Tag Archives: adult fiction
Giveaway – I Burned Down His House by Jessica Frances #Jessica Frances @XpressoReads
I Burned Down His House
Jessica Frances
(Love at First Crime #3)
Publication date: November 28th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
She burned his house down, so he lit a fire between them that she could never extinguish.
So, I burned his house down.
It was an accident.
I mean, technically, the dog did it.
Well, the dog helped me to do it.
Did I mention it was an accident?
When circumstances mean I suddenly have a new housemate,
A man who is my ultimate fantasy,
And my entire world is turned upside down by new friends,
And a dog who likes to get me into trouble,
I have to wonder how my life got so crazy.
Add in my neighbor, who is under investigation;
Some unfinished business from the past, which just won’t go away;
Interfering family, who don’t know when to stop;
And mixed signals, making me wonder if fantasies really can come true,
And you have my new, hectic, crazy life.
But, when things take a dangerous turn,
And lives are on the line,
Will we all make it through in one piece?
Or is everything destined to crumble down around us?
Who would have thought that burning down a house would change everything so much?
Then again, as some people say: there is nothing quite like love at first … crime.
—
EXCERPT:
Trying not to feel like a loser that I have Joey’s number memorized, I dial, hoping like hell he picks up. It has to be in the incredibly early hours of morning, so there is every chance, if he hasn’t come home yet, it’s because he’s out with someone and won’t answer.
After five, drawn-out, torturous rings, he finally picks up.
“What?” he grumbles. I can’t tell if I woke him up, or if he’s just annoyed to be disturbed.
“Hey, Joey, it’s Teagan—”
“Who?”
I pause, annoyed I’m so forgettable he can’t remember who he gave his house key to! “Teagan Bevon, the woman who lives next door?”
“Oh … Oh!” There is finally recognition in his voice. “Right. Look, Teags”—he sounds so distracted I don’t think he even noticed he gave me a nickname—“I’m kinda busy—”
“But—”
“—so I’ll just see you later—”
“Wait!” I cry out, afraid I will hear the dial tone any second.
“Actually, you probably won’t see me later. I’m going to be—”
“I BURNED YOUR HOUSE DOWN!” I scream into the phone and am finally met with silence. “Joey?” I whisper, fearful he already hung up.
“Can you repeat that for me?” he finally gasps out.
“I …” Now I feel nervous. “I … umm … I accidently”—I use too much emphasis on the word, making me sound extra guilty—“burned down your house.”
“Are you okay?”
My heart skips a beat. I just told this man that I burned down his house and his first thought is if I’m okay?
“Some smoke inhalation, but nothing serious. I’m so sorry about your things—”
“How about Karma?”
“Karma got out fine. She’s with the Glovers,” So … maybe she’s not okay. The almost ninety-year-old couple may not be quite at the same speed as Karma.
As he sighs in relief, my hands begin to shake again.
“Joey, I’m so sorry.”
Author Bio:
Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.
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Giveaway – Subhuman by Michael McBride @mcbride_michael @XpressoReads
Subhuman
Michael McBride
(Unit 51 #1)
Published by: Pinnacle Books
Publication date: October 31st 2017
Genres: Adult, Horror
THEY ARE NOT HUMAN.
At a research station in Antarctica, five of the world’s top scientists have been brought together to solve one of the greatest mysteries in human history. Their subject, however, is anything but human . . .THEY ARE NOT NATURAL.
Deep beneath the ice, the submerged ruins of a lost civilization hold the key to the strange mutations that each scientist has encountered across the globe: A misshapen skull in Russia. The grotesque carvings of a lost race in Peru. The mummified remains of a humanoid monstrosity in Egypt . . .THEY ARE NOT FRIENDLY.
When a series of sound waves trigger the ancient organisms, a new kind of evolution begins. Latching onto a human host—crossbreeding with human DNA—a long-extinct life form is reborn. Its kind has not walked the earth for thousands of years. Its instincts are fiercer, more savage, than any predator alive. And its prey are the scientists who unleashed it, the humans who spawned it, and the tender living flesh on which it feeds . . .Praise for Michael McBride
“A fast-paced and frightening ride. Highly recommended for fans of creature horror and the thrillers of Michael Crichton.”—The Horror Review on PREDATORY INSTINCT
“McBride writes with the perfect mixture of suspense and horror that
keeps the reader on edge.” —Examiner
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—
EXCERPT:
Anya screamed and ran to Richards. Grabbed him by the back of the jacket and pulled.
“You have to help me!”
The freezing air buffeted her in the face when she looked up and saw a man only vaguely resembling Armand Scott pounce to the ground from on top of Connor. Snowflakes blew sideways past him and stuck to the walkway between them. His cranial deformity was identical to that of the remains she’d unearthed in Russia, only the physical expression of the flesh was for more terrifying than she could ever have imagined. She’d envisioned its face as being similar to that of modern man, but there was nothing remotely human about Scott’s appearance. Everything about him was alien, from the grayish cast of his skin to the way he twitched and moved in lurches, as though unfamiliar with the mechanics of motion.
Fissures crackled as they raced through the Plexiglas.
The creature scuttled forward and cocked its head, first one way and then the other. Blood dribbled from its mouth when it issued a hiss that sounded like steam firing from a ruptured pipe.
Anya screamed and threw herself to her knees.
“Come on!”
She grabbed Richards underneath his arms and shouted with the effort of lifting him. He found his feet, but couldn’t seem to take his eyes off the creature.
“It’s magnificent,” he said.
“Hurry!” Friden shouted.
The stairwell echoed with the drumroll of footsteps hitting the iron steps.
Anya looked back and saw several silhouettes bounding down the staircase toward them. She jerked Richards so hard she nearly sent him sprawling once more, but he regained his balance and stumbled backward with her. She took advantage of his newfound momentum to drag him away from the creature, which lunged forward, cutting the distance between them in half.
A scream from behind her.
She whirled to find Kelly in the opening to the Skyway, her hands clapped over her mouth. When Anya looked back, the creature was within ten feet of them and tensed to make another advance.
More popping sounds from above her. The cracks spread through the walls in her peripheral vision. Chunks of Plexiglas fell to the ground between her and the creature, which released a series of clicking sounds and retreated into the blowing snow.
A loud snap and a cable sang past to her right. The entire bridge shuddered.
“Hurry, Anya!” Friden shouted.
“There’s another one behind us!” Jade screamed.
“Start barricading the stairwell,” Evans shouted.
“And then what?” Jade asked. “We’ll be trapped in here without light or heat or any way to signal for help.”
Anya pulled Richards toward them. If she could just cross the threshold at the end of the Skyway, they could seal the creature on the other side.
Another cable snapped and the floor dropped.
Anya hit the ground on her knees and barely scrambled out of the way before Richards landed on top of her.
The walkway sloped downward toward where the creature crouched. The domed Plexiglas shattered and dropped enormous shards between them. The storm raced through the gap, creating a moving wall of snow between them that nearly concealed the creature as it approached, low to the ground and coming up fast.
A resounding thud.
The Skyway slanted downward, so steeply that Anya started to slide. She grabbed Richards by the back of the jacket with one hand and reached for anything at all with the other.
“Hang on!” Evans shouted and dove for her. He caught her by the wrist and halted her slide.
Another cable snapped and whipped the frozen glass beside them hard enough to shatter the glass and impale her cheek with tiny fragments.
Evans groaned and pulled her up toward the doorway, the seal around which was already buckled and peeling away from the building.
“Give me a hand!” he shouted.
Friden tentatively crawled to Evans’s side, grabbed Richards, and pulled hard enough on the back of his coat to pry him from Anya’s grasp, lightening her burden enough that Evans could drag her up the slope and over the fractured edge.
She scurried past Evans, turned around, and helped the others pull Richards into the stairwell.
Bolts snapped and structural rings disengaged. Bits of Plexiglas cascaded down the bridge toward where the creature crawled toward them.
A chasm opened behind it. Connor’s body slid through, tumbled out over the nothingness, and vanished into the storm.
“Close the door!” Anya screamed.
The creature slapped at the floor with its bare hands as the bridge grew steeper, digging its fingernails into the tiles in an effort to gain traction.
Evans pried the door from the recess until the others were able to help him drag it across the entryway.
The creature shrieked and scrambled uphill, blood dribbling from the gunshot wounds on its chest.
Ten feet.
Five.
It was nearly upon them when the Skyway broke away from the building.
The creature’s eyes widened. Its nails tore from the cuticles. It screeched and flailed.
The last thing Anya saw before they sealed the door was the expression of sheer terror on its face as it plummeted into the blowing snow.
“Someone help me!” Roche shouted from the landing at the top of the staircase, where he struggled to jerk the door from its slot in the wall. “It’s right behind me!”
Anya rushed for the stairs and hit them behind Kelly and Jade, who were already halfway up. She barely had the strength to climb and had to use the railing to pull herself higher. She nearly lost her balance when her hand slipped in something wet, but she managed to stumble forward and made it to the landing, where the others already had the gap down to a mere foot. A dark shape streaked straight toward the opening from the foyer on the other side, the light reflecting from its inhuman eyes.
“It’s coming!” Anya screamed.
She threw herself against the face of the door and used her shoulder to help the others drive it closed with a resounding thud.
The creature struck it from the other side, hard enough to knock her backward, but she braced herself and leaned into it again.
Kelly screamed beside her as the creature hurled itself against the steel door, over and over.
Until, finally, it stopped.
Anya desperately listened for any indication of what it was doing on the other side but couldn’t hear anything over the combination of their heavy breathing and whimpering.
She pictured Arkaim, with its twin fortified rings, a veritable fortress that should have been able to withstand any siege, reduced to little more than scorched rubble in the middle of a field, and the strange remains she exhumed near its outskirts. She’d made a terrible mistake in assuming that the coneheaded species represented a terminal branch in the human evolutionary tree rather than an off shoot from modern man, one facilitated by something lacking in humanity, something subhuman, the outward physical manifestation of which looked an awful lot like the alien species referred to as Grays.
Only there was nothing fictional about this being.
The creature shrieked and threw itself against the door one final time. It released a torrent of guttural clicks, then retreated into the station. The sound of its footsteps diminished until she couldn’t hear anything from the other side at all.
Anya stepped back and looked at the door. Her hand had left a smear of blood on the steel. She glanced down at her palm, expecting to find a laceration, but the skin was intact.
She took Roche’s flashlight from him and traced the railing down to where she’d slipped. There was blood on the rail, and even more on the wall above it, leading up to a hole in the exposed ductwork. Her heart sank when she gave voice to what they were all thinking.
“We’re going to die in here.”
Author Bio:
Michael McBride was born in Colorado and still resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. He hates the snow, but loves the Avalanche. He works with medical radiation, yet somehow managed to produce five children, none of whom, miraculously, have tails, third eyes, or other random mutations. He writes fiction that runs the gamut from thriller (Remains) to horror to science fiction (Vector Borne, Snowblind) . . . and loves every minute of it. He is a two-time winner of the DarkFuse Readers’ Choice Award. You can visit him at author.michaelmcbride.net.
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Giveaway – Ryder by Ali & Weston Parker @AliParkerAuthor @thewestonparker @XpressoTours
Ryder
Ali Parker & Weston Parker
Publication date: September 12th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance
A life of darkness only pays while the sun stays hidden.
The shadows of the past follow me no matter where I turn. Mistakes I thought were long dead and gone seem to nip at my heels and tear at my soul.
I’m not a good man. Not worthy of redemption.
As President of the Lost Breed MC, I fight, f*ck and take what’s mine. But everything changed in the blink of an eye, and now I got a kid, my brother’s kid. The teenage bastard is just like me. And he’s gone missing.
My only hope is that the pretty cop down at the station is willing to help a criminal like me out. My focus should be on the kid, but I can’t stop thinking about owning her, marking her, making her mine. She thinks she’s going to be able to resist me forever. She’s wrong.
I’m driven mad with the desire to gain her affection, to be the one that wakes her up in the dead of night to take advantage of her softness and remind her who’s King.
But what cost would the reaper require to give me such bliss? And am I willing to pay it?
You bet your ass I am.
#Alpha #Biker #MC #HOT
Come Join us for Ryder Release Party! We have a fabulous lineup and so much fun planned, you don’t want to miss it! Don’t forget to invite your friends!
—
EXCERPT:
“You’re almost late.” Axel glanced up from his bent over position beside a new car we were working on.
“Almost isn’t late.” I walked past him toward the office. “Move before you fuck the project up. Your part is done. It’s my turn to do the touch ups and such.”
“You’re right.”
“On both accounts.” I ran my fingers through my hair and winked at Ellie, one of the girls that worked in the shop. She was a better grease monkey than most of the boys. If Axel weren’t hiding a hard-on for the pretty thing, I’d have already laid her out and made her scream my name a few times.
“What shit are you already starting this morning, Moretti?” She glanced up from the pile of paperwork Axel had scattered across his desk.
“Just making sure everyone knows their place.” I reached for the schedule and ran my finger down the long list of jobs we had to get through. “Who’s coming in today for pick up.”
“Nancy Morgan is due in around nine this morning for her Cadi.” She gave me a quirky smile.
“What?” I stood up straight and lifted my eyebrow. “Got something to say?”
“Yeah, but maybe I should moan it, so you’d understand it better.” She laughed and turned her back to me. “You know Axel would be pissed if he knew you were fucking the customers.”
“Would he?” I dropped the schedule back on the desk and walked to the door. “Let Miss Morgan know that she needs to see me to get her keys.” I grabbed her keys off the rack by the door and walked out. She was a rich bitch with a horrible laugh, but she could suck a dick like nobody’s business. I was more than happy to give her a little bit of practice.
“Fuck.” Axel walked around a Mustang we had jacked up four feet into the air.
“What’s up?” I slipped the keys in my pocket and gave my closest friend my attention.
“Ellie keeps leaving her tools all over the fucking place. I almost busted my ass thanks to her wrench being on the ground. The damn thing is covered in motor oil.”
“She’s trying to kill you.” I nodded. “It’s the way women tell you they’re interested nowadays. Used to be a little light flirting, maybe a room key, or a subtle foot in your lap to play with your dick, but things have progressed.”
“Fuck you too.” He rolled his eyes and walked around me. “She’s not interested, and even if she were… you’re not.”
“Okay.” I followed him, wanting to push a little harder just for the fun of it. “Then if you’re not into her, then move outta the way. She’s beautiful. I’d love to spread her taut little thighs and-”
The quickness of his attack threw me off guard. He popped me in the throat two times in quick succession and the pain of it stole my breath. “Shut the fuck up about her, Johnny. Now.”
I lifted my hands as I gasped for air. “Got it. Damn it, man.”
“Sorry.” He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long sigh. “I can’t stop thinking about her. I tried to take a girl out last night and I barely got the rubber on before I called out Ellie’s name.”
I rubbed at my throat and tried hard not to return pop him in the mouth for hitting me. I’d deserved that shit, but I was the upper dog in the fight, and would easily win should it come to something like that.
“Stop fucking around and tell her.” I popped him in the gut. “And don’t hit me again. I’ll fuck you up.”
“You wanna go, old man?”
“Old man?” I reached for him as someone cleared their throat behind us.
“I heard you had my keys, Johnny.” Her voice was sweet like sugar.
“That I do.” I winked at Axel and spun on my heel. “Damn, Miss Morgan. And I thought your car looked good all dressed up and pimped out.”
She smiled and bit at her lip as she eye-fucked me. Oh yeah. She was going on her knees.
Author Bio:
Ali Parker
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.
Ali Parker’s Links
Website / Facebook / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest / Amazon—
Weston Parker
I’m a former firefighter/EMS guy who’s picked up the proverbial pen and started writing bad boy romance stories. I co-write with my sister, Ali Parker, as we travel the United States for the next two years.You’re going to find Billionaires, Bad Boys, Mafia and loads of sexiness. Something for everyone, hopefully. I’d love to connect with you. Check out the links below and come find me.
Join Weston’s Insiders
Like Bad Boys with strong language and a naughty imagination they’re not afraid to act out anytime, anywhere, all the time? You’ve found your peeps. http://eepurl.com/cpGam5Weston Parker’s Links
Website / Facebook / Facebook Group / Twitter / Instagram
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Giveaway – The Soul Catcher Series by Mary Abshire @maryabshire @RoxanneRhoads
Claiming the Evil Dead
Soul Catcher
Book 1
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: December 28, 2015
ISBN: 9781772336528
ASIN: B019YIILU4
Number of pages: 303
Word Count: 99,845
Book Description:
An evil vampire preying upon children is on the loose in Chicago. Destroying him isn’t enough. Half-demon Jessie Garrett wants to send his soul where it belongs…in Hell.
Jessie lives a normal life—office worker by day and paranormal investigator on the side. She keeps her true nature and unique gift hidden. When a vampire approaches her with knowledge of her ability, her world starts to change. Drake, a member of Vampires for the Ethical Treatment of Other Vampires, propositions her for a job.
Although Jessie doesn’t trust him, she can’t turn down the opportunity to serve the ultimate justice to an evil vampire. Trying to capture the devout killer comes with a few complications. But as she partners with Drake she learns not all bloodsuckers are bad and discovers the cold-blooded vamp is a temptation too difficult to resist.
Excerpt Claiming the Evil Dead:
“Jessie Garrett,” he said, capturing my attention. “Twenty-four, single, computer technician, paranormal investigator…” He paused and directed his attention from the road to me.
I stared back at him and waited for him to say the word.
“Demon,” he finished.
“That’s not on my birth certificate.”
His lips twitched. “You’re a mystery to me.”
“Let’s keep it that way.”
I shifted one leg over the other. From my peripheral vision, I saw him watching me. I wore a knee-length black skirt with small, blue floral designs and three-inch black sandals. I’d selected the skirt thinking I would stay cooler. Now that I realized I had exposed my bare legs to his eyes, I wished I’d worn jeans.
“I have met a few demons in my existence, and I have to admit that none compare to you.”
I silently chuckled. What a sweet compliment. Maybe he had a warm personality hidden within that cold body of his. Maybe.
“Tell me, Jessie Garrett, where have you been hiding all these years?”
“You followed me and seem to know a lot about me. Why don’t you tell me?” I crossed my arms.
“How about a deal?”
“Another one?”
“Consider it an exchange. You tell me about yourself, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know about me.”
His proposal appealed to me. Since I was stuck in a car with him for the next three hours, and I had limited knowledge of vampires, why not cash in on a golden opportunity to learn more about him?
“Okay,” I said with a shrug. “But I get to ask the first question.”
He grinned. “Always a concession with you.”
I flashed a smile at him. He should have known that bargaining with a demon was never easy.
Catching an Evil Tail
Soul Catcher
Book 2
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: February 26, 2016
ISBN: 9781772337464
ASIN: B01C2A2IO6
Word Count: 84,720
Book Description:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett longs to liberate herself from the debt she owes the demon yearning to seduce her. When Jeremy asks for her help, she jumps at the chance to make a new deal with him—one that will guarantee her freedom. The only catch? She has to send the soul of a werewolf to Hell.
As if Jessie didn’t have enough trouble in her life, her vampire lover remains out of the country. After Drake fails to offer an explanation as to why he hasn’t returned, she starts to wonder if she should move on without him. But when he finally shows up and defends his absence, his justification stuns and terrifies her.
Love, trust, and loyalty are on the line. Torn between her feelings for her vampire boyfriend, a hot Alpha wolf, and a demon vowing to protect her, Jessie must figure out her heart’s true desires and the best course of action to stay alive.
Excerpt Catching an Evil Tail:
I sat on the floor of my fancy suite with my back against the sofa, drinking my third bottle of expensive vodka. One minute, I hated the world and everyone, especially men. The next, I wanted to ball my eyes out over being alone. Remote in one hand and
bottle in the other, I flipped through the channels, searching for something violent, something horrific, or something that would appease my inner demon. One thing I knew for sure was that I hated Jeremy.
bottle in the other, I flipped through the channels, searching for something violent, something horrific, or something that would appease my inner demon. One thing I knew for sure was that I hated Jeremy.
The time on the news channel showed it was past 1:00 a.m. Thanks to my pity party, I’d drowned into a world I hadn’t seen in a long time—not since college when Christopher and I split. Men—couldn’t live with them and couldn’t live without them. And
turning into a lesbian wouldn’t work for me. I needed a man to hold me, kiss me, and love me in the most passionate way. Why couldn’t I find such a man?
turning into a lesbian wouldn’t work for me. I needed a man to hold me, kiss me, and love me in the most passionate way. Why couldn’t I find such a man?
I gulped down another fourth of the bottle. The fiery liquor raised my temperature. Sweat beaded on my face and neck. As I lowered the bottle to my side, everything in the room started spinning while all worries and cares drifted away. Hell yeah, I was feeling damn good!
Hearing the click of the adjoining room door, I turned my head. The room spun, but I managed to see two figures. They headed toward me.
“Wanna drink?” I held up the bottle as an offering. Two seconds later, I withdrew my offer. Screw sharing.
Jeremy squatted at my side. His body moved sideways and I busted out in laughter.
“Are we in an earthquake?” The words came out slurred.
“Is she drunk?” the man behind Jeremy asked.
I leaned sideways to get a look at the man, only my control didn’t exist and I nearly
crashed into the floor until Jeremy caught me. I laughed, then recognized the person behind Jeremy.
crashed into the floor until Jeremy caught me. I laughed, then recognized the person behind Jeremy.
“Hey, I know you,” I said, pointing the bottle toward Ryan. “You’re Jeremy’s werewolf friend. Here, wolfie-wolfie.”
“How much has she had?” the werewolf asked.
Jeremy jerked the bottle from my hand.
“Hey, that’s mine.” I reached for it.
The room tilted and everything moved so fast that I gave up trying to reclaim my bottle before I could fell face-first on the floor.
“Here.” I pushed two empty bottles toward him. “You can have these, too. I don’t want them anymore.”
“Damn!” Ryan shouted. “I don’t think we should have left her alone.”
I giggled. “I had a great time.” I slapped my hand on my thigh. “With me, myself, and I.”
Jeremy’s fingers grazed my cheek as he brushed aside the hair from my face. “Where did you get the liquor?”
“Your fingers are so warm.” The snake tattoo on his arm captured my gaze.
He lifted my chin so my eyes met his. “Where did you get the bottles, Jessie?”
I drew in a deep breath. “I visited the lounge, and the manager served me a bottle. I asked if he’d sell me a couple, but he turned me down.” I jerked my chin away from him. Suddenly, the room started moving.
Jeremy put his hands on the sides of my face and brought my gaze back to his. “How did you get the bottles?”
Everything stopped spinning. “I showed him a little ass, and he sold them to me.” I smiled.
Ryan chuckled behind Jeremy, but the sound turned into a cough. “Sorry.”
I stared into Jeremy’s soft brown eyes. “You’re a fucker, Jeremy. A mean motherfucker.”
His lips pulled into a bright smile. “Now there’s the woman I love.”
I shoved him and he fell backward on his ass.
Fighting Evil
Soul Catcher
Book 3
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: March 15, 2016
ISBN: 9781772337747
ASIN: B01D1SF2FK
Number of pages: 271
Word Count: 86,480
Book Description:
Half-demon Jessie Garrett’s battles seem endless. While Jeremy, the demon out to win her heart, teaches her how to fight, Jessie’s relationship with her vampire lover, Drake, reaches a breaking point. Adding to her struggles, she must defend her life against a group of vampires who consider her a threat to their existence.
Held captive on a remote island with both Drake and Jeremy protecting her, she is tested in ways she’s never imagined. Jessie fights back; only her actions do more harm than good. The group offers her a choice, but no matter what she decides, her life will change forever.
Excerpt Fighting Evil:
“Drake?” I gave him a questioning look with my brows closing in near my nose.
He approached me, threading his fingers through his long brown hair. His face was tight, his lips pressed together in a thin line. Dark eyes pierced me. “We need to talk.”
The tension claiming him had to be a result from my less than appropriate appearance with Jeremy at the karate school.
“Is it about earlier?” I asked.
He stopped in front of me and gripped my shoulders. “What in God’s name were you doing without your clothes on?” His tone was deep, full of anger and concern.
“We were fighting. After he broke my neck—”
He growled, and he tightened his grip. “He broke your neck?”
“I made a stupid move—and that gave him time to remove my clothes. But when my bones healed, I beat the shit out of him. For once, I actually beat him.” I smiled, hoping Drake would find my accomplishment as worthy as I did.
The tightness in his face ebbed. “You created that bloody mess on his face?”
I lifted a shoulder. “He made me angry when he tried to take advantage of me.”
A smile spread across Drake’s face. “I hope I never make you that angry.”
“Don’t give me a reason, and you won’t have to worry.” Grinning, I recalled times when he had made me angry. After we’d first met, the ancient vamp and I had many communication issues. Add my lack of trust and our relationship went beyond tense. Yet, somehow, we worked out our problems and fell madly in love, a feat I never would have thought possible two months ago.
Drake’s gaze honed in on my mouth. He touched my chin and gently glided his thumb over my bottom lip, the repeatedly busted one. “I can heal this for you.” His voice was as soft as his touch and made my insides quiver.
My eyes drooped. “No, he’ll know.”
Slowly, he slid his hand down my arm, spawning an increase of goose flesh. “Are you saying we can’t even kiss now?”
Oh, I wanted to kiss his soft lips, enjoy the touch of his playful tongue, and feel his cool embrace wrapped around me. I hated we had to pretend we weren’t lovers. “Maybe when the cut is healed.” Denying a simple kiss felt worse than any hit or broken bone.
Drake wrapped his arms around me and crushed me to him. His energy passed through me in a peaceful wave. “My heart and soul long to be with you.”
I hugged him with all the strength I had while I breathed in his rosemary cedar wood scent. On the outside, his body was cool and solid, pleasing to my feverish flesh. Inside, passionate love filled him. I wanted to hold onto him and his love forever. “You have no idea how much I want to forget about everything and just be alone with you.”
Love Conquers All Evil
Soul Catcher
Book 4
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: April 21, 2016
ISBN: 9781772338188
ASIN: B01EK4A916
Number of pages: 304
Word Count: 97,650
Book Description:
Hiding from the VETOV, Jessie and Drake move to a small town in Alaska—home to humans, demons, and werewolves. They soon discover a serial killer is on the loose and it’s a demon stealing good souls. Jessie longs to end the fiend’s rampage so she can send his soul to Hell. But finding the murderer won’t be easy, especially after she bumps into a werewolf who had kidnapped and tried to kill her.
Jessie reaches out to Alan, the Alpha she’d helped in Arizona. Alan and Drake work together to eliminate the threat against Jessie, but removing the werewolf may come with a steep price.
Over a roller coaster ride of events, Jessie battles for survival and her soul.
Through all her struggles, she maintains a feverish love for Drake. On Christmas Eve, he presents Jessie with a surprise. Eternity never looked better for the half-demon soul catcher.
Excerpt Love Conquers All Evil:
Lightly biting my tongue, I paced in the room. A violent demon stabbed people, then stole their souls and money. Why would a person—no, a demon—do such a thing? How long had they been killing? Did they just start, or was it an addiction? And why weren’t people fighting back? Was the demon taking their souls first? No, that couldn’t be the answer since the demon stabbed some of the victims in the back.
“You still have not told me what is on your mind,” Drake said.
I stopped pacing near the door. “I’m thinking about the kind of demons who steal
souls.”
souls.”
“You know what I am talking about,” he said, smiling. “Our agreement from earlier. You owe me an answer and I intend to get it.”
Get it? Oh, I could give it, but why not make him work for it? “And I seem to recall
telling you to give me what I want and I will tell you. Well, Mr. Dark Eyes, you still owe me.”
telling you to give me what I want and I will tell you. Well, Mr. Dark Eyes, you still owe me.”
“Mr. Dark Eyes?” Drake slowly rose from the chair. “I owe you?”
I took a step back, placing myself in the doorway. Any closer and I’d run. He’d have to catch me and work for the answer.
“I fulfilled my obligation,” he said, his head slightly tilted to the side. His pupils swelled.
I licked my lips. “Only to an extent. We were interrupted.”
“You are teasing me.” He took a step toward me.
Grinning, I darted down the hall, then raced down the stairs. Footsteps came fast behind me. I had no hope of escaping him, but that was all part of the fun. And he knew it.
Drake caught me two steps past the staircase. He picked me up and my legs flew in front of me. He carried me into the bedroom, all while I laughed, screamed a little, and wriggled in his arms. Reaching the bed, he let go and I fell onto the soft mattress.
I quickly twisted around to face him. Below his curled upper lip, two sharp teeth said hello. Amusement played on his face. He grabbed my legs and yanked me toward him.
“Do you refuse to tell me after we agreed—”
“Refuse is such a strong word. I don’t refuse. I simply want something in return,” I
said with a playful smile.
said with a playful smile.
He lowered his body over mine, then rubbed his solid cock against me. Damn, he felt so good and ready.
“I intend to get my answer,” he said before he pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me tenderly.
I raked my fingers through his soft hair, brushing it away from his face. “Show me how badly you want it.”
After a quick tug, my shorts came off. He showed me how much he wanted my answer, repeatedly, until my body was sore, throbbing with ecstasy, and totally exhausted.
Freedom From the Evil Dead
Soul Catcher
Book 5
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: May 18, 2016
ISBN: 9781772338577
ASIN: B01FTR0J4U
Number of pages: 269
Word Count: 87,790
Book Description:
Drake and Jessie have spent a few years hiding from the group of vampires who believe she is a threat to their existence. When Drake learns the organization may be willing to negotiate, he decides to take a chance and meet with them. For over three years, Jessie waits for her vampire lover to return. She fears the worst and seeks to locate him from the only man who can help her.
Jessie bargains with Jeremy, the demon she turned away so long ago. But locating Drake comes with many sacrifices. After Jeremy nearly pays with his life, Jessie takes matters into her own hands. Willing to surrender her own existence, she leaves to free Drake.
Through great heartache and suffering, Jessie struggles to survive. Fury gives her strength and she vows revenge. Given freedom and a chance to live a normal life she’s always dreamed, Jessie must decide her future.
Evernight Publishing Amazon ARe BN
Excerpt Freedom From the Evil Dead:
Jeremy poured more vodka. “I missed our days of drinking together. We had some good times.” He set the bottle upright.
I stared at the glass. “You know I wouldn’t be here unless I needed your help. I’m putting your life in danger by coming here.”
“Yeah, well…” He gave a casual shrug with one of his shoulders. “I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for blue-eyed half-demons.”
I almost chuckled. Almost, then I grabbed the shot and downed it. The fluid warmed me again.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m quite capable of handling any vampires,” he said.
“The skill is a handy one.” I nodded.
He chuckled. “Nice choice of words.” He crossed his arms. “Now tell me what I can help you with.”
I breathed in deeply. “I want you to help me find Drake.”
The amusement on his face disappeared. “Seriously?”
“I don’t know if he’s alive—”
“He’s been dead for several centuries,” he interrupted, and I paused.
“I need proof he’s still here or…not. No pictures. No videos. I need to see with my own eyes if they destroyed him, or if they’re holding him hostage. If they are keeping him against his will, then I want him freed. And if they did destroy him…” I paused to gather more air. “I want them extinguished. And if by all means possible, I want to send their souls to Hell.”
Jeremy stared calmly at me, then he rose. He started pacing. “Let me get this straight. You want me to help you find your old lover, whom I despise. And if he’s been burned to ashes, you want me to help you get revenge.” He stopped to look at me.
“In a nutshell, yes.”
He chuckled as he grabbed the bottle and filled the glass. “Not only am I risking my life, I would be putting others in danger.”
“I realize this.” The notion of harm to other people bothered me greatly and I vowed to minimize the risk as much as possible. But ultimately, I realized someone could get hurt, or worse.
He took the shot fast, then set the glass on the counter. “Then you know this will cost you.”
I lowered my gaze as I nodded. “I know.”
He rubbed his hand over his mouth, then scratched his cheek. “What do think? Should I shave?”
I gave him a quizzical look. How could ask me such unimportant questions when we were in the middle of a serious matter?
“I…I don’t know. It looks good on you.”
“You think? Doesn’t it make me look older though?” He sat on the stool.
I shook my head, disliking his pettiness. “So what if it does? It looks fine on you.”
“So you like it?”
I tossed my hands up. “Yes. Yes. Can we get on with negotiations, please?”
He grinned and slowly dragged his gaze down to my chest. I rolled my eyes. It was only a matter of time before his naughty mind would start working.
The Evil Next Door
Soul Catcher
Book 6
Mary Abshire
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Evernight Publishing
Date of Publication: June 13, 2016
ISBN: 9781772338898
ASIN: B01GZLO9BI
Number of pages: 220
Word Count: 69,820
Blurb/Book Description: Jessie is enjoying life as she settles into her new home with Jeremy in New Mexico. She’s ready to fulfill her agreement with the demon, but the doctor delays her plans. While she continues to recover from her ordeal with the VETOV, she learns women on the Indian reservation next door are being abused, raped, and sometimes murdered. Jessie starts her own investigation and with the help of a Chief, she’s able to trace years of mistreatment to three men.
But Jeremy doesn’t want her risking her life. Seeking to protect her, he pleads with her to let him handle the issue. Tension between the two escalates as she takes matters into her own hands. When he proves his devotion to her in ways she never imagined, she discovers her true feelings for the demon. Together, will they be able to end the violence toward women on the reservation?
Excerpt The Evil Next Door:
The screen door squealed before we reached the kitchen. Jeremy stepped inside, then closed the front door.
“Is everything okay now?” I asked as I approached him.
He secured the lock before he faced me. “I don’t want you investigating this matter anymore.”
Staring at him, I felt as if I’d been punched in the gut. “Have you no compassion for those women?”
“I do, but your life means more to me.”
His response didn’t surprise me given the extremes he’d taken to save me and provide me a good life. But his excuse still angered me.
“I can’t stop. Those women need help.”
“Not from you.”
“Then who?” I asked in an elevated tone while I threw up my arms. “The police don’t do anything. Nobody helps them. Women are—”
“Stop,” he said loudly. “I will not let you get involved. You are mine to protect and I will do it as I see fit.”
His words lit a fire within me. I wouldn’t stand by and let him tell me what to do. Did he think he could control me because I didn’t have any money, a job, or any friends outside his circle? I didn’t have any of those things, but I was alive and free. While I would honor our deal, I would not allow him to push me around. And I refused to be treated like a glass doll. Temper shooting through the roof, I balled my hands and stepped toward him.
“You do not own me. I own my life and my soul. Not you.” Fury strengthened my voice. Staring into his eyes, I moved closer and he stepped back. “If you think for one second you can control me, think again.” He bumped into the door and I stood inches from him. “I am not afraid of you.”
His eyes widened as realization slapped him in the face. He grabbed hold of my arms, then spun me around until my back hit the door. Before I could take my next breath, he covered my mouth with his. The kiss stunned me and I didn’t want it. I was too outraged. Then, he claimed my tongue and sucked on it. I tried to ignore the intensity of his desire and pushed my hands on his chest. He wouldn’t budge. He took hold of my wrists, then pinned them to the door. Body pressed to mine, he rubbed his groin against my belly. My nipples hardened while heat swelled within me. The feel of his solid erection transformed my anger in a flash. When he pushed his length against me again, I wanted nothing more than to have him buried deep inside me.
I moaned under his kiss while I struggled to breathe. My fight to stop him quickly ended, but he continued to pin me to the door. Body wet with need, I yearned for him. He
stroked my tongue and I returned the same care. He let go of my wrists, then slid one of his hands between us. While he sought to touch me, I did the same to him. I slipped my hand into his sweat pants and quickly found my prize. It was thick and hard and I never wanted to let go.
stroked my tongue and I returned the same care. He let go of my wrists, then slid one of his hands between us. While he sought to touch me, I did the same to him. I slipped my hand into his sweat pants and quickly found my prize. It was thick and hard and I never wanted to let go.
About the Author:
Mary lives in Indiana and is a lifetime lover of the paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy. When she’s not slaving away at her government job or binge watching TV, she creates fantastical worlds with vampires, demons, werewolves, angels, and other supernatural creatures. Dive into her books and find action, suspense, a dash of mystery, and seductive men with passionate hearts.
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GIVEAWAY
$15 Amazon Gift Card
3 winners total. Each winner can select ONE book from the series
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Giveaway – Halfway Hunted by Terry Maggert @TerryMaggert
Halfway Hunted
Terry Maggert
(Halfway Witchy Series, #3)
Publication date: June 2nd 2016
Genres: Adult, Paranormal
Some Prey Bites Back.
Welcome to Halfway; where the waffles are golden, the moon is silver, and magic is just around every corner.
A century old curse is broken, releasing Exit Wainwright, an innocent man trapped alone in time.
Lost and in danger, he enlists Carlie, Gran, and their magic to find the warlock who sentenced him to a hundred years of darkness. The hunter becomes the hunted when Carlie’s spells awaken a cold-blooded killer intent on adding another pelt to their gruesome collection: hers.
But the killer has never been to Halfway before, where there are three unbreakable rules:
1. Don’t complain about the diner’s waffles.
2. Don’t break the laws of magic.
3. Never threaten a witch on her home turf.Can Carlie solve an ancient crime, defeat a ruthless killer and save the love of her life from a vampire’s curse without burning the waffles?
Come hunt with Carlie, and answer the call of the wild.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble
EXCERPT:
There were only two reasons for me to be awake on my couch, staring up into the gloom of the pre-dawn hours. The first is my house itself, which complained against the deep cold with creaking pops like the knees of a guy who played sports a long time ago when he was younger and had more hair.
The second was Wulfric. My lover was out there in the Adirondack winter somewhere, his vampire skin now as cold as the deep snows that settled on Halfway with a heavy hand. I missed him every second of every day with an ache that started in my heart and ended in the emptiness of my arms. Living without him was like swimming through wool that took my breath and will at every turn.
Everything was hard. Little things made me sad.
Smiles died on my face and I knew if I didn’t find the magic to save him, moving on was going to take the rest of my life and all of my tears. In the midst of my somber reverie, my giant familiar Gus put one of his Maine Coon cat paws on my shoulder. His rumbling purr calmed my mind enough that I sighed and began absently rubbing the magnificent fur of his Tabby neck.
“Brrrrtt?” He asked me, his bronze eyes fixed on me like two coals floating in the dark.
“I miss him. Sorry. I know I should sleep. Or listen for spell requests . . . or do anything except lay here having a pity party.”
Gus answered with a head butt and an even deeper bumble of contented reassurance. He stretched along me from hip to head and I was reminded again that my cat is nearly as tall as I am. Or he would be, if cats could walk upright, but he doesn’t because that would be weird. I felt a small grin touch my cheeks and let it bloom, then looked across the room to the kitchen. There, I saw another friend who was always near.
Even in the heart of a mountain winter, the moon always finds a way to touch me. Laying on my couch in the middle of a frigid night, I watch the square of moonlight light dance across my kitchen floor like the slowest ballet possible. The brilliant smudge of light comforts me, telling me that no matter how short the days and how deep the snows, sunshine will use the face of sister moon to reach across the dark and set my spirits to right.
So I watch, and I wait.
I listen for the telltale creak of my mail slot, an old brass hinge that swings inward when someone needs me. Or, to be more accurate, they need my magic. When the moon is high, I spend my nights listening for the telltale footsteps on my porch. Those are followed by a hesitation as the person decides if they can go through with their request—they always do—and then I wait a bit longer. It’s understood that to ask for my family magic, you must write a note in natural ink, then fold the note within an envelope that is hand made. Hand crafting invests meaning into something as simple as a note, and the poignant pleas I get range from simple to impossible.
But I always try.
Tonight, there was no slide of an envelope on the floor of my foyer. Perhaps it was too cold, although Adirondackers are tough people. A few feet of snow and subzero temperatures wouldn’t stop a local person from asking for help if they needed it, which meant that at least or tonight, my town was free of unusual heartache.
In witch parlance, the night was clean. Spirits were at rest, and after casting a final wish across the snowdrifts to Wulfric, so was I. Before dawn’s gray could pierce the low clouds covering the mountains, my eyes grew heavy, I let the sadness leave me, and then, when there was nothing else to fight, I slept.
Author Bio:
Left-handed. Father of an apparent nudist. Husband to a half-Norwegian. Herder of cats and dogs. Lover of pie. I write books. I’ve had an unhealthy fascination with dragons since the age of– well, for a while. Native Floridian. Current Tennessean. Location subject to change based on insurrection, upheaval, or availability of coffee. Nine books and counting, with no end in sight. You’ve been warned.
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Sunpenny Publishing Grand Finale Giveaway
Love is in the air and Sunpenny Publishing wants to share Someday, Maybe by Jenny Piper & The Long Way Home by Janet Purcell.
On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Prism Tour Grand Finale for
Someday, Maybe by Jenny Piper
&
The Long Way Home by Janet Purcell
If you missed the inspiration behind these books or reading their first chapters, go back and do so now…
Bookworm Lisa – Inspiration for The Long Way Home
“The Long Way Home began germinating in my mind after I visited the Andrew Wyeth exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and studied the paintings on display about which I would write a review in my weekly fine arts column in the Times of Trenton newspaper. The image of Christina Olson dragging herself uphill in Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World haunted me. I saw it as a figurative painting and yet as a still life. Her life had been stilled by her unexplained disability.”
Beck Valley Books – Excerpt from The Long Way Home
Callie screamed and jumped back. She ran out of the room, slammed the door and, with all her weight against it, looked frantically around for some way to keep it shut. There was nothing. The door didn’t have a lock and there was no furniture close enough to push against it.
Christy’s Cozy Corners – Time Passes
“Time passing is something that is an integral part of the story in ‘Someday, Maybe’ and in ‘Moving On’, too. We never know what is going to happen to us. Everything changes – or does it?”
I Am A Reader – Excerpt from Someday, Maybe
When he’d first seen her, a neat, spriggy little thing, she had worn her hair in tight, dark pigtails, and he’d liked that. When she had grown up and had it cut in a fashionable sort of style he’d been a bit disconcerted, but as time had gone on she had let it grow a bit and some- times put it up so that it sat on her head like a plump, soft, scented cloud, and he had loved it. Today, so early in the morning, it was tousled, unwashed and unbrushed and smelled of the cold morning and of chicken feed, but he didn’t care. He adored it.
Sunpenny Publishing ebook SALE
THE LONG WAY HOME and SOMEDAY, MAYBE are both on sale for 99¢ (US)!
WATERY WAYS is also on sale for 99¢ through February 13th and BRIDGE BEYOND BETRAYAL is on sale for 99¢ from February 20th through March 5th.
Grab a copy of one or all while you can during the sale!
The Long Way Home
by Janet Purcell
Adult Fiction
Paperback & ebook, 237 pages
April 7th 2015 by Sunpenny Publishing
When Callie Vinerelli gives refuge in her Cape Cod home to a storm ravaged stranger, the hidden secres of her house on the dunes begin to emerge. She becomes enmeshed in the violence and tragedy of the past that left accomplished artist Christina Burroughs a paraplegic and stole her beloved daughter from her. Those still unresolved events invade Callie’s life, causing chaos and intrigue, life changing relationships, justice and peace to Christina’s descendants -and new love to herself.
Amazon – Amazon UK – Barnes & Noble
Someday, Maybe
by Jenny Piper
Adult Fiction
Paperback & ebook, 306 pages
November 6th 2013 by Sunpenny Limited
In a ramshackle old cottage with an outside lav, and a rickety ladder up to a draughty attic bedroom, Jim and Mary Norris slog in all weathers to make a living from their market garden, and to bring up their little girl, Patsy. But at times Jim’s guilt is overwhelming as he watches his beloved Mary working her frozen fingers to the bone, almost dropping with weariness – not exactly what she’s been used to in her genteel upbringing as the niece of well- off local gentry, who cut her off when she married “beneath her”. But she never complains; she loves Jim madly and they are blissfully happy together.
Until her accident – and the nightmare that follows them all through the next 30 years. Mary’s gradual descent into madness overshadows even Jim’s second marriage and children, but the shocking climax is something no-one could have foreseen.
Amazon – Amazon UK – Barnes & Noble
Janet Purcell is a professional artist and writes a weekly fine arts column and feature articles for The Times of Trenton (NJ). Her interior design features appear regularly in DesignNJ magazine. Her articles have appeared in Woman’s Day Special Interest Publications, Bridal Guide, American Spa, and many other magazines and travel guides. Her travel stories have frequently been published in the New York Post, Country Discoveries, and in Princeton, New Jersey’s Packet Publications’ community newspapers. Her previous novel, Singer Lane, was published in 2008 and her third novel, Rooster Street, is awaiting publication. Though not a trilogy, many of the same characters are found continuing their lives in each of the three books. Her paintings can be seen at www.janpurcellart.com;.
Deeply thought-provoking, Jenny Piper is a wonderful author who makes no bones about her handling of delicate subjects . Her skill as a story-teller is a delight to the heart and soul, and is right up there with the best of them. She lives with her husband in rural Hampshire, and has been variously an actress, an artist, a teacher and a psycholo- gist, but has had a lifelong love of books and nowadays spends much of her time writing.
Tour Giveaway
$10 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally)
Ends February 18th
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Jeff Gunhus has another hit with Killer Pursuit – Giveaway & Review
Jeff Gunhus writes some amazing stories and Killer Pursuit is another winner!
I love covers and this one shows there is more going on than meets the eye.
Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus
(Allison McNeil)
Publication date: January 10th 2016
Genres: Adult, Thriller
(Allison McNeil)
Publication date: January 10th 2016
Genres: Adult, Thriller
Cover: Extended Imagery
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MY REVIEW
The cover for Jeff Gunhus’ Killer Pursuit alludes to the intrigue inside. I love thrillers and suspense novels and this is my first foray into the Allison McNeil adventures. She is a favorite of Jeff’s and now she is a favorite of mine. An amazing and riveting suspense with moments of pacing that took the last quarter of the book into hyperdrive!
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Special Agent Allison McNeil is a loner. Some people think it’s by choice, but a nightmare from her past makes it difficult for her to open herself up to vulnerability. She will buck the system, doing what she knows to be right at whatever cost may come due. sAllison is a pro at entering the minds of some of the most dangerous people known to man. I love villains that are the epitome of evil. I want to know how they think and function, hiding their true nature. I want to dig and dwell in the mind of the most vicious, depraved people, trying to understand them…I don’t think I ever will, but I am not them.
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Politics…Jeff does tell it like it is – corruption, cover ups, intrigue and personal agendas abound. I think Jeff encompasses every down and dirty political machination known.
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Summerhayes is a character I love to hate. He wants to be President. A huge ego, greed and sex will take him down a long and ugly road. I would think politicians would learn that there are no secrets. But…they feel entitled, invincible. Power…what will they do to have it? Lying…it is a profession. Politicians make strange bedfellows and that is putting it mildly in Killer Pursuit.
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Jeff’s writing makes my emotions rise to the surface, roiling and boiling as I read along.
It flows so smoothly, full of surprises that I am drawn deep into the mystery and suspense that is doled out in such a way that I must read the next page…and the next…and the next. The details walked me through Allison’s research as she looked for the answers.
There is a romance and that makes the story even more believable. After all, love is a big part of all our lives. The sexual banter and flirtation came through loud and clear in the dialogue. It brought the complex characters to life.
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I followed the hints trying to solve the mystery before I reached the conclusion, but…I am TICKED OFF good when the killer is exposed and what happened next was a huge surprise. I knew it was coming, but Jeff, you kept me hoping I was wrong. OMG…I am blown away. It makes perfect sense, but I wanted it would be something else. Jeff, you manged to put a smile on my face and tears in my eyes. The story ends on a realistic “normal” family note.
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I received a copy of Killer Pursuit by Jeff Gunhus in return for an honest review and I am on pins and needles waiting for another Allison McNeil adventure.
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5 StarsSYNOPSIS
When a high-society call girl is murdered in her Georgetown home, investigators find two cameras hidden in the walls of her bedroom. One has its memory erased, presumably by the murderer. The second is connected to the Internet through an encrypted connection…and no-one knows who’s on the other end.
Special Agent Allison McNeil is asked by beleaguered FBI Director Clarence Mason to run an off-the-record investigation of the murder. The most direct path to apprehending the killer is to find the videos, but with rumors that the victim’s client list may have included Mason’s political enemies, Allison worries about the director’s motives. As she starts her investigation, she quickly discovers that she’s not the only one pursuing the videos. In fact, the most aggressive person racing against her might be the murderer himself.
AUTHOR BIO
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Jeff Gunhus is the author of thriller and horror novels for adults and the middle grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His books for adults have reached the Top 100 on Amazon and have been Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalists.
After his experience with his son, he is passionate about helping parents reach young reluctant readers and is active in child literacy issues. As a father of five, he leads an active lifestyle in Maryland with his wife Nicole by trying to constantly keep up with their kids. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel.
Author links:
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GIVEAWAY
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Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
- $50 Amazon Gift Card
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To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Review Giveaway & Excerpt: The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M J Rose
Welcome to my stop for this fantastic gothic historical novel, The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M J Rose.
![2015-TheWitchOfPaintedSorrowsTourBanner[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.fundinmental.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2015-TheWitchOfPaintedSorrowsTourBanner1.jpg?resize=500%2C200)
![The_Witch_of_Painted_Sorrows_Cover[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.fundinmental.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The_Witch_of_Painted_Sorrows_Cover1.png?resize=420%2C607)
MY REVIEW
First off, I don’t do much erotica. But, I hate to miss something good, so every once in a while I will give one a try. 🙂 The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M J Rose is just such a book. I feel this isn’t hard core erotica, but most definitely an adult book. I think it is more about the horror. I was very surprised at how much I loved this dark supernatural story of possession.
Sandrine has left her husband and is hiding at her grandmothers place in Paris. These women characters are not your typical ladies of the 1800s. They refuse to accept the status quo and want more.
Paris is not good for Sandrine, especially after she sees Maison de la Lune, her grandmothers home. Sandrine cannot stay away and proceeds to defy her grandmothers request that she stay away.
As M J Rose describes Sandrine observing her surroundings as if to paint them, it made me think of myself doing the same thing, only as a photographic opportunity – forms, shapes, light and dark. When M J describes Monsieur Duplessi talking about studying a tree for inspiration for designing a house, I couldn’t help but let my smile over Sandrine turn into a big grin. I felt I was destined to read The Witch of Painted Sorrows. I have a passion for trees and believe if I look long enough I will see so much more than leaves, branches and roots, like looking at a cloud and deciphering what shape is hidden inside. Again, I can relate to looking for design, form and lines, light, dark and shadows.
Gothic novels can be hit or miss with me and I was surprised at how involved I became with the story. The Witch of Painted Sorrows has so many elements that interest me. Back in the day, women were expected to be and act a certain way. Sandrine loved dressing like a man, being her own person and having freedom to do what she likes.
Witches. Ghosts. The Grimoire. Evil. Possession. Keeps getting better and better. The historical elements are detailed and the vivid, well developed characters had me so involved in their lives, that I read The Witch of Painted Sorrows from beginning to end in one sitting, even though the beginning was a bit slow. The steady pacing kept me curious, but I didn’t feel that sense of urgency that makes me race through the pages. The story is wrapped up neatly and there is no cliffhanger.
I received an ARC of The Witch of Painted Sorrows by M J Rose in return for an honest review.
4 Stars
ABOUT THE BOOK
THE WITCH OF PAINTED SORROWS (Daughters of La Lune #1)
by M.J. Rose
Gothic Historical Fantasy
Published by Atria Books on March 17th, 2015
Cover: Alan Dingman
Possession. Power. Passion. New York Times bestselling novelist M. J. Rose creates her most provocative and magical spellbinder yet in this gothic novel set against the lavish spectacle of 1890s Belle Époque Paris.
Sandrine Salome flees New York for her grandmother’s Paris mansion to escape her dangerous husband, but what she finds there is even more menacing. The house, famous for its lavish art collection and elegant salons, is mysteriously closed up. Although her grandmother insists it’s dangerous for Sandrine to visit, she defies her and meets Julien Duplessi, a mesmerizing young architect. Together they explore the hidden night world of Paris, the forbidden occult underground and Sandrine’s deepest desires.
Among the bohemians and the demi-monde, Sandrine discovers her erotic nature as a lover and painter. Then darker influences threaten—her cold and cruel husband is tracking her down and something sinister is taking hold, changing Sandrine, altering her. She’s become possessed by La Lune: A witch, a legend, and a sixteenth-century courtesan, who opens up her life to a darkness that may become a gift or a curse.
This is Sandrine’s “wild night of the soul”, her odyssey in the magnificent city of Paris, of art, love, and witchery.
Praise for The Witch of Painted Sorrows
“This bell époque thriller is a haunting tale of obsessive passions.” —People Magazine
“Provocative, erotic, and spellbindingly haunting…will have the reader totally mesmerized cover-to-cover….a ‘must-have’ novel.” —Suspense Magazine
“A haunting tale of erotic love…. M.J. Rose seamlessly weaves historical events throughout this story filled with distinctive characters that will keep the reader captivated to the end.” —Examiner.com
“Rose has a talent for compelling writing, and this time she has outdone herself. Fear, desire, lust and raw emotion ooze off the page.” —Associated Press
“Haunting tale of possession.” —Publishers Weekly
“Rose’s new series offers her specialty, a unique and captivating supernatural angle, set in an intriguing belle epoque Paris — lush descriptions, intricate plot and mesmerizing storytelling. Sensual, evocative, mysterious and haunting.” —Kirkus
“Mixes reality and illusion, darkness and light, mystery and romance into an adult fairy tale. [Rose] stirs her readers curiosities and imaginations, opening their eyes to the cultural, intellectual and artistic excitement that marked the Belle Epoque period. Unforgettable, full-bodied characters and richly detailed narrative result in an entrancing read that will be long savored.” —Library Journal (Starred Review)
“An elegant tale of rare depth and beauty, as brilliantly crafted as it is wondrously told….melds the normal and paranormal in the kind of seamless fashion reserved for such classic ghost stories as Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw.” —Providence Journal
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EXCERPT
Paris, France April 1894
I did not cause the madness, the deaths, or the rest of the tragedies any more than I painted the paintings. I had help, her help. Or perhaps I should say she forced her help on me. And so this story—which began with me fleeing my home in order to escape my husband and might very well end tomorrow, in a duel, in the Bois de Boulogne at dawn—is as much hers as mine. Or in fact more hers than mine. For she is the fountainhead. The fascination. She is La Lune. Woman of moon dreams, of legends and of nightmares. Who took me from the light and into the darkness. Who imprisoned me and set me free.
Or is it the other way around?
“Your questions,” my father always said to me, “will be your saving grace. A curious mind is the most important attribute any man or woman can possess. Now if you can just temper your impulsiveness…”
If I had a curious mind, I’d inherited it from him. And he’d nurtured it. Philippe Salome was on the board of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and helped found the American Museum of Natural History, whose cornerstone was laid on my fifth birthday.
I remember sitting atop my father’s shoulders that day, watching the groundbreaking ceremony and thinking the whole celebration was for me. He called it “our museum,” didn’t he? And for much of my life I thought it actually did belong to us, along with our mansion on Fifth Avenue and our summerhouse in Newport. Until it was gone, I understood so little about wealth and the price you pay for it. But isn’t that always the way?
Our museum’s vast halls and endless exhibit rooms fascinated me as much as they did my father—which pleased him, I could tell. We’d meander through exhibits, my small hand in his large one, and he’d keep me spellbound with stories about items on display. I’d ask for more, always just one more, and he’d laugh and tease: “My Sandrine, does your capacity for stories know no bounds?”
But it pleased him, and he’d always tell me another.
I especially loved the stories he told me about the gems and fate and destiny always ending them by saying: “You will make your own fate, Sandrine, I’m sure of it.”
Was my father right? Do we make our own destiny? I think back now to the stepping-stones that I’ve walked to reach this moment in time.
Were the incidents of my making? Or were they my fate?
The most difficult steps I took were after certain people died. No deaths were caused by me, but at the same time, none would have occurred were it not for me.
So many deaths. The first was on the morning of my fifteenth birthday, when I saw a boy beaten and tragically die because of our harmless kisses. The next was the night almost ten years later, when I heard the prelude to my father’s death and learned the truth about Benjamin, my husband. And then there were more. Each was an end-ing that, ironically, became a new beginning for me.
The one thing I am now sure of is that if there is such a thing as destiny, it is a result of our passion, be that for money, power, or love. Passion, for better or worse. It can keep a soul alive even if all that survives is a shimmering. I’ve even seen it. I’ve been bathed in it. I’ve been changed by it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
![M.J._Rose[1]](https://i0.wp.com/www.fundinmental.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/M.J._Rose1.jpg?resize=199%2C300)
New York Times Bestseller, M.J. Rose grew up in New York City mostly in the labyrinthine galleries of the Metropolitan Museum, the dark tunnels and lush gardens of Central Park and reading her mother’s favorite books before she was allowed. She believes mystery and magic are all around us but we are too often too busy to notice… books that exaggerate mystery and magic draw attention to it and remind us to look for it and revel in it. Rose’s work has appeared in many magazines including Oprah Magazine and she has been featured in the New York Times, Newsweek, WSJ, Time, USA Today and on the Today Show, and NPR radio. Rose graduated from Syracuse University, spent the ’80s in advertising, has a commercial in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and since 2005 has run the first marketing company for authors – Authorbuzz.com. The television series PAST LIFE, was based on Rose’s novels in the Reincarnationist series. She is one of the founding board members of International Thriller Writers and currently serves, with Lee Child, as the organization’s co-president. Rose lives in CT with her husband the musician and composer, Doug Scofield, and their very spoiled and often photographed dog, Winka.
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#Giveaway & Excerpt ~ Repossessed by Sandy Parks @SParksauthor
Repossessed
by Sandy Parks
Series: Hawker Incorporated, #1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense, Romantic Elements
Release Date: December 18, 2014
Repossessed is the Winner of the 2013 Daphne du Maurier Mainstream Mystery/Suspense Award and the 2013 Maggie Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements written by Sandy Parks.
A reclusive boss.
An unemployed pilot.
One devil in default.
When Brazilian gem dealer Maximilian Furst stops making payments on his fifty million dollar business jet, “Hawker” Dunlop, reclusive owner of a high-end recovery company, sends a resourceful team to Rio to repossess the aircraft.
Dunlop’s newest hire, ex-military pilot Amelia “Jet” Walczynski, has the perfect skills for infiltrating Furst’s inner circle and flying away the targeted plane. The assignment appears straightforward until Jet discovers Furst is a sociopath and knows she is after his aircraft. Her promised support team, a Greek lawyer avenging his brother’s death, a con man who sidelines as their scout, and a mechanic who paints her nails to match the country of operation, appear a hindrance rather than help. Jet finds it hard to play nice with her teammates when their private agendas put her life at risk. Yet, the closer she gets to Furst and the plane, the more she and her team will have to rely on each other to complete the repossession.
Santos Dumont Airport
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Gnawing apprehension spread through Jet as Maximilian Furst climbed up from the dark night onto his business plane and cast her a triumphant look. Behind him the door closed and the steward flipped the locking handle, securing the aircraft and effectively cutting off rescue if her true purpose were to be discovered.
The cushy leather seat beneath her offered little comfort. Minutes before coming onboard, she’d learned Furst had left a disloyal employee floating face down in a local lake. She drew a calming breath through a fake smile. Had she overestimated her ability to manipulate a powerful man—one who was proving far more dangerous and unpredictable than her boss portrayed?
Looking back, getting onto the Gulfstream 550 had been easy—maybe a bit too easy. Whatever the case, she had to keep a step ahead of Furst if she hoped to find the aircraft’s landing site.
He leaned over her leather chair, using his rock-solid body as unspoken intimidation. Without a word, he picked up the ends to her seat belt and buckled her in. Her heartbeat didn’t slow until the plane had taken off from the domestic airport and risen out of the haze into a clear night.
Jet controlled her fear by focusing on the sleek cabin. She related more to machines, particularly those with wings, than men.
“You have an impressive aircraft,” she said, with the proper amount of awe to feed Furst’s overblown ego. She could recite checklists and emergency boldface items for the fifty-million-dollar beauty that surrounded her, but she had to be careful not to reveal her flying expertise. “Will I be as impressed with your home?” Or wherever the plane might land and “magically” disappear.
Maximilian shifted in his seat to face her and tented his long, dark fingers. “After the excess of my party, you will like the peaceful place we are going.”
“Peaceful? I see you more as the type who never rests.” She pointed at a well-developed bicep on his arm, making sure not to touch or even hint at coming close enough to doing so. “Those don’t come from lounging around.”
“Senhorita, you flatter me. What is a strong body without a fit mind? My sanctuary awaits. It cleanses the body and soul of troubles.”
“I find it hard to believe you have many troubles.”
“A man without them has never been tested. Take this plane, for instance. The company and I have a financial disagreement to resolve. My legal sources have informed me impatient Americans have arrived to take it back. They are supposedly in Rio at this very moment.”
Perceptive sources. She held back the gulp striving to launch down her throat.
Maximilian, his spicy cologne still potent after the long night, leaned forward and encouraged her to do the same. She worked out of her seat belt and rather reluctantly moved closer.
With her head near, he softly added, “You, Senhorita de verão, are an American. I believe you have come to steal my plane.”
Sandy loves building worlds with memorable characters caught up in ever changing circumstances. She writes in several genres including action adventure thrillers with touches of mystery and romance, science fiction, romantic suspense, and historical romance, some under the name Sandy Moffett. She has won several national writing awards including the Daphne du Maurier Mainstream Award for Mystery & Suspense, Maggie Award for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements, and The Lories for Best New Author Paranormal. Before the days of writing, Sandy was trained as a hydrogeologic scientist, taught at a university, and worked for a civil engineering firm and on an Air Force flight test computer project. Her adventurous background comes from being a private pilot, traveling the world, hiking, scuba diving, and taking over fifteen years of Kenpo karate.
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