Kelly’s review of Calm Before the Storm by Larissa Ione

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Release Day Launch for CALM BEFORE THE STORM by Larissa Ione! CALM BEFORE THE STORM is Episode 5 in the Rising Storm Series brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights! Grab your copy of the latest episode in this awesome series today!

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy…

Nestled among rolling hills and painted with vibrant wildflowers, the bucolic town of Storm, Texas, seems like nothing short of perfection.

But there are secrets beneath the facade. Dark secrets. Powerful secrets. The kind that can destroy lives and tear families apart. The kind that can cut through a town like a tempest, leaving jealousy and destruction in its wake, along with shattered hopes and broken dreams. All it takes is one little thing to shatter that polish.

Reading like an on-going drama in the tradition of classic day and night-time soap operas like Dallas, Dynasty, and All My Children, Rising Storm is full of scandal, deceit, romance, passion, and secrets.

With 1001 Dark Nights as the “producer,” Julie Kenner and Dee Davis use a television model with each week building on the last to create a storyline that fulfills the promise of a drama-filled soap opera. Joining Kenner and Davis in the “writer’s room” is an incredible group of New York Times bestselling authors such as Lexi Blake, Elisabeth Naughton, Larissa Ione, Rebecca Zanetti and Lisa Mondello who have brought their vision of Storm to life.

A serial soap opera containing eight episodes in season one, the season premiere of Rising Storm, TEMPEST RISING, debuted September 24^th with each subsequent episode releasing consecutively this fall.

So get ready. The storm is coming.

*****

TITLE: Calm Before the Storm
SERIES #: Rising Storm Episode #5
CHARACTERS: The town folk of Storm Texas
AUTHOR: Larissa Ione
PUBLICATION DATE: October 22, 2015
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| iBooks | Barnes & Noble | GooglePlay

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

Marcus Alvarez fled Storm when his father’s drinking drove him over the edge. With his mother and sisters in crisis, Marcus is forced to return to the town he thought he’d left behind. But it is his attraction to a very grown up Brittany Rush that just might be enough to guarantee that he stays.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 4
Yet another great episode in Rising Storm. I love the every story takes us one step closer to everyone’s secrets blowing up and bringing a major storm that will be hard for the residents of Strom, Texas to survive.

I really hoped that Marcuse and Brit might be the one couple who would not have to the town’s curse for drama Because I am convinced that the town of Storm, Texas is indeed cursed with bad luck and a huge case of liar-ism (this is my made up word for one that can not tell the truth).

But just like every good soap I will be tuning into the next episodes to see what happens next.

Disclaimer:

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley & Evil Eye Concepts in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

**Experience Rising Storm Here…**

Rising Storm Episode 1 (Sept. 24): Julie Kenner’s Tempest Rising
Amazon ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay

Rising Storm Episode 2 (Oct. 1): Lexi Blake’s White Lightning
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Rising Storm Episode 3 (Oct. 8): Elisabeth Naughton’s Crosswinds
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Rising Storm Episode 4 (Oct. 15): Jennifer Probst’s Dance in the Wind
Amazon **iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay

Rising Storm Episode 5 (Oct. 22): Larissa Ione’s Calm Before the Storm
Amazon ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay

Rising Storm Episode 6 (Oct. 29): Rebecca Zanetti’s Take the Storm
Amazon **iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay

Rising Storm Episode 7 (Nov. 5): Lisa Mondello’s Weather the Storm
Amazon ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble ** GooglePlay

Rising Storm Episode 8 (Nov. 12): Dee Davis’s Thunder Rolls
Amazon ** iBooks ** Barnes & Noble* GooglePlay

About Larissa Ione:

Larissa Ione is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. An Air Force veteran, she traded in a career as a meteorologist to pursue her passion of writing. She now spends her days in pajamas with her computer, strong coffee, and supernatural worlds. She believes in celebrating everything, and would never be caught without a bottle of Champagne chilling in the fridge…just in case. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat named Vegas, and her very own hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

You can find out more about Larissa here: Rising StormWebsite | Facebook |Twitter | 1001 Dark Nights | Rising Storm on Goodreads

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October 14, 2015October 13, 2015

The Ludzecky Sisters Series By Kathryn Shay

Begin Again

(Ludzecky Sisters #1)

by Kathryn Shay

BEGIN AGAIN tells the story of Paulina Ludzecky who, since her husband died three years ago, runs a contracting business with her twin, Antonia. She’s ready to dip her toes in romance, when she meets Adam Armstrong, the architect on the new music hall her company is building.

For Adam, opposites attract and he’s drawn to this no-nonsense, down-to-earth girl next door. She’s equally interested in him though he’s too different from her to settle down with. But alpha male Adam has other plans for Paulina and isn’t about to let her go, even when Paulina has trouble with committing to him. Sex, yes! Love, no! This second chance at love story will tug on your heartstrings.

Available for purchase at:

Excerpt:

Prologue

The Ludzecky family was well acquainted with tragedy, but none as horrific as this one.

The matriarch, Donuta Ludzecky, affectionately known as Matka, sat in the front pew of a Catholic church next to her best friend, Rosie Pettrone. The woman had suffered the worst loss any mother could have visited on her—losing a child or, in this case, losing two. Twin boys. Twenty-eight years old. The driver of a truck had barreled through a red light and crumpled the front of the car. The boys were killed instantly. They had been married to Paulina and Antonia, Donuta’s two daughters. Like the good Polish woman that she was, Donuta sat stalwart, holding back any display of her own emotions. Of course, she suffered with and for her friend. But she also could not help thinking of the effect this obscene event would have on her eight children.

Her gaze traveled first to her twin girls, dressed in black, shoulders hunched, sitting on either side of Rosie. Antonia had dissolved into tears the moment they had walked into church and had not stopped crying. Lukasz had to take care of her two-year-old son, who cried into his uncle’s chest. Paulina, stronger both physically and emotionally than Nia, had slid her arms around her boys, and remained stone-faced. The crying would come later for her, Donuta knew. And their lives would never be the same without their men. Donuta had learned that fact from the death of her own husband when she was in her forties.

Her gaze landed on Lukasz. He and his wife, Kelsey, had come down from Binghamton after the accident happened. Their near-perfect lives had been hard-won, and now their happiness would be shadowed by their sisters’ trauma. And Lukasz would suffer over living four hours away from the family. Next in age, Caterina was content as a mother, working in linguistics for the Secret Service, very much in love with her husband Aidan O’Neil. She would want to protect the girls, which would be impossible. She had already made plans to stay in Queens with them for three weeks.

Ana, the third oldest, had helped take care of Donuta’s other children, especially when more babies had come along and Donuta was in the hospital, giving birth or, twice, with exhaustion. Though Ana was happily married with one child, she would smother her twin sisters, trying to make things right for them.

Magdalena, a year younger than Ana, would take over the logistics. A successful businesswoman, she would try to organize, strategize and “fix” whatever she could for her sisters. She did not yet know there was no fixing tragedy, that the girls needed to simply grieve, but Magdalena believed she could do anything she set her mind to.

And then there was Sofia, who had had tragedy of her own. At sixteen, she had been diagnosed with leukemia. The treatment had forced her to give up her dancing aspirations. This one would go into herself unless someone stopped her. Donuta hoped her quiet daughter, fragile, thin as a willow, could withstand the sorrow that had come their way.

And last was Elizabeita. Who knew what the baby of the family would do? Bright enough to be a Rhodes Scholar and earn two degrees at Oxford, pretty enough to be a model and bold enough to sky dive and jump off cliffs, the girl had been impossible to control all her life. Donuta worried about her. How would this one handle the overwhelming grief?

When the priest asked them to stand, Donuta chided herself. She was thinking about her family’s welfare, and here was poor Rosie, who had suffered such loss. However, the fact remained: Donuta would be a friend in every way, but her role as Matka would make her priority her children, as always.

*****

Primary Colors
(Ludzecky Sisters Series, #2)
by Kathryn Shay

In PRIMARY COLORS, Nia Ludzecky Pettrone is stuck in her grief and can’t find a way out of her sorrow over the untimely death of her beloved husband. Then she meets famous modern artist Rafe Castle, and she’s intrigued by his gentle demeanor and lack of arrogance. When he shows interest in giving her son the confidence and skills to nurture his budding art talent, she starts falling for him. Still, she finds it hard to leave the past behind and embrace love after loss.

Rafe is definitely interested in a relationship with Nia. If he has his way, she’ll come to love him and he vows to be patient. But when she rejects him in the most elemental of ways, can he control the comparison to past hurts she resurrects for him?

Available for purchase at:

*****

Risky Business
(Ludzecky Sisters Series #3)
by Kathryn Shay

Magdalena Ludzecky is a career woman extraordinaire. A child prodigy, she’s worked her way into a successful private equity firm by the time she was twenty-four. Seven years later, she’s still the gentle, good-hearted sister who hasn’t forgotten her roots, but in business she’s a force to be reckoned with. She’s a woman who has everything, including Logan Price, her coworker and her best friend outside of the family. They support each other through tragedy and loss, vacation together and make million dollar deals together.

But suddenly, they find attraction growing between them. And no, they both think, this can’t happen! They like the status quo. An office romance is unthinkable. It doesn’t seem to be up to them, though, as fate intervenes and brings them together as lovers. Yet fate can be cruel, too, and pulls them apart when Logan’s circumstances change dramatically. Does this friends to lovers romance have a chance or are Logan and Magdalena going to lose each other forever?

Available for purchase at:

*****

The Way We Were
(Ludzecky Sisters Series #4)
by Kathryn Shay

Ana Ludzecky had it all—a sexy husband, a beautiful daughter, her dream house and the best extended family in the world. Then, tragedy strikes them and her life turns upside down. Unable to bear the suffering of her sisters, she makes some bad choices that eventually lead to the dissolution of her marriage.

Dr. Jared Creswell, a professor at Mount Mary College, always believed he and Ana would last forever. He’s never loved anybody like he loved her. But a year after the tragedy, she’s still suffering because of the horrific events her family suffered. Jared weakens and makes the biggest mistake of his life.

When their daughter is stricken with a rare kidney disorder, both Ana and Jared must come together to see her through this difficult time. Will his and Ana’s past love be rekindled or have they put it out forever? You’ll root for these two who’ve been dealt a bad hand in life and are trying to find their second chance at love.

Available for purchase at:

*****

Handle with Care
(Ludzecky Sisters Series #5)
by Kathryn Shay

Of all the Ludzecky sisters, Sofia is the calmest one. She’s had to be. Diagnosed with leukemia at sixteen, the disease has affected her entire life. When bad things have happened to her—her father’s death, her Secret Service sister and brother getting shot, the deaths of her brothers-in-law–Sofia has gone into herself and found the strength to help them out and also take care of herself. The easy going, laid back lifestyle suits her and she likes it. Her chosen profession is as a yoga instructor and owner of Serenity Yoga, which enhances this way of living.

Football Coach Max Walker doesn’t know what to make of this sweet, demure and pretty woman who is hired by his high school to teach yoga to students. But he’s part of the Physical Education department and has to deal with her every day. Soon he comes to learn how special she is, and though he steered clear of romance with another teacher, he’s drawn to her. But she shies away from him—big time. Why? Women usually flock to Max.

Little does he know that his outgoing personality, his rabid bent for competition and his boisterous athletic family upset her. Opposites attract is not true in her case. But Max wants her, and he’s always gotten what he wants.

Available for purchase at:

*****

Love Story
(Ludzecky Sisters Series #6)
by Kathryn Shay

Elizabeita Ludzecky is two different women: one the risk-taking, hip, wild child in the Ludzecky family. Her other side is the Rhodes Scholar and businesswoman who works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The problem is she doesn’t know which is the real her. But what she does understand is the secret she carries inside her, and how it’s helped her survive a family fraught with tragedy.

Hardened cop Nick Casella decides to leave the NYPD because of his distaste for anti-police sentiment that developed after several high profile shootings were not prosecuted in the courts. But he’s asked to be part of a task force for the NYPD, an undercover unit specializing in unique crimes. He’s sent to the Met, ostensibly as a new employee do to set ups and other odd jobs. The famous museum has been besieged by odd emails, hackers and maybe even a stalker.

Nick works with Elizabeita when they put up a new exhibit and, at first, is not at all charmed by her winsomeness, her upbeat attitude about life or her sexy charisma. She’s a baby anyway, as he has more than a decade on her. But she’s getting the emails, too, and might be a victim, so he has to spend time with her. When she sets her sights on him, his first instinct is to run in the other direction. Soon, that changes dramatically. With secret and lies as the basis of a relationship, especially an older man/younger woman romance, does it have any chance of surviving?

Available for purchase at:

About the Author

A NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author, Kathryn Shay has been a lifelong writer and teacher. She has written dozens of self-published original romance titles, print books with the Berkley Publishing Group and Harlequin Enterprises and mainstream women’s fiction with Bold Strokes Books. She has won five RT Book Reviews awards, four Golden Quills, four Holt Medallions, the Bookseller’s Best Award, Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year and several “Starred Reviews.” Her novels have been serialized in COSMOPOLITAN magazine and featured in USA TODAY, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and PEOPLE magazine. There are over five million copies of her books in print, along with hundreds of thousands downloaded online. Reviewers have call her work “emotional and heart-wrenching.”

You can find Kathryn at:

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October 6, 2015October 6, 2015

Kelly’s Review of Brighter Than the Sun by Darynda Jones

BTTS Book Blast .jpg

A little about Darynda,

NYTimes and USA Today Bestselling Author Darynda Jones has won numerous awards for her work, including a prestigious Golden Heart®, a Rebecca, two Hold Medallions, a RITA ®, and a Daphne du Maurier, and she has received stellar reviews from dozens of publications including starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and the Library Journal. As a born storyteller, Darynda grew up spinning tales of dashing damsels and heroes in distress for any unfortunate soul who happened by, annoying man and beast alike, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to carry on that tradition. She currently has two series with St. Martin’s Press: The Charley Davidson Series and the Darklight Trilogy. She lives in the Land of Enchantment, also known as New Mexico, with her husband of almost 30 years and two beautiful sons, the Mighty, Mighty Jones Boys. She can be found at www.daryndajones.com.

Here is a FREE READ for you pleasure.

*****Kelly’s audio review of Brighter Than The Sun*****

TITLE: BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN
SERIES #: Charley Davidson #8.5
CHARACTERS: Reyes Farrow
AUTHOR: Darynda Jones
NARRATOR: Lorelei King
RUN TIME: 3 Hours & Minutes
PUBLICATION DATE: October 06, 2015
ORDER LINKS: Amazon| Audible | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:

All his life, Reyes Alexander Farrow has suffered the torments of the damned. Only one thing has given him hope: the woman who radiates a light that no mortals can see; a light that only the departed can see…

Told from his point of view, BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN chronicles the first time Reyes ever encountered Charley, and how their relationship has been the one thing that can either save him or doom him.

REVIEW PROVIDED BY: Kelly
NUMBER OF HEARTS: 5

I have to start the review by telling you that BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN is not your typically Charley Davidson book. This is not the light hearted fun full of Charley antics story. When I received this book to review I was given a warning that this book was dark. Very dark!!! If you read the excerpt below you will get a glimpse of how dark, sad and heartbreaking this story is. Fans of Charley’s series already know some of what happened to Reyes as a kid but in Brighter Than the Sun we unfortunately get an upclose and personal view of his world as a kid.

After reading BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN, I can safely say that I love Reyes even more than I did before. Reyes lived through hell in his childhood. It was beyond heartbreaking to read/listen to his back story. It was heartbreaking to read/listen to him when he first meets Charley. It is heartbreaking to read/listen to the things that happen to Charley.

It was great to see just how much Reyes loves Charley. How much from the first moment of Charley’s life that Reyes was there. This story was beyond heartbreaking to suffer with Reyes, but seeing Charley though his eyes and to learn just how important she is to him was wonderful.

Ms. King does an amazing job of reading this story to us as always. I am looking forward to the next installment of this series.

Charley & Reyes fans will enjoy this story even if they need to make sure to have a good supply of tissues close by.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from MacMillan Audio in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

Excerpt

I’m curled in a corner of the basement, shivering like a little bitch and licking my wounds from the latest encounter, when I hear my sister crying at the door. I try to assure her I’m okay, but the edges of my vision darken and a beckoning light appears in the distance. I collapse and drift toward it. Weightless. Ethereal.

I always drift toward it.

Not literally. I’ve been locked in the basement by a psychopath. I don’t get out much. But mentally.

You should probably know that even though I’m twelve, the circumstances of my existence are not normal. The things that happen to me are not normal. The things in my head are not normal. And the light that I’m drifting toward, the warmth I feel from it, the . . . forgiveness for all my abnormalities, is as abnormal as I am.

I’m three the first time I see it, and in a very similar state. I follow it. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and drift toward the white-hot pinprick of light burning the back of my eyes. The closer I get, the brighter it becomes until, just when I think I’ll never see again . . .

. . . she appears.

This tiny being peeking out from between a lady’s legs. I don’t know what to think at first, besides I shouldn’t be looking between a lady’s legs. But she is dying, the lady, so I figure it’s okay. I wouldn’t look at her bad anyway. My head doesn’t always work right, but even at three, it knows not to look at a lady bad.

Anyway, she’s shaking. The lady. Not shivers like if she’s cold, but deep shakes like if something’s wrong. Her head is thrown back and her body is stiff. The nurses hold her down as a doctor pulls at the light. At the thing. The tiny being that was in the lady’s belly, and suddenly it all makes sense.

Not the light, but that whole “Where do babies come from?” thing.

It’s disturbing, but not so disturbing as the lady. One of the reasons my head doesn’t work right is because I feel what others feel. Could ever since I was a kid. A littler kid. I can feel other people when they’re mad or pissed or in pain. That’s how I know when to stay away from Earl. When to run and hide. It doesn’t always work, but it’s damned sure worth a shot.

But right now, I feel the lady’s pain and it hurts and I almost leave if not for the light. I try to catch my breath once more. To be near it. Near her. Just a little longer.

She comes out in a whoosh of baby and liquid and a light so bright, I can hardly see—and I’m mesmerized. Then the pain stops and I can breathe normally again. The lady is still. A solid, constant note sounds in the room, and people gather around her and the baby. Everyone except the man holding the lady’s hand. He is doubled over. His shoulders shake, and I realize the people around the baby—most of them, anyway—are dead. They’re people from the past come to see the light. Ghosts. Whispers.

Their faces are full of wonder, but they are blocking my view, so I push them aside and drift closer. She is wailing like babies do. Then she sees the lady. Her mother. The woman standing beside the doctor, looking down at her. I’d never seen anything like the emotion in the mom’s expression, and I think how it must be love, because it’s soft and caring and tender.

I’m glad for the baby and sad at the same time. The mother touches her face. The baby’s. Tells her to be strong. Stronger than she was. Then she kisses the man’s bowed head, and I think about how I didn’t know ghosts could cry. Then she does the impossible: She steps into the baby’s light and is gone.

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January 6, 2016

THE DIRT ON NINTH GRAVE

Charley Davidson #9

Preorder here: Amazon | B&N

In a small village in New York lives Jane Doe, a girl with no memory of who she is or where she came from. So when she is working at a diner and slowly begins to realize she can see dead people, she’s more than a little taken aback. Stranger still are the people entering her life. They seem to know things about her. Things they hide with lies and half-truths. Soon, she senses something far darker. A force that wants to cause her harm, she is sure of it. Her saving grace comes in the form of a new friend she feels she can confide in and the fry cook, a devastatingly handsome man whose smile is breathtaking and touch is scalding. He stays close, and she almost feels safe with him around.

But no one can outrun their past, and the more lies that swirl around her—even from her new and trusted friends—the more disoriented she becomes, until she is confronted by a man who claims to have been sent to kill her. Sent by the darkest force in the universe. A force that absolutely will not stop until she is dead. Thankfully, she has a Rottweiler. But that doesn’t help in her quest to find her identity and recover what she’s lost. That will take all her courage and a touch of the power she feels flowing like electricity through her veins. She almost feels sorry for him. The devil in blue jeans. The disarming fry cook who lies with every breath he takes. She will get to the bottom of what he knows if it kills her. Or him. Either way.

August 25, 2015August 25, 2015

Happy Release Day x2 to Dianne Duvall!!!!!

Bestselling author of the gripping and unique paranormal romance series, Immortal Guardians, is back with two new release!

Shadows Strike

(Immortal Guardians #6)

by Dianne Duvall

Paperback/eBook, 320 pages

Expected publication: August 25th 2015 by Zebra

ISBN 1420129821

The Immortal Guardians protect the innocent in secret. Sometimes the secret gets out…

U.S. law enforcement agent Heather Lane can read minds. But not the future. The dream of battle and blood that recurs every night must be a fluke, some obscure terror from her own mind. What its significance might be, she can’t guess: an attack from seven psychotic vampires at once, only separated from nightmare by an eighth very different immortal. A handsome, brave man fighting at her side, a man she misses when she wakes.

Then the dream comes true. Heather is flung into a war between predators and protectors of humanity, the man from her dreams beside her again. Except now that she’s awake, she isn’t sure she can trust Ethan, or the shadow organization he represents. The U.S. military doesn’t trust either of them. But against an onslaught of evil like the one that’s coming, it will take everything they have just to survive…

Amazon | iTunes | Kobo | BAM! | Barnes & Noble

On the Hunt

(Immortal Guardians, #5.5)

by Alexandra Ivy, Rebecca Zanetti, Dianne Duvall, Hannah Jayne

Paperback, 384 pages

Expected publication: August 25th 2015 by Zebra

ISBN 1420125133

Four of today’s most intriguing paranormal authors entice readers deep into the shadows, where vampires, immortals, and other supernatural creatures heat up the night…

ON THE HUNT by Alexandra Ivy
Mika Tanner has loved Bailey Morrell, a beautiful Healer, since childhood. But his duty as a Sentinel, a supernatural guardian of an ancient race, clashed with her rebellious spirit. Now a dangerous new anarchist group not only threatens life as they know it—but any chance of their being together again…

SCORPIUS RISING by Rebecca Zanetti
While searching for a meteorite, Nora Mendina is arrested by her sheriff ex-husband—who’s only gotten hotter than the Nevada desert since she last saw him. When the meteorite breaks open, the few survivors gain extraordinary powers, unleashing a crazed super genius killer. Can Nora and her ex stop the murders…while igniting a new love affair?

PHANTOM EMBRACE by Dianne Duvall
Immortal Yuri Sokolov was born with the ability to see spirits, yet he’s never seen one as lovely as Cat Seddon, the woman who haunts his home and his dreams. But amid their star-crossed love, a new danger may have Yuri facing a different kind of eternity.

STAKE OUT by Hannah Jayne
Vampire fashion designer Nina LaShay has a lot on her plate—just two days until fashion week and the model who was flirting with her photographer boyfriend is now a corpse in her studio. But when dead turns into undead and dangerous, Nina must find out who’s responsible…before the beautiful baby vamp takes too many bites out of the Big Apple.

Amazon | iTunes | Kobo | BAM! | Barnes & Noble

Previous Books in the Series:

Book 1, Darkness Dawns

Book 2, Night Reigns

Book 3, Phantom Shadows

Book 3.5, In Still Darkness

Book 4, Darkness Rises

Book 5, Night Unbound

Stop by the SHADOWS STRIKE Blog Tour for fun posts from the author, interviews, exclusive excerpts from the book, interviews with the characters, and more! You won’t want to miss the gift card and signed book giveaway either!

Click on the image above for the tour schedule.

About the Author:

Dianne Duvall is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series and The Gifted Ones series. Her books have twice been nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance and are routinely deemed Top Picks by RT Book Reviews, The Romance Reviews, and/or Night Owl Reviews. Reviewers have called Dianne’s books “utterly addictive” (RT Book Reviews), “fast-paced and humorous” (Publishers Weekly), “extraordinary” (Long and Short Reviews), and “wonderfully imaginative” (The Romance Reviews).

Dianne loves all things creative. When she isn’t writing, Dianne is active in the independent film industry and has even appeared on-screen, crawling out of a moonlit grave and wielding a machete like some of the vampires she has created in her books.

For the latest news on upcoming releases, contests, and more, please visit www.DianneDuvall.com. You can also find Dianne online . . .

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Tsū | YouTube | Pinterest | Goodreads | Google Plus

July 7, 2015July 4, 2015

Release Day Spotlight: Stacey Kennedy’s Commanded

COMMANDED

Club Sin #5

Club Sin comes alive once again in this decadent new erotic romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy, perfect for fans of Fifty Shades of Grey.

Release Date: July 7, 2015

Amazon Barnes & Noble Additional purchasing options

“Commanded is erotic, exotic, and suspenseful. I couldn’t put it down!”—USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell

“Sexy and suspenseful, with delicious sexual tension that will keep you turning the pages . . . You don’t want to miss the next Club Sin novel.”—Shawntelle Madison, author of the Windham Werewolves series

A dedicated cop, Sawyer Quinn blows off steam by immersing himself in his role as a Master at the hottest club in Las Vegas. But when Sawyer goes after the perp who brutally beat his sister, he teams up with Chloe Nash, a sexy private investigator who awakens a sweet new need: to keep her to himself, away from the dungeon of Club Sin. Chloe is beautiful, smart, and too innocent for the BDSM lifestyle. Sawyer’s never wanted a woman like this before. Is her love worth swearing off the one thing that keeps him sane?

There’s something different about Sawyer: a commanding strength that pulls Chloe into a vortex of heady desire. But when she learns about his double life as a Dom, she’s shocked—and afraid she could never complete him. Then he saves her life, and just like that, Chloe knows she will be able to give him anything he desires. She is his—wherever and however he wants to take her.

Goodreads

Author Bio:

STACEY KENNEDY is the USA Today bestselling author of the CLUB SIN series. Growing up, Stacey’s mind wandered the path less traveled and that path most often led to love. She has always broken rules and she continues to feed off emotion – staying true to her heart. Those traits are now the bones of her stories. She lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, who puts any of the heroes in her books to shame, and their two young children. If she’s not on mom duty or plugging away at a new story, you’ll find Stacey camping in the summer, hibernating in the winter and obsessing over Penny Dreadful, Game of Thrones and Outlander.

Connect with Stacey: Website Facebook Twitter Goodreads

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June 5, 2015May 28, 2015

To celebrate the upcoming release of Shards of Hope here is another look at Kelly’s review of Slave to Sensation (book 1)

Berkley has repackaged Slave to Sensation to help celebrate the upcoming release of Ms. Signh’s 14th book in the Psy-Changeling series SHARDS OF HOPE (Berkley Hardcover; June 2, 2015). So to help I am re-posting my review of Slave to Sensation along with the new cover. Enjoy. And keep reading to the end Berkley is doing an awesome giveaway.

TITLE: Slave to Sensation
SERIES #: Psy-Changeling #1
CHARACTERS: Lucas Hunter & Sascha Duncan
AUTHOR: Nalini Singh
NARRATOR: Angela Dawe
PUBLICATION DATE: September 5, 2006
AUDIO RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2011
RUN TIME: 9 hours & 39 minutes

ORDER LINKS: Amazon | B&N | Audible

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Dive into a world torn apart by a powerful race with phenomenal powers of the mind—and none of the heart…

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation

REVIEW: 4 Hearts
This was my second read/listen to this book. But I decided that I really wanted to tackle Nalini’s Psy-Changeling series. This first book was really good. Lots of world building, history and foundation that needs to be laid for us to understand this world. But the story between Lucas & Sascha really heats up the pages. Anyone that can have those types of dreams is okay in my book 🙂
I really loved Lucas’ character. As Alpha of his pack he has to be strong. But Lucas was strong even before he was alpha. Although he was a little broken too. I hope that we get to see glimpses of these two in future books.
I loved Sascha, even if at times I wanted to shake the Psy out of her. But if she was not Psy and struggling with her emotions the story would not be as good.

The narrator Angela Dawe did a really good job with the reading of this book. This was my first book I have listened to narrated by Angela. My only complaint was that the splicing between chapters was way too fast. But I do plan on listening to the second book in this series on audible too.

Disclaimer:
This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.

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June 3, 2015June 3, 2015

Spotlight: The Hotter you Burn by Gena Showalter

Books-n-Kisses is pleased to share with your Gena Showalter’s upcoming release of THE HOTTER YOU BURN. We had a chance to ask Gena a question about The Hotter you Burn. Enjoy!!!!

BnK: Harlow has many regrets about her past—do you have a regret about your high school experience?

GS: Oh, man, do I! If I could go back, I’d tell myself it’s not how pretty the guy is that matters, it’s how he treats me. I’d tell myself to be nicer to the people I love. They’re going to help me through some very tough times. I’d tell myself to stop freaking driving like I’m part of a race. Better I’m late than dead. I’d tell myself to spend more time with my uncle and grandparents. I’m not going to have much time with them. And after I told myself all that, I’d probably slap myself. Just because!

BnK: How has your writing grown over the course of your career?

GS: I’ve learned the books aren’t about me and the things that I want but about the characters and the things they need, and that, to find the right person, they have to become the right person.

THE HOTTER YOU BURN

The Original Heartbreakers #2

Scheduled release day July 28, 2015

Preorder here: Amazon | B&N |

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Gena Showalter returns with THE HOTTER YOU BURN (HQN Books, August 2015, $7.99 U.S./$8.99 CAN.), the second book in her new Original Heartbreakers series. Featuring the trademark wit, humor and compelling voice that Gena’s readers have come to expect, each book in the series focuses on one of three unrepentant bad boys and the women who make them change their ways forever.

Beck Ockley lives by a single dating rule: one and done. The millionaire playboy knows the pain of loss and will do anything to avoid another. And now that he’s moved to the small town of Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, Beck expects only three things—time with the only two friends he trusts, work…and lots of pleasure. What he never could have predicted was that a vulnerable Southern beauty would sneak past his defenses.

Harlow Glass is determined to rebuild her life. The reformed bully has lost everyone and everything she loved, and she’s paid the ultimate price for her checkered past. Now she wants commitment, the only thing Beck refuses to give. As their chemistry blazes white-hot, he’ll either have to break her heart…or surrender his own.

Excerpt 2:

“I’d like to hire you to paint my portrait.”

Harlow almost bounced out of her seat, but caught herself with a single thought. Can’t appear too hasty. “Okay,” she said, playing with the edge of a piece of paper. “If you insist. And if the price is right.” She’d drawn countless images of Beck, but the thought of painting him to scale and seeing him in full color intoxicated her. She could play with different shades of gold, brown and bronze, and even a wealth of greens to get the emerald flecks hidden so deeply in his eyes just right.

Maybe Kimberly had nailed it. Maybe Harlow had stared at Beck for reasons that had nothing to do with the job.

“Name a figure.” He slowly, leisurely, walked back to the couch and eased down, the whiskey in hand. “Whatever it is, lollipop, I’ll pay it.”

The new endearment startled her, considering he hadn’t used one these past three weeks. The fact that he’d gone with lollipop, something sweet and edible he’d never called the others…

I’m special to him.

Oh, no, no, no. Red alert! Red alert! That was the true danger of him. Somehow, he made everyone feel special.

“That’s a daring thing to say,” she stated quietly.

“But true nonetheless.”

She placed her elbows on the desk and leaned forward. “Very well. The price is…” Inspiration struck, and she smiled evilly. “You can’t have sex for a week.”

His eyes narrowed to tiny slits, but he appeared far from angry. “Why do you care about my sex life?”

“I care about you, and I think abstinence will help build character.”

He didn’t miss a beat. “You care? Very well, I accept.” No time to celebrate. “With two caveats,” he added. “The week won’t start until the painting is done.” He smiled now, and it was a wicked one. “Also, I want the painting to be a nude.”

Her breath caught in her throat, only to exit on a gust. “I…you…excuse me?”

“A nude. Meaning I won’t be wearing any clothing. If you want to strip down, that’ll be okay too.”

This was punishment for daring to impede his sex life, wasn’t it? “I’ve never actually painted or even drawn what you’re suggesting, and I’m not sure I have the skill.” Or if she would survive.

“I have complete faith in your ability. And as an artist, a professional, I’ll expect you to view me strictly through objective eyes. You can do that, can’t you?”

“Of course,” she said. She could absolutely, one hundred percent view him through objective eyes…if he wore a cloak of invisibility. But even then it would be iffy. “Why do you want a nude?” she demanded, hoping to shame him into retracting his request.

“Maybe I enjoy the thought of disrobing for you.” His voice had gone low and husky, a caress of unfettered temptation, making her shiver. “Maybe I like the thought of your eyes on my bare skin and your hands forming the shapes of my body.”

She gulped. Having only ever dealt with boys, never with men, she had no idea how to respond to so blatant a statement.

“Or,” he said, his voice returning to its normal fun, flirty tone. “Maybe I’m narcissistic and want to immortalize every inch of myself. How is one to know?”

How indeed. “When would you like to start?”

“Tonight.”

I’m going to hate myself for reminding him of this, but… “What about your date? I can’t—won’t—hurt Kimberly.”

“I think we both know she was about to cancel on me. Which makes me wonder what the two of you were discussing.”

Shifting uncomfortably, she said, “I will never betray a confidence.”

“I could change your mind, but I won’t. I admire your mindset.” His gaze dropped to the pulse fluttering in her neck. “I’ll arrive at seven, and I’ll bring dinner.”

“Yes. I’d like that.” A lot. And it wasn’t the thought of food that made her heart race, but the thought of having him in her space. Alone…naked. Within reach.

She sucked in a breath. Oh…crap. The worst had happened, hadn’t it?

Kimberly had figured it out, but Harlow had done her best to deny it until the truth practically vibrated in her bones. How had she ever fooled herself into thinking she could fall for West…when she’d already fallen for Beck?

“What’s wrong, dove?” he asked gently. He came around the desk and sat at the edge, turning her chair to trap her between his legs. “You were twinkles one moment, sullen the next.”

He always read her so well, while she always struggled to make sense of his moods. Life wasn’t fair. “It’s nothing I want to discuss right now,” she said, refusing to lie to him. But she had to talk to someone about this.

Who? She had no confidants, and any secrets she revealed to others could be used as a weapon against her. A game of “humiliate Harlow for sport.”

“What will it take to get you to trust me, hmm?”

Was he serious? “Beck, for the past three weeks you’ve treated me like I’m a carrier of cholera. Why do you want my trust?”

“You’re my friend.”

But I want to be more. “Yes,” she said, and cleared her throat. “You’re right. I am.”

“So talk to me like a friend. Share your past with me. Tell me what changed you in high school.”

Her mouth went dry. Always they circled back to this. “Forget I agreed to be your friend. We’re enemies.”

“You’ll tell me what’s easy, but nothing that’s hard.”

“I don’t like to think about what changed me. It hurts.”

“Pain fades. Rip off the bandage and give the wound a chance to heal.”

“No.” If she told him, she’d have to show him. If she showed him, he’d never want her again. And right now he wanted her. He had to. The way he was looking at her…

He leaned down until his nose almost brushed against hers. “One day, Harlow, you’ll open up to me.”

“One day,” she whispered. “Maybe. But probably not.”

He cupped her nape, the heat of him making her gasp. “Definitely. And in more ways than one. I’ll make sure of it.”

A little about Gena:

Gena Showalter is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author whose works have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazines, as well as Entertainment Weekly. Her novel Red Handed has been optioned by Sony Television. Critics have called her books “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories,” while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise.” Her mix of humor, danger and wickedly hot sex provides wildly sensual page-turners sure to enthrall.

You can learn more about Gena here: Website| Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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June 3, 2015June 2, 2015

Book Blitz: Katee Robert’s The Marriage Contract

The Marriage Contract

The O’Malleys: Book 1

June 2, 2015

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katee Robert begins a smoking hot new series about the O’Malley family-wealthy, powerful, dangerous and seething with scandal.
Teague O’Malley hates pretty much everything associated with his family’s name. And when his father orders him to marry Callista Sheridan to create a “business” alliance, Teague’s ready to tell his dad exactly where he can stuff his millions. But then Teague actually meets his new fiancée, sees the bruises on her neck and the fight still left in her big blue eyes, and vows he will do everything in his power to protect her.

Everyone knows the O’Malleys have a dangerous reputation. But Callie wasn’t aware just what that meant until she saw Teague, the embodiment of lethal grace and coiled power. His slightest touch sizzles through her. But the closer they get, the more trouble they’re in. Because Callie’s keeping a dark secret-and what Teague doesn’t know could get him killed.

An Excerpt:

She was so wrapped up in her misery, she didn’t realize she was no longer alone until a rough male voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. “Want a smoke?”

Callie opened her eyes to a man offering her an opened pack of cigarettes. He was attractive in a brutish sort of way, his jaw square, cheekbones to kill for, and shoulders filling out his expensive suit in a way that didn’t look the least bit comfortable.

“I don’t smoke.”

“Now’s as good a time to start as any.” He shook one out and handed it to her, and then lit the one dangling between his lips. “I hear we’re going to be married.”

This was Teague O’Malley? She tensed, but he seemed content to stand in this dark alley with her and share his cigarettes. Now that she knew what to look for, she recognized the same coloring that his father and older brother had—sun-darkened skin and near-black hair. His dark eyes weren’t as cold as Seamus’s, but that didn’t comfort her in the least. All it meant was that he was a better liar than his father was. “What do you think about that?”

He shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter what either of us thinks, does it?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t.”

She wanted to know why he’d followed her out here—if there was something he’d wanted to say that couldn’t be said in front of both their combined families—but he seemed content to enjoy his cigarette in silence. Maybe he’d needed the respite as much as she had?

All too soon, it’d be time to step back into the chaos and let the events neither of them could stop begin, but right now they were just two strangers, sharing a moment of silence.

Can we really be strangers if we’re already engaged?

She pushed the thought away, determined to enjoy this stolen moment in time before reality set back in. By the time she finished her cigarette, her hands had almost stopped shaking. She crushed the remaining bit under the toe of her sky-high heels and turned for the door.

Only to find her way blocked by Teague.

He was taller up close, well over six feet, and broader as well. The man looked like a bruiser, which was fitting because it was exactly what he was. He stared down at her with beautiful dark eyes, and her demand that he get out of her way died in her throat. While she was debating her options, he reached up, quick as a snake, and snagged the silk scarf around her neck. She made a grab at it, but it was too late.

Teague took a step closer, and then another, backing her against the wall, his eyes narrowing at her neck. “Show me.”

“Leave me alone.” Was that her voice, weak and wavering? She took a shuddering breath, all her hard won calm disappearing. “Get out of my way.”

He kept going as if he hadn’t heard her, stopping less than an arm’s reach away. God, he seemed big this close up—bigger than Brendan, bigger than her brother had been. He cupped her chin, his grip painless but completely unmovable, and tilted her head back to bare her neck. “Who hurt you?” There was a promise of violence in every line of his body.

“No one.”

“Now, I may not be the smartest man in the world, Callista, but I know what the imprint of a man’s hands on a woman’s neck looks like.” His thumb moved, tracing the line of Brendan’s fingers that she could still feel digging into her skin. Teague’s touch didn’t hurt, though. It felt…almost good.

She swallowed, the move pressing her throat more firmly against his thumb. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right. Because I’m going to kill the bastard.” He kept stroking her skin, his touch doing strange things to parts of her body that weren’t anywhere near her neck. “Tell me his name.”

She wouldn’t, even if the man who’d hurt her wasn’t already dead. Even in their messed-up world, murder was a last resort—something to be avoided at all costs—not something you did for a woman you barely knew. “No.”

“Your father hasn’t been keeping what’s his safe.” Another stroke, this one closer to her jawline. “That’s his mistake—one I won’t be making as well. His name, Callista.”

She’d never considered herself one to crack under pressure, but this man put his hands on her and spoke in that quiet, confident way that promised violence to anyone who touched her, and she was dangerously close to losing control. Which kind of control was up for grabs, so she went with the least likely to reveal her secret.

She kissed him, her heels giving her enough height that she barely had to go up on her toes. Her lips brushed his and for one interminable second she was sure neither of them took a breath.

That was all it took.

He let go of her throat to cup the back of her head, and then she was in the middle of the single most devastating kiss of her life. His tongue stroked hers, claiming her mouth—her body—as his own. His hands stayed in place even as he continued the assault on her mouth, his touch headier than the nicotine. She arched against him, tilting her head to allow him better access, and he growled in approval.

Whatever she’d expected from this kiss, it certainly hadn’t been desire. Though desire was too tame a word. She’d felt desire before, and this wasn’t it. This was…need. All-consuming need that devoured everything in its path, leaving only destruction in its wake.

About the author:

Katee Robert learned to tell stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her favorites then were the rather epic adventures of The Three Bears, but at age twelve she discovered romance novels and never looked back. Though she dabbled in writing, life got in the way-as it often does-and she spent a few years traveling, living in both Philadelphia and Germany. In between traveling and raising her two wee ones, she had the crazy idea that she’d like to write a book and try to get published. Her first novel was an epic fantasy that, God willing, will never see the light of day. From there, she dabbled in YA and horror, before finally finding romance. Because, really, who wouldn’t want to write entire books about the smoking-hot relationships between two people? She now spends her time-when not lost in Far Reach worlds-playing imaginary games with her wee ones, writing, ogling men, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.

Social Media Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

May 25, 2015May 24, 2015

Release day blitz: Kate Danley’s Moon Rise

Moon Rise

(Twilight Shifters #2)

By Kate Danley

Blurb:

Just because the battle was won does not mean the war is over. Aein, Lars, and Finn are sent back to the swamps to protect the one object which may save their pack. But in the recent turmoil, the border has been left unguarded and nightmarish creatures are slipping through. There is a reason why two people must always be there to hold the boundary, a lesson which Aein, Lars, and Finn are about to learn.

Available for purchase at

Teaser:

And then, without a word of warning, Finn bent down and pressed his lips against Aein’s, his stubble rough upon her mouth. His arms engulfed her, wrapping her so tight, she wasn’t sure where her body ended and his began. She felt herself melting, the heat chasing away all the horrors of the swamp. The kiss was desperate and urgent. It devoured her whole. It was as if he needed to fit a lifetime of regrets and passion into that one moment. It was as if he didn’t trust she would be there for him ever to touch again. When they parted, he rested this forehead against hers so he was still just a whisper away. “Don’t you dare die on me. Don’t you dare be the one I find in a heap, slaughtered by some monster because I wasn’t fast enough getting back. Don’t you dare. Live.”

About The Author

Kate Danley began her writing career as an indie author in 2010. Since then, she spent five weeks on the USA Today bestseller list, has been honored with various awards, including the Garcia Award for Best Fiction Book of the Year, and her Maggie MacKay series has been optioned for film and television development. Her plays have been produced in London, New York, Seattle, Baltimore, and Los Angeles. She has over 300+ film, television, and theatre credits to her name, and specializes in sketch, improv, and Shakespeare. She wrote sketch for a weekly show in Hollywood and has performed her original stand-up at various clubs in LA. She learned on-camera puppetry from Mr. Snuffleupagus and played the head of a 20-foot dinosaur on an NBC pilot. She lost on Hollywood Squares.

You can find Kate at

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March 16, 2015February 26, 2015

Spotlight feature of The Closer You Come by Gena Showalter

The Closer You Come

The Original Heartbreakers #1

March 31, 2015

Kindle| Nook | iTunes/iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo

New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter introduces the Original Heartbreakers, where three not-quite-reformed bad boys are about to meet the women who will bring them to their knees.

Just released from prison, Jase Hollister has a dark and twisted past. And now, he has only one goal: stay out of trouble. Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, sounds like the perfect place for him and his two brothers-by-circumstance to settle down and live a nice, simple life. But model citizen isn’t exactly this rugged bachelor’s default setting—especially when it comes to a certain hot-blooded Southern beauty…

Brook Lynn Dillon has always been responsible. Not that it’s done her much good. The down-on-her-luck waitress is broke, single and fun-deprived. Until Jase comes along. He is dangerous, stunningly protective, breathtakingly sexy and as tempting as sin, and the passion sizzling between them is undeniable. But can it melt her resistance? After all, the right kind of trouble might be just what they both need.

Goodreads

About Author

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books in paranormal and contemporary romances, as well as young adult novels. Her series include White Rabbit Chronicles, Angels of the Dark, Otherworld Assassins, Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress and Intertwined.

Her novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Seventeen Magazine, and have been translated all over the world. The critics have called her books “sizzling page-turners” and “utterly spellbinding stories”, while Showalter herself has been called “a star on the rise”.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

March 2, 2015March 2, 2015

Spotlight & Excerpt from Ms. Lorelei James Unraveled + a giveaway

UNRAVELED

Buy Links: Print | E-Book

In this sizzling continuation of the Mastered series by New York Times bestselling author Lorelei James, a man will find the domination he’s always craved…

Shiori Hirano and Knox Lofgren are left to run the martial arts program at Black Arts while Ronin Black travels. On the surface, the two highest ranked belts appear to cooperate—but in private, they butt heads constantly, despite the undeniable attraction between them. Soon their power exchanges start to make for a sweltering dynamic in the bedroom…

At first Knox is shocked to be living out his submissive desires, but Shiori sets out to prove that embracing his true sexual nature doesn’t make him a weak man. But even while their sexual relationship grants him a power and fulfillment he finds surprising, there’s no training regimen for the fight that comes with loving a strong woman

UNRAVELED Excerpt

The slow, bluesy music was the perfect tempo to sway together.

When she sighed and melted into him, he felt the insane urge to press his lips to the top of her head.

“This is nice,” she said softly.

“You really haven’t ever danced like this?”

“No. I went to an all-girl’s school. In college when I went out with my friends, we went to clubs where we all danced in a group. We did some dirty dancing as a joke.”

“So no drunken groping and sloppy kisses at your friends’ wedding dances?”

“Wedding dances aren’t a big thing in Japan. Or at least not in my circle of friends.”

“Glad I’m your first.”

She laughed. “I’ll bet you had girls lined up to slow dance with you.”

A compliment? He waited for her to tag it with an insult, but she didn’t. “Yes, I did. You’re looking at the slow-dancing stud of Westwood Hills Junior High.”

“And what made you such a hot commodity?”

“I was tall, for one thing. Other boys in my class hadn’t hit their growth spurts yet. It was awkward for taller girls to dance with shorter boys. The other appeal of dancing with thirteen-year-old Knox was I figured out girls might say they didn’t want a boys’ hand on their butt, but if you made the move gradually, they didn’t notice until you’re rubbing circles on their ass and then they realize they like it. So I could cop a feel, but not in a threatening way.”

Shiori tilted her head back. “You think I didn’t notice your big hand is on my ass?”

He grinned. “Well, you didn’t put me in a wrist lock, so I figured it was okay.”

While she kept her eyes on his, her hand traveled up his neck to the back of his head. She grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled. Hard.

Sweet baby Moses, his knees nearly buckled.

What the ever-lovin’ fuck? How could he like that? Why did he want her to stop and yet . . . at the same time he felt desperate for her to continue.

Knox returned his hand to her lower back.

She released him but kept the lock on his eyes.

“What?”

“Not the reaction I expected from you.”

“That’s not a reaction I expected to have either,” he said without anger or sarcasm.

“You confuse the hell out of me, Knox Lofgren.”

“The same could be said for you, Ms. Hirano.”

They studied each other, almost as if it were the first time they’d met.

Shiori curled her hand around his neck and stroked the pulse point by the hollow of his throat. “How many songs have we danced to?”

Not enough. “Two. Why?”

“How long do you plan to keep me out here dancing with you?”

Knox slipped his hand up her back and beneath her hair to curl around the side of her face. “Junior-high Knox had worked out a strategy that if he could keep a girl in his arms, moving body to body, by song three she would let her kiss him.” His gaze dropped to her mouth.

Make sure to check out Kelly’s review of Unraveled HERE

Lorelei James is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary erotic romances, including the Mastered series: Bound and Unwound and the Blacktop Cowboy novels. Lorelei lives in western South Dakota with her family. Connect with her online at http://www.loreleijames.com, https://www.facebook.com/LoreleiJamesAuthor, and https://twitter.com/loreleijames.

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February 18, 2015February 17, 2015

Cover Reveal of Dannika Dark’s Three Hours

Three Hours

(Seven Series, Bk # 5)
By Dannika Dark

Blurb:

Destiny will find you

Naya James is a confident woman who also happens to be an exotic dancer. She doesn’t care if people judge her, just so long as they don’t disrespect her. Life has been good, but when two dancers from her club are kidnapped, Naya puts her life on the line to uncover the truth.

Wheeler is the black sheep of the family, evident from his extensive tattoo collection to his dark personality. Nothing like his twin brother, Ben, who can do no wrong. Wheeler’s pack loyalty is put to the test when Austin orders him to act as a bodyguard for a woman he’s despised for years—one who presses his buttons every chance she gets.

A dark secret unravels, uniting two enemies and threatening to fracture the brotherhood of the pack. A tortured soul, a violent past, a fiery romance, and a shocking twist that will leave you breathless.

Release Date:
April 6, 2015

The Seven Series

About the Author

This is the segment where you learn a little more about who I am, so here’s what I can tell you: I drink copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously close to my laptop while writing. These are two healthy habits I have no intention of breaking. I’m a transplant living in the south, but I was born in the 70’s to a military dad who moved us around the world.

When I’m not writing (which is all the time), I’m hunting down Indie music, watching movies, reading, eating Tex-Mex, discovering new ways to humiliate myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the Internet. I have a relaxed, easy-going personality and don’t like drama. I live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so I’m not sure which).

Throughout my life, I’ve had insomnia. Counting sheep never worked and eventually I would imagine those sheep were the sole source of food after an apocalyptic battle where only thousands survived. I made up stories in a futile attempt to bore myself to sleep. The problem was, I got so wrapped up in my “head stories” that I would continue them through the following nights, changing it up each time to make it more exciting. Eventually, I started writing my ideas down – creating short stories, and then I discovered my love for poetry.

It’s almost embarrassing how many spiral notebooks and stacks of paper I have of poetry and lyrics.

Another passion: digital art. I design all my book covers, marketing, and series art. I’m a very visual person and pursued photography as an avid hobby for many years.

I am not a YA author (I feel like I have to state this only because I’ve had a few people ask), but I think it’s wonderful there are so many books available to teens in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal.

I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do: giving my characters a pulse through writing full time. I focus on adult urban fantasy romance, but I don’t like labels and I enjoy blending genres to break out of the confines of predictability.

But it’s what I love to do.

Danni

You can stalk, I mean find Dannika here:

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