who can set you down again.”

“No, mistress. Never.”

“The fires will see to that. Remember, dusk every day. It will do you well to make sure no others are nearby when this happens or they will be consumed by the flames as well. Now, we are off.”



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JACQUELYN FRANK is the New York Times bestselling author of The World of Nightwalkers series (Forbidden, Forever, Forsaken and Forged), the Three Worlds series (Seduce Me in Dreams and Seduce Me in Flames), the Nightwalkers series (Adam, Jacob, Gideon, Elijah, Damien, and Noah), the Shadowdwellers novels (Ecstasy, Rapture, and Pleasure), and the Gatherers novels (Hunting Julian and Stealing Katherine). She lives in North Carolina and has been writing romantic fiction ever since she picked up her first teen romance at age thirteen.

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