Aug 01
Black Sheep by Tabatha Vargo Cover Reveal
BLACK SHEEP
A sexy, forbidden, standalone full of darkness, light, and love
RELEASING SEPTEMBER 20TH
by Tabatha Vargo
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary
BLACK SHEEP
Ever since the day I was dropped at her family’s door
hungry, dirty, and torn,
I’ve wanted her.
But to taint her perfect skin with my black touch
would be a sin.
So I made a pact with myself—
NEVER TOUCH NICOLE PALMER.
However, when she returns home from college, she’s
different, and I’m not sure I can trust myself to keep my pact. I can’t submit
to her temptation
no matter how sweetly she begs because she’s the golden child
and I’m the Black Sheep.
Aug 01
Undisputed by A.S. Teague Release Blitz with Excerpt and Giveaway
UNDISPUTED by A.S. Teague
Genre: Contemporary Sports Romance
Release Date: August 1, 2016
— SYNOPSIS —
I live a life most could only dream of. Parties, women, fame—what more could I want?
As the undisputed MMA light heavyweight champ, I’ve faced the world’s toughest men. But, with a single glance, I knew that the five-foot-five redhead with a smart mouth and innocent eyes would be my hardest opponent yet.
Sidney O’Neil isn’t my type. While I spend my nights out drinking at the trendiest clubs in town, she spends hers taking care of her sick nephew. She lives for those she loves, and I only love myself. She is nothing I thought I wanted, yet she’s somehow become the one thing I need.
But what happens when the world is tipped on end and I’m no longer who she needs?
How do I convince her that we’re worth the fight when all she knows is defeat?
I’ve never lost a match, and I refuse to start now.
But, sometimes, the toughest fight of your life is outside the cage.
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— PURCHASE —
KINDLE US | KINDLE UK
— EXCERPT —
She takes my hand, the smallest of grins splitting her lips. Standing, I pull her to her feet. She isn’t dressed like the other women in the club. Her jeans fit her like a glove and show off her curves, but they aren’t designer threads. Her tank top barely reveals any cleavage, but it does show off her toned arms.
“I bet I looked ridiculous,” she states, brushing the hair out of her face.
Words flow from my mouth before I can even stop them. “Someone as beautiful as you could never look ridiculous.” Nice line, cheese dick.
Blushing, she shoves her phone and her charger cord back in her purse. “That’s really nice of you to let me use your phone. If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’ll just send my sister a text.”
“I wouldn’t have offered if I minded,” I reply, holding her gaze until she shyly glances away. “Here.” I offer her my phone.
She takes the phone and grimaces. “Just one message,” she says before quickly typing a message and then handing it back. “Oh, wait. I should probably delete that.” She snatches my phone back giving me a wicked grin.
I’m lost in her bright, blue eyes as her fingers slide over the screen, doing God knows what in my phone.
Between the booze and this woman, there are no fucks left to give. She could steal the damn thing and I’m not sure I’d be able to protest.
“Thanks again.” She tucks the phone in my hand before turning to leave.
I catch her arm at the elbow. “Hey. Where ya goin’? You didn’t tell me your name.”
She glances up through her lashes while tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “It’s Sidney.”
Sidney.
Sidney.
Fucking remember that, you drunk douchebag.
Sid…ney.
“Sidney. That’s a gorgeous name. It fits you. Are you here alone?” I rush out, doing my best to hide my drunken slur. I pray that she says yes, not only because I’m interested in her, but also because what kind of an asshole lets her crawl around on the ground?
Her gaze shifts from side to side while she smirks. “Are you trying to pick me up?”
“Well, technically, I just did,” I tell her, gesturing to the spot she was just in on the floor.
“Touché.” Her smile grows. “I’m here with some friends, actually”
Glad she didn’t mention a boyfriend, I offer, “Let me buy you a drink.”
She shakes her head. “Thanks, but no, thanks. I’m not drinking. I was actually about to head home.”
“Well, then let me get you a soda. A water? I hear the bartender makes a mean Shirley Temple,” I counter, determined not to let her leave yet.
She laughs, and the magical sound spurs me on.
“What’s the rush? Husband waiting at home?”
Shaking her head again, she responds, “Nope. Just my couch and Netflix.”
I dramatically clutch my heart then shoot her my best smile. “You’re too beautiful to waste it on your couch. Come have one nonalcoholic beverage with me.” I stick my bottom lip out in an attempt to look pathetic enough that she’ll say yes.
Fuck. Am I really doing this?
I’m rewarded for my efforts with a big smile and a quick nod. Yes. Yes. I fucking am.
“How can I resist the puppy-dog face?” she laughs.
Pumping my arms in the air, I shout, “She said yes!” Gripping her around the waist, I lift her off her feet and jokingly spin us both around in a circle. “She said yes!”
Wiggling out of my arms, she shrieks, “Oh my god, put me down! Jesus, how drunk are you?”
Grinning from ear to ear, I tell her, “I’ve only had three drinks.” I hold up five fingers and wink.
Shaking her head, she mumbles, “Multiply that by two at least.”
Ready to continue this conversation with a drink in my hand, I place my hand on the small of her back and guide her to the bar.
Knocking on the bar with my knuckles, I get the bartender’s attention. “I’ll have a Crown and Coke. And the hottest chick in the club here wants a Shirley Temple.”
Gripping my bicep, she interjects, “I’ll just take a water, please.”
Normally, I’d throw in a flex for good measure.
For this chick? I throw in three.
A few minutes of fighting not to stare at her cleavage later, he sets the drinks in front of us. I hand hers over and offer my glass up in a toast.
Raising one eyebrow at me, she smirks, “This ought to be good.”
I clear my throat before saying, “To cell phones. May yours always be dead, sockets be missing, and heroes be plentiful.” I pause when I realize what I said. Then I correct myself. “And, by heroes, I mean me. May I be plentiful.” I clink her cup with mine.
She giggles before taking a small sip. “Hear, hear.”
— ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A.S. TEAGUE —
A.S. Teague enjoys the warmth of South Carolina with her husband and two daughters. The stereotypes about peach cobbler and sweet tea are not overstated. After years in the medical field, she is now enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home mom. She loves wine, the beach, wine on the beach, and crying at Disney movies. When she doesn’t have a book in her hand, she can be found pestering her husband with pictures of animals she wants to rescue, as well as debating whether to exercise or take a nap.
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Aug 01
Professed by Nicola Rendell Release Blitz with Excerpt and Giveaway
At a secret masked ball at Yale, Naomi Costa is literally swept off her stiletto-blistered feet by a man with a killer jawline, a perfect body, and an even-better kiss. They bust out of an emergency exit and have axis-shaking sex. He pours whiskey in her belly button and after they run out of condoms, they have to get creative. That kind of sex. The next day, she learns that he is none other than Dr. Benjamin Beck, a brand new member of the Yale faculty and the hottest thing to happen to academia since… well, ever. She has to take his damned junior seminar to graduate, but it gets worse. He’s also her College Master: her boss, her advisor, her everything. And he’s just moved in, right downstairs. They can’t stay away from each other. They’re either fusion or fission or both. They’re making out in libraries, hiding notes between stones, and sneaking off to nautically themed AirBnbs. Hear that sound? It’s the academic code of ethics going up in flames.
If they’re found out, he’ll lose his job and his reputation. She’ll lose her scholarship and be forced to return to the life of lobster fishing that she thought she’d escaped.
And they will be found out, yes they will.
So what the hell are they going to do?
***
To the reader: Things get damned dirty in this book. The characters curse, the sex gets explicit. It’s an erotic love story with fury. Be advised.
Other tasters’ notes: HEA. Sweet. Funny. Dirty. Muddy. Wet. Inspired by a real professor.
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2adB8hO
Amazon UK: http://bit.ly/ProfessedUK
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/ProfessedAU
Amazon CA: http://bit.ly/ProfessedCAN
I need to drink whiskey from that belly button. Screw every other idea I’ve ever had. Jack Daniels. Belly button. Naomi. That’s the only fucking philosophical logic I will ever need.
She’s still on the heels of her orgasm, and I want to leave her there just like she is, but I have to take her with me. I have to keep her close. I hook my head under her bound wrists and take her off the bed to bring her with me as we kiss—because I cannot stop kissing her, will not stop kissing her. With my hand behind me, I fling open the minibar and fumble around blind. Chips, nuts, pretzels, what is that, a roll of Mentos?
Jack Daniels, where the hell are you?
Grabbing what feels like the right little bottle, I turn to look down. Gin. I toss it towards the desk. Second try, and bingo. I’ve got it.
But I’m going to have to let go of her to open this damned bottle. Proof that the world is an unfair and unkind place. It’ll have to be done. I let go of her face, and it makes her moan, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, she grips onto the back of my neck with my tie and hangs on even tighter through the kiss.
As I crack the lid, her eyes widen, inches from mine. I feel her cheeks rise as she smiles. With one last dip into her mouth, I force myself to break the kiss, ducking down to get my head out from under her bound arms.
We stand there staring at one another for an instant. Her pupils dilate, and that’s when I press her to the bed. “Hope you’re not ticklish.”
Even as she lands with a cushy thunk on the mattress, she’s giving me that all-trouble smile. She scoots back towards the pillows, her long black hair a gorgeous tangle behind her, the same color as my tie. There’s a tan line at her stomach, and it’s killing me.
“So ticklish. But I can take it.”
I lie down at a right angle to her body, with my cheek to her stomach. I can smell her wetness in the air and on my fingers.
“Ready?” I ask. I sink my cheek deeper into her skin. God, this skin. God damn, this superfine skin. I tip the bottle towards her stomach.
“Ready,” she says. I feel her whole body quiver. The ticklish before the tickle is the agony of agonies.
When the whiskey hits her, she grips my hair tight. For one second, I resist all temptation: I watch it all unfold. The whiskey shivers, her body shivers, and then the shivers come out as a jagged gasp.
I lick it off, and she squirms and sucks air through her teeth. I suck it from her and growl into her body. Her feet hook around my calves. I move to her nipples, dribble on a few drops and smear them around with my tongue. I move to that perfect little depression at the base of her neck. Straight-up Naomi. Fucking heaven. Her skin, that hair, her sounds, the way her body moves under my mouth? Lemonade, when it’s too hot for anything else? I can still feel my first orgasm deep in my cock, but I’m hard again. She’s not only wrecked all my philosophies. She’s turned me into a goddamned teenager.
I grab a condom, from my wallet this time, and tear it open. “We’re going to need more of these.”
But she shakes her head into the pillows. She holds my stare as she slides her hands all over her body, red polish on porcelain. “Put it here. Put it everywhere.”
Christ. It’s official. I’ve been pussywhipped in record time.
And I don’t even know her last name.
Nicola Rendell writes dirty, funny, erotic romance. She likes a stiff drink and a well-frosted cake. She is at an unnamed Ivy and prefers to remain mostly anonymous for professional reasons. She has a PhD in English and an MFA in Creative Writing from schools that shall not be named here. She loves to cook, sew, and play the piano. She realizes that her hobbies might make her sound like an old lady and she’s totally okay with that. She lives with her husband and her dogs. She is from Taos, New Mexico.
Sign up for her newsletter here to get all the hot-off-the-press goodies: http://nicolarendell.com/
Facebook ~ Website ~ Spotify ~ @AuthorNRendell (Twiiter)
IG: @cute_chameleon
Sign up for the Professed Blog tour HERE.
CONFESSED is coming September 14th!
Add it to Goodreads!
Professed Release Blitz Giveaway
Jul 29
Storm Wrath by Brandy L. Rivers Release Blitz
STORM WRATH by Brandy L Rivers
Series: Others of Seattle book 6
Genre: Paranormal Romance
— SYNOPSIS —
A storm is coming to wipe out an ancient vendetta. One look and Kellan Storm was captivated by Zoe. He found his mate, but an ancient curse stands in their way.
After a long and bitter relationship, Zoe Boreas never expected to find love. Kellan swept in like a storm and claimed her heart. Neither of them realize how deep the curse on her people runs.
When she learns the truth, she’ll sacrifice everything to save him while searching for an answer. When Kellan realizes she’s gone, he’ll stop at nothing to find and keep her by his side.
SIGN UP FOR BRANDY L RIVERS’ NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/2aAqoj8
— PURCHASE —
– ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
Brandy L Rivers is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her two main series are Others of Edenton and Others of Seattle. She has also written a couple contemporary stories. An avid reader, Brandy has always loved writing. She became serious about it as a stay-at-home-mother. Her secret lair, guarded by a pint-sized pound puppy who imagines himself a hellhound, contains a file full of manuscripts she plans to edit and put out with new creations she is constantly dreaming up. Living in rainy Western Washington with her husband and three kids, Brandy is already working on future stories in each of the series, and several other projects.
– social media links –
Jul 29
Banking The Billionaire by Max Monroe Blog Tour
BANKING THE BILLIONAIRE
By Max Monroe
We highly encourage you to build your own posts based on your own reactions using the information we provide rather than having to copy and post something of our making. We LOVE to see your personal reactions in print, and we think the readers will love it too.
We’ve attached an exclusive graphic to use with your post, but you can feel free to use one that you’ve made as well.
Blurb: Uninhibited. Sarcastic. Confident. Beautiful. With a thriving photography career that allows her to travel all over the world and capture the hottest of men behind her camera lens, Cassie Phillips is the woman who can’t be tamed.
Adrenaline-junkie. Jokester. Billionaire. Hot-as-sin. At six-foot-five, with muscles for days, and that perfect playful smile, Thatcher Kelly is the kind of man you don’t want to deny.
Wild for wild. Prank for prank. The two most unlikely of people may be the only ones to see that some personality traits only run skin deep.
Uncensored. Hilarious. And too damn hot to put into words. Grab a fan and get ready for one hell of a ride because when the opposite of opposites attract, things are bound to get a little messy.
If you’d like to use this “disclaimer” instead of the blurb in an effort to mix things up, we encourage that as well:
Disclaimer:
The CDC has been notified of the infectious nature of Cassie’s craziness, siting her first case of full transmission to Thatcher Kelly. Measures should be taken to counteract its fast regeneration cycle, but avoiding the book is not recommended at this time. The Epilogue is the only known antidote.
Check out our 5 smooches review HERE!
I recognized the need to forget all the details and just concentrate on what I knew. And I knew how to eat a f*cking p*ssy.
The secret was simple.
It was never, ever the same.
It could be the same woman, the same day, the same f*cking session, but a woman’s p*ssy is a special kind of woman. She’s picky but f*cking generous, and she gets off on all kinds of wicked sh*t, but her biggest turn-on is variety and a good sense of mood.
I did my best to listen for Cassie’s cues, her moans and whimpers and the speed of her breath. Did she need it faster or slower, and was the pressure just right? The answer was never consistent, and I f*cking loved it. Every time I earned a reward through the curl of her toes or a squeeze of her knees, it made me work harder.
Banking the Billionaire Playlist: https://goo.gl/s243n5
✦TAPPING THE BILLIONAIRE SALE STARTS ON JULY 26TH✦
It will be 99 cents for a limited time.
This is a series of interconnected romantic comedy standalones and Tapping the Billionaire (the first in the series) is currently on sale for limited time for 99 pennies!!!
Tapping the Billionaire (#1)
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1SIItun
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1SuIHjq
Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1T9prYs
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1Qx801Y
Nook: http://goo.gl/84lRuS
iBooks: http://apple.co/1SNU6jL
Kobo: https://goo.gl/a2dY1m
About The Authors
A secret duo of romance authors team up under the pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you a sexy, laugh-out-loud new series…& more. 😉
New writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half.
Stay tuned for the future—this is where the fun begins.
Tour Giveaway LINK:
https://goo.gl/262V84
Jul 29
Veiled by Karina Halle Release Blitz with Excerpt
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Lie and The Pact comes a new romance that will test your limits and leave you breathless.
Death.
It’s something that Ada Palomino has always known so well, having grown up in a house of horrors, surrounded by a family plagued by ghosts and demons and things that go bump in the night.
But after the sudden and tragic death of her mother two years ago, death has never felt so personal.
Or so close.
Now eighteen, Ada is trying to move on with her life and the last month of summer holds nothing but sunshine and promises with her first year at a Portland design school just around the bend.
That is until her increasingly violent and realistic dreams, dreams of other worlds, of portals and veils where her mother is tortured and souls bleed for mercy, start to blend into reality. Ada has to lean on her older sister, Perry, to try and make sense of it all but even then, she’s never felt more alone.
Then there’s Jay. Tall, handsome and deeply mysterious, Jay would be just another stranger, a familiar face on the bus, if it wasn’t for the fact that Ada has met him before.
Every night.
In every single dream.
And the more that Ada is drawn to him in both worlds, the more she’s in danger of losing everything.
Including her heart.
And her very soul.
AMAZON US
Then, out of nowhere:
“You looked beautiful tonight, by the way.”
Oh jeez. Be still my fucking heart.
I try and swallow, his words, the sincerity in his voice rocking my world off-balance. “Which part? When the power went out or when Jacob went upstairs to fight a demon?” I joke. But I joke because I’m feeling this a little too much.
“All of it. You know why I call you Princess?” he asks, his tone graver than before, like he’s letting me in on a very deep secret.
“Because I’m a spoiled brat?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
Well that shut me up. The sentence hangs in the air, larger than life.
He clears his throat and goes on and I have to fight against the urge to roll over and face him. “You have this way about you. You don’t see it. But I do. Like you’re born royalty. The way you hold yourself. Your walk. The face of an angel.”
Butterflies take flight in my gut, spreading through my veins until my whole body feels like its floating. “Why are you being so nice to me? Am I going to die?”
He laughs softly. “I don’t know why I’m saying these things. Just seemed like the things to say. You’re destined for something great, Ada, I know this. And it’s an honor to help see you through it.”
His words cascade down on me like ashes from a fire. Where they land, I’m ignited.
Jay thinks I’m beautiful.
And more than that, he believes in me.
Silence settles over us, stealing time. I hear him breathing in the dark, steady as a heartbeat. He might even be sleeping.
But I can’t even begin to shut down. My entire body, from the top of my scalp, down to my toes, is buzzing with heat and electricity. It’s like everything I felt for him before, everything I try to ignore, is coming out in full force, responding to his words, to his body so close to mine. I can feel the warmth at my back, sinking into my spine, just from his presence only.
I’m starting to have feelings for him. Not just in a he’s a giant hulking beast who’s here to protect me from the underworld way. But real feelings, slowly creeping into my heart, day by day.
The thought is terrifying in the same way that demons are terrifying.
They both might take possession of me.
They both might ruin me.
And I’m not sure how much of me I’ll have left.
QUESTIONS ABOUT VEILED
Q: Is this YA?
A: No. The main character is 18 and there is sex, crude language and violence in the book. It is recommended for mature teens or 18 and up.
Q: Is there a cliffhanger?
A: Nope! There’s also no cheating and no love triangle (think I’ve covered the bases there!)
Q: Do I need to read the series (Experiment in Terror) that Veiled is a spinoff of first?
A: Absolutely not. Veiled stands alone. You do not need to have read the EIT series beforehand as this follows a different character (Ada Palomino) and a different storyline. However for those who have read EIT, all your favorites are in the book!
Q: Is it horror? Your other series was and I don’t handle scary very well…
A: No, it’s paranormal romance (though I promise you there are no vampires or werewolves), and while there are creepy elements to the story, it wouldn’t be classified as horror. If you can read KMM’s Fever Series or ANY urban fantasy, you’ll be fine.
Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of The Pact, Racing the Sun, Sins & Needles and over 25 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.
Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.
Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle, on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.
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Jul 29
The Matchmaker’s Replacement by Rachel Van Dyken Review Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway
Wingman rule number two: never reveal how much you want them.
Lex hates Gabi. Gabi hates Lex. But, hey, at least the hate is mutual, right? All Lex has to do is survive the next few weeks training Gabi in all the ways of Wingmen Inc. and then he can be done with her. But now that they have to work together, the sexual tension and fighting is off the charts. He isn’t sure if he wants to strangle her or throw her against the nearest sturdy table and have his way with her.
But Gabi has a secret, something she’s keeping from not just her best friend but her nemesis too. Lines are blurred as Lex becomes less the villain she’s always painted him to be…and starts turning into something more. Gabi has always hated the way she’s been just a little bit attracted to him—no computer-science major should have that nice of a body or look that good in glasses—but “Lex Luthor” is an evil womanizer. He’s dangerous. Gabi should stay far, far away.
Then again, she’s always wanted a little danger.
Amazon US / Amazon UK / Amazon CA / Amazon AU
TAKE A LOOK AT THE EPIC COVER HERE
Check out our 5 smooches review HERE.
I hated him.
HATED him.
Hate, hate, hate. I chanted the words to myself that very next morning as I stomped toward his ridiculously expensive house, next to the ridiculously nice lake, with his ridiculously loud red Mercedes parked out front. Jackass.
I’d be doing society a favor if I set it on fire.
Seriously.
The thing was probably filled with so much bodily fluid and disease that if he got in a car accident he’d infect the entire freeway and start a citywide epidemic.
I shuddered.
I compartmentalized Lex into two boxes.
The first box was Childhood Lex, the friend who used to hang out with Ian and me before he moved across town, never to be seen again. He used to ride with me to school, and when I was sick he gave me my own box of Kleenex—never mind that he stole it from his teacher’s desk. The point is, Childhood Lex was a keeper.
Box number two?
Asshole Lex, also known as the version I was walking toward. The Lex I met when I was eighteen, who momentarily stunned me speechless with his godlike beauty, had been a figment of my overactive, sad, hormone-riddled imagination.
On the outside? The perfect man.
With a brooding and sultry smile.
Biceps the size of my head.
Who gave me the distinct feeling that if I ran my hands over his buzzed hair I’d orgasm before he even touched me.
Whatever. I was over it. So over it.
A lot of people had stupid crushes when they were eighteen, right?
Now all I saw when I looked into his stormy blue eyes was syph or the clap, and that was being generous. The dude was a walking STD and seriously tried every nerve I had. He was an ass. Plain and simple, no sugar coating. He was the type of guy who’d tell a chick that she looked fat in a dress or who refused to share the communal breadbasket. See! He couldn’t even adhere to typical manners during mealtime! Just thinking about him had me tied up in knots.
Last year, when I went shopping and stupidly invited Ian along—which of course meant Lex had to come—I was told in no uncertain terms that if I would just stop drinking chocolate milk in the morning I’d be able to fit into a smaller size.
He’d smiled.
His dimples had deepened.
He’d even crossed his arms as if to say, Look, I did you a favor, pat me on the back.
Instead I had kicked him in the balls and tried to give him a black eye, clocking Ian in the face.
My point? Lex. Was. The. Devil.
I made a point of only hanging out with Lex when absolutely necessary, and even then I almost always had Ian as a buffer. But now that he was playing love nest with my ex-roomie, Blake? Well, I was on my own.
Lex opened the door after my third aggressive knock. Black sweatpants hung low on his hips, a vintage Mariners shirt fell open around his neck, and he was wearing black-framed glasses that made his eyes more appealing than should be legal.
“Sunshine,” he said, his smirk deepening as he crossed his burly arms over his chest.
“Dickhead.” I smiled sweetly. “New glasses? They look thicker than last time.”
“Better to see you with.” He leaned forward, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits. “There they are.” He reached for one of my boobs.
I slapped his hand away so hard my palm stung.
“Probably not the best way to treat your new male clients.” He shook his hand and turned towards the living room leaving the door wide open. Manners were completely lost on him.
Gritting my teeth, I slammed the door behind me and took off my shoes because I knew if I didn’t he’d give me hell.
He was a freak like that.
For as much ass as he got, it was shocking how much Lysol he used around the house. His clothes were never wrinkled; everything was pristine.
Even his breath.
Damn him.
He drank coffee like a Starbucks employee but never had coffee breath.
It was almost painful, staring him in the face, knowing that everything on the outside appeared perfect—but didn’t match the inside at all, not even close!
Beauty like Lex’s was dangerous and wickedly tempting, like something out of a paranormal romance novel. Sometimes, at night, when I dreamed of Lex getting hit by a car, I imagined him as a vampire roaming the streets in his favorite black sweats, shirtless, shimmering under the streetlights, just waiting for whores to line up so he could take a few bites.
A pencil flew by my head.
“Yo.” Lex’s eyebrows shot up. “We have a lot of work to do if we’re going to get you ready for the next two clients. Daydream about chicks on your own time.”
“I’m not a lesbian.”
He bit on his bottom lip, sinking back in his chair as his eyes slowly roamed from my mismatched socks all the way up to my head. “Okay, whatever you say, Gabs.”
I will not commit homicide. I will not commit homicide. “You know,” I said as I tossed my purse onto the table, “it’s offensive that you assume all lesbians dress like crap.” So what? I was wearing a ratty white T-shirt and ripped jeans, and I was pretty sure I still had mascara on from the night before. It was my Lex repellant. He hated sloppiness.
“Offensive.” He nodded. “Also true . . .” He used the spare pencil from behind his ear to slide my purse over to the farthest side of the table. “It wouldn’t kill you to wear something other than jeans and T-shirts, Gabs.” He sighed. “Say it with me: dresssss—”
I grabbed the pencil from his hand, broke it into two pieces, and handed them back to him. “I wear dresses, just not for you. Dresses are your kryptonite, especially short black ones. I refuse to be a part of your ‘shower time.’”
He snorted. “You wish.”
“Yes. Every night when I go to sleep I pray for Lex to dream of me while he jerks off because yet another girl refused to follow his instructions in bed : ‘Damn it, use the manual!’” I said, using my best imitation of Lex’s voice. I’d only heard him shout instructions to a girl once, and it had scarred me for life. What the hell are you doing? Do I look like I’m satisfied? There’s a diagram! Ugh.
Lex rolled his eyes. “Very funny, and the manual is there for a reason. Do you even know how many chicks get confused when I call out sexual positions? It’s like, get there faster, you know?”
My feelings were torn between fascination and disgust. “So,” I changed the subject. “Let’s train, because I have about ten years worth of Organic Chem homework.”
Lex sighed and held out his hand.
“No.” I crossed my arms. “I don’t need help.”
Okay, I needed help, desperately needed help, and Lex wasn’t just passably smart but a certified genius, at least when he applied himself. I refused to ask him to go over my homework just because Organic Chem was, to me, like reading a foreign language.
He cleared his throat.
I didn’t move.
Finally, he stood, slowly walked over to the end of the table, and fished the chem book from my oversized purse. “What chapter?”
“Lex—”
“If I’m teaching you Organic Chem, at least say Professor Lex.”
“Listen very closely, Lex.” I went over and jerked my book out of his hands. “I didn’t need your help last year when I almost failed biology, and I sure as hell don’t need your help now. Let’s just get this training done so I can go home and suffer in silence, alright?”
“Fine.” He dropped my book against the table and then, without warning, grabbed me by my shoulders and pushed me against the counter that bordered the kitchen. My butt hit the cupboard . “Up until now we’ve been helping people find their perfect match. Basically acting like a wingman so that the idiots of this world see the girl who’s been standing in front of them all along .”
Why was he standing so close? Did we have to be touching? I told my body not to respond to his proximity, but Lex was magnetic, even if every part of him was evil. My brain was having trouble functioning while his large palms were pressed into the tops of my shoulders.
“Okay.” I swallowed. “And now that you’re allowing guys to become clients of Wingmen Inc., I basically do the same thing. Give them confidence, help them capture the one girl who’s always seen them as the friend—or worse, who they’ve been invisible to.”
“What’s that like, I wonder?” Lex still didn’t release me. “Being invisible . . . Maybe next time a dude ignores you, take notes.”
And another insult.
“Lex.” I huffed out a breath. “Just get on with it.”
“Right.” His eyes momentarily locked on mine before he rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses were perched. It was not sexy. It wasn’t. Really. That. Sexy. “So whenever we take on a new client, we give them a list of questions, meet them in a public place, and then use the power of human emotions like jealousy and curiosity to get the other person interested. That’s where you come in. If another girl sees our client as desirable, he becomes desirable.”
“That easy?”
“Sort of.” Lex leaned forward. “But you can’t suck.”
“Suck?”
“At anything.” His lips hovered near my mouth. He was starting to freak me out. I wanted to run away, but I was pinned.
“Lex, if you kiss me I will bite your tongue off. I swear.”
“If I was actually kissing you”—Lex released one of my shoulders and placed a finger against my mouth—“you’d know it. This, my frumpy friend, is training.”
His lips descended.
They pressed against mine, then pulled back. “Yeah.” He shook his head. “Gabs, you’re going to need to open your mouth a bit more. Guys are stupid. They always assume that more tongue means better kissing, when the opposite is true, but you still need to have your lips parted, not locked down like Fort Knox.”
“What’s happening?” I tried to push away from him.
Lex rolled his eyes. “Gabs, believe me, this is all business. You can even keep your hand on my junk the whole time.”
“What!” I roared.
“So you know without a doubt that nothing about you turns me on.” He grinned menacingly. “Seriously, I don’t mind.”
“I do!”
“Hey!” He chuckled. “I was just trying to help.”
“Grabbing your penis is not the answer, Lex!”
“Weird, because it so often is.”
“I hate today.”
“Is it the rain?” He frowned.
“It’s not—”
“It is.”
“Stop that!” I shoved him. “Hurry up and grade my kissing skills so I can go home and study.”
“Kissing, hand holding, hugging, cuddling, laughing, winking—just a few things you need to master.” He was firing off so many horrible, body-numbing words.
“Just hurry up,” I grumbled in a defeated voice as I tried to block out the fact that he was a good-looking ass who offended me with every single breath he took.
“Ah . . .” Lex held up his hand. “One never hurries a kiss.”
“What about a passionate kiss?”
“A passionate kiss isn’t hurried, it’s frenzied. Damn, don’t you know anything?”
Heat swamped my cheeks.
“How many guys have you kissed, Gabs?”
“Plenty!” Five. I’d kissed five.
“You blush down your neck when you lie.” Lex cupped my chin and then brought his lips down against mine again. “Part.”
Sighing against his mouth, I relaxed my lips while his slid across.
He pulled back, wearing a frown of irritation. “A bit more, Gabs. Guys want access.”
I kept my eyes open.
So did he.
I didn’t want him assuming I was into it, which was probably his exact line of thinking. Only keeping my eyes open was an entirely raw experience, watching him watch me while I felt him.
I shivered.
“Cold?” That stupid smirk was back.
“Frigid.” I glared, putting myself down before he had a chance to.
“You read my mind.” He nodded seriously. “Now stop being a bitch, and let me teach you how to kiss.”
“I know how to kiss!” I don’t know what came over me—maybe it was the need to prove myself, or possibly it was just stress over the entire situation. Needing to stay in school and hating that he was the answer, I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped, my hips colliding with his as I mauled his mouth with as much passion as I could conjure up, this time closing my eyes and putting everything I had into it.
With a growl, Lex pushed me back against the countertop. As my butt collided with the edge, his tongue plunged into my mouth and his hands dug into my hair, pulling it free from its ponytail while he changed positions his lips demanding a punishing kiss from a different angle as his he gave my hair a harder tug back.
I grasped at his T-shirt, pulling him closer and nearly falling backward into the sink.
And then, just when I was in danger of losing myself to the kiss that would probably be the best kiss of my life, I bit down on his bottom lip.
That move didn’t work out the way I’d planned, not at all. In my head it was smart. I’d piss him off, get him to pull back and leave me alone.
It did nothing of the sort.
Nothing of the sort at all.
With a hiss he pulled back, fire blazing in his eyes. For a split second that seemed to go on for an eternity, he hovered and I waited, both of us on the edge of something. He wet his lips, I mimicked the movement, and then, like a snake, he struck. His mouth fused to mine in a punishing kiss, one that bruised my mouth while imprinting its essence on my soul.
Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!
You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com .
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Jul 28
Enchanting Wilder by Cassie Graham Review
4.5 Smooches!
Synopsis
Declan Wilder has never met a witch he didn’t hate. He is in the business of protecting the world from all things paranormal, after all. But what happens when one glimpse at an enchanting McKenna Sawyer sends him spinning? Suddenly, Declan can’t help but question everything he thought he knew about the world he’s been sworn to protect for so long.
Plagued by her parents’ death, McKenna Sawyer has no interest in anything outside of her family’s business and her sister’s happiness. So when she’s assigned to warn a Pursuer about his impending death, she’s less than prepared for the way he shifts her world on its axis. And when more time spent with him leads to more secrets about their world revealed, they must decide how their universes fit together — if at all.
The paranormal world is gearing up for a fight, and both Declan and McKenna have been called to battle. But the question remains — will they be fighting for or against each other?
REVIEW
McKenna has gone through some horrible times, dealing with the death of her parents and wanting to protect and look after the sister she loves dearly. And on top of that she is a witch! But a good witch who can go into people’s dreams and push them in the direction of good. But when she has to go into Declan’s dream, a young man who pursues bad supernaturals, she is shocked by what she sees. This leads to Declan and McKenna, along with a whole host of other supernaturals, to come together. The chemistry sparks between the two and can’t be ignored, even when you are trying to protect mankind!
“Our worlds were turned upside down. Everything we thought we knew about this life was thrown on its axis. Someone abruptly turned off the lights in our bright world and we’ve been walking around trying to find a lamp ever since.”
This was a wonderful magical ride! I haven’t read a supernatural story in a long time and I’m so glad that this is the story that has thrown me right back into the supernatural world! An exciting ride and a story that was so different to anything I have read in a long time.
“Because we are real.
We do exist.
I’m a Strix.”
McKenna was a feisty witch, she was young but had an old soul and after her parents death, she grew up quickly and became more of an adult than a young woman. That didn’t deter from her protective, loyal and kind personality however. She was a great heroine, a strong female lead who you could be proud of and one who wasn’t afraid to go against the norm and to follow her heart and mind, even if everyone else is going the other way.
“He was tortured, begging and pleading to be a good, decent guy, but he was burdened with the guilt of his choices.”
Declan was a fierce protector. Fighting alongside his young brother to protect the world, he had been brought up to defend the world against supernatural, and had never come across a witch he likes. I loved how he stopped and thought about what he had always been told and considered that maybe everything wasn’t as it seemed; he was strong and determined and like McKenna- wasn’t afraid to fight against the crowd.
“I’ll chase those feelings—the ones I shared with Declan. The good and the bad—I’ll pursue those forever. Because they’re some of the best ones I’ve got.”
The story was a magical, enchanting, captivating ride. We are thrown into a world of supernaturals, a world that is rising up and the beginnings of a war. McKenna is no ordinary witch and people are starting to notice; good and bad people! The way some of the religious stories were woven in was so interesting and added a really intriguing element to the story. There were some real twists and turns and some of the secrets that were revealed really surprised me! Now it’s a matter of waiting (impatiently) for the next book.
“In a way, all of the trouble we went through was to get me here. My true place.”
~BETHANY
BUY IT NOW
Jul 28
The Sexy One by Lauren Blakely Cover Reveal
From the NYT Bestselling author of MISTER O,
comes a sexy new standalone romance…THE SEXY ONE!
Releasing October 17th, THE SEXY ONE will bring readers more of Simon, the hot single dad you met in MISTER O.
Check out this fantastic cover created by Helen Williams
with photography by Perrywinkle Photography.
Pre-Order THE SEXY ONE now!
iBooks: http://apple.co/29Lj1QJ
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2aceDNv
Kobo: http://bit.ly/29ZSezN
BN: http://bit.ly/2agPLDj
Add to your Goodreads TBR here: http://bit.ly/2asaN4m
Sign up for Lauren’s newsletter to receive an alert when THE SEXY ONE is live on Kindle on release day at http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter/.
Let me count the ways why falling into forbidden love is not my wisest move…
-
She works with me every single day.
Did I mention she’s gorgeous, sweet, kind and smart?
-
She works in my home.
Playing with my five-year-old daughter. Teaching my little girl. Cooking for my princess. Which means…
-
She’s the nanny.
And that makes her completely off-limits…But it doesn’t stop me from wanting her. All of her.
***
The other nannies in this city don’t call him the Sexy One for nothing. My boss, the amazingly wonderful single father to the girl I take care of every day is ridiculously hot, like movie star levels with those arms, and those eyes, and that body. Not to mention, the way he dotes on his little girl melts me all over. But what really makes my knees weak are the times when his gaze lingers on me. In secret. When no one else is around.
I can’t risk my job for a chance at something more…can I? But I don’t know how to resist him much longer either…
The audiobook will release the same day as the eBook on October 17th and will be narrated by Sebastian York and Andi Arndt!
About the Author
Since self-publishing her debut romance novel CAUGHT UP IN US three years ago, Lauren Blakely has sold more than 1 million books. She is known for her sexy contemporary romance style that’s full of heat, heart and humor. A devout fan of cake and canines, Lauren has plotted entire novels while walking her four-legged friends. She lives in California with her family. With ten New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than fifty times. Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire as well as standalone romantic comedies like BIG ROCK and MISTER O, which were both instant New York Times Bestsellers. In the fall she’ll release WELL HUNG, another romantic comedy. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter at laurenblakely.com/newsletter
Links:
Website: http://www.laurenblakely.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurenBlakelyBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LaurenBlakely3
Newsletter: http://laurenblakely.com/newsletter/
Lauren Blakely Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6860216.Lauren_Blakely
