Saturday, August 31, 2019

BOOK BLITZ: Forbidden Desires by Jaimie Roberts #GIVEAWAY


Forbidden Desires
Jaimie Roberts
Publication date: August 29th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Daughter, covet not thy mother’s husband.

Isn’t that a saying?
I know it isn’t, but in my case it really should be.
Because, in my case, I didn’t just walk up to the line, I crossed so far over it that I can no longer recall how I got there in the first place.

What line did I soar over? The line leading up to him.
Owen Montgomery: Rich … powerful … fucking amazing in bed.
Oh, and he’s married to my mother.
I didn’t seek this out as a way of life, but once I had my first taste of it—and him—handed to me on a glistening silver platter, I felt I owed it to myself to enjoy every delicacy offered to me while I could.
I suppose I should have known that my guilty pleasures couldn’t possibly last forever, and when our relationship took a decidedly nasty turn, I was left feeling utterly dejected.
Guided by my resentment, I threw caution to the wind and allowed myself to fall into the arms of another man.
Not just any man. The man in question is none other than Ethan—Owen’s absentee son.
After Owen left me so bitter, I realized that Ethan represented the ultimate escape … and I must admit, revenge.

Why not? He’s gorgeous, charming, and witty to boot.
As an added bonus, he’s single.

But … Owen has other ideas. He has decided that no other man can have me but him.
I am his … and he will stop at nothing to keep it that way.


Author Bio:

Jaimie Roberts was born in London, but moved to Gibraltar in 2001. She is married with two sons, and in her spare time, she writes.
In June 2013, Jaimie published her first book, Take a Breath, with the second released in November 2013. With the reviews, Jaimie took time out to read and learn how to become a better writer. She gets tremendous enjoyment out of writing, and even more so from the feedback she receives.




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BOOK BLITZ: His Smile by Katerina Winters #GIVEAWAY


His Smile
Katerina Winters
Publication date: August 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Roman Mashir was the man that stepped out of shadowed corners wearing a smile. Cruelty and laughter were synonymous in his world. Roman was the devil who caught your gaze and grinned back at you in your nightmares.

Fear was what he liked to see, expected even–bright eyed infatuation was not.

Rahina Chopra was persistent, annoying, naĆÆve, and beyond foolish. While she danced happily in moonlight he was the devil who aimed his sights and pulled triggers.

She had no business fluttering carelessly into his world, he had made too many enemies, laughed in the face of one too many dying men to be allowed the luxury of her beauty.

But she recklessly fell in love with the madman, despite everyone’s warning–despite his warnings.

So, she stepped closer. Further into the psychopath’s hands sliding around her throat and closed her eyes to his grip fastening tightly close. Rahina didn’t want Roman’s status, his power, or his wealth the only thing she wanted was–his smile.
CHAPTER ONE:
“Please sit, Mr. Mashir,” the older man gestured to one of the plush leather chairs in front of his desk. “I will have some tea brought in for both of you while I get those updated numbers for you.”
With his hands casually resting inside both pockets, Roman let his gaze travel placidly over the dark woods of the opulent office furniture before settling back onto Amin Chopra. Roman was here to discuss a potential partnership of the man’s the data collection business he had operating under the guise of an information technology consulting firm, not to drink tea and relax. Chopra tried to keep his face impassive at Roman’s cold gaze and oddly disarming smile, but Roman could see the man’s subtle flinch. Very slowly, Roman let his smile grow wider, knowing the effect it would have over the man. Nodding nervously, the man quickly turned and left the room.
Pulling away from the wall, where he had been standing, Dimitri gave a rueful chuckle as he began walking the perimeter of the office, occasionally picking up items.
“The man is in over his head. It was fine a few years ago when his business was smaller, and he had far fewer clients, but now,” Dimitri paused, turning back to Roman, he gave him a knowing smirk. “Now the man is close to thinking he wields some real power and has no idea how close he is to drowning.”
Nodding, Roman took the previously offered seat and let his long legs stretch out before him. Staring down at his feet, Roman let his gaze get lost in the thick pile of the Turkish rug as he thought about his captain’s words. Amin Chopra was a small-time criminal, but over the past two years, the man had unknowingly started to cut into Roman’s market here in Boston. An understandable mistake actually, a mistake Roman wanted people to make. To the common citizen, Roman Mashir was simply a Russian businessman who owned a handful of restaurants, nightclubs, and car dealerships. To the criminal eye, he was king and gatekeeper of all that was corrupt in Boston. If you needed a mercenary crew of hardened criminals for a job, then Roman was the man to contact. Roman had the means to funnel in every and any thief, murderer, and psycho from Eastern Europe as he saw fit. Those were the images he wanted people to see. Drugs, fencing cars, turf wars: all of that was for smalltime criminals who wanted to get either killed or put away. Those days were behind him.
The thrill of nearly getting killed every few weeks died in his twenties and as for going to jail— Roman swore to himself when he got out the last time he would never go back in, no matter what. Information was king now. Valuable information was worth more than gold—and Amin Chopra was starting to cut in on his territory. Today’s connection would be cementing the final details of their partnership, and after some time and a false sense of security, Amin Chopra’s business will fully be acquired by Roman whether Amin wanted it or not.
Looking up and past the giant hand-carved wooden desk, towards the large bright windows, Roman studied the clouds. “And the son, Amit Chopra?” He asked Dimitri, knowing his captain had all the information memorized.
Spinning a glass ball, he picked up from the bookshelf carelessly in his hands, Dimitri’s smile shrunk a little. “He may be an issue. He is Amin’s oldest son from either by a previous marriage years ago or an affair. Either way, the boy has some bold ideas about his father’s business. As you know, Amit runs his father’s luxury car dealership as a front shell-company, similar to yours…”
Without turning his head, Roman let his eyes cut over to Dimitri with glacial warning.
Setting the glass ball back down, Dimitri raised his hands in mock surrender as he grinned. “Okay, okay, not like yours, but he does run a luxury car dealership as a front.”
Ignoring him, Roman stared back out the window. There was no comparison between Amit’s cheap dealership and Roman’s imports. Last year in a state of severe ennui, Roman poured his time and money into the business, taking it from a simple front to an exclusive referral-only dealer of exotic cars. He highly considered shooting Dimitri in the leg for that goad if it wasn’t for the glaring truth it reminded him of: that lately with each passing day the novelty of his hobby was wearing away. Boredom was quickly starting to creep back in at the edges of his life, and his prize dealership was becoming just that—a simple dealership.
“Just make sure Amit does not become my problem,” he ordered brusquely.
Picking up the dangerous change in his mood, Dimitri nodded obediently. “Yes, sir.”
The sound of the office door opening behind him interrupted them. Knowing Dimitri was facing the door, Roman glanced up to see his captain’s eyes go wide with startling intrigue. Roman had never seen that look on Dimitri’s face before in all the years the man had worked for him. It didn’t take long, however, for the source of his mesmerization to come around to greet him.
“Hi there, sorry it took so long,” the girl’s voice was rich and upbeat as she set the silver tray on the edge of the ornate desk.
Both men watched silently as she grabbed the silver teapot and poured the amber steaming liquid into the cups.
“This is milk,” one long, graceful finger pointed to a small matching silver pot. “And this is sugar,” she pointed to another small pot with a lid. “Do you want sugar? I recommend it.”
Her waist was practically at his eye level and unless this chair was lower than Roman thought it was, the girl was extremely tall. Slowly, Roman’s eyes followed up the length of the young woman until he reached her smiling face.
“Yes, I’ll take sugar,” Dimitri answered, stepping a little closer to the desk, also intrigued by the visitor.
She stood nearly eye to eye with his captain. Glancing back down, Roman noted she wasn’t wearing any shoes, just a pair of mix-matched socks. Roman was tempted to stand up, he knew he would still be taller than her since he still had eight inches to Dimitri’s six feet; but it was still an unusual feeling to be towered over by an equally unusual female.
Wearing a pair of cutoff denim overalls and a yellow T-shirt, she stood at his right and leaned carefully over his outstretched legs to hand Dimitri, who was at his left, the porcelain cup. With her attention momentarily preoccupied, Roman was able to fully observe the girl. Long wavy jet-black hair trailed from a long ponytail down to the middle of her back, contrasting well with her deep bronze skin tone. When he first walked into Amin’s house, Roman had quickly noted the long hall of photos he passed as they were led to the back office. A mistake that could be very costly to Amin if he continued to work in this business. A man should never show his enemies their most valuable asset—family. From the photos, Roman took in the various features of Amin’s children and from the quick assessment, Roman knew that this was one of Amin’s three daughters, the one in the ballet photos.
“And I’ll leave your tea here,” she looked directly at him while one of her short gold-painted nails tapped the side of his cup for emphasis. Looking back up at her, Roman expected to see her excuse herself out of the office, what he did not expect was for her to look directly at him with a growing grin as she casually pulled a velvet lined tray that was sitting at the edge of the desk closer to her. The velvet tray held various rows of neatly placed car keys all lined from one end to the other.

“Okay, so before my father gets back, I have a request,” she glanced up from the tray of keys and met his gaze with an air of composed excitement.
“Request?” Dimitri gave her questioning smile, obviously enjoying this odd interruption.

Sitting back comfortably in the chair, Roman gave her a cool assessing smile as he waited to see where this was going.
Her thick black eyebrows furrowed a bit as she gave him and Dimitri a curious smile and then nodded. “Yeah, request. You’re the car guys my father is meeting with, right?”
That was the guise of their meeting but certainly not the topic. Roman arched a brow, wordlessly signaling for her to continue.
“Okay, so right now,” she glanced up towards the office door cautiously as she lowered her voice to an excited whisper all the while picking up each car key and reading the handwritten tag, presumably looking for a particular key. “I’m forced to drive an old red Volvo, which I hate. Can you try to get either a pink or mint green Fiat or a sporty BMW in either of those colors?”
“Why would I do this for you?” Roman allowed, noting the way some strands of her hair escaped her ponytail and hung down messily around her face.
“Because you’re the car connection guy,” she said as if it was painfully obvious. “And if you do it, I’ll be sure to talk you up to my dad so he will use your services again in the future.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as if she really just offered something deal-breaking. Finding the key, she wanted with a satisfied smile, she sat it down on the edge of the desk near the tea tray and stared back at him with a waiting smile.
Narrowing his eyes, Roman tilted his head back and studied the girl. There was something about her that bothered him. Her denim overalls looked as if she stole them off some farmer and cut off a portion of the pants just below the knee. Her nails were cut short and blunt, and her hair was messy as if she had just been running down the street. She was nothing like the women he was used to. The fact she could give him such a large vibrant smile after giving him such a ridiculous offer told him she was nothing like the shy, demure wives of his fellow business partners in his organization. Five minutes in the girl’s presence was starting to feel like five minutes of defusing a live bomb.
“You’re implying you hold some real weight in your dad’s decisions?” Dimitri asked.
Turning those large almond-shaped eyes from him for the first time, she looked to Dimitri and smirked, waving a hand dismissively at the doubt in his voice. “Of course, I do.” Turning back to Roman, she gave him an eager look, waiting for his decision.
“Then why are we having this conversation instead of you simply speaking to your father and more importantly, why are you whispering?” Roman couldn’t help but ask.
Leaning further back against her father’s desk, she folded her arms as her eyes filled with the spark of challenge. “Because I feel that some arrangements deserve a little bit of discretion, Mr…” She let the end of her statement trail off as she looked at him expectantly.
“Mashir. His name is Roman Mashir,” Dimitri offered, far too happily. “My name is Dimitri.”
Ignoring his captain’s flirtatious smile, the girl lifted one jet black eyebrow back at Roman demandingly. “So, are you going to play ball or am I going to have to do this the hard way, Mr. Mashir?” Her tongue rolled the R to his surname perfectly.
The girl had no idea who she was playing with right now. Casting a glance towards Dimitri, Roman watched as his captain’s eyes widened with shocked delight as he hid his grin by taking a sip of his tea. Looking back to her, Roman smiled, a large toothy smile of genuine enjoyment. A smile that usually sent a clear message of absolute warning to people on the receiving end.
Normally.
What he did not expect was her own smile to widen and her eyes to fill with anticipation. Hell, the sudden eager look in her eyes threatened to make his own smile falter. Leaning forward, she was opening her mouth to speak when they all heard the sound of the doorknob turning. Her eyes went round in fear as she stood up straight from the desk and looked around in a panic. Both Roman and Dimitri waited as the seconds ticked before she made her seemingly ultimate decision.
It turned out to be a poor decision.
With a skilled vault, the tall girl was up and over the large wooden desk within seconds. As the door to the office opened, Roman watched her drop to the ground in a blur completely disappearing on the other side of the desk.
“Ah, here we are gentlemen,” Mr. Chopra waved a manila folder in his hand as he stopped next to Roman, handing him the documents. “And I see that Rahina brought the tea, good.”
Rahina, the name echoed in Roman’s head as he mentally repeated it. Opening the folder, Roman passively glanced at the data as he surreptitiously watched the older man walk around his desk to sit down.

“As you can see Mr. Mashir, our numbers show that we are pulling in a considerable profit and a steady flow of valuable information.” Mr. Chopra glanced from Roman to Dimitri with a plastered on confident smile while unbeknownst to him, his daughter rolled silently from underneath the desk and crouched just below the long front overhang of the desk and at Roman’s feet. “I hope that you are prepared to offer a reasonable offer in terms of a partnership today.”
With her knees pulled up to her chest, Rahina gave him a threatening glare as she pressed her finger over her lips in a signal to say nothing.
“And what do you consider a reasonable offer?” Roman asked without missing a beat.

“Well, you see Mr. Mashir, you must understand my position,” getting up the older man gave him and Dimitri a far-off look before he began. “When I came over from Bangladesh, I had nothing. I…” The man began to set up his back story for his pitch. Normally, Roman would have cut the man off, but he was far too preoccupied with the young woman huddled at his feet.
A bold gleam glittered in her eyes in warning before she lowered herself flat to the floor and looked beneath the desk toward the position of her father’s feet. Currently, the man was standing at the window with his hands clasped behind his back as he droned about his immigration to America. Seeing that he was turned around, she sat back up and stuck one hand boldly over the edge of the desk and blindly felt around. Roman watched with interest as her hand neared the Mercedes fob, she had purloined earlier from the velvet tray. Catching her eye, he held her gaze boldly as he reached for the fob and moved it far out of her reach.
Shocked outrage colored her gaze when she realized what he had done.
Dimitri covered his laugh with the clearing of his throat before interjecting on the old man’s story. “Regarding the offer, Mr. Chopra,” he reminded the man impatiently.
Roman halfway listened as Amin spoke with Dimitri, he was much more interested in the phone screen the girl was thrusting angrily towards him.
“Text me!” Next to the all caps demand was a ten-digit number.

Pulling out his phone, Roman texted the number.
(What?)

“Give me the key.”
(You want the key or do you want to escape?)
She shot him another glare as her thumbs tapped furiously on her screen. “Both!”
(You get one.) He gave her an amused smirk.
Narrowing her eyes at him, he could practically feel her debating the question as her thumbs hovered over the screen for a second, rapidly she typed in her answer. “Key. I’ll get out once he walks you to the door.”
Giving Amin an obligatory look of interest as he spoke, Roman remembered when she came in earlier and how she picked out the Mercedes key on the tray and replaced it with the key from her pocket. Grinning wider, he leaned forward and reversed the action before handing her the key. The look of brief triumph on her face twisted into one of outrage when she realized what he did. Roman nearly had to bite back a laugh of his own.
“I’m going to kill you,” she texted.

(From underneath the desk? You can certainly try. Now do you want to take my offer and escape or do you want to test me and see what I will do next?)
He had no shame in the pleasure he took as he watched her slim shoulders sag in defeat. Avoiding his gaze with a pout she typed: “Fine. Get me out of here.”

(Say please.)
The look she gave him said she would rather die before she said that.
Nodding slowly, Roman looked up to the older man and held up the manila folder to one of the pages of data. “Tell me, what does this line refer to?”
A myriad of confused emotions bounced around the room. Dimitri gave him a question fueled look, as Mr. Chopra glanced down earnestly at his own papers, preparing to walk over to where Roman sat, while the most important person in the room gave him a terrified look. Clenching her fist on either side of her legs, she gave him a tightlipped grimace as she mouthed the word, please.
“Never mind,” Roman stood up from his chair blocking in the girl between the desk and his legs, while looking directly at Amin. “I think I got what I needed. Now let us get down to business. Can you give me a digital version of the same files?”
Fearing he may be losing the deal at Roman’s abrupt change, Amin nodded with a courteous smile. “Of—of course let me get my son, Riaz, to put it on a flash drive.”
Walking around to the door, the older man didn’t even consider looking down. Once he was gone, Roman stepped back and held out a hand to the huddled young woman. Feeling her soft hand wrap around his, Roman pulled her up until they were face-to-face. Surprise lit her eyes as she tilted her head back to look up at him.
“Wow, I didn’t realize how tall you are,” she murmured, seemingly forgetting the whole point of this was for her to escape.
Not saying anything, he tugged her to the window behind the desk and opened the latch. Standing on the other side in the flower bed was Mosca. Moments before, he texted his lieutenant to be ready by the window. Turning to her, Roman grabbed her by the waist, and just like he suspected the dancer in her complied instinctively. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she allowed him to lift her up and through the open window into Mosca’s arms. Roman was pulling the window shut when she stopped him.
“Hey,” still in Mosca’s arms she leaned towards him through the open window. “Just grab the Mercedes key real fast.”
Roman all but slammed the window in her face as Dimitri laughed behind him.
“Here we are,” Amin announced as he stepped back into the office. Handing Dimitri the flash drive, he looked to Roman who was standing in front of the window near his office chair. “As I was saying Mr. Mashir,” Amin began nervously, trying to retake control of this floundering meeting.
“Let us speak frankly Mr. Chopra” Roman cut the man off before he could start rambling again. Roman had to force himself to turn away from the view of Rahina outside the window, who was currently talking exuberantly to his confused lieutenant. Now that she was gone it felt like he had somehow survived a tornado that blew through the office. He realized what it was about her that bothered him. She was like a bursting firework to his gray, dull life; her very presence felt like a reminder of everything he was missing out on and it pissed him off.
With cold eyes and an even colder smile, Roman turned from the window and met Amin Chopra’s stare. “You’re not necessarily in the best position to negotiate.” He ignored the man’s astounded look and continued past his attempt to interject. “We know that your oldest son, Amit, went out and bragged to the Italians about your newly found success in the data collection business, and to no one’s surprise other than you, the Italians now want to muscle in on your business.” Grim resignation reflected on the older man’s face at Roman’s hard-hitting truth. “I have been watching you for some time, Mr. Chopra, ever since you started this venture, and I am well aware the last thing you want are the Italians in your life.”
Sitting heavily in the same leather chair Roman sat in previously, Mr. Chopra gave him a tired look. “What are you offering Mr. Mashir?”
“Ten percent of your profit,” Roman replied, letting his gaze pass over the family photo on the man’s desk. It was a photo of all the women in Amin’s family, all dressed in traditional Bangladeshi garb. Roman could tell the photo was old, taken maybe four to five years ago. He spotted Rahina’s face immediately out of the similar looking women. The exuberance and dynamic energy practically radiated from the glossy photo. No one should have that much damn energy, he thought.

“Ten percent?!” Amin choked, the look of disbelief and wariness intertwined on his shocked face. There was an unspoken “is that it” in the man’s voice.
Roman knew Italians offered to take thirty percent in return for their protection.

“Ten percent and all the data you collect,” Roman said, watching as the understanding settled over Amin.
Nodding, Amin accepted the deal with a sigh. Ten percent of his profits will be paid to Roman as well as a twice a week data dump to Roman’s servers. In return, Roman wouldn’t kill him and nor would the Italians.
As the older man walked them back to the front door Roman paused.
“Take down these photos,” Roman looked pointedly to the huge family photo near the door. “And control your son or I will, and most importantly,” and for the first time that day Roman let his smile fade away, staring at the older man with obvious anger. “Never send one of your daughters in to serve tea to a pair of criminals.”


Author Bio:
"Her writing is a lot like chocolate, dark and very sweet."
From contemporary to fantasy, Katerina Winters weaves dark tales of romance together with strong possessive men and sexy rendezvous.
Katerina lives in a tiny brick house surrounded by trees in Texas with her husband and their dog. When she isn't writing, Katerina is usually catching brunch with friends or curled up on her window seat with a good book.


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Friday, August 30, 2019

B@@K REVEAL: The Living Canvas by Pepper Winters


The Living Canvas
Pepper Winters
(Master of Trickery Duet #2)
Publication date: November 15th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
“Must be brave, stubborn, and impervious to the tempers of loved ones.”
The first line hissed with history.

“Hours are endless, pay is non-existence, quitting absolutely forbidden.”
The second line ached with truth.

“Able to function on no sleep, refrain from running when times get hard, and be more than just a living canvas but a lover.” 
The third thrummed with honesty.

“Other attributes required: forgiving, opinionated, and not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong. Must also enjoy being touched and kissed at any time of my choosing.”
The fourth glowed with promise.

“Call or email ‘YOUR HEART, HIS SOUL’ if interested in applying.”
The final made my future unfold.

The advert was so similar to one I should never have applied for. 
A twist of fate that brought two destined people back together. 
A job I would take in a heartbeat if the employer could offer such terms.
But I wasn’t free.
Neither was Gil. 
Therefore, my interview could never happen.
The second and final book in the Master of Trickery Duet.
Sequel to:




Author Bio:
Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestseller.
After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She's a multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She's also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.
Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.
Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian, French, German, Hebrew, and Turkish.

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BOOK BLITZ: Confessions of a Sex Kitten by Mila Rossi #GIVEAWAY


Confessions of a Sex Kitten
Mila Rossi
Publication date: August 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Striving to be the sex kitten Avery Taylor portrays on her blog is a lot harder than she imagined, but having a hot, new neighbor move in next door sure gets her imagination going. His green eyes alone would give a girl the vapors. And yet, getting involved with someone so close just isn’t in the cards for Avery, even if her inner kitten is telling her that all rules are meant to be broken once. Or twice. Or as many times as it takes to get familiar with James’s one billion abs.
James Mardin moves to NYC to focus on family and work. Quirky Avery just plops into his life out of nowhere. She’s the last thing he needs, and yet, he can’t seem to stay away from the damsel down the hall, especially after he stumbles upon her secret blog. A sexy goofball lusting after him? It just wouldn’t be proper if he didn’t make her fantasies come true.
With views to die for, neighborly favors to return, and secrets to uncover, James and Avery are in for a treat. The attraction is evident, but is it enough to get them through snarky family remarks, burning buildings, and the heat of a typical New York summer?
EXCERPT:
She walked into her bedroom, kicked off her shoes, and removed her earrings before starting to take off her dress. As she contorted every way possible to reach the zipper in the back, her eyes locked on her neighbor watching TV in the dark. She continued fiddling with her dress, not thinking much of James lounging in his chair, seemingly absorbed in whatever show or movie he was watching, when the light from his television illuminated his bare chest and abs, rising and falling in rapid succession.
She forgot about her dress now hanging down to her hips, and squinted in concentration, trying to get a better look. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned and hung loosely at his sides, while his rolled-up sleeves revealed those forearms she always stared at. What really got her attention though, was the fact that he seemed to be panting.
What in heaven’s name is he doing?
Except for one bare leg, the rest of him was hidden by the television. And then it hit her. He was masturbating, probably to porn. Her pulse started to race and her palms got sweaty as she watched the dark fuzz on his chest and abs move up and down in perfect rhythm. Not even a fire alarm going off could have chased her away from the window, but what could, was James turning his head and locking eyes with her across the distance.
  1. MY. GOD!
She had a split second to give him the courtesy of a blush before she tried to bolt from the window, tripped over her cat, and crashed to the floor with much humiliating noise as her flailing hands knocked over the night lamp. For the next couple of minutes, she remained spread out on the floor like a flattened pancake. The throbbing in her ears turned out to be her heartbeat and her lungs seemed devoid of air as she inhaled deeply, wincing at the pain in her ribs. Roger thankfully seemed unfazed by the fiasco and sat in the corner, licking his tiny jewels.
A knock at the door made her head snap around so quickly, she almost caused further injury to herself.
“Who is it?” she shouted in the most casual voice she could pull off.
“It’s me,” a deep, husky voice replied.
Great, first he catches me spying on him and now this.
“What’s up?”
“Are you alright? I heard a loud noise.”
“No shit,” she mumbled to herself, staring at the ceiling. “I’m fine, thanks!”
“Can you open the door?”
Her eyes darted in his direction.
“Um, I’m getting ready to go to bed.”
“I want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine, James. Go back to your…apartment.” She’d almost told him to go back to jerking off.
“Open up, Avery, so I can have a look for myself. You looked like you crashed pretty hard.”
Great, so he’d seen her. Good grief.
She shifted with a groan, but managed to pick herself up and head for the door. She stuck her arms through the sleeves of her dress, but didn’t bother with the zipper in the back.
“All fine,” she said, opening the door just a crack to smile at him. Her expression froze as she gaped at his body still displayed in all its glory, except now he wore pants. She had to summon all her control not to run her hands over the hair covering his chest, leading down into his pants.
“Avery,” James said, getting her attention.
She blinked rapidly and looked up at him. “Hm?”
He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
“What are you doing?” she asked alarmed.
“Making sure you’re still in one piece.”
He closed the door and turned her every which way to see if she was bleeding, at least that’s what she assumed he was doing. She winced when his hand ran over her left side and he looked at her concerned.
“You’re hurt.”
“No, I’m not. Nothing a drink or some medicine won’t cure. Maybe both together,” she grumbled as an afterthought.
He looked like he didn’t believe her.
“I’m fine,” she repeated, doing a mini-dance. “See? All good. Now go back home and let me get some sleep.”
He touched her side again and she winced once more.
“What the hell are you doing?” she gritted.
“Proving that you’re a liar.” He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the sofa. “Sit.”
She gave him an annoyed look.
“Sit, Avery, before I’ll make you.”
“Fine.” She plopped down.
He knelt before her and touched her ribs gingerly, watching for her reaction. “Can you lift your arm?”
She did so and gave him an I-told-you-so look.
“Can you bend side to side?”
She did and felt a tug. “It hurts a little, but not much. I can manage.”
“Good. Then nothing’s broken.”
Her eyes lowered to his hands wrapped around her waist. Her skin was on fire at his touch, even through the fabric of her dress. If this was how her body responded now, she wondered what it’d feel like without any barriers.
His hand slid along her side in what felt decidedly like a caress. “Be more careful next time.”
Confused she stared into his eyes, mere inches from her. “With what?”
“Your choice of entertainment.”
She felt herself blush to the very roots of her hair and cleared her throat. “I didn’t see anything.”
He held her gaze and tightened his grip on her, causing her breath to hitch. “Yes, you did. And you liked it.”



Author Bio:
Mila Rossi is a contemporary romance author who writes feel-good stories - no angst here. She creates heroines who don't back down, stand up for themselves and insist on freedom and independence until the right man comes along. Then all rules are thrown out the window. The heroes must be clever, generous and able to throw a girl over their shoulder.
Mila has seen the world and loves to write about it. She also loves to paint vintage anime characters, belly dance, try new foods and perfect her archery skills. She wishes she could partake in extreme sports but only allows her characters to tempt fate. Her own chances of causing disasters are just too high.
Mila also writes historical romance under the name Alice Lake.


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Thursday, August 29, 2019

BOOK BLITZ: Star Knight Errant: Thrust by A.K. Shelley #GIVEAWAY


Star Knight Errant: Thrust
A.K. Shelley
Publication date: August 26th 2019
Genres: Erotica, Romance, Science Fiction
When Martian Air Science Engineer Cass Hedley takes a dare to use her new Artificial Intelligence system for a night of erotic release, there’s only one man she can imagine spending time with—the legendary comic book hero Star Knight Errant. She imagines strong hands, hard abs, and bubble baths, but her black market AI has another idea—an illegal fight club that will only end in her sexy companion’s death…or hers.
When Evander MĆ³r transports to an unknown desert planet, his mission changes. Instead of brokering a peace deal, he’ll figure out what backwater he’s landed on and enjoy a well-earned weekend off with a gorgeous scientist. But when things get hotter than a supernova between them, he discovers he only has eighteen hours to stop an AI bent on murder, convince Cass he’s more than fiction, and find a way to cross the gulf between galaxies to bring her home.
EXCERPT:
Cass squinted at the wall screen. The call with Sylvia dropped mid-sentence—typical solar flare interference. Cass and the other Terran engineers worked miracles with rock, water, and bio-matter, but there was no getting around Mars’s feeble electromagnetic field. She glanced at the AI manual on her opaque crystal tablet while waiting for her friend to reappear.
Sylvia’s image blinked back on, mid eye-roll. Ever the confident space port commander, Cass’s best friend hated repeating herself. Unfortunately, calls dropped with regularity between Cass’s new station near the equator and the established colonies. They wouldn’t have proper communications until shielded lines ran from Elysium to Hellas, which would take years.
“As I was saying, your new place is barren. You need to paint. Throw art on the wall, pillows on the floor. Get plush rugs fabricated. Something, anything.”
Sylvia was right. The concrete monolith, aside from its gorgeous views of Elysium Planitia’s frosted desert, was dark, sterile. It even smelled like a new building—concrete sulfur, stone, and the chem salts meant to mask the Martian building materials. Not home. “It’s only been two weeks. I’ll get to it.”
“What are you reading?”
“House AI instructions.” Cass frowned.
“Thank the Gods. How’d you get one so quickly?”
Cass leaned against the kitchen island. Beyond the great room’s picture windows stretched the rocky, misted plains outside the new Elysium Colony. In the distance, the trio of Albor Tholus, Elysium Mons, and Hecates Tholus dominated the dusty caramel horizon. Remote as this new station was, it was a damn great view. “The lab’s network guy found me a black market model.”
Sylvia hissed. “You made sure he wiped it, I hope. People do crazy shit with black market machines—brothels, grand theft, fight clubs…”
“I made sure. Besides, it’s a Luxe model, only one season old and in mint condition. I could only get a basic model paying retail. The hours I’m putting in at the lab, I need a nanny for the kids.”


Author Bio:
Prior to "following her weird" into passionate affairs off-world, A.K. Shelley wrote fantasy under the pseudonym Angela Shelley. She's worked as a technical writer, publications manager, graphic designer, biologist, and Buddhist nun. Born and raised under the starry skies of Canada, these days she lives with her husband and kids in Southern California. A.K.'s first book, Star Knight Errant: Thrust, is expected August 26, 2019 through The Wild Rose Press. http://akshelley.com

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

B@@K REVEAL: Two Thousand Lines by Michelle Jester


Two Thousand Lines
Michelle Jester
Publication date: November 21st 2019
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Young Adult
From the author of The Funeral Flower and Love, Cutter comes a harrowing journey of self-discovery and perseverance.
Olivia’s life is held together by a dark secret she holds from her past; unraveling it may just be what it takes for her to truly survive.








Author Bio:
Michelle Jester lives in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana with her husband, high school sweetheart and retired Master Sergeant. Together they have a son and daughter. She is a hopeless romantic and has been writing poems and stories for as long as she can remember.
One of her prize possessions is a bracelet with only a yellow, Rubber Duckie charm on it; which she wears every day to remind her to enjoy the fun and happy things of life!

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BOOK BLITZ: Phoenix Rising by Giulia Lagomarsino #GIVEAWAY


Phoenix Rising
Giulia Lagomarsino
(Reed Security Series, #16)
Publication date: August 26th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Phoenix Rising is book 16 in the Reed Security Series and it is suggested they be read in order.
The men and women of Reed Security are back, but after all the turmoil of the past year, how do they adapt and move forward? For some, it’s easy, but others, the past year is only the beginning of what they will have to deal with. Some of them were shot and almost died. Morgan and Chance were taken and tortured in their own respects and now must deal with the after effects. Payton was torn from her mother and spent a year and a half without her. The wives lost their jobs, and many had to run from their families and friends to keep them safe. But one thing remained the same through all of this, they are each others’ family and will do anything to help each other through. They are Reed Security, and they will rise from the ashes.


BOOK TRAILER:
EXCERPT:
“Alexa, play Sam Tinnesz.”
I waited as it was searching and cringed when Mmm Bop by Hanson came on.
“What the f*@k? Alexa, play Legends Are Made by Sam Tinnesz.”
Alexa searched again, this time playing John Legend.
“You’ve got to be f*@king kidding me. I just want something good to listen to. Alexa, play Hold On For Your Life by Sam Tinnesz,” I said slowly, accentuating every word.
“Searching….”
And then the opening strands of Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On started to play.
“F*@k it.” I sloshed back down in the water, trying to ignore the girly song that was playing while I was trying to relax. I actually found that it was working. The soothing melody had me sinking into such a relaxed state that I didn’t even notice the door opening.
“What the hell are you listening to?” My eyes flew open in surprise. Chris was standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face. “Want me to get you a cocktail?”
“Actually, I’d love one,” I retorted. “I tried to get the f*@king thing to play something else, but like any woman, she just did whatever the f*@k she wanted.”
“Alright, let’s see what we got here.” He walked over to a mini fridge in the corner. I had expected to find water, but instead saw some kind of girly cooler.
“Toss me one.”
Chris popped the top and handed one to me and then got one for himself. After draining half of it, he got undressed and got in with me. “Is this weird?” he asked as he settled in.
“Sitting in the hot tub together?”
“Yeah. You know, it’s kind of like bathing together. You’re sweaty. I’m sweaty….”
I nodded. “I gotcha.” I reached over to the ledge and grabbed a bottle of body wash, pouring in a generous amount. Bubbles filled the tub and I grinned, pleased with myself.
“Yeah, that’s not at all weird,” Chris muttered. “Now we’re taking a bubble bath together.”
“But we’ll be clean,” I pointed out. “What’s worse? Sitting around in each other’s filth or sitting in soap together?”
“Soap is only clean as long as it’s in the bottle. Once it’s in the water, it’s just dirty soap.”
“It’s self-cleaning.”
“Oh, God.” Chris and I turned to see Jules standing in the doorway with Alec and Rocco. “Are you two taking a bubble bath?”
“It’s a hot tub,” I corrected. “The bubbles are just to get us clean.”
“That’s what a shower is for,” Jules pointed out.
“Hot tubs are very good for the muscles,” Rocco said as he yanked off his shirt. “I’m in.”
“Grab me another cooler before you get in,” I said.
Rocco stripped down to his shorts and climbed in with a cooler for each of us. “Ah, this is great. My body is killing me today.” He closed his eyes and then opened them, narrowing in on me. “Are you f*@king listening to Celine Dion?”
I shrugged. “You get the b*%ch to play something else.”


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


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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

BOOK BLITZ: Blood King by Amber K. Bryant #GIVEAWAY


Blood King
Amber K. Bryant
(Spirit Seeker, #1)
Published by: City Owl Press
Publication date: August 27th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
While the Blood King lives, no one is safe.
Sybille Esmond never wanted to inherit her family’s weird business: summoning spirits of the undead and guiding them to the afterlife. While it pays the bills, dealing with supernatural monsters comes with colossal risks, including becoming undead herself.
When tall, dark, and undead Elis Tanner, a reformed member of the soulless ever-after, invades Sybille’s life, bringing with him a possessive, disembodied ex-wife, those risks get complicated, and those complications become dangerous.
Sybille must aid Elis in confronting his jealous ex while also investigating the Blood King, a beast who refuses to die—by stake or by poison.
After a harrowing possession leaves her burned and bruised, Sybille finds herself drawing closer to the tempting Elis, who may be the only one capable of helping her kill the unkillable. With the Blood King and his legions of undead closing in, she discovers her own life is far from the only thing in jeopardy.
EXCERPT:
Unlike most of the people in attendance, Sybille Esmond hadn’t come to the county fair to watch a rodeo show or stroke the glossy fur of ribbon-winning show rabbits.
She came to be hypnotized.
Sybille stood among the selected volunteers as the would-be hypnotist, Elis Tanner, circled them, his scrutiny of his subjects aided by a flourish of his hands to the waiting crowd. Their environment presented a jarring mix, up-tempo techno music blaring like a nineties rave set against rainbow-themed carnival tents and food stands hawking deep-fried butter.
Elis raised his uplifted arms higher, mimicking a conductor about to direct an orchestra. As he closed his hands into fists, the music cut out. The crowd stopped their chatter, blueberry snow cones lowered, gazes raised as the man on the stage commanded their attention. A chill ran up Sybille’s spine.
They were ready to be entertained and mesmerized, and though Elis Tanner had yet to do either, people were already leaning forward, hushing young children, silencing their phones.
The music came on again, another driving beat. Its vibrations tickled Sybille’s toes.
She couldn’t blame the crowd for wanting to be tricked in exchange for a bit of harmless fun. Only in this case, they weren’t being tricked, not the way they imagined.
And Elis Tanner was far from harmless.
“How many of you have been hypnotized before?” He spoke with a vaguely British inflection, like someone who had lived stateside long enough that only scraps of their original accent remained. It reminded her of black and white movie actors. Cary Grant but a bit less Bristol.
A few people raised their hands, garnering a knowing smile from him. Sybille kept hers down. “The truth is, you’ve all been hypnotized multiple times. Every one of you.”
The audience shifted. Sybille remained still. Elis was right: hypnotism was no magic. Not under normal circumstances. Today’s show would present a different story, however. If he was nothing else, Elis Tanner offered the most abnormal of circumstances Sybille had ever come across.
“Hypnotism is simply another state of consciousness, no different than the ones we pass through on the way to and from sleep,” he explained to them.
He searched the audience with clear grey eyes and then turned his gaze to the volunteers, stopping at her. It was a slight hesitation most would have missed, but Sybille was determined to miss nothing. In the briefest of pauses, perhaps there lay a hint of recognition.
Or perhaps not. Either way, Sybille must tread carefully. The enraptured audience had made themselves totally vulnerable. She glanced at her fellow stage-mates. They’d been naive enough to volunteer in handing their will over to him to play with for an hour. Sybille volunteered as well, but unlike the others, she did so with full knowledge of what she was getting herself into.
The music continued to blast. Intolerably loud, it forced its way into her, her head throbbing within a wall of sound.
Elis asked the volunteers to take seats in the metal folding chairs set out on the stage. “Are you ready?” He looked at her when he said this. Eleven volunteers nodded. Sybille smiled. She was ready. It was Elis who had no idea what was coming.


Author Bio:
Amber K. Bryant is an award-winning speculative fiction and romance writer living deep within Sasquatch territory in Washington State. Her stories have gained over ten million reads on Wattpad, where she has built a world-wide fan base. She collaborated on a short story with R. L. Stine and won several contests judged by Margaret Atwood. When she isn't writing, she works as a librarian and spends time with her husband and son enjoying the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. She has yet to spot Bigfoot but has faith it will happen one day. Blood King is her debut novel.


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BOOK BLITZ: The Bar Next Door by Katia Rose #GIVEAWAY


The Bar Next Door
Katia Rose
(Barflies, #1)
Publication date: August 22nd 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Sometimes you take the shot, and sometimes the shot takes you.
As the manager of Montreal’s most infamous dive bar, Monroe—and it’s just Monroe, thank you very much—is used to serving up her signature pearls of wisdom alongside an array of shots, pints, and pitchers. In fact, she thrives on it. Taverne Toulouse is a mighty ship, and she its fearless captain, trusted by patrons and bar staff alike to steer them through choppy waters.
If only she’d been given a little warning before a full-on tsunami swept in next door.
Julien Valois’ wining and dining empire is making waves. The next item on his agenda is opening a trendy lounge right next to Monroe’s beloved Taverne Toulouse—one that’s meant to run the dive bar out of business so he can buy up that property too.
His plans did not include falling for a five-foot-nothing brunette with an impressive vocabulary and an even more impressive ability to manhandle drunk frat boys twice her size.
They’re rivals in every sense of the word, but when Monroe and Julien are in a room together, the battle lines fade away. Their defences lower, their hearts get louder than their heads, and the burn between them goes down like just the right shot—intense, intoxicating, and able to sweep their priorities away with a single taste.
Until reality decides to slap up a big ‘For Sale’ sign and force them remember those priorities all too clearly.
The Bar Next Door is part of the Barflies trilogy, a series of standalone romantic comedies that follow the ups and downs of the staff at a Montreal dive bar.
EXCERPT:
My relationships have all been duds, just packs of seeds I hopefully sprinkle onto freshly tilled soil and nurture for weeks on end, only to watch some runty little weed poke its head up and then wither a few days later. My mother says I have a habit of taking on boyfriends as ‘projects’ and that I like to ‘seek fulfillment by helping others reach their potential instead of working toward my own.’
That’s what you get having a former psychologist for a mother.
The man in front of me doesn’t look like he needs any help on the road to Potential Town; everything about him announces he’s already there.
“I think I know that guy.”
Roxanne’s declaration startles me back into the present. I realize we’ve both moved so close to the door we’ve almost got our noses against the glass. I step back and rip my gaze away from beardie to give her an incredulous look.
“You know that guy?”
She might as well have just told me she’s real tight with Zeus and that they hang out all the time on Mount Olympus.



Author Bio:
Katia Rose is not much of a Pina Colada person, but she does like getting caught in the rain. She prefers her romance served steamy with a side of smart, and is a sucker for quirky characters. A habit of jetting off to distant countries means she’s rarely in one place for very long, but she calls the frigid northland that is Canada home.

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Monday, August 26, 2019

BOOK BLITZ: Just a Fling by Eden Rayna #GIVEAWAY


Just a Fling
Eden Rayna
(Driven by Fire 0.5)
Publication date: April 30th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
One-night stands have rules for a reason.
Danielle: All I wanted was one night with the cowboy. One night of fun to get me through until my next day off when I would come back into the city and find another distraction. Now I’m eating breakfast with him and he’s offering to drive me home. This goes against all the rules of a one-night stand.
Kirk: I knew from the second I saw her on the dance floor that she’d be a wild one. Even with that intuition, I wasn’t prepared for just how hard she would be to tame. She was ready to run out on me before we even caught our breath but I had more to give her before the sun came up. I wasn’t putting up with any of her rules.
It’s been a few months since that night and I’m back in town to tell her it’s time to throw the rules away for good.
Just a Fling is a standalone novella in the Driven by Fire series. This book contains sexual content and coarse language and is intended for mature readers.
EXCERPT:
We are packed in this club like sardines because, apparently, my girlfriends and I are the only ones who have never heard of FriqueShow. And that surprises me a little, considering how much of my life is spent chasing random links on the internet in my endless downtime at work.
I take another step forward, sidestepping someone who grumbles at me for cutting in and wedge myself unapologetically against the bar. I reach up on my toes trying to get the bartender’s attention. As my arm comes up to rest on the sticky surface, it brushes against another person. Against an abdomen to be sure. The solid surface I feel could be nothing else unless a warm, fabric-covered wall was somehow erected beside me in the last three seconds.
I look over my shoulder to prove myself correct if nothing else. The hairs on my neck stand on end. It’s him. The tall guy from the landing found me even with my stealth tactics. He stares down at me with scorn in his eyes, berating me for trying to outrun him. I turn my head back to neutral before smiling and praise his long legs and his ability to move through a sea of people with such ease.
It’s not normal for strangers to press up against each other while waiting for libations but he does. The smell of his cologne wafts down from his height and drapes over my shoulders. Spicy. The good kind of spicy; not the acrid I-just-came-from-an-all-you-can-eat-buffet scent. It lingers in my nostrils and I now enjoy my time in line while breathing him in.
His hands find their way to my hips just as space opens up in front of me. Fingers apply firm pressure leading me forward like I can’t do it on my own. Although, I’m beginning to wonder that myself as my legs tingle from his touch. I shiver even as sweat dampens the back of my neck again and I know I’m done for. The silent communication has me licking my lips and holding my breath in anticipation of his next move. Where will he take me from here?
My friend traces his hand along my lower back as he steps to my side where we can finally get a good look at each other. My eyes start at the hand that lingers on my waist then travel up his forearm to his bicep that sits snuggly in the sleeve of his white tee. His neck leads into a strong, square jaw, and – Oh, hello! my nether regions call out to the man that has me gasping for air at the feeling of being swallowed up by the ocean for a second time. My companion smiles, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. He runs his hand through his shortish, dark brown hair, pulling it away from his similarly-coloured eyes. Eyes that sparkle with the flashing lights in the bar.
He says something to me but it’s too many words strung together for me to lip read. I shake my head and raise my palms to the ceiling indicating that I didn’t catch what he said. He places a hand on my right shoulder then leans in across my body to speak into my left ear. His fingers gently stroke my hair, tucking it behind my ear and I shiver again under his touch.
I like my body’s reaction to him.
He presses softly against the tragus of my ear closing it off to sound and leans in so close I feel his breath on my ear and neck as he speaks in a low voice. “Vodka tonic with a lime?” I am surprised at how he uses a normal volume to speak. Instead of being screamed at, I am graced with the deep, warm tones of his voice. I’m also surprised that he knows what I’ve been drinking. He apparently found me long before I found him.
Even in my high heels, I have to reach up on my toes to get close to his ear. I put my hand on his waist and mimic his noise-canceling trick of closing off his ear, saying that I am just here for water. I am mindful not to speak too quietly, although I wouldn’t mind having to keep my hand on him to repeat myself. His torso is firm and feels solid beneath my fingers. My dirty mind is already wondering what he looks like shirtless.


Author Bio:
Eden Rayna was born in Calgary, Alberta. After several attempts to leave through travels and school in far off places, she realized there was no place better to call home than the sprawling city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. A lover of her family, Chinook winds and romance novels, Eden is excited to announce that the third book in the Driven by Fire series, Out of Bounds, will be available Fall 2019!

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BOOK BLITZ: Boundary by Ebony Olson #GIVEAWAY


Boundary
Ebony Olson
Publication date: September 20th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Vera Cana has given her life to escape her abusive ex. She’s earned her freedom and has the scars to prove it. Now, she’s starting a new life. Purchasing a cottage in a lush forest, she’s ready to live out her days in peace. The goddess has other plans.
If Vera thought by hiding out in her little cottage she could avoid any more packs and their alphas, she was wrong. When her new neighbor knocks on her door, the draw to him is magnetic, but the scars of her past are a barrier higher than the boundary fence between their properties. Dale’s presence causes a heady mix of calm and excitement, which only adds to the potency of his patient, but determined personality. Vera is about to learn a lot about the way packs work, and she’s going to discover how strong she can be.
Nothing takes more inner strength than learning how to trust someone with your heart.
A stand-alone paranormal romance.


Author Bio:
Ebony lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband, daughter, and six cats. She loves to read fantasy, thrillers, and paranormal romance, spending most of her free time with her nose in a book or writing.
Having always possessed an over-active imagination she spent her younger years regaling friends with fantastic stories, holding her audience captive with the passion and suspense of her characters plights.
Now in adulthood she has numerous published works and shows no signs of stopping her imagination from spreading across as many pages as it can find.


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