Mourning Inamorata By Nicki Scalise Release Day

Drake Covington is a broken man. A moment of weakness has cost him the woman he loves. Without Olivia, his afterlife loses all meaning. That is until, months after their breakup, she leaves him a mysterious message foretelling danger on the horizon.

The Silence is a realm of despair. Katarina Everette, Drake's ex-lover and Olivia's mortal enemy, was supposed to be locked away there forever, but now she's free and hell bent on revenge. Knowing that nobody he cares about will be safe from her wrath, Drake finds new purpose to his meaningless existence. Using their history against her, he'll take Katarina down from the inside.

But she has other plans in mind — plans that force Drake to come face to face with an evil that terrifies him. Can he walk the razor's edge, pretending to carry out  Katarina's scheme without losing himself? Or will he have to succumb to the darkness in order to protect those he holds most dear?

Nicki Scalise lives in the foothills of northern Colorado with her husband, four dogs, and a chinchilla. With so many furry, tail-wagging monsters running wild, the house is generally in varied states of chaos. If ever they give her a break, she spends her free time imagining new worlds, watching Firefly for the millionth time, or counting down the days until the next Comic Con.

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Prayer for the Dead

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Aeonian Kiss

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Despite Serendipity

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Roses are Red by K.B. Kantt Release Day

Synopsis

After her foster mother’s unexplained death six months ago, fourteen-year-old Isla Timearth just wants things to go back to normal for her and her twin brother, Monty. But “normal” can only go so far for a closed-off girl with abandonment issues and an anxious boy that gets frequent nosebleeds. Still, the troubled redheads give it a shot by returning to the summer camp they’ve been going to for years.

Aside from her crush showing up unexpectedly, the summer starts out as Isla expected: she participates in multiple activities with her friends, while her brother shies away from doing anything with anyone. But camp traditions get rained on when their biological mother shows up unannounced and, as far as Isla’s concerned, unwelcome.

Knowing that Mother Nature is the mother of all mood swings, Isla isn’t all that surprised to find out that her temperamental biological mother is the terrestrial goddess. What does surprise her is that Monty, the favorite twin, already knew but never told her. Despite being annoyed that such a huge secret was kept from her, Isla has always questioned the loyalty of her own flesh and blood. But once more family secrets start to unravel around her fellow campers, Isla finds out whether blood really is thicker than water.

Teasers

"Look, just act normal for once," I said as Monty stood up. "Please."
"Normal? Normal? Earth to Isla: you and I are not normal. Me having anxiety issues is not normal, you having abandonment issues is not normal, us losing our foster mom just weeks before she was supposed to adopt us is not normal. We're not normal, Isla."
"I know we're not normal, Monty," I said. "That's why I said act normal, not be normal."
"And by 'act normal' you mean what? Act happy, act sad, act calm, cool, and collected?" he said. "I'm tired of acting. I've been acting since the day Cien was murdered."
"Let's get one thing straight, Monty," I said. "We don't know if Cien was murdered. For all we know she was struck by lightning or something."
"She was murdered, Isla. I know she was."
"I know you've convinced yourself of that, but the fact is her cause of death was undetermined." Monty and I had had this argument time and time again. I knew he was mad about Cien's death, and I knew he was even madder that I seemed to be so open-minded about the cause of it. "So don't just jump to conclusions."
"I can jump to whatever conclusions I want, Isla. Don't tell me how to feel about Cien's death."

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

"That doesn't answer my question," I said. "But don't worry. I used to care, but I got over it." I'd grown sick of Mona playing favorites between Monty and me, and it was amazing how much better I felt once I stopped trying to compete for her time.
"It's not as straightforward as you think, Violetta."
"Oh I'd say it's pretty straightforward, Mona."
"Well maybe you'll change your mind after you see this," Mona said as she pressed together her middle finger and green-tinted thumb. As soon as she snapped those two fingers, the downpour stopped cold turkey. "You see? I'm not just your birth mother, Violetta, I'm Mother Earth as well. And there's nothing straightforward about being a child of Mother Earth." Well, that explained why Mona told us when we were younger that she didn't have a stable home or income that would support us full time. Not that it really made a difference anyway; the fact that Mona chose the weather over her biological children was inexcusable in my book. "Isn't that right, Montrose?"
"Wait, you knew about this?" I asked my brother.
"I thought we weren't gonna tell her," Monty said to Mona. He looked just as shocked as I was, but obviously not for the same reason.

About the Author

The first story J.B. Kantt ever wrote was for a creative writing class application during her college days. Little did she know that a step towards fulfilling her undergraduate language arts requirement would also be a step towards fulfilling a passion for writing she never knew she had. Now, despite her dreams of becoming a developmental pediatrician, not a day goes by that J.B. doesn’t think about becoming an author as well. When she’s not hitting the books, she’s working on her next book (in between volunteering and practicing taekwondo). Her debut novel, Roses Are Red, is the first of the Blood, Sweat, and Tears Series. J.B. hopes that her journey to publication helps other writers realize that through hard work and dedication, anything is possible, no matter how old you are or how long you’ve been writing.

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Christmas Dawn 2014

First of all I'd like to thank all of my readers for downloading Jessica's adventures. It means such a lot to me. Secondly, I thought I would give you all a treat by writing another Christmas short. I've had lots of emails and messages about naming the baby and I thought what better Christmas present than to finally do just that. I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year and of course happy reading!

It was my very first Christmas and mommy and daddy said that I was still the best gift they could ever have. I wanted a big cuddly toy and for someone to stop the pigs flying over my bed. Daddy always turned them on to send me to sleep and I had to pretend it worked or he would watch me all night. Mommy and daddy were tired too and Gammy told me I was too bright for my own good. Mommy and daddy didn’t know that I could talk to Gampy and everyone thought he was scary.

He let me touch his cane! He was my big cuddly Gampy and I couldn’t wait to see Nema. He loved her very much but she couldn’t come and see me as much as he did but she had my brother. He talked to me in my dreams.  I call him Dam and he would play with me. Gampy doesn’t know Dam talks to me that way. If mommy knew Dam said she would ‘freak out’. I didn’t know what he meant but I didn’t want to upset mommy.

She’s already worried about where my wings are. I had them inside mommy’s tummy because she felt them but now they’re gone. I smile and gargle because they’re still with me but Gampy says I have to hide them.  I have lots of secrets with Gampy but he’s the only one to throw me in the air and make me giggle. Daddy growls but Gampy still does it. As soon as I hear mommy and daddy asleep, I use my wings to escape my crib. I can’t wait until I can walk but for now I have to make do with crawling.

When I get out I explore and look for my aunties. My aunties are crazy. Aunty Moo spoils me and pulls faces and she says when I’m older Kwoll will take me on a dragon ride! She always knows when I’m out and about because she feels me. I think she knows I talk to Gampy but doesn’t want to worry mommy. Kwoll looks scary but I think he wants to ask auntie moo a question.

Auntie Joojoo has baby too but he’s still in her tummy. She worries too much about him. He will be strong and awesome! As I crawl past her room I hear her crying sometimes and Twoy keeps saying he will find Meredith. I want to tell them that things will work out but Gampy won’t let me! He won’t let me do anything to help. He says I know things I shouldn’t but fire can be dangerous to a baby.

Auntie Meggy is weird and she scares me sometimes. She knows so much. Lots of things like I know but she won’t tell. She went to hell for a little while for being naughty. No-one knows not even Bwigate and he is a scary angel. I see his wings sometimes and I think he sees mine. I cry when he holds me to take his mind away from it.

I have so many aunties but my favourite is Auntie Diana. Mommy doesn’t like her much. She says she’s mean but I know better. Auntie Diana is just scared. I was scared when I had to leave mommy’s tummy but here I am. Gampy says I will help her forgive but I don’t know how. Her wolf is strong and daddy doesn’t like him much either. He grows stronger every day and it’s because of Auntie Diana. I was heading to her now. I like the look on her face when she woke up with me lying on her chest. She makes me giggle every time. She shouts at mommy for losing me and mommy shouts back because she doesn’t know how I get out. Silly mommy and Auntie Diana.

I wish the floor was warmer as I shuffled myself towards Auntie Diana’s room. Auntie Moo had hung Christmas garlands to make the white corridors look happier but Bwigate wouldn’t let her get on a ladder because of her little angel. Next Christmas I will have lots of babies to play with and I couldn’t wait. Auntie Diana says she’ll move out when that happens but she won’t. I could use my wings because the floor was getting colder but they needed to grow a little more before I could fly better. Gampy was mean about not using my wings.

I was nearly there when I felt Gampy. I shuffled myself onto my bottom and twisted in the opposite direction,

“I can see you little one!” Gampy always caught me when he visited, “Are you traumatizing Diana again?” Gampy had the same eyes as mommy and when he frowned at me I felt my lip quiver, “Now don’t cry.” He scooped me up into his big arms and I settled against his chest. “You should be asleep!”

I know.

“If your mother knew you could talk like this she wouldn’t be very happy with me for not telling her. You can talk to her too you know.”

I don’t want to scare her. She’s worried I’m going to grow fangs and I don’t know why.

“You will little one, it’s just not the time. There’s lots of things we can’t tell her yet but you could talk to her.”

I will but not now. I love you Gampy.

“Now you’re just trying to melt me and you did that the first time I held you.” I smiled at him and then I heard daddy sigh,

“Where was she this time?” Daddy looked tired but he smiled at me as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“About to terrorize Diana again. I have no idea why she does it.”

Because I like her…she’s funny.

Gampy frowned because I knew he wanted to say something to me. I could talk to Gampy but he says I’m blocking his thoughts which made him sad sometimes,

“Come here you little terror.” Daddy held his arms open and I made grabby hands at him. I loved Gampy but I loved daddy too. 

Daddy didn’t wear shirts often and I liked rubbing my hands against his fur. It was lovely and soft and mommy liked it too. 

“Do you want to settle her back down with me? Jess is unconscious and drooling. She’s exhausted so I’ve left her sleeping. Madam here thinks I don’t know when she escapes.” I giggled and smiled,

“How’s the wolf thing going?” Gampy was worried about mommy and the wolves but mommy was fierce….grrrrrrrrr! 

“I heard that!”

“What?”

Gampy did a boo boo, I sang,

“Oh nothing I think I’m hearing things.” Gampy smiled at me and then I was carried back into my room.

Daddy knocked down walls to make my room and mommy sat in the rocking chair with me telling me stories. Daddy had the best stories though because he was old. Older than what he told mommy.

“I wanted to give her something to open before tomorrow. Bunny says it was a tradition with Jess when she was a baby. She gave me this…” He pulled a shiny present out of his pocket and I made grabby hands. “Here you go little one.” Daddy put me in my crib and I ripped at the paper. Gampy always gave me fluffy things!

When the paper was gone I was left with a fluffy pink blanket and I cuddled it to my face and cooed,

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Daddy said to Gampy,

Beautiful,

“It has her name too. Bunny embroidered it.” Gampy unfolded the corner to show my name,

“She always was my saving Grace.” Daddy looked sad and happy at the same time,

Gracie!

“Merry Christmas Grace.” Gampy said kissing my head.

“Time to sleep Gracie.” Daddy tucked me in and kissed me too. He took a look sniff of my neck.

I was daddy’s saving Grace!  I smiled as I drifted off to sleep to play with my brother.

Wild Times by Savannah Young Review Blitz

Book Title: Wilde Times 

Author: Savannah Young 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

WILDE TIMES is the fourth and final novel in the spicy contemporary romance series about four sexy brothers, their small-town bar and their local country band. WILDE TIMES can be read as a STAND ALONE NOVEL or as part of the SERIES.

In high school, Jake Wilde was the star football player, who led his team to win the state championship. Now ten years later he’s the manger of his family’s bar, Haymakers, but the residents of rural Old Town still talk about his glory days in high school.

Harley Davis was always the girl-next-door…literally. Her family was neighbors with the Wilde family and the Wilde boys treated her like the little sister they never had. But Harley spent her adolescence dreaming that she’d one day be Jake Wilde’s girl.

She never anticipated that she’d be one of the many girls Jake sleeps with. It breaks Harley’s heart a little bit more every time Jake hooks up with someone other than her, which happens on a regular basis.

How much longer will Harley believe that having even a small piece of Jake is better than having no Jake at all?

“That’s some ring,” I state loudly enough to get the woman’s attention.

She flashes the huge solitaire diamond in my face. “Thanks.”

Why is everyone around me suddenly getting married? It’s really starting to piss me off.

The woman looks a few years older than me, maybe in her mid-twenties. She’s sitting at the bar with two other young women who look like they could be her sisters. She looks vaguely familiar. We probably attended Old Town High together. I didn’t exactly pay attention to the girls who were older than me. Not that I paid much attention to the girls who were in my own grade either. We were more of a mutual hate society.

Right now it’s slow at Haymakers, the bar that the Wilde brothers own. It’s been in their family for generations, and to this day it’s the only bar in Old Town.

I’m now the only person who works here who isn’t a blood relation, or soon to be related by marriage.

“Celebrating?” I ask.

She shoves the ring in my face. “I just got engaged.” She is all smiles.

“Congratulations. What can I get you?”

“Is Jake around?” She scans the nearly empty bar. It’s not even four in the afternoon yet. The place won’t pick-up for at least another hour.

“He’s in the back room.” I have no idea what she wants with Jake. She doesn’t look like the type who he usually hooks up with. She’s much too prim and proper. She looks more like someone Cooper would go for.

But he’s engaged too. The best ones are always taken

The woman’s eyes narrow and she says, “I really wanted to share my good news with him.”

It looks to me like she wants to shove the ring in his face and I have an idea why. Jake has a reputation for humping and dumping and she was probably one of his casualties. What she doesn’t realize is that even if being with him meant the world to her, chances are it most likely meant nothing to him. He probably won’t even remember sticking his dick in her. And I can guarantee he won’t remember her name.

“He’ll probably be out a little later,” I say. “If you want to stick around.”

The woman gives me a huge grin. “Oh, I’m going to stick around. Thanks.”

“Can I get you something to drink while you’re waiting?”

“We’ll have three beers,” the woman says. “Whatever you have on draft.”

“Budweiser okay?”

The three women all nod. They don’t look like heavy drinkers. I’m willing to bet they’re two-drink-max kind of girls. There are three types of females who normally come into Haymakers. The regulars: most of them are older folks, my parents’ age or older, who’ve been coming to the bar for years. They usually have a few beers while they eat lunch or dinner. Then there are the packs: groups of girls who come in the celebrate weddings or sometimes even divorces. They’re usually two-drink-maxers, especially if they’re with a group of girls from work. Then there are the girls who come in to get drunk and laid. They’re usually in pairs, or sometimes trios. They usually drink until they get loaded enough for any guy in the bar to look good enough to screw.

After they finish their beers the women are a lot chattier than when they entered the place.

“Another round?” I ask.

The woman frowns. “I was hoping Jake would be around by now.”

Me too, I think, because I can’t wait to see what this woman has to say to him. I’m pretty sure that whatever it is, it’ll be a show.

The woman leans down close to me and whispers, “He took my virginity.”

I can’t help but smile. “Join the club.”

She points a swaying finger at me. “You too?”

I nod.

She gives me a puzzled look. “Were you twelve?”

“Nineteen,” I admit, but I’m not sure why. I’ve never actually told anyone I was a virgin until I was an adult and that I lost my virginity to a man-whore who didn’t even know it was my first time. But I feel insulted by her insinuations that I look like a slut.

“You were nineteen?” She sounds like she doesn’t believe me.

I place my hands on my hips and stare at her. “Why is that so hard to believe?”

She opens her mouth, but no words come out. Then she stammers a few times with some, “Well, ums.”

“You’re kind of dressed a little provocatively,” her friend says.

I lean in so the three women will hear me. “Did you see a brand new Mustang convertible in the parking lot when you came in?”

“The cherry red one?” the friend asks.

I nod.

“We saw it,” the woman says.

“I work in a bar. I was able to buy that car because I dress like this. Big tits and a tight ass earn large tips.”

The women are all staring at me with eyes as wide as pie plates.

“Did someone say big tits and a tight ass?” a man’s voice booms.

All of us turn at the same time to see Jake Wilde approach. He’s almost thirty, but he’s still got the good looks and charm of the guy who everyone adored in high school. He was the star football player and the most popular guy on campus. All the guys wanted to be him and all the girls wanted to date him, including me. People at Old Town High still talk about Jake Wilde even more than ten years after he graduated. Of course I was just a kid when Jake was in high school. He treated me more like the pesky little girl next door until I finally graduated and started working at Haymakers.

After their parents died and left them the family bar, the Wilde boys voted to have Jake manage the place. He’s good at getting people into Haymakers and making sure they have a good time. Unfortunately he’s not quite as good at the day-to-day operations, like bookkeeping and accounting. Fortunately, Cooper is a Wall Street financial wiz and has gotten Jake out of jams on more than a few occasions.

I’d help him, if he asked, but he never has. I was a straight A student in high school and even got full scholarships to several Ivy League universities. Math was my best subject. And I’m a wiz with computers. I could easily handle the books. But the only thing Jake sees me as is a waitress and his personal plaything that he can use when he wants to scratch a certain itch. I know I shouldn’t let him use me, but he’s the only man I’ve ever loved. I’ve been in love with him since I was a kid, and I can’t imagine ever being with anyone else. So having a piece of Jake, when he feels like screwing me, is better than having no Jake at all.

Romance novelist Savannah Young grew up in rural northwest New Jersey in a place very similar to the fictional Old Town, which is featured in her books. When she's not at her computer creating spicy stories, Savannah is traveling to exotic locales or spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds. Savannah also writes under the pen names Dakota Madison, Sierra Avalon and Ren Monterrey.

 

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Glitter and Grit by Jessie Evans Book Blitz

 

Book Title: Glitter and Grit 

Author: Jessie Evans 

Genre: Western Romance 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions 

GLITTER AND GRIT

Lonesome Point, Texas, Book Four

This ride is going to last a lot longer than eight seconds…

Female professional bull rider, Reece Hearst, graduated from the school of hard knocks. With honors. Because life is like bull riding—when it sends you to the dirt, you do whatever it takes to get on your feet, even if you have to crawl. Like when officials stripped her of her rodeo queen title on the basis of vicious gossip years ago and not even her father would believe her side of the story. Reece could have stayed in the dust, wallowing. Instead, she fixed Lonesome Point in her rearview, joined the pro circuit, and never looked back. But now a serious injury threatens to end her career and she’s back in Lonesome Point, living next door to the family that once made her life a living hell.

After multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan and his father’s death, all Grayson Parker wants is to get his family’s cattle business back in the black and live a quiet life. But the return of Reece Hearst opens old wounds, throwing his ordered world into chaos. Grayson was serving overseas when Reece was a teenager and can’t believe the girl he once knew has grown into a heartbreaker as hardened as she is beautiful.

Grayson finds a kindred spirit in wounded Reece and soon longs to be the man to show her that there is life after pain and loss. But can two people as damaged as Reece and Grayson find their way to happily ever after? Or will the scars on their hearts forever keep them apart?

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Jessie Evans, gave up a career as an international woman of mystery to write the sexy, contemporary romances she loves to read.

She's married to the man of her dreams, and together they're raising a few adorable, mischievous children in a cottage in the jungle. She grew up in rural Arkansas, spending summers running wild, being chewed by chiggers, and now appreciates her home in a chigger-free part of the world even more.

When she's not writing, Jessie enjoys playing her dulcimer (badly), sewing the worlds ugliest quilts to give to her friends, going for bike rides with her house full of boys, and drifting in and out on the waves, feeling thankful for sun, surf, and lovely people to share them with.

 

EXCERPT FROM GLITTER AND GRIT:

Reece was anticipating being told to buy her own damned beer, but after a long, silent beat, Broody turned to the bartender and lifted a hand.

“Whatever the lady wants,” he rumbled in a gravelly voice that made Reece’s skin prickle. “Add it to my tab.”

“I’ll have a Blue Moon, extra orange slice.” Reece smiled at the bartender as she slid onto the stool next to her tortured cowboy. “Thanks for the drink. You been here long?”

“About an hour,” the man replied, moving his hat to his other side and resuming his moody glaring into the amber liquid inside his pint glass. “I’m heading out soon.”

“I meant in Lonesome Point, not the bar,” Reece said. “You look like you’ve been around long enough to get sick of the small town bullshit.”

He stretched his neck from one side to the other but kept his attention fixed on the bar. “Small town, big city…bullshit’s all the same.”

Reece nodded, mulling that over while she thanked the bartender and squeezed her two orange slices into her beer. “I guess so, but there are more places to get away from it in the city. More places where nobody knows your name.”

“I don’t know your name.” Broody’s attention shifted her way as she took a long drink of the ice-cold beer.

She moaned softly in appreciation as the cold bubbles dulled the edges of her headache. She knew it was probably just the pain pill kicking in, but there was still something magical about an ice-cold beer.

“No, you don’t.” She grinned up at him as she wiped the foam from her upper lip with a sensuous sweep of her thumb, not missing the way the man’s eyes lingered on her mouth. “And why don’t we keep it that way? I won’t tell you my name and you won’t tell me yours. We can be each other’s place where nobody knows our name.”

Mr. Tortured nodded and the hint of a smile curved his full lips. “Sounds like a plan, Shortstack.”

Reece arched one brow. “Because I’m short and stacked?”

Adorably, the man blushed in response. “It was the first short person nickname that came to mind. Haven’t taken a good look at the other.”

“Well, go ahead,” Reece said, holding his gaze, relishing the tension beginning to thicken the air between them. “I don’t mind.”

After a moment, the man leaned closer, but his eyes didn’t waver from hers. “I don’t treat women that way.”

“Then how do you treat women?” Reece asked, shifting until her leg brushed his. “I’m curious.”

“Curiosity can be dangerous,” he said in a husky voice that made Reece’s nipples tighten and her next sip of beer go straight to her head. “What if I’m not a nice guy?”

“What if I’m not a nice girl?” Reece countered, setting her beer down and bringing her hand to rest on his thigh, relishing the rock hard muscles beneath the denim.

Oh yeah, this man definitely had what she was looking for, and then some.

 

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