Lost in Nowhere Blitz

Lost in Nowhere
Barbara Pietron
(Legacy in Legend, #3)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Jeni has fully accepted her spiritual ability, and yet she’s unnerved by the apparition of Marielle, the ghost of a pioneer girl asking for help. As the ghost’s tragic love story unfolds in her dreams, Jeni’s resistance melts and she resolves to save the soul of Marielle’s lost love. When she discovers her own impulses cause Marielle to act uncharacteristically, Jeni believes she can change the past. Despite warnings against meddling with time, Jeni’s convinced she can save the soul of Marielle’s lover. Deep inside a dream and intent on her quest, Jeni is lured into a trap that binds her soul to Marielle’s. With no allies, no knowledge about crossing through time and with limited 18th century resources, Jeni is terrified: failure will leave her soul trapped in the past, or worse . . . lost in nowhere.

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—

EXCERPT:

Ice reached for the teardrop-shaped planchette. It was about the size of his palm and had a hole in the middle. When Jeni’s fingers rested across from his, they stared at each other, waiting for something to happen.

“Since you haven’t done this before, you might want to circle around the Ouija board allowing the momentum to take on a life of its own,” the medium prompted. “Use a very light touch.”

They followed her advice, gliding the wooden piece smoothly over the board.

A few moments later, the medium said, “Go ahead and ask if she’s here.”

Jeni closed her eyes, presumably thinking about the girl in the legend, since that was their theory on how and why the spirit appeared to her. After a minute or so, remembering the instruction sheet, Ice said, “We invite only good spirits to talk with us.” Then he asked, “Is there a spirit here?”

The planchette moved immediately, nearly jerking from beneath their fingers, startling Ice when it moved to the alphabet.

Scraping sounds filled the small room as the wooden piece trundled across the heavy cardboard. “H… E… L… P.”

Jeni’s eyes had snapped open when the planchette began moving, and Ice could feel the weight of her stare.

“What is your name?” he asked.

Again, the disc glided over the alphabet. “M,” Ice said. “A… R… I… E.” It continued to move. “L… L… E.”

“Marielle?” He exchanged a glance with Jeni as the planchette slid to “Yes.” Then he asked, “Are you the girl from the Kaskaskia legend?”

The piece twitched, but remained on the Yes.

Checking on Jeni, Ice was glad to see she looked more fascinated than freaked out. He felt no animosity from the presence and his rapidly beating heart was beginning to calm. “What do you need help with?”

A long scrape brought the planchette back to the alphabet. “S… A… V… E… M… Y… L… O… V… E.”

“Who is your love?” Ice asked.

“A… M… A… K… A… P… A.”

Feeling confident that they knew who they were actually talking to, Ice asked, “Do you need help crossing to the other side?”

The planchette slid toward the moon on the right corner of the board and rested briefly on “No.” Then it went back to the alphabet: “H… E… I… S… N… O… W… H… E… R… E.”

Frowning, Ice looked first at Jeni, then at the medium. “He’s not on the other side?”

The disc returned to “No.”

“Is that why you haven’t crossed over?”

Their fingers followed the shuffle of the wooden piece to “Yes.”

Ice thought for a moment about his next question and came up with, “Why do you think we can help you?”

This time the planchette moved to the center of the board, between the Yes and No. It twisted under their fingers causing Ice and Jeni to hold their arms in a contorted position. When it stopped, the narrow end of the teardrop pointed at Jeni.

Her eyes widened. In the smallest voice, Jeni asked, “Is it pointing at me?”

Ice asked, “You think Jeni can help you?”

The indicator shifted left to “Yes,” then continued to spell out: “S… H… E… K… N… O… W… S.”

Jeni flinched, deep creases forming on her brow. She drew her lips into a pucker.

Reading her confusion, Ice asked, “What does she know that will help you?”

“F… I… N… D… H… I… M.”

Author Bio:

Having a love for witches and vampires before they were trendy, Barbara gravitates toward stories with supernatural elements both when she reads and when she writes. Although classified as young adult, her books are enjoyed by a wide audience--pre-teen through adult.

Barbara's novel Thunderstone was awarded 2013 Book of the Year Finalist status by Forward Reviews and before it was published, Thunderstone was a quarter-finalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakout Novel Award contest, winning a review by Publisher's Weekly.

When she's not writing, Barbara works in a library where she's tortured by all the books she has yet to read. She's a cult fan of the movies Labyrinth and Nightmare Before Christmas and a fan of all things Tim Burton. Barbara lives in Royal Oak, Michigan with her husband, daughter and a cat that often acts like a dog.

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Private Property Blitz

Private Property
Skye Warren
(Rochester Trilogy #1)
Publication date: March 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

“This. Book. The characters. You will fall in love with them, and you will devour this book so quickly, you’ll end up wanting to read it all over again. I loved it!” – New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy

When I signed up for the nanny agency, I didn’t expect a remote mansion on a windswept isle. Or a brooding billionaire who resents his new role. His brother’s death means he’s now in charge of a moody seven year old girl. She’s lashing out at the world, but I can handle her. I have to. I need the money to finish my college degree. As long as I can avoid the boss who alternately mocks me and coaxes me to reveal my darkest secrets.

“An incredible five star read! Skye Warren delivers an unconventional, yet utterly explosive romance in Private Property.” – USA Today bestselling author Jenika Snow

PRIVATE PROPERTY is a full-length contemporary novel from New York Times bestselling author Skye Warren about secrets and redemption. It’s the first book in the emotional Rochester trilogy.

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—

EXCERPT:

“Who are you?”

“Nobody. Absolutely fucking nobody.”

I glare at him. “Don’t mock me.”

He smiles. “I created a company. I didn’t really give a flying shit about shipping, but I saw there was an opening. It’s basically an Uber for commercial purposes. I didn’t care; just wanted the money. And I made it. That’s the dream, isn’t it? Make billions. Show the cheerleader back in high school that she missed out by not sucking my dick.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“If you think every man who tries to get rich doesn’t think about that, you’re fooling yourself. And I’m sure more than one man has imagined you that way.”

“I was no cheerleader.”

“No, but every boy who saw those lips thought the same thing that I do. You probably scurried through the high school halls, your books pressed to your chest to try to hide the fact that you were becoming a woman, but they could tell anyway, couldn’t they?”

I shift to stand up, but he’s somehow already in front of me. He looks down at me from above. I can’t see his expression. The firelight draws him in deep charcoal. My heart beats faster. I should be afraid of the way he’s standing over me, afraid of the way he’s blocking my only exit. Other men have done this. Other men have hurt me. I don’t want him to hurt me, but I want him to touch me. It’s a strange sensation. Something about hearing him say the word woman in relation to my body. I’m not a woman, not really. I’m something before that. A bud all tight and green and white, only the faintest hint of pink at the tip. That’s me. And he’s the heat from the sun, drawing me open. I look up at him, waiting to see what he’ll do next.

And what he does is run a finger across my jaw.

I shiver in the warm room.

It’s such a soft touch. A cannonball across the boundaries of what’s allowed between an employer and his employee, between the man of the house and the nanny. I hold my breath, waiting for him to tell me what to do. That seems like the real reward of this man, the upside of dealing with his meanness, that he will tell me what to do. Not like Noah, who looks and looks and looks. He wants me, but he doesn’t know any more than I do.

Mr. Rochester touches lightly along my shoulder. He reaches down to pick up my two hands, palms up. They look dark and gruesome in the firelight. The bleeding stopped after my shower, but the scabs look ugly. “These must hurt,” he murmurs.

“I don’t feel them,” I whisper. All I can feel is his hands holding mine from beneath.

“Because you’re hurting. Isn’t that right? You’re beyond hurting. You’re numb with it.”

That’s what I told him earlier. When you’re grieving like that, you can’t feel physical pain the same way. And it’s true. For years I’ve lived in this ice-cold space. He’s the only person who makes me feel anything. I want more of it even as I shrink away.

He lets my hands drop to my lap and walks out of the room.

Author Bio:

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

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The Warrior King Blitz

The Warrior King
Abigail Owen
(Inferno Rising #3)
Published by: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: March 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Meira Amon is the most reserved of the phoenixes, finding computers easier to deal with than people and their messy emotions. But she wants revenge against the Rotting King Pytheios for the murder of her parents just as much as her sisters. Offering herself as a queen for their ally, dragon shifter King Gorgon of the Black Clan, only makes sense.

Just one problem…

Samael Veles worked his lowborn ass off to become the fiercest warrior of the Black Clan. He has pledged his life to protect his king at all costs. Yet somehow, in the middle of war, he took one look at a woman in a reflection and gave up his heart. When that woman turns out to be the phoenix promised to mate his king and help bring peace to their kind, he has no choice but to accept it.

Until her fire unexpectedly destroys the king after they’ve wed. Now Samael must choose between his loyalty to his clan and protecting the queen who might be his mate from his people’s wrath, one of which will unlock a destiny no one could have ever imagined…

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—

EXCERPT:

No. Gods, don’t let this happen.

Meira tried to get closer to Gorgon, tried to take it back, to pull her fire back into herself. Bile stung her throat, blending with the vomit-inducing stench of burning flesh. The king stared back with shocked, awful, horror-filled eyes as her flames consumed him. He fell to his knees, and she could see him fighting the flames, his own black fire flaring out like sunspots only to be devoured by the red gold of her own fire in an instant.

One kiss was all it had taken.

They hadn’t even gotten to the undressing part, let alone the sex part. She’d turned on her flames and he’d kissed her lightly, so sweet. Except then he jerked back, a silent howl of pain contorting his features.

Already his bronze skin had turned charred before cooling to gray. Other parts continued to burn, glowing bright embers, and parts of him were sifting to ash. Like her mother in that field all alone.

“No, no, no,” Meira cried, hardly aware of the words pouring from her mouth.

She fell to her knees beside him, reaching in past the flames, which didn’t hurt her, to take his hand, already ashy against hers. “I’m so sorry. I’m here. Look at me.”

His eyes, already solid gray, shifted in his face as if searching. Could he see her? “I won’t let you die alone.”

A thunderous thud rattled the door. Samael.

By this time, most of the body had turned to ash.

Another slam against the door, this one causing a crack to appear in the thick wood. “Let me in!” Samael shouted, his voice muffled.

Meira forced herself to her feet. Her hands were shaking so hard, it took three tries for her to manage to unlock the door. She jumped back in time to get out of the way as Samael slammed it open. The door hit the wall behind with such force it embedded in the rock, small fragments of wood and stone falling to the floor, the gritty sound loud in the sudden silence as the man on the floor finished disintegrating and the fire disappeared all at the same time.

Samael ran to the heap of burned flesh and knelt beside it, he ran his fingers through the dust and ash then made a fist, seeming to grasp for control.

He won’t hurt me.

Meira shouldn’t be sure of that. He was Gorgon’s captain and would believe what his eyes were telling him. That she’d killed his king, the man he was sworn to protect.

“What have you done?” Samael asked in a low voice.

Hands to her mouth, Meira could only shake her head in horror. Was he asking her? Or asking his king?

Samael turned his head to spear her with a dark gaze full of rage, his fire sparking, like looking into an abyss that was reaching out for her. “What. Have. You. Done?”

No mistaking those growled words were directed her way. “It’s—” She had to stop and swallow around a throat so dry it felt coated in dust. Coated in a nameless man’s ashes. “It’s not—”

Samael bolted to his feet, crossing the room in two long strides, backing Meira up against the rock wall of the cavern the suite was carved from. “Don’t you dare say it’s not your fault.”

She should be terrified. This man had every right to kill her here and now. She’d heard many of Ladon’s men speak in hushed tones of respect about Samael’s skills when it came to killing. A rational person would be cowering and begging for her life.

But part of her she didn’t know even existed refused to be that woman. Not in front of him.

Samael’s emotions, released from their bonds, swirled and eddied around her like a riptide—anger, grief, blame. And one other, above all others. Protectiveness.

For her? Or his clan?

Author Bio:

Multi-award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, Dr. Seuss quoter, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic.

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

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Dead Sea Blitz

Dead Sea
Harley Wylde
Publication date: March 3rd 2021
Genres: Coming of Age, Contemporary, Young Adult

Kyle is a swaggering bully; Lenny strives to be invisible.
Kyle has been left alone in the world; Lenny is the world’s biggest loner.
When Kyle saves Lenny from drowning, their lives will never be the same.
After a brutal encounter with school bullies, Lenny swims out into the ocean, determined to let the current whisk him away. Next thing he knows the meanest kid in town is pulling him from the waves, promising to be his Dead Sea, and to never let him sink.

All Kyle wants is to get out of beach cleanup, is that too much to ask? So he goes for a swim, only to come upon the most epic “nobody” in the senior class drowning in a riptide. Lenny’s haunted gaze grips him, and Kyle makes the impulsive decision to save his life or die trying. And through this ordeal, Kyle and Lenny are transformed.

Kyle’s heroic act sets him on the straight and narrow, and he opens his heart to the young man he dragged from the ocean. Lenny changes too but is still unable to reveal the truth of his pain. While drowning in a sea of secrets, the reformed bully and wary victim fall in love. But staying afloat in the Dead Sea is not as simple as it seems.

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—

EXCERPT:

Kyle

“You’re…in the Dead Sea now, dude.” Even though I’m breathing heavy, my voice comes out gentle. I don’t recognize the sound, seeing as there’s nothing gentle about me.

“What?”

“You heard me.” The kid stiffens like a board—he’s definitely hurling. I hang onto him tight as I swim with one arm. Every stroke burns my shoulder. “You can’t sink in the Dead Sea.” But damn, saving somebody’s ass from a rip current takes a long fuckin’ time.

Lenny pushes off me enough to swivel his head around and gawk. I’ve never been this up in a dude’s face before. And I’d have figured a guy so invisible would have everyday gray eyes like mine. They’re the darkest blue I’ve ever seen, though. Can’t believe I didn’t notice this before.

“It’s not really a sea, you know…th-the Dead Sea’s…a s-salty lake,” I stutter and suck in a quick gulp of air.

Again, Lenny leans back on my chest. I rest a hand on his belly. Even half-frozen, his skin is smooth and slick and softer than I’d ever have figured a dude’s skin could be. He kicks a couple times, kind of half-hearted, and asks again, “What?”

“The salt…in the Dead Sea…it makes you float. You don’t even have to try.”

The arm clutching Dubinski’s belly trembles, so I wrap my fingers tight around his wrist. He tries to peel them off.

“Did ya know…did ya know the Dead Sea’s…the lowest point on earth?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Kid’s got himself a point, Grampa. What does matter is that we keep our brains cemented and this Dead Sea shit is all I can come up with. It’s about the only thing I learned in geography class all semester—from an extra credit take-home project I actually passed in so I wouldn’t flunk out.

“It’s like…three million years old.” I’m gonna have to roll over onto my other side because the fingers gripping Lenny’s skinny wrist are tingling. Next, they’ll be numb, and I’ll lose him to the ocean. I don’t warn him before I do the flip-and-shift move. I let go, roll in the waves, and reach for his other wrist with my swimming arm.

But Lenny’s ready for it. He shimmies away at the perfect moment. “I can’t let you die for me!”

And then he’s gone. “Dude—no!”

I’m not tired or weak or waterlogged no more. I lunge into the waves again and again—pounding the ocean with everything in me—until I meet with a leg that’s got to be Lenny’s. I squeeze it tighter than how I clung to Grampa’s arm on that night I found him in his bed.

“Not gonna let you die!” I screamed the same thing that night, but it was too damn late. Grampa wasn’t sound asleep like I first thought.

Author Bio:

Mia Kerick is the mother of four exceptional children--all named after saints--and five nonpedigreed cats--all named after the next best thing to saints, Boston Red Sox players. Her husband of twenty years has been told by many that he has the patience of Job, but don't ask Mia about that, as it is a sensitive subject.

Mia focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men and their relationships, and she believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. As a teen, Mia filled spiral-bound notebooks with romantic tales of tortured heroes (most of whom happened to strongly resemble lead vocalists of 1980s big-hair bands) and stuffed them under her mattress for safekeeping. She is thankful to Dreamspinner Press for providing her with an alternate place to stash her stories.

Mia is proud of her involvement with the Human Rights Campaign and cheers for each and every victory made in the name of marital equality. Her only major regret: never having taken typing or computer class in school, destining her to a life consumed with two-fingered pecking and constant prayer to the Gods of Technology.

My themes I always write about:

Sweetness. Unconventional love, tortured/damaged heroes- only love can save them.

Mia Kerick focuses her stories on the emotional growth of troubled young men within the boundaries of blossoming, supportive relationships. She believes that sex has a place in a love story, but not until it is firmly established as a love story. And Mia's stories are centered around a certain theme: even heroes can be sweet. Sweet, but not completely innocent.

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City of Spells Blitz

City of Spells
Alexandra Christo
(Into the Crooked Place #2)
Published by: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: March 9th 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

City of Spells, the follow-up to Alexandra Christo’s gritty YA fantasy, Into the Crooked Place, finds the world on the brink of war and four unlikely allies facing sacrifices they had never imagined.

After the loss of Wesley and the horrifying reveal that Zekia is helping the Kingpin of her own free will, Tavia, Saxony, and Karam flee to Saxony’s home to rebuild their rebellion. Meanwhile, trapped in the Kingpin’s darkness, Wesley must fight against the deadly magic that invades his mind and find a way back to his friends before it’s too late.

As the Kingpin’s dark magic spreads and his army conquers Creije, these four unlikely friends have to decide just how far they’ll go—and how much they are willing to sacrifice—to win.

Praise for Into the Crooked Place:

“With its gangland details, creative magical caste system and surprisingly brutal characters, Into the Crooked Place is very much its own thing. And that thing will likely be a story you can’t put down.” —Culturess

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—

EXCERPT:

Karam stepped forward, her skillfully embroidered clothes cascading down to her ankles in a way that was almost delicate, and so very much the opposite of Karam. Even from where Tavia stood, she could smell the peppermint salve on her friend’s sliced knuckles, something the fighters in Creije loved to use to soothe their injuries and that Karam wore every day, just in case.

“I thought we agreed that you were going to stop being stupid,” Karam said, Wrenyi accent thick on her tongue.

“I didn’t agree to anything,” Tavia said. “Did you follow me here?”

Karam crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you complaining about me saving you?”

“I don’t need saving.” Tavia leaned back in the booth. “I’m a busker, not a damsel.”

Nolan looked between them with a disbelieving scoff. “Are you two finished?” he asked. “Because we were about to kill her.”

For the first time, Karam looked at him, as if she had only just realized— or cared—that he was there.

“We have not been introduced,” she said.

“No,” Nolan said. “We haven’t.”

Karam held out a hand. “Hello,” she said.

And then she used that hand to grab ahold of Nolan’s shoulder and pull him toward her.

Without warning, Karam cracked her head against his.

The buskers broke into a frenzy as Nolan stumbled back, clutching his bloody nose. Quickly, Karam landed a kick to one of the others.

Tavia jumped up from the booth just as Nolan regained his footing, smashing a glass from a nearby table over his head. She shifted the backpack on her shoulder and landed a kick to another busker’s knee.

He went down with a yelp.

“This is why I had to follow you,” Karam said.

She kicked a busker in the chest and as he bent over to catch his breath, she rolled across his back and punched another clean in the face.

“You are so reckless.”

Tavia sighed at the lecture, which was becoming Karam’s specialty these days.

“If you were so worried about my safety, then you could have helped me take Nolan down back in the streets before his buddies showed up,” Tavia said. She swung her fist into the air, catching the cheek of a nearby busker, just the way Karam had taught her.

Karam took out her knife and threw it into the shoulder of another. “I thought you did not need saving,” she said.

Tavia rolled her eyes and kneed one of Nolan’s friends in the groin. “Forget making it slow!” Nolan yelled, pulling out a knife. “I’m going to gut you where you stand.”

Tavia shook her head. “He really does like being graphic,” she said to Karam.

She reached into her pocket for a pair of mirrored glasses and slipped them onto her nose, like she had seen Wesley do a dozen times.

“Here,” she said to Karam. “Put these on.”

Karam wrinkled her face and looked at Tavia like she was starting to lose her mind, but when she saw Tavia’s hands go to her pocket for a second time, it seemed Karam knew better than to argue.
“What in the Many Gods are those for?” Nolan asked, wiping the blood from his nose.

Tavia clutched the charm in her hand, its jagged edge spiking into her palm like tiny needles. “A way to show that if there’s one thing I have,” she said, “it’s style.”

She threw the charm down onto the floor and it exploded into a blinding light. Nolan and the others clutched at their eyes, screaming loud enough to drown out the bar’s music altogether.
“Come on!” Tavia yelled. “We need to go!”

She pulled Karam toward the door, where the customers were now blindly running and screaming as their vision temporarily disappeared.

They spilled back out onto the streets of Rishiya and Karam ripped the glasses from her face.
“Have you considered trying not to get yourself killed every now and again?” she asked as they darted through the city.

“Not really,” Tavia said, struggling to keep up with her pace. “I think I’d find it boring.”

She didn’t need to look at Karam to know that she was rolling her eyes, but Tavia felt invigorated. She had the magic she ’d come for, so all in all the trip to the city had been a roaring success. And with the warm breeze on her neck and fire of victory in her belly, Tavia felt like maybe all hope wasn’t quite lost.

Karam could call her reckless and the Crafters in the camp could call her a danger, but Tavia had a job to do. She had buskers to lead, and she was going to win this war and save Wesley, whether people approved of her methods or not.

Author Bio:

Alexandra Christo decided to write books when she was four and her teacher told her she couldn't be a fairy. She has a BA in Creative Writing and works as a copywriter in London, both of which make her sound more grown up than she feels. When she's not busy making up stories, she can be found buying far too many cushions and organizing food crawls all over the city. Alexandra currently lives in Hertfordshire with an abundance of cacti (because they're the only plants she can keep alive).

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Just Curious Blitz

Just Curious
Ariella Talix
Publication date: March 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance, Suspense

Secrets, curiosity, and passion.

Fantasy becomes reality with little encouragement.

Willa Camden, successful author of steamy novels, becomes entwined with Jackson Mitchell, a brilliant billionaire, and his best friend Casey Melrose. Their love is shared equally, and Willa is not always in the middle.

Craving excitement, they embark on international adventures in the style befitting a billionaire.

Cyber threats, blackmail, and theft turn their world upside down. Their careers are jeopardized, and lives are in danger.

Fair warning: They curse a little and have sex a lot, so please don’t be shocked. Join them for a wild ride.

If you’re ready for a book that will have you on the edge of your seat and grabbing for a fan, this story is for you.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Willa Camden squinted at the television. She was trying to figure out how she knew the woman giving her acceptance speech at the Oscars for Best Original Screenplay. Willa recognized the grating tone of the woman’s voice and the fake smile with overly whitened teeth. She appeared to be in her early to mid-thirties. The woman simpered at the audience and clutched the statuette to her chest. Her angular face was covered in gaudy makeup. It was too bad, Willa thought. If she hadn’t been so made- up, she might have been attractive. Unfortunately, her brassy-blond hair had a terrible case of dark roots.

“There is something so familiar about her…” Willa muttered to herself. She was certain they’d met. Her name appeared on the screen: Deb Abbey. It didn’t ring any bells; she certainly wasn’t one of the screenplay writers Willa knew.

“I’m so proud of this work,” Deb enthused nasally to the audience. “It started out as a novel, but I just saw everything in my head so vividly, I changed the work over to a screenplay about a quarter of the way through. Thank you to the Academy and to the actors, director, and the entire crew who brought my words to life so wonderfully. I can’t name you all, but you know who you are. And thank you to the people who inspired me.” Music played, and Deb turned to head offstage.

Huh, not much of a speech—especially for a writer. Dying of curiosity, Willa grabbed her laptop and Googled the movie—which was apparently new—to see if that would give her any clue about the writer’s identity.

Within seconds, she had the trailer booted up. Her face went scarlet, and she began to shake. Like a ton of bricks, the memory of meeting “Deb Abbey” came back in a rush and settled in her chest, crushing her.

“Fucking bitch!” she hollered at her laptop as her world blew apart. Willa jumped up and thundered around her house, finally deciding she needed to get outdoors before she broke something in her rage. She went to the fireplace where they’d always kept a bowl of smooth beach stones. She loaded up her pockets and ran for the door where she kicked off her shoes. Thoughtlessly, she flicked on the backyard lights and stomped down the stairs to the beach, where she ran to the water’s edge. Hot tears poured unchecked down her face. She hadn’t even locked the door behind her.

Author Bio:

Ariella Talix is the nom de plume of a bestselling author who lives in America's Heartland.
Her goal is to preserve the dignity of family members who would rather not be associated publicly with a woman who writes such scandalous and stimulating novels. She's not going to stop writing them though.

She loves her family, pets, great books, not-so-great books that still entertain, and art.

Born and raised near the beaches of southern California, Ariella Talix traveled the world extensively and then found her true home in the Midwest. She has a second-degree black belt in Karate and has been a professional artist for many years. Her work is displayed in countries all over the world.

A sudden brainstorm prompted the first of her novels, Make Believe, and since then the ideas just keep tumbling out like an avalanche.

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Loving Love Blitz

Loving Love
Jessica Frances
(In Midsummer, #7)
Publication date: March 5th 2021
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Romance

One friendship. One heartbreak. One messy past. One open-ended future. One chance to fix regrets. Multiple hurdles to jump.

Rian:
I knew returning home was never going to be easy. I hurt people when I abruptly left seventeen years ago. I hurt my brothers. I hurt the woman I loved. I lost touch with everyone and have missed so much. But running away can’t last forever. It’s time to face my demons and fight for the one person I can no longer live without.

Love:
Everyone knows me as the lovable, bubbly, happy girl. It isn’t untrue. Years ago, I had my heart broken and have hidden just how much that moment destroyed me. Every day that we have been apart has felt like a piece has been missing from me. But when Rian returns, I can’t bring myself to trust her. I can’t pick up the pieces of me that she carelessly broke and pretend everything is okay again.

However, when a story drifts into dangerous territory and someone important gets caught in the crossfire, sometimes you have to let the past stay where it belongs and forge a new future. There will be missteps, and maybe some tears, but fate cannot be stopped.

So, what does fate have in store for us now, and what are the chances we will survive it?

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Sounds like you want to hang around here.”

“I do. I know I’m incredibly late on coming back here, but I do want to make Midsummer my home again. I’ve missed this place. I’ve missed you.”

I watch the impact my words have over Love, and they aren’t necessarily good. She looks gutted by my admission.

“I have to get back.” She holds up her hands that just have tape and no fliers left. “Thanks for keeping me company.”

“Of course. It’s been good to see you. I don’t suppose you’d be interested in hanging out again? I know I hurt you by leaving, but I’d appreciate the chance to tell you my story and, if you are open to it, becoming friends again.”

I want much more than friendship with Love, but I know I have to tread lightly. I have to gain Love’s trust again before I promise her more. If we don’t get this new foundation right, then we’re doomed before we get a chance to start.

Love doesn’t immediately respond, which has my heart jacking up in tempo, but soon, a smile graces her soft lips.

“I’d like that. I’m sure we can make some time next week. I’d love to hear about how the teaching goes. I might have a favor to ask of you.”

“Anything!” I quickly agree, knowing I would still do anything for Love. “And let’s lock next week in. Do you still have my number?”

Over the years, we emailed to keep in touch, though those emails turned few and far between in recent years.

“Will you actually leave your phone on? From memory, you were notorious for letting it die for weeks on end.”

“I traveled far and wide, often in places where electricity wasn’t common. I got used to living without it,” I admit, knowing I wasn’t the best at it when I was a teenager, either. I had to hide even having it from my parents, which meant I couldn’t always leave it out charging.

“Luckily, The Last Resort boasts electricity!”

“Yes, I was very impressed to see many outlets in my room. Very fancy.” I lightly elbow her and smile when she laughs.

“Yeah, I have your number. I’ll text you when I’m free.”

“I look forward to it.” I don’t exactly keep the wistful note out of my tone, and Love sure doesn’t miss it, given her widening eyes and the way they dart to my lips. She looks away quickly, but I catch it.

“It’s good to have you back.” She gives me another hug, though it’s less surprising, and I’m able to focus more on how it feels to have her in my arms and to have her body against mine.

I probably hold on too tightly and certainly for too long, but I can’t help it. I missed Love more than I ever realized, and being back, close to her, is like finally feeling fiery warmth after being out in a wintery storm for years.

She pulls away, and then I watch her walk back in the direction of the hotel. I get the feeling she wants some space, so I let her have it. I have a date to look forward to next week, and I need to make sure it goes off perfectly.

For now, I’m going to go off in search of Reed and tease him relentlessly about the fact that he’s going to be a father to twins.

Author Bio:

Jessica lives in Adelaide, South Australia. When she is not writing, you can find her reading, napping or watching excessive amounts of TV. Connect with her on Facebook and Goodreads.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram

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