Excerpt Reveal: Long Way Home by Katie McGarry

   

The highly anticipated third book in Katie McGarry’s Thunder Road Series is being released on January 31^st! LONG WAY HOME is a Young Adult Contemporary Romance being published by Harlequin Teen! Pre-order your copy of the next book in this emotionally charged series, and don’t miss Violet and Chevy’s story! Check out all of the stops on this awesome tour and be sure to pre-order your copy for the amazing bonus scenes!

   

LONG WAY HOME Synopsis:Seventeen-year-old Violet has always been expected to sit back and let the boys do all the saving.It’s the code her father, a member of the Reign of Terror motorcycle club, raised her to live by. Yet when her dad is killed carrying out Terror business, Violet knows it’s up to her to do the saving. To protect herself, and her vulnerable younger brother, she needs to cut all ties with the club—including Chevy, the boy she’s known and loved her whole life.
But when a rival club comes after Violet, exposing old secrets and making new threats, she’s forced to question what she thought she knew about her father, the Reign of Terror, and what she thinks she wants. Which means re-evaluating everything: love, family, friends . . . and forgiveness.
Caught in the crosshairs between loyalty and freedom, Violet must decide whether old friends can be trusted—and if she’s strong enough to be the one person to save them all.

LONG WAY HOME Pre-Order Links:

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"An intoxicating and unforgettable story that kept me glued to the page."

—Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times bestselling author, on Walk the Edge

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Also read an exclusive excerpt here:

VIOLET

“You can do this.” I take Brandon’s hand in mine and give a reassuring squeeze. “I know you can.”

Brandon swallows hard, but nods. A combination of nervous energy and pride rushes through my veins as he grasps my hand in return and fists the cash in his other hand. He’s going to face his fears. The lift of my lips is genuine now. My brother believes in himself, and I believe in him and maybe we’re both going to be okay.

Right as Brandon takes a courageous step forward, two black leather vests slip in front of us and staring back at me is a half skull with fire blazing out of its eye sockets.

The world surrounding me turns red, and my blood begins to boil. “There’s a line and you just cut.”

Eli, one of my father’s once best friends, glances over his shoulder and winks at us as he pulls out his wallet. Like always, he has dark hair cut close to his head, plugs in his ears and a huge grin like we should be glad to see him. “I got you covered.”

Fabulous. Here comes the Reign of Terror Motorcycle Club riding in on their black Harleys determined to save the day of people who really need to learn how to save themselves.

“No really, we got this,” I insist.

I try to muscle my way past to pay, but Eli’s right hand man, Pigpen, plants himself in front of me like the towering sack of testosterone and annoyance that he is. Then he’s on the move and I somehow find myself away from the ticket booth.

“Surprised to see you here, Violet.” Pigpen is in his late twenties and thinks he’s all handsome with his blond hair and big muscles. Because he was a Navy SEAL or Army Ranger or something outrageous like that, he also thinks he’s awesome, but he doesn’t impress me. “Surprised you’re here, but happy to see you. You haven’t been at a game all year.”

“I’ve been busy,” I say.

“Is that what you call avoiding anyone from the Terror? Busy?”

“Works for me.”

“Hi, Pigpen!” Brandon is lit up like a firefly who was convinced the rest of his species was extinct. Eli, of course, enjoying the role of savior, has his arm around Brandon’s shoulder as they join us. 

“Hey, Stone.” Pigpen calls my brother by the stupid nickname the club created for him. “How’s it going?”

“Good. They bought our tickets, Vi!”

“Yep, they sure did, because little ol’ me couldn’t’ handle the big ol’ ticket booth on my own.” Heavy on the sarcasm and then a hard glare at Eli. “Brandon was going to buy his own ticket.”

Eli rolls his neck like  he’s the one who owns the right to be annoyed. “Most people say thank you.”

“You’re missing the point.”

Eli pats my brother’s back. “Why don’t you head in with Pigpen? I’d like to catch up with Violet.”

Brandon bounces like a damn puppy dog given a treat and then rushes off into the stadium, leaving me with Thing Two. And to think my brother called me Vi. The little traitor.

“Pigpen,” I call out. “Don’t leave him.”

I forced my brother to tattle today and while the football game will make him smile, I’m also taking a calculated risk that the people he told on won’t be here. If they are here, I’m betting they won’t mess with Brandon as long as I’m around. 

“You worry too much,” Pigpen answers without glancing back.

When it comes to my brother, they don’t worry enough about the right problems. 

Eli watches as Brandon and Pigpen go into the stadium. Instead of taking a left for the bleachers, they go right for the concession stand, and I’m contemplating how to stab Pigpen in the jugular. Concession food brings my brother into a near state of euphoria, and because of the crappy day my brother and I had, I wanted to be the one that made him happy with a hot dog, nachos and a slushy.

Motorcycle men around the world, as far as I’m concerned, can just plain suck it. 

        

Don’t Miss the First Two Titles in the Thunder Road Series! Grab your copies today!

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WALK THE EDGE

     

 

Pre-order LONG WAY HOME by Katie McGarry, and fill out THIS FORM, to receive three previously unreleased bonus scenes featuring important “firsts” in the lives of your favorite characters from the world of Katie McGarry! Complete the form to register your pre-order at https://wyng.com/campaign/820152. Offer Ends 1/31/17 at 11:59pm EST.

     

   

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Katie McGarry Bio: Katie McGarry was a teenager during the age of grunge and boy bands and remembers those years as the best and worst of her life. She is a lover of music, happy endings, reality television, and is a secret University of Kentucky basketball fan. Katie is the author of full length YA novels, PUSHING THE LIMITS, DARE YOU TO, CRASH INTO YOU, TAKE ME ON,  BREAKING THE RULES, NOWHERE BUT HERE and WALK THE EDGE and the e-novellas, CROSSING THE LINE and RED AT NIGHT. Her debut YA novel, PUSHING THE LIMITS was a 2012 Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction, a RT Magazine’s 2012 Reviewer’s Choice Awards Nominee for Young Adult Contemporary Novel, a double Rita Finalist, and a 2013 YALSA Top Ten Teen Pick. DARE YOU TO was also a Goodreads Choice Finalist for YA Fiction and won RT Magazine’s Reviewer’s Choice Best Book Award for Young Adult Contemporary fiction in 2013.  

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New Release & Blog Tour: Closer by Mary Elizabeth

Title: Closer

Series: Closer #1

Author: Mary Elizabeth

Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult

Release Date: December 6, 2016

SYNOPSIS
Gabriella Mason is damaged.
Teller Reddy is wrecked.
Misery loves company, and that’s exactly what Ella gets the afternoon her path crosses with Teller’s: the misunderstood premed student who instantly becomes her lifeline when she moves to Los Angeles, an attempt at escaping her heartbreaking past.

In the beginning, Lonely and Defensive complete each other. But in the end, their relationship is like broken glass—cutthroat and jagged.

Calling it off before they kill each other, Ella and Teller decide to “just be friends” despite the intensity that binds them together. It’s a delicate foundation rocked by tragedy, effectively destroying the illusion they’ve so carefully built.

Unable to deny what’s between them any longer, this is what happens when wrecked and damaged collide and close is still not close enough.

BUY THE BOOK HERE

US: http://amzn.to/2gCG3iH

UK: http://amzn.to/2gPK7K2

Teller and Ella are quite the pair. I'm thorn between loving it and not loving it. I have mixed feelings about it, but I think that is necessary to say that Mary Elizabeth writes wonderfully.

From the beginning to the end all I had in my mind was: INTENSE. This book is intense from the relationship between Ella and Teller to the collateral damage they create. It's beautiful and it's bad. In the entire journey of reading this book I cried, I loved and Mary Elizabeth took my heart... Broke it into a lot of pieces and put it back together again. 

I don't think there is a way to describe the emotional experience of Closer. I believe that you have to read it to understand what's really going on between these two. 

I was torn while reading it. Sometimes I wanted to hate Ella, but I understood her decisions. Sometimes I wanted to hate Teller, but he has such a sweet-damaged heart that I just wanted to give him the biggest hug.

I am a believer that love is a big thing. People often say that love can't hurt you. But the reality is: love can in fact hurt you and heal you at the same time. Despite the ugliness of their relationship, a honest love shines very bright between Ella and Teller. They make mistakes, but even in the small actions you see that they are mean to be together.

 

Mary Elizabeth is an up and coming author who finds words in chaos, writing stories about the skeletons hanging in your closets.

Known as The Realist, Mary was born and raised in Southern California. She is a wife, mother of four beautiful children, and dog tamer to one enthusiastic Pit Bull and a prissy Chihuahua. She's a hairstylist by day but contemporary fiction, new adult author by night. Mary can often be found finger twirling her hair and chewing on a stick of licorice while writing and rewriting a sentence over and over until it's perfect. She discovered her talent for tale-telling accidentally, but literature is in her chokehold. And she's not letting go until every story is told.

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New Release and Review: Sweet Escape by Nina Lane

Title: Sweet Escape

Author: Nina Lane

Release Date: December 6, 2016

Genre: Romance

ABOUT SWEET ESCAPEWhen dessert goes wrong…
Hannah Lockhart travels the world and blogs about love. At least she used to before she promised to look after her sister’s bakery. Now, stuck in small town California for the next six months, Hannah is desperate to find romantic content for her blog or risk losing both readers and income.
Then a whipped cream disaster sends her into the arms of sexy, charming Evan Stone, heir to the Sugar Rush Candy Company.
Since childhood, Evan has been trying to overcome family concerns about his defective heart. Known as “The Heartbreaker,” he’s found an outlet with women. And when bad news strikes him, he seeks a diversion by offering to show Hannah the romance of the Bay Area.
Hannah jumps at the chance…as long as they keep things platonic. But soon Evan’s hot combination of charm, perfect kisses, and a serious sweet tooth melts her defenses.
 As Hannah and Evan surrender to their delicious attraction, they are forced to confront the reality of her wanderlust and his heart condition. When love and hearts collide, can Hannah and Evan find their sweet ending?

Get your hands on SWEET ESCAPE

Amazon / iBooks / Kobo

To define this book with just a word: swoon-whorty. Nina Lane once again delivers a book that beyond being sweet, shows us a story between two opposites that might not be opposites at all. But all in love isn't that easy, so Hannah and Evan made the journey of falling in love worth fighting for.

Hannah has her heart set in traveling and writing stories that fill the hearts of her followers in her blog, she has what we call wanderlust. 

Evan is a guy that at his thirty years, doesn't believe in relationships because of his defective heart. He believes it would be hard to find the one that will accept him the way he is.

Little did they know that between a good friendship, the love of a lifetime was forming. Drama, love, laughs, and candies fill the story to show you from a sweet perspective how you can find love, no matter the circumstances.

***

ABOUT SWEET DREAMS (Book  #1)

He may own a candy company, but this wealthy bachelor is no Willy Wonka.

Sugar Rush Candy Company CEO Luke Stone is a devoted businessman who doesn't do relationships. He does short-term affairs with clearly defined rules. But when a sexy bohemian angel propositions him in a bar, Luke is tempted to want more. 

Polly Lockhart is horrified when she wakes the morning after her twenty-third birthday to realize she made a fool of herself with a sinfully delicious man. She tells herself she doesn't have time for romance anyway, as she's fighting to keep her mother's beloved bakery afloat and finish her culinary studies. That all changes when her class tours the famed Sugar Rush headquarters, and Polly collides with her dream man again. 

As she succumbs to their hot attraction, Polly soon realizes her bakery isn't the only thing that needs saving. Luke, driven and unyielding, will burn out unless someone convinces him to taste the sweetness of life. But can Polly remember this sugar rush is only temporary?

Grab SWEET DREAMS:

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New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she's that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.

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Release week blitz: Hit The Spot by J. Daniels

Title: HIT THE SPOT

Author: J. Daniels

Series: Dirty Deeds, #2

On Sale: December 6, 2016

Publisher: Forever

Trade Paperback: $14.99 USD

eBook: $3.99 USD

SYNOPSIS

Is this love or just a game?
Tori Rivera thinks Jamie McCade is rude, arrogant, and worst of all . . . the sexiest man she's ever laid eyes on. His reputation as a player is almost as legendary as his surfing skills. No matter how her body heats up when he's around, she's determined not to be another meaningless hookup.

Jamie McCade always gets what he wants. The sickest wave. The hottest women. And Tori, with her long legs and smart mouth, is definitely the hottest one. He knows Tori wants him—hell, most women do—but she won't admit it. After months of chasing and one unforgettable kiss, it's time for Jamie to raise the stakes.
Jamie promises that soon Tori won't just want him in her bed, she'll be begging for it-and he might be right. Somehow he's found the spot in her heart that makes her open up like never before. But with all she knows about his past, can she really trust what's happening between them? Is Jamie playing for keeps or just playing to win?

BUY THE BOOK HERE

Amazon / Audible / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million 

Google Play / iBooks / Indiebound /Kobo

In Hit The Spot with have the story of Tori and Jamie, best friends of the characters in book one Four Letter Word. 

This book was a lot sweeter than the first one and I'm happy to admit that I am in Jamie's Team. Tori and Jamie have this love/hate relationship that adds a touch of heaviness to the story. She doesn't fall instantly for his antics and after thinking that she maybe plays to hard to get... Well, love happened.

I definitely enjoyed more this story than the first one. Jamie is such a sweet guy and he completely loved Tori, too bad that his reputation preceded him and the HEA didn't come as easy as his Best friend. But the reason I couldn't give five stars to this book just like the first one is because of the way Jamie talk... I saw in others reviews that this is known as OTT alpha persona, which I agree didn't fit his surfer persona. All the "ain't and babe" made me a bit uncomfortable, because since English is not my first language it was a bit frustrating to understand at first, and to get used to in the entire book.

Overall this book was such a ride! These couple was a sweet one, and I'm glad I could see them getting their HEA. I definitely can't wait for what's coming with the next book in the series.

Tori slapped the counter and gained everyone’s attention when she started yelling, “I did not run you over, Jamie! Jesus Christ! Quit spreading lies about me!”

“It ain’t lies if it's true!” I yelled back, glaring at her.

A laugh bubbled in her throat. She tilted her head and stuck her hand on her hip. “Please. I'm sure you're still able to bang everything with a pulse, as usual, which means you’re fine. Get over it, and grow some balls. I cried less when I watched Bambi the first time.”

“Who's hungry?” Syd asked nonchalantly, moving behind her friend to round the island and stand near the stove.

I ignored her question because, what the fuck? Grow some balls?

“I gotta pair, babe,” I told Legs, reaching down and palming my shit. “You should know since you've been all up on ’em the past nine months.”

She rolled her eyes. “You're disgusting.”

I felt my mouth twitch.

And that was when, for some fucked up reason, I reverted back to my old ways with Tori Rivera, forgetting all about how much I fucking hated her and instead going full-on, hell-bent determined to get an admission out of that smart-ass mouth.

“You want it,” I countered, tipping my chin up.

She wasn’t expecting that. No more than I was. It threw her off.

Her shoulders pulled back and her lips parted.

Then, maybe to cover her tell, or maybe she didn't have control over what was flying out of her mouth either, I didn't know, but she brought her other hand to her hip, glared at me with heat flashing in her eyes, tipped forward, and shot back with attitude, “You want it.”

Well shit. This was new. Legs was challenging me and she was doing it flirting. There was no doubt in my mind.

 “Sorry, babe,” I said, keeping the smirk and letting go of my junk. “Not interested. I told you yesterday, I’m done waitin’ around. But you?” I pointed my beer at her. “You’ll be beggin' for it before the month is up. Just watch.”

“Fat chance,” she snapped. “I wouldn't sleep with you if my life depended on it.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Bet what?”

“What's going on right now?” Syd called out, but I wasn't pausing to answer her.

I smiled at Tori, then gestured between us, explaining, “First one to break and come crawling to the other person for sex, loses.”

“Are you serious?” She laughed, not in amusement but in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m serious,” I answered.

“You want to bet me that I'll want to have sex with you before you try and have sex with me?” she questioned, moving her finger between us. “You, the guy who has been hitting on me for nine straight months and has been rejected for nine straight months? You seriously think I'll not only want to have sex with you, but I'll beg you for it? Is that what I just heard?”

I nodded slowly. I had this in the bag. “A rule. No fuckin’ anyone unless it's each other.”

Her eyes bugged.

“And no masturbating either,” I added, raising my beer and using it to gesture. “Since we both know when you do it you’re thinkin’ about me, and if you're that fuckin’ horny you need to rub one out or you'll fuckin' explode, you can come to me, Legs, beg, and I'll put that fire out for you.”

THE DIRTY DEEDS SERIES

 

FOUR LETTER WORD, #1

HIT THE SPOT, #2

Series Page on Goodreads

 

J. Daniels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweet Addiction series and the Alabama Summer series. She loves curling up with a good book, drinking a ridiculous amount of coffee, and writing stories her children will never read. Daniels grew up in Baltimore and resides in Maryland with her family.

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Blog Tour: Heat Wave by Karina Halle & an Exclusive Excerpt

HEAT WAVE

By Karina Halle

Standalone

Release Date: November 16, 2016

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Synopsis
They say when life closes one door, another one opens.This door happens to lead to paradise.And a man I can never, ever have.

Still grieving the loss of her sister who died two years ago, the last thing Veronica "Ronnie" Locke needed was to lose her job at one of Chicago’s finest restaurants and have to move back in with her parents. So when a window of opportunity opens for her – running a kitchen at a small Hawaiian hotel – she’d be crazy not to take it.

The only problem is, the man running the hotel drives her crazy:
Logan Shephard.
It doesn’t matter that he’s got dark brown eyes, a tall, muscular build that’s sculpted from daily surfing sessions, and a deep Australian accent that makes your toes curl.
What does matter is that he’s a grump.
Kind of an asshole, too.
And gets under Ronnie’s skin like no one else.

But the more time Ronnie spends on the island of Kauai, falling in love with the lush land and its carefree lifestyle, the closer she gets to Logan. And the closer she gets to Logan, the more she realizes she may have pegged him all wrong. Maybe it’s the hot, steamy jungles or the invigorating ocean air, but soon their relationship becomes utterly intoxicating.

There’s just one major catch.

The two of them together would incite a scandal neither Ronnie, nor her family, would ever recover from.

Forbidden, Illicit, off-limits – sometimes the heat is worth surrendering to, even if you get burned.

AMAZON / Paperback / Preorder iBooks / B&N

With a forbbiden story, filled with intensity and passion Karina Halle brings

Heat Wave. A book that was born in the heart of a paradise, where fate alings to brings

you love, a family - ohana - and the unexpected.

This is the story of a powerful second chance romance between Veronica Locke and

Logan Sheppard. From the beggining the author puts us on a place where the "what ifs" 

taint a love story that it looks like was doomed to fail from the first look shared between the couple, but see, life is tricky and wether we don't follow its rules we will end coming back to the ones that truly belong to us.

I saw him first.

It shamed me to think it then, it shames me to think it now.

But that’s what the truth does to you sometimes. It shames you because it’s only in the truth that you realize how human you really are. What a raw, devastating thing that is, to embrace your humanity and learn to live with all your sharp points, the hollow places, the cracks and the crevices. To be utterly real. To be terribly flawed.

Those cracks had always been forming inside me, slowly making their way to the surface over the years. In my family, there wasn’t much you could do but try and hold yourself together, to stick glue on your wounds, to paste over the imperfections. But the cracks still grew, until all of us were held together by crumbling cement, just statues waiting to collapse.

That was years and years ago. I was just twenty-two at the time. A baby. I’m still a baby in the grand scheme of things, but there’s something precious about your early twenties, where you think you’re so much older, bigger, than you are, where life is just about to deliver the crushing blows that will knock you off your feet for the rest of your days. The small things become the big things and the big things become the small things and you aren’t quite sure when they made the switch.

But in the end, I saw him first. He was mine, even before he knew it. He was mine in some strange way that I still don’t understand. The only way I can think of to explain it is…

You just know.

There are moments in your life, people in your life, that when they cross your path and meet your eye, you know. Maybe it’s all in the chemistry, certain pheromones that react when they mix together, maybe it’s a smell that triggers a memory, maybe it’s a glimpse at a future you don’t recognize or a hint at the past, a life you’ve lived and forgotten. Whatever it is, you know that moment, that person, is going to shape you for the rest of your life.

That’s what it was like when I saw him. Standing over by the windows and staring out Lake Michigan, like he was wishing he could be anywhere but there.

I wished the same. My mother’s the deputy mayor of Chicago and this was another one of her fundraisers I felt obliged to attend. It was tradition in my family, for my father, for me, for my sister, to show up and wave the flag of support. It didn’t seem to matter that the stuffy politicians that surrounded these events never paid me any attention. And if they did, it was the wrong kind of attention, always the sixty-year-old man leering after the young thing with the nice smile.

Luckily I didn’t smile all that often. My resting bitch face took over whenever I was deep in thought, which was pretty much all the time.

But this guy…I felt a kinship with him. I felt like I knew exactly what he was thinking, feeling, and that it was completely wrapped up in and connected to everything that was going through me.

I don’t know where I found the nerve to go over and talk to him. He seemed so much older, not quite the sixty-year-old politicians I was used to seeing, but maybe in his early-thirties. More than that, there was some kind of aura around him. Sounds stupid, I know. Whatever it was, it was like he belonged in some whole other universe than here, a star on earth, permanently grounded and yearning to be in the sky.

It was usually Juliet’s job to go around and make everyone feel warm and comfortable at these events—hell, in every event—but she wasn’t here yet. And though I could have easily stayed in the shadows, I was pulled to him, like he had a wave of gravity whirling around him.

I remember what I was wearing. Strappy flats because I hated wearing heels, a knee-length cocktail dress in emerald green, sleeveless, high-neck. It made me look older and I wore it because my mother always wanted me to look like a lady.

With a glass of champagne in hand, I made my way over to the windows, my heart racing the closer I got to him. He looked taller up close, well over six feet. His shoulders were broad, like a swimmer’s, and suddenly I had a vision of him diving into the lake. The navy blue suit he was wearing looked well-tailored but he seemed uncomfortable in it, like he couldn’t wait to get rid of it.

I stood beside him for a moment, following his gaze out the window. He seemed lost in his thoughts but out of my peripheral his head tilted slightly and he brought his eyes over to me while I kept staring at that wide expanse of water, stretching out to the horizon.

“Can’t wait to get out of here?” I asked, but though my tone was mild, my delivery was bold. It was as if someone else had taken a hold of my body, forcing me to speak. I slowly turned my head to meet his eyes.

I was taken aback for a second. He was staring at me like he knew me, even though I’d never seen him before. Then again, I was sure I’d been staring at him in the same way. That feeling of knowing. He knew me, I knew him, and who the hell knows how that was possible.

His eyes were brown—are brown—dark with currents of gold and amber, giving them beautiful clarity. Slightly almond shaped. His brows were also dark, arched, adding to the intensity of his gaze. He’s the type of guy whose eyes latch onto you, dig deep, trying to sift through the files of your life, see who you really are.

“How did you know?” he asked, a full-on Australian accent rumbling through his gruff voice. It made my stomach flip, my core smolder. How deed you now, is what it sounded like. Funny how I stopped hearing the accent after time.

I gave a half shrug and looked back to the party. More people had flooded the room, mingling around the appetizers. My mother was in the corner, a crowd of politicians around her. She didn’t see me. She never did.

“Because I think I’d rather be in the middle of Lake Michigan too,” I told him, “then be stuck here with all these people.”

“These people,” he repeated. My focus was drawn to his lips, full, wide, tilting up into a smirk. Beneath them was a strong chin and even sharper jaw, dusted with a five o’clock shadow that seemed permanent, like the man couldn’t get a clean shave even if he tried. “How do you know I’m not one of these people?”

“Because you’re over here and not over there. How come you keep answering my questions with more questions?”

He studied me for a moment. My blood pounded in my head and I felt a giddy kind of thrill at how this was progressing. If anything, I was proud for holding my own with this handsome stranger. He was the first man I ever really felt at ease with.

He cleared his throat, offered me a quick smile before he nodded at the lake, his hands sliding into his pockets. “She almost looks like the ocean, doesn’t she?”

“Not quite the same as Australia, I would imagine.”

“No hiding this accent, is there?” He glanced at me and stuck out his hand, which I shook for a moment, warm palm to warm palm. “I’m Logan Shepard. Australian. And the reason I’m here is because I was invited by a friend of mine. I’m only in town for a few days and he didn’t want to go alone. He’s over there.” He nodded at a tall black man in the corner, listening intently to another man.

 “Warren Jones,” he said, as if I should know him. Perhaps I should. He probably thought I was one of them. “He’s local and the key piece to my investment.”

I wasn’t one for business talk—I never had anything to contribute other than lamenting student loans—but I wanted him to keep talking. “What’s your investment?”

“Starting my own hotel,” he said. “In Hawaii. Have you ever been there?”

“Once. When I was eight. I think we were in Honolulu. I remember a city, anyway. Waikiki Beach.”

“This hotel is in Kauai. The Garden Isle. Went there once as a teenager and couldn’t get it out of my mind.”

I didn’t know the right things to say. I wanted to ask more about the hotel, what it means when you have an investor, but I didn’t want to appear dumb. I kept my mouth shut.

“You haven’t introduced yourself,” he said. “Protecting a secret identity?”

I smiled, close-lipped. “Not really. I’m Veronica Locke. American. And I unfortunately I don’t have much else to add to that.”

“Locke?” he repeated, eyes darting to my mother. “Are you the daughter of the deputy mayor, Rose Locke?”

“One of them,” I told him.

He nodded quickly. “I see. No wonder you’d rather be in the middle of the bloody lake. I bet you have to do this stuff all the time.”

“It’s not so bad.” I took a sip of my drink so I didn’t have to say anything more and looked away at the crowd. The bubbles teased my nose, making my eyes water.

I could feel his gaze on me as he spoke. “I’m sure you have plenty more to say about yourself though. Where do you work? Student?”

“Culinary arts,” I told him. “I’m one of those crazy people who dream of being a chef one day.”

He frowned. “Why is that crazy?”

I gave him a look, forgetting that most people have no idea how hard it is. “Because it’s a long road, long hours, and nothing is guaranteed. People think being a chef is easy. They see Gordon Ramsey or Nigella Lawson and think it’s all fame and food and money and they have no idea what it’s really like. I’m not even out of school and already I feel half-beaten.”

He was still frowning. He did that a lot, I would soon learn. “Sounds like life to me.” His eyes dropped to my lips and something intensely carnal came over them, like suddenly I was the food, not the wannabe chef. “Did you want to get a drink somewhere. After this? When you’ve done your daughterly duties?”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what a drink meant. Just a drink? A date? Was it sex? I started going through my head, trying to think of reasons why it was a bad idea. My legs were shaved, did my bra and underwear match? Did I have a condom? I had taken the pill this morning, even though my last boyfriend and I had broken up months ago. I hadn’t been with a guy, let alone a man, in a long time.

Don’t flatter yourself, I quickly thought. What makes you think he’d be interested in you that way?

“Yes,” I said when I finally found my voice. “Yes, I would like that.”

A spark flashed in his eyes, lighting them up in such a way that made my toes literally curl. Damn. I was in trouble with this man. “Any way you can get out of your duties sooner?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but smile, raising my brow at his presumptuousness, while simultaneously trying to hide the fact that I was freaking out. I looked around the room and tried to judge how likely it was that someone would notice if I was gone. My mom was still surrounded by a wall of people and no one was paying any attention to us, standing by the windows, already removed.

A sad thought hit me, sliding past before I could really dwell on it: no one even notices when I’m here.

“If we’re quick and sneaky,” I told him.

“Being quick isn’t in my repertoire,” he said, “but I could give it a shot.”

Again. Damn. I wasn’t one to blush but I could feel my cheeks heating up and hoped my skin supressed the flush. He was so much older than me in so many ways, the last thing I wanted was to appear the naïve schoolgirl.

And I didn’t know what to say to that. He was staring at me with those dark eyes, a look so intense yet sparkling with charm and something…wicked.

I’d never find out how wicked they could be.

“Ronnie!” A melodic, ultra-feminine voice sliced through the moment like an unwieldy machete, causing me to flinch, my fingers tightening around the stem of the glass.

Oh no, I thought. Not now.

Logan’s head swiveled toward the sound of the voice, like a hound picking up a scent. I didn’t bother looking over, I kept my focus on him, watching his expression intently. It changed, as I knew it would.

She had walked into the room.

He saw her.

And like it was for so many men, that look of lust I had thought was for me, was now for her.

That’s when I knew it was over. Whatever thing I had felt for him, it didn’t matter anymore, not when she was in the room. Nothing ever mattered as long as she was around.

I might have saw him first.

But he was all hers after that.

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

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Blog Tour: Mr. President by Katy Evans

Mr. President by Katy Evans

Release Date: October 31st

Genre: Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis
He's won the hearts of millions. But is he willing to lose his?
I met the president’s son when we were both young. Matthew Hamilton was handsome, polished, and intelligent. I’d never met a guy like him.
He promised me that he’d never run for president. I promised that if he did, I’d be by his side.
Three terms later, an invitation to join Matthew Hamilton’s campaign is the most exhilarating opportunity I’ve ever experienced. I'm determined to make a difference; he is determined to win.
Focused on his goal, Matt is steadfast, ruthless, and disarming. All eyes are on him and his popularity is surging. But soon, the next possible president of the United States is possessing me in more ways than one—and despite the risks, I'm helpless to resist.
We're stealing touches, stealing moments, and stealing away at night. But our chemical connection is quickly becoming dangerously combustive, putting not only my heart, but Matt's chance at the presidency on the line.
Winning will take everything. Walking away will be the hardest thing of all.

Buy Links

Amazon ➜ http://amzn.to/2dYH8wj

iBooks ➜ http://apple.co/2dPYPQr

Nook ➜ http://bit.ly/2dNp2hl

Kobo ➜ http://bit.ly/2cQp2Rv

I never in my life have felt the need to cry because I finished a book in a cliffhanger. I sometimes just accept it and try to remain calm because I know it will be continued. It's not the case with this book, because now I tell you that I would do anything to read Commander in Chief.

It's not a surprise that I'm in awe of this book. Katy Evans writes glorious stories. Not only because she puts you in a story where you feel goosebumps reading every chapter, she also captures your attention the moment you start reading the first sentence.

The story of Matt and Charlotte is a story I will hold close to my heart. From the moment they met there was something bigger than they could have ever imagined. A letter that marked their fate. The feelings of a lifetime. Mr. President makes you fear for the overwhelming emotions they pour out of their bodies and souls, and also makes you wonder what is going to happen next. Because, a love story like that needs a HEA, and even if is not possible at least they deserve each other in the most elementary way.

I am a fan of romance and something else, I think that if you are going to write a love story you need to create a world where reality meets fiction. In this book, romance and politics, are crème de la crème. The future of America rest in Hamilton's shoulders, just as the love of his life rest hidden in his heart.

Matt Hamilton is the bad boy with the soft heart. He is hard enough though, to feel capable of take the reins of one of the biggest countries in the land. His alpha demeanor and his dark aura is enticing. Charlotte Wells is a sweetheart, heart as big as her love for her country, a independent and strong women that just seems to be the perfect match for Matt. 

“We’re quite a pair, aren’t we?”
He runs his fingertip down my nose. 
“America’s playboy and America’s sweetheart.”

But in Katy's words, they are a perfect couple in the most imperfect situation. Their passion and chemistry is off the charts, the longing they have for each other runs deep in their blood. Maybe they are doomed to fail from the beginning, but the heart wants what it wants and it doesn't matter how wrong it seems, fate brought them together and soon they have to be together.

Overall, I loved this book. I just didn't read this book, I devoured this book. Katy made me feel the longing and the attraction in a deeper way. With a soigné storyline and a little angst  she captivated my heart and made me fall hard for this couple,  just hope it does the same for you.

Highly recommended. 5 big STARS

Katy Evans is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Her debut REAL shot to the top of the bestselling lists in 2013 and since then 9 of her titles have been New York Times bestsellers. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen languages across the world.

Connect

Email: katyevansauthor@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authorKatyEvans

Twitter @authorkatyevans

Website: www.katyevans.net

Blog Tour: Tricked by Rebecca Zanetti

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Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon AU / Amazon CA

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He Might Save Her
Former police psychologist Ronni Alexander had it all before a poison attacked her heart and gave her a death sentence. Now, on her last leg, she has an opportunity to live if she mates a vampire. A real vampire. One night of sex and a good bite, and she’d live forever with no more weaknesses. Well, except for the vampire whose dominance is over the top, and who has no clue how to deal with a modern woman who can take care of herself.
She Might Kill Him
Jared Reese, who has no intention of ever mating for anything other than convenience, agrees to help out his new sister-in-law by saving her friend’s life with a quick tussle in bed. The plan seems so simple. They’d mate, and he move on with his life and take risks as a modern pirate should. Except after one night with Ronni, one moment of her sighing his name, and he wants more than a mating of convenience. Now all he has to do is convince Ronni she wants the same thing. Good thing he’s up for a good battle.

 

This is my first book of Rebecca Zanetti and my first insight into the Dark Protectors Series and I need to be honest with you, I just wish this wasn't a short novella!

An explosive and sensual story that left me wanting more.

Jared Reese, is a hot vampire, who agrees to help out Olivia, his sister in law by saving Ronni Alexander a former police phycologist. Since someone poisoned her the only way to be alive is by the kiss of death, through Jesse's body. Which results convenient for him given that he wants to have a mate and it doesn't bother him if is an exchange of favors. 

Little did they know, the scorching hot chemistry between them would turn into a love of a lifetime. With his alpha attitude and Ronni's independence a battle begins, figuratively, it's just a matter of time until they figure that the connection is there and how they were meant to be together. Fate always does its job, and it was Jesse and Ronni's turn. 

That being said, I have to tell you that this story is beautifully written. I do love vampire romances and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to review this beautiful book. Also, I found amazing that Ronni was from Colombia (because I'm from Colombia), a hot blooded latina taming her sexy alpha.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review

His muscles tightened as he held himself in check.

She stretched her neck, her body moving against him. “I feel so good.” Holding out her hand, she twisted her arm left and right. “Strong. Well, stronger than I just was.” She rubbed her palm along his whiskers. “That’s not all.”

Yeah. He felt it, too. Attraction. So he turned her to straddle him, feeling her body warm several degrees. “Let me know if I go too fast.”

She leaned in and settled her lips on his. “The first time I saw you, I thought wow. A real wow.”

Her breath brushed his mouth, and he stiffened to remain in control. “Is that a fact?” he asked, waiting for her to make a move. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten her, and he couldn’t tell how much stronger his blood had made her. If at all.

“Yes.” She nibbled at his bottom lip.

Magma boiled through his blood. “When I first saw you, I thought your eyes were the prettiest color I’d ever seen,” he said against her mouth. “Like a fine whiskey that has just caught the light.”

She kissed him, and he could feel her smile. “That’s sweet,” she whispered.

Yeah. That was him. Sweet. Nobody in his entire life had called him that. “I don’t want to rush you,” he said.

She tunneled her hands through his hair and hummed. “But we’re on a bit of a deadline?”

“Yeah.” The slight tug of her fingers hazed red over his vision. “Don’t know how long your extra strength will last.” Probably not very long. And there could be repercussions to her damaged heart from his blood, so they had to mate and now. He stood, easily holding her to him. “Bedroom.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist. “Um. Okay.”

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Rebecca Zanetti is the author of over twenty-five dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances. She lives in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest with her own Alpha hero, two kids, a couple of dogs, a crazy cat…and a huge extended family. She believes strongly in luck, karma, and working her butt off…and she thinks one of the best things about being an author, unlike the lawyer she used to be, is that she can let the crazy out. Her current series are: The Dark Protectors, The Maverick Montana Cowboys, and the Sin Brothers series. Upcoming series are: The Realm Enforcers and The Scorpius Syndrome.

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