Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery, Spotlight on September 8, 2016

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Gnarly New Year! Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Paperback: 220 pages

Synopsis

The honeymoon’s not over yet! Kim and Brien’s excellent adventure at the swanky Sanctuary Resort & Spa continues when an unwelcome visitor drops in on New Year’s Eve. An elusive marine GPS device found and lost again, unleashes another wave of murder and mayhem in Corsario Cove! What is it about that thing? Will the secret be revealed when they visit the chamber of heinousness? Stooges, Krugerrands, and monks—oh my! Is it going to be a Gnarly New Year for Kim and Brien?

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Guest Post

Welcome Anna to StoreyBook Reviews!  I’m so excited that you are here and I love food too and always love to hear more…about food of course!

Brien Williams, Eating Machine, Helps Put Food Center Stage

Brien Williams, handsome newlywed and surfer dude, is one-half of the sleuthing duo in my Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery Series. If you’ve already read Cowabunga Christmas and Gnarly New Year, then you know he’s one-of-a-kind. A quirky guy, he’s likable and easy-going most of the time unless there’s a bad guy to be vanquished in true Thor-like fashion. In my mind, he looks much like a young Chris Hemsworth as Thor.

Brien has three major loves in life: his new bride, Kim, of course, surfing, and eating! Kim affectionately refers to him as an eating machine, in fact. “My surfer boy can put it away,” Kim tells us in Cowabunga Christmas. And so he does. Why not? It takes a lot of working out to keep that Thor-like physique and a lot of calories to stoke those workouts.

Brien’s capacity to eat is legendary among his sleuthing buddies in the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery Series. That’s where Brien first makes an appearance. He’s always at center stage when the eating begins. In both series, food is sometimes a centerpiece of the setting and the action.

That’s also true in a third series I write, the Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery Series. In that series, she’s an executive in Food and Beverage Management at a Disney-like entertainment conglomerate. Founded on the success of a cartoon cat, Georgie fondly refers to her place of employment as the Cat Factory where she works for the cat. Georgie’s trained as a chef and started her career in the kitchen, so food is still a part of her life even though she’s moved out of the kitchen and into the boardroom at Marvelous Marley World Enterprises.

Why is food such a big deal in all three series I write? I didn’t set out for that to be the case, it just happened. I don’t think it was an accident, though. There are several reasons why the characters in my stories eat so well. The tagline for my website says a lot. That’s where you’ll find me: Snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, & food–California style!

Food, along with Hollywood, the sunshine, and beaches, is almost synonymous with the California lifestyle. A lot of the emphasis is on a healthy eating, but for better or worse, California is also the birthplace of fast food behemoths like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box, and others. Brien is a burger aficionado as are many Southern California—SoCal—residents. In fact, according to a post in Mother Jones, SoCal is the fast food Capital of the world! [http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/12/southern-california-fast-food-capital-world]. It’s not just fast food. Californians take their food very seriously. So, my characters’ foodie tendencies are, in part, an artifact of the culture they inhabit.

The presence of food and its role in the storytelling is also the result of my background intruding into the story. Like, Georgie Shaw, I was trained as a chef and worked for an entertainment conglomerate. Not Disney-like, but Disney. We called it working for the mouse at the Mouse Factory. Hired at Walt Disney World as a culinary assistant with very basic training in food preparation, Disney put me through their chef’s school. I learned a lot from training and apprenticeship at the hands of some terrific chefs. Not the easiest guys to work around—and I do mean guys. In those days, there wasn’t a woman chef in the bunch!

A third reason food is always on the table in my stories–if you’ll pardon the pun–is that I like to appeal to all of the senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Food entails the use of all our senses as it sizzles, delights the eye with color or by design, tantalizes with enticing aromas, warms or chills us at the touch, and transports us with satisfying flavors. Food is a source of comfort, a focal point for social bonding, and provides an almost universal connection between us all as readers. I believe that’s the reason food is so prominent in cozy mystery—sensual, comforting, and social. What better antidote is there to murder and mayhem as sleuths seek out and vanquish evildoers?

So, what do you think? Why is food so much a part of fiction, especially the mystery genre? I’d love to hear from you.

While we’re on the subject of food, here’s a recipe for one of Kim’s favorite dishes: Cheesy Baked Artichoke Dip.

ARTICHOKE-DIP-RECIPE

 

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About the Author

ac burkeAnna Celeste Burke is an award-winning and bestselling author who enjoys snooping into life’s mysteries with fun, fiction, & food—California style! Her books include the Jessica Huntington Desert Cities Mystery series set in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, the Corsario Cove Cozy Mystery series set on California’s Central Coast, and The Georgie Shaw Cozy Mystery series set in Orange County, California–the OC. Coming soon: The Misadventures of Betsy Stark that take place in the Coachella Valley.

Twitter * Facebook * Website * Blog * Goodreads * Amazon Author Page

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Check out the other Blogs on this tour

September 7 – The Self-Rescue Princess – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 8 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

September 9 – Author Annette Drake’s blog – SPOTLIGHT

September 10 – Island Confidential – CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 11 – Christa Reads and Writes – GUEST POST

September 12 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW

September 13 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW

September 14 – Varietats2010 – INTERVIEW

September 15 – fundinmental – REVIEW

September 16 – Cozy Up With Kathy – INTERVIEW

Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, Spotlight, Thriller on September 7, 2016

Slave Queen

Slave Queen by H. B. Moore

Special Agent Omar Zagouri’s latest case is his most dangerous—and his most personal yet. The discovery of secret sixteenth-century letters unveils a plot between the sultan Suleyman and his chief wife, Roxelane, to change the course of the Ottoman Empire. A descendent of Roxelane, Zagouri learns he has an enemy whose revenge has been centuries in the making.

Targeted by an antiquities collector who’s also descended from a chief rival for the ancient throne, Zagouri soon uncovers a modern-day conspiracy that threatens the lives of his family and the security of a nation.

To expose the plot, Zagouri must team up with Naim, the son of his nemesis, who heads an international black-market operation that may have ties to the killings. From ancient Constantinople to the present-day Middle East, Zagouri is on a collision course with history. Time is running out to solve a royal mystery and stop a ruthless killer—one who has Zagouri’s name on his hit list.
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Excerpt

Chapter One
Al Karak, Jordan

Rashed Sayid picked up his cell phone and selected his most trustworthy contact. The phone call would take only moments, but the result would teach the entire Sayid tribe what honor meant. He shut his third-floor office window, blocking out the rising heat of the Jordanian desert’s summer morning. He and his only brother owned the bank in the city of Al Karak, having started the bank three decades before, and now they were among the wealthiest in town.

“Yes?” Yamil answered.

“We have proof,” Rashed said into the phone.

“Four male witnesses?” Yamil asked.

Rashed blew out a breath. Yamil was a stickler for rules. An execution couldn’t be ordered unless there were four respected male witnesses to the crime. There were actually no witnesses, but Rashed knew his daughter was guilty. He had plenty of video footage of her leaving her university apartment more than once after midnight, and he also had other, less legal evidence. There was only one reason for his daughter’s midnight forays. Worst case scenario, Aamira was no longer a virgin. Next case scenario, she’d been tainted in some way by having a relationship with a man other than her fiancé. Rashed was still working on trying to find out whom she was meeting. But it was time to put the execution order into motion.

Praise for Slave Queen

“Moore does an excellent job of setting the scene of international intrigue, and although this novel is part of a series, it also works well as a stand-alone. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past as Moore tells the story of Roxelane’s capture by the Turkish army and her subsequent love affair with Suleiman. Roxelane is an excellent, strong female character, and Moore brings some obscure players from the Ottoman Empire vividly to life. She even quotes from Suleiman’s actual poetry . . . to conjure a complex portrait of this larger-than-life figure. A satisfying historical thriller.” –Kirkus Reviews

“From sultans and hierarchies that separate men and women from Poland to Constantinople and beyond to new lives in great cities where mosques and sultans rule, these vivid past and present scenarios contribute to a story fueled by cultural revelations and the long-standing threat a series of letters reveals. The result is a fast-paced, complex, and absorbing adventure saga that crosses time and place to give Omar, Mia (and readers) a run for their money. Warning: once begun, it’s nearly impossible to put down the full-flavored, multi-faceted Slave Queen, which reveals many insights about the Ottoman Empire, Süleyman the Magnificent, and the slave girl foreigner who turned out to be his favorite wife.” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

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About the Author

HB-Moore-200x300H. B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook

 

 

 

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Ends 9/25/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 

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Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Guest Post, mystery on September 6, 2016

HAPPY HOMICIDES fall into crime

happy homicide 4

Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime

This collection is really a must-read for lovers of cozy mystery. It provides the opportunity to learn some new author or read a new adventure of some character who already know and love.
~LibriAmoriMiei

Included Stories

Joanna Campbell Slan / Vendetta: A Cara Mia Delgatto Mystery – The House of Refuge on Gilbert’s Bar is known for its 150-year history as a way station for shipwrecked sailors. But when Cara Mia visits, the museum becomes the scene of a crime.

Linda Gordon Hengerer / Dying for School Tea: A Beach Tea Shop Novella – Chelsea Powell and her sisters are providing treats for Citrus Beach High School’s freshman orientation. Can they solve the murder of the beloved softball coach before someone else dies?

Carole W. Price / The Glass Birdhouse – Glass artist Bella hopes to find clues about her student’s death in the woman’s unfinished glass birdhouse.

Lesley A. Diehl / Bobbing for Murder – A visit from Darcie’s family is always chaotic, and this time the relatives bamboozle Darcie into having a Halloween party. It’s a decision that definitely comes back to haunt her.

Nancy Jill Thames / Raven House – When a reporter is murdered after a fundraiser at the historic Raven House, the police call on Jillian and her Yorkie Teddy to help them investigate.

Teresa Trent / Falling for Murder – Helpful hints columnist Betsy Livingston is an expert at household organization but her skills are put to the test when she’s called upon to conduct an efficiency review for a haunted house.

Maggie Toussaint / Dead Men Tell Tales – In this third installment of the Lindsey & Ike romantic mystery novella series, things don’t add up after a suspicious hunting accident. The more Sheriff Ike Harper and newspaper editor Lindsey McKay dig, the more questions they find.

Anna Celeste Burke / All Hallow’s Eve Heist – Date night for Georgie Shaw and handsome detective Jack Wheeler goes terribly wrong. A botched heist at Marvelous Marley World has everyone scrambling as trigger-happy bad guys head for the Halloween celebration in Arcadia Park.

Randy Rawls / Accident, Suicide, or Murder – Retired policeman Jonathan Boykin’s primary interest is improving his golf, but a grieving father’s request to investigate his son’s suspicious death is an entirely different ballgame.

Nancy J. Cohen / Haunted Hair Nights – As a new stepmother, hairstylist Marla Vail hopes to win brownie points by helping her daughter with a school haunted house project. Marla has her work cut out for her when she stumbles over a corpse on the spooky estate grounds.

Terry Ambrose / Spirit in the Rock – An invitation to a museum’s grand opening turns into a showdown with the spirit world for amateur sleuth Wilson McKenna.

Deborah Sharp / Haunting in Himmarshee – When a ghost comes to call, Mace must sort out the haunted from the homicidal in Himmarshee, Florida.

Bonus Story—
Joanna Campbell Slan/Kiki Lowenstein and the Doodoo – A fun family outings turns into a fearful fright, but Kiki Lowenstein is good at sniffing out bad guys.

 

Comes with a bonus file of recipes and craft tips!

All for just 99 cents!

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Special Limited Time Offer!

Buy Happy Homicides 4: Fall Into Crime and get Happy Homicides 3: Summertime Crime absolutely free!

Guest Post

Thanks for hosting me on your blog, Leslie. I’ve had fun poking around, discovering all the books you read and review. Busy gal! (thanks Deborah, I am a bit of a book nerd!)

The Happy Homicides anthologies, with their short stories and novellas, are a departure for me.  A journalist-turned novelist, I write the funny, down-home-Florida Mace Bauer Mystery Series. All five of those books are traditional novel length, so writing shorter has been a fun experiment. I hope this latest effort, “Haunting in Himmarshee,’’ is more successful than another experiment I attempted in a long-ago chemistry class. That experiment led to a high school evacuation.

My books, as well as this novella, are set in a down-home slice of my native Florida. Most people don’t think “Southern’’ when they think Florida. Theme parks, spring break, and Miami’s Spanish-accented sizzle usually come to mind. But the part of the state I write about is as southern as RC Cola and MoonPie. The Mama character in my books — and also in these new Mace and Mama Short Mysteries — embraces traditions Southerners hold dear. Among those: Family, food, and funerals. Of course, Mama believes there’s a right way and a wrong way to honor traditions. Being the straight-talking sort, she’ll readily tell you which is which.

In “Haunting,’’ which takes place around Himmarshee’s annual Halloween bash, Mama and her middle daughter Mace attend a funeral. The deceased perished in a car crash that appears at first glance to be an accident. (But things are never what they seem in mysteries, are they?)

The victim was a former beau of Mama’s. Frankly, about half the male population of Himmarshee fits that description. Mama has notched five marriages on the belt of her sherbet-colored pantsuit. As for funerals, Mama says there are six rules for mourners:

Rule No. 1: Dress properly to show respect. When a young niece broke that rule, Mama chastised her in the chapel: “That skirt is so skimpy, every man here can see clear to the Promised Land!”

Rule No. 2: Feed the bereaved. Mama’s go-to funeral food used to be macaroni salad. But when a brawl broke out at a family funeral, she got tossed in a tub of the stuff. She hasn’t cared for macaroni since.

Rule No. 3: If you send flowers, make them special. Mama still talks about a tribute at the send-off for Paul “Bear’’ Bryant more than thirty years ago. In addition to a towering red “A’’ for Alabama, some 2,400 carnations created a floral memorial of the coach’s houndstooth hat.

In “Haunting in Himmarshee,’’ Mace’s suspicions are aroused when one not-so-mournful attendee breaks the last three rules of funeral etiquette:

Rule No. 4: Don’t show up drunk.

Rule No. 5: Don’t speak ill of the dead.

Rule No. 6: Don’t pull a knife on a grieving family member.

What are some funeral traditions where you live?  

deborah sharpAbout Deborah

A former USA Today reporter, Deborah Sharp wrote so many stories about marauding animals and human evil-doers it’s a wonder she ever leaves her house. She traded sad news for funny fiction with her Southern-fried Mace Bauer Mysteries. Think Janet Evanovich, if Stephanie Plum had a couple cousins named Bubba.

Deborah rode a horse across Florida for research, and chatted about the experience with Al Roker on the Today show. She was less nervous about the horse. She lives with her husband, TV reporter Kerry Sanders, in Florida, where she spends her spare time chasing iguanas out of the hibiscus. “Mama Gets Trashed” is her fifth book. Visit her online at www.DeborahSharp.com

Giveaways

There are several giveaways so make sure to enter each!
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Find out about the authors on their webpages below. 

Joanna Campbell Slan

Linda Gordon Hengerer

Carol W. Price

Lesley A. Diehl

Nancy Jill Thames

Teresa Trent

Maggie Toussaint

Anna Celeste Burke

Randy Rawls

Nancy J. Cohen

Terry Ambrose

and Deborah Sharp

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Visit the other blogs on this tour and enter their giveaways!

August 29 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT

August 30 – Cozy Up With Kathy – GUEST POST

August 31 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – SPOTLIGHT

August 31 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

September 1 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST

September 1 – fuonlyknew – SPOTLIGHT

September 2 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT

September 2 – My Funny View of Life – SPOTLIGHT

September 3 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

September 3 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW

September 4 – Book Babble – SPOTLIGHT

September 4 – Sleuth Cafe – GUEST POST

September 5 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

September 6 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

September 6 – Victoria’s Pages of Romance – SPOTLIGHT

September 7 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

September 8 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW

September 8 – Queen of All She Reads – GUEST POST

September 9 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, GUEST POST

September 10 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW

September 11 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW, GUEST POST

September 11 – Kaisy Daisy’s Corner – REVIEW

Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, romance, Spotlight on September 6, 2016

roadside assistance

Synopsis

Underneath the axle grease and tats

He’s a gentleman

Foley Sanders figured he’ll always be content with a life of cars and casual hookups. Until a run-in with Cyn, a statuesque firecracker with a hate-on for men, leaves him bewitched and intrigued—much to her annoyance.

Maybe Cynthia Nichols was a little hard on Foley, that muscular, tattooed, super-hot mechanic next door. But she’s tired of feeling defensive about her size and has sworn off men. She’s got a new job, new life, perfect plan. Foley has trouble written all over him—no way is she going to fall for his charms.

Foley might look like a bad idea, but underneath, he’s all gentleman. Too bad Cyn’s not buying it. What’s a bad boy to do when the goddess of his dreams won’t give him the time of day?

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Excerpt

She’d just finished clearing the last of them when a familiar sense of anticipation and annoyance broke out over her. She wasn’t surprised to turn around and see Foley Sanders staring at her. She swallowed hard and forced a polite, “Hello.”

His wide smile did nothing but stir her ovaries into happy leaps of joy. She glanced at his equally large and scary mechanic friend standing next to him. Talk about presence. The pair had a combination of sexy danger and charisma that attracted and repelled Cyn in the same breath. Tatted, muscular, and wary—as if they would attack anyone who came too near—the men seemed more lethal than anyone she’d ever met. At the same time, Sanders had a softness in his eyes that invited her to look closer and peel back the layers of the man.

“Hi, Cyn.” He held a coffee and bag of goodies in one hand and motioned to his companion. “This is Sam. You met him yesterday at the shop.”

“We didn’t actually meet,” Sam said in a low, gravelly voice. “She was bitching you out about the cars.”

Not nice of him to bring that up, was it?

Good Lord, but Sam might as well have had the word “menacing” tattooed on his forehead—in addition to the wealth of ink she’d seen over his forearms and biceps the other day.

“That’s right,” she replied, all sweetness and cream. “I came in to correct a fucked-up situation.”

Sanders sighed. Sam blinked then grunted at her and sat at the table she’d cleared.

“Yeah, well, it’s all good now, right?” Sanders gave her a subtle once-over and sipped from his cup, joining his friend at the table.

“It is.” She decided to be pleasant. Not his fault his friend had the manners of a goat. “Enjoy your coffee.”

“Cocoa.” Sam lifted it in toast to her. “And it’s damn good. You might have attitude, but you’ve earned it. The drink and food is fuckin’ amazing.”

She tried not to but couldn’t help it. She found Sam’s honesty charming. “Thanks. Appreciate the fuckin’ compliment.”

That earned a laugh from them both. Before Sanders could draw her into conversation, she left them to return to the back, where she planned to try to get some work done away from temptation. And she didn’t mean the food.

After half an hour dithering online, looking at memes on Facebook, she gave her spreadsheets a disinterested glance and yawned. It had just passed noon, and by the sounds in the shop, the crowd continued to remain steady.

She’d finally delved into progress on a small candy store in Issaquah she’d invested in when someone knocked at the door.

“Yes?” She didn’t glance up, finishing her calculations. Awesome. They’d finally turned a profit.

“So you busy?”

Having expected Gino or Nell, she jerked her head up to see Foley Sanders occupying her doorway. “Um, what?”

He tucked his hands into his front pockets, filling out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt like the clothes had been made just for him. “I really am sorry about yesterday.” He grimaced. “And about Sam.”

She grinned. “Yesterday’s over. And Sam is fine. I appreciate honesty.”

“You do?”

“Actually, yes. Why? Does that surprise you?”

“Not really.” The look on his face unnerved her, because she couldn’t read him. “You seem like a smart woman. I already know you’re not afraid of confrontation.”

“True enough.” Her palms felt sweaty. Waiting for him to get to the point while trying to seem blasé took energy. Man, he was good-looking. And way out of her league.

“So you want honesty. Okay. You’re beautiful. I want to go out with you. How does dinner sound?”

She blinked. Talk about direct. On the one hand, she liked him the more for it. On the other, now she had to respond in kind. “I thought I told you yesterday I don’t date.”

“I didn’t ask for a date. I asked you out to dinner. I don’t see why we can’t be friends who happen to eat together.”

He looked awkward, standing in an odd way. “Are you hunching your shoulders for some reason?”

“Do I look smaller? Less threatening? Sam said you’re probably scared of me, so I’m trying to look easygoing.” He sighed and straightened to his full height.

She snorted. “Yeah, right. And for the record, I’m not scared of you. I just don’t know what you want. I told you before. I’m not into one-night stands. Or sex of any kind.”

“Now that’s just a shame, but okay. I get it. Look, I’m not into forcing women into anything.” He shrugged. “Frankly, I don’t have to.”

“Nice ego you have there.”

“Hey, you want honesty. There it is. I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot yesterday.”

Shoot. He sounded sincere. Nothing cut through her defenses faster than a real apology. It took a person of worth to recognize his or her fault and atone. Especially when she’d been the one with the “attitude,” as Sam had said.

Her cheeks heated. “I am too. But I don’t want to lead you on in any way. No sex. You want to be friends. That’s what you’re saying.”

“I’d like a lot more than friendship. But if friendship is all you’re offering right now, sure, why not? Never hurts to have a friend who makes killer cocoa and muffins.”

She had to hand it to him. Despite not looking the least bit smaller or less threatening, he’d disarmed her. “How about lunch next week instead of dinner?”

“Lunch works. And I understand. Seriously. No sex, no hint of sex, not even a glimmer of it on the horizon.”

She wished he’d stop saying “sex,” because she kept envisioning him without his clothes on. In bed. Right next to her. So much for her bid for celibacy.

Cyn cleared her throat. “Right. Okay. Lunch. And we’ll go dutch.”

“My treat. I’ll probably end up annoying you, so at least if I’m buying, you’ll feel like you have to be nicer than normal to me.” His sly grin made the temperature in the room rise. “I know it’s tough. But I’ll grow on you.”

“Like mold?”

“I prefer to think of myself as a creeping vine. And hey, if after lunch you haven’t changed your mind about jumping my bones, at least you’ll like me by then. I’m a charming guy.”

She had to a laugh. “Persistent and honest. Okay. Lunch it is.”

He winked. “Talk to you next week, Cyn.” Sanders turned on his heel and left.

Cyn stared blankly at her monitor until Gino interrupted with a question about their new scones’ ingredients. Pulled back into reality, she dealt with allergy issues and a few finicky customers, all the while wondering if she was woman enough to withstand Foley Sanders’s lethal charm.

About the Author

Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, MARIE HARTE is a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after.

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Posted in Cozy, Giveaway, Monday, mystery, Review on September 5, 2016

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Pumpkins in Paradise
by Kathi Daley

PUMPKINS-IN-PARADISE-by-Kathi-Daley

Pumpkins in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 1)
Paperback: 268 pages
Publisher: Henery Press; Second edition (September 6, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1635110890
E-Book ASIN: B01GQPYU8U

Synopsis

Between volunteering for the annual pumpkin festival and coaching her girls to the state soccer finals, high school teacher Tj Jensen finds her good friend Zachary Collins dead in his favorite chair. When the handsome new deputy closes the case without so much as a “why” or “how,” Tj turns her attention from chili cook-offs and pumpkin carving to complex puzzles, prophetic riddles, and a decades-old secret she seems destined to unravel.

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Review

Loved this first book in this new series and I think that there will be a lot more character development coming in the following books.

I liked TJ because she doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything and when she was a kid, she befriended a recluse named Zachary. 14 years later he is found dead and TJ believes it is foul play, but the new detectives in town think it is natural causes.

There are also some visitors to the town staying in the lodge that TJ helps run (outside of her full time job as a coach at the high school) that add a little bit more mystery to the story. I figured out part of it, but not all, and while the author gives you some clues, I didn’t think it was enough to figure out the whole mystery until the end. I was not expecting the killer to be who it was!

There isn’t any romance in this book, but there is some hints towards a possible romance for TJ…future books will tell us more!

We give it 5 paws up

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Henery Press is releasing the 1st 6 books in this series on September 6, 2016

SNOWMEN-IN-PARADISE-by-Kathi-Daley

Snowmen in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 2)

Winter Carnival comes to Serenity, and with it Tj finds her schedule busier than ever. Not only is her ski and snowboard team heavily involved in demonstrations and local competitions, but her ragtag choir is about to debut in their first live performance. To make matters even more complicated, someone has killed Travis Davidson, a town favorite son, world-class snowboarder, and Olympic hopeful. Tj is determined not to get involved in the subsequent investigation until she learns the prime suspect is Chelsea Hanson, high-school boyfriend Hunter Hanson’s sister.

Although there’s no shortage of Sereninites with a grudge against the hometown hero, even Tj has to admit there’s good cause to suspect Chelsea of the murder. Balancing bridesmaid duties, Winter Carnival obligations, show choir duty, and after-hours investigation, Tj sets out to prove Chelsea innocent.

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Bikinis in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 3)

When the Tropical Tan Corporation descends on Maggie’s Hideaway, the lakeside resort where Tj Jensen lives, she must juggle a bikini contest, a BBQ cook-off, a missing model, and a dead chaperone while her father is out of town. Lead Deputy Dylan Caine is on vacation while his sister is visiting, leaving Assistant Deputy Roy Fisher in charge. When Roy asks Tj for her help they find there may be more going on than anyone realized. With Kyle and Jenna’s help, they dig into the lives of those involved, only to find a mystery more complex than anything they could ever have imagined.

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Christmas in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 4)

Christmas in Serenity is a magical time of year Tj has always looked forward to with happy anticipation. This year her holiday spirit is marred by the impending arrival of two new men in her life. When one of them ends up dead, Tj must juggle community plays, Christmas tree cuttings, sleigh rides, and holiday shopping with a complex murder investigation. As the facts begin to unravel, she realizes she may have to risk everything to save someone she loves.

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Puppies in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 5)

When a friend of Tj’s is injured in a car accident during a blizzard, Tj takes responsibility for the litter of puppies left behind. Meanwhile, she works with Kyle, Jenna, and the gang to catch the person responsible for the death of a close family friend. When it turns out that the main suspects are also close to the Jensens, Tj must deal with one of the most difficult decisions she’s ever had to make.

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Halloween in Paradise (A Tj Jensen Mystery Book 6)

In the midst of the annual Halloween frenzy, Tj finds herself pulled into a series of events at the high school where she works. Not only must she help one of the girls on her team deal with a case of cyberbullying, but she must help a student who has recently suffered a personal tragedy. And as if Tj wasn’t busy enough, in walks Samantha Colton, a reporter for Second Look, a television series that takes a look back at unsolved murders. This time the case is the death of a popular student after the homecoming dance ten years before. To make matters even worse—or maybe more convenient—the graduating class of the victim is in town for their ten-year reunion and all the suspects just happen to have converged on Serenity for the weekend. When Samantha turns up dead, Tj must track down someone who seems willing to kill again to keep their secret.

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• TREASURE IN PARADISE (#7) April 2017

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About the Author

KathiDaleyAuthor of the Zoe Donovan cozy Mystery Series, Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mystery series, Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery Series, Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mysteries, and Seacliff High Teen Cozy Mystery Series.

Come for the murder, stay for the romance.

Kathi lives in the beautiful alpine community of Lake Tahoe with her husband Ken and dog Echo. When she’s not writing she enjoys hanging out on the beach with her children and grandchildren. During the summer she enjoys hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, wakeboarding, and sunset cruises on the lake. During the winter she enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and curling up by a fire with a good book.

Kathi uses her mountain home as inspiration for her books, all which include appearances by the wildlife she shares her life with.

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Pumpkins in Paradise FB Book Club * Countdown to Paradise Launch (FB)

Kathi Daley Recipe Exchange * *Kathi Daley Books Birthday Club – get a book on your birthday

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August 31 – A Chick Who Reads – REVIEW
August 31 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW
September 1 – Queen of All She Reads – GUEST POST
September 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
September 2 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW
September 2 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW
September 3 – Author Annette Drake’s Blog – INTERVIEW
September 3 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
September 4 – Ashleyz Wonderland – REVIEW
September 4 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT
September 5 – T’s Stuff – REVIEW
September 5 – Christa Reads and Writes – GUEST POST
September 5 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 6 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW
September 6 – Texas Book-aholic – REVIEW
September 7 – The Girl with Book Lungs – REVIEW
September 7 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW
September 8 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST
September 8 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
September 9 – Jersey Girl Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST
September 9 – Mallory Heart’s Cozies – REVIEW

Posted in Cover Reveal, romance, Spotlight on September 4, 2016

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Love M.D. Synopsis

As an accomplished interior designer in San Francisco’s Bay Area, Zoë Jenkins is used to transforming empty spaces into masterpieces. She leaves little square footage in her personal life for anything outside of her thriving business and a renewed relationship with her twin brother. After a decade spent ripped apart by circumstance and an entire ocean’s distance, she depends on no one but him. Until a sexy surgeon walks into her life.

Although Zoë can’t deny her attraction to the charming and benevolent Morgan Drake, he’s on her mental list of everything she should avoid. Past experience taught Zoë that dating clients compromises business. Add a not-yet-dissolved marriage to the mix and Doctor Hottie is definitely Doctor Off-limits.

Dr. Morgan Drake is surprised at the undeniable chemistry he feels when he’s in the same room as Zoë. The strikingly beautiful and solitary designer he hired to fill his new-start, new-city home makes it abundantly clear there will never be anything between them. But twelve years of medical school breeds persistence. He sets out to persuade the pants off Zoë Jenkins and show her what her empty spaces are missing.

Intense passion and amazing sex have a way of masking secrets—secrets that unravel a dangerous web of fraud, corruption and conspiracy that turn Zoë’s quiet spaces into a world where nothing is as it seems. With her life on the line, the good doctor responsible for her fiercest betrayal might just be the only one worthy of her finest interior masterpiece—this time, of her heart.

Meet Dr. Morgan Drake

Love M.D. NEW COVER 1Name: Morgan Drake
Age: 37
Birth Date: April 15
Height: 6’2
Weight: 165 Lbs.
Race: Hispanic & Caucasian
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Dark
Hometown: San Francisco, California
School: Stanford School of Medicine
Occupation: Surgeon
Home: Belvedere, California
Traits: Protective, Resolute, Loyal
Favorite Outfit: Grey, black, navy or white T-Shirt with faded blue jeans
Toys: Tesla, Land Rover Range Rover Sport & a Harley
Sports: Swimming
Hobbies: Boating and he has an obsession with the pyramids of Egypt
Favorite Food: Mostly seafood and poultry, with the occasional steak.

 Love-MD-by-Rebecca-Rohman-4

Excerpt – Discussing Dr. Morgan Drake

Zach pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “Zoë, if anyone knows how you feel it’s me. Just try. Maybe go on a date with Doctor You Know Who. If I deserve this, you do, too. You’re the better half of us.”

I chuckle at his response, and after a tight squeeze, I pull away. “Somehow I don’t think so. For all I know, he and his ex might be rekindling the flame right now.”

“I don’t think so. A guy doesn’t go all out trying to impress a woman unless he’s seriously interested, and I think he’s made his feelings pretty clear. If I usually get what I want isn’t clear, I don’t know what is.”

“Maybe what he really wants is a quick lay.”

“A quick lay doesn’t send you long stem roses and gifts. Is this about him or you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Is that right? I think you know how he feels. As usual, I think you’re avoiding acknowledging this because you like him—a lot. You don’t want to get hurt again, so you won’t admit how you really feel.”

Laughing carelessly, I reply, “I emphatically disagree with that statement.”

“You can emphatically disagree all you want, but it’s the truth.”

At the same moment, Peaches runs into the kitchen with something in her mouth.

“What’s that you’ve got there girl?” Zach asks, scratching her ears.

I turn my back to pull some quiche from the oven.

“Zoë Baylee Jenkins, what is this?”

I turn to see him holding a Ralph Lauren sock in his hand. I know that could only belong to Morgan. I guess I forgot to mention to him that he should be careful about leaving socks around when he was here. Peaches has a sock fetish.

“Are you blind? It’s a sock.”

“Yes, but whose is it?”

“I don’t know. She must have found that somewhere outside.”

Inspecting it, he responds. “You are such a liar. He was here wasn’t he? You’ve been holding out on me.”

I try with all my might to not break out into a smile and keep my secret safe. “Maybe.”

Hmmm… getting regular injections yet?”

I try, I really do but I can’t keep a straight face, and I break out in laughter. “It wasn’t like that.”

“Exactly how was it?”

“He came home early and the guys had just refinished the floors so he couldn’t stay at the house. We tried to find him a hotel, but they were all booked for the weekend because of some major conference, and his sister and dad were out of town for the weekend. I offered him a bed for the night.”

“Your bed?”

“No. He slept in the guest room, thank you very much.”

“You didn’t sleep too well that night, did you?” With a naughty grin, he rubs his palms together. “Any kissy kissy?”

“There was not.”

“Why don’t you just admit it? You like him.”

I smile but don’t respond.

“You barely even give out your address, much less let anyone come to your home. Let’s see in two years who’s been here: Jada, Jonathan, Megan, Sheila, Lisa, Leo and Trevor… oh and Gail and, might I add, out of all those five are our staff members. Out of the two or three guys you had relations with after Todd, not one of them made it to your doorstep, and I’m supposed to believe that this is not a big deal.”

“You’re entitled to your thoughts and opinions.”

“Say whatever you want, but I know you better than you know yourself. Better stock up on those batteries, because if nothing happened between you two, as you claimed last night, you’re going to need them.”

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About Rebecca Rohman

Rebecca Rohman is a wife and designer currently living in the northeastern United States. She was a sales manager for a tourist magazine, and for many years prior, she was involved in marketing for a jewelry company and fine wine distributor.

About fifteen years ago, she started writing her first romance novel purely to entertain herself. In early 2012, she decided to complete and release it. Since then, she has released three additional novels and one novella. She is currently working on her second novella, Love, Lies & A Bleu Christmas, due to be released in November 2016.

 

Titles by Rebecca Rohman

A Problematic Love | Love M.D. | Love, Lies & The D.A. | Unravel | Uncorked

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Posted in 5 paws, Cozy, Giveaway, mystery, Review on September 3, 2016

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A STORY TO KILL cover

A Story to Kill (A Cat Latimer Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
New Series
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (August 30, 2016)

Synopsis

Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder…
The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees.

Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun?

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Review

This may be a new series (although we met Cat in the author’s Tourist Trap series and I even thought it would be a good series when Cat was introduced) but it is not short on developed characters and has a twisting plot.

I love the premise – a writer’s retreat at another author’s B&B in CO. However the first retreat doesn’t go well when a famous author is killed in the B&B. Of course that victim had ties to the town and the local college which made for some intriguing history for several of the characters.

The sequence of events kept me jumping from one character to another trying to pin it on just the right character. I think I had guessed right at the beginning, but couldn’t figure out why and there were many red herrings thrown out there that it was easy to think it was someone else.

There is even a potential new love interest with Cat’s old boyfriend Seth. However, her ex-husband who left her the house when he died (guess he didn’t have any other family or just didn’t think to change his will) left a few surprises as well and I can’t wait to see how certain things are explained in future books.  It’s a mystery within a mystery!

We give the book 5 paws up.

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About the Author

CahoonUSA Today and New York Times, best-selling author, Lynn Cahoon is an Idaho native. If you’d visit the town where she grew up, you’d understand why her mysteries and romance novels focus around the depth and experience of small town life. Currently, she’s living in a small historic town on the banks of the Mississippi river where her imagination tends to wander. She lives with her husband and four fur babies.

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Giveaway

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Check out the other blogs on this tour

August 29 – Back Porchervations – REVIEW

August 29 – Classy Cheapskate – REVIEW

August 30 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews – REVIEW

August 30 – The Girl with Book Lungs – SPOTLIGHT

August 31 – Ashleyz Wonderland – REVIEW

August 31 – Community Bookstop – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

September 1 – The Bookwyrm’s Hoard – REVIEW

September 1 – Bea’s Book Nook – REVIEW

September 2 – Sleuth Cafe – REVIEW

September 2 – Queen of All She Reads – REVIEW, GUEST POST

September 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – REVIEW

September 3 – Shelley’s Book Case – REVIEW

September 4 – Cassidy Salem Reads & Writes – REVIEW

September 5 – Booklady’s Booknotes – REVIEW, GUEST POST

September 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 6 – Island Confidential – INTERVIEW

September 7 – MysteriestEtc – REVIEW

September 7 – A Holland Reads – GUEST POST

September 8 – fuonlyknew – REVIEW

September 8 – Laura’s Interests – REVIEW

September 9 – Book Babble – REVIEW

September 9 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW

September 10 – Brooke Blogs – REVIEW, INTERVIEW

September 11 – LibriAmoriMiei – REVIEW

September 11 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – SPOTLIGHT

Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, Historical, romance, Spotlight on September 2, 2016

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Synopsis

Title: The Rebel Heir

Series: The Spare Heirs, #2

Author: Elizabeth Michels

Pubdate: September 6th 2016

ISBN: 9781492621362

Synopsis

The Spare Heirs Society Cordially Invites You to Meet Ash Claughbane: The Imposter

Lady Evangeline Green is living a lie. To please her family, she masquerades as the perfect debutante…until she meets the wickedly charming Lord Crosby. With him, there are no rules. She’s finally free to do as she desires—but freedom comes with a price, and Lord Crosby is not what he seems…

Ash is not Lord Crosby. He’s a con artist, a noble Spare Heir living off his silver tongue. When the Greens ruined his family, he swore he’d make them pay, and he never doubted his devotion to revenge…until he met Evangeline. Now, caught in a web of lies, torn between duty and desire, what’s a con to do but deceive all of London and steal the one lady who dared match wits with the devil himself?

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Hi, everyone! Let’s play a game! Since deception is a key ingredient in THE REBEL HEIR, the second book in the Spare Heirs series, I thought it would be fun to play two truths and a lie. Do you know how this game works?

Ash Claughbane is here to tell you three things about himself and one of them is a lie…Yes, just one. *gives Ash the side eye to keep him honest for a few minutes*

Can you guess which fact isn’t true about Ash? Good Luck!

  1. I’m from the Isle of Man. There was a time when my family had an estate, a vast home overlooking the sea, servants, gardens… There was a time when my mother and father were alive and that home was intact. There was a time when my three older brothers calling me by my given name of Ashley was my largest problem—there was an unfortunate rhyme that accompanied it, that I won’t repeat here. But that was before Lord Rightworth took everything from us, and I vowed to get it all back. I may be from the Isle of Man, but I haven’t been back there since.
  2. I’ve been traveling by carriage with my driver, Stapleton, for company for seven years. I move from town to town, never staying long enough to unpack my trunks. My business has thrived, and rightfully so. I am quite skilled at it. You see, I sell people what they desire, anything they desire. Everyone wants something and it just so happens, I have that something bottled and in my carriage.  I made my way through all of Wales where my brothers were less likely to find me, then I began moving through southern England. That was when he found me, not my eldest brother, the new duke, thankfully, but Fallon St. James. He invited me to join a secret club of title-less gentlemen in London called The Spare Heir Society.  I’m not one to join anything at all. I have no need of any sort of brotherhood having abandoned my own brothers long ago. I told St. James as much and yet he gave me his calling card. Stranger still, I kept it. Now I’m in London, with a room in St. James’ peculiar home and headquarters. My clothing remains in my trunk, but I’m here, newest member of The Spare Heirs Society.
  3. My name is Lord Crosby, purveyor of hope for the future. I’m a forward thinking gentleman, a visionary some might say. In a year or two, you’ll remember we met. You’ll remember that I told you that your farming techniques and way of life were a thing of the past. My steam machines will be in every home. Small enough to be accessible to every family, and big enough to make the way all of society lives a little easier. Imagine the possibilities for the good people of England and beyond. The world is changing and the future of our world is steam.

You’ll remember I told you of this. On that day years from now, wouldn’t you like to say you were wise? Wouldn’t you like to say you invested in Crosby Steam Works?

Excerpt

His heart beat beneath Evangeline’s hand.

“Ash, this is dangerous— whatever is happening here…”

“I know.” He grinned the wicked grin of a swindler about to steal the prize. “Say that you enjoy it as much as I do, Evie. Admit that you like breaking your rules with me.”

“They aren’t my rules,” she said.

“Then why follow them?”

She swallowed and looked up at him. “I make poor decisions on my own.”

“I disagree,” he said, still holding her close. He toyed with the hair that fell over her shoulder.

“I haven’t thrown you from my bedchamber. I’m certain that’s a poor decision.”

“That’s a matter of opinion,” he said with a grin. “What’s your opinion? What do you want, Evie?”

You, her heart screamed, but her mouth refused to form the word. Her gaze dropped back from the depths of his eyes to his lips. He was so close, and yet he only touched her hair and held her hand to his chest. It would be so easy to rise to her toes and show him what she wanted. And yet it wasn’t easy at all.

“You think I haven’t noticed that you’ve been staring at my mouth since I arrived?”

“I have not…” She began to disagree, but it would have been a lie and he knew it.

“Say that you want me to kiss you, Evie.”

“I would never…” she began, but fell silent.

“Tell me you want me. Say the words and I’ll kiss you.”

Evangeline’s lips parted, but she said nothing.

“Say, ‘I want your lips on mine, Ash.’ That’s all you have to do. I could show you so many things, Evie. Do you want me to? Say the words.”

Her breathing came out harsh as her heart pounded in her chest. How was he making her so unsettled simply with words?

“I could bring you so much pleasure, Evie. Do you want me to touch you? To truly touch you? If you asked me, I would fit your breasts into the palms of my hands just like this.” His hand hung in the air over her breast, close enough that she could feel the heat of his skin through her night rail. “Then I would lower my mouth to take your nipple between my teeth, tugging at your polished exterior until the real Evie pulled me closer. I would take your breast into my mouth and with my tongue…” He sighed, dropping his hand away from her. “But you have to tell me you want it.”

“Ash,” she whispered, already missing the heat of him close to her skin.

“There’s a world out there that you could experience. All you have to do is stop hiding and tell me what you want.”

It wasn’t that simple, was it? She opened her mouth, unsure how to speak of her own desires. She never talked that way, not like Ash was able to do. But the truth was, she did want him to kiss her. She wanted everything about this man. That was also the trouble. She couldn’t be trusted to speak— not just now. “I…”

He grinned and brushed a strand of hair from her face, placing a kiss on the top of her head as he did. “You’re almost there. Just a few more words. Perhaps you need more encouragement.”

“No.” She took two steps backward until her heels bumped the wall. “I- I’m quite…”

“Evie, has anyone ever spoken to you this way?” He took slow steps to close the gap between them.

“No,” she breathed.

“Do you like it when I do?” He grinned down at her as if he could hear all the thoughts she was too afraid to voice aloud. “I think you do. Do you want me to continue?”

“Do I have to say that as well?” she asked.

“No. I’ve learned in my line of work that it’s sometimes necessary to give someone a taste of what they want before they’ll pay the price.”

“Is that what you’re doing to me? Is this a taste of what’s to come?” Heaven help her, she hoped it was.

“Only if you want it. That’s my price.” He shifted her hair from her shoulder as he spoke, letting it fall down her back.

“That seems…” Whispers of his touch brushed down the side of her neck as he moved her hair. She worked not to lean into his palm and feel the full force of his hand on her skin. “…reasonable.”

“I thought so as well.” He shifted even closer to her, leaning his arm on the wall above her head and surrounding her without the benefit of his embrace to steady her. “If you tell me you want me to kiss you, I’ll kiss you here.” He spoke the words against the sensitive skin beneath her ear before moving down her neck, not touching her, but close enough that she could feel the warmth of his lips.

She splayed her hands on the wall behind her to keep from tipping sideways. He wasn’t even touching her, and still she struggled to breathe.

“I would kiss my way down your neck to just here where I can see your pulse beating rather fast. Is it beating fast because you want me to kiss you, Evie?” he asked against her skin. “You know my terms. Say the words. This is only the beginning…”

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About the Author

Elizabeth Michels grew up on a Christmas tree farm in rural South Carolina. After tip-toeing her way through school with her focus on ballet steps and her nose in a book, she met a boy and followed him a thousand miles away from home to Kansas City, Missouri, before settling down in North Carolina.

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Posted in Christian, excerpt, romance, Spotlight on September 1, 2016

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Contemporary Christian Military Romance/ Women’s Fiction
Date Published: Aug. 9th (print/POD)
Publisher: Anaiah Romance

Synopsis

Sawyer and Raven finally see a future away from the war—if they can only get through this last deployment. But when the military separates them, Raven finds it impossible to protect her, and he worries her post traumatic stress disorder will return. Soon, Raven finds out PTSD is the least of his troubles.

Sawyer is assigned to a bomb removal unit being sent into the most dangerous area in Afghanistan where she’s taken and held captive for weeks. Expecting the worst, Sawyer is ready to die for her country. But when death doesn’t come, Sawyer turns her back on her faith. believing God has left her to deal with the aftermath of her capture alone.

Devastated at the news of Sawyer’s disappearance, Raven’s commitment to her never falters, even when her injuries threaten to take her from him. To make matters worse, he’s being kept from his wife by an angry mother-in-law. Raven is determined to bring Sawyer back to him—But is it be too late? Unfaltering in his faith, Raven knows with God’s help, he will prove his love to Sawyer.

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Excerpt

© 2016 Connie Ann Michael

CHAPTER ONE

Sawyer wiped a hand across her forehead, interrupting the drips of sweat heading toward her chin. She settled into a shady spot on the side of the metal structure of the hospital she was currently assigned to in Qatar, Afghanistan. Sawyer balanced her laptop on her knees. Glancing down at her watch, she opened the case and logged on. Raven was supposed to be back from his patrol tonight, and they were going to attempt to video chat. Camp Grady was one of the best set ups in Afghanistan and provided consistent climate control within the tents but lacked the privacy she wanted to talk to her husband. She laughed to herself. She still couldn’t believe Raven was her husband.
“Hey babe,” Raven’s voice broke through the quiet of her hiding spot.

Sawyer pushed a few buttons to get the screen to show the face of the man she loved. His big smile came through at the same time she assumed her face appeared on Raven’s screen.

“Hey babe,” he said again with a sigh.

Sawyer reached out and ran her fingers down the screen, caressing his cheek.

“Can you hear me?”

“Yeah. I can.” Sawyer swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Don’t call me babe. I’m Navy.” Sawyer and Raven had gone round and round on her status as a Navy Corpsman with the Marines. Now it was a topic of levity.

“Not when it’s you and me, babe. You’re not Navy, you’re my wife.” Raven gave her a sad smile.

“You look tired.” Raven’s eyes were shadowed with fatigue, and the lines around his mouth seemed deeper.

Raven nodded. “You look beautiful.”

“I appreciate your ability to lie.”

Raven rubbed at his eyes then gave her a small smile.

“Just got back?” she asked.

Raven closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the screen. “I miss you so much.”

Sawyer wiped a tear that escaped and cleared her throat. “I miss you, too.”

Raven glanced to the side then sat back up and resumed a comfortable slouch in the chair he was sitting in. The torso of another soldier passed behind him on the screen.

“Where are you?” Sawyer shifted on the sand, getting more comfortable. If he was in the Coms center it would explain his quick change of posture. After the past few weeks of silence, being able to truly share their feelings would be difficult.

Raven glanced over his shoulder. “Coms. The internet doesn’t work anywhere else. I can’t guarantee I’ll be with you for long. Things have been worse than normal lately.”

Raven had been redeployed to Camp Dietz, the base where they’d originally met. Raven kicking her out of his unit and the inconvenience of marrying her commanding officer made it impossible to be redeployed together. But at least they were both in Afghanistan, even if they were hundreds of miles apart with bad internet.

“So, what have you been up to?” Raven glanced backward again. Suddenly a bottle of water appeared over his shoulder. “Thanks,” he told the disembodied hand before Raven’s right hand man, Thommy pushed into view.

“Hey, Doogie. Good to see you.” Thommy smiled into the screen.

“Hey.” Thommy had been with them in Dietz and after the mess they went through during their last deployment, the three of them had become close friends.

“Chief telling you about the mess we got ourselves into?” Thommy continued.

Raven punched him in the arm, and after a mumbled conversation, Thommy disappeared.

“You got into trouble?” Raven’s unit was supposed to find trouble. That was their job. They were sent in to find the worst of the worst and eliminate them.

“How are you?” Raven’s expression cleared as he put on his game face and leaned forward, plainly ignoring her inquiry.

Sawyer sighed. He’d been her commanding officer, and she knew that until he was ready, there was no getting information out of him. She pulled the computer closer. “I miss you.”

Raven rubbed the short hair over his ears. He had only recently arrived at Dietz and was almost immediately sent out on a mission. Sawyer had been deployed two months before him. Three weeks after their wedding.

“You doing okay? Staying on base? Not heading out with any teams?” Raven had made her promise to do her best to stay on the base and out of combat, but she was a corpsman and changing her job title to nurse wasn’t going well. Sawyer had suffered a tough bit of PTSD after her last deployment. The guard assigned to her while on her last mission had become a close friend and when he stepped on an IED and blew up in front of her, things got rough. Raven had helped but more so the pastor they had been seeing had allowed her to move forward and ultimately redeploy. Something Raven was not happy about.

“I’ve stayed on base,” she started.

“You’re going out, aren’t you?” His voice was tight. Whereas he had mastered the ability to hide his emotions, Sawyer was an open book when it came to him.

“You do. You just got back.” It was a weak argument but a valid one. It was also the only argument she’d come up with when she’d prepared for this conversation in her head.

“That really isn’t the point. I didn’t pull a gun on my neighbor after I got stateside. You need to take it slow.”

“Raven,” was all she got out before he nailed her with one of his famous cold-as-ice stares.

Sawyer took a breath and tried to approach the conversation calmly. She knew he worried and although bringing up her past wasn’t exactly fair, she knew her actions after her last trip home were hard to forget. “I’m doing fine. But this is my job, and until I fulfill my time, I have to do it. I’ll be careful. I always am, just like I need you to be.”

“I know, baby. I know. But it makes me feel better if I at least ask you to try and be careful.”

Sawyer looked at the new lines appearing around Raven’s eyes. He was always so concerned for his men’s safety. Adding her to that worry was taking a toll on him.

“I’ve been able to stay close for the last couple of weeks.” She reached out and touched the screen again. Raven placed his fingers against hers.

“I know.”

The screen flickered, and Sawyer knew she was going to lose him soon. “I love you, Moses.”

“I love you, too, Emme.” Raven kissed his fingers and touched the screen again. Sawyer did the same.

Raven and Sawyer sat silently, staring at a grainy picture on a dusty computer screen. Their time together had been so short. Their marriage one of long distance conversations behind barracks and sweating in poorly air conditioned tech centers.

“Have you talked to your mom?” Raven’s voice was quiet.

Sawyer closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.”

“Why?”

Sawyer looked into the deep brown eyes that veiled so many emotions and knew Raven was hurt by her not telling her mom she had gotten married.

“Are you ashamed? Embarrassed?” he started.

“Why would I be either of those?”

“Regretful?” he added.

“Are you?” she snapped back.

“Me?” Raven snorted a laugh. “You’re my heart. You’re my life, Emme. I want to shout from the roof tops how much I love you. And I did. I told my family. The difference is they don’t care, yours will. Why won’t you tell your mom?”

“I.” She paused. “I have always had a strained relationship with her. I want to be able to tell her with you there. I don’t want to do it on my own.”

“You need back up.”

Sawyer smiled, and he winked. “Yeah. I guess I do. It’s harder to tell me I made a mistake if the infamous Sergeant Ravenscar is standing beside me.”

“I’m a mistake?”

“No. Never. She just thinks anything I do that wasn’t her idea is a mistake. I want you with me so she can see how you could never be a mistake.”

“Then I shall stand by you, Mrs. Sergeant Ravenscar.”

“It’s still Sawyer,” she corrected him.

“Not for long. The paperwork should be through soon. The Navy just likes to do things slow. Now if you were a Marine…”

“So now I’m not a Marine?” she teased back.

Raven’s jovial mood subsided, and he looked to the side, something or someone was talking to him just to the right of the screen.

When he looked back, the expression on his face made it clear he was getting a directive to get off the computer. “I got assigned to an EOD Convoy.” Sawyer couldn’t let him go without knowing as many details of her mission as she could give him. They had promised to tell as much as they could so they could pray for each other’s safety, and she needed as much help as she could get to keep her head out in the field.

The curtain of a non-emotional Marine dropped over Raven’s face as he kept his emotions in check. “An Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team? Why do they need a corpsman? Don’t they sit in the trucks and play with robots?”

Sawyer laughed. The men on the EOD teams spent a lot of time playing with little robotic machines whose job was to disarm IED’s. Improvised Explosive Devises were the number one killers in this war with over fifteen thousand people having been killed in the last year. The team’s job was to go out and clean routes so the Army or Marines could move forward without fear of blowing up. The problem was the insurgents could replace bombs faster than the team could find them, so often times they ended up running over bombs in areas they thought they had just cleaned.

“Sergeant Holloway, he’s the commanding officer, asked me to come.” She shrugged. “Told me I was coming.”

“Do you know where?” Raven wiped at something on his side of the screen.

Sawyer knew Raven was doing his best not to explode at the prospect of her being out with a bomb patrol. Which was another reason she was thankful she couldn’t tell him where exactly she was going.

“You can’t tell me where you’re going?” he asked.

“No.”

“I’ll tell you where I’m going if you tell me,” he teased, his commanding officer façade slipping a little.

“All I was told is we are headed to Gor Tepa on a route referred to only as Route Z.”

“That sounds safe.”

“I’ll be fine,” was all she got out before the computer fizzled, and Raven disappeared into the blackness of the screen.

Sawyer needed to see Raven’s face and looked forward to the video chat sessions, but more often than not the internet connection failed, and they were cut off without closure, leaving her feeling uncomfortable walking away. Conversations always left hanging. Words left unspoken.

Sawyer snapped the laptop closed, collected her things and headed back to the bunk she shared with a nurse. They were on opposite shifts most of the time so they rarely slept in the room at the same time. Storing her laptop in a box sworn to keep the sand out but lacking the actual ability to do so, Sawyer sat on the edge of her bed and waited for the sense of unfinished words to subside.

A courtesy knock came just before the door swung open and Petty Officer 2nd Class Omar stuck his head in. “We’re meeting in the mess hall for a briefing in five.”

“Roger that.”

Sawyer barely saw the man’s face before Omar closed the door behind him. With a sigh, she got out the ammo box where she kept her personal possessions. Inside were the paper cranes Raven made her with messages of love as well as candy and the tiny heart given to her by Tahk, her guard who had been killed during her last tour. Sawyer tucked them into her pockets as reminders that they were always with her and headed to the mess hall.

The men from EOD Platoon 432 had settled in long green lines at the tables that set parallel to each other. Sawyer had avoided making any close friends on the teams. She hadn’t been assigned a guard this time around and was frustrated about the barrier it caused between the men and her. Tahk allowed an access point to the team that was difficult to find without a senior team member on her side. Sawyer tried to tell herself it was easier if she kept her feelings in check and developing relationships made the inevitability of war that much more difficult. But keeping to herself was hard, and life with this team was lonely. Sawyer hung in the back and leaned against a wall to listen to the plan—alone.

SSG Halloway stepped up to the front of the room, waving a hand until the men quieted. “Our orders came in. We will be taking three Buffalos out with full teams.”

The Buffalos were six wheeled, mine resistant, ambush protected, armored vehicles. All the wheels and the centerline were mine resistant. The bottom of the truck was fitted with a ‘V’ shaped chassis that was supposed to keep the force of a blast away from the occupants. Each truck was fitted with a large, articulated arm used for ordinance disposal. Plainly speaking, it got rid of bombs.

“The Afghanistan National Army is going to be riding in the sweeper truck.” He pointed to a few of the men. “You won’t be taking WALL-E with you. We’ll pack them in the lead and second truck.”

WALL-E was the name the men gave the Cobham tEODor, the Navy’s technical term for a robot they used for bomb clearing. Each truck carried at least one when they went out on sweeper missions.

There were some groans from the team having to ride with the ANA. None of the men really enjoyed being paired with a group that was supposed to be taking the lead on this war but most of the time were a bunch of clowns with guns.

Halloway waited for the group to quiet down before continuing. “The Army is going to attempt to take over a town known for heavy Taliban activity, and they need the route cleared. Route Z is the heaviest bombed road in Afghanistan. There is a good chance as soon as we get the bombs off the road and past them there will be guys going in and replacing them. It’s going to be a tight mission. All eyes need to be watching and ready. We don’t want to get blown up, and we don’t want the Army coming in on hot soil after we’ve cleared it.”

Sawyer fidgeted with the zipper on her digis. When she avoided telling Raven where they were going, she hadn’t been trying to be elusive. The people of this culture didn’t name things. The military had spent the majority of their time in the country making maps trying to give the teams some direction as to where they had been and where they were going. However, Route Z seemed as scary as the name implied.

“Doogie.” Halloway nodded toward where Sawyer stood. The men turned to look in her direction, and she lifted her hand in a half salute. Sawyer had been given the nickname Doogie during her last deployment. It was an honor to be given a nickname by the Marines, but the majority of the time the nickname wasn’t meant to be nice. Hers’ was in reference to the young age when she had joined up. “She’s our corpsman. She’ll be watching out for us and the Army if needed.”

The men nodded back at her then shifted around to listen to the rest of the briefing. Sawyer had been impressed with Raven’s unit. There were some incredibly brave individuals serving under him. But this new group of men took service to a new level. The EOD’s were the ultimate bomb squad. They were trained to disarm not only explosive devices but to neutralize chemical threats and even nuclear weapons. The Navy Explosive Techs were trained to perform some of the most harrowing, dangerous work in order to keep others safe. And Sawyer was going out with them. If injuries occurred, they would be severe and most likely deadly. The pressure of her task sat heavy on her shoulders.

“We’re pulling out at zero eight hundred. Dismissed.” They had approximately thirty minutes to pull themselves together and meet on the Buffalos.

Sawyer only needed fifteen. She had learned through her first deployment to always be ready. Taking long enough to gather her ruck, a gun, and email Raven to tell him she loved him, Sawyer was the first to arrive at the large armored truck that would be her ride down the deadliest road in Afghanistan.

About the Author

connie michael authorConnie Michael began her writing career after her two boys grew up and didn’t want to hang out with their mom anymore. A graduate of Washington State University Connie has been a teacher for twenty-five years. Specializing in Bilingual Education she recently left her home state of Washington to begin an adventure with her best friend and husband in Montana. Currently a fifth grade teacher on the Crow Reservation, Connie can be found biking, hiking, kayaking, or just hanging out with her two dogs.

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Posted in excerpt, Giveaway, romance, Spotlight on September 1, 2016

King of the Friend Zone

The King of the Friend Zone by Sheralyn Pratt

Synopsis

Esme Taylor has an amazing fiancé, a lifelong best friend, and a problem.

The problem stems from the fact that her best friend is named Hunter and, well. . .he’s kind of (totally) hot. It’s hate at first sight when her fiancé, Jon, and Hunter meet. Jon’s convinced that Hunter is in love with Esme, and that Hunter must be out of the picture if their upcoming marriage is to succeed.

Esme thinks Jon is paranoid.

The truth is, Jon’s not that far off. Hunter is in love with his best friend and always has been. What Jon has wrong, however, is that Hunter never had any plans of ruining Esme’s happily ever after. Hunter wants what’s best for Esme, even if that’s not him.

When Jon pushes hard to end Esme and Hunter’s friendship, opposition comes from the most unlikely of places. It’s an eccentric lady with a cookie cart who suggests a different solution to Esme’s problem: Hunter and Esme should give each other a chance.

They’ve both thought of the possibility over the years—of course they have. But with a ring already on Esme’s finger and a heap of hurt feelings and broken trust in the mix, there hasn’t been a worse time to explore the depths of their feelings for each other.

Both Esme and Hunter think it’s time to move on and leave childhood crushes in the past. The question is: Can one woman and the taste of one cookie change their minds?
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Excerpt

While everyone around Hunter ate and drank, Hunter swirled the liquid in his glass and watched his friends and family interact with Jon.

The man was suave when he wanted to be; Hunter would give him that. He wore the right suits, said the right words, and charmed the right people.

What a hero.

He was also several inches shorter than Hunter, which meant Esme fit neatly against his shoulder as they stood and spoke with all their guests. Esme looked so content as she reclined against Jon, and Hunter wasn’t the only one who had noticed. The last person who had commented on Jon and Esme within Hunter’s earshot had called them “two peas in a pod” as if there were awards to be won in the category.

Well, there weren’t.

In that moment, Hunter was very glad he hadn’t been drinking that night, because otherwise he might have gone so far as announcing that fact to everyone. There are no awards for being two peas in a pod, everyone. Oh, and by the way, you should meet this guy when he isn’t trying to impress you. He’s a bit of a prick.

But, of course, no one wanted to hear that. No one wanted to hear anything from Hunter tonight except for a glowing toast endorsing the golden couple.

He still hadn’t written anything, although he had googled a generic speech and printed it out. It was in his pocket now, but he hadn’t practiced it and reading the prepackaged speech was pretty much out of the question now, thanks to his dyslexia. Reading on the best of days usually didn’t go that well for Hunter, but when he was seething mad?

Yeah, that wasn’t happening.

So he sat and swirled and watched and tried to imagine what in the world he could say that wouldn’t earn him more frowns than his jeans had already earned him.

Then it hit him: Why try? Why not be honest?

There wasn’t a face at this party that he hadn’t known for the better part of twenty years—well, except Jon. His smug mug was as new as it was unwelcome in Hunter’s book. But everyone knew Hunter and they’d know if he vomited some fake, glowing speech their direction.

So why should he?

Why not be honest?

The idea grew on Hunter as the night went on and the praise for Jon became more and more abundant. The clincher was when Jon’s best man stood up and gave a speech that proved he’d probably met Esme all of once, and everyone in attendance nodded and beamed as the guy praised Esme in the most generic of terms.

According to whatever the best man’s name was, Esme was kind and compassionate and a joy to all those who met her.

Seriously? The guy had clearly never been within earshot of Esme when an ice cream truck passed in July playing Christmas music. That would redefine the guy’s definition of “joy to all those around her.” Yet everyone ooohed and ahhhhed and clapped until the guy sat and Jon gave his bestie an appreciative slap on the back with a look that said, Well done.

Then everyone in the future wedding party looked at Hunter expectantly. It was his turn.

In that moment, Hunter had a choice to make. He could either repeat the same lame puffery the best man had, or he could give the speech that had been building up in him like a sneeze all night.

Be nice now and freak out later, or let it all hang out? That was the question. And one quick glance at Jon’s arrogant face gave Hunter his answer.

 

SheralynAbout the Author

Some describe Sheralyn as a girl who’s been around the block and worked at every shop. This isn’t far from the truth. Writing is what she loves most, however. There’s a magical power in stepping into new perspectives time and again, and seeing the world through different eyes. Few things increase empathy more than walking in another’s shoes for 100,000 words or so. At least that seems to be the trend so far.
Some random things to know about Sheralyn:
* She’s a wanderer (geographically)
* She can write a novel, but doesn’t have the attention span for one page in a journal
* She vehemently disagrees with Stephen King’s stance that authors should not watch TV
* She is pretty much incapable of sleeping before midnight

Website * Twitter * Facebook

 

amazon or paypal$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 9/23/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 

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