Wednesday, February 28, 2018

REVIEW of Claiming Felicity by Susan Stoker


Kindle Edition, 1st edition, 262 pages
Expected publication: February 27th 2018 by Montlake Romance


Former mercenary Ryder Sinclair’s stunning discovery that he has three half brothers in Castle Rock, Colorado, is giving them all the chance to color in the spaces of their tragic pasts. For Ryder, establishing roots is made all the more desirable by Felicity Jones. But if Ryder’s instincts are correct, this breathtaking beauty is in trouble.

Castle Rock isn’t Felicity’s home. Like her false identity, it’s just a cover. All she wants is enough cash to keep moving to another temporary hideaway—to stay on the run from a secret that’s haunted her for years. As safe as Ryder’s strong embrace makes her feel, she fears that falling for him, and staying in Colorado, will put everyone she’s come to love in danger.

The more Ryder learns about Felicity, the more determined he is not to let her go. It’s time for her to stop running—even as a relentless danger closes in, threatening their love and their lives.

My Thoughts…

Ryder is alpha hot!     He has all kind toughness but beneath it all he is a softy with a huge heart.     Castle Rock, Colorado is where he meets Felicity while he is meeting his ½ brothers for the first time.    Imagine that stress and then he walks in on all the drama surrounding Felicity.    Talk about a lot going on in his world.     But he manages to keep it all together, open his heart to his new family and to find the love of his life.  

The brother’s in this story are all alpha males.   I loved that they questioned Ryder when he arrived but accepted him as their brother when it really counted.    They opened their homes, their families, and their business without ever doubting Ryder’s reliability.   It was wonderful to see a man who had no family get accepted into a large, loving family. 

The storyline of Ryder and Felicity was intense.    A woman on the run, a man wanting to taunt her and kill her, and in walks her hero.    It was refreshing to see Felicity not fall apart, she stood strong, accepted help, and stayed involve in saving her own life.   Felicity is a strong character that had a rough life but managed to find happiness in an unlikely place.    

I am new to the Ace Security series and am excited to read more about these amazing brothers.     I am also excited to learn more about the Mercenary Men and their stories.  

Thank you Montlake for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Add Claiming Felicity to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your copy on AMAZON or BARNES AND NOBLE


About the Author: Susan Stoker


Susan Stoker is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who loves hot alpha heroes. She debuted her first series in 2014, and quickly followed it up with her SEAL of Protection series and her Ace Security series, which includes Claiming Grace and Claiming Alexis. She is addicted to writing and creating stories readers can lose themselves in.

Susan considers herself an all-American girl with a heart as big as her home state of Texas. Thanks to her army husband, she’s lived in several different states. Now that he’s retired, however, it’s his turn to follow Susan around the country.

Discover more about Susan and her books through her website, 
www.StokerAces.com, or follow her on Twitter (@Susan_Stoker) and Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorsusanstoker.


REVIEW of Winter Sisters by Robin Oliveira

Viking | February 27, 2018 | 978052549012



From the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter comes a rich and compelling historical novel about the disappearance of two young girls after a cataclysmic blizzard, and what happens after their fate is discovered

New York, 1879: After an epic snow storm ravages the city of Albany, Dr. Mary Sutter, a former Civil War surgeon, begins a search for two little girls, the daughters of close friends killed by the storm who have vanished without a trace.

Mary’s mother and niece Elizabeth, who has been studying violin in Paris, return to Albany upon learning of the girls’ disappearance—but Elizabeth has another reason for wanting to come home, one she is not willing to reveal. Despite resistance from the community, who believe the girls to be dead, the family persists in their efforts to find the two sisters. When what happened to them is revealed, the uproar that ensues tears apart families, reputations, and even the social fabric of the city, exposing dark secrets about some of the most powerful of its citizens, and putting fragile loves and lives at great risk.

Winter Sisters is a propulsive new novel by the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter.

My Thoughts…

There is no doubt that Winter Sisters will be one of my best read books of 2018.    The history of the time pulled me in and held on to my attention the entire book.    I was intrigued by the role of women and how Mary Sutter was able to be a doctor in a time with that just didn’t happen.     It was interesting to see how the men treated her and how she reacted to their treatment.      Mary Sutter is a strong, unbelievably strong, character that comes from a time when women were expected to be at home raising the children, cooking dinner, and being a wife and made a career for herself in a male job.  

The mystery aspect of the story was not hard to figure out but I found it interesting to see how the culprit would be brought down.      I knew that some of the other characters were working to bring to them down and I was hoping they would be successful.    I was appalled at some of the laws that made it difficult to find the justice that was desperately needed.     Some of those who were enforcing those laws were equally horrific and I had hoped that would get what they deserved in the end also.   
Winter Sisters is a wonderful, easy to read, enjoyable historical mystery fiction.     I could not stop reading and felt that I was invested in the outcome.      This is the first book by Robin Oliveira but I am definitely adding her to my must-read authors list.     

Thank you Rebecca Marsh at Penguin Random House for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.  

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your own copy at AMAZON or BARNESAND NOBLE





ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Robin Oliveira is the New York Times bestselling author of My Name Is Mary Sutter and I Always Loved You. She received an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is also a former registered nurse, specializing in critical care. She lives in Seattle, Washington.






ADVANCE PRAISE FOR WINTER SISTERS
“Oliveira crafts a complex, multifaceted historical novel that is both a captivating story and a commentary on the laws that have, for far too long, oppressed and endangered women… Entertaining at times, deeply political at others; a perfect example of a historical novel that also illuminates present-day issues.”
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Oliveira blends mystery, historical detail, and courtroom drama in a compelling story that will please…historical fiction fans.”
Library Journal

“A multifaceted and affecting portrait of courage.”
Booklist

“Robin Oliveira has a remarkable gift for bringing the past to life. In Winter Sisters, she matches a bold, vivid story with a rare sensitivity to the natural world in all its serene beauty and deadly force. This is a compelling novel that will keep you up all night.”
—Lauren Belfer, New York Times bestselling author of City of LightA Fierce Radiance, and And After the Fire

“Equal parts exquisitely detailed historical drama and riveting literary thriller, Winter Sisters deftly explores the brutal costs of child exploitation, while elegantly demonstrating the healing power of true compassion and profound sisterly devotion.”
—Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

“After two young sisters vanish in a snowstorm, the whys and hows of their disappearance quickly become a compelling and increasingly complex mystery. Robin Oliveira renders nineteenth-century Albany, New York, with exactitude and vividness, but her novel’s ultimate concerns are timeless—suffering and healing, the loyalty to family versus loyalty to justice. I’ve long been a fan of Robin Oliveira’s work, and Winter Sisters only increases my admiration.”
—Ron Rash, New York Times bestselling author of Serena

“Raw beauty and devastation, both; this is true of the forces of nature and the foibles of men that propel the plot of Winter Sisters toward its stunning climax. But as always in Robin Oliveira’s novels, it’s the women who provide the heartbeat and the moral compass in this gripping tale of suspense set in Albany, New York during the Gilded Age. This is a book as thrilling as it is poetic.”
—Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue

Winter Sisters is a dazzling and evocative mystery that brings history to life on the page. Robin Oliveira has created an exquisitely layered story that explores the intricacies of an American town haunted by the violence of the Civil War and the shifting tensions between women’s claim for equality and the societal forces that resist change. Suspenseful and beautifully written, shot through with wisdom and grace, this is a book you will stay up late fora book you will read and love and share.”
—Dawn Tripp, bestselling author of Georgia

“A haunting tale of terror and enduring love, Winter Sisters is tense and vivid. It kept me immersed to the last page.”
—Nancy Horan, New York Times bestselling author of Loving Frank and Under the Wide and Starry Sky

Winter Sisters commands the reader’s attention. Both a missing-person thriller and a courtroom drama that appeals powerfully to the heart, this novel shows a society on the brink of change at the end of the nineteenth century. While blizzard and floods ravage Albany, New York, on the domestic front, equally strong forces are changing the lives of the women who live there, who through their talent and bravery are creating new paths and raising the next generation of girls to be even more resilient than themselves.”
—Sena Jeter Naslund, bestselling author of Ahab’s Wife; Four Spirits; and Abundance, A Novel of Marie Antoinette

“A true tour de force, Winter Sisters is the best period thriller I’ve read since The Alienist. Robin Oliveira is a novelist working at the height of her powers. Beautifully written, compelling, sensual and cinematic, I couldn’t put it down.”
—Thomas Christopher Greene, author of The Headmasters Wife and If I Forget You

Winter Sisters is a brilliant literary triptych: part tender family saga, part feminist narrative, part wild mystery. Only the author who introduced us to the unforgettable and tenacious Mary Sutter could spin a tale so captivating and empowering, of winter devastation followed, we can only hope, by the renewing bloom of spring. Winter Sisters had me cheering, cursing, gasping, and sneaking off to read whenever time permitted. An absolutely enthralling read.”
—Julie Barton, New York Times bestselling author of Dog Medicine



Tuesday, February 27, 2018

RELEASE LAUNCH of Baby Daddy by Kendall Ryan

   


A hot and hilarious new standalone from New York Times bestseller Kendall Ryan.

We met in a trapped elevator.

Emmett was on his way to work, sophisticated and handsome in his tailored suit and tie. I was on my way to the sperm bank. Awkward, right? At thirty-five, my life hadn’t taken the path I thought it would and I was tired of waiting—I wanted a baby. And I was ready to take matters into my own hands to make it happen. After our ill-fated elevator encounter, Emmett insisted on taking me to dinner—he also insisted on something else—that I ditch my plan involving a turkey baster and let him do the job. He would be my baby daddy. He was a wealthy and powerful CEO with little interest in diapers or playdates. And since he didn’t want kids, I’d be on my own once his bun was in my oven, free to go my own way. But once his baby was inside me, it was like a switch had been flipped, and I got a whole lot more than I ever bargained for. This full-length standalone contains a hot, swoonworthy hero, lots of playful banter and some hot baby-making ! Enjoy.  

Amazon | Amazon.UK | Amazon.CA | Amazon.AU | iBooks | Kobo | Nook | Google Play | Amazon.FR

                   


   A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of more than two dozen titles, Kendall Ryan has sold over 1.5 million books and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She's a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author. Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she's appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists more than three dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA Today, Newsweek, and InTouch Magazine. Visit her at: www.kendallryanbooks.com for the latest book news, and fun extras



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REVIEW...The Sometimes Sisters by Carolyn Brown

Release Date:  February 27th, 2018
Genre:  Contemporary Romance

When they were growing up, Dana, Harper, and Tawny thought of themselves as “sometimes sisters.” They connected only during the summer month they’d all spend at their grandmother’s rustic lakeside resort in north Texas. But secrets started building, and ten years have passed since they’ve all been together—in fact, they’ve rarely spoken, and it broke their grandmother’s heart.

Now she’s gone, leaving Annie’s Place to her granddaughters—twelve cabins, a small house, a café, a convenience store, and a lot of family memories. It’s where Dana, Harper, and Tawny once shared so many good times. They’ve returned, sharing only hidden regrets, a guarded mistrust, and haunting guilt. But now, in this healing summer place, the secrets that once drove them apart could bring them back together—especially when they discover that their grandmother may have been hiding something, too…

To overcome the past and find future happiness, these “sometimes sisters” have one more chance to realize they are always family.
                                                                                                           
My Thoughts…

So many families are broken apart by circumstances beyond the kids controls yet the kids feel the brunt of it.    With the Sometimes Sisters the family has Granny Annie keeping them together until their lives spiral out of control and they stay away to deal with their own lives.  

The Sometimes Sisters is a story of three sisters who have grown up and are now hiding out from life at Granny Annie’s.    They fight, they point fingers but most importantly they protect each other and stand up for each other.    Each of the sisters is working through their issues and must have the support of the other sisters to find their way out the other side of life.     

Zed, Granny Annie’s forever friend, is the angel in this story.     He is carrying on Granny Annie’s legacy after she passes by taking care of her granddaughters.     He deals with the drama, the tears, and the love of these grown girls.    Many men, especially those not related by blood, would have ran away as far as they could get from all their problems but he stood strong, supported, loved, and gave them the gentle pushes in the directions needed to heal themselves.  

I loved reading about these Sometimes Sisters becoming Forever Sisters.   Carolyn Brown in a must read author.   I definitely recommend picking up your own copy and enjoying meeting these wonderful characters.   

Add to your MUST-READ list on Goodreads
Purchase your copy at Amazon or Barnes and Noble

About the Author: Carolyn Brown


Carolyn Brown is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author and a RITA finalist. The Strawberry Hearts Diner is her eighty-fifth published book. Her books include romantic women’s fiction, historical romance, contemporary romance, cowboy romance, and country music mass-market paperbacks. She and her husband live in the small town of Davis, Oklahoma, where everyone knows what everyone else is doing—and reads the local newspaper on Wednesdays to see who got caught. They have three grown children and enough grandchildren to keep them young. When she’s not writing, Carolyn likes to sit in her gorgeous backyard with her two cats, Chester Fat Boy and Boots Randolph Terminator Outlaw, and watch them protect their territory from all kinds of wicked varmints like crickets, locusts, and spiders. Visit her online at www.carolynbrownbooks.com.


Monday, February 26, 2018

COVER REVEAL & GIVEAWAY for All About Us and All About Hope by Ashley Erin

Today we have the cover reveal for Ashley Erin’s upcoming All About Us and All About Hope! Check it out and grab your copy today!

Title: ALL ABOUT US

Author: Ashley Erin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Re-release Date: March 26th

About All About Us:

It took twenty-four hours for Emma’s world to shatter, leaving her broken. Returning to her childhood home, Emma wonders if it could be exactly what she needs to heal.   Dane finally has a chance at the girl he lost all those years ago. When Emma blows back into his world, he knows he won’t let her go again.   They’re drawn together, their chemistry undeniable. Emma just needs to decide whether she’s willing to risk her heart when it’s just begun to heal.

Get Your Copy Today:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Kobo | Nook | iBooks

 

Exclusive Excerpt:

I begin walking backwards so I can check how my girls are moving, not paying attention to my surroundings. It’s too late for my balance when I feel a ridge behind my knees and I’m falling, quickly submerged into the full water trough I hadn’t noticed by the fence. “Shit!” I holler, sputtering as I try to push my hair out of my face and crawl out of the water at the same time. Rough hands grip my arms, pulling me out as I yelp in surprise. A deep, masculine laugh fills me with horror and embarrassment. Oh no . . . As I’m set on the ground, the hands falling away once I’m steady, I shiver. “I guess that’s one way to cool down.” The low, amused voice sends tingles down my spine. Pushing my soaking hair out of my face and closing my eyes to gather my wits, I take a deep breath before looking up at my rescuer. My brain freezes as I stare at Dane in shock and embarrassment. Oh. My. God. The burning of my face betrays me as a blush spreads over my cheeks and I resist burying my face into my hands. Dane chuckles and slowly moves his gaze over me, starting at my sandaled feet and making his way up my bare legs to my soaked yoga shorts and tank top. I can feel it clinging to me and the cool breeze causing my nipples to stand at attention, like this moment wasn’t already humiliating enough. Fuck my life. Lastly, he examines my flushed face, the mess that is my wet and tangled hair and settles on my green eyes with a sexy grin. Trying to maintain some dignity, I arch a brow at the humored expression in his gaze and decide to return the favor. I haven’t seen Dane since he was eleven years old and at twenty-four, he has become a devastatingly handsome man. His jeans and shirt accentuate his strong, well-toned muscles. He is tall and I need to tilt my head back slightly to examine his face. His strong and chiseled jaw, short, perfectly styled hair, and pale green eyes complete the swoon worthy package. He was cute as a boy, but the man in front of me has ignited my hormones as my mind wanders to all the dirty things I could do to him, starting with those kissable lips. This train of thought makes me blush even darker and I quickly move my eyes away from his lips to his eyes. His shocked expression at my boldness is apparent at the drop in his jaw and I smirk at him cheekily. This past year has changed me into a shell of who I was, but I’m not the shy ten-year-old he once knew, the one who followed him around doing whatever he wanted just to spend time with him. Thirteen years have passed since I last saw Dane and his brother Ryan. They were both away working when I visited last. Their sister, Lia, has been my best friend since before we understood what a friend was. This family was once a huge part of my life, I’m hoping that connection still remains. Finally feeling a little more composed, considering the circumstances, I grin at him mischievously and before he can stop me, I step in and give him a hug. My heart kicks up a notch when his hard muscles press against me, I can’t help my mind from wandering straight back into the gutter. Stepping back quickly I smirk at the water now soaking his front before the hard ridges of his abs molding to his shirt distracts me. Dragging my gaze away from the delectable muscles teasing me, I check to make sure I haven’t physically started to drool. The thrumming of my body reacting to his has me squirming as I try to refocus my thoughts away from imagining what it would be like to run my hands over his stomach and . . . What the fuck is wrong with me? This is Dane. We used to go on adventures in the forest and have movie nights in their rec room. What is it about this reunion that has shifted him from friend to a man my heart flutters over? Blushing at the humiliating entrance back into his life and the line my thoughts are crossing, I search for the first thing I can think of to say. “Where are Lia and Ryan?” I must be imagining the disappointment that flashes across his face at the abrupt shift. There is no way he could be thinking along the same lines as me, I know how awful I look. The shadows under my eyes, the heaviness I now carry with me, I hardly recognize myself when I look in the mirror. “Lia had some work she needed to get done for new clients and Ryan is checking the south fence line. I came to invite you over for dinner at Lia’s request.” He smirks at me as I stand soaking wet in front of him. “Dinner is at six, so you have time to—compose yourself.” Ignoring his banter, I gratefully accept the invitation as I did not stop along the way to pick up any supplies. With one last chuckle and a look I can’t decipher he saunters away from me. My eyes seem to be glued to him as he walks away, his jeans snugly forming to his perfect ass. Mentally shaking myself I peel my eyes away before turning to the house.

Title: ALL ABOUT HOPE

Author: Ashley Erin

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 26th!

About All About Hope:

Friends with benefits. Toe curling, ecstasy inducing, and completely secret. Alex and Lia succumb to their scorching attraction, striking a deal of no-strings sex. Neither of them want a commitment, both of them are unable to stop the sparks from flying when they’re together. Feelings develop, old fears surface, and sex is no longer enough. Will a glimmering sense of hope allow them to let go of the past, or will their secret blow up, leaving them shattered?

 

  Exclusive Excerpt: Ollie runs to the end of the arena, waiting for my cue. Kicking my heels out, I say, “Whoa.” He slides to a stop, the tracks he’s left behind are straight and true. After leaving Emma’s house an hour ago, I desperately needed to get my mind off weddings, and relationships, and stupid men who fuck me and then avoid me after giving me a taste of something I forgot I desperately needed. So, I saddled Ollie and have been going through some reining patterns. Show season is upon us, the first in just over a month, and I want to be sure we’re ready. Lifting my right rein, I roll my spur into his left flank. He spins on the spot, the room around us blurring with the speed of the spin. Stopping him, I let him rest a moment before lifting my left rein and this time rolling my spur into his right flank. He spins in the opposite direction, the tightness of the circle envied by many. Ollie is eight years old and has been my reining horse since we entered the Futurity, the chance for first time reining horses to show what they have and win big, when he was three years old. In the five years I’ve had him, the bond we’ve formed is envied both in and out of the arena. He will be with me until the day he dies, despite offers of tens of thousands of dollars to buy him. Patting Ollie on his neck, I frown when I see Alex through the large windows at the end of the arena. Everything I’ve been trying to clear my head of comes back with a vengeance. It really bothers me that Alex initiated what happened that night, and then proceeded to avoid me like I’m a carrier of the plague. I didn’t ask him to pin me against the counter and kiss me with an explosive passion that still has my body thrumming six months later. Nor did I ask him to wrap my legs around his waist and fuck me until I had the most earth shattering orgasm I’ve ever experienced. Growling, I nudge Ollie into a canter, circling the arena working on lead changes until we are both covered in a sheen of sweat. I love the speed of this sport, and the connection between horse and rider. It’s a testament to how frustrated I am that I don’t feel better after a solid hour of working. Slowing Ollie to a trot, I begin our cooldown. When his breathing has slowed, I dismount and walk him around the arena a couple times to ensure he’s cooled down enough. Leading him to the tie stall, I quickly untack him and rub him down until his coat shines before settling him into his stall with some feed and his supplements. The entire time I perform my tasks, I’m remembering that night with such acuity that by the time I’m done putting his tack away, my body is quivering in need. Scowling, I clench my thighs trying to alleviate the ache, getting more and more pissed off at Alex the entire time. He did this to me. I was fine. I met my own needs and didn’t need anything from anyone. Now, I can’t come unless it’s to images in my head of that night with Alex. He’s ruined my ability to need nothing from anyone. Flipping the lights, I burst through the door cursing under my breath and crash into a hard, hot body. Glancing up, I step back into the now closed door of the barn. “Alex.” Alex’s hazel eyes take in my disheveled appearance. My hair is wild from running patterns with Ollie, my skin covered in a light layer of sweat and dust. When his eyes fall on the slight sliver of skin showing between my jeans and tank top, his eyes shoot back to mine where they bore into my soul. He steps back a foot, his eyes moving between mine and the barn door as he tries to think of something to say. “I didn’t know you were in the barn.” “I was working Ollie. We have a show in May.” Tucking my hands in my back pockets, I lean back, propping one foot against the wall, trying to ignore the way my body has lit up from the inside. I’ve spent the last ninety minutes replaying that one night, and now the object of my desire is standing here looking at me with false indifference. Despite his best efforts, I know he’s still attracted to me, because if he wasn’t, he wouldn’t be avoiding me all of the damn time. When he starts to turn without another word, I shove off the wall, closing the distance between us. Enough is enough. I fist my hand in his shirt when he moves to walk away again, and step into him, tilting my head up so he can’t avoid looking at me. “You’ve been avoiding me.” “No . . .” He tries to look away, but I raise my other hand and hold it against the back of his head. “Don’t lie to me, Alex. We used to spend time together, and now you don’t remain in a room with me more than the necessary amount of time to be considered polite. Don’t even get me started on the fact you haven’t been alone with me since the engagement party. “What I don’t get is that you’re the one who initiated that night. You’re the one who made the first move, not me. I haven’t been some clingy chick you picked up in a bar, so what gives?” Holding him in place, I glare up at him, locking his gaze in mine. He sighs and runs a hand down his face before looking at my hand still grasping his shirt. “I’ve been a dick for no reason, haven’t I?” “Well, I wasn’t going to use those exact words, but yeah.” Grinning, I drop my hand when he chuckles softly. “In the heat of the moment, all I could think about was you and how much I wanted to feel you. Afterwards, all I could think about was everyone else and what they would do if they found out. I don’t want a relationship and the pressure would be there, I know how Emma thinks.” His smirk drops into a frown as I gape at him. “That is the lamest thing I’ve ever heard. Your hot factor just dropped by two points.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I narrow my eyes. His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, but there is a slight smirk he’s fighting at my comment. Cocking my hip out, I scowl. “Let’s go through these one at a time. First off, no one knows what happened and there is no reason for them to know. Second, you’re assuming I want a relationship; that’s something I haven’t had the desire for in a long time. Been there, done that, and I have the emotional scarring as a souvenir.” Alex has made me wonder, hope even, but for the most part I’m still leery of entering a relationship, especially with someone as skittish as Alex, so I don’t feel like I’m lying. “My hot factor?” Alex grins at me, cocking his head to the side in a way that is too cute. He’s trying to distract me, but it won’t work. “Seriously? That’s what you took from that?” Shaking my head, I step toward him and place my hand on his chest, pressing my body into his. For a moment, all I can think about is the hard muscle beneath my hand and remembering the way it looked when he pounded into me. Grinding my teeth, I focus back on the man before me. “All I want is someone I trust to have hot sex with. Get your head out of your ass and think about it. If that’s not what you want, fine, but we’re friends Alex, and it hurts my feelings that it’s so easy for you to forget that.” Lifting onto my toes, I press a chaste kiss to his lips, drawing away before he can react. Brushing past him, I saunter to my house. I’m not a pushover, and I’m not going to let him get away with this shitty behavior any more.  

About Ashley Erin:

Ashley Erin lives in Alberta, Canada where winter and summer compete to take over. She wears flip flops as soon as it’s above freezing, because her hatred of socks outweighs her dislike of snow. Her boyfriend stays with her despite a penchant for adopting rescued cats and dogs without permission. Their two dogs and four cats are spoiled rotten. When Ashley isn’t writing, she is reading or working with horses. Ashley is a self-published author of contemporary and new adult romance. Follow her on Facebook to keep up with her current and upcoming releases.  




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SPOTLIGHT TOUR & GIVEAWAY of Every Deep Desire by Sharon Wray


Series: Deadly Force #1
Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 9781492655602

He's taking it all back
His honor, his freedom, and the woman he loves

Rafe Montfort was a decorated Green Beret, the best of the best, until a disastrous mission and an unforgivable betrayal destroyed his life. Now, this deadly soldier has returned to the sultry Georgia swamps to reunite with his brothers, and take back all he lost. But Juliet must never know the truth behind what he's done…or the dangerous secret that threatens to take him from her forever.

It took Juliet Capel eight long years to put her life back together after her husband was taken from her. Now Rafe is back, determined to protect her at any cost, and it's not just her heart that's in danger. The swamps hold a secret long buried and far deadlier than either of them could have imagined…




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Sharon Wray is a librarian/archivist who studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and now writes stories of adventure, suspense, and love. She’s a three-time Daphne du Maurier® winner and an eight-time RWA Golden Heart® Finalist. She lives with her super-hero husband and teenage twins in Northern Virginia. 










Dear Readers,

As an author, I both love and fear release days. I’m thrilled that the book I’ve spent years on is entering the world, ready to find readers. Yet terrified because the fictional world I’ve spent so much time in—dreaming about, thinking of, planning for—is no longer my own.

The story and everything in it, especially the characters, now belong to you. All the feels you experience, whether I intended them or not, will be filtered through your own life’s events. Your memories, your dreams, your joys, and losses will determine what you take away from the story. And that’s the way it should be.

Yet, while reader reactions are completely out of my control, it’s also scary. Especially when one makes changes to the genre. Every Deep Desire, and the other books in the Deadly Force series, are all romantic suspense stories—yet they’re also different. And we all know how the world feels about change.

The Deadly Force series is about a group of ex-Green Berets, under the command of Colonel Kells Torridan, who were charged with a crime they didn’t commit and dishonorably discharged despite their innocence. Some of the men from the unit are in prison, but the men in the series, including Kells, are living in Savannah, GA, managing Iron Rack’s, a run-down, pirate-themed gym in a not-so-nice part of town, and working as bouncers at a goth strip club. They’re hiding in plain sight, teaching Krav Maga classes, tossing drunks, desperate to find any information that can lead them to who destroyed their lives, and why.

But these books aren’t just about the men and their weapons. They are also romances. To be more specific, each love story is a retelling of one of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories. Just add in sexy, down-and-out Green Berets, dangerous arms dealers, and strong heroines who teach these alpha males that Grace always defeats Reckoning. <grin>

Every Deep Desire, a contemporary retelling of Romeo and Juliet and first in the Deadly Force series, is about Rafe Montfort and Juliet Capel. Rafe, a man in Kells’s unit, left his men and his wife to join the Prince and his Fianna army only to end up in prison. Now, eight years later, Rafe finds himself released without explanation. His only clue is a note telling him to return to the remote sea island off the coast of Savannah where he and Juliet grew up. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that his wife Juliet, the woman he’s adored his entire life, is in danger.

Juliet, a landscape architect, has struggled for eight years to recover from Rafe’s abandonment and disappearance. Their early marriage had been a disaster both their families had warned them about, but they’d been too young and too in love to understand. Now she’s determined to live her life on her own terms without help from anyone. And the last thing she needs is her ex-husband returning home with vague warnings of danger.

But when vague warnings become real threats, Rafe and Juliet realize that both of their enemies, the Prince and Remiel Marigny, know a 17th century secret about the Isle where they both grew up, a secret both of their families have kept for hundreds of years. Now, in order to figure out why an army of assassins, a brutal gun runner, and a team of ex-Green Berets are interested in Juliet’s ancestor—a Puritan woman accused of witchcraft—Rafe and Juliet must face their past together.

Now they’re running out of time. And not only is Juliet’s heart and Rafe’s freedom in jeopardy, the secret they uncover is far deadlier than anyone could’ve realized.

I hope you all enjoy this first book in the Deadly Forces series. It’s a world where sexy, smart heroines must teach these ex-Green Berets bent on redemption that physical strength and combat experience isn’t always enough to win. Sometimes a person’s greatest weapon—true courage—comes from seeking forgiveness and accepting love.

EXCERPT
Juliet’s house had disappeared.
Rafe Montfort scrubbed a hand over his face. A strangling ache invaded his chest, filling the empty space that once held his heart. He shifted the Army duffel he’d shouldered for the past six miles, moving the burn from one arm to the other. Why had he assumed her father’s trailer would still be standing? That she’d be living there? Waiting for him?
Because he wasn’t only a bastard who made assumptions. He was a fool who once believed the Prince’s brutal goals justified Rafe’s ruthless actions.
Or, as Escalus used to say, “a fool whose violent delights have violent ends.
Summer cicadas hummed in the Isle of Grace’s surrounding woods, their mournful drone filling Rafe’s head with rhythmic disapproval. Sweat soaked his T-shirt, pooling low in his back above his waistband. Where he used to keep his gun.
He wasn’t just a bastard. He wasn’t just a fool. He just wasn’t the man he’d once hoped to become. With a nod to his broken past, he left the overgrown property and headed home.
Keep it moving, Montfort. That’s right. One boot in front of the other.
He kicked an empty beer bottle into a ditch, shattering the brown glass, and marched toward Pops’s trailer tucked between the towering Georgia pines a half mile down the Isle’s dirt road. He’d given up his honor, his wife, his men. Thank God his mother had died before he betrayed everyone he loved. In the years he’d been away, he hadn’t just cut out his heart; he’d sold his soul.
Despite the breeze, questions about Juliet’s departure burned his blood.
Why had she left? He climbed the pine steps to the deck alongside the double-wide.
Where’d she go? He jumped the last two steps to avoid the missing planks.
Did she ever think of him? The Capels had arrived on the Isle long before the American Revolution. It’d never occurred to him that her family would leave. For eight long years, he’d been counting on that.
His duffel landed with a thud next to an outboard motor and buckets of fishing gear. He rubbed the knotted muscles in his shoulder and faced the broken screen door. His vision faded until all he could see was the blurry mesh.
What the hell was he doing? Why had he even come home? Because he’d had no choice. Everything depended on him remembering that. With renewed determination, he raised his fist and hit the metal door.
No answer. He closed his eyes, took another breath, and knocked again.
Juliet’s family was gone. Had his left as well?
He heard a banging around back, pulled out his leather jacket, and covered the tattoos on his arms. He’d rather die of heat stroke than start an argument. Then he jumped over the deck rail. His combat boots made it easier to walk through the tall weeds to the red barn a hundred yards behind the trailer. Three times larger than the home, the barn and surrounding yard held remnants of every American classic car ever made.
Everything stood as if he’d never left, except for the cell boost antenna on the barn’s roof. From the height and distance, it probably provided a cell signal the width and depth of Pops’s property. Pops had joined the twenty-first century? Maybe miracles were possible.
He drew closer and saw his daddy’s gray head bobbing up and down beneath the hood of a black 1958 Chevy Impala. He stopped on the other side of the car and exhaled until his lungs ached. “Pops?”
His dad raised his head, his eyes squinting. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me. Rafe.”
A man, shorter than he remembered, stood. In a stained red T-shirt and overalls with one strap hanging down, his father waited a few moments before nodding. At least he wasn’t holding a beer. Or his shotgun.
Rafe waved at the car. “She’s a real beauty. She yours?”
“No.” Pops wiped his dirty hands on an oily rag, and Rafe focused on the remaining finger on his father’s right hand. He’d given the other four to the Marines. “She belongs to your brother.”
“Good for him.”
Pops tossed the rag onto the engine and gripped the side of the Chevy’s frame. His hard stare took in Rafe’s leather jacket in what had to be triple-digit heat. “What you doin’ here, boy?”
He held out his hand. A hug would only be an invitation to an ass-kicking. “The Army released me from prison.”
“Released?” His father picked up a dirty wrench, his face brown beneath a haircut the Corps would salute. “What the hell for? Good behavior?”
“No, sir.” He dropped his hand. If disapproval were a color, it would be the dark, muddy brown in his father’s grim gaze. “I don’t know why.”
Since he’d spent two years in a Russian jail and then the last nine months locked in isolation in Leavenworth, he wasn’t sure what to think. “I was told to return to Savannah and wait for a call.”
While it went against every one of his hard-earned instincts urging him to run, he’d come home to find out what the hell was going on. Besides, it wasn’t like he had anyplace else to go.
“You still a sergeant?”
A sharp ache hit Rafe’s back molars, and he eased off the teeth grinding. On his left, he noticed a band of magnolia trees surrounding a white glory cross. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and forced himself to meet his father’s reproach. “I don’t know what I am.” Sergeant? Prisoner 061486? The Prince’s warrior? Hell if he knew.
“I know what you are,” Pops said. “Damn traitor. Not to mention adulterer, liar, thief.”
Rafe’s exhale sounded more like a hiss. While he wasn’t all of those things, he’d done other things—worse things. “I was also dishonorably discharged.”






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