Archive for September, 2021

Savage
Harley Wylde
(Devil’s Fury MC)
Publication date: September 24th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Mariah — I knew my dad, a Dixie Reaper, wouldn’t understand why I wanted to date a cop. It’s why I’d planned to elope with Ty, until it all went so very wrong. My dad caught me, tossed me into the car, and drove me hours away to the Devil’s Fury. I didn’t know he’d already promised me to someone else. Savage. The Devil’s Fury MC Treasurer. A man who set butterflies loose in my stomach at first sight.

The man might have claimed me as his, but he runs every time we’re in the same room together. I can’t tell if he’s just that turned off by me, or if there’s another woman. Whatever it is, he either needs to let me go, or make me his — in all ways. I just never expected the surprise left at the gates, and the way it would make my heart break, or the fact my ex would be a lunatic. I should have known life would throw me a curveball. Or two. Nothing is ever easy.

Savage — Claiming a woman sight unseen didn’t seem like such a bad thing. It wasn’t like I had anyone I wanted to settle down with. The fact she’s two decades younger than me might have given me pause at one point, but not anymore. Then she arrives, spitting and hissing like an angry kitten. I try to do the right thing and give her time. Except clearly that was the wrong thing to do.

I’ll make her realize she’s the only one I want, claim her in every way possible, but first… I need to take care of business. The dirty cop who preys on women and children will be taught a lesson he won’t soon forget. Should have known the daughter of Dixie Reaper wouldn’t shy away from getting her hands dirty and wouldn’t need saving. Not sure how I got so lucky to call her mine, but I’m holding on tight to Mariah. She’s the best thing to ever happen to me.

WARNING: Savage is part of the Devil’s Fury MC and contains bad language, adult situations, dark content, and violence some may find difficult to read. But there’s a guaranteed happily-ever-after, no cliffhanger, no cheating, a super cute little girl, and some adorable kittens.

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Check out this glimpse inside:

My jaw ached from grinding my teeth. I stared out the window, refusing to even look at my dad. I couldn’t believe he’d hauled me away from Tyson. Another few minutes, and we’d have been gone. I wondered who’d told. Could have been the Prospect at the gate, or any of my dad’s spies around town. I should have waited until dark. Even though I’d begged Ty to wait, he hadn’t listened.

“Can’t ignore me forever,” my dad said.

Want to bet?

We crossed the Alabama state line and entered Florida. He hadn’t said exactly where we were going. Devil’s Boneyard? They weren’t far from our current location. I wanted to ask. Pressing my lips together, I forced myself to remain silent.

“Fine. Pout like a damn kid, Mariah, but it’s not going to change anything. Settle in. We still have a bit of a drive.”

I looked over at him. What the hell did that mean? The Devil’s Boneyard was only another hour, if that. So where were we going? When he took the ramp to head north into Georgia, my stomach knotted. Oh, shit.

“We’re going to see Farrah?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Nope, but same location.”

Shit. If we weren’t going to see Farrah, then who? Did my dad want my brother-in-law, Demon, to scare the hell out of me? Because it wouldn’t be hard. Just being in his presence was enough to make me pee myself. I knew he doted on my sister, but it didn’t change his scare factor. I’d heard the stories of what he’d done when people crossed him or the Devil’s Fury.

I tried not to fidget as the truck ate up the miles. My nerves were shot by the time we arrived. Expecting my dad to stop at Farrah’s or even the clubhouse, I couldn’t hold back my gasp as he kept going. Bile rose in my throat, and I scanned the area, not having a damn clue whose house we’d be visiting. The fact he’d packed my clothes and a box of my books didn’t bode well for this being a quick stop.

Since my dad had taken my phone, I couldn’t even text Ty to let him know my current location. I knew he’d have come for me. We may not have made our flight today, but we could have gotten another one.

We came to a stop outside a sprawling home. It might have only been one-story, but I could tell it was far from small inside. I got out and stood by the truck, not knowing what to expect. The front door opened and when I saw the large man who strolled out to meet us, my stomach flipped.

“You made good time,” Savage said, holding his hand out to my dad.

“Needed to get her out of there immediately. Caught her trying to run off with the cop.” My dad glared at me. “Nothing to say, Mariah?”

“Why am I here?” I asked.

Savage’s eyebrows rose and he rocked back on his feet. “Damn. I’m guessing this is a conversation we should have inside. Y’all come in. Need me to get anything from the truck?”

“I threw a box of her books in the back seat, and she has a bag of clothes. I can send the rest in a few days.” My dad started walking to the house. “Getting old’s a bitch. I’m using your bathroom.”

Savage snickered.

My dad tossed a phone at him. “That’s hers. She can have it back, but I’m not giving it to her. She may call that shithead cop.”

Savage caught the phone, looked at it a moment, then handed it to me. “No calls or texts until we talk. Don’t make me regret letting you have that back.”

He opened the back door of the truck and hauled my stuff out like it didn’t weigh anything. I had no choice but to follow him into the house. He set my things down inside the door and motioned for me to have a seat in the living room. Gray slate floors stretched in every direction, and the light gray walls added to the drab color scheme.

I sank onto a black leather sofa and eyed the unusual coffee table. It had to be custom-made. The base looked like a large cut tree trunk. Etched into the top were the colors for the Devil’s Fury, and a piece of glass set over the top, cut to match the edges. I hadn’t ever seen anything like it. The wood had been distressed or stained to a dark charcoal.

To my left, a flat screen TV hung from the wall. It had to be at least sixty inches or more. Across from the couch and table were two chairs, and a smaller table set between the two. An ottoman sat catty-corner to one of them, and I figured it must be where Savage usually sat. The chair looked more worn than the other one.

My dad entered the room, his arms folded, and he glared at me. I narrowed my eyes right back and waited to see why he’d brought me here.

“What did you mean you caught her trying to leave with the cop?” Savage asked, sinking into one of two leather chairs, the one I’d thought would be his. He sprawled, reminding me of a big jungle cat.

“Ty and I are getting married,” I said.

Savage tensed. “That right?”

“I didn’t tell her,” Dad said. “I should have, but I was biding my time.”

Savage arched an eyebrow. “That worked out well, didn’t it?”

The look they shared told me something was up. Why had my dad brought me here? What had he kept from me?

“Tell me what?” I asked.

“Casper VanHorne arranged for Savage to claim you as his old lady. You’re already promised to him, Mariah, so you can’t marry the damn cop.”

Author Harley Wylde:

Harley Wylde is the International Bestselling Author of the Dixie Reapers MC, Devil’s Boneyard MC, and Hades Abyss MC series.
When Harley’s writing, her motto is the hotter the better — off the charts sex, commanding men, and the women who can’t deny them. If you want men who talk dirty, are sexy as hell, and take what they want, then you’ve come to the right place. She doesn’t shy away from the dangers and nastiness in the world, bringing those realities to the pages of her books, but always gives her characters a happily-ever-after and makes sure the bad guys get what they deserve.

The times Harley isn’t writing, she’s thinking up naughty things to do to her husband, drinking copious amounts of Starbucks, and reading. She loves to read and devours a book a day, sometimes more. She’s also fond of TV shows and movies from the 1980’s, as well as paranormal shows from the 1990’s to today, even though she’d much rather be reading or writing.

You can find out more about Harley or enter her monthly giveaway on her website. Be sure to join her newsletter while you’re there to learn more about discounts, signing events, and other goodies!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter / TikTok

 

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Pixies In The Mist organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Rasta Musick will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and more chances to win.

Pixies In The Mist

by Rasta Musick

Pixies in the Mist by [Rasta Musick]

Synopsis

Jake had drifted to Japan without any serious intent, and it was going… okay. He had made friends in the local Salsa community, his Japanese was improving, but for Jake the familiar feeling that had dogged him most of his life—that something special should be happening—had struck again.

Kenneth had been assigned to Japan by the pixie queen years ago, which is just enough time for a pixie to get bored and complacent while keeping tabs on the local talent. Most humans had no magic, and most magical humans didn’t know it was their power that made their food taste better, their paintings more vibrant, or people like them more.

When the two met, the spark in Jake gave Kenneth’s role a new urgency. Jake didn’t just have magic, he had a wild and unpredictable kind seen only once in a generation. How could Kenneth keep Jake’s magic from falling into enemy hands? Kill him? Recruit him? Somehow keep him ignorant?

Jake’s magic had quietly led him to Japan, subtly influencing every choice in his life. That something special Jake had been waiting for was about to happen, ensuring his and Kenneth’s lives would never be boring again.

 

Check out this peek inside:

The cigarette smoke from other patrons was so thick it was visible, adding a haziness to the already dim lighting. Like a fog or mist. Jake squinted as he focused on the woman. She was drinking alone. Her hair cascaded in beautiful locks, and the ruby-red of her lips was tantalizing as she pursed them to drink from her glass. Despite her beauty, something else urged Jake to approach the woman. The sight of her sent a shock through his body. A voice in the back of his head told him that he’d always regret it if he didn’t take the chance to approach her.

Kenneth mentally cursed his slow reaction time and rushed to grab Jake’s shoulder before he got too far. “Yo, Jake. She’s bad news. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Jake waved off his warning. “Come on. It’s just a woman in a club. I’ll be fine. Besides, I’ve got a good feeling about this one.”

Jake turned to keep walking, and Kenneth had to resist the urge to wrestle him to the ground. Kenneth took a step forward. “You don’t get it. This isn’t a good idea. We need to leave.”

Kenneth grit his teeth as Jake shook his head. “I’m going to talk to her, that’s all. There’s something about her. I feel like I’ll regret this if I don’t do it.”

“Seriously, Jake. Let’s go somewhere else.” Kenneth grabbed Jake’s arm again, pulling him toward the door.

About Author Rasta Musick:

Rasta Musick spent the first 12 years of his life in California before moving to Japan with his family. After graduating from college with a Bachelor’s in economics at the age of 16, he spent the years after learning Japanese and working. Having spent more than half his life in Japan, he’s confident that it’s his home.

With many different hobbies, chief of them being Latin dance, he keeps himself physically active as well as mentally active as much as he can. The Latin dance community in Japan is alive and, surprisingly, quite large.

Rasta has lupus and hereditary coproporphyria. Given their complicated nature, he’s had to learn a lot to adapt and manage them. The process also taught him a lot about managing other aspects of his life, and all of this influences his writing.

Author page / Twitter

Buy Links: Amazon / B&N / Smashwords

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Giveaway

 

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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Playing Possum

A 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mystery

by Dane McCaslin

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Playing Possum (The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Lyrical Press (October 5, 2021)
Number of Pages: 300 (approx.)
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08SJ2VFHP

The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Service is purring along, thanks to the entrepreneurial talents of retired schoolteacher Gwen Franklin and her bestie and business partner, Nora Goldstein. But whenthe fur starts to fly, they become partners in crime detecting as well . . .

At Nora’s request, Gwen is happy to accompany her to a meeting with ex-hubby #3’s lawyer. Much to Nora’s surprise—and dismay—she’s been named executor of said ex’s will. The fact that the man has been missing for years and was just declared legally dead only makes an already complicated process more so. And besides, is he really dead? What’s not a surprise is that Nora’s twin ex-stepchildren are pressing for access to their father’s dry cleaning fortune . . .

With Gwen’s assist, it’s time for Nora to do a little digging. It turns out that the twins’ catering business is failing—and that their dad’s business was laundering more than clothing. Soon, Gwen and Nora are infiltrating a long list of dirty deeds, including fraud and illegal gains. And the perpetrators are all too close to home. The police may want Gwen and Nora to stick to their own line of work, but the pair are determined to make sure the truth comes out in the wash—before someone ends up in the discard bin . . .

About Dana McCaslin

McCaslin began a life-long love of mysteries at a very young age. She bypassed Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden and went straight for Agatha Christie, thanks to her mother’s library books. Dane is retired from a twenty-plus-year career in teaching high school and college English, and she uses her newfound freedom to read for pleasure, write mysteries, and smell the roses.

Author Links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads / BookBub

Purchase Links – AmazonB&NKobo Google Play

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 27 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

September 27 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

September 27 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – Mysteries with Character – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 28 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – GUEST POST

September 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST

September 30 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 30 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW*, GUEST POST

October 1 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

October 1 – Literary Gold – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 2 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

October 2 – Laura’s Interests – CHARACTER GUEST POST

October 3 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 3 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW, GUEST POST

October 4 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  

October 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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The Corpse In The Gazebo

A Food Blogger Mystery

by Debra Sennefelder

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The Corpse in the Gazebo (A Food Blogger Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Setting – Connecticut
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (September 28, 2021)
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496728939
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496728937
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08RWQYH54

Food blogging is turning Hope Early into a household name. But the dead body down the block makes her a #1 suspect . . .

 

It seems everyone loves Hope’s blog these days, and she’s busier than ever volunteering to help other women create their own paths to success. So she’s shocked when a neighbor petitions to run Hope right out of her small Connecticut town! Set in her ways, apparently Birdie Donovan doesn’t like the chaos Hope’s sleuthing creates, the police activity and crime scenes, and it’s happening way too often lately. Eager to make amends, Hope bakes Birdie a batch of her best muffins. The delicious treats might have smoothed things over—until Hope discovers Birdie dead in her gazebo the very next day . . .

 

Now instead of worrying about holding on to her beloved home, Hope is trying to stay out of jail. Because suddenly she’s the lead suspect in the case. Not even her boyfriend, Police Chief Ethan Cahill, is promising he can clear her name, much less discuss the investigation with her. It’s up to Hope to get to bake new ground on the case before the lifestyle brand she’s created—and her whole life—crumbles . . .

 

Includes Recipes from Hope’s Kitchen!

About Debra Sennefelder

Debra Sennefelder is an avid reader who reads across a range of genres, but mystery fiction is her obsession. Her interest in people and relationships is channeled into her novels against a backdrop of crime and mystery.

Her first novel, THE UNINVITED CORPSE (A Food Blogger mystery) was published in 2018.In addition to writing the Food Blogger mystery series, she writes the Resale Boutique Mystery series. When she’s not reading, she enjoys cooking and baking and as a former food blogger, she is constantly taking photographs of her food. Yeah, she’s that person.

Born and raised in New York City, where she majored in her hobby of fashion buying, she now lives and writes in Connecticut with her family. She’s worked in retail and publishing before becoming a full-time author. Her writing companion is her adorable and slightly spoiled Shih Tzu, Connie.

Author Links: Website / Newsletter / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram / BookBub

Purchase Links – AMAZON – BARNES & NOBLE – KENSINGTONKOBOGOOGLEINDIEBOUND

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 21 – Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 21 – Novels Alive – GUEST POST

September 22 – Cinnamon, Sugar, and a Little Bit of Murder – REVIEW, RECIPE

September 22 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT

September 23 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW

September 23 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 24 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 24 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 25 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, GUEST POST

September 25 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW

September 26 – Brooke Blogs – RECIPE POST

September 26 – Lisa Ks Book Review – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 27 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT

September 27 – I Read What You Write – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

September 28 – I’m All About Books – SPOTLIGHT

September 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT

September 29 – Christa Reads and Writes – SPOTLIGHT

September 30 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

September 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

October 1 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW

October 2 – Laura’s Interests – GUEST POST 

October 3 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – GUEST POST

October 3 – Reading Authors Network – SPOTLIGHT

October 4 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT  

October 4 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Friends to the End
C.L. Colyer
Publication date: September 27th 2021
Genres: Action, Adventure, Middle-Grade, Supernatural

Zach doesn’t believe in ghosts…but he should.

Twelve-year-old Zach is convinced he’ll never be happy without his best friend Jeremy by his side. But both of their lives changed with a bang five months ago, and as far as Zach’s concerned, it’s his fault Jeremy will never see his twelfth birthday.

When Zach moves with his family to a Chicago suburb, he quickly becomes friends with a group of thrill-seeking kids trying to find a disappearing haunted house. But Zach’s not worried. He doesn’t believe in ghosts, so he follows them into a wild, dangerous encounter that becomes a battle to decide what’s real and what’s not.

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Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“We were going to look for the ghost house.” Dom adjusted the faded NY Yankees baseball cap he wore. “But Morgan has to be home by five.”

“We’ll never make it there and back in time, and we never leave a man behind,” Josh added, dropping a backpack on the grass next to him. It landed with a clunk.

“Ghost house?” I repeated, picturing a boarded-up, decrepit building built during the Civil War or something.

“Haven’t you heard the stories?” Josh asked, eyes wide in amazement.

I shook my head.

Dom walked over to our open garage, grabbed my skateboard out of one of the boxes, and said, “It’s known as the disappearing house.”

My bewildered gaze slithered from Dom to Josh, finally coming to a stop on Morgan as I tried to decide if they were crazy.

“If the house is invisible, how do you expect to find it?” I asked.

Morgan sat on the stoop next to me. “It’s not always invisible. My brothers saw it once. They said it’s a big house with a long porch. It vanished before they could set foot on the first step, and I’m glad, too.”

“Why? What would have happened if they were on the steps?” I asked. Not because I believed an old ghost story had any truth to it, but I was curious to know what she’d say.

Morgan had to pick her jaw up from the walkway before she could answer, and when she did her voice came out in a high-pitched squeak. “If they had been on the porch or worse—” she swallowed loudly “—inside, they would have disappeared with it.”

“That’s a myth,” Dom said as he rode the skateboard down the driveway.

“It is not!” Morgan shot back.

“Come on, how is a solid person going to disappear?” Dom asked from the sidewalk.

“The same way the house does! Duh!” Morgan shook her head as if Dom was the loony one.

“Isn’t the whole thing…um…you know…a myth?” I asked. There were no such things as ghosts, and buildings didn’t just go poof and disappear into thin air. “I mean, you don’t really believe in—”

“The house is real, dude,” Josh said.

“And we’re going inside of it.” Dom did an Ollie, lifting all wheels of the skateboard off the ground.

“No, we’re not!” Morgan shook her head as if that reinforced what she’d said. A dark auburn curl snuck out from under her baseball cap.
“We are,” Josh confirmed.
I was with Dom and Josh. Not the part about believing in disappearing houses, but if one happened to exist and I managed to find it, I’d want to see inside of it, too.

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Author C. L. Colyer

Professional network technician by day, novelist by night, Cherie lives a quiet life in the Chicago suburbs with her charming husband. She has four amazing sons who she loves dearly. Cherie magically weaves together stories with a paranormal twist. She’s the author of the Embrace series (Embrace, Hold Tight, and Entwined), Challenging Destiny, Damned When I Didn’t, and Friends to the End. She waltzes into the adult novel world with this enchanting holiday romance, Merry Little Wishing Spritz.

She happily visits schools, libraries, and book clubs, and is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children Book Writers and Illustrators).

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

GIVEAWAY!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Mistle Text: ‘Twas the Text Before Christmas …
Whitney Dineen & Melanie Summers
(An Accidentally in Love Story, #5)
Publication date: September 25th 2021
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance

Twas the text before Christmas…

Twenty-eight-year-old Holly Snow is the only mother her four-year-old niece remembers. Three years earlier, when her sister and brother-in-law were killed, Holly’s dream of becoming an international flight attendant was put on hold so she could be home for baby Faith. Holly is doing everything she can to keep the rent paid, including working as an online travel agent, filing medical claims, and cleaning apartments in her building. When her friend Maggie tells her that her boss needs someone to buy his Christmas gifts, she leaps at the opportunity.

Tall, dark and Scroogy, investment banker, Archibald Harrington is too busy to do his own Christmas shopping. When his assistant tells him she knows of a professional shopper, he happily checks another dreaded task off his holiday list. The last thing Archie is expecting is for his hired elf to text him insistently to find out more about the people on list. The last thing Holly expects is to develop feelings for grumpy man who’s stealing her Christmas spirit.

Will there be a Holiday miracle, or will Holly and Archie miss their chance at love? Find out in the fifth installment of the Accidentally in Love Series.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Check out this peek inside:

“My boss needs a personal shopper for Christmas, and I’ve already told him I know the very best one in Manhattan.” Toni gives me an open-mouthed smile, clearly expecting me to jump up and down.

“Your boss. As in Archibald Snooty Pants the Forty-Second?” I ask, pursing my lips.

She opens her mouth, but I cut her off with one finger in the air. “You complain about the man all the time.”

“It’s not like he’s a horrible person, he’s just a one trick pony—all work and no play. Plus, it’s not like you’ll have to work side-by-side with him or anything. You probably won’t even have to see him.”

“I’m not a personal shopper,” I tell her. “Unless his family and friends want ramen noodles or discount t-shirts from the guy who sells them out of his trunk in front of my apartment building, I would have no idea what to buy.”

“Yeah, well, Archie doesn’t know that.” She pumps her eyebrows up and down like a comedian.

“Toni, you told me the guy was a rich stuck-up preppy from the Hamptons. While I would love nothing more than to make some extra money, I don’t have the foggiest notion how to shop for rich people.”

“So watch some holiday episodes of Real Housewives and see what they buy each other. He’ll tell you how much to spend on each person. Come on, Holl, it’s not brain surgery. It’s shopping. You know how to shop. And you need the money.”

“What if he hates me?” I despise feeling so pathetic, but I’m totally out of my league here.

“Then he hates you. So what? Believe me when I tell you, Archibald Harrington only thinks about work. You can’t take anything he says personally.”

Dread slams into me like a wrecking ball. “How much do you think I can make?”

“Enough to pay for Christmas and at least the next three months of Faith’s preschool tuition. How can you pass that up?”

The answer is, I can’t. And if it means working for a cranky billionaire, then Toni is right. I’ll do whatever I have to do in order to take care of Faith. I just can’t guarantee I’ll like it.

“Fine,” I tell her. “How many gifts am I supposed to buy?”

“He’ll need all of his family gifts, which include his godfather’s family. He’s spending Christmas with them in Newport. He wants you to cover his business gifts, as well. The VIPs are starred, meaning those particular gifts need to be extra-amazing. I’ve also made you a list of everything that I want, so I don’t wind up with another Monte Blanc pen. I’ve already sold three of those suckers on eBay and I only get a fraction of what they’re worth.”

“I don’t even know what a Monte Blanc pen is.” My chest tightens like I’m not getting enough oxygen.

She hands me a piece of paper. “This is a list of websites to check out. You can order everything and have it delivered here.”

“Why can’t I just have everything sent to his office? What am I going to do with it?”

After taking a healthy swig of white zinfandel, Toni says, “You’re going to wrap everything up and make it look like Santa himself cracked the whip on the gift-wrapping elves. Once you have everything purchased and ready, I’ll send a car to pick the gifts up.”

“You’ll send a car, will you?” I tease.

“Yeah, well, I can do those fancy things in the name of my boss.”

“How am I going to pay for everything?” I ask. “I have about two hundred dollars of credit left on my card. I don’t think that’s going to cut it.”

Toni opens her purse and hands me a shiny black credit card. “There’s no limit, so if you don’t mind doing a little jail time, you could have a lot of fun.”

“No limit? I can’t imagine such a thing.” I fantasize about what damage I could do with plastic like this. Not only could I pay for Faith’s school for the rest of the year, but I could also get my mom into one of those nursing homes that has a hair salon and restaurant. I could upgrade to a two-bedroom apartment so Faith doesn’t have to sleep in the closet anymore, and I could even splurge and buy myself some real leather gloves.

“You’re imagining, aren’t you?” Toni jolts me out of my daydream.

“I most certainly am. The first thing I’d do is buy Faith whatever winter coat she wanted and then I’d take her out to a nice restaurant.”

Toni rolls her eyes. “If you’re going down for a crime, you’ve got to think bigger.”

I stare at the card for a second, then look back up at Toni. “How can you stand working for someone who has so much? Don’t you just want to steal cash out of his wallet once in a while?” I don’t really have the heart of a felon, I’m just tired of always being broke.

“The nice thing about Archie is that even though he has the personality of a killer shark, he’s generous. He has a Friday lunch catered for his staff every week, and he makes sure to float us enough extras that none of us are tempted to steal from him. He’s a good businessman.”

“Even though he’s a stuck-up preppy?” I ask for clarification.

“Exactly.”

I look at the list of stores she thinks I should shop at—Tiffany’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Harrods, The House of Bijan … “What’s my budget?”

She hands me another piece of paper. The handwriting isn’t hers, so I’m guessing it’s Archie’s. “He wants me to spend four thousand dollars on his mother?!”

“Yup. He wants her to have two gifts. One of them needs to be the main. The other can be fancy ass chocolates or something.”

“Right, but probably not gas station chocolates.”

“Quit stressing, Holls, you’ve got this.”

I don’t know why, but for the life of me I can’t see this ending well…

Author Bio:

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries — not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Author links:

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Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally – then she’ll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for ‘K’ Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn’t require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she’s not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken ‘from above’. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something–more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

Author links:

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The Grove
Karri Thompson
Publication date: September 21st 2021
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Entering the woods is forbidden. To go in can mean a fate worse than death. At least that’s what seventeen-year-old Laura has been told. But living in a new town with nothing to do, she ignores her mother’s dire warnings and explores the forest near her home.

The trees entice Laura deeper into the woods. A mysterious, soothing voice calls her name, and she becomes lost. When a young man finds her, she thinks she’s saved. But he insists their meeting is more than a coincidence. For centuries, his colony has been waiting for a savior. With his alluring eyes and gentle smile, Laura almost believes his crazy story.

Caught between worlds, and with her life at stake, she doesn’t know who to believe or trust. Her heart tells her one thing and her head another.

Is it her destiny, or will her fate only postpone the inevitable?

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

Enjoy this peek inside:

The hair on my arms rose. My heart thumped hard, the blood pulsing through my chest into my throat. Looking left and right, my muscles tensed to run or fight.

“Who’s there? What do you want?” I said at the same low whisper, my voice shaking.

A shimmering blur disappeared behind a tree—a featureless something, flashing in indistinguishable color as quickly as a silent whip.

“Laura,” someone said again, gentle and feather-light, drifting between the largest trees in front of me.

I held my breath.

“Laura.” My name resonated through the humid night air, echoing through the sugar maples before it thinned and died.

It was a male voice, full- bodied, but lacking malevolence and hostility. Strangely, it put me at ease. There must be a boy somewhere out here in the woods. I was sure of it. The voice sounded young, maybe my age of seventeen.

Or maybe it was a ghost. My Uncle Dean had told me the locals believed these woods were haunted. But ghosts couldn’t kill. At least that’s what I believed.

“Who are you?” I asked, relaxing my stiff muscles just enough to take a step forward. My shoulders dropped as I exhaled a pent-up breath. Broadening my stance, I leaned forward, raising the branch, and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to hear it again.

“Laura,” it repeated. The word lingered through the dead of night, ringing softly in my ears. I opened my eyes.

“How do you know my name?” I asked, moving toward the direction of the voice. As a cool breeze rustled my pajama shorts, I wrapped one arm around myself.

A bird chirp rode the wind, followed by several more, weaving into a rhythm of tweets and trills. I looked up. Within the tousle of leaves and sway of thin limbs, perched a gathering of birds, flexing their wings for flight.

I took a step backwards, my eyes fixed on the canopy of leaves.

The bird calls increased, one squawk overlapping the other until their unique melody collapsed, twisting into an eerie song and wing beats.

“A–are you still there?” I breathed, eyeing the woods ahead of me and taking another step back.

A smear of color flashed to my left, and a cloud of leaves rose from the forest floor.

“Don’t go,” I said, breaking from a whisper.

The woods resonated with angry bird speak, their unnatural song thumping in my ears.

“I want to see you,” I shouted above the rising mad twitter.

A shadow skated across the ground at my feet. Wings flapped overhead, and a bird beak met my scalp with a hard peck.

Author Karri Thompson:

Karri Thompson, a native of San Diego, attended San Diego State University where she earned her bachelor’s degree in English and master’s degree in education. When she’s not writing novels and teaching high school English, she can be found nerding out at San Diego Comic-Con and cooking delicious meals for her family. Karri is the recipient of the San Diego Book Awards Best Published Young Adult Novel for 2014.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

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What Happens in Denver

by Liz Crowe

Genre: Humorous Contemporary Romance

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Meet Andi Rigby. She and her husband own a famous bar. Andi can mix a cocktail, change a beer keg, soothe ruffled customers, and drink you under the table. Life is good until the day she finds herself divorced and unemployed. After a suitable period of ice-cream and whiskey infused mourning, she heads to a beer conference in Denver on a mission to rediscover her joy and find a new job.

Between fielding gossip, saving a drunk woman from herself, and dodging a hot but ill-advised boozy hookup, the weekend leads to a few surprises. She ends up employed with an unexpected bonus—a new friend. Oh, and the guy she kissed? Turns out her new job includes selling his brewery’s beer. No big deal. Except the bit about him being practically perfect for her at a moment she’s determined to focus on her own success.

A story of new friends, fresh starts, and a side order of romance served up with a nice cold pint.

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Add to Goodreads

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While delivering a mental lecture about this being not my business and I needed to get some sleep anyway, I saw his lips move but couldn’t hear a damn thing over the din of the place. When his female companion jumped up and threw her napkin down on the table, she almost plowed backward right into me. She wobbled on her teetering high heels, then lurched away and straight into a waiter, whose tray was loaded with salads heavy on kale and entrees heavy on marrow.

I reached out and caught her arm. She was blotto, that much was clear at this close distance. Little Burke Brother—Michael, I recalled—stayed seated, his expression blank during this whole exercise.

Jerk.

A bizarre surge of protectiveness came over me. I took her arm and guided her down the steps. Once we hit the fresh air, she revived enough to peel away from me, drop to her hands and knees, and puke on the sidewalk.

As I held her hair back like some kind of sorority sister, the substantial foot traffic gave us a wide berth, most of them without comment. It was Craft Beer Convention time in Denver. Puking humans were more common than weed stores, at least for a day or two.

While I waited for her to wrap up her worship at the cement altar, I summoned a ride on my phone app, realizing too late I had no idea where she was staying. She probably had a two-star room with a DNA soaked bed and a lovely view of the dumpster, like me. I got a warm, sisterly feeling about her.

I waited while she spit, then rose to her feet.

“Take those off already,” I said, pointing to the black patent leather heels. She did. Her eyes rolled around in their sockets. Her lollipop of a head didn’t want to stay upright. I plunked us down on a conveniently placed sidewalk bench—gotta love Denver—and waited, not sure which would come first, the ride or the second round of the happy hurls.

Luckily, it was the ride.

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Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville living in Central Illinois. She’s spent her time as a three-continent expat trailing spouse, mom of three, real estate agent, brewery owner and bar manager, and is currently a social media consultant and humane society development director, in addition to being an award-winning author. With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, inside fictional television stations and successful real estate offices, and even in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are compelling and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, at times frustrate, and always linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

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Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * TikTok * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Bly tour banner

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Today is my post during the blog tour for Bly by Kelsey Ketch. Bly is a standalone contemporary fantasy book with mystery and horror.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 20 September till 1 October. You can see the tour schedule here.

Bly

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By Kelsey Ketch

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Bly book cover

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Genre: Contemporary Fantasy/ Ghost Story

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Age category: New Adult
Release Date: 22 September, 2021

Synopsis

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I left the United States to find inner peace. Instead, I find myself confronting a malicious ghost.

Astyr Salt is a spiritual and emotional empath who moved to England with the intent to forget about a traumatic, supernatural event that occurred during her freshman year of college. However, when she takes a spiritual cleansing assignment in a haunted country home in Essex, she is isolated with all her own pent-up emotions.

These emotions energize the ghosts inhabiting the country home, helping them draw their own tragedies to the surface. Searching for the truth, Astyr is forced to relive the past. And the deeper she dives into the country home’s horrific history, the more the intertwined memories place her in the path of an evil and demented predator.

A blend of contemporary fantasy, horror, and mystery, Bly is inspired by Henry James’s classic novella, The Turn of the Screw.

Links:
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Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Apple
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Check out this peek inside:

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My dream from the past several nights continues to haunt my every waking moment. My mind recalling the few details I can remember of the strange, old mansion. The structure consists of unusual hallways that lead to lavish rooms and staircases that dead end at the ceilings or lay sideways along the walls and floors. It reminds me of the Winchester Mystery House in San José, California combined with a M. C. Escher print. In the dream, I wander aimlessly, searching for Nolyn. I never really see Nolyn in the dream, except a glimpse at the very end, where he looks like a ghost. Meanwhile, a presence hovers around my shoulders and neck, hindering my search until I finally reach a dead end. A dark room.
For most, this would just be a repeating nightmare. Many blowing it off as an indicator of stress or anxiety over a possible budding relationship—like my friend and business partner, Kenya. Not for me. Dreams like this tend to be prophesies, and eventually, manifest in the real world. I had a dream repeatedly back in the United States, while I was working at my old job. Three months after I met my office crush, I started having dreams about him. In the dreams, we were sitting at one of the break room tables, trying to get away from the office Christmas party. He was talking about his baby girl and how he was trying to talk his wife into having a second child. At some point, his words became nothing but noise. Yet the words “you’re a great friend” still echoed vividly in my mind. Six months later, in real life, he’d married another woman in our office. And just recently, he announced the birth of their first child on Facebook—a baby girl.
At least those were happy dreams of a happy future, even if it didn’t involve me. As for my current dreams involving Nolyn, I’m concerned. In them, Nolyn is lost, and some force is preventing me from finding him. I wish I had more details. Anything to pinpoint a time or place of the event. Yet, like a labyrinth, it’s all muddled. I can’t find a clear path or any clues that might reveal Nolyn’s location. I’ve tried my seeing bowl, tarot cards, and my psychic tea blends. Nothing has helped.
Only time holds the key.
Returning to reality, I check the clock on the barren, brown wall of the office suite. It’s been an hour since I sat down in one of the stiff, cherry-red upholstered chairs. Half an hour since Mr. Hellings’s administrative assistant, Ms. Poole, placed some tea on the solid oak coffee table. Twinings English Breakfast. Steeped for five minutes in a warm tea pot. No milk. Just a hint of sugar to mellow out the robust flavor. Nolyn would’ve given me that seductive snicker of his if he heard the thoughts in my head right now. He knows I have a passion for tea, which amuses him. But knowing tea is a part of my business. Only my tea blends are meant for the promotion of emotional and spiritual healing, as well as other aspects of life: love, success, psychic awareness. As a practicing witch, the tea pot is my cauldron and the herbs are my special ingredients. Yet Nolyn, as much as he humors me, doesn’t believe in magic. Nor ghosts. Nor spiritual energy. In fact, Nolyn would think this meeting a joke and a waste of time. Especially, if my potential client causes me to be late for my lunch date with him.

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Bly teaser

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About Author Kelsey Ketch:

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Kelsey
Kelsey Ketch is a young-adult/new-adult author, who works as a Wildlife Biologist and Data Analyst. During her free time, she can often be found working on her latest work in progress. She also enjoys history, mythology, traveling, and reading.

For more information, please visit her site at kelseyketch.com.

Author Links:
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Newsletter
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Goodreads
Amazon
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Giveaway

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There is a tour wide giveaway during the blog tour for Bly. These are the prizes you can win:
– a signed copy of Bly and a lavender wand (US Only)
– 10 ecopies of Bly – through Bookfunnel (International)

You can see what the lavender wand looks like here.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

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Bly square tour banner

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Love Over Kpop organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Marilyn Vix will award a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter at the end of the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour and more chances to win.

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What is Vella? A Rundown of the New Platform for Readers

What is Vella? It’s a new reading platform by Amazon available through their website or the Kindle iOS app. It works very similar to other online serial platforms like Wattpad and Radish, with a coin or token pay system to unlock episodes. Each story has 3 FREE episodes to get the flavor of the story, and then can be unlocked further after purchasing tokens. The tokens can be purchased in different packages, with more given for the more expensive bundles.

Paid episodes are priced by word count. For example, 3500 words in an episode would be 35 tokens. The word limit on Vella per episode is 600 to 5,000 words. So, no episode can be more than 50 tokens or at the very least, 6 tokens. When logging into Amazon’s website or through the iOS app, you can get 200 free tokens to start reading. You can follow stories and like individual episodes. After purchasing your first bundle of tokens, you are awarded a weekly “Fav” which you can bestow on your favorite story you’ve read that week. The likes, favs and follows all help stories become more visible in the system like many other platforms.

The fastest and easiest way to find stories are to follow direct links to them. Each story is assigned an ASIN, but I have found that search abilities on Vella can be hard to isolate. The easiest way to find Vella stories by your favorite author is by doing a search with their author name, a combination of their story title and their author name, or just the story name. Seaching for just Vella doesn’t seem to bring up much yet. But the system is still new, and things are being sorted out daily as the platform gets more use.

To find “Love Over Kpop” by Marilyn Vix:

• Search for Marilyn Vix, Love Over Kpop Marilyn Vix, or Love Over Kpop

• Use the direct story link https://www.amazon.com/Love-Over-Kpop/dp/B0945ZBBSH

• Pick up your 200 FREE TOKENS!

• READ THE FIRST 3 EPISODES FOR FREE!

• Follow and “Fav” to stay on top of new episodes posted weekly.

-Marilyn Vix

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Synopsis

Trish Russo has just started a job at an agency in LA that is paired with a Korean agency to help with managing the band, Friends5, in the States. But the finicky Woo In-ho won’t come out of his trailer to film the current music video. Trish is asked, as the new assistant, to talk to him. She tries to talk to him like a regular person. He responds to the normal treatment, but on one condition. She needs to help out and be in the video. What is a girl to do when a gorgeous K-pop Idol asks you to be in his video? Then, she reads the scene she is to appear in. There’s a scripted kiss. Will it all just be acting? Or will she let her feelings get entangled with In-ho threatening her new career?

 

About Author Marilyn Vix:

Marilyn is a paranormal romance novelist. She enjoys the characters that just don’t fit in. From witches to time traveling researchers, she is letting her imagination soar to explore new worlds and write all the details down. Marilyn has traveled to Paris, London, Sydney, and Munich. She loves to include these in her settings as much as can allow. Best of all is letting her reader enjoy them through the perspective of a character. Here love for K-pop has produced her current rock star/K-pop romance project, Love Over Kpop, available on Kindle Vella. She currently lives in Northern California with her husband and cat. The cat, of course, is the center of attention.

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Vella

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For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

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I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.