tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77893067705954870282024-03-19T06:46:08.602-04:00Dawn's Reading NookCome on......feed my addiction...to good books and oh so much more.DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.comBlogger6369125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-35940110466755598562024-03-19T01:00:00.015-04:002024-03-19T01:00:00.157-04:00Book Blast and Giveaway: Fox Hounds by Lia Connor<a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fox-Hounds-Banner.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-106529" height="237" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fox-Hounds-Banner.png" width="640" /></a>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Title</strong>: Fox Hounds</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Author</strong>: Lia Connor</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Publisher</strong>: Changeling Press</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Cover Artist:</strong> Renee' George</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Release Date</strong>: March 15, 2024</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Heat Level</strong>: 4 - Lots of Sex</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pairing</strong>: Male/Male/Male/Female</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Length</strong>: 45 pages</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Genre</strong>: Action Adventure, New Releases, Paranormal Women's Fiction, Romance, Romantic Comedy</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Themes:</strong> 20th Century, Big Beautiful Women, Bisexual, Multisexual, & Pansexual, Multicultural & Interracial, Multiple Partners, Reverse Harem, Second Edition, Shapeshifters</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208301413-fox-hounds" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fox-Hounds.jpg"><img alt="" class="size-full wp-image-106530 aligncenter" height="685" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Fox-Hounds.jpg" width="451" /></a> </div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Synopsis</strong></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Foxy Lady…</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Reyna's a skilled thief and the lightest-fingered pickpocket around. Several professionals would love to have her on their side, if only to be able to keep an eye on her. What they don't know is that Reyna's nickname isn't just fantasy -- she's a shapeshifting fox and as clever and wily as they come. No one can catch her if she doesn't want to be caught, and so far no one's come close to winning her over.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not, that is, until the hounds pick up her trail. Jonas, Si and Boone, lovers as well as skilled tricksters, have the Fox's scent and they intend to woo her, outsmart her and win her to their team. As hounds in name as well as in shapeshifting nature, they know they're just as good at getting the job done as Reyna is. All they have to do is catch this thief and get her not only on their side, but in their shared bed.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">And they won't give up until they get the job done.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div>Excerpt</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fox Hounds</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Second Edition</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lia Connor</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">All rights reserved.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Copyright ©2024 Lia Connor</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Three dogs climbing from an alley to the third-floor balcony of a nightclub would, Jonas knew, have raised a few eyebrows. If anyone had been around to see what happened next, they'd probably have fainted.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Three dogs clustered together on the roof, nosing one another in approval. One morphic flash later -- a sight that'd make any human's eyes water and their head ache -- and three men crouched above the club -- and more importantly, beneath a window.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Jonas tested the surface of the glass. "Bulletproof and cutter-proof. Gotta hand it to the owners. They think they know their security."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Want to try the lock picks?" Si patted his pocket. He'd concealed his tools so well that unless someone stripped him bare they wouldn't have known he had anything more dangerous on him than his charming smile.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"No." Jonas studied the window. He rolled his sleeves up to mid-forearm. "I think this might just work better." He lifted and the window rose smoothly as silk. The ripe scent of perfume, gin and sex from the club rolled out in powerful waves. "It's like they bathe in it. Eau de Horny."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Si wasn't listening. "Wait, the window's unlocked? No alarms, no sirens, no pepper gas booby traps? Someone knew we were coming."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"I'd say it's likely. I'd even say it was the Fox."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Si swore softly and with great respect.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Sounds like she's throwing a party to welcome us, too. Listen to that racket, would you? No better place to hide than in a crowd," Jonas said. "Nothing beats a classy lady except a crafty classy dame."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"There's got to be at least a hundred people in there," Boone said in awe. He bumped shoulders with Si and head-butted Jonas in the arm. "Do you think they know what she is?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Doubtful. The Fox likes playing human." Jonas scratched idly behind Boone's ear. "Besides, doesn't matter. She's led us on a wild chase, but the end game is going to be one hundred percent worth it. Two forms and they both have their uses, boys. We found the Fox's current den on all fours, and now we sweep her off her feet as men."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"So you say. I don't think it's going to be that easy," Si objected. "Fox is the best thief on the West Coast, acknowledged by all, so God only knows how many offers --"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"And threats," Boone butted in soberly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"-- and threats," Si agreed, "she must have turned down before us. I'd bet dozens have tried and failed to get her on their low-down teams."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Probably, but they're not us." Jonas lifted the window fully open. Sufficiently tall and wide enough to admit three full-grown conmen, even if one of them was Boone, who'd played fullback before his teammates became aware of his half-canine nature and drop-kicked him off the team. "Here's where the hunt really gets fun. Trust me. Have I ever led you wrong?"</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Si grumbled under his breath, then said, louder, "You know, someday you're going to be wrong. I just hope I'm fast enough to stay ahead of the shock wave of shit when that day comes along."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"You know how I know you love the biz?" Jonas ruminated. "The happier you get, the louder you complain. Right now, you're almost ecstatic. You'd shrivel up and die without this to keep you feeling lively. That, and you think the sun rises and sets on me."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Don't push your luck."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"I never stop. Life without risk isn't life at all." Jonas nuzzled the corner of Si's mouth. "Don't try to con a conman."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Si rolled his eyes, but despite that he bit and licked at Jonas's lips, teasing him around for a proper kiss, dirty, wet, tongues sliding together.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Careful you two don't get carried away and fall," Boone rumbled, ever protective even when amused. "It's a long way down and even shapeshifters go splat."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Yep, that'll kill the mood." Si nudged Boone's chest. Lightly.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"Settle down, boys." Jonas poked his head through the window to assess the room beyond. "Empty. I'm betting it's for storage. Sounds like the party's directly below, too."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"A room full of L.A.'s brightest and most beautiful pretending to be bad boys and girls," Si said. "I like it."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"I like the chase." Jonas breathed in, searching for a trace of the Fox's unique, tantalizing scent. "Once we're inside, you follow my every signal. This is a three-pronged attack and I need you both sharp if we want the Fox to take our bait."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"You honestly think we have a shot at getting her on our team?" Boone asked dubiously.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Jonas turned, his balance perfect, to take Boone by the nape and kiss him quiet. "That was for luck, but if you ask me, I think we have as good a chance as any. Maybe better. We have something she wants. You lose all the battles you don't even try to win."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Boone grinned big and bright. "That's good enough for me."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">"I knew I could count on you." Jonas held out his fist for his hounds to bump knuckles on. "One for all, and all for one. Let's catch ourselves a Fox."</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Purchase at <a href="https://www.changelingpress.com/fox-hounds-b-1089" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Changeling Press</a></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FoxHounds.jpg"><img alt="" class="aligncenter wp-image-106531" height="419" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/FoxHounds.jpg" width="500" /></a></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Meet the Author
</strong></h1>
Lia Connor lives in the South, but her job takes her almost everywhere but. Her laptop is her best friend. Lia loves stories about BBW’s, hot, hot, hot threesomes and wily shifters who get into (and out of) all kinds of trouble...
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Giveaway</strong></h1>
One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 Changeling Press Gift Code! <div><br /></div><div>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-15922147593444695662024-03-17T00:30:00.023-04:002024-03-17T00:30:00.136-04:00Discover Good Half Gone today!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eBbjanVKigfMOSG3h1P8U8ZvUDMLYoh2FVYD0HnPk2x826vx8xMIRh1k1u4sHnh5kqk2uM_vGIfSDgg7am4qdKF-dQldhS_U9Edx9hQIJ-g71_YI5uzsN292saew0kimZPPBFqYN4NHaM66VGaqWEuXP81kxkg9m0b9Jsxr9Htr5PMswvcfbA4n0lbs/s1600/690-HTP-Banner---Winter-2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8eBbjanVKigfMOSG3h1P8U8ZvUDMLYoh2FVYD0HnPk2x826vx8xMIRh1k1u4sHnh5kqk2uM_vGIfSDgg7am4qdKF-dQldhS_U9Edx9hQIJ-g71_YI5uzsN292saew0kimZPPBFqYN4NHaM66VGaqWEuXP81kxkg9m0b9Jsxr9Htr5PMswvcfbA4n0lbs/w400-h100/690-HTP-Banner---Winter-2024.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">GOOD
HALF GONE</span></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN">Author: Tarryn Fisher</span></b></div><span lang="EN"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN">ISBN: 9781525804885</span></b></div><o:p></o:p></span></span></b><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Publication
Date: March 19, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Publisher:
Graydon House<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">18.99
US | 23.99 CAN<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9Klaf44Uy08bU1gJvGSsGOTBO6xlSGyx17QMlmVZDDXZvyXkaFVvvA5j_dhQ-jRLqk7moTmkT-yh6YJHIUCgGyny6R_krKxVak4c4WNRpXc_TjY02pd-0TJreSVy61lA79ds5BNmDA0cVpe8-c0-AUn3_dyoxWTipsQaTE1ev_o3Y6p_F6w2fvc6eyw/s3200/GHG%20Cover%209781525804885_TS_PRD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3200" data-original-width="2125" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG9Klaf44Uy08bU1gJvGSsGOTBO6xlSGyx17QMlmVZDDXZvyXkaFVvvA5j_dhQ-jRLqk7moTmkT-yh6YJHIUCgGyny6R_krKxVak4c4WNRpXc_TjY02pd-0TJreSVy61lA79ds5BNmDA0cVpe8-c0-AUn3_dyoxWTipsQaTE1ev_o3Y6p_F6w2fvc6eyw/s320/GHG%20Cover%209781525804885_TS_PRD.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><p></p></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; line-height: 115%;">Iris Walsh saw her twin sister
Piper get kidnapped—so why does no one believe her?</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; line-height: 115%;">Iris narrowly escaped her pretty,
popular twin sister’s fate as a teen—kidnapped and trafficked and long gone
before the cops agreed to investigate. Months later, Piper’s newborn son Callum
was dropped on their estranged mother’s doorstep in the dead of night, with a
note in Piper’s handwriting signed simply, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twin.</i></span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; line-height: 115%;">As an adult, Iris wants one
thing—proof. Because she knows exactly who took Piper all those years ago, and
she has a pretty good idea of who Callum’s father is. She just has to get close
enough to prove it. And if the police won’t help, she’ll just have to do it her
own way--by interning at the isolated Shoal Island Hospital for the criminally
insane, where her target is kept under lock and key. Iris soon realizes that
something sinister is bubbling beneath the surface of the Shoal, and that the
patients aren’t the only ones being observed…</span><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buy
Links: <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/good-half-gone-a-thriller-original-tarryn-fisher/20169543?ean=9781525804885"><span style="color: #1155cc;">BookShop.org</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781525804885_good-half-gone.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Harlequin</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/good-half-gone-tarryn-fisher/1143234487;jsessionid=D478E80211A604FE4C527BD5D1110A00.prodny_store02-atgap18?ean=9781525804885&st=AFF&2sid=HarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC_7651142_NA&sourceId=AFFHarperCollins%20Publishers%20LLC"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781525804885?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&AID=10747236&PID=7651142&cjevent=2be3bca8d7e911ee81cba3fa0a82b824"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Books A Million</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Half-Gone-Tarryn-Fisher/dp/152580488X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=370JC95E8YTOX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wJ4TdDBrFa8YTCZtxMOc3h8OtluGlR8rDzzeIht1YLBt3WHAaW3kTzqIEZFGDCuWvrqsJ-jX-WkkL7Sh5trdFmmVk1iuL6efmUz0VtMpPP8DmG-HbSqsRHKGmbGSe00ZuUw6f9LkTsbd6xvBrEfkxgCW5Vm4qXcGd57skGpsjrg_zk_lN_ALSMgSIK9DdHoB8pprlt0yGxMwZrTHCioDbQTyLZgzzTfOMZj1spaykcQ.YjI3Tr6thrmYtA3omuLMlWgxnw4Qk78Qv5UW1XnEoo4&dib_tag=se&keywords=Good+Half+GOne&qid=1709310811&sprefix=good+half+gone%2Caps%2C122&sr=8-1"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Amazon</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN"><o:p> </o:p></span><b style="text-indent: 48px;"><span lang="EN">Excerpt from Good Half Gone by Tarryn Fisher. </span></b><b style="text-indent: 48px;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 16.1px;">Copyright © 2024 by Tarryn Fisher. Published by Graydon House.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN">“</span></i><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;">911, WHAT IS</span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"> your emergency?” <o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Hello? Help me, please! They took my sister! Please hurry, I don’t
know where they are. I can’t find them.” *rustling noise* *yells something* “Oh
my god—oh my god. Piper!” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Ma’am, I need you to calm down so that I can understand you.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Okay…” *crying* <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Who took your sister?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I don’t know! I don’t know them. Two guys. Dupont knows them, I—” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Miss, what is the address? Where are you?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“The theater on Pike, the Five Dollar…” *crying* “They took my phone,
I’m calling from inside the theater.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Wait right where you are, someone is going to be there to help
shortly. Can you tell me what your name is?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*crying* <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What is your name? Hello…?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*crying, indecipherable noises* <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Can you tell me your name?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Iris…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What is your sister’s name, Iris? And how old is she?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Piper. She’s fifteen.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Is she your older sister or younger sister… Iris, can you hear me?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“We’re twins. They just put her in a car and drove away. Please hurry.”
<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Can you tell me what kind of vehicle they were driving?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I don’t know…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“—a van, or a sedan—?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“It was blue and long. I can’t remember.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Did it have four doors or two… Iris?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Four.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“And how many men were there?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Three.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I’m going to stay on the line with you until the officers get there.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He leans forward,
rouses the mouse, and turns off the audio on his computer. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Click click clack</i>. I was referred to Dr. Stanford a year ago when
my long-term therapist retired. I had the option of finding a new therapist on
my own or being assigned someone in the practice. Of course I considered
breaking up with therapy all together, but after eight years it felt unnatural
not to go. But I was a drinker of therapy sauce: a true believer in the art of
feelings. I imagined people felt that way about church. At the end of the day,
I told myself that a weird therapist was better than no therapist. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I disliked Allen
Stanford on sight. Grubby. He is the grownup version of the kindergarten booger
eater. A mouth breather with a slow, stiff smile. I was hoping he’d grow on me.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dr. Stanford clears
his throat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“That’s hard to
listen to for me, so I can only imagine how you must feel.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Every year, on the
anniversary of Piper’s kidnapping, I listen to the recording of the 911 call I
made from the lobby of the Five Dollar. When I close my eyes, I can still see
the blue diamond carpet and the blinking neon popcorn sign. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Do you want to take
a break?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“A break from what?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“It must be hard for
you to hear that even now…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That is true,
reliving the worst day of my life never gets easier. The smell of popcorn is
attached to the memory, and I feel nauseated. A cold chill sweeps over me.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod once. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What happened after
you hung up the phone?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I waited…what else
could I do? I was afraid they were outside waiting to take me too. My brain
hadn’t fully caught up to what was happening. I felt like I was dreaming.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My voice is weighed
down with shame; in the moments after my twin was taken, I was thinking of my
own safety, worried that her kidnappers would come back. Why hadn’t I chased
the car down the street, or at least paid attention to the license plate so I could
give it to the cops? Hindsight was a sore throat. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I wanted to call
Gran.” I shake my head. “I thought I was crazy because I’d dialed her number
hundreds of times and I just… I forgot. I had to wait for the cops.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">My lungs feel like
they’re compressing. I force a deep breath. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I guess it took five
minutes for the cops to get there, but if you asked me that day, I would have
said it took an hour.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When I close my eyes,
I can still see the city block in detail— smell the fry oil drifting across the
street from the McDonald’s. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“The cops parked
their cruiser on the street in front of the theater,” I continue. “I was afraid
of them. My mother was an addict—she hated cops. To certain people, cops only
show up to take things away, you know?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He nods like he
knows, and maybe he does, maybe he had a mom like mine, but for the last twenty
years, he’s been going to Disney World—according to the photos on his desk—and
that somehow disqualifies him in my mind as a person who’s had things taken away
from him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I take another sip of
water, the memories rushing back. I close my eyes, wanting to remember, but not
wanting to feel— a fine line. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I was shaking when I
stumbled out of the theater and ran toward the cop car, drunk with shock, the
syrupy soda pooling in my belly. My toe hit a crack in the asphalt and I rolled
my ankle, scraping it along the side of the curb. I made it to them, staggering
and crying, scared out of my mind—and that’s when things had gone from bad to
worse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Tell me about your
exchange with the police,” he prompts. “What, if anything, did they do to help
you in that moment?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The antiquated anger
begins festering now, my hands fisting into rocks. “Nothing. They arrived
already not believing me. The first thing they asked was if I had taken any
drugs. Then they wanted to know if Piper did drugs.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The one with the
watery eyes—I remember him having a lot of hair. It poked out the top of his
shirt, tufted out of his ears. The guy whose glasses I could see my face in—he
had no hair. But what they had both worn that day was the same bored, cynical
expression. I sigh. “To them, teenagers who looked like me did drugs. They saw
a tweaker, not a panicked, traumatized, teenage girl.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What was your
response?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I denied it—said no
way. For the last six months, my sister had been hanging with a church crowd.
She spent weekends going to youth group and Bible study. If anyone was going to
do drugs at that point, it would have been me.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He writes something
down on his notepad. Later I’ll try to imagine what it was, but for now I am
focused. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“They thought I was
lying—I don’t even know about what, just lying. The manager of the theater came
outside to see what was going on, and he brought one of his employees out to
confirm to the police that I had indeed come in with a girl who looked just like
me, and three men. I asked if I could call my gran, who had custody of us.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Did they let you?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Not at first. They
ignored me and just kept asking questions. The bald one asked if I lived with
her, but before I could answer his question, the other one was asking me which
way the car went. It was like being shot at from two different directions.” I
lean forward in my seat to stretch my back. I’m so emotionally spiked, both of
my legs are bouncing. I can’t make eye contact with him; I’m trapped in my own
story—helpless and fifteen. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“The men who took my
sister—they took my phone. The cops wanted to know how I called 911. I told
them the manager let me use the phone inside the theater. They were stuck on
the phone thing. They wanted to know why the men would take my phone. I
screamed, ‘I have no idea. Why would they take my sister?’”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“They weren’t hearing
you,” he interjects. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I stare at him. I
want to say <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">No shit, Sherlock</i>, but I
don’t. Shrinks are here to edit your emotions with adjectives in order to
create a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">TV Guide</i> synopsis of your
issues.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Today on an episode</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of</i> Iris in Therapy, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we discover she has never felt heard!</i> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“I was hysterical by
the time they put me in the cruiser to take me to the station. Being in the
back of that car after just seeing Piper get kidnapped—it was like I could feel
her panic. Her need to get away. They drove me to the station…” I pause to remember
the order of how things happened. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“They let me call my
grandmother, and then they put me in a room alone to wait. It was horrible—all
the waiting. Every minute of that day felt like ten hours.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Trauma often feels
that way.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“It certainly does,”
I say. “Have you ever been in a situation that makes you feel that way—like
every minute is an hour?” I lean forward, wanting a real answer. Seconds tick
by as he considers me from behind his desk. Therapists don’t like to answer questions.
I find it hypocritical. I try to ask as many as I can just to make it fair.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author
Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXJNJouleXuP97B5NQ-kOKV5YCAcl-adU4-eukTBB0842Gz4kfw2d_y3Li7H7zYIrB0tteCNOsFnZbqEdn-E1vKse3CmQtJqlpxS7qVC0pO4XzH_HHK2nV2uBZGHgLMIVuCZU9An_3Anq5j_Byt7okL9hlU0_YAtGx_m-XhnfuZlVHsMTyc2gzjTKoFw/s1500/TF%20author%20photo%20a06cef7b78ecfb2461fe6ab2ac847fa0_.Fisher_Tarryn_20221101_2273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXJNJouleXuP97B5NQ-kOKV5YCAcl-adU4-eukTBB0842Gz4kfw2d_y3Li7H7zYIrB0tteCNOsFnZbqEdn-E1vKse3CmQtJqlpxS7qVC0pO4XzH_HHK2nV2uBZGHgLMIVuCZU9An_3Anq5j_Byt7okL9hlU0_YAtGx_m-XhnfuZlVHsMTyc2gzjTKoFw/w200-h200/TF%20author%20photo%20a06cef7b78ecfb2461fe6ab2ac847fa0_.Fisher_Tarryn_20221101_2273.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;">Tarryn
Fisher</span></b><span lang="EN" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"> is the <i>New York Times </i>and <i>USA TODAY </i>bestselling
author of nine novels. Born a sun hater, she currently makes her home in
Seattle, Washington, with her children, husband, and psychotic husky. She loves
connecting with her readers on Instagram.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span lang="EN" style="background: white; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Social
Links:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.tarrynfisher.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Author Website</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5410816.Tarryn_Fisher"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Goodreads</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><br /></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-69643518205230061192024-03-16T00:30:00.007-04:002024-03-16T00:30:00.135-04:00Book Tour Stop and Giveaway: A Seduction of Dreams and Nightmares<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 auto 15px;">
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<p><strong>A Seduction of Dreams and Nightmares</strong><br><strong>A.J. Locke</strong><br>Publication date: March 26th 2024<br>Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance</p><blockquote><p>They say humans are dreams and Fiends are nightmares. For though Fiends have magic, beauty, and power, their immortal lives are restricted. Vampires must sate their blood lust. Wytches will crumble to dust when their magic runs out. Shapeshifting Haunts must keep their vicious beasts caged. Incubi and succubi cannot indulge in carnal pleasure without dire consequences.</p>
<p>Novari is a human who bartends for Luccero, an alluring incubus and the star of her fantasies. She can’t have Luc, but she does have Keo, who also wouldn’t mind Luc’s touch. Keo, who loathes being a vampire, is in pursuit of a fabled cure that will turn Fiends human. A cure highly in demand as many Fiends crave freedom from their burdened lives.</p>
<p>When an unexpected discovery about the cure’s location puts Novari and Keo in danger, they take refuge in Luccero’s sprawling manor. There, they contemplate how to stay safe … and succumb to each other’s seduction.</p>
<p>The pleasure she finds with Luc and Keo makes Novari want to hide away forever, but when the danger zeroes in, they’ll have to figure out how to overcome it before the dream they’ve found together becomes a nightmare.</p>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205585086-a-seduction-of-dreams-and-nightmares" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3IrQ4uQ" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">—</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>“Cursed,” came Luc’s soft voice. “As Fiends we consider ourselves cursed, nightmares. Humans, fragile and finite as they may be, are the dreams. They are born, they grow, they change, they have choices we will never have about who they want to be and what feeds their appetites. But we, everlasting and unchanging until the moment of our demise, have little choice. I can never travel far by myself lest I have no means to sate my Lust. I came into existence as an incubus with a specific way I must live, and that is all I can ever be.”</p>
<p>His words reminded me of the conversation with Keo last night and the way he’d questioned his urges because he couldn’t stop wondering if everything about him was decided before he even existed.</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about things from your perspective. I feel bad about that.”</p>
<p>Luc chuckled. “Humans are selfish beings; I do not fault you for it.”</p>
<p>“I’m not—”</p>
<p>“I meant it not as an insult,” he cut in, “you are selfish because you know your time is limited. That there is an inevitable end you cannot avoid, and though you wish for the years to take you into old age, you live with no idea if your next day will be your last. Thus, you focus on yourselves, your pursuits, your pleasures. You can pick up jobs, hobbies, lovers, and discard them as your mood fits because ‘life is short,’ no?</p>
<p>“You try to pull as much life from the world as you can because when you die, there is no coming back. Fiends can walk through centuries; we do not think of time the same way. Were two hundred of your friends to ask you to keep something of theirs in your care for the rest of your life you would say there was no way you could dedicate your life to taking care of things that do not belong to you. Things that would impede your ability to live your life on your terms.”</p>
<p>He raised his hand to indicate the greenhouse. “But for me? I said yes every single time a Fleurisse came to me. Because it was of no consequence to hold on to things that would remain as long as I. All I have is time, and thus, we endure the long years together.”</p>
<p>Luccero was far more perceptive and empathetic than I would have ever thought he was. In a few short hours I’d learned more about him than I’d ever known. Because all I’d seen when I looked at him was his beauty, all I’d felt was his charm and his lusty aura. But he was so much more than a creature of seduction. I was sure his long life was full of amazing stories. He could tell me something about every Fleurisse here, was probably knowledgeable about things I wouldn’t know the first thing about.</p>
<p>I badly wanted to know this side of him more.<br />
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<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>A.J. Locke is a young adult and adult fantasy author, and also writes and illustrates picture books. She is an artist of various mediums including oil and acrylic paint, and watercolor. When she’s trying to avoid her writing projects she can be found trying to make a dent in her TBR pile, playing video games, watching anime, baking, and chasing the ever elusive eight hours of sleep. A.J. is originally from Trinidad and Tobago and now resides in NYC.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.ajlockewrites.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6883907.A_J_Locke" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAJLocke" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/maqueripe" target="_blank">Twitter</a> / <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@authorajlocke" target="_blank">TikTok</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/art_by_ajlocke/" target="_blank">Instagram</a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
1) Handmade book sleeve<br />
2) Themed Notebook<br />
3) Worldbuilding key item: Everway Compass decoration<br />
4) Character art bookmarks: Luccero, Novari, Keovallen<br />
5) Character art prints: Luccero, Novari, Keovallen<br />
6) Handmade pressed flower necklace<br />
7) Sticker sheet</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3trl3qj9clyx-Fo2Ds_R7JrhqbvW90Ph8Dn3bRbILZJ2cpA/viewform"><strong>ENTER TO WIN HERE!</strong></a></p>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-55384043775180419192024-03-15T00:30:00.039-04:002024-03-15T00:30:00.133-04:00New Release Spotlight Tour Stop/Giveaway: Rift in the Soul by Faith Hunter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt9jI0FQiikVWZbKsxEjml2KYZYpNKQpmAXsCr-CMabGd3tcERd0DcUVwcCdORtKt0XzcZg0ot2_L-COcF2wy5hdX564ApW5oUs20DPx9YzFcWrTn_fGWToO6-7FZWa51VEjKOOt7Vr9TfcC5ztwtMRHJromoUe2LI0dG8QRAF_IaqlA04RC9YsntaxI/s868/rift-in-the-soul-3d-cover_orig.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="868" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWt9jI0FQiikVWZbKsxEjml2KYZYpNKQpmAXsCr-CMabGd3tcERd0DcUVwcCdORtKt0XzcZg0ot2_L-COcF2wy5hdX564ApW5oUs20DPx9YzFcWrTn_fGWToO6-7FZWa51VEjKOOt7Vr9TfcC5ztwtMRHJromoUe2LI0dG8QRAF_IaqlA04RC9YsntaxI/s320/rift-in-the-soul-3d-cover_orig.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><u>Discover the next installment in the Soulwood Series by Faith Hunter in Rift in the soul today. Don't forget to enter the tour wide giveaway as well in the post.</u></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left;">Nell Ingram and her team face a dire, supernatural evil in this newest thrilling paranormal procedural in the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left;">New York Times</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left;"> bestselling Soulwood series.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">Nell Ingram draws her powers from deep in the earth, and uses them to help Psy-LED, the Psychometric Law Enforcement Division, which solves paranormal crimes. When a local vampire calls to report a dead body on her compound, Nell knows she and her team have to be ready for anything.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">But the dead body is just the beginning of a mystery that involves supernaturals of all kinds, including some of the most powerful vampires in the country. As Nell gets closer to the truth, she begins to understand that the perpetrator is tracking her too—and that there is something personal about this crime. Something with roots that go almost as deep as those in Soulwood.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /></div><p></p><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: outside; margin: 5px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em;"><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">ASIN : </span>B0BHD9SMF7</li><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Publisher : </span>Ace (March 5, 2024)</li><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Publication date : </span>March 5, 2024</li><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Print length : </span>382 pages</li><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Buy links: </b></div><ul style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 5px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 3em;"><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><strong>Amazon/Apple/B&N: </strong>https://mybook.to/RiftinSoul</li><li style="list-style: outside disc; margin: 3px 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 5px; text-align: left;"><strong>Publisher: </strong>https://tinyurl.com/RiftSoulRandHou <em style="position: relative;">(Note, they have links to BookShop.org, Walmart, and Target on this page.)</em></li></ul></li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-weight: 700;">Excerpt twelve</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;">“There are strange trees growing on your land.” Ming touched her chest and scratched at the dying blood, freshening her wound in a line of bright scarlet. She licked her fingertip. “They bleed. Charlainn tasted the tree and she . . . she felt joy. And now she is dead by the dawn.”</span></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">I had no idea who Charlainn was or when or why the vampire woman had tasted the vampire tree. The tree was a poorly kept secret that grew on church land and my land and had a mind of its own, sentient and self-aware, and had taken to calling itself the Green Knight. I hoped to control the tree enough to keep it from killing people for its dinner. I even had a dream of monetizing it for lumber. Maybe. Someday. “Go on,” I said.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“You are a people eater. I have heard you are purple, but I see you are not.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">There was nothing amusing about this bizarre conversation, but laughter welled up in me, nervous, half panicked. Soulwood filled me. Steadying me. I felt the Green Knight in the distance, alert.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“What happened to you?” I asked her softly.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“I found my soul. We all found our souls.” Bitterly she said, “Every Mithran everywhere has our souls and we cannot . . .” Ming turned her head halfway around to see Rick’s gun aimed at her. It was one of those not-human movements vampires can make, and the hair stood up on the back of my neck. As if the weapon didn’t matter, she swiveled her head back to me. “We cannot make them go away. Souls are destroying us. When your sister’s babies were born, did they bring back our souls? Did your tree bring back our souls?”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Vampires didn’t have souls. Everyone knew that. Ming thought vampires now had souls? She had always been unstable, but this was a new take on vampire psychological instability.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“No baby did anything. Have you called J—” I stopped just in time. “Have you called the Dark Queen? She might know something. Have you contacted her?”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“Cai called. It went to voice mail. So he called again. And her lady-in-waiting took a </span><span style="color: black;">message</span><span style="color: black;">.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Jane Yellowrock had a lady-in-waiting? She was more likely to need an armorer than someone to paint her nails.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“When her secundo, the one called Eli Younger, called me back, he wove a tale of angels and demons, but I know . . .” Ming stopped and drank deeply again and tossed the empty wine bottle across the room. It hit the wall and clattered to the floor. I managed not to flinch.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">When Rick and Ayatas returned from New Orleans and the coronation, they had referred to the vampires being a very different sort of strangeness from their usual eccentricity, as if very drunk. They had been right.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Cai opened the door to my side, looked at the gun aimed at the back of his mistress’ head, and walked casually across the room to Ming. He held out his wrist to Ming and she took it, embedded her fangs in his wrist, and drank. Cai laughed and stroked her hair. It was unexpectedly personal and suggestive, the way he touched her.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">When she withdrew her fangs, she licked his wrist to clot the blood and close the wound. “Thank you. You will take the foolish nonhumans in the kitchen doorway into the front parlor. Keep them there.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">My spine went straight. I did not want to be alone with a crazy Ming of Glass.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“Have the boy’s body taken to the driveway so they may remove the filth.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“Yes, my mistress,” Cai said.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“And call Yvonne. Have her bring the cards.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Ming pulled her lapels together and looked at me. Some of her old imperiousness seeped back into her eyes. “Forgive me. I have been remiss. Would you care for tea?”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“Thank you?” I said, not certain how to respond.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Cai walked to the swinging doors. In a single lunge, he swiped out with both hands and grabbed Rick and Aya by the throat. Fast. Faster than any para. Nearly vampire-fast.</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">“Put them away,” Cai said of their weapons, his voice as nonchalant as if they were standing at a bar having friendly drinks. “You’d be dead by the time you fired.”</span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Cai shoved and pushed both men back through the kitchen. I could hear their shoes sliding on the floor. We had known for a long time that Cai was far more than human. Cai’s strength, against two other paranormals who also had greater than human strength, was proof of that.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #7b8c89; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ Copyright Faith Hunter</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuigivkl2VM_A7-B9MYaJRpZOKNgSnN1vMEqbIx9UdlbkymdntQMuDOTXC8UXiHKXpEOoElTkxsTLUAFPtJWx38rC2o41p2N422lzo8vfesCe51gJG13jg7T79e4dxGxp5LA3zYrnEM0yn897TPqnGYnVPGFjXvmkDti1BAF8Xc8NZ9g2jOGvzauEwUzQ/s368/bookmarks-for-rafflecopter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="208" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuigivkl2VM_A7-B9MYaJRpZOKNgSnN1vMEqbIx9UdlbkymdntQMuDOTXC8UXiHKXpEOoElTkxsTLUAFPtJWx38rC2o41p2N422lzo8vfesCe51gJG13jg7T79e4dxGxp5LA3zYrnEM0yn897TPqnGYnVPGFjXvmkDti1BAF8Xc8NZ9g2jOGvzauEwUzQ/s320/bookmarks-for-rafflecopter.png" width="181" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>GIVEAWAY</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="9751c04284" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/9751c04284/" id="rcwidget_ym6qn3xq" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script> <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Mr-TJGwVoPZCJxBFY_mrEdDYzrtca79dNDNtoAGRjWJEqZSn1cb1SjiUmzGgB1k4nBKjMa8JGldq191RjBj_kpAag6WRO4dnUO-LNVKcDPoe034Smb-9ysXjfEyiUtvqLPz_UfRfCqRup7sD_HH_ZA9IAxdTpnmIpU9gJFcxpPP0OodhiE2Pu9m_6hg/s740/faith-hunter-author-pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="740" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Mr-TJGwVoPZCJxBFY_mrEdDYzrtca79dNDNtoAGRjWJEqZSn1cb1SjiUmzGgB1k4nBKjMa8JGldq191RjBj_kpAag6WRO4dnUO-LNVKcDPoe034Smb-9ysXjfEyiUtvqLPz_UfRfCqRup7sD_HH_ZA9IAxdTpnmIpU9gJFcxpPP0OodhiE2Pu9m_6hg/s320/faith-hunter-author-pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;">About the Author:</strong></div><div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></strong><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;">Faith Hunter, urban fantasy writer, was born in Louisiana and raised all over the south. Hunter fell in love with reading in fifth grade, and best loved SciFi, fantasy, and gothic mystery. She decided to become a writer in high school, when a teacher told her she had talent. Now, she writes full-time, tries to keep house, and is a workaholic with a passion for RV travel, Japanese maples, orchids, white-water kayaking, and writing. She and her husband love to RV to whitewater rivers all over the Southeast.</span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;">Author of series: Skinwalker (feat. Jane Yellowrock, urban fantasy), Rogue Mage (Thorn St. Croix, urban fantasy), Junkyard Cats (Shining Smith, dystopian-esque Scifi), and Soulwood (Nell Ingram, paranormal procedural where an escapee from a cult, a solitary woman with deadly magic of her own, is hired to help PsyLED: a paranormal division of Homeland Security; find a missing child. Find out more about the author here: www.FaithHunter.net</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Gentium Basic;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px;"><b>Tour Schedule</b></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;">March 4</strong></div><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Distinct Authors</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Curlupwithagoodbook</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 5 </strong></div></span><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Books of my Heart</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Ilovebooksandstuff</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Book Review Virginia Lee</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Kat Reads Romance</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 6</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">I Smell Sheep</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Steamy Book Momma</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 7</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Drops of Ink</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Janet Walden-West</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Slippery Words</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 8</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The Irresponsible Reader</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 11</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Karen's Killer Book Bench</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Quirky Fat Cats</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Monster Complex</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 12</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Iron Canuck</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Archaeolibrarian</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 13</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">ScifiChick</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Words About Words</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 14</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Books Glorious Books</li><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">All Things Dark and Dirty</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><strong>March 15</strong></div></strong><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: "Gentium Basic"; font-size: 18px; list-style-image: initial !important; list-style-position: outside !important; margin: 5px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 3em !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li style="list-style: outside disc !important; margin: 3px 0px 0px !important; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 5px !important; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Dawn's Reading Nook</li></ul></div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-69917316635462723992024-03-14T13:38:00.000-04:002024-03-14T13:38:57.863-04:00New Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Fiona's Fury<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpYi-oPOQcFk24T9xRuTTfR-kGfY7UJnbWEMfQ5NlESC5S0BIHwRbxM1EGRGZl6pPFlxNh63rWCRnUlycYrT_qN9qNdGlXXH32CX525TZ0gkqEGuVflo4kNPuBqoQ0e6npQcUEykm1ju_0VoyvnqKPcQ1jR1ZQF1EFzZs3o3mfQmAJk2pNLgvgfnI__c/s851/FionasFuryBlitzBanner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgpYi-oPOQcFk24T9xRuTTfR-kGfY7UJnbWEMfQ5NlESC5S0BIHwRbxM1EGRGZl6pPFlxNh63rWCRnUlycYrT_qN9qNdGlXXH32CX525TZ0gkqEGuVflo4kNPuBqoQ0e6npQcUEykm1ju_0VoyvnqKPcQ1jR1ZQF1EFzZs3o3mfQmAJk2pNLgvgfnI__c/s320/FionasFuryBlitzBanner.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Talking with Roxy Blue about Fiona's Fury</b></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Tell us about your latest book, who are the main character(s) and what can we expect </b><b>when we pick it up?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fiona’s Fury centers around a high-strung divorcee who’s never really processed her own family trauma, her ex-husband who goes from trusted friend to total control freak, and her favorite floral supplier who turns out to be much more than your average flower farmer.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The only thing you can really expect is the unexpected. Fiona’s Fury goes from falsely hunky-dory to weird to bad to worse…before things get better, but there’s plenty of spice to carry you through the hardships.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Do you come up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig </b><b>through until you find a hook?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Absolutely I begin with a basic notion of my main characters and then freestyle the entire story around them. I generally know almost nothing about how the plot is going to unfold when I begin writing a book.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Which of your characters would you want to share a campfire with, and why?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Definitely Bo! But then, what flesh-and-blood woman wouldn’t pick him? The truth is, Fiona would make a very interesting, but energetically taxing, friend. Bo is the salt of the earth. He’s laid back and bro-ish, yet insightful and deep.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Anyone, male or female, would share a campfire with him. Not to mention…he’d probably prepare something really nice to grill!</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tell us about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future? Any favorite authors you enjoy to read in your spare time?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Currently I’m reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for the first time. If you look up reviews, you’ll find there are about 101 reasons to read it. I’m thoroughly enjoying it because I always like something that balances travel, or casual living, with philosophy. Think Jack Kerouac. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is also on my TBR list. Oddly, I haven’t read a lot of novels by the same authors because I always want to further explore who’s out there. But I can name a few romance authors whose catalogs I’d dig way into, based upon reading even one or two books by them: L.J Shen, Philippa Gregory, Helen Huang, Abby Jimenez, Emily Henry, and yes…Colleen Hoover, although It Ends with Us is not the one that roped me in.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Are there any specific themes or messages that you strive to convey through your writing? What impact do you hope your books have on readers?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The general message I probably want to convey is one of integrity. I’m not dead-set on my main characters always being great people, but I expose their flaws to the reader in ways that make it apparent I’m not supporting all their actions and decisions. I like for characters to be real. And most real people are complex in both good and bad ways. I mostly intend for my books to impact people through character resonance. With a heavier focus on character development than intricate plot points, I expect a lot of readers to strongly relate to the people in my books. Over time I could write hundreds of in-depth characters in a way that there will be something for everyone. I also like to impart concepts that are ethical, introspective, thought-provoking, or outright philosophical.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9CWq-oeB8iR9w0PoJ4ocxSQbLibz-MFv0YfbVEKFVbGfkHQ4QgTpp4-zUwyfKRC5v6h0ZKC3HigP9ACodS_6LCSF7KJian342UxG0mT0Vldc7Qh8RKxMx8J8mMNe3fZy81UuMrj3w_LQVMZtAwuWWfDp23l6XP-Ff0JcUzAN_p4bfi_db8ZCfi2WafI/s1752/Fionas.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1752" data-original-width="1155" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC9CWq-oeB8iR9w0PoJ4ocxSQbLibz-MFv0YfbVEKFVbGfkHQ4QgTpp4-zUwyfKRC5v6h0ZKC3HigP9ACodS_6LCSF7KJian342UxG0mT0Vldc7Qh8RKxMx8J8mMNe3fZy81UuMrj3w_LQVMZtAwuWWfDp23l6XP-Ff0JcUzAN_p4bfi_db8ZCfi2WafI/s320/Fionas.png" width="211" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br />What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an author, and how have you </b><b>overcome them?</b></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">The biggest challenge for me is that I don’t have a college degree. I was raised by an old-fashioned English stickler, and come from a family of talented (though not published) writers. The knack and desire for writing has been flowing through my veins since I can remember, but it’s difficult to get attention in any industry without credentials. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Self-publishing has made it possible for many brilliant writers to get their works on the shelves without a lot of red tape, and I’m simply following suit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How do you approach character development in your stories? Do you have any specific </b><b>techniques or methods that you find particularly effective?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I write characters just like I’d do Method Acting. I channel the character to write realistic and nuanced dialogue, and even to determine what will happen next in their life…what they’d do in that exact situation, in accordance with their history and deepest personality traits.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>What do you believe sets your writing apart from others in your genre, and why should </b><b>readers choose to read your books?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fiona’s Fury is one of the rare novels that is perhaps equal in plot and character development. Since I’m most into characters and the inner workings of their minds, a general theme of my writing is the deep sense of who people are and why they’re that way. I’d recommend my books to anyone who wants to read about the very real types of people that could be living next door. I hope to hit home in describing emotional nuances many people have experienced.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Can you talk about the marketing and promotion strategies you employ to reach and </b><b>connect with your target audience? How do you utilize social media and other channels </b><b>to build your author brand?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">I wisely hired Rick Lite (Stress Free Book Marketing) to help me with the details of becoming a debut author. He’s the one who got Fiona’s Fury under the noses of the editorial reviewers who have been dropping 5 stars all over my Goodreads. This entire process would have been much more overwhelming without help. Although there’s still so much to do with reaching out to bookstores, arranging signings, writing letters to influencers and radio stations, making plans to do the audiobook, etc.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instagram is the only social media platform I’ve committed to, as I’m not much of a social media junky, but I might get going with some youtube readings at some point.</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">How do you handle feedback and criticism from readers and reviewers?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Honestly, I just wouldn’t go out of my way to put my books in the hands of readers who I don’t really think would like them. Fiona’s Fury is by and large universally loved. The other two books of this series are a somewhat literary type of contemporary romance, not romcom suspense, and have been dubbed upmarket romance. So the audience for them will be a little more limited and specific. Criticism doesn’t bother me because not all my books will be for everyone. And of course there are always going to be people who get hung up on something that rubs them the wrong way, and then leave a hateful review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Can you discuss any upcoming projects or books that you’re currently working on? </b><b>What can readers expect from your future works?</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">Absolutely. Currently I’m almost finished with A Letter to Elise, the third book of the Finding Love Again series, which is a little on the dark or introspective side, but is not a suspense. It also offers a triple POV, so is unusual in that regard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">After this series is published, I plan to begin writing 20th century historical romance…which I’ve rarely encountered. I probably won’t do every decade of the century, but most, and not in any particular order. Right now I’m debating whether I want to begin with the 20s or 60s. Readers can expect material that will accurately reflect the mood and culture of the period I’m working in.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbN9Tjl1OJn1uTa1bOi9QNQ9jSH_ieBd7bjqu-Z0FMRru9bpIn67nZk77jMIVxQYirc0ovXL4M25BacLECd2Xg8vCycPZc1RYKXVQAvakCu5Brun14xSfc9-W-oqewhVOMWCyeyGWajmoZZDxLdcfEUdR5K9viSQgiUzYkOcwJnbP3fv3gQKJrZj7kdw/s1752/Fionas.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1752" data-original-width="1155" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbN9Tjl1OJn1uTa1bOi9QNQ9jSH_ieBd7bjqu-Z0FMRru9bpIn67nZk77jMIVxQYirc0ovXL4M25BacLECd2Xg8vCycPZc1RYKXVQAvakCu5Brun14xSfc9-W-oqewhVOMWCyeyGWajmoZZDxLdcfEUdR5K9viSQgiUzYkOcwJnbP3fv3gQKJrZj7kdw/s320/Fionas.png" width="211" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Fiona’s Fury<br />by Roxy Blue<br />Publication date: March 12th 2024<br />Genres: Adult, Comedy, <wbr></wbr>Contemporary, Romance, <wbr></wbr>Suspense</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Synopsis:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This chilling but hysterically sardonic thrill-ride is hard to put down. Smart, sexy, and deeply revelatory, it will send you on an enthralling emotional journey you won’t forget.<br /><br />Fiona Turner, CEO of Fiona’s Flowers floral shop, hasn’t the time nor inclination to bother with men until she finally meets the face on the other end of the phone. Having remained friends, she never suspected her ex-husband, Quade, would morph into a terrifying, controlling, law-bending monster. When Fiona exhibits the first signs of wanting to move on in life, he threatens to take everything from her. A long weekend at a conference answers all of Fiona’s questions about floral supplier, Bo Thompson, except how she can possibly have him. She’ll never know what she’s missing unless she risks everything for love.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Goodreads</b>: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203812403-fiona-s-fury&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw2qOhh7otTLu5krt931y6q7" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203812403-fiona-s-fury" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>goodreads.com/book/show/<wbr></wbr>203812403-fiona-s-fury</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Purchase</b>:</span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://amzn.to/3Iywo8t&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw0pDCV1OVv8uBEb5hteJeJc" href="https://amzn.to/3Iywo8t" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/<wbr></wbr>3Iywo8t</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">B&N: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fionas-fury-roxy-blue/1144502937&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw1QHeREGwoIcTFVJCAUDHAg" href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fionas-fury-roxy-blue/1144502937" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>barnesandnoble.com/w/fionas-<wbr></wbr>fury-roxy-blue/1144502937</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kobo: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.kobo.com/pt/pt/ebook/fiona-s-fury&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw3wwN6oouSL_fnZ8lShX63U" href="https://www.kobo.com/pt/pt/ebook/fiona-s-fury" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.kobo.com/pt/<wbr></wbr>pt/ebook/fiona-s-fury</a></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Giveaway:</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><u><span style="font-family: georgia;">Tour-wide giveaway (INT)</span></u></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div style="display: inline;"><div style="display: inline;"><div style="display: inline;"><div style="display: inline;"><div style="display: inline;"><div style="display: inline;"><ul><li style="margin-left: 15px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">3x Fiona’s Fury mug</span></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235699&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw3rqkY9n_xdNVw5Y6Ago38H" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235699" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">http://www.rafflecopter.com/<wbr></wbr>rafl/display/d04251235699</span></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp1bRj6M6Z8t4Ud-eoW68exNhwgVcZkCZGJLzFEhkj0_LDigM3SRxSEWSf6Vn_t553RSjY7hyphenhyphenrHlB5a3sJ__j1pr_eBVN_YC_LHlDHIi6FlMmv6ET_vy_7ONkvVR_nke60N-p_1J352KTuFEL4btBatel7w6kXfp9zYzayVs3zB0Lp8to4vMR91OaO_w/s300/Rozy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKp1bRj6M6Z8t4Ud-eoW68exNhwgVcZkCZGJLzFEhkj0_LDigM3SRxSEWSf6Vn_t553RSjY7hyphenhyphenrHlB5a3sJ__j1pr_eBVN_YC_LHlDHIi6FlMmv6ET_vy_7ONkvVR_nke60N-p_1J352KTuFEL4btBatel7w6kXfp9zYzayVs3zB0Lp8to4vMR91OaO_w/w200-h200/Rozy.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Raised in the South and transplanted to a midwestern New Age community, Roxy Blue writes about the types of down-to-earth characters that dispel the notion of romance being rubbish. After thirteen years as an exotic dancer, she developed a rare autoimmune arthritis that gave her an excuse to settle down and focus more on writing, although she still hoopdances and hikes on the good days. Roxy lives in Asheville, NC with the kind of hunk she likes to read about, and their two ridiculous cats.<br /><b><br />Author links:</b></span></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.authorroxyblue.com/&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw0db_7DR52eOkh2VJMM2WIP" href="https://www.authorroxyblue.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.authorroxyblue.<wbr></wbr>com/</span></a></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://instagram.com/authorroxyblue&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw15isV0xXOGAObX2xKMvdmG" href="http://instagram.com/authorroxyblue" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">http://instagram.com/<wbr></wbr>authorroxyblue</span></a></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://facebook.com/authorroxyblue&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw1qUy1Lxc63eMpG0s3t7L_W" href="http://facebook.com/authorroxyblue" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">http://facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>authorroxyblue</span></a></div><div><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22378730.Roxy_Blue&source=gmail&ust=1710370907600000&usg=AOvVaw0xBUijr8rng6CTJzwWZSE8" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22378730.Roxy_Blue" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/22378730.Roxy_Blue</span></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ak0JsSh7hLZlDfJmLrDPPX04UiMeE3g0Oi4nhOwkYRakblzJT9pYnr3fiGZVSerFFBgq1gvMPScY0wDMqROimZNI-tmMca4UaQb2FtyLbLU3J61b4B3N0zgfucpUpI4oj-CX8NSY5ttUWobUZEK8uaxjQpH-qQmDbUEiiBUehaBFszj3jn2lRcuyM0/s280/ButtonXBT.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="280" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ak0JsSh7hLZlDfJmLrDPPX04UiMeE3g0Oi4nhOwkYRakblzJT9pYnr3fiGZVSerFFBgq1gvMPScY0wDMqROimZNI-tmMca4UaQb2FtyLbLU3J61b4B3N0zgfucpUpI4oj-CX8NSY5ttUWobUZEK8uaxjQpH-qQmDbUEiiBUehaBFszj3jn2lRcuyM0/s1600/ButtonXBT.png" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-64019854512982468862024-03-13T01:00:00.024-04:002024-03-13T01:00:00.138-04:00Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Picasso's Lovers<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/02/book-blast-picassos-lovers-by-jeanne.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2vrhednamOVZcQy9rkThVajUkZWAo1SDQGYYGu-1J7iRs-f-nvfE6kyJTU7HT_bZmJMm2B8pkRDqHiJsWMucF3xpMuXhdDc4PEtxTVE3xakY4mhNFqrfsEfGBrqtNU0wclSpxLlR9MZNoO2yLKmCnn_kn9aW98K0xh49Z2rsuA-pozhwCXAGA3aOCiGs/s400/TourBanner_Picassos%20lovers.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br />
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by <a href="http://www.goddessfish.com">Goddess Fish Promotions</a>. Jeanne Mackin will award a randomly drawn winner a $25 Amazon/BN GC. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.<br /><br />
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi71t_6GzOSX8BhEndfPdV5TjWP2lr9x-NmzRUeAPGE6WbPsuzUYU7vJ9DGdRnaPyoGuR37GF9ZRzCQVLwa9RUd2eTpyVNPlqKgwNnOCkft1z660A1Vb_nI2CVq-QQIbiXU1Qr__EczUlSCxENzFnpGhH9wJRYPTw5D0ql7ZGkqwM2_K_eeNp7jPC4DW8/s2397/BookCover_picasso%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="1546" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi71t_6GzOSX8BhEndfPdV5TjWP2lr9x-NmzRUeAPGE6WbPsuzUYU7vJ9DGdRnaPyoGuR37GF9ZRzCQVLwa9RUd2eTpyVNPlqKgwNnOCkft1z660A1Vb_nI2CVq-QQIbiXU1Qr__EczUlSCxENzFnpGhH9wJRYPTw5D0ql7ZGkqwM2_K_eeNp7jPC4DW8/w129-h200/BookCover_picasso%20cover.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><br />You know Pablo Picasso. Now meet the women behind the masterpieces. The women of Picasso's life are glamorous and elusive, existing in the shadow of his fame - until, in the 1950's, aspiring journalist Alana Olsen determines to bring one into the light and discovers a past complicated by secrets and intrigue.</blockquote>Available at <a href=" https://www.amazon.com/Picassos-Lovers-Jeanne-Mackin-ebook/dp/B0C3C2J4FH/ref=sr_1_1" target="_blank">Amazon</a><div><br />
<b>Read an Excerpt</b> <br /><br />
I have a photo, faded and torn, of two women on a terrace. Their black jersey bathing costumes reach modestly down their thighs and up to their collarbones. Their hair is cut short in a flapper bob of the 1920’s. The women gaze straight into the camera with a hint of defiance. <br /><br />
Beyond the terrace is a calm sea. Even in this black-and-white photo, the blueness of the water shimmers. Sailboats are caught forever on that sea, as are the women, ambered into eternal youth and beauty. Between the terrace and the sea are palm trees with fringed tops and grainy trunks. <br /><br />
If you look long enough at the photo, you can feel the Mediterranean sunshine…<br /><br />
There is a secret folded into the shadows of the photo. <br /><br />
In the bottom right hand corner, there is a third woman, blurred in motion rather than posing. The camera has caught her unaware. She wears a print dress, not a bathing costume, and her is long and braided. The sun, directly behind her, backlighting her, makes her face impossible to see. The light halos the shape of her head so that she is everyone and no one.
<br /><br />
<b>About the Author:</b> <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzKZ6rjT7-Xb7KxEpsd6b527QQ8nmGZTf5M8RcQpZ0DcMytHCQRq4OgomC09_LmCfnHzBFea6-J-Wp0bIVovEmaQiLWI10Ux2J3utCDOi4-rZZVlDZ7z9HbZDnEh2m9VmexRisDSJP0A4wmLCTd_ChgAeOLtDhyC9FF1S1RvD6w1Q2Lk8BHV1jKebfg/s2219/author%20image.jpg" style="clear: left; display: block; float: left; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2219" data-original-width="1791" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnbzKZ6rjT7-Xb7KxEpsd6b527QQ8nmGZTf5M8RcQpZ0DcMytHCQRq4OgomC09_LmCfnHzBFea6-J-Wp0bIVovEmaQiLWI10Ux2J3utCDOi4-rZZVlDZ7z9HbZDnEh2m9VmexRisDSJP0A4wmLCTd_ChgAeOLtDhyC9FF1S1RvD6w1Q2Lk8BHV1jKebfg/w161-h200/author%20image.jpg" width="161" /></a></div>Jeanne Mackin is the author of several historical novels, including The Last Collection, which has been translated into five languages, and The Beautiful American, which won a CNY award for fiction. She has taught in the MFA Creative Writing program at Goddard College and won journalism awards, and is currently at work on her next novel.<br /><br />
Website: <a href="http://www.jeannemackin.com">http://www.jeannemackin.com</a><br />
Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JeanneMackinAuthor">https://www.facebook.com/JeanneMackinAuthor</a><br />
Twitter: <a href="http://www.twitter.com/JeanneMackin1">http://www.twitter.com/JeanneMackin1</a><br />
Instagram: <a href="http://www.instagram.com/JeanneMackinAuthor">http://www.instagram.com/JeanneMackinAuthor</a><br /><br /><br /><br />
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</div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-79760861491254527882024-03-13T01:00:00.009-04:002024-03-13T01:00:00.139-04:00New Release Spotlight/GIVEAWAY: Belega by Dianne Hartsock<a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belaga-Blitz-Banner.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-106378" height="237" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belaga-Blitz-Banner.png" width="640" /></a>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Title</strong>: Belega</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Series</strong>: The Karthagans, Book One</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Author</strong>: Dianne Hartsock</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Publisher</strong>:<strong> </strong>NineStar Press</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Release Date</strong>: 03/12/2024</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Heat Level</strong>: 3 - Some Sex</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pairing</strong>: Male/Male</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Length</strong>: 99600</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Genre</strong>: Fantasy, fantasy, magic, sorcerers, mage, psychic powers</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/208336209-belega" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="size-medium aligncenter wp-image-105971" data-attachment-id="105971" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Belega" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-scaled.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-scaled.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-scaled.jpg?fit=1707%2C2560&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1707,2560" data-permalink="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/?attachment_id=105971" height="300" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-scaled.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" width="200" /></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Description</strong></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Karthagans have regained their ancient powers of manipulating nature, but at the price of madness. In their lust for control, they've destroyed their island and most of their race. They come now to Belega, where one of them, Camron, seeks domination over the known world. The Mage has come from the northern continent of Sennia to bring peace, but finding his strength no match for the coming struggle, he passes his abilities on to Natan, who only desires a simple life.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now only Natan has the ability to stop Camron, but the personal cost is more than he imagines. It is only with the combined strength of his friends, his Karthagan lover, Kavi, and his deep desire to bring lasting peace to the earth, that he finds the courage to overcome Camron and restore balance to the world.</span></span></div>Excerpt</h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Belega</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dianne Hartsock © 2024</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">All Rights Reserved</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I have you.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natan rose into a low crouch from the scrub brush, careful not to scrape his cloak against the foliage, and searched his memory for the trick Kavi had taught him. Oh, yes. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, releasing all worries. His expectations. Letting go. The clip of the horse’s hooves echoed in his mind, and he concentrated on that, the smell of the horse, the feel of its hide, the oats on its breath. He became aware of a vague fear in the animal’s mind.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the tenuous connection broke without time to try again as the soldier leading the roan brought him to a stop, his gaze sweeping the path ahead, alert. Gathering his scattered wits as best he could, Natan lunged to his feet and dove for the soldier’s legs. They went down hard, Natan gasping at the whoosh of air against his cheek as the horse reared, hooves barely missing him. Knowing he was no match for the soldier physically, he scrambled to jab a knee into the man’s back, then drew his thin knife and pressed it against the pulse at his throat, feeling him stiffen.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hold very still,” he warned. The soldier didn’t move as the keen blade inadvertently nicked his skin. Recalling Kavi’s imprisonment in an Amara prison, Natan gritted his teeth and swung his arm back, then brought the hilt of the knife down sharply on his vulnerable skull. With a grunt, the man went limp. Natan climbed to his feet, cursing under his breath as the horse disappeared up the trail. He rolled the man over so his face wouldn’t be in the dirt, making sure he could breathe without difficulty.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Frowning at the thick trees crowding them, he left his captive a moment to scout the vicinity, at last coming upon a small clearing off the trail. It took some effort to drag the unconscious soldier to the spot, and a relief to roll the heavy body down the last few feet. He retrieved leather strips from his pack, bound the man’s hands and feet to a small sapling, then examined the soldier’s head once again. Although the purplish welt had swollen, the bleeding had stopped.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natan watched the soldier a moment and shook his head in disgust when he didn’t waken. “Hit him too hard,” he muttered, angry with himself. He built a small fire as the air grew chilly and sat with his back to a tree while he waited for the soldier to regain consciousness. Darkness descended on the forest, and he chewed his lips in growing anxiety. His dear friend, Captain Bryon of Amara, along with Lieutenant Jaden, had gone to Nagal to petition the Mage to help them recover Kavi. Had they reached the city yet? If so, Natan would need to be at the Lake of Glass to meet with them in a few short days. A lifetime, as long as Kavi remained captive.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">He sharpened his knife on a whetstone to pass the time while the soldier remained unconscious. As the stars came out, an ache crept into his chest as he thought of Kavi and how they used to lie awake, watching for falling stars. Natan would make them tea in a little pot over the fire; then they’d wrap in warm blankets and talk quietly while the sky wheeled overhead. Sometimes they made love, Kavi’s warm sleek body pliant as Natan searched out new ways to draw those sweet breathy moans from his lips.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">And then it had all ended. Natan closed his eyes at the jab of pain in his heart. The Nagal soldiers had come to their camp and dragged Kavi away, laughing when Natan struggled, and methodically beat him senseless. That had been two weeks ago, and every attempt he’d made to find his lover had failed. The last time he’d been in Amara he’d been threatened with imprisonment himself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">He would do Kavi no good behind iron bars, he reminded himself.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natan opened his eyes to find the captive staring at him from where he’d slumped against the tree. Natan went over and helped him to a sitting position.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What’s your name?” he asked with ice in his voice. The man continued to stare at him, insolent.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natan looked him over carefully. “Let me guess. You’re dressed as a Nagal soldier, though you’re obviously not one. Maybe a deserter? Maybe a Barkuit spy?” He watched the soldier’s face as he named the rival country, then leaned closer to whisper, “What of Kavi?”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“That trash?” the man asked in surprise, then yelped when Natan lunged at him, knife slipping into his hand.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Say that again and I’ll slit your throat. Now, what is your name?”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Captain Syros Reed.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Natan sat back on his heels, fury hot in his chest. “Speak.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I could tell you where they mean to bury him,” Syros drawled, holding Natan’s gaze, and smiled slightly at his sharply indrawn breath. “That is, once Landlan has drawn the secret to the Karthagans’ power over nature out of him. The power the Barkuit army would kill to use in our coming conflict. Kavi was alive the last time I saw him, but I heard they mean to bury him soon. If you hurry, he may still be breathing. I don’t know.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“And you didn’t help him?” With a sudden enraged cry Natan drove his knife into the sapling inches from Syros’s face. “He’d better be alive, for your sake.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">He left his water skin for Syros, should the man succeed in freeing himself, then gave the soldier no more thought as he snatched up his pack and settled into the long run ahead, determined to be at the Lake of Glass on time.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div>Purchase</h1>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ninestarpress.com/product/belega/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NineStar Press</a> | <a href="https://books2read.com/belega" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Books2Read</a></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-Now-Available.png"><img alt="" class="wp-image-106379 aligncenter" height="500" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Belega-Now-Available-1024x1024.png" width="500" /></a></div><h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Meet the Author
</strong></h1>
Dianne is the author of paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, m/m romance, the occasional thriller, and anything else that comes to mind. She lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the keyboard letting her characters play. She says Oregon’s raindrops are the perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee warming her hands, which kindles her imagination. <div><br /></div><div>Currently, Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich colors and textures of flowers and foliage.
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Dianne-Hartsock-Author-107985445959828/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/diannehartsock/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></h2>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Giveaway</strong></h1>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-8625607133108149082024-03-12T19:41:00.004-04:002024-03-12T19:41:41.968-04:00Behind the Scenes with Kelli Wilkins: Dangerous Indenture<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_QfFOwtlheMe5M6qcJHw5AVOIhKqvKFcvts7IoTutId6wdg2NRGaEeEmWEEZTCtVb0hnqI1SQQnDBKSoE0DHmTNNDKdR4JEXryEDhXhoQKligCwIl1PqkrEQQ0PTdjXcnuW7U1BBBdMET6GHO9Cd26u022PFdXB-t_iADTJJST953Eot2sCnwVpzlmc/s1600/Dangerous%20Indenture-FINAL%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_QfFOwtlheMe5M6qcJHw5AVOIhKqvKFcvts7IoTutId6wdg2NRGaEeEmWEEZTCtVb0hnqI1SQQnDBKSoE0DHmTNNDKdR4JEXryEDhXhoQKligCwIl1PqkrEQQ0PTdjXcnuW7U1BBBdMET6GHO9Cd26u022PFdXB-t_iADTJJST953Eot2sCnwVpzlmc/s320/Dangerous%20Indenture-FINAL%20COVER.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Behind the Scenes:<i> Dangerous Indenture</i> (A </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Historical</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b>Mystery-Romance)</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">By Kelli A. Wilkins<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.kelliwilkins.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">www.KelliWilkins.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <br />
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">This “Behind the Scenes” blog is part of a
series examining my romance novels. In each blog, I’ll talk about why I wrote
the book, share my thoughts on the plot and/or characters, and reveal what I
loved most (or least) about writing the book. Warning: Blogs may contain
spoilers.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi everyone,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine this scenario: a young woman moves to a new
town to work for a family. She is on her own and has to adjust to her
employer’s rules while adapting to life in a new environment. After she arrives,
she discovers the job isn’t exactly what she thought it would be and realizes
she has gotten herself into a troubling situation. All seems lost until she
meets a handsome young man…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This premise could be the basis of any number of
romances: a Victorian-era story about a governess moving to a remote estate, a
contemporary tale about a physical therapist or teacher relocating across the
country, or, in the case of my historical romance, <b><i>Dangerous Indenture</i></b>, an
Irish indentured servant leaving everything behind to start a new life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dangerous
Indenture</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> is set in Pennsylvania Colony
and blends a sensual romance with mystery and suspense</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Right from the start, readers (and the heroine, Shauna) are warned about Stewart
House: “It’s got more haunts than the Tower of London.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp5HgpzIgRTpMiES7Po4P4yaHor4Il3UNMY_gkQMYAYRmuhi7wgzqPtbmmPUlH3bUjynIf-sDIHvcBNY-LZJigDHW5w1OGMnSf3CyRoH1v7IJhHLHLhfQvS7gCATIKE2Q0-qgZRgUWseA7-2pq_Nh5e8UuBbf01f5Gr8zz_xrp1XVf-FZjFnWYtjor7I/s1600/Dangerous%20Indenture-FINAL%20COVER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLp5HgpzIgRTpMiES7Po4P4yaHor4Il3UNMY_gkQMYAYRmuhi7wgzqPtbmmPUlH3bUjynIf-sDIHvcBNY-LZJigDHW5w1OGMnSf3CyRoH1v7IJhHLHLhfQvS7gCATIKE2Q0-qgZRgUWseA7-2pq_Nh5e8UuBbf01f5Gr8zz_xrp1XVf-FZjFnWYtjor7I/s320/Dangerous%20Indenture-FINAL%20COVER.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here’s the book summary and links:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<h1 align="center" style="line-height: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">DANGEROUS INDENTURE<o:p></o:p></span></i></h1>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Indentured for five years… how long can Shauna resist her
master’s son?<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Desperate to escape her past in Ireland, Shauna Farrow
signs on to become an indentured servant to Joshua Stewart, a wealthy man in
Pennsylvania Colony. But a life of servitude quickly turns to drudgery, and
Shauna’s hopes for starting over and creating a better life for herself are
waning—until she meets her master’s roguish son, Ashton. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">Ashton needs to redeem himself in his
father’s eyes and earn the respect he has always longed for. Meeting Shauna
turns his life around, and he sets out to win her heart. Torn between propriety
and passion, Shauna struggles against her growing attraction to Ashton as long
as she can. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">But amidst their flirting, something
dark stirs. Shauna soon discovers why no other servants wanted to work for the
strange Stewart family.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">Stewart House has an unsavory
reputation: a previous servant died there under mysterious circumstances. When
another servant goes missing in the middle of the night, Shauna is convinced
that a member of the family is responsible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shauna’s investigation leads her close to the truth, and
yet, she’s not sure who she can trust. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Events take a deadly turn when she confronts
the murderer and discovers the mystery of the Stewart family. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Will Shauna be rescued
before time runs out, or will she meet with the same fate as the other
servants? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></b></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><b>Available here:<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PJVQ7XJ">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PJVQ7XJ</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">All other platforms: <a href="https://books2read.com/u/3JyROP">https://books2read.com/u/3JyROP</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p style="line-height: 15.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;">Read reviews here: <a href="https://www.kelliwilkins.com/dangerous-indenture">https://www.kelliwilkins.com/dangerous-indenture</a> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">***<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I wrote the book, I wanted to evoke a sense of
danger and mystery around every corner. This wasn’t going to be a typical
romance with the hero and heroine from different classes falling in love and
having a forbidden affair. Nope. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The romance is almost a sub-plot of the book, and when
the story begins, finding love is the last thing on Shauna’s mind. She’s more
concerned about doing a good job than getting involved with Ashton (even if he
is handsome).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I liked creating the incredibly dysfunctional members
of the Stewart family. They all have secrets and practically have dual personalities.
Joshua (the patriarch) is a big bear of a man who comes across as gruff and
insensitive, yet at times can be caring. Colin (Joshua’s son) appears to be a respectable
married businessman, but underneath his proper exterior lurks a dark and
dangerous manipulator (among other things). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Colin’s beleaguered wife, Minerva, is mentally
unstable and trapped in a terrible marriage. Readers and the other characters in
the story aren’t sure if she’s truly mad or not. And she might be a murderess…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our hero, Ashton Bailey, is flawed and has a lot of
problems to overcome. For starters, he’s the black sheep of the family and has
been sent home in disgrace. He drinks too much, womanizes too much, and has
nearly given up on life. He’s a failure in his father’s eyes and wants to
redeem himself, but isn’t sure how. Ashton knows that Stewart House is a
terrible place and vows to protect Shauna while she’s working there. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This cast of characters and their interactions (fighting,
name-calling, secrets, and lies) carry the plot. Everyone has an agenda, and
readers learn that not everyone is telling the truth… or is exactly what they
seem. Ashton wants to become respectable, Colin wants him disowned, Minerva
wants Shauna gone, Shauna wants to stay out of trouble, and Joshua just wants
some peace. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Writing the twists and turns of the mystery was a lot
of fun. When the new servant, Lila, goes missing in the middle of the night,
Shauna is convinced someone in the house killed her. But who? Shauna is a
clever amateur sleuth, and when she starts to solve the mystery, she realizes
that she’s in danger. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book has a<i> </i>“Dark
Shadows” feel to it. A mysterious house, a strange family, everyone has
secrets… In fact, several of the character names in the book (Colin, Joshua,
and Minerva) appeared in the original “Dark Shadows” series.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I hope you enjoyed this look at the making of <b><i>Dangerous Indenture</i></b>.<b> </b>I welcome comments and questions from
readers. Be sure to follow my blog for the latest updates and visit me on
social media. I also made a Facebook page for my historical romances: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/"><span style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">https://www.facebook.com/Historical-Romances-by-Kelli-A-Wilkins-1703805359922371/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Happy
Reading, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kelli A. Wilkins<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has
published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, and 6 mystery/horror
ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare
readers with her horror and mystery stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">She released <b><i>The Route 9 Killer</i></b>, a
mystery/thriller set in Central NJ, in early 2023. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Her paranormal/mystery romance, <b><i>In
Another World</i></b>, was published in 2022. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">: </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> and visit her
website/blog </span><a href="http://www.kelliwilkins.com/"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 12.0pt;">www.KelliWilkins.com</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color: #7030a0; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">for a full title list and social media links.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></p></div><p><br /></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-69853260941601194112024-03-12T19:38:00.000-04:002024-03-12T19:38:03.916-04:00Discover Andrew Grey's The Duke's Cowboy and Tour Wide Giveaway<n><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></n><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmC8t9uEBA_ZCs1Rgx4PWc4F0OpaBMXcBxU8Qwu0Eq4jzGSF_OHfmebCzX7WV852wwjaBEQtXXqV2nxmQ5eHBwGnofncM9ORJowNPpDDgQC6pscxCYX2fZzmZm_4CszRCFnwKUkZl6RQW1CFDieDoXZST7-gMwTqifNHQC-SQIMETIFlRixVrsv32cdHh/s600/The%20Dukes%20Cowboy%20Blog%20Banner%201.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmC8t9uEBA_ZCs1Rgx4PWc4F0OpaBMXcBxU8Qwu0Eq4jzGSF_OHfmebCzX7WV852wwjaBEQtXXqV2nxmQ5eHBwGnofncM9ORJowNPpDDgQC6pscxCYX2fZzmZm_4CszRCFnwKUkZl6RQW1CFDieDoXZST7-gMwTqifNHQC-SQIMETIFlRixVrsv32cdHh/s320/The%20Dukes%20Cowboy%20Blog%20Banner%201.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_5OnZ_AeGCoPwRtdWjo7T3oxrY7GxqGZrZUjz83L_mlLqIpiM4hjYvEdscaVIURxd75xheII4aM8YcCe0kHc74M8U_bBfCXPzBMnX7SVExe71aynh0yG8v0yD2veIVMC_Vh2SxcA19niUk2zWAEBTM_Z_GQAww8yhBWEVsdCkmm-LPiuzUvk3MwLxemB/s1500/The%20Duke's%20Cowboy%20(Cowboy%20Nobility).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_5OnZ_AeGCoPwRtdWjo7T3oxrY7GxqGZrZUjz83L_mlLqIpiM4hjYvEdscaVIURxd75xheII4aM8YcCe0kHc74M8U_bBfCXPzBMnX7SVExe71aynh0yG8v0yD2veIVMC_Vh2SxcA19niUk2zWAEBTM_Z_GQAww8yhBWEVsdCkmm-LPiuzUvk3MwLxemB/s320/The%20Duke's%20Cowboy%20(Cowboy%20Nobility).jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Title: The Duke’s Cowboy</b><br /> Author: <a href="http://andrewgreybooks.com/">Andrew Grey<br /></a>Series: Cowboy Nobility Book 1<br />Genre: M/M
Contemporary Romance/Holiday Romance<br />Release Date: Mar 5, 2024<br />Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print<br /> Blurb/Synopsis:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />George Lester, the Duke of Northumberland, flees familial
expectations in Britain for the promise of freedom of San Francisco, looking
for the chance to be himself. But before he even gets close, a blizzard forces
him off the road, and he finds himself freezing half to death in a small town
with no motel… with a litter of puppies to look after.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Luckily for George, he also finds Alan.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />As the heir to his family’s ranch, Alan Justice knows the
burden of being the oldest son. He doesn’t have time to show George, the
stranger his brother dragged home, what it takes to be a cowboy. But that very
night, George surprises him by helping a mare in distress through a difficult
birth. Maybe the duke is made of sterner stuff than Alan thought.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />George and Alan keep surprising each other, and every day
they grow a little closer. But when George’s responsibilities call him home,
Alan finds he’s the one who has something to prove—that he can handle what it
means to be the duke’s cowboy.<br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div><span style="color: #0f2641; font-family: georgia; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;">Book
Links</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3wj9LlU">Amazon<br /></a><a href="https://bit.ly/3SE9Zvg">Barnes and Noble<br /></a><a href="https://bit.ly/3I2jxv0">DreamSpinner Press</a></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Talking with Andrew Grey about The Duke's Cowboy</span></b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwin7hYgkJm_wLR9ObPgoh4_JKRwY5TLpbPunJJJtOBWUPdA5O-G-XKRT0O_qlc9iUuzhz6p72MiEbVhAT9P9HwLYxh385nXNLDoQaPlTGOS6EuVsFgXJ3Gwlq-nK41DNDZnC_45pKxyx8gGhxwF-hNPs2-F-HSUWrwIyanlMZ6YU7o06detbq0IvHDMk/s1500/The%20Duke's%20Cowboy%20(Cowboy%20Nobility).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwin7hYgkJm_wLR9ObPgoh4_JKRwY5TLpbPunJJJtOBWUPdA5O-G-XKRT0O_qlc9iUuzhz6p72MiEbVhAT9P9HwLYxh385nXNLDoQaPlTGOS6EuVsFgXJ3Gwlq-nK41DNDZnC_45pKxyx8gGhxwF-hNPs2-F-HSUWrwIyanlMZ6YU7o06detbq0IvHDMk/s320/The%20Duke's%20Cowboy%20(Cowboy%20Nobility).jpg" width="213" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br />Tell us
about your latest book, who are the main character(s) and what can we expect
when we pick it up? </b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; line-height: 115%;">George is the Duke of Northumberland and flees
familial expectations in Britain for the promise of freedom of San Francisco,
looking for the chance to be himself. But before he even gets close, a blizzard
forces him off the road, and he finds himself freezing half to death in a small
town with no motel… with a litter of puppies to look after.</span><span style="color: #0f1111; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Luckily for George, he also finds Alan. As the heir to his family’s ranch, Alan
Justice knows the burden of being the oldest son. He doesn’t have time to show
George, the stranger his brother dragged home, what it takes to be a cowboy.
But that very night, George surprises him by helping a mare in distress through
a difficult birth. Maybe the duke is made of sterner stuff than Alan thought.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">George and Alan keep surprising each other, and
every day they grow a little closer. But when George’s responsibilities
eventually call him home, Alan finds he’s the one who has something to
prove—that he can handle what it means to be the duke’s cowboy. </span></span><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Do you come
up with the hook first, or do you create characters first and then dig through
until you find a hook?</b> In this case, the hook came first and that
eld me to the characters. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Which of
your characters would you want to share a campfire with, and why?</b>
I was love to share a campfire with either George or Alan. Both of them would be great company and that
would have good stories to tell. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Tell us
about what you are reading at the moment or anticipate reading in the future?
Any favorite authors you enjoy reading in your spare time?</b>
There are a number of things that I love to read. Right now, I just finished The Rhubarb Patch
by Deanna Wadsworth. I love that story.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Are there
any specific themes or messages that you strive to convey through your writing?
What impact do you hope your books have on readers? </b>I
find myself writing about families quite a bit.
It’s a theme I return to because gay people can have the same family as
anyone else. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>What are
some of the biggest challenges you've faced as an author, and how have you
overcome them?</b> There are times when the story just isn’t
working or a character simply isn’t speaking.
Sometimes I try to work through those challenges and at other times, I
go for a change of scenery. Something to
get he juices flowing again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How do you
approach character development in your stories? Do you have any specific
techniques or methods that you find particularly effective? </b>Not really at this point. Usually the characters come to me first and
then the story develops around them. I
find myself using a lot of my own history and experiences in my stories. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>How do you
handle feedback and criticism from readers and reviewers?</b> Criticism is something that every author has
to deal with. I always take criticism
with a grain of salt. If its someone I
know, then their criticism has more weight, or if multiple people say the same
thing. Them I look deeper. But otherwise, I try to let it wash off and I
move on. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Can you
discuss any upcoming projects or books that you're currently working on? What
can readers expect from your future works?
</b>I have some
wonderful book coming. In May, we return
to the world of the Farm series.
Homeward, the follow up to Heartward, will release then and I can’t wait
for you all to read it. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGJ2kD-5ZjWwizSixOhDiTP2fXPPznjOV7ffr-DP-LWZnv0DVcIU7ziBWSTsT_cpJOFRVSUYEWvo1G1_4BP7WjyuB8fscEoWd9E6bUcEZi6Q_P7AefDVOHoTxDP_5Y87XDgFlWahcNsrZQlKJMYI1Qaymui_jImWw3M4F91L6kOGn110dIncAHYyEmW7F/s1179/Giveaway%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="134" data-original-width="1179" height="36" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEGJ2kD-5ZjWwizSixOhDiTP2fXPPznjOV7ffr-DP-LWZnv0DVcIU7ziBWSTsT_cpJOFRVSUYEWvo1G1_4BP7WjyuB8fscEoWd9E6bUcEZi6Q_P7AefDVOHoTxDP_5Y87XDgFlWahcNsrZQlKJMYI1Qaymui_jImWw3M4F91L6kOGn110dIncAHYyEmW7F/s320/Giveaway%201.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="54e9c425322" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54e9c425322/" id="rcwidget_e7n3eol3" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrYi_bQxmKN7Cms0TCRhQIWsT4pdcJN6En0hQy9SccZ_ijxXSSEYm5QATeh9exNDskjFJAb6w9-hyIcSfTvDeti9fb_dXJUyUdPgfIjZ3VZ-JxVpRlI00uhzgd0gS-z3btYswHL1-qgqhP3Xg4Yb5Khyphenhyphenb7XF2oR4rXb-cdxr5BSRRTDfWwFBzvU-rFSvx/s3391/Andrew%20Grey%20Updated%20Author%20Pic.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3391" data-original-width="3333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrYi_bQxmKN7Cms0TCRhQIWsT4pdcJN6En0hQy9SccZ_ijxXSSEYm5QATeh9exNDskjFJAb6w9-hyIcSfTvDeti9fb_dXJUyUdPgfIjZ3VZ-JxVpRlI00uhzgd0gS-z3btYswHL1-qgqhP3Xg4Yb5Khyphenhyphenb7XF2oR4rXb-cdxr5BSRRTDfWwFBzvU-rFSvx/w197-h200/Andrew%20Grey%20Updated%20Author%20Pic.jpeg" width="197" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved
to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then, he has lived
throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from
the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a
large corporation.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and
leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)
He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and
the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in
beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #c48f87; font-family: georgia; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span>Author
Links</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><br /></span></div> </span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Andrew-Grey/e/B002LKEK3U/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1414684527&sr=8-2-ent"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon
Author Page</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/andrew-grey"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Barnes
and Noble Page</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=55_106"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dreamspinner
Press</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/andrewgreybooks"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Facebook</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1411899819051236/">Facebook
Group</a> All the Way with Andrew Grey</span></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2953781.Andrew_Grey?from_search=true"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Goodreads</span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://twitter.com/andrewgreybooks">Twitter</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">
</span>@andrewgreybooks</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://andrewgreybooks.com/"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Website</span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p><div style="text-align: left;"> </div></o:p><span style="color: #0f2641; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent5; mso-themeshade: 191;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span>For Other Works by
Andrew Grey</span></div></span><span style="color: #c48f87; line-height: 107%; mso-themecolor: accent4; mso-themeshade: 191;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">(Please Be Sure to
Stop by His </span><a href="http://andrewgreybooks.com/"><span style="line-height: 107%;">Website</span></a><span style="line-height: 107%;"> to See All of
His Work)</span></div></span></span></div>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-39805154330134490812024-03-12T01:00:00.016-04:002024-03-12T01:00:00.131-04:00Book Spotlight: Just One More Moment by Carly Phillips<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nzn9km8G2m8OFEdclpz0PpkXWmzXbCCitW8ztPaDpX3n6eVb70FYB96e5REli3aNKODlLFZsgYQ4VRrUHtewZxWr79H3zSN3_L0c7KdoPSKLsT-LV7lKdG4x6eIRo8ZVFycGH8f6NOglOPxFR7tRCUxK1BquYAN7jjch0jh1h0PdFHMPfnHHE6bq9XA/s1080/PR_AN_IG%20SQ_Just%20One%20More%20Moment_Carly%20Phillips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nzn9km8G2m8OFEdclpz0PpkXWmzXbCCitW8ztPaDpX3n6eVb70FYB96e5REli3aNKODlLFZsgYQ4VRrUHtewZxWr79H3zSN3_L0c7KdoPSKLsT-LV7lKdG4x6eIRo8ZVFycGH8f6NOglOPxFR7tRCUxK1BquYAN7jjch0jh1h0PdFHMPfnHHE6bq9XA/s320/PR_AN_IG%20SQ_Just%20One%20More%20Moment_Carly%20Phillips.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">JUST ONE MORE MOMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Carly
Phillips <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Release
Date: March 12<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Contemporary Romance</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="border: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zYi84dXJ1xqZezYz7X5rKZ2LS_n-C8mgzQx6NeZfvxlVW3P0C3QeJWJ-Q1P8Cn6hK6qY9PoQATqmPQwiFtvXXFsCvLkCTRI-BxPsCzClsQsDJsS2IZ9Pf51NALTwtO2s2OnrZ7GzgWXeUpCwKYTL9DkPIyvEPqdsMWfEzPr9_S_PkQTNVqAd-D3zvg4/s1080/PR_Trope_Just%20One%20More%20Moment_Carly%20Phillips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zYi84dXJ1xqZezYz7X5rKZ2LS_n-C8mgzQx6NeZfvxlVW3P0C3QeJWJ-Q1P8Cn6hK6qY9PoQATqmPQwiFtvXXFsCvLkCTRI-BxPsCzClsQsDJsS2IZ9Pf51NALTwtO2s2OnrZ7GzgWXeUpCwKYTL9DkPIyvEPqdsMWfEzPr9_S_PkQTNVqAd-D3zvg4/s320/PR_Trope_Just%20One%20More%20Moment_Carly%20Phillips.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /></span></b><p></p></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; mso-highlight: white;">She thinks <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">happily ever after</i> only happens in
romance novels.</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; mso-highlight: white;"><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">He can’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">wait</i> to prove her wrong…</b><br />
<br />
Falling in love is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i> on
Raven Walsh’s agenda. Running from her past keeps her way too busy for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i>. She can, however, handle a
friends-with-benefits scenario with the hot billionaire who co-owns The Back
Door bar. But trusting him with her heart? Not a chance…<br />
<br />
Remington Sterling has had his eye on the smart and sexy Raven since she
started waitressing at his bar. He knows she’s gun-shy where relationships are
concerned. But he’s ready to do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">whatever</i> it
takes to convince her he’s worth the risk…<br />
<br />
When Raven’s secrets catch up to her in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">big</i> way, she must decide if the potential cost of trusting
Remy is more than she’s willing to pay—and Remy will need to figure out how far
he’s willing to go for love…<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just
One More Moment</i>, book 1 in the Sterling Family series (all can be read as
standalones), is a spicy contemporary romance featuring a ready-to-run heroine
and the possessive, protective alpha hero who is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">more </i>than ready to catch her.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Grab Your Copy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">eBooks:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Kindle: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://amzn.to/46gLLMH"><span style="color: blue;">https://amzn.to/46gLLMH</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Apple: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://apple.co/3Rq051i"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://apple.co/3Rq051i</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Nook: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://bit.ly/45YgQ8n"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bit.ly/45YgQ8n</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Google Play: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3ZofbGA"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bit.ly/3ZofbGA</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Kobo: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://bit.ly/46i9mgc"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bit.ly/46i9mgc</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Print:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">Amz
Print: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3rj1Wui"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://amzn.to/3rj1Wui</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 8pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #222222;">BN Print: </span><span style="color: black; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><a href="https://bit.ly/3EM9tVE"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://bit.ly/3EM9tVE</span></a></span><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meet Carly Phillips:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Carly Phillips is the NY
Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty
sexy contemporary romances featuring hot men, strong women, and emotionally
compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. She is happily married
to her college sweetheart and lives in Westchester County, NY. She is the
mother of two adult daughters and two crazy dogs who star on her Facebook and
Instagram pages. She loves social media and is always around to interact with
her readers.For more information on upcoming releases, sign up for her
newsletter (below) and receive two free books!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/subscribe-newsletter/"><span style="color: blue;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/subscribe-newsletter/</span></a><span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: #2f2e2e;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #2f2e2e;">To learn more about Carly
Phillips & her books, visit </span><a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a><span style="color: #2f2e2e;">!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><span style="color: #2f2e2e;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Connect with Carly Phillips:<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-shadow: yes; mso-padding-alt: 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;"><a href="https://www.carlyphillips.com/contact-carly"><span style="color: blue; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.carlyphillips.com/</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-23966837045511181082024-03-12T00:30:00.014-04:002024-03-12T00:30:00.140-04:00Release Day Spotlight: Donna Grant's Endless Skye<p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE_PdGrLv_XvI6lUGc7P9ms25ENw1JsIuE_4AavK9Dl-8wpIjTIqM_RtDeEiB0VjTXU5Hy3uV94WIPX4nAdxm6MKeN6bqSLkhP-Fk2a2tMjZLI9EznMgTwQQOZH2Rz8pXgqWelkW_K8Bx8b1tNeVtOMEfBbicfuE_UTIb1FztFQUAwCyBNkAYc9mHVrI/s1080/Endless%20Skye%20Available%20Now%20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE_PdGrLv_XvI6lUGc7P9ms25ENw1JsIuE_4AavK9Dl-8wpIjTIqM_RtDeEiB0VjTXU5Hy3uV94WIPX4nAdxm6MKeN6bqSLkhP-Fk2a2tMjZLI9EznMgTwQQOZH2Rz8pXgqWelkW_K8Bx8b1tNeVtOMEfBbicfuE_UTIb1FztFQUAwCyBNkAYc9mHVrI/s320/Endless%20Skye%20Available%20Now%20.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: left;">𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝑼𝑺𝑨 𝑻𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐤𝐲𝐞 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐝𝐬.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: left;" /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nmKXUfo0uJs3hnWBPcQX6gaoa-W_b9kVGDeyVyXLqxC0wIVjE26u4xZeokS9I3lDgB0OLZVkRCDyXl3BYcXRl8sB_nRFBTzHLt79MzdSv6D8uj3dSQg0wLkm_9G4SqZmA1qM2OH63v7rruAWprwoqVaHtgxx1ZSn6Y3pf1zngaP3ZkYIU7mriDSYhag/s1080/Endless%20Skye%20Tropes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nmKXUfo0uJs3hnWBPcQX6gaoa-W_b9kVGDeyVyXLqxC0wIVjE26u4xZeokS9I3lDgB0OLZVkRCDyXl3BYcXRl8sB_nRFBTzHLt79MzdSv6D8uj3dSQg0wLkm_9G4SqZmA1qM2OH63v7rruAWprwoqVaHtgxx1ZSn6Y3pf1zngaP3ZkYIU7mriDSYhag/s320/Endless%20Skye%20Tropes.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆…</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">For Willa Ryan, family is everything. So, when her brother asks her to locate a book of unparalleled power, she doesn’t hesitate. Except she does more than find it. She attempts to steal it, and in the process, ends up running for her life—straight into the arms of a man waiting to rescue her. Jasper is unlike anyone she’s ever met, and she’s helpless to resist the undeniable passion between them. But desire always comes at a cost.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020;">Jasper McCabe is a master of disguise and deception, and he uses both ruthlessly. Yet nothing can prepare him when he comes face-to-face with the breathtaking women he’s supposed to use for his ruse. Every instinct screams for him to run as far from Willa as he can. But there’s no escape from the captivating Druid and the feelings she awakens. With his darkest enemies closing in, Jasper is forced to choose with his heart, or lose the woman who is his one chance at salvation.</span></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nJGN6aUr07UvqX4A_56Fmzz-9w1QTVA2HcOGKUJ416M21oghRns8pi-cWexsReKoFYsTBkJfPSEWCx-YNG7ID_xH-UITryP2SAu_-vbw6ypff5gQJ1R6mKhyAwZGiz1hVHPPnxIQB3KZskJ4jMNnJG0Qoh-VRBiuZuDp4tUNq5M1bzI-yl7xXkKTAvw/s1080/ES%20-%20Teaser%202.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nJGN6aUr07UvqX4A_56Fmzz-9w1QTVA2HcOGKUJ416M21oghRns8pi-cWexsReKoFYsTBkJfPSEWCx-YNG7ID_xH-UITryP2SAu_-vbw6ypff5gQJ1R6mKhyAwZGiz1hVHPPnxIQB3KZskJ4jMNnJG0Qoh-VRBiuZuDp4tUNq5M1bzI-yl7xXkKTAvw/s320/ES%20-%20Teaser%202.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><p></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-13460423706043737452024-03-11T01:00:00.028-04:002024-03-11T01:00:00.143-04:00Welcome Emily Carrington and her boys from Dragon Schooled Box Set<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9k6LdcYI9j3FwRaGq5nGXN0qRUJWy7mjRYYBjJwvPgS1ZcyfBWPmqkWZXqfGzug6uW5nrtl8t9zq7027jAtTWnVSYL6LSPu4-fX2Qh1hdZl5S6Mwxuc1cPgN_QOPS2b2w9ZAc3nQR1mFpHznfQZlgvLBC8rbiP2JKDNvG2AttggzV3TLfM9M0jhkKLo/s685/DS_Dragon%20Schooled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC9k6LdcYI9j3FwRaGq5nGXN0qRUJWy7mjRYYBjJwvPgS1ZcyfBWPmqkWZXqfGzug6uW5nrtl8t9zq7027jAtTWnVSYL6LSPu4-fX2Qh1hdZl5S6Mwxuc1cPgN_QOPS2b2w9ZAc3nQR1mFpHznfQZlgvLBC8rbiP2JKDNvG2AttggzV3TLfM9M0jhkKLo/s320/DS_Dragon%20Schooled.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Please
give a warm welcome to <span style="color: red;">Blau, James, and Chen </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">from
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: red;">Dragon
Schooled 1 (box set) </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">by
</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Emily Carrington </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">today as we sit down and see what makes them tick.</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q: So tell us about yourself. What got you in the crosshairs for
your author?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Blau:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>I
think it was because she wanted a lover for Professor Rob Boyle, who used to be
a casual love interest for another of her characters. Rob is sexy in a
non-traditional way, and he’s wicked smart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>I’m
Mark Tavery’s (Dragon in Training) younger brother. Unlike Mark, I’ve lived in
terror of my human lovers being hurt by other dragons, and I’ve only taken
human lovers because I’m a runt dragon, not worth the others’ time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>I’m
still mad at Emily Carrington for making me like bondage and discipline so
much.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q: What was it that drew you to your mate(s)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Blau:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>He’s…
*blushes* attractive in his manner, his mind, and his body. He is like a beacon
in the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James</span></b>:
He’s fiery and never backs down from a fight. Of course, that’s what drives me
nuts about him, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>He’s
not afraid, either of my noble birth or the fact that I could easily roast him.
And he’s unafraid of giving pleasure, even when that means he has to be
dominant over a virile land dragon like me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q: A little naughty fun, where was the wildest place you seduced
your partner(s)?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Blau:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>an
airport bathroom, in a handicap stall. I was so afraid we’d be overherad…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James</span></b>:
A closet in a rehab center where I wasn’t even supposed to be.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>Honestly,
he surprises me almost every time we make love. I’d be amazed if we didn’t ,
one day, try be exhibitionists.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Q: So, Boxers, briefs or Commando on a man?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Blau</span></b>: Boxers. I like to unwrap my
packages slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>Anything,
as long as I can have Hank in my bed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>commando.
Although, he likes me in briefs to restrict e. And for spanking.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<b><span style="color: red;">Q: If your partner wants to seduce you, what's one
sure fire trick they can do to seduce you? <o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Blau:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>Ice
swimming. Now that we’re both ice dragons, Rob craves the silky chilliness of
the water and it arouses us both.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>I
like reading the stories he writes. Those get me hot and bothered.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen</span></b>:
Bring out the leather handcuffs and the paddle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q: What is the one place on your partner's body that you know will
drive them wild-in and out of bed?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Blau: </span></b>…Rob’s
ears are very sensitive when he’s in his ice dragon form… *blushes again* And
they’re almost as erection-inducing in human form.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">James: </span></b>It’s
different with Hank. He’s so changeable that I’m always guessing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Chen:</span></b><span style="color: red;"> </span>My
lover likes his palms tickled. I’ve never met anyone who gets so turned on by
that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: blue;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="color: red;">Q: What was one of the most embarrassing things your author did to
you in </span><span style="color: red;">Dragon Schooled 1 (box set)</span></b><b><span style="color: red;">?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blau:
She made me attracted to a man who was nursing a broken heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">James:
Emily made me a coward. Okay, not really. What she actually did was make me
have common sense, and it’s hard to have common sense when your partner’s a
hothead.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chen:
She dug into my soul and revealed how much I enjoy BDSM, at lease with Travis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Q: Anything else you would like to add?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blau:
I’m not the best chess player, but Rob takes pity on me and lets me win
sometimes… Yes, this is part of our foreplay at times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">James:
Hank is related to a man who’s part of a werewolf pack, and that makes things kind
of strained between his father’s lovers and me. But we’re slowly working it
out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chen:
Travis is hot as a land dragon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Thank you <b><span style="color: blue;">Blau, James and Chen</span></b>
for joining us on 'Meet the Character' day here at Dawn’s Reading Nook Blog.
You can find all of <b>Emily Carrington’s</b> books at <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Emily-Carrington/author/B07WWP8C5Z?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1709837377&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" target="_blank">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.changelingpress.com/" target="_blank">Changeling Press</a>.</b></span><span style="color: blue;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBswydNX8Ce4zPc3eiY9L5wwHfpUBCtoM6K2u8barEchhpF1UAebvdZRS37Em8SvZ0EIBusCaJ9rI6QFLjIdwLuvSswKN8Vkji8KsahNTAc-DPUohf2R3i31Ol_s7vT8OAKDzpbyESeTYw4nYMx7KuBPS0ipRhJpp6yqK4m8SegkWzPeb0twev9Iv2u7Q/s685/DS_Dragon%20Schooled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="685" data-original-width="451" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBswydNX8Ce4zPc3eiY9L5wwHfpUBCtoM6K2u8barEchhpF1UAebvdZRS37Em8SvZ0EIBusCaJ9rI6QFLjIdwLuvSswKN8Vkji8KsahNTAc-DPUohf2R3i31Ol_s7vT8OAKDzpbyESeTYw4nYMx7KuBPS0ipRhJpp6yqK4m8SegkWzPeb0twev9Iv2u7Q/s320/DS_Dragon%20Schooled.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Dragon Schooled Box Set</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Paranormal MM Dragon Shifter Romance</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Changeling Press</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Available at <a href="https://www.changelingpress.com/dragon-schooled-dragon-schooled-2-b-2841" target="_blank">Publisher</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Three men and the dragons they love confront their fears to find forever in each other’s arms…</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Russian Blau:</b> Ice dragon Blau Lepa seeks nothing more or less than to be a professor at SearchLight Academy. He’s wanted to teach his whole life, and considers it a sacred calling. When he meets Professor Rob Boyle, he’s instantly attracted, but they’re both convinced that teachers and students shouldn’t have sex, not to mention that Blau’s afraid to bond with a human who will pass away so quickly. Eventually Rob gives in to his attraction and finds being dominated by Blau fills him with soaring desires and heals his wounded heart. But is that enough to make him decide to throw away his humanity and accept magical powers so that he can spend all eternity with his lover?</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>American Telepath:</b> James is a water dragon who fell in love with a human. Rather than expose that human to a dangerous magical world, James abandons Henry. When they meet again it’s like they were never separated. Except Henry refuses -- beyond the occasional bang -- to have anything to do with James. Together they struggle to overcome the past.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #484848; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Chinese Morning:</b> Travis longs to remain in the magical world which has given him so much pleasure. The only problem: he’s terrible at his job, and without his job he cannot stay. To distract himself, he seeks out the challenge of sexually dominating a dragon. As Chen falls for Travis’s mouth and hands and mind, he is forced to accept the truth: submission is where he’s meant to be. Will their attraction be enough to rescue them?</span></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-24818827152150949922024-03-11T00:30:00.046-04:002024-03-11T00:30:00.174-04:00Tour Stop & Giveaway: Island Detour by Maria Imbalzano<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GzYOhYE1O2y_QGE8juXi1Rqf_i6UBDk1Thl45VwIO3Plxt_RJkdRqQ9eCmJFIkYP8r6VRMmy-HBuNAAMVhOz7QI_S0kqgFGaY_VmXTTdGhBACttIf2QQ3xTv2nbq8D2HU3uOdTev1n0ndxvoeplTU9UldSopGWBrOcF7ZEbDhxrrlRkrW5kjjHIZAsw/s1200/TourBanner_Island%20Detour.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GzYOhYE1O2y_QGE8juXi1Rqf_i6UBDk1Thl45VwIO3Plxt_RJkdRqQ9eCmJFIkYP8r6VRMmy-HBuNAAMVhOz7QI_S0kqgFGaY_VmXTTdGhBACttIf2QQ3xTv2nbq8D2HU3uOdTev1n0ndxvoeplTU9UldSopGWBrOcF7ZEbDhxrrlRkrW5kjjHIZAsw/s320/TourBanner_Island%20Detour.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Check out the new book by author Maria Imbalzano, Island Detour, today and make sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win from the author a $15 Amazon/BN GC. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops <a href=" https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2023/11/nbtm-island-detour-by-maria-imbalzano.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_mfknxAcxqFn4Uuxceo_PJ4d079KpkBqXwNxoPrBCQU7xV3suNt80IBCWDASSh1Zwb5GtdIEQdfOCTrpJY0V7SEwTTehSXvEx6Ef7SJ4PjwwPu2wcbTjkInVd-GHeHOnBgE2cQ58j-0IwbCR3PU3pCS24gNiNCjwFSQ9flDFKK3HlMGCDtMhSjXPIko/s2244/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_mfknxAcxqFn4Uuxceo_PJ4d079KpkBqXwNxoPrBCQU7xV3suNt80IBCWDASSh1Zwb5GtdIEQdfOCTrpJY0V7SEwTTehSXvEx6Ef7SJ4PjwwPu2wcbTjkInVd-GHeHOnBgE2cQ58j-0IwbCR3PU3pCS24gNiNCjwFSQ9flDFKK3HlMGCDtMhSjXPIko/s320/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia;">Talking with Maria Imbalzano</span></u></b><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: </span><strong><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202020; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">How did you decide where your book was going to take place?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #202020; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For over 30 years, I have been visiting Key
West in Florida with my husband (and daughters when they were younger). It is a
fun island with tons of bars with live music, T-shirt shops, art galleries and
excellent restaurants. We own a time-share for two weeks (one during Fantasy
Fest in October and one during Spring Break in March) at a resort called The
Banyan – because there are huge banyan trees out front. From there we can
basically walk or ride bikes anywhere on the island. Because I know the island
so well, I based Sunrise Island on it. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: #202020; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #202020; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q:</span></strong><strong><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book, Island
Detour?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><strong><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A:</span></strong><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-ligatures: none;">This contemporary romance is set at an environmental school
in the Florida Keys where Sophie rides out her suspension as a Princeton Prep
School teacher. This fish out of water not only tackles her surroundings (after
many false starts), but manages to tame the handsome but arrogant marine
biologist who refuses to make her life easy.</span><strong><span face=""Century Gothic",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: black; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCokuPesXPEc31jAXlzYod9WOxwdC12DJ5CBRGXQWK1NErwljL8CZbm0bYjXU3QEB1qf4_THC7QQMQUCzEwMReJcFgebn6yzEqe7knluPF3MHwkDp4MgB_UNN3P7AQ8CdYH2yKaHChjR7IMz6WtOn4pLoLE06kRE-TlvlwFZONj5Z9tO7XRtv2w9AuXM/s2244/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCokuPesXPEc31jAXlzYod9WOxwdC12DJ5CBRGXQWK1NErwljL8CZbm0bYjXU3QEB1qf4_THC7QQMQUCzEwMReJcFgebn6yzEqe7knluPF3MHwkDp4MgB_UNN3P7AQ8CdYH2yKaHChjR7IMz6WtOn4pLoLE06kRE-TlvlwFZONj5Z9tO7XRtv2w9AuXM/s320/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></strong></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: Do you edit as you draft or wait until
you are totally done?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: I wait until I’m done.
My first draft is based on an in-depth outline that I create for every scene
and every chapter before I begin writing, so I know exactly what the story is
about and who the characters are. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: Describe your writing space/office!<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: I have an office with
a wrap-around desk which faces a window overlooking our back yard. To the left
is a file cabinet with a printer on top and to the right is a set of drawers
with pens, paper, stickie notes, paper clips, index cards and anything else I
could possibly need when I’m writing. The closet contains a myriad of books on
writing, such as “Building Better Plots,” “Creating Characters,” “Word
Painting,” “Goal, Motivation, and Conflict,” a dictionary, a Thesaurus, etc,
etc. There is also an elliptical in case I ever want to exercise, a TV to watch
in case I ever want to exercise, and a comfy oversized chair to read in. (I
generally pick the chair as opposed to the elliptical) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: M&Ms (or anything
milk chocolate)<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What’s your favorite genre to read?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: Contemporary Romance <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What’s a recent tv
show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: I loved the audio
book for “Daisy Jones and the Six” as well as the TV series (on Amazon Prime
Video)<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What do you do when you have free time?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: I read. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What are three words that describe your
Main Characters?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: determined, resilient,
collaborative (Sophie)<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>controlling, guilt-ridden, stubborn (Max)<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Q: What can readers expect from you next?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-weight: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">A: The wheels are
turning for the next book in this series (the Sunrise Island Series), which
will probably be Maddie’s story. I am also finishing the fourth and last book
in my Sworn Sisters Series called “Sworn to Collide.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: georgia; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dlztQUA0PeA-g7b7XoFlfQG_Y46zKgfO5Yx9WdVSsLwzY-z2VerUb75lcSqXTT-c_Jt7WzUPVhJaofKNySsWgyfvZVPa6xiqf7fnjEuBVCzgswT1nm8Gu1vQerfaq7WAV0WIAOD5Te4AjDuU1J15G98gJmZt6AIIasPrt4utSdSs-cBJjMFk4Ocw_GM/s2244/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2244" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7dlztQUA0PeA-g7b7XoFlfQG_Y46zKgfO5Yx9WdVSsLwzY-z2VerUb75lcSqXTT-c_Jt7WzUPVhJaofKNySsWgyfvZVPa6xiqf7fnjEuBVCzgswT1nm8Gu1vQerfaq7WAV0WIAOD5Te4AjDuU1J15G98gJmZt6AIIasPrt4utSdSs-cBJjMFk4Ocw_GM/s320/BookCover_IslandDetour.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Island Detour<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;">by Maria Imbalzano<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">GENRE</span></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">: Contemporary Romance</span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span>Buy link: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://books2read.com/u/4D20y7&source=gmail&ust=1708456073621000&usg=AOvVaw1MElHLONwOlSAfw_XyXs8m" href="https://books2read.com/u/4D20y7" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; text-align: left;" target="_blank">https://books2read.com/u/<wbr></wbr>4D20y7</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;">Falsely
accused of wrongdoing at a Princeton Prep school, Sophie Kearns accepts a
temporary teaching position at an environmental school in the Florida Keys to
wait out her suspension. The time away is meant to be an anxiety-free escape,
but her clashes with the hot but arrogant marine biology teacher, Max Heaton,
are anything but tranquil.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia;">Max
is determined to start an environmental research institute at the school, but
he suspects the gorgeous new Lit teacher, who lacks even the most basic outdoor
skills, is there to hinder that dream. Yet, something about her tames the
demons from his past, and he can no longer ignore the fire she’s lit inside
him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Excerpt
Three:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just because you have issues shouldn’t mean you can’t trust
anyone but yourself.” The second the words were out of her mouth, she knew
she’d gone too far. But he had started it. And frankly, she didn’t care if she
had struck a nerve.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His jaw clenched, an almost imperceptible movement. After a
few seconds he bowed his head and sighed. Then he turned his back to her,
picked up his rod, and cast the line into the ocean. No comeback. No smart
remark. A minor victory. Had she really gotten in the last word this time?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfortunately, she couldn’t let it go.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Is that how you deal with conflict? You turn around and
ignore it?”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She was definitely pushing the envelope now, but he deserved
it. One didn’t just end an argument by turning away. He needed to stick with
it. Fight it out. Until the bitter end.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She watched him in profile, the brooding, detached fisherman
whose lips rarely inched into a smile, whose eyes rarely sparkled, and whose
cutting words were meant to slice—and hurt. Which they did.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sophie looked over at Ben, who had remained quiet during
their little altercation. He held his finger to his lips as if to say enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She itched to continue but followed his unspoken suggestion.
He knew Max a lot better than she did. And sometimes, she just had to let
things settle down.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></b></p><p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4782" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4782/" id="rcwidget_1bhih5ra" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">AUTHOR Bio and Links:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination: none;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsGGyYUlNzFWqaIKcngNFwYKWz1DF09KoX_qL8mrYQVQs8K0nKDbyZMD0vXARMGrZNVtuTzz7mtmAzRU3FL6ROfwM6U8CjgdYeaa-ANMRHjLW3MgLk6AHxdu8IBv1a1HhrdUJ0qqBYKbLZ9D38aizEj-Wc1mhFXENlv4-xua8ErsyeTJLrt7EuQAzLYk/s1221/Author%20Image%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1221" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsGGyYUlNzFWqaIKcngNFwYKWz1DF09KoX_qL8mrYQVQs8K0nKDbyZMD0vXARMGrZNVtuTzz7mtmAzRU3FL6ROfwM6U8CjgdYeaa-ANMRHjLW3MgLk6AHxdu8IBv1a1HhrdUJ0qqBYKbLZ9D38aizEj-Wc1mhFXENlv4-xua8ErsyeTJLrt7EuQAzLYk/w200-h173/Author%20Image%20(1).jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maria Imbalzano is an award-winning contemporary
author who writes about strong, independent women and the men who fall in love
with them. She recently retired from the practice of law, but legal issues have
a way of showing up in many of her novels. When not writing, she loves to
travel both abroad and in the states.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maria lives in central New Jersey with her husband--not far from her two
daughters and granddaughters. For more information about her books, please visit
her website at http://mariaimbalzano.com where you can also sign up for her
newsletter.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Awards </b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Maria is a member of New Jersey Romance Writers and
has received many honors and awards for her work including the ACRA Readers’
Choice Heart of Excellence Award, the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch
Readers Award, The NEST (National Excellence In Story Telling) Award, the
Carolyn Award, Book Buyers Best Award, The Stiletto Reader’s Choice Award, Long
& Short Reviews Book of the Month Award (3rd Place for Book of the Year),
and Still Moments Magazine Reader’s Choice Award.</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><u>Social Media Links </u></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Facebook –</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.facebook.com/mariaimbalzanoauthor<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Twitter</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">http://www.twitter.com/mariaimbalzano</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">@mariaimbalzano</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Instagram</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Mariaimbalzano_author<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Website Link</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">http://www.mariaimbalzano.com<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Goodreads Author Page</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7276749.Maria_Imbalzano<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Book Bub Profile page</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.bookbub.com/profile/maria-imbalzano<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;">Amazon Author Page</span> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00FG9RI5K</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /></div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-13682116080374939322024-03-09T00:30:00.012-05:002024-03-09T00:30:00.136-05:00New Release Spotlight/Giveaway: Doctor, Doctor by Willa Okati
<a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Doctor-Doctor-Banner.png"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-106384" height="237" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Doctor-Doctor-Banner.png" width="640" /></a>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Title</strong>: Doctor, Doctor</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Series:</strong> Doctor, Doctor</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Author</strong>: Will Okati</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Publisher</strong>: Changeling Press</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Release Date</strong>: March 8, 2024</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Heat Level</strong>: 4 - Lots of Sex</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pairing</strong>: Male/Male</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Length</strong>: 136 pages</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Genre</strong>: 2nd Chance Romance, Gay, Medical Romance, Multiple Partners, New Adult</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207592227-doctor-doctor-duet" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Doctor-Doctor.jpg"><img alt="" class="wp-image-106385 size-medium aligncenter" data-attachment-id="105025" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="OverTheirHeads-Cover" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OverTheirHeads-Cover.jpg?fit=451%2C685&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OverTheirHeads-Cover.jpg?fit=198%2C300&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/OverTheirHeads-Cover.jpg?fit=451%2C685&ssl=1" data-orig-size="451,685" data-permalink="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/?attachment_id=105025" height="300" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Doctor-Doctor-198x300.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Synopsis</strong></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love isn’t easy and it’s rarely simple. More often than not it takes practice. Lots of practice.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">It Takes Practice (Doctor, Doctor 1)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr. Nathan Rey has had a case of broken heart syndrome since his wild, bad-boy lover disappeared. He still can’t forget Fitz, and no one he’s met since could begin to compare. Then Nathan’s nurse elopes overnight and the temp agency sends him, certified and licensed, Fitz himself, with far more than work on his mind. Fitz means to convince Nathan seven years isn’t too long to wait for a second chance at the love of a lifetime.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">It Takes Three (Doctor, Doctor 2)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three med students. Geoff’s wound tight as a cheap watch. Ross is, too, but unless it’s got to do with math or science he’s oblivious. Aurélien’s uber-zen, uber-practical. With exams coming up fast, they’re all in desperate need of some R & R. What better way than getting a little action? Together. Multiple times, and in multiple ways. Once they get started these guys “work” well together. Maybe a little too much so. Aren’t things like this supposed to be hard? In this case, the answer to all their questions is three.</span></span></div>Excerpt</h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over Their Heads (The Deep End 2)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Alex Winters</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">All rights reserved.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Copyright ©2024 Alex Winters</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Nice, uh… place?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash Archer heard his own voice, sounding rich and thick and very, very far away. It was as strange as everything else about the curious predicament he’d suddenly found himself in. The sexy stranger in the clingy Lost Lake University T-shirt rolled his soft hazel eyes. “Is that all you have to say?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash arched an eyebrow, desperately struggling to appear cool, calm and collected when, after all, his heart was racing a million miles per minute. “No,” he replied, still in that far away voice. “I’m sure I’ll have more later but… for now? I’ve never been in the Academic Dorm before.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Me either, until I moved in.” The stranger agreed, wriggling atop the narrow ledge against the big picture window overlooking the campus ten stories below, not to mention the glistening shimmer off Lost Lake. “We’re both freshmen, remember?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash stood cautiously, his hand still resting on the small countertop just inside the tidy dorm room. “Oh. Yeah.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Why don’t you come a little closer?” Smart Guy asked, cool and confident-like, nodding at where Nash clung to the counter as if to a life raft. It sounded less like a come on and more like something he’d said to every visitor he’d invited in. A cheesy line. Nash didn’t like that. He wanted to feel special.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Unique. This might have been old hat for his sexy host, but it was all new to Nash and he supposed he was still hoping for a little pomp and circumstance.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“I will,” Nash promised, heart still thudding and palms still clammy, just like they’d been the whole walk across campus. “I’m trying to take this slow, though, you know?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy -- they hadn’t exchanged names back in the campus library, just furtive glances and soft, lingering smiles among the towering stacks that hid them from prying eyes -- gave a playful snort.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Virgin, huh?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“How’d you guess?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash wasn’t shy about it. Not exactly. He was here, after all, in this sexy stranger’s dorm room in the middle of the day, staring at his hard body outlined in the flattering sunlight streaming in through the window at his back. He wouldn’t be able to hide his boy-on-boy virginity for much longer anyway.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy shrugged, the slight movement sending a glint off his thick glasses, so at odds with his firm, buff body. “Virgins always want to take their time.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Archer finally chuckled, an angsty combo of genuine humor and pent-up nerves. “Oh, you’re an expert on such matters, huh?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy smiled. Thick lips. Plucky little nose holding his glasses up beneath a spray of soft blond curls that looked like fresh hay in the afternoon sun streaming in behind him. “Not an expert, no, but… enough to know you’re going to stay a virgin if you don’t come any closer eventually.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash glanced at the glaringly obvious hard-on beneath the hem of Smart Guy’s faded maroon T-shirt, so stiff and erect it was teasing the waistband of his shorts away from an impossibly flat belly. “Not until you put that thing away,” he teased, even as Nash inched gently closer across the vinyl flooring beneath his feet.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy glanced down as if not having noticed the sudden draft on the front of his shorts. He glanced back up, fixing Nash with a penetrating gaze, the same one that had so enraptured him back in the library. “Why would I do that?” he challenged in a voice that was as confident as Nash’s was timid. “I mean, isn’t that what you came here for?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash couldn’t argue with that logic. He had come here for that very thing. Had come to college, in fact, for that very thing. Dick. The one thing that had eluded him back in high school. The one thing he’d craved for as long as he could remember. He nodded, unafraid now that the door had been shut behind him. After all, he’d come here for someone like Smart Guy, who was so lean and buff, beckoning Nash with the outline of his hard, stiff dick as he lounged atop the window ledge like some sweet confection, just out of reach.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash nodded, but stopped just shy of contact. “It is pretty, your dick.” The words shocked him, even as they thrilled him. He’d never spoken like this before. Never done anything like this before. Met some random hot guy in the library? Followed him home to his dorm? Praised another guy’s cock without glancing around the room for stray witnesses?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash was unmoored, floating through unfamiliar territory, feeling things out as he went along. It was as frightening as it was thrilling, and he never wanted it to end.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy’s eyes widened, and not ironically. He seemed genuinely surprised. “How do you know? You won’t even look at it.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash shrugged almost casually, as if perhaps they were studying a movie poster in front of the local theater and not, in fact, some random guy’s cock. “I can just tell. It’ll be just like the rest of you. Hard. Smooth. Pretty.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy was blushing. A first. Nash smiled, to have made another boy blush. Was that a first, too? he wondered, reaching out a trembling hand to slide a lock of feathery blond hair behind Smart Guy’s blushing ear.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy sat perfectly still, letting out a soft, almost helpless sigh. It sounded so alluring, so deep and guttural and desperate, Nash wanted to actually feel it. He leaned in for a kiss, surprising Smart Guy yet again. He felt the flinch, the stiffening and then, suddenly, the softening as his sexy host warmed to their lips’ tender embrace.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash leaned back before things could get too heavy, watching as Smart Guy smiled, licking his lips as if to prove to himself -- to both of them -- that it had just happened. The kiss. Their first. His, certainly. His first ever.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Nice,” Smart Guy marveled, less full of shit than he’d been all afternoon. He sounded genuinely surprised. So surprised he had to go and repeat himself, as if to make sure. “That was really… nice.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Right?” Nash murmured, swallowing hard and nodding at the same time. “Nice,” he breathed, leaning in for another kiss and closing the distance between them at the same time. He leaned gently back once more, smiling with full, wet lips. “And slow.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Okay, okay.” Smart Guy nodded, hands still gripping the window ledge at his side. “I can see the upside of this.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash struggled to control his heart rate, smiling. “Funny, all I see is upside.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Smart Guy glanced gently sideways, peering out the window behind him at the small but tidy campus below. “Want me to close these, or…” His casual tone made it clear the question was purely rhetorical. Nash played along anyway, enjoying the verbal foreplay as he kept his cocky lover-to-be on his no doubt sexy toes.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“That depends,” Nash sighed, tugging playfully at the hem of his lover’s T-shirt. “Can anyone see us?”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“I mean, we’re ten floors up. Nothing around but mountains and trees and this pretty boy undressing me with his big, brown eyes.”</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Nash paused, the fabric halfway up Smart Guy’s smooth, toned abs. He’d been called a lot of things back home -- nerd, dweeb, spazz and much, much worse -- but never… pretty. Never, in a million years, pretty. “I’m here, you don’t… don’t have to butter me up anymore.” Try as he might to hide it, Nash’s tremulous voice reflected the years of rejection, insecurity, and unrequited attraction he’d never dared give voice to before.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Let alone act upon.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Purchase at <a href="https://www.changelingpress.com/doctor-doctor-duet-doctor-doctor-3-b-3612" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Changeling Press</a></h1>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Meet the Author
</strong></h1>
Will Okati (formerly known as Willa) has lived through a few Interesting Times, but come out the other side a little grayer, a little wiser, and ready to get writing. Still as passionate about coffee, cats, and crafts as ever, but knowing that to your own self you must be true. Also still one of the quiet ones to watch out for, but life -- like storytelling -- is always a work in progress.
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Giveaway</strong></h1>
One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 Changeling Press Gift Code! <div><br /></div><div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="555033ec1037" data-template="589504cd4f3bedde0b6e64c2" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/555033ec1037/" id="rcwidget_yfioatce" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a> </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-60388942166019590832024-03-08T00:00:00.050-05:002024-03-08T00:00:00.208-05:00Series Spotlight: Carrie Ann Ryan's Fractured Connections Series<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The Fractured Connections series is an angsty, emotional, steamy contemporary romance series ! Each book is about a different brother who is all growly and protective. </span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmcse8Qfi_Xy6Inzvi7E07AtsJ5QmsUSQOxcQuOQB8J9JvdZ7vHL6WbVJx-lg0u3dm7tFCcuaQJygcHWQqywdlOQoqer1V_aK-XW-Auz1w-66j0DikKVUwGBNmCQenFMX5IdfNXwls9dITkGLVB9A9Xav3vA-yP3pT-Apn8VEyGilcTFyqPOfwdm1C4M/s500/The-Complete-Fractured-Connections-Series-Box-Set-Kindle-333x500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNmcse8Qfi_Xy6Inzvi7E07AtsJ5QmsUSQOxcQuOQB8J9JvdZ7vHL6WbVJx-lg0u3dm7tFCcuaQJygcHWQqywdlOQoqer1V_aK-XW-Auz1w-66j0DikKVUwGBNmCQenFMX5IdfNXwls9dITkGLVB9A9Xav3vA-yP3pT-Apn8VEyGilcTFyqPOfwdm1C4M/s320/The-Complete-Fractured-Connections-Series-Box-Set-Kindle-333x500.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b>You can find the series info here:</b></div></b><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="color: #1155cc; text-align: center;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://carrieannryan.com/series/fractured-connections/&source=gmail&ust=1709835735318000&usg=AOvVaw1-vgJ6UlMx-T1Ft09PY-qj" href="https://carrieannryan.com/series/fractured-connections/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"></a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://carrieannryan.com/series/fractured-connections/&source=gmail&ust=1709835735318000&usg=AOvVaw1-vgJ6UlMx-T1Ft09PY-qj" href="https://carrieannryan.com/series/fractured-connections/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://carrieannryan.com/<wbr></wbr>series/fractured-connections/</a> </div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><h2 class="glow-secondary" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #46204f; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 10px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; text-shadow: rgb(206, 4, 117) 0px 0px 1px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: small;">About the Fractured Connections Series</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Three foster brothers find themselves in charge of a family business they never meant to own. Now they need to deal with everything comes with past regrets, secrets, and money they never had before. They grew apart over time and now are forced back together when their world comes crashing down.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On the other side of town, three best friends, two of them sisters themselves, just lost their fourth. They’re not ready to deal with what that means and what she left behind. Together they’ll learn to heal and find their other halves along the way, but it won’t be easy as connections come to light that might shatter it all.</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxios5693SXG4iEA14Newv8iX_Lccat47Q7Vq2erG6SbFSa7iH0-f5esERlYnF66AMMyu6Qi0kVdXjn8yNzyHlXxHv6bO2oDVrmKmjDfAbmzyU1EGaXYRWFZErC1bPpimxWAsSlD83FH41F7U3r_hLNVtzt93RxCJQlgyY__hB5YgXSxMWBBrFe4HSQY/s648/Breaking%20Without%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxios5693SXG4iEA14Newv8iX_Lccat47Q7Vq2erG6SbFSa7iH0-f5esERlYnF66AMMyu6Qi0kVdXjn8yNzyHlXxHv6bO2oDVrmKmjDfAbmzyU1EGaXYRWFZErC1bPpimxWAsSlD83FH41F7U3r_hLNVtzt93RxCJQlgyY__hB5YgXSxMWBBrFe4HSQY/s320/Breaking%20Without%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Book 1: BREAKING WITHOUT YOU</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bk 1: A Second Chance Romance.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I fell for Cameron Connolly at the wrong time.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And when he left, I thought my life was over.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">But then, after the worst happened, I truly understood what that phrase meant.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now, he’s not ready for a second chance, and I’m not offering one.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Though given that our families have been forced together after losing one of our own, I know there’s no turning back.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Not this time. Not again. Not when it comes to Cameron.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID5ETNt_i0ll5BplnuaHxqGh3AuJstZEpFaRULjsDnRjVw4O3zhczMTtZ-zg4UNWTsRcY5WnkJKnM05a4Tahm9pygu8E4uLEs9vyWBQhyHHfKJs3PAczexo0JVIuX2d_WBQlkYXsKviwxjwpGb1qTkTNXFgf6PAGh-tecoLqc-KBaap4Lfa62uEQynDk/s648/Shouldn't%20Have%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiID5ETNt_i0ll5BplnuaHxqGh3AuJstZEpFaRULjsDnRjVw4O3zhczMTtZ-zg4UNWTsRcY5WnkJKnM05a4Tahm9pygu8E4uLEs9vyWBQhyHHfKJs3PAczexo0JVIuX2d_WBQlkYXsKviwxjwpGb1qTkTNXFgf6PAGh-tecoLqc-KBaap4Lfa62uEQynDk/s320/Shouldn't%20Have%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Book 2: SHOULDN'T HAVE YOU</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bk 2: A Widow Falls for her Best Friend</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ve been many things in my life: daughter, friend, student, lover, wife…and now, widow.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Getting past those labels and finding who I could be without them was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then I became friends with Brendon Connolly.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Every time I look at him, I see a past, I see a present, and I’m afraid if I look too hard, I’ll see a future.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6baOvi1BfjavftM3Y3rLlo1VPp8Q48fgh15M65cs63B0aymNZui-IT3nY8LF2DUjw_STy6noEilROqLaU56ee7u83NbRPEOIF-iakUkEPHbKJ0KHYF-cvIFrVxlVeaH68TUdq2Sd9ztebT-Mc-kuEcz32bXiPZ_vSpVG3PfqD0mGGF6ZAr40n06rc4kk/s648/Falling%20With%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6baOvi1BfjavftM3Y3rLlo1VPp8Q48fgh15M65cs63B0aymNZui-IT3nY8LF2DUjw_STy6noEilROqLaU56ee7u83NbRPEOIF-iakUkEPHbKJ0KHYF-cvIFrVxlVeaH68TUdq2Sd9ztebT-Mc-kuEcz32bXiPZ_vSpVG3PfqD0mGGF6ZAr40n06rc4kk/s320/Falling%20With%20You%20eCover%20v72.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Book 3: FALLING WITH YOU</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bk 3: Friends to Enemies to Lovers</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The day I lost my best friend was the day I realized that I’d been living in the past. I’ve tried to find a way to heal, to mend that break. Somehow, I came through it partially whole. But I know I couldn’t have done that without Aiden Connolly.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The problem is, he once loved my best friend. And now she’s gone, and I refuse to be in that shadow, or worse, a replacement for someone we both loved.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCMAxitcqSoruYeCNIMRj2TTmneVW4-VzHwVCCq-UVjY_M34enwVZaxb9IPf9Z5BGCuJlywSRb-rQtPywF_vpPAKoqNSnhnTMAEIATd7fEXDE7ZRbvy5FFuuss-4AUZsD90fgiZEM7FN6mOPttq13W8RqXEZ2EHYWIQzsQwxp0M_b6wxoyqmF3Svextg/s2700/Taken%20With%20You%2072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCMAxitcqSoruYeCNIMRj2TTmneVW4-VzHwVCCq-UVjY_M34enwVZaxb9IPf9Z5BGCuJlywSRb-rQtPywF_vpPAKoqNSnhnTMAEIATd7fEXDE7ZRbvy5FFuuss-4AUZsD90fgiZEM7FN6mOPttq13W8RqXEZ2EHYWIQzsQwxp0M_b6wxoyqmF3Svextg/s320/Taken%20With%20You%2072.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Book 4: TAKEN WITH YOU</b></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bk 4: Friends with Twisted and Connected Paths to Lovers</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #14171a; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">It all started at a wedding. Beckham didn’t mean to dance with Meadow. And he really didn’t mean to kiss her. But now, she’s the only thing on his mind. And when it all comes down to it, she’s the only person he can’t have.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He’ll just have to stay away from her, no matter how hard they’re pulled together.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Running away from her friend’s wedding isn’t the best way to keep the gossip at bay. But falling for the mysterious and gorgeous bartender at her friends’ bar will only make it worse. Beckham has his secrets, and she refuses to pry.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Once burned, twice kicked down, and never allowed to get up again. Yet taking a chance with him might be the only choice she has. And the only one she wants.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p></div><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQOQ-WjMm3APLGchhLPsyV3Q6U2twhM_MyC54M1eImYsx5J-aYoIVqTzGCzVDM89jBcqzpMhrh9U9sKuyErMno0WHdhxL8wTKeke7oc9qaCSZ2evwvVeLyMiG2trfgntBscviS_Eg00SmX3BQMZAiyJPVoTRE65ulin2_BFsdkM9Itno0TpPh4tvk61M/s600/CarrieAnnRyan-web-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQOQ-WjMm3APLGchhLPsyV3Q6U2twhM_MyC54M1eImYsx5J-aYoIVqTzGCzVDM89jBcqzpMhrh9U9sKuyErMno0WHdhxL8wTKeke7oc9qaCSZ2evwvVeLyMiG2trfgntBscviS_Eg00SmX3BQMZAiyJPVoTRE65ulin2_BFsdkM9Itno0TpPh4tvk61M/s320/CarrieAnnRyan-web-01.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Carrie Ann Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of contemporary, paranormal, and young adult romance. Her works include the Montgomery Ink, Talon Pack, Promise Me, and Elements of Five series, which have sold millions of books worldwide. She's the winner of a RT Book of the Year and a Prism Award in her genres. She started writing while in graduate school for her advanced degree in chemistry and hasn’t stopped since. Carrie Ann has written over one hundred novels and novellas with more in the works. When she’s not losing herself in her emotional and action-packed worlds, she’s reading as much as she can while wrangling her clowder of cats who have more followers than she does.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Website: https://carrieannryan.com/</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarrieAnnRyanAuthor</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrieannryanauthor/</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carrieannryan</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5360266.Carrie_Ann_Ryan</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 14px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/carrie-ann-ryan</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373e3e; margin: -4px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 12px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarrieAnnRyan</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-family: museo-slab, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 5px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2e2837; font-family: museo-slab, serif; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0in; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size: 11pt; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #888888; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></span></div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-30692638467333894652024-03-07T01:30:00.033-05:002024-03-07T01:30:00.131-05:00Tour Stop and Giveaway: A Twist of Hate<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopQ_BHQBPt0ouhVwKc9ZLF96A0BId6d2tMdxA5eRqQ7AMGyvCfdZjaGNPTh-cJwqcirUJffRFHHh7N1R3KQEkkYmyjSl9ZS6MrUrB5wHNbnbH2EOQd2GImJaR312a_79FMMlUMyAy43FbHaApkL1YhDYLCzS5r3iHkBJOngz-QvfHG4NMZ995jGQGuFo/s1200/TourBanner_A%20Twist%20of%20Hate.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopQ_BHQBPt0ouhVwKc9ZLF96A0BId6d2tMdxA5eRqQ7AMGyvCfdZjaGNPTh-cJwqcirUJffRFHHh7N1R3KQEkkYmyjSl9ZS6MrUrB5wHNbnbH2EOQd2GImJaR312a_79FMMlUMyAy43FbHaApkL1YhDYLCzS5r3iHkBJOngz-QvfHG4NMZ995jGQGuFo/s320/TourBanner_A%20Twist%20of%20Hate.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Check out author T.E. Lorenzo's A Twist of Hate today and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as the author is giving <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;">a
$15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops <a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/blurb-blitz-tour-twist-of-hate-by-te.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-ZqoacoFmbcxlXXAqq_H7ppzVuntyhziFqUOuBrOqGptyDAnMQzUoGKct9fTEBcdUO5iaRYPGfKgj9kamiXwMUFR6TuNZ3wG3kfNQO29aoavi4MfW5HzJRIhMFdeaIYR8KkkIHWxpQrsReNjnCzBQlOVoJmig2G8_Ruax-yv5d_y8i7Va4ihjzbO5aM/s2700/BookCover_ATwistOfHateEbookCoverUse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv-ZqoacoFmbcxlXXAqq_H7ppzVuntyhziFqUOuBrOqGptyDAnMQzUoGKct9fTEBcdUO5iaRYPGfKgj9kamiXwMUFR6TuNZ3wG3kfNQO29aoavi4MfW5HzJRIhMFdeaIYR8KkkIHWxpQrsReNjnCzBQlOVoJmig2G8_Ruax-yv5d_y8i7Va4ihjzbO5aM/s320/BookCover_ATwistOfHateEbookCoverUse.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">A TWIST OF HATE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">Author: T.E. Lorenzo</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif">GENRE</span></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif">: Romance<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">They
love to hate each other...</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">Natalia
is content with hating her co-worker, Adrian. The two can hardly stand being in
the same room, despite having worked together for several months. When Natalia
agrees to a trip out of town with a friend, little does she know that Adrian
will be there, too. This is the time to crank up the hate, right?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">The
trip is not what Natalia thought it would be. Forced to spend time with her enemy,
she finds there is more to Adrian than meets the eye. Will Natalia push aside
her hatred and see the true Adrian?</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">With
a twist of hate, just maybe...<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> </span></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Buy at:</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">AMAZON
LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CP2TF94Z</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">BN:
<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-twist-of-hate-te-lorenzo/1144416094">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-twist-of-hate-te-lorenzo/1144416094</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">KOBO:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-twist-of-hate<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">SW:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1485296?ref=5princepub<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">GOOGLEPLAY:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/T_E_Lorenzo_A_Twist_of_Hate?id=PbTlEAAAQBAJ<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">Excerpt One:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">All Natalia
could think about was another opportunity to get Adrian to speak to her before
they wandered around the desert together. She thought the odds might be in her
favor, considering she had overheard Denver mention that he and Adrian would
leave for the airport immediately after their shift ended today. Vegas would be
at the forefront of Adrian’s mind. Surely he would clear the tension that had
grown so awkward and heavy between them before he left. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">Further playing
into her hands was the special seating arrangement drawn up for the day. Lopez
assigned both Adrian and Natalia to desks on the suite level, and they’d be in
the same row, four seats apart. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">Once she saw
this seating chart posted on Friday, Natalia knew she had to crank up the heat
for the big day. She dressed in a form-fitting pencil skirt that cut off just
above the knees, revealing the Speedy Gonzales tattoo just above her ankle. She
had even shaved—in the winter—to make sure her legs were as appealing as
possible. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">Natalia also
wore a blouse that revealed the slightest glimpse of cleavage. She questioned
herself as she dressed earlier this morning, wondering why she was putting in
so much effort into her appearance to get Adrian’s attention. She hated him,
after all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">It’s not for
Adrian. It’s for me. I’m freshly single, going to Vegas in two days, and life
is good. I can get sexy all for myself if I want to.<o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><p></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4824" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4824/" id="rcwidget_zq50e8ko" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">AUTHOR Bio and Links:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IrjVmZPMO_A-1Qy95DllNUzKPOD-2275F-k8nIBrZ4UkMI3xnofcZJVVgUs_E8dPvj-Y6kg6ES2alzpcvzGkAZqpGjRefjQUwoQunBzYotIaD1xIbDiI6ndMsAfPE1bO17XCy1JY4LXbRdkxCHDqgmOZMnFLW6GBNCMS8V1Cq1I4-wT6ytIC5r_stys/s432/Author%20Image.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="288" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-IrjVmZPMO_A-1Qy95DllNUzKPOD-2275F-k8nIBrZ4UkMI3xnofcZJVVgUs_E8dPvj-Y6kg6ES2alzpcvzGkAZqpGjRefjQUwoQunBzYotIaD1xIbDiI6ndMsAfPE1bO17XCy1JY4LXbRdkxCHDqgmOZMnFLW6GBNCMS8V1Cq1I4-wT6ytIC5r_stys/w133-h200/Author%20Image.png" width="133" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />TE
Lorenzo is the debut author of A Twist of Hate. Having lived through his own
enemies-to-lovers story, he believes love can come from the most unexpected of
places. When he's not writing, TE is likely chasing his kids around, playing
baseball, or relaxing with a good book. He is currently living out his
happily-ever-after with his wife and three kids in their hometown of Denver,
CO. </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span>Website:
https://www.5princebooks.com/telorenzo.html</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /></div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-29565786098071224672024-03-04T01:00:00.025-05:002024-03-04T01:00:00.393-05:00Blog Tour Stop: What Grows in the Dark<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuAFnfsksTItV1rZRn2o9vryorGWIifHVrz3wEsAX1_lQ6xyvl6BNeqxDjS2Dtx6koaxPDueLShMZt9wrBcg8Vr_tXV0IQCR_XL5QlJ24xdzRxJU6xeOyQFC5oC_etPwdsg0C-k9F1-4PQExBL7B_A8dtCwtymwat2oyuFXVM6x96mtcjJZn3IQpwN10/s1600/690-HTP-Banner---Winter-2024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1600" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuAFnfsksTItV1rZRn2o9vryorGWIifHVrz3wEsAX1_lQ6xyvl6BNeqxDjS2Dtx6koaxPDueLShMZt9wrBcg8Vr_tXV0IQCR_XL5QlJ24xdzRxJU6xeOyQFC5oC_etPwdsg0C-k9F1-4PQExBL7B_A8dtCwtymwat2oyuFXVM6x96mtcjJZn3IQpwN10/w400-h100/690-HTP-Banner---Winter-2024.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>WHAT GROWS IN THE DARK</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Jaq Evans</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On Sale Date: March 5, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">9780778369684<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Trade Paperback<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">$18.99 USD<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">304 pages<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn4OxYK-wuVxBT5xmOL0xMqtTvID4mxaVeBqtieZqXEJKkcjT2zSZz-G80U-CmvwcTNZuDdPHL2L6WVJviLPSFSoigazQ5a_B7jQRjXKOy_mmbKgMl5ttTR38s6ZGlCf7E_OUxDvVzdfv5drMX3WWgsE9YpRHQ02hkytbZ0YK6M2peVglugvVbg1ex6g/s3600/What%20Grows%20in%20the%20Dark%20Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmn4OxYK-wuVxBT5xmOL0xMqtTvID4mxaVeBqtieZqXEJKkcjT2zSZz-G80U-CmvwcTNZuDdPHL2L6WVJviLPSFSoigazQ5a_B7jQRjXKOy_mmbKgMl5ttTR38s6ZGlCf7E_OUxDvVzdfv5drMX3WWgsE9YpRHQ02hkytbZ0YK6M2peVglugvVbg1ex6g/s320/What%20Grows%20in%20the%20Dark%20Cover.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>The
Babadook</i> meets <i>The Blair Witch Project</i> in this
chilling contemporary horror novel about confronting trauma. When fake spiritualist
Brigit returns home to investigate the disappearance of two teenagers, the case
eerily echoes her own sister's death sixteen years earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This
chilling tale of siblings, the emotional toll of the places you once called
home, and the necessity of confronting and moving beyond past trauma brings
together the psychological horror of <i>The Babadook</i> with the
found footage and supernatural eeriness of <i>The Blair Witch Project.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brigit
Weylan’s older sister, Emma, is dead. Sixteen years ago, Emma walked into the
woods in their small hometown of Ellis Creek and slit her wrists. She was
troubled, people said—moody and erratic in the weeks leading up to her death,
convinced that there was a monster in Ellis Creek, and had even attempted to
burn down the copse of trees where she later took her life. Marked by the
tragedy, Brigit left and never once looked back. Now, Brigit and her cameraman
Ian travel around the country, investigating paranormal activity (and faking
the results), posting their escapades on YouTube in the hopes that a network
will pick up their show. The last thing she expects is a call from an Ellis
Creek area code with a job offer—and payout—the two cannot refuse.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">When
Brigit and Ian arrive in Ellis Creek, they’re thrust in the middle of an
investigation: two teenagers are missing, and the trail is growing colder with
each passing day. It’s immediately apparent that Brigit and Ian are out of
their depth; their talents lie in faking hauntings, not locating lost kids.
Except for the fact that, in the weeks leading up to their disappearance, the
teens had been dreaming about Emma—Emma in the woods where she died, ringed
with trees and waiting for them. As Brigit and Ian are drawn further into the
investigation, convinced that this could be the big case to make their show go
viral, the parallels to Emma’s death become undeniable. But Brigit is worried
she’s gone too far this time, and that the weight of being back in Ellis Creek,
overwhelmed by memories of Emma, will break her…if it hasn’t already. Because
Brigit can’t explain what’s happening to her: trees appearing in her bedroom in
the middle of the night, something with a very familiar laugh watching her out
in the darkness, and Emma’s voice on her phone, reminding Brigit to finish what
they started.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">More
and more, it looks like Emma was right: there is a monster in Ellis Creek, and
it’s waited a long time for Brigit Weylan to come home.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p><b><u>BUY LINKS:</u></b></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Bookshop.org: <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-grows-in-the-dark-original-jaq-evans/20536343?ean=9780778369684">https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-grows-in-the-dark-original-jaq-evans/20536343?ean=9780778369684</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">B&N: <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-grows-in-the-dark-jaq-evans/1144015673?ean=9780778369684">https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-grows-in-the-dark-jaq-evans/1144015673?ean=9780778369684</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Books A Million: <a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-Grows-Dark/Jaq-Evans/9780778369684?id=8875782594791">https://www.booksamillion.com/p/What-Grows-Dark/Jaq-Evans/9780778369684?id=8875782594791</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Grows-Dark-Jaq-Evans/dp/0778369684/">https://www.amazon.com/What-Grows-Dark-Jaq-Evans/dp/0778369684/</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia;">Excerpted from What Grows in the Dark by Jaq Evans. Copyright © 2024 byJaq Evans. Published by MIRA.</span></u></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">1: BRIGIT <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Connecticut <br />
October 2019<br />
An Attic <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Brigit Weylan slid her fingers across the
vintage tape recorder in her lap, the plastic warm as living skin. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “Are
you picking anything up?” Ian asked, snaking a hand beneath the camera on his
shoulder to massage his trapezius. He caught her watching and she cut her eyes
away, thumbed off her mic. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Nothing but your breathing.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“It’s ambience. And we’re stalling because…” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> She
shifted on the pine floor. Pinkish clouds of insulation erupted from the walls
on either side, and the ceiling sloped aggressively. It was a delicate maneuver
to uncross and stretch out her legs in this tight space, but her foot was at
risk of falling asleep. Brigit switched her mic back on. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Sorry for the technical difficulties. We’re getting a little
interference, which is actually a good sign—<br />
At the far end of the attic, a
cardboard box fell off its stack. Papers spilled across the plywood in a plume
of dust that brought the moldering scent of dried mouse droppings. Ian coughed
but kept the camera level. In the living room downstairs, the baby goth who’d
hired them would have a perfect view. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Hello?” Brigit asked calmly, holding in her own cough as her throat
burned. “Logan, is that you?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
Logan Messer, struck down by a heart attack in 1998. Craggy of face and
black of eye, he’d glared up from the obituary they’d found in the Woodbridge
library like a nineteenth-century oil magnate. Definitely the most likely of
several spirits that could be haunting Haletown House. At least, that’s what
Brigit and Ian had told its newest occupant. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> A
gust of wind ruffled the scattered papers in the corner, although the attic had
no windows and the rest of the air sat thick and claustrophobic. Dust motes
swirled through the wedges of light cast by the single hanging bulb. Brigit
pushed her short hair back from her forehead and presented Ian’s camera with an
unobstructed slice of profile. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Logan, my name is Brigit Weylan. My sister and I are here to help you
find peace.” She took a moment to steady her voice. “Is Emma with you now?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
From the corner came a sharp rap like knuckles on wood. At the same time
Ian strangled another cough in the crook of his arm, nearly drowning out the
knock. Brigit kept the tension from her face by digging her fingertips into her
thighs. A small black hole had opened in her chest where her sister’s name had
passed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “I
know you don’t want to leave, but I promise you’ll be happier once you do. All
you need to do is take Emma’s hand and you’ll be free.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
knocking came again, louder. Brigit had expected an echo, but the air seemed to
catch the sound. The rest of the house was so chilly, all its warmth trapped up
here like breath. Whatever mice had left those droppings probably suffocated.
Little mummies in the walls. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Brigit,” Ian murmured. “Can you see them?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “I
can’t see anything.” She licked her lips. Her tongue felt dry, chalky with
dust. “But Logan is here. I can feel him in the room with us. I may need to
move—don’t lose me.” Brigit raised her voice. “Emma, I’m with you. Let me help.
Let me give you strength.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> She
stretched her hand toward the corner. The knocking was a drumbeat now, even
faster than her pulse. Slowly, Brigit shifted to her knees and readied herself
to crawl toward that wedge of darkness—and the drumming stopped. Ian let out
his breath in a quiet whoosh. Brigit exhaled too, long and slow. Then she
turned to face the camera and smiled. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“It’s done,” she told Haletown House’s youngest resident. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“This house is clean.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
boy who’d paid for their services was waiting on the couch when Brigit and Ian
climbed down from the attic. Brigit went first, Ian following with the camera
bag now stuffed with their equipment: the laptop and its associated Bluetooth
speaker, the miniature fan she’d hidden underneath the boxes, the fishing line
trap in the corner. There were a few other props around the outside of the
house—such as the rotten eggs in the upstairs gutter, which had been carefully
planted in an early-morning excursion that had nearly put Ian in the
hospital—but those were all biodegradable and couldn’t be traced back to them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> In
and out, that was the modus. They were surgeons like that, implanting a psychic
placebo effect. Honestly, most of these people? They just wanted to feel
believed. The rest wanted to see themselves on YouTube.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
Brigit hadn’t needed that moral reassurance when she finally agreed to
Ian’s pitch for the series a year ago, but there was something about this kid
today. A familiar sloppiness to the liner drawn below his pale blue eyes. He
asked, “You think the old man’s really gone?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “I
hope so,” she said. Ian watched her from the doorway to the living room. Brigit
could feel it on her neck as she dropped into a plush armchair. “You’ve got our
contact info if he isn’t.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
boy shrugged. “Guess I’ll be on the show either way.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Technically we need the waiver signed by someone over eighteen,” Ian
put in. The kid looked at him while Brigit looked at the kid. Dyed black hair,
chapped lips. His sneakers weren’t actually black, just Sharpied to a purplish
gray. She sat forward. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“You’ll be on the show. Your birthday’s what, next year? This wouldn’t
go online for a few months anyway. We can hold the episode.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Why
had she said that? It didn’t matter how old he was. Their first season hadn’t
gotten picked up despite all attempts to woo a real television network, and
neither would the second. Ian was fooling himself if he thought this thing was
going to happen for real. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
kid smiled, and his eyeliner cracked. Discomfort fisted in Brigit’s chest.
“Cool,” he said. “Thanks.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “I
do need something in exchange. If things keep happening around here, stuff only
you can hear, smell, whatever? Tell your parents. Call us too, but you have to
tell your folks.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Why? They’d lose their minds if they knew about this.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Because you’re a minor, and this isn’t exactly a hard science. If it
turns out I screwed up in there and it comes back on you, I need to know you’ve
got someone in this house who can get you out.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Or
if he was in real trouble, the kind that could hit kids at around his age, that
he would confide in someone other than a fake psychic out to pocket his summer
cash. It was a moment of weakness, wanting this promise she’d never be able to
confirm, but Brigit couldn’t stop herself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
kid chewed at the inside of his lip. Something turned behind his eyes, a
decision being weighed as Brigit held her ground. Then he grimaced. “What if I
lied to you just now?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“About what?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“They wouldn’t lose their minds. They wouldn’t care at all,” he said.
“My dad doesn’t even live here. The house was a bribe to keep my mom from
making his life more difficult, and she hates that she took it, so she just
works all the time. I tried telling her before, about the old man, and she said
I needed more friends. That was before the wine.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
spike of decade-old commiseration at this was so sharp and startling that
Brigit almost laughed. Behind the kid, Ian looked faintly stricken.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “Got
it,” she said briskly, and relief eased the kid’s shoulders. “How about a
neighbor? Someone at school?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> “Ms.
Brower, maybe. My English teacher?” <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Classic choice.” Brigit calibrated a wry smile and won half of one in
return. “Okay. More weird stuff goes down, you tell Ms. Brower and then you
call me. Deal?” She stretched her hand across the coffee table. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The
kid hesitated. Behind her, Ian’s breathing was louder than anything else. Then
a slim, chilly hand smacked into hers, and for a moment, Brigit wasn’t in this
stranger’s living room at all. She was in the woods, the Dell, in the cold dark
night, her sister’s icy fingers clamped around her own. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <i>You want to be the wild child, Wild Child?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;">
“Deal,” said the kid. Brigit didn’t blink. The room came back to her,
his grub-white face, cold palm against her own. Vanilla candles on the mantel.
Nothing of Emma or their game but the bitter tinge of earth beneath her tongue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p> </o:p><b><u>ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</u></b></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeEJ78XEumrpe1q1BHh_yuZHombFw2ZDgIWhG_2mDTmBWvAi66WhHjFlOQ5qW8uXk1n_3-0AOqPkumRaS53_ZspIahfGQz4S1gn8JHg1NG1z9uAYekhBQ-uEEtidyptSzF3qHWyJE7RgHSHhz-bXpmRjP1E3nix_pzSh7g6AzvK6Twai-qgkm5_g9gM0/s3578/Jaq%20Evans%20photo%20credit%20Eric%20Thomas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3578" data-original-width="3117" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeEJ78XEumrpe1q1BHh_yuZHombFw2ZDgIWhG_2mDTmBWvAi66WhHjFlOQ5qW8uXk1n_3-0AOqPkumRaS53_ZspIahfGQz4S1gn8JHg1NG1z9uAYekhBQ-uEEtidyptSzF3qHWyJE7RgHSHhz-bXpmRjP1E3nix_pzSh7g6AzvK6Twai-qgkm5_g9gM0/w174-h200/Jaq%20Evans%20photo%20credit%20Eric%20Thomas.jpg" width="174" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br />Jaq Evans</b> is a graduate of the
University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast MFA program and a former Pitch Wars
mentee . Her short fiction has been published in <i>Three-Lobed
Burning Eye, Apparition Literary Magazine, Fusion Fragment,</i> and
others.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><u><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><u>SOCIAL LINKS:</u></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author website: <a href="https://www.jaqevans.com/">https://www.jaqevans.com/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Twitter: @jaqwrites<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instagram: @anomisting</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p>
<br /></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-15236739683354869212024-03-02T00:30:00.008-05:002024-03-02T00:30:00.138-05:00Release Spotlight/Giveaway: The Space Between Us<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 auto 15px;">
<p>
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<p><strong>The Space Between Us</strong><br><strong>Melanie Summers</strong><br>(Brainiacs in Love, #1)<br>Publication date: February 29th 2024<br>Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance</p><blockquote><p><strong>Love just might be the final frontier…</strong></p>
<p>S.E.T.I. researcher, Gwen Fox, is a woman on a mission—to answer the cosmic question of the ages: Are we alone?<br />
Along with her work family, Gwen is perfectly happy spending her days listening for extraterrestrial signals— until the worst happens. They get word that they’re about to be shut down by Ty Sterling, their billionaire backer whose heart is as cold as interstellar space.</p>
<p>About to lose everything, Gwen has no choice but to travel to Peru to change his mind. Armed only with scientific zeal and optimism, Gwen faces off against Ty, who just might be the most stubborn, cynical man in the galaxy.</p>
<p>As the tension between the pair builds, so does the undeniable chemistry that neither of them saw coming. Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Peruvian jungle, the space between enemies and lovers begins to collapse.</p>
<p>Will Gwen and Ty discover that together they form a supernova of passion? Or will their budding relationship crash and burn on impact?</p>
<p>*** <em>The Space Between Us</em> is a swoony, adventure-filled, delightfully funny tale of a woman who will do anything to save her job and the stubborn billionaire who dared to get in her way. It’s a standalone rom-com with a little more spice than a regular Melanie Summers book. ***</p>
<p>WHAT TO EXPECT:<br />
Enemies to lovers<br />
S.T.E.M. romance<br />
Billionaire<br />
Adventure, romantic settings, and a little danger<br />
Forced Proximity/Only one tent<br />
A secret cinnamon roll hero<br />
Loads of banter, awkward moments, and delicious tension</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203652638-the-space-between-us" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/48xrELd" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">—</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>He wants me. And it’s been so very long since someone wanted me. <em>So </em>long. Like I’m pretty sure I’m revirginated at this point. Let’s face it, I want him right back. I want to feel him against me and inside me and on top of me and under me. I want to taste his kisses and his skin and to feel the way he moves. There’s a silent alarm going off in the back of my mind, trying to tell me this is a terrible idea. It’s saying something about betraying my work family and risking my heart with a man who literally just told me he has no interest in happily ever after with anyone.</p>
<p>And yet…</p>
<p>Here we are, two consenting adults, completely alone and absolutely wanting to do this. I stare up at him, taking in his chiseled jawline, his stubble, his dark eyes that are undressing me right now. My heart pounds in my chest, my body hums with excitement. “A night to remember? That’s a bold prediction,” I say in a breathy voice I don’t even recognize.</p>
<p>“I’m confident I can back it up,” he tells me, lowering his face to mine.</p>
<p>He leaves just the smallest space between our mouths. Enough that I can feel his breath and can almost feel his lips against mine. It’s less than an inch and yet it’s infinitely far away because there’s still time for me to say no. To get up and walk away without allowing anything to happen. We could go back to whatever we were a minute ago. Just two people stuck out here alone together passing the time. That would be the smart thing to do— to get up and walk away because he is the very last man I should want like this.</p>
<p>But he’s also the man I’ve wanted like no other. The desire I have for him is all that matters in this moment. There is nothing, no one else on this planet that means anything to me right now. There’s no future, no past. It’s just the two of us here in this perfect moment.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/TSBU-Worst-Person-to-Ever-Live.png"><img src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/TSBU-Worst-Person-to-Ever-Live.png" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" /></a></p>
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<blockquote style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p>Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.</p>
<p>Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.</p>
<p>In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).</p>
<p>Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.</p>
<p>She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> / <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage" target="_blank">Facebook</a> / <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/" target="_blank">Instagram</a> / <a href="https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a></p>
</blockquote>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GIVEAWAY!</strong><br />
$500 USD prize to one lucky creator!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">ENTER TO <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfWYE46y4-TFPXJ2zf5NM4xe7OwXfru4QbThhzo_NcKGumJuw/viewform">WIN HERE</a>!</p>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-37486115962240626022024-03-01T00:30:00.018-05:002024-03-01T00:30:00.246-05:00New Book Spotlight: Lucy Felthouse's Not That Kind of Witch<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifp0A8dlX_c9R_VGRQIsE8kUH-uhesev4Kr6fUNkBqDpRDi6doTn6zkcJnhOOnL2LAwkrXHJ1h_yaGR48G_tMiKfMg5keu2DQ4Q7E7j5LHdeQA9nfG9EPsplow0pzc872zuZXnyKnGsNINHCXK0W70pA_bdiwgahOMmtQqUuNBEGIfh9ww3bXCVIR_WRk/s1200/BookBrushImage11.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="628" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifp0A8dlX_c9R_VGRQIsE8kUH-uhesev4Kr6fUNkBqDpRDi6doTn6zkcJnhOOnL2LAwkrXHJ1h_yaGR48G_tMiKfMg5keu2DQ4Q7E7j5LHdeQA9nfG9EPsplow0pzc872zuZXnyKnGsNINHCXK0W70pA_bdiwgahOMmtQqUuNBEGIfh9ww3bXCVIR_WRk/s320/BookBrushImage11.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">OUT NOW—Not That Kind of Witch, A Brand-new M/F Steamy
Contemporary Romance by Lucy Felthouse (@cw1985) #contemporaryromance #romance
#steamyromance <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The latest release from Lucy Felthouse, <i>Not That
Kind of Witch </i>is a M/F steamy contemporary romance filled with fun and
steam, which also tackles some serious topics. So if you’re looking for a hefty
dollop of realism in your romance, then check this one out!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbDi317X9XXxMsTH6qV0EM8pcCmbmgabZ_C_bl3lA8-4hDN0KfAeSr8lNerFVUr1eKS7uKE8h3mZ8bklhk0TWcCb6P9swQKEkHqdZHAZo65G1h6z8UG3nKCPqWNV3e2GDQKPuhYuu2AIVLI8Gp-PEtPlWnhRfrTb5cC12Zu2vigT7hId6ZMlP2EmI9hk/s2700/NotThatKindofWitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2700" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidbDi317X9XXxMsTH6qV0EM8pcCmbmgabZ_C_bl3lA8-4hDN0KfAeSr8lNerFVUr1eKS7uKE8h3mZ8bklhk0TWcCb6P9swQKEkHqdZHAZo65G1h6z8UG3nKCPqWNV3e2GDQKPuhYuu2AIVLI8Gp-PEtPlWnhRfrTb5cC12Zu2vigT7hId6ZMlP2EmI9hk/s320/NotThatKindofWitch.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Can Willow let go of her fears and begin living her
life again, or will her issues get the better of her?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Willow Green is having a
hard time of it. Losing her job at the beginning of the pandemic and her
elderly grandmother’s ‘clinically vulnerable’ status have resulted in her
becoming housebound. While her entrepreneurial, hard-working spirit and the
knowledge passed down through generations of green witches in her family mean
she has solved her employment problem, her fear of going out, of allowing the
dreaded virus into the house she shares with her grandmother, is far from
resolved. In fact, it seems worse than ever.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">That is, until Joe Lane
comes along. The handsome care worker turned delivery driver does Willow a
favour, gaining her attention and reluctant admiration. He’s got plenty of
baggage of his own, but he also has the skills and temperament to help her with
her problem—and he really seems to care.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The question is, will she
let him get close enough to try?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Available in eBook and
paperback formats: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://books2read.com/ntkow"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://books2read.com/ntkow</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Add to BookBub:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/not-that-kind-of-witch-a-contemporary-steamy-romance-novel-by-lucy-felthouse"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://www.bookbub.com/books/not-that-kind-of-witch-a-contemporary-steamy-romance-novel-by-lucy-felthouse</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Add to Goodreads: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203844879-not-that-kind-of-witch"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203844879-not-that-kind-of-witch</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Excerpt:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Willow Green had just
stepped into the kitchen from the back garden when there came an almighty
hammering on the front door. Panic and irritation flared in equal measure and
she dumped her loaded wicker basket on the huge farmhouse-style table before
hurrying through the house towards the source of the noise.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another hammering. The
irritation started to outweigh the panic. Whoever was there was in danger of
waking the dead, never mind disturbing mostly-deaf Grandma Annie, whom Willow
had left happily knitting in the conservatory with a cup of tea on the table at
her side before she’d headed out to the garden.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Willow cast her gaze to
the ceiling and grunted with frustration. The whole <i>point </i>of installing
the smart doorbell and having it set to only<i> </i>sound an alert on her phone
had been to prevent Grandma being tempted to get out of her chair and make her
way to the door, putting her at risk of a trip or fall along the way, or
placing her in a vulnerable position with a complete stranger. The added bonus
being, Willow could be at the furthest reaches of the garden, and her phone
would cleverly let her know someone was at the front door.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Had this person not seen
the sign? Smack dab in the middle of the door: <i>Please use doorbell. </i>With
an arrow pointing to it. Couldn’t they read?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then she remembered. The
last time this happened, which had been a while ago, prior to getting the
doorbell camera in the first place, it had been kids at the door. Kids who,
once she’d opened up, backed off down the path and began flinging jibes and questions
at her from what they considered a safe distance.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hey, witch.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Been out flying on your
broomstick?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">What’s bubbling in your
cauldron?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You gonna turn us into
toads?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Did your ancestors get
burned at the stake?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where’s your black cat?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her heart sank. She
sighed and prepared herself for more of the same. It was unlikely, after all,
they’d have come up with something new or more original—despite the astonishing
wealth of information the human race had at its fingertips these days. Perhaps
they hadn’t bothered to look, to educate themselves, or simply thought it was
fun to torment a forty-year-old woman who’d never harm anything or anyone—not
even if it <i>was </i>possible to turn people into toads. Though, admittedly,
if she were a lesser woman, she’d be sorely tempted to throw out a few fake
incantations to scare them, make them think she’d cursed them.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Maybe she should. Yes, it
was stooping to their level, but if it stopped them coming back…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">No. I’m not going there. </span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">She
briefly considered not answering the door at all. She could access the doorbell
speaker and tell them to clear off from the safety and comfort of her hallway,
but she didn’t want them to think she was weak, or frightened. That’d just
enhance the thrill for them, encourage them to harass her more often. <i>Not
happening. Not on my watch. I don’t have time for that kind of idiocy.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She shook her head,
unlocked the door and yanked it open, her annoyance already spilling forth.
Generally speaking, she was an incredibly placid person, and slow to anger. But
she didn’t want these kids to think this house was an easy target. She’d kept the
previous incident from Grandma, not wanting to worry her, and had hoped the
addition of the doorbell camera might deter them from returning. “Have you
horrible toerags seriously got nothing better to do? You should be ashamed of
yourselves, pestering people like this! I’ve a mind to contact your parents—”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She stopped dead as the
door swung wide enough to provide a view of who was on the other side of it.
Not kids—horrible or otherwise—but a man. With a large cardboard box at his
feet, bearing a familiar logo. <i>Uh-oh.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A glance past him to the
gravel lane leading to her house confirmed her fears. A white Transit van sat
there.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She
cringed and forced her gaze back to the man. A navy-blue T-shirt bearing the
delivery company’s logo was stretched over his muscular biceps and chunky
abdomen—a dad bod, she supposed it’d be classed as, though she didn’t really
agree with the terminology—as well as a pair of tan shorts and some beat-up
looking trainers. He was tall, well over six feet, and she had to crane her
neck to meet his eyes. “I’m so sorry. The last time someone hammered on my door
like that, it was a bunch of kids shouting abuse. I thought you were them. If
you’d just rung the doorbell, like the sign…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The frown that appeared
on the man’s face as she spoke made her shift her attention to her right, a
sinking feeling taking over. Where there should have been a sign attached to
the centre of the door, were now only six evenly-spaced blobs of Blu-Tak.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Heat flared into her
cheeks, and she let out a groan and closed her eyes momentarily. “Well, there <i>was
</i>a sign. It’s obviously fallen off. I had no idea. Or I wouldn’t have… never
mind. I’m really sorry. And now I’m waffling.” She gave a pained smile, her
face threatening to burst into flames. “Anyway. You have a parcel for me?” Her
voice went so high at the end she was surprised she hadn’t summoned the
neighbourhood dogs.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">To his credit, the man
simply shrugged. “No worries. I’ve been called worse. You’re…” he consulted the
screen of the smartphone in his hand, “Willow Green?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Given the circumstances,
she let the slight waver of amusement in his voice at her name slide. “Yes,”
she replied resignedly. “That’s me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Great. It’s a tracked
parcel, so I need to take a photo to prove I’ve delivered it…”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Okay. Go ahead.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He tapped his phone
screen a few times, then lifted the device and stepped back, presumably
ensuring he got the right angle so his image would contain both the parcel and
her feet inside the open doorway. Pressed the button. “Got it. Thanks. Do you
want me to bring it in for you? It’s pretty heavy.” He pocketed the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“No,” she said quickly,
recoiling as he approached and made to pick up the box. “I mean, no <i>thank
you. </i>I’m fine. I need to find the sign before I go indoors, anyway. Don’t
want to shout at any more undeserving delivery drivers, do I?” The chuckle she
let out sounded forced, even to her own ears.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“Guess not.” He backed
off and clasped his chin, then stroked his thick beard, more grey than
black—the colour of his thick, plentiful hair, which had only a dusting of grey
at the temples. He glanced at the doorbell and wrinkled his nose. “Should’ve
spotted that, really. Especially when no one answered after I knocked a few
times. The Blu-Tak should have provided a clue that maybe there was a sign
there, and I could have put two and two together. I’m sorry. Such an idiot.
Won’t make that mistake again though, will I?” Despite the weakness of his
smile, it transformed his face enough that Willow’s stomach flipped. <i>Goodness,
he’s handsome.<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Available in eBook and
paperback formats: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://books2read.com/ntkow"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://books2read.com/ntkow</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Add to BookBub:</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/not-that-kind-of-witch-a-contemporary-steamy-romance-novel-by-lucy-felthouse"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://www.bookbub.com/books/not-that-kind-of-witch-a-contemporary-steamy-romance-novel-by-lucy-felthouse</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Add to Goodreads: </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203844879-not-that-kind-of-witch"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/203844879-not-that-kind-of-witch</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">
<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">*****<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in;"><a name="_Hlk512591156"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Author
Bio:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a name="_Hlk511898234"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Lucy Felthouse is the award-winning author of erotic
romance novels <i>Stately Pleasures </i>(named
in the top 5 of Cliterati.co.uk’s 100 Modern Erotic Classics That You’ve Never
Heard Of), <i>Eyes Wide Open </i>(winner of
the Love Romances Café’s Best Ménage Book 2015 award), <i>The Persecution of the Wolves, Hiding in Plain Sight,</i> <i>Curve
Appeal, </i>and <i>The Heiress’s Harem </i>and <i>The Dreadnoughts </i>series<i>. </i>Including
novels, short stories and novellas, she has over 175 publications to her name.
Find out more about her and her writing at </span></a><a href="http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/linktree"><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: blue; line-height: 150%;">http://lucyfelthouse.co.uk/linktree</span></a><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">Release blitz organised by </span></b><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.writermarketing.co.uk/"><b><span style="line-height: 150%;">Writer
Marketing Services</span></b></a></span><b><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 150%;">.<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: 8.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1z24rSgjzADSJagW_RoZ71LznTCdPlpX24VmP3H3ieB5WSDrk2RyfL7-TDXip_tygz2x1pjLXarG3cfQsMb5p69n_1VjhOOD_TsYeFZXHCFA4QHGcd0YGGT9ograksQ7IrAZAE1OW9bHxKo6szO4yJa1gtK5CcTNkyMkqejuc7lRTOWpvrcEhlPwm13o/s940/WMS%20Release%20Blitz%20Button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1z24rSgjzADSJagW_RoZ71LznTCdPlpX24VmP3H3ieB5WSDrk2RyfL7-TDXip_tygz2x1pjLXarG3cfQsMb5p69n_1VjhOOD_TsYeFZXHCFA4QHGcd0YGGT9ograksQ7IrAZAE1OW9bHxKo6szO4yJa1gtK5CcTNkyMkqejuc7lRTOWpvrcEhlPwm13o/s320/WMS%20Release%20Blitz%20Button.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><br /><p></p></div><p><br /></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-82651936488596118102024-02-29T13:26:00.006-05:002024-02-29T13:26:58.870-05:00Cover Reveal: Karenna Colcroft's Hooch and Howls<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeQFUHh7AFc1aDfMxBpjOGSPf3uU-yLIRZ1VysbRajt2fkmzJdZCqJp_fj3uBLgRB3emVthea0le5i1su_QbUFFYCdIZMz0yJqi3hnwUM3ww4byjvW7TyaYHVnNomp5QNn0gg5qL-uhDCnt_Wf16xxSYwPCmsDsUFYCpY8H1d4XloQju50KPgLifFMk8/s385/71YE8MQmLgL._SY385_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="257" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeQFUHh7AFc1aDfMxBpjOGSPf3uU-yLIRZ1VysbRajt2fkmzJdZCqJp_fj3uBLgRB3emVthea0le5i1su_QbUFFYCdIZMz0yJqi3hnwUM3ww4byjvW7TyaYHVnNomp5QNn0gg5qL-uhDCnt_Wf16xxSYwPCmsDsUFYCpY8H1d4XloQju50KPgLifFMk8/s320/71YE8MQmLgL._SY385_.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Coming March 14th, 2024 from Karenna Colcroft: Hooch and Howls.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;">In the decade since being changed into a werewolf in 1920, Malachi has become used to being alone. But the appearance of bootleggers Jonathan and Roger on the beach below Malachi’s cottage shows Malachi what he’s been missing. He wants these men in his life, but he can’t ask them to stay.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;">The following day, Roger returns seeking Malachi’s help in rescuing Jonathan from the rum-runners who are holding him hostage. Can Malachi help the men while protecting his own heart?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;">This book includes a scene in which the main character spies, without consent, on two people having sex. It also contains references to past sexual assault and underage male prostitution.</em></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #9a04db; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Preorder at Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CW1PW882" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></em></div><br /><p></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-30539585607416842202024-02-29T01:00:00.033-05:002024-02-29T01:00:00.176-05:00Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Alex by Dianne Hartsock<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FHS1WPaW9ZhHimczeifGjwfxgqHkFodN0SdhpUlhG_osHydvYQBDaDhbRmoEBfmZ4lo03S7jpK9-SisLMaDNRnsOeU9sca00V2LUaQzjwQrvXWZPuqj5wpGt_bcplSi0AqU4Ot6U_E_TtONFjMt-2BZyiWwr6yMjCgxonuOZjvyUc1J8LX63Q4O2Eow/s1200/TourBanner_Alex.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="670" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FHS1WPaW9ZhHimczeifGjwfxgqHkFodN0SdhpUlhG_osHydvYQBDaDhbRmoEBfmZ4lo03S7jpK9-SisLMaDNRnsOeU9sca00V2LUaQzjwQrvXWZPuqj5wpGt_bcplSi0AqU4Ot6U_E_TtONFjMt-2BZyiWwr6yMjCgxonuOZjvyUc1J8LX63Q4O2Eow/s320/TourBanner_Alex.gif" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Check out the new release from Dianne Hartsock, Alex and make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as the author is giving away a <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"> $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can find all the tour stops <a href="https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2024/01/excerpt-tour-alex-by-dianne-hartsock.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</span></span></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKmefCL_KltMtk-atS1DYXzaQwRLqDeqKoFeHof0N_M9uG9wZ8DOA19HyY9fB7qoJOkpWcgtaxd4cimi9utHnqsxH3_djgFxUb2G0Nespq5g9P-4IGP-AOoWgyG9CJxxqGUogC3AWx-ocO0WMrVlZ6aKvFPYgEKrAoFnnTa9wf5P1ADgxGwsb4PtLPwU/s1500/Cover_Alex.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKmefCL_KltMtk-atS1DYXzaQwRLqDeqKoFeHof0N_M9uG9wZ8DOA19HyY9fB7qoJOkpWcgtaxd4cimi9utHnqsxH3_djgFxUb2G0Nespq5g9P-4IGP-AOoWgyG9CJxxqGUogC3AWx-ocO0WMrVlZ6aKvFPYgEKrAoFnnTa9wf5P1ADgxGwsb4PtLPwU/s320/Cover_Alex.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></b></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-family: georgia;">ALEX<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Dianne Hartsock<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">GENRE</span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">: psychological thriller</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">Alex
is twenty and confused. He always is. The world presses on him with its horrors
and pain, with scintillating auras that bewilder his eyes and drive the
migraines deeper. He hears the cries of the children, sees the brutal images of
tortured victims. He feels out of control and his mind slips…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">Severely
abused as a child, he is left with horrible scars on his body and even worse
scars within his mind. Even though it puts him in danger, he’s compelled to
help those who call to him. He’s driven, motivated by his visions to rescue
them and hopefully uncover the killer. When he can, he helps the police; yet
some detectives suspect he’s involved. Often, Alex finds himself alone and
afraid in a world he doesn’t always understand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a name="_GoBack"></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black; mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><b>EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“What?” he said. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You couldn’t have saved him. He was dead the instant he was
struck.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“He was alive!” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“No. His autonomic reflexes were still functioning, but he
was beyond saving. There wasn’t anything you could have done.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alex looked away, unable to accept it. He watched Ben speak
with a group of his officers, then break away when Detectives Corban and Kramer
arrived on the scene. The two headed directly toward Alex, and Ben hurried to
intercept them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kramer’s face gave nothing away as he approached and stared
down at Alex. “What’s he doing here, Chief?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“I brought him. He was a friend of Kyle’s and knew some of
his favorite haunts.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Is that right?” Kramer glanced at the hollow littered with
dead leaves and brambles. “And he liked it here?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“He liked to come to the park,” Alex said, certain of that
much. He found it hard to meet the detective’s eyes. He didn’t want to have to
lie about his visions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Corban looked from him to the police chief, clearly
dissatisfied with the answer. He opened his mouth, then closed it with a glance
at the police officers and crime scene techs working the area. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kramer was less restrained. He sputtered at Alex’s words,
turning incredulously from him to Ben. “You’re fuckin’ kidding me? You believe
this shit, Ben?” He shrugged off Corban’s restraining hand, thrusting a finger
in Alex’s face. “I’m on to you. You’re up to your neck in this with Gibson. Did
Bronsin stumble onto something when you were with him the other night? Did you
lure him here?” He leaned close to Alex’s ear, whispered venomously, “Did it
get you off when his skull cracked like an egg?” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ben stepped between them. His voice shook with suppressed
fury as he faced Kramer. “Shut your mouth.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kramer straightened to his full height, meeting Ben eye to
eye. A sneer crossed his florid face. “He’s guilty as shit. You know it and I
know it. And if you’re covering for him, I’ll have no compunction nailing your
ass along with his.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“You need a little thing called proof,” Ben shot back. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kramer smiled unpleasantly. “I’ve already requested a search
warrant. You can’t circumvent me this time.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Corban cleared his throat, drawing their attention to the
nearby officers; some stared curiously at them. “That’s enough. This is
definitely not the time or place for this conversation. Kramer, walk with me.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Kramer wanted to argue but, with a shrug, he followed Corban
toward the group surrounding Kyle’s body. He glanced back over his shoulder.
“See you soon, Elson.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alex watched them approach the distant group, cringing
inside as Bill Edwards knelt over Kyle’s body. Bill pointed something out to
Detective Martinero before he folded a blanket over the pale hair. He stood,
and with Martinero, made their way over to Alex and Ben. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She nodded to the chief when they came up. “We’re ready to
move him.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alex drew a ragged breath, burying his face in his hands.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;"><o:p><b> GIVEAWAY</b></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: black;">The
author will award a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. </span></p></div></span></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="28e4345f4823" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4823/" id="rcwidget_01w16anh" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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</span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDbH-1mqE88_nsbNZP9GyfyT8cpnZLHxAZecUnu1NtpxcJT0kGt5FmHRe0b2hZ-MO_LUiphzZlOoV-Du79rUffVoAfPV5wv9Opr00dr3v0dPJtTgFm0MQj-gFPjt193OUldYRV_xlunSM1b-nBq4LhvaDgIbLUngvAY0N97e5RHMYJjdxKj_N2d0888A/s680/author%20image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="452" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDbH-1mqE88_nsbNZP9GyfyT8cpnZLHxAZecUnu1NtpxcJT0kGt5FmHRe0b2hZ-MO_LUiphzZlOoV-Du79rUffVoAfPV5wv9Opr00dr3v0dPJtTgFm0MQj-gFPjt193OUldYRV_xlunSM1b-nBq4LhvaDgIbLUngvAY0N97e5RHMYJjdxKj_N2d0888A/w133-h200/author%20image.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">AUTHOR Bio and Links:</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />Dianne
grew up in one of the older homes in the middle of Los Angeles, a place of
hardwood floors and secret closets and back staircases. A house where ghosts
lurk in the basement and the faces in the paintings watch you walk up the front
stairs. Rooms where you keep the closet doors closed tight at night. It’s where
her love of the mysterious and wonderful came from. Dianne is the author of m/m
romance, paranormal/suspense, fantasy adventure, the occasional thriller, and
anything else that comes to mind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She
now lives in the beautiful Willamette Valley of Oregon with her incredibly
patient husband, who puts up with the endless hours she spends hunched over the
keyboard letting her characters play. Dianne says Oregon’s raindrops are the
perfect setting in which to write. There’s something about being cooped up in
the house with a fire crackling on the hearth and a cup of hot coffee in her
hands, which kindles her imagination.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Currently,
Dianne works as a floral designer in a locally-owned gift shop. Which is the
perfect job for her. When not writing, she can express herself through the rich
colors and textures of flowers and foliage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blog:
https://diannehartsock.wordpress.com/<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">FaceBook:
https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsock<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">FaceBook
Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/diannehartsockbooks/?show_switched_toast=1&show_switched_tooltip=0&show_podcast_settings=0<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4850270.Dianne_Hartsock<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/diannehartsock/</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><br /></div>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-4038447525119316332024-02-27T00:30:00.008-05:002024-02-27T00:30:00.132-05:00Book Spotlight/Giveaway: Prove It by Stephanie Hoyt<a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove-It-Blitz-Banner.png"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-105591" height="315" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove-It-Blitz-Banner.png" width="851" /></a>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Title</strong>: Prove It</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Series</strong>: Do or Die #1</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Author</strong>: Stephanie Hoyt</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Publisher</strong>:<strong> </strong>NineStar Press</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Release Date</strong>: 02/27/2024</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Heat Level</strong>: 3 - Some Sex</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Pairing</strong>: Male/Male</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Length</strong>: 87100</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Genre</strong>: Contemporary, Contemporary, romance, family-drama, new adult, gay, bisexual, sports, hockey team, in the closet, slow burn, rivals to lovers</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204587972-prove-it" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads</a></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" class="size-medium aligncenter wp-image-105383" data-attachment-id="105383" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-caption="" data-image-description="" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"1"}" data-image-title="Prove_It" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove_It-scaled.jpg?fit=683%2C1024&ssl=1" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove_It-scaled.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove_It-scaled.jpg?fit=1707%2C2560&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1707,2560" data-permalink="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/?attachment_id=105383" height="300" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove_It-scaled.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1" width="200" /></div><div><br /></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Description</strong></h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite being unanimously projected to go first overall in the upcoming NHL Draft, Noah Anderson wants nothing more than to get the Draft over with so he can escape his dad’s unrelenting criticism and establish himself outside the rivalry he’s never tried to fuel.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex Valencia can handle getting picked second after a guy touted as the next Gretzky—but he can’t wrap his head around the fact that Noah is the one friend he can’t make.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the draft lottery all but guarantees they’ll play for rival teams, Alex accidentally walks them right into a loser-buys dinner competition, ensuring their relationship remains a point of interest long after the season begins.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Opposites in so many ways, neither Alex nor Noah expect a relationship built on the begrudging acceptance of a challenge made on live television to become so deeply important to them. But as the line between chirping and flirting blurs, they both must decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice to play in the NHL.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div>Excerpt</h1><h1 style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prove It</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stephanie Hoyt © 2024</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">All Rights Reserved</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s a noise to Noah’s left. He expects to see his dad, annoyed and ready to tell Noah every way he should’ve done better, how he’s never going to make it in the NHL if he keeps hiding from all his problems instead of facing them head on. He’s gearing up for another blow to this lackluster eighteenth birthday when he glances over at Alex Valencia walking down the row toward him. For a fleeting second, Noah’s relieved he doesn’t have to face his father yet. Then Alex takes the seat next to him and the image of hats flying to the ice after Alex scored the game winner for the United States flashes through his mind and irritation floods through him.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Come to gloat about your buzzer beater?”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Does that sound like something I’d do, Anderson?”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noah drags his attention away from the Zamboni smoothing over the ice to find Alex smiling at him. Which isn’t unexpected—Alex has the opposite of a resting bitch face—but this smile is different from any Noah’s ever received. This one doesn’t match the earnest incandescence Noah has never understood, but now expects from Alex.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noah’s shocked by how much he hates it. Even more so when he admits, “No, I suppose not.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">He wouldn’t say he’s an expert on Alex’s smiles—they barely know each other—but he’s seen enough to recognize the transformation. A second ago, it was subdued, a little tight, but now he’s grinning, loose and broad enough to dimple his cheeks. This one’s real and Noah has an inexplicable, yet familiar, desire to press his thumb to Alex’s tan skin and measure the depth of his left dimple—always a little more pronounced than the right. Noah’s stomach twists and his heartbeat ratchets up—he can’t afford to still have these thoughts.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hockey is already a parasitic environment, but being attracted to the one guy he can’t escape is another level of hell entirely. No one, from his dad to the reporters covering their international matchups, can shut up about how Alex would be the clear first overall if Noah wasn’t in his draft class and if anyone could upset the predictions, Alex’s strength and size might give him the edge to do it.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Which…fine. Whatever. Noah can’t fix his height, but he can get stronger and if he has to measure himself against Alex, who truly is phenomenal, to know he’s trying hard enough, then so be it. And maybe, if Alex weren’t gorgeous—with his perfect smile, perfect cheekbones, perfect jaw, perfectly silky-smooth hair—Noah wouldn’t hate it so much. But Alex is stunning, and every time someone mentions his name, everything Noah wants but can never have flashes before his eyes.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Which, for the record, isn’t Alex.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noah might not know Alex, but after years of crossing paths, he’s pretty confident he’s too much for all of Noah’s anxieties to handle in large doses. Alex is loud and vibrant and always moving. His personality draws people in and keeps them, and he seems to thrive off it. Alex is everything Noah isn’t and nothing he wants to be around.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noah wants the freedom to fall in love, to live without the pressure to blend in—constantly worried someone can tell he isn’t straight. Noah doesn’t want Alex, but Noah looks at him and his chest aches for what could be if he liked girls, if he didn’t care what people thought of him, if hockey wasn’t such a toxic environment. He looks at Alex and he wants.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not for the first time, Noah hopes they get drafted to different conferences. He’s not naïve. He knows their first matchup in the NHL will be a big deal regardless of where it happens, but only playing twice a year should mitigate the fuss. If Noah’s lucky, their so-called rivalry will fade into the nonexistent thing Noah wishes it already was.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Why’re you here then?” Noah asks.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Wanted to say happy birthday.”</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></span></div>Purchase</h1>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://ninestarpress.com/product/prove-it/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NineStar Press</a> | <a href="https://books2read.com/Prove-It" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Books2Read</a></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove-It-Now-Available.png"><img alt="" class="wp-image-105592 aligncenter" height="500" src="https://www.indigomarketingdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Prove-It-Now-Available-1024x1024.png" width="500" /></a></div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Meet the Author
</strong></h1>
Stephanie here! I write romance novels with a magical twist. I live at the intersection of Crying Time™ and Unfettered Enthusiasm™ where I tell stories that blend the melancholy of self-discovery and self-acceptance with the delights of friendship and falling in love. When I write, I’m a plotter with plot-commitment issues who lives and dies by chaotic bisexuals and happily-ever-afters.
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://twitter.com/glitterhoyt" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/glitterhoyt/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Pinterest</a></h2>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Giveaway</strong></h1>
One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code! <div><br /></div><div><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="555033ec1035" data-template="589504cd4f3bedde0b6e64c2" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/555033ec1035/" id="rcwidget_91gl8mdx" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-70347002564636000812024-02-26T15:03:00.002-05:002024-02-26T15:03:26.654-05:00Exclusively at Shayla Black's Store: Forever Wicked<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLJQHp3EPMnRXpb8s-uXR0fLdYV0KGtFBC8YcHdPxyk0cXC3QJQO2kwW7R9qKtN-qXfYZtTxcIgHN6YVQUlegQPAHo7BWfwNlKqVLK-P7TGiuEpM34ZlNSWAfzaF8qzGLOrF1U4iL3ERqKWg5Eqc8s9_ZyL2ZlJ9C91dHkCLC8EI1XJ7YMJU9g1-L48Q/s1080/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLJQHp3EPMnRXpb8s-uXR0fLdYV0KGtFBC8YcHdPxyk0cXC3QJQO2kwW7R9qKtN-qXfYZtTxcIgHN6YVQUlegQPAHo7BWfwNlKqVLK-P7TGiuEpM34ZlNSWAfzaF8qzGLOrF1U4iL3ERqKWg5Eqc8s9_ZyL2ZlJ9C91dHkCLC8EI1XJ7YMJU9g1-L48Q/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Shayla Black has delivered the WICKED!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">FOREVER WICKED – A Shayla Black Store exclusive eBook with digital signature, NSFW art and Bonus Epilogue is out now! #BookFunnel #WickedLovers #NSFWart</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bit.ly/3UMmuI1&source=gmail&ust=1709063081794000&usg=AOvVaw1Z55DqM893MBIv8b0q0FVt" href="https://bit.ly/3UMmuI1" style="background-color: white; color: #4caad8; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/3UMmuI1</a><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202020; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">“Forever Wicked broke my heart and then put it all back together with a big red bow. Ms. Black has a gift of creating characters who become so real that their pain is your pain and their triumphs are yours.” -Sizzling Hot Books</span></div><br /><p></p>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-24143638594078065062024-02-26T14:49:00.002-05:002024-02-26T14:49:37.188-05:00Discover The Science of Attraction by Jay Hogan<div style="text-align: center; margin: 0 auto 15px;">
<p>
<a href="http://xpressobooktours.com/" target="_blank">
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</a>
</p>
</div>
<img src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/TheScienceOfAttraction-1600x2400-1.jpg" alt="" style="float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0; display: inline-block;">
<p><strong>The Science of Attraction</strong><br><strong>Jay Hogan</strong><br>(A Mackenzie Country Story, #3)<br>Publication date: February 22nd 2024<br>Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance</p><blockquote><p>I am Mackenzie Country born and bred. Farming the high country runs in my blood, like my father, and his father, and my great grandfather before him. My future has been mapped out for me since the day I was born. Or at least it was, until Liam Skelton walks onto Lane Station, lights a fire in my heart, and turns my whole world upside down.</p>
<p>Bossy, tatted, and out and proud, Liam is everything my father abhors.<br />
And I want him.<br />
Badly.</p>
<p>But having a chance with Liam means risking everything. My family. My future. And my life in these mountains that I love.<br />
Still, the heart wants what it wants, and mine wants Liam.</p>
<p>With so many things against us, maybe we don’t have a chance.<br />
Maybe we’ll crash and burn.<br />
Or maybe we’ll find a way to have it all.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199430768-the-science-of-attraction" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://amzn.to/3tYm8TE" target="_blank">Amazon</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">—</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT:</strong></p>
<p>Julian Lane unsettled me in a way not many men did, and it was troubling, to say the least. I’d had a couple of long-term relationships in my life, but I’d never lived with anyone or wanted more. Being a fairly self-contained person, I liked my own company. I spent most days working intimately with people’s complex needs. It was intense, challenging work, and at the end of the day or the finish of a contract, my home was my sanctuary, and I guarded it with my life.</p>
<p>The idea of a <em>man</em> cluttering up that space with their things, inconvenient demands, or just the mere fact of their presence sent horrifying chills racing down my spine. I rarely got flustered by a guy, and certainly not the way Julian unnerved me with his capable air, glittering grey eyes, and that profound sense of knowing his place in the world.</p>
<p>Julian had the air of a man who knew who he was and where he belonged. You wouldn’t need to jolly a man like Jules along to make him feel wanted, soothe an ego bent out of shape, or play down your success so as not to threaten his by comparison. Men like that were rare and held an intoxicating allure for someone like me.</p>
<p>But Jules was also my client’s son, and that alone should’ve made him forbidden fruit even for a bit of harmless crushing. <em>Should’ve. </em>But there’d been something about his smile that first day. Something about the way I’d caught him looking at me when he didn’t think I was watching. And maybe the way <em>I </em>felt when he looked at me, as well.</p>
<p>The whole thing was fucking with my head.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/TSOA-7-Life-I-wanted.jpg"><img src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/02/TSOA-7-Life-I-wanted.jpg" alt="" style="max-width: 100%; height: auto;" /></a></p>
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<img src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Jay.jpg" alt="" style="float: left; margin: 0 15px 15px 0; display: inline-block;">
<blockquote style="margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<p>Author Bio:</p>
<p><em>Heart, humour and keeping it real.</em></p>
<p><strong>Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.</strong></p>
<p>She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She's travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel</p>
<p><strong>Find Jay in all the places:</strong> <a href="https://www.jayhoganauthor.com/landingpage">https://www.jayhoganauthor.com/landingpage</a></p>
</blockquote>
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<p style="text-align: center;">—<br />
<a href="https://xpressobooktours.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img style="max-width: 65%; height: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/Xpresso.png" /></a></p>
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DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7789306770595487028.post-22428716337773290232024-02-23T01:00:00.033-05:002024-02-23T01:00:00.140-05:00New Book Tour Stop/Giveaway: Catch and Release<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCOeS_pOlkfvEvaOKs5Zw3Kef344qTS9RcVScJFKP_zEJxgzW4NAHnH7yxVLQQVpjPXN7-2T2N2AxSSF0Ioih58fMnAIbKnwS2uS0pzSo_nhfJZbMeBYUMTTvSPulfsew5R8EstrpPwdlBgF5UzWNoYd3WxykequLiOBSYeLjdMWHAf5rUH9xVmg0Mh0/s851/CatchAndReleaseBlitzBanner.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghCOeS_pOlkfvEvaOKs5Zw3Kef344qTS9RcVScJFKP_zEJxgzW4NAHnH7yxVLQQVpjPXN7-2T2N2AxSSF0Ioih58fMnAIbKnwS2uS0pzSo_nhfJZbMeBYUMTTvSPulfsew5R8EstrpPwdlBgF5UzWNoYd3WxykequLiOBSYeLjdMWHAf5rUH9xVmg0Mh0/s320/CatchAndReleaseBlitzBanner.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Check out Tracy Solheim's newest book, Catch and Release today. Make sure to enter the giveaway as well for a chance to win a $25 Amazon GC from the author.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><b>Catch and Release</b></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;">by Tracy Solheim</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;">(Milwaukee Growlers Football Romance, #3)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Publication date: February 26th 2024</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Genres: Adult, Contemporary, </span><wbr style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"></wbr><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;">Romance, Sports</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: georgia; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47X1qM15GnmdlLrITOKIb9rsBnoM2qH8RvNzC3vtux6Vj-Sl1_AZkcFqO5N8s_9Ag4_NEs2X6gnCCkLcjBKeRmQAUt8ig3XViPW7mG_-OBCnmV_-QYCEwv5KtOynvyQGJe6nlvUia0bghSJkjiEf8w_s1ldRf_6EmWrldhDyrSTyVMtMT56Y9xYW_FzM/s648/catchandrelease-MEDIUM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh47X1qM15GnmdlLrITOKIb9rsBnoM2qH8RvNzC3vtux6Vj-Sl1_AZkcFqO5N8s_9Ag4_NEs2X6gnCCkLcjBKeRmQAUt8ig3XViPW7mG_-OBCnmV_-QYCEwv5KtOynvyQGJe6nlvUia0bghSJkjiEf8w_s1ldRf_6EmWrldhDyrSTyVMtMT56Y9xYW_FzM/s320/catchandrelease-MEDIUM.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></div><p></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A second chance, enemies-to-lovers football romance.</span></strong></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">He’s the pro athlete everyone wants to be.</strong></em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Quarterback Trey Van Horn didn’t become the league’s MVP by accident. Years of self-discipline and iron-clad control have made him the envy of everyone in and around the game of football. But when he comes face-to-face with the one who got away, his tightly managed life is turned upside down. Now he’ll do whatever it takes to score the greatest comeback of his life.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">She’s tired of being every guy’s doormat.</strong></em><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />London Headley is on the verge of having the career she’s always dreamed of. Too bad the path to her promotion runs through the guy who broke her heart a decade earlier. So what if everything about the Milwaukee Growlers QB sets her panties on fire? She’s determined to keep things professional. Life has taught her that men will always choose something—or someone—over her. It’s going to take more than a Hail Mary to get her to buy into the fairy tale.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The only problem? Her lips don’t seem to want to follow the game plan. Not when Trey is executing an all-out blitz to prove he’s worth a second chance.</span></p><div><div><div style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><div><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Goodreads</b>: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195334958-catch-and-release&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw02FsHvt2UeKXeLif1Z2Agh" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/195334958-catch-and-release" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>goodreads.com/book/show/<wbr></wbr>195334958-catch-and-release</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Purchase</b>:</span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Amazon: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://amzn.to/4bFxsET&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw0ZQzsl1FP4lxomQ_F25If_" href="https://amzn.to/4bFxsET" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://amzn.to/<wbr></wbr>4bFxsET</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">B&N: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/catch-and-release-tracy-solheim/1143962114&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw3nLWYAkMZPCntGivrykKVn" href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/catch-and-release-tracy-solheim/1143962114" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>barnesandnoble.com/w/catch-<wbr></wbr>and-release-tracy-solheim/<wbr></wbr>1143962114</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">iBooks: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://books.apple.com/ca/book/catch-and-release/id6462910560&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw3QnSFlv2jM_emMHj2ZbyM8" href="https://books.apple.com/ca/book/catch-and-release/id6462910560" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://books.apple.<wbr></wbr>com/ca/book/catch-and-release/<wbr></wbr>id6462910560</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSovH2RnOj-zMIkpNmXhgg40CQzU2BUmBfeR-vI0Sx_6K2out7AyYTrHLAWvCehew_drys4sVTRguDjL2CFR4lnmkML6cjA9NnZ_lrTqglfAt4LSXqHOBdTKs85cVOTm2_YchMK4DgM5Ex6YUqtZtDX1ko6lIE5OxrJCok7qxYvpPK_u2YQiJc1vhBHA/s1080/catch%20and%20release%20ARC%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSovH2RnOj-zMIkpNmXhgg40CQzU2BUmBfeR-vI0Sx_6K2out7AyYTrHLAWvCehew_drys4sVTRguDjL2CFR4lnmkML6cjA9NnZ_lrTqglfAt4LSXqHOBdTKs85cVOTm2_YchMK4DgM5Ex6YUqtZtDX1ko6lIE5OxrJCok7qxYvpPK_u2YQiJc1vhBHA/s320/catch%20and%20release%20ARC%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">Teaser Excerpt: </span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“You weren’t my first kiss,” he whispered.
“But you were the last kiss that took my breath away. The only one that did
that, for what it’s worth. Being with you made me want things. Things I never
expected. Things I haven’t felt or wanted with anyone since.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
</span><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blitz Wide Giveaway <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Link: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235684/&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw3j67wWqGTtsXf0kakPqecr" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235684/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.rafflecopter.com/<wbr></wbr>rafl/display/d04251235684/</a></span></b></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></o:p></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">AUTHOR BIO:</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jsbLtn7UlCyQ7n5gxagXSuOjgSrFZQJ07OjT7BN5cCnEMq6izntBZK0IyJ_VlX6upfkPSZcEoIEksY-QCzwbn5TWYKzKLZGYyJPyloKFltULxX5DE1JTqQqcJkWaIWjnOGrUgxarUyJxGyhfHXGK0HpAl5rOmKuDXt29G1S_nA1n0iMFWCbACy5R8Ow/s450/Tracy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jsbLtn7UlCyQ7n5gxagXSuOjgSrFZQJ07OjT7BN5cCnEMq6izntBZK0IyJ_VlX6upfkPSZcEoIEksY-QCzwbn5TWYKzKLZGYyJPyloKFltULxX5DE1JTqQqcJkWaIWjnOGrUgxarUyJxGyhfHXGK0HpAl5rOmKuDXt29G1S_nA1n0iMFWCbACy5R8Ow/w133-h200/Tracy.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />USA Today bestselling author Tracy Solheim writes books with shirtless men on the cover. Some of them are actually best-sellers. The books, not the men. When she's not writing, she's practicing her curling. . . bottles of wine, that is. She's been known to cook dinner but no more than two nights in a row. Most days, she'd rather be reading, which to her is just necessary research. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and a neurotic Labrador retriever. Her two adult children visit but not often enough. (See the note above about cooking.) Check out her romantic suspense series featuring the Men of the Secret Service--shirtless, of course! See what she’s up to at <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.tracysolheim.com&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw3D0GDPg-KhZmXgxX9tv7d5" href="http://www.tracysolheim.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.tracysolheim.com</a><br /><br />Author links:<br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.tracysolheim.com/&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw0C8ElS6ikmMPmtdF0XR_ZN" href="https://www.tracysolheim.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.tracysolheim.com/</a><br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.instagram.com/tracysolheimauthor/&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw3_kpd6aCBZrP9XUDc3d4yV" href="https://www.instagram.com/tracysolheimauthor/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/<wbr></wbr>tracysolheimauthor/</a><br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://twitter.com/TracyKSolheim&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw2MUK77YL476z3mhddMDjdt" href="https://twitter.com/TracyKSolheim" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/<wbr></wbr>TracyKSolheim</a><br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/TracySolheimBooks&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw2M2yecL0R7kPq-4Gm27hsA" href="https://www.facebook.com/TracySolheimBooks" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>TracySolheimBooks</a><br /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519003.Tracy_Solheim&source=gmail&ust=1708456076987000&usg=AOvVaw0BH3L2rJhlKYaXawgYP3UJ" href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6519003.Tracy_Solheim" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.goodreads.com/<wbr></wbr>author/show/6519003.Tracy_<wbr></wbr>Solheim</a></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQHYZt76cvh0oCuWaxfCnBtcTFZW-hfsYoSoZkJBos-QgEJC7wKf9GlAbiCqYpxwQK4njJV3g9OSh-w_TjnpOqQivwS_mRwDaRwDhTQsfXZeGW1ujINd3hAhqpojBh3bCroykhRiNQgN_rg6rsvjQTtDWYXBHMXD35dgMCzX_CfvaYChryBpmWEuHhfk/s280/ButtonXBT.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="280" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfQHYZt76cvh0oCuWaxfCnBtcTFZW-hfsYoSoZkJBos-QgEJC7wKf9GlAbiCqYpxwQK4njJV3g9OSh-w_TjnpOqQivwS_mRwDaRwDhTQsfXZeGW1ujINd3hAhqpojBh3bCroykhRiNQgN_rg6rsvjQTtDWYXBHMXD35dgMCzX_CfvaYChryBpmWEuHhfk/s1600/ButtonXBT.png" width="280" /></span></a></div><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div></div></div></div><script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>DawnsReadingNookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03184299032263403607noreply@blogger.com0