BOOK BLITZ: Mistle Text by Whitney Dineen & Melanie Summers

Mistle Text
Whitney Dineen & Melanie Summers
(An Accidentally in Love Story, #5)
Publication date: September 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Twas the text before Christmas…

Twenty-eight-year-old Holly Snow is the only mother her four-year-old niece remembers. Three years earlier, when her sister and brother-in-law were killed, Holly’s dream of becoming an international flight attendant was put on hold so she could be home for baby Faith. Holly is doing everything she can to keep the rent paid, including working as an online travel agent, filing medical claims, and cleaning apartments in her building. When her friend Maggie tells her that her boss needs someone to buy his Christmas gifts, she leaps at the opportunity.

Tall, dark and Scroogy, investment banker, Archibald Harrington is too busy to do his own Christmas shopping. When his assistant tells him she knows of a professional shopper, he happily checks another dreaded task off his holiday list. The last thing Archie is expecting is for his hired elf to text him insistently to find out more about the people on list. The last thing Holly expects is to develop feelings for grumpy man who’s stealing her Christmas spirit.

Will there be a Holiday miracle, or will Holly and Archie miss their chance at love? Find out in the fifth installment of the Accidentally in Love Series.

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SNEAK PEEK:

“My boss needs a personal shopper for Christmas, and I’ve already told him I know the very best one in Manhattan.” Toni gives me an open-mouthed smile, clearly expecting me to jump up and down.

“Your boss. As in Archibald Snooty Pants the Forty-Second?” I ask, pursing my lips.

She opens her mouth, but I cut her off with one finger in the air. “You complain about the man all the time.”

“It’s not like he’s a horrible person, he’s just a one trick pony—all work and no play. Plus, it’s not like you’ll have to work side-by-side with him or anything. You probably won’t even have to see him.”

“I’m not a personal shopper,” I tell her. “Unless his family and friends want ramen noodles or discount t-shirts from the guy who sells them out of his trunk in front of my apartment building, I would have no idea what to buy.”

“Yeah, well, Archie doesn’t know that.” She pumps her eyebrows up and down like a comedian.

“Toni, you told me the guy was a rich stuck-up preppy from the Hamptons. While I would love nothing more than to make some extra money, I don’t have the foggiest notion how to shop for rich people.”

“So watch some holiday episodes of Real Housewives and see what they buy each other. He’ll tell you how much to spend on each person. Come on, Holl, it’s not brain surgery. It’s shopping. You know how to shop. And you need the money.”

“What if he hates me?” I despise feeling so pathetic, but I’m totally out of my league here.

“Then he hates you. So what? Believe me when I tell you, Archibald Harrington only thinks about work. You can’t take anything he says personally.”

Dread slams into me like a wrecking ball. “How much do you think I can make?”

“Enough to pay for Christmas and at least the next three months of Faith’s preschool tuition. How can you pass that up?”

The answer is, I can’t. And if it means working for a cranky billionaire, then Toni is right. I’ll do whatever I have to do in order to take care of Faith. I just can’t guarantee I’ll like it.

“Fine,” I tell her. “How many gifts am I supposed to buy?”

“He’ll need all of his family gifts, which include his godfather’s family. He’s spending Christmas with them in Newport. He wants you to cover his business gifts, as well. The VIPs are starred, meaning those particular gifts need to be extra-amazing. I’ve also made you a list of everything that I want, so I don’t wind up with another Monte Blanc pen. I’ve already sold three of those suckers on eBay and I only get a fraction of what they’re worth.”

“I don’t even know what a Monte Blanc pen is.” My chest tightens like I’m not getting enough oxygen.

She hands me a piece of paper. “This is a list of websites to check out. You can order everything and have it delivered here.”

“Why can’t I just have everything sent to his office? What am I going to do with it?”

After taking a healthy swig of white zinfandel, Toni says, “You’re going to wrap everything up and make it look like Santa himself cracked the whip on the gift-wrapping elves. Once you have everything purchased and ready, I’ll send a car to pick the gifts up.”

“You’ll send a car, will you?” I tease.

“Yeah, well, I can do those fancy things in the name of my boss.”

“How am I going to pay for everything?” I ask. “I have about two hundred dollars of credit left on my card. I don’t think that’s going to cut it.”

Toni opens her purse and hands me a shiny black credit card. “There’s no limit, so if you don’t mind doing a little jail time, you could have a lot of fun.”

“No limit? I can’t imagine such a thing.” I fantasize about what damage I could do with plastic like this. Not only could I pay for Faith’s school for the rest of the year, but I could also get my mom into one of those nursing homes that has a hair salon and restaurant. I could upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment so Faith doesn’t have to sleep in the closet anymore, and I could even splurge and buy myself some real leather gloves.

“You’re imagining, aren’t you?” Toni jolts me out of my daydream.

“I most certainly am. The first thing I’d do is buy Faith whatever winter coat she wanted and then I’d take her out to a nice restaurant.”

Toni rolls her eyes. “If you’re going down for a crime, you’ve got to think bigger.”

I stare at the card for a second, then look back up at Toni. “How can you stand working for someone who has so much? Don’t you just want to steal cash out of his wallet once in a while?” I don’t really have the heart of a felon, I’m just tired of always being broke.

“The nice thing about Archie is that even though he has the personality of a killer shark, he’s generous. He has a Friday lunch catered for his staff every week, and he makes sure to float us enough extras that none of us are tempted to steal from him. He’s a good businessman.”

“Even though he’s a stuck-up preppy?” I ask for clarification.

“Exactly.”

I look at the list of stores she thinks I should shop at—Tiffany’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, The House of Bijan … “What’s my budget?”

She hands me another piece of paper. The handwriting isn’t hers, so I’m guessing it’s Archie’s. “He wants me to spend four thousand dollars on his mother?!”

“Yup. He wants her to have two gifts. One of them needs to be the main. The other can be fancy ass chocolates or something.”

“Right, but probably not gas station chocolates.”

“Quit stressing, Holls, you’ve got this.”

I don’t know why, but for the life of me I can’t see this ending well…

Author Bios:

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Author links
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

Author links
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BOOK REVEAL: In the Shadow of a Hoax by Maci Aurora

In the Shadow of a Hoax
Maci Aurora
(Fareview Fairytales, #2)
Publication date: January 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

In the Kingdom of Kaloma, a woman is forced to rely on a man to “keep her” and is forbidden from maintaining anything of her own. It’s the law.

In the remote village of Sevens, at the northernmost point of the kingdom, there lives a family with four daughters and a son, toiling day in and day out together, hopeful a treaty with the boarding kingdom of Jast might change things.

When one daughter—at risk of being imprisoned for fighting back—hides away in the Whitling Woods. She stumbles upon a dying man and despite the risk to herself, chooses to save him. Only who he is has the power to change everything…

Tarley Fareview, idealistic and stubborn, does what she can to support herself in spite of an unjust Kaloma law. When she fights back after being attacked, she flees into the woods disguised as a boy. While in hiding, she discovers a dying man and must decide if she risks her life to save him. Unable to walk away, Tarley chooses to intervene and works to save the stranger, only little does she know that by doing so she’ll also risk the heart she promised herself she’d never give to anyone.

When the Crown Prince of Jast, Lachlan Nikolas—forced by the king to attend treaty negotiations with the kingdom of Kaloma in disguise—is attacked, his horse bolts, and they both careen over a cliff, falling to their deaths in a raging river below. Only, miracle of miracles, Lachlan doesn’t perish, and instead is given a second chance at life, but at a price. When he wakes, he’s not only been stripped of his clothes but also his identity. Saved by a strange woman—in a terrible disguise because she looks nothing like a boy—Lachlan must learn very quickly how to survive in a world where he isn’t a prince anymore and with zero skills other than his entitlement and his charm. Unsure who to trust, Lachlan must reinvent himself, learn how to survive, open his heart to discover the truth about worthiness, and discover what it means to sacrifice one’s self for true love.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

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SNEAK PEEK:

It was nearing sunrise on the fifth day. The twilight teasing the flap of the tent. The birds were only beginning to sing, and though the music of the birds waking and the river beyond were usually her salve to get her moving, her eyes were so heavy, and her body weighted with exhaustion. Her mind and senses lulled toward sleep by the sound of Ollie’s clear breathing and the song of the birds, so she shut her eyes.

Just for a moment, she told herself. Ollie’s safe. I’ll rest. Just for a moment, she thought and slipped into the rest of the darkness.

“Tarley?”

She stretched her body, uncurling it, and basking in the gloriousness of warmth and rest. Her hand dropped against something unforgiving, her head pressed against a wall. She moaned, disoriented, and grabbed hold of the mound under her quilt trying to figure out what had crawled into bed with her.

“I’ve always enjoyed a good fondling, but I prefer it being reciprocal.”

Tarley’s eyes snapped open at the foreign sound—a man’s voice with just the hint of an accent with which she wasn’t familiar. Skin. That’s what her eyes focused on. Lots of it. An arm. A shoulder. A scruffy jaw in need of a shave as she raised her gaze. Full lips arched with a smile, the bottom slightly fuller though the pronounced arches of the upper. He was grinning, and his eyes—a myriad of colors—were darkened with a ring of deep green at the edges.

Realizing she was flush against him, holding him, Tarley jerked back, scrambling to the opposite side of the ten, only there wasn’t enough room to maneuver. She regretted the quick movement, her body protesting with aches and pains of not enough sleep.

“Ollie. I–” She couldn’t meet his gaze.

“You were asleep.”

Her cheeks heated realizing she’d been holding him in her sleep. Holding onto him the night she’d been trying to save him flashed in her mind reminding her she’d held him before. To save him, she snapped at her inner self.

Her eyes danced across the quilt until she found the bravery to meet his gaze.

Author Bio:

Romance author.

Lover of stories.

Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.

Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.

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BOOK BLITZ: The Wrong Man by A.S. Kelly

The Wrong Man
A.S. Kelly
(From Connemara With Love, #5)
Publication date: November 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Silas

Leo and I have been so many things.

We’ve been rivals, classmates, teammates.

Friends.

Friends you watch from afar each day, and dream of each night.

Then we were… Well, we were just us.

We didn’t ask ourselves too many questions – not even when I pretended not to be hurt by the distance he placed between us.

We made each other no promises.

I waited, hoped, believed, right up until the day I realised that everything we had was merely an illusion.

My illusion.

My name is Silas Kylemore, and I’ve learned an important lesson: never fall in love with your best friend.

Not if he’ll never be able to love you back.

Leo

Silas and I have been through so many phases.

We’ve been close, far, just a hair’s breadth apart.

Each bound to the other.

I’m talking about that kind of bond you’re never quite able to recreate.

We were young, and we were… We were just us.

We didn’t ask ourselves too many questions – not even when I pretended his absence didn’t kill me inside.

We made each other no promises.

I could never have imagined back then that what we had would push me away from him for all those years.

Years that no one could ever give back to me.

Years he’ll never forgive me for.

My name is Leo Fitzpatrick, and I’ve learned an important lesson: never try to forget the person you loved.

Not if he’s never been able to forget you.

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SNEAK PEEK:

Leo slides his hand into the space between our bodies, his pinky finger brushing imperceptibly against mine. I look down at the same moment as him, as if we could feel the same electricity coursing through our fingers, our hearts. We lift our heads. I think this is the first time we’ve really looked at each other so deeply and longingly. It’s ours. This is the first time no one has any power over the other; we can’t deny each other anything. His pinky finger continues brushing against mine, the way it has hundreds of times, before slowly slipping away, back to where it was.

I don’t feel disappointed. I don’t feel abandoned.

Something is telling me that this isn’t like all the other times. My heart is telling me that something has changed.

He’s changed.

“Why?”

“Mmm?”

“Why couldn’t you help it?”

“I was scared I’d forgotten, and I desperately wanted to remember.”

“What?”

“What it means to kiss you.”

I blush against my will, but luckily, he’s not looking at me. I don’t want to seem like a little boy with an embarrassing crush. I want to tell him that he can do that every time he forgets us – but I keep it to myself.

“Was it how you remembered?”

He smiles, his eyes turned skywards.

“It was more. It was all just… More.”

Author Bio:

A. S. Kelly writes Rom-Com, Romantic Fiction and Family Saga.

Avid reader, hopeless romantic, lover of yoga, knitting and home baking.

She was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.

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BOOK BLITZ: Valkyrie by Kitty Thomas

Valkyrie
Kitty Thomas
Publication date: October 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

ODIN:

On the day I met the witch, she prophesied my death.

She said it was fate and couldn’t be changed.

I’ve gathered my warriors. I’ve laid my traps. I’ve moved my pieces across the board.

She is the piece that unlocks everything, I know she is.

And she’s wrong. Everything can be changed.

FREYJA:

A powerful god seeks to destroy my people unless I go live with him.

“You don’t have to marry him. You don’t even have to sleep with him. He just needs a witch.”

I’ve been told this multiple times, but I don’t trust this man.

He’s keeping something very important from me… and he’s such a charmer.

I may allow him into my bed, but I can never let him into my heart.

Note: This is a standalone.

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SNEAK PEEK:

“I want to talk about the mark,” I say, skimming right past all of that. If he thinks he can distract me or pacify me with ice cream and cherries like a small child, he’s crazy.

“We don’t need to talk about it. It doesn’t concern you,” Odin says.

My spoon makes a loud clanking sound against the bowl. “Excuse me, but a glowing magical handprint on my throat one hundred percent does concern me.”

“No it doesn’t. You don’t have to worry about it. It’ll go away on its own.”

“I thought you said it couldn’t be undone and that it’s beyond you,” I say, mocking his overly serious tone of only moments ago.

“It can’t be undone and it is beyond me. I have no control over that mark, but I do know it will fade on its own as long as no further steps are taken.”

“But what does it mean? And steps for what?” He’s not going to slither off the hook that easily.

“I have control of the berserker. You don’t have to worry.”

“The berserker? Is that the name of that thing I saw you shift into?”

He levels me with a hard, serious look. “You haven’t met the berserker.”

“Oh Odin, teach me to be scary like you,” I singsong.

“Little girl, you have no idea the fire you play with.”

“I am fire.”

He considers me for a moment and nods. “I think that’s a fair description. You’re also a valkyrie. And it’s clear you didn’t know that before today.”

“What’s a valkyrie? Or does that not concern me, either?”

He just stares at me for a long time. Only this time it’s not lust, it’s a power move. I bet all his little underlings look away. I bet he thinks I’m about to look away. I don’t. I just hold his gaze.

“Can you tell me the rules? Is blinking allowed or do I lose if I blink?”

“You are the most infuriating…”

“I don’t have to be here. You could have chosen to leave the Vanir alone. I don’t even know why I’m here. What do you need me for, Odin? Besides the obvious.”

The one thing I’ve been able to ascertain that he wants from me is the same thing every man wants from me, and Odin hasn’t disguised his desire to have me in his bed.

He leans closer, speaking each word slowly, clearly, and precisely as if I need this all spelled out again. “You signed a contract… with your blood… and if you think I’m letting you out of it or that you can annoy me to death…”

“I may have to stay in Asgard with you, but I don’t have to stay at this table. And since dinner is over and you seem to have no intention of telling me anything worth hearing, I’ll take my leave.”

I stand and turn to go, but his hand wraps around my wrist, stopping me. Just this simple touch sends a harsh bolt of desire spiraling through me.

His voice is low and calm when he speaks. “The mark is a partial mating claim. My berserker thinks you’re his fated mate.”

I whirl back around at this news. “I’m sorry… what? Oh, no, absolutely not… I am not going to be mated to… that thing… or to you for that matter.”

“That’s right. You’re not. I have control of the berserker. I don’t know how long it will take for the mark to fade but it will fade if the mating remains incomplete. I’ve never marked anyone, but with most berserkers it’s two or three weeks.”

I realize he’s still holding my wrist, his thumb softly stroking the back of my hand.

“Why does the berserker think I’m his mate?”

“Because you’re a valkyrie.”

“I’m not going to ask you again what a valkyrie is.” I’m tired of his childish games.

He sighs. “Valkyries work for me. They collect the bravest fallen warriors in the human world for an army I’m building.”

“The army the Vanir fought?”

“There were a few berserkers in that fight, but no, it’s a different army, for a different purpose.”

He’s still stroking the back of my hand. I’m not even sure if he realizes he’s doing it. But I can think of nothing else.

“I don’t work for you,” I say.

“Oh really? You signed a contract… in blood…”

He seems prepared to pull this speech out at my every protest. “I meant, in my capacity as a valkyrie… I don’t exist to serve you.” I don’t even know that I believe his valkyrie line. And it does sound like a line, probably just more of his seduction tactics.

He chuckles. “I’ve never met a valkyrie that was also a goddess. Maybe you’re supposed to lead the valkyries, the way I command the berserkers.”

“I think you should let go of me, now,” I say, holding his gaze.

He jerks his hand away as if burned. His shocked expression tells me he didn’t even realize he was stroking me like that for so long.

“Sure, you’ve got control of the berserker. No need to worry.”

**Valkyrie (c) Copyright 2022 by Kitty Thomas. All rights reserved. Excerpts used with permission of the author.

Author Bio:

KITTY THOMAS writes dark stories that play with power and have unconventional HEAs. She began publishing in early 2010 with her bestselling COMFORT FOOD and is considered one of the original authors of the dark romance subgenre.

To find out FIRST when a new book comes out, subscribe to Kitty's New Release List: KITTYTHOMAS.COM

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Ravaged by Naima Simone

Ravaged
Naima Simone
(Burned, Inc., #2)
Publication date: November 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From USA Today bestselling author Naima Simone comes an electrifying romance about a pro basketball player and a graphic novelist who can’t seem to stay in the friend zone.

Miriam

It’s no coincidence that my family’s breakup service is called BURNED Inc. I know what it’s like to be dumped. I’ve been there.

Long story short, I’ve got a rule when it comes to my love life: no athletes. As it happens, my best friend, Jordan, is a professional basketball player. He also has a delicious body and sexy tattoos.

But rules are rules.

Jordan

Miriam is my best friend. She’s also the love of my life, the woman I’ve been dreaming about since we met. But she doesn’t do athletes.

I get it. I really do. And I just want Miriam to be happy. Which is why I set her up with a teammate to help her find the man she deserves—even though I can tell she’s into me from that one hot-as-hell night we shared months ago. Still, rules are rules.

But here’s the thing: I’m a competitor.

And sometimes you have to break the rules to win.

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SNEAK PEEK:

“Why were you about to leave?” Jordan brushes his lips across my forehead, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. “No, let me guess. Got too close for you. Too real. And what do two people like us, who come from f*cked-up homes where we saw the worst people had to give to each other, know about intimacy, right? It scares the hell out of us. Or it should. And normally, it does. But not with you, Miriam. And you can feel safe with me. I won’t hurt you. Won’t use whatever you share with me against you. So don’t run. Stay.”

Stay.

A shudder ripples through me, and I don’t try to stifle it. Stay. I’ve been wanted for several reasons. My IQ. My talent. Sex.

But no one’s ever asked me to just be. And not with them.

For how long?

The question sits on my tongue like a five-hundred-pound anvil, but I don’t voice it, too afraid of the response. Besides, for once, I’m also content to just be.

Tilting my head back, I rest it on his shoulder. This up close and personal with him, I can catalog every detail on his face. The black pupil with the very thin ring of brown. The tiny scar on the edge of his right cheekbone. The deep dip above his top lip that lends it the bow shape. The almost-there-but-not-quite cleft in his chin.

I’ve drawn him countless times in the last few weeks. So many that his face is as familiar to me as my own. And yet, I could analyze him for hours and still find new elements that would fascinate me. Jordan Ransom could become a new field of study, and I would easily earn my doctorate in him.

“Tonight, I told Daniel I couldn’t see him any longer.”

His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t speak. Yet my heart pounds in my chest, and the beat grows louder, the volume so deafening I can barely hear my own voice.

“It wouldn’t have been fair,” I whisper.

“Why not?” he asks, and that dark, low timbre is midnight and sin. Temptation wrapped in sex.

“You know why.”

He bends his head the scant inches separating us and only stops when his mouth hovers a breath above mine. “Say it,” he orders, his lips so close they nearly brush mine.

“Because he isn’t you.”

Jordan doesn’t move, and I can taste his kiss, but he doesn’t eliminate the remaining space between us. Doesn’t take my mouth and give me what I can now admit I came here for. No, instead he stares at me, his expression inscrutable. Unease twists inside me, and for the first time since he placed me on his lap, I want to climb off, insert space between us.

“We’re going to f*ck,” he states, and while the word sends a lightning bolt of heat straight between my legs, it tightens the screw on my unease, deepens it. Because his tone is flat, almost disconnected.

“Yes.” We are. I need him tonight. And I won’t be able to stop at a kiss. I’m too empty, too hungry. I haven’t felt complete since the last time he filled me.

“And I’m going to be your mistake.” His fingers thread through my hair, sifting before fisting the curls and bringing them to his nose. He inhales, his eyes closing and, for a moment, freeing me from their hold. It’s in this instant that a flicker of emotion flashes across his face. Pleasure. Pain. Both. But when his lashes lift, his expression is back to being a mask of inscrutability. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m still going to f*ck you. I find I’m so goddam desperate to be inside you I’m willing to have you any way I can. But I just want to make sure I know where we stand.”

Oh God.

Regret pierces me in the chest, sliding between my ribs like the sharpest blade. I have a lot to answer for. The latest being from a couple of nights ago. I run the moments after our kiss through my head. I never called him a mistake, never said I regretted what happened on my couch. But viewing my actions, my silence, through his lens, I can see how he’d interpret them that way. And coupled with how I friend-zoned him after the first time we had sex, calling that a mistake . . . well, damn.

Briefly closing my eyes, I hate myself for causing this bold, beautiful man even a second of self-doubt. He’s no one’s mistake. No one’s regret. And I can tell him that. I could write him a fucking sonnet about that.

Or I could show him.

Author Bio:

Published since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”

She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.

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NEW RELEASE BLITZ: Famine's Feast by Raisa Greywood

Famine’s Feast
Raisa Greywood
(Club Apocalypse, #3)
Publication date: November 11th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Club kitchen is about to get even hotter…

Exacting and demanding in the kitchen as he is in the bedroom, Jake McBride expects one thing from both his employees and his women: obedience.

Despite her mysterious past, Jake finds himself falling for his sweet, unassuming new sous chef. Not only is Olivia quickly learning to meet his rigid standards in the kitchen, her eager gaze practically begs for him to claim her. To own every inch of her gorgeous body until she’s ruined for any other man.

When Club Apocalypse is vandalized and secrets brought to light, Jake questions Olivia’s loyalties—and his own heart. If his suspicions are right, the woman he loves can’t be trusted. But if he’s wrong, there is a bigger threat on the horizon… and it could cost him everything.

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EXCERPT:

“Where’s the fire, Rivera?” Jake called out.

She quickened her pace. “You told me not to be late, sir.”

“Danged runners.” Bearing down, he caught up, then cut in front to force her to stop. “Why were you going to kill yourself?”

“I wasn’t. I—”

“I saw you, Olivia. You made your imminent swan dive abundantly clear.”

Her jaw worked and a vein pulsed in her forehead. “Sir, am I off the clock?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?”

“Am. I. Off. The. Clock? Will you fire me if I answer truthfully?”

The fear left his body but was replaced by another kind of tension. Would she finally say all the words she’d hidden behind Spanish curses? He wasn’t sure how he wanted to respond, but his cock shot hard at the thought of what she might tell him.

“Nobody is going to fire you for telling the truth.”

“Good.” She took a step back, then looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with furious tears. “You’re a jerk, Jake McBride. I hate you. I hate your tasteless food with too much pepper and not enough salt. I hate that you can’t even smell it when you mess up, and that you don’t believe me when I try to say something.”

Mess up one steak and never hear the end of it.

Was it possible she suffered from hyperosmia? It would explain her gift with sauces and flavor profiles, even with such limited experience. Damn. If he’d even guessed at something like that…

And now…he was jealous.

“Go on,” he finally said, enjoying the way her tentative, halting speech smoothed into a delicious accent that made his cock stand to attention.

“I hate that you can’t make a decent omelet to save your life. I hate your constant criticism when you know I’m doing a good job, and I especially hate that it’s worse when I do something better than you.”

“Is that all?” he asked, hiding a smile. It might have taken a near-death experience, but he was delighted she was finally saying what he’d needed to hear.

The moonlight was nearly gone, meaning he couldn’t see her very well, but one last shard of silvery light caught her face. Her dark hair hung to the middle of her back in loose spiral curls from a ponytail at the base of her neck, and her brown eyes sparkled. A faint sheen of sweat on her face made her glisten, and she’d never looked more glorious.

“No.” She jammed a finger into his chest, making him move back a step. “I absolutely cannot stand that I still want to hear you tell me I did a good job. Just one time.”

Interesting. If he’d realized Olivia had a praise kink, he might have handled things differently. Then again, maybe that wasn’t a good choice, considering they were coworkers. Too bad his dick thought it was an excellent idea.

“Anything else?”

“Yes.” She took a deep breath and scrubbed a hand over her eyes. “I’m walking on eggshells every day because of you. I hate that my nerves misfire and it feels like ants are crawling all over me every time you speak or move. I hate the way your shoes sound like dog whistles. I hate your stupid soap because it makes everything smell wrong, and I hate that you’re too nose-blind to recognize it. And I really hate that I’m thinking about breaking parole so they’ll send me back to jail, just so I can get away from your arrogant ass!”

“No,” he replied softly, taking a step toward her. “You’re not going to be doing that.”

She snorted and turned away. “You have no idea how close you are to a carving knife between your ribs every time you open your mouth. I wouldn’t lose a minute’s sleep, and best of all, they’d send me to Perryville instead of Navajo County Detention.”

“What’s so great about Perryville?”

“It’s further away from you.”

Author Bio:

USA Today bestselling author of filthy smut, empty nester, and cat snuggler.

Raisa has worked as a teacher, an actuary (her husband called her a bookie—which isn’t too far from the truth), mother, and scout leader. She’s happily married to her husband of over twenty years, and is now enjoying semi-retirement writing the books she always wanted to read with kick-ass heroines and sexy, sexy men.

 

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B@@K REVEAL: The Last Minute First Lady by Tinia Montford

The Last Minute First Lady
Tinia Montford
Publication date: December 22nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

WHAT’S ONE ITSY, BITSY, LITTLE LIE?

Cassian Anders will be the youngest governor in Illinois history… If he wins.

That’s all everyone seems to talk about these days. Jolie Coldwell isn’t one of them. As a journalist, her priorities comprise digging up dirt on crooked politicians and local cover-ups. When her latest exposé on a congressman lands her in hot water, her days are reduced to covering the senior center’s casino night.

Unexpectedly, news breaks: the on-air investigative segment needs a replacement. This promotion advance could her career.

She needs a breaking story. She needs it now.

The road to office is ruthless compared to the courtroom. Without warning, Cassian Anders’ popularity rating falls, threatening his position on the ballot. He will do whatever it means to secure votes. Now, not only is he engaged, but he’s getting married to his non-existent fiancée…

He’s never relied on luck, but when a convenient but unorthodox wife falls into his lap? He makes her a deal.

He needs a wife. He needs it now.

Will Jolie and Cassian be able to fool the public long enough? Can she handle the public poking around in her past, one she would rather keep under wraps… Above all, can she be a model first lady or are they destined to be a scandal?

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Author Bio:

Tinia (TUH-NIA) Montford is a Pisces who’s a sap for romance, especially when there’s (tons of) kissing. Loves eighties sitcoms and will consume anything with chocolate. She graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in English and Graphic Design.

She is a world traveler having climbed a volcano in Nicaragua, scaled Angkor Wat in the blistering sun, and roamed the Acropolis of Athens. Oh, she also dabbles in short stories occasionally.

If you can’t catch her writing, you can bet she’s overindulging on poke bowls, listening to the same four songs, or chilling with her adorbs doggie. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Fiction.

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