Brake Failure by Alison Brodie @alisonbrodie2 @StarAnge13


 Title: Brake Failure
By: Alison Brodie
Publication Date: January 9, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Brake Failure is a contemporary romance with a kick-ass heroine. The story is set in one of the most fascinating periods of America’s history: the months leading up to Y2K “melt-down.”

“Is it too late to tell him you love him when you’re looking down the barrel of his gun?”

Ruby Mortimer-Smyth is an English debutante, destined for Lady’s Day at Ascot and taking tea at The Savoy. She knows the etiquette for every occasion and her soufflés NEVER collapse.

She is in control of her life, tightly in control. Until fate dumps her down in … Kansas.

Ruby believes that life is like a car; common-sense keeps it on the road, passion sends it into a ditch. What she doesn’t know is, she’s on a collision course with Sheriff Hank Gephart.

Sheriff Hank Gephart can judge a person. Miss Mortimer-Smyth might act like the Duchess of England but just under the surface there’s something bubbling, ready to explode. She’s reckless, and she’s heading for brake failure. And he’s not thinking about her car.

With the Millennium approaching, Ruby gets caught up in the Y2K hysteria. She joins a group of Survivalists, who give her a gun and advise her to stockpile basic essentials, such as gasoline and water-purifying tablets. So she bulk-buys Perrier, Gentleman’s Relish and macaroons.

Ruby, far from home, is making Unsuitable Friends and “finding herself” for the first time. She falls in with a gang of Hells Angels and falls foul of the law. At every turn, she comes up hard against Sheriff Hank Gephart, whose blue eyes seem to look deep into her soul. She desperately wants him but knows she can never have him.
She’s angry at the emotions he arouses in her. Pushed to her limit, she bursts from her emotional straightjacket.

As the clock strikes midnight of the new Millennium, she’s on a freight train with three million dollars, a bottle of Wild Turkey and a smoking gun.

What happened to Miss Prim-and-Proper? And why did she shoot Mr Right?
______
Note: Alison Brodie wrote this story from first-hand experience. She lived in Kansas during this time and was stunned by the hysteria, unnerved that the US government was spending $150 billion preparing for Armageddon. As Lionel Shriver says in “We have to Talk About Kevin”: ‘1999, a year widely mooted beforehand as the end of the world.’

What Others Are Saying

5 * “OMG…I freakin’ LOVED this book…going on the list of one of my favorites of 2016.” –Star Angels Reviews

5* “Everyone needs to read this book. It’s blooming brilliant.” –The Reading Shed

5* “Hilarious.” –Lauren Sapala, Book Reviewer and Writers’ Coach.

5* “A laugh-out-tale that will keep you flipping the pages as fast as possible.” –Tome Tender

5* “Empowering…comical…refreshing.” –San Francisco Book Review

Pre Order Your Copy NOW!

Amazon US – http://amzn.to/1RsAsnm
Amazon UK – http://goo.gl/58v0r5
Amazon CA – https://goo.gl/duU52G

That afternoon, Ruby parked outside Shady Acres. She couldn’t wait for Gephart to ask her out on a date. Then she could tell him she was married. Ha!
He sat in reception. In full uniform. Why couldn’t he have changed into civilian clothes? Now he would make her look like an offender. Or was that his intention? Just because she’d put a few scratches in his police car.
‘Hi, Ruby.’ He stood up, crushing a plastic cup in one hand and tossing it in the bin.
She stared pointedly down at his belt. ‘Are you going to put me in handcuffs?’ she asked sarcastically.
He winked. ‘Not if you’re good.’
Ruby blushed. Why was it that every time she gazed into his eyes, she felt as if a hand was pressing down on her chest? She was only thankful that once she started reading to the old lady, Hank Gephart would go.
The receptionist was busy dealing with two elderly gentlemen, so Ruby and Hank had to wait to sign-in. Ruby felt strangely jittery in the big man’s presence. She only wished he wouldn’t stand so close. She inched further along the reception counter and, wanting to hide her nervousness, started squaring up the brochures into neat piles.
He came closer. ‘Ruby, I don’t like you mixing with Hells Angels.’
She felt his warm breath on her cheek. ‘Is there a law against that?’ Refusing to look at him, she picked up a brochure and found herself reading about incontinence.
‘No, but-’
‘Then, presumably, I have the freedom to choose with whom I associate?’
‘Yeah, but I’m warning you-’
Warning you. Angrily, she grabbed up another brochure and flicked through it at speed, false teeth and hearing-aids flashing by. ‘Why do you have to be so aggressive? Why can’t you say, “may I suggest?”’
‘Okay.’ He rested his arm along the counter and leant towards her. His eyes were blue, very blue. ‘May I suggest you keep away from them?’
‘No, you may-!’ She stopped abruptly. A matronly nurse was hovering beside them.
‘Well, Hank,’ the nurse said gaily. ‘Is this your lady friend you’ve been telling us about?’
Hank beamed down at Ruby with proprietary pride. ‘It sure is.’
‘I’m not his lady friend,’ Ruby mumbled.
‘Nice to meet you, Ruby,’ the nurse said. ‘I’m Amy.’ She beckoned with a finger as if tempting two small well-behaved children to an exciting treat. ‘If you want to come along, Mrs Amstruther is waiting.’
As they walked along the corridor, Ruby noticed two pretty nurses break off from their conversation to study her. She sensed that Hank had been gossiping about her. She caught up with Amy, determined to quash whatever rumours were flying around. ‘I am not at all familiar with Geph- I mean, Hank.’
The nurse stopped at a door and knocked. ‘I love your accent.’
Ruby persisted. ‘I have merely bumped into him on various occasions.’
‘We know.’ The nurse winked and opened the door. ‘You two go on in.’
As Ruby spluttered indignantly, Hank took her by the elbow. ‘Mrs Amstruther?’ he called. ‘I’ve brought my friend to meet you.’
‘Come in, come in,’ a quavery voice replied.
Ruby stepped across the threshold and froze.
Mrs Amstruther was blind.
The old lady was sat up in bed, dressed in a faded, flower-print bed-jacket, her eyes wrapped in bandages; her skin appeared almost translucent, the pink skull showing beneath a mop of dazzling white hair. She smiled sweetly, reaching out a tentative hand.
Ruby felt a pang. Mrs Amstruther shouldn’t be here; she should be in a cottage-garden in Devon with a wicker table laden with a cream tea and a vase of freshly cut delphiniums; and surrounded by her grandchildren.
‘Dear Hank,’ Mrs Amstruther murmured. Ruby stepped forward, and put her hand in the old woman’s. ‘Hello, I’m Ruby.’
‘Oh, how lovely to hear an English voice! You’re so kind, Ruby; volunteering to read to a boring old lady like me.’
‘It’s my pleasure.’
‘Hank didn’t bully you, I hope?’ Mrs Amstruther said in mock gravity.
With an ache of sadness, Ruby gazed down at the old woman so far from home – a home she would never again see. Ruby realised the childish bickering between her and Gephart was pathetic. The discord she had brought into the room, evaporated. ‘I didn’t need to be bullied. I was delighted with Hank for asking me.’
‘Do take a seat, Ruby, dear,’ the old woman said.
Ruby pulled an armchair closer to the bed. The room was sunny, the walls covered in framed photographs of children at the seaside. Beyond the window, at the far perimeter of a vast lawn, a freight train rumbled passed, the melancholic blast of its horn fading into the distance. Gephart, too, was watching it.
Mrs Armstruther’s hand was searching the rumpled bedding. ‘Ruby, could you possibly read a few pages of Wind in the Willows? My son loved it when he was little.’ She brought out a book from under the covers. ‘It’s so annoying not being able to see. Thankfully the bandages come off at the end of the month.’
‘So it’s not …?’
‘What, dear?’
‘Permanent?’ Ruby asked, taking the book.
‘Oh, no, it’s just cataracts; the curse of old age.’
Ruby, discovering the old woman would recover her sight, felt a lightness of spirit; felt she could embrace all her fellow beings – including Hank. He was standing, studying the photos on the wall. Catching his eye, she smiled at him, tilting her head towards the door, a silent message that he could leave.
He wrinkled his brow, evidently unable to gauge her meaning.
She tried again, running her fingers through the air towards the door.
He gave her a stupid look.
‘Are you going?’ she mouthed silently.
He nodded to signify that he understood. Then he shook his head, walked over to the armchair by the window, sat down and rested his hands squarely on his knees.
He was obviously staying.
‘Have you ever read Wind in the Willows, Ruby?’ Mrs Amstruther asked.
‘Yes, years ago.’
The old lady laughed. ‘Mole is delightful, isn’t he? Who is your favourite character?’
‘Toad. I loved it when he dressed up as a woman to escape the police.’ Ruby instantly regretted the words. ‘Of course, I don’t identify with Toad,’ she added hastily, forcing herself not to look at Gephart. ‘I just think he’s a loveable rascal.’
‘Isn’t he just!’ Mrs Amstruther settled back to enjoy the story, and Ruby began:
‘“The Mole had been working hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home …”’
Why is P.C. Plod hanging about anyway? Surely he’s not interested in riverbank creatures.
‘“First with brooms, then with dusters; then on ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash till he had dust in his throat and eyes and splashes of white-wash all over his black fur, and an aching back and weary arms …”’
He’s staring at me; I know he is.
‘“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below …’”
This was too much! Ruby glared at him. ‘Haven’t you got a murder to solve?’
‘What?’ Mrs Amstruther jerked in confusion.
Ruby was appalled by her thoughtlessness. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs Amstruther, I was talking to Hank. You see, I don’t want to keep him from his work.’
He folded his arms across his chest and grinned. He was obviously taking delight in her embarrassment. ‘I’m off-duty,’ he said.
For the sake of the old lady, Ruby had to speak sweetly, but there was nothing stopping her from raking the man from head to foot with hostile eyes. ‘Do you always wear uniform when you’re off-duty?’
‘I do when I haven’t had time to get to my locker and change.’
She couldn’t bear to look at that smug face a second longer. She snatched up the book and continued to read. ‘“Spring was moving in the air above and in the earth below-’” She stopped in confusion, her cheeks a fiery red.
‘Oh, I’ve read that bit already.’
She could sense him laughing at her. And he was!
He stood up, his eyes dancing mischievously. ‘I’ve got a feeling Ruby can’t concentrate with me here. I’m flustering her pretty little head.’
Her relief that he was going was rapidly replaced by horror. That awful man was insinuating she fancied him! As he passed by, he bent and kissed her on the cheek. ‘I’ll be waiting for you in the lobby … Sweet Cheeks,’ he said softly, squeezing her shoulder.
Wide-eyed and apoplectic, she watched him walk to the door.
‘He’s such a lovely man,’ Mrs Amstruther said after he had gone.
Ruby couldn’t trust herself to speak.
‘The nurses say he’s very handsome. Is he?’
Ruby was still pinning the door with a look of fury. ‘O-h-h, you don’t want to know what I think.’
She picked up the book, her decision made.
She was no longer angry; in fact, she was rather jubilant. Like any institution, this building would have a goods delivery entrance. Well, Gephart, she thought complacently. You’re about to have a long wait because Sweet Cheeks, here, is going out the back.
Alison Brodie is a Scot, with French Huguenot ancestors on her mother’s side of the family.  Alison was a photographic model, modelling for a wide range of products, including Ducatti motorbikes and 7Up.  She was also the vampire in the Schweppes commercial. 

A disastrous modelling assignment in the Scottish Highlands gave Alison an idea for a story, which was to become Face to Face.  She wrote Face to Face as a hobby and then decided to send it off to see what would happen.  It was snapped up by Dinah Wiener, the first agent Alison sent it to.  Three weeks later, Alison signed a two-book deal with Hodder & Stoughton.  Subsequently, Face to Face was published in Germany and Holland.  It was widely reviewed, ie:  “Vain, but wildly funny leading lady.” -Scottish Daily Mail.  It was also chosen as Good Housekeeping’s “Pick of the Paperbacks.” 

Unfortunately, Alison then suffered from Second-Book Syndrome.  The publisher’s deadline loomed and she was terrified because she didn’t have an idea for a story!  She found the whole experience a nightmare; and this is why she cautions first-time authors to write more than one book before approaching an agent.  She managed to finish the book – Sweet Talk – but it bombed.

While writing Sweet Talk, she moved to Kansas and lived there for two years.  She loved the people, their friendliness, their free-and-easy way of life, the history and the BBQs!  Sadly, her visa ran out and she had to come back to the UK – although her dream is to one day live permanently in America.  Now, Alison lives in Biarritz, France.

Alison has taken the exhilarating steps to becoming an indie author.  Her second ebook, THE DOUBLE, is out on Amazon Kindle with some great reviews.  “Excellent.” –San Francisco Book Review.

Alison writes contemporary romance.  She aims for a strong plot line, set against the background of a world-changing event, coupled with touches of humour, sexual tension and character transformation.
She loves to hear from her readers.

Changing Lanes by Leaona Luxx @EJBookPromos @Leaona_Luxx


Title: Changing Lanes
Series: Highway 17 Series Book One
Author: Leaona Luxx
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 20, 2017
Photographer: Cassy Roop with Pink Ink Designs
Cover Designed by: TE Black Designs

Change. It’s change and how well you handle it which defines a person.

Three times in my life, I have been faced with such changes. Once when I was fourteen. Again, at eighteen. And now again at twenty-eight.

Twice, she was there.

Ten years ago, I gave up everything, including her. At the time, it was the right thing to do, for both our sakes. Walking away from her isn’t what I wanted, it’s what had to be done.

Now, she’s here. People like me don’t always get second chances, this happens to be mine. That’s if she’ll have me. If she’ll accept why I left and the fact, she’ll always be second.

You see, I have a secret. It could change everything when she learns the truth. She may be the one walking away this time.
We’re about to find out.

“Don’t you understand? I can’t love you.”Turning to her, tears fall from her eyes unrestrained.

“Of course, I understand. I see it every time she’s around. When you say her name. Hear her voice. I see it in your eyes when you think of her. But I can’t stop my heart from wanting what it wants. It wants you, Brannon. Always has. Always will.” With her fists to her side, she walks away and I let her.

Leaona, also known as Lea, lives with her husband, cat and two dogs near Myrtle Beach. She was born and raised in WV by her parents whom she adores before attending Marshall University. A small business owner and mother of three, she enjoys Carolina Panthers and Marshall University Football, reading, writing, gardening, crafts, NASCAR, TWD, hot rods, and surf fishing.

Leaona was inspired to write while she raised her family, never dreaming one day, she would be published. While loving all genres of books, Lea writes contemporary romance stories that are not your everyday love stories. Gritty and true to life, she draws from her life and loves to create her characters. 
Leaona’s debut novel will release June 7, 2016. Cherry Grove is the first in The Cove Series. She’s your everyday girl and lives to connect with her fans via social media. Leaona also doesn’t mind dishing about her favorite authors and their books. Beach, life, and love.


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The Finder’s Keepers Series by Tracey Clark @EJBookPromos @traceylclark11


Series: Finder’s Keepers
Titles: Shocking Finds & Southern Discoveries
Author: Tracey Clark
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
An act of rebellion, Marin doesn’t think that running into the new store in town will hurt anything. Her aunt will never know… right? One car wreck later, her aunt is hospitalized, Marin is forced to spend her twenty-first birthday fighting for her life, and magic – the very thing her aunt has always sworn to be for fools – is real. And so is the irresistible Fae dedicated to Marin’s protection.

 

Kyland has searched Earth-side and all the other realms, looking for a missing Fae child. A child his Queen prophesied would be able to one day save the Fae people from the Danshue, as the evil Fae threat tries to overwhelm the entire Supernatural Community. A child that would know nothing of her blocked gifts, or her Fae heritage waiting to be claimed. A child that has grown into a curvy, delicious morsel he would love to taste

Together Marin and Kyland will fight Fae assassins, overcome betrayals, and if they’re lucky … they will find the Danshue responsible for their plight. That’s if Marin doesn’t shock him to death with her erratic new gift, and her out of control emotions.
Title: Shocking Finds
Series: Finder’s Keepers Novel #1
Author: Tracey Clark
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy Romance
Release Date: Available Now $0.99
Marin needed answers. Like why had they been targeted? The parking lot hadn’t exactly been lacking for vehicular violence victim contenders. There had been a group of at least four women, standing by their cars, chatting. If there was a target more deserving of vehicular rage, it had definitely been that group of women. They had finished shopping, and courtesy demanded that their parking spots were to be relinquished as soon as possible. Why not them? 
The man—and Marin was only guessing that the driver was a man—had bypassed those without parking lot etiquette and zeroed in on Lindal. If she had continued her slow progress through the parking lot, would Marin be in this horrible room with its beeping monitors and bleached air instead of Lindal. 
Staring down at her aunt’s unmoving form, Marin tried to find a place to rest her hand. She needed to touch her. She needed to know that the only person willing to take her in, after the death of her mother, was really here and still alive.
“They will find him, Lindal. He won’t get away with this,” Marin made her vow as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Lindal’s recovery.
Glancing up to keep tears from falling from her eyes, Marin noticed something swinging off of Lindal’s oxygen line. “What the…” It looked like a Barbie doll with wings, perhaps six inches tall. The odd little creature wore a loin cloth and sported some overly obvious male attributes. Was it wrong to be checking out the abs of someone no larger than a child’s toy?
His arms tugged and his muscles bunched as he attempted to make a knot in Lindal’s oxygen line. His silver skin tone went beautifully with his tri-colored wings— a mix of light purple, maroon, and gold. The little man didn’t seem to realize that Marin was staring at him. 
“Stop,” Marin shouted. Dammit, this was a hospital. She needed to lower her voice. She also needed to go upstairs to the psych ward. Head trauma, shock, or hallucinations¼ something wasn’t right. If she told Lindal about this, her aunt would call her every kind of fool. 
Hallucination or not, she grabbed the little man by the wings, pulled him from Lindal’s oxygen line, and tried to speak more calmly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
She finally had her figment’s attention. A striking, though small, pair of lavender eyes glared at her through overly long sandy brown bangs. On closer inspection, she could see that his hair was actually multicolored. It seemed to go from crystal white sand to bronzed gold.
“Well, answer me. What do you think you’re doing?”
“Waiting for you, of course.”
“What are you?” She was losing it. The buzzing in her temples was increasing. And she was now speaking to a figment of her imagination. Yep, she needed to be medicated. 
The creature put its tiny fists on narrow hips. “A Sprite, of course. Don’t you know anything? I have my work cut out for me.” Now she was being insulted by her imagination. Great.
“Nope. Too Much,” Marin said and tossed the little man with wings out of the hospital window. She needed coffee. Either that or a large dose of Thorazine. Maybe both.
As far as Marin knew, Makayla thought of her as a waste of space, so why the invite to lunch? Curiosity killed the cat… Marin just hopes that this time curiosity doesn’t kill the Finder. Could Makayla be a Fae assassin hiding in bitchy-southern-bell clothing?

 

Makayla can’t believe that her life has been reduced to this… asking the flighty office girl for help. Could Marin really be capable of working the decades old Find that has plagued Makayla for most of her life? With her goal within reach, she will take a chance on Marin, avoiding all distractions. Especially the overwhelmingly delicious stranger begging for her attention.
Quaidin Lari wants to get in, finish his mission, and get out. Anything to get back to Out-realm and as far from Earth-side Kentucky as possible. His band of mercenaries – the Fianna – have one goal… to locate Marin, the highly sought after Fae Princess, and see to her protection. As the Incubus on the squad, he needs to focus on persuasion and manipulation.

 

The mission was a walk in the park… until her. Quaidin never saw Makayla coming. A woman with enough sexual allure to bring him to his knees…
Title: Southern Discoveries
Series: Finder’s Keepers Novel #2
Author: Tracey Clark
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Release Date: Available Now

Chapter One

The portal tossed Quaidin Lari in every direction imaginable. His head was spinning, his stomach about to evict all of its contents. Colors flew by in shades of burnt green and browns so dark they might as well have been considered black.
He could have handled the depressing color scheme and the runaway rollercoaster ride, but the shots of yellow and brightest white being flashed before his eyes was a different story. Quaidin hated rogue portals. The destabilized jump from one place, or realm, to another was bad enough, but watching the out of control magic show always got to him. His body spinning out of control, the lights flashed from the darkness of an underground hideaway, to surface of the sun bright…
Squeezing his eyes shut, Quaidin prayed to the Fae Goddess – Lac Mar – that the ride would soon end. If he threw up, he wanted to avoid rolling around in his vomit.
Gritting his teeth, Quaidin refused to show such weakness. 
He was one of the Fianna – the fierce Fae mercenary troops – in charge of taking over the job of policing the Fae community. After the Sentinels went missing, the Fianna reformed after centuries of being unneeded.
The past two decades had changed their quiet lives. The hidden Fianna had gone from training for the worst to fighting on the front lines. The Sentinels were all but gone and the Danshue – the evil Fae – were growing in number every day.
Quaidin threw his hand over his mouth. Hurling his guts up and praying to the Lac Mar because of an out of control ride through a rogue portal wouldn’t look very reassuring to those depending on the Fianna for safety. Besides, he was in charge of persuasion for his squad.
Sure, he had all the allure of his Incubus heritage, but no one looked at the deathly ill and thought, I want to tell this man all my secrets.
Just when he thought that Fate had decided to turn a simple portal jump into a lifetime of confusion and punishment, Quaidin stumbled across solid ground, immediately falling to his knees. He couldn’t see straight, yet, but knew that he wanted to go back home to Out-realm immediately. Every time he came Earth-side, the experience cemented how much he hated the place. “Please tell me I managed to land in a patch of soft, foul-smelling mud somewhere in Out-realm. Not Earth-side Kentucky.”
No one answered.

 

Still, Quaidin refused to open his eyes. His knees were firmly planted on solid ground, but his hands had managed to find something disgusting.
Sitting up, his arse propped up on his feet, he did his best not to inhale. Eyes tightly closed, Quaidin started flinging and flicking his hands to dislodge the substance clinging to his skin.

 

His squad mates all started screaming at once.
“Son of a-”
“Dammit, Quaidin.”

 

“You lousy-”

 

“Stop that, you-”

 

Grinning like a devil dog, Quaidin cracked opened his eyelids. Looking around at Casfin, Vloran, Zander, and Yolland he cut them all off. “We can all wear this muck together.”
Casfin, one of the most laid back and composed Captains the Fianna mercenaries had ever seen, looked like he was on the verge of homicide. Stripping off his clothes without a word, Casfin stalked off to a nearby pond. One by one, the others decided to follow.
Vloran was last to add his clothes to the growing pile. It wasn’t that the man was slower than the others. For a nearly eight-foot mountain of a Fae, he could move quite swiftly when he wanted to. When he wanted to, being the key phrase.

 

Quaidin pushed himself up from the ground as Vloran turned to leave.
“What is the big deal? A little dirt never hurt anyone.”
Vloran glared over his shoulder, and said, “I believe the people Earth-side call what you landed in a cow-patty.” Seeing the, no doubt, confused look on Quaidin’s face, Vloran turned away in disgust. “Cow shit, man. You landed in cow shit.”

 

More than ready to go home, Quaidin ripped off his uniform and threw them on the burnable heap of mission clothing. Moving for the water, he barked, “I hate this place.”

 

Quaidin eyed the large beast lazily munching on the grass growing along the bank of the small pond. Floating in the middle of the water, he felt safe in shooting hate filled stares at the cow.
Suffocating in heat and honeysuckle, he wanted to say the hell with the mission and head home. How could it be so hot? Summers on Earth-side wouldn’t begin for another week, maybe two weeks. They needed to locate the new Fae Princess and slip back through a portal to Out-realm before the heat level reached the nineties, or Lac Mar forbid, the hundreds.
“Time to move out. Our ride should be here any minute.” Casfin dropped Quaidin’s satchel on the bank and walked off.
The cow crept suspiciously toward his satchel, spurring Quaidin to swim with increasing strokes for the edge of the pond. Keeping one eye on the animal, he pulled his body out of the water and started jerking his spare uniform out.
Vloran moseyed over – the man was the definition of relaxed – and tossed him a canteen of water.
“Thanks man.” Quaidin took a long pull of the slightly warm liquid. “Is the portal shut down?”
The portal they had just used to get to Earth-side was a rogue portal. Their squad was in charge of shutting it down. And instead of taking care of the matter while they were still in Out-realm, they had used it to travel closer to the Princess and their goal. The already captured Danshue responsible for the rogue portal would be their cover until they had a feel for the situation and the people surrounding the new Fae princess.
The Danshue, or evil Fae, were growing in number and they all had it out for Princess de Platadreki. They needed to secure the Princess and eliminate all threats along the way.
“Yolland and Zander are taking care of it. The portal was hastily opened, but that just means it will be harder to close. It looks like someone just ripped open a hole in reality. Some of the spells used to open it need to be reinforced so that the entire thing does not explode as they attempt to close the link.” Vloran crouched down, his arms planted on his knees. His eyes continually quartered the area, watching the trees, the field, the nearby gravel road, and even the sky.
Pants on and shoes laced up, Quaidin checked the ground for any surprises before flopping down beside Vloran. “Casfin could close it in no time.”
Plucking a piece of grass to roll between his fingers, Vloran looked back at Yolland and Zander. “Guess the Captain thinks they need the practice. Would have done it himself otherwise.”
Quaidin took another swallow of warm water, refusing to even unpack his shirt until the last minute. He pinched a few strands of his light brown hair between his fingers and pulled the wavy mass forward. Squinting his eyes, he tried to determine if the missing blonde streaks were covered in mystery pond scum or if they were just heavy with water. He was about to ask Vloran what he thought when a large SUV came into sight, slowly driving down the one lane road at the edge of the field. “Looks like our ride has arrived. Maybe you and Casfin can stick your heads out of your windows,” Quaidin suggested.
It was no more than the truth. Vloran had to be nearing the eight-foot mark, and their dear Captain looked to be at least a head taller than that. Quaidin didn’t know a lot about Earth-side, always wishing to keep his visits short, but Humans rarely made it to seven feet. They definitely didn’t make cars to accommodate small giants.
It was a good thing that Humans and Norms – those Fae born without magic – were unable to see anything placed under a glamor. Otherwise, Vloran and Casfin would have started a riot. What with Vloran’s silver skin tone and the light blue dusting on Casfin’s otherwise pale flesh. It was hard to mistake them for normal.
“Come on funny guy. With the mood Casfin is in, he may just leave your ass if you make him wait.”
Shaking his head, Quaidin jumped to his feet, more than ready to get started. More than ready to secure the Princess and get the hell out of dodge.
Chapter Two

All joking aside, Quaidin had feared that the SUV would be too small to hold all five of his squad, plus the driver. Other than Yolland, they were all good sized men with wide muscular shoulders.
Quaidin rolled down his window and allowed his arm and shoulder to hang out. They may have fit in the vehicle, but that didn’t make the arrangement comfortable. Yolland and Zander were stuffed in the back with all of their satchels, both the larger equipment satchels and the smaller ones for potions. Vloran had to lean out of the window on his side of the middle seat, while Casfin had the front-passenger seat reclined to the point that his head rested in Quaidin’s lap, making the middle seat feel even smaller. Quaidin feared he would lose feeling in his legs if the ride took much longer.

 

As soon as possible, they needed to acquire a few vehicles with hidden enlargement spells placed on them. It was either that or expect Vloran and the Captain to start riding strapped to the top.

 

Their driver, a guy named Cedric, seemed to bounce in his seat to music that only he could hear. “So… what are you guys here for? You’re Fianna troops, right? You guys are always on a mission.”

 

Quaidin did his best not to laugh at the pup’s rapid-fire excitement. Cedric couldn’t be more than a few decades old. Once Cedric reached his two-hundred-fiftieth year, things would look a little differently. The hidden mercenary troops of the Fianna would lose their allure once he had that many years weighing on his shoulders.

 

Casfin didn’t look at the pup as he answered, “We are on the trail of a Danshue. One responsible for three kidnappings.”

 

That was the party line. They were under strict orders to keep the true details of their mission under wraps. The fewer people that knew, the fewer problems they would have to deal with while carrying out their mission to protect the Princess.
Cedric glanced at Casfin, turning most of his body to make eye contact, and freaking Quaidin out in the process. “You came to the right place. Anton has some of the best Finders to be found in all the realms.”
Quaidin felt his buddies stop breathing for a moment, each of them glancing away from the pup. Cedric’s shoulders started to visibly tense up, his body moving to glance in Casfin’s direction again.

 

Clearing his throat, Quaidin prepared to do what he did best. Persuade and distract. “That is true, but be a good sport and keep the knowledge to yourself. We need the public to see us as strong. Especially with the larger than average number of Danshue coming out of the woodwork. If we are seen as unable to Find our prey without traveling to another realm to ask for help, there could be panic. Personally, I would like your take on the information we have managed to gather so far.” Giving a self-deprecating laugh, he looked into the rearview mirror, meeting Cedric’s gaze, and gave a small shrug.

 

Cedric didn’t revert back to his bouncing excitement but at least the tension left his shoulders. “If the case is that difficult, you may want to ask Anton to get the Princess to take a look.”
Casfin’s seat managed to lay back even further, but Quaidin didn’t need the warning. “Is she better at Finding than you or your boss? Perhaps we should wait and see if your boss can help, before we bother the Princess.”
Cedric went back to speaking a million miles a minute, while moving around in the driver’s seat like a jumping bean. But at least, Casfin pulled his seat up an inch or two, allowing blessed circulation to return to Quaidin’s legs.
Listening to the pup chatter about anything and everything, Quaidin allowed his eyes to scan the passing streets. Now they just needed to get past Anton and they were free to go about their business in secret. Just the way they liked it.

 

Anton Slade watched his office fill up with mercenaries. Man did he hate dealing with the second rate police force. He could feel their power radiating from their pores, where the Sentinels would have been hiding their strength. But power alone wasn’t enough to enforce Queen’s Law.
Normally, Anton wouldn’t be able to guess a Fae’s parentage, at least not on the first meeting. But the Lower Fae tended to wear their genetics on their skin. The Fianna had little, if any, Elder Fae in their bloodlines.

 

One glance and Anton could see that he was dealing with Vloran, a slow moving Rock Fae; Yolland, a Dryad and Captain Casfin, an Ogre – two species best known for being pacifists; and Quaidin, a damn Incubus. Zander was the only unknown, with his midnight skin and light brown hair, leaving Anton at a loss until he noticed that the man had a tendency to fade into the background. Anton had to search for Zander more than once, which meant that he was most likely a Shadow Fae.

 

Anton shook his head. This was the crackpot team sent to protect the Princess? That girl obviously had some enemies in high places. No matter what the Fianna claimed, he would be stupid to believe that they weren’t interested in the new royal. “Gentlemen, please, have a seat.” Anton moved to shut his office door as his visitors got comfortable in the seating area. Though comfortable was a bit of a stretch with Vloran and Casfin making the couch look like a love seat.

 

He watched Cedric’s hands as he approached the seated Fianna troops. Cedric signed discreetly by his hip. Anton wanted to throw them all out as he read the message loud and clear. The Fianna were holding something back. And there was only one group he could think of that would send these men on a mission to another realm.

 

“Let us get straight to the point, gentlemen. What do you want with the Princess?” Anton settled in the last remaining chair.
The men froze, all but Quaidin. He sat back in a relaxed position, his hands waving through the air as he met Anton’s eyes with his earnest expression. “Oh course, we would be honored to meet the Princess. If there is time that is. But our main goal is to locate and stop the Danshue attacking our children. I am sure the Princess is very busy, Antonius.”
“Please, call me Anton. And say what you will, but there is a large number of people that would be displeased if you decided to upset the Princess on behalf of the Elders. No matter how well-meaning their intentions are, of course.”
“As you say, but we-” Quaidin’s words stopped short as the door to Anton’s office flew open.
Makayla LaPine sauntered into the room, ignoring his guests. “Hey, Sugar… since when do ya shut your office door? For any-thang? Ya wouldn’t be workin’ yourself to hard, now would ya?”
This was the Makayla Anton was used to dealing with. It was almost a relief not to be forced to watch hunched shoulders that lived to be thrown back, or shuffled feet that were more at home strutting across a room as if Makayla owned the place, and everyone in it. Hair tossing and swinging hips… this was the Makayla he knew. “Can I help you with something, Makayla?”
“Sorry, hon. I thought ya were holdin’ one o’ your private times with our little Marin.” Anton wanted to growl at the Fianna as each man gawked at him, most with raised eyebrows, but Makayla wasn’t finished. “I know ya want to personally help the girl out, but some fokes are startin’ to get the wrong impression from all dat closed door attention she’s been gettin’. I wouldn’t want people to start talkin’ about the poor thang.”
Of course not. If someone else was spreading the gossip, what would Makayla do for fun? “Then I guess it is a good thing that you have Marin’s best interest at heart. For now, be a dear, and show these men to the empty office over in the west wing. All but Quaidin, here. I think that I can get just as much information from one man as I can five.”
Quaidin smirked. “That sounds wonderful. Then we can also discuss the fact that your employees are running around on a first name basis with the-”
Anton all but shouted, cutting Quaidin off. “The best Finders to be found in all of the world.” Clearing his throat, Anton ran a hand over his perfectly placed tie. Lowering his voice, he said, “I am sure that you have many questions about Finder’s Keepers and its employees.”
Anton ground his teeth and waited. Was the man trying to break the Queen’s Law, bringing up Fae secrets in front of an unknown? Every Fae knew that unknowns were dangerous, and if you weren’t 100% sure that someone knew about the Fae already, they were an unknown. Makayla had worked for him for years, but as far as he knew she was Human with only the enhanced senses that most were born with. Better hearing or sight didn’t make her Fae.
Anton could see the lust in Quaidin’s eyes as his gaze followed Makayla’s swaying hips out of the room. She waited for the men to exit, before turning back to grab the doorknob. “I’ll get these fokes settled right quick, but then I’ll be needin’ ta speak with Marin. If ya would be so kind an’ point me in her direction.”
Anton flinched at her increased southern twang, but quickly threw Marin to the wolves. “I believe she is working from home today.”
Makayla shot him a withering glare and whipped out of the room, slamming the door on her way. Her muttered, “Daggon good fer nuthin’ pole cat,” reaching his sensitive ears as she went. Anton made a mental note to warn Marin that Makayla was looking for her, and to look up southern uses for the phrase pole cat. For the moment he turned to face a more pressing issue.
Moving smoothly to his feet, Anton walked around his desk and took his seat. Getting comfortable, he waited for Cedric and Quaidin to swallow their laughter and follow. Makayla was a disruptive pain but she was damn good at her job. Not to mention the number of men that would follow her in off the street and pay top dollar for a Find they didn’t really need, just for the chance to watch her walk across a room.
Cedric immediately moved over and took one of the guest chairs facing Anton’s desk, but Quaidin took his time. The man had a way of working his masculine frame that put all of Makayla’s sexual moves to shame. His chocolate eyes and copper tan seemed to glow in the low lighting of the office table lamps. Anton smirked, thinking that the man would be hard to look at if he continued to glow like that. He didn’t know how Norms and Humans managed to miss some of the things the Fae could do.
Anton knew what was happening. It was a part of the Incubus’s innate magic; a shine that drew and held the eyes of their prey. “Cut the light show.” The sexual energy that Quaidin could pull from simple attraction could help to make his words more persuasive.
“My apologies. It is as natural as breathing. My power is always reaching out, seeking to draw in energy that could be the difference between life and death in a fight.”
Anton didn’t know if he believed that. Oh, he knew that an Incubus’s power was always hungry, ready to light a fire to passion. Even the male appreciation that usually comes across as envy when another man sees someone with a stronger jaw, more muscles, or attention from the female that they desire. “If you are old enough to be one of the Fianna, you are old enough to control you gifts. I know that the Fianna do not abide by the two-hundred-fifty-years rule, that you could be as young as fifty and still be inducted into their numbers, but fifty years is still old enough to learn control.”
Quaidin was about to sit. He froze, hovering over the cushion before flashing a brilliant smile. “I see you know more about the Fianna than most, but crossing over to Earth-side took a lot of energy. Especially once the Captain decided that we should followed our Danshue quarry through a rogue portal, so that we could stay on his trail and shut down the portal from this side.”

 

“And what is so important that your innate gifts are breaching your control?” Anton watched Quaidin, waiting for any sign of misdirection, but the harder he looked the more he saw a Male-Makayla. He wanted the Fianna out of his building and on their way back to Out-realm. He wanted them out of his hair.
Quaidin delivered his words without another misstep. No more pauses, no flinches, and he never avoided eye contact. Even Quaidin’s emotions were under control. It was maddening. The more believable Quaidin’s story became, the harder it was for Anton to trust him. “We need a favor. My squad used to contain a man that moved frequently through the realms, but he is … unavailable. A fight last month turned out poorly for us, leaving us a man short. We need someone that can move through Earth-side knowledgeably, but it needs to be someone that can keep their mouth shut. In the current climate, we need the supernatural community to believe that we are infallible. One of your Human employees would be best. Blind to the Supernatural world, they would be more likely to be unaware of the Supes around them, and will have never even heard the word Fianna.”
Anton thought it over. But no. That would be wrong. Sooo wrong. The more Anton thought about what he should do, and what he wanted to do, the harder it was to keep a grin off his lips. Clearing his throat, he did his best to look forbidding. “Fine. You can catch up with your squad and tell Makayla that she has been assigned to assist in your Find. Perhaps she will even be able to help you locate the Danshue you are tracking. But be careful not to break Queen’s Law. She knows nothing of the Fae, especially not that Marin is our lost Princess.”
Anton held his breath as Quaidin nodded and moved to leave the room. He waited for the office door to shut behind his unwanted guest before throwing his head back in laughter. Holding his side, he glanced at an all too quiet Cedric, his lips firmly shut. “What?”
Cedric cracked a smile, as he fought to keep from joining Anton’s mirth. “You do know that this could back fire.”
When Anton cocked his head to the side, Cedric finally allowed an evil grin to grow on his face. “What will you do if they become mates, instead of killing each other?”
Pulling out his cell phone, Anton shuddered as he called to tell Marin about Makayla. Glancing at Cedric, he simply said, “Then they will have to move to Out-realm, otherwise I will be forced to kill them both.”
There was no way that he could put up with two of Makayla. Not even the trickster God, Coyote, would be so cruel. At least Cedric would be spending the next few weeks working with the SBI, learning from Kennith and the other Supernatural Bureau of Intelligence agents. Anton didn’t want to deal with the other man’s delight should everything blow up in his face.
Quaidin made it to the squad’s appointed office and watched as the most glorious woman he had ever seen wrapped his squad members around her little finger. It was almost funny to watch as the normally taciturn Vloran stood before Makayla’s raven haired perfection grinning like a loon.
He listened as Makayla pointed out all the different ways that Finder’s Keepers interacted with their clients, and what exactly it was to be a Finder.

 

“Boss man says to show y’all around, but seeins how he’s puttin’ y’all in one of our last restin’ spots, I’s assume ya know that Finders are responsible for all information pertainin’ to the cases ya work. We go after no account, good for nothin’ murders and scum when the officials come callin’. And those are details y’all need ta keep your peace about. Our clients mainly want Finds for lost items, nothing too strainin’.”
“Sure thing.” Vloran’s eyes looked a little glazed, his words coming even slower than usual. The woman was a walking, talking aphrodisiac.
Zander sat in the corner, nodding his head to every word out of Makayla’s mouth, while Yolland hummed a little every time she paused to take a breath. Not that the woman seemed to need much air.
“We take in all manner of cases. Should ya hear sump’n one of the others are workin’ on, Lord a-mercy, keep it to ya’self.”
Though truth be told, Quaidin had trouble understanding every other word out of her mouth, her accent getting thicker the longer she spoke. He assured himself that his lack of attention had nothing to do with a need to fall into her sky-blue eyes.

 

Cocking her hip to the side, she continued to point out all the lower level people working for Finder’s Keepers that were there to help a Finder complete their mission in a timely and thorough manner. “Seein’ how Finders are sum-times on da clock to get things done. We hafta have a comprehensive amount of information. Which reminds me. Y’all get yourselves settled in. I have a rascal office girl ta pin down.”
Makayla flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned to leave. Quaidin stood frozen, blocking the door. He found himself dumb struck as much as, or maybe even more so, than the others. How in the name of the Lower Reaches could one woman radiate so much sexual appeal and not be one of his kind? He would have known within seconds if Makayla was one of their rare Succubus. Their births were even rarer than those of the male Incubus children. So rare that their Elders demanded that the females be housed in Fae Boarding Schools, and then married off as soon as possible.

 

Crossing his arms, he looked to the ceiling. It was a callous decision on the part of their leaders. Quaidin had never figured out how the parents could allow it so easily, but he had to agree that it usually kept the girls safe. It was-
Quaidin’s thoughts scattered as the feel of delicate fingers danced across his chest. Having Makayla so close he realized that she stood a few inches taller than his own six-foot frame.
Glancing down, he followed the line of long, delicious, porcelain-skinned legs and noticed the four inch heels gracing her feet. Eyes flowing back up legs that he wanted to feel wrapped around his waist, he felt his heart begin to race.

 

“Hey, darling, ya mind scoochin’ over a bit,” she purred.
Clearing his throat, Quaidin did his best to pull his thoughts back to the matter at hand, but his mind had gone blank as he watched her pink little tongue peek out to wet her full, red lips. “Uh-huh.” He was pretty sure he needed to tell this vixen something, but nothing seemed more important that reaching up to see if her raven locks were as soft as they looked.
Makayla allowed him to tuck some of her waist length strands behind her ear. She placed her delicate hands on his hips. Quaidin could feel her maneuvering him up against the doorframe.
He should have been taking control of the situation but why bother.
Instead Quaidin closed his eyes as those lush red lips got closer to his own. His breathing accelerated to the point of heart attack territory. Her hands traveled up his sides and then slid away. Impatient to feel this mysterious woman’s lips on his, Quaidin leaned in to claim what he wanted. Only to snap erect as his squad mates burst into laughter.
Blinking his eyes open, Quaidin whipped around to watch the curvy hips of his dream woman swinging from side to side as she disappeared around the corner. He had just been bested by the Pied Piper of Horney Men. Blushing scarlet, Quaidin barked, “Oh, shut it. Like you guys were doing any better resisting her.”
Casfin held his side, doing his best to speak through his wheezing laughter. “But you are our seduction expert.”
Working with that woman was going to kill him. Quaidin ran his fingers through his hair, wanting badly to rip out a few of the brown and blonde strands. Either Earth-side had developed its own version of a Succubus or he was losing his Incubus powers. “I really do hate this place.”

 

Quaidin stepped into the hallway, mumbling and fisting his hands the entire way.

 

“Where are you going?” Casfin yelled after him.

 

If anyone else had tried to stop him, Quaidin would have ignored them. Falling back on decades of training, he stopped and turned to his Captain. “Anton said that we would be working with Makayla. So I plan to work with her.”
“You mean you plan to follow her.” Casfin leaned in the doorway of their temporary office space, his arms crossed and a smirk permanently affixed to his face.

 

Yolland sauntered up behind Casfin, grinning like a fool. “Perhaps our Lover Fae enjoys making a fool of himself. Why else chase after the one woman in all the realms that appears to be able to resist his charms?” Yolland threw his head back, roaring with laughter.

 

Casfin ignored the other man and walked out into the hallway. “So what is your plan? Or is Yolland right?”
Quaidin scrubbed his hands over his face and started to pace. “I admit that getting to the bottom of that woman’s power over men is high on my to-do list. But we can also use her to get closer to the Princess. Using Anton would be a mistake, but Makayla is going to meet with her. She is even on a first name basis with Princess de Platadreki. I can follow from a discreet distance, taking note of all Humans, Norms, and Fae that they interact with.”
Casfin was shaking his head, but it was a still chuckling Yolland that said, “I am pretty sure that everyone calls the Princess by her first name. I have heard a number of her co-workers talking about her, and they always call her Marin. I overheard a group of the SBI agents planning to drop by so they could spend time in the Princess’s gardens. Not sure why, but it sounded quite casual.”
“Fine. We could use one of the others.” Quaidin shook his head. “No. I have to learn more about Makayla. It has to be her.”
Zander shimmered into view, stepping out of the shadows to stand by Casfin, blocking Yolland’s smaller frame. “If her power is greater than yours, things could go poorly for you. Perhaps your powers are useless when Earth-side.”
Quaidin heard the clip of high heels and turned to watch as a blonde in a three-piece suit stamped down the hallway, her eyes glued to the paperwork in her hands. Glancing in his direction, she headed his way but refocused on her paperwork.

 

Without paying him any attention, Miss Prim and Proper started reading from a list of restrictions. Keep the Fae secret, watch out for hidden Danshue traps, any magic exposed to Humans or Norms was to be reported to the SBI immediately… and on, and on.
Quaidin felt like throwing something, stomping his foot, or maybe he should just run back to Out-realm and look for a new line of work.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped up to the woman. Lightly touching her on the shoulder, Quaidin whispered, “Not to worry. We are acquainted with the Queen’s Laws.” He watched as her paper-laden arms lowered and her glazed eyes came up to his.
As the buttoned down, picture of professional women everywhere smiled up at him and one of her hands moved to release her perfectly coiffed hair, Quaidin removed his hand from her shoulder and took a huge step back. It looked like his powers were working just fine. “Alright then, I need to dash.”
Quaidin ignored the barks of laughter following him down the hallway as he rushed off to track down Makayla. He may have used a little too much of his gift on the office girl, but how else was he supposed to know what to expect of the females of Earth-side.
Gritting his teeth, he vowed that he would get the upper hand with Makayla if it killed him.
I am a country-twang gal from the bluegrass state. Kentucky is a hot bed of horses, cave systems, and whiskey. And I love all three. With my pugs and bossy kitty cat, I spend my days writing and working social media. I write with the help of the voices pushing me to create worlds for them to live in. Fantasy Romance, Contemporary Romance, and eventually some cowboys (because cowboys live in a group all their own, yummmm)… These are the genres that I love best. Oil paints, crafts, dealing with Multiple Sclerosis, and writing into the dead of night… this I my life!!!

 

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A Carnal Agreement by Silvia Violet @EJBookPromos @Silvia_Violet


Title: A Carnal Agreement
Author: Silvia Violet
Genre: M/F Erotic Historical
Release Date: December 27, 2016

Cassandra Braxton’s husband, Viscount Reddington, made her life hell. When he is murdered, she cannot mourn him, especially when he continues to plague her from beyond the grave. His will stipulates that she cannot claim her inheritance unless she has a child. The clause is a cruel joke. Reddington never consummated the marriage.
Refusing to be defeated, Cassandra conspires to keep Reddington’s death a secret. She goes to the home of Mark Foxwood, a handsome rake she’s admired from afar, and makes an outrageous proposition.
After being mocked by the woman he loved, Mark Foxwood retires to the country to spend the winter months alone. When Cassandra breezes into his study, he is aroused and provoked by her determination. As the two grow closer, Mark realizes Cassandra’s open, honest passion may be the only thing that can save him from despair.

London, June 1818


Cassandra Braxton, Viscountess Reddington, rarely moved in society, but this Season she felt an obligation to lend her sister moral support as Amanda made her debut. Cassandra was no fan of overly crowded balls filled with pushy mamas eager to see their young daughters married off. But for the sake of her sister, she was willing to endure almost anything.
She’d been tempted to acquire a sudden headache and excuse herself from the festivities on this particular evening, though. Cassandra’s aunt and her sister were attending an engagement ball given in honor of Cassandra’s former schoolmate, Lady Katherine Wentworth. When Cassandra left Miss Langford’s Academy for Young Ladies, she’d hoped she would never lay eyes on Katherine again.
Alas she had seen her former schoolmate several times in the last few years, once in a rather compromising position. Now Katherine was to marry the Earl of Southwood, a man known for his quiet, bookish nature, a strange catch for a woman such as she.
The party proceeded as any other. Cassandra circulated dutifully through the ballroom and several small salons, skillfully avoiding Katherine and other young ladies she was loathe to converse with. When time came for the formal announcement of the betrothal and the ensuing congratulatory speeches, she breathed a sigh of relief. She could soon return home and seek her bed.
Katherine’s father droned on and Cassandra’s attention wandered. She observed a rather striking man standing in one of the doorways leading to the balcony. He was nearly concealed by a large potted plant, but she saw him well enough to tell he wore no jacket. His cravat was untied, and his waistcoat wretchedly crumpled. One might suppose he’d been in an altercation or had scaled the side of the house to reach the balcony rather than using the stairs.
Cassandra took a few steps back from the crowd to better study this curious man. He was tall, several inches over six feet and more muscular than most men of the ton. He looked as if he used his body for things far more vigorous than driving a curricle through Hyde Park. His golden hair and the powerful lines of his face made her think of a lion on the prowl. Something about him seemed familiar though surely she would remember the occasion if they had been formally introduced. He was not a man many women would forget.
As he drained his glass of champagne, he flashed a wicked smile. What was he up to?
Cassandra forced herself to stop staring before anyone noticed her inappropriate attention. Katherine’s brother was giving the engaged couple his blessings. He blathered on about what an upstanding man Southwood was when the stranger from the balcony approached the family as if he intended to give the next speech.
Intrigued, Cassandra worked her way through the throng to stand closer to the unfolding drama.
Katherine’s brother stopped mid-sentence, and the stranger took the pause as his cue to begin. “I couldn’t resist taking this opportunity to give my congratulations.”
Frantic whispers rustled through the crowd. Lady Bowerton looked as if she might faint. Katherine’s face grew red, and she stepped between the two men.
The intriguing man turned to face the crowd. “I can see you didn’t expect me. But since I’m here, I thought the happy couple would be offended if I failed to offer a toast.” He looked down at his empty champagne glass. “Blast! It’s empty.”
“You have had quite enough, sir,” Katherine said. “It would be best if you left before embarrassing yourself further.”
“Oh no, my dear.” He dared to reach out and stroke her face. “Learning your true nature has made me more sober than I’ve ever been.”
Suddenly Cassandra realized why the man looked familiar. A year ago, she had come to London to discover the true measure of her husband’s depravity. Katherine had attended one of her husband’s orgiastic parties, and this man had been her escort.
He reached around Katherine and relieved Southwood of his champagne. The earl’s eyes widened, but he said nothing. Cassandra expected footmen to come forward and remove the intruder, but even the servants appeared too fascinated to move.
The man smiled and raised his glass. “To an old school chum.” He looked at Southwood. “Congratulations on securing the hand of the coldest bitch in all of London.”

The intruder downed his champagne in one swallow as chaos erupted in the ballroom. He walked away before any of Katherine’s stunned relatives could respond, and his path brought him toward Cassandra. As he moved past her, his arm brushed her bare shoulder. The heat of his body was a shock to her system. When she steadied herself, she searched the crowd for him, but he was gone.

 

Silvia Violet writes fun, sexy stories that will leave you smiling and satisfied. She has a thing for characters who are in need of comfort and enjoys helping them surrender to love even when they doubt it exists. Silvia’s stories include sizzling contemporaries, paranormals, and historicals. When she needs a break from listening to the voices in her head, she spends time baking, taking long walks, and curling up with her favorite books. Read excerpts from Silvia’s stories at http://silviaviolet.com and keep up with her latest ventures by signing up for her newsletter: http://silviaviolet.com/newsletter.

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Tempting the Badman by Hayley Faiman @EJBookPromos @authorhayleyf


Title: Tempting the Badman
Series: Russian Bratva #5
Author: Hayley Faiman
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 12, 2017
At five years old, Inessa Kozlova is exposed to the dangerous power a badman wields. Now, twenty years later, she’s convinced that a badman is the last thing she wants in her bed. Strong, beautiful, and independent, she’s determined to live the life she wants on her own terms. Yet, from the moment she lays eyes on her Bratva lover, her heart demands otherwise. 
Dominik Markov owes his life to the Bratva. Having grown up in prison, he associates his ties to the mafia with liberty. Embracing his freedom, he takes all that life has to offer—including all the women he can get. Known as the Bratva playboy, settling down is not his idea of happiness, and love is a mystery he wishes not to solve. 
It doesn’t take long for Inessa to learn that the power of love is more dangerous than that of any man, and she’s no match against her feelings for Dominik. Yet, it’s Dominik who is brought to his knees—tempted by the only woman who has ever made him want more. Discovering that the cost of more is surrender, he must decide what kind of badman he really is—and if the woman who tempts his heart is worth it.

I was born and raised in California. My husband and I met when I was just 16. We were married a few years later, moving to Oregon while he was in the US Coast Guard. 

Texas is now where we call home, where our boots rest, and where we’re raising our two little boys and a chocolate lab named Optimus Prime.







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Stay by Chelsea Camaron @ChelseaCamaron @EJBookPromos #Review


Title: Stay
Author: Chelsea Camaron
Genre: Dark Romance
Release Date: Available Now

Fair Warning … This isn’t a sappy romance. It’s not sweet. It’s far from anything you would want to imagine. This is a story to leave you feeling dirty.

Nothing about us is normal.
Nothing about us is natural.

Can love ultimately be defined in such ways, truly? This is our story.

He is a hitman. The very one who took my family the night that changed us both forever. Something in my eyes stopped him from killing me. Something in my eyes called out for him to take me.

At ten he captured me, at fifteen he consumed me, and at eighteen he owned me.

Outsiders think he’s my father … that is so far from the truth.

Our twisted desires fuel the darkness that lies deep inside us both. My innocence never existed. He takes me as I am.

 

“I was pulled right into this story. The story has pain, abuse, laughs, secrets, despair, and heartbreak.” – 5 Star from Renee Entress’s Blog

“Chelsea opened my eyes and taught me that it’s not about whether a person leaves your life or if they stay but what they do in between the time of entering and leaving.” – 5 Star from Swoon Worthy Books

“Everything about this gem called out to me and I’ll forever think about it.” – 5 Star from Author Jo-Anna Walker

Review black

Fair Warning … This isn’t a sappy romance. It’s not sweet. It’s far from anything you would want to imagine. This is a story to leave you feeling dirty.

Sick, twisted and dark! yes it was fantastic. The way it’s written is comparable to Lucky Santangelo and probably a lot of Belva Plain, that is dating me I know but…I’m so proud of Chelsea and her writing I see another bestseller!!

dark1

Now onward and upward…. I would love to say I am jumping up and down but I am not. I will celebrate the fact that this author is TALENTED . The novel is dark and I love that. The subject matter is not easy to read for a lot but I DO love dark.

i love you as dark YM4u

This opens with a seriously sick scene of incest. Gripping and really descriptive, I was hooked on page 3. For real! I was thinking about how many times lately I could do my own drinking game: Every time you see a description with billionaire, take a shot NOW every time you see the description with alpha male, chug! GO
I know this is not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea, but most people who follow me or my blog will know I love controversy and dark, so this is a ten on both scales. I am sad it is a stand alone cause there is a lot of character development that would be good for more.

more sign language


If you are a Chelsea fan PLEASE read this cause it will knock your socks off and shock you, its different. Think of Captive in the Dark meets a Jackie Collins novel. GREAT book

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USA Today Bestselling author Chelsea Camaron is a small town Carolina girl with a big imagination. She is a wife and mom chasing her dreams. She writes contemporary romance, erotic suspense, and psychological thrillers. She loves to write blue-collar men who have real problems with a fictional twist. From mechanics to bikers to oil riggers to smokejumpers, bar owners, and beyond, she loves a strong hero who works hard and plays harder.

 

 

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Melt by Helen Hardt @helenhardt @BareNakedWords @bnwauthorservices



Melt (Steel Brothers Saga #4)
by Helen Hardt
Release Date 20th December 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis

Jonah Steel is intelligent, rich, and hard-working. As the oldest of his siblings, he was charged by his father to protect them.

He failed in the worst way.

Dr. Melanie Carmichael has her own baggage. Although the renowned therapist was able to help Jonah’s brother, she is struggling with feelings of inadequacy. When the oldest Steel walks into her office seeking solace, she can’t turn her back.

As Melanie and Jonah attempt to work through their issues together, desperately trying to ignore the desire brewing between them, ghosts from both their pasts surface…and danger draws near.



Meet The Author:


New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Helen Hardt’s passion for the written word began with the books her mother read to her at bedtime. She wrote her first story at age six and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to being an award winning author of contemporary and historical romance and erotica, she’s a mother, a black belt in Taekwondo, a grammar geek, an appreciator of fine red wine, and a lover of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. She writes from her home in Colorado, where she lives with her family. Helen loves to hear from readers.



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Buy Links for all Helen’s Books: http://www.helenhardt.com/book/


Melt – Buy Links:

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Giveaway 


The Steel Brothers Saga continues……..


Burn (Steel Brothers #5) – Releases 14th February 2017

Surrender (Steel Brothers #6) – Releases 16th May 2017


 

Lines Drawn by Ker Dukey #Cover @KerDukeyauthor #spotlight


DRAWN TO YOU
Newly Edited & Brand New Cover!

Synopsis 

Antonia McNally has a great family, a great boyfriend, and a great future… until she finds herself interrupting a robbery and becoming the victim of a ruthless criminal. When she witnesses brutal murder, abuse and suffers her own traumatizing assault by his hand, her life changes forever. When love, loyalty, and strength are tested, the weak falter.

Moving away to the States offers her a fresh start; however, confident, successful Finlay Hayes, her best friend’s Brother adds even more chaos to her already turbulent emotions. When she can’t decide between ripping him a new one or ripping his clothes off, one thing is for sure, they both have an unquenchable craving for each other. When life starts looking a little brighter it’s not long before the storm clouds roll in. All is never what it appears and under his good looks and in charge attitude, Finlay has a past of his own and secrets that can destroy the dynamics of the friendships she has built.

Secrets are waiting to be spilled, but at what cost?

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU 
Free for Kindle Unlimited 

The long awaited conclusion 

Lines Drawn 

Releasing February 27th 

One phone call.
One secret.
One moment changed us all.
Everything is different now and learning to survive all over again comes with a price.
Deception, heartbreak, and sorrow implode the relationships that were once strong.
The lines are drawn, who will cross it?

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Ground Zero T.O.E Trilogy, Book 3 by Alecia Stone @Alecia_Stone


 

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9780957001961Ground Zero
T.O.E Trilogy, Book 3
Author: Alecia Stone
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: February 17th, 2016

Book Description:
It happens every 26,000 years.

Only a few ever survive.

This time …

No one will.

That is unless Charlie Blake can locate all four diamonds to restore the Talisman of El and receive his calling from the remaining three elements before the Annus Magnus strikes. With both Arcadia and the mortal world in a state of unrest, his life quickly spirals out of control as it seems everyone has put a bounty on his head. Maybe even his closest allies.

Not knowing who to trust, Charlie starts to dig up the past. When new revelations arise, he begins to question whether the Legion of Light really is what it claims to be and whether he’s been fighting for the wrong side all along. The line between good and evil is no longer as clear-cut as it used to be, especially when it appears Charlie’s destiny could very well be to destroy everything he loves.

Hero or villain? Charlie isn’t so sure anymore.

Buy Links:
Amazon US ¦ UK

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EXCERPT

The crowd outside the cafe had scattered, the lingering bystanders making a move only upon Charlie’s approach. He exited the cafe onto a wide cobblestone street with buildings left, right and center. Whispers traveled among the frantic crowd as people shot wary glances at him. The gunshots had to have been heard some distance away. He had to move. He held his palm up to his face for the second time and then glanced left and right along the street. The place somewhat resembled a market, stalls lining both sides of the street. Charlie caught sight of a large yellow phone icon with the word Publitel beneath it.

Heading in the direction of a castle-like building with a corner tower topped with a domed kiosk, he made haste towards the phone sign. He got only a few feet when he heard a noise that made him look to the sky. He stopped, his blood running cold as he gazed at the flock of birds moving across the clear blue sky, all heading in the same direction. The last time he had seen this many birds, he’d been standing in a graveyard. After the birds had come an army of the dead. The only difference between then and now was that this wasn’t a vision.

This can’t be good, he thought as he glanced around him. People had stopped what they were doing to look at the sky. Taking this moment to slip away unnoticed, Charlie took off again but stopped almost immediately when he spotted the uniformed officers moving through the crowd ahead of him. Whirling around, he took off in the opposite direction, his pace measured at first but after a few glimpses behind him and realising that he’d been made, he started to sprint.

He ran down a narrow, winding market alley covered by huge supportive eaves, two police officers hot on his tail. Charlie made his way through a warren of alleyways lined with closely packed white-washed houses with blue details. Everything looked the same. For all he knew, he could have been running in circles. Whichever way he turned, a circuit of walls surrounded him, but as lost as he felt, he had to keep going or risk being caught.

As he ran from alley to alley, he kept wondering if his parents had set him up. Then he chastised himself for even thinking such thoughts. He turned a corner and came to an abrupt halt. Two more officers had joined the chase. The situation suddenly intensified when the officers opened fire. Charlie picked up pace. He had no abilities but his senses were still sharp, allowing him to put a good distance between him and the officers. By now, he knew Azrael wasn’t coming. He was on his own. Whatever was causing his disconnection from the archangel, it had to be linked to him having no abilities.

After finally losing sight of the officers, he spotted a shaded tunnel with a lantern right above the entrance that he headed towards. As he approached the tunnel, he bounded off the adjoining wall and caught hold of the lantern pole and swung himself up onto it. With the aid of a semi-circular balcony, he made his way up onto the roof of a two-storey building and ducked out of sight.

Situations like this, no one had prepared him for. Mortal combat involved a lot more compromises than battling with Archons, he realised. Sure, he could easily execute the officers and give himself a good head start, but there was no guarantee they were immortal. With a demon, he wouldn’t have thought twice about his actions.

The sound of raised voices and hurried footsteps clotted Charlie’s eardrums. Keeping low, he scurried over to the other end of the roof and peered over the edge. He spotted a few awnings and about a dozen folks in the market alley below. Crouching down, he closed his eyes and focused on his breathing. He singled out each sound, mapping the area in his head. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and stood up, shooting his gaze around the surroundings as he contemplated the best way to escape the maze he was trapped in.

The ancient walled city was situated on rising ground, the tallest structure being a circular watchtower that had to be nearing ninety feet, which was a good distance from where he was standing. The buildings within close proximity were no greater than three or four storeys high, ideal for Charlie, who saw a good means of staying off the radar.

He didn’t waste any time deliberating. He leaped across the seven-foot gap, landing on the opposite roof with a thud. For the next three minutes, Charlie travelled via rooftops. When he rejoined the masses on the ground level, the atmosphere appeared a lot different. People were no longer gawking or chasing after him.

As he headed along a busy street, he felt a tremor under his feet that made him look down, but he kept going. It wasn’t until the third tremor that he finally stopped. The vibration was light at first, but then the shaking became more intense. It seemed almost as if the earth was coming apart but everything was still intact.

Charlie glanced up and down the street. Everyone had stopped what they were doing. Panic didn’t set in until a horrific noise blasted across the city. He didn’t recognise the sound. At one point, the noise resembled that of a jet engine building up. Were they under attack? Immediately, Charlie thought Gaddis’s minions had found him. He looked up at the sky, not sure what he would find. Nothing flew by overhead.

Then the screaming started. Charlie glanced away from the sky and saw people scattering in the distance. The folks nearby looked just as confused as he felt. Although he didn’t know what was happening, he didn’t stand around and wait to be trampled by the frantic group rushing towards him. He took to the street along with the crowd.

Chaos reigned everywhere.

‘Water, water,’ Charlie heard someone behind him yell in Arabic.

Before he knew it, he found himself being knocked off his feet by a strong force from behind. He landed in shallow water. When he got to his feet, another burst of water hit him; so strong and fast moving it was that it almost sent him hurling to the ground again, but he managed to stay on his feet, braced against a car. The water was up to his knees now and was moving with such speed that he could barely move his feet against the current.

It was suddenly very windy. Slowly, the screaming started to fade as the engine noise became louder. When the car Charlie was leaning against started to shift, he made a move, just in time as another vehicle made a strong impact, denting the side of the car he had been leaning against. Standing in the middle of what used to be a street but now looked like a river, people scattering all around him, he saw what had the folk of Tunisia in hysteria. Rushing towards him at a great speed was a black wall of water, maybe three to four storeys high. The huge wave smashed everything and anything in its path.

Charlie whirled around and powered through the water. Each time he glanced behind him, he saw the monstrous wave swallowing people as it gunned for him. The water was just a few feet away when he spotted a young woman kneeling on the bonnet of a car ahead of him, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the oncoming wave.

‘Run,’ Charlie yelled, but she didn’t budge. He wasn’t even sure she had heard him. Taking two big leaps, he lunged forward. The moment he made contact with the woman, the wave hit him hard.

Other Books in the T.O.E. Series

9780957001923Talisman Of El
T.O.E. Trilogy, Book 1
Publication Date: May 20, 2012
Publisher: Centrinian

Book Description:
WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?

One Planet.

Two Worlds.

Population: Human … 7 billion.

Others … unknown.

When 14-year-old Char­lie Blake wakes up sweat­ing and gasp­ing for air in the mid­dle of the night, he knows it is hap­pen­ing again. This time he wit­nesses a bru­tal mur­der. He’s afraid to tell any­one. No one would believe him … because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago – the day before his dad died.

Char­lie doesn’t know why this is hap­pen­ing. He would give any­thing to have an ordi­nary life. The prob­lem: he doesn’t belong in the world he knows as home.

He belongs with the others.

Buy Links:
Amazon US ¦ UK

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9780957001947Blackout
T.O.E. Trilogy, Book 2
Publication Date: March 19, 2014
Publisher: Centrinian

Book Description:
What was shall no longer be. What was not shall now become.

Despite having the protection of the talisman and the Legion, a reforming force of warrior angels and elementals, guarding his every move, things are not looking good for Charlie Blake. Tasked with the responsibility of saving mankind, finding the four diamonds to restore the talisman is all he can think of, but when his prophetic visions start to invade his reality and he suddenly can’t distinguish the dream world from the real world, the pending extinction of mankind becomes the least of his problems. Everyone assumes Charlie’s dormant powers are activating, until he starts showing symptoms of a deadly disease.

With his nemesis, Gaddis, threatening the lives of his loved ones, he faces a race against time to locate the Stone of Raphael, the air diamond, before an imminent pandemic destroys civilization. As he ventures into dangerous lands once again, he unearths shocking revelations about his past life that forces him to question his allegiance. With no one to turn to for answers, he can’t help but wonder if his purpose is truly to save mankind.

Buy Links:
Amazon US ¦ UK

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toe-trilogy-avatar-fbAbout the Author
Alecia Stone has been in love with anything and everything paranormal for many years. She grad­u­ated with a BA in Film & TV and had worked in tele­vi­sion for a short period of time before branch­ing out into storytelling. When she isn’t writ­ing, she enjoys going to the movies, lis­ten­ing to music and travelling. Talisman Of El is her first novel. She currently lives in England, UK.

Author Links:
Website ¦ Twitter ¦ Facebook (Author) ¦ Facebook (Trilogy) ¦ Pinterest ¦ Goodreads

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Within the Darkest Hollows by DA Roach @EJBookPromo @daroach12books


Title: Within the Darkest Hollows
Series: Demon Hunters #2
Author: D.A. Roach
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: December 13, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Cassidy and her mystical ring are stuck in the middle of a battle between the Demon World and the Mortal Realm…
A conflict with the demons has left Killian, head of the Demon Hunters, injured and stripped of his powerful Demon Hunter tattoo. Cassidy is tasked with caring for him in the Human Realm until he is well enough to cross back into the Demon Realm. But soon she notices he is acting strangely and begins to suspect something is wrong.
She seeks help from Serena, a retired Demon Hunter, but it’s too late…
Cassidy returns home to find Killian has gone missing. Tyler, a friend with his own set of mystical powers, shows up to tell her that Killian is at his house demanding a meeting with the Demon Queen Rya. She and Serena have to work fast to find a way to heal Killian and get Cassidy’s ring away from him before Rya is involved. Meanwhile, Tyler and his dad have their own plan to make a deal with the Queen.
The Queen has a decision to make, but not before securing her leverage…
Rya wants time to consider the offer presented by Tyler’s dad, and takes Cassidy to the Demon Realm as collateral. The Demon Queen must choose between Tyler, the mate she was promised, and the mystical ring that was forged for her years ago.
Tyler is forced to face the inner demon he has worked so hard to restrain. Will he succeed, or will he be lost to the darkness, leaving Cassidy to be sacrificed by the demons?
As both sides gain alliances, the tension between the realms grows and the time for action draws near…

“It also fills you with so much excitement as you devour this epic adventure that Roach has taken you on.” – 5 Star iScream Books

“For a YA paranormal, this series is superb. Personally I usually want/need that ‘adult’ edge – however this series really doesn’t need it.” – 5 Star Hashtag Minxes Love Books

“Love!! I’ve been waiting for book 2 for what seemed like forever and so worth the wait!” – 5 star Reader Review



D.A. Roach has been telling stories since she was a young girl in the suburbs of Chicago. In college she met the man of her dreams, her happily ever after, and married him 2 weeks after graduating. They have 3 kids together and a pet cockatiel named Gimli. D.A. did not find a love for books until after college. Her parents were immigrants from Lithuania and found tv and radio easier ways to hear stories so they did not do much reading or encourage it. But once she finished college and D.A. had free time, she discovered how amazing it was to get lost in a story.
D.A. is a full time mom and wife. When she is not doing domestic things (laundry, bills, etc) she is writing, reading, creating mixed media art, and helping beautify her kids’ school landscape. Oh, and she is ALWAYS listening to music. Her favorite authors include Rebecca Donovan, Richelle Mead, Larissa Ione, Stephanie Meyer, E.L. James, and Sylvia Day. Reading great works from authors like these has motivated D.A. to write her own stories. She hopes to make positive changes in the world with her art and writing.

 

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