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Synopsis

In this sequel to Where is Pidge?, our young hero decides to audition for the school musical along with her canine buddy Maverick. Not everyone thinks Pidge can learn to sing or Maverick can be trained, but Pidge believes. Through their theatrical escapades, Pidge discovers that singing requires hard work and that Maverick might not be ready for his stage debut after all. And by the end, Pidge understands that being a star is all a matter of perspective, and unconditional love matters more than fame.

Review

What a cute children’s book with a good message. With many not wanting to work for anything, in this book, Pidge learns that she has to work hard to earn a spot in the talent show. It isn’t easy as she discovers, but I think this is what makes her success that more amazing because it wasn’t handed to her. Now her dog Maverick? Let’s just say he is a lost cause!

There are some funny parts in this story as well, mostly due to Maverick’s antics. But it rounds out the story nicely and continues to teach the lesson that anything worthwhile is more satisfying when you worked hard to achieve that goal.

I think this book would be good for children 4 and up.  While the younger ones may not quite grasp the full concept of working hard to attain a goal, I think they might understand enough especially with continued reinforcement of that concept.

We give this 5 paws up!

About Michelle Staubach Grimes

Michelle Staubach Grimes began journaling years ago and enrolled in the SMU Creative Writing Continuing Ed Program in 2012 to hone her writing skills. She fell in love with creative writing and studied “story” through that program. Where is Pidge? debuted in March of 2015. Michelle is thrilled to now be releasing her second book, Pidge Takes the Stage. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband, three children, and two dogs.

Check out Michelle’s Guest Post on my blog from last month about children’s literacy.  Some great information and worth sharing!

Website

Synopsis

Zane Shaw isn’t the type to cower in a corner until he meets Honor Sullivan. She’s the most phenomenal woman he’s ever met, but he’s been burned before and so he’s doomed to fall for her from a distance. If only his past hadn’t left him so weary, perhaps he could be the man he was raised to be.

Honor Sullivan has too much at stake to get distracted by a man. But Zane Shaw isn’t just any man. He’s smart, gorgeous, and a survivor like her. Which is why she knows, deep down, that he deserves someone better than her. Someone whole and undamaged. Yet she can’t seem to contain the way he makes her feel.

These two jaded souls with an instant connection just might find that true love is a joy best savored in the aftermath of life’s hardships and pain.

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Traded: Brody & Kara is CURRENTLY #FREE!

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He’s the best quarterback in the AFL. She’s a nurse in need of a fresh start. He doesn’t want distractions. She doesn’t want her secrets discovered. What happens when they fall for each other?

Deleted: Jackson & Maggie is AVAILABLE NOW!

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They were childhood sweethearts, torn apart by secrets and one terrible lie. But when fate brings their paths together again, will they still be each other’s soulmate?

About the Author

Like most of her characters, Tess Thompson hails from a small town and will always feel like a small town girl, despite the fact she’s lived in Seattle for over twenty-five years. She loves music and dancing, books and bubble baths, cooking and wine, movies and snuggling. She cries at sappy commercials and thinks kissing in the rain should be done whenever possible. Although she tries to act like a lady, there may or may not have been a few times in the last several years when she’s gotten slightly carried away watching the Seattle Seahawks play, but that could also just be a nasty rumor.

She currently lives in a suburb of Seattle, Washington with her brand new husband, the hero of her own love story, and their Brady Bunch clan of two sons, two daughters and five cats, all of whom keep her too busy, often confused, but always amazed. Yes, that’s four kids and five cats. Pray for her.

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Synopsis

In the epic conclusion to the BKI series, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker delivers her biggest bombshell yet! 

Welcome to Black Knights Inc.
What appears to be a tricked-out motorcycle shop on the North Side of Chicago is actually headquarters for the world’s most elite covert operatives. Deadly, dangerous, and determined, they’ll steal your breath and your heart.

After a mission-gone-sideways forces Jamin “Angel” Agassi to change his identity, he’s determined to bring down the world’s worst crime syndicate kingpin once and for all. That’s going to be the easy part. Keeping Interpol agent Sonya Butler from discovering who he really is—and blazing another trail into his heart—is the challenge.

Excerpt

“I am going to hug you now, Sonya.”

Breath shuddered from her lungs. “What? Why?” That wasn’t what she’d expected him to say, especially not after the way he’d been eyeballing her lips.

And, yes, it hadn’t escaped her notice that his words were incredibly similar to the ones Mark had spoken that rainy night while they’d been crowded into that dark Parisian doorway. How could two men be so different and yet so much alike?

“Because you need it.”

And then…oh, and then he stepped forward and wrapped his big arms around her. It was like being hit with a live wire. A current blasted through her, burning her from the inside out. As if that wasn’t bad enough, some sorry sucker chose that moment to pull the rug out from under her feet, and she was falling, flailing, head pinwheeling.

She balled one hand into a fist so tight her knuckles cracked. The other squeezed her water glass so hard she was surprised it didn’t shatter.

“Relax,” he instructed.

“Why are you always telling me to do that?” She tried not to turn her head into his neck and snort in his spicy aftershave like an addict with a tempting line of cocaine. Memories of Mark tried to intrude, memories of how he’d eschewed cologne and aftershave in preference for lilac soap, but she shoved them away.

“You are strung as tight as piano wire. It cannot be healthy.”

Wow. Great. The almighty Prince of Shadows was lecturing her on her health. All while hugging her. How bizarre was her life right now?

Then it registered. He was hugging her.

It wasn’t one of those half-hearted hugs either. It was a full-on hip-to-hip, chest-to-chest hug, arms tight and big, wide hand splayed against the middle of her back. Angel might be all aloof and untouchable, but when it came to a hug, the man committed completely.

Sonya’s heart threatened to pop like a balloon. A hiccup of anguish slipped from her throat. She couldn’t help herself; she melted against him. Soaked up his odd affection and let it fill all the cracks in her armor that had developed over the last six months.

She hadn’t realized it, but Angel was right. She needed a hug. Needed it almost as much as her next breath. Needed to feel human connection to remind herself she wasn’t alone in this.

“Shh,” he whispered, soothing a hand down her hair as she fought tears.

The hug went on for a few more dreamy, melting minutes. Then she realized how self-indulgent she was being. How…weak.

Pulling back, she whispered, “Thank you. That’s enough.”

His brow pinched as he stepped away, breaking the connection of their bodies. She shivered as the room’s cool air rushed in to replace his body heat.

The pity she saw in his eyes had her grumbling, “When you look at me like that, I want to go crawl into bed and throw the covers over my head.”

“How do I look at you?” he asked.

“Like I’m pathetic. Like I’m a thing to feel sorry for. Like I’m a disappointment to you. But that’s crazy because you don’t even know me.” Her insides, which a minute ago had been so soft and gooey, were now crawling with tension.

“Is that the only way I look at you?” He canted his head. It caused the moonlight to silver the short ends of his black hair. His laser-like focus made her feel like there were two red sniper dots on her face.

Those sniper dots moved down as he let his eyes travel past her mouth and shoulders, over her breasts, down to her hips, and finally back up again. He didn’t try to hide the heat in his eyes. He let her see it for what it was.

Heaven help her, he wanted her like she wanted him. The difference between them was that he wasn’t trying to hide it.

“No.” She swallowed. “It’s not the only way you look at me. There’s that too.” She pointed to his face.

“Damn right there is.” His gravel-road voice had gone guttural, and she wondered what he’d sounded like before the vocal cord scouring. Had his voice been deep and smooth? Rich and resonant? It saddened her that she would never know. “And now I am going to kiss you, Sonya.”

Her thighs quivered as heat coalesced between them. She should have told Angel to keep his gorgeous mouth to himself. She should have told him she had a headache…or head lice. But instead she heard herself ask, “Why?”

“Because you want me to.”

About the Author

Julie Ann Walker is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling Author of the Black Knights Inc. romantic suspense series. She is prone to spouting movie quotes and song lyrics. She’ll never say no to sharing a glass of wine or going for a long walk. She prefers impromptu travel over the scheduled kind, and she takes her coffee with milk. You can find her on her bicycle along the lake shore in Chicago or blasting away at her keyboard, trying to wrangle her capricious imagination into submission.

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Tied Up with Strings (A Serebral Seniors Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Imajin Qwickies, An imprint of Imajin Books (December 11, 2017)
Print Length: 85 pages

Synopsis

An Imajin Qwickies® Mystery/Crime Novella

Big mysteries often come in small packages…

When curmudgeonly private detective Betty Grape visits a young friend, who is housesitting in a remote village in England for Christmas vacation, something seems out of place. Her friend, Catia, is visibly nervous. Is she worried about the young men in the decrepit caravan in next door’s back garden? Or is Catia involved in the disappearance of the homeowner’s invalid wife?

As an American, Betty discovers the locals are full of friendly gossip but taciturn about solid facts. Though they are determined to keep Betty from butting in on their territory, she blunders through the social morass of narrow-minded foreigners and their broad Dorset accents. Can she unravel the tight knots of this mystery? Will she find the perpetrator under thickly thatched rooves or behind floral chintz curtains?

Review

If you are looking for a mystery that is condensed into a novella that gives you all the wonder of a longer book, then look no further. While only 85 pages in length, the book wraps up a murder and introduces some intriguing characters that will leave you very satisfied at the end.

How fun it would be to visit England at Christmas time. That is what Betty Grape is doing – visiting the daughter of a friend and making sure she is not alone for the holiday. But something seems off about the house that Cat is housesitting and there is something about the owners. Many things do not add up in her mind. It’s a good thing she is a detective because she puts those skills to good use.

I liked that there was a character on the Autism spectrum. I thought that his characteristics were much like I see in those on the spectrum. All of the characters were interesting and in a small way, I wish the book had been longer so I could get to know them all better.

I can’t say too much because this is a novella and the story moves along at a good pace, and to reveal much more would give away the ending.

We give this 4 paws up

 

About the Author

Madeline McEwen is an ex-pat from the UK, bi-focaled and technically challenged. She and her Significant Other manage their four offspring, one major and three minors, two autistic, two neurotypical, plus a time-share with Alzheimer’s. In her free time, she walks the canines and chases the felines with her nose in a book and her fingers on a keyboard.

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Synopsis

The capital-A Automatons of Greco-Roman myth aren’t clockwork. Their design is much more divine. They’re more intricate than robots or androids or anything else mortal humans could invent. Their windup keys are their human Masters. They aren’t mindless; they have infinite storage space. And, because they have more than one form, they’re more versatile and portable than, say, your cell phone—and much more useful too. The only thing these god-forged beings share in common with those lowercase-A automatons is their pre-programmed existence. They have a function—a function their creator put into place—a function that was questionable from the start…

Odys (no, not short for Odysseus, thank you) finds his hermetic lifestyle falling apart after a stranger commits suicide to free his soul-attached Automaton slave. The humanoid Automaton uses Odys’s soul to “reactivate” herself. Odys must learn to accept that the female Automaton is an extension of his body—that they are the same person—and that her creator-god is forging a new purpose for all with Automatons.

 

 

Read the First Chapter Here

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Murder in the Cards (Psychic Poker Pro Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published (July 1, 2018)
Print Length – 252 Pages

Synopsis

Tiffany Swanson is finally living the dream when she quits her stressful job to become a poker pro. Except her dream job doesn’t turn out to be so perfect when she picks up the troubling vision of a murdered man from one of her opponents. Even more disturbing, Tiffany didn’t know she was telepathic.

Before long she finds herself spending more time investigating a homicide than playing cards. But with an entire wedding party to suspect and only one weekend to pinpoint the guilty party, how will Tiffany ever figure out “whodunit” in time?

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As part of Paige Sleuth’s third annual “Buy in July” event, $1 from every Paige Sleuth book purchase (excluding ebook purchases of Murder in Cherry Hills) will be donated to the Community Cat Coalition of Clark County (C5). C5 is a volunteer-powered organization that seeks to reduce the number of cats euthanized every year by trapping and spay/neutering feral cats in the Las Vegas area before releasing them back into their communities

Review

The pages of this book just flew by and before I knew it the killer was being revealed and the story was ending.

This is a creative profession for a cozy. There are books that have psychics or other paranormal aspects, but this is the first time it is paired with someone that is also trying her hand at being a professional poker player. I see so many possibilities for this in future books!

Tiffany may be 38, but her parents, or at least her mom, sees her as much younger and that she needs to have a “real” job and provide her with grandchildren. But as Tiffany has left her stressful job for trying her hand at playing poker for a living, she discovers that she may be more like her Aunt Tuna than she ever realized. The interactions between Tiffany and her family are probably ones we encounter in our own lives.

Tiffany has a lot to accept with this new gift and she also has to figure out how to harness the gift of psychic sight. She doesn’t do a great job in this book using it to her advantage, but at the same time, she is still trying to figure out how to utilize the gift.

I enjoyed this book and think that this series has some good potential. This particular book is short – 129 pages per Amazon, but a lot happens within those pages.

We give this 4 paws up.

About the Author

Paige Sleuth is a pseudonym for mystery author Marla Bradeen. She plots murder during the day and fights for mattress space with her two rescue cats at night. When not attending to her cats’ demands, she writes. She loves to hear from readers so feel free to Email Paige.

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Synopsis

This city boy has it all figured out…
Until he goes toe-to-toe with a fierce cowgirl
who’s snagged the home field advantage.

Holiday, Texas is known far and wide as the most celebratory town in the South—and no shindig is complete without one of its founding members. It’s a real shame the last remaining Holiday is a city slicker, but what’s that old saying about putting lipstick on a pig…?

Beck has no intention of being charmed by some crazy Texas town, but the minute he lays eyes on his grandfather’s old honky tonk—and Charlie Walker, the beautiful cowgirl who runs it—he finds himself wishing things could be different. Life’s gentler in Holiday. Slower. More real than anything he’s ever known. And when he looks into Charlie’s eyes, Beck may finally discover what it’s like to truly belong.

Excerpt

He spun her out and under his arm, then clasped her around the back and pressed her close again. “You have been practicing.” She gazed up at him through heavy lidded eyes while a slight smile played across her lips.

“Just trying to make you look good, Ms. Walker.” Not that she needed any help in that area. There was something about her that drew a man’s attention. Beyond her good looks, she had a spark, a sizzle, some crackling force that surrounded her and demanded to be noticed.

“You’re doing a fine job of that.” She nodded to herself and leaned her head against his chest.

He liked the way it felt, the heat from her cheek pressing against his heart. Hell, he liked the way all of her felt, nestled into his arms.

“About earlier…can I ask you a question?” His chin rested on her hair, and he let himself breathe her in. The scent of sunshine and peach cobbler layered over something else. Something that was just Charlie. “Sure.” “Are you seeing anyone?”

A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “You’re asking because of what Darby said, aren’t you?”

He shifted to the left, spinning them out of the way of a couple in full square-dance gear who spiraled around the small dance floor. “Just curious. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”

“Good.” She nodded. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Fine. For now. He wasn’t lying—he was curious. Why wouldn’t a woman like Charlie be involved with someone? She was smart and sassy as hell, had a great sense of humor and curves that wouldn’t quit.

She wrapped her arms tighter around him, making him lose track of the simple steps he’d been counting in his head.

He tried to recover but ended up stepping on her foot instead. “Sorry. I guess I’m still learning.”

“Have you always been such a slow learner?” she teased.

He’d play along. “You sure it doesn’t have something to do with the talent of my teacher?”

Charlie’s eyes sparkled, then narrowed. “What are you trying to imply? I’ll have you know your teacher is a two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ.”

Beck chuckled. “I bet you can’t say that ten times fast.”

“Two-time two-stepping Texas teen champ. Two-time two-stepping Texas—”

He laughed and covered her mouth with his hand. Her lips moved against his palm, soft and fluttery like a butterfly’s kiss. He leaned close to her ear, nestling his nose in her hair. “I was just joking.”

She nipped at his palm, sending a charge rocketing through him. “Don’t make bets you don’t intend to pay.”

A dangerous burn flared low in his gut. “Hey, watch it there, champ.”

“Or what?” Rolling her eyes, Charlie added a little extra twist in her step.

He exhaled his next words, trying to squelch the fire she’d sparked inside. “Or else.”

She spun out and around, then resettled herself against his chest. “I’m shaking in my boots. Or else? That’s all you’ve got? I’m utterly terrified.”

“Are you mocking me?” Damn if she didn’t get under his skin. The sass, the smiles, the way her cute Texas twang taunted and teased him.

“What if I am?” She drew her head back and met his gaze, her mouth curved up in a grin. Their feet stopped moving, and they stood frozen, in the middle of the dance floor, the other couples swirling around them. Her arms went around his neck, and he tightened the circle of his arms around her waist. Their hips snapped together, drawn with a magnetic force. His skin crawled with anticipation, every nerve ending crackling, waiting. His eyes searched hers for encouragement. Yes? No? Did she want him to kiss her? Would it be another mistake?

“A part of me wants to kiss you right now, Charlie.”

Her fingers toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck. “Just a part of you?”

“A big part,” he admitted.

“I’m not familiar with all of your parts yet, Manhattan. What kind of part are we talking about here?” She glanced up at him through lowered lashes.

He knew he was about to cross a line. Ironically enough, it was a line he’d put into play. The line that was supposed to keep things on a professional level. He lowered his head, his mouth inches from hers. “Do you want me to?”

She drew in a sharp breath. “What do you think?”

He was close enough to feel the slow exhale on his chin. “I don’t know what to think when I’m around you. You rattle my brain, make my head hurt.”

“Then don’t.”

“You’re right.” He pulled back. “We shouldn’t.”

The confusion in her eyes didn’t match the way her hands gripped him tighter. “I didn’t mean don’t kiss me. I meant don’t think about it so hard.” Then she tilted her head up and met his lips with hers.

About the Author

Dylann Crush writes contemporary romance with sizzle and sass. A romantic at heart, she loves her heroines spunky and her heroes super sexy. When she’s not dreaming up steamy storylines, she can be found sipping a margarita and searching for the best Tex-Mex food in Minnesota. Although she grew up in Texas, she currently lives in a suburb of Minneapolis/St. Paul with her unflappable husband, three energetic kids, a clumsy Great Dane, a rescue mutt and a very chill cat. She loves to connect with readers, other authors and fans of tequila.

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Book Title: On the Fault by Ronald J. Wichers
Category: Adult Fiction, 474 pages
Genre: Fictionalized biography
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Release date: March 13, 2018

Synopsis

“The heart of the planet is broken and the world is bleeding. We come out of the broken-hearted earth and try to mend it.”

True grit mixes with true wit in this tragic, yet strangely triumphant tale of how much one man can lose. Following the Vietnam War, life proves bittersweet as Joe Hearns learns that sometimes finding happiness means changing the definition.

For Joe Hearns the horrors of combat give way to those of daily life upon return to the States; a life burdened by an odd curse that seems to hover over the heads of anyone who fought in that otherwise magical land. He discovers that courage takes on a whole new meaning when coping with a world moving at a different pace – the pace of friendship and love. But, in the end, this proves the way out from under the curse of the war no one wanted.
​
When it comes to this soldier’s story the word fearless comes to mind.

Trailer

About the Author

Ronald J. Wichers was born in Lake Ronkonkoma New York in 1947. He attended Catholic School until 1965, studied History and literature at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas until being drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He was assigned to a rifle company in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam and, after sustaining severe wounds in a gun battle, including the loss of his left arm, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism and the Bronze Star Medal.

He later studied theology full time at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. He has published several short stories about the Vietnam war. The Fear of Being Eaten: A Biography of the Heart is his fifth novel.

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Title: International Guy, Volume 1
Author: Audrey Carlan
Release Date: July 10, 2018
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Synopsis

My name is Parker Ellis. You can call me The Dream Maker. This is where my story begins.

There’s a world of women waiting for me, but my journey starts here, in three cities: Paris. New York. Copenhagen.

International Guy Inc. is owned and operated by Parker Ellis, a ladies’ man with a high IQ and a big libido. He’s the most successful life and love coach in the world, and he’s smart enough to know he can’t run a multimillion-dollar company alone.

He hires two friends whose areas of expertise complement his own. They comprise The Dream Maker, The Love Maker, and The Money Maker. Together, they advise the wealthiest people in the world: Hollywood hotshots, European royalty, and the CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies. And sometimes they can’t help it when things heat up and they end up in bed with their clients. Quite literally.

This International Guy likes his playboy lifestyle, and he’s not looking for commitment. After all, there’s a whole world waiting for him. But as he goes from city to city, and from woman to woman, it’s possible that he just might find his own love along the way…

Message From the Author: Audrey Carlan

Hello my lovelies,

My name is Audrey Carlan and I’m the #1 New York Times and Worldwide bestselling author of Calendar Girl. I’m here today to share with you my brand new blockbuster series, International Guy! I cannot express how excited I am to share this story with you. Not only will I promise you a new book boyfriend to swoon over, but an intense serial that will take you on a journey unlike any you’ve had before.

This story is told primarily through the eyes of my hero, Parker Ellis, CEO of International Guy, Inc. known to his team as the “Dream Maker”. He is joined by his partners Royce Sterling, the “Money Maker” and Bogart “Bo” Montgomery dubbed the “Love Maker.” The IG team helps individuals all over the globe with unique problems often involving life and love coaching.

Now I’m going to introduce my main man, Parker Ellis!

Audrey: Hey Park, how’s it hanging, brother?

Parker: Nice and tight, a little to the left.

Audrey: Gross.

Parker: Pretty lady, you asked.

Audrey: I’ve been asked to find out from you what would you consider the perfect date in each of the cities you’re traveling to in International Guy: Volume 1?

Parker: Well, to start, Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world. And what is the most romantic symbol in Paris?

Audrey: The Seine River?

Parker: Audrey, babe, no. The most iconic symbol is the Eiffel Tower.

Audrey: Oh, well yeah, that makes sense.

Parker: For me, a perfect date would be to bring my beautiful woman to the Jules Verne restaurant overlooking all of Paris. Follow dinner up with a walk along the Seine. Especially if you can stop over one of the bridges and kiss her under the moonlight. Women eat that shit up.

Audrey: We eat that shit up?

Parker: Well yeah. There’s nothing wrong with it. Romance is a part of the wooing process. I dig it. I enjoy a nice meal with a beautiful woman. And there’s nothing like holding a woman’s hand while walking along a majestic body of water.

Audrey: Okay, what if you were in New York?

Parker: The city that never sleeps? A personal fave of mine.

Audrey: What would you consider a perfect date there?

Parker: Hands down, dinner and a Broadway show. I believe Phantom of the Opera is still running and it has rave reviews. Plus, it’s a rather interesting and twisted love story. This gives you plenty to talk to your woman about after the show. Preferably back at her place.

Audrey: Mm hmm. And the last city? Copenhagen?

Parker: Easy. Castles. I’ve never met a woman that wasn’t enthralled by royalty or relics from a past time. I’d take my date during the day on a tour of a sprawling castle then to a comfy hole in the wall pub that offered the traditional hygge along with a pint or a nice bottle of red wine.

Audrey: Hygge?

Parker: It’s essentially a feeling of coziness and comfort. It’s that sensation you get when you’re snuggled up close, maybe in a corner booth at a pub, or sitting next to your woman in front of a warm fire.

Audrey: I can see that. I love cozying up to my husband, especially on cold nights.

Parker: Exactly. What I think men don’t realize now a days is that women aren’t expecting too much. They want a man they’re dating to spend quality time doing different and interesting things with them. It’s not about the exact date, as in where you’ve gone or what you do when you get there. It’s more about the intention of the date. Which in my opinion is all about togetherness. Living in the moment. Experiencing things with someone you care about. Perhaps even trying new things. Feeling out what makes your partner smile. That’s when you know you’ve got something special and that’s what I shoot for on all my dates and with all of my clients.

Audrey: What would you say is your primary philosophy about dating?

Parker: Come on, Audrey, you know me. You know me.

Audrey: Answer it anyway!

Parker: Life is about meaningful experiences and not taking the special moments we’re given for granted. Every person I take out I strive to share something unique, something memorable.

Audrey: I like that. It’s very deep.

Parker: I know something else that can get very deep.

Audrey! Hey, I’m married!

Parker: Just sayin’…hook a brother up already.

Audrey: Maybe I already have?

Parker: I cannot freakin’ wait to see who you set me up with. She better be hot!

Audrey: Come on. You know me. You know me.

Parker: Yeah, she’s hot.

Audrey: Totally.

Excerpt: International Guy, Volume 1 by Audrey Carlan

“When you said you would take me to dinner, I had no idea it would be at the world-famous Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.” Sophie squeezes my hand as an attendant leads us through a secret entrance for restaurant goers.

We’re in the belly of the beast, surrounded by iron bars and rivets galore as we wait our turn to go into the private elevator that slowly takes you from the ground level up 380 feet to where the restaurant resides.

“This way, Messieurs-dames.” The attendant, who is smartly dressed in an all-black suit, gestures to the open elevator.

It’s compact and cozy, the entire back wall glass. The sun is just setting over the horizon as we ease our way up the country’s most iconic monument.

“This is incredible!” Sophie gasps, leaning against my side.

I frown. “Have you not been to the Eiffel Tower before?”

“No, I have, but I was a child then. We visited on a school outing, and of course, I have seen it

from below, walked the path, but have not experienced it as an adult.”

I hook an arm around her waist. “I’m glad we’re doing it together.”

“More first-time memories?”

She remembered. “Yes. And with a beautiful woman by my side, one I’ll never forget.”

“Then we should kiss, non?” She turns, flattens her chest against mine, and wraps her arms around my neck. “First times should always be marked with a kiss.”

I bend forward and cup her soft cheek.

She lifts up onto her toes, bringing her lips a scant inch from mine. “Do not think about it. Just do it.”

’Nuff said. I lay my lips over hers and take her lips in a slow, meaningful kiss. She opens her mouth instantly, inviting me in. I accept the invitation, licking deep and devouring her. Her sugar-and-spice scent swirls around me, coating me in heaven. Her tongue dances with mine as I turn her head left, then right, going deeper, wanting more. Our kiss becomes heated, bodies pressing against one another, trying to get closer. I need skin . . . her skin.

She moans into my mouth right as the lift stops and the bell dings, announcing we’ve made it to our destination. It takes serious effort to leave the beauty of her mouth and body, but I peel myself away, and she slides her hands down her dress, making herself presentable once again.

I guide her in front of me as the attendant takes our names and looks up the reservation I made this morning when we got to Rolland Group Inc. I was lucky to score a reservation, but apparently midweek is easier when you’re planning on spending several hundred euros a plate.

We’re seated in a position that’s perfect for two and right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which give us a spectacular view of Paris at dusk.

“Did you know that Chef Hugues de Saint Vincent will be making our meals tonight? He is a culinary genius.” Sophie smiles wide, and I vow to do more to put that smile on her face.

About the Author

Audrey Carlan is an internationally renowned author who writes wickedly hot love stories. Translated into more than thirty different languages across the globe, Audrey’s books have hit the bestseller lists for the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is best known for the worldwide bestselling Calendar Girl series and Trinity saga, and her novel Resisting Roots is scheduled to become a PassionFlix movie.

Audrey lives in the California Valley with her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters,” or with her nose stuck in a steamy romance novel.

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