Tag Archives: romance

Giveaway – The Hate Date by Kaylene Winter @XpressoTours @kayleneromance

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The Hate Date
Kaylene Winter
Publication date: July 24th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

When a man who has everything & will do anything—including pole dancing—to redeem himself to the feisty woman who could care less about power or money.

Clover Callahan took my client’s money and I’m not going to stand for it.
I’m taking her down, and if I play my cards right, she won’t even see me coming.
Everything’s going exactly to plan…
Until an elevator malfunction has us trapped for an entire night. Alone.

I mean, she’s hot. I’m hot.
What did you expect was going to happen?

Yeah. It did. And it was spectacular.

I can admit, I was wrong about Clover—she’s all I think about.
Unfortunately, after what I did, she hates me and everything I stand for.
But I’m no quitter…I’ll wear her down.
With a proposition even she won’t refuse:

One night.
One date.
Don’t be late!!

The Hate Date is a sweltering, standalone, billionaire, enemies to lovers, age gap, forced proximity, workplace, HEA romance.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble


EXCERPT

Prologue

I sink down into the oversized chair in my living room. Stare at my phone in disbelief.

What the actual fuck?

My heart thunders as I press the button to repeat the video. Call me a masochist. Call me an idiot. Call me devastated.

Call me anything you want, but I have to see it again.

Just to be sure.

Yep. It’s my bedroom. Yep. There he is. My husband, Harrison Finklestein splayed naked across the pure-white linens on our three-hundred-thousand-dollar Hästens Grand Vividus custom bed.

His cock is flush against his belly. His black-brown eyes widen as the camera gets nearer. He licks his lips. His thick, black eyebrows furrow. The camera pans down to his hand stroking his erection. Yuck.

When did the dark hair on his fingers get so visibly bushy?

“Stop fucking around, we don’t have much time,” Harrison snarls.

The angle changes abruptly. A shard of glass pierces my heart. There she is. My best friend since I moved to Los Angeles, Solange Brown, who pouts then smiles widely into the lens. Her pearly-white veneers gleam, reminding me of shark teeth. She holds her phone out wide so I get a good view of long, blonde extensions brushing against her perfectly round silicone double Ds. I watch her straddle my husband and impale herself on his bare cock.

Harrison groans, “Shit, Solly. Your pussy is like fuckin’ heaven.”

She giggles.

Then the screen goes black.

I toss my phone on the couch in anger. I want to throw it against the wall and watch it shatter.

I’m not stupid, though. No matter how much this hurts—and it fucking hurts so badly I can barely breathe—I can’t risk losing incriminating evidence. Because I’m divorcing my husband. No question. The ironclad prenup I signed is void if either of us cheats, so…

I stare out the window. Attempt to process. Try to come up with a plan. My brain is so jumbled, I have no idea how much time passes. All I know is at some point, despair takes over.

How could they do this to me? I trusted them both implicitly. Solange and I have been friends for so long. Harrison and I have been married for almost a decade. I’ve never detected an iota of attraction between them.

Or so I thought.

Omigod. I’m going to be sick.

The betrayal is overwhelming.

Tears stream down my face. How could Harrison have been sleeping with my best friend behind my back without me knowing about it? My mind whirls. Trying to figure out if I missed any of the signs.

God. I trusted her with him. Implicitly. I confided so much about our relationship to her.

Now, I feel so fucking stupid. Naïve.

Harrison has always been somewhat controlling. A bit of a pompous ass at times, sure. But in the decade we’ve been together I’ve never known him to be dishonest. The man prides himself on integrity.

Which is rich.

If I’m brutally honest with myself—which is important if I’m going to survive this—our story is a true Hollywood cliché.

By my early twenties, I’d been acting for a while and had some success dabbling in pop music. We met at one of my concerts. He was charming, rich, and fifteen years older than me. I got caught up in a whirlwind romance. Never, in my entire life, had someone focused their energy on me in that way.

It was intoxicating.

So, when he asked me to marry him and start a family, I said yes. A few months later, when he complained about my work schedule, I gave up my career. For him. So I could support him the way I thought he was supporting me.

It’s funny how the years sneak up on you. The kids never happened—he kept wanting to postpone “one more year” because I was still young. To keep from being bored, I immersed myself in charity work, which fulfilled me on many levels and kept me busy. We never fought. He always showered me with gifts and public displays of affection.

I wasn’t overwhelmingly happy, but I loved him and was content with my life.

Comfortable.

For the most part, I thought we had a decent relationship even if our love life has always been a bit—meh. Well, at least for me. He, on the other hand, bragged about my blow jobs to anyone who would listen, much to my embarrassment.

But, I guess that was a lie too.

Because it never, ever—not once—occurred to me that he’d cheat.

Oh God. This is really happening.

I take a deep breath. No matter how much this sucks, I’m no weakling. I can’t let them get away with this.

I won’t.

After I stop crying, I take a deep breath, wipe my tears and vow not to shed another tear for Harrison.

He doesn’t deserve my tears.

I get up. Grab my phone from the couch. Locate the video and save it to my private Dropbox. As a backup, I email it to myself. A girl can’t be too careful. 

Retreating into the bedroom, I open the safe and gather my jewelry and pack it in one of my small Louis Vuitton suitcases. I fill the rest of my luggage with designer clothes and shoes, my toiletries, cosmetics, and skincare products. Load my belongings into my Cayenne Turbo GT.

Next, I head into Harrison’s home office, log into our bank account and transfer five hundred thousand dollars into my personal account. I’m able to locate a folder of our important documents and upload copies into the Dropbox. It takes a while, but I’m patient. Diligent.

It feels good to take charge. I like being in charge.

Glancing at my phone, I see I’ve missed a text from my soon-to-be ex-husband reminding me to be ready for a dinner I’m supposed to attend. Apparently, he has some bigwig financiers he’s trying to woo for his next investment project.

Fuck that.

Let him take Solly.

Once I’ve taken care of business, I sit at the kitchen counter with a full glass of Harrison’s most-prized bottle of wine, a 2015 Hundred Acre Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. I’m admiring the dark garnet color of two-thousand-dollar grapes swirling around in my crystal goblet when the door opens and footsteps approach.

“What the fuck, Clover?” Harrison stands before me with his hands on his hips. “You’re not ready? We’re going to be late.”

I casually grip the glass of wine and hold it out over the stone floor. “I’m not going.” I deliberately drop it and the fine crystal shatters in a puddle of red liquid.

Harrison storms over to me. “Are you crazy?”

“No. But, I think you are.“ I swipe the bottle with my arm, sending it crashing to the ground where it explodes.

Harrison looks horrified. “What the hell are you talking about?” he hisses.

”I know.“ My voice is quiet. Lethal.

He doesn’t get it. His face is red with anger. “Know what?”

“I know about you and Solange. I hope you have a happy life together because you and I are through.” I stare him dead in the eye. Cock my head.

Harrison wilts but recovers quickly. “Sweetheart, no. I’d never do that to you.” He reaches out to touch my arm.

I yank away from him, disgusted. “I don’t want to hear it. She recorded a video and sent it to me. I saw her riding your dick with my own eyes. There’s nothing you can say. I told you cheating was a hard no for me, and it still is.”

Harrison looks at me, his eyes blazing with fury. “You can’t do this to me. You’ll leave with nothing. You’re a lazy washed-up actress, one-hit wonder. I’m the best you’ll ever get.”

I laugh bitterly. “That’s where you’re wrong, Harrison.” My voice is cold as ice. “I was someone long before I met you and I’ll be just fine without you. This is your loss, not mine.”

With that, I hop off the stool, grab my purse and keys and walk out the door. Hurriedly jump in my car and head to the Chateau Mormont, where I’ve booked a suite for a month to sort out the mess of my life.

It’s not the first time I’ve had to pick up the pieces and start over.

But, after this latest debacle, I’m determined it’s going to be the last.

I’ll never play second fiddle to a man again. Especially one who is rich, powerful, and controlling. Arrogant, entitled assholes aren’t capable of truly loving someone. From what I’ve experienced, they expect you to drop every one of your own dreams to support theirs and thank them for the opportunity.

Never. Again.

God. I’m so done with him. With anyone like him.

I’m making some big changes. I’m not sure what I’m going to do or how I’m going to do it, but I’m giving myself one year to figure it out.

Author Bio:

When she was only 15, Kaylene Winter wrote her first rocker romance novel starring a fictionalized version of herself, her friends and their gorgeous rocker boyfriends. After living her own rockstar life as a band manager, music promoter and mover and shaker in Seattle during the early 1990’s, Kaylene became a digital media legal strategist helping bring movies, television and music online. Throughout her busy career, Kaylene lost herself in romance novels across all genres inspiring her to realize her life-long dream to be a published author. She lives in Seattle with her amazing husband and dog. She loves to travel, throw lavish dinner parties and support charitable causes supporting arts and animals.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Review – Hades’ Game by R G Angel #rgangel #midnightreaders

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I want to thank Midnight Readers and R G Angel for the opportunity to read Hade’s Game.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Hades’ Game…I must say, it was the title that gave me pause. I was binging on Lucifer TV reruns as I finished reading Hades’ Game by R G Angel. How appropriate. When I saw the title and read the blurb, I had my fingers crossed. This is my first novel by R G Angel and she did not disappoint me. It was everything I hoped for. As I read along, I saw images of Tom Ellis running through my mind, though R G Angel puts her own spin on the King of the Underworld.

…I’m not doing well when I’m bored….my mind never quieting until I find a new interest…And I just found it, as she walked into my lair, with all her fake confidence and bravado…

Welcome to round one, ya helo. Be ready to play Hades’ Game.

It was a Cinderella story and I couldn’t help but smile. Cora became a mother to her younger brothers, when she was just a young girl herself. She never gave it a second thought. One applies himself, determined to make something of his life. The other, is a drain on her, using and manipulating her to his own end. She used to steal to feed them and keep the social workers away, but when gambling debts bring trouble to her door, The Maiden is tasked with a mission that has trouble written all over it.

Jade is Cora’s best friend and the girl cracks me up:

“Damn girl! That man is not just hot….He is like a twelve out of ten….And that wink…that wink: I think my panties have disintegrated.”

The POVs switch between Ayaan and Cora. I do love seeing each character’s thoughts and feelings as we delve deeper into the story. Cora is upfront and open, while Ayaan has secrets. Secrets that will rise up and bite him.

Much of what I read in Hades’ Game by R G Angel was what I had hoped for and wanted. Nothing earth shattering, but a solid read with great characters, a little bit of danger, plenty of romance and some steamy lovin’.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Hades’ Game by R G Angel.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

She stepped into the game without understanding the rules. His rules…

Cora
I never wanted anything to do with him.
Ayaan Reyne is a criminal—as heartless as Hades himself.
But I needed to steal the red diamond Ayaan keeps in his fortress to pay off my brother’s debts.
Except I got caught.
Now I’m Ayaan’s captive. Completely at his mercy. If he has any.
And that’s not even my biggest problem.
Because the more time I spend with the King of the Underworld, the more I wonder what it’d be like to be his Persephone…

Ayaan
Cora Mitchell thinks I’ll let her go once the diamond is back where it belongs.
She’s wrong.
See, I was used to the dark. Comfortable with it. Then she walked into my life—like innocence and bravado wrapped in sunlight—and ruined everything.
For both of us.
Because whether she admits it or not, she’s mine. And I’ll do anything to keep her at my side. Even if it means fighting dirty.
Hell, especially if it means fighting dirty…

  • Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • 322 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication July 13, 2023

ABOUT R G ANGEL

On top of being an International Bestselling Author, I’m a trained lawyer, world traveller, coffee addict and cheese aficionado.

When I’m not busy doing all my lawyerly mayhem or writing Contemporary Romance with heart, heat and a little darkness, alpha heroes and strong heroines and because I’m living in rainy (yet beautiful) Britain, I mostly enjoy indoor activities such as reading, watching TV, playing with my crazy puppies.

I hope my stories will make you dream and will bring you as much joy as they brought me by writing them.

If you want to know any of the latest news join my reader group R.G.’s Angels on facebook or subscribe to my newsletter!

Website / Facebook / Bookbub / Instagram

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway – The Game Changer by Aurora Paige @XpressoTours @xoAuroraPaige

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The Game Changer
Aurora Paige
(Hot Streak Series, #1)
Publication date: June 18th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Celine

Being a sports psychologist for pro baseball is my dream. There’s nothing I love more than working for the Chicago Angels helping players that need someone to get their mind in focus and back on track.

The minute the Angels pick up playboy superstar Alaric King as their first baseman, I knew he’ll be trouble: hot, charming, and irresistible. Getting involved with an athlete is already a bad idea, but getting involved with a player that’s also your therapy patient? Absolutely forbidden.

I work hard to be where I am, and I’m not going to let my dream career shatter to be with a heartbreaker—no matter how tempting he is. Am I strong enough to not let him into my heart?

Alaric

Ever since my rival purposely threw a baseball at my head, my game has been off and I end up being traded to the Chicago Angels. My plan is to show my face at mandated therapy sessions so I can get back on the plate. What I didn’t plan is to be blown away by Dr. Celine Pineda: intelligent, successful, and sexy as hell. She’s only here to help me fix my swing, but what I didn’t intend is for her to fix my heart.

I knew that we couldn’t be together. Being with her could cost both our careers, but I didn’t care. I am going to risk it all, but would she?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

EXCERPT:

There was a knock on the door and then Alaric strolled through the doorway. I sat behind my desk, needing some barrier between Alaric and me. He was like a magnet, and I gravitated to him—which was dangerous.

Alaric’s gaze met mine, then he paused for a moment. He shook his head and flashed his perfect, white smile.

“Now who’s hiding?” he said teasingly.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I huffed out.

“Celine, you can lie to yourself, but don’t lie to me. Your fear is as transparent as the blouse you were wearing the first time we met.” His gaze never left mine.

I pretended not to feel my cheeks burning. “Look, people think I’m a goody two-shoes, and they’re right. I never broke the rules—” I tried explaining to him.

“Well, I’m something of a bad boy and I could definitely teach you about breaking the rules.” He winked and a mischievous grin curved on his face. “Come to the dark side, Celine.”

“I can’t.” I needed to stand my ground. It was difficult though when he was only a couple feet away from me. He looked sexy as fuck, even when wearing the most casual of clothing. His voice sounded sensual, and his eyes captured me.

“You can. All it takes is one kiss,” Alaric said confidently. “I know that you want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you. You can’t deny the connection we have—I’m positive you felt it to the moment we met.”

Author Bio:

Aurora Paige is a healthcare professional by day and a Filipina-American writer of steamy contemporary romance with sassy heroines and sexy heroes at night. Each Aurora Paige story delivers a variety of Curvy Heroines, Multicultural relationships, Alpha Heroes, Steamy Heat, and a Guaranteed Happily Ever After.

Join Aurora’s mailing list to get exclusive updates on releases, events, & freebies!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / Newsletter


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Giveaway – Stalked By The Devil by Stacy Deanne @XpressoTours @stacydeanne

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Stalked by the Devil
Stacy-Deanne
Publication date: June 3rd 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Fear is the name of his game.

Nothing’s going right in Melody Carter’s life right now. She’s broke, unemployed, and living in the shadow of her successful fashion-model sister Sahara. But that ain’t even the half of Melody’s problems, the biggest one is Keith Taylor, Sahara’s new boyfriend who’s slowly worming his way into the sisters’ lives.

Keith’s perfect to everyone else: successful, gorgeous, and at 35 he’s the co-CEO of his family’s billion-dollar company. But Melody feels she has every reason to hate him from his arrogance, his controlling ways, and how every woman he’s had a relationship with seems to disappear.

While everyone else seems blinded by the silver-tongued bachelor, Melody will do anything in her power to prove that Keith is the devil himself.

Tropes: Billionaire, stalking, interracial, love triangle, office romance, first love, second-chance, opposites attract

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Every woman knows fear. When your knees knock, your forehead sweats and you get that feeling in your stomach as if you’re falling off a cliff.

Melody Carter felt undeniable fear as she stood in her bedroom, bare-breasted and all in front of Keith Taylor, her older sister’s boyfriend.

Keith was weird. He was hard to read, and he was sneaky, but she never, ever thought he’d do something like this.

And he just stood there, his natural lavender eyes penetrating her.

“You are so beautiful.” His raspy voice blanketed Melody’s bedroom, the same way his overpowering cologne did. “I shouldn’t have come in here, but I couldn’t help myself. Should I apologize?”

Melody pressed her lips together, fuming.

“I guess I could apologize.” Keith chuckled. “But that would be bullshit. We both know I came up here because I wanted to.”

“And you think this is okay?” Melody’s orange-size breasts spilled from under her arms. “How dare you? This time you’ve gone way too far.”

“Please, Mel. You should be flattered a man like me would find you so attractive.”

Keith was right. Melody should’ve been grateful for his attention. A man like Keith Taylor didn’t just grow on trees. They fell off of private planes and into multimillion-dollar mansions, which he had plenty of all around the world.

At only 34, Keith was a bona fide billionaire. Yes, a real life billionaire stood in unemployed Melody Carter’s room. A guy that only existed in romance books or women’s wet dreams. Co-CEO of Taylor Industries, a worldwide marketing firm that handled accounts for some of the biggest brands in the world, Keith and his family owned Lapeka, Florida. His mother was the mayor, for God’s sakes, and his family was the richest in the area. There wasn’t one entity in this fun-loving, hipster seaside town that Keith didn’t have his hands or money in.

“I think I’ve figured you out.” Melody grabbed her Black Girls Do It Better T-shirt from the bed and slipped it on.

“Oh, don’t do that,” Keith teased. “Can’t I have another peek first?”

“I know your game now.” She straightened her shirt. “I couldn’t understand why you act the way you do when Sahara’s not around. Now I got it.”

The overhead light bounced off the diamonds in his Rolex. “What are you talking about?”

“You’re not interested in me.” She crossed her arms. “Why would you be?”

“I don’t know.” Hints of red shot out from his copper-brown hair, cut in the chic comeback all the actors were now wearing. “Maybe because you’re so goddamn sexy, Mel. You intrigue me.”

“Cut the bullshit, Keith. I think this is about something else. You wanna control me like you do Sahara.”

“There you go with the holier-than-thou routine. Always trying to read someone else when you’re mooching off your sister like some pathetic waif.”

“Are you kidding me?” Melody laughed. “You haven’t done a day of work in your life, Keith. You sit on your ass, taking credit for a company your grandfather built. If you weren’t a Taylor, you’d be nothing.”

“But I am a Taylor, Melody.” His trimmed eyebrows lifted. “And it’s best you

remember that.” He pursed his lips. “You got some great tits, Mel. Not as nice as Sahara’s, but yeah, you got some nice ones.”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“How about a quickie?” He leaned forward, grinning. “Before Sahara gets back?”

Hell, she couldn’t lie. A part of her wondered what rolling in between the sheets with Keith Taylor would be like. Fuck, she was human and would be lying if she said she didn’t find him irresistible. But she would never, ever do anything to hurt Sahara and Keith’s charm, gorgeous smile, and money wouldn’t change that.

“You and me will never happen, Keith.”

“I was kidding about the quickie. Trust me, there is nothing quick about fucking me.”

“If you do anything like this again, I’m telling Sahara.”

“Mm…” He wiggled his hypnotic lips. “You think she’d believe you? She already knows you don’t like me, even though I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

“She doesn’t know the shit you’ve been doing behind her back.”

He rubbed his clean-shaven, diamond-shaped chin. “And what have I been doing?”

“Stop playing with me! The little flirty remarks? Or how you look at me or even coming into my bedroom? If she knew you did this, you’d be gone.”

“Or she’ll just think you tried to run me off like you did all her other boyfriends. This is a pattern with you, Mel, remember? You’ve never liked Sahara’s boyfriends because you’re jealous of her because she’s better than you. Isn’t that right, little sister?”

“Get out of my room and get out of this house.” She pointed toward the hall. “Get out!”


Author Bio:

USA TODAY FEATURED AUTHOR

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Stacy-Deanne (Dee-Anne) is an award-winning author of romantic suspense, romantic thrillers, contemporary romance, historical romance, and erotica books featuring BWWM pairings. Her books have been bestsellers in stores worldwide including Amazon, Apple, and Barnes and Noble. Her work has been praised and reviewed in USA Today numerously. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree and is a 2011 and 2012 African-American Literary Award Nominee. She also is a winner of the Swirl Award (an award dedicated to authors of multicultural/interracial works).

Stacy is known for bringing versatile stories to her readers. With her, you never know what you’re gonna get, which separates Stacy’s work from the pack.

Stacy’s books are full of passion, thrills, intriguing characters and so much emotion you can’t get enough! If you want something different and unpredictable then definitely check out her work.

With Stacy every book is an adventure.

Want to receive book updates? Sign up for Stacy’s mailing list:

http://eepurl.com/dFGzTL

Website: https://www.stacy-deanne.com/

Stacy is a proud member of ALLi, the Alliance of Independent Authors.

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  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway – Shattered Dreams by Abbie Roads @XpressoTours @Abbie_Roads

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Shattered Dreams
Abbie Roads
(Beautiful Nightmare, #3)
Publication date: July 11th 2023
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance

A crooked cop. Corruption. A woman convicted of murder. A man determined to prove her innocence.

When Helena Grayse is released from prison, all she wants is to say a final goodbye to her old life. But when a man finds her trespassing on his property, instead of turning her in, he takes her in. Accepts her. Loves her.

But someone decides to serve Helena with a death sentence.

Shattered Dreams is the third book in Abbie Roads’ Beautiful Nightmare Series of dark romantic thrillers. It features a felon heroine who never thought she deserved love. If you devour true crime and romance novels then you’ll love a series that combines both in a roller-coaster ride of danger, mind games, and swoon worthy love.

Buy this dangerously dark romance today!

Trigger warning: Depictions of SA and violence.

Previously Published under the title Never Let Me Fall.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order


EXCERPT

Thomas burst through the back door on a dead run. Each footfall a jackhammer of sound. Stealth didn’t matter as much as getting to Helen.

He didn’t remember running through the house and up the stairs, but suddenly, he burst into the bathroom she’d been using. He skidded to a halt. Helen lay in the bathtub, curled on her side. Water rained over her nakedness. She wasn’t moving. Didn’t seem to be breathing. A garish river of scarlet gushed from the massive wound in her chest, pooling as it waited to slip down the drain.

Her face was an abominable shade of blue and gray and devoid of life. Water rained over her, swirling the blood leaking from her chest in mesmerizing streams. The wound was massive. Destructive. Deadly. Something no one could survive.

Despair emptied him out. He became a shell of skin with nothing on the inside.

He reached for her, but even though he stood as close to the tub as he could get, she seemed so far away, as if miles and miles stretched between them. Water rained over his head, drizzling down inside his coat, but he barely noticed.

His hands didn’t seem like they belonged to him as he scooped her out of the tub. Her skin was slick and slippery. Her body limp and lifeless. “Helen.” His voice contained a vast desolation. Her head lolled awkwardly to the side, and wet strands of hair clung to her face in fat tentacles. Ribbons of blood leaked from the gaping wound over her heart, sliding over and around her breast, pooling in the bend of her stomach.

A sick sense of dread filled all his empty places. The wound should be gushing, not dribbling. He was too late. She’d lost too much blood.

No. No. No. Goddamn it. She couldn’t be dead. He wouldn’t let her die. Not now. Not when he’d just found her. Helen needed to be alive. Even though they’d just met, he couldn’t live in a world without her in it. Didn’t matter if they were together or not, she just needed to be alive. That would be enough for him.

His legs folded beneath him. He sat on the floor, leaned against the old tub, and held her. He grabbed her chin and shook her head gently, “Helen. Oh God. Helen, wake up.” This was wrong. So wrong. None of this should be happening. Not now.

Never taking his eyes off her, he reached into his coat pocket for his phone and then dialed the number he called the most. Work. He pinched the phone between his ear and shoulder while it rang.

“No news yet.” Lanning said when he picked up the call.

Thomas opened his mouth. Only one word came out. “Helen.” His brain had clogged up, allowing only a trickle of thought at a time.

“What?” Confusion dominated Lanning’s tone.

“Helen.” It was just a name to Lanning, but to Thomas, she was everything. “Helen’s been shot. I need an ambulance. The police.” He let the phone drop and distantly heard Lanning shouting.

Nothing in his whole life seemed as important as Helen. “You’ve got to fight.” A lump of some unnamed emotion rose in his throat. He struggled to swallow it back down. “You hear me? You have to fight to stay here with me. I know we just met. But you and me— there’s something between us. I knew it the moment I saw you. And you need to stay so we can explore this thing. Because it feels powerful. It feels destined. Like we are supposed to be together.”

His voice hitched, and he struggled to keep talking around the fear and grief bubbling up inside him. “Just listen to my voice.” He smoothed wet hair from her face. Chilled skin met his fingertips. She was too cold. The tang of her blood sickening in the damp air. “Follow my voice. Don’t let it go.”

Thomas shifted Helen’s body until she was settled in the crook of his left arm. Blood pooled on her stomach, seeping into his coat.

Without any reason or rationality, he pressed his hand over the bullet hole. A zap of static electricity blazed through him at the contact. Her body jolted, and then his hand suctioned to her chest.

Everything changed.

Inside his torso, a cool and pleasant sensation gathered, then rolled down his arm to his hand and poured into her. His eyes rolled back in his head under the waves of bliss pouring from him into her. Holy shit. Maybe he was losing his grip on reality, but some vital part of him—his essence, his strength, his soul—flowed into her. The ultimate act of giving. And it felt amazing. “You feel this? You feel me inside you? Making you better?” He sounded crazy. He’d worry about his sanity later.

Underneath her delicate eyelids, her eyes rolled. For the first time since he’d picked her up, he noticed the subtle rise and fall of her chest. Blood no longer trickled from the wound. He stared at his hand mashed against her chest. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? Making him see what he wanted to see instead of reality?

Did it really matter what was happening as long as Helen seemed to be improving? Everything inside him that had been so devastated perked up as if spring had arrived.

She wasn’t dead. He knew that now. Knew it as surely as he knew he was alive. He slumped back against the tub and sucked in a giant breath.

“You’re going to be all right. I’m with you. I’m inside you. I’m a part of you now.” His gaze traveled beyond his hand over her heart to her body. All the horror he thought was behind them reignited.

Her chest and stomach were covered in scars. Her body told a story of misery unimagined, of incomprehensible suffering. And from last night, he knew there were more on her back that he couldn’t see.

“Oh, Helen.” He hugged her tighter to him. What on earth had done that to her? “This is it. After this, all your pain is over. I won’t let anything hurt you ever again.” He kissed her forehead, sealing the deal.

In the distance, sirens sounded—a reassurance that everything was going to be okay. He just needed to keep his hand on her. Keep himself flowing into her. The sirens pulled into his driveway, then cut off midwail.

Thomas whispered to Helen. “You’re gonna hate this, but there’s no getting around it this time. You’re going to the hospital.” He paused, waiting for some reaction from her. But she kept breathing, and her heart kept beating, and that was enough for him. “But don’t worry. I’ll be with you the whole time. You don’t have anything to be afraid of. I promise.”

Footsteps sounded on the staircase, then treaded down the hallway toward them.

“In there,” he called.

Two EMTs entered the bathroom. Thomas didn’t look at them; he just kept his attention on Helen. Her color was better, and he knew in the way-down-deep parts of himself that she was going to be all right.

“Dddaaammmnn…” One of the EMTs stretched the word out long and low.

Thomas’s attention snapped up to the guy. What was he…

The guy had his gaze glued to Helen’s face. “That’s Helena Grayse.”

Thomas knew that name. Everyone in Sundew, Ohio, knew the name.

He looked back down at Helen. She looked so fragile and damaged. Nothing like a murderer.

Author Bio:

Abbie Roads is the best-selling author of the Fatal Dreams Series and the Fatal Truth Series. Her novels have been finalists in many prestigious contests including The Golden Heart, The Greater Detroit Booksellers Best, The Oklahoma National Readers’ Choice Award, The Write Touch, The Strut Your Stuff Contest, The Aspen Gold Contest, The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, The Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Award, The Midnight Sun, The Kathryn Hayes Contest, The Chanticleer, The Daphne du Maurier, The National Readers’ Choice Award, The New England Readers’ Choice Contest, The Beverly Award, and The Maggie Award. Her debut novel Race the Darkness was Publishers Weekly Top 10 Pick for Fall and Never Let Me Fall is an Amazon Editor’s Pick.

By day Abbie Roads is a mental health counselor always focusing on the bright side. By night she writes on the dark side, putting her characters through the wringer before she gives them their happily-ever-after. She loves a good inspirational quote and is a fan of true crime.

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Giveaway – The Ripple Effect by Cally Jackson @XpressoTours @callyjackson

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The Ripple Effect
Cally Jackson
Publication date: September 14th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Time-Travel

The Time Traveller’s Wife meets The Butterfly Effect in this touching, heart-felt love story.

When Caitlyn Richter turns twenty-one, she begins having strange, unsettling episodes: pins and needles in her hands, a rushing noise in her ears, and a blinding light obscuring her vision. After a bad episode, Caitlyn finds herself somewhere different, with no idea how she got there. To her horror, Caitlyn learns she has inherited a disorder that causes her to travel back and forth in time uncontrollably, and to make matters worse, one small change to the past can have massive consequences for the present.

Caitlyn quickly realises she must do whatever it takes to leave the past unchanged. But that’s easier said than done, especially after she meets Toby Beech, an attractive 1980’s carpenter who wants to spend as much time with her as possible, and who she finds herself falling in love with.

Caitlyn has two choices. She can force herself to stay away from Toby and keep her life in the present intact. Or she can follow her heart and risk the ripple effect wreaking havoc on everything and everyone she loves.

An impossible decision. An ill-fated love.

An incredible story you don’t want to miss.

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Author Bio:

Cally Jackson grew up in the small country town of Gatton, Australia. Her passion for fictional writing first emerged in grade two when she got in trouble for penning her own tale instead of copying directly from a story book as she was supposed to be doing – it was a handwriting exercise, after all.

Cally now lives in Brisbane with the two loves of her life – her husband, Mark, and their dog, Lucy. The Big Smoke is her first novel.

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Cover Reveal – Better Watch Out by Kate SeRine @caffeinatedpr @KateSeRine

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Today I am excited to share the cover for BETTER WATCH OUT by Kate SeRine. This is the latest novella in the Transplanted Tales paranormal romantic suspense series.  In Better Watch Out, Seth “Big Bad” Wolf senses something dark in the winter wind…. 

Better Watch Out

Coming October 17, 2023

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iBooks

 

Miscast as the villain most of his life, Seth “Big Bad” Wolf never believed he would get his very own happily ever after—until he found it with Lavender Seelie, Cinderella’s former fairy godmother and the Tale whose magic transplanted them from Make Believe to the ordinary human world. But now, as the holidays draw near, Seth senses something dark in the winter wind, something deadly that threatens the peace and happiness he’s finally found. And one thing’s for sure—whatever evil is coming to town better watch out, ’cause there’s nothing Seth won’t do to protect his family, even if that means unleashing the full fury of the wolf he keeps caged inside…

 

Transplanted Tales Series



Red

Grimm Consequences

The Better to See You

Along Came A Spider

Ever After

Better Watch Out 

About the Author

Kate SeRine (pronounced “serene”) is a hopeless romantic who firmly believes in true love that lasts forever. So it’s no surprise that when she began writing her own stories, Kate vowed her characters would always have a happily ever after. She’s the author of the award-winning TRANSPLANTED TALES paranormal romance series as well as two romantic suspense series: PROTECT AND SERVE and DARK ALLIANCE.

Kate lives in a smallish, quintessentially Midwestern town with her husband and two sons, who share her love of storytelling. She never tires of creating new worlds to share and is even now working on her next project — probably while consuming way too much coffee.

Website | Instagram | Twitter | Newsletter





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Giveaway – Heartless by Grace Goodwin @XpressoTours @LuvGraceGoodwin

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Heartless
Grace Goodwin
Publication date: June 27th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Warrior. Doctor. Spy. I am Commander Helion, a heartless terror, relentless and unforgiving. Merciless.

My destiny is not to claim a female, to have a family, to be rendered helpless by love.

Despite this, I am matched. A beautiful human female is now mine. Despite my warnings, she is determined to leave her mark on me, body and soul.

Honor demands I resist. I tell her the truth. I will not place a mating collar around her neck. I cannot protect her—especially from me—my choices—the horrors I face every day.

Just one moment of weakness and she gets under my skin, makes me want things I cannot have. She is everything I am not—and the most dangerous creature I have ever faced.

Claiming her—keeping her—is not possible with my pivotal role in this never-ending war. There is no place in my duties for desire. For need. Too many innocents count on me for protection. Too many lives are at stake, including hers.

The enemy is always ready and waiting, but I never expected her to be among them.

For the first time in my hardened life, I question my sanity. My dark soul. I begin to understand exactly what my enemies have stolen from me—and realize there is no limit to what a heartless warrior will sacrifice for love.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Oh, heck yes. I was ready for lots of mind-blowing private time with two hot mates. Sooooo, ready. My body had been willing for a while. My mind had taken its sweet time catching up.

Now every part of me was fully on board. Heart. Mind. Body. Two mates? So very, very naughty. I squirmed, just a bit. I couldn’t keep the restless need from escaping. I hadn’t been touched by a man in so long. I tried to recall the last time—before the—before that. I couldn’t remember clearly, but I was pretty sure it had been years.

“The transport window is closing, my lady. If we wait much longer, I will need to delay your departure.” The Prillon warrior in control of the transport pad interrupted our long goodbye.

“Of course. So sorry.” I gave Makayla one final, super-tight hug, and walked up the few stairs to join my soon-to-be transported suitcase so we could be flung across the galaxy.

The officer nodded, his large hands moving competently over the controls.

Would my mates touch me with that level of intense concentration?

Were their hands that big? That skilled?

What was wrong with me? I was thinking like a horny teenager.

“Are you ready, my lady?” The transport officer had kind eyes. He knew where I was going. And why. I nodded. The hum of the transport pad rose up from the floor like an electricity bath. The extra energy building up for my jump through space made me squirm like a shelter puppy about to be released from its cage. Finally free.

Oh, yes. I was ready to meet my new mate.

Commander Zarren Helion.

Even his name sounded formidable.

I just knew he was going to be one hundred percent perfect.

***

Commander Zarren Helion, Intelligence Core, Black Fleet, Sector 438

The Prillon warrior sitting before me bled from multiple wounds, none fatal, each strategically placed to inflict maximum pain. Lieutenant Oberan Arcas of Prillon Prime.

I have to break him.


Author Bio:

Grace Goodwin is a USA Today and international bestselling author of Sci-Fi and Paranormal romance with nearly one million books sold. Grace’s titles are available worldwide in multiple languages in ebook, print and audio formats. Two best friends, one left-brained, the other right-brained, make up the award-winning writing duo that is Grace Goodwin. They are both mothers, escape room enthusiasts, avid readers and intrepid defenders of their preferred beverages. (There may or may not be an ongoing tea vs. coffee war occurring during their daily communications.) Grace loves to hear from readers.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter / Bookbub


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Review – Blood Inheritance by Kay Widow @KayWidow @booksirens

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

My introduction to Kay Widow’s writing was Bloody Billionaire’s Baby. After reading it, I was looking for some more vampires and when I saw Blood Inheritance on Book Sirens, I snapped it up.

I think of Blood Inheritance as a vampiric twist of Pretty Woman. Ezra is looking for a human to help him die and in return she will receive his fortune. He is done with ‘living’. He chose Lydia Francesca DeSilva.

Someone good and pure. Young and healthy. Ambitious but not self serving. Intelligent, but not pretentious. It’s a lot to ask of someone, but I have high hopes this time.

The description is spot on. She is a twenty one year old virgin with some fabulous friends. She is everything he is looking for and more.

In this 210 page story, Kay Widow has packed a lot. The romance is slow burning. Her sweetness and openness got me wrapped up in the romance. I had moments of sadness and moments of happiness. Will she be able to give him a reason for living?

I have more I would like to share, but I feel less is more. I think we know where the story will go, but it is the wonderful journey that makes me want to read more of Kay Widow’s work.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Inheritance by Kay Widow.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Being immortal is overrated.

So I found the perfect wife to inherit my fortune.

The Bloodline Dagger will give me my peace, but only humans can wield it.

Luckily my mate, who radiates sunshine from every pore, has agreed to help.

But tasting her blood was a mistake—tasting all of her was a mistake.

And denying myself is unbearable, knowing these are my last days alive.

She asked for three months to convince me to change my mind,

I’m being cruel, giving her hope.

But the Nocturn legacy is at stake–I should have pumped the brakes.

If I didn’t deserve my death before,

I do now—I will ruin her.

  • Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Vampires
  • 210 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication June 26, 2023

ABOUT KAY WIDOW

Kay Widow is a paranormal romance author. She writes page-turning romances that readers consume faster than she can produce.
If you love spicy romances with protective and dominant alphas who fall for sassy curvy women, then you might just love Kay’s novels.
Kay lives in Kansas with her husband, Irish twins, and all her book boyfriends.

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MY KAY WIDOW REVIEWS

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Giveaway – The Book Of Alys by Alan Gold @XpressoTours

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The Book of Alys
Alan Gold
Publication date: May 31st 2023
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance

King Henry II, exhausted from everlasting conflict with France and the bad habit of his sons rebelling against their father finds love, solace, and passion after falling for the youthful beauty of Alys and makes her his mistress.

Alys’ father, King Louis VII of France was a man in desperate need of an heir. Alys was his fourth daughter from two wives. After divorcing Eleanor, he married Alys’ mother Constance.

The desperate need for a son meant that King Louis was striding down the aisle just five weeks after Constance’s death (not to say that he wasn’t grieving, it was said he was deeply affected by his loss), this time with Adele of Champagne who was twenty years his junior. Alys was finally joined by the longed-for brother when she was five years old, and then another sister named Agnes.

Long before Alys came on to the scene her father had been at war, on and off, with Henry II of England. While Louis needed a son to inherit his throne, his daughters were also important as diplomatic tools. Alys first played her part in January 1169, when Louis and Henry met to sign the Treaty of Montmirail near Le Mans.

The treaty set out Henrys plans for his lands. His eldest son also Henry would inherit the English throne (he had been married to Alys’ sister Margaret in 1160). His second son, Geoffrey, was already betrothed to the heiress to the Duchy of Brittany, Constance.

As the third son Richard would inherit Aquitaine. The treaty formed the official betrothal of Alys to Prince Richard and agreed that she would be raised as a ward of King Henry, in the household of Queen Eleanor.

At this point Alys was never considered to be a future English queen. Richard was third in line to the throne, his older brothers were both healthy and had survived the worst dangers of infancy, and their marriages would take place before his.

Although she was only eight years old at the time, Alys was handed over to the English court to be raised alongside her anticipated future sister-in-law Constance of Brittany, and her own sister Margaret.

How much time she spent with her betrothed isn’t really known. Especially since Richard and his brothers then got into the bad habit of rebelling against their father.

As Alys grew up and the wedding with Richard didn’t take place, rumours began to circulate that she had become mistress to King Henry, and thus could not marry his son. Henry’s wife Eleanor of Aquitaine had been imprisoned in 1174 after supporting her rebellious sons. Henry reportedly was considering getting an annulment for his marriage to Eleanor so he could marry his mistress ‘Fair Rosamund’. However, one chronicler claimed that Henry was actually considering marrying Alys himself.

She was young, she was the daughter of a King of France, and her sons might have a potential claim to the French throne. It was even rumoured that Henry would disinherit his sons by Eleanor and replace them in the line of succession with any sons he might have by Alys. It was even stated that Alys already had at least one child, possibly two, by Henry in the time she was his mistress.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

—

EXCERPT:

Queen Eleanor of England and Aquitaine gripped the arms of her seat in fear for her safety, waiting for the coming onslaught. Although she was seated on the periphery of the dais, she knew from painful experience that when her husband’s temper was roused, anybody within range of his fists or feet or sword could suffer imminent death.

Accustomed to his explosive temper, and known to give as good as she received, even the Queen was shocked by his sudden violent outburst against the cardinal. The fat pompous cleric, looking more like a throbbing red pustule about to erupt than a Prince of the Church, was acting as though he, rather than King Henry, had been anointed by God as ruler of the nation.

Author Bio:

Alan Gold began his career as a journalist, working in the UK, Europe, and Israel. In 1970, he emigrated to Australia with his wife, Eva, and now lives in St. Ives, Sydney, where he divides his time between writing novels and running his award-winning marketing consultancy.


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