Absolution Blitz

Absolution
Marla Holt
(Lightning Crashes #2)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lightning crashes.

The tower falls.

Rachel Ferrer thinks she’s already hit rock bottom, but then the ground crumbles beneath her feet. Alone, she is finally forced to face the darkness she’s been avoiding. Rachel doesn’t dare hope the spark of light in the distance might include Nicolas, even when she can’t forget the feel of his lips on hers.

Nicolas Rivera has always been the stable one. He is who others come to when their worlds shatter, but suddenly his life is the one in ruins. He doesn’t hope to connect with Rachel in the aftermath, but he discovers her in the last place he expected to. Uninhibited at last, the electricity between them finally ignites.

Is their flame enough for Rachel and Nicolas sift through the rubble, rebuild, and finally emerge, together, into the light?

Absolution is Volume 2 of the Lightning Crashes Duet and should be read after Temptation. Melt into this forbidden, slow-burn duet with a guaranteed happily ever after today.

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—

EXCERPT:

Rachel lifted the quilt covering Nicolas and slipped beneath it. He made as much room for her as he could, but his legs were already hanging over the far arm, his back pressed against the cushions.

Rachel didn’t need much room as she snuggled into his side, tucking the quilt back around them. “It’s freezing in here,” she said, her voice husky and low, her breath feathering against his neck.

“You need to check your insulation,” he said. “And probably get new windows.”

“I’ll get right on that,” she said in a voice that implied the opposite.

She shivered, and Nicolas allowed himself the indulgence of pulling her closer against him. In the name of keeping her warm. “What are you doing up?”

Rachel’s hand found his waist under the blanket, her fingers icy against his bare skin, but he didn’t dare flinch, lest he scared her off. “I wanted to see if you showed up. I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“It’s good you got some rest.”

“More like I sobbed myself to sleep in Naomi’s bed, but yeah, sleep was good. How are you?”

He sighed, at a loss for words to describe how he was feeling. His face ached, his body felt drawn, like he’d worked out too hard without enough food afterward. Nicolas couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He wasn’t even sure he had a digestive tract anymore. Who had room for food when they were filled with heartbreak and betrayal? Was it possible to be yawning open with emptiness and full of dread and darkness all at the same time? It felt like the same thing, and yet entirely different.

Rachel’s hand was playing over his torso in a way that she probably didn’t even realize she was doing, but in a way that was distracting, allowing temptation to edge in on the periphery.

Author Bio:

Marla Holt believes in second chances, romance, and the radical notion that everyone deserves a happily every after. She's living her own fairy tale, writing contemporary romance novels in her Kansas farmhouse with her husband, three boys, three cats, and flock of imaginary sheep. Follow her at marlaholt.com or on Instagram as @marlaholtauthor

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Sweet Entanglement Blitz

Sweet Entanglement
Drew Greenfield
(Fields of Wine, #2)
Publication date: April 30th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Wine, chocolate and sex in academia …

What happens when there are four in a relationship?

With only occasional weekends and holidays together, Nicole Durand and Andy Ravel are feeling the strain of their long-distance romance.

But when Andy is offered a job at MIT, Nicole faces an impossible decision. Should she go to America with the man she loves, or spend the next few years in celibate spinsterhood? Half-way through her degree course in Edinburgh, she has made friends and enjoys a small income tutoring French.

Andy also faces a dilemma. On his way home for Christmas, he has met vivacious ex-girlfriend, Margie Chapman. Margie works in New York and has a two-year-old son, Tommy. Though he loves Nicole, Andy has feelings for Margie too, which are not only reciprocated but complicated by a suspicion that Tommy might be his.

For Nicole, abandoning her course for a financially insecure life in the USA would be rash, the alternative equally so, when her sensuous nature might throw her into the arms of attractive medic, Mike Prentice.

Separated by three thousand miles of ocean, Nicole and Andy must each tread a path through this entanglement of love, friendship and career, without hurting the people they care about.

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—

EXCERPT:

Andy

Margie draws the curtains in the living-room and switches on the two table lamps, bringing a warm glow to the room.

‘Pour the wine, would you,’ she instructs. ‘I’ll be back momentarily.’

She goes off and I hear her light tread on the stairs. I take off my jacket, fetch two large glasses from the pull-down cabinet, and empty the bottle of Pinot into them. Momentarily – I have discovered – is an American word meaning anything from immediately to half-an-hour later.

However, anticipation is everything. Since I have known her, Margie has already surprised me several times, and I wonder how many more times, and in how many more ways, she can take my breath away. I have to wait ten minutes for my answer. Sexy doesn’t begin to describe her.

Gone are the formal blouse, pencil skirt and jacket. She has changed into a white, sheer kimono, calf length, what I can only describe as half-way between a dress and a robe. Fastened loosely at the waist with a tie, it opens sufficiently at the front to afford me a slit view of her throat and cleavage. A naked knee and thigh poke out from the gap below the waistline.

‘Well, what do you think?’ With hand on hip, she strikes a pose which makes me hot all over. Several words spring to mind but none seems appropriate or adequate in the circumstances. I gulp down a generous helping of confusion and embarrassment.

‘I saw it in John Lewis’s and I couldn’t resist,’ Margie says. ‘Do you like it?’

‘What’s not to like?’ My tongue returns to its normal place in my mouth. ‘You look amazing.’

Margie smiles. ‘That’ll do for starters.’

‘And, for what it’s worth, I think your ex-husband must be a prize idiot.’

‘Even better, Ravel. I can’t quarrel with you there.’ She picks up a glass of wine and curls up on the sofa. ‘Now, sit beside me and tell me again what you think of my outfit.’

‘What I think is, you are trying to seduce me again.’

Margie drinks half of her wine then runs her tongue suggestively round her lips. She puts her glass down on the coffee table. ‘What was that poem again – not the Baudelaire, the other one? Caresses sweeter than wine. . . . Is that really in the Bible?’

‘Really.’ The tie of her kimono slips easily at my touch and the garment falls away. Underneath, she is wearing a white lace thong. I feast my eyes on the curve of her waist and hips, the perfect symmetry of her pelvis, the apex of her thighs. She is incredibly lovely.

‘I bought them especially for you,’ she whispers. ‘Only for you.’

Her arm encircles my neck and she pulls me towards her. The lamplight glistens on her smooth skin….

Author Bio:

Drew Greenfield grew up and completed his education in Scotland. He has worked in sales and marketing, and in the tourist industry, but his true passion is literature of all kinds, as both reader and writer. He is also fond of music and plays several instruments.
Sweeter Than Wine, his debut romantic novel, was published in May 2018. Sweet Entanglement, the second book in the series will be released on 30th April 2021.
Drew now lives in the East of England.
Drew Greenfield is a pen name for the writer Andrew G(reenfield) Lockhart.

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The Restarting Point Blitz

The Restarting Point
Marci Bolden
(Chammont Point #1)
Publication date: April 27th 2021
Genres: Women’s Fiction

Marketing executive and mother of two, Jade Kelly can now add cancer survivor to her list of successes. But while her life looks good on paper, four months out of treatment, Jade realizes she hardly knows her college-age children and she and her husband Nick are little more than housemates.

Determined to start over, Jade schedules a family vacation to a lakefront cabin. When her kids bail and Nick stays home to handle a last minute work crisis, Jade heads to Chammont Point alone, determined to dust herself off and figure out what to do with the rest of her life.

While she’s away, the life she thought she had unravels. Secrets, lies, and old wounds drive Jade into new adventures and new relationships. With the help of family and new found friends, Jade learns starting over sometimes means finding a brand new restarting point.

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—

EXCERPT:

Jade was thinking anything would be a welcomed distraction when the door swung open.

“Knock, knock,” Darby sang as she poked her head in without actually knocking. Nor did she wait for Jade to invite her in before entering. She held out a plastic container from the grocery store and lifted a bottle of wine. “I thought you might need these. I hope you like mint brownies and red wine.”

Jade had always adored both. However, she’d completely altered her diet after her diagnosis. She’d never been a heavy drinker, but as soon as she’d read that alcohol and junk food increased the risks for the type of cancer she’d had, she’d cut those indulgences from her life. She hadn’t had either in over a year. “You didn’t have to do that.”

After easing her offerings onto the table, Darby faced Jade. “Yes, I did. I am really glad your ankle didn’t get hurt worse. That’s definitely worth brownies and a moderately priced bottle of Malbec.” She grinned. “And…” She opened the door again, reached out, and then spun dramatically. “Look at these.” Darby beamed as she held up two gold-painted crutches covered in gems of varying size, shape, and color. “I dug them out of my closet for you to use as long as needed.”

Jade widened her eyes as she stared in shock. Gaudy was an understatement. The display before Jade was atrocious.

“Wow,” Jade said for lack of any other words. “Thanks.”

“I, too, sprained my ankle once.” Darby set the crutches against the coffee table and within Jade’s reach. “You should never do cartwheels on a stage. While wearing vinyl platform boots. And drinking heavily.”

“Yeah,” Jade said, drawing the word out a bit. She didn’t have to think too hard to see the image Darby had created. “That sounds like it would be a bad idea.”

“Speaking of drinking, let’s get to that wine.” Darby turned toward the table where she’d left the bottle.

“Oh, thanks, but I don’t drink,” Jade said.

Darby stopped, frozen in time for a few beats, and then spun around and cupped her ear as if she hadn’t heard. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I don’t drink. I had… It’s bad for my health. I’ll take a glass of water, though.” Jade could almost see the gears in the other woman’s brain spinning as she processed the information. Jade had almost slipped in the bit about her cancer, but sometimes the words still stuck deep in her chest like a fist not ready to release its hold. The ability to share her struggles as freely as she’d heard others with major illnesses do was not something she’d mastered. She suspected she’d get there, but that was a skill she had to work on.

“You don’t drink? How do you get through the day?”

Jade giggled as Darby stared with obvious confusion. “Slowly.”

Author Bio:

As a teen, Marci Bolden skipped over young adult books and jumped right into reading women's fiction and romance novels.

Marci lives in the Midwest with her husband, two kiddos, and numerous rescue pets. If she had an ounce of will power, Marci would embrace healthy living but until cupcakes and wine are no longer available at the local grocery store, she'll put that ambition on hold and appease her guilt by reading self-help books and promising to join a gym "soon."

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The Other Prince Blitz

The Other Prince
Alice Dolman
(Royal Connections, #1)
Publication date: April 19th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

After moving to London, Amelia Glendale landed her dream job as a lawyer at the Queen’s Charitable Foundation. But when the queen dies, Amelia finds herself working for her longtime royal crush, Prince Leo – and his stuffy older brother Prince Edmund.

Charismatic Prince Leo was once known for his hard-partying ways, but has settled down and thrown himself into a life of philanthropy. He’s Amelia’s perfect man and she’s sure they’d get along if she wasn’t too star-struck to speak to him.

Prince Edmund has always been the sensible brother and dutiful heir, until a scandal of epic proportions leaves his reputation in tatters. With his comfortable existence disrupted, he sees a chance to build a life and relationship where he is more than just his position.

Thrown into the princes’ orbit, Amelia discover that maybe the perfect man for her isn’t the prince she expected. Will Amelia get her fairytale ending, or will the pressures of life in the spotlight be too much to bear?

This feel-good romantic comedy about love, friendship and tiaras is perfect for fans of American Royals and The Royal We.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

I know it’s been a long day, but would you like to come back with me for dinner? Lucy and Emma are coming over for a post-trip debrief, and I’m sure they’d like to see you.”

“I’d love to, but I promised Penny I’d have dinner with her. She’ll disown me for sure if I stand her up.”

“Are you sure? Am I going to have to get down on my knees and beg?”

Now that’s an image. How am I meant to say no to that?

“Alright, I’ll come for dinner. But I’m going to have to leave early—eight p.m. at the latest. Don’t let me lose track of time.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Walters is standing squinting out the window as the flight attendant disarms the door. He turns around and walks towards us.

“Excuse me, Your Highness. It seems we have an issue.”

“What’s the matter?”

“There are photographers on the runway. We’ve called airport security, but it may take a while to clear them.”

“Are the cars ready to go outside?”

“Yes, sir.”

“In that case, let’s just get to the cars quickly and head out.”

“Are you sure, sir?”

“Yes, quite sure. I don’t want to spend an hour waiting for airport security to deal with it.”

“As you wish, sir,” Walters responds. He strides back to the door and nods to the flight attendant who opens the door.

With the door open, Walters walks towards the stairs with Edmund and me following behind.

“What are we having for dinner then? Have you got your chef on standby?”

“I’ll have you know that I don’t have a chef.”

“But you can order food from the kitchens at the other apartments, right?”

“Well, yes, Helena has extra kitchen staff, so they can cater for the rest of us. But that’s not the same as having my own dedicated chef.”

“Oh, of course not, Your Highness. You’re the picture of the everyman. The public would never question the cost of the monarchy again if they knew you were here sharing chefs,” I say, rolling my eyes.

No response. Eddie is frozen at the door with his back to me. Oops, maybe that one went too far.

“Hey, I’m sorry. It was just a joke…”

“It’s not you,” Eddie says stiffly. “It’s them.”

My gaze follows Eddie’s hand as he gestures out the door to the runway. On the ground is a pack of at least forty people with cameras and microphones. There are flashbulbs going off everywhere and photographers and reporters jostling and yelling over each other, trying to get our attention. This is not what I pictured when Walters said there were photographers here.

Watching the scene down on the ground, I try to figure out how so many people got here so fast. Is this what it’s always like when Eddie goes out? There were reporters following us around in Kenya, but it was nothing like this. They were a small group of pre-approved professionals. Something about this pack is far rougher and more volatile.

“What do we do?”

“They’ve already seen us, so I say we keep our heads down and get to the cars as fast as possible. You’d better head back to your flat. If they get photos of us going into KP together, things are going to escalate quickly.”

“Right, of course. Okay, I guess I’ll head home.”

Eddie walks down the steep stairs and I follow, watching my feet and trying to pretend that this is a totally normal experience that I am completely fine with. The facade doesn’t last long.

Halfway down the stairs, the wind dies down and I’m hit by a wall of sound. Everyone on the ground is yelling. Reporters are shouting questions, airport security officers are screaming at the reporters to move back and Walters and the PPOs are urging Eddie and me to move faster and get to the cars. Making my way across the tarmac to the car, I keep my head down and catch bits and pieces of the questions being hurled at Eddie through the chaos.

“Why did you cheat, Edmund?”

“What did Sibella say?”

“Give us a kiss!”

“How long have you been seeing her?”

After what seems like an hour, I make it to the car, and a PPO opens the door and starts pushing me in. As he does, I look up and see a lone reporter with floppy brown hair and tortoise-shell glasses staring at me. Not Eddie, me. “Oi, Amelia! How does it feel to finally catch a prince?” Before he can say anything else, I’m shoved into the backseat and the door slams shut next to me.

“Camden, is it, ma’am?” the driver asks, looking at me in the rear-view mirror.

“Pardon?”

“We’re headed to an address in Camden?”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, ma’am,” he says, his eyes softening. “You’ll get used to it.”

Author Bio:

Hi! I'm Alice. I'm so glad you're here.

I write funny stories about people falling in love. Mainly princes and princesses because I'm a bit of a royal family tragic. Also because writing about royalty is the closest I'll ever come to wearing a tiara that isn't made of plastic.

I live in Australia with my husband and three small humans. In my seventeen seconds of free time each day I love reading romantic comedies, watching cheesy Netflix movies and baking cakes which I absolutely do not eat most of myself.

To be the first to hear about new releases and exclusive extras, head to www.alicedolman.com and sign up for my newsletter.

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Code Blitz

Code
Mary Ting
(Isan, #4)
Published by: Vesuvian Books
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Behind enemy lines, new soldiers will emerge, and unexpected heroes will rise.

Ava is a prisoner. And she is not the only rebel held hostage at ISAN’s secret compound. As she plans an escape, the lives of the rebel prisoners are in her hands, along with those she thought were dead.

Rhett and his team desperately search for Ava while one of the Remnant Council joins forces with another network looking for the creator of the Helix serum. And time is running out. Mr. Novak has been secretly creating an army called CODE, and what he plans for Ava will mean a permanent end to the rebels–and her.

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—

EXCERPT:

I should have landed on him, but instead I dropped to the floor on my hands and knees like a wounded deer. An electrical sensation zapped through my middle and wrapped around me like invisible arms, holding me in place. Hundreds of needles pricked me all at once.

Excruciating pain seared from head to toe. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even blink. I had been wounded many times on missions, but nothing I’d felt in ISAN compared to what had just hit me.

Immobile, a foot from my monster of a brother, I’d never felt so vulnerable. My muscles simply shut down. A whimper escaped me, but it could have been only in my head. Worse, a tear slid down my cheek. I felt humiliated beyond measure.

“Aw, sis. Are you crying? Does it hurt?” Gene took his hand out of his pocket and showed me a metal trinket, a circle about the size of his thumb.

“I thought it was best to have it handy in case you lost control.” He came dangerously closer and lowered, his warm breath brushing the shell of my ear. “Now you know, sis. I can contain you. You might want to show me some respect if you don’t want to be on the ground, helpless and weak. I might accidentally hurt you. We don’t want that do we?”

Oh, the pain. Every tiny movement—every blink—hurt so much.

He ran a knuckle down my cheek to wipe away another teardrop, and then grazed his index finger slowly across my neck, savoring my weakness.

“Next time it won’t be so soft,” he said. “You should get some rest. You look like hell.”

I screamed in my head. Peering up under my eyelashes, I watched him walk toward the sliding door. I wanted to rip out his throat, stomp on his heart, but I couldn’t move. Even a fraction of movement felt like a knife slitting deeper into my spine.

I couldn’t win. At least not this time. But I would find a way. There had to be a way.

Gene’s back to me, he held up that metal circle trinket and clicked. Just as the door blended into the wall, he released me. I thumped my head on the tile floor and wept for Brooke and the rebels who had died because of my stupid mistake.

Groaning, I crawled like a worm, my knees and elbows digging across to get to the rug, each movement agony. I refused to lie on the cold ground like I was nothing.

I’d never felt so small. No—I had, when my foster father beat me. Where was he now? Locked up. That would be Gene’s fate, too.

Just you wait, big brother. Just you wait. Karma is a bitch.

Author Bio:

International Bestselling, Award-Winning Author Mary Ting writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers all over the world. Her books run a wide range of genres: science fiction, fantasy, and swoon worthy stories. Her storytelling talents have won her a devoted legion of fans and garnered critical praise.

Mary was born in Seoul Korea and resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two dogs—Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Becoming an author was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, she retired from teaching after twenty years.

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Reclaiming Ryda Blitz

Reclaiming Ryda
Rachel Rossano
(Once Upon a Duchy, #2)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Romance

Rydaria lives as a prisoner in a tower library. Captured as a child, her past is a mystery. Maintaining the literary treasures within her care, she studies the world through books that give her a glimpse of the freedom she craves.

A scribe by trade, Crispin has devoted the last three years of his life seeking the lost heir of Avalene. He travels to Worthenave’s famed library in hopes of finding the key. Instead, he discovers a new mystery, a beautiful librarian who is locked in with her books every night.

As the days pass, Crispin must choose. Rydaria’s precarious situation is deteriorating. Meanwhile, his duty demands he leave before the Duke of Worthenave uncovers his quest. Still, the scribe can’t bring himself to abandon the captive in the library tower, even if it costs him his mission.

Inspired by Rapunzel and East of the Sun West of the Moon

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—

EXCERPT:

Crispin

A large circular room greater than thrice my height in diameter lay beyond the gate. On all sides from the floor to about two feet below the ceiling, which was well beyond my reach, were shelves laden with all manner of written records. Binders, scrolls, bound volumes, drawers, boxes, and files lined each shelf. Small tags hung from many of them—each card covered in neat writing. Over them, a wooden ladder hung by hooks on a rail that ran the circumference of the room. Above the track, small rectangular windows nested in the thick stone walls between the top shelves and the carved ceiling. In the center of the rotunda lay a thick round carpet. On it sat a large wooden table that had clearly been made to match the shelves and five padded chairs.

I crossed to the table and set my scribe’s bag on the polished surface. As I surveyed the shelves wondering where I ought to begin my search, I came up short. Someone was singing—a woman by the sound of it.

Leaving my bag behind, I turned around searching for the source of the voice, which was how I discovered the stairs. Tucked behind the shelves opposite the gate by which I entered, they could not be seen from the entrance. The narrow steps led upwards, following the curve of the stone tower wall. In the niches where the straight wooden boards of the stairs didn’t quite match the curve of the stone, someone had tucked all kinds of odd things, like clay jars, colorful baskets, and crocheted blankets.

As I climbed, I struggled to focus on the singer’s words. The words weren’t from my native tongue. However, the melody sounded familiar. I came to a halt on the landing just outside a second room almost precisely like the one below, the sounds fell into place.

She was singing in Saruthian.

Pale as the moon all still and lovely,
The maiden’s heart longed for his touch.
Still, the moon hung quiet, unresponsive,
Cold and unfeeling despite her love.

Her honeyed voice washed over me. Blinking in the glow of the late-morning light pouring in the octagonal windows above the shelves on this level, I studied the singer as she continued her work. She was perched halfway up the ladder against the shelf with a bag full of tomes strapped to her hip and a long golden-brown braid falling down her back like a thick rope. I couldn’t help thinking of the ancient Saruthian tale of the captive of the rampion witch.

She was definitely fetching enough to play the role of the captive. With the long length of hair, the color of honey, the hue falling between the alfalfa and buckwheat honeys my bees produced at home, she could snare any man. Her form appeared pleasant as well, slender and curved in all the right ways.

As she reached the last of the verses in the poem, I fully expected her to stop. Stepping into the room, I prepared to introduce myself.

But she didn’t stop. As she set the second-to-last book in place, she began to sing a verse I had never seen in any of my references. My mind scrambled to translate it as she sang. Then she turned around.

A soft squeak escaped her, followed by a heavy thud as the last book fell from her suddenly lax fingers and hit the floor.

“Who are you?” she demanded.

Author Bio:

Rachel Rossano specializes in clean romantic fiction set in historical-feeling fantasy worlds. She also dabbles in straightforward historical romance and not-so-strict speculative fiction. A happily married mother of three children, she divides her time between mothering, teaching, and writing. She endeavors to enchant, thrill, entertain, and amuse through her work. A constant student, she seeks to improve her skills and loves to hear from readers.

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A Shadow in the Light Blitz

A Shadow in the Light
Keary Taylor
(Parallel Verse Guardians, #1)
Publication date: April 20th 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

“You went and fell in love with an ultralight? That’s like a spider falling in love with a butterfly. They’re both arthropods, but the entire universe knows they don’t belong together.”

I needed an out. I needed to be someone who wasn’t trapped in Las Vegas, marooned in the LightVerse where I didn’t belong. I went to that club looking for nothing and everything, and there he was. Jaxon’s hands on my hips were just what I needed, and for one night, it was easy to be someone I wasn’t.

Then our signals went haywire. We’ve been looking for the gatekeeper for a long, long time so we can go home to the DarkVerse. We test every new ultralight in hopes they will be the key. It’s my job to bring them in.

It feels like a cruel joke when it’s him. Turns out Jaxon Gray comes from one of the most dangerous crime families in Sin City. I’m not the only one after him. The other ultralights want him just as bad, and they’ll kill me to get to him.

Now we’re on the run together. He should be scared. He’s seen me shift, and it’s not sparkly or pretty. But he doesn’t cower when he sees my darkling from—my shadows, my claws, my fangs. With a hungry gleam in his eyes, he asks to know more.

This is dangerous. He’s about to manifest. And as soon as he does, his biggest impulse will be to kill me. But it’s too late for my heart, I can’t walk away. So, the million-dollar question is: will what’s building between us be enough for him to overcome his instincts?

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—

EXCERPT:

The room smells slightly of smoke and everything is dated by about fifteen years, but it looks clean enough to not give me an STD.

All the pain and exhaustion I’ve been ignoring in the past forty-five minutes hits me the second I walk in the door.

I walk straight to the mirror, flipping on the flickering florescent light.

It’s worse than I thought.

Bruises are blooming along the left side of my face. There’s a nice cut running down my right cheek.

I peel my t-shirt off, and immediately my eyes go to the dark black marks, the perfect shape of fingers dug into my skin.

“Holy…”

In the mirror, my gaze shifts over my shoulder to Jaxon. He stares at my bruised and injured body, particularly those finger marks.

“Pretty sure you look worse,” I say, noting the cut above his eye that’s bleeding again.

He takes several steps forward, coming into the light. He grabs a towel from the rack, pressing it to the cut. But he never takes his eyes off me.

“I swear,” I say. “I’m not going to kill you. I’m not going to eat you either. I just need something from you, and then you’ll be free to go.”

“Are you stalking me?” Jaxon asks. Even though we’re standing side by side, he looks at me in the mirror. “Because that night…”

“I didn’t know that night,” I said, looking sharply up at him in the mirror. “Us meeting that night was purely coincidence. There was nothing ulterior going on that night, I swear.”

He’s quiet for a second, and as I look into his eyes in the mirror, I realize how desperately I want him to believe me.

I shouldn’t want that.

“You’re hurt,” he says simply.

I look back at my own reflection. I look like crap. “I’ve been through worse. I’ll survive. You need stitches though.”

He leans forward, looking at the cut closer in the mirror. The gash going down his face, from his temple, down the side of his eye, down to his cheek bone, is starting to bleed badly again.

I grab the sewing kit.

“You done this before?” he asks, eyeing me warily.

I set the kit on the countertop and grab his arms, positioning him under the light. I take a towel, get it wet, and set to cleaning the wound.

“More than a couple of times,” I say, not meeting his eyes as I work.

“You military?” he asks. I can feel his eyes fixed on me.

“No,” I answer simply.

“Military experiment?” he asks, and his tone is dead serious. I guess I can’t blame him for that.

“No,” I say, my tone getting a little sharper as I set the towel down and thread a needle.

“Alien,” he says simply, like it’s the last possible explanation.

“I’m not an alien,” I say, my tone bordering on offended. “You’re never, ever going to guess what I am. So how about you just stop?”

“Then how about you just explain it?” Jaxon says with a growl. He hisses as I dig the needle through his flesh for the first stitch. “Because I thought you were just a really amazing woman I had a really amazing night with. But it turns out you’re something a whole lot more interesting.”

His choice of words snaps my eyes to his.

Author Bio:

Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over twenty novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night.

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