There is something about a new cover. I love seeing how each author see's their book. Each one is unique and showcases the amazing work by a designer. It's something I have no talent for...I can't seem to put the images together in such a fabulous way. That's why I love sharing other people's covers... it inspires me!

Fleeing Beauty: A Jamie Richmond Mystery- Book 3.

​    A discovery of priceless artwork leads Jamie on a collision course with danger.
​
    Jamie Richmond used to live a nice, quiet life. But last fall she witnessed the shooting of a police officer and figured out who did it. Then this winter saw her best friend targeted by a stalker and kidnapped. Yep, Jamie solved that one and came to the rescue. Now it’s summertime and the living is supposed to be easy. All she wants to do is write her novels and spend free time with Malone, the guy who has been by her side since all this craziness began. But that’s not likely to happen.

    Jamie’s father was a very successful sculptor who tragically died more than twenty years ago when she was just a child. What she remembers about him is little more than bits and pieces. A storeroom filled with crates of his work is discovered in an old converted factory. This potential fortune in artwork has been waiting all these years.

    Jamie recruits Malone and a few close friends to help her unpack the crates and bring her father’s gifts out to the light of day. News of this discovery leads to a robbery. Now Jamie is determined to figure out who is behind the crime. 

About the Author
Starfox Howl is the pen name of a former U.S. Navy Submariner who is currently working in Afghanistan supporting United States, NATO and Coalition Forces for Operation Enduring Freedom. When not playing in the sand, he is at home, near Atlanta, Georgia husband to a loving wife, and slave to five cats and two dogs.

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Starfox-Howl/e/B005E8NBC2/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1453749032&sr=1-2-ent

​Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Starfox-Howl-Author-180250358698918/

Angel’s Wings
The year is 2068 and the MORFS outbreak is worldwide. Science has found no cure, just better ways of keeping those sickened alive until the symptoms pass.

Angel Sanderson was stricken by the once deadly syndrome, the first time when she turned ten years old. After five years living trapped in the body and mind of an eight-year-old with butterfly wings, she is one of the rarest victims, someone in whom the syndrome is triggered a second time. The young woman who emerges is truly an angel, tall, lovely and a flyer with wings who can soar to the heavens.

On the first day at a school just for MORFS survivors, she meets a boy with a troubled past. Her attraction to him is real, but can their young love survive the trials of life and family without crashing and burning?

Buy on Amazon

Jason To Jessica
Jason Ryerson wakes from sleep in a different room and a different body. In the hour after waking up, he learns that he has been a victim twice over, first of a car accident that caused massive injuries to his old body. Secondly, and more devastatingly a victim of the MORFS plague.

Jason, now Jessica, learns what it means to be on the other side of the bed. Outwardly a beautiful woman, she is forced to come to terms with how the world views women. As ties to her past are confronted, dissolved or strengthened, Jessica turns her attention to her future. A man who knew her as both Jason and now Jessica becomes more than just a friend. With no secrets between them, will he help her find her way into the world of being a woman?

​Buy on Amazon

Deployment – Mankiller Stories, Book 1
Lisa Mankiller is spending her pre-deployment leave at the ranch of neighbors when she meets Todd Lawson, a city boy, friend, and lover, of Jake Winthrop, someone she’d not seen since departing for Navy Corpsman school years before.

Witnessing how abusive Jake has become, Lisa works to rescue Todd, unaware that her heart has other plans.

The Navy is sending her to sea for a year. Will someone be waiting for her when she returns?

​Buy on Amazon

When Jamie’s best friend vanishes, she’ll do anything to find her and bring her home.

A new year marks new beginnings for Jamie Richmond. Not only has she moved into a cozy new house, but she’s brought Malone along with her to fan the flames of their growing romance. When Jamie’s best friend, Linda Davis, enters the picture, she thinks everything is right with the world.

Linda begins a May-September romance with Vincent Schulte, Jamie’s doctor and good friend. But while Vince is sweeping Linda off her feet, she unknowingly has captured the attention of a stalker. The idyllic life suddenly takes a very bad turn when Linda disappears without a trace on a cold and snowy day. The police are scrambling to find a clue that will lead them to Linda.

Malone does his best to comfort Jamie and encourages her to let the professionals do their job. But if there’s one thing he’s learned in their time together, it’s that nothing will stop this stubborn redhead from solving this mystery.

Jamie turns all of her attention on figuring out who took Linda and where she might be, regardless of the dangers she may face. Her efforts once again put her in harm’s way. But will she find her best friend? 

EXCERPT:
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on, Linda? You’ve been beaming a thousand-watt smile.”
​
I saw the color radiate on her cheeks. She lowered her eyes and took a sip of her coffee. Finally, she drew a deep breath and raised her face.
“I think I’m in love.”

I sat back in amazement.

“Vince came over last night. After dinner, we moved to the sofa. The fire was lit and one light was on low. I had been in a rush when I came home, so I hadn’t bothered to change.”

“So we’re just listening to music. And I mentioned that I had to get out of my boots. My feet were starting to cramp. That’s when things got…different.”

“What do you mean, different?”

“Vince told me to move to the other end of the sofa. Then he slowly unzipped my boots and pulled them off. My legs were on his lap. He started to massage my feet, chasing away the aches and pains. Then he moved up to my ankles. And the whole time, he just kept talking, keeping his voice very low and soft.”

“What did he say?”

Linda shuddered with the memory. “He told me all of the things he was going to do to me, all the ways he wanted to please me. It was like I was hypnotized. He was in total control of me. I couldn’t move.”

No words found their way out of my mouth.

“I swear he touched on every fantasy, no matter how dark, I have ever considered. And the whole time, he just kept talking softly, massaging my legs. Jamie, by the time he finally undressed me, I was so far over the edge, I didn’t think I’d ever make it back.”

About the Author:

Mark Love (yes, that’s really his name) lived for many years in the metropolitan Detroit area, where crime and corruption are always prevalent.  A former freelance reporter, Love is drawn to mysteries and the twists and turns that mirror real life. He is the author of “Why 319?” and three books in the Jamie Richmond Series “Devious”  “Vanishing Act” and “Fleeing Beauty” and several short stories.

Love resides in west Michigan with his wife, Kim. He enjoys a wide variety of music, reading and writing fiction, cooking, travel, most sports and the great outdoors. You can find his blog at the link below and on Goodreads, Facebook, and Amazon. 
​
http://marklove024.blogspot.com/ 
https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard
https://www.facebook.com/MarkLoveAuthor
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B009P7HVZQ

Natalie Danvers lives a picture-perfect life. She has a great boyfriend, a good job she loves, and friends aplenty. But to her, she feels as if she’s merely existing. Something indefinable is missing, which colors every aspect of her life.
 
When she tumbles head first through a dimensional tear—straight onto a fae lord’s lap—her ordinary life is shaken to the core. Handsome and mysterious, Lorh frustrates her even as he enthralls her. He insists she is stuck in the land of TirAnn for three weeks and only she can discover the reasons behind her appearance there.
 
Lorh and his siblings have been awaiting Natalie’s arrival for centuries. Now she’s in his arms, and his family's dearest desire is within reach. But as forgotten memories resurface and collide with reason, will Natalie find what she’s been missing? Or will old enemies destroy any chance of her being the fae lord’s lady?
 

EXCERPT:
"Where to start?" He steepled his fingers and gazed at her contemplatively. "Your people call us the fae or the Sidhe. We are much like our human kin but also much different."
"How much different?" She hated the quavering in her voice.
"We live for a very long time."
Both dreading and wanting to know the answer, she asked, "How much longer?"
"Unless it’s by our own hand, we cannot choose the time of our deaths any more than humans can, but our years far outlast those of your kind…by millennia."
Her mind hit a mental barricade. "You’re joking, right?"
"No."
"But —"
"Just accept my people live much longer than yours."
She scowled. "But how’s that possible?"
"Our inherent magic, which allows us to do spells and charms, affects our physiology."
She stared blankly at the book-lined wall, gathering her thoughts. So fae could do spells and other such things, and it increased their longevity? Though it shouldn’t be surprising — after all, she was in a mythical land of fairy-tale creatures — his new information blew a gasket in her mind, and she didn’t know what to do with it, except… "Given the difference in our lifespans, I don’t possibly see how I could stay here, even if I wanted to."
"We can remedy that issue." He hesitated, discomfort flashing across his face. "If we join through marriage, I can complete a ceremony that will enable you to share my lifespan."
Stunned disbelief poured over her, and before she could halt them, words exploded from her. "What! Are you crazy? Marriage! Marriage?"
Inside, every alarm blared. Marriage? Whoa! Why would he want to marry her? Sure, he desired to have her here for some cockamamie reason that she couldn’t even begin to understand, but marriage?
"Natalie," he said in a soothing voice, holding out a hand. "I know this sounds quite shocking, but once you get —"
Lurching out of the chair, she eyed him like the insane man he was. "No, don’t even finish that sentence." Whirling around, she sprinted toward the exit, but before she could get in more than a few steps, he stood before her.
She shuddered. How…how did he get around his desk so fast?
Lorh placed his hands on her arms, his grip strong but not bruising. "I’m sorry, but I can’t let you run."
His touch seared through the thin sleeves of her gown and seemed to brand her down to the bone. Panic seized her. This place, this male, they were driving her mad.
Natalie yanked against his hold, wanting — no, needing — to be free. This was all too much. Everything pulled at her — her fright, her strange attraction to Lorh, his mysteriousness, and his latest declaration. She feared she’d explode into a thousand tiny pieces from it.
Words bubbled out, and she didn’t even try to hide the desperation in them. "Please, let me go. Let me go home. If this is what you brought me here for, it’s not going to work."
Remorse flashed in his eyes before a look of resolve replaced it. "I can’t allow you to go. If you listen to me, I’m sure we can come to an accord."
 "I’m not going to listen to any more crazy talk. You won’t get me to agree to…to that."
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Author and Buy Links:

Goodreads
Amazon
Smashwords
 

Author Bio
 
Lisa Kumar is a wife, mother, and romance writer who grew up in small-town Indiana. She now resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two sons. When not spinning tales of romance and fantasy, she can be found with her nose buried in a book, or more accurately, her e-reader. Her scholastic background is in psychology, which enabled her to get low-paying jobs in the human services sector. Needless to say, she's now writing full-time.

From Award Winning Author Stephanie Keyes, the Star Child Novellas are complete in one set. Travel with Kellen and Calienta as they plan their wedding in After Faerie. Get to meet Kellen’s best friend, Gabe in The Last Protector, and find out what happens when Gabe learns the truth about his life in Faerie Wedding. Each story is a small part of the Star Child world and give readers another look inside these brave friends and their lives.

Now on Preorder:
Amazon:
Kobo:

Sweet Life Author & Reader Conference
Las Vegas, Nevada
June 24 – 26, 2016
Sunset Station Hotel & Casino
A conference designed to celebrate the sweeter side of romance and fiction.
 We welcome all non-erotic genres from romance to inspirational to sci-fi/fantasy and young adult.

 Authors and readers can meet each other in an intimate setting. Perfect for those who prefer smaller crowds and for first time conference attendees to get their feet wet. People will not get lost in the shuffle.

 Writers’ Nook. A cozy writing den complete with writing mentors available to help new writers and established authors with the craft.
 Readers can get a taste for what the writing life is like.

 Fun, interactive events for readers and authors following formats used at other conferences in other cities that have proven to be extremely successful.
Are you tired of author/reader conferences that focus on the erotic and erotica aspects of literature?

Wish there was a conference where industry professionals and readers could have fun and mingle without being surrounded by overt sexuality?
​
Then the Sweet Life Author & Reader Conference is for you! Please visit www.sllvc.com for more information and to register.
http://sllvc.com/ | @sweetlifeconflv | #SLLVC2016 | https://www.facebook.com/SweetLifeAuthorConference/

The Schedule & Pricing
Please note: the schedule/events are subject to change…
Friday, June 24, 2016
3:00p – 5:00p ~ Registration at pool with appetizers & cash bar (2 drink tickets)
5:00p – 7:00p ~ High Tea Party
Saturday, June 25, 2016
10:00a – 11:00a ~ Welcome and Keynote Speaker
11:00a – 12:00p ~ Build a Character Interactive Event
12:00p – 1:00p ~ LUNCH BREAK (on your own)
1:00p – 1:30p ~ Build a Story—One line at a time
1:30p – 2:00p ~ Madlibs
2:00p – 3:00p ~ Trivia Across the Genres
3:00p – 4:00p ~ Lip Sync Show tunes
4:00p – 5:00p ~ Improv Hour
6:00p – 8:00p ~ Decades Dinner
8:30p – ?? ~ PJ Party and Movie Night
Registration for the Event
Registration includes the hotel room, conference events and the following in regard to meals: appetizers at the registration pool party and two drinks from the bar (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), light snacks at the Friday tea party, snacks and beverages all day Saturday, as well as a catered dinner Saturday evening.

Event Registration Only is $200.00/person. (Includes all-access to events/workshops and provided meals. Attendee is responsible for booking their own hotel room. If attendees prefer we book the hotel room for them, cost of registration—including hotel cost—is $500.00.)

To register, please visit http://sllvc.com/registration/ and use the Paypal buttons available.
The hotel: Sunset Station Hotel & Casino | 1301 W Sunset Rd, Henderson, NV 89014 | https://sunsetstation.sclv.com/ Use Conference Code SCILIFE to get conference rate.

She just might be the woman of his dreams….
​
Maggie Heugan has her life all planned out, from her engagement to a handsome doctor, to her perfect nursing career. Then why does a chance meeting with a captivating stranger, have her questioning everything she has ever known?

Pro wrestler, Sean Miller is on a fast track to his destiny, until an unexpected injury derails his course. Now he can’t refrain from chasing the enticingly beautiful Nurse Maggie, when she just might hold the key to healing him in more ways than one.

For these two conflicted lovers, life spirals out of control, when Love collides with destiny.

​Gabe Stewart has everything he ever wanted. Mortal Earth is safe. He’s a super-hero Protector whose best friend is within telepathic shouting distance. And then there’s his soul-mate, Singer. He knew right away she was the one he’d been waiting for.
 
But Gabe’s world shatters when Singer professes she doesn’t love him. On top of that, his mother admits she’s been messing with his memory making him doubt everything he’s ever known. And just when it seems things can’t get any worse, his best friend in the whole freaking world, Kellen St. James, wants Gabe to stop being his Protector. Being a Protector is who Gabe is. What will happen if he’s not standing between the prince and danger?
 
When the man who’s sacrificed his freedom is faced with life alone, which path will he choose? Will he remain the last Protector? Or will he finally get the happy ending he deserves?
 
*A Faerie Wedding is a companion novella--intended to be read after the other books in the series. It is a New Adult novel and features adult language and situations.

Buy Links:
​Kobo 
Amazon

Inkspell Publishing has a new release... And even Darynda Jones is talking about it.

"First Wende Dikec grabs you with her fresh writing, then she keeps you in the throes of her story with an incredible voice and a gifted talent for spinning tales that will amaze and delight. I am stunned. Tiger Lily will consume you, and before you know it you are fighting for air yet begging for more. You've been warned!"
--NY Times Bestselling Author Darynda Jones

Blurb:
Lily Madison thought dying because of a bad manicure was the worst thing that could happen. She was wrong.

Waking up in the hospital and realizing she’s being stalked by an entire herd of naughty little ghosts turns her entire world upside down. She begins to doubt her own sanity until she realizes she isn’t alone. A Goth girl, named Zoe, can see the ghosts, too.

Most of the ghosts look like fuzzy blobs, but one is not blobby at all. He’s a very hot, very annoying dead guy named Nick. Although they dislike each other on sight, Nick soon realizes Lily is his only hope. With the help of Zoe and Mr. Wan, the manicurist who almost killed her, she has only days to get Nick and the other ghosts back where they belong or the whole world will be in terrible danger.

But sending the ghosts back means saying goodbye to Nick forever, and Lily isn’t sure she’ll ever be able to let him go.

EXCERPT:
Mr. Wan raised one bushy gray eyebrow and peered at me over his spectacles. “Do you have a problem now, with ghosts?” he asked quietly, not that Miss Lin or her customer could have heard him. She’d moved onto complaining loudly about cauliflower now.
My mouth dropped open in shock. “How did you know?”
Mr. Wan sighed, and put the brush into the bottle of polish, swishing it back and forth as if trying to think about how to answer. “Once, when I was a young boy in my village in China, the same thing happened. A girl died, and then came back to life. We were all so happy, until we realized that she hadn’t come back alone.”
“What do you mean?” My fingers were still extended over the soft white towel that separated us on the table. I couldn’t move. I could hardly breathe.
Mr. Wan grabbed my left hand and went back to work, talking as he painted. “When you cross over the barrier between life and death, things sometimes follow you back. They might be ghosts, or they might be something else. Either way it is a problem for you.”

Great... what a problem!!! Ghosts or something else.... If you want to find out... 

​National award winning author Wende Dikec writes Young Adult speculative fiction with romantic and humorous elements. An avid traveler who spent many years abroad, she now lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband, three sons, a puppy named Capone, and a very well used espresso machine.
She can be found on the web at www.wendedikec.com.

​The werewolf man is not a werewolf. He’s a man with Hypertrichosis, a rare disease in which excessive hair grows on parts of the human body. This disease can present itself from birth or later in life. 

​The first documented case was in the 14th century in the Canary Islands.  Petrus Gonsalvus was taken to King Henry II’s court, then later he was sent to the court of the Regent of Nederlands. There, he married and had seven children, four of which also had the disease. The afflicted children were taken from Petrus and his wife and given to other royalties as pets (seriously). Since his wife did not have the disease and a male can only pass it to the female line, all four of these children must have been baby girls. I cannot imagine the horror of their lives. 

The above is the photo of a current little girl who hopefully has nice parents.
​
Another Hypertrichosis victim was a Mexican woman named Julia Pastrana. A very creepy man named Theodore Lent purchased her from a Mexican woman, who might have been her mother. Lent taught her to sing and dance, then took her on a tour as the ‘bearded and hairy woman’ through North America and Europe. She learned to read and write in three languages during her tour.

She also had another mutation which resulted in her having two rows of upper and bottom teeth, creating a large protruding jaw. To make matters worse, she had gingival hyperplasia, which gave her thick and protruding lips. The result being that one scientist of the time declared her to be part human/part orangutan. That was later proven false.

 She married Lent and became pregnant. The child also had Hypertrichosis, but died three days after birth. Julia died five days later due to complications. She was only 26 at her death. And here is why I declare Lent creepy. Instead of canceling the tour, Lent had a Russian doctor mummify her and his son, and continued to carry them about as a stuffed display.

Lent then found another woman with Hypertrichosis and married her. (This was evidently his way of keeping other tours from stealing his main attraction.) His tour made him wealthy, but in 1884 he was committed to a Russian mental institution and died there. Seems a fair ending for the man…

It took over a hundred years for Julia’s body to be properly buried. Finally, in 2012, Julia’s mummified body was returned to Mexico and buried in her home town.

In my story:
Richard Craft, the wolfman lived a quiet life with his mom, who did not have Hypertrichosis. Nor did his father. Naturally the father declared the furry boy was not his and abandoned his wife and child.

He had reason to think that true:

An affected female had a 50% chance of passing it to her offspring, but Richard’s mother showed no evidence of hypertrichosis.

An affected male could only pass this form of hypertrichosis to his daughters, but never the sons.

However, Hypertrichosis does not present itself in a single form.

Almost every case has slight differences. It is caused by mutations of the genes. Some of these mutations are strongly hereditary, but others are considered spontaneous mutations, which may indicate there is something in the environment causing the breakdown and mutation of the genes. For example, both women Theodore Lent found were from Mexico. Could the river water or the dangerous jobs both fathers have caused the mutated genes?

Even today, the common solution to making those afflicted with this rare disease appear ‘normal’ is to constantly shave. Fortunately, shavers have improved over time.
​
In Vic’s time, the straight blade was used for shaving and that would have taken forever. Fortunately, Vic’s brother-in-law David is an inventive fellow.

When the pot has too many cooks a feast can be ruined, and that’s exactly what happens with Xavier and Vic’s new cases. Each proves more complicated than initially thought with criminals dropping out of the sky, wreaking havoc upon Xavier, Vic, and their excellent employees. By the end, Vic threatens to open a school that teaches criminals how to stay out of each other’s way.
​
Worse yet, a treasured member of the staff is shot in the heart while attempting to save Vic and the Queen’s cousin. 

​Illuminated by the light of a lantern, the pretty blond milkmaid lay crumbled on the straw next to the cow she had been milking. The flesh of her neck was torn away as if a wild animal had attacked her.
Richard stumbled to her and touched her pale face, then pressed his ear to her chest, desperately hoping for the thumping of her heart.

Nothing.

Why would anyone kill such a beautiful girl, so young and sweet?

He sat back on his heels and howled in pain and anger.

The fur around his neck rose.
​
Danger…

He would gladly stay and die for this beauty if doing so would return her life, but she was gone. He needed to fend for himself. Certain leaving through the door would be his death, he searched for another way out. Spotting an opening in the hayloft, he rushed up the ladder and reached the load door, grasping onto a rope that hung from a pulley, just as a man cried below. “Daisy, no! No!”

As Richard slid down, the rope tore chunks of hair from his hands. When he hit the ground, he ran across the field, dropping to his hands and knees upon the first fire of a rifle. When he reached the edge of the forest, he did not stop and watch.  More people were sure to arrive with guns.

​He had to find someplace to hide. The villagers would blame him, the ‘wolfman’, for this senseless murder and they would hunt him down and tear him apart.

The Darkest Days
Book 6
Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited
 
Need to catch up?
Book 1
The Troublesome Apprentice
Book 2
The Missing Partner
Book 2.5
A Right to Love
Book 3
The Mesmerist
Book 4
Well Kept Secrets
Book 5
Pack of Trouble
 
All Xavier & Vic books are Free with Amazon Unlimited
​

Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.
You have been warned.

​Mostly humorous books by Liza:
Ghost Lover--Two British brothers fall in love with the same young woman. Ancestral ghost is called in to fix the situation. And there’s a ghost cat that roams about the book as well. (Humorous Contemporary Romance)
Saving Casey— Cass wakes up in the body of a troubled teen who has burned every bridge imaginable. Her only choice is to turn this life around, but that’s much harder than she ever imagined.
Untamed & Unabashed--The youngest of the Bennet sisters, Lydia, tells her story. A faithful spinoff from Pride & Prejudice.
A Long Road to Love Series: (Humorous Contemporary odd Romance)
Worst Week Ever — Laugh out loud week of disasters of Epic proportions.
Oh Stupid Heart — The heart wants what it wants, even if it’s impossible.
Coming to Reason — There is a breaking point when even a saint comes to reason.
Climbing out of Hell — The reconstruction of a terrible man into a great one.
The Hardest Love — Is to love oneself. Sam’s story.
The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Sleuth series: (Late Victorian/Mystery/Romance)
The Troublesome Apprentice — The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.
The Missing Partner — Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing, leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants. Not to mention an eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.
A Right to Love — A romantic detour for Jacko. Want to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic save an old woman from Bedlam?
The Mesmerist — The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.
Well Kept Secrets — The problems with secrets is that they always come to light, no matter how you wish to silence them.
Pack of Trouble — Changes are a part of life, but these changes almost kill Vic.
The Darkest Days — Muddled cases make Vic very grumpy.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
LIZA O'CONNOR
Investigate these sites:
Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter
​

Having not read the other books in the Adventures of Xavier and Vic, I jumped right in on book 6. Crazy? Maybe, but I loved Liza O'Connor's other books and found out that this was a series I hadn't read yet...

The Darkest Days doesn't refer to a lack of light, but to some dangerous situations which could end someone's life. There are so many people in danger in this book, you might want to take some extra insurance out on yourself...just in case. And I'm not going to risk myself by giving away spoilers.

Liza's characters are witty and brave during investigations where not only danger presents a life and death matter but also relationships are on the line. Vic has a very different way of dealing with investigations than Xavier but when they come together, they are able to find the perps. but not without risking their friends who have come to their aid.  It is the characters that will keep your attention as you try to solve the mysteries which appear to be easy fixes but turn out to be much bigger than you think. 

While the characters are important, the storyline is meaningful. I learn facts reading these stories and am able to look at life in a new way. I see through the stories, a new world where things aren't always what they seem (and isn't that how life really is?)

These are certainly books which will keep your interest, engage your mind and pull at your heart....maybe the life insurance isn't such an unusual need, after all.

TIME ENOUGH TO LOVE
Blurb for Time Enough to Love
 
When Lady Alyse de Courcy is betrothed to Sir Geoffrey Longford, she has no choice but to make the best of a bad bargain. The hulking knight is far from her ideal man, and although he does possess some wit and charm, he is no match for the sinfully sensual man she secretly admires, Thomas, Earl of Braeton, her betrothed’s best friend. 

From the first, Sir Geoffrey finds himself smitten by Lady Alyse, and, despite her infatuation with his friend, vows to win her love. When Geoffrey puts his mind to wooing Alyse, he is delighted to find her succumbing to his seduction. But when cruel circumstances separate them, Geoffrey must watch helplessly as Thomas steps in to protect Alyse—and falls in love with her himself.

As the three courtiers accompany Princess Joanna to her wedding in Spain, they run headlong into the Black Plague. With her world plunged into chaos, Alyse struggles with her feelings for both the men she loves. But which love will survive?

TIME ENOUGH TO LOVE EXCERPT 1
   “Lady Alyse de Courcy!” King Edward called out again, bringing Alyse’s head up like a startled deer. “Present yourself before the court.”
   Alyse shot off her seat. Oh, Lord! She had kept King Edward waiting.
   “I beg pardon, sire.” She hurried from behind the table, too aware of all the eyes now on her. As she moved to stand before the king, the low drone of many voices rose around the room.
   “Impudent girl.”
   “I’d not want to be in her place.”
   “Do you think the king will…”
   Each snatch of conversation made her heart beat faster.
   What will he do to me?
  Her normal embarrassment at being the center of attention tripled at the thought of this blatant lapse of protocol. She stopped several feet from the dais and the room hushed as though everyone held their breath.
   “What do you require of me, Majesty?” Her mouth so dry she could taste sand, Alyse fought to speak in a normal tone. With a sigh of relief, she dropped into a deep curtsy, hiding her face in the folds of her skirt. If only she could remain bowed thus before His Majesty for the remainder of the evening.
   King Edward laughed. “Obedience, Lady Alyse, as I require of all my subjects. As your father requires of his daughter.”
   Her heart thumped wildly in her breast. That could mean but one thing.
   “Rise, my lady.”
   She did so on unsteady feet. “I am ready, as always, Your Majesty, to obey my father as I would you.”
   Holy Mary, let it be Lord Braeton.
   King Edward lifted an eyebrow toward Alyse. “A very pretty answer, my lady. And are you ready to accept your father’s decree for your betrothal? His messenger has today reached me with the contract, as I am to stand in his stead in this matter.”
   Alyse took a deep breath and hoped her voice did not tremble. “Yea, Majesty, I will obey my father.”
   King Edward nodded and leaned over to whisper something to Queen Phillipa, who sat beside him, heavy with their twelfth child.
   Mere seconds before she learned her fate. She could scarce affect an indifferent pose before the court when inside every inch of her quivered with anticipation of the name. His name, pray God, on the king’s lips.
   Thomas.
   In her mind, she heard the word.
   The king straightened, glanced at her then at the man by her side.
   “What say you then, Sir Geoffrey? Does the lady not speak fair? I vow she will make you a proper wife and a dutiful one as well.”
   Alyse turned, until that moment unaware that Geoffrey Longford stood beside her. Chills coursed down her body as the king’s words echoed in her mind. The sensation of falling backward assailed her, as though she rushed away from the tall man at her side even as his figure loomed larger and larger in her sight.
   Not Lord Braeton.
   Her numbed brain repeated the phrase, trying to comprehend that instead he would be her husband. Geoffrey Longford.
   God have mercy on me, for by the look of him, this man will not.
 
AUTHOR INFORMATION
 
Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance.  She has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager.  A romantic herself, she has always loved a dark side to the genre, a twist, suspense, a surprise.  She tries to incorporate all of these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets.  When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director.  She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.

Jenna is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America as well as President of Chesapeake Romance Writers, her local chapter of RWA.

​She has equated her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can’t stop.
 
Find Jenna Jaxon online:
BLOG:  https://jennajaxon.wordpress.com/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Jenna_Jaxon
FACEBOOK:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jenna-Jaxon/146857578723570

Take One Sexy Undercover FBI Agent, A Spunky Math Genius, A Corrupt Mob Boss and A Poker Tournament. Add Guns. Mix Carefully….Go ALL IN by Aleah Barley!
 
Out January 4th is ALL IN (Leaving Las Vegas #2) by Aleah Barley….. 
Daisy always plays the numbers and only has one night stands. Ryan's an expert at reading people who falls in love too easily. When these two undercover poker players meet in Las Vegas the stakes go up and they'll have to risk everything on love...

About ALL IN
 
World-class statistician and poker prodigy Daisy Drake has two rules: never risk anything you can’t afford to lose, and never, ever, trust a gambler. Which is why she gave up the game and moved to Los Angeles, where she became a tenured professor. But when an old acquaintance calls needing Daisy’s...expertise...to help catch a cheater, she heads back to Las Vegas and the poker tables.

FBI Agent Ryan DiNatto’s been a gambler since he was four, and a hustler since he hit puberty. Coming off an undercover mission that ended with him shot and his partner in a wheelchair, Ryan’s out for blood. With a mob accountant and a hit man on the loose, the stakes have never been higher, and this time, he’s determined to make things right—even if it means beating spunky, sexy, Daisy Adams at her own game

On Sale in Digital: January 4, 2016
Amazon  |  iBooks  | Kobo

 Add ALL IN to Your TBR Pile on Goodreads!
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EXCERPT:
  In the two weeks he’d prepped to go undercover as a tournament poker player at the Hendrix, Ryan had studied the case file more thoroughly than he’d ever studied anything in college. This was his chance to prove he was really back. That he wasn’t just the screw-up who’d gotten Jack shot.
  More importantly, it was his chance to take another crack at Vic Morelli. There’d been enough stolen property in the warehouse to send Vic upriver for five to thirty—depending on the judge—but the Feds were still working to build racketeering and corruption charges. Ryan wasn’t about to let that stand. He wanted the mobster in jail for life or—better—parked on death row for conspiracy to commit murder.
  Forget the drug dens in Manhattan or the warehouse in the Bronx; he was going to hit the man where it hurt.
  His wallet.
  Edgar Blethins was Vic’s best friend and personal accountant. The FBI had frozen all of the accounts he managed, but there was still a chunk of money unaccounted for.
  Ten million, seven hundred and twenty-six thousand dollars to be exact.
  Almost eleven million dollars hadn’t just gotten up and walked away. So when Blethins signed up for the Hendrix’s inaugural poker tournament in Las Vegas, it only made sense to send an agent in undercover to keep an eye out for him.
  Ryan had demanded to be put on the case. He’d fucking begged, and when he’d finally gotten the go-ahead for the assignment? He’d started doing his homework.
  He knew every employee, every longtime guest, and every big winner currently checked into the hotel. He for damn sure knew every player registered to play in the tournament, but he didn’t know “Adams, Daisy Adams” from Eve.
  The woman had to be a last minute entry.
  But how? And why?
  In the world of professional gambling, the women who played were tough, domineering, and sexy as hell. Men wore TT-shirts, shorts, and lucky charms, anything to stay comfortable. Women wore low-cut shirts and too much makeup, working their own special charm to gain the slightest advantage.
  Daisy Adams wasn’t sexy. She was cute.
  Wearing a pair of cotton-candy pajamas with fluffy white sheep embroidered on them, she was adorable. The pajamas were a size too big, hanging loose on her already petite frame, but they didn’t completely hide her curved hips and firm, high breasts. Her hair was inky black, loose waves flowing around her heart-shaped face like a dark and twisted halo. Her features were delicate, like the rest of her. Her eyes were royal blue, so deep they were almost purple.
  “Is there any other reason I’d be in Las Vegas?” she snapped, answering his earlier question. Her tone was harsh, coming from soft pink lips that curved generously on top and were full on the bottom. At five in the morning, she probably wasn’t wearing any makeup, so the apple red color of her cheeks had to be all natural. Fresh from bed, she smelled like the orange trees his grandparents kept in their dining room in Coney Island in winter, then dragged outside for the summer months.
  Fresh faced and innocent, what the hell was she doing in the casino?
  “You play poker?” Ryan asked, just in case he was missing something.
  “Sure, want some pointers?”
  Cute wasn’t his type. He liked leggy law-enforcement professionals who knew the score—he’d been engaged to three of them—but Daisy had spunk.
  Ryan liked spunk.
  It kept things interesting.
  He wondered if the blush that was coloring her skin went all the way down, underneath those absurd pajamas. The way she was glaring at him, she’d probably cut his throat if he tried to find out, but it might be worth it. His gaze moved back to those warm, full, lips. It would definitely be worth it.
  “I’m always up for improving my technique.” He ran his fingers through his hair, wishing he’d had time to brush it before he opened the door. “Give me a second to throw on a shirt, and I’ll take you out to breakfast.”
  “What?” Daisy’s hands went to her hips—all spunky and defiant—and those threadbare pajamas pulled tight against her petite curves.
  Ryan lost the ability to think.
  Damn. Daisy might be small, but she was very well proportioned, with luscious breasts and full hips. What was she wearing under those things anyway? A gentleman would step back and close the door, but—fuck it—he definitely wasn’t a gentleman.
  He moved closer for a better view.

Check Out the First Book in the Leaving Las Vegas Series!
​About LEAVING LAS VEGAS
When West Virginia wild child, Glory Allen enters a private poker game with her town's dreams at stake she loses it all. To make matters worse, she's trapped in a car with the sexy but infuriating man who won—and accused her of cheating. Now because of him, she's on the run from the mafia who put out a hit on the stuck-up casino magnate with the toe-curling good looks—and he isn't even her type. So why can't she cool the explosive chemistry between them?
 
She's out of control…and she's enough to drive Luke Tanner crazy. Yet she's the only one willing to put her neck on the line…for him--a complete stranger she professes to hate. Now he's in debt…to her. And it's a debt he's willing to work off any way she wants…on the hood of his sports car, in a waterfall—wherever she'll have him, he's willing to pay the price.
 
But the stakes are raised when they return to West Virginia—helping Luke escape has put Glory and her hometown in the sites of someone who wants him dead. This time Glory decides she's not going to end up empty-handed—it's time for the winner to take all and she won't stop 'til she wins his heart.
 
Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Books | Goodreads
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Author Bio: Aleah Barley is a writer of explosive romance for everyone. She lives and writes in Detroit, Michigan, with a cat who's recently learned how to levitate, an over enthusiastic Labrador, and the cutest guy in the world. She will do anything for a hot cup of coffee or a wild romance--and, she can spell onomatoepia without using spell check.
 
You can also visit her online at the following places:
Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon 
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