Saturday, April 29, 2023

BOOK BLITZ: Undertaking Love by Megan Montgomery

Undertaking Love
Megan Montgomery
Publication date: April 1st 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Bethany West upgraded her lucrative career as a sex worker for her dream job as a death worker when she partnered at Smythe & Co. Mortuary. She expected her eco-friendly innovations and death positive attitude to blow the roof off the Victorian-era relic. But that was seven months ago, and during that time, she’s only managed to piss off her embittered business partner, George Smythe, a man dead set on maintaining the status quo and driving Bethany out of his namesake business.

When the pair reluctantly travel together to a mortuary conference in New Orleans—and compete in dueling embalming demonstrations—George finally recognizes the value of Bethany’s business model for the first time. He’s also starting to recognize a growing attraction to his blonde bombshell business partner. Meanwhile, Bethany learns the truth behind George’s cold contempt, and it’s much worse than she thought, stemming not from a single incident, but from the constant on-call status, the compassion fatigue, and the overwhelming stress of the job.

Bethany has 4 days to crack open his tough outer shell to reveal the compassionate man she knows is inside, and she has a plan, but unless George learns to open his heart and lean on her, at the risk of succumbing to their cremation-level attraction in a dangerous way, he’ll jeopardize both the business and their hearts by refusing the true partnership they both need.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Bethany

My body was broken.

I blinked hard to lubricate my eyes, struggling to stay awake behind the wheel. The vent blasted tepid air into my face, trying its damnedest to desiccate my skin and sabotage the efforts of my latest hyaluronic acid injections.

My stomach churned from too much coffee and too little sleep.

A sweat broke out under my arms and boobs.

Great. Now I could smell all that coffee excreting from my pores and ruining my favorite silk blouse.

I glanced at the man in the passenger seat.

George’s pores were looking perfectly dry, as usual. He wouldn’t think of sweating, even from the most strenuous effort.

I’d seen him pull a rotund, decomposing man out of that impossible space between the toilet and the bathtub and plop him on a mortuary cot in an un-air-conditioned, third-floor apartment in the middle of August without breaking a sweat.

The man never had a hair out of place, was never not freshly shaven, and he never forgot to button his suit jacket when he stood, or unbutton it when he sat.

And he was a consummate professional—as long as you didn’t work with him.

And as long as your name wasn’t Bethany West.

I breathed in a lungful of stale air. Even now, in the mortuary van, George managed to smell fresh, yet intensely masculine. The faintest notes of sandalwood and citrus wafted toward me as he fiddled with his ear, pushing his earbud deeper in.

I suspected he wasn’t listening to anything producing actual sound; the earbuds were just a tactic to try to keep me from making “unnecessary” conversation.

I was almost too tired to care.

I stifled a yawn, hoping he wouldn’t catch it.

He did, of course.

I saw the tick of his jaw from the corner of my eye. Glaring at the screen of the laptop balanced on his crossed legs, his flexed fingers hovering over the keyboard, a ballpoint pen clutched in his teeth.

I’d never seen the man smile except for a wince-like approximation of the real thing, and he saved that stingy expression for our clients.

After an entire life spent in the trenches of the funeral business, his handsome face was permanently etched into a show of bland sympathy—except when he scowled in contempt.

That expression was reserved exclusively for me.


Author Bio:

Megan Montgomery writes romance. Sometimes they're funny. Sometimes they're morbid, but all her characters have cool jobs. She and her husband, Johnathon Olavarria co-host Forced Proximity podcast, a weekly romance book and movie club.

Her debut novel, Well . . . THAT Was Awkward was inspired by her homesickness for southern Maryland. She now lives halfway across the US on the prairie with her husband, son, and mom.

When she’s not writing, reading, lifting weights, or cooking dinners her son won’t eat, you’ll find her toiling in the garden or brewing potions from her medicinal herbs.

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Friday, April 28, 2023

BOOK BLITZ: One Wolf Next Door by Efthalia

One Wolf Next Door
Efthalia
(The Willow Witch Chronicles, #1)
Publication date: April 11th 2023
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

A Witch. A Wolf. And defective magic.

Samantha Willow is a defective witch. Her magical powers are useless, and her coven has turned its back on her. Her comfortable and serene lifestyle is short-lived when a new neighbor moves in next door. Romance was not on the agenda. To add to her problems, one of her customers ends up dead, and the police want answers.

Dex Lycophron, wolf, and immortal warrior has had enough of fighting for humanity. He wants to put his feet up and relax, but when he gets a whiff of his delectable witchy neighbor, he knows he’s not going to rest until he claims her as his mate. But to do that he must return to the world and connections he left behind.

Will the Witch admit that they belong together?

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EXCERPT:

Samantha tossed and turned all night. The dream was always the same. She shifted again, trying to wipe it from her mind. She had better things to think of than that wretched coven she had grown up with, like her hot neighbor.

Oh yeah, Sam, all that muscle. Great, thinking of him didn’t help, that made things worse. She started heating up.

“This is stupid.” She pulled the covers back and headed to the shower. The more she envisaged her hot neighbor the more she wanted to go over to his house and ask for a cup of sugar or something more.

She turned the taps on, let the cold water blast her. She let out a scream, and Gilbert came running, barking continuously. “Calm down, it’s just water.”

He turned and trotted back out of the bathroom.

She had just enough time to soak her hair before a loud banging came from the front door. “Damn it.” She turned the taps off and grabbed a towel to dry off then threw a bathrobe on and bolted down the stairs to open the door. Her mouth dropped at all the hotness taking up the door space.

Dex was standing there in nothing but his pajama bottoms. She scanned his face, losing herself in those blue eyes before doing a slow crawl down the expanse of his chest to his toes. Holy mother in heaven this man was perfection. She’d never be able to wipe this moment from her consciousness. She shook her head when she realized she was ogling. When she locked eyes with Dex again, he was grinning.

“Like what you see?” His deep voice did nothing to help.

“Um, um. Why are you here?”

“I heard a scream.” Gilbert came scattering along and headed straight to Dex’s feet. Dex bent to pick him up, and the traitor started licking his face and chest.

She was envious in that moment and cleared her throat. “Um, that was just the cold water.”

“Do you have problems with your plumbing? I could take a look.” He was still grinning, and there was a definite sparkle in his eyes.

Why did it feel like he wasn’t really talking about her watering system? A wave of heat hit her. She needed to get him off her front porch before she threw him down and had her way with him. Images flashed in her mind—she naked with Dex. “Ah, no. It’s all good. Just a little clumsiness on my part.” She made a move to grab Gilbert. “Thank you for checking in. Come on Gilbert.”


Author Bio:

Efthalia lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband and two children.

Her passion for writing was cultivated by the stories her mother told her as a child. Now she writes exciting new worlds with gods, power, and passion.

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Thursday, April 27, 2023

NEW RELEASE: Filthy Desires by R.M. Grey

Filthy Desires
R.M. Grey
(Professors of Westview University, #2)
Publication date: April 25th 2023
Genres: Adult, Erotica, Romance

School’s my priority. All I do is eat, sleep, and study. My best friend says I need to loosen up and live a little. So I did.

I had one passionate night with billionaire playboy, Lucas Blessington. He’s tall, rich, and handsome, and can get any girl he wants. I’m just another woman that he can add to his long list of one night stands.

When he walks into my class and announces that he is the guest professor for the rest of the semester, I want to hide. Little did I know he did his research on me and managed a way back to his alma mater, Westview University, to continue where we left off from our night together.

I don’t know what’s riskier: having sex with my professor or having sex with a billionaire playboy? Either way, I’m risking my future and will have my heart broken by him anyway.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Miss Lucero, can you please stay back for a moment?”

Reese glanced up, and our gazes locked. There was a sparkle in her eyes.

As soon as the last student left the room, our arms wrapped around each other, lips crashing in a fervent kiss. We hadn’t been physical for four days, but it felt more like four months.

Reese released the kiss and pushed away from me. She whispered in my ear, “I missed you so much. Let’s go to your office. I need you Lucas – inside me, right now.” Thank fuck.

We left the lecture hall and quickly scrambled to my office. The bolt clicked as I turned the lock on the door as slowly and quietly as possible. Our lips crashed again, kisses hot and hasty. We pulled each other’s clothes off effortlessly, with speed I didn’t know I possessed. Reese was my drug, and damn if I didn’t need my fix.

“I missed you so much, kitten.”


Author Bio:

R. M. Grey is a healthcare professional by day and her alter-ego writes forbidden and panty-melting erotic romance at night. R. M. Grey brings taboo and age-gap stories of curvy heroines and alpha heroes that you’ve fantasized about.

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Wednesday, April 26, 2023

SULTRY IN THE CITY 2023 is coming...


Do you love romance? How about suspense? Is Mystery your thing? Well, this event has all the genres you love! There will be over fifty authors to meet all of your reading goals. Join us August 25th for dinner and a concert with your favorite authors. August 26th come and get your book fix. All authors will be ready to tell you about your next favorite read and welcome you with swag and a great time. There will even be an event charity anthology available for purchase. 

SULTRY IN THE CITY ’23 in Houston, Texas will be here before we know it!

Join the Facebook reader’s group HERE so you don’t miss any of the fun leading up to the event:  

Get all the deets and your tix from Eventbrite HERE

➺ General Admission is FREE (we’d still appreciate you reserving these for headcount purposes)

➺ Unicorn Ticket is $85 (plus fees):  Friday Night Concert and Dinner. Early Access to the event on Saturday— get in at 11 and receive a swag bag with all the goodies you can hold. 

➺ VIP Early Access Ticket is $25 (plus fees): Early Access to the event on Saturday— get in at 11 and receive a swag bag with all the goodies you can hold.

PREORDER MY BOOKS HERE FOR A 5% DISCOUNT





NEW RELEASE: Bookworm by Cookie O'Gorman

Bookworm
Cookie O’Gorman
Publication date: April 20th 2023
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it.

But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books.

Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker.

Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss.

One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together.

Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident.

A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right?

This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door?

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Rolling my eyes, I reached over, gently grasped his forearm and brought it closer.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax,” I said, trying not to laugh at the alarm I heard in his voice. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it by now.”

“Says the girl who gave me a bookcussion” he grumbled.

Biting back a smile, I concentrated on his forearm, running my fingers over his skin to find the correct spot. This took a few moments. When I found it, I leaned closer, using my thumbs to press down, gently at first, then adding a little more pressure. Bo didn’t tense. He didn’t move a muscle. I might’ve thought he’d stopped breathing he was so still. But then I felt his breath against my neck.

The sensation sent shivers down my spine.

I counted the seconds under my breath and then released him.

“What was that, Kent?” he asked softly.

“I looked up how to treat a sprained wrist,” I said with a shrug. “It was nothing, just one of the techniques they recommended.”

“You looked that up?”

Meeting his eyes, I nodded. “Does it feel any better?”

Bo glanced down at his wrist before looking back up, locking me in his intense stare. “Yeah, it does. Thanks, Kent.”

For some reason, I blushed. “No problem.”

I didn’t know what made me say it.

But I added, “Maybe now, you won’t be so opposed to working with me.”

Bo shook his head. “It’s not that.”

“It’s not?”

“No,” he said. “I just don’t like the idea of you taking care of me out of some misplaced sense of guilt.”

Oh.

I hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“I thought you hated having me around,” I admitted.

“I don’t.”

“You even told me how much you hate people.”

“Not you,” he said.

My heart skipped a beat.

“I could never hate you, Kent.”


Author Bio:

Cookie O'Gorman Bio: Cookie O'Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl's Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM came out on April 20, 2023!

 

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Tuesday, April 25, 2023

NEW RELEASE: Reluctant Hearts by Linda Griffin

Reluctant Hearts
Linda Griffin
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: April 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Four couples, four stories: Darien Francis and Richard Li meet during a bank robbery, but she’s afraid to love again. Shane Kenniston and Beth Parker are reacquainted years after she had a crush on him, but she is a recent widow, and Shane’s life was upended by a false accusation. David Early and Kate Howard meet in the Laundromat, but her life is consumed by the needs of her disabled child, and David isn’t ready for the responsibility. Realtor Frank Ellison meets Kayla Barnes at an open house, but a mistaken first impression derails any chance of romance. Can they all overcome the obstacles to love?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

SNEAK PEEKS:

From “No Regrets”:

“Well, you are too good to be true, aren’t you?” She grinned, and then she sobered, and their eyes met. They stopped walking. The dogs tugged at the leashes and strayed from the path, sniffing at everything they could reach. Richard tossed the remains of his lunch in a trash container and put his arms around her. The sounds of traffic grew distant, muted. Manning walked in a circle, wrapping the leash around their legs. They both laughed, and they kissed quickly and then not so quickly. “In a public place,” she said in mock disapproval.

From “Probation”:

“So, you don’t smoke, you don’t drink, and you don’t do Halloween? What do you do?”
“Whatever you’ll let me do, I guess,” he said. He hadn’t used that old line since college.
She was surprised, but she didn’t seem upset. She gazed at him speculatively for a few seconds and then leaned towards him. He didn’t want to take anything for granted, so he waited for her to kiss him first, but he responded without hesitation. She tasted of beer and cherry-flavored lip gloss. “Oh, gosh,” she said. “Wait till I tell Patty I kissed Mr. Kenniston.”

From “The Shape of Life“:

Kate,” he said, into a pause that had unexpectedly lengthened into a silence, and she turned toward him, smiling a little. Without knowing he was going to, he kissed her. She was warm and willing, and then she murmured, “David,” half in protest, and pulled away.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s not you. You’re a very nice guy.”
“It’s all right.”
“I can’t do this right now. My life is complicated enough.”
“I wasn’t trying to complicate your life.”
“No, I know.”
“It’s all right,” he said again. He took her hand. “Relax. There’s no cost or obligation.”

From “House Hunters”:

Her shape had never bothered him before. But right now, it was distracting him to know she had that lovely, decidedly female body under her jeans and sweater. He turned his head toward her, and she looked up at him, and he leaned in to kiss her.
“Don’t,” she said, but she kissed him back. The gesture was more friendly than passionate, but her lips were soft and sweet all the same. He knew it wasn’t supposed to be happening, but he couldn’t remember why, and he liked it—more than he liked the Canaletto.

Author Bio:

For more information, visit my website, sign up for my newsletter, and claim a free autographed copy of Seventeen Days. https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/

I was born and raised in San Diego, California and earned a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. I began my career as a reference and collection development librarian in the Art and Music Section of the San Diego Public Library and then transferred to the Literature and Languages Section, where I had the pleasure of managing the Central Library’s Fiction collection and initiating fiction order lists for the entire library system. Although I also enjoy reading biography, memoir, and history, fiction remains my first love. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—I enjoy Scrabble, movies, and travel.

My earliest ambition was to be a “book maker” and I wrote my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” with a plot stolen from a comic book, at the age of six. I broke into print in college with a story in the San Diego State University literary journal, The Phoenix, but most of my magazine publications came after I left the library to spend more time on my writing.

My stories have been published in numerous journals, including Eclectica, Thema Literary Journal, Avalon Literary Review, The Nassau Review, and Orbis, and in the anthologies Short Story America, Vol. 2, The Captive and the Dead, and Australia Burns.

Member of RWA, Authors Guild, and Sisters in Crime

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Monday, April 24, 2023

NEW RELEASE: Spring Blight by Olena Nikitin

Spring Blight
Olena Nikitin
(Season’s War, #3)
Publication date: April 21, 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

“Chaos and the wicked soul know no rest.”
(Old folk proverb)

Ina has no time to enjoy domestic life with Mar. As soon as life settles down after the Winter War, King Rewan calls his Royal Witch to give her a new task.
Southern rebellion, crops dying, and an endless stream of assassins attacking the king, leaving a trail that backs to a neighbouring kingdom. To make matters worse, an ancient cult has emerged from the shadows offering sacrifices to Winter’s Death.
One fateful letter and Ina is back on the road with an unlikely companion. But what can one Chaos mage do against so many enemies and the power of the Old Gods?

Immerse yourself in the third book of Season’s War, where passion mixes with cruelty, and the world-changing power can shackle even goddess to the mortal plain. The book is NOT standalone for the best experience, consider reading in the series order.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

When the great hall doors exploded inwards, nearly crashing off their hinges, a furious, muddy dragon striding through the gap with a sour-faced Daro in tow, she knew it would be more than just a lecture.

‘Ina! What in Veles’s name did you do this time?’

‘Why do you always assume I did something? And stop throwing people around; they don’t deserve to be manhandled.’ Mar’s dishevelled appearance finally registered, and it occurred to her that sending him to Alsia might have been more challenging than she appreciated. ‘Why are you so dirty? Did you get into a fight? Are you hurt?’

‘Don’t even try changing the fucking subject. You were fighting, injured, and lost control of your magic. I thought I’d lost you.’ Mar strode forward, his arms surrounding her so quickly that Ina gasped, which then turned into a moan as he lifted her off the ground, kissing her with desperate relief. ‘Never do that to me again. Do you hear me? Never. I nearly lost my mind thinking you’d died.’

Ina could feel his heart racing, squashed against his chest as she was. The witch could also feel something else. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what she hoped to feel, but a strange frisson against her skin, and she realised Mar was struggling not to transform. ‘Ina, when you reached out for help, and I wasn’t there, it nearly killed me,’ he said, pressing his forehead to hers before she gently stroked his bearded cheek.

‘Hush now, you big oaf. I’m not so easy to kill. I survived whilst my opponent is ash, floating away on the breeze. You have been fighting too, and you look much worse.’ She said, picking a flake of dry mud from his beard, trying to lighten the mood, but she heard Daro snort.

‘Oh, we weren’t fighting. We were all noble and diplomatic. It wasn’t until we were halfway home that the idiot fell off his horse like a ham actor swooning on stage. If that wasn’t bad enough, he turned into a dragon, causing the horses to bolt and me to land in the mud next to him. Even Woron couldn’t withstand his roar. Whatever you did to him left him flightless, so he spent the night groaning with his scaly ass firmly stuck in the mud. It would have been amusing if muggins here didn’t have to catch the horses. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a wife to kiss.’

Author Bio:

Olena Nikitin is our pen name. We are an enthusiastic couple of writers who are fascinated by the fantasy/paranormal romance genre and decided to write a book we would love to read

Behind the Pen name:

Olga - is Polish, armed with a wicked sense of humour and typical Slavic pessimism she is the wicked witch from the East. She has written stories since childhood, initially mostly about her work. As an emergency physician, she always has a story to tell and often not much time to write.

Mark is a typical English gentleman whose charm, refined taste and an impressive collection of books were tempting enough to make Olga leave her homeland. Don't tease him too much; this man has an impressive sword collection and he knows how to use it. He also can fix everything, including Polish syntax in English writing.

See more on our website: www.olenanikitin.uk

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