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Friday, March 19, 2021

The Demons of the Square Mile by Laurence Raphael Brothers


About The Demons of the Square Mile:

The real story behind Brexit.

Occult Private Investigator, Nora Simeon, and her uncannily handsome partner Eyre - an elemental given human form - follow a trail of magic, murder, and conspiracy from the luxurious apartment towers of Manhattan's upper east side to the ancient depths of London's Inner Temple. Along the way they encounter powerful sorcerers, magisterial barristers, evil templars, and, of course, more demons gone rogue.

With their newly acquired ward, Martha - a rat-demon - in tow, they uncover a secret so profound it could both undermine the world's financial system and topple the British government.

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Book Information:

Publisher: Mirror World Publishing (https://www.mirrorworldpublishing.com/)
Publish Date: March 17, 2021
Paperback: 114 pages
ISBN-10: 1987976770
ISBN-13: 978-1987976779

Read an Excerpt:

 “Simeon Investigations.”

“We have your minion,” said an inhuman voice. A demon’s for sure, unless it had been synthesized. It sounded like shards of broken glass jangling in a paper bag, but I could understand it. What I couldn’t understand was how anyone could kidnap Eyre without getting their asses handed to them. Gun or no gun.

“Who are you?”

More broken glass sounds, but no words. After a few seconds I realized it was laughter. At last the voice answered. “We would be foolish to divulge our true name. Call us Émigré.”

“What do you want?”

“We have a job for you.”

I felt a flash of red rage. My little pet fire elemental, Spark, flared up in sympathy from its urn on the windowsill, and I thought I might just burst into flame myself.

“You stupid infernal-plane motherfucker! I charge a hundred an hour. All you had to do was clear a check and I’d work for you. But now–”

“Now we have leverage, yes?”

“Let me speak to him.”

“Certainly.”

Brief silence, and then Eyre came on the line. His voice was weak. I wanted to reach through the phone and tear broken-glass-voice to pieces with my hands.

“Hey, Nora,” he said. “I’m really sorry about this. They got hold of my sigil somehow. They know what I am.”

“Eyre,” I said, “listen to me. I’m coming for you. Don’t fight them yourself.” I was thinking, Not till I get there.

“No fear of that,” he said. “It’s – you’ll have to see. They say they’ll let me go if you work for them. But I don’t think–”

Eyre’s voice cut off and broken-glass-voice resumed.

“Nora Simeon is known to us as a hunter of demons. She was contracted to hunt the demon Barbatos. She fulfilled her contract and killed the mighty demon Azriel.”

Actually, it was Eyre who had the final word against Azriel, but there was a lesson there I wanted this demon to learn.

“I’m a PI. An investigator. Barbatos was just a missing person job. But listen carefully. Azriel would have been in no danger from me, except she attacked Eyre. My partner, Eyre. I’ve got nothing against demons these days. Not unless they kidnap my friends. Do you understand me, Émigré?

A pause. “Yes.”

I knew even as I was saying it how stupid it was. But I couldn’t help myself. I was too damn angry.

“If anything happens to Eyre, I will destroy you, too. Count on it. But if you release him right now, I might just let you live.”

A longer pause. The phone was slick and uncomfortable in my hand. Then: “Very well.”

“What?”

“Come to us. We will release your minion into your care. We – do not wish to be destroyed. We are used to negotiations in our world and – and we realize that we now exist in your own. We wish you to do a job for us. We will pay. We did not believe you would listen to us if we solicited your services without leverage.”

“Okay. Where are you?”

“We are located at...” Another pause, and I heard indistinct jangling noises away from the phone. “Yes. 87th Street and York Avenue. The red building. Apartment 18E.”

Demons on the upper east side. Why not?

“All right,” I said. “I’ll be there shortly.”

Yet more silence, like it was thinking about saying something else. Then: “Goodbye.”

I smelled something burning, turned my head to see a thin swirl of black smoke rising from around Spark’s pot. The tiny elemental had gotten so hot from my emotions during the call it had scorched the paint right off the windowsill. Fortunately it was a metal sill and frame, with nothing inflammable nearby. Spark had been growing stronger lately, more in the last few months than it had during the previous ten years since I’d summoned and bound it as my first and only successful feat of sorcery. I shook some powdered incense into the elemental’s urn as a treat, and like a dragonfly made of flame, it flew up and spiraled around my body, leaving only a faint sensation of warmth behind. Spark had already forgotten my rage of a moment before. Any other time I would have stopped to play with it, but not today.

I returned to Eyre’s desk and retrieved his pistol, a massive old Colt M1911, made sure it was loaded and safe, and dropped it into a tote bag along with his phone. My own compact Ruger went into its tailored holster. Maybe Émigré was telling the truth about letting Eyre go, but if it wasn’t, I’d have something to say.

Purchase Your Copy:

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Meet the Author:


Laurence Raphael Brothers is a writer and a technologist. He has published over 25 short stories in such magazines as Nature, the New Haven Review, PodCastle, and Galaxy's Edge. His WWI-era historical fantasy novel Twilight Patrol was just released by Alban Lake. For more of his stories, visit https://laurencebrothers.com/bibliography, or follow him on twitter: @lbrothers.







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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

She Feels Like Home Blitz

She Feels Like Home
Lisa Hughey
Publication date: March 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

He’s a billionaire.

Peter Nguyen has achieved everything he ever wanted. So why isn’t he happier? He goes to his high school reunion to show up all the people who didn’t give the time of day to the skinny, nerdy boy he’d been. But then he runs into his old friend Britt.

She can barely pay her bills.

Brittanica Jones watched her future evaporate when she had to leave college after a brutal attack left her mother incapacitated. She hasn’t done anything she set out to do, and the only reason she even goes to her high school reunion is to reconnect with her old friend Peter . . . even though he ghosted her back when she needed him most.

They’ve got nothing in common…except each other.

When Peter sees Britt again, he realizes how much he misses her. Her acerbic quick wit and “take no shit” attitude are a welcome change from people who fawn all over him. When he realizes that he’s got the means to help her out, he offers her a temporary job.

However, grown-up Britt inspires sexy thoughts, not friendship thoughts. Their relationship deepens into a romance. Britt’s downtrodden heart blossoms with the opportunity to work with Peter and explore their changed relationship. But this interlude has an end date, and when disaster strikes, she’s got no choice but to leave.

Can these old high school friends overcome the hurts from th

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EXCERPT:

“Your assistant buys your groceries?” Britt countered.

“Yes,” he said defensively.

“You’re too good to hit the local Safeway?” She shook her head. “Man, we live in different worlds.”

That didn’t sound like a compliment.

“It frees up my time.” He felt compelled to defend the practice.

Britt tugged open his fridge, making herself at home. “Whatever.”

He loved that about her. No hesitation. The birds rippled in response as her muscles moved. He desperately wanted to lick his way along the path of those swallows.

Then he noticed her stillness.

“You have Dom Perignon in here.”

“Ah, I guess.” Pete couldn’t decipher the note in her voice. “Is that a problem?”

“It’s insanely expensive.”

“Okay?”

“I could feed my mother and myself for a week on what that bottle costs,” she said wistfully.

“Well, then, let’s open it.”

“You’re supposed to drink it to celebrate something momentous.”

He didn’t give a rat’s ass about momentous. Besides, she was looking at the bottle longingly. “You like champagne?”

“I love it, but I don’t have it very often.” She laughed but it was a sad sound. “That’s a lie. I never have it.”

Then he was going to change that. He pulled the green bottle out of the fridge.

She gripped his arm, the touch burning through his shirt. “You can’t open that,” she cried.

“Yes, I can.” He popped the cork before she could object.

“Oh my God. Don’t let it spill.” She grabbed the bottle and caught the bubbles cascading out the top with her tongue. “Mmm.” She closed her eyes and pursed her lips, making sure none of it was wasted.

The look of bliss on her face propelled him forward, unable to stop the impulses clanging through him.

He kissed her.

The moment her mouth met his, angels began to sing. She tasted of the tartness of white grapes and fermentation. He wanted to delve further into her mouth and taste her. He cupped her jaw in his hand, his fingers tunneling into the loose collection of curls at her nape, and he brushed his thumb over her cheekbone.

Britt’s eyes drifted closed.

He rubbed his nose along hers and plundered her mouth, holding her in place as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders. The champagne bottle thumped against his back, and a little of the cool liquid spilled between his shoulder blades.

He slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, her breasts snug against his chest. The full skirt of her dress pouffed around him as he tested and tasted, trying to figure out what she liked.

What made her moan. What made her soften against him. She’d gone all-in on the kiss.

He didn’t want to pressure her. But the kiss was off-the-charts hot. His brain had definitely moved from wanting the kiss to wanting more.

He pulled away to give her a moment.

And maybe him too. To assess the attraction. After all, this was Britt. His old friend. And yet…not.

“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly.

“I wanted to capture that treasure.”

“Very pirate-like of you,” she teased.

He took the bottle from her hand.

“Open your mouth,” he commanded. “Tilt your head.”

She blinked at his authoritarian tone, but she complied.

He poured a shot of champagne into her mouth.

She swallowed and moaned. “So good.”

The look of bliss on her face made him want to be the one who caused that reaction rather than the champagne.

Then she said, “But it’s meant to be sipped.”

“Life is meant to be swallowed whole and gorged upon.”

“Good point.” She took the bottle from him, took another swig, and then placed it on his quartz countertop. Then she hoisted herself onto the counter and spread her legs. The move put her breasts level with his mouth. Her fancy ballgown flared out as she grabbed him by the waist and pulled him to her.

“What are you doing?”

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him again. “Gorging.”

His smooth fingertips traced the line of her dress over her breasts, dipping his finger into her cleavage. His fingertips sizzled at the sensual contact.

Britt arched her back.

Pete pulled away from her mouth and trailed a line of kisses over her chin and down her neck until he buried his face in the plump valley of her breasts. She clutched his head to her.

“You taste amazing.”

“It’s the Dom.”

He licked a path over her skin. She shivered at the light caress. His arms reached around to unzip her dress. “It’s you.”

Author Bio:

USA Today Bestselling Author Lisa Hughey has been writing romance since the fourth grade, which was also about the time she began her love affair with spies. Harriet and Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys later gave way to James Bond and Lara Croft and Jason Bourne.

Exploring the complex nature of a profession that requires subterfuge and lies fascinates her. She loves combining her two passions into fiction. As evidenced by her Black Cipher Files series.

Archangel Rafe was her first foray into the paranormal but after spending time in the Angelic Realm, it won't be her last. At their heart, the Seven novels are about the dynamics of family relationships. But the really hot Archangels don't hurt.

And recently she's been immersed in the Stone Family novellas, four stories about a blended family of brothers and sister who have a lot more in common than they realize. But of course she couldn't just write about family and romance. There are complex plots, bad guys, and suspense too.

Lisa loves to hear from readers and has various places you can connect with her, although, shh, Twitter is her favorite.

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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Hockey Hunk Blitz

Hockey Hunk
Kat Obie
(Loving the Puckers, #4)
Publication date: March 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports

Out on the ice, the season’s going great, but in the locker room the pranks are getting out of hand. It was time for me to remind everyone not to mess with me— so I came up with a prank the team, and my best friend, would never forget.
Renee Weber is my best friend’s sister. And like me, she’s also ready to teach her brother a lesson. Together, we work out the ultimate April Fool’s prank— telling everyone that Renee is having my baby.
Our plan works perfectly, except for the part where I fall for Little Weber.
What’s the worst that could happen? Either lose my best friend or Renee. Quite frankly, I don’t know which one is worse.
It’s not in my DNA to lose so I’ll have to come up with something big. I’ll pull out a win one way or another.

Hockey Hunk is your best friend’s sister romance filled with sexy hockey players where a fake pregnancy prank goes horribly awry— or did it go perfectly?
Grab the fourth novella in the Loving the Puckers series for hockey-filled dreams tonight.

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EXCERPT:

I was lounging on my sofa and reading a book when I heard my phone go off. It was weird to see Matt Shoresy’s name pop up on my phone. He was my brother’s best friend. We’d chatted a few times since my last trip to visit Colton. Anytime he called, I would think the worst, like my brother was at the hospital, even though most of the time he was just checking in with me.

My interest piqued when he asked for a favor. “What’s the favor?”

“So, your brother and Lager have been relentless with the pranks lately and I want payback.”

I laughed. Colton had always been a bit of a prankster in the locker room at school. Since Lager joined the team, Colton had increased his pranks because he had a partner in crime. “How big are you talking about?”

“Fake pregnancy big.”

I was so glad that I wasn’t drinking anything at that moment, although I still choked on my saliva. Once I could form a cohesive thought, I asked, “Seriously? A fake pregnancy?”

“Yup.” He was so calm about the idea. This was going to have consequences. They were best friends, and there was no way Colton would be cool with the idea of me sleeping with Shoresy. If he hadn’t been my brother’s friend, I might have tried to make a move on him since he was totally my type.

“Okay, what’s the plan? Besides, why do you want to do something this big? What has Colton done to deserve this?” I was all questions at this point, but I had to stop asking them so he could answer.

“Mainly things are adding up. He and Lager thought it was hysterical to hide my pants and nail my favorite sneakers to my stall earlier today. So, I want to make sure those two won’t ever mess with me again, and this was my first idea. Please tell me you’ll do it.”

I could see that adding up after a while. The idea was huge, but what did he want from me? “It’s not exactly easy to fake a pregnancy.”

“Sure it is. We all got super drunk when you came over for All-Star break. Webs passed out before we did. Easy to claim we did something after we put him to bed. All I need you to do is come into town proclaiming that you’re pregnant. Then we play it from there.”

Author Bio:

Kat Obie is a passionate hockey fan. She plays, she watches, she dreams of it so she decided to start writing hockey romances.

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Monday, March 15, 2021

Earl of Brecken Blitz

Earl of Brecken (Wicked Earls’ Club)
Aubrey Wynne
(Once Upon A Widow, #5)
Publication date: March 9th 2021
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance, Romance

A seductive Welsh earl on the brink of ruin. A wealthy cit in search of a hero.

Miss Evelina Franklin reads too many romance novels. She’s certain a handsome duke—or dashing highwayman—is in her future. In the meantime, Evie entertains herself with the admirers vying for her fortune.

The Earl of Brecken needs cash. His late father left their Welsh estate in ruin, and his mother will not let him rest until it is restored to its former glory. Notorious for his seductive charm, he searches the ballrooms for a wealthy heiress. His choices are dismal until he meets Miss Franklin. Guileless and gorgeous with an enormous dowry, she seems the answer to his prayers. Until his conscience makes an unexpected appearance.

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EXCERPT:

How the devil had he gone from a spy for His Majesty’s government to a sacrificial lamb? He hated this place, with its lemonade and thin, delicate finger sandwiches that would never fill a man’s stomach. Yet, here he stood in breeches instead of his usual trousers, on parade for all the simpering mamas and the silly, bird-witted girls. A cluster of females giggled under the musicians’ balcony, casting glances about the room and settling on him. I feel like a new hat in a shop window, he thought as he leaned against one of Almack’s white plaster pillars.

His mother had been correct, though. The patronesses had sent a voucher upon request. The infamous marriage mart now greeted him with enthusiasm. One visit to these infamous halls, and he was ready to sign on for the next war. Perhaps he’d start one. In the meantime, he shared the misery of several female wallflowers trying to blend into the woodwork. Madoc squinted at a tall blonde in a sea-green dress, attempting to hide behind a flimsy plant. He chuckled at her effort. Until she was joined by another petite lady with soft brown curls.

His heart jolted.

It was the skating goddess from Hyde Park. He’d put her out of his mind since his last trip to Town. She was dressed in a pale pink silk, with capped sleeves giving way to creamy shoulders and a hint of cleavage. Her caramel hair was swept up, paste gems twinkling from the light of the wall sconce. Wispy ringlets framed her heart-shaped face.

Simply exquisite, he thought as she took the long-legged blonde by the hand and pulled her away from the wall. Madoc realized the other woman had also been one of the party on the Serpentine. As if sensing his attention, she turned to look over her shoulder and caught his eye. Madoc held his breath. Those toffee-color orbs held him in a trance. The sounds around him muffled, and everything around him moved slower as they drank each other in. It could have been a moment or five.

He stepped forward, eager to make her acquaintance, then stopped. Don’t be a green-boy. You’ve never been introduced, he scolded himself. In that fleeting moment, she disappeared. Blast!

Author Bio:

Bestselling and award-winning author Aubrey Wynne is an elementary teacher by trade, champion of children and animals by conscience, and author by night. She resides in the Midwest with her husband, dogs, horses, mule, and barn cats. Obsessions include wine, history, travel, trail riding, and all things Christmas. Her Chicago Christmas series has received the Golden Quill, Aspen Gold, Heart of Excellence, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence and twice nominated as a Rone finalist by InD’tale Magazine.

Aubrey’s first love is medieval romance but after dipping her toe in the Regency period in 2018 with the Wicked Earls’ Club, she was smitten. This inspired her spin-off series Once Upon a Widow and the Scottish Regency series A MacNaughton Castle Romance with Dragonblade Novels.

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Cover Reveal - Ariel Marie's Sealed With A Bite



Sealed with a Bite

By Ariel Marie

The Nightstar Shifters 3



Preorder Your copy here!    



A wolf shifter. A witch. The mating call is too strong to resist. Will they act on what was destined to be?


Adelina Ransome was tired of being alone. She longed for the day fate would present her mate to her. Addy was prepared to do what she must to find the one person meant for her. But before she put her plan in place, fate handed her a gift in the form of a midnight-haired, curvy witch.


Finding her mate wasn’t supposed to be this easy. 


Convincing her to succumb to the pull of destiny shouldn’t be hard. 


Cora Latimer was on the run. Finding the other half of her soul wasn’t expected. As much as she wanted to act on the instincts driving her to Addy, she couldn’t. 


There was a crazed warlock hunting her down. Cora couldn’t risk the love of her life, but she vowed she’d protect her at all costs. 


Will they give in to their desires and claim each other? 


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Don’t forget to check out the other books in The Nightstar Shifters Series

         

Sailing With Her Wolf                          Protecting Her Mate 




Ariel Marie is an author who loves the paranormal, action and hot steamy romance. She combines all three in each and every one of her stories. For as long as she can remember, she has loved vampires, shifters and every creature you can think of. This even rolls over into her favorite movies! She loves a good action-packed thriller! Throw a touch of the supernatural world in it and she's hooked!


She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she currently resides with her husband and three beautiful children. 


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Sunday, March 14, 2021

Absolute Silence Blitz

Absolute Silence
Jill Ramsower
(The Five Families, #5)
Publication date: March 10th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The Lion’s Den club was better than I ever imagined and my worst nightmares, all combined.

I thought I was going to explore my darkest fantasies.
Gain a better understanding of myself and discover what I’d been missing in life.

Instead, I made a deal with the devil.

I had hoped I wouldn’t see anyone I knew at the club.
Coming face-to-face with Filip De Luca was a worst-case scenario.

Filip was effortless power seething beneath a playboy exterior.
A host of sharp edges disguised behind a cavalier grin.
Inescapably alluring and devastatingly dangerous.

He promised he wouldn’t tell my father about seeing me at the club.
I had his blessing to dip my toes into the dark waters of deviancy.

The catch?
Filip would guide me on this journey.
He would control every aspect of my exploration.
Set every boundary and command my obedience to his rules.

I thought I could live with his terms.
Gain the experience I wanted from a partner I could trust.

What a naïve fool I’d been to think our bargain could ever be so simple.

**Absolute Silence is the fifth book in The Five Families series but can be read as a standalone novel. This book is a mafia romance containing adult themes and may not be suitable for sensitive readers.

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Get your copy today for only $2.99 through March (Reg $4.99)!
PLUS! Book 1 is FREE for a limited time!

EXCERPT:

“We need to talk. Privately,” I told him.

He nodded and motioned to the elevator. When his hand grazed my lower back, I stiffened. His touch was too seductive to be allowed. Not when I had more pressing matters to delve into. I would not allow lust to break down my resolve. Nothing would come between me and what I had to say.

I charged past the main room, not taking notice of the activities within. I had one purpose, one directive, and I wasn’t interested in distractions. When the door to his room closed behind us, a swell of words and emotions wedged a knot in my throat. I wasn’t the crying type. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d shed a tear, yet my nose began to sting with the telltale signs.

I took a deep, steadying breath before meeting Filip’s wary gaze. “How dare you blacklist me from another club.” My words were unsteady but still laced with venom. “You had no right.”

His eyes narrowed to angry slits. “You went to another club without even trying to talk through this with me first?”

“I don’t owe you anything. If I want to join another club, that’s my choice. My life.” I jabbed a finger at my chest, my voice growing stronger.

“I was trying to keep you safe, Camilla.”

“You were trying to control me!” I shouted back.

Filip charged, pinning me against the wall. His shallow breaths came unevenly through parted lips. The jagged flint in his eyes sparked as his gaze bore relentlessly deep into my soul. “I’ve always been perfectly honest with you about my need for control. I never pretended to be a saint, and I certainly didn’t give you the impression I was some kind of fucking Boy Scout. I do whatever is needed to protect what I value. My family. My home. You. Not to mention the fact that we made an agreement, and under the terms of our agreement, every inch of this body is mine. I’m not letting another man anywhere near you.”

“You don’t own me,” I hissed back, shoving my hands hard against his chest.

Filip clamped his hands around my wrists and subdued my assault with ease. “No, I don’t own you, but I do have a responsibility to protect you. You won’t always like my methods, but at least I know I’ve done my job.”

“It was a simple arrangement! It wasn’t like we signed in blood or something, which was evident since you’ve changed the terms. And besides, it sounds like this is more about you than me. It’s your duty that’s important to you, your ability to control those around you, and not my actual safety that’s so critical.”

His nostrils flared, and I got the sense I’d struck a nerve.

He took in three even breaths before delivering a devastating defense. “My mother was killed when I was only five,” he deadpanned in a hollow voice. “I spent the next half a decade being tossed from one relative to the next with zero stability in my life or control over what happened to me. I don’t just have a need for control; I can’t survive without it. When I feel the things that mean the most to me slipping from my control, I become crazed, and I can’t think straight. You, more than anything else, cause me to lose my fucking mind.”

Author Bio:

Award-winning author of contemporary and fantasy romance. With Jill’s books, you can count on confident heroines, plenty of steamy tension, and deliciously assertive leading men. There are no guarantees in life, but with her books, you know everything will work out in the end. However, a perfect ending would not be nearly as satisfying without a seemingly insurmountable challenge. Jill loves to add plenty of adversity in her stories, creating unforgettably dynamic characters and sneaky plot twists you will never see coming.

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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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Saturday, March 13, 2021

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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Friday, March 12, 2021

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.

Goodreads / Amazon

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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