Archive for the ‘Adult Fiction’ Category

The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find any sentence, or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

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I crossed my arms under my breasts, which was a mistake, because they almost fell out. The way Dante’s gaze zeroed in, he was thinking the same thing. God, I hated this outfit. I uncrossed my arms and awkwardly leaned against the wall to glare at Dante. He wasn’t a demon. He wasn’t human.

“What are you?”

Dante’s smile widened and showed his extra sharp, elongated canines. “I could ask you the same thing, little vampire.”

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Dark Cravings

By Madeline Pryce 

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As a half-breed vampire, Ella Grey’s life sucks. She does her best to pass the time killing demons and secretly admiring her Shadow Hunter partner, Micah. He’s hot, dangerous and knows it. He’d be just Ella’s type if he weren’t likely to kill her the moment she put a toe out of line.

A chance encounter with a succubus changes everything. From the second the succubus’s spell washes over them, Ella and Micah are helpless to keep their hands off one another. The sex, when it’s not leaving them on the verge of death, is earth shattering and for the first time in ages Ella is connected with someone on a level she’d feared lost forever. But a dangerous prophecy has been set into motion, and if Ella’s not careful it’ll pull her straight from Micah’s arms and into the deepest bowels of the underworld.

A Romantica® Paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave

Publisher’s Note: This book was previously published under the title Blood Lust Rising. It has been revised and expanded for EC.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Before we get to the cover reveal and giveaway for Living With The Dead, I thought I’d show ya’ll the first two books in this most excellent series. Get ya warmed up and those endorphins flowing for the revealing. Check them out!

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Amazon / B&N / Amazon UK

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Amazon / B&N / Amazon UK

Go HERE for my 5 STAR reviews of both of these!

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And now for Living With The Dead!

Book #3 of The Famished Trilogy ~ Coming Soon!

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Synopsis

For three years, life is strenuous for Kansas Moore as she travels with her team and saves more people from the clutches of the revolutionists. On the downtime, they bide time by constructing and enlisting for their own cause.

When the general assigns her to search for a missing loved one, she turns to the team and what they find overturns everything they’ve learned so far.

In this dramatic conclusion of the Famished Trilogy, things are not what they seem and comfortable living is far from reach.

***This book contains graphic violence, intense language, sexual situations, drug use, and is intended for a mature audience.***

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About Annie Walls

AnnieWalls

Annie Walls writes dark and urban fantasy outside of Nashville, TN. She’s currently earning her BA in English with a concentration in writing. Being a horror buff and a zombie apocalypse enthusiast is only the start of what makes her tick.

Links

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Facebook Fan Page ~ Twitter

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Giveaway: An ARC of Living With The Dead

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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WWW Wednesday

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Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

Red Riding Hood Gets Lost

Grimmtastic Girls #2

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams  

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Synopsis

Red Riding Hood might have a terrible sense of direction, but her grimmtastic friends are always there to help!

Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia…

Red Riding Hood is thrilled to try out for the school play. Acting is her dream, and she’s great at it–too bad she has stage fright! After a grimmiserable audition, Red decides to focus on helping her friends Cinda, Snow, and Rapunzel save Grimm Academy from the E.V.I.L. Society. But when Red gets lost in Neverwood forest and runs into Wolfgang, who might be part of E.V.I.L., she needs her magic basket and a grimmazingly dramatic performance to figure out what’s going on!

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What did you recently finishing reading?

Cinderella Stays Late

Grimmtastic Girls #1 

by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams 

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Synopsis

The authors of the hit Goddess Girls series put a fun and girly twist on another super-popular theme: fairy tales!

Once upon a time, in faraway Grimmlandia…

A Grimmtastic girl named Cinderella is starting her first week at Grimm Academy on the wrong foot. Cinda’s totally evil stepsisters are out to make her life miserable. The Steps tease Cinda, give her terrible advice about life at the academy, and even make her look bad in front of her new friends, Red, Snow, and Rapunzel! But when Cinda overhears the Steps plotting a villainous deed that could ruin Prince Awesome’s ball, Cinda, her new friends, and a pair of magical glass slippers have to stop them–before the last stroke of midnight!

 

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Screamscapes

by Evans Light 

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I’ve read many of these stories as individual publications but there are a few new ones I’m dying to read.
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 Screamscapes: Tales of Terror – A new collection showcasing the dark fiction of  Evans Light.The SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION is signed and numbered, limited to 250 copies. available exclusively from THE LIGHT BROTHERS Book Store at: www.evans-light.com/book-store“If you love writers like Joe Hill, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson or Joe R. Lansdale, you owe it to yourself to give Evans Light a try…this new voice on the scene packs enough inventive storytelling twists to delight even the most jaded fans of horror and suspense.”

Screamscapes: Tales of Terror is a modern collection of uniquely twisted tales for even the most jaded horror fan!

Packed with short stories and novellas that encompass everything from TALES FROM THE CRYPT-style mayhem and razor-sharp scares to the poetically eerie supernatural, with a healthy dose of pitch black humor, Screamscapes: Tales of Terror is sure to become a new favorite.

THIS COLLECTION INCLUDES:

Crawlspace

Fooling around on your wife can be hazardous to your health.
Jusk ask Tom. He’s a man with a lot to juggle: a frustrated wife, a secret new girlfriend, and the unpleasant task of trying to keep his deteriorating vintage farmhouse from falling down around him.
Now with his wife out of town for the week, Tom is eager to get busy under the covers with his beautiful new lover – but first there’s something he has to finish up in…the Crawlspace.

Whatever Possessed You?

A strange encounter and a cryptic message leaves Gerard Faust a changed man. Now a novel he can’t remember writing is burning up the sales charts, but is something other than his own talent lurking within?

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When a band of westward pioneers – lost, starving, and desperate -stumbles upon an unlikely oasis in the middle of a barren prairie, Micah wonders if his family has finally caught a lucky break…or does this new Garden of Eden hide a forgotten terror behind a veil of earthly delights?

Curtains for Love

When Claire and James move into a beautiful Victorian home together, she soon discovers that he is being seduced by a secret from his past, one thought buried long ago.

Gertrude

“Tell me something interesting about yourself.”
“Well, I have a symbiotic twin named Gertrude. She lives in a small cavity under my ribcage, next to my spleen. If I lie still in bed at night, I can hear her. I think she might be crying.”
So begins this short twisted tale where an obvious lie faces off with the truth.

Black Door

William and his brothers are on their way to summer camp. But when a wrong turn leads them to an abandoned campground, things start to get weird in this nail-biting and suspenseful short story.

The Mole People Beneath the City

Late at night in the subway, a little girl and her father wait for a train that runs deep beneath New York City. It will be a ride they never forget.

Pay Back

Stephen Hill has been heaping abuse on poor Joe King since second grade.
Now they’re grown men with nothing in common, and Joe still patiently endures Stephen’s unrelenting ridicule. But when friendship is only a matter of perspective, PAY BACK might be just around the corner in this irreverent and darkly humorous tale of revenge.

Nose Hears

A man thinks he might be losing his mind when he starts to hear voices inside of his nose.

The Package

When a world-famous personality discovers there’s a way to enlarge his “package” to become the world’s biggest, he finds it an opportunity too enormous to resist.

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So, whatcha readin?

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I’m sure you’ve seen A.M. Hargrove and her books on my blog before.

She’s a favorite author and I’ve read all of her books except her newest one.

No matter what genre she writes, I fall for her characters.

Now that I’ve read Tragic Desires, I’ve gotten to to know Gemini and Drexel and I’m looking forward to telling you about them.

 Check out the smexy new cover art. Drexel is looking fine.

And don’t forget to enter the amazing giveaway from the author.

She’s celebrating in a big way!

You have a chance to win a $150 Amazon Gift Card (International)

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February 2014

My Review

If you’ve read Tragically Flawed, you may remember Drexel. If not, you won’t forget him after reading Tragic Desires.

Gemini ignores her boyfriends concerns and takes her mountain bike on the trails alone. The water softened path gives way and sends her tumbling down the hill. She survives, but her concussion leaves her with headaches that are so severe, she can no longer function and she turns to alcohol and pills to get through each day. After her boyfriend breaks up with her she has no reason to stay and moves back to Texas. Her life is a living hell and she establishes a pattern. Curl up and hide during the day, cruise the bars at night, make her drug connection, go home and crash, repeat.

Drexel is a private investigator and agrees to help out his friend from the FBI with a suspected human trafficking case. While casing a bar in the Dirty Sixth district for a likely victim, he spots Gemini and keeps an eye on her. When the traffickers snatch her, he rescues her but it turns out someone else is after her too.

Gemini was a strong, self-confident, go – getter before her accident. At first I thought her actions when Drexel rescued her would foolhardy, not believable. But I was talking to my sister and it made me pause. She’s not that person anymore. She’s gone from fearless to afraid to even drive a car. She’s in a fog from pain and meds and who would be able to react rationally with that going on.

Drexel turned me off at first. His thoughts when he first meets Gemini were sexual and it rubbed me wrong. He’s supposed to be preventing her kidnapping and he’s thinking about getting her in bed? What’s with that? Then I realized I was reading this from a man’s point of view. They say a guy thinks about sex every….well, when isn’t he? So once I adjusted my thinking, it worked and I let myself experience Drexel as a man, not how I would think, but how he thought. Then he grew on me.

With terrorists determined to get their hands on Gemini, her mysterious past and a letter from her dead mother revealing something that rocks her to her core, and Drexel’s troubling past, the romance between these two was intense. They say sex is a natural reaction after traumatic events and these two were already attracted to each other so keeping their hands to themselves went out the window. It made this story that much more believable and exciting.

This is definitely not for younger readers. I was blushing and feeling like I was going to get caught doing something naughty, like peeking through a keyhole.

Lots of suspense and danger to go with the romance and can be read as a stand alone. As usual I got more than I was expecting from A.M. Hargrove.

5 STARS

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Synopsis

My name is Gemini Sheridan. At least that’s what I thought it was for 23 years. Then one day a slight adjustment on the wheel of my mountain bike set into motion a series of catastrophic events that changed my life forever. Now I’m running from the headaches that threaten to destroy me… from the assassins that threaten to kill me… from the truth that exposes who I really am… and from the man that wants to save me. Because he now owns my heart and I fear him above all others.

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My name is Drexel Wolfe and I’m a private investigator. Nothing ever stands in the way of what I want because when I see something I just take it. All of that changed the night my life collided with Gemini Sheridan’s and now everything is one hot damn mess. And the worst part of it all is that I’m trying to save her ass and I don’t know why the hell I’m even bothering. Well, that’s not exactly true. Fact is, I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s crawled into every thought I own, asleep or awake. I have serious plans for her that include making her mine. What she doesn’t know is that when I play, I play for keeps. Nothing and no one will get in my way or stop me… not even Gemini Sheridan herself.

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Author A.M. Hargrove

A.M. Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window.  She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job.  Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Author Links:

Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Buy Links:

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$150 Amazon Gift Card

An International Giveaway!

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Choose the Voice of Sydney Rye
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Sydney Rye is coming to Audio and we need your help picking the narrator!

Emily Kimelman’s “Sydney Rye” series features a strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. It is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don’t mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!

Haven’t read Sydney Rye yet? Download the first book, UNLEASHED, for free on Amazon, iTunes, B&N, or Kobo and see how she sounds in your head then vote for the best narrator!

Voting enters you to win all sorts of great prizes including Amazon gift cards, signed books, and the finished Audio book! Add to your chances of winning by joining Emily’s email list, liking her Facebook page, or telling your friends about the contest. The Rafflecopter is at the end of this post.

Here are your choices:

The code to listen to each artist is below along with their bio.

Emily Strong

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Bio: Emily Strong is an actor, voiceover talent, and first time filmmaker. As a native of Michigan, she is a nature-lover at heart but has the mind of a city girl and moved to Chicago nearly three years ago because she wasn’t smart enough to go somewhere warmer. She takes full advantage of what the city has to offer by training at legendary places like The Second City and eating lots and lots of ethnic food (will travel all the way across the city to Pilsen for the best tacos!). Her love of reading was the catalyst for her adventurous spirit and the reason why she is always stoked to tell stories in their many different forms.

You can visit her at www.emilystrong.net

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Erin Jones

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Bio: Erin has narrated over 500 audio books including “The Hunger Games” trilogy for The National Library Services/Library Of Congress, “A State Of Wonder,” The Garden Of The Beasts,” “Anna Karenina,” “Ferdinand The Bull, and “Madeline.”

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Sonja Field

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Bio: Sonja has two loves: acting and reading. Narrating audiobooks is her absolute passion. She has logged over 600 hours recording textbooks with an organization called Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, and is currently in the process of recording a kids’ action-fantasy-adventure novel, a steamy and mysterious paranormal romance, and a non-fiction about writing. She loves nothing more than bringing vivid worlds and unique characters to life. When she’s not recording, Sonja can be found onstage, traipsing around Brooklyn, or entertaining children with a variety of dubious accents.

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Erica Newhouse

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Bio: Erica Newhouse is a film, televesion and theater actor living in New York City. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

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More about UNLEASHED:

UNLEASHED is the first book in Emily Kimelman’s best selling Sydney Rye series of mysteries.

When the series begins Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller’s dog-walking business on Manhattan’s exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet environment, minimal contact with people.

But then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say Charlene was having an affair with the victim–and of course, everyone assumes Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to come her way.

When police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred spirit–cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the secrets of Manhattan’s elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.

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The Rest of The Sydney Rye Series:

DEATH IN THE DARK (A Sydney Rye Novella, #2)

INSATIABLE (A Sydney Rye Novel, #3)

STRINGS OF GLASS (A Sydney Rye Novel, #4)

THE DEVIL’S BREATH (A Sydney Rye Novel, #5) Coming April 2014

Emily Kimelman Biography

Emily Kimelman is the author of the best sellunleashed Emily (author photo)ing “Sydney Rye” series of mystery novels including UNLEASHED, DEATH IN THE DARK, INSATIABLE, STRINGS OF GLASS and the forthcoming THE DEVIL’S BREATH. Emily lives with her husband, Sean Gilvey, and their dog, Kinsey Millhone “Pup Detective”, on a trawler docked in the Hudson Valley during the summer. She spends her winters traveling to where ever the next Sydney Rye Novel takes place. Right now she is in Costa Rica working on Sydney Rye #6.

If you’ve read Emily’s work and liked it please contact her. She loves hearing from readers. You can reach Emily via email ejkimelman@gmail.com or on twitter @ejkimelman. Follow her on Instagram to see pictures from Emily’s latest adventures. Visit www.emilykimelman.com to learn more about Emily and the Sydney Rye series.

Links:

UNLEASHED

Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords ~ iTunes ~ B&N

Social Media

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

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Copies of the Finished Audio Book

Signed Copies of Unleashed

Set of all 5 Books, including the forthcoming The Devil’s Breath

A $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Will Shakespeare and the Ships of Solomon

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Author : Christopher Grey

Genre: Action/Adventure

Audience: Adult

Formats: Paperback and E-book

Publisher: Pacific Coast Creative Publishing, Imprint: Basilicus Press

Cover By: Pacific Coast Creative Publishing

Editor: Julia DeGraff

Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 978-0-9839641-9-3

Date Published: March 3, 2014

blurb

In the fall of 1947, Will Shakespeare saw the world collapse around him. Shakespeare, a secret soldier for the Knights Templar, barely escapes the slaughter of his entire knighthood at the hands of a rogue militant arm of the Vatican in a small Montreal church.

With orders to escort Templar business associate Dorothy Wilkinson back to her home in Bermuda, Will must locate and rescue the most important secret treasure in human history before it is devoured by a hurricane in the watery caves beneath her father’s property.

The spiraling quest sends Will and Dorothy into uncovering dark secrets that make up the origins of the knighthood as they confront the traps and puzzles that masterfully protect the world’s most coveted treasure.
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excerpt

Sir William Shakespeare lit a cigarette to pass the time. Even through the fog he could make out the silhouettes of the surrounding landmarks in Old Montreal. On this particular overcast day, the city was more akin to London than Paris, from which many locals declared their heritage. Will spent a great deal of time in both cities and could personally attest to the ambiance of each. No matter what the charcoal skyline of this city presented or feigned, it was no doubt as cold as London. His wool overcoat did little to help, and the gray fedora on top of his well-combed black hair only stopped the moisture from disrupting the hair treatment.

Blue eyes scanned the skyline. It was the most interesting place to look. Cowering fog oppressed the Canadian cityscape with little regard for daylight. Traffic down St. Catherine’s was all but extinct. Every twenty minutes or so a distant hum of a car would be complemented by fading headlights as they turned from Union or University, submitting to the thick moisture by employing useless headlights. It was infrequent enough that he could spend a great deal of time examining them as they passed, refracting in dismal displays of frigidity. Pontiacs … Chevys … gray … beige … black… . Nothing to cause concern.

The humidity was high enough to turn the city into a veritable swimming pool; such was not uncommon for this time of year. Only the day prior a storm passed through, throwing down sheets of incessant rain, taking away fallen leaves and other autumn debris into the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers. A frigid day coming out of an even more brisk night cost many Montrealers a pleasant morning. In just a short time, snow would mark the landscape and herald a long winter ahead.

Brown bristles of deleafed deciduous trees from the largest green space in the city combed over the gentle slope of Mount Royal, which stretched, devoid of people, into the throngs of McGill University. A forest of meager but still prominent buildings decorated the campus and lowland shores on the east end of the island, humbly marking Montreal’s downtown area. Not quite in the vicinity of Old Montreal, but close enough to see the Gothic fingers of aged colonial skyscrapers and churches, lay one of the more prized structures in the well-populated Ville-Marie borough. The Christ Church Cathedral, promenading an entire city block, catapulted its own religious testament toward the already aged and humbling skyline. Buried next to McGill’s nineteenth-century manicured campus and amid one of the larger commercial districts of the borough, it was a more permanent marker on the skyline.

Beneath the skyline and at the enclave of the cathedral, Will watched for any unusual activity. Pedestrians were just as scarce as cars, if not more so. No one in their right mind would be walking down St. Catherine’s on this morning. Not unless they were a McGill student or hopelessly lost. It wasn’t St. Catherine’s, Will corrected himself. The locals called it Rue Ste-Catherine O. The French pride here took some getting used to, and even after two years he was nowhere near tolerant enough. Living in Montreal did affect his French, however, and on a good day he could very easily get around using the language. He already had a base from his years in Vietnam, but the dialect was very different. His French-Canadian accent was strange enough that most people didn’t even guess he was American, much less a Connecticut native.

The delicate lights inside Christ Church Cathedral danced from behind stained glass. It was likely quite a lot warmer in there, and as much as he’d like to go in, he couldn’t. His job was to make sure no one went inside who wasn’t authorized by the Order. With the complete lack of passersby, the job was far easier than he’d thought it would be.

The regular churchgoers and staff weren’t a problem, as Will had arranged to have the facility completely vacated three days before. The Order had high contacts within the Anglican Church, and it really only took verification of who they were to keep the facility clear. The staff closed the doors to the public, citing plumbing problems, and ensured that the congregation was well aware of the issue. That wouldn’t disrupt normal services, as everyone would be out by evening, allowing the clergy to prepare for the next day’s sermon.

It was three-thirty the last time he checked his watch, and that was recent enough that he didn’t bother to check again. Looking at his watch too many times made the time pass slower. They’d been in there for four hours—a very long time to watch nothing, although Will was accustomed to this sort of work. During the secret war of the mid-1930s, he’d spent countless hours in the dark streets of Havana watching walls rot. The jungles of Vietnam were no different. Even his work on the Allied fronts of the war kept him at watch more than once. The secret was simple: watch the horizon and focus on points only when there was movement.

Very important men were inside the church at the moment discussing things Will had no earthly idea about. The last time the commanders were all in the same room was the dawn of the war. If the threat of Nazi Germany was the one thing that brought these old men together, it horrified Will to know what had gathered them here on this day.

The 1939 meeting was a much different time, even though it was less than ten years prior. He was still a knight, but the work in 1938 put him on the path to promotion, earning him the prestigious title of turcopolier. His work in Havana with Lucky Luciano and other Mafioso leaders secured private interest in Cuba from rising communist influence. Suddenly wrenched from the secret affairs of the Latin world, Will was dropped directly into the middle of Europe while a madman marched across the landscape. Will wasn’t the only one dispatched. In fact, the crew present in Montreal that day was the very same one that had kept each other alive in the European war. If it wasn’t world war these men were meeting about, Will didn’t really want to know what it was.

The grounds were clean. He and Sam Adams had just completed a fourth sweep. There were six other sergeants patrolling the area. No one was getting through. He stayed with Sam, his prodigy, at the front. There were two men on either side of the cathedral, and two patrolling the perimeter. Will had asked for more knights–or even sergeants, but the commanders weren’t able to bring them back to Montreal soon enough. Many were still supporting the security of Berlin’s occupation, and after recent outbursts in Vietnam against the French, a dozen were placed back there.

His curiosity was piqued, but any guesses on his part would only be speculation. Knowing the meeting took place under the direst of necessities, he also knew that the Order was in great danger. Having all members of the entire leadership in one place was rarely practiced, and for good reason. A secret society needed safeguards in place to ensure the knowledge of its members was not lost. Whatever brought them all to Montreal was no concern to Will—he was a soldier. He didn’t need to know the politics behind his organization. He followed orders as he always did.

Keeping trained eyes on the distant Montreal background, he pondered the location. Out of all the world’s cities in which the Order operated, their base of operations was this somewhat small city in Canada. Knowing the full history of the Order meant it was no mystery. In fact, the city of Montreal was created on the Order’s influence as a sort of Utopian society. Fighting the impulse to use the word Utopian, he reminded himself that the city more appropriately represented the concepts described in Francis Bacon’s novel New Atlantis. Montreal was the center of a New Scotland with high liberal ideals. These concepts were still inbred in the society, it seemed. Just three years prior, there had been great national conflict when the mayor protested conscription for the war. Ottawa put the mayor in prison, and the conscription was enforced.

Will was somewhat dismissive about Canada. He didn’t particularly care for the climate and was accustomed to slightly more exciting locations. Used to being in the center of it all, adjusting to the slow-paced northern life wasn’t without its challenges. No longer concerned for his life whenever he stepped outside his house, and working a somewhat regular job with the Order training sergeants, the days of working the field were sorely missed. He’d also been stuck as a trainer for long enough that he hadn’t managed to make it to his home town, Hartford, since the war. A ping of guilt crossed his consciousness as he recalled Hartford. It had been too long.

Will had been promoted to turcopolier during the war, a fantastic honor and one awarded to only three dozen people in the entire world. He was in command of the sergeants of the Pauperes Commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici and had access to some of the most powerful secrets in human history. Part of becoming a knight in the first place, however, was erasing his old identity. He was now immersed in an ancient tradition and as such operated above any nation or society on the planet. He could no longer be a normal citizen. He took a vow of poverty and of chastity. His old life was over, and a new, secret one had begun. One in service of God and of man. The knighthood faked his death in the war and sent reports home to his mother and sister that he’d died honorably in combat in Germany. He would never contact his family again.

Those were distant and painful thoughts to have on this morning, and so he sidetracked himself by checking the position of his crew. Glancing back, he made sure Adams was still in position. Nothing had changed. As turcopolier, however, security was on his shoulders. He couldn’t allow any of the sergeants to lose focus. The commanders had tightened security for a reason. His reevaluation of the crew brought his attention to another oncoming car.

This one was different from the others. Immediately Will knew it wasn’t a civilian. The pace was too slow as it crawled forward deliberately. The driver was making no mistakes, watching for every conceivable detail. Even in fog, civilians tend to move forward with a flare of recklessness. Content to crouch behind their steering wheels and squint into the white nothingness, they think that by squinting they’ll see something before it becomes a problem. A military person, however, will simply travel more slowly, having built the fog into the mission as a component.

The car stopped precisely in front of the cathedral, close enough that Will could spot the signature maple-leaf Canadian flags attached to the hood—far too showy for his tastes. He had been expecting this car. Ottawa was personally escorting a civilian for the leadership to interview. That’s all he knew. Given the security concerns, he was appalled they’d arrived in diplomatic style. Anyone with half a brain would know something important was happening at the cathedral today. Their low profile was effectively blown.

His face darkened as he watched a man step out of the backseat in a pressed navy-blue suit and yellow tie, black overcoat, and fedora. A public servant, not a spook. Why were they being so careless?

The politician opened the back door and helped out another passenger. Will had taken the vows and he was a professional, but he did take an interest in the woman who stepped out. Short brown hair. Youthful face but with years behind her brown eyes. She was sun-kissed yet dressed like a New Yorker. He allowed himself enough leeway to lose focus for only a second. Long enough to nod and offer an obligatory smile as they approached. But long enough to feel the stab of guilt that inevitably follows temptation.

“Miss Wilkinson, for you, my friend,” the politician said.

Glancing back at Sam Adams, Will gave the unspoken order to hold his position while he escorted the guest. Adams, standing at ease, snapped into focus and put out his cigarette, now being the eyes of the operation. Shakespeare was free to greet the newcomers.

“Good afternoon, Miss Wilkinson, we appreciate your prompt arrival. You are free to go inside.”

Will kept his smile, but it was only an act. He was being polite because she was a civilian, and possibly because she was pleasant to look at, but much more important issues were on his mind. I am not a doorman.

The woman smiled and hesitantly went into the cathedral, looking back at the politician as she did so. As soon as she was out of sight, Will’s smile dissolved into severity. He broke through the politician’s milk-toast expression with an unblinking and official stare.

“You took a public vehicle. Why?”

“I thought your guest should arrive in style,” he said with a high tone in his voice, emoting a certain level of offense.

“Before you leave, remove those flags. Tell the driver to dump the car at the university.”

Now the man was openly offended.

“Wait a minute, sir! Do you have any idea who I am? You are talking to …”

“An elected official, yes I know. You are compromising our security.”

“Just who do you think you are?” his voice was raised now.

“If you have to ask, you are not cleared to know. Leave the car at McGill’s. Find another way back.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m calling the office!”

Will looked back at Adams with another unspoken order. The sergeant immediately stepped forward and opened his coat. The sidearm was quite visible underneath.

This openly threatening gesture stunned the official into silence. Sputtering and glancing between both men with a reddened face, the Canadian did what he was told, removing the flags and crawling inside the vehicle. Will watched him go with no expression. He only hoped it would be enough. They could already be compromised.

He turned to Adams. “Walk the perimeter again. Make absolutely sure it’s clean.”

Adams nodded and went on his way.

Will reflected on this woman and how she’d arrived. There was no good reason a woman like that would be meeting with the grand master and the commanders. Slamming his mind back into focus, he finished his cigarette and took a good look around the premises. Moving down the steps of the church, he checked around the corner to see if any headlights were approaching.

It was a good thing he did because in the next moment he was forced to pull his gun.

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author

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Christopher Grey is an author of fiction focusing on conspiracy theories, secret societies and the occult. His special brand of storytelling dives into conspiracies and the occult from the point of view of the secret societies, attempting to dispel popular mistruths and paranoia prevalent in the mainstream.

Grey’s fascination with the secret world began when he was sixteen after a chance meeting with a conspiracy theorist in a coffee shop sometime in the 1990s. The conversation with this man led Grey on a lifelong scholarly endeavor to learn about secret societies and the occult from a skeptical and secular point of view.

Over the past 15 years, he has been involved in various fraternal societies and has sought to explore the undercurrents of human civilization–to uncover the hidden histories and the forces and patterns that have designed what society has become and to demystify the hidden forces in our society that, for so long, have been vilified and misunderstood.

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NOIFS Tour Button

I really wanted to finish this book before the tour so I could do my review. I just couldn’t rush through it though. I’m having so much fun.

From the beginning I was liking Mia and ‘aawing’ about the shy little bear cub. Then this big dude huffs and puffs and about breaks her door down demanding she give him the cub.

Mia won me over. She stood there, looking up, up, up at this huge dude, and didn’t flinch when she lied. LOL

Gotta love her.

I’m taking my time finishing this book. Too fun to rush it!

Check it out, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

No Ifs, Ands, or Bears About It

Series: Grayslake, #1

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Published: 01-2014
ISBN: 9781311709158
Word Count: 68000
Genre(s): BBW, Heterosexual, Paranormal Romance
Publication Date:  January 4, 2014

Synopsis

The first day of Mia’s new life in Grayslake, Georgia is not going as planned. The house her grandfather left her looks ready to crumble, boxes cover every inch of the floor and—oh—there’s a bear cub in her pantry. It gets worse when the cub’s uncle comes by and busts out his fur and claws while on her front porch. Then it gets loads better because suddenly there’s a hot hunk of badge-wearing werebear on her lawn ready to rescue her. Yum. Of course, he has to ruin things by trying to take the cub out of her hands. Ha! The cub is hers… No ifs, ands, or bears about it.

Werebear Ty can’t seem to get the curvaceous, delectable Mia to understand that, even if she is one-quarter werebear, she isn’t keeping the cub. Ty is the Grayslake Itan, the clan’s leader, and the little werebear is going home with him… Unless it isn’t. It’s her smile. If she’d stop smiling and being gorgeous, his inner-bear would support him and Ty would get his way. But the beast wants to make their woman happy, so it’s perfectly content to let her do as she pleases. Then things change. Threats arise, danger comes close, and Ty demands she return to his den. No ifs, ands, or mates about that.

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ All Romance eBooks ~ Bookstrand  ~ Smashwords

About the Author:

  Celia Kyle Pic                     

Celia Kyle is a paranormal erotic romance author and would like to rule the world and become a ninja. As a fallback, she’s working on her writing career and giving readers stories that touch their hearts and *ahem* other places.

Connect with Celia:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Freakin Fridays

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Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

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With the new year here, I’ve started  implementing my new plans for my blog.

While I’ll still be doing my memes and posting for book tours and giveaways, I’m going to be doing a lot more reviewing.

I asked you to help me with this. I gave you 5 books and let you choose which one I should review each week for the 5 Fridays in January. Your response was fun and I did get four of the weeks choices reviewed. However, the last book has been put off temporarily as I work with the author to arrange a guest post and giveaway. I’ll let you know when it’s all set.

So for today, I have something extra special!

First off, I’m thrilled to be telling you about another winner from Edward Lorn.

The moment I read he was writing a new story, and a novellette at that, I stalked E.  I had to have it ASAP! He should be getting used to it by now.

Horror is my first love and when I find an author whose words make me shudder in horrific delight, I have to read everything they write. Not only does Edward’s stories do that, he’s also a really witty guy.

When he sent me Crawl, I begged him to do a guest post. I wanted all of you to see the guy behind the books. The one who captivated me as much as his stories.

So here he is. Take it away E!

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Crawl For Me

CRAWL is my first jaunt into novelette territory. In case you don’t know, a novelette is anything between 7,500 and 25,000 words. Anything less is a short story. Anything more is a novella. CRAWL is meant to be read in an hour or two (depending on your reading speed, of course), and that’s exactly how I like it. Early reviews are begging for a follow up, and I am currently working on that, but CRAWL is what it is. A bite-sized chunk of salted caramel, a mixture of sweet and savory. At its heart, the story is a character study which covers love on the brink of disaster. The circumference of the piece is a tale of survival, and I get about as bloody as I ever have. This one’s not for the squeamish.

About a month ago I came across “Say Something,” by A Great Big World, featuring Christina Aguilera. The song broke my heart. But it also inspired me. I wanted to tackle the death throes of a relationship. That’s how I met Juliet Harryhousen, the lady who carries my new novelette, CRAWL, on her very capable shoulders. When she started talking, the story told itself. I was nothing more than a dictation device. I love characters like that. That’s that magic.

CRAWL is an ode to the classic “Trapped and Must Survive” horror trope. Think about Poe’s THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO (but only in the sense that both have characters that are chained up at some point) or, most recently, GERALD’S GAME, by Stephen King. Okay, so maybe GERALD’S GAME isn’t recent, but it’s the most recent book I can think of with the same theme. I think every author tackles the idea at some point in their careers: You take a person who’s either restrained or incapacitated and you see if they survive the situation. It’s dirty fun, like monkey sex, and like an orangutan-gang-bang things get messy fast. The human body is a fragile thing, but it can also be a fountain of strength. Just like our minds. Sometimes, though, you have to go mad, you have to break just a smidgen, to see exactly what you’re capable of doing to survive against all odds. In CRAWL, Juliet Harryhousen has to do just that. Did I mention she’s a bad mother(shutyomouf)? Yep. She’s a firecracker, folks; someone I think most readers will have a good time with. I haven’t had this much fun writing a character in a long while. I’ve been spending a lot of time with morose bastards, so Juliet’s snark and humor was a breath of fresh ozone.

I want to talk to Laura Thomas for a minute. Thanks for having me today. You’ve been an avid supporter of not just my work but countless others. Whether they’re traditionally or indie published, you highlight them. You love to read as much as I do, and that’s only one of your many amazing qualities. I’m just as much of a fan of your blog as you are of my writing. Keep up the good fight, lady. People like you never go out of style.

To the rest of you, it’s been my pleasure. Thanks for letting me throw words at your face. I hope you decide to check out my fiction at some point or another. And even if you don’t, thanks for reading this post.

E.

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Thanks so much for sharing Edward. And you made me blush! Such a nice compliment for doing what I love.

And now that ya’ll have met E. it’s time for me to tell you about CRAWL.

I had so much fun writing my review. I agonized over what to say and what not to hint at. I giggled and snickered and had such devilish fun.

Enjoy!

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You’re out in the middle of nowhere.

You’ve been crippled and left for dead.

There’s something in the woods.

It’s coming.

There’s only one thing you can do…

CRAWL

My Review

What do you do when you catch your husband bumping uglies with the dog-sitter? You get as far away from them as you can. That red haze you’re looking through could be lethal.

That’s what Juliet’s doing. Yeah, she’s letting Colton drive her to her mothers, but he’s not welcome to stay. She needs time and space, and then, maybe, she can forgive him.

There’s cold silence and instant rage as they travel through the night.

Soon, these two will be worrying about something much more immediate. Much more ominous than an illicit transgression.

One of the great parts of this story was the trip through the night.

I think Juliet held herself together very well. Colton expects her to forgive and forget. He can’t stand not knowing what she’ll do.

For Juliet, it’s not that easy. Ugly, hurtful thoughts and images slip into her conscious at will. Walking in to find them going at it on the couch. Fumbling for their clothes, hurrying to hide their nakedness.

What’s with Colton? Why does she have to forgive him? Why does he expect her to give him a crumb, a bit of hope? She’s still in shock, raging over the betrayal, and trying to tape her heart back together. To keep breathing.

Colton ticked me off. He’d just destroyed them as a couple. Thrown away all they had. And now he wanted her to reassure him? What a jerk. I’d leave him hanging. It’s not like I’d make a decision without crawling out from under the pain first.

I found Juliet’s actions and reactions appropriate. She didn’t give an inch. Didn’t soothe his anxiety. And she let him have it when he pushed too hard.

I may be a sick puppie, but when something horrible happened to Colton, I was snickering, especially over what Juliet was thinking. She’s a really tough cookie.

Reading this story is like an assault. The author shocks you into seeing the disgusting scene when Juliet walks in on the humping. Then he blasts you with Colton’s whining and bullying. He revs you up with Juliet’s outrage. And then he stumps you with the weird guy in the car.

Yeah, there’s a creep they keep bumping into. He looks ghoulish, dresses funny, and acts like he knows something they don’t. Which he does.

The freakiness comes out to play. Darting from shadow to shadow. Taunting and terrifying with malevolent glee.

As the title says, you’ll ‘crawl’ out of this story, trying to shake off the horror.

Edward never sugar coats it. His stories are down and dirty. So I’d only recommend this to adults. And then, to those who like it in your face.

5 Creepy Crawlie Stars

~~~

This just in from Edward Lorn!

Here it is in all it’s glory!

CRUELTY EPI3

CRUELTY is a serial novel in ten parts.

Episode Three.

The corpse in the cooler of Bob’s Bait and Fuel might not be the innocent victim everyone first assumed.

William Longmire is released from police custody only to find out his buddy Kirk is in the hospital.

Innis Blake is stuck between two worlds. Will she find her way out before Cruelty has his way?

Regret is born.

Author’s note:  CRUELTY: Episode Three will be released in February. CRUELTY: Episode Four will be out sometime in March. Thank you for your patience.

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Cruelty: Episode 1

Cruelty (Episode #1)

and Cruelty: Episode Two

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Go HERE for my reviews

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More books I’ve read by Edward Lorn

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Go HERE for my review.

And more books.

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Go HERE for my reviews.

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About  Edward Lorn and where to stalk him.
Image of Edward Lorn

Edward Lorn is an American horror author presently residing in the southeast United States. He enjoys storytelling, reading, and writing biographies in the third person. Once upon a time, during a session of show and tell, a seven-year-old Edward Lorn shared with his class that his baby brother had died over the weekend. His classmates, the teacher included, wept while he recounted the painful tragedy of having lost a sibling. Edward went home that day and found an irate mother waiting for him. Edward’s teacher had called to express her condolences. This was unfortunate, as Edward had never had a baby brother. With advice given to her by a frustrated teacher, Edward’s mother made him start writing all of his lies down. The rest, as they say, is history. Edward Lorn and his wife are raising two children, along with a handful of outside cats and a beagle named Dot. He remains a liar to this day. The only difference is, now he’s a useful one.

For more about Edward Lorn and his books:

Website / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon

Edward’s page on RAP: http://redadeptpublishing.com/edward-lorn/

Edward’s blog: http://edwardlorn.wordpress.com/

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

Ink Slinger Button

I’m so excited!

A.M. Hargrove has a new book to reveal!

Check out this cover art.

What do you think? Pretty eyes and…..!

I’ve read every one of Hargrove’s books and can’t wait to read this soon.

Read on to learn more and enter the giveaway!

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Tragic Desires  BN Kobo

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TRAGIC DESIRES by A.M. Hargrove

February 2014

Cover by Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations
Photo by Scott Hoover Photography

Cover Model Emmanuel Delcour

BOOK SUMMARY:

My name is Gemini Sheridan. At least that’s what I thought it was for 23 years. Then one day a slight adjustment on the wheel of my mountain bike set into motion a series of catastrophic events that changed my life forever. Now I’m running from the headaches that threaten to destroy me… from the assassins that threaten to kill me… from the truth that exposes who I really am… and from the man that wants to save me. Because he now owns my heart and I fear him above all others.

My name is Drexel Wolfe and I’m a private investigator. Nothing ever stands in the way of what I want because when I see something I just take it. All of that changed the night my life collided with Gemini Sheridan’s and now everything is one hot damn mess. And the worst part of it all is that I’m trying to save her ass and I don’t know why the hell I’m even bothering. Well, that’s not exactly true. Fact is, I can’t stop thinking about her. She’s crawled into every thought I own, asleep or awake. I have serious plans for her that include making her mine. What she doesn’t know is that when I play, I play for keeps. Nothing and no one will get in my way or stop me… not even Gemini Sheridan herself.

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A.M. Hargrove

A.M. Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window.  She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job.  Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Author Links:

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Author Goodreads

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The Ultimate Betrayal

About the Novel:
Rainey lived with her father (Martin Tucker) and sister
(Mariah Tucker) in a small podunk town in Alabama known as Covington. Her
mother was killed in a horrific car accident when she was seven years
old.
Rainey was in love with a wonderful man
that treats her with respect and kindness. Everyone including her father was
against their relationship at first because of the age difference between them.
They were happy together until she moved away to college. The case concerning
her mother’s murder was reopened, and she was betrayed by the people she should
have been able to trust above anyone else.
Does Rainey and Jake’s relationship survive all the pain and
hurt that they are destined to endure? Will her mother’s murder be solved? Will
their love overcome…
The
Ultimate Betrayal?

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The

Cover!

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The
Ultimate Betrayal
About the
Author:
.
Lacey Leigh is a stay at home mother
of three. Her children
 
are very active in school activities and keep her really
busy 
 but she still finds time to put her stories out there
for 
everyone to enjoy.

Lacey’s husband is medically retired from US
ARMY. Though
 
she hates that he had to leave the job he loved so much
she 
 
is glad to have him home with her children and
herself. 


 
Lacey’s books are written for ADULT
audiences ONLY. All audiences are encouraged
to 
read the warning in the front of the book BEFORE
purchasing/reading any of Lacey’s work. 
 
Lacey does NOT wish to offend ANYONE
by her writing. She only wants to write for
those 
who enjoy the work she
do
es.
.
.
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1 of 10 handmade book 
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for The Ultimate Betrayal, enter

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