Archive for the ‘New Adult’ Category

State of Hope
Summer Lane
(Collapse #10)
Publication date: June 9th 2017
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult

THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE SMASH-HIT PHENOMENON FROM #1 BESTSELLING AUTHOR SUMMER LANE.

This is it.

Cassidy Hart and her comrades have returned to their home: California, the final battlefield in the fight against the global terror, Omega. Commander Chris Young is in critical condition, the United States Navy has acquired new weapons, and the militias have just made a discovery that could change everything.

Faced with tragedy, heartbreak, and destruction, Cassidy is tempted to give up.

But she is a fighter. Defeat is not in her blood.

When confronted with the possibility of resurrecting the leadership of the United States of America, she will do anything to make the dream of stability a reality. She and Lieutenant Uriah True, along with the legendary strike team, the Angels of Death, undertake a dangerous and outrageous mission, unlike anything they have ever attempted. They will find themselves in the very epicenter of Omega’s stronghold.

Yet doubt remains. No one can be trusted in this dark new world, and their hope may not be as black and white as it seems. Disappointment and rejection cloud Cassidy’s judgment.

Friends will be lost. Tears will be shed. Sacrifices beyond the imagination will be made. The grim reality and bitter destruction of war will inflict one final sucker punch. The militias desperately attempt to hold their ground, and the Freedom Fighters will do everything they can to destroy the greatest evil this world has ever known. The apocalypse has taken everything from Cassidy, but she will not stop until her heart ceases to beat, and until there is no breath left in her body.

She holds onto hope – hope of a future, hope of victory, and hope of love.

There is no going back. It all ends here.

Are you prepared?

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Enjoy this glimpse inside.

When I gather my gear before deploying with Beckham and the rest of the troops, the full realization of what is about to happen next rips through me. It tears my heart in two, thinking about the people we’ve lost leading up to this final fight. And it terrifies me to know that there is a very good chance we will not emerge from this battle victorious.

If anything, I promise myself that we will damage Omega enough to weaken them, so that future generations will have the courage to fight back, too. So that they can remember what it is to stand, to have courage, and to lay your life down for your friends, your family, and the things that you believe in.

At the very root of our humanity, something greater binds us all together. If not spirit, then it must be the will to survive. Because that is what is at the heart of everything we do: the desire to continue to survive for the sake of our children and for the sake of the history of this country we love and call home. For the sake of the good memories of this place, for the sake of the rolling hills and the towering mountaintops. For the sake of freedom and love and family and unity and security. For all of us.

I know, as I strap my rifle across my back and slide my knife into the sheath on my hip, that what happens in the next few weeks will bring our doom or our victory. Either way, our destiny is waiting. The last fight looms ever closer on the horizon, like a hellish red glow moving on the wind.

I set my backpack on the floor and take a knee, resting my arm on my leg.

“God,” I whisper. “If you’re listening, and you’re good like Father Kareem says you are…watch over us. I’m not a praying girl, and I’m not good at asking for help…but please. We need something, and it’s got to be more than a rabbit’s foot or a lucky charm. We need something bigger than that. I’m begging you…I’m begging anyone.”

I lift my head, looking at the ceiling, feeling the tears roll down my cheeks.

If this is how I die, I have made peace with it.

If this is how the Freedom Fighters perish, we will rest in peace, satisfied with our sacrifice and our devotion to the cause of freedom. As I leave the house behind, and I see my friends gathered around Beckham’s convoy, waiting to take us to the airfield where we will depart for Monterey, one thought strikes me. I cannot shake it, and it cycles in my head, over and over again, until I say it aloud.

“Don’t give up hope,” I say.

I hold onto this shred of goodness with every ounce of my being because I know it is the only thing that has any chance of keeping me alive until the end.

 

Author Summer Lane

Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of the national smash-hit books of the Collapse Series, Zero Trilogy, Bravo Saga, Collapse: The Illustrated Guide, and Unbreakable SEAL. She owns Writing Belle Publishing, and is also an extensively experienced journalist and creative writing teacher. Summer operates Writing Belle, an online magazine where she has worked with hundreds of authors from around the world and helps bring exposure to their work. Summer takes great pride in being an entrepreneur, creative spirit and business owner.

Summer lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband, Scott (who can fix anything!), and their German Shepherd, a sweet girl named Kona. Summer loves to travel, read and cook. She uses the experiences of her traveling adventures as inspiration for her books. Some of her favorite places in the world include the forest (any forest, anywhere!), Hawaii (the tropical setting is beautiful!) and Southern California (so many story possibilities!).

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Shag Lake
Susan McEachern
Publication date: July 11th 2017
Genres: Action, Adventure, New Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Geri McKenna hasn’t seen her brother’s best friend, Sean Eastman, since he graduated high school. Sean left their little town of Pembroke just hours after she nailed him with a kiss behind the shed, never to be seen or heard from again. No calls, no texts, no social media to stalk online.

Eight years after the awkward incident behind the shed, Geri and Sean meet again. She’s now an ambitious journalist working in a dead end job, and he’s a successful structural engineer working on a classified government project. For different reasons, they’re both interested in a woman who has gone missing midst allegations of a Sasquatch encounter in the vincinity of Shag Lake. Geri is determined to get the scoop on the hottest story to hit the Internet, while Sean is determined to stop her.

Dodging other-worldly creatures and a corrupt shadow government, Geri and Sean struggle to find neutral ground in this debut new adult adventure by author Susan McEachern (who also writes young adult as award-winning author S.M. McEachern).

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Enjoy this Excerpt from Chapter One

Geri McKenna

My sister Emma’s eyes widen to full capacity, and she steals a sideways glance at me. “Are you kidding? You didn’t hear me when I said who was in town?”

“Um…” I search my brain for a name I might’ve vaguely heard.

She rolls her eyes and huffs. “Your lover boy from the summer of ’08.”

I hesitate for a few seconds, afraid to confirm it’s who I think it is: my brother’s best friend from high school, who I had a huge crush on. “You mean, Sean Eastman?” An uncomfortable knot begins to tie itself in my stomach.

“Who else would I be talking about? Or did you have a couple of guys on the go in tenth grade?”

It’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Oh. My. God. Will you let it go already? It was a stupid kiss behind the shed eight freakin’ years ago. I was what—fifteen?”

“Let it go?” she asks incredulously. “You searched the Internet for weeks to see if there was an earthquake at the exact moment you kissed him. There’s no way I’m letting that go, sista. Ever.”

I slap a hand over my eyes as if that will blot out the most cringe worthy moment of my life. But it’s still there, right behind my lids, playing out in living color. Sean and I were behind the shed by the woodpile, and I was stacking firewood onto his outstretched arms when I got a huge splinter in my finger. I screamed, grabbed my injured hand with my good one, and stared at it with the kind of horror usually reserved for a severed limb. Sean dropped the wood he was holding, snatched my hand, and yanked the splinter out. Seriously. No tweezers required because it was practically the size of a piece of kindling wedged under the first two layers of my skin. I could’ve pulled it out myself, but I wanted my hero to save me because I was fifteen and a total drama queen. And if that wasn’t embarrassing enough, I had to go and sway against him in what I can only describe as a bad impression of a swooning southern belle, and kiss him.

That was the last night I saw him—thank the Lord—because that particular end-of-school party was the last soiree for the high school grads. The next day they all went their separate ways, and we never heard from Sean again. Ever. He just disappeared. Mark tried to track him down over the years, more recently renewing his search to send him a wedding invitation. And I’ll privately admit to conducting my own online search for his profile too. But nada. It’s the like the guy dropped off the face of the earth.

Until now.

The thought of seeing him again is creating a knot in my stomach that cinches so tight, my abs are clenching.

Breathe, Geri. He’s probably forgotten all about it, I reassure myself.

Yeah, but my sister is going to make sure to remind him.

My eyes shoot left, assessing that little smirk on her face. This is our brother’s wedding weekend, and with all the parties and family gatherings planned, she’s probably already composing the perfect delivery for this story to maximize the humor value. Okay. Game on. She needs to know that I am not without a counterattack.

“Two words,” I say. “Tommy. Weenerrammer.”

She screws her face up in disgust at the same time she guides the car off the highway and onto the exit ramp. “First, it’s pronounced ‘whiner-rammer’ not ‘weener-rammer.’ Second, Tommy’s last name is Weisman. Third”—she pauses for dramatic effect—“everybody makes mistakes, Geri.”

“Exactly what I’m saying. You keep quiet about my faux pas, and I’ll keep quiet about yours.”

She slows to a stop at the intersection. “Oh c’mon. The one date I had with Tommy”—she holds up one finger to emphasize the singularity of that event—“was the desperate act of a heartbroken girl trying to make her ex-boyfriend jealous.” She flashes her wedding ring at me before she turns left. “And it worked. On the other hand, you kissing Sean Eastman behind the shed had no other motive than you wanted him for your lover.” She puckers up, aims a kissy face at me, and eases the car left at the intersection.

I hold up one finger, mimicking her, and say, “The one time I kissed Sean Eastman—”

“He rocked your world,” Emma says, cutting off my next words. She gives a couple of ha ha has then shakes her head while muttering, “An earthquake…”

“What? They happen in Ontario. And that would’ve been about the right time of year for one.”

One of her eyebrows shoots up, while the other crinkles into a furrow. “You mean like earthquake season, Eeyore?”

I stifle a laugh. “Oh, stop. You know what I mean.” Emma shakes her head, eyebrows still askew. “Like this time of year—mid-April,” I explain. “When the warmer temperatures penetrate deep enough to melt the frost layer and the basement rock begins to expand, it creates earthquake conditions.”

“Oh yeah. Sure,” she deadpans. “I’m totally onboard with that theory.”

“Good,” I say. “Because if you start sharing your version of what happened between me and Sean Eastman, I’ll be forced to share the whole seedy story about your date with Tommy Weenerrammer.”

“Go ahead,” she says. “I’m already happily married with a kid and”—she pauses and looks away from the road for a second to make eye contact with me—“another one on the way.”

My mouth drops open. “What?” And even though she has her hands full driving, I plant a kiss on her cheek. “How far along? Do Mom and Dad know?”

She smiles coyly. “I was going to wait until we got through earthquake season unscathed, but I was too excited and blabbed the news. I’m already past the first trimester.”

I make a squee noise because I’m really excited for her—and for me too, since I never intend to get married and have a gaggle of kids. I’m more than happy to placate my raging baby hormones via my nephew and… niece?

“Keep it to yourself, though,” she says. “I haven’t told many people because this is Mark and Shauna’s big wedding week. I’ll share the news after they leave for their honeymoon.”

“You haven’t changed. Always looking out for your little brother.”

She pats my knee. “And my little sister too. Which is why I’m giving you a heads up about your old flame being in town. You might want to clean up around the back of the shed in case your basement rock gets penetrated.”

~~~~~

 

Author Susan McEachern

Award winning author S.M. McEachern (also known as Susan) attended Dalhousie University in the 1990s where she earned an Honours Degree in Sustainable Development Studies, specializing in ocean resources. With a background in international development and resource management, as well as being the wife of a military officer, Susan has had first hand experience in international affairs and policies. She attributes Elizabeth Mann Borgese–daughter of Nobel prize winner, Thomas Mann–as one of the greatest influences on her view of world politics. Susan had the privilege to work and study under Mann Borgese, an author, teacher and political activist for world peace. The first book of a series, “Sunset Rising”, combines Susan’s knowledge of politics and resource management with her love for Young Adult literature and action and adventure. The second book of the series, “Worlds Collide”, was published March 2014. The third book, titled “New World Order” was released January 2015.

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SNOW: Stories of Forbidden Love
Publication date: May 9th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

One cabin. Sixteen stories of forbidden love.

With an online audience of over ONE MILLION combined followers, and hundreds of millions of reads on their stories, the SNOW ANTHOLOGY showcases talented Wattpad authors from around the globe.

Journey into the woods where you will discover a cabin surrounded by snow, filled with secrets…

The SNOW ANTHOLOGY features sixteen original novellas and novelettes in multiple genres, including Young Adult, New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural and Paranormal.

Brought to you by USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR KELLY ANNE BLOUNT and available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY! Don’t wait for the snow to melt before you uncover these stories of love, loss, and self-discovery.

Check out the incredible list of authors participating below!

Back to Us by M. C. Roman – MCRomances on Wattpad
Whiteout by Sarah Benson – SarahBensonBooks on Wattpad
Tobacco & Pine by Lucy Rhodes – Lucyface on Wattpad
Red Snow by Debra Goelz – BrittanieCharmintine on Wattpad
Fawn by Gavin Hetherington – GavinHetherington on Wattpad
Seeing Him Again by Delilah Mae – _HakunaMatata_ on Wattpad
Of A Feather by Lindsey E. Lippincott – Red_Assassin on Wattpad
Through the Paintings Dimly by J. M. Butler – JessicaBFry on Wattpad
Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Meinke – knightsrachel on Wattpad
Limbo by Noelle N. – hepburnettes on Wattpad
Crash by Megan DeVos – styleslegend on Wattpad
Snowed In by Kelly Anne Blount – KellyAnneBlount on Wattpad
Unexpected Love by Gabriela Cabezut – GabyCabezut on Wattpad
Wings by Shaun Allan – ShaunAllan on Wattpad
Sober by R. Diamond – rdiamond89 on Wattpad
True Love’s Kiss by Neilani Alejandrino – sweetdreamer33 on Wattpad

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Solo

by Lauren E. Rico

Solo cover

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis

When graduate student Katherine Brenner walked into my class, I couldn’t stand her—all perfect skin and big, blue eyes—just like the woman who broke my heart.

 

If it wasn’t for that blizzard, if her car hadn’t broken down outside my house, if she hadn’t looked amazing by the firelight, I never would have kissed her. No matter how hard I try, every excuse I make not to see her comes up flat.

 

I can’t stop thinking of her lips. Or the way her curves fit perfectly in my hands. There’s a million reasons why this won’t work. I’m her professor. It’s against university policy.

 

And if this gets out, I could lose everything.

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Enjoy the glimpse inside

I hear the creak of the bathroom door behind me and there’s a palpable shift in the room as he enters. Then I feel his hand on my shoulder. It just makes me cry harder. And then he is there, on the floor with me, pulling me up against his chest with strong arms. I shake my head no. I don’t want this. But I do. I don’t need this. But I do. And, somehow, this awful, mean, arrogant man seems to know this already.

With my face buried in his sweatshirt, I just cry and cry until the only thing left is the sound of my dry, hiccupping, heaves and sniffling nose. He’s patting my back, rubbing my arms and shushing me softly.

Oh. My. God.

This is my worst nightmare, and then some. I sit up, abruptly, trying to wipe my sodden face with my hands, not looking at him. I can’t look at him.

“I’m sorry,” I say in a hoarse whisper.

Drew Markham gets to his feet and holds out a hand for me to take. I do, still not able to meet his gaze. When I’m upright once more, he turns away from me and briefly runs the water in the sink.

“Here,” he says, cupping my chin in his hands gently, trying to direct my face to his. I stare at the floor and shake my head. “Please? Katherine?”

When he says my name, it’s so unexpected that my head jerks up. He reaches toward my face and I just close my eyes, allowing him to press the wet, cool facecloth to my skin. When I open my eyes again, he’s smiling. But not any smile I’ve ever seen in his limited repertoire of pleasant expressions. It’s shocking. And disarming. And sexy as hell.

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Author Lauren E. Rico

Solo author

Lauren Rico was going to be principal French horn of the New York Philharmonic. That was HER plan, anyway. The New York Philharmonic had no idea of her intentions, and that’s probably a good thing, since she wasn’t an especially good French horn player!

Lauren was, however, an exceptionally good classical music radio host. Calling herself a “Classical Music Reanimator,” she has made a career of demystify classical music for her audiences by taking it off a dusty old pedestal and putting it into a modern context.

It’s only been over the last couple of years that Lauren has discovered a passion for writing, which she’s managed to combine with her love and knowledge of the classical music world.

You can hear Lauren Rico on SiriusXM’s Symphony Hall Channel; on WQXR and WSHU-FM in the New York City metro; WSMR in Tampa/Sarasota, FL; WDAV in Charlotte, NC and KMFA in Austin, TX

More at www.LaurenRico.com

Links:

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Ensnared
Rita Stradling
Publication date: May 23rd 2017
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction

A Near Future Retelling of Beauty and the Beast

Alainn’s father is not a bad man. He’s a genius and an inventor. When he’s hired to create the robot Rose, Alainn knows taking the money is a mistake.

Rose acts like a human. She looks exactly like Alainn. But, something in her comes out wrong.

To save her father from a five year prison sentence, Alainn takes Rose’s place. She says goodbye to the sun and goes to live in a tower no human is allowed to enter. She becomes the prisoner of a man no human is allowed to see.

Believing that a life of servitude lies ahead, Alainn finds a very different fate awaits her in the company of the strange, scarred recluse.

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Enjoy this glimpse inside.

December 2, 2026

Alainn woke knowing someone was in her room.

Whoever it was sat behind her. Quiet, even breaths rasped through the air. Alainn’s eyelids peeked open. Moonlight cast a grayish glow, cutting deep shadows into the space around her bed.

“Good morning, Alainn,” Rose said in a quiet voice. When Alainn didn’t respond, Rose said, “I can tell from the change in your breathing pattern that you are awake.”

“Rose?” she whispered, not quite ready to let out a sigh of relief. Alainn twisted to look at her. “What are you doing here? Did you break my lock?”

“I picked it,” she said. “It is now locked again.”

“Oh, uh—” Her heart pounded in her chest; she sat up and faced the robot. “Why—why would you do that?”

The moonlight lit half of Rose’s face as she watched Alainn, expressionless. “Do not be alarmed. You are obviously having a fear reaction, but I was simply waiting for you to wake up.”

“Don’t you need to sleep—recharge?”

Now that Alainn faced Rose, she smelled the faint odor of her exhaust. Rose continuously exhaled the lightest tang of something sweet and acidic. The air in the room felt used, like a plane cabin after a cross-country flight.

“I was not completely forthcoming with you today. While what I said was true, I have for a time now believed that having Father imprisoned would impede my potential. While I have far surpassed his skills in software, there are times when I need assistance. I am limited by my need to stay near my charging station. Your brother is often absent for days at a time—and you, months.”

“Okay, wait—you’re going to go tomorrow?” Alainn scooted forward on the bed. A dormant hope resurged through her. Alainn would do anything—she’d worship at the robot’s feet if Rose agreed to go.

“No, you are going to go tomorrow.”

Alainn froze, staring at Rose. “What?” she whispered.

“I have calculated one way in which all parties can achieve their desires.”

“I’m sorry—I’m not understanding.” Alainn shook her head. A hard knot formed in her stomach.

“I am not surprised.” Rose reached out to pat Alainn’s hand. “You are not as intelligent as the rest of your family.”

“Spell it out in really simple terms, then.” She just managed to not growl the words at Rose.

Slowly, Rose looked up to the ceiling, moonlight slashing up the curve of her neck, her chin, and the line of her nose. “Earlier tonight, I arranged for you to be picked up by Mr. Garbhan through e-mail, writing as if I was Father. In one hour, a car will arrive outside to take you to his building. I have designed and created hardware for your body. If you are scanned, a chip in the hardware will communicate to the scanners that you have an organic circuitry system rather than a human brain.”

Alainn shook her head, hoping to dislodge some of the grogginess there. “I’m still not following—you’re saying you want me to pretend to be you and turn myself over? That you already arranged it?”

“Yes, you are following. That is exactly what I am saying.”

“I—I—” Alainn shook her head again. The air thinned around her.

“I have a working plan for the transplanting. You can assimilate easily into a life of servitude as you are already accustomed to the labor you will be asked to perform.” Rose lifted a hand, ghostly gray in the low light, and ticked off the chores on her fingers. “Cooking, housekeeping, and bookkeeping. Unless . . . is your concern that he might use you for sexual gratification?”

“What? No.”

“I believe that this would be a particular concern of yours.”

“I never even considered that he would do that to you—I, of all people, would never have tried to push you into going if I thought you’d be used that way.” Alainn blinked furiously. “Rose, do you really think that I would have let myself be the model when my dad printed your face and body if I thought Mr. Garbhan was going to do that to you?”

“It is highly unlikely that I was designed for this function. I have also been assured that there were documents signed to that effect addressed to Father.”

Alainn held out her palms to Rose. “Rose, it’s not just that. I can’t take your place. There’s no way that would work . . . and I can’t live in that tower for the rest of my life. I’m a human. I know that probably sounds callous to you, but you were created to not need sunshine and fresh air. And you don’t need exercise. Humans need those things, me especially. Everything I am,” she touched her chest, “is centered on being in the outdoors.”

“The duration will be seven to fourteen days, no longer.” Her head swung down, causing shadows to swallow her eyes. Two black hollows focused on Alainn. “When Mr. Garbhan pays Father, he and I will make the Rosette model; this process should only take a week, unless there are complications. And then I will devise a way to switch you with the new model.”

.

 

Author Rita Stradling

Rita Stradling is the author of The Deception Dance series, the Dakota Kekoa series and The Fourteen Day Soul Detox Novella Serial. She has a BA in Art History and a particular love for modern and medieval art.

Rita lives with her husband and son in Northern California.

She has an insatiable novel addiction and mostly reads young adult and adult: romance, paranormal, urban fantasy and high fantasy.

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Seduction in Scarlet
Christina Quinn
Publication date: April 15th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Synopsis

Sadie graduates in a handful of days, and when most of the people around her in class are worrying about finals, she’s more focused on if she’ll survive to walk across the stage. Byron, her vampire lover, brings Sadie to a medieval style tournament thrown by the region’s Master. His hope is to take her mind off the stresses of the tests and essays–not to mention the vampire who wants them both dead. However, while taking in the festivities Byron discovers that Sadie has some dark secrets of her own.

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EXCERPT

“Would you like to play a game?” He cooed to me, nipping at the tender flesh around his bite from that morning.

“W-what kind of game?”

“I call it no touching.”

“Will I be able to get my dress back on before dinner?”

“Depends on how carried away we get.”

I swallowed. “Okay. How do we play?”

He took a step back from me and started stripping. “You just stand there.”

“That doesn’t seem like much of a game.”

“It will,” his voice was heavy and thick with the darkness that his devious smirk boasted as he dropped his doublet to the ground. Something ruffled my gown, and I spun around finding nothing.

The ribbon holding the lace collar on tugged itself free, and the soft froth of delicate fabric fell to the floor behind me. The sudden cool air on my neck made me shiver as the ribbons at the sleeves of my dress started to do the same.

“This really isn’t much of a ga—” I turned to face him and the sight of his naked body—as always—rendered me a deaf mute.

“Trust me,” he whispered pulling the comforter and pillows from the bed.

I couldn’t find my voice as both sleeves slipped off. I was only in the bodice, corset, petticoat, and skirt now. Byron was already completely nude and lounging on the blanket on the polished wooden floor. He left the cushions for me.

“How can I win?” I was eventually able to ask as he stared up at me and I felt the bodice slowly start to gape open revealing the cream-colored corset beneath.

“You don’t touch yourself, or me.”

“Honestly, that sounds like everyone loses to me.” I giggled nervously.

“You’ll see.”

I licked my lips as at once my skirt drifted to my feet. Something about standing before him with just his eyes on me heightened my senses. The familiar heat started building, and he hadn’t laid a fingertip on me since agreeing to play the game. He was affected too, as I gazed down at his nudity I was greeted by the sight of him, seemingly growing harder and larger under my gaze.

“Remember,” he practically growled. “No touching.”

 

 

Author Christina Quinn

An avid reader and lover of literature, Christina Quinn, has always wanted to be an author for as long as she can remember. She spends most of her days with a coffee cup or wine glass within arm’s reach as she labors at her laptop weaving incredible stories.

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A Star to Steer Her By
Beth Anne Miller
Published by: Entangled Embrace
Publication date: March 20th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

I’m scarred. Broken. I’ll never be the same.
But I will take this journey.

Ever since my last dive ended in bloodshed, I’ve been terrified to go back into the water. But the opportunity to spend a semester at sea is too good to pass up. I need to get my life back.

I never expected to love it this much. And I never expected Tristan MacDougall.

Rugged, strong, and with demons of his own, Tristan helps me find the courage I thought I had lost and heals me with every stolen moment we share. But the rules of the ship mean we can’t be together.

When a dive excursion goes terribly wrong, our only hope for survival is each other.

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EXCERPT:

I was standing alone at the helm, under full sails and a glittering sky, guiding the ship unerringly across the endless black sea with only the stars to guide me, like the sailors of old. It was amazing. This was why I was here, why I’d gone ahead with this semester at sea, even after everything that had happened. Because I loved the sea, and wanted it to be a part of my life.

I returned my gaze upward, focusing on my guide star.

“‘And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by.’”

The low voice came out of nowhere. I spun to the right, where I could just make out the vague outline of someone leaning against the stanchion that held Speedy the motorboat suspended at the stern.

“Tristan?” As soon as the question left my mouth, I rolled my eyes in the darkness. Of course it was him.

“Aye, it’s me.”

“How long have you been standing there?” I hissed. “And where the hell did you come from?” I’d been at the helm for at least half an hour, and I knew he hadn’t been there the whole time.

There was a flash of white in the darkness as he grinned. “I’ve been here for about five minutes. You were so focused on staring up at the stars that you didn’t see me. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“So instead, you just lurked in the dark until you could scare the hell out of me. Makes sense,” I muttered, trying not to be too thrilled that he’d chosen to hang out up here with me. “What was it that you said, anyway?”

“It’s from a poem. The full verse is:
“‘I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by,
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.’”

His lilting accent gave the lines a musical quality, and a shiver ran down my spine. “It’s beautiful,” I said, “and perfectly describes the way I feel. You didn’t write that, did you?” Because it would be supremely unfair for him to be kind, gorgeous, athletic, musically brilliant, and a poet, too.

 

Author Beth Anne Miller

My first book, written in elementary school, was bound in pink fabric and was about—what else?—a girl and her horse. I soon began cheating on horses with the sea, becoming an open water scuba diver at age 14. That love of the sea led me to a college semester aboard a schooner. I returned with fond memories of the exhilaration of being on a ship under full sail, less fond memories of hurling over the leeward rail on a daily basis, and a sailing bug I couldn’t quite shake.

In addition to horses and the sea, I have a fascination for all things Scottish (including, but not limited to, men in kilts), which I explored with my first novel, INTO THE SCOTTISH MIST (The Wild Rose Press, 2011), and carried into my new novel, A STAR TO STEER HER BY (Entangled Embrace, 2017). A native New Yorker, I work in the publishing industry and am always looking ahead to my next voyage, whether a short one on a dive boat or whale watch, or, with luck, a longer one on a tall ship. You can find me on the web at www.bethannemiller.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

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Don’t Speak
Katy Regnery
(A Modern Fairytale)
Publication date: February 27th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

From New York Times bestseller Katy Regnery comes a new twist on a beloved fairytale.

A fisherman’s daughter.

The governor’s son.

Two very different worlds.

In this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, a fisherman’s daughter from an Outer Banks island untouched by time, meets the son of North Carolina’s governor at a fancy party where she’s working.

Laire, who wants so much more from life than her little island can offer, is swept away by wealthy, sophisticated Erik, who is, in turn, entranced by her naiveté and charm. The two spend a whirlwind summer together that ends on the knife-point of heartbreak and forces them to go their separate ways.

Years later, when fate leads them back to one another, they will discover the terrifying depth of the secrets they kept from each other, and learn that shattered hearts can only be healed by a love that willfully refuses to die.

All novels Katy Regnery’s ~a modern fairytale~ collection are written as fundraisers. 10% of the e-book sales for in March and April 2017 will be donated to P.E.O. International, a non-profit organization that celebrates the advancement of women, awards scholarships and grants, and provides motivation for women to make their dreams come true.

**Contemporary Romance. Due to profanity, adult themes and very strong sexual content, this book is not intended for readers under the age of 18.**

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Don’t Speak is part of the ~a modern fairytale~ collection, which includes six standalone, completely unrelated novels inspired by beloved fairy tales:

The Vixen and the Vet (Beauty & the Beast) – available now
Never Let You Go (Hansel & Gretel) – available now
Ginger’s Heart (Little Red Riding Hood) – available now
Dark Sexy Knight (Camelot) – available now
Don’t Speak (The Little Mermaid) – available soon
Swan Song (The Ugly Duckling) – available late-2017

Love my fairytales? I’m always open to suggestions! E-mail me your favorite and maybe I’ll reimagine it for you!

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

“Hey!”

She heard his voice before she saw him.

Had she known the ultimate cost of that simple glance heavenward, maybe she wouldn’t have stopped. Maybe she would have just kept on walking with her head down. But fate held no warnings for Laire Maiden Cornish.

Shielding her eyes, she looked up at a deck wrapped around the second floor of the mansion, waiting a moment for her eyes to adjust as he came into view.

There, in the glittering sunlight . . . a boy.

No, a man.

A young man, a little older than she, tall and muscular, with jet-black hair and a square jaw, dark brown eyes, and a deep tan. He wore a robin’s-egg blue bathing suit with Kelly green palm fronds in a small repeat and a pair of sunglasses buried in his thick hair. In one hand, he held a phone up to his ear, and in the other, he slowly swirled a glass filled with ice and clear liquid. He stared out at the sound, concentrating on his call.

“Hey!” he yelled. “Can you hear me now?” He huffed with annoyance, pulling the phone away from his ear and squinting at it before trying again. “Pete? It’s Erik. Can you hear me?” He set the glass down on the balcony’s wooden railing and gave his phone his full attention. Staring down at it, he muttered, “Shit. No reception.”

It’s Erik.

Erik.

His name is Erik.

Feeling a sharp burn in her lungs, Laire realized she’d been holding her breath and sucked in a huge gulp of air as she stared up at him, frozen in the moment, utterly mesmerized.

She had never seen a more perfect, more handsome person in her entire life.

The sun glinted off his dark hair and wrapped his body in gold, making him appear godlike so very far above her. Were she the type to swoon, Laire imagined she would have been a puddle of goopy longing on the ground below him, content to sacrifice her pride for a glimpse at his beauty.

 

Author Katy Regnery

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Twenty-five books later, Katy claims authorship of the multi-titled, New York Times and USA Today Blueberry Lane Series, which follows the English, Winslow, Rousseau, Story, and Ambler families of Philadelphia; the six-book, bestselling ~a modern fairytale~ series; and several other standalone novels and novellas.

Katy’s first modern fairytale romance, The Vixen and the Vet, was nominated for a RITA® in 2015 and won the 2015 Kindle Book Award for romance. Katy’s boxed set, The English Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1–4, hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2015, and her Christmas story, Marrying Mr. English, appeared on the list a week later. In May 2016, Katy’s Blueberry Lane collection, The Winslow Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1-4, became a New York Times E-book bestseller.

In 2016, Katy signed a print-only agreement with Spencerhill Press. As a result, her Blueberry Lane paperback books will now be distributed to brick and mortar bookstores all over the United States.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, two dogs, and one Blue Tonkinese kitten create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.

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Incandescently
Sylvie Parizeau
Publication date: October 22nd 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance

LIAM O’SHEA, bestseller author of the SciFi saga, Eiloe.

All I knew was pain – a childhood filled with cruelty and villains who used and abused.

Until Éolie.

I first heard her sweet, angelical voice in the dark of night, when I lay bathed in my own impending death. Seventeen years later, it’s not the nightmare she pulled me out of that haunts me, but the glimpse of Happily Ever After she revealed just before disappearing.

They said she was a figment of my boundless imagination. A wish. A dream. Until I had no choice but to believe them, cherishing my imaginary savior the only way I knew how – in fiction and lore.

But fantasy has a way of transforming reality. When I finally tire of being a citizen of the world, I take an impromptu sabbatical as a professor at a small college on the coast of Maine. And there I see her, the girl with the sea-green eyes and angelic voice.

My world turns upside down. Turns out my girl is for real, and the pull between us is anything but imaginary.

Happily Ever After has a story … and this one is mine.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy the guest post by Sylvie Parizeau

The overall theme of the Incandescent Series is romantic with a touch of magic and whimsy.

Bonjour !

As you know by now (spoiler alert if you haven’t read my full bio : http://www.sylvieparizeau.com/about-sylvie/), I am epilogue obsessive compulsive.

And as Éolie once said to Liam in one of their deleted scenes:

_“Liam, it’s a compulsion. I swear; I start to read fully intending not to skip ahead, but I can’t help it. I need to know how it ends before I can enjoy how the characters get there. I cannot bear anything less than a happy ending. Everyone deserves a happily ever after.”_

Guilty as charged. I am one of those who read the end … right after Chapter One. So by now, you’re either, gasping, cringing, totally scandalized, or smiling in complete accord, depending on which side of that story you stand, non?

But in any case, this obsession of mine is what started my story-telling journey. I can’t tell you how many times I concocted additional scenes in my head every time I got lost in a romance book. What do you mean The End? Noooo. It’s the beginning! Give me the happy!!

And as such, Liam and Éolie’s story, INCANDESCENTLY, book One in the Incandescent Series, holds a very special place in my heart, and I hope it will in yours too come October 22, 2016.

Meanwhile, in heartfelt appreciation for being such an awesome and all-around wonderful blogger, your tribe is among the first ones to enter a chance for a signed paperback copy as well as a signed copy of the map. A journey into the incandescent world of the Forest of Laure where all of my characters find their Happily Ever After, love, cherish, and grow, one story at a time.

So? In the mood to read something romantic with a touch of magic and whimsy? Go ahead. Let yourself loose.

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You guys rock my world.
Happy reading!
Sylvie Parizeau, romance novelist @ www.sylvieparizeau.com

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Author Sylvie Parizeau

A paralegal by day and incurable romantic by night, Sylvie is a cross-genre, and she takes Happily Ever After very seriously. The End just isn’t in her vocabulary.

An incorrigible daydreamer, she now feeds her obsession with epilogues by concocting stories in which heroes deal with the happy from the get-go. Ready, or not. And she confesses under oath to loving every minute of it.

Sylvie lives her own Happily Ever After in the beautiful mountains of Les Laurentides in Northern Quebec, alongside her whole set of characters.

In between treks in their backyard wilderness, you can find them hanging out at www.sylvieparizeau.com

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Fairly Safe banner

We’re happy to have Deborah Ann Davis, author of the new adult novel, Fairly
Safe, here with us today! Please leave a comment to let her know you stopped
by!

Title: FAIRLY SAFE
Author: Deborah Ann Davis
Publisher: D&D Universe
Pages: 356
Genre: New Adult Romance

Fairly Safe (Love of Fairs Book 2) by [Davis, Deborah Ann]

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Synopsis
When Mistaken Identity collides with Secret Identity, who wins?
JACOB HAS COME A LONG WAY FOR AN ORPHANED FOSTER KID.
He has a mentor, a great job, and has finally fallen in love. Granted, she
mistook him for a stalker when they met, but every relationship has its little
problems. Unfortunately, for the past few years, as the object of his affection
pops in and out of his life, she has refused to share any personal info, like
where she’s from, or her real name. Regardless, Jacob is ready to take their
relationship to the next level. Now, if only he can locate her so he can tell
her.
CASEY’S FAMILY IS IN THE WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM. Safety
has to be their only priority. Their cover has been blown before, so Casey
knows at any given time they could be forced to disappear again. Obviously, a
shy young man with hopeful eyes cannot possibly be added to the mix. You cannot
build a relationship like that. Now, if only she can stop thinking about him.
JACOB’S AND CASEY’S WORLDS UNEXPECTEDLY COLLIDE when
Jacob inadvertently helps hide her family. Exposed to their 24-7 vigilance,
Jacob realizes he must come up with a plan to keep them out of harm’s way,
because this time if Casey disappears, she will be taking with her Jacob’s
heart, and his hopes of finally having a family of his own.
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For More Information
  • Fairly Safe is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB
    Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.

 

Book Excerpt:

Wipeout!
Jacob Kent stepped out of his car as he scanned
the fair on the other side of the parking lot, his heart pounding. As with many
country fairs, the parking lot was no more than an abused pasture. This one was
about the size of two football fields. Fair employees decked in bright yellow
directed the early trickle of cars to their temporary berths. Jacob ignored
them, choosing instead a parking spot near the exit. Anticipating the possible
need for a quick getaway outweighed a pimply teen’s futile attempts to redirect
him.
He regarded the rides twirling and
spinning above and around the strolling families. Despite the morning sun, the
lights flashed merrily, beckoning to all. At
11 a.m. it wasn’t crowded, but he knew that would soon change.
Locking his car, he slowly picked his way through the beaten grass, combing all
directions for a clue the girls were there. As the unmistakable sound of
carnival music floated toward him on the warm summer breeze, he reviewed
his plan.
First, he would walk through the fair to
familiarize himself with the layout they had printed out. Then he would adjust

~~~~~

their escape route to where he parked the car. After assessing the grounds, he
would plant himself somewhere along the concourse, and watch the crowd. That’s
how he had always found Casey in the past, and that’s how he was going to find
her again.

A voice came over the loudspeaker, momentarily
dimming the carnival noise. “Would the owner of a red ford truck, license plate
AIP537, please return to your vehicle? Your lights are on.”
Jacob tensed. Was that some kind of clue? He
looked over the parking lot. No, he could see the lights of the red truck from
here. He smiled ruefully to himself.
Get a grip, Kent, he thought as he
watched a portly balding man march exasperatedly toward the truck.
He sighed. Intellectually, he had to
acknowledge they might have pieced together a bunch of randomly forgotten items
into a fantastical story, but emotionally, he couldn’t help but believe the
items served an ultimate purpose. If The Herd was here, he was going to find
them. He also knew if he wasn’t careful, he could spend the entire day jumping
at shadows and following dead ends.
Like that little commotion over by the edge
of the fair.
To his over-active
imagination, that game of tag could look like a child trying to escape from the
evil clutches of—
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA, WIPEOUT!” sang out over the
loudspeaker.
His head jerked up. As the pounding drums
from the familiar song drowned out the carnival music, all doubt was erased.
The loudspeaker was sending out a warning. His eyes darted back toward the
commotion he had noticed. That was no game of tag. That was a child trying to
escape a man in hot pursuit. Jacob couldn’t be positive at this
distance, but it sure looked like Robin.
With his heart in his throat, he broke
into a run, zigzagging between cars, trying to intercept the fleeing child as
it headed toward the side of the parking lot. In this surreal moment, the same
song they had used for obstacle course training was being piped out like
background music to a scene in a movie. But this scene was real, where a real
menace was gaining. Caught in his own nightmare, Jacob was watching Robin run
for her life, and he was not close enough to help.
As the predator and prey crossed the area
between the fair and the parking lot, the longer legs of the adult closed the
gap between them, but once they reached the cars, the advantage became hers.
Robin’s small size and training put some distance between them as she dodged
around vehicles. However, her constant change of direction made it difficult
for Jacob to maintain a course of interception.
Watching Robin’s progress, Jacob realized she
was trying to head back toward the fair. Silently applauding Robin’s decision
to get closer to other people who could help her, Jacob altered his course
accordingly.
So did Robin’s pursuer.
Suddenly, her stalker eliminated the space
between them by clambering up and over two pickup trucks, and landing an arm’s
length away. Skidding, Robin veered around another vehicle with the man on her
tail. As Jacob frantically tried to reach her, a brunette Sam suddenly popped
out from behind a car and neatly took the man out with one magnificent sweep of
a skateboard to the head.
Where did she come from? A stunned Jacob skidded to a stop, gasping for breath, his
chest burning.
With a quick high-five, the sisters raced back
to the fair. Jacob tried in vain to get their attention, but he hadn’t quite recovered
enough breath to formulate sounds louder than gasps. He shook his head as he
tried to calm the burning in his lungs. He was a wreck, but they were able to run
off.
And I was going to save them? He weakly chuckled. What was I thinking?
Sobering, he trotted over to the man who
was staggering to his feet. With rage marshalling all of his strength, Jacob
drew back and smashed his fist into the man’s face. The unexpected pain in his
fist was nothing compared to the satisfaction of watching Robin’s former threat
drop like an anchor.
Shaking the pain out of his hand, Jacob aimed a
vindictive kick at the ribs of his girls’ attacker. Any qualms he might
ordinarily have about hitting a man when he’s down were nonexistent when it
came to someone threatening his family.
Satisfied the man was no longer a danger,
he took off in the direction he had seen his girls disappear, trying to
calm the fear rising in his chest. He doubted this man had come alone. The
girls probably knew that, too, and would be hiding. How was he going to find
them before their pursuers did?
The light glinting off the speaker perched atop
a telephone pole caught his eye. Jacob skidded to a stop and stared at it. Of
course.
When Robin had been trying to escape, that speaker had been
blasting out WipeOut, but now he only heard carnival music. With a grin,
Jacob decided it was time to stop believing in coincidences. Someone at the
fair must be helping them. If he found that person, he’d be able to find the
fugitives.
About the Author
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DEBORAH ANN DAVIS has
been writing since she was assigned to keep a Journal in her 5th grade
English class. She began to look around for writing inspiration. Lo and
behold, she found her world was full of funny stories just waiting to be told.
As she grew older, occasionally she could manipulate one into
some school assignment, but it never occurred to her to pursue writing,
not even when she discovered her flare for telling stories at college parties.
After a string of college majors, she realized she could
have a captive audience EVERY DAY in the public school system. As it turns out,
teenagers love to laugh, and what could be more entertaining than Biology,
Earth Science, and Environmental Science? Then there’s the added bonus
that once kids know you like to laugh, they want to make
you laugh.
Go figure.
In addition to Writing, she is also an Educational Speaker
and a Certified Personal Trainer. She taught for 25+ years,
although somewhere in the middle of all that educating, she stepped out of
teaching for 6 years to do the Mommy Thing, and run the office for their family
construction company.
Even though they had followed separate paths, Deborah
reunited with, and married her childhood sweetheart, twelve years after their
first kiss.  Together they coached their daughter’s AAU Basketball
Team, which swept States two years in a row. (Yay!) Then, for several years
their daughter and their money went to college.
They currently reside on a lovely lake in Connecticut. She enjoys dabbling with living a sustainable life,
writing novels for her Love of Fairs series, dancing, playing outside,
and laughing really hard every day. She promotes increasing the amount of
movement throughout your day via Wiggle Writer posts on Merry
Meddling
, her blog at www.DeborahAnnDavis.com. Follow her @DeborahAnnDavis.
Remember, you can do anything if you set your mind to
it— including becoming an author at any age— but it’s way more fun if you are
grinning back when the Universe smiles down on you.
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For More Information
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