Check out an #Excerpt from Catching Summer by @LPDover #Giveaway #RomanticSuspense

Catching Summer
(Second Chances #6)
L.P. Dover

Publication: April 5th 2016
ASIN:B011G3HM2S
Length: 231 pages
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense


Blurb: 

Former nurse Summer Jacobs has seen her fair share of suffering, but she never expected tragedy to hit so close to home. After watching her husband die in the MMA ring, Summer spends the next two years fighting her way through the darkness. The last thing she needs is another hardheaded athlete turning her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when she meets a gridiron star who’s as skilled at stealing hearts as he is at snagging passes.
Carolina Cougars wide receiver Evan Townsend usually has no problem winning fans, so he’s intrigued when Summer shoots down his go-to plays for winning a woman’s attention. Never one to back down from a challenge, Evan turns up the heat, setting off sparks that neither can deny. But as his slow seduction begins to chase away Summer’s pain, he gets the feeling that someone is desperate to keep them apart. Now Evan will do anything to protect her—because he never misses a chance to make a perfect catch.

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EXCERPT:

Once out the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and slowed my pace. “Come on, Summer, stop acting like an idiot.”

“Talking to yourself now?” Evan teased from behind.
I stopped mid-step and closed my eyes. “Do you enjoy provoking me?”
When he circled around me, I opened my eyes. “Not really, but I do love seeing you blush. I didn’t realize I had that effect on you.”
“You seriously are full of yourself, aren’t you?” How could I be so stupid? There was no way in hell I could hide my face now. I didn’t want him to know how flustered he made me.
Chuckling, he shook his head and kept his gray eyes solely on mine. “I’m really not. I was just hoping to hear your laugh again. I guess I didn’t get enough of it yesterday.”
“So, this is you flirting with me? What do you expect to gain from that?”
He took a step closer and smiled. “For starters, I was hoping to persuade you to come to my party after the game Saturday night.”
My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I could feel the sweat pouring down my back. “Like what? A date?”
“Only if you want it to be. I just figured I’d save you the trouble of having to ward off my teammates. I can name three of the guys who are interested in you. My threats to stop their advances can only go so far.”
“What if I didn’t want to go to your party? I can easily just tell them I’m not interested.”
He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. “You could, but that doesn’t mean shit to these guys. They’ll keep hounding you until you give in. They love the chase.”
“Just like you,” I retorted with a smile.
“What can I say? I’m relentless when I want something.” I sucked in a breath and bit my lip. Did he really want me like that? The thought made everything inside of me tighten. It was too dangerous to think of him like that.
“So are you trying to save me from your friends or are you really wanting me to join you? I know how you guys work, and I don’t want to be a part of some game you’re playing to get girls.”
His grin faded, gaze hard. “I don’t play games, Summer. I may have in the past, but I would never do that to you. Have I ever given you the impression that you can’t trust me?”
Sighing, I shook my head. I felt like such an idiot. “No, and I’m sorry for being presumptuous. It’s just . . .” I paused and bit down on the side of my cheek.
“It’s just what?” he asked in all seriousness.
“It’s just this is all new to me. All I’ve ever known is Austin. Being around you makes me nervous. I’m not like the girls you’ve brought into the restaurant. If it’s sex you want, you can forget it. I’m not one of your groupies.” For a second there, I thought he was at a loss for words, but then he belted out in laughter. Ouch, that hurt. “I’m glad I could amuse you.”
When he straightened up, he took off his hat and ran his hands through his hair. And again, my heart sped up at the sight. Shit. “Damn, you are a fiery one. And just so we’re clear, I’m not trying to fuck you or trying to put another notch in my belt. Believe it or not, I’m actually interested in something else.”
“What is that, exactly?”
“I don’t know, but I’m hoping you can help me figure it out.” Grabbing my hand, he pulled me toward his truck. “Let’s go.”

About the author:

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, L.P. Dover, is a southern belle residing in North Carolina along with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she even began her literary journey she worked in Periodontics enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.
Not only does she love to write, but she loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes, white water rafting, and you can't forget the passion for singing. Her two number one fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime and those songs usually consist of Christmas carols.
Aside from being a wife and mother, L.P. Dover has written over seventeen novels including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, and her standalone novel, Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read is romantic suspense and she also loves writing it. However, if she had to choose a setting to live in it would have to be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.
L.P. Dover is represented by Marisa Corvisiero of Corvisiero Literary Agency.

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Mistaken Identity by Stephanie Norris #RomanticSuspense #Giveaway

Mistaken Identity
Stephanie Nicole Norris

 
Publication:  March 1st 2016
ISBN:1530122783
ASIN: B01BBNJUA0
Length: 252 pages
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense



Blurb:

The only thing Briana and Tiana have in common are their identical looks. For Tiana, life is one challenge after another, but her greatest struggle is sharing a face with the sister she despises. Tired of living in the shadows, she comes up with a plan to finally have everything she ever wanted.
Everything seems to come easy for Briana, including her beautiful children, loving husband and dynamic career. Briana’s charmed life is ripped apart when she wakes up in the hospital with no idea who she is and no memory of her former life. With the help of the handsome stranger who saved her, Briana builds a new life and finds new love, while Tiana won’t rest until Briana has no life at all.

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BOOK TRAILER:

EXCERPT:

Chris rounded the stairs that led to the first level of his loft and looked out of the peep hole. Sure enough, it was his son’s mother and she looked lit up. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

She stumbled as the door swung open.
“Why are you knocking on my door at three o’clock in the morning?”
“Because I need to t-talk,” she stuttered, “to you!”
“No, Sandra, you need to go home. Where is Christopher?” he asked.
“Well, he ain’t gone be at the club with me!” she stated matter-of-factly. “So that was a dumb question.”
Chris sighed, unable to continue the dance they did at his front door. “Go home,” he said, and slammed the door in her face.
“Oh no you didn’t!” he heard her say from the other side of the door.
Boom! Boom! Boom! She beat on the door again and crossed her arms. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me, so you might as well come back to the door. I don’t care if your neighbors call the police. I will stand here until they arrive!”
Tiana pushed past Chris. He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her.
“Look, this heffa ain’t going away, and I’m about to give her a piece of my mind. She’s ruining our night!”
“Baby, calm down, I got this.”
Tiana huffed. “I can’t tell!”
She pivoted on her heels and went to the kitchen. The banging on the door continued. She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. Looking in the cupboard she removed a wine glass and popped the cork on a bottle of Emmolo Merlot that had been sitting on ice since their earlier tryst. She rolled her eyes as she listened to Chris in the front room arguing with his son’s mother. This is the last thing she needed. She sipped from the glass and closed her eyes as the caramelized plum, brown spices and rich fruit flavor oozed down her throat. She took another swig; it was delicious, but what would’ve been better is if she could get back into bed with Chris.
“Enough of this,” she said.
Tiana made her way back to the living room where the couple was still arguing. She cleared her throat and stepped into view, letting her robe open just enough to show off her bare chest and panties. She took another swig of her wine as she watched a look of fury cross the woman’s face. Tiana almost laughed. Chris didn’t look amused, but he wouldn’t dare tell her otherwise.
“Baby, should I go? I don’t want to cause any trouble,” Tiana purred innocently.
Chris gave her a knowing look. He knew that she was aware that their argument had nothing to do with her. Tiana just wanted to make her presence known.

About the Author :

Stephanie Nicole Norris is an author from Chattanooga Tennessee with a humble beginning. She was raised along with six siblings by her mother, Jessica Ward. Always being a lover of reading from early childhood Stephanie loved to read books by R.L. Stine. With a natural talent for writing Stephanie started her journey in 2010 to bring her stories to life. In 2011 her Debut Novel "Trouble In Paradise" was completed and shortly published in early 2012. Stephanie’s words tell stories of love, drama, deception, suspense, and restoration. She is inspired by the likes of Eric Jerome Dickey, Jackie Collins, Gwynne Forster, and more. She resides in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

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Maybe Yes by @AuthorEllaMiles #Romance #Suspense #Giveaway

Maybe Yes
(Maybe, #1)
Ella Miles

Publication: March 18, 2016
ASIN:B01D6GQGFW

Length: 192 pages
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense


Blurb: 
 

Her future is already set, all she has to do is marry a complete stranger.
Kinsley Felton has everything. Money, a loving family, and a modeling career. She graduates from Yale in just days, but unlike a typical college student she doesn’t have to spend hours looking for a job when she graduates. Kinsley will inherit the multi-billion dollar gaming and hospitality company her great-grandfather started. The only problem is she has to do everything her family asks for in order to get that money. That includes marrying a man of her family’s choosing. That’s not a problem since Kinsley has been following her family’s orders all her life. Until a phone call from her grandfather changes everything.
Will she marry the man her family chooses or will she decide her own future?

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EXCERPT:

I just don’t know what I want.
I think of everything I’ve been told I want—money, clothes, a modeling career, an acting career, and an intelligent husband who will run the company in order to give me even more money. But not one of those things has ever made me happy. I try to think about things that have made me happy—my family and Scarlett. But that leaves me with fewer answers.
I know what I don’t want.
I don’t want a modeling career.
I don’t want an acting career.
I don’t want to marry a complete stranger.
I try to think of my happiest memory with my dad. It was on my eighteenth birthday. It coincided with my high school graduation. He took me to a casino in California, one I could legally gamble at. He taught me how to play blackjack and how to count cards. We won—a lot. It wasn’t the winning that made it fun. It was learning something from my father. It was the confidence he displayed in me when he gave me high amounts of money to place a bet that I would win because I was capable. It was one of the only times I felt he was proud of me for something other than my looks.
The line I will never forget my father saying to me is, “No one would ever suspect you of counting cards. You’re too pretty.”
It was that day that I learned that my beauty was a weapon that could be used to my advantage. I just have never learned how to harness it.
I head to my room to grab my shoes and purse to head to a casino, to find a happy memory…because, tomorrow, I’ll meet the man I’m going to marry. Tomorrow, I’ll have to face the fact that I don’t get to decide my own future, but I don’t have to today. I still have a chance to make today better. I was wrong. Today isn’t the worst day of my life. Tomorrow probably will be, so I’m going to make the most of my last night of freedom.

About the Author : 

Ella Miles writes sexy romance with strong females that could kick your butt if you piss them off, which they often do to the men that fall for them. She's currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow. Ella is the author of the Aligned series. Get a free book by visiting her website. Or by stalking her on Twitter or Facebook.

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Rock
J.A. Huss


Publication : March 7,2016
ISBN: 1944475036
ASIN: B01CNB2GOQ
Length: 278 pages
Genres: Rock Star Romantic Suspense

Blurb: 

He had it all. He lost it all. And all he wants now is a second chance.

RK Saber ran from tragedy five years ago when his car went over the side of a mountain in a prom-night crash. Consumed by guilt, he walked away from Juilliard and morphed into Rock, front man for the global rock-band sensation, Son of a Jack. Five members. Five best friends. Five rising stars burning so bright, they had to know it couldn’t last.
When tragedy strikes again and the band goes from five to two, RK is sentenced to… home. Back to the place where all his nightmares started. Back to the memory of all the things he lost. Back to the reality he refused to face before he left.
The Vetti twins were identical in all ways but two. Melanie was insane and Melissa was not. One twin was killed on prom night five years ago and one twin was not. And now that RK has returned home, the twin left standing has quite a story to tell. Could she really be the girl he thought he’d lost forever? Or is Melanie just up to her same old tricks?
ROCK is a rock-star romantic suspense by the New York Times bestselling master of twist, JA Huss.

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EXCERPT:

“We’re not done, Melissa Vetti.”
“Not even close,” she says, winking at me as she pulls the door open to a waiting Gretchen.
“Oh, my God, you guys are disgusting. Who has sex in a break room?”
Missy giggles, then grabs my arm as if to cling to me. Her grin is wild and wide, her eyes are dancing as they look up at me, and when she leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder for a brief moment, just as I open the back passenger door to Gretchen’s stupid hybrid car, I sigh.
It’s long and deep. But everything about it is good.
“Get in,” I tell Missy. She does, searching for her seatbelt as I close the door and walk over to the other side.
“You’re not sitting in back, RK,” Gretchen says.
“The fuck I’m not,” I mumble, getting in next to Missy. Her hands are all over me as Gretchen huffs about not being a chauffeur and some other bullshit that I can’t be bothered to listen to.
I put my arm around Miss and she leans into my chest. One hand tucked behind my back, one lifting my shirt up, a fraction at a time. And even though I just came inside her five minutes ago, I’m ready for more.
Gretchen talks the entire ride but I don’t understand a word she says. Melissa’s mouth is on mine, then biting my shoulder, then she’s scooting back and lowering her face to my stomach, still lifting my shirt up with that one hand.
When Gretchen stops in my driveway, Missy and I give off half-hearted waves as I push her up against the front door and stare down into her blue eyes. “You know what?” I slur the words just a little.
“What?” She laughs back.
I have so many thoughts in my head at the moment. About her, her music, the bar, this town. What it felt like to come home after five years. How alone I felt. What it felt like to go to her show tonight. To be included. Part of something again.
“I missed you,” I say.
“I missed you too.”
“No,” I say. “I mean I missed you.” I place my hands on each of her cheeks and bump my forehead against hers. “I missed how you started that band. I missed how you worked out those songs. I missed all the mistakes, and all the triumphs. I missed the stressing out over money. I missed the conversation you had to have with Teej to get a spot. I missed picking out the guitar you play, the strap, the picks. I missed you making a decision about what you’d wear on stage. I missed you squealing to whoever is your best friend these days about your first show. I missed the applause, I missed TJ’s proud face afterward, I missed the first blown amp, the first time someone said, Hey, are you the chick who plays at Float’s? I missed everything, Melissa Vetti, rock star. And I’m so fucking sorry. Because life would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”
She pouts her lips and nods her head. I can see a little gleam of light in her eyes as she tries not to cry. “I missed your life too.”
“Yeah,” I whisper. “It just would’ve been so much better if we’d done it together.”
She looks up at me and smiles. “We’re together now, RK. And that’s all that matters.”

About the Author : 

JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you're interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

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#Excerpt from Submission Specialist by Ada Scott #NA #Romance

Submission Specialist 
(Still a Bad Boy #2)
Ada Scott

Publication: February 26, 2016
ISBN: 1523756902
ASIN: B01C7GA4TQ
Length: 216 pages
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense


Blurb:
 

Instead of Prince Charming, I got Him.

Skylar

I promised I’d save myself for my wedding night.
Of course, I didn’t know it was going to be a fake marriage to a heavyweight MMA fighter. I couldn’t have known how good it would feel to be pinned under all those muscles and tattoos, squirming, panting, and even whimpering in ecstasy.
None of us knew how deeply he was involved with the mafia.
When he disrespects them, they think they can use me to punish him.
They’re wrong.
He’s a tank in human form.
And he’s coming for me.

Austin

Men tap out inside the ring, women surrender themselves outside of it. That’s always been my specialty.
I chose Skylar because she was so innocent. A good girl like her would help sell my reformed image to the public. To corrupt her and leave her ruined for all other men would be my hottest conquest yet.
But I found more in Skylar than that. Who’d have thought that the first woman I wanted to lay more than once would be my wife?
Now they think they can take away what is mine?
Even if I have to kill every last member of the Bertolini Crime Family…
I’m coming for her.

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EXCERPT:

I felt like I was sitting inside my own head watching a movie play out as I dropped the remains of my apple in the trash and headed towards the Tier-1 fighters’ area. Uncle Malcolm wasn’t here to show me what to do. All I had was less than a year of study and a general appreciation of massages to rely on. It would have to do.

The Tier-1 wing had a guard at the door who looked mean enough to actually fight for NHBFC, but he let me through when he saw my uniform and heard that Gordon had sent me at Henry’s request. The hallway behind said door was just as chaotic as the ones I’d just left, but for a completely different reason.
With a smaller group of fighters to look after, and an already smaller staff diminished by illness, it was the MMA groupies making the most noise over here. Clusters of some of the most stunning girls currently in the city hovered around their favorite fighters’ doors, giggling and talking loudly. It wasn’t official of course, but the guard knew only to let in the best of the best.
The intensity of their beauty only served to make me feel self-conscious, as I awkwardly nudged my way through them to Austin’s door. Most of them were taller than me and the tops they wore made absolutely sure to show off their breasts, at my eye-level, to maximum effect.
They made me feel like a potato in a diamond display case as I sheepishly knocked on the door. A few moments later an older guy, Austin’s coach, snatched the door open.
“I told you bitches he isn’t ready yet!”
“Uh, Gordon sent me? Henry said you-”
“Oh, right, yeah. He’s just in the shower-”
The groupies in earshot all squealed and started talking at once.
“You come in, he’ll be ready in a second, I’m stepping out. Lock it behind you. Which of you girls wants to do me a special favor so I put a good word in for you with The Killer?”
I squeezed past him as a chorus of “I do!” “I will” rang out behind me. One of them said “How come the cleaning lady gets to go in?” Another said, “I’ll deepthroat your-” just as the door clicked shut.
Stepping into a Tier-1 dressing room after working on the other side for so long was like stepping into first-class on an airplane after only ever flying coach. They had all the same stuff that we had, but instead of bare concrete, there was actual paint on the walls, a permanent massage table, a brand new heavy punching bag hung from the ceiling on a chain. Plenty of bells and whistles.
Steam poured out of a cracked-open door and I could hear a shower running. I walked over and paused by the door, before knocking even more tentatively than I had on the other one.
“Austin? I’m here for the-”
“I told Ross to tell you I wasn’t ready!” he yelled out.
“Uh… no I’m not… uh… I work here? Henry said you needed a massage?”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll be right out.”
The sound of running water stopped and I caught a flash of movement in the steamed-up mirror through the opening. Quickly, I turned and faced the other way, ashamed at the flush of excitement that came unbidden and made me bite my bottom lip without thinking about it.
After a couple minutes I felt the waft of air as the door was pulled open behind me, and turned to face him. Standing there, wearing only a towel, with beads of water dripping down his neck and torso from his hair, was fan (and my) favorite, Austin “The Killer” Aquila.
That perfectly sculpted body looked like it was made from granite by an artist with an eye for sin, then decorated with ink in designs that curled all over. His thick arms had contours that drew my eyes up to his broad shoulders, and then sent them down across his pecs and over each and every bump of his abs.
His lower abdominals formed lines that narrowed as my eyes roamed lower… lower… lower until the visual ride was abruptly cut off by the towel, which he held up by one hand.
I looked up and heard my jaw click shut when our eyes met. I only hoped I’d closed my mouth before I drooled. If I was looking at him like a piece of art, he was looking at me like a piece of food, and it took all my willpower not to find a plate to climb on to.
All heavyweights have a certain presence. It would be hard not to when you’re a tank that has briefly assumed human form, but Austin had presence that almost seemed to make the air crackle between us and around him. His eyes, they were looking at me in a way that would give my dad a stroke. That brought me partway back to reality.
“Um… over there?” I pointed at the massage table.
“You sure you work here?” he asked.
“Yeah, I… I normally work in Tier-2…”
Austin closed the distance between us and leaned down towards me. My heart tried to jump up my throat to get a better view out my mouth at all that solid muscle so close to me, and my ability to breathe be damned.
“Because, if you’re another girl that stole a uniform just to get in here… well, I’ll have to do to you what I did to her.”
A drop of water fell from his head and landed on my ear, making me flinch. The scent of soap and the faint musk of him filled my lungs as I took a deep breath to offer whatever reassurance I could.
“I promise I work here,” I squeaked.

About the Author :

Join me here for free downloads, discounts and news:
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A former office drone, a former nurse, I now spend every waking moment doing what I love, creating and publishing these steamy stories about bad boys from the mafia, motorcycle clubs, and mma that make me, and hopefully you, weak at the knees! Anywhere a bad boy can be found, I'll be there taking notes and making it even sexier :)

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Cover Reveal: Rock by @jahuss

Rock
J.A. Huss
 
Publication: March 7, 2016

Genres: Rock-star Romantic Suspense



Blurb:
 

Welcome to RK’s rock star life.
I was living the dream, I was full throttle, all in, one hundred percent on top of the world. But it’s a hell of a long fall back down when you finally crash and burn.
Welcome to the delusions, the final act, the coming-to-Jesus moment when there’s nothing left to do but look yourself in the mirror and ask… How did I get like this?
I am RK’s living nightmare. I am RK’s empty soul. I am RK’s unchecked fantasy world that makes no sense to anyone.
I only have one thing left. Just one girl holding my broken pieces together.
And even she might be a lie.
Rock is a standalone rock-star romantic suspense by the New York Times bestselling master of twist, JA Huss.

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Enter HERE➔ http://on.fb.me/1MXMGHG

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About the Author : 

JA Huss is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty romances. She likes stories about family, loyalty, and extraordinary characters who struggle with basic human emotions while dealing with bigger than life problems. JA loves writing heroes who make you swoon, heroines who makes you jealous, and the perfect Happily Ever After ending.
You can chat with her on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AuthorJAHuss), Twitter (@jahuss), and her kick-ass romance blog, New Adult Addiction (www.newadultaddiction.com).
If you're interested in getting your hands on an advanced release copy of her upcoming books, sneak peek teasers, or information on her upcoming personal appearances, you can join her newsletter list (http://eepurl.com/JVhAr) and get those details delivered right to your inbox.

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Til Death Do Us Part by @cristina_slough #Romance #Suspense

Till Death Us Do Part
Cristina Slough

Publication : December 29, 2015
ISBN: 1680584316
ASIN: B018B5T3H6
Length: 359 pages
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense


Blurb:

The fateful day Mimi Marcus has dreaded begins with a phone call…

The wife of a U.S. Marine, Mimi spent countless nights worried that her husband Joel would fall in the line of duty. He had fought valiantly and served his country with honor. That’s exactly what they tell her when they deliver the news—Joel was taken by the enemy in Afghanistan. Her husband is dead.
In desperate need of closure, Mimi travels to the one place Joel still has ties—The Marcus Ranch in Texas, inherited by his handsome younger brother Austin.

New beginnings are only an illusion…

The closer Mimi grows to the Marcus family, the more she considers it home. But when suspicions of Joel’s past surface, Austin refuses to disclose family secrets—even to his brother’s widow. It’s only by accident she uncovers evidence of Joel’s tainted past. Devastated by his lies and betrayal, she slowly opens up to Austin, and together they unfold layers of pain and grief.

Mimi is sure she’ll never love again, but is Austin the man to prove her wrong? Then the unthinkable happens…

Just as Mimi finds new hope in a future with Austin, Joel returns home from war. Enraged, traumatized, and teetering on the edge of insanity, Joel confesses to a history of deception, revealing yet another secret—this one too terrible to forgive.
In an awful twist of fate, Joel proves marriage vows are made to be honored.
No matter what.

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EXCERPT:

Mimi had been dreaming of a storm. Heavy rain, violent claps of thunder, and lightning flashing simultaneously.

She saw Joel, reaching out for her, his body bloody and wet. She awoke in the darkened room. It was 2:17 a.m.—the exact time she had woken up for three nights in a row. She slipped out of bed, her pyjama bottoms loose around her ever-shrinking waist. The air was freezing. She dashed across the room to wrap herself in the fleecy dressing gown her mother had just bought her for Christmas.
6:47 a.m. in Afghanistan.
Her stomach growled, begging for food. She couldn’t eat. She clicked onto her Twitter feed to check for more updates since the suicide bombing in Kabul, which had claimed at least six—two were American Marines.
Mimi had contacted the Embassy several times, but nobody could tell her anything. The pain of not knowing was taking away her ability to breathe normally. The silence was too loud. She had tried to remember their last conversation. Did she tell him that she loved him? Words so quick to fall off the tongue to end a phone call. Love you—bye. Often she had felt like she was holding a grenade—being the wife of a Marine, always waiting for a letter, hearing his voice, waiting for news that he was alive or dead.

Playlist:

About the Author:

Novelist, movie addict, and animal lover, Cristina Slough is the author of Till Death Us Do Part, her debut novel.
Cristina has always been a bookworm, rarely seen without a pen and paper in her hand, she loves delving into a literacy fictional world of her own.
At the age of 11, her junior school teacher told her mother that she would be wasting her life if she didn’t become an author. Throughout her teenage years and beyond, her parents spurred her on to keep writing. She later began a career in commercial real estate, working in London’s West End, a corporate bubble where she was unable to fuel her passion to write.
It was on her Californian honeymoon in 2012 that the bug to write was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. After visiting Yosemite National Park she was inspired by the natural beauty of the land that surrounded her. Holding a special place in her heart, Yosemite would later be written into her debut novel.
She finally gave up the ‘big smoke’ when her son, Lucas, was born in October 2013.
When Lucas was a newborn, Cristina was told to sleep when the baby sleeps. She never could. There was a calling inside her to write. After getting to grips with her new role as a mother, she began working a psychological thriller, but she couldn’t fully connect to the characters she created. She ditched the manuscript and started Till Death Us Do Part (Limitless Publishing, 2015).
Cristina is married to Adam, who runs a successful business; together they share their Bedfordshire home with their son, crazy white German Shepherd and three spoiled cats. They can be found trekking through woodlands, or around the many shops Cristina loves to explore. As a family, they love to travel frequently, the United States being a firm favorite.

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#Excerpt : Take Back the Memory by Augustine Sam #Romance #Suspense

Publication: Oct 2014
ISBN:  978-1612359861
ASIN:  B00OCBWC8G
Length: 214 pages
Genre:  Romantic Suspense / Women's Fiction



Blurb:

What would you do if you found out the man you married is not who you thought he was? What would you do if you suddenly discovered that you have indeed had the one thing you had yearned for all your life without realizing it?

Now, imagine a woman transformed from a psychiatrist to patient, and lured into a compelling backward journey through her own life on a psychotherapist's couch. Imagine skeletons from her past pulling her back into the vortex of darkness from which she thought she had escaped, Paige Lyman is a woman conned by fate and plagued by damning memories she must decipher in order to be free.

Take Back the Memory is a psychological expose on love, betrayal, vengeance, and a heart-wrenching secret.

Buy it :  Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

Excerpt : 

Chapter One

The door of the consulting studio swung open at 9.00 a.m. and Dr. Wilson, a slender, pipe-smoking clinical psychologist stuck his hoary head in the doorway. His face lit up at the sight of Paige sitting cross-legged in the cozy waiting room.

“Hello Dr. Lyman,” he smiled courteously, “I had no idea you were here already.”

Paige glanced up, her face a frozen scowl, and gazed at him. She had expected them to be on first-name basis this morning; the unexpected formality fazed her quite a bit.

“Good morning, Dr. Wilson,” she said wryly. “Sorry I’m early, a habit, I guess.”

“Oh, that’s all right,” he said quickly, the smile on his lips waning. “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

She nodded and looked away as he disappeared back into the consulting room. Left alone, she gazed across the lounge. The psychotherapist’s studio was illuminated by the sun’s rays through an opened venetian blind, and the balmy sunlit ambience fascinated her.

“Like the cheery whisper of an admirer after a heartbreak,” she said wistfully and rose.

As she did so, echoes of distant traffic momentarily brought her to a state of mental alertness. Palms sweaty, Paige walked to the window and opened it. She gazed, mesmerized, at the sun-drenched avenue on the breezy late September morning and noted the peak time for fall foliage in New York was weeks away yet. She closed the window.

Shrugging, she walked back to her seat and plopped down. Her hand trembled slightly on the black zebra-print clutch bag in her lap.

“Darn,” she mumbled, her thoughts turning to her daughter, who had convinced her to come.

“I shouldn’t be here, Diane,” she whispered savagely. “I just shouldn’t.”

Anxious to gain control of herself, she heaved a sigh and leaned back on the comfortable davenport, puckering her lips.

She wore a rose-tinted shirt with a low-cut neckline that revealed plenty of cleavage. A cherry, handcrafted silk scarf encircled her neck. Knee-high black boots matched the color of her fringed skirt, accentuating its beauty. Angry with herself for letting Diane convince her to come, she sat up, agitated.

She started at the sound of a latch unfastening, as the door of the consulting room swung open again.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” Dr. Wilson said from the doorway and then walked to where she was sitting.

Paige rose slowly. Her eyes on his face, she smoothed her skirt and noticed his courteous smile had not waned completely. Without altering his gait, Dr. Wilson thrust his hand in front of her. Paige took the outstretched hand and shook it gently.

“Can I come in now?”

“Yes, please do,” he said, gesturing with his hand.

Clean-shaven, he wore no tie. His fawn-striped shirt, unlike hers, was buttoned all the way up. Expensive clothing testified to a successful practice. He wore black semi-brogues and walked with a slight shuffle. Paige followed him into his office, full of expectation.

“Please sit down.” He indicated the black, buckskin couch. “Would you like some coffee?”

“No, thank you.”

Paige sat on the familiar couch. As she gazed at him from the corner of her eyes on the chair that should be hers, the magnitude of the moment escaped her.

In the magnifying silence of the room, Dr. Wilson sat composed on his standard, comfortable chair, the tip of his pen held against his lip the way men who smoked would usually hold a pipe. His eyes remained on her, and hers were on his. For several seconds their eyes locked; at first warily, like two professionals trying to find a meeting ground, a starting point.

“You’re here to talk to me,” he said, crossing one leg over the other. “I guess both as a colleague and as a patient, and I’ll love to listen to you as much as I’ve loved reading your work.”

She uncrossed her legs and quickly re-crossed them, and then she leaned back on the couch, her fringed skirt shifting upwards. She noticed his eyes, unlike those of most men, remained on her face and not on her legs.

“Don’t patronize me. Even my own daughter thinks I’m going mad. Don’t lie to me. You think so, too, but I can still sit on that chair and listen to patients.”

“You certainly can,” he responded indulgently. “You were one of the best. However, we both know things aren’t the way they used to be. If you were on this chair, the first thing you would tell the patient would be to admit their situation and talk to you about it.” He paused a moment. “I think you have admitted that much within you,” he said without looking at her. “That’s why you allowed Diane to convince you to come. So, let’s talk, my friend. Let’s talk about the situation.”

Paige regarded him suspiciously. Let’s talk about the situation. Talk about the situation? Dr. Wilson’s words jangled in her head like the howl of a campanile. What was there to talk about?

Irritation rose inside her like the beginning of a toothache. Yet, she knew he was right. Things were not the way they used to be. In the course of her checkered life and career, especially in recent years, nothing was the same. It hurt her quite a bit the way everyone seemed to think she had gone mad, the way she had been transformed from psychiatrist to patient.

“Be frank with me,” she said. “Do you think I’m crazy?” 

“Aren’t we all?” he laughed mirthlessly. “Come on, this is not about you being crazy.”

“What is it about?” 

“It’s about you and me having a nice little talk so we can understand how things are.”

She was silent for a while. She wished he could give her a reason to scream. She wanted desperately to scream at someone this morning, so why not this psychologist, with his calm, upper-class manners? After what seemed like a long time, she realized, not without some satisfaction, that he was determined to be courteous with her this morning.

“I’m at a loss,” she whined and turned on the couch to face away from him. “I don’t know where to begin. I don’t even know what to talk about. I mean, there are so many things to explore.”

“Let’s start from the endearing subject of your book. Are you convinced you want to tell it as it is?”

“Yes.”

“Everything?”

“Every little detail.”

He watched her calmly. “I know you’ve never been afraid to bare your mind, but between me and you, is there any aspect of this memoir that disturbs you a bit?”

“Yes.” She turned and smiled at him. “But an autobiography has to be frank. What’s the point writing it if you are going to shy away from the ugly part? I can’t keep it all inside. I want to let it out.”

“Very well,” he said, his eyes agreeing with her. “Maybe we should talk about some of the traumatizing aspects of the experiences you have recalled and want to write about.”

She gazed at him without a word. Her mind began to tumble backwards slowly, very slowly.

“I think it all began with a simple act of love,” she said at length, her voice surprisingly nostalgic. “A simple act of love,” she emphasized, “between me and Bill when we were kids.”

“I’m listening.”

She sat upright on the couch. “My life is like a soap opera,” she muttered, grimacing. “A distressing mélange spiced with love, heartbreak, and a hidden truth. It will silence your thoughts.”

“I take it you loved this Bill.”

“Don’t interrupt me,” she snapped at him and the psychologist pursed his lips but did not smile. “What Bill and I shared wasn’t a sensual scream, okay? We were kids.”

“Okay,” he mumbled, nodding.

“We grew up together in Kenya,” she told him. “We were on an unending safari. Bill was a handsome Irish boy. You must understand, there weren’t many white boys around to connect to, so I fell desperately in love with him and thought I would marry him someday.” She paused and stared at the rug on the floor of the consulting room, her thoughts a riot.

She hated to remember that back then while she was nursing her infantile dreams of matrimony, Bill’s father was formulating a different program for his son. “Into the service of God you’ll go,” he had told the boy. “A priest, that’s what you are going to be.” Paige glanced up sharply and thoughts jangled in her head. It might have been different, she mused, if Bill had been a Protestant Irish and not Catholic.

She gazed at Dr. Wilson’s shoes as memories flooded her mind. She tried to speak and her voice broke, but the psychologist’s gentle manners soothed her. She and Bill had attended the same school for expatriate kids in Nairobi, she explained. After the boy’s primary school education, his father bundled him into the junior seminary in Ireland, and the world was never the same again. With all contact between them lost, she willed herself to be heartbroken for long, sad years while Bill went on to earn a degree in Theology and was subsequently ordained a priest, or so she thought.

“Did you eventually recover from this heartbreak?” Dr. Wilson said.

“Maybe I did, in my own way.”

“What happened when you recovered?” He spoke warily.

Her eyes didn’t meet his. “A different passion engulfed me then.”

“What kind of passion?”

“Maybe you’ll call it vengeance.”

“Was it vengeance?” Dr. Wilson, like her, uncrossed and re-crossed his legs.

“Yes. A strange kind though.”

Their eyes locked. “A strange kind of vengeance, you say?”

Paige nodded and looked away. “It was priesthood that caused Bill to jilt me,” she said in a defensive voice. “So, I figured a settling of scores might heal me.” She paused, sighed, and then spoke. “I decided to wage a very personal war against priests.”

Dr. Wilson slowly narrowed his eyes. “You mean, like secretly assassinating priests?”

“No,” she frowned, staring at her skirt.

“But a personal war...”

“A personal war that made nonsense of their vow, if you know what I mean.”

“Not really.”

She gritted her teeth. “I seduced them, damn it, and then I made them suffer.” 

Wilson gaped at her, “You seduced priests to get back at Bill for abandoning you for priesthood?”

“Yes.” She looked up at the psychologist now. “That is only part of the story.”

About the Author : 

Augustine Sam is a bilingual Italian journalist and an award-winning poet. A member of the U.K. Chartered Institute of Journalists, he was formerly Special Desk editor at THISDAY newspapers, an authoritative Third World daily first published with the Financial Times of London. He later became correspondent for central Europe. His poems have been published in two international anthologies: The Sounds of Silence & Measures of the Heart. One of his poems, Anguish & Passion, was the winner of the Editors' Choice Awards in the North American Open Poetry contest, USA.

Augustine's debut novel, Take Back the Memory, was awarded a 5-star medal by Readers' Favorite. And his collection of poems, Flashes of Emotion, was the 2015 International Book Award Finalist. Augustine lives and works in Venice.

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#Excerpt + #Giveaway : Mogul by Lexi Larue #NA #Romance #Suspense

Mogul 
(The Mogul Series #1)
Lexi Larue

Publication : May 3rd 2015

ASIN: B00X4VJ9P4
Length: 90 pages
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense



Blurb: 
 

To the world, I am the Mogul
Alexander Nathan McDonald. Billionaire tech mogul of Globaltech. But to people I care about, I’m just plain Nate. The night when I met sweet wonder woman Diana Prince changed my life. I caught her as she fell off the bar stool and heard her story about being fired from her job for leaking secrets to Globaltech. Now how could I tell her who I really was? To Diana, I was just Nate. It’s now my mission to love and protect my sweet naughty girl.
I’m nobody’s superhero
Despite what mom named me. I’m Diana Prince, nobody’s wonder woman. My life is in shambles after I get fired after being accused of leaking trade secrets to Globaltech. I owe it all to my former boss Garrett ‘stink-breath’ Holliman, CEO of Techworks. My biggest mistake is sleeping with him one night after a night on the town.
A sexy, love story.
This is Nate and Diana’s love story. Powerful and full of suspense and intrigue. Nate, the secret billionaire, unravels the mystery that involves Diana and his powerful tech company.
This is Book One in a five part Mogul Series. Sexual content. 18+

Add it to Goodreads !

Buy it :  Amazon 

EXCERPT:

I take the steps to join him on the landing in front of my door as he hands me my purse. “I really do appreciate you going to the trouble to bring it to me at this hour. Come on in, I’ll fix you a cup of coffee.”
Inside my apartment, I show him to the living room and finally begin to feel a little more like myself. “Make yourself comfortable, I’m going to change and then I’ll make us some coffee unless you’d rather have a glass of wine,” I offer as I step into the bathroom.
“Coffee’s fine. Nice album collection.”
“Thanks, it belonged to my father.”
“Oh I’m sorry, how long ago did he die?”
“He’s not dead; he just didn’t want to store them in the garage after they turned his old studio into a sun room.”
“What about your mom?”
“She would’ve gladly gotten rid of them fifteen years ago,” I couldn’t resist teasing.
I put on a night shirt that falls just above my pebble-dimpled knees and cinch my robe over it before starting the coffeepot. When I step into the living room, Etta James starts to sing Sunday kind of love as he grabs me by the hand and pulls me against him.
I decide to oblige him in a dance, intending to bow out gracefully after a few moments but as he holds me in his arms with the music playing in the background, I can feel the stress of the day melting away like it was in the distant past. The smell of coffee fills the air as the song ends and the next thing I know, I’m pressed against the wall of my living room, kissing him passionately.
I can smell the trace of expensive cologne on his collar and feel the wet anticipation building between my legs as he moves his mouth from my lips to my neck. My heart races as he teases me with his tongue from my earlobe to the curve of my shoulder. His warm breath and soft moans against my skin send chills down my spine. He has managed to find my most intensely arousing erogenous zone in less than five minutes and I feel pretty certain at this point that he knows where the rest of them are too.
I push his suit jacket down over his shoulders as he buries his face just above my collar bone. I desperately want to feel him against me and let go of my tension and worry as I feel him overcome me with his body the way he already has with his sexy, resilient charm. I unbutton his shirt as he removes his tie, his breathless kisses stopping only long enough to take off his undershirt.
As I begin to writhe with pleasure, he slides his hand under my nightshirt, pulls my panties aside and slips his nimble fingers between my swollen pussy lips. I moan softly in his ear as my hips shudder in response. He teasingly glides his fingertips against my tingling flesh while he kisses my neck, making me moan uncontrollably.

About The Author: 

I’ve always loved writing suspense and romance short stories since I was a teen. I love a little bit of mystery woven in my romances. I like strong characters who love life and live with abandon.
I often write from personal inspiration. Stories I’ve lived. Men I’ve met and loved. So you will find a bit of me in every story.
I live in Chicago and love hanging out at jazz clubs and looking for the best food in hole in the wall restaurants.
I found my hero and hope you find yours!
Live life to the fullest!
Lexi

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