Archives for April 2016

** Book Review ** AWAKENED by Elisabeth Naughton

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5 STARS!

I’m not the biggest fan of paranormal romance around, but I must say, I really enjoyed Awakened!  This is Book 8 in the Eternal Guardians series by Elisabeth Naughton, but the first one that I have read.  She describes everything in enough detail that you don’t feel like you’re coming in so far into a series.  It can easily stand alone.  Filled with lots of lust, intrigue and action!

Damon has no memories of his past prior to coming to be a play thing for the gods where he currently resides.  He’s sure that there must be something more out there for him, but has no clue what it is.

When he stumbles across the newest Siren trainee, Elysia, he realizes she’s different. None of them have ever been able to remember their past before,  and he feels an instant connection to her.

They overcome many obstacles to be around one another and eventually discover a secret past that has been hidden for many years and set out to right the wrongs that have been done to the universe.

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

** Blog Tour / Book Review / Giveaway ** A BETTER MAN by Candis Terry

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5 STARS!

I adored meeting the Kincade family in Book 1 of the Sunshine Creek Vineyard series and can’t wait to see what more they have in store for us when the next sibling’s book comes out!  They are a family filled with love that has had some sadness, regret and secrets mixed in along the years that are coming to the surface now.

Jordan Kincade has been living the high life in the NHL since he was drafted right out of high school 15 years ago.  It takes the tragedy of his parents death to bring him running home to Sunshine Valley, Washington to face his grief along with his 4 brothers and little sister.  He never realized how much he pushed family aside and no longer fit into the pack until he walks through the door and feels like a virtual stranger.

He’s determined to make it up to his siblings for not being there, and starts out by handling their little sister who is bordering on flunking her senior year in high school because of a sudden attitude she has going on.  When he goes to meet with one of her teachers, he finds out it’s Lucy Diamond who he had a little thing with in high school.  He can’t resist flirting with her, but she’s intent on not forgiving him for the past.  Will he be able to change her mind?

** Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

 

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A Better Man
Sunshine Creek Vineyard #1
|By: Candis Terry

Releasing March 29, 2016
Avon

BLURB:

In Candis Terry’s first novel in her Sunshine Creek Vineyard series, the handsome Kincade brothers convene to rescue their legacy-but the last thing they expect to find is love….

Sooner or later…

Hockey star Jordan Kincade wasted no time ditching Sunshine Creek for the NHL, but his sports career has overshadowed everything else-a truth Jordan confronts when his parents’ deaths bring him home. Now his little sister Nicki is flunking out of school, and only one teacher can help Jordan save her-the shy but incredibly sexy Lucy Diamond, the same girl whose heart he broke years ago. But he’s determined not to make the same mistake twice. If only Lucy would give him the time of day.

Love has a way of catching up with you.

Lucy has no intention of drowning in Jordan’s deep blue gaze again, even if he seems to have turned over a new leaf. Still, his devotion to his sister is impossible to ignore. As they team up to salvage Nicki’s future, Lucy soon discovers that Jordan’s sweet caresses and lingering kisses might just be everything she needs.

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Link to Follow Tour:  http://www.tastybooktours.com/2016/02/a-better-man-sunshine-creek-vineyard-1.html

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25858362-a-better-man

Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/157808-sunshine-creek-vineyard

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Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | Google Play | iTunes | Kobo

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062351176/

B&N:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-better-man-candis-terry/1122340977

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Candis_Terry_
A_Better_Man?id=GqkaCgAAQBAJ

iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/a-better-man/id1016473337?mt=11

Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-better-man-11

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EXCERPT:

Today, she was a different person. Stronger because of the things she’d lived through. Smarter because she’d found a way to survive and come out the other side in a happy place. She knew exactly where she belonged, and that was teaching and helping students like Nicki. Which was why, right now, she was going to pull on her big girl panties and face the boy who had disappointed her head on.

Lucy managed to pull herself together as Jordan removed his sunglasses and slid them to the top of his head. His smile lifted a masculine pair of lips that somehow managed to look cruel and sexy at the same time.

The boy had turned into a man times ten.

Tall and broad shouldered, his chest looked a mile wide. Judging by the smooth ripples beneath his snug shirt he was packing muscle, not pounds. Jeans, worn and frayed at the stress points, accented his long muscular legs and trim waist. His longish nearly black hair gleamed beneath the overhead lights. And his sharp blue eyes focused intently on her.

It was all she could do to keep her heart at a normal pace and her legs solidly beneath her. If ever a man could be described as delicious, Jordan Kincade would be a menu’s specialty of the day.

Too bad he was such a jerk.

“Ms. Diamond?” He came forward and stretched out his very large hand. “Jordan Kincade.”

And clearly he didn’t remember her.

Lucy smiled as a funny little tickle moved through her chest. Maybe this was going to be fun after all. Rarely was she ever given the upper hand or the opportunity to have even the slightest edge.

When he moved closer his warm palm engulfed hers and her triumph died with a sizzle.

Close up she got a better look. She inhaled his sexy scent of worn leather and warm man. Every square inch of her female DNA perked up like it was party time. She hated to disappoint the little darlings but today was all about helping someone else.

“Please.” She kept the handshake brief and formal before she disengaged and motioned toward the chair in front of her desk. “Have a seat.”

He glanced at the standard school chair with a you’ve got to be kidding me lift of his brows. When he sat down, the orange plastic chair creaked and seemed ridiculously small beneath the scope of his height and muscles.

Lucy took her own seat and noticed that the difference in chairs made her tower over him and seemingly give her another advantage. But when he leaned back and crossed an ankle over a knee, he appeared completely comfortable.

So much for one-upmanship.

“I apologize if I seemed taken aback just now.” She opened the folder and pulled out Nicole’s progress report as well as several exams and the few assignments Nicole had actually turned in. Late, of course, but complete nonetheless. “I expected your brother Ryan.”

“He had business at the vineyard and sends his regrets.”

She couldn’t help notice how very deep and smooth his voice had become. Like hot buttered rum on a cold winter night. He had the kind of voice a woman could imagine whispering sweet nothings in her ear while he caressed her in places that tingled beneath his touch.

“I understand.” Snapping out of the fantasy, she imagined the enormous scope of duties Ryan Kincade must need to tend to after the death of their parents. Her heart sank a little further for the family. Especially for Nicole, who was so young and really needed the love and guidance of her mom and dad. “I hope you’ll accept my condolences. And I sincerely apologize for having you come down at this sorrowful time to deal with what might seem insignificant but—”

“Anything regarding my sister is important, Ms. Diamond. Now more than ever.” His brows dipped in a no nonsense fashion. “So don’t judge me when you don’t even know me.”

Oh, she knew him.

Knew he was the type who’d make a promise then shatter it without ever looking back.

But that was then, and this was now.

“My apologies, Mr. Kincade. That was certainly not my intent.”

His piercing eyes perused her face for a long, uncomfortable moment and she had to admit that the look did something funny to the beat of her heart.

Especially when with a slight tilt of his head he asked, “Why do you look so familiar?”

“Do I?” That erratic heartbeat kicked up another notch as she let go a chuckle to cover up what was really going on inside. “People say that all the time. I guess I just have one of those faces.”

She pushed Nicole’s schoolwork in his direction. “If you’ll take a look at these projects, you’ll see that even though she didn’t complete the assignment exactly as it was defined, Nicole has an enormous gift.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s a lie.”

“Excuse me?” Irritated, Lucy’s gaze shot up to the slight smile curling his lips. “How can you say that without even reading anything? I guarantee your sister has a multitude of talent.”

“I’m not talking about my sister’s work. I’m talking about you just having one of those faces.” He uncrossed his long, muscular legs and leaned forward without even looking at the papers she’d put in front of him. “So now I’m wondering why you sidestepped my question.”

Good God the man was intense. There was something in the combination of that nearly black hair that fell over his ears and his nape in perfect waves and those deep blue eyes that seemed almost otherworldly. She could imagine how he’d intimidate an opponent on the ice.

And it had nothing to do with his size.

But as far as admitting who she really was? Not going to happen. No need to dredge up a bad memory when all she really wanted was to help his sister.

“I apologize.” Her heart beat erratically as she avoided the intensity of his gaze. “But I would like to stick to the subject of your sister’s grades—or lack thereof—that may prevent her from graduating with the rest of her class. I genuinely care about her which is why I noticed a problem way before the loss of your parents.”

“And now you won’t even look at me,” he said. “Why is that?”

As he leaned in, his intoxicating scent came with him. Normally such things didn’t affect her. Well, at least not with her colleagues who tended to wear either too much aftershave or worse, too much body odor. Jordan wore his masculine scent like a sexual promise and Lucy swore he should come with a warning label.

 

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AUTHOR INFO:

Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to chasing down wayward steers. Only one thing has remained the same: her passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

Website:  http://www.candisterry.com/

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

Twitter:  http://www.twitter.com/CandisTerry

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4935263.Candis_Terry

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a Print Set of the Sweet, Texas Series (ANYTHING BUT SWEET, SWEETEST MISTAKE. SOMETHING SWEETER, SWEET SURPRISE, and TRULY SWEET (US Only)
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** Blog Tour ** THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE by Ella Carey

The House

The House by the Lake

Anna is content with her well-ordered life in San Francisco. But her world is turned upside down when her beloved grandfather, Max, reveals a startling secret: Anna is part of an aristocratic family who lost everything during World War II. What’s more, Max was forced to leave behind a precious item over seventy years ago in their estate in old Prussia. It’s now his ardent wish that Anna retrieve it.

Anna burns with questions as she heads for Germany: What memento could be so important to her grandfather? And why did he keep their history hidden? As she searches for answers, she finds herself drawn to Wil, a man who may hold the key to unlock the mystery. Together they discover that her family’s secrets are linked with an abandoned apartment in Paris, and these secrets go deeper than she ever imagined.

Alternating between 1930s Europe and the present, The House by the Lake illuminates the destiny of a family caught in the tumult of history.


Read Reader Reviews


Buy Links:

Amazon Kindle          Amazon Paperback        Audio CD

Amazon UK              Book Depository

 

 

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Ella Carey is a writer and Francophile who claims Paris as her second home. She has been studying French since the age of five, and she has degrees in music and English. Her debut novel, The Paris Time Capsule, has captured global attention and her second novel, The House By The Lake, will be released on March 29th, 2016. She lives with her two children and a pair of Italian greyhounds in Hobart.

How did this story come to you?
This story came to me in three parts- I was inspired by a photograph, of a palace in Germany that was on the wall in a dear friend’s house. She started telling me about her family, who had to flee their palace in 1946 just as the Soviets were about to come through the former East Germany. I read my friend’s mother’s journals, from her life in the palace in the 1930s, and then, I confess my imagination took over…
What’s next for you?
I am in the process of editing my third novel, which, like The House by the Lake and my first novel, Paris Time Capsule, is also set partly in Paris. The book will be released with Lake Union publishing later this year. I am writing my fourth novel as well!
What would you tell aspiring writers?
Some of the best advice I ever received was not to submit your work to publishers until you know you are really ready. I think this was very worthwhile!


Ella Carey on the web:

Facebook        Twitter        Author Page    Website

** Book Review ** HUSBAND STAY by Louise Cusack

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4 1/2 STARS!

I want more! 🙂  I fell in love with Angela & Jack and did NOT want their story to end.  It was sexy, sweet and I found myself smiling often as I read their fun, sassy dialogues.

Angela Lata is at a crossroads in her life.  She’s divorcing her cheating husband and is heartbroken over the broken dreams he left her with.  For years she thought they were happy and attempting to have a family, but in the end she finds out he had a vasectomy on the sly before they ever even got married!

While pursuing her dream of being a singer, Angela meets Jack Davenworth and has a spur of the moment fling with him one night.  He rocks her world and leaves her hungering for more, but she keeps pushing him away when he pursues her several times later.  Will she decide it’s worth the risk of another broken heart to take the chance on finding true love?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

 

** Book Review ** POSSESSION by Violetta Rand

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5 STARS!

This steamy novel is Book 2 in the Sons of Odin MC series.  If you read Book 1, you’ll recognize the main characters … Tina is best friends with Lily and Vincent is Treasurer in the club that Lang was President of when he met Lily. Even though he’s a bad boy and she’s a smart mouth, they have such a sweet connection that I really enjoyed.  Can’t wait to see what J.T. gets up to in Book 3!

Tina Bethel is an up-and-coming attorney working long hours to move up in her firm.  She doesn’t take time out for much in the way of fun, but she’s more than willing to change that when she runs into Vincent again a few months after “the night that almost happened” after Lily and Lang’s wedding reception.  If only she could get this guy to agree to hitting the sheets with her!

Vincent Ramas has a long history of ugliness behind him … a couple of divorces under his belt, memories of war, club business he can’t talk about … and he just does not have it in him right now to take a chance on any sort of committed relationship.  Will he change his mind after spending more time with Tina?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review **

** Book Review ** TO WIN HER HEART by Mackenzie Crowne

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5 STARS!

So good!  If you haven’t started reading the Players Series yet, you need to!  This is Book Three, and they just keep getting better!  Max and Jessi are so sweet together … not to mention HOT! 🙂

Jessi Tucker is Country’s music’s “It Girl” and is getting really tired of being smothered by her family and friends with constant security following her every move.  She isn’t concerned in the least with the most recent stalker she has attracted and thinks it’s all just par for the course.  She decides to reach out to her cousin Tuck’s friend Max to get him to pretend to date her so she can get some freedom from the smothering.

Jessi and Max have each been pining after the other for years but he doesn’t think a dangerous man with a history and past like his could ever be good enough for her, so he refuses to give her the time of day.  Will he be able to resist her when they are in close quarters and putting on a fake relationship show?

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

** Book Review ** BIG ROCK by Lauren Blakely

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4 STARS!

Spencer is a hoot!  He’s cocky (pun intended!) and loves to have a good time, but he’s such a sweetie inside.  He might be arrogant, but he’s not degrading to those around him.  I really enjoyed reading about him and Charlotte … and woo hoo … they’re HOT together! 🙂

Spencer Holiday considers himself God’s gift to women, and let’s be honest ladies, to a degree he is! 🙂  He’s sexy, rich, sure of himself and follows through with exactly what his attitude promises  ..  and he has his best friend Charlotte’s back no matter what!

When Spencer’s dad needs him to appear settled and family oriented for a business deal, he immediately recruits his best friend Charlotte to pretend to be his fiance.  All of their close quarters and pretend affection turns into the real stuff as they start to become attracted to each other.  Will this just be a quick fling while they are fake engaged, or will they not be able to walk away in the end?

** Blog Tour ** COWBOY JUSTICE 12 Pack for 99¢

Cowboy Justice 12-Pack by Susan Stoker

Date of Publication: April 5, 2016

Blurb

Get your TWELVE Cowboy Lawmen who are so hot it’s criminal. The COWBOY JUSTICE 12-Pack includes fresh novellas by twelve New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Authors!

Justice for Laine by Susan Stoker – What began as a favor turns out to be fate when Laine meets sexy Texas Ranger Wes and falls for him.

Justice Burning by Elle James – Hard-nosed sheriff’s deputy, Nash Grayson, places his family and hometown in danger when he rescues, Phoebe Sinclair, Dallas debutante and desperate runaway bride with a secret hiding in the trunk of her stolen car

Laying Down The Law by Becky McGraw – Doctor returns to hometown when mother takes a fall and falls harder for new town Sheriff…her first love.

Texas Justice by Cynthia D’Alba – First-term Sheriff is torn between duty and love when sexy Chief of Surgery is accused of medical malpractice and homicide.

Texas Lone Star by Sable Hunter – An all-business Texas Ranger falls hard for an irresistible lady rancher he rescues from dangerous poachers.

Cain’s Law by Delilah Devlin – Lawman, Cain Whitfield, discovers the shy brunette he’s been flirting with is a former mob boss’s girlfriend when her cabin goes up in flames.

Cowboy Lawe by Donna Michaels – More than bullets fly when a former SEAL protects a sexy witness who’s actually an undercover agent secretly assigned to protect the stubborn SEAL.

Cowboy’s Best Shot by Lexi Post – A cowboy veteran who’s lost so much. A bartender who never had it to begin with. Is this their best shot?

Protect and Serve by Sabrina York – He’s vowed to avoid his high school crush, but his duty demands he protect her from a growing menace.

Badge and a Saddle by Randi Alexander – Detective Rex Tarrow is sworn to protect Astrologist Dr. Mina Cooper, but will she get them both killed?

Blind Sided by Lindsay McKenna – Dark family secrets stand between the sheriff and the woman he loves from afar. Can he expose the treachery? Win her hand?

Lazarus by Beth Williamson – Being a Graham isn’t easy and it’s about to get a lot harder for one stubborn lawman and the woman who still owns his heart.

Available From


About Susan Stoker

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives, but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She’s married to a retired Army man who now gets to follow her around the country.

She debuted her first series in 2014 and quickly followed that up with the SEAL of Protection Series, which solidified her love of writing and creating stories readers can get lost in.

Find Susan Stoker Online

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** Blog Tour ** WRAPPED IN YOU by Jules Bennett

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Enter to Win a Print Copy of WRAPPED IN YOU

 

WRAPPED IN YOU
The Monroe’s #1
Jules Bennett
Released March 29th, 2016
Kensington: Zebra

The Monroe brothers found a home in Haven, Georgia, thanks to the big-hearted couple who adopted them all. Now, grieving their late sister, these three very different men will come together to honor her memory. And with the help of some unforgettable women, each will find the chance to build a whole new future…

Zach Monroe has made mistakes—big ones. The worst left the girl he loved injured, and his own brother barely speaking to him. It was a night Zach won’t let himself forget, even when the girl in question—perfect, polished Sophie Allen—walks back into his life. A realtor, Sophie’s brought an offer for their sister’s dilapidated Civil War era property. But Zach’s determined to renovate the rambling old place himself—though he longs to rebuild Sophie’s trust in him…

A business deal isn’t how Sophie wanted to approach Zach after all this time, but he won’t let anyone get personal. She can’t deny that the accident changed her life in irreparable ways. But watching gruff, quiet Zach beat himself up year after year hurts too. The wounded boy she once adored needed love, and the man is no different. Now Sophie will need every bit of her resolve to convince Zach to let love heal them both…

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EXCERPT:

While Sophie had been raised to worry what others thought, Zach didn’t give a damn. As a teen, she’d wondered how well that would go over with her proper parents, if she just threw caution to the wind and worried about what made her happy and not the rest of the world. Chelsea had hinted more than once that Zach would be good for Sophie, and vice versa.

Nearly a decade had passed since she and Zach had finally stopped dancing around each other. They were heading toward something that could’ve been remarkable, when all of their lives changed in an instant. Since then, Zach Monroe treated her as if she had the plague, as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her. He’d pushed most people away and nearly worked himself to death . . . and all of that was after he’d gotten out of jail.

Swearing off bad boys, silent seducers, and that pull toward the mysterious, no matter how heavy the temptation, Sophie had opted to move on. For a while she’d been afraid to date, afraid for a man to see the scars she had hidden beneath her clothes. Eventually she realized the scars weren’t going away and she needed a social life. She’d been dating Martin for six months, and they were quite compatible when they could squeeze in dates between their busy schedules. Well, they weren’t so much compatible as they shared similar backgrounds and Sophie’s parents loved him.

But lately she’d been wondering if there should be more to a relationship. Shouldn’t there be sparks or . . . something? Flynn jumped onto the sofa and curled up next to Sophie.

“Great, I’m the cat lady,” she muttered against the next bite of ice cream. “I’ll die old and alone. You’ll probably outlive me.”

She sighed as she dug in for another spoonful. She needed to call Martin and let him know the guys were going to think about the offer. With the way Zach had left abruptly, and Liam still dead set on selling, she truly had no idea which way this decision would go.

Sophie’s cell chimed from her purse she’d left in the kitchen. Normally she’d ignore it, but she had several new listings and she was known for being prompt and professional.

Eyeing the carton of ice cream, she silently promised to return soon. Running as quick as she could allow herself, she pulled the phone from her purse and smiled at the name lighting up her screen.

“Hey, Braxton,” she answered.

“Hey, Sophie. Are you busy?”

His rich tone flooded the line. Of all the Monroe boys, Braxton was the peacemaker, the comforter, the “brainy” one. Braxton and Liam had always been like brothers to Sophie. They’d always treated her as family, and their friendship ran deeper than any bond she’d ever had with her own family.

Then there was Zach. Regardless of the anger she held toward him, there was always some nugget of attraction. After all this time, she figured it was just something she’d have to live with.

And her anger didn’t stem from the accident. Her years of rage stemmed from him blocking out those who cared for him, those who needed to get through the emotional mess with him. Did he even wonder how she was doing, after all that happened? Did he even care that she’d cried and cursed and broken things when he wouldn’t see her?

Gripping the phone, she focused on Braxton and pushed his frustrating brother to the back of her mind.

“Just digging into a dinner of chocolate-chunk ice cream.” She made her way back to the couch.

“I’m good at multitasking, though.”

“I cannot figure out how you live on junk and don’t weigh—”

 “I’d watch what I said about a woman’s weight,” she warned with a laugh. “I assume you didn’t call to discuss my pounds or my warped version of dinner.”

“Yeah.” Braxton’s sigh came through loud and clear. “I wanted to apologize for everything earlier. I know you’re just trying to help.”

Propping her feet on the low coffee table, Sophie settled deeper into the corner of her couch. “You may be the most considerate man I know. I put you in an awkward position and you’re calling to apologize to me?”

“You were just giving us all the information so we could do what we wanted,” he told her. “I actually appreciate that you didn’t dance around whatever I would be feeling. It’s Zach and Liam’s behavior that I’m apologizing for, though.”

“I know what I’m getting into with you guys. Liam already texted me and said he was sorry.”

“And Zach?”

Sophie laughed. “I think you know the answer to that.”

Even though she hadn’t expected anything from Zach, his dismissal of her still stung. Did he honestly think he was the only one grieving? Not just Chelsea but years of emotions he held on to were surely going to break him at some point.

Not her problem. She’d moved on.

“I’ve backed out of playing the middleman with those two,” Braxton went on. “They’ll have to actually discuss this if they want to come to an agreement.”

Sophie cringed. “Without you between them as referee, how will they have a conversation without shouting and one of them storming off ?”

“They’re adults. They’ll figure it out.”

“As long as I can tell Martin something by next week, that’s fine.”

“You’ll have an answer,” he promised. “One way or another. I need to get to class, so I’ll talk to you later. Just wanted to apologize for my asshole brother.”

“Can I ask what you’re leaning toward?” Silence answered her question, followed by a sigh. “It’s okay. Just think about it. I’m not judging you guys either way. I know this is hard for everybody.”

“Yeah, it is. That still doesn’t give my brothers the right to go at it in your office. It also doesn’t give Zach the right to be a jerk just because he can’t get a grip on his emotions.”

Sophie dropped her spoon into the carton and set it on the table. “No worries. The animosity with Zach isn’t new.”

“Soph—”

“No.” She came to her feet, sending Flynn to the floor. “It’s fine. I mean, it’s not fine, but it is what it is. Zach has problems he needs to work out on his own. Apparently he’s perfectly content to live inside that shell.”

“I wish someone would knock some sense into him,” Braxton muttered. “I’ll call you in a couple days. Gotta run.”

Placing her cell on the arm of the couch, Sophie couldn’t help but wonder what it would take to get Zach to see that life hadn’t ended that night. Yes, mistakes were made, lives were altered. Why did he feel it was okay to hate the world, to push away those who only wanted to help him?

She had hoped the one silver lining to come from Chelsea’s death would be Zach waking up and seeing that life was fleeting and he still had people here who cared what happened to him.

Chelsea passed away four months ago, and the man was just as introverted and closed up as ever. How long could one person keep so much locked inside? Not to mention his past, before he ever came to live with the Monroes. Zach was a walking bundle of angst when he’d arrived in Haven, Georgia. Then life happened and added even more.

One of these days his emotions were going to explode. Sophie found herself wondering who would be there to catch him when he broke.

 

 

Enter to Win a Print Copy of WRAPPED IN YOU

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National bestselling author Jules Bennett is a former salon owner
turned full time author. Considering she met her husband at the age of fourteen
and they’ve been together since, Jules knows a thing or two about romance and
happily ever after. She and her husband live in the Midwest with their two
young children. When Jules isn’t creating emotional, witty stories, she’s
spending time with her family, working out or procrastinating on social media.
She loves to hear from readers. You can connect with her through FacebookTwitter, or her Website.
 

** Blog Tour / Book Review ** DISTANT THUNDER by Larissa Ione

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5 STARS!

The exciting conclusion of the Mid-Season episodes finds the Rush family trying to cope with the fallout of the Senator’s scandal.  Marylee is ready to move heaven and earth to clean up after Sebastian’s mess and make sure his campaign is not affected.  Peyton and the kids are angry, but unwilling to rock the boat too much by speaking their minds.

Various members of the town are still up in arms as well.  Logan can’t forgive Ginny, Marcus doesn’t know how to handle Dakota, Brittany can’t help but hate her best friend, Marylee is constantly up to no-good, etc.

Can’t wait to see what happens when Season 2 picks up!

 

**  Received free in exchange for an honest review  **

 

 

Rising Storm - Header banner

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…

Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

Reading like an on-going drama in the tradition of classic day and night-time soap operas like Dallas, Dynasty, and All My Children, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets.

With 1001 Dark Nights as the “producer,” Julie Kenner and Dee Davis use a television model with each week building on the last to create a storyline that fulfills the promise of a drama-filled soap opera. Joining Kenner and Davis in the “writer’s room” for the Midseason Episodes of this serial opera are bestselling authors Lexi Blake and Larissa Ione who have brought their vision of Storm to life.

So get ready. The storm is coming.

Rising Storm - Midseason 2 Distant Storm

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way…

 

Distant Thunder - Teaser 1

 

Experience Rising Storm Here…

Rising Storm Midseason Episode 1 (March 29): Lexi Blake’s After the Storm
Amazon ** Kobo ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay ** All Romance EBooks

Rising Storm Midseason Episode 2 (April 5): Larissa Ione’s Distant Thunder
Amazon ** Kobo ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay ** All Romance EBooks

 

 

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Check out this fantastic excerpt from DISTANT THUNDER!

 

It had only been three days since the Great Founders’ Day Disaster, but it felt like a month. For the first twenty-four hours after Dakota’s revelation, the town had been mostly shell-shocked. Then the story started spreading through social media, and last night after Marcus dropped Brittany off after dinner at Murphy’s, she discovered that someone posted the Founders’ Day Disaster on YouTube. The media had descended on Storm like locusts this morning, and her father, whom she’d only seen in passing since Founders’ Day, had adopted a shelter-in-place stance.

Brittany had given him suggestions on where he could shelter in places that were much, much hotter than Texas, and then she’d run out the front door toward her car, only to be swarmed by reporters.

“Ms. Rush, is it true that your best friend is pregnant with your father’s baby?”

“Ms. Rush, how do you think this scandal will affect your father’s reelection campaign?”

“Ms. Rush, did you know about the affairs your father was having with your friends?”

Ugh. She and her mother shouldn’t have left Francine’s cabin so soon, and Jeffry certainly should have remained with one of his buddies. But when Marylee snapped her fingers and went into crisis mode, everyone came running and fell in line like good little minions.

“This blows,” Jeffry said, looking up from where he was lounging on the couch with his iPad.

“What blows?” She sank onto the love seat across from her brother. “The game you’re playing? Or the fact that we’re trapped like animals? Or maybe the fact that our father is a lying, cheating bastard who slept with our friends? Or the fact that my best friend is going to give birth to our little brother or sister?”

Yep, she might be a little bitter. And it was ex-best friend.

He tucked his feet under him on the couch and sighed. “Yeah.”

“I can’t believe Mom thinks we need to be here for him—”

She broke off as their mother, Payton, came around the corner with a tray of finger sandwiches and a pitcher of lemonade. They hadn’t spoken much about any of this, and Brittany wasn’t sure how to go about it. As far as she could tell, her mother hadn’t so much as shed a tear over the fact that her husband had knocked up a girl young enough to be his daughter and had probably slept with a dozen more.

“I brought you something to eat,” Payton said, and if she’d heard Brittany talking, she was choosing to ignore it. “Your father and grandmother are finished with their meeting with Mr. Stayton, and they’re on their way up to talk to you.”

“This should be good.” Jeffry reached for a sandwich as their mother put them on the coffee table. “I was wondering how long it would be before we got the circle-the-wagons lecture. Five bucks says he tries to convince us that everything Dakota said was a lie.”

“I know you two are angry and confused and you have a lot of questions,” Payton said as she took a seat next to Brittany, looking all prim and proper in a subdued green dress and gray scarf. “But we’ll get through this. I promise.”

 

stunning sensual young couple in love posing in summer field, happy lifestyle concept

 

 

Author pic - Larissa IoneAbout Larissa Ione:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

 

 

 

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