Friday, March 31, 2017

Discover RJ Scott's The Heart and Enter the Giveaway





Buy Links: Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2nqO1gj

Cover Design: Meredith Russell

Ice Dragons Series

The Code (Book #1) - Amazon US | Amazon UK

Blurb


The team captain and the rookie firefighter never meant to fall in love; but they’ll fight tooth and nail to protect what they have.

Alex Simard, captain of the Ice Dragons hockey team, didn’t intend on rescuing a baby from a burning car. Doing what anyone else would’ve done doesn’t make him a hero. Add the press hounding him, to on-ice injury, warring Russians, and the season from hell, and he’s losing focus. Getting his team to the Stanley Cup is his priority; falling in love isn’t even a footnote on his to-do list.

Jo Glievens, rookie firefighter, never meant to fall in love with a hockey player. Her career is everything to her and right now she doesn’t want to add a man to her life. She has a plan and is sticking to it. But someone is out there planting bombs, destroying lives, and she has to make choices when this criminal's actions hit way too close to home.


Excerpt

Jo walked in on a team meeting.
Not her team; not the big burly firefighters that formed her life and mostly sat around looking all kinds of badass whenever they had a meeting.
Nope, it was the key members of the Ice Dragons hockey team that had congregated in her friend Kat’s living room. Of course, it was also Ryan’s living room given Kat and Ryan were recently engaged, and it was their new house. Hence why Ryan would be there.
“Excuse the noise, we’ll study upstairs again where it’s quiet,” Kat said.
“It’s a team meeting then?”
“Less meeting, more smack-down and telling Alex like it is. Poor guy can’t stay at his own place because of all the media attention, so he’s staying here, but he’s pissed and probably scared of being off-ice for far too long.”
“It’s fine,” she said, although she wasn’t exactly concentrating on what Kat said, so had missed most of it.
And all because, from there she could see the center of attention, one Alexandre Simard, or Simba as his teammates liked to call him. She only knew that Simba was his nickname because he’d done those ridiculous car sales ads for a local Toyota dealership a couple years back. They’d made this whole thing about his blond hair, and his name, likening him to a lion based on his hockey nickname.
She’d seen the ads so many times she could almost recite them from memory; too much down time at the firehouse between calls.
Of course, his face had been fixed firmly in her mind after she and Mitch had been the ones who dragged his trapped and heavy ass out of that car, the flames burning through his jacket and the jersey beneath. He’d been the one who looked up at her and asked, not about himself, but about the baby.
The damned man had crawled back into the burning car for the dad. He could have died. Jo had been furious at his actions; the last thing professionals needed were civilians getting involved, but when the action of the call had faded she’d thought past the rookie checklist for civilian interaction on scenes. Instead, she’d gone from seeing him as a man who’d helped to sell cars, played a game for a living, to a man who risked his own life for a child and father.
With no thought for his own safety.
He was pretty much a local hero if you listened to the news, a tall, gorgeous, blond-haired, blue-eyed hero. Could the guy be any more of a cliché? And why did he have to look so sexy and handsome, even when he was angry?
“They’re all mad,” Lieutenant Dennison had said when they were working on getting the car clear. “Hockey players, all mad,” he elaborated when she’d stared at him not really understanding at first.
Seems like they weren’t just mad for putting themselves in danger, but they were mad-angry as well. So, it wasn’t so much a meeting she’d been warned was happening at the same time as her study session, as much as a heated debate.
There was some language she didn’t understand, although it was deep and guttural and likely Russian, and then one hell of a lot of cursing. She caught some of it, a shouting match over ice time and why couldn’t their fucking captain understand the concept of fucking rest.
She didn’t watch hockey that much, sometimes caught highlights on shift down time, but being the probie at the firehouse kept her busy. That would all be ending soon when she passed probation and her exams, but for now, it sucked. She kind of wanted to watch hockey, the way that her fellow officers and the paramedics talked about it, the game was fast and changed on a dime. Burlington had an expansion team, or so she’d read in the paper that morning. In fact, she’d learned a lot about hockey the past few days. Ever since the accident actually, because the articles on it were everywhere.
To be fair, every article she’d read about the Dragons’ captain and him risking his life had begun with the words Alexandre ‘Simba’ Simard, Captain of The Dragons, the NHL’s newest expansion team…she’d looked it up, knew what expansion meant, that it was a new team, only five or so years old, and that this year they’d started strong before setbacks had them trailing in the rankings.
Not to mention they’d lost their captain for at least four weeks. Maybe six. One writer pointed out the team didn’t have the chance to label it as a generic upper body injury, meaning other teams wouldn’t know the captain’s vulnerabilities. Nope, there were pictures and news reports of burns and a fractured radius.
According to news reports, the team losing their captain was vital, and Jo could understand that. Captains were key pieces in their teams, the leader, the one that everyone looked up to. He was also a real American hero, or at least that is what the news was painting him as. Without thought for his own safety, he’d rescued a father and baby from their car only seconds before the fire spread.
Brave. Not everyone was a firefighter like her, not everyone would have risked their own life to rescue others. Not everyone was trained like her. Brave, stupid, they were different sides of the same coin.
She glanced into the main seating area, the one with the views out over Burlington, in the beautiful place that Kat and her fiancé had bought. They’d only just moved in, but this was the third time Jo had visited. The view included shouting, sexy, angry hockey players; men who were clearly pissed at something.
“You’re not coming back early,” one strong, steady voice said, and Jo recognized Ryan, Kat’s other half, as the owner of the voice.
“Fuck you, Flynn,” the captain snapped.
“This is not up for discussion, you hard headed idiot,” Ryan shouted louder. Seemed it was that kind of meeting where each person shouted louder than the last just to be heard.
She counted it as a win that they hadn't spotted her; there was something compelling about being able to see them in person. Kat was watching with amusement on her face. Of course, her fiancé was one of them, and she probably knew more about the whole thing than Jo ever would.



Author Bio

RJ Scott is the bestselling romance author of over 100 romance books. She writes emotional stories of complicated characters, cowboys, millionaire, princes, and the men and women who get mixed up in their lives. RJ is known for writing books that always end with a happy ever after. She lives just outside London and spends every waking minute she isn't with family either reading or writing.

The last time she had a week’s break from writing she didn't like it one little bit, and she has yet to meet a bottle of wine she couldn’t defeat.

mailto:rj@rjscott.co.uk
www.rjscott.co.uk/
www.facebook.com/author.rjscott?ref=ts&fref=ts
www.goodreads.com/author/show/3432558.R_J_Scott
twitter.com/Rjscott_author
www.librarything.com/author/scottrj


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions


Thursday, March 30, 2017

WRITERS WRITE... WRITING PARTNERS FEUD ~ ANGELS - Gavreel and Barbelo


Over the next several weeks, we will be sharing excerpts of the angelic characters from a work in progress, THE DARKNESS WITHIN, Book Three by Angelica Hart and Zi.


ANGEL WINGS OF HOPE

Aether - the Gavreel and Barbelo story 
Gavreel: Angel of peace.

Barbelo: Angel of goodness



Believe that miracles do happen every day, and your best friends, are the angles that God sent to help you. ~ Tom Baker

"I hear." The celestial guardian stopped carving the clouds, chasing a target with crafty blade stokes. A red-headed hawk flew in and out of the mist helping hone skills.  "I hear."

Ironically, the Lord’s Angel of Peace, wore armor, carried a winged spear, Angel Blade and a demon fired stiletto. This was no petal soft cherub who offered solicitous words or charmed agreeability. The angel was called Gavreel, whose renowned ferocious torment to the opposition guaranteed peace. No one truly knew if its viciousness was true, or well-positioned rumors, and no one cared to test Gavreel’s resolve. The angel’s appearance somehow seemed to be enough.

"Duty calls," noted Gavreel. The hawk flew to the shoulder, perching. "Where I am going there are dragons who love fowl tastes. You stay."

Gavreel’s armor was blood splattered tarnished and eco-plasma glinted, verification to being battle tested. Yet, the angel retained elegance with hammered cooper refinements outlining every sinewy muscle from biceps to tight thighs and calves. Also, an array of rust-colored feathers fanned from the helmet’s top while wings had been etched onto the back plate. None ever knew Gavreel’s gender, for the angel had a slight built despite distinctive muscles and the faceplate had duplicated  its delicate feminine features, yet, Gavreel’s voice boomed like clashing electrified air. Plus, Gavreel was always seen in armor, which hid breasts or genitalia definition. 

Part of Gavreel's routine was to patrol the Aether, for as the Holy War revved up, creatures from Hades tormented the defenseless existing within the gulley, gardens, woodlands and caves of this dimension.

"She calls me. What wicked caused that?"

Today, the angel, Gavreel, had been drawn by unusually plaintive pining sounds  to the garden of twisted dragon trees, home to the fireless wyvren, those never birthed anywhere but on this celestial plane. Gavreel expected to find demons or semi-god disrupting the playful populace, but instead discovered Barbelo, known Angel of Goodness, rough-housing with a nestling of undersized creatures. A few snapped at her soft azure colored wings, two suckled at her unadorned breasts while others nipped at her gold filigree skirt. One impish one crawled up her leg under that same skirt, sniffing her pleasure spot. She allowed a moment of enjoyment, for both of them, and then she easily gathered it up, kissed its nose and sent it scurrying away. Gavreel knew that her goodness was the mask that oft distorted the angst that riddled her being. Others might not discern the difference but Gavreel noticed the smallest nuances of change.

“Shoo now,” Barbelo ordered them all in a voice that resembled a humming bird flutter. At first none obeyed then she laughed softly. “Come now, another time, my horny friends, we will willow away eternity.” She petted the pointy rigid horns upon a few of their backs and that contented them enough, and they scampered toward the underbrush.

“So, it is you who counters the calm?”

“With Fallen and Arch at each other’s wings, humans bleeding each other for naught, and the winds of change blowing black, you are drawn to this little amusement?” One feathered lined brow arched above constantly color-changing eyes.

Gavreel faceguard flicked upward. Features were as lovely as the metal had been etched but smoky, more the ethereal spirit than solid. “I've come. A deliberate call on your part, I believe.”

“Come, sit.” she said, settling upon fallen log and patting the spot next to her. Upon compliance, she laced her arm with Gavreel’s and placed her head upon the other angel’s shoulder. “Our bedeviled foe needs to be countered.”

“Orders?” Gavreel questioned in its tart way.

“The stirrings of the Holy Spirit, requesting our aid.” She swatted the armor, lightheartedly. “You know there are no demands here. There is no need.”

Gavreel sat rigid except for one thigh that squeezed against Barbelo, hard against soft. Both sighed, almost unheard, yet, fully aware of the other. An ancient intimacy bonded them. They loved each other intensely as well as their quest for harmony, peace, goodness. Hence the two often fought side by side, one with the finest of heavenly weapons, the other with spiritual wiles.

“I am, as always, at your beckoning,” said Gavreel.

She smiled softly then whispered her needs.

CONTINUED NEXT WEEK


***
About the Story: The Darkness Within is a fast-paced supernatural thriller involving, kidnapping, romance, gypsies, and supernatural beings. The tale revolves around private detective Brie (Gabriella) Tyler's investigation of several missing young women believed to be runaways. Somehow, it connects to a past she cannot remember.   While trying to find his missing niece, Jake Marlo, the owner of prestigious private detective agency, crosses path with Brie. Independent and feisty, Tyler resists Marlo's help and romantic attention. The two collide as heinous henchmen and supernatural forces threaten to destroy their lives.


***
We'd love to hear from anyone interested in what we do. Anyone who writes us at writingteamcw@yahoo.com (Write - Blog Dawn - in subject line) and leaves an s-mail address, we will send you a free ebook (choose erotic or romantic thriller) and add you to any future mailings.



Angelica Hart and Zi ~ Vixen Bright and Zachary Zane
www.champagnebooks.com - www.carnalpassions.com - angelicahartandzi.com










Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Book Review: Fury Rising by Yasmine Galenorn

A new kickass heroine to fall in love with in a new series by a master storyteller.

My Rating for Fury Rising: 4.5 Stars and Recommended Read

Kaeleen Donovan is a Theosian-a minor goddess- and is oath bound to Hecate, goddess of the Crossroads. By day she runs the Crossroads Cleaning Company and reads fortunes as well as casts hexes at Dream Wardens, a magical consulting shop. But come the night, I am at Hecate’s bidding and they call me Fury. I am good at taking down Abominations. They come into our world from the world tree and I am tasked at sending them back to Pandoriam. But there is danger coming as the Order of the Black Mist steal an ancient artifact, the Thunderstrike, and is hell bent on changing the world order. Hecate has charged me in getting that device back but as Fury soon discovers, the leader of this order is determined to put him on the throne and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. Can Fury and her friends stop them before Gaia decides to wipe the earth of everyone on it in retaliation?

Wow, just wow. Ms. Galenorn delivers a perfect introduction to her new series, Fury Unbound with a kick-ass heroine who is just as intriguing as this author’s other characters in her books and a storyline that will knock you off your seat. FURY RISING is a perfect introduction to this author’s work if you have never tried her before. This is an author who is a master storyteller who knows how to build a world perfectly, with captivating yet unique characters and action that keeps you on your toes. The action is nonstop and a perfect afternoon read for me one weekend recently. The story flows smoothly and quickly as I was drawn into the story of a world where the world as we knew it now has changed drastically. The author does a great way in weaving that portion of why, who, and when within the storyline. It kept my attention till the very end.

This author is on my auto-buy no matter what she writes. Ms.Galenorn delivers such captivating yet unique characters that I can not get enough of her work. In FURY RISING, we meet Kaeleen, ‘Kae’ to her friends or as Fury when she is working as Hecate’s blade. She is delightful, independent and quite entertaining. I loved her and felt she was a perfect addition to this author’s kick-ass characters list. Plus we got some interesting secondary characters as well that kept me riveted. I loved the interaction Fury has with Hecate and found myself laughing at times at her smart comments.

FURY RISING is a perfect edge of the seat ride that will take you on such an adventure till the very end of the book. I couldn’t get enough of this series and just had to grab book two, right after I finished this one. I am eager to see where this author goes in the series as Fury goes against a big bad evil that will either win the day or she’ll stop it in its tracks. If you never tried this author, I highly recommend her if you enjoy kick-ass characters, storylines that weave a spell around you and keep you eager for more. I can’t wait to see what else this author has up their sleeves for her readers in the future.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Fury Unbound Series:



Book 3: Fury Awakened (Releasing June 16th)

Monday, March 27, 2017

Book Spotlight & Giveaway~ It Started With a Kiss


Discover the world of Ella Quinn in their new release It Started with a Kiss. Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win one of five ARC copies of the book. 

It Started with a Kiss by Ella Quinn


GENRE: Historical Romance

What is a young Worthington woman to do when the man of her dreams is not who she thinks he is?

This season, all eyes are on the Earl of Worthington’s spirited, beautiful sister, Lady Louisa Vivers. Many gentlemen are vying for her attention in and around the ton. Yet, Louisa longs for someone who can take her beyond the ballroom—a man who is worldly, adventurous, and passionate. She won’t settle for just any suitor. She wants her true soul mate—and she’ll know him when she sees him.

Is Gideon, the Duke of Rothwell, him? The moment he and Louisa meet, they share a powerful attraction. Rides at sunrise and waltzes at dusk follow. Finally, Gideon can no longer resist the urge to embrace her, and Louisa is sure he will ask for her hand. But Gideon believes he is in no position to marry. The Rothwell estate has gone bankrupt, a scandal simmers in its wake, and he has nothing left to offer. Now, he must decide if he will let pride stand in the way of true love—or if he will risk everything, and let the lady decide for herself…

Excerpt:

Early morning, Hyde Park, May 1815

Dawn had broken only a few minutes before, but a light fog clouded the air making the sun look like a small yellow ball. Gideon, Duke of Rothwell, was certain he was the only rider at this hour of the morning. Needing the calm a hard ride gave him, he thundered down the empty carriage way. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a dark bay burst through the mist, disturbing his solitude. Yet it was the massive dog, almost the size of a pony, keeping pace with the horse that caught his notice.

What the devil?

Faisu, his black Murgese stallion, pranced nervously as Gideon brought him to a halt. “Easy, boy. We don’t need that beast tangling with you. He could sever your hamstrings in an instant.”

A moment later, a twist of long, dark hair pulled loose from under the rider’s hat, riveting his attention on the woman. By the time she was even with him, he’d taken in the neat figure encased in a dark blue riding habit, and her excellent seat.

She glanced over, slowing her horse for a bare moment as she passed him. Her cheeks were pink from the cool air and a smile graced her lush rose lips. Their gazes collided and held. As if they were the only two people on earth. In that second, Gideon felt as if he would tumble into the vivid blue of the rider’s eyes that reminded him of lapis.

She cannot be real.

He blinked and she was gone. He might have dreamed her except that a few seconds later, a groom raced by, clearly attempting to catch up with his mistress.

For a moment he was tempted to follow as well, but it wouldn’t do him any good. She was obviously a lady, and even if he could obtain an introduction, and their relations proceeded satisfactorily, he was not yet in a position to wed.

It was pure fantasy to think of marriage in conjunction with a woman he’d seen in passing. Still, he would have liked to have been able to dream.

Blast Father! If he were still alive, I’d shake some sense back into him.

But the old duke had been in the ground for over three months when Gideon had returned from Canada. Now all he could do was pick up the pieces his father had left behind.

 Buy Links:



AUTHOR Bio and Links:



Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series, The Worthingtons, began in April 2016.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and two beautiful granddaughters, and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America. Europe is next!

    
Website: www.ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter www.twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog http://ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Ella will be awarding an Autographed ARC of IT STARTED WITH A KISS (US Only) to 5 randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author Day with Kelli A. Wilkins

The More the Merrier! Spicing Up Romances with Ménage
By Kelli A. Wilkins
Hi everyone,
As most people know, I write romances in nearly every genre – historical, gay, contemporary, and paranormal – and each book varies in heat level from mild to super-spicy. My erotic historical/fantasy trilogy (Midsummer Night’s Delights, Midwinter Night’s Delights, and Ultimate Night’s Delights) contains very intense ménage encounters.

When I got the idea for the Naughty Nobles trilogy I didn’t let the historical setting deter me from creating scorching-hot love scenes. Throughout history, people have loved and lusted after each other, regardless of social, political, or so-called “moral” rules. Forbidden romances and “kinky” behaviors aren’t anything new. Long ago, there were plenty of “sordid” affairs going on behind closed doors. People were having sex (in all sorts of combinations), but it wasn’t mentioned openly or discussed in proper social circles.

I thought about this and decided to write a romance (Midsummer Night’s Delights) that addressed that “taboo” and eventually became the theme to the trilogy. (Basically, a respectable man in high society is running an invitation-only sex club for swingers.) These novellas gave readers who considered historical romances boring a real shock!

Midsummer Night’s Delights started out with a shy newlywed couple (Julian and Annabelle) exploring their hidden desires and soon blossomed into same-sex and ménage encounters. Why? They were ready to indulge in their wild fantasies. Over the course of the books, Julian and Annabelle get to experiment, be naughty, and break from the norm without any guilt or worries. The threesomes liberate the characters and everyone leaves satisfied. Of course, as the trilogy continues, things get complicated.

My ménage scenes are as varied as my characters. I write M/F/F, M/F/M, F/M/F, or any combination I can think of. The most common threesome I include is M/F/M. I often write these scenes from the female character’s point of view and show how she’s enjoying herself while being “taken” by two lovers. But everyone gets equal time in my books. Sometimes a hero wants to be dominated and ravaged by two eager ladies, or a man and a woman, or… you get the idea.

As a writer, I can use ménage to explore my characters’ thoughts and motivations. A threesome can bring the hero and heroine closer together if it’s something they share as a couple (invite a friend over to “play”, or a wife gives her husband the gift of a threesome for his birthday). It can also give a single character a chance to break out of his or her shell and indulge in a secret fantasy, whether it’s a one-time thing or an ongoing activity.

It’s important that writers understand why the ménage is in the story and not just drop it in there for a shocking effect. (Two young women are at home in their lingerie one night and the cute and horny pizza man shows up…) Why do the characters do it? For fun? To have crazy sex? Rebellion? Revenge? Or is their reasoning deeper? Maybe they have the urge to control or be controlled. Or maybe it’s something else…
Ménage can also be used as a plot device. Suppose a character becomes jealous after a ménage encounter. What if he (or she) starts stalking a member of the threesome? Maybe one partner loved the experience and wants to do it again, but the other one has regrets or guilt. What if someone is being blackmailed? (I incorporated that idea into Ultimate Night’s Delights, book three of my trilogy.) Is the hero or heroine hiding a “shameful” threesome experience from a current lover who wouldn’t understand? Complications can arise, and authors can use ménage (whether it happened recently or in a character’s past) to add conflict and drama to the story.

Ménage adds a bit of spice and can heat up a love scene with something unexpected, but keep in mind that not every reader is willing to “go there” with the author and the characters. Some readers are completely turned off by the idea of threesomes, others may only read certain ménage combinations, and then there are those who read super-hot books and delight in the ménage when it comes along.

Whatever your preference is, enjoy!

Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 19 romance novels, and 5 non-fiction books. Her romances span many genres and heat levels.
Her trilogy of erotic romance novellas, Midsummer Night’s Delights, Midwinter Night’s Delights, and Ultimate Night’s Delights was released in spring 2017.
Loving a Wild Stranger was published in January 2017. This historical/pioneer romance is set in the wilds of the Michigan Territory and blends tender romance with adventure.
Kelli's third Medallion Press romance, Lies, Love & Redemption was released in September 2016. This spicy historical western is set on the Nebraska prairie in 1877.
Her writing book, You Can Write—Really! A Beginner’s Guide to Writing Fiction is a fun and informative guide filled with writing exercises and helpful tips all authors can use.
Kelli posts on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
She also writes a weekly blog: http://kelliwilkinsauthor.blogspot.com/.
Visit her website, www.KelliWilkins.com to learn more about all of her writings, read book excerpts, reviews, and more. Readers can sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb.

 

CATCH UP WITH KELLI

Here are a few links to find Kelli & her writings on the web:
Website: http://www.KelliWilkins.com
Newsletter sign-up: http://eepurl.com/HVQqb







Book Blast and Giveaway: Fox Hounds by Lia Connor

Title :  Fox Hounds Author : Lia Connor Publisher : Changeling Press Cover Artist: Renee' George Release Date : March 15, 2024 He...