The Bodyguards of LA County Hotties – Hailey’s Truth by Cate Beauman @CateBeauman

Posted on July 12, 2017 by fundinmental

Hi fellow bloggers. I am so happy to share another romantic suspense novel by Cate Beauman, Hailey’s Truth.

Her books have such fabulous covers, I would grab them for that reason alone!

What do you think of this beauty?

MY REVIEW

I’m excited to be back with the hotties from Ethan Security and the sexy vixens they can’t resist in Hailey’s Truth by Cate Beauman. Cate is able to grab me from the beginning to very end, so I am very wager to get started.

If this is what social workers are like, I fear for the children in the system. I fear for Hailey and her ‘brother’ Jeremy.

Hailey was a foster child, hugely independent, reliable, loyal, giving, loving, strong and proud. She had found her forever home, even a little brother, until..

It wasn’t bad enough they lost their ‘parents’ now they’re losing each other. I feel bad things coming and it makes me sad.

Jeremy…What can I say? Sometimes nothing makes a difference. A bad penny is a bad penny. Would it have been different if they had stayed together? We will never know. Pisses me off that lies flow from him like water from a faucet, but that just shows how great Cate Beauman’s writing is, so real I feel like it is happening to me.

It’s very interesting that two people, who had to work so hard just to survive, can turn out so different. Some people are givers, some takers and the takers can suck the life right out of you.

Such a sweet moment when Austin is teaching Hailey to swim, innocent and sensual.

Love this line: “She was swimming with the next thing to a mythical sea god, and she sure as heck wasn’t a mermaid.” The water had always called to her, but that didn’t mean she was any good in it. I feel the same way. I love the water, like Hailey, so it helps me relate to her.

Drugs…Austin will be meeting the Mexican Mafia and I have a feeling Hailey will too. It’s a good thing Austin’s a badass because he’s gonna need to be. As the danger rises, so does Austin.

Hailey is committed to family, naive as to what’s right in front of her face. When or what constitutes crossing the line of trust? When do you just say no and set them free, to sink or swim on their own?

The Zulas, Mexican Mafia, are savages, brutal when betrayed. Not afraid of anything or anyone. To say they are dangerous is putting it mildly. Once in, only death gets you out. If a cop won’t work with them, not only with they callously take his life, but spread his body parts around to family and fellow officers.

I got all soft and gooey at the birthday party.

I love sexual tension between the characters as they get to know each other…the sensual glances and touches full of innuendo, from desire and denial, to push and pull, yes and no, keeping them on edge. Something as simple as washing dishes…he can look soooo sexy. I was laughing at the cake fiasco…until…Oh man, that’s so wrong.

“Mean are completely stupid..sometimes…most of the time.”

I do not like the word suckle when they are having sex. Makes me think of piglets. Numerous authors use it, but it’s just a little quirk of mine…don’t like it.

Additional touches with complex characters add the spice to the romance and suspense. The ladies console and talk things out. The men eat, step on their dicks and apologize profusely. Now that’s some hilarious and honest writing. LOL

Romantic suspense is pretty predictable, but it’s what the author twists and turns along the way that makes the story so interesting. I am most eager for the action and danger, and my emotions running hot. We have a good supply of all that, but I wanted more.

In Hailey’s Truth by Cate Beauman, I loved the story and the journey, but I didn’t quite get to shocked, and left gasping for breath. Never fear, we have more coming from Ethan Security and I will be looking for that in future books by Cate Beauman, because I have started and I will not stop…

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Hailey’s Truth by Cate Beauman.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Hailey Roberts has never had it easy. Despite the scars of a tragic childhood, she’s made a life for herself. As a part-time student and loving nanny, she yearns for a family of her own and reluctant Austin Casey, Ethan Cooke Security’s best close protection agent.

Hailey’s past comes back to haunt her when her long lost brother tracks her down, bringing his dangerous secrets with him. At an emotional crossroads, Hailey accepts a humanitarian opportunity that throws her together with Austin, taking her hundreds of miles from her troubles, or so she thinks.

What starts out as a dream come true quickly becomes a nightmare as violence erupts on the island of Cozumel. Young women are disappearing, community members are dying—and the carnage links back to her brother.

As Austin struggles to keep Hailey’s past from destroying her future, he’s forced to make a decision that could turn her against him, or worse cost them both their lives.

ABOUT CATE BEAUMAN

International bestselling author Cate Beauman is known for her full-length, action-packed romantic suspense series, The Bodyguards of L.A. County. Her novels have been nominated for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Golden Quill Award, Writers Touch Award, and have been named Readers Favorite Five Star books. In 2015, JUSTICE FOR ABBY was selected as the Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Gold Medalist, while SAVING SOPHIE took the Silver Medal. SAVING SOPHIE was also selected as the 2015 Readers Crown Award winner for Romantic Suspense and FALLING FOR SARAH received the silver medal for the 2014 Readers’ Favorite Awards.

Cate makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, two boys, and their St. Bernards, Bear and Jack. Currently Cate is working on Deceiving Bella, the eleventh novel in her popular Bodyguards series.

For information on Cate’s new releases, monthly giveaways, and upcoming events, sign up for her newsletter at: http://www.catebeauman.com/author/home.html#!newsletter-sign-up/c9td

Contact Cate: Amazon Author Page / BookBub

Social links: Twitter / Website / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

MY REVIEWS FOR CATE BEAUMAN

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Killing Is My Business by Adam Christopher Giveaway @ghostfinder @JeanBookNerd

Posted on July 12, 2017 by fundinmental

Synopsis

A blend of science fiction and stylish mystery noir featuring a robot detective: the stand alone sequel to Made to Kill

Another golden morning in a seedy town, and a new memory tape for intrepid PI-turned-hitman–and last robot left in working order– Raymond Electromatic. When his comrade-in-electronic-arms, Ada, assigns a new morning roster of clientele, Ray heads out into the LA sun, only to find that his skills might be a bit rustier than he expected….

Killing is My Business is the latest in Christopher’s noir oeuvre, hot on the heels of the acclaimed Made to Kill.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

EXCERPT

Killing is My Business
Chapter 1

Listen to this:

Vaughan Delaney was a planner for the city of Los Angeles. He occupied a position high enough up the ladder that it entitled him to an office at an equally high altitude in a tall building downtown that was home to a number of other local government desks. The office came with a salary that was high for a city employee but nothing to write a favorite uncle about, and a view that was simply to die for.

Vaughan Delaney was forty-two years old and he liked suits that were a light blue-gray in color. He carried a buckskin briefcase that wasn’t so much battered as nicely worn in. On his head he liked to position a fedora that was several shades darker than his suit. The hat had a brim that looked at first glance to be a little wide for the kind of hat that a city planner would wear, but Vaughan Delaney did not break the rules, neither in his job nor in his private life. He had a position a lot of people envied, along with the life that went along with it, and he stuck rigidly within the boundaries of both.

Actually, that wasn’t quite true. Because the one thing that didn’t fit Vaughan Delaney was his car.

His car was 1957 Plymouth Fury, a mobile work of art in red and white with enough chrome to blind oncoming traffic on the bright and sunny mornings that were not uncommon in this part of California. The machine had fins like you wouldn’t believe and when the brake lights lit you’d think they were rocket motors. It was the kind of car you could fly to the moon in, only when you got to the moon you’d cast one eye on the fuel gauge and you’d pat the wheel with your kidskin-gloved hand, admiring the fuel economy as you pointed the scarlet hood off somewhere toward ******* and pressed the loud pedal.

It was a great car and it was in perfect shape. Factory fresh. It was getting on for ten years old but Vaughan Delaney had looked after it well.

And, I had to admit, that car caught my optics. It wasn’t jealousy—I liked my own car well enough, a Buick that was a satisfying ride, functional and elegant and with a few optional extras you wouldn’t find outside a science laboratory.

No, what I had for the red Plymouth Fury was something else. Admiration, and admiration for Vaughan Delaney too. He was every element the city man but that car was a jack-rabbit. Perhaps it was his mid-life crisis. Perhaps he was telling the city to go take a jump while he sat shuffling papers in his nice office with his sensible suit and practical hat. Look what I get to drive to the office in the morning, he said. Look at what I get to drive out to lunch every Wednesday. Look what I get to drive home in the evening. It was the kind of car that people would lean out of the office windows to take a look at, and Vaughan Delaney did every bit to help, the way he parked the red-and-white lightning bolt right outside the office door.

Because Vaughan Delaney had reached a certain level within the city hierarchy that allowed him to pick his own secretary based on the color of her hair and the length of her skirt and he was not a man who had to walk very far from his car to his desk.

He was also a family man. When the Plymouth Fury wasn’t outside the office or being driven to lunch on Wednesdays it lived in a two-car garage that sat next to a modest but modern bungalow in Gray Lake. Next to the Fury was commonly parked a yellow vehicle that General Motors had shooed out the door without much of a fuss, a rectangular lozenge on wheels with whitewall tires shining and seat belt tight and the sense of humor removed for safety reasons.

This was not a car to take much of an interest in. It belonged to Vaughan Delaney’s wife. Her name was Cindy Delaney.

Cindy Delaney loved her husband and let him know by kissing him on the cheek each and every morning before her husband went to work. The children loved him too. There were two of those, a boy and a girl, and both of them had blond hair like their mother and they were both a decade shy of joining the army and both of them kissed their father on the cheek each and every morning like their mother did, the only difference being that Vaughan Delaney had to go down on one knee so they could smell his aftershave. Then he blasted off in the Plymouth Fury and the quiet street in Gray Lake was quiet once more until Cindy Delaney took the children to school in the yellow boat and then came back again twenty minutes later. Then she put on a housecoat to keep her dress clean and she drove a vacuum over the bungalow while her husband drove a desk down in the city.

They were a nice family. Middle class, middle income, middle ambition. The children would grow up and the boy would play football at high school with his parents watching and the girl would play flute in the school orchestra with her parents watching and all was right with the world.

I knew all of this because I’d been watching Vaughan Delaney for three weeks. I’d been to the street in Gray Lake and had sat in my car and I’d watched life in and around the bungalow. I’d been to the office building downtown and had sat in my car and watched the Plymouth Fury come in for landing and Vaughan Delaney hop, skip, and jump up the stairs into the building and then waltz down the same steps some eight hours later.

Vaughan Delaney looked like a swell guy with a good job and a nice car and a happy family.

It was just a shame that he had to die.

Excerpted from Killing is My Business © Adam Christopher, 2017
Keep an eye out for another excerpt from Killing is My Business appearing on Tor.com this June!

Praise for KILLING IS MY BUSINESS

“Hits hard, spins your head around, and leaves you stunned. The Ray Electromatic mysteries are so freakin’ perfect you’d think robot hitmen and retro supercomputers had always been part of noir fiction.”—Peter Clines, author of Paradox Bound and The Fold

“Humor, action, and heart: everything I’ve come to expect from an Adam Christopher book, and then some. A marvelous read!”—New York Times bestseller Jason M. Hough, author of Zero World

“Delivers like a punch from a two-ton robot in a zoot suit.”—Delilah Dawson

“Atmospheric and charming as hell. Adam Christopher has an extraordinary talent for scooping you up and dropping you into an alternative LA that feels just as real as the street outside your house.”—Emma Newman

Praise for the RAY ELECTROMATIC MYSTERIES

“Robot noir in 60s Los Angeles? You had me at ‘Hello.'”—John Scalzi, New York Times bestselling novelist

“Gripping, funny, deadly and suspenseful.”—Boing Boing

“Delivers like a punch from a two-ton robot in a zoot suit.”—Lila Bowen (aka Delilah Dawson)

“The dialogue is effortlessly swift and clever, and even the B-movie climax is a spectacle to behold. Above that, though, Ray sparks to live, and his antiheroic slant only makes him that much more compelling and and sympathetic. Knowing that there are only two more Raymond Electromatic mysteries to come is the book’s only disappointment.”—NPR

“Genre mash-ups don’t always succeed, but this one will please fans of both gumshoes and laser beams.”—Publishers Weekly

“A fun, fast read for anyone willing to take the speculative leap–a must-add for most fiction collections.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Made to Kill is yet more proof that we should all be thankful for Adam Christopher and his imagination. This tale of robot noir is unlike anything I’ve ever read—Adam’s is a weird and wonderful voice and we are lucky to have it.”—Chuck Wendig, New York Times bestselling author of Aftermath

“Adam Christopher has brilliantly deduced what should have been obvious all along: Classic noir and robots are a perfect match. Part Chandler, part Asimov, and part Philip K. Dick, Made to Kill is a rip-roaring cocktail of smart, sharp, twisty, cyber-pulp awesomeness.”—Adam Sternbaugh, author of Shovel Ready

“Made to Kill is just the sort of exciting genre collision that marks out Adam Christopher as one of the hottest new young SF writers.”—Paul Cornell, author of The Severed Streets

“A smart, rollicking noir/SF mashup. One of the best books I’ve read all year.”—Kelly Braffet, author of Save Yourself

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam Christopher’s debut novel EMPIRE STATE was SciFiNow’s Book of the Year and a Financial Times Book of the Year. The author of MADE TO KILL, STANDARD HOLLYWOOD DEPRAVITY, and KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, Adam’s other novels include SEVEN WONDERS, THE AGE ATOMIC, and THE BURNING DARK.

Adam has also written the official tie-in novels for the hit CBS television show ELEMENTARY, and the award-winning DISHONORED video game franchise, and with Chuck Wendig, wrote THE SHIELD for Dark Circle/Archie Comics. Adam is also a contributor to the STAR WARS: FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW 40th anniversary anthology.

Born in New Zealand, Adam has lived in Great Britain since 2006.

Photo Credit: Lou Abercrombie

WEBSITE: http://www.adamchristopher.co.uk/
TWITTER: @ghostfinder
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/590743.Adam_Christopher
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/adamchristopherauthor/

GIVEAWAY

– 10 Winners will receive a Copy of Killing is My Business by Adam Christopher

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Christmas In July – Trimmed With Murder by Sally Goldenbaum @sallygoldenbaum

Posted on July 10, 2017 by fundinmental

Welcome to Christmas in July.

Today I will be sharing Trimmed With Murder, Seaside Knitters Mystery #10, by Sally Goldenbaum.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Seaside Harbor is home of the fighting Cool Cods.

Just knowing that makes makes me think Trimmed With Murder will be a fun cozy mystery to curl up with on a cold winter’s night…or on the sunny beach and celebrate Christmas in July.

It all starts when Charlie picks Izzy up on the side of the road. Neither one of them wanted to be here, because we all know, in a small town there are no secrets.

Most of the characters are warm and giving…once you get to know them, but there are some with secrets to hide and will cross the line to keep them buried.

I feel bad for Charlie and wonder about the missing years in his life. Where has he been and why is he so different from the person they knew before?

And the murderer…

I know who I feel it could be, but there is also a deeper mystery to be solved…

The Knitting Club knows everyone and everything happening in town, so they figure they should be the ones to find the answers and put the town’s fears to rest, so they began to “walk the road.” I love when a group of small town ladies get it in their heads to investigate a murder. Some times it can be fun, other times…

I love stories located by the seaside. They lend an extra element to the story that makes me want to walk along the shore with this “tight knit” group of friends who care about their town and the people in it.

Trimmed With Murder by Sally Goldenbaum shows us that you can go home again.

Sally Goldenbaum has also included knitting instructions for a sailboat ornament and a recipe for pork tenderloin in Trimmed With Murder

3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

All Izzy Chambers Perry wants for Christmas is to keep her brother out of jail—in this holiday yarn from the national bestselling author of A Finely Knit Murder…

In Sea Harbor the holidays mean cozy fires, festive carols, and soft skeins of yarn waiting to become hats and sweaters and scarves. And this year Izzy and the other Seaside Knitters are also knitting tiny ornaments to decorate a tree for the first annual tree-trimming contest.

Their holiday cheer is multiplied when Izzy’s younger brother, Charlie Chambers, unexpectedly arrives to volunteer at a local clinic. He brings with him outspoken hitchhiker Amber Hanson, who is returning to Sea Harbor to claim an inheritance. She quickly reacquaints herself with the area–and forms an unlikely friendship with Charlie. But their bond is shattered when her body is found beneath the undecorated trees on the Harbor Green.

With Charlie a suspect in the murder, Izzy and her fellow knitters step in to uncover the truth. It’s only by peeling away long-buried secrets that they can hope to restore joy to the season, and enjoy the shining lights of the newly decorated trees.

ABOUT SALLY GOLDENBAUM

Sally Goldenbaum is a philosophy teacher, knitter, editor, and the author of more than two-dozen novels.

Series: * A Seaside Knitters Mystery

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Friday 56 #137 – We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey @michaelharvey88

Posted on June 30, 2017 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

Patient Zero, as Donnie Quin would later be dubbed, was dead before the EMT’s wheeeled him out of his apartment. Because he was a cop, however, they took him to Cook County Hospital, en route to joining his two homeless pals at the morgue. A Sharp intern took one look at Donnie and ordered additional blood work. An hour later, the lab results came back. The intern didn’t know what he was looking at, but knew he didn’t like it. He sent the results to his boss, who ignored them when he got caught up in a conference call with Blue Cross bout a new regimen of mammoggram testing they were kicking back as unnecessary.

( page 56, in harcover,1st edition, published in 2011)

Book Beginnings

Ring around the rosy…

A pocket full of posies…

Ashes, ashes…

We all fall down.

A folk memory of the black death, sung by children in the streets of seventeenth century London.

GOODREADS BLURB: Chicago cop turned private investigator Michael Kelly is racing to save his city from a deadly new foe: a biological weapon unleashed underground.

When a lightbulb falls in a subway tunnel, it releases a pathogen that could kill millions. While the mayor postures, people begin to die, especially on the city’s grim West Side. Hospitals become morgues. L trains are converted into rolling hearses. Finally, the government acts, sealing off entire sections of the city—but are they keeping people out or in? Meanwhile, Michael Kelly’s hunt for the people who poisoned his city takes him into the tangled underworld of Chicago’s West Side gangs and the even more frightening world of black biology—an elite discipline emerging from the nation’s premier labs, where scientists play God and will stop at nothing to preserve their secrecy.

It’s a brave new world . . . and the most audacious page-turner yet from an emerging modern master.

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Giveaway – Heart of a Thief by Ella Miles @AuthorEllaMiles @XpressoReads

Posted on June 27, 2017 by fundinmental

Heart of a Thief
Ella Miles
Publication date: June 26th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

I’m the villain in most romances.
I’m a thief that steals happily ever afters.
Except unlike most romances love doesn’t conquer me, I conquer it.
I’ve stolen countless women from unsuspecting men.
Gotten my one night with them.
And then watched the heartbreak that occurs in my wake.
Love doesn’t survive once I enter the picture, if it ever existed at all.
Although, stealing Sloane might be my greatest challenge of all.

Asher is a villain trying to a put a horrible life behind him by doing the only two things he knows to do: surf and steal. Sloane is an angel that runs a charity helping children needing a fresh start. Asher will do anything to have her. There is just one problem…she’s about to marry another man.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

CHAPTER ONE:

I grab a beer out of the mini fridge while I wait to see if Danielle is coming up or not. I pop the cap off against the counter in my hotel room and then bring the cold liquid to my lips as I stare at the door.

I met Danielle three weeks ago. It was a lucky happenstance really. Well, lucky for me, not so lucky for her. I met her like I meet most of my targets—in a bar. She was with her fiancé, minding her own business, just having a drink at the bar, when he was called away for work. That was when I stepped in and gave her the attention that she was so desperate for.

That’s all it took. One night of being nice to her, and I knew I could steal her from her fiancé. I knew it wouldn’t take long. I probably could have had her that night if I really wanted. But that’s not my game. Cheating isn’t enough. Many a men take back fiancées or wives who have cheated on them. No, I don’t entice the women so that they will cheat on their husbands. I hit on the women to steal them and make them mine—at least, until I get bored with them.

I’m not looking for anything long-term. I’ve never dated a woman for longer than a few weeks after claiming her as mine. Others, I get bored with much faster. I’m not really after the women. I’m after the chase that comes with stealing them away, and that satisfies the rush I used to get when I stole objects instead of people.

I don’t know which makes me a worse person. Stealing things like cars, money, or jewelry. Or stealing women and their hearts. But, this way, at least I don’t have to worry about going to jail.

I sit on the edge of the bed as I take another sip of my beer. I thought tonight was the night I would claim her. I thought tonight was the night I would steal her away. But, as every second passes, I become less sure of myself.

Maybe Danielle loves her fiancé, Wade, more than I thought she did.

I hear a soft knock on my door. Once, twice, and then a pause before the third knock. I grin before I down the rest of my beer and toss it into the trash can as I walk to the door. I open it and widen my eyes when I see Danielle standing outside my door, like I’m surprised that she is standing here even though I’m not the least bit surprised.

“What are you doing here, Danielle? Shouldn’t you be in bed, dreaming about that fiancé you are going to marry tomorrow?” I ask.

I haven’t stolen her yet. Not fully. I don’t win until she’s broken up with him, and I’ve had her in my bed.

Danielle wraps her arms across her chest, covering her cleavage that was sticking out from beneath her sparkly white dress that she wore to the rehearsal tonight.

I didn’t have to do much to get Danielle here. At least, not tonight. All I did was show up at the rehearsal. I made an appearance in the background, and it was enough to convince Danielle that she might be making a huge mistake.

“I’m not getting married tomorrow,” Danielle says.

“Oh,” I say, my voice dripping with sadness that isn’t the least bit real. “Would you like to come in?”

She nods, and I hold the door open for her. She walks over to the edge of my bed and sits down. I walk over to the mini fridge and pull two beers out. I open the caps on both and then hand one to her. She takes it, loosely holding it in her hand. She stares at it for a while, not able to look at me.

I keep my distance until she is ready to talk. Leaning against the counter next to the mini fridge, I sip on my beer.

“I broke up with Wade tonight,” Danielle finally says.

“I gathered that. Why though?”

She looks up at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Because I don’t love Wade anymore. I love you.”

I look at her seriously and say, “I want you.”

She hears I love you though. It’s clear from the goofy smile and blushed cheeks.

But that’s the one thing I won’t ever do. I won’t lie to these women. I can’t help it if they hear what they want to hear.

I put my beer down and walk over to her until I’m standing between her legs. I take the beer out of her hand and place it on the counter. Her eyes follow me.

I push her back on the bed, and then I take the off the T-shirt I’m wearing… She bites her lip as she stares at my abs that have formed from surfing every day.

“Tell me you want me to fuck you,” I say.

Danielle sits up and unzips the back of her dress, letting it fall to her waist, revealing her white lacy bra that holds her perky breasts in, away from me.

“Fuck me, Asher.”

I grin as I grab ahold of her dress and roughly pull it off her body. She lets out a gasp.

She grabs at my neck, trying to pull me in so that she can kiss me. I let her pull me into her. I let her kiss me, and then I turn the kiss into rough kisses that show her what I really want.

“You like it rough,” she says.

“Don’t you?” I ask.

“I like anything with you.”

I flip her over on the bed, and she lets out another surprised gasp.

I slap her ass. “I’m going to fuck this later, but first, I have to claim your pussy.”

“God, just fuck me already. I can’t wait,” she cries into the pillow that she is now face down on.

I sigh. “They never have patience,” I mutter to myself, annoyed that I can’t take my time to properly enjoy her body.

“What?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I say, hitting her hard on the ass, causing her to cry out.

I shove my shorts and briefs down and pull out a condom from the nightstand. I quickly slip it on before she finds a way to get herself off without me.

“Ready?” I ask, pulling her panties down and positioning myself at her entrance.

“Just fuck me already.”

I do. I push inside her tight pussy that I know is anything but ready for me. I’ve barely spent any time turning her on, but if this is what she wants, I won’t object.

She moans loudly and then quickly starts screaming, “Yes…yes,” over and over.

I keep thrusting until I come, not concerned at all if she comes or not. I’m an asshole after all. Although most have called me worse than that.

She must have come because she screams loudly, followed by nothing.

I pull out of her and go to the bathroom to clean myself off. When I’m done, I stay in the bathroom with my hands clenching either side of the sink as I look at myself in the mirror. I can’t handle this woman much longer. It was hard enough to pretend to like her to get her to want me, but now that I’ve had her once, I don’t think I can keep up the act to fuck her more than that. I’m ready for the implosion to happen.

I walk back out and dig through my suitcase to find a fresh pair of briefs to put on. After I do, I glance over at Danielle, who is now under the covers of the bed. Her cheeks are flushed, her brown eyes heavy, and her long brown hair is a mess on top of her head.

“That was amazing,” she says.

I nod and force my lips to curl up into something that resembles a smile.

“I’m ready to go again if you are. Or if you want to sleep some first…”

I take a deep breath, ready to tell her that I’m through with her, that she can’t stay here, when I hear a loud pounding at my door.

I hold up a finger and then walk to the door in just my briefs, not caring who is on the other side. I throw the door open, and before I can register who is standing there, a fist flies at my face and hits me square in the nose. My body jolts backward with the hit, and I put my hands up to my nose as another hit rains down on my face, followed by another. My nose is pouring blood now, and I’m sure it’s broken. My eyesight is blurry, but I think I make Wade out through the haze. Or, at least, my prior experiences with ex-fiancés verify that he is most likely on the other end of the fist that keeps coming at my face.

“Wade, stop!” Danielle screams, running to my aide.

I hear Wade breathing heavily.

“I’m done. I’m done with both of you. You’re a rotten scumbag who deserves to be locked up in prison. And you’re a lying, cheating slut. I’m done with both of you.”

The blurriness finally leaves my eyes long enough for me to see Wade stumbling out of my room, clearly drunk. It’s a wonder he was even able to aim for my face. The door slams shut, and then I see Danielle standing naked in front of me.

“I’m sorry about Wade. He’s just upset that I broke off the wedding, that I no longer love him. He’ll get over it.”

I walk into the bathroom without saying a word and see that I was right about my nose. It’s most definitely broken as blood pours down my face. I grab one of the towels and hold it up to my nose to try and stop the bleeding, but I know it is going to take a while to stop.

“Here,” Danielle says, holding up a bag of ice.

I take the bag from her and hold it up to my face.

“It stings,” I say, wanting to pull it away from my face.

She laughs. “It will help with the swelling and stop the bleeding.”

I keep it on my face and walk back to the bedroom. Danielle follows me.

“I think you should go,” I say.

“What? Why?”

“I don’t want to worry about Wade coming back and beating me up.”

“He won’t.”

“And I don’t think you and I are going to work out. You’re not worth my trouble.”

Danielle’s jaw drops. “I broke up with Wade for you though. I called off my wedding tomorrow for you. I want to be with you. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“You made a mistake then. You should have stayed with Wade, or you should find someone else. I’m not the man for you, Danielle.”

“He’s not going to take me back now,” she says, her voice shaking.

I smirk. “No, I don’t think he will take you back.”

“You fucking bastard! You asshole!” Danielle shouts, raising her hand to no doubt slap or punch me.

At least, this time, I’m ready for the attack. I grab her wrist midair, stopping her from hitting me.

“You are an evil, vile person,” she says through tears.

I nod. “I am.”

She jerks her hand out of my grasp. “Why would you do this?”

I open my mouth to speak, and she holds a hand up to stop me.

“Never mind. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to spend another second listening to this crap.” She grabs her crumpled dress from the floor and quickly puts it back on, not bothering with her underwear. She cries the whole time.

Occasionally, the women recover after this. They are able to convince their fiancés to take them back. But I don’t think Danielle will. And I’m not sure she is strong enough to fully recover from it either.

She hesitates a second, like she is trying to decide if she should say anything or if I’m going to. When I don’t, she storms out the door without another word.

I take a deep breath as I go over to the bed and lie down, ensuring the ice pack is still on my face.

Shit, I curse to myself when the ice stings my face again.

If I’m going to keep this up, I need to be better prepared. I can’t keep getting hit like this. Next time, I might get a concussion, and then I won’t be able to surf. I won’t let that happen. Next time, I’ll be ready for a hit.

Maybe I should take some boxing classes or something.

I grin. Despite the pain I’m feeling now, I’ll sleep like a baby for the first time in weeks. I stole her heart and then tore it to pieces. It feels good.

Author Bio:

Ella Miles writes sexy romance with strong females that could kick your butt if you piss them off, which they often do to the men that fall for them. She’s currently living her own happily ever after near the Rocky Mountains with her high school sweetheart husband. Her heart is also taken by her goofy two year old black lab that is scared of everything, including her own shadow. Ella is the author of the Aligned series. Get a free book by visiting her website. Or by stalking her on Twitter or Facebook.

Website / Goodreads / Facebok / Twitter

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Friday 56 #136 – A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell @rebeccacantrell

Posted on June 23, 2017 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

I had made a mistake.

I pivoted back toward the door, but he slammed it shut and stood in front, arms crossed.

( page 56, in hardcover,1st edition, published in 2011)

Book Beginnings

The crowd pushed the three of us between the Marathon Towers toward the Berlin Olympics Stadium. The left tower displayed a simple clock On the right, both politically and geographically, hung a twisted iron cross – the swastika. I understood the message: It was 1936, and the time of the Nazis had come.

GOODREADS BLURB: Journalist Hannah Vogel returns in A Game of Lies by award-winning author Rebecca Cantrell.

In preparation for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Nazis have rid the streets of anti-Semitic material and other propaganda, and present a peace-seeking face to the world. Journalist and part-time spy for the British, Hannah Vogel, shudders to think of what lies under the temporary coat of gloss.

Posing as travel reporter Adelheid Zinsli and lover of SS officer Lars Lang, Hannah has been collecting Nazi secrets from Lang and smuggling them back to Switzerland. Wanted by the SS, her travel in and out of Germany has always been fraught with danger, but this trip is especially treacherous.

Surrounded by former colleagues who could identify her, Hannah tries to keep a low profile while reporting on the Games as Adelheid. Her relationship with Lang gets more complicated as he sinks into alcoholism; the whispers she hears about his work in the SS give her chills. Whose side is he on?

Hannah agrees to meet her mentor, Peter Weill, at the Stadium, but before he can reveal information that will expose the Nazis, he dies in front of her. Hannah suspects poison.

Hannah must discover who killed Weill and get his secret package out of the country before the Olympics end and the Nazis tighten their noose and before her true identity is revealed. And her partner may be the very one about to expose her.

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Teaser Tuesday #95 – Trials of a Teenage WereVulture by Emily Martha Sorensen @CleanYAFantasy

Posted on June 20, 2017 by fundinmental

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday hosted by The Purple Booker, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.

~~~~~~

I have been reading Emily Martha Sorensen’s wonderful stories for a while now.

Take a look at Trials of a Teenage WereVulture and you will see why.

Cover by Rebecca Frank

Amazon / Goodreads

MY TEASE

“Oh,” she said. She sounded disappointed. “That’s not really a clan. That’s, like…a club. You might as well join Were Scouts.”

(24% on Kindle)

MY REVIEW

Looking for a fun, paranormal story about a young girl coming of age in the wereworld? Look no further.

Something’s wrong. The turning wasn’t what Lisette hoped for. Her wings are all wrong. She’s not a werehawk, she’s a Werevulture.

She went to Werepedia to see what’s what. She’ll be going to Flyer’s Education for flying lessons.

She loved her best friend, Kegan, and didn’t judge her for being different, but when she became different too, her feelings became mixed.

What clan would accept her? Let’s go to Wereconnection.com and find out. She may be the odd man out, but I have a feeling she’ll show us how valuable she would be to any clan.

We have a vampire pumpkin, wereporcupine, wereplatypus, werebutterfly, weretrees….and all the normal vampires, centaurs, mermaids and such.

Her instincts are good and we will find out how good as she investigates the Rarity Clan, who wanter her to join up with them.

It is Emily Martha Sorensen’s ability to surprise me with her creative writing and smiles throughout, even in the tough times, that keeps me reading her work. She has a wonderful ability to create such marvelous characters.

We can anticipate many things to come, but Trials of a Teenage WereVulture is filled with wit and humor, evil and danger. The creatures spark the imagination and I am left with a feeling we are all special in our individual ways. We all have much to offer to those who enter our lives.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Trials of a Teenage WereVulture by Emily Martha Sorensen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: Lisette was expecting to be a werehawk. Now she’s a werevulture.

Sure, she can still fly, but the garbage looks delicious. And everyone’s afraid of her! Okay, everyone’s afraid of her best friend, too, but her best friend chose to be a banshee.

Then the mysterious Rarity Clan invites her to join. They offer her friendship, and the ultimate secret: how to be turned a second time so that she could choose a different species instead. She could be a werehawk, or a vampire, specter, giant, lorelei, or whatever else she pleases. There’s only one catch, and it’s a big one.

The tool that’s used to do that is a weapon that could destroy the entire city.

Now available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Google Play, Kobo, and Smashwords.

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Unputdownable Conclusion of the Shadowcat Nation – Seneca’s Faith by Abigail Owen @AOwenBooks

Posted on June 12, 2017 by fundinmental

I love the Shadowcat Nation Series and am very happy to be learning about Seneca in Seneca’s Faith by Abigail Owen.

Check out this gorgeous cover!

Cover: Debbie Taylor

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The Shadowcat Nation saga continues in Seneca’s Faith, Book IV by Abigail Owen. The books can stand alone, but I have loved learning about every character and their lives, so I highly recommend reading from the beginning, Andromeda’s Fall, Book I.

The journey for this series has been one of wonder, and I will hate to see it end.

I was immediately engrossed in the supernatural world of Seneca’s Faith and it never let me go. I did not realize this would also be Gage’s story, but after Tieryn’s Fury, Book III, I really wanted to know more about him.

Seneca had portrayed an image…poor little powerless female. Now, after being kidnapped, she was throwing it out the window, showing her true colors. Gage, who was taken too, is in for a big surprise.

When I found out her secret…LOVED IT!

Seneca has a winning way and a bewitching smile, an air of innocence, naivety and friendliness that could win over even the most ornery lion shifter. I love the way Seneca teases Gage, driving him a little crazy. Men are so easy when it comes to sex.

The ongoing war began with Seneca’s father and is coming to a head. Revenge is a huge motivator and he is determined to have it…and more. In the conclusion of the Shadowcat Nation, Seneca’s Faith, Book IV the final battle is fought . Who will be left standing?

As bonds are formed and sides are chosen, unlikely allies unite…cougars, lions and mountain lions, wolves, tigers, grizzlies and polar bears…sister against sister…daughter against father…

This fabulous fantasy with its excellent writing has given me hours of unputdownable reading and I am sorry to see my journey end. But when one journey ends, another begins.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The Delaney Dare needs a new leader—one from outside, after their own Alpha’s actions led to the shifter war. Gage McAvoy has agreed to marry one of the previous Alpha’s daughters and try to keep the dare from falling apart. Unfortunately, the daughter he’s agreed to marry is not the one he wants.

Seneca Delaney is a known latent, unable to shift. She’s remained in her dare, enduring rejection and isolation all her life, even from her own father, because she had no other place to go. Standing on the sidelines yet again while Gage marries her older sister is the last thing she wants to do. Then circumstance throws her together with the one man she can’t have, trying to save a nation of shifters who don’t want her, and risking the exposure of lifelong secrets that could result not only in her death, but in Gage’s.

ABOUT ABIGAIL OWEN

Award-winning paranormal and contemporary romance author, Abigail Owen was born in Greeley, Colorado, and raised in Austin, Texas. She now resides in Northern California with her husband and two adorable children who are the center of her universe.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. A fourth generation graduate of Texas A&M University, she attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

MY REVIEWS FOR ABIGAIL OWEN

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Cate Beauman & The Bodyguards of LA County Series Giveaway @CateBeauman @iReadBookTours

Posted on May 25, 2017 by fundinmental

Book Details:

Book Title: Deceiving Bella: Book #11 In The Bodyguards of L.A. County Series
Author: Cate Beauman
Category: Adult Fiction, 588 pages
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Createspace
Release date: October 13, 2016
Tour dates: May 22 to June 16, 2017
Content Rating: R (Sex scenes, language, some intense moments)

Book Description:

Isabella Colby has always yearned for normalcy. Now that she’s settled in LA, she finally has it. Good friends, a pretty home, and her thriving career as the Palisades’ top skincare specialist are a dream come true. Bella is content until she meets her hunky new neighbor, but her attraction to the blue-eyed cutie is the least of her worries when contacting her long-lost father threatens to destroy her happy life.

Reed McKinley is more than ready to forget the past. His seven-year stint as an NYPD detective nearly got him killed. His wounds have healed and he’s starting over as Ethan Cooke Security’s latest recruit. With sixty-hour workweeks and little time to himself, the last thing on his mind is a relationship. Then he bumps into the gorgeous woman next door.

Reed and Bella become fast friends. Before long, Reed discovers that Bella is keeping dangerous secrets. Bella may have the answers to decades-old questions he’s been searching for. Reed will risk it all to uncover the truth, but he soon realizes that the deeper he digs, the direr the consequences.

“This book captured my attention from the very beginning. The author did an excellent job of developing the characters and helping the reader feel like he was along for the story. I have enjoyed all of the books in this series, but I must say Deceiving Bella is one of my favorites!”
– Amazon Customer

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ iTunes

Add to Goodreads

Deceiving Bella is the eleventh book is the Bodyguards of L.A. County Series. Check out the first ten books here!

I found Cate Beauman and her bodyguards of LA County Series some time ago through a tour and have become a super fan of hers. I am reading my way through her series, one by one by one. If you love thrills and suspense, you will want to add this series to your reading list.

Book One

You can read my review here.

Morgan’s Hunter, the story of Morgan and Hunter. (4.2 Stars!)

Buy Now!

Morgan Taylor, D.C. socialite and wildlife biologist, leads a charmed life until everything changes with a phone call. Her research team has been found dead—slaughtered—in backcountry Montana.

As the case grows cold, Morgan is determined to unravel the mystery behind her friends’ gruesome deaths. Despite the dangers of a murderer still free, nothing will stand in her way, not even the bodyguard her father hires, L.A.’s top close protection agent, Hunter Phillips.

Sparks fly from the start when no-nonsense Hunter clashes with Morgan’s strong-willed independence. Their endless search for answers proves hopeless—until Hunter discovers the truth.

On the run and at the mercy of a madman, Morgan and Hunter must outsmart a killer to save their own lives.

“One thing I noticed right away was Hunter is smoking hot. This author captured his attractiveness well. Many romance authors have said their main character was good looking, but this was one of the very few times where I thought, “Wow. He’s hot!” And let me tell you blonde-haired blue eyed guys are not my type. The author deserves some serious props here.”
– Raven Reviewer

Book Two

You can see my review here.

Falling For Sarah, the story of Sarah and Ethan. (4.5 Stars / Award Winner!)

Buy Now!

Widow Sarah Johnson struggled to pick up the pieces after her life was ripped apart. After two years of grieving, she’s found contentment in her thriving business as photographer to Hollywood’s A-list and in raising her angel-faced daughter, Kylee…until bodyguard and long-time friend Ethan Cooke changes everything with a searing moonlight kiss.

Sarah’s world turns upside down as she struggles with her unexpected attraction to Ethan and the guilt of betraying her husband’s memory. But when blue roses and disturbing notes start appearing on her doorstep, she has no choice but to lean on Ethan as he fights to save her from a stalker that won’t stop until he has what he prizes most.

“This story, although starting sad with Jake’s death, goes zero to sixty from there. A creepy, insane , psycho thrown in with HOT manly men always make for an awesome ride.”
– Inside BJ’s Head

Book Three

Review coming soon.

Hailey’s Truth, the story of Hailey and Austin. (4.4 Stars!)

Buy Now!

As Austin struggles to keep Hailey’s past from destroying her future, he’s forced to make a decision that could turn her against him, or worse cost them both their lives.

“WOW. My head is in a whirl from this one. From the high intensity of Suspense, down to the oh-so yummy Romance, by far, Hailey and Austin have the hottest freaking scenes of the three books! ~ It’s so good… or I’m so bad because–I hate to admit it–I reread the hotter than Hades scenes! I could read the entire novel again, and that’s rare for me.”

– Hammy

Book Four

Forever Alexa, the story of Alexa and Jackson. (4.4 Stars!)

Buy Now!

First grade teacher and single mother Alexa Harris is no stranger to struggle, but for once, things are looking up. The school year is over and the lazy days of summer are here. Mini-vacations and relaxing twilight barbeques are on the horizon until Alexa’s free-spirited younger sister vanishes.

Ransom calls and death threats force Alexa and her young daughter to flee their quiet home in Maryland. With nowhere else to turn, Alexa seeks the help of Jackson Matthews, Ethan Cooke Security’s Risk Assessment Specialist and the man who broke her heart.

With few leads to follow and Abby’s case going cold, Alexa must confess a shocking secret if she and Jackson have any hope of saving her sister from a hell neither could have imagined.

“FOREVER ALEXA is a book that is impossible to put down. I loved the first three books in this series, Morgan’s Hunter, Falling for Sarah and Hailey’s Truth, but FOREVER ALEXA is far and above my favorite in the series. That being said, I not only recommend but encourage readers of romantic suspense to give Ms. Beauman’s books a try…..you will not be disappointed!!!”
– NicoleMD

Book Five

Waiting For Wren, the story of Wren and Tucker. (4.6 Stars!)

Buy Now!

Wren Cooke has everything she’s ever wanted—a thriving career as one of LA’s top interior designers and a home she loves. Business trips, mockups, and her demanding clientele keep her busy, almost too busy to notice Ethan Cooke Security’s gorgeous Close Protection Agent, Tucker Campbell.

Jaded by love and relationships in general, Wren wants nothing to do with the hazel-eyed stunner and his heart-stopping grins, but Tucker is always in her way. When Wren suddenly finds herself bombarded by a mysterious man’s unwanted affections, she’s forced to turn to Tucker for help.

As Wren’s case turns from disturbing to deadly, Tucker whisks her away to his mountain home in Utah. Haunted by memories and long-ago tragedies, Tucker soon realizes his past and Wren’s present are colliding. With a killer on the loose and time running out, Tucker must discover a madman’s motives before Wren becomes his next victim.

“I loved the book, the chemistry between all the players, always love it when a man knows what he wants and goes about getting it. Of course I did cry some tears and my spine tingled not just the suspense but the intimate times Tucker and Wren spent together and not just between the sheets.”
– Seawitch Reviews

Book Six

Justice For Abby, the story of Abigail and Jerrod. (4.6 Stars / Award Winner!)

Buy Now!

Fashion designer Abigail Harris has been rescued, but her nightmare is far from over. Determined to put her harrowing ordeal behind her and move on, she struggles to pick up the pieces of her life while eluding the men who want her dead.

The Mid-Atlantic Sex Ring is in ruins after Abby’s interviews with the police. The organization is eager to exact their revenge before her testimony dismantles the multi-million dollar operation for good.

Abby’s safety rests in the hands of former US Marshal, Jerrod Quinn. Serious-minded and obsessed with protocol, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest agent finds himself dealing with more than he bargains for when he agrees to take on his beautiful, free-spirited client.

As the trial date nears, Abby’s case takes a dangerous turn. Abby and Jerrod soon discover themselves in a situation neither of them expect while Jerrod fights to stop the ring from silencing Abby once and for all.

“I really thought this would be a routine bodyguard/subject book, boy was I wrong. Cate Beauman’s characters popped! By the end of this book (which I read in one sitting) I was exhausted but replete… From paragraph to paragraph this story shifts and changes. The betrayals and surprises come at the reader at a furious pace. And while this story revolves around a very dark occurrence, there are enough moments that will make you smile, chuckle, snort and go “awwwww.”
– Sebella Blue

Book Seven

You can see my review here.

Saving Sophie, the story of Sophie and Stone. (4.7 Stars / Award Winner!)

Buy Now!

Jewelry designer Sophie Burke has fled Maine for the anonymity of the big city. She’s starting over with a job she tolerates and a grungy motel room she calls home on the wrong side of town, but anything is better than the nightmare she left behind.

Stone McCabe is Ethan Cooke Security’s brooding bad boy more interested in keeping to himself than anything else—until the gorgeous blond with haunted violet eyes catches his attention late one rainy night.

Stone reluctantly gives Sophie a hand only to quickly realize that the shy beauty with the soft voice and pretty smile has something to hide. Tangled up in her secrets, Stone offers Sophie a solution that has the potential to free her from her problems once and for all—or jeopardize both of their lives.

“Saving Sophie is truly a beautiful story… Cate has woven a meaningful story about a courageous woman who overcomes domestic violence to build a life for herself…The author beautifully shows the readers the struggles and fears that Sophie goes through to break free. There is pain in sorrow and beauty in the tears. The heroine is broken and whole. She survives to show us that if you have the courage and the will you can overcome all odds… Saving Sophie is about abuse, courage, romance, honor and so much more.”

– Rebecca

Book Eight

Reagan’s Redemption, the story of Reagan and Shane. (4.5 Stars / Award Winner!)

Buy Now!

Doctor Reagan Rosner loves her fast-paced life of practicing medicine in New York City’s busiest trauma center. Kind and confident, she’s taking her profession by storm–until a young girl’s accidental death leaves her shaken to her core. With her life a mess and her future uncertain, Reagan accepts a position as Head Physician for The Appalachia Project, an outreach program working with some of America’s poorest citizens.

Shane Harper, Ethan Cooke Security’s newest team member, has been assigned a three-month stint deep in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, and he’s not too happy about it. Guarding a pill safe in the middle of nowhere is boring as hell, but when he gets a look at his new roommate, the gorgeous Doctor Rosner, things start looking up.

Shane and Reagan encounter more than a few mishaps as they struggle to gain the trust of a reluctant community. They’re just starting to make headway when a man’s routine checkup exposes troubling secrets the town will do anything to keep hidden–even if that means murder.

“Cate Beauman’s eagerly anticipated book Reagan’s Redemption the 8th book in her Bodyguards of La series did not disappoint! I have not found a book in a long time that I just could not put down. I literally stayed up until 2am reading. This book had it all, suspense, great hero, heroine, mystery, and romance. I believe Cate definitely knocked this one out of the part.”
– Jeannie K

Book Nine

Answers For Julie, the story of Julie and Chase. (4.6 Stars! / Award Winner)

Buy Now!

Julie Keller relishes the simple things: hot chocolate on winter nights, good friends she calls her family, and her laid-back career as a massage therapist and yoga instructor. Julie is content with her life until Chase Rider returns to Bakersfield.

Bodyguard Chase Rider isn’t thrilled to be back in the town where he spent his childhood summers. His beloved grandmother passed away, leaving him a house in need of major repairs. With a three-week timetable and a lot to do, he doesn’t have time for distractions. Then he bumps into Julie, the one woman he hoped never to see again. Chase tries to pretend Julie doesn’t exist, but ten years hasn’t diminished his attraction to the hazel-eyed stunner.

When a stranger grabs Julie’s arm at the grocery store—a woman who insists Julie’s life isn’t what it seems, Chase can’t help but get involved. Julie and Chase dig into a twenty-five-year-old mystery, unearthing more questions than answers. But the past is closer than they realize, and the consequences of the truth have the potential to be deadly.

“This series just gets better and better! I loved Answers for Julie – as with the whole series, it’s a careful balance between suspense and romance, the characters are really well developed, and the plot moved at just the right pace with a fair number of surprises thrown in!”
– LCF

Book Ten

Finding Lyla, the story of Lyla and Collin. (4.7 Stars!)

Buy Now!

Principal Dancer Lyla Markovik-Avery is always on the go. Grueling practices and endless performances rule her busy days–and things are about to get more hectic. Russia is rolling out the red carpet for their beloved star, despite the string of violent terrorist attacks that have rocked the nation.

Bodyguard Collin Michaels’ life is falling apart. His long-time relationship recently ended. He’s trying to start over, but that’s easier said than done. Luckily, Collin has a new assignment on the horizon: keeping a beautiful ballerina safe for the next three weeks.

Collin finds comfort in Lyla’s easy friendship, but that all changes after a night out on the town. Simple feelings become complicated–something Collin can’t afford, especially when tragedy strikes and Collin realizes Lyla’s caught in the middle of a dangerous plot for revenge.

Collin and Lyla are forced to flee. They need to reach the border before it’s too late, but the odds are stacked against them in a country that wants them dead. With time running out, Collin formulates a risky plan that might be their only chance of making it out alive.

“In reading the synopsis, I wasn’t sure how I would like this although I love all of Cate’s books. Boy, was this a surprise for me. This book is wonderfully written with so many twists and turns, it was hard to put down. Such a beautiful love story with action, suspense, drama, and a bit of sadness too. I loved Lyla and felt sad because of how she felt she had to live her life. I also loved Collin and how he recognized the journey that Lyla needed to take. Of course, being a man, he is on his own journey of self realization as well. Wonderful story that I KNOW I will be reading again.”
– Ree Ree

Meet the Author:

Connect with Cate:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Instagram

LIMITED TIME OFFER: NEWSLETTERS SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVE BOOKS 1 & 2 FOR FREE!

Subscribe to Cate’s Newsletter

Follow Cate on BookBub to be notified about new books or discounts on earlier books.

Kindle readers! Please go to Cate’s page on Amazon and click on the yellow Follow button to be notified when new books are available!

Amazon Author Page (buy links for all eleven books)

Barnes and Noble (buy now links for all eleven books)

Kobo (buy now links for all eleven books)

Enter the Giveaway!

Win an ebook copy of one of your choice of 5 books:

Answers for Julie
Saving Sophie
Justice for Abby
Deceiving Bella
Falling for Sarah

One winner will also get a $20 Amazon gift card (will default to Amazon.com if unable to deliver in your country)

30 winners total / open internationally. Ends June 24

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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One Sentence Review – Donkey’s Kite by Liana Melissa Allen #LianaMelissa Allen

Posted on May 20, 2017 by fundinmental

Check out this fun children’s book, Donkey Kite by Liana Melissa Allen.

I reviewed the first book in A Horse Valley Adventure, Three Little Horses and a Big Bully Donkey last Saturday. You can check it out HERE.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY ONE SENTENCE REVIEW

The Big Bully Donkey found out what it was like when the shoe is on the other foot, but sometimes ‘the hero’ will surprise you…and the message is…keep your mind open and it’s all about teamwork.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The three horses Jack, Max, Lax and their friend Donkey are back!

In Horse Valley it is a perfect day to go kite flying. Jack, Max, Lax, and Donkey decide to get creative by putting together their own homemade kites. However, Donkey’s kite doesn’t turn out very good. No matter how hard he tries to get it to fly, it just keeps tumbling to the ground.

How will poor Donkey get his kite to fly? Well, a friendly goose named Gusty is delighted to help him out.

In this Horse Valley Adventure, Donkey learns not to give up when all seems hopeless. They all learn a lesson about helping others and true friendship.