 North Carolina will always have a special place in my heart. I've loved vacationing there for years and the beach still calls to me. I'm sure to bring back those memories with this book. Even though, I haven't been to a curse. Don't forget to enter the giveaway! Janice will be awarding a $25 gift certificate to the OBXstore to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a paperback of her first novel, St. Anne's Day, to a randomly drawn host (US ONLY). Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/08/virtual-super-book-blast-tour-cape.html  Cape Cursed by Janice Lane Palko ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BLURB: Bliss Sherman doesn’t believe in curses—that is until she arrives at Cape Destiny, North Carolina. Bliss comes to the cape determined to make a name for herself and her new firm by accomplishing an incredible engineering feat—moving the Cape Destiny Lighthouse inland before it's swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean. Bliss, who has struggled with dyslexia, discrimination, and betrayal by her ex-husband and former business partner, Jonathan, faces her greatest challenge when she falls in love with the handsome, mysterious descendant of the lighthouse keepers, Parker Swain, who is vehemently opposed to the lighthouse’s move. When someone targets Bliss, she begins to wonder if the curse that is rumored to be attached to the lighthouse may be true. Who is sabotaging her dream? Who is trying to harm her? Who wants to kill her? When all clues point to Parker, she dismisses her suspicions, deciding to trust him and her heart. But as the evidence mounts against Parker, she begins to doubt not only herself and her heart, but also Parker. Can she trust her judgment? Can she trust Parker? Most importantly, when she is trapped inside the lighthouse with him during a raging hurricane, can she trust Parker with her life? A romantic suspense with all the seaside moody romance of du Maurier’s Rebecca and the spine-tingling thrills that keep you turning the pages, Cape Cursed casts a spell of sensous deception and seductive danger. A Category 5 of a romantic suspense novel,Cape Cursed, barrels in packing a surge of suspense that knocks you off your feet and a blistering romance that sweeps you up and carries you away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Excerpt: Bliss walked into the Beach Mart. June, who was arranging cartons of cigarettes behind the counter, looked up when the bell on the door jangled. “Hello, June. How are you today?” Bliss said as she walked up to the counter. “As you can see, I need something for this sunburn, and I came to pick up a prescription. June shoved a carton of Marlboros into a vacant space and turned to Bliss. “Well, if it isn’t the celebrity herself. Fancy a star like you gracing the Beach Mart.” Bliss chuckled. “I like keeping in touch with the little people.” June leaned over the counter and exclaimed. “Did you know you were all over the news last night? Why, my sister-in-law out in Phoenix even saw you on the national news!” Bliss smiled, “Oh, I’m quite the media darling these days.” June smiled knowingly. “I hear tell it you’re not only their darling but somebody else’s as well.” Bliss stared at her. “What are you talking about?” She looked up into the air. “Oh, a little birdie told me that somebody didn’t come home last night. Spent the night at the Keeper’s House with one Parker Swain.” “How do you know that?” Bliss asked, astonished that not only was she the center of attention around here, but she was being spied on. “Oh, some sissified fellow, with a split lip, came in here looking for some bandages and an ice pack. Told me he got into a scrape this mornin’ with Parker Swain over a woman. Josh Mooney, my cousin, is the night desk clerk at the Destiny Cove, and he said there was a frantic woman who called all night trying to get in touch with you. She looked at Bliss with the satisfaction of Miss Marple after solving a case. “Now, I wonder where you were last night?” Bliss blushed, making her sunburn more vivid. “Nothing happened. It was completely innocent. I passed out from the heat, and Parker found me. He gave me water and dinner. I fell asleep on his porch swing.”  AUTHOR Bio and Links:
In addition to Cape Cursed, Janice Lane Palko is the author of the romantic comedy St. Anne’s Day and the Christmas novel, A Shepherd’s Song. She has been a professional writer for nearly 20 years. During her career, she has written everything from greeting cards to web content and has taught several classes at the local community college including Building English Skills to Creative and Memoir writing. She is currently on the staff of the website Popular Pittsburgh and has been the executive editor of Northern Connection and Pittsburgh 55+ magazines, where she also contributed to the editorial content, writing her own column and numerous features. Palko has also been a columnist with the North Hills News Record. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Reader’s Digest, Guideposts for Teens, Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and her essays have been featured in the books A Cup of Comfort for Inspiration, A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mothers, and Chicken Soup for the Single’s Soul. A graduate of Union Institute & University with a B.A. in Writing & Literature, Palko has won several awards for her writing including the prestigious Amy Foundation Award of Merit. Her writings have also garnered accolades at the The Kent State Writer's Conference, and she has been selected as Writer of the Month by Oatmeal Studio greeting cards. She is at work on her next novel, another romantic suspense entitled Most Highly Favored Daughter. Sign up for her newsletter by visiting: Website: www.janicelanepalko.com Blog: www.thewritinglane.blogspot.com Keep in touch by following or contacting her at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/janicelanepalko.writer Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/janicelanepalko/boards/ Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475435.Janice_Lane_Palko Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaniceLanePalko Email: [email protected] You may purchase her novels at: Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/janicelanepalko Barnes & Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/c/janice-lane-palko Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JaniceLanePalko  I love the idea of a bucket list and doing something daring. My mom used to jump out of airplanes until she had children. She gave up many of her daring ways. I have my own list. Two were crossed off this year and more to come. But you can read about Eve's list and her hot hunk who wants to help her conquer her list!  Daring to Wish by Tracey Rogers
What happens when you dare to wish? In an effort to regain her independence and break out of her shell, shy Eve Ward writes a daring wish list of all the things she wants to do before her thirtieth birthday. It's a good thing the list is for her eyes only, because some of the items are pretty risqué. Adrenaline junkie Lucas Riley becomes Eve's "victim" in a kiss-a-stranger dare, and she thinks he's perfect for her one-night-with-a-stranger wish. With Eve, Lucas thinks he's found the distraction he needs before he has to say goodbye to his bad boy image. When he finds Eve's sexy wish list, he can't keep himself from giving into temptation and sneaking a peek, and wish number eight is impossible for him to resist. Being good can wait. Eve is thrilled when, out of the blue, Lucas offers to take her skydiving. Her sexy stranger has helped her tick so many wishes off her secret list. Her confidence has grown and now she's having fun both in and out of the bedroom. It seems too good to be true…is it? She can't shake the niggling suspicion that something's not quite right. Content Warning: contains dizzying heights and sensual sex Excerpt: "Wait." Eve froze mid-turn, halted by his husky command and the tingle radiating from his hand lightly grasping her wrist. She met his gaze and realized how wrong she'd been. He was a million miles away from being uncomplicated. The startling blue of his eyes revealed depths Eve could only imagine drowning in. "Did you say…nice?" He leaned closer. "I would say that was a lot better than nice. I'm sure if we tried again we could manage spectacular. Don't you agree?" he drawled. Maybe nice had been the wrong word to choose Eve relented as she noted his husky tone. It was infinitely better than nice.Try amazing! Her breath hitched as she thought of his kiss again. Knowing he enjoyed it too sent a surge of pleasure through her that settled deep within her belly. Obviously she could do some things right. If she intended to fulfill her wishes she was going to have to find some confidence from somewhere—and fast! At the moment her confidence seemed to be firmly in the area of her knickers. Running and hiding now seemed out of the question. Maybe confidence practice would be the lesser of two evils? She paused before facing Mr. Hotness for confidence lesson one. "Hmm…" She pretended to consider. "Maybe you're right. However, as this was a dare I'm afraid it was a one time opportunity," she added with mock apology. "So I guess we'll never know." "You kissed me for a dare?" His brow arched. Eve nodded. "Uh-huh. My dare was to kiss a stranger." "A dare, huh? I feel so…so violated." He clutched his free hand to his chest in feigned hurt, although his eyes brimmed with humor and a smile tugged at the corner of his delicious mouth. "Don't be offended. I did actually choose you," she blurted before forgetting her cool, calm, and confident aim. "So you really thought you could violate me then run?" "That was my plan, yes," she said with a confidence she didn't quite feel, especially as she was distracted by the thumb lightly stroking her wrist. "And I didn't even try to play hard to get. Guess you got lucky." "Or maybe you did," she countered without thought, mortified as a blush warmed her cheeks at his responding grin. "Tell me, do you like to be dared?" Her eyes widened at the loaded question. "I…I find a challenge hard to resist." "Damn good thing I'm a challenge." Buy Links: Beachwalk Press Amazon Barnes & Noble About the Author: A devourer of books from an early age, I spent much of my childhood stepping into wardrobes, searching for that magical snowy world where conversing with animals would be expected. When I wasn't searching for those worlds, I wrote about them instead. My first step into the world of romance was when I stole sneak peeks into my nana's books. I'm still in that world and refuse to leave. I live in Staffordshire, UK, with my husband and three wonderful children. An avid reader and writer of romance, I strongly believe that words make the world go around. Author Links: Site Twitter Facebook 
All the rules and how the hop will work it listed on the Safari Heat site. Follow the link below. http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com  Welcome to my blog. I'll share all the giveaway information in a minute. I hope you had a wonderful summer. Even though the weather wasn't exactly summer-like in Michigan, we did enjoy many sunny days and sultry nights. Hubby and I got to spend a week in Ludington near the beach. The vacation is never long enough. We also spent some time in Traverse City and enjoyed a couple of fruity drinks like the one in the photo. What do you like to do on steamy sultry summer days and nights? Simple, right? Read the directions below for how to enter the big Kindle giveaway and the giveaway for your choice of a book from my books. All the facts on the giveaway:
The Grand Prize Is A Kindle Fire HD 7”. And Second Prize Is A 100.00 Gift Card to Amazon or B&N. Plus books to go on the winner’s new Kindle. Bloggers Are Not Eligible To Win Prizes. Winners Need To Be In The US or Canada. Here's a list of the prizes and schedule: Sept. 11th. Signed Swag Pack: Dianne Duvall Signed Book: Crush by Alan Jacobson Signed Book: The Look of Love By Bella Andre Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis Signed Book: Murder Most Foul by JoAnne Myer Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott Signed Book: Release Me by J. Kenner Sept. 12th. Signed Rack Card: Bobby Romans Signed Book: Sleep With The Lights On By Maggie Shayne Signed Book: Blood Destiny by Tessa Dawn Signed Book: The Rancher She Loved by Ann Roth Singed Book: Love’s Prophecy by Brenda Dyer Signed Book: Billion-Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown Signed Book: Against the Mark by Kat Martin Sept. 13th. Five-Dollar Gift Card to Are: Dynese Bridger Signed Book: Perfect Mate by Mina Carter Signed Book: Ruthless by Debra Webb Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis Five-Dollar Gift Card: Carey Abbot/Tabitha Blake Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis Sept. 14th. Swag Pack: TG Ayer Signed Book: Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian Signed Book: Darkness Rises by Dianne Duvall Signed Book: Skin Deep T.G. Ayer Three Bookmarks: Lara Adrian Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott Signed Book: Poems by JoAnne Myers Sept. 15th. Three Book Marks: Lara Adrian Signed Book: Sleep With The Lights On By Maggie Shayne Signed ARC Copy: Born in Blood by Alexandra Ivy Signed Book: Like Humans Do by Daryn Cross Pre-Made Book Cover: Carey Abbott Signed Book: Coming Clean by Sue Margolis Sept. 16th. Kindle Giveaway Plus E-Books 100.00 Gift Card The more you comment, the better your chances to win. And there are many blogs to visit! There are also four ways the readers can get extra entries into the grand prize giveaway. They get an entry for completing each of these things. Leaving a comment, following your blog, following on FB, or Twitter. You don't have to do them all, but each one gives you an extra entry for the Kindle! In addition, I will give away a ebook copy of one of my books to one lucky winner drawn randomly after the hop finishes. Winners will be emailed to let them know they've won, so it's important that you leave a comment in the following format: Name: Carey Abbott Email: [email protected] Comment: Great Post Twitter: Followed FaceBook: Followed Blog: Followed Are You a Reader or Author: Author Country You Live In: United States To keep hopping follow the link below. http://safariheatbooktoursandauthorservices.blogspot.com I am in love with Annabelle Blume's dystopian romances. Cressenda and Beckett stole my heart in the first book, Frozen Heart. Probably because Cressenda is fiercely independent. She has her favorite dogs for company but just when she thinks she doesn't need someone, Beckett upsets her balance. In Melted Tears, Ms. Blume tugs at my heart. Honestly, I cried during this story. The characters were drawn into trying to break out Cressenda's parents and of course, things don't go as planned. The strength of Beckett and Cressenda are challenged in this book. I'm sure you will love it!  Cressenda is still adjusting to life with the man of her dreams. When Beckett hatches a plan to break her parents out of The Affinity prison work camps, Cressenda must make the biggest sacrifice of her life; trading her freedom for her parents'. With the help of an unlikely ally, Cressenda learns to stop fighting against her fears and embrace the power of fighting for her dreams. But will trusting Beckett to take down The Affinity be the ultimate show of faith or a fatal mistake?
Excerpt: Excerpt: “Your parents? Never met them,” I replied with a smile. The mood lightened a little and he smiled up at me with his eyes still closed. “You know what I mean,” I said. “Every day, but sometimes more than others. I’ve never given up hope. They’re still alive, still out there. I can feel it. I just wish I knew where. Actually, scratch that, I don’t want to know where. That’d be too tempting.” “Tempting to what?” Beckett’s eyes popped open. Though I expected him to be scared or angry at my admission, he seemed excited. “To try to break them out,” I said. Waving my hand in the air, I added, “Yes, I know it’s crazy talk. I’m not really going to try to do it.” “Why not?” He sat up on his knees, his face animated with excitement. “Have you been inhaling while you solder again? Because it’s impossible, that’s why.” I raised my eyebrow at him. “Have you ever heard of someone breaking out of an Affinity camp? No. You haven’t. Why? Because it’s impossible.” “Cressie, we conquer the impossible every day. We live in the wild, where the Affinity tells everyone it’s impossible to survive. You move in and out of the Collective without ever raising suspicion.” I opened my mouth to interrupt him, but he talked right over me. “You’ve been doing it for ten years, for crying out loud. The Affinity claims that’s impossible too, to be undetected, but you always have.” “What exactly are you proposing?” I stared at him with incredulity, certain he couldn’t possibly be saying what he seemed to be. “Let’s go get them.” He said it with such innocent definitiveness. As if we could just sashay into the Collective and politely knock on the doors of the camps inquiring as to the whereabouts of my parents. I shook my head and stood to clean up the uneaten remains of Beckett’s breakfast. His hand wrapped around my arm and yanked me back toward him. I remembered another time when the odds seemed insurmountable. Beckett and I had stood in the Trade Path, his face etched with concern over my Outlier status as the blizzard alarm sounded, his pleading offer to keep me safe and my incomprehensible choice to trust him to do so. Beckett had a positivity so foreign yet so infectious. In the months since we had returned to my cabin in the wild, since he’d given up all the comforts of the Collective to try his hand at true love, I learned he wasn’t naïve and foolish. His faith in himself, and in me, gave him the strength to face anything. He believed in possibilities. Sometimes, when I let down my defenses and allowed my heart to wander through dreams, I believed in them, too. As he searched my face for a reflection of his own enthusiasm, I saw myself through his eyes. Instead of the hardened shell of a rebel, I found a woman impassioned with beliefs and the will to survive. I saw the woman he loved instead of the abandoned young girl I fought to protect. A wide, generous smile spread across my face as I realized for the first time I wasn’t that lost little girl anymore. I didn’t have to be alone anymore. Beckett stood by my side in this fight, willingly, and together we could do anything. Purchase Links: $3.99 (ebook only) Amazon B&N All Romance Ebooks  Hear The Wind Blow, Love
Historical romance Release date: September 3, 2013 Rebel Ink Press 62,400 word count Book trailer link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOHAGHH9QL8 Brief blog post from Lee Ann: History always fascinated me. Anyone who’s a regular reader of my blog or my historical romances or my local newspaper column, Hindsight, probably knows I was the child who listened to the elders tell stories. Although I spent plenty of time running, playing, catching fireflies and digging in my sandbox, I loved to hear the old stories. My grandparents were my first babysitters and from the age of two months, I spent my days (and some of my nights) in their care. Both Granny and Pop were talkers and storytellers. From the breakfast table to the front porch in the evening shadows, they talked about both past and present. Their stories brought earlier times to life and they painted verbal portraits of my ancestors with such skill I felt I knew them. As readers who enjoyed my first historical romance, Guy’s Angel, know I drew on those old memories to recreate the old neighborhood and the 1920’s. In Dust Bowl Dreams, I relied on many of the stories of those hard times and the Great Depression. In both cases, I also did extensive research – I hold a degree in History and in English. My Granny was a telephone operator back in the days before direct dial. She told stories about working long shifts when the great influenza epidemic hit just about the time World War I ended. Other family stories focused around the event because it was a major epidemic, the scale of which people in the United States today have never known. In the late 1960’s, there was what people called “The Hong Kong Flu” and it created an epidemic although nowhere near the scale of the Spanish flu in 1918. Around that time, because one of my uncles had a really bad bout of flu, I heard some of the various tales about the time. When I sat down to write Hear The Wind Blow, Love, I thought about what a hard period it was for those who lived through. First, a world war which took many lives and then a serious flu epidemic which hit the young hardest with high mortality rates affected the nation. Then, there were the widows and fiancées. My grandfather’s aunt, Aunt Mamie, never married and when I knew her she was a very old woman. But she still wore a small diamond solitaire ring on her left hand and I soon learned why – her fiancée died in the war. My grandparents’ neighbor, Miss Ella, did the same. Two of my grandfathers served in World War I, one Army, one Navy, and a number of great-uncles also did. I had the privilege to know another of my grandmother’s neighbors, a crusty old woman named Miss McBride who had been an Army nurse in both world wars. So I had a lot of personal stories to fuel my imagination as I wrote my latest historical romance. Blurb: When the Armistice ends the Great War in November 1918, the end comes too late to save Maude Whitney’s husband, Jamie. But Maude realizes her heart still belongs to Harry, her brother-in-law who courted her first. He’s been her rock in Jamie’s absence while they shared quarters with the grandparents who raised the brothers. But Granpa died and Granny moved to town so when Maude invites him to move back under the same roof, it’s sure to be a scandal in the rural Ozarks. Before gossiping tongues can spread the news, the Spanish influenza wreaks havoc in the area. It brings death close to home for Maude and Harry. As they fall deeper in love and plan to wed, their troubles are just beginning. Old feuds erupt and the day after Christmas, Harry’s hauled into custody and accused of a murder he didn’t commit. Harry must prove his innocence and survive a serious bout of flu or there’s no happy ending for the star-crossed couple. Excerpt #1 (Sexy) Mark her wanton, but she wanted him to kiss her, needed his lips to touch hers with passion, ached for his arms to hold her tight. Maude yearned for his work worn hands to caress her body, to reveal to him all of herself. This isn’t why I wanted him to move back, it isn’t. I just wanted company. And I missed him. Even as she thought it, Maude recognized the lie. She desired Harry, in every way. Maude took one step closer. Her calico housedress touched the bib of his hickory striped overalls as her hand crept up to touch the sleeve of his faded blue chambray shirt. He drew a sharp breath, almost as if he were in pain, when her fingers stroked his cheek. “Oh, Maudie,” he said, his voice as reverent as Sunday church. “Girl, you don’t know what you’re doing to me.” “I do,” she whispered. “Kiss me, Harry, please.” Time paused and sound stopped. All around her nothing existed but a black void, night and nothing more until Harry wrapped one arm around her. He drew her close and bent down. His lips claimed hers with fierce fury as their mouths met, became united. The kiss evoked a wild rush of desire as a rhythm older than time sang in through her veins. Blood rushed through her body and heated quicker than coffee boiled on the cook stove. With the homing sense of a migratory bird headed south they fused, lips saying without words what both longed to share for far too long. Instead of the pungent tang of the coal oil from the lamp, the familiar fragrance of wood smoke, Maude swore she inhaled the sweetness of honeysuckle. Mischief, magic, and something mystical fueled the kiss deeper. Harry’s fingers undid the dozen buttons down the front of her dress and beneath the camisole her nipples blossomed hard. He pushed the calico off her shoulders and caressed her, his hands moving with soft surety. His hand cupped her breast and when he bent to suckle the proud nipple, such wild shivers coursed through Maude she would’ve fallen if he hadn’t held her. The warmth of his mouth around her tender bud excited her. She wasn’t the green girl she’d been when they courted but a woman, grown, familiar with pleasures of the flesh. Thing was, she hadn’t experienced this level of pleasure until now. A sense of rightness filled Maude as Harry’s hands moved over her body, touching and caressing with a rich combination of need tempered with tenderness. When he paused, she sighed but he lifted her chin and stared into her face, his eyes bright even in the dimness. “Maudie, I’ll stop if you ask me to,” he said. “I don’t want to but I will.” “Don’t stop,” she told him, her voice fierce fueled with need. “I want this as much as you, dearest Harry.” His finger traced the outline of her mouth. “I don’t want you to think we’re doing wrong,” he said. “I won’t have any regrets come mornin’ but I don’t want you to, either. But if I don’t stop now, I don’t think I can, honey.” Nothing in so long felt as right as what they did now, she thought. Her soul stretched out into glorious realms with loving him and Maude’s body needed the physical confirmation of the same. Becoming one with Harry, intimate in every way, fit somehow, like the proper size buttons matched a buttonhole or how the eternal cycle of seasons yielded nature’s bounty. “No regrets,” she replied, her voice husky as it emerged. “I love you, Harry, always have.” Harry caught up both her hands and held them fast. “Oh, woman,” he said. He’d never called her so before and quoted a scrap of poetry they’d both learned up at Silver Moon School. “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Maude laughed, low and breathless, and said, “Don’t count. Just love me.” MY LINKS Twitter: leeannwriter From Sweet to Heat: The Romance of Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy https://www.facebook.com/pages/From-Sweet-To-Heat-The-Romance-of-Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy/287540748010934?ref=hl Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy/e/B004JPBM6I My Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/leeann.sontheimermurphy A Page In The Life: http://leeannsontheimermurphywriterauthor.blogspot.com Rebel Writer: Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy http://leeannsontheimermurphy.blogspot.com Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Lee-Ann-Sontheimer-Murphy/e/B004JPBM6I http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lee-ann-sontheimer-murphy/22/3a4/a75 Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4543214.Lee_Ann_Sontheimer_Murphy TRR/Manic: http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/4543214.Lee_Ann_Sontheimer_Murphy 
 Hot & Spoiled by P.T. Macias
Sebastian Antonio De La Cruz is the familia's architect. He’s the classic traditional macho Mexicano. He enjoys being single until the primos (his cousins) start falling in love. He starts to think about the chica (girl) of his dreams. Cynthia Lopez walks into his life demanding, independent, and unconventional. She rocks his world. Tony fights to resist Cynthia and deals with her father’s objections. Tony believes Senor Lopez is the source of his familia’s (family's) heartaches and troubles. http://ow.ly/jGUwx "She’s hot, sexy, and makes me burn like no one ever has. I just can’t be with her. She’s a spoiled demanding chica and I will not be her toy!" Sebastian Antonio De La Cruz. Excerpt: “Hola I’m Cynthia. Do you work here? Is your boss here? I need to talk to him. Can you go and look for him?” asks Cynthia. She looks at Tony. I wonder if he knows where the architect is at. “Yeah, he’s here,” replies Tony. I wonder who this chica is. She’s pushy and demanding. I don’t like it, thinks Tony, attempting to calm down his body reaction to her nearness. “Okay, so where is he?” asks Cynthia. She looks around trying to find the architect that her Papa wants her to meet with. “What do you want with him?” asks Tony with curiosity. I wonder what she wants with me. “I need to make sure that he designs the building exactly as we want the building to be built. I want him to review the land and get his thoughts on buildings,” replies Cynthia with a commanding voice. Huh, hell no, I’m not taking her bullshit, thinks Tony annoyed. He looks at her from tip of her boots to the top of her glorious hair. Hell yeah, she makes me burn but she also makes me furious. Who in the hell does she think she is. She’s very condescending. “Okay, let’s start this over,” says Tony taking a firm stance. “I’m Sebastian Antonio De La Cruz and you are?” he asks. He glares at her raising his eyebrow. He raised it with arrogance. Cynthia stands there with her mouth gapping open. Wow! This hot hunk is the architect. I thought he was a worker and that the architect was an old fart, thinks Cynthia. I like him, ponders Cynthia, going to him, running her finger over his lower lip, and biting her lip. Oh yeah, I will taste him. I bet he makes love like being in heaven. I want him. I’m going to have him. She smiles gazing into his beautiful hazel eyes. “I’m Cynthia Lopez, your boss,” replies Cynthia, taking a step closer to give him a beso. She goes up onto her toes, pulls him down, giving him a hot, hungry beso. Si, he tastes scrumptious, thinks Cynthia, nibbling at his lower lip. She takes Tony by surprise. He responds to her beso with red hot hunger. He wraps his arms around her small waist, pulling her closer. He tastes her with extreme pleasure. He moans, enjoying her taste. Damn yes, she tastes divine, he thinks. He then realizes what she had said and furiously pulls back glaring at her. “Look niña, I’m not your toy and you’re not my boss,” replies Tony. Tony’s intense anger blazes in his hazel eyes, turning them greener. He attempts to control his body’s reaction to her. Dios mio, she has me all worked up with just one beso. I have never felt this strong pasión before with any other chica, ponders Tony, clenching his jaw. He steps back taking deep breaths, trying to control his anger, and his pasión. He turns to contemplate her surprised face. I need to be professional and polite to this chica. She is the customer, thinks Tony. “So you’re Señor Lopez’s hija? Where is Señor Lopez? He requested that we meet to go over the plot and some building designs prior to completing the purchase transaction,” says Tony, taking control of his feelings. “He’s late.” “My padre is late because his meeting is longer than he thought. He asked me to review everything with you,” replies Cynthia, taking a step closer to him. She faces him, almost touching. I see that he’s a real macho Mexicano and that he didn’t like me being aggressive. Too bad, because that’s the way I am. I want him. I will have him. He’s todo mio, only mio, ponders Cynthia, smiling. This chica is bella, but she’s pushy. That’s exactly what I don’t want. She’s everything that I dreamed and I feel the attraction. Buy Links: Amazon US Amazon UK ~~~~~~~~~~ About the Author My name is Patricia T. Macias. I was born in San Jose, California. I graduated from the University of Phoenix with a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management Administration. I currently live in Sacramento, California with my family. My family is my pride and joy. I also enjoy spending quality time with family and friends. I always dreamed of writing and I’m extremely happy to be achieving my dream. All of my characters are my best friends. They are always talking and living in my mind and dreams. Author Links: Saga Site Blog Facebook Twitter  I'm always glad to share with you excerpts and interviews with hot authors. Christine Warner's latest story is sure to sizzle. She's stopped by to share why she likes her heroine. Read on... One of my favorite things about my heroine Jill Adgate from my latest contemporary romance release Bachelor’s Special is her love of vintage clothes. She has a low-key obsession with Bettie Page—a pin-up model from the 1950s who was well known for her opinions as well as her sexiness. Jill wears her dark hair long and has short, rolled bangs. She also favors red lipstick. Her look is reminiscent of Bettie Page and Jill’s proud of the fact. And of course no Bettie Page fan would be complete without having several outfits from that time period. Jill likes to shop at Melba’s Vintage Closet and her wardrobe consists of plaid Capri’s, hounds tooth dresses, full pleated skirts and girly blouses…just to name a few items hanging in her closet. Her favorite outfit that she purchased on a whim is a Chantilly lace cocktail dress with a heart-shaped neckline that shows just the right amount of cleavage—and also the dress she chose to wear on her not so blind “blind date” with Chet Castle. The dress definitely got her noticed, but didn’t stop Chet from figuring out that they’d actually met a year before in a hectic kitchen where Jill was the chef in charge of the mean for his grandmothers 80th birthday party. There they’d shared some flirty looks which caused a cake catastrophe and ended in a steamy kiss—a kiss that cost Jill her job and haunted Chet’s dream for close to a year—until that fateful date. Besides Jill’s love of the 50’s I also like the fact that another of her character quirks is drinking peppermint tea to keep her stomach under control, and her habit of pinching the inner skin of her wrist when something she is experiencing seems to good to be true. What about you? What are some unusual quirks you’ve given a character if you’re an author, or remembered about a character you’ve read? Or one you’d like to see a character have :)  Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her husband, three children, one laptop and a much loved assortment of furry friends. Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, writing but no arithmetic. A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities. She loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy, heroines. A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on Facebook, Twitter and her Website.  Saute, simmer, and flambé…
Jill Adgate wants three things from life: a successful catering business, the devoted love of an exceptional man, and a family. What she has is no job, a mounting pile of bills, and her outspoken best friend—who sets her up on a blind date with the man who inadvertently ruined Jill’s life. Chet Castle is a prosperous businessman who has everything, except the ability to trust. Burned by a money-hungry fiancée, he refuses to get involved with any relationship that has a shelf life longer than a head of lettuce. Intrigued by her ambition—and determined to get her in bed—Chet offers Jill the chance of a lifetime: Work for him for the next eight weeks as his live-in chef and he’ll help her get her catering business off the ground. When sparks fly in the kitchen, Jill realizes what’s cooking with her commitment-phobic employer is a recipe for disaster…but it’s just too tasty to not take a bite. The ExcerptHer body hummed as his smile wavered. Although he wore sunglasses, she’d bet her last dollar his gaze swept across her chest, lingering on the betrayal of her pert nipples pushing against the fabric of her suit. Until this moment, shyness had never been a trait she possessed. Air stalled in her lungs, her palms grew sweaty, and she itched to cover herself with a towel. Even though her replica vintage swimsuit hid more than most sets of women’s underwear, she felt too exposed. She turned to the side slightly and folded her legs up. Not that it helped, but it made her feel a bit less exposed. Chet slid his feet from his sandals, brushing a hand through his hair. The heat from the sun wasn’t the only thing scorching her skin. She trickled several droplets of water over her arms, but she couldn’t drag her focus from his toned flesh. Jill soaked in his ripped abs and the obvious package of goodies covered by his brown swimsuit—the same sexy brown as his hair. Damn, did a man have a right to fill out a pair of swimming trunks like that? Flecks of hair, just enough to give him a manly appeal, covered the etched muscles of his long, tan legs. She licked her lips, hoping she could still speak. “Do you want some privacy?” Yes, say yes. She needed an excuse to make an escape without coming off like someone desperate to be making an exit. * * * * * Hell no, he didn’t want privacy. Through the shield of his sunglasses, he inspected her body from the tips of her pink-painted toenails to the top of her brightly flowered swimming cap. Did people still actually wear those things? “No, you look comfortable. Stay and enjoy the day.” “Oh…are you sure?” “Sure.” Amazed at his own ability to talk without his tongue hitting the cement, Chet turned to throw his towel and sunglasses on a nearby lounge chair. Damn. The red and white polka-dot halter-style suit featured a tight bodice, but her slender hips and shapely thighs hiding beneath a matching skirt grabbed his attention until all oxygen left his blood. Even showing less skin than the average girl on the beach, she far exceeded sexy and alluring. Get a grip, Castle. She’s off limits, no matter how delectable. He turned and stepped onto the diving board. He bounced along the surface as he made his way over the water. When he looked at Jill’s bathing cap covering her head, he held back his grin. The neon rubber flowers reminded him of something his grandmother would’ve worn, but there the similarity ended. Everything beneath that cap was far from making him think of Grandma. ~~~~~~~~~ Bachelor’s Special by Christine Warner Genre: Contemporary Romance
 I love the concept of this story. It's got all the angst of family drama (Dad's Satan) and steamy romance. Shyla Colt is going to sit down and share her thoughts on Second Chances with us today. Since that's so much a part of my life... I'm going to sit here glued to my chair! Take it away Shyla! Sympathy for the Devil Guest Post - Second chances Who doesn’t love a second chance? As we get older we grow, learn from our past mistakes, and occasionally regret that one bad choice we wish we could go back and make right. Sometimes apologizing isn’t possible for more reasons than pride. Perhaps there are circumstances too big to overcome or situations too shaky to go back over a second time. Layla was forced to make a decision every woman would consider her worst nightmare, saving her unborn child or her husband. It was a no brainer, but the cost was catastrophic. Alone and loathed she came to earth, forged a life, and did her best to forget the demon she’d fallen from heaven to be with. Strong, determined, and creative she carved a place out for herself at Purgatory. The only bar that practices neutrality and welcomes all who mean no harm. For a time it worked, until the new life she’d painstakingly built crumbled. Half demon, half angel, her child, Hevenleigh is the key to opening the gates of hell, and Lucifer, better known as Lucien these days, wants out in the worst way. With the cat out of the bag father and daughter meet for the first time and she finds herself in the hot seat.  Sympathy for the Devil by Shyla Colt Book Two in The Purgatory Series Heavenleigh is stunned to find out Daddy Dearest is no other than Lucifer. If her mother can keep this under lock and key for sixty years, what else is she hiding in her closet? Reeling from the reveal her lift continues to spiral out of control when Lucifer, or Lucien as he likes to be called, comes top side for a visit at Purgatory. Once the Queen of hell Layla left Lucien’s to protect the unborn baby growing inside her. Forced to feign the ultimate betrayal, she turned his love to hate. Now makes an offer he can not refuse, her life in exchange for Hevenleigh’s freedom. ‘ Lucien spent years searching for a way to open gates. Finding out the ruin of his only child is the key is a slap in the face. He has a chance at a second family who won’t betray him. It’s an offer her can’t refuse. Layla handing over her freedom is a bonus he plans to exploit. She made him the laughing stock of the underworld, and the time for payback is finally at hand. Excerpt: She held her hand up to the door and held her breath. It clicked open stunning her. He hadn’t changed the wards in all this time? She stepped inside and the doors slammed behind her. The lights went up and she found him seated in black, leather chair. “I’ve waited almost a century for this moment. To watch you come back and beg me for something. The way I did when you left me, do you remember that Night?” “Yes,” she whispered. The foyer that used to welcome him home seemed cold. There was no fire in the hearth behind him and the couches were black leather. “I figure you want something. If I say no, you’ll be humiliated because you made the trip for nothing. If I say yes, it’ll come with a horrific set of clauses. So I win, or I win.” The maniacal laughter that spilled from his perfectly shaped lips sent an icy stab of fear through her bones. This was the side of him that scared her, though it’d never been directed toward her until now. “So tell me what brings you down here to … slum.” He splayed his elegant fingers over the arms of the couch and leaned back, observing her. “Our daughter.” “Oh… she’s our daughter now? Funny how that changed as soon as I caught wind of it.” “She’s always been your daughter, Lucifer, that was the problem.” She was pinned to the door, lifted off her feet and held by her throat before she could think to react. Damn, I forgot how fast he is. He didn’t harm her, or exert pressure, but his point came across loud and clear. “You’d better watch how you talk to me now Night. You’re no longer in my favor, wife or not.” “I meant it literally.” She licked her lips. “It was why I left, her duality…this place would’ve eaten her alive. Between the pull to be dark and the call of the light, she wouldn’t have stood a chance. She needed a neutral place to learn control, how to balance, and thrive.” He lowered his hand and she slid down, grateful when her feet kissed the ground. “Go on.” “Even on the surface she ran into issues growing up, starting fires, fits of rage, and at times a pension for some very dark behavior. You were just starting to rebuild your army .I couldn’t allow her to be just another soldier.” “After two eons together you didn’t trust me enough to tell me?” His words twisted the knife into her gut. Shame weighed heavily on her. “Not at that time… war was all you saw.” She shook her head. “It was my right to know. And why cheat?” Despite his aloof façade his voice held a hint of hurt. “I had to make you believe it. You always saw through me like glass. I needed to ...” She shook her head. He narrowed his eyes leaned forward to peer deep into her brown eyes. His red gaze burned her. “That was a lie too wasn’t it?” “Y-yes.” Her lower lip trembled. Relief slammed into her like a seven ton. Finally after all this time he knew the truth. He tsked. “What am I to do with you? You knew when we joined our souls our bound could never truly be broken. Marriage to the king of hell is eternal, it was in the contract. Now you return to tell me your mass exodus was in the best interest of my child.” He frowned. “It does nothing to quell my anger. I am not appeased. Did you think your revelation would soften me in some way?” “No.” Ashamed she kept her gaze trained on the ground. A part of her had hoped. Too many romantic comedies had her thinking she had a snowballs chance in hell of a happily ever after. “I came to make a deal.” “What would you have that I can’t take?” His sneer felt like an open hand smack to the face. Her heart stuttered. All the years she’d been pinning he’d grown his hate. It was an impossible situation of her own making. She wanted to open up, tell him how difficult the years had been. That she’d never stopped loving him. Instead she buried her head in the sand like an ostrich and prayed for the best. “Me.” Guess I really am a coward. “Are you really that self centered?” He scoffed. “My freedom in exchange for the prophecy, we both know if you managed to convince Heavenleigh to open that gate, all the powers in heaven will be after her. She’ll never be safe. The life she has now will be in ruins. The only place she’ll have to go is here, and over time…you know exactly what will happen to her.” “We’d be out. Protection wouldn’t be an issue.” He scoffed. “She’s a child of the light too. What do you think being enclosed in darkness indefinitely would do? Some of these people are here for a very good reason. Unleashing them would be like swallowing the sun. Is your need to prove a point worth that?” She held her breath. Have I gone too far? “Details.” His voice was nonchalant but his eyes were anything but. His mind moved a mile a minute, always ten steps ahead. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Hmmm.” He gave her a heated once over. “You probably will be. I need more details to truly consider your offer. What does… having you really mean?” Squeezing her eyes shut she balled her hands into fists. I knew we’d come to this, eventually. She licked her dry lips, peeled her eyelids open and met his cool stare. “What do you think it means?” “No games! You came here and propositioned me. So, you’d better come correct.” “It means… I’m your puppet. Is that what you wanted to hear?” Just when I thought I couldn’t sink any lower he shows me I’m wrong. Typical for him in general, but it wasn’t a talent she’d ever expected to be on the receiving end of. “No.” She balked. This is the only thing I have to barter. Is this a ploy to make me beg? “I want to hear you say you’re my slave.” A lustful leer twisted his face into something ugly. “Are you starting now?” The bravado she placed in her tone conflicted with the desolate forest of her soul. “I want to sample the good before I…” he grinned. “Purchase them.” “I’m your slave.” Uttering the words snapped the thin reed of hope she’d held for them into. “Yes, you are.” He nodded. Buy Links: Amazon All Romance  Book One: Key's to Heaven
Born to a fallen angel and a demon, Heavenleigh Spirit has never truly fit in. Shunned, tested, and ridiculed, she’s hardened her heart, building a wall around her none are allowed to scale. Carving a life for herself running the neutral bar, Purgatory, she caters to all things winged , clawed, and other. Provided they play nice. When she breaks her middle of the road stance to rescue a newly fallen angel she gets more than she bargained for. The amnesic angel awakes in the bed of the only woman he’s ever lusted after with nothing more than the knowledge he was sent to protect her. Struggling to remember who he is, and why she’s in danger, he fully embraces the passion between them that blazes hotter than hell fire. When the truth about his mission comes out he must fight to convince herthe love they share is real, and he’s not going anywhere. In an ironic twist of fate the woman cast aside for a birthright she never asked for holds the keys to the worlds ruin or salvation. Buy Links: Amazon All Romance eBooks ~~~~~ About the Author: Told once ‘You have to be an author, then you’re craziness becomes eccentrics’, Shyla Colt has always been in love with the written word and possessed a desire to write. Named after Super Girl in the comics, she often mistakes her mortality for super hero status. So, she holds many hats, Mother, Marine Wife, and writer are her top three. Writing allows her to explore new venues, face her demons, and touch others. A huge practitioner of paying it forward, and putting in what you want to get out, she hopes to inspire, enlighten, move, and entertain you with her work. Mixing humor, drama, and strong women, often with a paranormal element, she continues to soldier ahead in the writing field. One of her favorite things is talking to fans. If you’d like to learn more or just drop a line, please check her out at www.shylacolt.com. Author Links: Site Blog Facebook Twitter BUY LINKS: Amazon All Romance |
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