Book Review – Going Down Easy

Tags

Book Review, Boys of the Big Easy series, Erin Nicholas, Going Down Easy

I’m so thrilled to have Erin Nicholas stop by today to share a little about her newest book.  I’ve read it and I think it’s fantabulous!

*****

Wooing a Woman: New Orleans Edition with Erin Nicholas

My newest book, Going Down Easy, is a hot, contemporary romance set in one of the sexiest cities in the country: New Orleans. I’ve loved New Orleans since my first visit there in 2011 and have been back multiple times. I fall more in love with the place every time I’m there. There’s just something about the city that I can’t explain but that keeps me coming back. The music, the history, the laid-back attitude, the food…there’s just so much to love. So finally, the right characters and stories came along and it was time to write a series set there. Here’s a little bit about my characters and book…

Gabe Trahan: dirty-talking, charming, and a little bit sweet bar owner in the French Quarter. Has lots of friends and close to his family. Has a slow, sexy drawl, panty-melting grin. And a son, Cooper, who is five years old.

Addison Sloan: restoration architect who comes to New Orleans from New York City once a month to consult on a new project with a local firm. Confident, independent (very), smart, sassy. Loves dirty-talk in a slow Louisiana drawl. And jazz. And beignets. And pralines. And pretty much anything related to New Orleans. She’s also a single mom to five-year-old Stella.

How they meet: Addison comes into Gabe’s bar with a friend. The chemistry is immediate. And Addison’s love for New Orleans is obvious. Even the mention of beignets makes her eyes sparkle, she melts when she hears jazz, she loves the café au lait, the horse-drawn carriages—just everything. Gabe’s never been much of a romantic, but suddenly he wants to get that sexy, sweet look on her face as often as possible. (You can actually read all about this in “Easy Going”, the prequel novella! Check out Goodreads to find it 🙂

So whenever Addison is in town they go to jazz clubs, eat all the traditional New Orleans dishes—gumbo, crawfish, pralines—and they take in everything about the city. And Addison gives him a new appreciation for his home town. Though, their favorite place is definitely the balcony on the apartment above Gabe’s bar. For lots of reasons 😉 (Did I mention the prequel novella? “Easy Going”. Goodreads).

Then, everything changes. Addison is moving to New Orleans to take a permanent job with the firm…and she has no time or energy or interest in a full-blown, all-the-time, same-city relationship.

But Gabe’s not giving up.

He has every intention of using Addison’s weakness for New Orleans and the south “against” her in a huge play for her heart. So how does he do it? Read on for hero Gabe Trahan’s Seven EASY(ish) Steps To Woo A Woman in New Orleans:

Step #1

Start off with reminding her of the sweet stuff about being with you in New Orleans. Send a basket of pralines and Magnolias. Be romantic. Do not mention dirty stuff on the card. Probably. 

Step #2

Turn up the heat. Send her some beignets and an extra bag of powdered sugar to remind her of the night on your balcony where lots of other things ended up with sugar on them. Maybe mention the dirty stuff on the card now. Or again.

Step #3

Invite her on a horse-drawn carriage ride around the Quarter. Make it impossible for her to say no by sending the invite with a bottle of Pimm’s No. 1 and tell her that there’s going to be a parade at the end. She can’t resist a parade.

Step #4

Have your mutual friends suggest a night out on the town to her and then surprise her by joining them at Preservation Hall for the jazz show. Make sure you show up just before it starts. There’s no way she’ll yell at you when she can be listening to jazz. She’ll very likely let you stand really close and wrap your arms around her like you’ve done all the other times she’s heard a jazz trumpet. You can say some dirty things in her ear here. For sure.

Step #5

A few days later, send her a book about alligators. Make sure it’s something her five-year-old daughter will be interested in. A coloring book with alligator trivia would be perfect. Insert a brochure for a swamp boat tour in the book. Text her the next day and suggest you all go on the swamp boat tour together.

Step #6

After a day in the sun on the bayou with your kids, invite her to a masquerade ball. Be sure to mention it’s at a plantation. And that she gets to wear a ball gown. And a mask, of course. And that there will be mint juleps. She’ll be putty in your hands. This is your chance to do a few dirty things.

Step #7

In the end, even if some of the other stuff has failed, use the Ace up your sleeve. Show up on her doorstep with a pot of your grandma’s gumbo and tell her that you’re madly in love with her and that if she’ll let you in, she’ll be able to have that gumbo regularly for the rest of her life. No one can say no to grandma’s gumbo.

*****

Going Down Easy

Boys of the Big Easy #1

by Erin Nicholas

Release Date: August 28, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Blurb:

As far as flings go, single dad Gabe Trahan is pretty sure that Addison Sloan is his best bet. Once a month, Addison comes to New Orleans and then…It. Is. On. Until Addison returns to New York, it’s just hot, happily-no-strings-attached sex. And beignets. And jazz. But lately for Gabe, it isn’t nearly enough.

Sure, maybe Addison’s gotten a bit hooked on Gabe. After all, who can resist a guy who’s so sexy, so charming, and so…available? But maybe he’s too available for her right now. Addison’s just moved to New Orleans, and relationships are definitely off the table. Besides, guys always bail when they learn her secret: she’s a single mom.

Only Gabe’s not running. Worse, he’s thrilled. But Addison never signed up for ever-after romance, and Gabe won’t settle for anything less. Now it’s a battle of wills—and when it comes to the woman he’s falling for, Gabe isn’t above playing a little dirty.

*****

Excerpt:

Gabe had sent her flowers.

Addison stood staring at the gigantic bouquet of white flowers sitting on the desk she was using for the day.

“These are magnolias, right?” she asked Elena.

“They are. The state flower of Louisiana.” Elena stroked the petal of one of the gorgeous flowers. “Someone knows your weakness for all things New Orleans.”

He definitely did. Addison hadn’t even needed to read the card to know who the flowers were from. Gabe knew she was a sucker for anything that was traditionally associated with the city. Beignets, bourbon, masks, beads, gas lanterns, and balconies with looping wrought iron railings. For six months he’d been taking her out on the Sunday she was in town and letting her soak up the city. And now she’d gone from associating those things with New Orleans and the unique spirit of the city to associating them with him.

But why was he sending her flowers? That was new. So far, their routine was she showed up at the bar on Saturday night, they spent the weekend together, she left on Monday morning, and then thirty days later, they repeated it all over again. There was no contact in between times. No texts or calls—they didn’t have each other’s number. No letters or gifts—he didn’t have her address. And definitely no flowers.

“See you soon, Gabe,” Elena read from the card. She lifted her eyes, meeting Addison’s. “Gabe? Who’s Gabe?” Then her eyes widened. “Wait. These aren’t from Gabe Trahan, are they?”

Oh, crap. Addison took a deep breath, thought briefly about lying, and then realized there was no real reason to not tell her friend the truth. “Yes.”

Elena’s eyes widened, almost as if she hadn’t expected that answer. “Really? You’ve seen him since that first night?”

Addison rounded the desk and set the folder she was carrying on top of the nearest stack, straightening the pile of already straight files. “Yes,” she said simply. The fewer details she offered, the better, probably.

“When?” Elena asked. “I had no idea you’d seen him again.”

And then it hit Addison . . . Elena wasn’t just her friend anymore. She was Addison’s boss. Was this going to reflect badly on her? Was a just-when-she-was-in-town affair something Elena would frown upon?

“I didn’t think it was important to mention. We just . . . went out a couple of times.” They had. They’d gone out to Preservation Hall for jazz. They’d gone to Café du Monde for coffee and beignets. They’d gone to the French Market. They’d gone to Gabe’s bedroom. And his shower. And his kitchen table. And his balcony . . .

“You’re dating Gabe Trahan?” Elena asked, planting her hands on her hips.

“No,” Addison said quickly. “Not dating. We’ve had . . . drinks when I’ve been in town.” And many, many orgasms. And laughs. And fun.

“Which time?” Elena asked.

“Which time what?”

“Which time that you were in town did you have drinks?”

Addison sighed. “Each time.”

“You’ve seen him every time you’ve been in town since you met him?” Elena asked, clearly shocked.

“Yes. But,” Addison added before Elena could go on, “it’s nothing serious. It’s been . . . a fling. Just a little fun. No big deal. And”—she took a deep breath—“this weekend was the last time. Now that I’ve moved here, I won’t be seeing him anymore.”

Saying it out loud made her heart clench even harder than it had when she’d driven away from him that morning.

*****

Review:

I just love how realistic this story was – not too much melodrama, just believable issues around people trying to mesh their lives.  Gabe and Addison have different approaches to a lot in their lives but they are differences that could mesh together very well.  If only they’d let them 🙂

Both are appealing – Gabe a little more so because Addison can be a big prickly but once you understand her it is so easy to see why.  Together they do a good job of propping each other up when they need it and that’s pretty much what any of us could hope for in a relationship I think.

Their issues are believable and they handle them rationally, with a good deal of understanding.  I appreciate how nothing gets blown out of proportion.  Instead everything is addressed in a very satisfying manner, so that by the end you are delighted with the fact that they could figure out their HEA like a couple of adults.

Sexy, charming, real and fun, Going Down Easy showcases why Nicholas is a bestselling author.  If you are looking for real and touching and hot, this should definitely be your next read!

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.

Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

Website: http://www.erinnicholas.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinNicholas

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3155383.Erin_Nicholas

*****

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon Gift Card and Digital Copy of Erin Nicholas’ GOING DOWN EASY

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f199/

*****

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Spotlight – Only Chance

Tags

Chisholm Falls series, Only Chance, Trish Arcangelo

I love a second chance romance … how about you?

*****

Only Chance

Chisholm Falls series, Book 2

by Trish Arcangelo

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Date of Publication: 8/31/18

ISBN: 9781386217381

Number of pages: 147

Word Count: 46,351

Cover Artist: Diana Carlile

Blurb:

This old flame still burns hot…

Fallon Gentry is back in her hometown after leaving an affluent life in Dallas, and her cheating ex-husband, behind.  She’s ready to start over, even if that means dealing with the pain of her first love’s betrayal left buried in the past.

Lucas Chance is a working class guy leading a simple life.  He plays the part of the town ladies’ man but deep down he’s still reeling from old wounds, namely a heart shattered when the only woman he ever loved walked away.

They’re both shocked when Fallon unknowingly shows up on Lucas’s duplex door step, looking to rent the unit next door.  Lucas is too intrigued to tell her no and Fallon is too desperate for a place to live.  There’s also the blazing attraction still between them.  Now as landlord and tenant, Fallon and Lucas battle their feelings.

Will they discover the truth behind what drove them apart and take their only chance at true love?

Amazon     iTunes     BN

*****

Excerpt:

She knocked on the door.  “Lucas?”

The door opened and an arm shot out.  Before she knew it she was pulled inside and the door slammed shut with her back against it.  The bank bag and paper slipped from her hand as he caged her in.

“Where’s Laurel?” he rasped.

“I-in the bathroom.”

“Good,” he said, moments before his lips covered hers.

He didn’t touch her anywhere but on her lips, his hands braced against the door on either side of her head and his rigid body inches from hers.  Somehow that only made it hotter. The intensity of that one contact was like a lightning strike, incinerating all rational thought.  There was nothing but the wicked mouth of the only man she’d wanted for as long as she’d wanted.

Her lips and tongue submitted to his, following his lead as his mouth devoured her.  God, how she missed this.  Tears stung the backs of her eyes at the acute need, the longing.  She reached for him.

Lucas broke the kiss.  “Don’t.”

Her eyes fluttered open.  “W-what?”

“If you touch me, I’ll lose it.”  His voice was husky and warm, the sound of sin.  “Why do you think I’m keeping my hands to myself?  It’s so I don’t take you right here.”

Fallon felt dizzy with want, leaning in.  “But, can’t we just—”

“I’ve been sitting in here all night thinking about what that asshole told me,” Lucas interrupted, leaning down to capture her eyes with his.  “Did you really call out for me, Duchess? All those nights, lying next to him?”

Her brain was screaming at her to lie.  To remember why she was here and the implications of her next words.  But the rest of her was still a quivering mass of pent up desire.  A younger woman who wanted only to please the man in front of her.  Her love.  “Yes,” she whispered.  “All the time.  I dreamed about you.”

*****

Author Info:

Trish published her first book in 2015 and is currently working on her Chisholm Falls contemporary romance series.  A native Texan, Trish lives just outside Austin with her incredibly supportive husband and their incredibly spoiled dog.  She’s been an avid romance fiction reader since she was a teenager and still devours as many romance novels as she can when she’s not writing.  Her other loves include (in no particular order): warm weather, red wine, dogs, trivia, and Halloween.

Learn more at www.trisharcangelo.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/trisharcangelo

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrishArcangelo

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13272014.Trish_Arcangelo

*****

Book Review – Making Chase

Tags

Book Review, Chase Brothers series, Lauren Dane, Making Chase

The Chase boys are seriously hot and falling in love one by one … now there’s just one left!

*****

Making Chase

Chase Brothers series

by Lauren Dane

Genre Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher Carina Press

Publication Date August 28, 2018

Blurb:

The Chase boys. Ridiculously hot and notoriously single.

All of Petal, Georgia, is waiting for the last Chase brother to fall. At least, that’s how it feels to firefighter Matt Chase, who’s getting a little anxious himself. His brothers have all found love—why hasn’t he? But fate, in the form of a curvaceous hairdresser, is about to change that.

Salon owner Tate Murphy has come a long way from her trailer-park roots, taking care of her seven siblings along the way. Even though she’s put the past behind her, she knows someone like Matt Chase is way out of her league. But that doesn’t stop her from getting a good eyeful every chance she gets.

When a car accident throws them together, Tate gets more than an eyeful—she gets the whole package. Not that she’s complaining. But when small-town bias and her own insecurities get in the way of their relationship, Matt will have to prove he doesn’t care where she came from…only where she goes.

The Chase is on. One small town. Four hot brothers. And enough heat to burn up anyone who dares to get close. Don’t miss the other books in the series: Taking Chase, Giving Chase and Chased.

Amazon  https://amzn.to/2O6ordy

Kobo  https://goo.gl/oBDCiK

Barnes & Noble  https://goo.gl/MY2Zt3

Google Play  https://goo.gl/bMWYA3

iBooks  https://apple.co/2NwlotO

*****

Excerpt:

Matt opened up the box and the heady scent of cookies greeted his senses. Mouth watering, he read the note, ascertained the cookies were from Tate, the woman he’d helped out earlier in the week after the car accident. He vaguely remembered her from school. Perhaps a year or so behind him, definitely not from his circle though.

Knowing she wasn’t a terrorist, he gave in and shoved a chocolate chip cookie in his mouth. And moaned. Holy shit, that was the best thing he’d ever eaten, even better than Maggie or his momma’s cookies though he’d never admit it to them. An oatmeal cookie followed. Nope, that was the best cookie he’d ever eaten. Peanut butter chips in oatmeal cookies? Fabulous. Thank goodness she’d been okay after she’d gotten whacked by that car. The world couldn’t live without this cookie-baking goddess.

Looking at the outside of the box, he realized the address was the beauty salon just across the way. He’d have to go and thank her in person.

He’d saved some folks, helped at quite a few accidents and emergencies and fought fires in and around Petal for the last decade. Still, he could count the number of times he’d received a thank you note on one hand. It felt good to be appreciated.

Finishing up in the late afternoon, Matt grabbed what was left of the cookies, knowing he’d have to work out extra after the dozen or so he’d scarfed down since the mail came. He’d had to hide them from the rest of the weenies at the station who’d have swiped them if they’d known. And with cookies as good as the last five in the box, he wasn’t gonna share.

He’d never been inside the beauty salon though he’d seen it just about every day for years. He had a vague idea that the women in his life got their hair done there, but that was the extent of it.

When he opened the door, the jingle of pretty wind chimes greeted him first, followed by the pleasing sound of feminine laughter. Oh how he loved the sound of a woman’s laugh.

Smiling, he headed toward it. He saw her before she saw him. Her hair was the prettiest blonde he’d seen on a woman and unless he was mistaken, she came by it naturally. It hung in a high ponytail and still cascaded down her back in a long spiral curl. Those wide blue eyes of hers were set off by some floaty-looking blouse that was a sort of pinkish-orange. He was sure they had a name for it, women always had names for colors like that. He’d say that Nicholas had light green walls in his room but Maggie had told him they were sea-foam green. He’d just looked at his brother over her head and Kyle rolled his eyes back at him.

She was short. Like really short. And all curves. Her musical laughter cut off when she caught sight of him and then began to choke.

Dropping his things on a nearby counter he rushed to her, concerned as she waved him off, her eyes widening as she backed away.

“She’s all right,” one of the other women said.

Tate recovered and turned a shade of red he was sure they had a name for too, but it was clear she’d either injured herself or was mortified.

“Fuckety fuck,” she muttered as she tried to catch her breath.

“Are you all right?” He touched her arm.

Her blush deepened as she nodded, sending her ponytail swaying. “Fine. Um, can’t breathe and swallow at the same time. Apparently I forgot that.”

He grinned. “I’m Matt Chase. I just wanted to come by to thank you for the cookies.”

“Oh…oh, I’m glad you got them. I should have just brought them over but I didn’t know when I’d get the chance to get away and my family was sort of trying to steal them and if I hadn’t wrapped them up they’d have ended up at the University of Georgia with my kid brother and sister.”

He couldn’t stop grinning. The woman was like one of those little dogs with all the energy. “It’s fine. They’re really good. Like criminally good. In fact, and if you repeat this, I’ll deny it, they’re the best cookies I’ve ever eaten. You missed your calling you know. You should have opened a bakery.”

“Her cookies are a drop in the bucket. She makes a peach cobbler that’ll bring tears to your eyes and the most perfect scratch biscuit you ever tasted. That’s until you try her chicken paprika,” one of the women, clearly a relative, told him proudly.

“Stop it now. I already said you could have Saturday off.” Tate winked and the other woman laughed. “Oh, my manners! I’m Tate Murphy. Aside from bleeding all over you the other day, I figure we haven’t been formally introduced.”

He shook her hand, still wearing a stupid grin.

“This is my sister Anne and the sister just younger than her, Beth.”

He nodded to all of them and noted they all had the same nose but they were redheads with green eyes while Tate had blue eyes and blonde hair. She was also a lot shorter than the other sisters, who were at least five-seven or so.

“Nice to meet you all. I think I know your brother Tim. He and I were just a year apart in school. We had a few classes together. Redhead right? Green eyes? Freckles?”

“That’s our brother.” Tate grinned.

“He’s a nice guy. Tell him I said hello. Well, I don’t want to keep you all. I just wanted to thank you for the cookies.”

“Well, thank you for helping me. A few cookies are nothing in comparison.”

He liked her smile. Wide, open.

“I’ll see you around then.” And he realized that he’d never bumped into her at all around town. Which was sort of silly considering they worked right across the street from each other.

“Night, Matt. Nice to meet you. Your mother talks about you all the time.”

He stopped as he’d reached the door and heard her laugh. “You knew that’d get me, didn’t you?” he said, looking back over his shoulder at her.

Her eyes widened in mock surprise. “Me? I have seen you naked though. With a cowboy hat on even.”

He groaned, knowing the picture. His momma did love to show that picture of him at about eighteen months old, naked as a jaybird wearing a cowboy hat.

“Are you imagining me naked now?” he teased back and she blushed bright red again. He toyed with asking her what women would call that shade of red but decided against it. He winked and waved. “See you around, Tate Murphy.”

He whistled all the way to his truck.

*****

Review:

I think Matt might be my favorite brother … but don’t tell the others 🙂  He’s patient, caring, and smart enough to realize what a great thing he could have with Tate.  I love how he takes his time wooing her, in a way that she doesn’t even realize what is happening until she’s too far gone over him.

Tate may have a few insecurities thanks to the way she grew up but I love her grit and spunk.  She’s a little prickly but it is totally understandable,  Not too much for the Chase charm to overcome, of course.  And the closeness of the Murphy family is awesome to behold, enough to rival the Chases, and I do think Dane handled their issues really well.  It was realistic and gave a believable drama moment between Matt and Tate that worked well with the relationship they’d created.

I do wish a little more time had been spent resolving the issues with how Tate is viewed by people in the town.  There are “mean girls” who make trouble for her and for the most part they handle them really well.  I just needed one more scene, I think.  I felt like it wasn’t quite wrapped up as much as it could have been, especially with how well the family portion was done.

Realistic characters with real world troubles and believable reactions, Dane does a fabulous job giving her readers an awesomely emotional finale to her Chase Brothers series.

*****

Author Info:

The story goes like this – While on pregnancy bed rest, LAUREN DANE had plenty of down time so her husband took her comments about “giving that writing thing a serious go” to heart and brought home a secondhand laptop. She wrote her first book on it before it gave up the ghost. Even better, she sold that book and never looked back.

Today Lauren is a New York Times bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas across several genres.

Website http://www.laurendane.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaurenDane

Twitter https://twitter.com/laurendane

Goodreads https://goo.gl/pg3R22

Amazon https://amzn.to/2uDfIHF

*****

Giveaway:

To celebrate the release of MAKING CHASE by Lauren Dane, we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card to one lucky winner!

http://bit.ly/2Lujyw8

GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  Open to internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR on behalf of Carina Press.  Giveaway ends 9/3/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Limit one entry per reader. Duplicates will be deleted.

*****

Spotlight – Ice Cream Castles

Tags

Clarke Collins, Ice Cream Castles

I’m so thrilled to have Clarke Collins stop by today to answer a few questions and share her book, Ice Cream Castles.  It may be short but based on reviews it packs a might big punch.

(And a little birdie told me it is on sale this week so make sure you get your copy soon!)

*****

What do you like best about writing romances?     

What I like best about writing romance is the emotionality of it. As an author in this genre, I get to play with some of the most heightened emotions we humans possess. Love walks a fine line with hate.  I enjoy playing with the dichotomous nature of both. They’re twined in angst and when set to a high temperature can be like a release valve ready to blow. The tension that love and hate provide creates romance and if we think of the goldilocks effect – if it’s too little or too much – the balance is off. But, just right? Magic.

What is your favorite romantic story?

That’s a tough one, but if I’m being honest, it would be a five-way tie between Sleepless in Seattle, Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden), A Bronx Tale, Nine and a Half Weeks (Elizabeth McNeil), Raise the Red Lantern, and A Romantic Weekend (Mary Gaitskill). Why these particular stories? The shattering of idealized love. Romance has been aggrandized, but it’s really about companionable love, passionate love. Sometimes that kind of love comes packaged in a widowed divorcee single parent, sometimes it comes from someone you’re told it shouldn’t come from. Other times it seeps into us from pain. It can be dosed with suffering, pain and pleasure, from imperfect faces, bodies and minds, deviant. Sometimes it comes from corrupt power and desperation. It’s not a fairytale.

If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?

May I pass on that? I cannot for the life of me see myself in any romantic character I’ve read. I see emotions, thought, maybe even actions…but me? No.

Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write? 

The ones you have yet to see (stay tuned).

If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?

An astronomer or astrophysicist. I love the stars. Love the universe.

*****

Ice Cream Castles

by Clarke Collins

Book Length: Novella (Approx. 24,000 words)

$0.99 Promotion Runs: Monday, August 27, 2018 – September 3, 2018

Book Genre: Contemporary Interracial Romance

Blurb:

When uptight Eli crosses paths with world-weary Naomi, culture clash ensues. After a strained encounter, the pair later discovers that what they share in common outweighs their differences. ICE CREAM CASTLES is a May-December romance that explores grief, understanding, and acceptance, with a passionate twist. It will leave you wanting more.

Amazon.com purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYM2ZPX

*****

Excerpt:

As a surprise for Kevin, Eli’s detour to Scoopy’s Ice cream stand had proven a mistake. He approached the order window, ignoring the long line of angry faces shooting daggers in his direction.

“Dude, can’t you see there’s a line here?” someone yelled.

Eli fixed his gaze on the attractive but frazzled African-American woman behind it. At first, she didn’t look up from the register, giving him a chance to study her closely. She had a pretty but lived in face. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a neat bun with a few loose strands springing from the sides. Though she wore no makeup, her earthy skin tone, radiant and twice baked by the sun, made up the difference. Her head tilted to meet his gaze. He took in her tight smile with passing annoyance.

“Excuse me sir but the line starts back there,” she said nodding in his direction.

“I’m not here to wait. I already did that. I’m here because of this–”

He held up a receipt and waited for her response. Her tired brown eyes seemed to measure him for a moment, as though finding him lacking, looked past him to the line. The dismissal stoked his frustration.

“Miss..” he began, but she halted him with a glance. He knew her kind. Just one of the countless women he’d crossed before. Steeped in bitterness. Biding their time through the drudgery of minimum wage employment. Angry at the world. He braced himself for the insult he was certain sat cocked on the tip of her tongue. Instead, she sighed.

“How may I help you, sir?”

Insults not forthcoming and her full attention granted, he found himself momentarily caught off guard.

“I…um…have this…” He held up the receipt again. She smiled; a genuine one. A pair of dimples peeked from her cheeks and her eyes lit with something close to amusement. As fleeting as it was, it captivated him. Why was she smiling at him now, and most important, why did it make him feel as though he was the luckiest man on earth?

“Sir?”

He emerged from his daydreams to find the woman now glaring at him. So much for that.

*****

Author Info:

Clarke Collins is a not-so-average Midwestern American mom by day and vivid dream wrangler by night. Aside from her vast consumption of romance and speculative fiction novels, her writing inspiration comes from an array of influential talents, across artistic disciplines and genres. A perfect life for Clarke is one filled with books and infinite time to read them all.

Official website: Clarkecollins.com

Amazon Author’s page: Clarke Collins

Goodreads Author page: Clarke Collins

Official Facebook – @booksbycc

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Book Review – Come Back to Me

Tags

Blessings Georgia series, Book Review, Come Back to Me, Sharon Sala

I absolutely LOVE this series and I get so excited when a new book comes out!!

*****

Come Back to Me

Blessings, Georgia series

by Sharon Sala

Blurb:

Love always endures the test of time

After a devastating fire pitted their families against each other, high school sweethearts Phoebe Ritter and Aidan Payne were torn apart. Twenty years later, Aidan is called back to Blessings, nervous about confronting his painful past. And that’s BEFORE he knows about the nineteen-year-old secret Phoebe has been harboring all this time.

As Aidan tries to make up for lost time with the family he didn’t know he had, Phoebe and Aidan rediscover long-suppressed feelings. But the past won’t lie buried, and old enemies threaten to destroy the peace they’ve fought so hard to find.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2J3i0UJ

B&N: http://bit.ly/2KRrnvO

Apple: https://apple.co/2JuiY0x

“Sharon Sala’s Blessings, Georgia series is filled with unforgettable charm and delight!”— ROBYN CARR, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

*****

Excerpt:

Seeing the porch light on as she pulled up to the house was just like old times. He’d done that since he’d been old enough to stay home alone, and she’d missed it. She grabbed her things, ran up the steps, and let herself into the house.

“I’m home,” she yelled.

“Me, too,” he yelled back.

She laughed. Just like old times. She left her purse on a table as she hurried into the kitchen, and found Lee at the stove, heating up food.

He gave her a big hug.

“I waited for you,” he said. “Go change and get comfy. I’ll set the table while you’re gone.”

“Wonderful!” Phoebe said, and hurried down the hall to her room.

She changed out of work clothes into a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, and changed work shoes for sandals, washed up and hurried back to the kitchen.

“You cooked,” she said, eyeing the table and the inviting food.

“I just added some baked beans and fries to the ribs and slaw. Sit, Mom. Let me wait on you tonight.”

“I won’t argue,” Phoebe said, and smiled at him when he brought glasses of sweet iced tea to the table, followed by the food.

After filling their plates, they began to talk as they ate.

“My grade point for the year is 4.0 and I was accepted into an accelerated Physics program next semester,” Lee said.

Phoebe beamed. “Oh, Lee, congratulations. I’m so proud of you. I know you didn’t get that from me.”

Lee took a deep breath. “Did I get it from my father?”

Phoebe’s smile slipped a little. The sorrow she lived with was once again, evident on her face.

“Yes. He was very smart.”

Lee ate a few more bites, then took his phone from his pocket, pulled up the picture, and pushed it toward her.

Phoebe smiled. “A new girlfriend?”

He shook his head, then waited as she looked down.

Her fork clattered onto the table. She pressed a hand over her mouth, but it didn’t muffle the moan.

He grabbed her arm. “Mom. Are you okay?”

“Where did you…oh my God. That’s the store parking lot.”

She looked up. “You took this today.”

He nodded. “I saw him by accident. Wasn’t for sure, so I took a picture, then came home and compared it to yours. He’s older, but it’s him, isn’t it, Mom? That’s my father.”

She nodded, then started to cry.

~

Across town, Aidan was already asleep, more at ease in this old house in Blessings, than he was in his New Orleans home, sleeping with the best security system money could buy. But there was no way to control where sleep took him, or enough locks on a door to keep Phoebe out of his dreams.

He saw Phoebe running toward him. He’d been waiting for days and days for her to come but she had not. She’d been part of the people who’d shunned them, and seeing her now, the pain in his heart hurt so much it was hard to draw breath.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

He hardened his heart and turned away.

“Don’t leave,” she cried. “I’m sorry, so sorry.”

He remembered how soft her lips were against his mouth, and how her body curled into his when they embraced, and kept walking.

“Aidan, please,” she begged.

He wanted to bury his face against her hair and cry, but he didn’t, and then the dream hit fast-forward and they were driving away and she was running behind them, but this time she didn’t stop. She was behind their car as they drove out of town. She was running right behind their car all the way to the interstate, and then all of a sudden she was gone. He turned around in the seat, searching for sight of her, but she had disappeared.

He was screaming at his Dad, “turn around, turn around. We can’t leave Phoebe behind.”

*****

Review:

While I love Aidan & Phoebe together and how he completely embraced his son, I did have just a teeny issue with how easily Aidan accepts how Lee’s existence was kept from him.  Yes, they were young when everything went wrong but he wasn’t necessarily wrong with how he left town.  Things were seriously bad for him & his dad and I really have no problem with them packing up and leaving without looking back.  But really someone should have really let him know about his son before this.

Sala’s down-home writing is always a treat to read and everything else made up for any issues I had with how quickly Aidan got over his hurt.  Once the two of them reconnect all of their past feelings come back and deepen even more.  It’s sweet and heartwarming and, as always with Sala, a feel-good read that made me happy every page until the end.

If you love quirky small-town characters, a touching romance, and emotions galore, Sala is your girl!

*****

Giveaway:

First 3 books in the Blessings, Georgia series!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7673/

*****

Spotlight – The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo

Tags

Kerrigan Byrne, The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo, Victorian Rebels series

How about an awesome historical romance to kick off a new week?!?

*****

The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo

Victorian Rebels (Volume 6)

by Kerrigan Byrne

St Martin’s Paperbacks

$7.99

Pub Date: 08/28/2018

ISBN: 9781250122568

384 Pages

Blurb:

The bravest of heroes. The brashest of rebels. The boldest of lovers. These are the men who risk their hearts and their souls—for the passionate women who dare to love them…

He is known only as The Rook. A man with no name, no past, no memories. He awakens in a mass grave, a magnificent dragon tattoo on his muscled forearm the sole clue to his mysterious origins. His only hope for survival—and salvation—lies in the deep, fiery eyes of the beautiful stranger who finds him. Who nurses him back to health. And who calms the restless demons in his soul…

A LEGENDARY LOVE

Lorelei will never forget the night she rescued the broken dark angel in the woods, a devilishly handsome man who haunts her dreams to this day. Crippled as a child, she devoted herself to healing the poor tortured man. And when he left, he took a piece of her heart with him. Now, after all these years, The Rook has returned. Like a phantom, he sweeps back into her life and avenges those who wronged her. But can she trust a man who’s been branded a rebel, a thief, and a killer? And can she trust herself to resist him when he takes her in his arms?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Powells

*****

Excerpt:

CHAPTER ONE

If Lorelai Weatherstoke hadn’t been appreciating the storm out the carriage window, she’d have missed the naked corpse beneath the ancient ash tree.

“Father, look!” She seized Lord Southbourne’s thin wrist, but a barrage of visual stimuli overwhelmed her, paralyzing her tongue.

In all her fourteen years, she’d never seen a naked man, let alone a deceased one.

He lay facedown, strong arms reached over his head as though he’d been trying to swim through the shallow grass lining the road. Ghastly dark bruises covered what little flesh was visible beneath the blood. He was all mounds and cords, his long body different from hers in every way a person could be.

Her heart squeezed, and she fought to find her voice as the carriage trundled past. The poor man must be cold, she worried, then castigated herself for such an absurd thought.

The dead became one with the cold. She’d learned that by kissing her mother’s forehead before they closed her casket forever.

“What is it, duck?” Her father may have been an earl, but the Weatherstokes were gentry of reduced circumstances, and didn’t spend enough time in London to escape the Essex accent.

Lorelai had not missed the dialect while at school in Mayfair, and it had been the first thing she’d rid herself of in favor of a more proper London inflection. In this case, however, it was Lord Southbourne’s words, more than his accent, that caused her to flinch.

As cruel as the girls could be at Braithwaite’s Boarding School, none of their taunts had made her feel quite so hollow as the one her own family bestowed upon her.

Duck.

“I-it’s a man,” she stammered. “A corp—” Oh no, had he just moved, or had she imagined it? Squinting through the downpour, she pressed her face to the window in time to see battered knuckles clenching the grass, and straining arms pulling the heavy body forward.

“Stop,” she wheezed, overtaken by tremors. “Stop the carriage!”

“What’s bunched your garters, then?” Sneering across from her, Mortimer, her elder brother, brushed aside the drapes at his window. “Blimey! There’s a bleedin’ corpse by the road.” Three powerful strikes on the roof of the coach prompted the driver to stop.

“He’s alive!” Lorelai exclaimed, pawing at the door handle. “I swear he moved. We have to help him.”

“I thought that fancy, expensive school was supposed to make you less of an idiot, Duck.” Mortimer’s heavy brows barely separated on a good day and met to create one thick line when he adopted the expression of disdainful scorn he reserved solely for her. “What’s a cripple like you going to do in the mud?”

“We should probably drive through to Brentwood,” Lord Southbourne suggested diplomatically. “We can send back an ambulance to fetch him.”

“He’ll need an undertaker by then,” Lorelai pleaded. “We must save him, mustn’t we?”

“I’ve never seen so much blood.” It was morbid fascination rather than pity darkening her brother’s eyes. “I’m going out there.”

“I’m coming with you.”

A cruel hand smacked Lorelai out of the way, and shoved her back against the faded brocade velvet of her seat. “You’ll stay with Father. I’ll take the driver.”

As usual, Lord Robert Weatherstoke said and did nothing to contradict his only son as Mortimer leaped from the coach and slammed the door behind him.

Lorelai barely blamed her passive father anymore. Mortimer was so much larger than him these days, and ever so much crueler.

She had to adjust her throbbing leg to see the men making their way through the gray of the early-evening deluge. Just enough remained of daylight to delineate color variations.

The unfortunate man was a large smudge of gore against the verdant spring ground cover. Upon Mortimer and the driver’s approach, he curled in upon himself not unlike a salted snail. Only he had no shell to protect his beaten body.

Lorelai swallowed profusely in a vain attempt to keep her heart from escaping through her throat as the man was hoisted aloft, each arm yoked like an ox’s burden behind a proffered neck. Even though Mortimer was the tallest man she knew, the stranger’s feet dragged in the mud. His head lolled below his shoulders, so she couldn’t get a good look at his face to ascertain his level of consciousness.

Other parts of him, though, she couldn’t seem to drag her eyes away from.

She did her best not to look between his legs, and mostly succeeded. At a time like this, modesty hardly mattered, but she figured the poor soul deserved whatever dignity she could allow him.

That is to say, she only peeked twice before wrenching her eyes upward.

The muscles winging from his back beneath where his arms spread were ugly shades of darkness painted by trauma. The ripples of his ribs were purple on his left side, and red on the other. Blunt bruises interrupted the symmetrical ridges of his stomach, as though he’d been kicked or struck repeatedly. As they dragged him closer, what she’d feared had been blood became something infinitely worse.

It was as though his flesh had been chewed away, but by something with no teeth. The plentiful meat of his shoulder and chest, his torso, hips, and down his thigh were grotesquely visible.

Burns, maybe?

“Good God, how is he still alive?” The awe in her father’s voice reminded her of his presence as they scurried to open the carriage door and help drag the man inside. It took the four of them to manage it.

“He won’t be unless we hurry.” The driver tucked the man’s long, long legs inside, resting his knees against the seat. “I fear he won’t last the few miles to Brentwood.”

Ripping her cloak off, Lorelai spread it over the shuddering body on the floor. “We must do what we can,” she insisted. “Is there a doctor in Brentwood?”

“Aye, and a good one.”

“Please take us there without delay.”

“O’course, miss.” He secured the door and leaped into his seat, whipping the team of fresh horses into a gallop.

As they lurched forward, the most pitiful sound she’d ever heard burst from the injured man’s lips, which flaked with white. His big arm flailed from beneath the cloak to protect his face, in a gesture that tore Lorelai’s heart out of her chest.

The burn scored the sinew of his neck and up his jaw to his cheekbone.

Pangs of sympathy slashed at her own skin, and drew her muscles taut with strain. Lorelai blinked a sheen of tears away, and cleared emotion out of her tight throat with a husky sound she’d made to soothe many a wounded animal on the Black Water Estuary.

His breaths became shallower, his skin paler beneath the bruises.

He was dying.

Without thinking, she slid a hand out of her glove, and gently pressed her palm to his, allowing her fingers to wrap around his hand one by one.

“Don’t go,” she urged. “Stay here. With me.”

His rough, filthy hand gripped her with such strength, the pain of it stole her breath. His face turned toward her, though his eyes remained closed.

Still, it heartened her, this evidence of awareness. Perhaps, on some level, she could comfort him.

“You’re going to be all right,” she crooned.

“Don’t lie to the poor bastard.” Mortimer’s lip curled in disgust. “He’s no goose with a defective wing, or a three-legged cat, like the strays you’re always harboring. Like as not he’s too broken to be put back together with a bandage, a meal, and one of your warbling songs. He’s going to die, Lorelai.”

“You don’t know that,” she said more sharply than she’d intended, and received a sharp slap for her lapse in wariness.

“And you don’t know what I’ll do to you if you speak to me in that tone again.”

Most girls would look to their fathers for protection, but Lorelai had learned long ago that protection was something upon which she could never rely.

Her cheek stinging, Lorelai lowered her eyes. Mortimer would take it as a sign of submission, but she only did it to hide her anger. She’d learned by now to take care around him in times of high stress, or excitement. It had been her folly to forget … because she knew exactly what he was capable of. The pinch of her patient’s strong grip was nothing next to what she’d experienced at the hands of her brother on any given month.

Ignoring the aching throb in her foot, Lorelai dismissed Mortimer, leaning down instead to stroke a dripping lock of midnight hair away from an eye so swollen, he’d not have been able to open it were he awake.

Across from her, Mortimer leaned in, as well, ostensibly studying the man on the floor with equal parts intrigue and disgust. “Wonder what happened to the sod. I haven’t seen a beating like this in all my years.”

Lorelai schooled a level expression from her face at the reference to his many perceived years. He was all of twenty, and the only violence he witnessed outside of sport, he perpetrated himself.

“Brigands, you suspect?” Sir Robert fretted from beside her, checking the gathering darkness for villains.

“Entirely possible,” Mortimer said flippantly. “Or maybe he is one. We are disturbingly close to Gallows Corner.”

“Mortimer,” their father wheezed. “Tell me you haven’t pulled a criminal into my coach. What would people say?”

The Weatherstoke crest bore the motto Fortunam maris, “fortune from the sea,” but if anyone had asked Lorelai what it was, she’d have replied, Quid dicam homines? “What would people say?”

It had been her father’s favorite invocation—and his greatest fear—for as long as she could remember.

Lorelai opened her mouth to protest, but her brother beat her to it, a speculative glint turning his eyes the color of royal sapphires. “If I’d hazard a guess, it would be that this assault was personal. A fellow doesn’t go to the trouble to inflict this sort of damage lest his aim is retribution or death. Perhaps he’s a gentleman with gambling debts run afoul of a syndicate. Or, maybe a few locals caught him deflowering their sister … though they left those parts intact, didn’t they, Duck?” His sly expression told Lorelai that he’d caught her looking where she ought not to.

Blushing painfully, she could no longer bring herself to meet Mortimer’s cruel eyes. They were the only trait Lorelai shared with her brother. Her father called them the Weatherstoke jewels. She actively hated looking in the mirror and seeing Mortimer’s eyes staring back at her.

Instead, she inspected the filthy nails of the hand engulfing her own. The poor man’s entire palm was one big callus against hers. The skin on his knuckles, tough as an old shoe, had broken open with devastating impact.

Whatever had happened to him, he’d fought back.

“He’s no gentleman,” she observed. “Too many calluses. A local farmhand, perhaps, or a stable master?” It didn’t strain the imagination to envision these hands gripping the rope of an erstwhile stallion. Large, magnificent beasts pitting their strength one against the other.

“More like stable boy,” Mortimer snorted. “I’d wager my inheritance he’s younger than me.”

“How can you tell?” With his features beyond recognition, Lorelai was at a loss as to the man’s age. No gray streaked his midnight hair, nor did lines bracket his swollen lips, so she knew he couldn’t be old, but beyond that …

“He’s not possessed of enough body hair for a man long grown.”

“But he’s so big,” she reasoned. “And his chest appears to have been badly burned, the hair might have singed right off.”

“I’m not referring to his chest, you dull-wit, but to his coc—”

“Mortimer, please.”Lorelai winced. It was as close to a repriman

d as her father ever ventured. Mortimer must have been very wicked, indeed. It was just her luck that he did so on perhaps the first occasion Lorelai had actually wanted her brother to finish a sentence.

A rut in the road jostled them with such force at their frantic pace, Lorelai nearly landed on the injured man. His chest heaved a scream into his throat, but it only escaped as a piteous, gurgling groan.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she whimpered. Dropping to her knees, she hovered above him, the fingers of her free hand fluttering over his quaking form, looking for a place to land that wouldn’t cause him pain.

She could find none. He was one massive wound.

A tear splashed from her eye and disappeared into the crease between his fingers.

“Duck, perhaps it’s best you take your seat.” Her father’s jowly voice reminded her of steam wheezing from a teakettle before it’s gathered enough strength to whistle. “It isn’t seemly for a girl of your standing to be thus prostrated on the floor.”

With a sigh, she did her best to get her good foot beneath her, reaching for the plush golden velvet of the seat to push herself back into it.

An insistent tug on her arm tested the limits of her shoulder socket, forcing her to catch herself once more.

“Lorelai, I said sit,” Lord Southbourne blustered.

“I can’t,” she gasped incredulously. “He won’t let me go.”

“What’s this, then?” Mortimer wiped some of the mud away from the straining cords of the man’s forearm, uncovering an even darker smudge beneath. As he cleared it, a picture began to take shape, the artful angles and curves both intriguing and sinister until mottled, injured skin ruptured the rendering. “Was it a bird of some kind? A serpent?”

“No.” Lorelai shook her head, studying the confusion of shapes intently. “It’s a dragon.”

Copyright © 2018 by Kerrigan Byrne

*****

Author Info:

Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.

Author Website: http://www.kerriganbyrne.com/

Twitter: @Kerrigan_Byrne

Facebook: @KerriganByrneAuthor

Instagram: @KerriganByrne

*****

Spotlight – Catch Him If You Can

Tags

Accidentally Yours series, Catch Him If You Can, Jennifer Shirk

A sexy man who loves animals … where can I find one?!?

*****

In Jennifer Shirk’s newest installment in her Accidentally Yours series, town widower Wade Roberts is being bombarded by Cape Harmony’s matchmaking mamas. His only way to stop them: pretend to be in a relationship with his sister’s best friend, Arden Pearson. But when what started as an act begins to shift into something more, it might take a village to convince Wade that Arden’s his perfect match.

Catch Him If You Can

Accidentally Yours series

by Jennifer Shirk

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 13, 2018

Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Format: Digital eBook

Digital ISBN: 9781640636156

Blurb:

Veterinarian Wade Roberts is done with love. But try convincing the elderly folk of Cape Harmony who are determined to play matchmaker. Now the young single women in town are bombarding him with baked goods and love notes, and being “taken” is the only way to stop the meddling grannies—which is why he needs a fake fiancée. Fast.

Arden Pearson loves planning weddings. Other people’s weddings, that is. After her own engagement ended in disaster, she prefers to live vicariously through her work. But when she needs to persuade a big client that she’s capable of planning the celebrity wedding of the year, she’s willing to go as far as pretending to be engaged herself to her best friend’s older brother.

Soon their ruse has everyone in town believing they make the perfect couple—including Arden. She’s always been nothing more than a kid sister to Wade, and it might take a village to convince him otherwise…

Add to your TBR list:  Goodreads

Available:  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble  |  Kobo  |  iTunes

*****

Excerpt:

Wade stood in line at the Drip N Sip, about seven people back, mentally warming up to let good old matchmaking Judy Tavish have an earful. What a friggin’ exhausting morning he’d had at work on Saturday, combating the flirting, the date requests, and the come-ons. Becky was right. His office had served more like a singles bar than a veterinary clinic. Well, no more. He was done with that, but mostly he was done with the meddling gray-haired coffee barista, looking over at him now and shooting him that wide, cheery-assed smile of hers.

“Oh, hello, Wade!” Judy waved, all sunny and good-natured, which ironically had the direct opposite effect on his already foul mood. He gritted his teeth and didn’t wave back.

“And what animal peed on your parade?” a feminine voice asked beside him.

He glanced to his right. Arden Pearson stood next to him with arms folded and an amused grin on her glistening pink-glossed lips. Arden was his sister’s best friend and all-around town sass-mouth—at least to him. He’d known her since high school when she had braces and blond hair down to her butt. Her mouth was still as sassy—maybe more so—but the braces were gone and her straight hair was cut shoulder length in a mature, professional style now. He’d always thought she was a cute girl back then, but as an adult, she was pretty damn stunning—when she wasn’t ribbing him. She had moved back to Cape Harmony about five years ago to open up her wedding planning business. Wade rarely ran into her in town unless she was with Kinsley, which made this day all the more agitating.

He turned away. “Right now, I’d actually welcome being peed on,” he muttered.

She made a tsk tsk sound. “Wow, you are having a bad day. Well, join the club.”

“Join the club?” Wade turned back to her and blinked. Damn, she had the prettiest eyes. The most unique kind of blue he’d ever seen. He immediately looked away. “Are you being bombarded at work and at home by hordes of single marriage-minded women?”

“Well, no— Wait.” She laughed. “Hold on. Are you?”

“Yes. And it’s all Judy Tavish’s fault,” he said, jerking his thumb in Judy’s direction. “She’s taken it upon herself to become my own personal walking, talking Tinder account.”

“Hmm…” Arden’s delicate brows drew together. “So, does this mean you want to book me ahead of schedule for a discount, or do you want to wait until the actual wedding proposal?” she said with a chuckle.

“I knew you wouldn’t see the seriousness in the situation.”

“You’re right. I don’t.” She shrugged. “I mean, so what if Judy thought you should get out and have some fun and gave your number to a few nice women. Oh, boo-hoo.”

He looked her dead in the eye. “Twenty-six women, Arden. Twenty-six. Not including the crowd that showed up at the clinic on Saturday with their fake sick pets. And did you know that when I got home from work there were brownies and half a baked chicken left on my doorstep.”

Arden whistled. “Damn. Remind me to use Judy when I’m looking for a date. Or need a snack.”

Copyright© 2018 Catch Him If You Can

Jennifer Shirk

*****

Author Info:

Jennifer Shirk is a USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of sweet (and sometimes even funny) romances for Montlake Romance and Entangled Publishing. Her novel, FIANCE BY FATE—a 2015 Readers’ Crown Finalist—became an Amazon #1 best seller for Series Romance. And recently, Wrong Brother, Right Match, WON the Sweet Traditional category of the 2017 Golden Quill Contest and became a #1 Amazon bestseller for Holiday Romance.

She resides in a beach resort in NJ, so when she’s not writing or working on her tan, she’s taking care of her most treasured possessions: her husband, daughter and puppy (Sox).

Check out her website for News and Links: www.jennifershirk.com

And don’t forget to join her mailing list for a chance to win monthly giveaways and free ARCs: eepurl.com/Q6TH1

Connect with Jennifer:  Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  BookBub

Giveaway:

Jennifer is offering one lucky grand prize winner a $10 Amazon Gift Card and five Runner-ups an eCopy of Bargaining with the Boss, book #1 in her Accidentally Yours series! To enter for your chance to win one of these exciting prizes, please fill out the Rafflecopter link below:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29560

*****

Book Review – Through the Fire

Tags

Book Review, Katie Ruggle, Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series, Through the Fire

Awkward, geeky, sexy Wes is my new book boyfriend!

*****

Through the Fire

Rocky Mountain K9 Unit series

by Katie Ruggle

Blurb:

He’s tall.

He’s dark.

He’s brutally handsome…

And he may be her only hope.

Kit Jernigan despairs of ever fitting in with her new tight-knit K9 unit—they’ve been through too much to welcome a stranger. So when a killer strikes, it’s a fight to convince her fellow officers to trust her long enough to catch the woman she knows is responsible.

She can’t do it on her own. What she needs most is a partner: local fire spotter Wesley March.

Wes knows in his heart that Kit is right, and he’s willing to leave his lonely tower to help her prove it. But the more time they spend together, the hotter the fire smolders…and the more danger they’re in. A member of the K9 unit’s inner circle is determined to have her revenge—no matter who gets burned in the process.

This time, it’s personal.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KPMej7

B&N: http://bit.ly/2KPMeQ9

Apple: https://apple.co/2NwGUiW

*****

Excerpt:

The snow crunched under Wes’s boots as he climbed. It was a beautiful day, with the late-afternoon sun shading to orange as it approached the mountain peaks it was about to hide behind, but Wes didn’t pay much attention to the scenery. He was intent on reaching the bat cave.

Despite its name, the bat cave was more of a rock overhang than a cave, but the bat part was true enough—it housed a good-sized colony of silver-haired bats. Researchers and animal-loving hikers frequently visited the location. Although Wes had gotten some striking photos at the bat cave, he hadn’t even brought his camera with him this time. He was more interested in the cell reception.

When the trail evened out, leading to a large, flat rock overhang, he pulled out his cell phone. Sure enough, he had reception. Finding his sister’s name in his short list of contacts, he called her. As he waited for her to answer, pacing back and forth across the granite ledge, he made a mental note to set up a cell-signal booster at the tower. He should’ve done it before, but he hadn’t missed phone service. Having to mindfully go somewhere with cell reception allowed him to control when and whom he called. It wasn’t enough now, though, not when there was someone he was hoping to call—as soon as he got her number.

“Wes!” Leila sounded winded. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” Well, nothing except his social skills when women—not including his sister—were around.

“Oh.” There was a pause. “I thought there was an emergency. You never call except for every other Sunday afternoon.”

“No emergency.” He tried to mentally plan out his question. “I need some advice.”

“Advice?” Another silence fell, and Wes could almost hear the gears in her brain turning. He smiled. Leila was even smarter than he was, and she was a whole lot more intuitive and perceptive. That’s why he was calling her. “Does this have something to do with a woman?”

“Yes.”

She squealed, the sound so excited that he smiled wider even as he winced and pulled the phone slightly away from his ear. “Are you dating someone? What’s her name? When do I get to meet her? What does she do? Is she funny? Pretty? Smart? A badass? Tell me details, Wes!”

“Answering most of your questions might be premature.” As much as he wanted to talk about Kit, Wes knew it could be dangerous. The more he said, the more real the possibility of something happening with her felt, and he didn’t want to build up hopes too high. After all, the more excited he got, the harder the disappointment would hit if she never wanted to talk to him again.

“Fine.” Although Leila was obviously trying to sound calm, Wes could tell that she was thrilled, and it made him wonder if he’d done the right thing by calling his sister. Now there might be two extremely disappointed people if nothing happened between him and Kit. “Just answer the basic ones, then. Are you dating?”

“No. We’ve only met three times.” He didn’t think their radio conversation counted.

“But you like her?”

“Yes. I like her.” It seemed like a barely adequate phrase to encompass the fizzing excitement he’d felt around her—and even later, when he was alone and thinking about her. “I’m…interested in her.” That didn’t seem much more accurate.

Leila let out another small squeal, and Wes looked up at the sky, even as he felt his face heat. “Sorry,” she said as if she could see his long-suffering expression. “That’s out of my system now. Back to basic questions. Is she interested in you?”

“I don’t know.” Crouching down, he absently picked up a few small pebbles, his brain fully occupied with the mystery that was K9 Officer Kit Jernigan. “That’s what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Hang on. I think I need to get comfortable for this conversation.” There were a few rustling noises, and then Leila spoke again. “Okay. I’m ready. Let’s start with the first time you met. Tell me what happened.”

“I needed propane, so I refilled my tank at the station on the southeast side of town. I wanted to be back home before things got busy—”

“Wesley,” she interrupted. “I’ve been to your Podunk town, remember? It never gets busy. There are, like, ten buildings and eight people total.”

“The population of Monroe—”

“Nope. Don’t care. Tell me the story.”

It never hurt his feelings when Leila cut him off like that. In fact, he appreciated her directness. It was easier than trying to guess what a person was thinking by their body language or tactful words. “Four days ago, I was driving west on Mule Drive at six fifty-four, but I was forced to stop due to an SUV backing a small utility trailer into a driveway.” He frowned at the memory. “Attempting to back a small utility trailer into a driveway.”

“Go on. No, wait! Let me guess. Did you save this woman from getting run over?”

“No.”

“Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “Go on, then. What did happen?”

Wes smiled slightly. His sister was terrible at listening to stories. She didn’t have any patience, wanting to rush right to the conclusion instead. “After talking with the driver, I didn’t think she’d move the trailer into the driveway efficiently—which meant I’d be late—so I got out of my truck in order to help.”

“She was the driver?” Her voice was hushed, amusing Wes.

“Yes.”

“That’s so romantic!”

His eyebrows scrunched together. “It is?”

“Well, not really, I guess. I think I’m just anticipating that it’s going to be romantic soon. Go on… Get to the good part!”

He hesitated. “I’m not sure what you’d consider the good part.”

Her gusty sigh was audible. “Just tell me the rest. I’m dying of curiosity here!”

“I helped her get the trailer into her driveway and unhitched it.”

“And then?”

“She drove away.”

There was a long beat of silence. “That’s disappointing.”

“It was.”

“Did she tell you her name, at least?”

Wes found himself smiling. “Yes. Kit Jernigan.”

*****

Review:

I absolutely adored both Kit and Wes.  They are so fun together in all of their awkward cuteness and even though things happen pretty quickly you can feel the connection between the two of them.  Like all of the other couples in the series, they are a good match and have you rooting for them from the start.

Unfortunately there was a point just before the big climax where Ruggle lost me just a little.  Kit had all of the information she needed to make a few connections about what was going on and none of it was ever mentioned, by her or by Ruggle.  It was obvious but when it mattered Kit never even acknowledged the information.  Which was extra disappointing because she’d been so on top of things up to that point.

It’s a minor complaint, though, in an otherwise fun and exciting story.  There’s the danger and suspense that we’ve come to expect from this series, along with the right amount of camaraderie and romance to give you the feels to go with the thrills.  And while we may know who the bad guy is from the first but I will admit that the why totally surprised me.  (I was enjoying Wes & Kit too much to even want to guess 🙂 )

*****

Author Info:

A graduate of the Police Academy, Katie received her ice-rescue certification and can attest that the reservoirs in the Colorado mountains really are that cold. A fan of anything that makes her feel like a bad-ass, she has trained in Krav Maga, boxing and gymnastics, has lived in an off-grid, solar- and wind-powered house in the Rocky Mountains, rides horses, trains dogs, cross-country skis and travels to warm places to scuba dive. In addition to her romantic suspense books, she also writes spicier romances under the pen name Katie Allen. Connect with Katie at http://katieruggle.com/, https://www.facebook.com/katierugglebooks, or on Twitter @KatieRuggle

*****

Giveaway:

Enter to win a Katie Ruggle Prize Pack!

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7674/

*****

Spotlight – The Lawman’s Secret Vow

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Tara Randell, The Lawman's Secret Vow

Who else is a fan of Harlequin books?  They were some of my first romances and have a special place in my heart still.

*****

Note from the Author

…The Lawman’s Secret Vow features Dante Matthews and Eloise Archer. Both are detectives in a local police department, who have been paired up, pretending to be a newly married couple while they infiltrate a car theft ring. Problem is, they discover feelings for each other while undercover. Can they work together and keep their emotions in check as they delve deeper into the case? Or does the real danger come from falling in love?

I hope you enjoy being a part of Dante and Eloise’s journey.

―Tara

*****

The Lawman’s Secret Vow

by Tara Randell

Contemporary Romance

Paperback & ebook, 384 Pages

August 1st 2018 by Harlequin Heartwarming

Blurb:

To have and to hold—

until the case is solved?

When an undercover assignment pairs laid-back Florida detective Dante Matthews with by-the-book cop Eloise Archer, he knows it won’t be easy. And not just because they’re competing for the same promotion. Now they’re living together under the same roof, and it’s getting harder to ignore his deepening feelings for his “wife.” Can he convince Eloise to partner up—for life?

Goodreads│Amazon│B&N│Harlequin│Kobo

*****

Author Info:

USA Today Bestselling Author Tara Randel has enjoyed a lifelong love of books, especially romance and mystery genres, so it didn’t come as a surprise when she began writing with the dream of becoming published. Family values, mystery and, of course, love and romance are her favorite themes, because she believes love is the greatest gift of all. Tara lives on the West Coast of Florida, where gorgeous sunsets inspire the creation of heartwarming stories, filled with love, laughter and the occasional mystery.

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Amazon

*****

Giveaway:

Prize #1: Beach/pool tote and water bottle, signed print copies of The Bridal Bouquet and His One and Only Bride, $25 Amazon Gift Card. (Open to US only)

Prize #2: $25 Amazon e-Gift Card (Open Internationally)

Ends August 22nd

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b9a55db3303/

 *****

Click on the banner below to check out reviews and excerpts!

Spotlight – The Pirate’s Stowaway Bride

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Anne Stryker, The Pirate's Stowaway Bride

I’m so thrilled to have Anne Stryker here today to answer a few questions and share her newest novella length story.  I don’t read many romances with pirates in them … but I think that’s going to have to change after Fenix 🙂

*****

*What do you like best about writing romances?

I love seeing two people come together, grow better because of one another, fight side by side… Something about the emotions that are so complex yet so simple all at once is beautiful. I also love seeing characters who genuinely care for each other because it makes my heart happy, and if I can write that and make other hearts happy, I’m fulfilled.

*What is your favorite romantic story (movie/book, fact/fiction, whatever you love most)?

I really adore Daughter of Smoke and Bone‘s romantic plot. I love to see a mix of fantasy and romance alongside a love that transcends time and situation. The pureness of attraction between the leads in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series is so raw and so real. The fantasy elements of the book aren’t the only hints of magic, and I love it!

*If you could be any romantic character, who would it be and why?

Karou (Daughter of Smoke and Bone again). She’s absolutely incredible with determination and spunk, a confidence I can only dream of. AND she has a FIRE ANGEL for a boyfriend, so I think we have win-wins all the way around… (Pardon me while I ignore all the pain and heartache she also had to go through. *cough cough*)

*Which of your characters/books was the most fun to write? 

I really enjoyed writing The Pirate’s Stowaway Bride! Fenix is amazing, and Adora has so much spirit hiding in her heart. The story that they begin leaves so much open for further adventures, and there are a couple of subtle details sprinkled around that even I missed during the first draft. It’s more than it appears at first glance, and it’s just such a heart fluttery tale!

*If you weren’t a writer and could be anything you want, what would it be?

It’s a toss up between a fairy and a pirate. I think I’d be a fairy pirate…because both is good, and I get to be both and more as a writer, so it’s only fair.

*****

The Pirate’s Stowaway Bride

by Anne Stryker

Blurb:

Sit still. Be quiet. Obey.

Adora has lived her entire life under her mother’s strict rules, but when obedience means marrying a man twice her age, something deep within her snaps. Fleeing the night of her wedding, she boards what she assumes is a trade ship and hides among the cargo she hopes won’t be touched until she’s far away from the life she left behind.

She never anticipated being found.

Or finding Fenix.

Fenix believes in freedom, expression, and adventure. When a woman in a wedding gown is found in the belly of his ship with eyes like fire and the disposition of something almost broken, he wants nothing more than to release the flames and mend the cracks.

But with her past catching up to them, he may not have the chance.

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F6T71RW/

*****

art piece of Fenix

Excerpt:

Have I already changed so much?

Have I lost sight of who I am?

Or have I finally found myself?

Before I can decide, the door opens, and sloshing boots clomp into the room. Fenix kicks the door shut, folds his arms, and leans against the wall, eyeing me with a raised brow. My eyes are naturally drawn to the orange feathers sticking in his hair, but then my gaze drops, to his lips, and a flurry of emotions course through me, none familiar.

“Adora,” he says.

I meet his stern look, my tongue flicking over my lips. “Fenix.”

“You look like you’re about to cry.” He takes two full steps toward me, water streaming off him to form puddles on the floor. His damp hand tips my chin up, and I flush, clenching my jaw.

“Maybe I am.”

He pulls away. “Hopefully not because of me?”

“I’m sorry about my insubordination, Captain.”

His brows shoot up, and he folds his arms again. “It worked for the best in the end. And recklessness is appealing on you.”

My murmur is soft as I glance away and brush a knuckle against my lips. “You certainly seemed to think so.”

*****

Author Info:

Anne Stryker has been writing for as long as she can remember and most enjoys sweet romance with any possible divergence from reality. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading or taking care of her growing zoo of small pets. Living her life in phases, Anne has toyed with anything from embroidery to polymer clay and finds herself tumbling in and out of obsessions. The one obsession that never left, however, was writing.

Anne is planning to write a series of novelettes that are all very different when it comes to setting, and at times subgenre, but she wants to settle into a niche of writing sweet romance (with HEA or HFN endings) that vary the male leads and style considerably. She hopes you’ll join her in this endeavor.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18140879.Anne_Stryker

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAnneStryk

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Website: https://authorannestryk.wordpress.com/