Discover Wild Trail by A.M. Arthur

Title:  Wild Trail

Series: Clean Slate Ranch #1

Author: A.M. Arthur

Publisher: Carina Press

Release Date: Dec 11, 2017

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 90,000 words

Genre: Romance, cowboy romance, actor, law enforcement,

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Synopsis

Welcome to Clean Slate Ranch: home of tight jeans, cowboy boots, and rough trails. For some men, it’s a fantasy come true. Mack Garrett loves the rolling hills surrounding his Northern California dude ranch. Leading vacationers on horse trails with his two best friends is enough—romance is definitely not in the cards. When a sexy tourist shows up at Clean Slate, he’s as far from Mack’s type as can be. So why is the handsome city slicker so far under his skin in less than a day? Roughing it in the middle of nowhere isn’t anywhere near Wes Bentley’s idea of fun. Then he lays eyes on the gruffest, hottest papa bear he’s ever seen. But Mack is as hard to pin down as he looks—distant, sharp-tongued, and in desperate need of a shave. Until a campout gone wrong strands both men in the mountains with nothing to do but get to know each other. Mack intends to keep his closely guarded heart out of Wes’s very talented hands. But for a seven-day cowboy, Wes is packing some long-term possibility. The cold country air can do wonders for bringing bodies together—but it will take more than that to bridge the distance between two men whose lives are worlds apart. This book is approximately 90,000 words One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise! Carina Press acknowledges the editorial services of Alissa Davis

Excerpt

Footsteps scuffled in the dirt. Wes turned, expecting to see Sophie or Miles. Instead, Mack’s broad body filled his vision. He smiled at Wes from beneath the tilted brim of his hat—a smile less friendly, and slightly more predatory. Wes’s skin prickled with awareness.

“Doesn’t seem like you to not be sociable,” Mack said.

“Stretching my legs,” Wes lied. Okay, so that was partly true. He glanced around, startled to see he’d wandered a good ten yards from the creek and the other campers.

“Don’t stretch too far. You might get eaten by a mountain lion.”

“Please tell me you’re kidding.”

Mack shrugged one muscled shoulder. “Can’t say as I’ve seen one myself, but I’ve seen their tracks.” Wes must have had some kind of terror on his face, because Mack added, “They tend to stay to the north, though, higher up in the mountains. Shouldn’t be much of a bother to us.”

“Good.” He took a breath to calm his suddenly racing heart, which could have been from the mountain lion scare as much as the way Mack had taken a protective step closer. Close enough that he could smell sweat and horse, and something deeper that was all Mack. Not cologne. He doubted Mack wore that shit around the horses. But whatever the smell was, it was damned intoxicating.

“You not enjoying the trip?” Mack asked out of the blue.

“Sure. Not used to riding on a horse.”

Mack tilted his head, that smile dimming. “You sure that’s it? A few times on the trail, you looked…I don’t know. Sad?”

Mack had been checking him out while they were riding? “I’m not sad, exactly. Sometimes I get inside my own head and it isn’t a pretty place to be. All the regrets and bad choices. It’s why I usually am the center of attention in a crowd. Talking and entertaining people lets me not think about my problems.”

“I hear ya.” Mack shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, pulling the material tight across his crotch. Wes couldn’t help taking a peek at the package, nicely outlined even under denim.

Dropping to his knees and blowing the tour guide for being kind was probably frowned upon by management, so Wes forced his gaze back up. Mack watched him with open amusement in his eyes, even if his lips were still flat. Curious, Wes poked out his tongue and clacked the ball of his tongue stud against his teeth. Mack’s nostrils flared.

“Ever felt one of these against your—” Wes glanced at Mack’s crotch “—skin?”

Mack growled. “You’re trouble.”

“In the flesh.”

“Troublemakers like you deserve spankings,” Mack retorted, his voice low and growly.

Wes’s dick perked up. “Please, daddy.”

“Fuck.” Mack took a deliberate step backward, big arms crossing over his chest.

“Was that an invitation?” Wes purred, cocking his hip just so.

His only response was another growl—the kind that made Wes’s belly tighten in anticipation of action. Instead, Mack threw his shoulders back and said flatly, “I don’t fuck the guests.”

“Then how about after checkout on Saturday? I won’t be a guest anymore.”

Mack’s silence said loads to the fact that he was actually considering Wes’s offer, and hell yes, Wes would love to bend over for Mack—a big, stallion of a man who probably fucked like a champion.

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Meet the Author

A.M. Arthur was born and raised in the same kind of small town that she likes to write about, a stone’s throw from both beach resorts and generational farmland. She’s been creating stories in her head since she was a child and scribbling them down nearly as long, in a losing battle to make the fictional voices stop. She credits an early fascination with male friendships (bromance hadn’t been coined yet back then) with her later discovery of and subsequent love affair with m/m romance stories. A.M. Arthur’s work is available from Carina Press, Dreamspinner Press, SMP Swerve and Briggs-King Books. When not exorcising the voices in her head, she toils away in a retail job that tests her patience and gives her lots of story fodder. She can also be found in her kitchen, pretending she’s an amateur chef and trying to not poison herself or others with her cuisine experiments.

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Cover Reveal! Eliesmore & the Green Stone

Eliesmore and the Green Stone by Angela J. Ford Cover by Wicked Book Covers

The Four Worlds Series #3 

Genre: fantasy

 Release date: September 9th, 2017

 

Synopsis

Run, run as fast as you can. Never stop...Changers have arisen, wreaking havoc as they harvest the world, searching for the Green Stone. The South World sinks in despair, holding its breath, waiting for the One. Eliesmore is a Blended One, growing up on the edge of the forest of the creatures of the wood. Young, headstrong, and inspired by magical rituals, he spends his time between his overprotective mother and sneaking out to dance with the wild things. His courage is tested when Eliesmore discovers that he is the One who is meant to save the Four Worlds from the Changers. Unwilling to accept his fate, he turns his back on the prophecy and the futile quest to dissolve the Green Stone. But Eliesmore will soon learn he cannot escape his destiny. Beset by creatures of the deep and hunted by servants of the Changers, Eliesmore finds his task will test the loyalty of his companions and help him answer the ultimate question: Can he trust the immortals – or are they the reason the Changers have come to power?

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Author bio

Brought up as a bookworm and musician, Angela J. Ford began writing The Four Worlds Series—a fantasy series—at the age of twelve. The storyline of those books was largely based off of the imaginative games she played with her sisters. Angela originally finished the series when she was sixteen. After college, Angela began to rewrite The Four Worlds Series, bringing it from a child’s daydream to an adventure young and old can enjoy. Since it is inspired by fairy tales, high magic, and epic fantasy, Angela knows you’ll enjoy your adventures within the Four Worlds. If you happen to be in Nashville, you’ll most likely find her at a local coffee shop, enjoying a white chocolate mocha and furiously working on her next book. Make sure you say hello!

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Release Blitz/Giveaway~ Out of the Shadows

Buy Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Length: 62,991 words

Cover Design: Bree Archer 

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Blurb

Can he step out of the shadows and into love’s light?

Eight years ago, Christian Hernandez moved to Jamaica Plain in southern Boston, took refuge in his apartment, and cut himself off from the outside world. And that’s how he’d like it to stay.

Josh Wendell has heard his coworkers gossip about the occupant of apartment #1. No one sees the mystery man, and Josh loves a mystery. So when he is hired to refurbish the apartment’s kitchen and bathrooms, Josh is eager to discover the truth behind the rumors.

When he comes face-to-face with Christian, Josh understands why Christian hides from prying eyes. As the two men bond, Josh sees past his exterior to the man within, and he likes what he sees. But can Christian find the courage to emerge from the darkness of his lonely existence for the man who has claimed his heart?

Excerpt

MONDAY

CHRISTIAN HERNANDEZ stared at the letter, his gut clenching. One look at its contents was all it had taken to send him spiraling down into a fit of panic.

He’d known it was coming, of course. He’d seen the posts on the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation website, all about how the housing association was putting together a list of their properties that were in dire need of renovation. He knew his building had to be on the list. They’d taken it over in the late nineties, along with several other properties along Minden Street, and nothing had been done to the buildings since then.

And here it was in black and white. His apartment was on the list for the first wave of refurbishments, which included the replacement of all the kitchen cabinets and countertops, plus the kitchen flooring. After that came the bathrooms, with new fixtures and tiles. The work would take two to three weeks.

Next Monday. They’re sending someone to start on it next Monday. What the hell do I do?

It wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to go, so that left one option: hiding in his room while whoever came to invade his apartment worked in the kitchen. And the bathrooms. Hell. That meant the bathroom next to his bedroom.

Looks like I’m going to be locking my bedroom door. The prospect of being holed up in his room for a couple of weeks made his heart sink.

Christian put down the letter on the kitchen table and walked into his living room, where patio doors opened up to the communal gardens that lay across the back of the buildings.

I need something to cheer me up, to take my mind off all this crap. And he knew just what would do the trick. He peeked through the blinds, knowing exactly what—or should that be, who?—he’d see.

Sure enough, there was his favorite handyman. Not that Christian knew the guy’s name. He only watched him every time the slim man with defined arms worked out there, mowing the lawns, repairing or repainting the fences, or digging up new flower beds and planting shrubs and trees in them. Christian estimated him to be in his midtwenties, and yeah, he was definitely Christian’s type. He loved it when the weather grew warm enough that Handyman would roll down his overalls to his waist, strip off his T-shirt, and expose all that tanned skin, with a light dusting of freckles across his shoulders.

Now, if the guy they send to work on my apartment is anything like him….

Christian knew the thought to be bullshit. There was no way he’d make any kind of contact with whomever the association sent. He’d just stay in his room, working there until the nightmare was all over.

It’s a couple of weeks—three, tops. I can manage. He figured if he kept telling himself that, somehow he’d talk it into existence. Yeah. I can stay out of their way.

Just so long as whoever turned up wasn’t a snooper.

MONDAY

JOSH WENDELL straightened and stretched, his back aching a little from lugging the large shrubs from the truck into the gardens. They were going to be really pretty when the rhododendrons flowered. He always liked working on the Minden Street houses. It was a peaceful little corner south of Mission Hill, just west of Jamaica Plain, and the communal gardens were his pride and joy.

Occasionally there’d be a couple of guys working with him, and they got along fine. Even if they told some fanciful stories. Like the one about the guy in the first-floor apartment at #197—the guy they said no one ever saw. Josh had scoffed at that immediately: If no one ever saw him, how’d they know he was even a him? Besides, if he listened to them, the guy in #197, apartment #1, was the bogeyman, a hermit who lured little kids into his lair, only to eat them and bury their bones under the patio outside his window.

Yeah, right.

Anyway, his days of working in the gardens had come to an end for a while. He’d received his instructions for the next few months: the association wanted him to use his skills in other pursuits, namely tearing out and replacing kitchen cabinets, laying down new tile floors, and replacing baths, sinks, and tiles. Josh was looking forward to it, even if it was going to be a royal pain in the ass working indoors at the height of summer. He just prayed the apartments had functional AC.

He glanced over at the apartment where the mystery guy lived. Not that Josh had ever seen him. All he saw were the vertical blinds that covered the patio doors, an effective barrier against revealing anything of the apartment’s interior—or its occupant.

Wonder what he’s really like?

Then he grinned to himself. Hey, what if I get to work on his place? The guys would be all over me, wanting to know what the inside of the apartment looks like. The way they described it, he expected to see something right out of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That was, of course, if he worked on that particular apartment.

Josh couldn’t wait to get his itinerary to find out.

Author Bio

Born and raised in the north-west of England, K.C. WELLS always loved writing. Words were important. Full stop. However, when childhood gave way to adulthood, the writing ceased, as life got in the way. K.C. discovered erotic fiction in 2009, when the purchase of a ménage storyline led to the startling discovery that reading about men in love was damn hot. In 2012, arriving at a really low point in life led to the desperate need to do something creative. An even bigger discovery waited in the wings—writing about men in love was even hotter….

K.C. now writes full-time and is loving every minute of her new career. The laptop still has no idea of what hit it… it only knows that it wants a rest, please. And it now has to get used to the idea that where K.C goes, it goes. 

And as for those men in love that she writes about? The list of stories just waiting to be written is getting longer… and longer….

K.C. loves to hear from readers.
E-mail: k.c.wells@btinternet.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KCWellsWorld
Twitter: @K_C_Wells
Website: http://www.kcwellsworld.com

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Discover Taste on my Tongue by Beth Bolden/Giveaway

 

  Title: Taste on My Tongue

Author: Beth Bolden 

Release Date: August 15th 2017 

Genre: MM Contemporary Romance

BLURB Almost pop-star Landon Patton has just turned a corner on the worst two years of his life: dropped by his label and dumped by his ungrateful ex-boyfriend. However, his new agent's brilliant plan for Landon's superstardom doesn’t have anything to do with his music – it’s called Kitchen Wars, and it’s the hottest new reality show on TV. Landon wishes he could have nothing to do with it. Since the first morning he mixed flour and water, Quentin Maxwell knew he wanted to be a baker. After becoming the pastry chef at a popular LA bakery, anyone else might be satisfied. But Quen wants to call his own shots. Going on Kitchen Wars to win the money for his own bakery seems like a huge risk, but maybe it's worth it. They’re an unlikely pair. Landon can’t even figure out how to turn an oven on, while Quentin makes his living with one. But with each passing week on Kitchen Wars, they discover what a great team they make – on set, off set, and between the sheets. Winning should be everything, but what happens when the tastiest pairing is their own? 

  Find Taste on My Tongue on Goodreads Purchase: Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

  EXCERPT 

“Thank you,” Quentin says.

“For what?”

Quentin shrugs. “I know today sucked. But thanks for sticking with it anyway. Just . . .” Quentin hesitates, and Landon can practically see the wheels in his head turning, as he tries to figure out what and how much he should say, “this competition means a lot to me. The potential of my own bakery.”

Landon feels guilt wash over him. He forgets sometimes how self-focused the world surrounding him can be, and how he can be just as susceptible as the next thoughtless celebrity.

“I want you to have that,” Landon says. “I really do. I know that seems crazy. We just met . . .” He doesn’t want to say how strange it is to have a crush on someone you don’t even know, but it’s the truth.

Fuck it, Landon thinks, he knows anyway.

“Honestly, I wasn’t expecting to like you this much,” Quentin admits in a rush before Landon can even get the words out.

Huh. Well it’s good they’re on the same page. “Me either,” Landon confides and loves how the smile blooms on Quentin’s face, his cheeks growing pinker. “I got a bit carried away with it. I’m sorry. But I’m good now.”

Quentin’s cheeks grow a deeper pink; it’s insanely endearing. “I did too,” Quentin confesses. “I just hid it better. I don’t want to get too distracted by it. But it is rather distracting.” His eyes rove up and down Landon’s form. “Very distracting, if I’m being honest.”

“We’ll just have to focus better,” Landon declares. “Because you need your bakery and well, I need a career.”

Quentin looks offended. “You have a career! You’re Landon Patton!” Quentin is maybe the most loyal human on this planet. Landon didn’t think he could be even more endeared; he was wrong.

“Some career advice,” Landon pontificates dramatically because this particular part of his confession is a bitter pill to swallow and it’s hard to say bluntly, especially to someone like Quentin. “Don’t come out of the closet before all the pretty young girls fall out of love with you. It’s not good for business.”

Landon should have known better. The sympathy—or maybe it’s empathy, Landon isn’t quite sure, only that it’s currently tearing a hole in his heart—in Quentin’s eyes is devastating. “I didn’t realize,” he says slowly.

Landon can only shrug. “It is what it is,” he explains. “So basically, I need this too. Probably just as much as you do.”

 

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About the Author

 

  Beth Bolden lives in Portland, Oregon with her supportive husband and their beloved cat. She wholly believes in Keeping Portland Weird, but wishes she didn't have to make the yearly pilgrimage up to Seattle to watch her Boston Red Sox play baseball. She's a fan of fandoms, and spends too much of her free time on tumblr. Beth has been writing practically since she learned the alphabet. Unfortunately, her first foray into novel writing, titled Big Bear with Sparkly Earrings, wasn't a bestseller, but hope springs eternal. She's published two novels, The Lucky Charm and Getting Lucky, and a short story, Eye of the Storm. Her next novel, Summer Attractions, will be released in August 2016. 

  Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon

Book Spotlight~ Under the Boardwalk

Under the Boardwalk an all-new, heart-warming MM romance by Felice Stevens is available NOW!

Under the Boardwalk by Felice Stevens 

Publication Date: August 10th, 2017 

Genre: Contemporary MM Romance

Beneath the famous Brooklyn landmark, love is hidden but not denied:

All his life, Alexi Kharpov has dreamed of traveling to unknown exciting places instead of working at his family’s frozen custard stand on the famous Coney Island boardwalk. Every year is the same until a gorgeous man picks a spot in front of his stand to sing, captivating him with his beautiful voice. After two summers of listening, it might finally be the time for him to cross that boardwalk and take a chance.

Opera singer Cameron Maxwell has traveled the world, but the sight of the beautiful man serving custard to tourists touches his heart like nothing ever has before. A summer fling might be exactly what he needs to put his problems out of his mind, but the last thing Cam expects is to want the summer to last forever.

It’s a season of discovery for both men who learn to dig deep within their heads and hearts to decide whether secrets old and new should remain buried, or if love is too important to keep hidden under the boardwalk.

Excerpt:

“I didn’t mean to shut you out before.” Cam faced him and held him around the waist. Their bodies meshed perfectly, and Alexi felt the weight of Cam’s chest and thighs press into his body. “I hate talking about the past. You can’t change it, so what’s the point of rehashing things? I’m all about the present and the future.” Cam’s mouth covered his, and Alexi held on to Cam’s hips as their tongues played against each other. He lost touch with the sound of the ocean; all he could hear was the furious pounding of his heart and Cam’s heavy breathing. “All the time I watched you this summer, thinking you were cute and fun, never once imagining how much I’d like you.” “I thought about you all summer too.” No longer shy about admitting it, Alexi nuzzled into the crook of Cam’s neck. “I guess it was a good thing we finally decided to say hello.” “A good thing?” Cam took his face between the palms of his hands, and Alexi’s heart burst with happiness; he tried not to smile but failed. “I think so, don’t you?” “Yeah. The best.”

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Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2wqK7YY

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About Felice:

I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending around the corner, My characters have to work for it, however. Like life in NYC, nothing comes easy and that includes love, but getting there is oh so fun and oh so sexy. I live in New York City with my husband and two children. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass (or two of red wine). I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there are bound to be a few bumps along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

Connect with Felice:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/felicestevensauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FeliceStevens1

Blog: http://caferisque.blogspot.com/?zx=e071df0101ec6c96

Stay up to date with Felice by signing up for her newsletter here:

http://www.felicestevens.com/en/about

Join her Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1449289332021166/

http://www.felicestevens.com/en

Welcome Xavier Axelson today & a Giveaway

Please welcome Xavier Axelson today to the Reading Nook and make sure to check out his new book coming to JMS Books, Lavender. Plus make sure to leave a comment to be entered in to win an e-copy of the book. Now take it away Xavier....

*****

The last time I visited the lavender farm, it was not in bloom. I always miss it. The serenity of the mountains, the gorgeous farm setting and the peace and quiet of the location make it the perfect place to escape and let your imagination run wild. Along the road to the lavender farm there are other farms selling local honey, produce, horse ranches, one in particular with mini horses is definitely enchanting, local wineries and again plenty of silence and spectacular views.

How could I not be inspired? Many of my stories include California. I’ve lived here close to twenty years and can’t imagine living anywhere else. The scenery is spectacular and while I admit, my relationship with the state is usually love-hate, I always appreciate the local beauty.

‘Lavender’ is inspired by my love for the California Mountains, the crazy-dangerous roads zigzagging through them and the myriad local farms dotting the landscape. You can buy everything from local wine and honey to lavender, nuts and beef jerky. Anything and everything is available; fresh and delicious, and always intriguing. There is plenty to be inspired by. I included a winery in my story “From Here to There,” as part of the Best of Gay Erotica collection and a local produce stand in “A Valentine for Evrain”. The weather, the people and the landscape are varied, eclectic and wide open to interpretation. Again, how can you not be inspired?

The way to ‘Lavender’ was my love for veering of the main road. Wanderlust is readily and easily indulged in California, because everything is an adventure and nothing is simple…nothing.

Getting a coffee is usually an ordeal and there are many, many choices funneled through any number of cultural possibilities. This morning I could have hit up Starbucks down the street or gone to have coffee in a Middle eastern café, Thai Coffee, Vietnamese Coffee or my favorite Café D Ollo (Mexican coffee with cinnamon and sometime orange peel) I smile writing this because that is something else I truly love about living here. I need variety, I need the ability to wander and get lost and possibly find some hidden treasure along the way, and fortunately I live in that environment. This of course can be vexing when I wake up an East Coaster (which I am) and just need a damn coffee and not a full-blown experience.

‘Lavender’ is also reflective of what is happening now in the ‘foodie’ scene in L.A. I work in hospitality and can’t tell you how the words “craft,” “local,” and “sustainable,” float around like pollen. Everyone is a celebrity chef, everyone is a food blogger and everyone is a critic. This culture of food and art is exhausting and to me ultimately hilarious. No matter what you do in hospitality, it’s a form of drudgery.  So I take it all with a grain of salt and love to poke fun at the pretentiousness of my professional world. I do so lovingly in ‘Lavender’ in the form of Denny a pseudo hipster chef who falls for Law. He is of course, knocked down a couple pegs by Law, because he sees through Denny’s pretenses and bullshit.  It’s all in fun and a testament to my love for a state with an ever changing face and my love for pleasure and good dose of harsh fucking and a sprinkle of humor and a handful of heartache.

I hope you enjoy it. Wander off the main road, get lost and get inspired!

GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment to be entered to win an e-copy of Lavender. Contest closes August 20th.

Genre:  M/M Contemporary Erotic Romance
Length: 84 Pages
Publisher JMS Books
Available formats: all digital formats

Blurb: Following the sudden death of his father, Lawrence "Law" Crow must not only comfort his bereaved mother, but also find the strength to continue running the family business, a local and beloved lavender farm in the mountains of northern California. At first, consumed with his own grief and struggling to find meaning in life, Law indulges in his vices, mainly by surrendering to his sexual urges with numerous men, all in a desperate battle to forget his pain and to end the emotional turmoil tearing him apart. But when a stunningly handsome and passionate Spanish soccer player named Garbi suddenly crosses his path, Law discovers light in the possibility of love. Does Garbi have the ability to heal Law's shattered heart, provide him with purpose, and help him fully embrace the joy of living once again amidst the beautiful and fragrant lavender fields?

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Discover John Burley's The Quiet Child and a Giveaway

Discover the world of author John Burley and make sure to enter the giveaway at the end of the post for a chance to win the following prize fromt he author: John will be awarding a digital copy of The Quiet Child to three randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions.

GENRE:  Thriller

BLURB:

   

From the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy, comes a gripping and darkly psychological novel about family, suspicion, and the price we are willing to pay to protect those we love the most.

It’s the summer of 1954, and the residents of Cottonwood, California, are dying. At the center of it all is six-year-old Danny McCray, a strange and silent child the townspeople regard with fear and superstition, and who appears to bring illness and ruin to those around him. Even his own mother is plagued by a disease that is slowly consuming her.

Sheriff Jim Kent, increasingly aware of the whispers and rumors surrounding the boy, has watched the people of his town suffer—and he worries someone might take drastic action to protect their loved ones. Then a stranger arrives, and Danny and his ten-year-old brother, Sean, go missing. In the search that follows, everyone is a suspect, and the consequences of finding the two brothers may be worse than not finding them at all.

Excerpt teaser:

Michael McCray squinted into the low-hanging sun as he swung the liberty blue Mercury four-door into the Century Grocery parking lot off Gas Point Road. At 7:45 p.m., the last of the August daylight still lingered, not yet willing to surrender the town of Cottonwood, California, to the custody of the night. Throughout the surrounding neighborhood, shadows spilled out from the bases of homes and businesses, dim expanding pools that merged to cover the quiet streets, the suburban yards strewn with forgotten playthings. On the radio, Kitty Kallen’s honey-flecked

voice finished singing “Little Things Mean a Lot,” and Michael leaned forward and turned the knob to the left, clicking it off. He could feel warm air drifting through the open windows, the oppressive heat of the day finally slipping away with the reluctance of a child heading in for an evening bath.

The churn of the Mercury’s whitewall tires across the gravel lot—now all but empty except for the hunkered yellow presence of the proprietor’s 1952 Chevy Bel Air—ground

to a halt as Michael nosed his car into a spot in the second row. He placed the vehicle in Park and turned off the engine. In the backseat, his two boys sat silently, gazing through the open windows at the parking lot beyond. It was Monday—a school night for ten-year-old Sean and six-year-old Danny—but Kate had been feeling unusually well this evening, her dark brown

eyes engaged with her family instead of trapped beneath the hazy effect of her medication. “We should celebrate,” Michael had suggested. “How do you and the boys feel about ice cream from the market?”

Kate had nodded, smiling up at him from the living room La-Z-

Boy, her expression both foreign and familiar, reminding him of how she’d looked at him twelve years before as he’d leaned in for their first kiss—awkward and wonderful—at the

top of that Ferris wheel in Redding. It was the summer after he finished his master’s degree in chemistry at UC Davis, the road trip north made on a whim, Michael thinking he’d spend some time in the mountains, maybe cross into Oregon and hit Portland before turning back. He’d made it as far as the small community of Cottonwood before encountering Kate at the late-night check-in desk at the Travelers Motel on the north end of town. It was her summer job between college semesters. By the end of that first conversation, Michael had asked her to the carnival the following night. By the end of August, they were married.

“I’ll take Danny with me,” he’d told her this evening before heading out.

“I wanna come too,” Sean had protested, jumping up from the couch.

“Stay with your mother.”

“Please, Dad. Please,” Sean persisted, wrapping his hands around his father’s forearm.

“It’s okay. Let him go,” Kate had said, the latest issue of Cosmopolitan magazine resting in her lap. “I’ll be fine here by myself for a few minutes.”

Michael paused, uncertain, his palm on the doorknob.

“I’ll be fine,” Kate assured him once again. Then, glancing at Sean, “He wants to go.”

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Child-Novel-John-Burley/dp/0062431854

BN: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-quiet-child-john-burley/1124744721

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

John Burley is the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy, honored with the National Black Ribbon Award, and The Forgetting Place. He attended medical school in Chicago and completed his emergency medicine residency at University of Maryland Medical Center and Shock Trauma in Baltimore. He continues to serve as an emergency medicine physician in Northern California.

Website: http://john-burley.com/index.php

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/John-Burley/e/B00E5V4BSM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/John.Burley/

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Discover the world of Tara Lain's Catacylsmic Shift

Cat or man? Duty or love? 

Who prevails after the great cataclysmic shift?


Check out the brand new cover for the 2nd Edition of CATACLYSMIC SHIFT!

Cataclysmic Shift

(The Aloysius Tales Series, Bk #3)

by Tara Lain

Blurb:

Super cat, Aloysius, may be the most powerful witch’s familiar in the world, but when he takes a blast at the hand of an evil witch he loses it all -- power, memory, and his feline form -- to become the ethereal human beauty, Alain Bellarose. When Alain wakes up naked on the floor surrounded by dogs and cats, his eyes first set upon Luke Elliott, the handsome and mysterious veterinarian. Suddenly, the prospect of being human doesn’t seem so bad. 

Luke has a lot to hide and he likes animals way more than people, but he can’t resist the flamboyant boy who washes his face with the side of his hand and tries to lick his own privates! The loss of Aloysius depletes the power of the Witch Master, Killian Barth, and that of his “secret weapon” Sammy and leaves their coven sitting ducks for two very nasty females. When Alain discovers that he’s really a powerful cat, he’s faced with the ultimate choice. To protect his community, or stay with the man he loves.

Available for pre-order at

Also available in paperback

Release Date: 

September 13th 2017 

Excerpt

Blaine stroked the silky black fur and looked up at Killian with pleading eyes. “Okay, baby, do your stuff. Make him well.”

Killian took a breath. He placed both hands on the slim body. Only a small spark of life force pulsed, but it was steady. Thank gods. “He took a strong hit. Those females are very powerful.” Sadly, without Aloysius, Killian was less so.

With focus, he ran a ripple of energy into the cat. “Come on, guy.” The strong heart beat faster, but his eyes didn’t open. Al was a mighty creature. Even that huge hit shouldn’t have been able to keep him down.

Another stream of energy flowed from Killian’s hands and his mind.

Blaine frowned. “Why isn’t he waking up?”

“I don’t know, darling.” Killian closed his eyes and focused on the still point that was Aloysiusness. Odd. Somehow changed. Oh gods. Al had to be okay. The world’s most powerful familiar could not be put down. He couldn’t be.

“My God, Professor. What happened to your cat?”

Killian’s eyes flew open. Hells, he’d forgotten where they were. The next class was coming in. He looked up at the girl who often sat in the front row of his witchcraft class. “Hello, Miss Eberle. He fell and got injured. He’s alive but unconscious.”

She knelt down, her pretty face a study in sympathy. “Oh no, he’s such a wonderful cat. He has to be okay.”

“Yes, he does have to be okay. Dr. Genneau and I are going to take good care of him.”

She looked up with tears glistening. “Take him to the vet right away.”

“Uh, yes. Yes, we will.” He reached down and carefully picked up Al’s limp body. Blaine huddled beside him, and they started walking toward the side door where Blaine had come in. Students gathered around and murmured their hopes and wishes. Funny, that was what some of them called him—Mr. Wishes. Al was a very popular cat at the university.

Moving slowly, they finally got to Killian’s car in the back lot. Thank gods he hadn’t brought the motorcycle today. Blaine climbed into the passenger seat, and Killian laid Aloysius on his lap. Tears dripped off Blaine’s chin. Not much made Blaine cry.

Killian petted Blaine’s head and then Al’s soft side. He knelt beside the car and laid his head on Blaine’s leg, beside the cat. “He’s alive. And he’s so powerful, Blaine. He has to be all right.” But what in the hells to do?

Blaine wiped a tear from his cheek. “That girl had an idea. He’s a cat. Maybe we should take him to a vet?”

Killian raised his head. “But he’s not a cat.”

“He has a cat’s body. There’s a guy in my men’s group who’s a vet. Young, but he seems real capable and compassionate. I could call him.”

Killian’s eyes widened. “Take a witch’s familiar to a vet?”

The Aloysius Tales Series

Book #1

Spell Cat

Available for purchase at 

         

Also available in paperback

Bk #2

Brush With Catastrophe 

Available for purchase at 

         

Also available in paperback

Grab the first two books in the series and get all caught up before the release of Cataclysmic Shift!

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in gay romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 40. Her best-selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Paranormal Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, Best Romantic Suspense, and more. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. She lives with her soul-mate husband and her soul-mate dog near the sea in California where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at Lain

               

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