Monday, November 30, 2020

Book It: A Literary Lover’s Anthology Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

Book It: A Literary Lover’s Anthology
Publication date: November 30th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance

IN THE REALMS OF LITERATURE, ROMANCE KNOWS NO BOUNDS.

From bookstore owners to college students, drag queens to muses, professors and erotica authors; whether in a brothel of the old west or a spaceship in uncharted territory, the stories of Book It cross genres to warm hearts.

In these pages, you’ll find sweet stories of first-time love to established couples growing closer through their love of the written word. Each author delivers a unique and diverse tale of romance and literature.

Featuring the stories of Marie Piper, Kat Ryan, K. Parr, Katey Tattrie, Sonni de Soto, Felicia Nicole Hall, J. Leigh Bailey, Trisha McKee, Stephen Sottong, Leandra Vane, Mallory Behr, CM Peters, Alexis Ames, and Aila Alvina Boyd.

Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks / Kobo

SNEAK PEEKS:

A PAGE OUT OF HIS BOOK
by K. Parr

Hot Dad was back again.

With thick muscles, a neon blue Mohawk, abundant piercings, and colorful tattoos that crept down his neck and arms, he presented as exactly Max’s type—tough-looking on the outside, gooey on the inside.

From behind the cart of graphic novels he was shelving, Max witnessed the gooeyness in action while Hot Dad, in ripped jeans and a flannel button-down, played house with his daughter in the children’s area of the library. The girl couldn’t be more than four and shrieked with joy whenever her dad sampled imaginary food or helped ‘chop vegetables’. The sheer earnestness of Hot Dad’s encouragement made Max’s insides squirm like a colony of fuzzy ants.

Oh, to be treated so tenderly, to have such kindness and love directed toward him. Hot Dad was the rugged yet soft hero of Max’s beloved romance novels, and Max was the heroine swooning onto a settee.

Except unlike book heroines, Max was doomed to remain invisible. Who would notice him—a scrawny library page with thick glasses that made his eyes bug, brown curls that were always too frizzy, and drab clothes that hung off his skinny frame?

With a sigh, Max pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose and returned to his cart. Luckily, shelving afforded him the opportunity to fantasize as his body moved on autopilot. He picked up where he left off, dreaming of carding his fingers through Hot Dad’s Mohawk, of counting each piercing along his ears and lips, of tracing the tattoos and learning their meanings.

An ear-splitting squeal preceded a small projectile ramming into the back of Max’s legs, and he let out an ‘oof’ as he blinked down at Hot Dad’s daughter.

She put a finger over her mouth. “Shh! I’m hiding.” She dropped down to crawl behind his cart.

“You know, the library isn’t a playground,” Max started—his usual spiel to kids who ran around uncontrolled.

And then Hot Dad rounded the corner.

Max’s whole body flushed hot, then cold, then hot again.

SEEING THE STORY
by CM Peters

Talking in front of his students was one thing. Introducing himself to a bunch of strangers was another, even if they had something in common. Gabe Collins wiped his moist hands on his jeans; it was as if the rain falling outside came straight out of his fingers.

The book club was a new thing for him and the best way he’d thought of to meet new people. With a deep breath, he smiled to his nearest seat neighbor and lifted his head when he heard his name called out.

“Why don’t you tell us about yourself, Mr. Collins?” the club president, Mrs. Gray, asked with a smile on her lips.

He nodded, cleared his throat, and stood nervously. “Hi. I’m Gabriel Collins. Gabe. I’m… uh… I’m the new History teacher at Fairview High, and uh…”

“Good thing you’re not the dialect coach,” a female voice called out mockingly.

With a frown, Gabe scanned the small crowd to see a brunette, curly-haired woman with a lopsided smile on her face. “Excuse me?”

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself. For someone who speaks to kids all day, you sound nervous to talk to people your age.”

His shoulders slumped and Gabe let out a laugh, feeling all the tension in his shoulders evaporate. “Yeah, uh… It’s different when I’m not talking to kids.”

“Mr. Collins, this is a book club, not the United Nations. We just want to know who you are and what you’ll bring to the club.”

He nodded. “Right. So, I’m Gabe, I’m thirty-eight, I’m into fantasy, historical, and crime novels mostly. I write in my spare time, I read a lot, and I’m here to broaden my horizons.”

“There you go!” The woman let out a tinkling laugh, clutching the book on her lap.

Gabe wasn’t sure how to react to this woman heckling so he chose not to say a word. Instead, he sat back down and grabbed his notebook.

“Thank you, Mr. Collins,” the older woman said. “Welcome to Fairview’s Book Club. If you have suggestions for future books, we’ll be discussing that later, and we’ll get to this month’s book in a minute. For now, a welcome back is needed, although everyone has heard her.” She turned to the curly-haired woman. “Frankie, we’re so happy to see you here again.”

A low murmur rose in the small crowd, making Gabe frown again. He observed the young woman for a moment, seeing emotions on her face until she composed herself.

“I’m glad to hear you guys, too. I’m here for the company, I guess. I’m still learning,” she said, lifting the book on her lap.

From afar, Gabe finally understood. The book was in Braille and the woman, blind. Something came over him and he called out, “Maybe we could help?” he asked, standing.

A blush came over the woman’s skin and she turned her face toward him, tilting her chin. “Are you blind too?”

“Uh…”

“Come on, get it out. What did you mean?” she said with a sigh.

He gave his answer a longer thought, and a soft grunt later, Gabe said, “If you let us, we could take turns reading the books to you?”

Frankie’s face closed up. “Do I look ninety?” she asked through gritted teeth, quick as lightning.

“Well, no!” Gabe replied quickly. “Never mind, I just wanted to help.” All around him, he saw averted eyes, making him a bit disheartened by this first contact with the book club.

When he moved to Fairview, Maryland, a fresh start after the end of a relationship and five years teaching on the West Coast, he thought it would be easy to blend in a small town, meet nice people, and establish relationships. This was not how he’d expected things to go during a book club.

The older woman called for attention. “So, if we get back to our musings, a nice welcome back to Frankie. We’re all happy to have you with us again and that’s why you chose the book for us this month. An oldie but a goodie, you said?”

Frankie nodded. “One of my favorites, yes. It’s from a South American author and a short novel. But since I’ve read it before… you know… I can follow the discussion when it’s time.” She held the book in her lap while lifting another book from her bag after puttering in it. “In Spanish, it’s called ‘El Cartero de Neruda’.” The cover showed a man standing by a bicycle on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Gabe smiled inwardly. He’d read this book years ago in college from a Literature of the Americas class. The Postman had been a favorite of his from then on and he re-read it at least once a year, enough that he was on his second copy.



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The Shape of Stars Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

The Shape of Stars Unknown
Sybil Le Pyrmont
(The Aldarfall Saga, #1)
Publication date: October 15th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

World domination is the least of their problems.

A STRANDED DEMIGOD. Lau of the House of Feofar, troubled and headstrong, screwed up. Royally. Now he lives out his days in exile on Earth – the very planet he once tried to exterminate.

A RUDDERLESS MORTAL WOMAN. Silver Laing leads the ordinary life of a white-collar worker. Lonely and desperately in search of purpose and new horizons, she gets more than she bargained for when she is offered a mysterious job.

A CATACLYSMIC PLAN BILLIONS OF YEARS IN THE MAKING. When a deadly visitor from Lau’s shrouded past threatens to lay the world in ashes, Silver and Lau must form an unlikely alliance against ancient and far superior forces.

An alliance with the potential to shake the very foundation of the Universe.

Shimmering new worlds?
Sizzling tension?
Secrets as old as time?
Splashes of humour?

If your answer to all of the above is ‘Hell, yeah!’ then The Shape of Stars Unknown is your guy. This first book in Sybil Le Pyrmont’s new urban fantasy adventure series, The Aldarfall Saga, will take you from Germany to Tibet, from Japan to Iceland and all the way to the other end of the Universe.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

‘Who’s the employer sending you halfway around the world?’ he asked, resting his chin in his hand while they climbed steeply into the leaden skies.

She did not usually disclose her occupation – or her employer – to fellow passengers. It tended to result in exhaustive conversations about everything that had gone awry with their last fifty to three hundred flights. Then again, Julian Watkins did not convey the impression of having harassment on his mind, which was why she chose to stick to candour and gestured at her surroundings.

‘Voila.’

He lifted a brow. ‘United? What do you do for them?’

‘I’m in sales.’

‘I deduce from the slight hesitation that you aren’t entirely happy with your job.’

‘Who is?’ Silver countered. She was grateful to have the job in the first place, but that did not stop her from wondering whether she was cut out to endure another thirty-plus years of corporate treadmill – not that she had a choice, what with staggering debts to repay and a deplorable lack of billionaire husbands or relatives. ‘What do you do for a living?’

Julian Watkins dropped back into his seat and gave her a challenging glance. ‘Any guesses?’ Despite the humour in his voice, Silver could not help but feel that she was being tested. She had no idea what it took to pass the test; all she knew was that for some funky reason, she wanted to pass. Which was when she usually failed. Crossing her legs, she decided to simply say the first thing that sprang to mind.

‘Spy.’

She had expected him to smirk and ask whether she had watched The Night Manager one time too many – which she had – but he remained unperturbed. ‘Exhibits to support your allegation?’

‘The way you observe,’ she said after a moment of consideration. ‘Nothing seems to escape you. Let’s see … What colour shirt is the passenger in 1A wearing?’

‘A nauseating shade of orange,’ he offered without looking at the man in question.

‘What did the flight attendant do after she closed the door?’

‘She dropped her earring.’

With a triumphant beam, Silver gave a nod. ‘I stick to my guns. Spy.’

‘You seem to be rather perceptive yourself, Miss Laing.’ His expression became thoughtful. ‘And your guess isn’t completely off, although I’m not a spy in the classic sense of the word. Picture an organisation that appreciates a certain level of vigilance.’

‘Sounds cryptic. Industrial espionage?’

He chuckled. ‘Let’s call it complicated.’

Author Bio:

Sybil Le Pyrmont was born in Germany and was raised on the Canary Islands (that Gallic name is a pseudonym – her actual name has as much flair as a tax return). Although she now resides in Frankfurt, Germany, her heart has been beating for Tokyo ever since she spent a year in that city and discovered her epic love for all things Japan. That includes, to her acute embarrassment, the Shinagawa train station jingle she has installed as her ringtone. When Sybil isn’t writing, or dreaming of the anonymous donor who will some day gift her a house in Japan, she splits her time between her airline day job and long rants about the sunshine and the always-too-hot weather.

Sybil writes urban fantasy adventure to whisk her readers away to realms of imagination that have a distinct possibility of existing somewhere in the depths of the Universe.

Visit spyrmont.com for more on Sybil and her writing.

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Frosting Her Christmas Cookies Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

Frosting Her Christmas Cookies
Alina Jacobs
Publication date: November 17th 2020
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Holiday, Romance

Dear Santa, I do not want a Frost brother for Christmas.

In fact I do not want anything for Christmas—no annoying Christmas carols, no holiday family drama, and no last-minute presents.

And I certainly don’t want to be a bachelorette in The Great Christmas Bake-Off. Yes in the spirit of holiday commercialism, the bake-off is also a date-off and Jonathan Frost is the prize.

I should be hiding away with wine and snacks while waiting for Christmas to end. Instead I’m wearing a reindeer mascot costume and pretending I’m oh-so-excited to meet New York City’s most eligible billionaire bachelor!!! Just look at those blue eyes and six-foot-five tall frame!!! Don’t you want to take him home for the holidays?!?!!

Barf.

Unlike the other bachelorettes, I refused to debase myself and stroke some billionaire’s ego.

Instead, I threw a candy-cane dildo at his stupidly handsome face.

Then I laughed when he yelled at me.

Of course Jonathan couldn’t take the hint. He came around offering to put a little frosting on my Christmas cookies.

I attempted to shank him with a spatula.

He got offended and said that as a judge on The Great Christmas Bake-Off, he was just trying to help.

Sure

Not that I’m looking for holiday romance.

Christmas is already a stressful time of the year without adding a billionaire in the mix.

Between dodging bake-off sabotaging cousins, applying for a long-shot prestigious museum internship, and trying to survive being broke in Manhattan, I’m up to my black lipstick in my own special nightmare before Christmas.

And it’s making me wound tighter than a nutcracker.

So when Jonathan offers to put some frosting on my cookies—and a few other ornament shaped parts—his washboard abs and sexy smirk start to seem like the perfect stress relief.

Especially when he offers himself all wrapped up in a bow.

So no, dear Santa, I do not want Jonathan Frost, but I won’t say no to his Christmas package!

Frosting Her Christmas Cookies is a standalone holiday romantic comedy. If you love Christmas baking, hilarious holiday hijinks, and a big thick Christmas stocking, then pick up this full-length, steamy romance novel! There are no cliffhangers but there is a very merry (Christmas!) ever after!

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Drinking alone?”

I stiffened. “I need it after dealing with you,” I said to Jonathan.

“I can’t have you in here ruining the atmosphere,” he said, spinning the barstool around to have me face him. “You’re like roadkill that dragged herself in here.”

“Ah yes, because a billionaire with delusions of adequacy is someone whose opinion I care about,” I shot back.

“I am way more than adequate,” he said, striking a pose. The glow from the expensive fixtures highlighted the slight bruise on his perfect face.

I smirked slightly.

“Like something you see?” Jonathan asked.

“Just that dildo-shaped bruise on your face,” I replied, sipping my drink. “Your company has our first meeting all over its feed. Better than the basic images you have up there now. At least people can laugh at the spit flying out of your mouth when you ran into my candy cane instead of dying from boredom at those images you’re posting.”

“You’re just jealous,” Jonathan retorted, eyes narrowing as he leaned over me. “I have one of the best marketing firms in the city working on my social media push.”

“Guess you can’t buy good taste,” I said, draining my drink.

“Says the woman wearing a reindeer costume,” Jonathan shot back. He reached out and hooked two fingers right at the neckline of the costume, pulling me forward slightly. “At first I thought you were wearing it under duress, but you’re still parading around in it. Like you said, you can’t buy taste.”

“Oh my god! Don’t touch my sister, creep!”

Now Lilith shows up.

Our friend Emma was hovering behind her.

Jonathan jerked his hand back then looked between Lilith and me wildly.

“Holy shit. Of course you’re creepy identical twins.”

Lilith and I glared in unison—or tried to. Lilith was dressed in her standard gothic garb, while I was bedecked for Christmas.

Jonathan turned on his heel to leave then looked over his shoulder at me. “I’d tell you good luck on the competition, but after your little stunt, everyone is going to put you in last place.”

Author Bio:

If you like steamy romantic comedies with a creative streak, then I'm your girl!

Architect by day, writer by night, I love matcha green tea, chocolate, and books! So many books...

Sign up for my mailing list to get the free novella, AFTER HIS PEONIES, along with special bonus content, giveaways, and more!
http://alinajacobs.com/mailinglist.html

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Friday, November 27, 2020

The Prince’s Bride Book Blitz #Giveaway

 

The Prince’s Bride Part 2
J.J. McAvoy
(The Prince’s Bride #2)
Publication date: November 27th 2020
Genres: Adult, New Adult, Romance

Book 2 of The Prince’s Bride duet.

In book one, he was just a spoiled playboy prince whose family was in desperate need of money. Now everything has changed Odette Wyntor has a choice.
Stay or Run.
Royalty is not for the weak of heart.
Can they handle what is to come?

Goodreads / Amazon / iBooks / Kobo

EXCERPT:

“Is there wine?” he asked, stepping in farther.

And that was when the words came back to me. “We haven’t seen each other in months, and the first thing you ask me about is wine?” I couldn’t believe it.

“You’re right. That was rude,” he said gently, walking up to me.

“Being rude isn’t the point, Gale. How could you—”

“My first question should have been, how are you, Odette?” he whispered, placing his hand on my cheek, and it was like he had shocked me. Electricity flowed throughout my veins, and the hair on my arms stood up, so I had to step back away from his touch.

“What do you think you are doing?” I snapped.

“He dropped his hands, his gaze softening. “Can we save our argument for the morning? It has been a very long day, and I really need some sleep.”

“What?”

He didn’t answer me; instead, he took off his jacket and walked to the bedroom.

“What are you doing?” I rushed to stand in front of him. “If you want to sleep, go back to your palace!”

“My wife isn’t in the palace. She is here, and I can hardly let her spend her first night here alone, now can I?” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Like oh, of course, you shouldn’t look directly at the sun.

“So, there is the wine.” He snickered and walked around me again into the bedroom, tossing his coat onto the ottoman at the end of the bed, grabbing my unfinished glass to drink from it.

“Gale!”

“Hmm?” He looked at me, still drinking.

He—I—What was he doing right now? Breathe, Odette. Breathe. “Gale, you cannot just break into my bedroom, demand to sleep, and drink my wine like nothing has happened—like we don’t need to talk.”

Author Bio:

J.J. McAvoy was born in Montreal, Canada and graduated from Carleton University in 2016 with an honour's degree in Humanities. She is the oldest of three and has loved writing for years. She is inspired by everything from Shakespearean tragedies to current culture. Her novels hope to push boundaries and allow readers to look at the world from another perspective. Please feel free to stay in touch with her via Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and youtube, where she video blogs.

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Protecting Tova Book Blitz #Giveaway!

Protecting Tova
Havana Wilder
Publication date: December 4th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Escaping the tormenting demons of her past was all Tova wanted, but someone has other plans.

An Internally tormented girl
An Unexpected protector
One deadly hunt

Tova, sexually and physically abused as a child, lives in a territory protected by a thick forest and stone wall. She has no desire to leave, and not because of the savages and mutated beasts that roam beyond the walls…

On a quest to deliverance, her plan has always been to learn self-defense and to learn how to protect those who can’t protect themselves while overcoming the demons of her past.

Meanwhile, an unsuspecting heartthrob catches her attention. Not knowing the secrets that lay deep within, he anxiously wants to pursue her, but someone else has other plans for her.

In the midst of all the mayhem, does their relationship end before it can begin?

Protecting Tova is an exciting journey as Tova fights to forget her past in a dystopian world inundated by threats, mysteries, and treachery.

***This is an adrenaline rush novel with a mixture of fantasy and paranormal/supernatural. Perfect for fans of sarcastic heroines, protective males, and instant attraction.***

Goodreads / Amazon


Author Bio:

Havana has always had a vivid imagination and is an avid dreamer. As a child, she used to have a goal of making her mom laugh as much as she could by coming up with some very outlandish stories. As she grew up she discovered her love of fantasy romances and dreamt about becoming an author herself. So, she decided to put her dreams into reality by becoming an author herself.
Be sure to follow her on Instagram and Facebook for updates at Havana Wilder.

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Tic-Tac Mistletoe Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

Tic Tac Mistletoe
N.R. Walker
Publication date: November 27th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, LGBTQ+, Romance

Hamish Kenneally is moving from Australia to the US for a fresh start, starting with Christmas at his sister’s place in Idaho. When a snowstorm diverts his plane to Montana and leaves him stranded two days before Christmas, he hires a car and drives right into a blizzard.

Ren Brooks has always called Hartbridge, Montana, and his family hardware store, home. After a few failed attempts at love, he’s resigned to being single forever—after all, no guy wants to stay in his sleepy little town for long. And after his dad’s passing earlier in the year, Ren’s Christmas is looking bleak. But when a car runs off the road in front of his property, Ren pulls the driver out and takes him home to get out of the cold.

With the storm and the holidays leaving Hamish with nowhere else to go, Ren kindly offers a place to stay. Hamish is certain he’s crashed right into a Hallmark Christmas movie, despite more car delays and road closures and the prospect of not seeing his sister for Christmas. And with help from Hamish, Ren is beginning to feel a little Christmas cheer.

These two unlikely strangers have more in common than they first realise, and after two days of Christmas decorations, cookies, and non-stop conversation, it looks like Christmas might be saved after all.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Hamish’s POV

A totally catastrophic, unmitigated disaster.

What is a totally catastrophic, unmitigated disaster, you might ask?

Let me break it down for you real quick.

My life, my relationship, my job, my plans, my future, and this whole damn trip.

So, basically me.

Me.

I am the totally catastrophic unmitigated disaster.

Hamish Kenneally, thirty-one-year-old Australian, who quit his shitty job and sold his shitty apartment and left behind his shitty life in Sydney, packed his said-shitty life into two suitcases, and boarded a plane to spend Christmas with his sister in God-knows-where, Idaho, USA.

Well, Christmas first. Then two years, at least, in America trying to unshitify his life.

And if the trip to said God-knows-where, Idaho, was any indication of just how spectacularly extra-shitified my life was going to get, I should have turned around and stayed right where I was.

Because if the flight from Sydney to LA was bad, which it was, then the second flight, LA to Spokane, made the first flight look like a joy ride.

Because I didn’t get to Spokane, did I?

Oh no, of course I didn’t.

Because you see, Christmastime in America is in winter. Which is weird enough for this Australian. Christmas should be hot summer days at the beach, seafood and salads, beers and watching the bronzed surfers and drunk foreigners at Bondi. That is what Christmas should be.

None of this “sorry folks; to avoid flying into a massive snow blizzard, we’re being diverted to Missoula, Montana” crap the captain of the plane said when we were halfway there. Like the screaming baby in the seat next to me, or the vomiting lady in the row in front of me weren’t bad enough. Like we had any choice about which direction we were flying into.

I had no choice. I was now going to Montana. In a freaking blizzard, of all things. Ever been on a plane that flew into a snowstorm? There is zero joy in that kind of turbulence, believe me. It would also explain the screaming baby and the vomiting woman. And the man behind me saying Hail Mary’s . . . which you’d think might be comforting. But oh boy, is it ever not. Especially when he yelled the prayer every time we hit a particularly large pothole in the sky on the descent. Honestly, if this flight was a scene in a movie, you’d think it was too ridiculous to be real.

After the plane landed—to which I would have clapped and cheered like everyone else if I wasn’t stuck in the brace position after trying to kiss my own arse goodbye—we were kicked off the plane without so much as a good luck in the wrong bloody state.

So there I was, a clueless Aussie, after flying for twenty hellish-hours and now a few hundred kilometres from where I was supposed to be, trying to wrangle two overweight suitcases down the concourse, when one little wheel on my suitcase broke.

Because of course it did.

Frazzled and trying not to cry— Yes, cry. A thirty-one-year-old man can cry; shove your toxic masculinity in your cakehole and stop judging me. I was having a jetlag-fuelled shitastic day meltdown, trying to keep my shit together the best I could, and clearly not doing it very well. I was allowed a little saltwater leakage.

Anyway, getting back to my story. I tried to call my sister.

No signal.

Because of course there’s not.

So, taking a deep breath and willing myself not to spiral, I found my car rental kiosk. Finally, something is going right. “I have a car booked,” I said, trying to keep my now-broken suitcase upright with my foot while rifling through my backpack for my booking confirmation and driver’s licence. After dropping my passport and half the contents from my backpack all over the floor, then scrambling to collect it all while still trying to keep my suitcase upright, I handed everything over with a flourish of triumph. “Oh, that flight was the worst,” I said, sagging onto the counter. I was about to tell her all about my day from the ninth circle of hell when she looked up at me with that look.

You know the one.

The look of superficial appeasement before they cut you off at the knees. “I’m sorry, sir. But I don’t have a reservation under your name.”

I stared at her. My brain short-circuited and the will to live left my body. It was an actual out-of-body experience, I’m sure of it. I could see myself staring at her, mouth gaping like I’d been lobotomised.

Because of course they didn’t have my booking.

Why would they? My rental car was waiting for me in Spokane. In Washington. Not in freaking Montana.

“Oh,” I whispered, and my left eye twitched. “That’s nice.” I looked around the airport, at the line of annoyed people behind me. “Excellent. I’ve seen that movie where Tom Hanks lives in an airport. It wasn’t so bad. Could be worse. Could’ve been the one where he’s stuck on the island, I guess. Though I didn’t pack a volleyball, so that would’ve sucked.”

She blinked and tap-tap-tapped away at her keyboard. “But sir, we’ve had a lot of cancelled flights today because of the weather. I can arrange a vehicle for you, if you’d like?”

Oh, my sweet baby Jesus in a manger, why didn’t she lead with that?

Author Bio:

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

The Flame Game Book Blitz #Giveaway

 

The Flame Game
R.J. Blain
(Magical Romantic Comedies, #12)
Publication date: November 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Bailey and Quinn are back for one last action-filled adventure!

A corrupt police chief is on the loose, and it falls to Bailey and Quinn to put an end to him before he finds some way to weaponize the spreading rabies virus, create yet another batch of potent gorgon dust, and otherwise wreck Bailey’s happily ever after.

With a pair of orphaned gorgon whelps to care for, more animals she can shake a stick at, and her husband’s determination to make the world a perfect place for her, Bailey has her hands full. To protect everyone she loves, she must embrace her dubious role as the Calamity Queen and rain hell down on those who stand in her way.

The Flame Game is on.

Warning: this novel contains two fire-breathing unicorns on a napalm bender, action, adventure, chaos, mayhem, humor, and bodies. Proceed with caution.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

EXCERPT:

The father I hadn’t met until this morning walked me down the aisle, but Quinn’s hands holding mine kept me from running in terror at so many people witnessing me marrying someone like him. I questioned everything about my odd life. Me, the Calamity Queen, marry him? It took a few moments to remember I’d already married him once. I’d asked that same question then, too. He’d laughed, and then he’d goaded me until I’d done what he wanted, which involved me marrying him.

Crazy man.

There’d been a bunch of witnesses to that courthouse madness, too, and I’d survived through it mostly unscathed. Most of the witnesses to our first wedding had been too busy brawling with each other to pay any attention to me signing the papers that gave Samuel Leviticus Quinn certain rights to me, but that didn’t matter.

Reminding myself his signature on the same papers meant I got rights to him did a good job of steadying my rattled nerves.

No matter how many times I failed to tell him properly, I loved him.

To endure so many people staring at me, all I needed to do was remember a few key things. After the vows came the food, after the food came a show of gorgons petrifying each other during a brawl, and after the brawling came the pampering in our suite, which would be devoid of children for at least twenty-four hours, courtesy of an assortment of parents and grandparents.

I needed a lot longer than twenty-four hours to come to terms with having two pairs of parents.

One set hated me.

The other, who I’d learned about just yesterday, loved me.

I needed a lot longer than twenty-four hours to adjust to my life’s new circumstances.

First, I needed to survive through my second wedding. Tomorrow, I would resume my quest to be the best mother possible for our pair of orphaned gorgon children, who would spend the rest of the day and most of tomorrow socializing with the other gorgons in attendance, most of whom were related to my husband in one way or another.

Staring at Quinn and refusing to acknowledge anyone else in the Venetian’s canals would help with that, at least until we made it to the food portion of our wedding day. Once the food came around, I didn’t care who watched me devour steak, steak, and even more steak.

The fire-breathing, meat-eating unicorn in me loved steak almost as much as I loved the man who’d turned my life upside down on me.

My husband made no effort to hide his amusement, and he squeezed my hands while we both ignored the minister, who did a pretty damned good job of impersonating Elvis while reading the scripted sermon. He went on and on about the responsibilities of married couples, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers, along with the death-do-we-part stuff I doubted applied to us at all thanks to our mishmash of crazy relatives, most of whom were in attendance.

A few too many gods and goddesses for my comfort joined almost every damned cop in our precinct to witness us confess our love to each other. Or, at a minimum, blurt ‘I do’ in some horrifically embarrassing fashion.

I had trouble with the basics, and nothing had changed since I’d married my gorgon-incubus doohickey the first time.

“You can look somewhere other than me if you want,” Quinn whispered, leaning closer to me.

I debated stealing a kiss before the official kissing portion of the ceremony, although the dumb veil kept getting in my way. Quinn had already shunted the damned thing back, but it kept falling wherever it wanted, to the point I wanted to light it on fire.

Nobody had warned me how much of a pain in the ass wedding dresses could be. And the heels? The heels might do me in. What had I done to deserve the damned heels, especially with the asshole pair of parents uninvited from the ceremony? While inserting my heels into their asses would have made my day, having a pair of parents who actually wanted me trumped my petty desire for revenge.

Huh. Somehow, I’d grown up since meeting Quinn, although only a little.

I forced my attention back on my husband. “If I look anywhere other than at you, I will see them staring at me. You’re prettier than they are, and I absolutely refuse to be ashamed of this.”

A few months ago, I would have gone and cried in the bathroom had I said that where anyone might hear me.

The Elvis impersonator grinned. “He really is prettier than everyone else here. You’re a very lucky woman.”

Oops. I shrugged, but I also smiled. “It’s true. I can’t help it. He’s in a suit. He can’t wear dress uniforms at home. I get ideas. I am enjoying this while it lasts. Someone is going to take a picture of him in his suit, and I will end up being bribed for copies of the pictures. I’ll have to ration the pictures out. I make him late for work if he wears anything other than his normal uniform. He has to change at work.”

Well, maybe I couldn’t keep my blabbering mouth under control, but I could make people laugh. The entire audience had a field day with my runaway commentary, but beyond blushing over my nervous tendencies, I resisted the urge to dash for the door. If I bolted, Quinn would catch me, drag me back, and laugh about it for the rest of eternity.

It amazed me how much could change in such a short period of time. Six months ago, I’d been bitter, alone, tired, and hungry more often than not. I no longer worried about what I’d eat; if I skipped a meal, Quinn chased me down and hovered until I did what he wanted, which involved eating whatever offering he had brought for me.

Greasy fries and burgers showed up almost as often as healthier fare. He even tolerated me trying to shove fries down his throat, as he deserved to enjoy greasy goodness, too.

I had issues.

I had a lot fewer issues than six months ago.

I deserved a gold star and an entire bucket of napalm for how much progress I’d made.

Quinn chuckled, which captured my attention, and he stole a gentle kiss. “Don’t worry. I’m going to have as much trouble as you when I get you into a dress uniform.”

I loved my gorgon-incubus doohickey. “Serves you right, you freak.” Aw, damn it. There I went, calling my husband a freak on our second wedding day. “I’m blaming the absurd number of cops in this building for my inability to behave like a normal adult.”

The cops snickered, which helped mitigate most of my urge to run away and hide from my ability to thoroughly embarrass myself. Then again, if I did run away and hide, Quinn would cheat and use his body to lure me to our room. Running so he’d chase me tempted me, but I stood my ground for a rare change.

Sometime within a few hours, he would lure me to our room, and I would be rewarded for handling our second wedding with a little more grace than our first. Mostly. Maybe with less grace but properly dressed. I could work with properly dressed for our second wedding.

Author Bio:

RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied.

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Ruin song Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

Ruinsong
Julia Ember
Published by: Farrar Straus and Giroux
Publication date: November 24th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult

In Julia Ember’s dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy Ruinsong, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country, as they wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Her voice was her prison…
Now it’s her weapon.

In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence must choose between the two. For years, she has been forced to torture her country’s disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen’s bidding.

But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself.

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EXCERPT:

Cadence

I allow Lacerde to dress me without turning to examine myself in the mirror. I don’t want to see how I look, how they’ve fashioned me. In my mind, I already see stains of blood on the muslin fabric of my skirt, dotting the white leather of my gloves. Lacerde adjusts my skirt and smooths my hair. Then, with a grunt, she bends down and buffs my new shoes to a gleam.

She opens the door for me so I don’t get my gloves dirty and leads me down the dark corridor. My dressing room is the only one in use. All the others are boarded up, so that no one will use them to hide.

I imagine what the Opera Hall must have been like years ago, when so many singers performed here together for more willing audiences. The corridors would have been filled with the sounds of laughter, rustling taffeta costumes, and a chorus of warm-up scales. Above, the audience would be straining to get inside the house, clinking glasses together at the theatre bar, speculating on the wonders to come.

If I strain my ear, I can still hear the echo of their merriment in the walls, obscured by the more recent cacophony of despair and pain. The smell of thousands of spellsongs, layered atop one another for centuries, lingers in the musty air. It’s been eight years since this place functioned as a real theatre, but the Opera Hall remembers.

We climb the stairs up onto the stage. Elene and Lord Durand, her newly elevated pet footman, stand together on the edge, shouting instructions down to the conductor in the orchestra pit.

Elene glances up and nods to Lacerde, who positions me at center stage without releasing me. It’s as if they think I will run, even though there is no where to go.

No one has dimmed the gas lamps that line the theatre’s aisles yet, so I have a full view. The theatre is much grander than our replica at the academy. The ceiling bears a centuries-old mural of Adela gifting the first mage with magic. The singer kneels beside the sacred pool, and the goddess rises from the water, her mouth open with song and her arms spread wide. Musical notes surround them, each flecked with real gold leaf.

Portraits of the three other goddesses border the mural. Odetta, the goddess of spring and renewal, wearing a silver mask that covers her eyes and cheeks, and holding a sparrow’s skeleton in her cupped hands. Karina, goddess of justice and winter, thin and draped in a linen sheath, with her arms wide. Marena, the autumn goddess of war, chin lifted proudly, staring down with her hypnotic purple eyes, bejeweled with human teeth.

Beneath, row upon row of tightly packed red velvet seats stretch back to the imposing black doors at the rear of the theatre. They’re made from mageglass, a material designed by the elementals: sand spun, dyed and hardened so that not even diamond bullets could shatter it. Hundreds of people will fill the house tonight. Dame Ava, the queen’s former principal, told me that sometimes there are so many that folk have to stand along the walls.

My knees start to shake at the sight. My mouth goes dry.

All these seats. All these people. My unshed tears blur the rows of red seats together, like a smear of blood.

Author Bio:

Julia Ember is the author of The Seafarer's Kiss duology, a Norse myth inspired retelling of The Little Mermaid, published by Interlude Press (Duet Books), and Ruinsong, a standalone high fantasy reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, forthcoming from Macmillan Kids (FSG) in November 2020. She lives with her wife and two fluffy cats in the Pacific Northwest.

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Christmasly Obedient Book Blitz #Giveaway!

 

Christmasly Obedient
Julia Kent
Publication date: November 24th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Tree picking in glorious, downeast Maine. Snow. Santa. Roaring fires, people you love, and a good life. What more could a guy want?

Or, rather, two guys?

Mike and Jeremy have a quiet life with Lydia, on her parents’ family campground in Verily, Maine. It’s a little boring, sure, but after the craziness of their old lives, what’s wrong with boring?

Besides, Jeremy and Mike find Lydia anything but.

As Christmas looms, and an unexpected oops leaves them all in a state of uncertainty, they have to ask themselves: is it time to let life be a little less boring?

And what’s inside that slim box Lydia’s giving them both on Christmas morning?

Christmasly Obedient is a new holiday book in Julia Kent’s USA Today bestselling Obedient series.

The Obedient Series includes:

Maliciously Obedient
Suspiciously Obedient
Deliciously Obedient

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EXCERPT:

Jeremy pulled off his coat and slid his arms around Lydia, burying his nose in her neck. The strange sense of being perched on the edge of the world, obscured in white and disconnected from everything abated with each breath, the tick-tock of the mantel clock tracking a different kind of time.

“You’re wet!” Lydia squealed. “And stubbly!”

He didn’t stop. Her squirming turned to a tense freeze, then a slow melt in his arms. She stayed in place, he knew, because she sensed his need.

That was love. Real love.

Mike walked into Jeremy’s line of vision, carrying two open beers, one ready to hand to Jeremy. Ice-blue eyes met his, powerful and knowing. Something deeper than relief took over Jeremy’s cells as he stood there, Lydia touching him, Mike in the same frame, too.

His people. He had his people. That’s all he really needed.

“Hey,” Lydia said softly in his ear. “What’s wrong?”

Jeremy shook his head and just inhaled deeply. The change of plans was welcome. Christmas had come early to the small campground in Maine. He cradled Lydia’s face in his hands and kissed her, the taste of her tongue a tether, holding him in place, keep-ing him from tipping over the edge and into the pale, snowy abyss.

As the kiss deepened, he felt Mike’s hand on his shoulder, heard the cackle of Madge’s ribald comment, smelled the heady scent of burning wood.

And he was home.

Really home.

Author Bio:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge. From billionaires to BBWs to new adult rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every contemporary romance she writes. Unlike Shannon from Shopping for a Billionaire, she did not meet her husband after dropping her phone in a men's room toilet (and he isn't a billionaire). She lives in New England with her husband and three sons in a household where the toilet seat is never, ever, down.

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Monday, November 23, 2020

So Sweet The Bite Cover Reveal

 

So Sweet the Bite
Alexi Blake and May Sage
Publication date: October 31st 2021
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

A ruthless prince.

The second-born heir of Aevar, Alessandre is the sword of the realm, bound to protect the crown from all enemies. With spies sneaking from the southern and eastern kingdoms, demons swarming from the darklands, and traitors scheming at every corner, he’s grown hard as stone and unbending as steel.

Until she came, muddling his black-and-white world.

A jaded witch.

The last black witch in a time when dark magic is forbidden under penalty of death, Valina has learned to embrace shades of gray to survive.

She’s retreated to the darklands for a hundred years, but a shadow from her past disrupts her refuge. She has to once again intertwine with the royal court and all its machinations. Poison, lies, and secrets threaten the rule of the new queen.

An unlikely alliance.

Valina’s very existence goes against the laws Alessandre enforces. She was hunted by men like him for decades. They can’t help being at each other’s throats.

With an old enemy rising, ready to strike, Alessandre and Valina have to attempt to call a temporary truce in order to defend their worlds.

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Author Bio:

May (aka Alexi Blake) is a USA Today Bestselling Author who recently moved to The Hague, in the Netherlands. She writes many sub-genres of romance; mainly fantasy, paranormal and contemporary. You're signing up for strong, sassy, kick-ass women and swoon-worthy alpha protagonists. Enjoy the ride!

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Evil Queen Book Blitz #Giveaway!

Evil Queen
Rebel Hart
(The Royal Court, #2)
Publication date: November 20th 2020
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance

I thought The Royal Court was everything I needed, but now it’s shattered and I’m lost.

My mother is dead, my brother is missing, and my father is on the run.
I don’t recognize the monster my ex has become and my friends all blame me for what I did.

The only thing I still have is Nikita.

Our circumstances finally stood aside so I could tell her how I feel.
But I betrayed her when I did the one thing she can’t forgive.
Our souls drag us together no matter how hard she tries to force us apart.
I’ve had to shed my arrogant ways and practice humility to try and earn her forgiveness.

Will I be able to drag my friends and family back from the gates of hell, or am I going to lose everything, including the one person I love the most?

Goodreads / Purchase Book 1 / Purchase Book 2


Author Bio:

Rebel Hart is an author of Dark and Contemporary Romance novels. Her debut series is a #1 Amazon Bestseller called Diamond In The Rough. It's a High School Bully Romance with four books and a novella. Book one is Play With Me.

Text REBEL to 77948 to don't miss any of her books (US only) or sign up at the bottom of the page to get an email alert when her next book is out.

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Night Watch Book Blitz #Giveaway

 

Night Watch
Annie Anderson
(Soul Reader, #1)
Publication date: November 17th 2020
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Waking up at the foot of your own grave is no picnic… especially when you can’t remember how you got there.

Cursed with powers she can’t name, Sloane Cabot has vowed to catch the Rogue who turned her into a monster and killed her family. Too bad a broodingly hot mage is bound to keep her on the straight and narrow.

Whether she likes it or not…

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

“Thomas warned me about this, you know,” Bastian began, his voice pitched low, his booted feet striding close but not piercing my bubble.

I kept my gaze latched onto his feet and refused to look up. If I caught sight of his neck, of his blood pulsing in that lovely vein, I’d lose it. I wasn’t hungry yet and I wanted to keep it that way.

I cleared my throat, an action that took far too much effort and hurt for some reason. My throat was dry. Why was it so dry? “Warned you about what?”

“He said that, in time, I would want to be bitten. That the thought of you hungry or in pain would make me want to serve myself up so you didn’t suffer. That it was dangerous and blissful and would likely cause you to leave us.”

His feet moved closer, piercing my bubble. The heat of him washed over me, even though he was a few feet away.

I shook my head, which I instantly regretted because blood loss was a thing and I was losing a lot of it, the healing process taking far too long. Booth must have hit an artery.

“I don’t want to be tied to anyone. I don’t want a home. I don’t want friends.” It was a lie—a whole mountain of lies—but it was the truth, too. I didn’t want a tie to someone who was going to leave me. I didn’t want a home if I was going to lose it. I didn’t want friends that would die on me.

“Too bad.”

Author Bio:

Annie Anderson is a military wife and United States Air Force veteran. Originally from Dallas, Texas, she is a southern girl at heart, but has lived all over the US and abroad. As soon as the military stops moving her family around, she'll settle on a state, but for now she enjoys being a nomad with her husband, two daughters, an old man of a dog, and a young pup that makes life... interesting.

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RELEASE BLITZ - Custom Built

 




Title: Custom Built
Series: Fast & Fury #1
Author: Chantal Fernando
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 23, 2020


BLURB

New York Times bestselling author Chantal Fernando brings you Fast & Fury: A sexy new series fully loaded with intense emotions and edge-of-your-seat suspense.

After losing her job, saying goodbye to a lifelong dream and having an all-around cruddy year, Bronte Pierce needs a break. A job at Fast & Fury might be just the thing to reset her life, even though she knows nothing about custom motorcycles. But taking a job isn’t the same as keeping it, and her fresh start quickly turns into a fresh nightmare.

Starting with her boss. Crow is hardheaded, stubborn and brutally honest. He may be easy on the eyes, but he runs with an MC and he’s anything but friendly to Bronte. She suspects he has a softer side—just not for her.

Her whole life, Bronte has known that the only person she can truly count on to save the day is herself. But when a single murder turns into a conspiracy and the threat to her life is more than she can handle alone, it’s Crow who comes through—and her newfound family might just become her greatest strength.







PURCHASE LINKS

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






AUTHOR BIO

New York Times, Amazon & USA Today Bestselling Author Chantal Fernando is thirty-one years old and lives in Western Australia.

Lover of all things romance, Chantal is the author of the best-selling books Dragon's Lair, Maybe This Time and many more.

When not reading, writing or daydreaming she can be found enjoying life with her three sons and family.

Chantal loves to hear from readers.


AUTHOR LINKS