Spotlight – Trouble in Big Timber

14 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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B.J. Daniels, Trouble in Big Timber

B.J. Daniels is the go to author for cowboys and suspense!

*****

Trouble in Big Timber

by B.J. Daniels

Available May 25

Blurb:

He’s back at Cardwell Ranch

to find a killer.

Ford Cardwell is shocked when his college crush calls him out of the blue—even more so when he hears a gunshot. But when he joins forces with medical examiner Henrietta “Hitch” Rogers, she makes him wonder if the random call was a setup—not a murder. Together, they’ll need to discover the truth, but looking into the case will put them in the sights of a killer.

Add Trouble in Big Timber to your Goodreads!

Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335401762_trouble-in-big-timber.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Big-Timber-Cardwell-Ranch-ebook/dp/B08P3MDF33

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trouble-in-big-timber-b-j-daniels/1138369418lishers%20LLC

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/trouble-in-big-timber/id1541839185

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/B_J_Daniels_Trouble_in_Big_Timber?id=ciILEAAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/trouble-in-big-timber

*****

Excerpt:

Ford shifted into Park and, hands shaking, pulled out his still-ringing phone. As he did, he had a stray thought. How rare it used to be to get cell phone coverage here in the Gallatin Canyon, of all places. Only a few years ago the call wouldn’t have gone through.

Without checking to see who was calling, he answered it, his hand shaking as he did. He’d come so close to going over the cliff. Until the call had saved him.

“Hello?” He could hear noises in the background. “Hello?” He let out a bitter chuckle. A robocall had saved him at the last moment? he thought.

But his laughter died as he heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from his phone. “Hello?” he yelled. “Who is this?” The scream was followed by a woman’s desperate pleas.

“No, please, don’t hurt me anymore.” Another scream and the sound of breaking glass.

“Hello?” He was yelling, frantic, having no idea who was on the other end of the call—just that she was in trouble. Had the woman meant to call 9ll? Maybe it was a pocket dial and she hadn’t meant to call anyone—let alone a stranger.

“Tell me where you are!” he yelled into the phone, but his voice was drowned out by another scream, this one filled with pure terror—and pain. He knew both too well.

The sound of something hard hitting soft flesh was followed by a choking sound. Choking on blood? The woman was being attacked. By an intruder? Or someone she knew? He’d never felt more helpless as he listened to more breaking glass and the woman’s screams.

“No! Please, Humphrey, you’re going to kill me! Please. Stay back. Don’t make me…” The gunshot sounded deafening—even on the phone. Then there was no sound at all coming from his cell.

Ford stared down at the phone in his hand, shock shuddering through him. The woman on the other end of the line had called the man Humphrey. His already pounding heart thumped against his ribs, making his chest ache. It couldn’t be. He stared at the name that had come up on his phone. No. He tried to call the number back. It went straight to voice mail. Someone must have found the phone and shut it off. Or declined the call.

His heart was pounding. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, almost to breathe, at what he’d just heard, what he’d been unable to stop. Rachel. The call was from his former college roommate’s wife, Rachel Westlake—now Mrs. Humphrey Collinwood.

He’d only recently added her number to his contact list after she’d sent him a friend request on social media and they’d exchanged cell phone numbers.

His pulse pounded so loud that he couldn’t hear himself think. Fumbling in his fear and panic, he hit 911.

It couldn’t be true. He knew Humphrey. They’d been roommates most of their time in college. His former friend wouldn’t hurt anyone. Humphrey idolized Rachel. But from what he’d heard on the call…

Outside the pickup, the wind howled in the pines. A gust blew dirt over the cliff and into the abyss, reminding him how close he’d come to making that same descent. The only thing that had stopped him was the phone call. Or would he have hit the brakes on his own? He would never know.

The 911 operator came on the line. “What is the nature of your emergency?”

“I think I just heard someone being attacked and possibly killed on what I suspect was a pocket dial.” His voice broke. “Her name is Rachel Westlake. Sorry, it’s Collinwood now.” He listened as the dispatcher asked him a question. “No, I don’t know where she lives exactly. A ranch north of Big Timber. That’s all I know. We only recently reconnected. That’s how she had my number. Please, you have to find her. She might still be…alive.”

*****

Author Info:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author B.J. Daniels lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, and three springer spaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and plays tennis. Contact her at http://www.bjdaniels.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/BJ-Daniels/127936587217837 or on twitter at bjdanielsauthor.

Website: https://www.bjdaniels.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100058056520669

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b.j.daniels/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bjdanielsauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/188611.B_J_Daniels

*****

Spotlight – Cowboy Fire

10 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Cowboy Fire, Kim Redford, Smokin' Hot Cowboys series

Don’t you just love truth in advertising? Just look at that title and series – Redford believes in telling you exactly what she plans on giving you.

*****

Cowboy Fire

A Smokin’ Hot Cowboys Novel

by Kim Redford

Publication Date: 5/25/2021

Blurb:

This cowboy is more than just a perfect face…

Violet Ashwood arrives in Wildcat Bluff County with one agenda: convince the hunky Mr. July from the Wildcat Bluff Fire Rescue’s annual benefit calendar to be the face—and body—of her new lonely hearts online dating service. She didn’t count on his firm refusal, nor did she count on seeing him again. Until she discovers he’s her new landlord.

Kemp Lander, aka Mr. July, wants nothing to do with Violet’s schemes to make him a model for her Cowboy Chat Corral, particularly once he finds out she fudged the truth on her rental contract by claiming she was a cowgirl. He’s got enough problems trying to keep trespassers off his ranch and doesn’t need the distraction of his sexy renter.

All Violet and Kemp want is to save their livelihoods and have their lifelong dreams realized. But it’ll take joining forces and discovering they’re better together to finally meet their goals.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/3lDczzc

B&N: http://bit.ly/36D6Y7u

Apple: http://apple.co/3g9bZIq

Kobo: https://bit.ly/32AGvoo

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/2VAv5h3

BAM: http://bit.ly/3g7u6OB

Books2Read: https://bit.ly/3xdjiqm

*****

Excerpt:

“I need to get Heart-to-Heart Corral up and running.” Violet Ashwood glanced at Kemp Lander where he sat across from her at the dining table.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “You haven’t given up on me representing your lonely hearts club, have you?”

“No. Your photo in the Wet & Wild Cowboy Firefighters calendar drew me here. That hasn’t changed one bit since I got here. ”

He nodded, then pulled the plate with his piece of pie close to him and dug in with a fork.

She followed his action, but she didn’t feel hungry now.

He ate a couple of bites before he set down his fork. He looked out the windows, then back at her. “Maybe we can compromise.”

“What do you mean?” She felt her taste come back with the advent of sudden hope.

“You’ve invested a lot of time and effort in something you’re obviously passionate about.”

“I am. Everyone deserves true love.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What about you?”

“Me?”

“True love.”

“I’m looking for others…not myself,” she said.

“Why not?”

“It’s just that I’ve never been lucky in love.”

“I can’t imagine why not.”

“Let’s let it go at that.” She forked a bite of pie into her mouth, but she’d lost her taste for it again.

“I don’t see how you can promote something you don’t believe in.”

“I do believe in it.”

“Prove it.” He leaned toward her with a challenging gleam in his green eyes.

“Prove it?” She didn’t trust that gleam. “How?”

“Kiss me.”

She took a deep breath, wanting that very thing and not wanting it at the same time. Mr. July was getting more dangerous to her heart every moment she was in his company.

“You’re not willing to put yourself on the line?”

“I didn’t think you were interested in—”

“I’m not interested in posing for your website, but I am interested in you.”

“Oh.” She felt her face flush at his words as heat rushed through her entire body.

“I thought you might be interested in an experiment, seeing as how you’ve come all this way from San Antonio.”

“Experiment?”

He tossed his napkin on the table, stood up, and held out his hand to her. “Let’s go out on the patio and discuss our options.”

She gestured toward the dirty plates and table full of dishes. “Shouldn’t we clean up?”

“It can wait. I can’t.”

She grasped his hand, palm to palm, as she stood up. She could feel the roughness of his skin, see the stubble of his beard, and smell the soap he’d used in his shower. It was all heady stuff.

He led her into the sunroom, turned on a lamp for soft illumination, and opened the back door so that pale light spilled outside. The scent of roses in bloom filled the night air and moonlight cast a silvery glow over the patio.

“Why don’t you sit on the glider while I go back and get our wine?”

“Okay.” She really couldn’t say more as she watched him go inside because she felt as if her heart were in her throat.

When he returned, he handed her a glass, clinked hers with his, and nodded as if he’d made a decision.

She took a sip and returned his smile. She felt good, happy, contented. It was a mild, sweetscented spring night with a handsome man by her side. If she could convey

this setting, this feeling, to her lonely hearts club, she felt sure people would positively respond in droves.

He leaned toward her. “Now, about your lonely hearts club…”

She leaned toward him. “Yes?”

“Do you really need me?”

“I want you.” She immediately wished she’d chosen different words.

“I want you, too.” He set down his glass. “What are we going to do about it?”

“I meant—”

“I know what you meant, but can’t you mean something more, something personal, something just between us?”

She felt her heart pick up speed. She caught his gaze…and felt as if she’d always belonged here in this moment with this man.

“Something special?” he asked.

She had to respond, but she couldn’t find the words. If he looked at her with any more heat in his eyes, she might spontaneously combust. “I…” And then she threw caution to the wind, leaned forward, and kissed him. It was just a soft, fleeting, tender touch before she moved back.

“I hope that was only an appetizer.” He clasped her shoulders with both hands and gently tugged her toward him.

She leaned into him, feeling his heat, his strength, his power. She wanted it all. She didn’t want to compromise. She raised her face, waiting for his kiss…waiting…waiting…

“I want you to know I don’t do this lightly. I know you really only want me for your lonely hearts club. I know you’ll go back to San Antonio when you get what you want here. I know all that, and I still want to kiss you. I need to kiss you. I plan to kiss you. It’s just that I’m a serious kind of guy.”

“Kemp, I swear if you say one more word, I’m taking the pie and going home.”

He grinned, chuckling. “You’d take the pie? That’s serious.”

“Yes, it is. And I’m serious, too.” She put her palms on each side of his face. “Please, just kiss me.”

And he did…tender at first, then with growing passion until he lifted her up, set her on his lap, leaned her head back against his arm, and held her tightly.

She felt his heat and strength and desire build as one kiss followed another and he delved deeply into her mouth, hugged her closer and closer as if desperate to meld their bodies so they could never be separate again.

Finally, he raised his head, kissed the tip of her nose, gave her a slight smile. “And I thought that fire I just fought was hot.”

Excerpted from Cowboy Fire by Kim Redford.
© 2021 by Kim Redford. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

*****

Author Info:

Kim Redford is a bestselling author of contemporary Western romance novels. She grew up in Texas with cowboys, cowgirls, horses, cattle, and rodeos. She’s a rescue cat wrangler and horseback rider—when she takes a break from her keyboard. Kim Redford currently divides her time between homes in Oklahoma and Richardson, Texas.

*****

Giveaway:

2 sets of May releases
(Wreckless, Undercover Wolf, You’ve Got Plaid, Cowboy Fire, High Country Justice)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af71080/?

Spotlight – Missing in the Desert

10 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Dana Mentink, Missing in the Desert

This is the kinda mystery I can get lost in!

*****

Missing in the Desert

by Dana Mentink

Available on July 27

Blurb:

Five years ago, her sister disappeared…

Now someone is coming for her.

Who would believe that Mara Castillo’s sister—missing and presumed dead—suddenly sent a one-word text? Now Mara wants answers, even if it means stepping into a killer’s sights with her brother’s best friend, rancher Levi Duke, as her only protection. But with someone who has everything to lose after her, uncovering a long-buried secret could save her life…or claim it.

Add Missing in the Desert to your Goodreads!

Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335554444_missing-in-the-desert.html

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Missing-Desert-Justice-Book-ebook/dp/B08SHVGV52 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/missing-in-the-desert-dana-mentink/1138585921

Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/be/book/missing-in-the-desert/id1547974850

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Dana_Mentink_Missing_in_the_Desert?id=6e8SEAAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/missing-in-the-desert

*****

Excerpt:

Levi Duke let the engine idle and rubbed his temple. Another headache, courtesy of the wreck. The headaches were probably temporary, the doctors said. He sighed. Yes, the car accident four months before had left him with a scar, but worse yet, his hospital time made him miss out on a perfect horse to add to his herd. That was the real pain of it.

“Not this time,” he said. “We’re gonna have ourselves a new mare, ’Jo.”

Banjo, the sizable mutt with a chunk missing from one ear, sprawled in his passenger seat and licked the knee of Levi’s jeans. The dog slithered his way under Levi’s palm until he got the ear rub he was looking for. Mission accomplished, he flopped over and presented his belly, long legs taking up more than his fair share of the room. His fleas and the mud were gone now, thanks to a bath that had been a struggle of epic proportions, his leg wound treated, too. His ribs were not quite as prominent as the day Levi had found him panting and half-dead in a dry creek bed. The dog had introduced himself with eyes desperate for help and the faintest of tail wags. Who could say no to that?

The cell phone chimed.

“We’re just driving past the Funeral Mountains.” Mara’s voice was cool, in spite of the faint Southern drawl. Never could hide her feelings. She was upset with him for inviting her brother, Seth, to partner with him in purchasing the Rocking Horse Ranch. Maybe she had a right to be. A busted-up old ranch just outside Death Valley National Park, a place so hot it was nearly uninhabitable four months of the year? Not exactly a surefire moneymaker. But it wasn’t really about the money—not for him, anyway. He was surprised Mara had even agreed to accompany Seth to meet the mare. Maybe Mara was softening to the idea? Not likely.

“Be careful,” he said. “Road’s steep. I’ll meet you at the farm and introduce you to Cookie. She’s a sweetheart.” Offered for sale by a local, the mare would be a perfect fit for their current herd of eleven if co-owner Seth approved. They needed more horses pronto to meet the tourist demands for the November Camp Town Days Festival the following week.

There was a pause. “All right.”

He forced cheer into his voice to counteract her lack of enthusiasm. “Laney and Beckett are having a barbecue at the Hotsprings. They asked me to invite you both.” His cousin Beckett’s hotel was making a slow recovery after the set of killings that had resulted in Beckett’s false imprisonment and a threat to Laney’s life. It was easier to forget those days now, as the couple prepared for the spring birth of their first child.

Mara queried her brother and returned her attention to the phone. “Seth says he’d love to go, but I have some business to work on.”

Business? Mara helped run her parents’ furniture store in Henderson, Nevada, some two hundred miles away. Odd that she’d have business here in podunk Furnace Falls. It wasn’t his nature to pry. Then again, she might just be making an excuse to stay far away from him. He blew out a silent breath. Horses were so much easier to read than people, especially women, most especially Mara Castillo.

*****

Author Info:

Dana Mentink is a national bestselling author. She has been honored to win two Carol Awards, a Holt Medallion, and a Reviewer’s Choice award. She’s authored more than thirty novels to date for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense and Harlequin Heartwarming. Dana loves feedback from her readers. Contact her at www.danamentink.com

Website: https://www.danamentink.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danamentink

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dana-mentink

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7tY41VV_Velenocrku4LJw

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/202905.Dana_Mentink

*****

Review – The Wicked Aftermath

09 Wednesday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Book Review, Sneak Peek

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Book Review, Dark Knights at Bayside, Melissa Foster, The Wicked Aftermath, The Wickeds series

Get your tissues ready, Foster’s newest is a heart-wringer!

*****

The Wicked Aftermath

The Wickeds: Dark Knights at Bayside

by Melissa Foster

Releasing June 9, 2021

World Literary Press

Blurb:

When the person you blame for your grief is the only one who can save you from the pain…

Tank Wicked lost his sister and has since vowed to save everyone else in his path. He lives by the creed of the Dark Knights motorcycle club, sworn to protect and respect his community. He selflessly saves lives as a volunteer firefighter and treats the men and women who work for him at his tattoo shop like family. But life isn’t a balance scale where good deeds negate bad things to come, and one foggy night life guts Tank once again. When a car careens over the side of a bridge and into a river, Tank springs into action, plunging into the water to rescue the passengers. Four people go into the river, but only three come out alive.

Leah Yates is just trying to make it through each day. When the man she blames for her grief becomes the only one who can pull her from the depths of despair, she discovers that even hope comes at a price. Maybe this time she won’t have to face it alone.

THE WICKED AFTERMATH is an emotionally gripping story of love, loss, and hope, with a rich and entrancing happily ever after. Set on the sandy shores of Cape Cod, the Wickeds feature fiercely protective heroes, strong heroines, and unbreakable family bonds. If you think bikers are all the same, you haven’t met the Dark Knights. The Dark Knights are a motorcycle club, not a gang. Their members stick together like family and will stop at nothing to keep their communities safe. Some of the Wickeds’ love stories will be hilariously fun and deeply emotional, others will tear at your heartstrings and include injections of humor, but they will all leave you wishing you could climb between the pages and join them. All Wicked novels may be enjoyed as standalone romances.

Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53970833-the-wicked-aftermath

Goodreads series link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/269450-the-wickeds-dark-knights-at-bayside

Buy Links:

KINDLE: https://smarturl.it/WA_Kindle

APPLE: https://smarturl.it/WA_Apple

NOOK: https://smarturl.it/WA_Nook

KOBO: https://smarturl.it/WA_Kobo

GPLAY: https://smarturl.it/WA_GPlay

PAPERBACK: https://smarturl.it/WA_Pb

Audio coming July 2021, narrated by Lance Greenfield and Jennifer Mack

Amazon: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Amazon

Apple: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Apple

Audible: https://smarturl.it/WAa_Audible

For more Dark Knights, check out The Whiskeys: https://melissafoster.com/series-the-whiskeys-dark-knights-at-peaceful-harbor/

For more Bayside Summers fun: https://melissafoster.com/series-bayside-summers/

*****

Excerpt:

Read Sneak Peek here, https://melissafoster.com/the-wicked-aftermath-sneak-peek/

*****

Review:

I kinda feel like the blurb doesn’t do this book justice. I almost passed this one by because I was expecting a whole lot of drama but that’s not what Foster gives us at all. The emotion is there in loads but there is actually very little angst. Instead we get a touching story of loss, grief, healing, and love. I’ll be honest, I cried at least twice so be prepared.

Tank, like all the Wickeds, is a stand-up guy with a big heart. He takes his duty of protecting others seriously and that soon includes Leah and her little family. It’s beyond sweet seeing them getting closer (and those little girls wrapping ALL the Wickeds around their little fingers), supporting each other, and becoming a unit of their own.

Leah hasn’t had a lot of support outside of her brother since her father died years ago. It doesn’t take long for the Wickeds to show her what it means to be one of them. It might have happened under tragic circumstances but it gives her just what she needs.

There’s a decent amount of heat but so much more heart in The Wicked Aftermath. They aren’t kidding that it will “tear at your heartstrings” but Foster always knows how to make everything right and give a happy ending that is truly satisfying.

*****

Author Info:

Melissa Foster is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, & USA Today bestselling author. She writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance and new adult romance with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Melissa’s emotional journeys are lovingly erotic and always family oriented–perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines.

Website: http://www.melissafoster.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melissa_Foster

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3023973.Melissa_Foster

Newsletter: http://melissafoster.com/newsletter/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/melissa-foster

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissafoster_author/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@melissafoster_author

*****

SERIES LINKS:

A LITTLE BIT WICKED (Book 1)

➜KINDLE: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_Kindle

➜APPLE: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_Apple

➜NOOK: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_Nook

➜KOBO: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_Kobo

➜GPLAY: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_GPlay

➜PAPERBACK: https://smarturl.it/ALBW_Pb

Also available in audio book (narrated by Savannah Peachwood and Aiden Snow)

➜AMAZON: https://smarturl.it/ALBWa_Amazon

➜APPLE: https://smarturl.it/ALBWa_Apple

➜AUDIBLE: https://smarturl.it/ALBWa_Audible

CRAZY, WICKED LOVE (Book 3) – Rel March 2022

➜KINDLE: https://smarturl.it/CWL_Kindle

➜APPLE: https://smarturl.it/CWL_Apple

➜NOOK: https://smarturl.it/CWL_Nook

➜KOBO: https://smarturl.it/CWL_Kobo

➜GPLAY: https://smarturl.it/CWL_GPlay

➜PAPERBACK: https://smarturl.it/CWL_Pb

Audio pre-order coming soon!

Spotlight – You’ve Got Plaid

08 Tuesday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Eliza Knight, You've Got Plaid

This Highlander is determined to help his enemy’s daughter get safely home, even if it means his own defeat…

*****

You’ve Got Plaid

by Eliza Knight

Publication Date: 5/25/2021

Blurb:

Brogan Grant, a Jacobite soldier and bastard son of the Chief, fought savagely on the battlefield and barely escaped capture. On the run for his life, Brogan comes across what he thinks is a spy—a very bonny lass disguised as a lad, who happens to be the daughter of his clan’s enemy. He admires her bravery, but he knows what can happen to a woman alone in a war-ravaged land.

Lady Fiona MacBean is determined to do her part to ensure there is a Scottish king. Disguised as a healer, she delivers coded messages to rebels throughout the Highlands. There’s only one thing impeding her mission—a striking Highlander who’s determined to send her home.

Unfortunately, Fiona will not be deterred, no matter what the sexy Scot says. Left with little choice, Brogan agrees to join her mission if she agrees to return home when it’s over. Now the two must work together and risk everything to save the life of Bonnie Prince Charlie himself. If only their hearts weren’t at risk as well…

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2K9yKQo

B&N: https://bit.ly/2O3Dl97

Apple: https://apple.co/3sAH0JH

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3tDV1HZ

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/2PtVUna

BAM: https://bit.ly/3dB50Iw

Books2Read: https://bit.ly/3dBBDWh

*****

Excerpt:

MacBean Lands

Highlands, Scotland

Summer 1725

“What are ye doing?”

Fiona MacBean, second of four children born to Chief MacBean and his stronghearted bride, turned around to see her three siblings standing obstinately in a line, hands on hips, feet tapping.

Her elder brother had a knowing smirk on his face, as though he’d caught her red-handed. Her younger brother, Ian, was emulating Gus to a T, and sweet Leanna, the youngest of the brood, waggled her brows at Fiona in a way that meant she had a secret and was having a hard time keeping it in.

Fiona pulled her hands away from the gap in the tree and tried to clear her expression of anything other than annoyance.

“I’m just looking for eggs in a quail’s nest.”

“Nay, ye were no’. Just tell us what ye found.” Gus narrowed his eyes, the same way their father often did.

“I told ye, the squirrel ran up the tree. He was running in a circle just here.” Fiona zigzagged in front of the tree, and then hurried behind it before coming around the front and pretending to scurry up the bark.

“We know what ye do when ye come out to the woods,” Ian said, looking up at Gus for approval.

“Aye, we know,” Leanna added, not wanting to be left out.

Fiona crossed her arms and scowled. “The lot of ye are a bunch of storytellers.”

“Och, who’s telling stories now?” Gus said, taking a step forward.

Fiona clenched her hands, forgetting she held the slip of paper that had been folded neatly and shoved into the nook in the tree.

“Who’s it from?” Ian asked.

“Read it to us,” Leanna added.

“Hand it over. If ye dinna, we’ll only be forced to take it from ye.” Gus held out his hand.

At twelve years old herself, Fiona didn’t often take orders from her brother, born just shy of eleven months before her. But if he were threatening to tackle her to the ground, that was something entirely different. Gus was bigger than her, having just shot up another four inches in the past summer. But she was faster…

Fiona took off at a run.

As a little girl, she’d spent a great deal of time running through the forest, her feet slipping on leaves, boots catching on roots. She’d hidden in the hollows of trees, leapt over fallen oaks, slid down embankments. There was no nook or cranny in the forest she’d not claimed as her own. And as much as her siblings tried to find her in every single one, they were not always successful.

Her father didn’t like her traipsing off alone in the forest, especially not with the uprising. The damned loyalists, who she assumed were the English when he said it, had been a nuisance to all their hides for as long as she could remember.

Fiona had been born just a couple of years before the first Jacobite rising in 1715, and in fact, on her second birthday, her da had been away meeting with a war council along with other prominent Scots and titled men from England. Had fought beside old King James, and proudly showed his battle scars whenever he was a bit too deep in his cups. He’d been a sprite man of about twenty-five back then. There’d been a few more battles since, but none won, as yet. That didn’t mean they were going to give up.

Every year, Fiona went with her father to a secret meeting of the lairds and earls and other warriors to discuss their latest plans. They thought she was off gallivanting with her friends and siblings, not paying attention. Which she mostly was, but she was also very good at spying, and so the children often had her listen in on the talks, then bring back the news of what she’d learned.

There was one particular lad who seemed keen on her skills. His name was Aeneas but he asked her to call him Aes, and he had a smile that could melt the heart of even a lass who spent more time than not irritated with lads, namely her brothers.

He’d caught her one of the days listening in on an important conversation.

She didn’t see him in the hall with any of the other children, nor did she see him accompany any of the lairds. Aes was just as much a mystery to her as anyone else.

When she talked with her friends Jenny and Annie about him, they couldn’t figure out who Aes was, either, so they spent their days and evenings searching out the boy with the soot-colored hair and a mischievous grin. But he only seemed to show up when Fiona least expected it, and when her friends weren’t around, to prove he wasn’t a ghost.

Every year she saw Aes, and their fondness for each other grew. Just this past spring, he’d told her he didn’t want to wait until next year to see her again. Fiona suggested he write to her instead, to which he wrinkled his nose. If he was writing her letters, her father would want to know who he was, and he’d want to read them.

Fiona had asked what was wrong with her da knowing who Aes was, but he said it was best no one knew, so they’d sketched a map of the wood surrounding her family’s small lands, and she’d drawn an X on the spot where there was a tree with a secret nook that she often hid pretty rocks in. If Aes could find it and leave her letters there, their friendship was meant to be.

She’d been checking that tree for months, and today was the first time she’d found anything—a piece of folded paper, and she’d be damned if she was going to let one of her sticky-fingered siblings get their hands on it.

Excerpted from You’ve Got Plaid by Eliza Knight.
© 2021 by Eliza Knight. Used with permission of the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. All rights reserved.

*****

Author Info:

ELIZA KNIGHT is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty sizzling historical romances. While not reading, writing, or researching for her latest book, she chases after her three children. In her spare time (if there is such a thing…) she likes daydreaming, wine-tasting, traveling, hiking, staring at the stars, watching movies, shopping, and visiting with family and friends.

*****

Giveaway:

2 sets of May releases
(Wreckless, Undercover Wolf, You’ve Got Plaid, Cowboy Fire, High Country Justice)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af71080/

Spotlight – Then I Saw You

07 Monday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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an Off Limits Romance, Kate Stacy, Single Dad's Romance series, Then I Saw You

Firefighter Marshall Knight wasn’t expecting to become a father but here he is kicking butt and taking names, until a trip to the ER lands him in the path of Kaitlynn Bennett, the sweet nurse, who’s made their visit more bearable. Their relationship shouldn’t grow into more, but when fire strikes, they have to decide if their love is worth the risk. Readers will devour this off-limits romance featuring one sexy unsuspecting dad. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend with Then I Saw You by Kate Stacy, the next book in the Single Dad’s Romance series.

*****

Then I Saw You

an Off Limits Romance

a Single Dads Romance

by Kate Stacy

Blurb:

Firefighter Marshall Knight is more than happy living the single life and working toward his next promotion with the fire department until his world is flipped upside down when he finds out that he has a child. Abandoned by his own mother as a small boy, he’s determined to do the right thing and take care of his son, stepping right into the role of a single father and leaving no time for things like a relationship and romance.

One trip to the ER with his baby boy changes all that and he finds himself instantly enamored with Kaitlynn – the compassionate nurse who’s been assigned to them.

Kaitlynn Bennett made herself a vow a long time ago to never date a firefighter. Between her father’s job as Fire Captain and losing her own mother in a fire when she was twelve, she knows all too well the heartache that comes along with all of it.

Which is exactly why she had no clue that the sexy single dad in the ER was actually a firefighter. Their attraction is undeniable and with a little nudge from a friend the two find themselves in an inferno of their own. That is, until Kaitlynn discovers he’s a firefighter and Marshall realizes that Kaitlynn is his Captain’s daughter. It’s the perfect excuse for both of them to give in to their own insecurities and put plenty of distance in their already complex relationship.

But when a fire strikes and they both end up in harm’s way, will they finally realize that building a life together is far better than a lifetime apart?

Goodreads → https://bit.ly/3vYVSo1

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3atn4SZ

*****

Excerpt:

“Oh my god.”

Her knees buckle, but Captain is close enough to keep her from hitting the floor.

“Please let me hold you. I can’t stand seeing you like this.”

She shakes her head and presses herself closer to her father.

“I can’t. I… I need…” She’s damn near hyperventilating. Ignoring my pain, I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed, ready to go to her, but she stops me. “I need to sit down for a minute. Please.”

My eyes meet Captain’s, and he nods again, silently telling me to stay put. I fucking hate it, but I listen. He leads Kaitlynn to the nearest chair while I settle back onto the uncomfortable hospital bed.

I watch as Captain squats down next to her. He wraps an arm around her back and murmurs quietly in her ear. I don’t know what he’s saying to her, but I can see it’s working. She’s starting to calm down, but it pisses me off that I’m not the one comforting her.

“Now,” Captain says sternly, “which one of you wants to tell me how long you’ve been together?”

I look to Kaitlynn, not wanting to break my promise to her, even though there’s no longer a secret to keep.

“Since a few days after we had that late-night conversation on the phone,” she admits.

I expected him to be angry when he learned the truth, when he found out we were both lying to him. He’s not angry. He’s disappointed, and honestly, I think that’s worse. I’d rather deal with his anger.

“Did you have any plans to tell me?” he asks, but the question is directed at me.

“Yes, sir. When Kaitlynn was comfortable with me sharing our relationship.”

“When Kaitlynn was comfortable?”

“Yes, Dad. I asked Marshall not to tell you.”

He pins me with a cold stare. “I thought you had more respect for me than that.”

My mouth opens and closes repeatedly, but no sound comes out.

“Don’t get mad at him. It’s my fault.”

“He still should have told me.”

It’s Kaitlynn’s turn to be offended. She cocks her eyebrow and pins her father with the same glare he just gave me. “You’re saying if you made a promise to me, you would turn right around and break it?”

“Of course not!” he sputters.

“Then why would Marshall?”

Properly chastised, Captain drops into the other chair and leans forward on his elbows. “I wish one of you would have been honest with me. I don’t like being kept in the dark.”

“I love you, Dad, but you and I are only recently mending the cracks in our relationship. I wasn’t ready for you to know.”

He hangs his head and sighs before lifting it to look at his daughter.

“You’re right, Kaitlynn. I have to earn back the privilege of knowing everything about your life. I’m sorry for the way I reacted.”

She leans in and hugs him, and almost instantly, the air in the room feels less stifling. Captain doesn’t offer me an apology, nor do I expect him to. Despite the promise I made Kaitlynn, I was never comfortable with keeping our relationship from him. He has the right to be angry with me. He deserves better from me.

A nurse pops in my room to check my vitals and leaves almost as quickly as she appeared. Captain excuses himself to get something to drink, disappearing when we both decline his offer to get us one as well.

“Can I hold you now?”

It’s all I’ve wanted from the moment she rushed into the room, but the expression on her face tells me I’m not going to get what I want.

She stands, wrapping her arms around herself. She looks at me again, but whatever I saw in her expression before is gone, replaced with steely resolve.

“I think I’m going to head home. It’s been an emotional day… I… I think I need some time.”

I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand. This has to be hard on her.

“Okay, beautiful. Will I see you in the morning before I’m discharged? They’re only keeping me for observation, so I’ll be sprung first thing tomorrow.”

She chews her bottom lip, then shakes her head.

“I don’t think so, Marshall.”

Her tone makes my blood run cold.

*****

Author Info:

Kate Stacy lives in North Carolina with her husband, three children, and her extremely sassy cat. After nearly a decade of being a stay-at-home mama, Kate decided to use her love of books to bring readers steamy romances full of emotion and angst. She stays up too late, swears too much, and loves hard. When she’s not nose-deep in her next manuscript, or spending time with her family, you can usually find her with her Kindle in hand.

*****

Seven single dads, all from different walks of life and doing the best they can to raise their children – are ready to make you fall in love.

From the celebrity dad just trying to protect the ones he loves from the spotlight…to the silver fox who’s out to prove it’s never too late to have a family of your own – this single dads collection guarantees to bring you a whole lot of love and of course, a happily ever after.

Look no further, your next book boyfriend is here!

Follow the @IndiePenPR FB Page for all the Single Dad’s news: https://www.facebook.com/IndiePenPR

This promotional event is brought to you by Indie Pen PR

Spotlight – Savannah’s Salvation

03 Thursday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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A Billionaire Blackmail Romance, Louise Lennox, Savannah's Salvation, Single Dad's Romance series

For Savannah Fraiser, her one-night stand with billionaire Michael Asara changed her life forever. But becoming a family will be harder than expected when fighting for those you love are threatened by power and greed. Readers will devour this billionaire blackmail romance featuring one sexy reluctant dad. Fall in love with your next book boyfriend with Savannah’s Salvation by Louise Lennox, the first book in the Single Dad’s Romance series.

*****

Savannah’s Salvation

A Billionaire Blackmail Romance

Single Dad’s Romance series

by Louise Lennox

Blurb:

For one night, I had the one man that millions of women worldwide fantasize about.

My time with the French billionaire Michael Asara shouldn’t matter, but it does. Because one night left me with so much more than a good time.

Except, he has no idea that he left me with more than a smile on my face, because I fled without a good-bye. And planned to never look back.

Until I’m forced to tell Michael about the product of our one-night stand while on assignment a year later in Paris.

Already a devoted dad to a little girl who was abandoned by her gold-digging mother, Michael isn’t looking to get burned twice.

Unless that fire is between the sheets, where our chemistry is off the charts. Reconnecting and proving to him that I’m not like everyone else quickly has Michael staking his claim on me and our son.

For a moment, we’re almost like a real family.

But when a blackmailer comes along and threatens to take what belongs to him, he vows to do anything to protect us…even if that means letting us go

Goodreads → https://bit.ly/3w08NWY

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3dAH6gp

*****

Excerpt:

My daughter is my entire world, but my father views her birth as a blemish on my record. He loves Gabrielle and treats her like spun silk. But whenever I talk of taking over the family business, he mentions the circumstances of her birth and accuses me of poor judgement. And because I still wet my wick more often than my father likes, he thinks I haven’t changed.

I need to prove to him I am more than a pretty face for the cameras and women to love. I can run the business. Closing this deal in America will show him that.

However, coming to SAX Lounge before I head home and being loudly called an asshole by one of the most beautifully ballsy women I’ve ever seen will not.

She is breathtaking… whoever she is.

She’s taller than most women, but still at least a full foot shorter than me. Her legs went on forever in that dress and her skin is the color of browned butter. It looked smooth and touchable. She wore little make-up and when she spoke to me, her full lips begged me for a kiss.

I almost obliged them. But I can’t take chances like that. I’m in America, but that kiss could end up all over the French tabloids before I landed back home. Plus, I don’t know her angle. She could be just as predatory and traitorous as Gabrielle’s mother, Eve.

I need to feel her out; to get her close and away from the crowd… on the dance floor.

I didn’t notice her at first, which is probably a good thing. If I had, I would have charmed her until I talked her right out of what I imagine being very sexy panties. Instead, I was accosted by one of the many groupies I tried to shake off when I entered the bar. I can’t believe women over here even know who I am, but I should have known better.

Gold diggers do their research.

But the feisty woman at the bar doesn’t strike me as a groupie. Everything about her screamed refinement and respect.

She looked moved like she commands any room she enters.

Her eyes were an intense chocolate brown with specks of gold that demanded my attention.

Her ebony hair swung confidently down her back as she walked away. And that ass… C’est manifique!

Meeting her made my decision to get my own drinks for the night a worthy one.

When our drinks got mixed up, I wanted to play with her. I knew she was there first; I should have given her the drinks, but I wanted a reason to talk to her. Plus, I didn’t like her answer when I asked a favor.

I really needed to go. Leaving my cousin Kwame alone too long in a place like this is not a good idea. He’s a magnet for mischief and trouble. Her defiance made my dick throb, but it also made me want to discipline her. I can’t be told what to do and when she begs me to fuck her, because she will, she will learn she can’t boss me around.

Which is what I’m sure she does to everyone else in her life.

So instead of getting on my plane, I am planning how to get her into my bed.

Another night in D.C. won’t be bad at all if I have her shapely legs wrapped around my waist. Gabrielle is at Disneyland Paris with her maternal grandmother for the week, so I can spend an extra day here to have some fun with the mystery woman.

When she called me a fucking asshole, I wanted to take her pretty mouth and cleanse it of those filthy words. But I held myself, which is a feat. I usually take what I want. No one speaks to me with such disrespectful words. But if I have my way, she will apologize through multiple orgasms.

When I reach the booth Kwame secured for us, I slide his drink to him, but he barely registers my presence. He’s wrangled three women, and they are all practically naked and chomping at his rich bit. I do not have time for this. One woman licks her lips and gives me a look that says I can do anything I want to her… for the right price. But that’s not what I’m looking for.

Tonight, I want the woman who I’m pretty sure won’t do whatever I want without being perfectly persuaded. I want the woman who had the gall to call me an asshole.

“You all look cozy.” I shoot Kwame a look, and he squirms. My plan was to keep a low profile, and this is the exact opposite. “If I knew we were having company, I would have ordered more drinks.”

The women smile, and Kwame laughs nervously.

“No worries, cousin, this is VIP. Bottle service will start soon. Why don’t you sit down and join us? The ladies were just telling me about their favorite places to visit in D.C.”

“Yes.” The lip-licker purrs while patting a space beside her. “Why don’t you come and take a seat next to me.”

I conjure up the best smile I can. “No, I don’t think so. I’m actually looking for a friend.” Her face drops, and I can see the flash of annoyance in her eyes. She’s used to men just falling face-first into her fake cleavage. But I am not most men.

“Kwame, I will check on you later.”

He doesn’t protest, but I know he’s annoyed. I doubt he will keep those ladies interested without the major cash cow in the booth. But that’s his problem. And so is drinking.

Kwame drinks and gambles way too much. He boasts about power and money that he does not have. And he’s always dragging me into foolishness. I’m practically his babysitter, but tonight I have other plans. I have a woman to find.

I stop by the bar to grab another drink. Hennessey neat. I scan the lounge, and it doesn’t take me long to find her. She is sitting in a booth on the opposite side of the bar, holding court with two women.

She looks even more beautiful, relaxed and with her girls. The two women with her are also beautiful but can’t hold a candle next to her. She reminds me of a young Diahann Carroll. Her deep golden skin shimmers under the lights, making her beauty stand front and center. They are celebrating something. I hear her table scream congratulations as they toast their glasses.

Now is as good a time as any to introduce myself.

*****

Author Info:

Contemporary romance Author Louise Lennox is a hopeful romantic writing steamy romances full of heart and healing.

A Spelman College and Georgetown University graduate, Louise provides women with diverse and meaningful representation in romance novel pages. Not seeing enough women like herself headlining positive love stories, she launched #HappyBlackRomance; a community of readers and writers committed to the creation and sharing of positive romance stories featuring Black heroines.

Louise Lennox plots highlight the joys of Black relationships across the diaspora; pushing readers from all cultural backgrounds to admire them for their strength and downright sexiness. In her novels sparks always fly; the sex amazes; and the characters always leave the world better than they found it through their love.

When she’s not writing, Louise is enjoying her work as a school leader, wife, and mother of the two cutest dragons to ever walk the earth!

To learn more about #HappyBlackRomance and to score a free book or two, check out her website www.lovelouiselennox.com .

*****

About the Single Dad’s Romance Series

Seven single dads, all from different walks of life and doing the best they can to raise their children – are ready to make you fall in love.

Look no further, your next book boyfriend is here!

Follow the @IndiePenPR FB Page for all the Single Dad’s news: https://www.facebook.com/IndiePenPR

This promotional event is brought to you by Indie Pen PR

Spotlight – Come Midnight

02 Wednesday Jun 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Come Midnight, Kat Martin, Maximum Security series

I’m always thrilled to host Kat Martin when she has a new book to share.

*****

MAKING YOUR STORY BELIEVABLE

Over the years, I’ve found one of the best ways to make your story believable is to use real places to locate the action and real names of restaurants and streets. Actually going there, of course, is the best way to make that happen.

In my new novella, COME MIDNIGHT, Breanna Winters, seated on an airliner next to a good-looking man in an expensive suit, finds herself kidnapped by Honduran terrorists. She doesn’t expect Derek Stiles, a corporate executive, to put his life at risk by volunteering to go along when Bree is dragged from the plane and marched into the jungle.

Unfortunately, I have never been to the jungle in Honduras or any jungle for that matter, aside from a brief visit to a tropical rain forest in Brazil and a stop in Belize.

So for this story, I didn’t go to Honduras, but I did do extensive research, and it wasn’t the first time. Beginning with with an old historical, SAVANNAH HEAT, set in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and more recently, THE CONSPIRACY, which travels from the Caribbean to Columbia, I’ve learned a lot about life in the jungle–and it is far from easy.

In the novella, the good news is Derek Stiles is a former Navy fighter pilot with extensive survival training who has spent time in the jungle before. Still, it’s soon clear they’ll need to depend on each other if they’re going to survive.

I hope you will give COME MIDNIGHT a try and that you will look for Derek again in my full-length novel, THE PERFECT MURDER, out June 22nd, the last book in my Maximum Security Series

Till next time, all best wishes and happy reading, Kat

*****

Come Midnight

Maximum Security series

by Kat Martin

Blurb:

A routine flight turns into a suspenseful race through the remote jungles of Honduras

When strangers Breanna Winters and Derek Stiles met on a flight to Colombia, they never imagined they would need to rely on each other for survival. Taken hostage by a group of radical environmental vigilantes, Bree worries her secret identity has been discovered—and her fears are confirmed when she learns a ransom request has been sent to her father. Though she’s the daughter of a prominent tech mogul, Bree’s wealth can’t guarantee her safety, so former Navy fighter pilot Derek pretends to be her fiancé in order to accompany her on a dangerous jungle trek led by the radicals. With chemistry building between the pair, a romance isn’t hard to fake, though they can’t let their attraction distract them. If Bree and Derek ever want to see civilization again, they’ll have to work together and rely on their wits to escape their captors.

Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Come-Midnight-Maximum-Security-Martin-ebook/dp/B08HJGPVLJ

B&N – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/come-midnight-kat-martin/1137593663?ean=9780369705419

Indiebound – https://www.indiebound.org/search/book?keys=Come+Midnight

Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/come-midnight

Google – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kat_Martin_Come_Midnight?id=tl_7DwAAQBAJ

Itunes – https://books.apple.com/us/book/come-midnight/id1530555890

*****

Excerpt:

The sound of a baby’s high-pitched, incessant crying put his teeth on edge. Derek Stiles forced himself to relax as he settled back in his wide business class seat. The airplane engines hummed outside the window, dulling the noise a little, but the crying only grew louder.

Derek silently cursed. His trip to Colombia had already gotten off to a rocky start when a meeting in the Houston office of Garrett Resources, where he worked as VP of Mergers and Acquisitions, ran overtime and he’d missed his non-stop flight. Now he’d be landing in El Salvador, laying over a couple of hours before changing planes and continuing on to Bogota, not getting to his hotel until well after dark.

He pulled out his laptop and set it on the fold-down table in front of him. He usually worked on a flight. He always had plenty to do, but he’d been staying up late every night so he also needed some sleep. It was important to be at the top of his game first thing in the morning.

The baby’s cries grew louder and his nerves revved up. He hadn’t really noticed the woman sitting in the seat beside him until she stood up and turned toward mother and child in the row behind him.

She jangled her car keys over the back of the seat and smiled. “Look, baby. Look at these. I bet you’d like to play with these, wouldn’t you?” The baby’s crying slowed, turned to whimpers, then sniffles, then stopped altogether. Glancing over his shoulder, Derek watched a little girl bundled in pink, maybe a year old, reach up for the car keys.

“I never thought of that,” the mother said, sounding desperate and making him feel guilty. He didn’t have kids but he could imagine how tough it would be to take a child on an international flight.

The mom, a black-haired woman in her mid-twenties, took out her own set of keys and held them up, but the baby ignored them, fascinated by the glittering heart on the end of the other keychain dangling in front of her.

“I hate to ask you this,” the mother said, “but is it all right if Sophie plays with your keys for a while?”

“Absolutely,” his seatmate said. She was pretty, he realized, with long blond hair and big blue eyes. A little above average height, slender but curvy in all the right places. “Once we’re in the air,” she continued, “if you want me to hold her, give you a little break, I’d be happy to.”

The mother’s smile held relief mixed with gratitude. “I might just take you up on that. My name is Carmen, by the way.”

“Breanna.” Her smile went even brighter and Derek felt an unexpected kick. He was usually able to leave his libido behind when he was away on business.

“You have a darling baby,” Breanna said.

Carmen smiled. “Thank you.”

The flight attendant urged Breanna to sit back down so the flight could get underway, and the engines roared, preparing for take-off.

“So I guess you’re a mom,” Derek heard himself saying, though he made it a habit not to talk on a flight. He always had too much to do.

Breanna shifted toward him. “I’d love to have children someday, but I’m not a mother yet. I work with kids so I know a few tricks.”

“What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m with a non-profit called Shelter the Children. Abrego Los Ninos in Spanish. We support an orphanage in a little village outside San Salvador. That’s where I’m headed.”

He smiled and held out a hand. “Derek Stiles. I know your name is Breanna.”

“Yes. Everyone just calls me Bree.”

They were an hour out of San Salvador International Airport when Derek noticed a commotion at the rear of the cabin.

Then the curtain behind the business class section jerked open and a lean, black-haired man stood in the aisle. Derek’s blood ran cold when he noticed the assault rifle strapped across the intruder’s chest.

*****

Author Info:

New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History. Currently residing in Missoula, Montana with her Western-author husband, L. J. Martin, Kat has written sixty-five Historical and Contemporary Romantic Suspense novels. More than sixteen million copies of her books are in print and she has been published in twenty foreign countries. Kat is currently at work on her next Romantic Suspense.

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmartinauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55231252-come-midnight?

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/KatMartinAuthor

Website: https://www.katmartin.com/

*****

Giveaway:

Be sure to enter Kat’s monthly contest!

https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/

Spotlight – Wreckless

28 Friday May 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Contest, Sneak Peek

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Katie Golding, Moto Grand Prix #2, Wreckless

Readers are finding Golding’s newest very, very hard to put down!

*****

Wreckless

Moto Grand Prix #2

by Katie Golding

Publication Date: 5/25/2021

Blurb:

She is my rival. My Tigrotta. My dearest enemy…and the greatest love of my life. But this, I can never let her know.

I’ve spent years as a professional motorcycle racer vying to prove myself to the world, even as I fought to save my family from the clutches of a man who would like nothing more than to see me fail. He’s not the only one. My Lorina—America’s Sweetheart Lorelai Hargrove—would also like me to eat her dust.

But this is the game we play. She pretends she hates me, and I wind her up as I pretend she’s not all I think about. And yet after a deadly wreck, her confidence is so shaken, my Lorina needs me to stop being her favorite enemy and remind her there is a tiger within who will do anything to win. That I want to spend the rest of my life chasing her to that finish line again and again and again.

If only the battle to make it to the podium didn’t cost us everything our hearts desire.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37MOBwq

B&N: https://bit.ly/3c97qKz

Apple: https://apple.co/2M0y1ie

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3nc0cwf

Bookshop: https://bit.ly/2X5u2r0

BAM: https://bit.ly/3d89qnD

Books2Read: https://bit.ly/2QdLRDK

*****

Excerpt:

“More! Harder!”

Massimo pants out a raspy groan that brings me endless satisfaction, his sharply defined arm muscles glistening with sweat. My back arches at the next hit, my hips bowing to pure power, and I cry out with all the air in my lungs, harnessing my stamina and endurance and focusing only on the sweet release of victory.

“More!”

“Basta! Enough, Lorina!”

Frank chuckles from where he’s standing guard over us in my home gym, placing another sandbag on each of our lower backs—the fifth since we’ve started doing weighted planks. Massimo’s roar on the gym floor next to me grows louder, fire burning through my abs and singeing its way through my arms and legs.

“Come on, Peanut!” my dad cheers me on. “You almost got him. He’s shaking! He’s about to drop!”

“Get those hips up, Lori,” Frank counters. “Good job, Massimo. Nice form.”

I grit my teeth through the growl tearing its way up my throat, glancing at Massimo next to me. His hands are fisted so tight, his knuckles are white, the bump of his bicep and triceps and deltoids trembling above his elbows. The scythe on his ribs bleeds a fresh drop of sweat as he strains to keep his hips up from the floor, a stack of sandbags covering the Madonna on his back.

I look away from temptation incarnate, focusing on the row of my promo posters hung on the gym wall. Massive images of me in all my different leathers over the years, flags and banners strung from the ceiling. I duck my head under another groan, determined to remember I’m home to heal and get better.

Me first. Career first. Just like Mama taught me.

Even if she no longer agrees.

“More!” I shout.

Massimo barks out something in Italian as my father puts another bag on his back, looking a little too happy about the painful noise Massimo is making. My mother, however, totally tried to set him up to stay in my room, which he super awkwardly had to decline because no, we’re not sleeping together.

Yet.

The weighted bag I called for hits my back, my core screaming as my hips sink, and I am an idiot for pushing us this far. But he’s been acting like a child all day: exercise after exercise, circuit after circuit, he won’t stop daring me into seeing who is stronger. And even though I’ve kicked his ass the whole way through, he still won’t give up.

“More,” Massimo growls, sneering at me while Frank places another bag on my spine.

A strained yell pours from my lungs. “Dick!”

“Lorelai,” my father rumbles, placing another bag on Massimo’s back.

“No more,” Frank announces. “Y’all are gonna end up hurting each other before—”

Massimo collapses almost the moment I do, but he gave out first. Sucker.

“Good job, Lori,” Frank says, already sweeping the bags off my back. A pocket of air rushes into my lungs, and holy hell, those were heavy. I am so going to regret this tomorrow. “Way to tough it out.”

“That was ridiculous,” Massimo pants out, rolling over to catch his breath. My father extends his hand, helping him to his feet.

“You’re just saying that ’cause you lost.” I push myself to standing, sweat trickling down my back and flooding the bottom of my sports bra and the waist of my leggings. I take a towel from Frank, wiping off my face and the back of my neck. I finish in time to see Massimo squirting a stream of water into his mouth, his whole upper body swelling and sinking with every breath, and it only exaggerates how freaking cut his hips are.

God, I’m totally going to end up sleeping with him. If I don’t, it’ll be a miracle.

“I did not lose.” He shakes out his hair before running his hand through it. “I made the decision that it was not worth it to keep going. I put me first.”

I scoff, taking a drink from my own water bottle. “Says the loser.”

My dad chuckles from where he’s finished helping Frank clean up the sandbags, bumping his shoulder. “Is it weird that I want to put them in a boxing ring and let them go at each other?”

Frank stares down my father. “Yes.” Then he looks to me and Massimo, clapping his hands in the signal for more torture to come. “Okay, tough guys. Since you’re still more concerned with outdoing each other than focusing on your workouts, time for jump ropes.”

“Ugh,” Massimo complains, toweling off his chest. “I am not the one distracted. Lorina can hop. She is the one who cannot—”

“Tell you what,” Frank interrupts in his I-am-so-over-this-shit voice he uses on Mason. I take another sip of water, waiting for the smackdown. “Considering I am under specific instructions from Vinicio to run your ass into the ground and keep you focused on Brno while you’re here? Five miles, now, or it becomes ten.”

Massimo glares at my manager, then points at me. “See what you have done?”

I shrug innocently with a grin so big, my face feels cracked in half. “Nope.”

*****

Author Info:

Katie Golding is a sports fan with a writing problem. Based in Austin, TX, she publishes contemporary romance novels with the support of her loving husband and son. She is currently at work on her next romance novel, unless she’s tweeting about it.

*****

Giveaway:

2 sets of May releases
(Wreckless, Undercover Wolf, You’ve Got Plaid, Cowboy Fire, High Country Justice)

https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af71080/

Spotlight – Talk Bookish to Me

27 Thursday May 2021

Posted by romanticreadsandsuch in Blog Tour, Sneak Peek

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Kate Bromley, Talk Bookish to Me

TALK BOOKISH TO ME (On-sale: May 25, 2021; Graydon House; Trade Paperback Original; $15.99) is a laugh-out-loud stunner of a story, perfect for fans of Beach Read and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, that will delight book nerds everywhere!

*****

Talk Bookish to Me

by Kate Bromley

ISBN: 9781525806438

Publication Date: May 25, 2021

Publisher: Graydon House Books

Blurb:

Kara Sullivan is definitely not avoiding her deadline. After all, it’s the week of her best friend’s wedding and she’s the maid of honor, so she’s got lots of responsibilities. As a bestselling romance novelist with seven novels under her belt, she’s a pro and looming deadlines and writer’s block (which she definitely doesn’t have) don’t scare her. She’s just eager to support Cristina as she ties the knot with Jason.

But who should show up at Cristina and Jason’s rehearsal dinner but Kara’s college ex-boyfriend, (the gorgeous and infuriating) Ryan? Apparently, he’s one of Jason’s childhood friends, and he’s in the wedding party, too. Considering neither Kara nor Ryan were prepared to see each other again, it’s decidedly a meet-NOT-cute. There is nothing cute about this situation, and a bit of notice to mentally prepare would’ve been nice, Cristina! However, when Kara sits down to write again the next day, her writers’ block is suddenly gone. She has to wonder what’s changed. Are muses real…? And is Kara’s muse…Ryan?

*****

Excerpt:

One

“Wait, was I supposed to bring a gift?”

I turn my gaze from the floor to the well-dressed man standing beside me. There are only two of us in the elevator, so he must be talking to me.

“I think it’s a matter of personal preference,” I answer. “I’m the maid of honor so I had to be excessive.”

His eyebrows bob up as I adjust my grip on the Great-Dane-sized gift basket I’m carrying. The cellophane wrapping paper crinkles each time I move, echoing through the confined space just loudly enough to keep things weird. Because if everyone isn’t uncomfortable for the entire ride, are you even really in an elevator?

I’m low-key ecstatic when the doors glide open ten seconds later. With my basket now on the cusp of breaking both my arms and my spirit, I beeline it out of there and stride into the rooftop lounge where my best friend is hosting her pre-wedding party, drinking in the scent of heat and champagne as I maneuver through the sea of guests.

Like most maids-of-honor, I flung myself down the Etsy rabbit hole headfirst and ordered an obscene amount of decorations for tonight’s event. Burlap “Mr. & Mrs.” banners dangle from floating shelves behind the bar as twinkle lights weave around the balcony railings like ivy. Lace-trimmed mason jars filled with pink roses sit on every candlelit cocktail table. Cristina and I worked with the tenacity of two matrimonial Spartans to get everything ready this morning, and it’s clear that our blood, sweat and tears were very much worth it.

It’s then that I spot Cristina mingling near the end of the bar. Beautiful, petite and come-hither curvy, I’d hate her if she weren’t one of my favorite people ever. Her caramel hair spills down her back and her white high-low dress sets her apart from the crowd in just the right way—she’s a princess in the forest and we’re her adoring woodland animals. I’m her feisty chipmunk sidekick to my core.

I place my gift on a nearby receiving table and give a little wave when I catch her eye. She’s waiting for me with a huge grin when I arrive at her side.

“Hey, lady!” she says, pulling me in for a hug. “Look at you, rolling in here looking all gorgeous.”

We step apart and I stand up a bit taller. “Why, thank you. I feel pretty good.”

It’s also very possible that Cristina is just so used to me dazzling the world with yoga pants and sweaters every day that my transformation seems more dramatic than it is.

“Were you able to get any writing done this afternoon?” she asks, handing me a glass of champagne from off the mahogany bar top.

I get a twisting knot in my gut at the mention of my writing, or lack thereof. Having been dying a slow literary death for almost a year, I’m never without some stomach-turning sensation for long. The final deadline for my next romance

novel is officially a month away and if I don’t deliver a bestseller by then—

“Okay, you’re making your freak-out face,” Cristina interjects. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

I inhale a shallow breath and force a smile. “It’s fine. I’m good.”

“Let’s switch gears—are you sure it’s not weird that I’m having a pre-wedding party? Was booking the salsa band too much since I’m having one at the wedding, too?”

Beyond grateful for the booming trumpet and bongos that are drowning out my own thoughts, I turn to the corner and find the ten-piece group playing with addictive abandon. Cristina’s relatives, who are essentially non-trained professional salsa dancers, dominate the dance floor, and rightfully so. Cristina’s brother, Edgar, once tried to teach me the basics but I’m fairly confident I looked like a plank of wood that was given the gift of limbs. Cristina recommended dance lessons. Edgar suggested a bottle of aguardiente and prayer.

“The band is amazing,” I say as I swing back around, “and of course people have pre-wedding parties.” I’ve actually never heard of a pre-wedding party. An engagement party, yes. A bachelorette party, absolutely. But what’s going down tonight is basically a casual reception days before the mega-reception.

“Jason and I just have so many people coming in from out of town, plus we wanted the bridal party to get acquainted. We figured a little get-together would be fun.”

“I’m all for it. Who doesn’t want to pre-game for a wedding a week in advance?”

“I know I do,” Cristina says, lifting her own champagne and taking a sip. “Everyone is here except Jason and some groomsmen. Can you believe that creep is late to his own party?”

“Should you really be calling your fiancé a creep?”

“He’s my creep so it’s okay.”

“Valid point.”

“Picture please! Will you girls get together?”

I look to my right and find a teenage boy with wildly curly hair pointing a camera at us. He’s dressed in all black and looks so eager to take our photo that I can’t help but to find him endearing.

“Absolutely! Big smile, Kara.” Cristina throws her arm around my waist and after we withstand an intense flash, the young man is gone before my eyes can readjust. “That was Jason’s cousin, Rob. He wants to be a photographer, so I hired him for the night.”

“That was thoughtful of you,” I say, still recovering from my momentary blindness. “By the way, where is Jason?”

“He’s still at home. Two of his groomsmen are driving up and he wanted to wait for them since, apparently, grown men can’t find their way to a party by themselves.”

“Driving in Manhattan is intimidating. He probably didn’t want them to get lost.”

“Right, because neither of them has GPS? Jason should be here.”

I’m honestly shocked that Jason isn’t here. I love Cristina and Jason both to death but they’re one of those couples that rarely go out socially without each other. Even when I invite Cristina over to my apartment for a wine night, she asks to bring Jason. I’ve always thought it was a bit much, but I guess it works for them.

“Okay, forget everyone else, let’s toast.” I clear my throat and hold up my champagne. “When we were both waitressing at McMahon’s Pub in grad school, I had no idea it would lead to nine amazing years of friendship. Now I’d be lost without you. Here’s to you having a magical night. I’m so glad I’m here to celebrate with you.”

We smile and tap our glasses together, the ding of the crystal echoing my words.

I take a sip and the bubbly drink slips easily down my throat. Still savoring the sweetness, I ask, “So, who are these mystery groomsmen Jason’s waiting for?”

“One is named Beau and I can’t remember the other one. They’re two guys he grew up with when his family lived in North Carolina.”

“North Carolina? I thought Jason was from Texas?”

“He spent most of his life in Texas, but he lived in North Carolina until he was ten. He somehow kept in contact with these two through the years.”

“That’s nice, him staying friends with them for so long.”

“Yeah, it’s adorable, but they still should have gotten their asses here on their own.” Cristina is poised to elaborate when her gaze locks on something across the room. She tries and fails to look annoyed instead of excited.

“I’m guessing the groom has arrived,” I say, glancing over my shoulder. My suspicions are confirmed as I see Jason making his way toward us, smiling at Cristina like a fifth grader saying “cheese” on picture day. He’s tilting his head and everything.

“There she is! There’s my incredibly forgiving future wife.” Jason leans down and kisses Cristina before she can verbally obliterate him. He gives me a quick kiss on the cheek next and then shifts back to his fiancée’s side, sneaking an arm around her waist and pulling her to his hip.

“So, I’m going to go ahead and disregard all the semi-violent text messages you’ve sent me over the past hour. Bearing that in mind, how’s everything going?”

Cristina looks up at him, feigning disinterest. “It’s going great. Since you weren’t here, I talked to several nice men. Turns out, pre-wedding parties are a great place to meet guys.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

“I appreciate that. Four contenders, specifically, really piqued my interest.”

“Are they taller than me?” Jason asks. “Do they make a lot of money?”

“Obviously. They’re way taller and all of them are independently wealthy.”

“Nice. Kara, did you meet these freakishly tall and rich men?”

“I did and spoiler alert, I’m engaged now, too! Double wedding here we come!”

Jason smiles and pulls Cristina in even closer, his gaze holding hers. “I guess this is where being late gets you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. Do you forgive me?”

“Don’t I always?”

He leans down and gives her another picture-perfect kiss.

It’s official. I’m dying alone. Just putting that out there.

“Now, where are these friends of yours? Oh! Let’s set one of them up with Kara!” Cristina looks at me with a dangerous matchmaker gleam in her eyes.

“Actually, I already mentioned Kara, and one of my buddies said he went to college with her.”

Went to college with me?

Jason looks towards the entrance and waves. “Hey, Ryan! Come over here!”

And then I go catatonic. I can’t move. I stand stock still, looking at Cristina like she sprouted a third arm out of her forehead and it’s giving me the middle finger.

Someone walks past me and a soft breeze ghosts across my overheating skin. I stare in a state of utter disbelief as Ryan Thompson steps into view beside Jason.

“It’s been a while, Sullivan,” he says, his voice as steady and tempting as ever.

My champagne glass falls from my fingers and shatters against the floor.

“Kara?” Cristina’s voice rings with concern as she nudges us away from the broken glass that’s now littered around our feet. She grasps my elbow, but I don’t feel it. She could backhand me across the face with a polo mallet and I wouldn’t feel it. My mind is spiraling, plummeting inwards as I come to grips with the realization that Ryan is standing two feet away from me.

Dressed in a navy suit, a crisp white button-down and brown dress shoes, he’s come a long way from the sweatshirts and jeans that were his unofficial uniform in college. His dirty-blond hair is on the shorter side, but a few wayward strands still fall across his forehead. Ten years ago, I would have reached up and brushed them aside without a thought. Now, my hand curls into a tight, unforgiving fist at my side.

If we were another former couple, seeing each other for the first time in a decade might be a dreamy, serendipitous meet-cute—a Nancy Meyers movie in pre-production. We’d have a few drinks and spend hours reminiscing about old times before picking up right where we left off. It would be comfortable and familiar as anything, like a sip of hot chocolate at Christmas with Nat King Cole crooning on vinyl in the background.

But we are not that kind of former couple, and I’m convinced that if Nat King Cole were here and knew my side of the story, he would grab Ryan by the scruff of his shirt and hold him steady as I roundhouse-kicked him in the throat.

It’s a tough pill to swallow but Ryan looks good. Like, really good. His face is harder than it was when he was twenty-one and the stubble on his chin tells me he hasn’t shaved in a few days, making him seem like he just rolled out of bed. And not rolled out of bed in a dirty way, but in a “I just rolled out of bed and yet I still look ruggedly handsome and you fully want to make out with me” kind of way.

The bastard.

“Ryan,” Cristina says, always the first to jump in, “Jason mentioned that you and Kara went to college together.”

“We did.” His eyes don’t move from mine for even a second. “It’s got to be what, ten years now?”

“Yeah, it’s been a long, long time,” I say quickly, turning to face Cristina. “I think I may have mentioned him before. Remember my friend from North Carolina?”

If someone were to look up “my friend from North Carolina” in the Dictionary of Kara, they would find the following:

My friend from North Carolina (noun): 1. Ryan Thompson. 2. My college boyfriend. 3. My first real boyfriend ever. 4. My first love. 5. Taker of my virginity. 6. Guy who massacred my heart with a rusty sledgehammer and fed the remains to rabid, ravenous dogs.

Cristina is well versed in the dictionary of Kara and recognition washes over her. “No way,” she says, her voice dropping.

“Yes way,” I answer happily, overcompensating.

Now’s it’s Cristina’s turn to panic. “Wow. Okay, wow, what a small world, huh?” She grabs Jason’s hand in an iron grip, making him wince as she blasts an over-the-top smile. “Well, we should give you guys a chance to catch up. My abuelita just got here so Jason and I are going to say hello.”

“Your abuelita died two years ago,” I hiss.

“I know, it’s a miracle. See you two later!” She drags her soon-to-be husband away before he can get a word out.

I watch them go, sailing away like the last lifeboat as I stand on deck with the string quartet, the cheerful Bach melody only further confirming that this ship is going down.

*****

Author Info:

KATE BROMLEY lives in New York City with her husband, son, and her somewhat excessive collection of romance novels (It’s not hoarding if it’s books, right?). She was a preschool teacher for seven years and is now focusing full-time on combining her two great passions – writing swoon-worthy love stories and making people laugh.

Talk Bookish to Me is her first novel.

Social Media Links –

Author Website

Twitter: @kbromleywrites

Instagram: @katebromleywrites

Facebook: @katebromleywrites

Goodreads

*****