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Tallowwood by N.R. Walker

9/30/2019

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Tallowwood
N.R. Walker
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Romance

Cold cases, murder, lies, and an unimaginable truth.

Sydney detective August Shaw has spent the last decade of work solving cold cases. Since the death of his boyfriend eight years ago, August works alone, lives alone, is alone — and that’s exactly how he likes it. His work is his entire life, and he’s convinced a string of unsolved cold-case suicides are linked to what could be Australia’s worst ever serial killer. Problem is, no one believes him.

Senior Constable Jacob Porter loves his life in the small town of Tallowwood in the middle of the rainforests in northern New South Wales. He runs summer camps for the local Indigenous kids, plays rugby with his mates, has a close family, and he’s the local LGBTQIA+ Liaison and the Indigenous Liaison Officer.

When human remains are found in the camping grounds at Tallowwood Reserve, Jake’s new case turns out to be linked to August’s cold cases, and Jake agrees they’re not suicides at all. With Jacob now firmly in August’s corner, they face one hurdle after another, even when more remains are found, they still can’t seem to gain ground.

But when the body of a fellow police officer turns up under the same MO, it can’t be ignored anymore. August and Jake must trace the untraceable before the killer takes his next victim or before he stops one of them, permanently.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

(August and Jacob have just been given the identity of a man who was found deceased. They’re about to inform the family)

Two hours later, they sat in the car in a quiet suburban street in Cronulla. They had a name, the case file, and the address of the parents and were about to drop a bombshell on the guy’s family.

Tristan Kurtz was twenty-six years old when he was reported missing by his mother, when he never arrived home in Sydney from an LGBTQIA+ music festival in Byron Bay. He’d reportedly hitchhiked from Byron Bay to Coffs Harbour, having travelled with local residents who he’d met at the festival, and had given him a lift. The missing person’s report had said Kurtz was dropped off in the main street, and had waved them off. He was later seen on CCTV footage walking toward the highway, at 8:11pm.

He never arrived at his parents’ house, he never contacted them to say his plans had changed, which was out of character for him. His parents had called everyone he knew—friends, workmates, old boyfriends—to no avail, and twenty-four hours later he was reported as a missing person.

Well, he wasn’t missing anymore.

He was only twenty-six. A kid, August thought, with his whole life in front of him. A life stolen, stripped away, and thrown away like garbage.

August stared at the house and sighed. He was spread too thin, he was stretched as far as his skin would allow. Another murder, another gay man slaughtered for no other reason than pure bigotry and disregard for human life. “I hate this. I hate everything about it.”

Jacob was quiet for so long, August looked over at him. “Yeah, me too,” he said flatly. He was reading through Tristan’s file. He finally closed the folder and met August’s gaze. “We need to find this bastard.”

“We do.”

“We need to see his parents and tell them.” Jacob looked over at the house and frowned. “Fuck, I hate this part.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

Neither of them made a move to get out of the car. “Is it better to know?” Jacob asked quietly. “Is it better to find out what happened, for closure? Or is it worse, because when you don’t know you still have hope?”

August was pretty sure it was supposed to be a rhetorical question, but it was one he knew the answer to. “It’s better to know. In the long run.” He cleared his throat. “Hope can break your heart every day for years, and living with false hope is hell on earth.”

Jacob stared at him, and August wondered if he’d said too much. But Jacob nodded and unclipped his seatbelt. “Then we shouldn’t wait another minute.”

August got out of the car and together they walked up to the front door and rang the bell. They’d called ahead, so they were expected, but when a tall, middle-aged man opened the door to greet them, Jacob took off his hat and with that single gesture, the man nodded and began to cry.

Hope was a cruel and brutal thing.

Author Bio:

N.R. Walker is an Australian author, who loves her genre of gay romance. She loves writing and spends far too much time doing it, but wouldn’t have it any other way.

She is many things: a mother, a wife, a sister, a writer. She has pretty, pretty boys who live in her head, who don’t let her sleep at night unless she gives them life with words.

She likes it when they do dirty, dirty things… but likes it even more when they fall in love.

She used to think having people in her head talking to her was weird, until one day she happened across other writers who told her it was normal.

She’s been writing ever since…

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub


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Not Suitable for Work Book Blitz with Skye McDonald

9/29/2019

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Not Suitable for Work
Skye McDonald
(Anti-Belle, #1)
Publication date: September 24th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The competition is stiff. The stakes are high. And what happens on Halloween night is definitely not suitable for work.

Celeste Greene and Ben Addison didn’t realize the internship-to-hire opportunity was actually a contest, but neither of these talented web designers can afford to walk away.
After betrayal destroyed her fabulous life in New York City, Celeste moved home to Nashville, Tennessee broke and broken. Restarting her career is her only goal. An ice queen who drove her partner to cheat can’t even think about friends or fun. Celeste’s talent and desperation should make the competition an easy win—if only she could stop gawking at her rival long enough to concentrate.
Ben Addison doesn’t want to be a corporate climber or live in a high-rise downtown. He just needs a steady paycheck after foolishly investing everything in a pretty face and a shot at a music career. He has no business fantasizing about his competitor, even if she is the most stunning—and guarded—woman he’s ever met.

This contest can’t rival the chemistry between these two, but is the risk worth the reward? With a haunting past and her future on the line, Celeste must decide what she wants, what she needs, and what her heart is really worth.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

I heaved a sigh and pushed off the cushion, shuffling blind down the hall to brush my teeth. It was only 9:00, but exhaustion and the look on my mother’s face haunted me. I crawled into the sheets, where ideas and questions tumbled around in my head in a jumbled mess.

Give me a truth… I’m fine. Once this job sorts itself out, life can begin again. I’m not hiding, I’m… playing to my strengths. I’m better alone. I can focus. Know yourself. Your business is you.

But, as always, my thoughts turned back to That Day—the day I blew it, the day Derrick taught me the hardest truths of my life.

Stop. Don’t. Don’t think about it. Don’t go there again. I gripped my arm tight and braced against the memories I couldn’t control, could never forget. Something new. Think of something, anything else. My nails dug into my skin as I searched my mind and landed on…

Ben.

Wonder where he is tonight, what he’s doing? Is he drinking Jameson? Is he thinking of me? Definitely not, but still. What if he was? And why are you holding your elbow so damn tight?

My grip slacked, and blood began to flow again. It had been such a nothing move, only a means to stop me from driving home tipsy, but the memory of his hand wrapped around my arm made my skin tingle.

“Give me a truth.”

In the dark, alone, the truth was this: I wanted him to touch me again.

Author Bio:

Skye spent a lot of her adolescence dreaming about living in a hip, urban town full of adventures that occurred outside of the local mall. (Hers was Rivergate, in case you know Nashville well!) Now that she’s been living away from Nashville for years, the once sleepy Southern city has become just that place, and she returns to visit whenever she can. Her seven-novel-and-growing Anti-Belle series is centered in her hometown, partly as a homage and partly because these days Nashville is too hip to ignore.

In the real world, Skye is an English teacher in Brooklyn, New York, and has lived there long enough to consider herself a true New Yorker—even though she proudly cheers for the Tennessee Vols (her alma mater) and loves being a GRITS (Girl Raised in the South).
​
Skye's philosophy is to live with your heart and mind open. She believes in the beauty of this world and seeks adventure and joy as a daily practice. If "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans," as John Lennon said, then she'd rather leave the schedule open and let life happen.

Website / Twitter / Instagram


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Wrecking Christmas Book Blitz with Liza Jonathan

9/28/2019

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Wrecking Christmas
Liza Jonathan
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

In a town that magically grants Christmas wishes, love was the one gift they didn’t see coming.

The perfect Christmas. After the tragic loss of her mother, it’s all psychologist Kathryn Winslow wants for herself, her young son, and her grieving father. She never expects their drive to a luxury resort to end with her car dangling off the side of a mountaintop cliff. And she certainly doesn’t expect her family to be rescued by a sexy, rugged puzzle of a man like Hunter Holliday.

As owner of a collision repair and hot rod shop in the West Virginia hills, Hunter hauls motorists out of snow banks every day. But after years of sleepwalking through his life as a widower, saving a brave, beautiful woman like Kathryn wakes him up, in every possible way.

But before they can make it out of a freak snowstorm, they’re stranded in Christmas Pass, a funny little sugar-frosted mountain town that can’t be found on any map. Now somehow, they’re trapped in an enchanted village that grants Christmas wishes, and tangled in a red-hot attraction they can’t resist. Yet, even in a place that’s populating itself around their craziest whims and deepest desires, they can’t run from the crippling regrets in their past—or the shocking new revelations to come. But the love they need so badly is there for the taking…if only they have the courage to wish…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

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Q&A with Liza Jonathan:

Q. What inspired you to write a holiday romance like Wrecking Christmas?

A. “It all started when I was going through my RSS feed one day, and I came across a piece on the Smart Bitches, Trashy Books Blog called The Painful Fantasy of Holiday Romances. Written by Amanda, one of the bloggers there, it was a very heartfelt missive about how people with difficult family lives read holiday romances differently. For them, stories where no one has any real problems and everything can be worked out by winning the cookie bake off can be hard to take. ‘Some of us,’ she said, ‘will never have a good Christmas.’

I found I couldn’t leave the ideas she brought up alone. What would happen, I wondered, if I wrote a book for someone like her? So that was how I came up with Hunter Holliday and Kathryn Winslow. They are two people with very tragic pasts, for whom Christmas has been ruined, permanently. They have deep regrets and things they can’t forgive themselves for. And they both get thrown together, completely by chance, in a magical mountain town that grants all their Christmas wishes. Yet, even here, in this perfect place, their baggage has hitched a ride with them. And against this improbable, Hallmark- movie-on-steroids backdrop, they have to work through all their problems and come out whole on the other side, together.

This book is steamy—not sweet—with a hard won happily ever after. I hope it inspires others the way it inspired me.”

Q. Tell us about the real locations you used in this book.

A.. “I was very fortunate to get permission from the Greenbrier Resort to use them as a setting in this book. The Greenbrier, if you’re not familiar with it, is one of the finest resorts in the nation, built in the 1700s in grand Georgian style in the cradle of the Greenbrier Valley. It has hundreds of rooms and is truly breathtaking. For Kathryn, it serves as a kind of El Dorado or Graceland. If she can just get her family there, they just might have the perfect Christmas after all, she thinks. But nothing goes according to plan.

I’ve also placed this Christmas series in Lewisburg, West Virginia, which is a small town neighboring The Greenbrier which is every bit as vibrant as I describe it. There’s people who have been there for generations, and wealthy

retirees who have moved there and bought rolling hilltop estates so they can be nearby to the resort. The Holliday family farm is exactly like dozens of farms in the area, situated on the prettiest rolling landscape you’ve ever seen. It’s the kind of jewel people don’t realize they can find in West Virginia, and I wanted to tell that story, too.”

Q. Any other tidbits we should know?

A. “I make mention in the book that Hunter Holliday is a winner of the Golden Horseshoe when he was in school. People who grew up in the state will laugh with recognition at that. Every kid in eighth grade has to take West Virginia history, and the Golden Horseshoe test I part of that. l. I studied and studied for weeks, but I didn’t crack the code at the state level, though. So, I’ll never be a “knight” of the “golden horseshoe.” Alas. That ship has sailed.”

Q. So we’re going to see more Christmas stories coming out of Lewisburg?

A.. “Absolutely! I have the sequel to it already written and in development. It’s the story of Hopper Vance, who works at Holliday Hot Rods with Hunter, and Cookie, who’s Kathryn’s receptionist at her practice. Turns out, Hopper and Cookie are long lost loves separated by tragedy. And this will be a magically fueled second chance romance you won’t soon forget. It’s all about the persistence of the heart, and the journey to forgiveness. I can’t wait to introduce readers to it next year! After that, I’ve got another one sketched out from the Holliday garage. But after that, who knows? I’m sure readers will inform me what they want to see next. And I’m all ears.”


Author Bio:

Write what you know. Isn’t that what they always say?

Though I currently live in the flat, flat lands of Indiana, I’ve spent most of my life in West Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. As I have found out, you can take the girl out of Appalachia, but you can’t take the Appalachia out of the girl.

So now, I write sexy, angsty paranormal romances dedicated to the locations, legends and lore from the thirteen Appalachian states. I find the enchantment of home inspires me to tell tales.

When I’m not haunting the house at all hours writing, I have another life as a PR/marketing writer, wife to my long-time husband, and a mother to my two sons, who are rapidly fleeing the nest. Come sit with me for a spell. I've got some stories to tell you...

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Alec Book Blitz with Giulia Lagomarsino

9/27/2019

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Alec
Giulia Lagomarsino
(Reed Security, #15)
Publication date: September 25th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Alec is book 17 in the Reed Security series and it is recommended that they are read in order.

Alec

I’ve been chasing this damn woman for three years. Our relationship is finally out in the open and I’m not letting this chance slip past me. I will make her mine, and there won’t be any room for arguments. There’s the slight problem of Craig, our other teammate. He knows what we do in the other rooms at night, or during the day, and that leaves us in a bit of a predicament. But we’ll work it out. I always get my woman, and Florrie is all mine.

Florrie
It took me by surprise when I fell for Alec. I hadn’t intended to ever sleep with my teammate, but then one day, he was there and so damn sexy. It was just supposed to be sex, nothing more. But he kept pushing and then one day, it was out in the open. Everyone knew and there was no way for me to stop what was happening. Except, there’s just one problem, I’ve got a secret that ensures we’ll never be together in the way he wants. Now I just have to find a way to tell him.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

“Who is he?” Hunter asked. “Just tell me and I’ll kick his ass.”

“I think I can do my own ass kicking.”

“No. Whoever this asshole is, just tell us and we’ll take care of things. We’ll make sure you never see him again. If you know what I mean,” he continued.

“I know exactly what you mean, and no, you don’t need to make him disappear.”

“But, that’s what we do. We don’t know how to solve any other problems,” Gabe said, almost in confusion.

Rocco groaned and held up a hand to ward off the guys. “I didn’t want to get involved, but it looks like I’m gonna have to. Why don’t you tell us about this guy. What’s he like?”

“Smart, strong, capable…”

“Sexy?”

“Of course,” I huffed. “But he’s confusing. I thought that he was into me, but then nothing happened. Is it me? Am I not pretty enough?”

“No,” Sinner said, shaking his head sharply.

“Of course not-” Hunter snorted uncomfortably.

“You’re beautiful,” Rocco said firmly, and the other guys joined in.

“Sexy as hell.”

“Nice rack.”

“Good ass. Nice and firm.”

“You have nice elbows,” Sinner said.

“What?” I asked in confusion. Hunter smacked him upside the head.

“I panicked,” Sinner said. “You all said nice rack, good ass. What else was left?”

“You could have gone with beautiful eyes,” I snapped. “Or even nice legs, but nice elbows? Who the fuck says that?”

“Obviously not this guy you’re seeing or he’d already be dead,” Rocco muttered.

“Did you fuck him?” Hunter asked. “Guys always lose interest after you fuck them.”

“No,” I sneered. “It’s not like I just spread my legs for any guy I come across.”

“Did you come right out and tell him you like him?” Rocco asked. “Some guys are fucking stupid and can’t take a hint.”

“Actually, I wrote him a note and told him that I really liked him and asked if he liked me too.”

“Like in the song?” Sinner asked.

“Yeah,” I snarked. “Just like in the song. I even drew boxes and asked him to check yes or no.”

“Did he answer?”

“No, you idiot! I didn’t actually do that. I’m not in second grade.”

“Maybe you should,” Sinner shot back. “With all your sarcasm, he probably doesn’t know if you want to kiss him or kick him in the balls.”


Author Bio:

I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.

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Angelbound and Beholder Special Edition Box Set Book Blitz with Christina Bauer

9/26/2019

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Angelbound and Beholder Special Edition Box Set
Christina Bauer
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: September 24th 2019
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

Seven Special Editions — One eBook Collection!

Enjoy special edition extras across seven novels in the popular ANGELBOUND and BEHOLDER series! This collection delivers more than 58,000 words of all-new content. Only available in ebook form, this collection includes:

– Angelbound – a wedding epilogue with one crazy parade

– Scala – an extended epilogue with Myla, Lincoln, Cissy and Zeke

– Armageddon – an extra appendix of behind-the-scenes goodies

– Maxon – an action-packed wedding epilogue

– Portia – the honeymoon novella you’ve been waiting for!

– Beholder Cursed And Concealed – each now has extra appendix of goodies

Get JUST the new content in this convenient collection (perfect for power readers!) or buy the special edition titles a la carte to enjoy the full novel AND its new extras. Whatever works best for you!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

--

EXCERPT:

Portia Honeymoon

Tempest stands before me in our hidden corner of the lake. Water runs in rivulets down his bare chest. Every cell in my body calls me closer to my Rhana.

My mate.

I step nearer. With each movement, my bare feet sink into the loose pebbles of the lakebed. I pause. Only inches separate us now. The warmth from Tempest’s body radiates into my own. My core heats. One thought overtakes me.

This is it. The moment.

Lifting my arm, I reach for Tempest. Water droplets glide down my skin. I rest my cool hand against the heat of Tempest’s cheek. The rough stubble of his skin prickles my palm. With the slightest of movements, Tempest leans into my touch. His gaze mixes quiet reverence with intense desire.

Going up on tiptoe, I bring my mouth closer to Tempest’s. He leans forward, closing the distance. A breath of air is all that separates our lips. Yet Tempest isn’t pressing to touch.

This is my choice. My word.

I gently brush my mouth against his. Tempest’s lips are soft and firm; bolts of desire move through me. I caress the seam of his mouth with my tongue. The movement is like taking a sledge hammer to a porcelain wall. The barrier between us ruptures. Waves of desire break loose.

Tempest cups my face in his hands. Our kiss turns fierce. The emperor glides his hands down my neck, shoulders and back. Next he presses at the base of my spine, bringing our bodies together. The firm lines of his stomach … the hefty strength of his arms … the long ropes of muscle in his thighs … everywhere our bodies touch, there’s a spark of recognition and desire.

What happens next isn’t a conscious thought. On instinct, I wrap my legs around Tempest’s waist while looping my arms around his neck. The need to share my body with him turns stronger. Between rough kisses, Tempest whispers an incantation. The language is unfamiliar, but the rough and gritty sound tell me he’s speaking in a dragon tongue. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m aware that the air now holds the unmistakable zing of magic.

Tempest is casting a spell.

Author Bio:

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates

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Author of the Week: R. Barry Andrews

9/25/2019

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Picture
The New Recruit 
R. Barry Andrews 

Blurb:
Set in Cincinnati, this is a fictional novel which introduces the realities of becoming and being an urban American cop. Matt Davis is a 23 year old who has just graduated from UCLA with a degree in criminal justice. His parents tell him it’s time to find a job and he applies to be a cop in Cincinnati, Ohio. The reader follows Matt through the rigorous pre-employment testing and while in Cincinnati, he witnesses a murder. The book follows the investigation of the homicide while Matt waits to hear if he has been selected. He returns to Cincinnati to attend the police academy, then through Field Training until a personal tragedy strikes and he returns to California. When it resolves, he returns to being a cop until an incident throws his life and career into a disaster. The ending is explosive.

Buy Link: 
https://amzn.to/2mlYJrX
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