Title: Beneath the Lighthouse
Author: Julieanne Lynch
Genre: YA Horror
Release Date: June 26, 2018 Cover Design: Sam Shearon
Sixteen-year-old Jamie McGuiness’s sister is found dead. Sinking into a deep depression, he frequents the lighthouse where her body was discovered, unaware of the dark forces surrounding him.
When an angry spirit latches onto Jamie, he’s led down a dark and twisted path, one that uncovers old family secrets that destroy everything Jamie ever believed.
Caught between the world of the living and the vengeful dead, Jamie fights the pull of the other side. It’s up to Jamie to settle old scores, or no one will rest in peace—but, first, he has to survive.
Julieanne Lynch is an author of YA and Adult genre urban fantasy, crime and contemporary romance books. Julieanne was born in Northern Ireland, but spent much of her early life in London, United Kingdom, until her family relocated back to their roots.
Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, with her husband and five children, where she is a full-time author. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University and considered journalism as a career path. Julieanne has several projects optioned for film.
Julieanne is both traditionally and independently published.
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Get in the spirit of Christmas with this brand new, Stand-alone romance from Donna Grant!
Grab your copy Today!
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'Tis the season for ex-Navy SEAL Clayton East to come home for the holidays-even if the mood at home is anything but festive. His father is ill. The East Ranch is in financial trouble. And now it's on Clayton, the prodigal son, to make sure his family doesn't lose everything. Headstrong Abby Harper is like a mother to her younger brothers, who she's helped raise since she was a teenager. Keeping them in line is no small task while she's also working toward her college degree. And now that one of her brothers has been arrested for stealing cattle at the East Ranch, Abby is at her wits' end. But there is a silver lining: Clayton East. He believes in second chances, and is willing to give one to her brother this Christmas. Letting beautiful Abby-and the inescapable longing in his heart-off the hook, however, is a whole 'nother story. Could it be that the woman of this local hero's dreams has been back at home all along? Contains mature themes.
EXCERPT
As soon as Abby saw the mare, the smile that pulled at her lips displayed her joy. She oohed and ahhed over the horse.
“Her name is Diamond.”
“Diamond,” Abby repeated as she stroked the horse’s neck. “It fits you.”
The mare had fallen for Abby almost immediately, and Clayton could understand why. There was something about the woman that drew people and animals. She was quiet and unassuming. He suspected that might be because so many people overlooked her. That was their loss because there was so much about Abby that was intriguing.
“You’re staring,” she said as she cut her eyes to him.
Clayton lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I like what I see.”
She paused in her caress of the mare. Then she took a step back, and then another and another before she turned and walked away.
He frowned as anger spiked through him. He’d moved too fast. Abby was like a spooked mare. He should’ve trodden slowly. Earned her trust first.
When Abby reached the back of the barn, she stopped and looked at him over her shoulder. It was the seductive curve of her lips that halted his thoughts. As soon as she turned the corner, he started after her.
His blood rushed through him in a frenzy before pooling in his cock. With his heart beating furiously, he found her leaning back against the barn.
Clayton stood before her. His palms ached to feel her skin, to hold her glorious curves against him. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, and as he took a step closer to her, he realized that it had been years since he’d hungered to kiss anyone as he did Abby.
Her lips parted, drawing his attention to her mouth. The longing he’d suppressed for days consumed him. He took the final step that brought their bodies close. The soft light from over the barn couldn’t reach them in the shadows.
He held her gaze and put a hand on her waist before slowly pulling her against him. Her palms landed on his upper arms. Then she lifted her face to him. That’s all it took to push him over the edge.
Clayton lowered his head, her eyes drifting shut right before their lips met. He softly plied her mouth with light kisses until her hands moved up his arms and twined around his neck. When she sighed, he slid his tongue against her lips.
As her mouth opened, and their tongues met, need coursed through him. The desire, the yearning to have her seized him, overwhelmed him as the kiss deepened. He wound one hand into her long hair while his other splayed over her back. With each lick, each sigh, each moan, the hunger grew. Without a doubt, he had to have her. Not because he was in need, but because he ached for her.
But now wasn’t the time. He wouldn’t have their first time together be against the back of the barn in the shadows so no one saw them. He wasn’t ashamed of Abby, and he wanted her to know that. He cared about her.
That in and of itself shocked him, but he accepted it. What choice did he have, really?
Clayton knew he had to end the kiss now before he was past the point of no return. Already he was circling down that drain. He forced himself to pull back. Then he saw her heavy-lidded eyes and the way her chest heaved.
He ran his thumb over her swollen lips and briefly thought of picking her up and riding somewhere where no one could find them. Luckily, there was enough sanity left in him that he was able to keep dominion over his desire.
“Why did you stop?” she asked.
He was glad she didn’t know how easily she could’ve broken through his restraint by simply pulling his head down for another kiss. That’s all it would’ve taken. He wanted her so badly he shook with it.
“I’m already walking a tightrope, Abby,” he confessed. “If I keep kissing you, I won’t stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
He groaned at her husky words. If he wanted to stay in control, he had to reason with her, and he knew just the thing to say.
“You don’t want your brothers finding us, do you?”
Just as he expected, it was as if she were doused with cold water. “Or your parents.”
He forced a smile even as he missed the sexy woman who had been begging for more kisses a moment before. But he’d find her again soon enough. “Exactly.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve kissed anyone.”
“Their loss. My gain.” And damn if he didn’t feel male pride at having her in his arms.
She glanced at the ground as she smiled. Then her gaze met his as she pulled her hands down to rest on his chest. “Be careful, Clayton East, I might realize you’re a good guy.”
“I can promise you that I’m not.”
Her grin widened. “You’re wrong.”
ABOUT DONNA GRANTDonna Grant is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the sizzling Dark King series featuring dragons, immortal Highlanders, and the Fae. She was born and raised in Texas but loves to travel. Her adventures have taken her throughout the United States as well as to Jamaica, Mexico, and Scotland. Growing up on the Texas/Louisiana border, Donna’s Cajun side of the family taught her the “spicy” side of life while her Texas roots gave her two-steppin’ and bareback riding. Despite deadlines and voracious reading, Donna still manages to keep up with her two children, four cats, and one long haired Chihuahua.Connect with Donna:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/donna_grant
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/donnagrant1/
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Stay up to date with Donna by signing up for her newsletter here: http://www.donnagrant.com/newsletter-sign-up/
Website: http://www.donnagrant.com
Title: Spirited Away
A Resort Romances Novel
Author: Mary Billiter
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing Release Date: October 31, 2017
Blurb
What happens when the legend of the old west becomes the new reality? In Mary Billiterâs fun novel of investigating the unknown and navigating love, a drop-dead sexy cop and a fiery redhead are linked by a mysterious haunting and the unsolved crime of passion behind it all.
When Reese Pemberton relocates from the Golden State to the Cowboy State for a corporate promotion, she discovers a different state of mind. From the hustle and bustle mayhem of the Bay Area to the slow and easy meanderings of Wyoming, Reese welcomes the change in pace as the hotelâs new general manager. However, she shuts the door on the notion that her hotel is haunted.
But when a series of mishaps introduces the fiery redhead to the hotelâs legendary cowboy ghost, she begins to question the events surrounding his demise.
Reese and Cheyenne police detective Cody Pring join forces to put to rest the spirit that haunts the hotel. In the process, they discover long-buried secrets. Can the two solve a decades-old mystery or are some things better left with the dead?
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$1.99 for a limited time
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Do Not Disturb & Escape Clause
are free in Kindle Unlimited
Author Bio
Mary Billiter is a weekly newspaper columnist and fiction author. She also has novels published under the pen name, âPumpkin Spice.â
Mary resides in the Cowboy State with her unabashedly bald husband, her four amazing children, two fantastic step-kids, and their runaway dog. She does her best writing (in her head) on her daily runs in wild, romantic, beautiful Wyoming.
Author Links
Mick & Michelle Fifteen-year-old Mick Mullins has a great life: his parents are sweet, his sister is tolerable, and his friendships are solid. But as summer descends on Queens, he prepares to turn his carefree existence upside down by disclosing a secret he has kept long enough. It’s time to work up the courage to reveal that he is not a boy, but a girl—and that her name is Michelle. Having always been the perfect, good boy, Michelle is terrified that the complicated truth will disappoint, hurt, or push away the people closest to her. She can’t continue hiding for much longer, though, because her body is turning into that of a man’s, and she is desperate to stop the development—desperate enough to consider self-medicating with hormones. Most of all, Michelle fears that Grandpa, who is in a nursing home after a near fatal stroke, won’t survive the shock if he finds out that his favorite grandchild, and the only boy, is a girl. If she kills her beloved Grandpa by leaving Mick behind, she isn’t sure embracing her real identity will be worth the loss. Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: As we walk down the street next to each other, it strikes me that the nagging feeling I’ve been having lately is also down to him, because I look too much like my father. I’m the same height as him but skinnier. I adjust my walk so I don’t mirror his familiar swagger. I wish I didn’t have his hair, down to the identical whorl slightly to the right at the back of our heads. His hair is darker than mine, so dark auburn it looks black when wet, but thin and limp, always flyaway, so no good for keeping long. Buzz cut material, and that looks fine enough on him. My hair is quite short by convenience only. I would have liked to have my mother’s hair, which is thick and robust, a haystack in the mornings, and she uses a straightening iron to control it. If I tried that iron on my hair, I think it’d just melt away and disappear. “How does summer feel so far?” Dad says and waves at Mrs. McAtee, who used to babysit him when he was little. I don’t think Dad has fond memories of her, because she never babysat me or Ash. No one outside the family was ever allowed to babysit us. “Any plans?” he adds after I fail to reply in the three seconds it takes him to grow impatient. “Deliver papers and go busking,” I say. I was supposed to wait tables at Pepito’s Italian, but they went bust two weeks ago. I haven’t found anything else. The paper route job stopped last week, because I foolishly resigned when I got the gig with Pepito’s. As for busking… well, that’s more of a wild idea than a realistic plan. “Busking? You only know three songs.” “Five songs, and people move around, so they won’t catch on to my limited repertoire. Besides, I can always learn a couple more songs.” “And what will you do if I, or your ma, come and catch you soliciting funds?” “I can outrun you easily, Dad. The both of you. Rookie Ryan too.” “Yeah, yeah. Smart-mouth. We have an alternative plan for you this summer. Busking is not a part of it. Tell you over dinner.” “What? Why not right away? Are you finally paying for Wizarding Summer School now that I’ve grown out of it?” “Wait and see.” Author Bio: Nina Rossing lives in Norway, where the winters are long and the summers short. Despite the brilliant nature surrounding her, she spends more time in front of her computer, or with a book in her hands, than in the great outdoors (though you may find her out on her mountain bike if the weather is good). She works as a high school teacher, which in her opinion is probably the best job in the world. Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter GIVEAWAY!
Title: Blocked
A Breakaway Novel
Author: L.P. Dover
Genre: Sports Romance
Publisher: Random House/Loveswept
Release Date: October 31, 2017
Blurb
Heâs got every reason to be cocky . . . until a female cuts him down to size. Iâm Dallas Easton, the best goaltender in the league. I make a damn good living playing hockey, and with women falling at my feet wherever I go, why not enjoy it? I get whatever I want, whenever I wantâthat is, until I come across the one player who gets the best of me on the ice. When I try to pummel the dude, all hell breaks loose. Imagine my surprise when the helmet comes off to reveal a woman underneath. And not just any woman, but the sexiest woman Iâve ever seen. Callie Davis is the complete opposite of the puck bunnies I usually go for, a good girl with sick moves and a selfless streak a mile wide. I need to make amends, but she dodges me at every turn. It doesnât help that Callieâs brother hates my guts, or that my agent thinks sheâs bad for my career. But I could care less what they think. I canât let our little run-in on the ice be the end of our story. Because when I set my sights on something, I wonât rest until I score.
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Excerpt
Heart pounding, I stared him down, waiting for him to take the shot. The second he drew back his stick, I got into position, only for him to hit me right between the eyes with his glove. For a split second I lost my focus, and he slapped the puck right between my legs.
âMotherfucker,â I growled, glaring down at the glove on the ice and the puck in the goal. The worthless cunt actually had the audacity to throw his glove at my face. Kellan burst out laughing and the whole rink echoed as they cheered at my expense. Red just fucked up big time. The others tried their luck to no avail, and then Red was back at it. I waited for him to throw the other glove, but instead, he turned and sprayed ice right up into my face, his body colliding with mine. During our fall, he hit the puck right into the goal. Rage coursed through my veins and all I could see was red . . . literally. Getting up quickly, he started back toward the others and I slid out my stick, hooking it around his ankle. I jerked him back and he fell. If he wanted to play dirty, Iâd show him how dirty I could be. He tried to get up, but I pushed him back down, tossing my mask and gloves onto the ice. The others shouted and skated toward us, but I wasnât letting Red get away with making me out to be a fool. âThink youâre hot shit now, huh?â I spat, grabbing him by the jersey. He was smaller than me, so it wasnât hard to flip him over and rip off his mask. Blinded by rage, I pulled my fist back, only to stop cold in my tracks. I stared at the face behind the mask, completely transfixed. The person lying on the ice wasnât Justinâs brother. It was a woman, and not just any woman. She was the most beautiful thing Iâd ever seen. Before any words could escape my lips, Justin tackled me to the ice and my breath whooshed out of my lungs as we slid to the wall. âWhat the fuck is your problem? Thatâs my sister,â he shouted angrily. Eyes darkening, he slammed my shoulders against the wall. Catching my breath, I looked up at him and held up my hands. âI didnât know it was a female. I wouldnât have touched her if Iâd known.â Under most circumstances, Iâd have punched him and been done, but I felt like a tool. His nostrils flared. âYouâre such a prick.â âJustin,â his sister called out. We both looked over at her as Kellan and the other two guys helped her up. They all stared daggers at me, including her. âLetâs go.â Justin pushed off of me and skated over to her. I got one last look at her angelic face and emerald green eyes before she turned around and disappeared off the ice. Also Available
Author Bio
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author L. P. Dover is a southern belle living in North Carolina with her husband and two beautiful girls. Before she began her literary journey she worked in periodontics, enjoying the wonderment of dental surgeries.
She loves to write, but she also loves to play tennis, go on mountain hikes and white water rafting, and has a passion for singing. Her two youngest fans expect a concert each and every night before bedtime, usually Christmas carols.
Dover has written countless novels, including her Forever Fae series, the Second Chances series, the Gloves Off series, the Armed & Dangerous series, the Royal Shifters series, the Society X series, the Circle of Justice series, and her standalone novel Love, Lies, and Deception. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense, but if she got to choose a setting in which to live, it would be with her faeries in the Land of the Fae.
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Darkest Temptation by Rachel Van DykenGenre: Paranormal RomancePublishing Date: October 31st, 2017I'm a werewolf King who chose to step down out of grief for my mate. For centuries I've been alone, choosing to live a life of modesty despite the wealth surrounding me. I deserve to be punished. I crave things I have no business craving. And it is manifesting itself in a way I'm terrified I won't be able to control any longer. Especially since she arrived. Vampire. Orphan. Beaten beyond recognition. My blood calls to her in a way that makes no sense. I'm a wolf. She's a vampire. The two don't mate. They barely tolerate one another. All it takes is one slip of control on my part — one taste. And I doom us all. Then again, I never knew what is lurking inside has the power to balance good and evil. Read Today!Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2ij0dxg Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2xBAbft iBooks: http://apple.co/2fPXafv Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ktgSm6 PaperbackAmazon US: http://amzn.to/2xn05SW Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fWMTlt Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2wC116C Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2xRF47F Start the Series TodayThe Dark Ones Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2gfo4Ow Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2hRW0o1 Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2y4Em6k Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2xWwEeV iBooks: http://apple.co/1GmoKao Nook: http://bit.ly/2fNTRoZ Kobo: http://bit.ly/2hRW7zX Untouchable Darkness Amazon US:http://amzn.to/2wBEfvs Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2gdKRdo Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2y4dsvg Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2z2qrfb iBooks: http://apple.co/1HuCC1d Nook: http://bit.ly/2hP9Szh Kobo: http://bit.ly/2hQ9eS9 Dark Surrender Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fOClkl Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2fOPZEc Amazon AU: http://amzn.to/2gpT0bO Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/2hjomp6 iBooks: http://apple.co/2fZBQDs Nook: http://bit.ly/2xVjSgK Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fjEAgq About the Author:Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!Connect with the Author:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelVanDyken Website: http://rachelvandykenauthor.com Newsletter: http://bit.ly/RVDNewsletter Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rachvd Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachVD Amazon: http://amzn.to/2cNVwL9 Goodreads: http://bit.ly/RVDGR Rachel's Rockin' Readers: http://bit.ly/RachelsRockinReaders
Series: Dark Falkon Series
Author: J.O Mantel
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: Available Now
First Crush on sale for 99 cents
One simple word, yet so incredibly complicated. Well, that's how it feels for Jake Cooper.
Living with his best friend, Sienna Forrester, he's used to having a woman around, twenty-four, seven.
So why is he wanting to pull his hair out?
Lukas Dark, the lead singer and guitarist of Dark Falkon, that’s why. Sienna is obsessed with him, and it's driving Jake to seven kinds of jealousy that's getting harder to hide.
For as long as Jake can remember, it's been Lukas this and Lukas that, and oh my God if I could only meet Lukas--and now, thanks to winning a contest, she will.
Jake's out of time. He needs to find a way to make her see the truth. That it's him, not Lukas. Jake is the hero she's in love with and always has been.
lʌv/
verb
1.
feel deep affection or sexual love for (someone).
"do you love me?"
Jake Cooper knows all too well who he loves, even if she doesn't love him in return.
After almost jeopardizing their friendship because of one kiss, Jake's decided to set aside his feelings for Sienna...for now.
During a night out, Jake is introduced to Ronnie and begins to form a friendship with her. This relationship causes tension between him and Sienna and she starts to show signs of jealousy.
With Dark Falkon recording their new album and spending long hours in the studio, Lukas doesn't have a lot of time to spend with Sienna. She's not used to this distance between them.
Lightning Ridge finally get the big break they have been waiting for. With Jake also spending a lot of time in the studio and with Ronnie, he's barely around for Sienna. Suddenly, for the first time it's Sienna who now feels all alone.
Sienna and Lukas finally get time together when the band head to London to perform. However, Sienna falls ill while they are there. Upon returning to New York, a doctor gives her news that will tear her world apart.
Two Rock Stars.
One MASSIVE Secret.
Falling in love with one of the world's biggest rock stars, was not something Sienna planned.
Their relationship has been amazing. Sure, they've had their fair share of problems, but what couple doesn't?
Dark Falkon and Lightning Ridge are performing together for the very first time, this means Jake and Lukas must put aside their personal differences for the sake of the one woman they both love.
However, one mistake, will change EVERYTHING.
Sienna will discover a shocking truth and will be left to make one of the biggest decisions of her life.
Who will she choose, Jake...or Lukas?
The third and final book in the Dark Falkon Series
They say that every tragic hero has a fatal flaw, a secret sin, a tiny stitch sewn into his future since birth. And here I am. My sins are no longer secret. My flaws have never been more fatal. And I’ve never been closer to tragedy than I am now. I am a man who loves, a man whose love demands much in return. I am a king, a king who was foolish enough to build a kingdom on the bones of the past. I am a husband and a lover and a soldier and a father and a president. And I will survive this. Long live the king. Read Today!Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2fhflxN Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2yaQks4 iBooks: http://apple.co/2xcYYJT Nook: http://bit.ly/2xcggGK Kobo: http://bit.ly/2f8X2ao Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2x3HjUG Discover The New Camelot Trilogy Today!American Queen Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2kqWPof Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/l3tVTs iBooks: https://goo.gl/OUhDII Nook: https://goo.gl/zi8V8D Kobo: https://goo.gl/hP1M34 Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/HnP6P2 American Prince Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2kz2vYl Amazon UK: https://goo.gl/368hJA iBooks: https://goo.gl/RczMVr Nook: https://goo.gl/i22aU8 Kobo: http://bit.ly/2h7cUKP Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/AlkkGL About the Author:Sierra Simone is a former librarian who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk. She lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.Connect with Sierra:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSierraSimone/ Twitter: @TheSierraSimone Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SierraSimonesLambs/ Website: http://www.authorsierrasimone.com Pen & Xander Pen Prado has a passion for cooking. Specifically, cooking her father’s food in her father’s restaurant. It’s the heart of their immigrant neighborhood, a place where everyone belongs, and second chances are always on the menu. Except for Pen. Despite the fact that there’s something almost magic about her food, her father can’t imagine anything worse than her following in his footsteps. And when Pen confesses to keeping a secret from her family, he fires her, ensuring she never will. Xander Amaro is undocumented but that doesn’t stop Ignacio Prado from offering him a job at his restaurant. For Xander, it’s a chance to make amends and to sever his toxic relationship with the druglord, El Cantil–a man whose been like a father to him since his own disappeared. Soon after, his mother abandoned him too, leaving behind a void that not even his abuelo can fill. Until he meets Pen. Both seeking a place where they feel like they truly belong, they end up finding each other, and in the face of tremendous fear and self-doubt, they end up finding themselves. Are you a book reviewer? -- EXCERPT: The parking lot hasn’t changed; the science building looks the same as that first day of school five months ago. But as I sit in my car, watching girls I met during orientation skip up the steps, hugging their bags, excited to play nurse, I try to convince myself that something inside me has. That today I’ll actually be able to go inside. That today I will stop lying and be the person they want me to be. Class starts in approximately seven minutes—the class I should have taken and passed last semester, moving me one step closer to a degree in nursing. Six minutes. I sit in the parking lot, watching the clock tick down. The car is in park but I can’t bring myself to turn off the engine. Walk inside. I turn off the car, reminding myself how much I’ve already wasted on tuition and books. You can do this. You can. I reach for my bag. Get. Out. Of. The. Car. And then I can’t breathe. My mother’s shoes. All I can think about are my mother’s shoes. How they’ve sat in the same spot by the door for almost twenty years. Scuffed and cracked, the shadow of her foot pressed to the leather even when the laces are loose. I imagine every hallway they’ve ever walked down, every door they’ve propped open, every mess they’ve ever stepped in, every second they’ve held her up when all she wanted was to collapse. Because one of her patients couldn’t remember her face or their daughter’s name or how to speak. When she lost one I’d wake to the knock of the rolling pin and the smell of dough warming on the hot plate. Sometimes I’d try to take the pin from her but there was something about the force, about the rhythm that reminded her how to breathe. We’d work in silence and three-dozen tortillas later she’d wrap them in foil and drive them to the family. The family that only visited once a month. That would accept my mother’s food without acknowledging that she was more family to the deceased than they were. And then the next day she would go back to work. For almost twenty years. She went back. And if I step out of this car, if I walk up those steps, if I sit at that desk and pretend…how long will I be sitting there before I realize I’m trapped? I take a deep breath, the scent of a thousand shifts at the restaurant tucked into the fabric of the front seat. Mango and cilantro and epazote, tomatillos and roasted pepitas and tortillas. I can’t sleep without those smells tangled in my hair, without those flavors still on my tongue. So I have to decide what’s scarier: living a life that doesn’t belong to me or losing the one I love. If the truth breaks my father’s heart, I know he’ll take it from me. But if it doesn’t, if he understands, if I can make him understand, I can be free. I weigh each option, simmering in the anxiety they provoke, in the hope. Because I have to do what scares me. It’s the only way to ward off the helplessness. To stay in control. I always have to be in control. Which means that today is not the day I go inside. My stomach drops, my hand reaching to put the car in drive again. Today is the day I tell them the truth. Author Bio: Laekan is a writer and explorer extraordinaire who grew up in the flatlands of West Texas. She graduated from Texas Tech with a BA in Creative Writing and is the author of the multi-cultural New Adult novels The Things They Didn't Bury, Orphans of Paradise, Breathing Ghosts, and the Young Adult Paranormal series The Girl In Between. Her upcoming contemporary romance is slated for release during the summer of 2017! GIVEAWAY!
Title - Savage: The Awakening of Lizzie Danton
Author - L.A. Fiore
Genre - Contemporary Romance/Romantic Suspense
Release Date - November 17, 2017 Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens, The Illustrated Author Photographer: Scott Hoover
They call him a monster.
Pale blue eyes as cold as ice that see right through you.
He’s hard.
He’s damaged.
He’s dangerous.
He lives in a castle fit for a fairy tale, but he’s no prince.
He’s savage.
He’s brutal.
He’s a killer.
By an act of fate, our worlds collide.
They call him a monster, but he is my salvation.
Text copyright © 2017, L.A. Fiore
All rights reserved
My hands fisted in the pockets of my trousers as I watched Lizzie Danton walking down the drive. Fuck. Damn that fucking conscience. I didn’t need it, didn’t fucking want it. I wanted to turn my back, but I could hear Brianna and Fenella, even Finnegan, in my head. “Fucking hell.”
Fenella was just entering the library as I was leaving it. She was giving me her stink eye, that frosty look that condemned without her needing to speak a word. What the hell did she want? I let the woman sleep here, fed her, and clothed her. It was the clothes, or lack of them, that stirred something left well enough alone. “Our guest is walking home.”
“I saw.”
“I think she’s coming down with a cold.” “Fucking walking in the rain will do that.”
“Not her fault the car broke down.” She narrowed her eyes at me before she added, “And it’s not her fault she’s kin to Norah Calhoun. Remember, she’s kin to Brianna too.”
I didn’t pay my staff to lecture me. They weren’t staff; they were family, but I ignored that. I was halfway down the hall when Fenella called after me, “She wants to paint your home.”
That stopped me, my head swiveling to her. “She said that?”
“Yes. Said you could Google her to see her portfolio and that she would gift you the painting.” I didn’t need to Google her. I was familiar with her work. But after my interrogation last night, why the hell would she offer that? “Why?”
“Because the sight of the castle from the lane took her breath away, her words.”
It was the view from the lane that sold me on this place; more specifically the feeling of peace it evoked, a foreign, but not unpleasant feeling. Fucking hell.
There were a few broken branches blocking the drive. By the time I got the Range Rover out of the garage, it had been about an hour since Miss Danton left. Halfway back to the village, I saw the body on the boulder. My chest grew tight thinking harm had come to her; the unwanted sensation annoyed the hell out of me. Pulling over, I climbed out to hear Lizzie Danton talking to herself. She had a bizarre habit of talking to things, like those cows and Brianna’s ghost. Her words that day had lingered because despite the shit she’d seen, she still had it in her to paint fucking sprites…to try for happy. I couldn’t decide if she was the most well adjusted person of my acquaintance or the craziest. I wondered if she’d spent any time in a mental facility.
I couldn’t make out what she was saying, didn’t really care. My goal was to get her ass back to the cottage. That would ease the nagging from my fucking conscience. I stepped closer, to peer down at her, her eyes went wide then she screamed. She jumped off the boulder like it was on fire.
“What the hell! Didn’t you ever learn not to sneak up on someone resting on a rock?”
I ignored that ridiculous question. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. “You don’t look so good.”
“Nice. Scare the shit out of me and then insult me. Seriously, charm school was completely lost on you.”
She had the oddest way of communicating. More surprising was the urge to grin at her nonsense. “I’ll give you a ride to the cottage.”
“No, thank you. I wouldn’t want you thinking I was after your car, or your house and heaven forbid you. I’ll walk.” She started walking away but stopped and turned back. “And why assume I was like my mother? You knew Aunt Brianna, but you interrogated me like I was after something. Never mind. I don’t care what you think.”
She did care. I saw how deeply it cut her to be compared to her mother. Another unfamiliar sensation curled in my gut. Guilt. I shook it off. “You can barely stand.”
Temper burned behind her eyes, but she acquiesced. “Fine.”
She didn’t wait for me and walked to the car in much the way a child in temper might do. She yanked open the door and dropped into the seat. I climbed in, felt her eyes on me, but when I looked over her focus was out the window.
“Why are the villagers freaked out by you?” She turned in her seat to face me. “They think you’re a werewolf.”
I’d heard that rumor. Was actually rather fond of that one. “Maybe I am.”
I glanced over at her and she was contemplating the real possibility that I was a werewolf. Damn, if I didn’t want to grin.
“I don’t think so, but I’ll be sure to stay inside on the full moon.”
L.A. Fiore is the author of several books including Beautifully Damaged, Collecting the Pieces and His Light in the Dark. Her favorite movie is Star Wars, a love her son shares. They hope to build their own Millennium Falcon one day. She would like to meet the Winchester Boys to thank them for enlightening her on the versatility of salt as not just a food enhancer, but as protection from supernatural threats. And she thinks it would be interesting to be a zombie, to get an idea of what life is like as a brain-addicted fiend so she can be their voice to tell their side of the story. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and kids, their two spoiled cats and their awesome dog.
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