Happily Ever Afters Are Just A Book Away

Happily Ever Afters Are Just A Book Away

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

#NewRelease FAERIE FATE - @mmadiganauthor

For readers who love urban fantasy and paranormal romance, I have a #NewRelease treat for you! FAERIE FATE releases July 22, 2015 from Evernight Publishing. It's an editor's pick!

(come join the Facebook release party HERE

 

Blurb:
 
Holly Spencer is a 22-year-old IT major who’s ready to graduate and find her place in the world. What she really wants is a good job and a condo with a view.

But when she’s rescued twice in one day by a mysterious man who claims to be a fae warrior, she’s plunged into a world she grew up believing existed only in fairy tales, and forced to run for her life from warring factions who all want her dead.

Shadow’s on a routine mission when he runs headlong into Holly--the soul mate he’d given up on ever finding. Even though she refuses to believe they’re meant for each other, he fights to protect her from the very thing that brought them together, even when it means making a dangerous deal with Fate to save her life.
Holly struggles with being told who she’s supposed to love. Shouldn’t it be her choice?

But as little by little Shadow kindles her passions and wins her trust, Holly realizes that a life with Shadow may very well be just where she belongs. 




BOOK LINKS



EXCERPT



She still had to face the things that caused her fear, and as much as Shadow made her feel safe, she couldn’t quite let go of the responsibility of taking care of herself. She couldn’t in good conscience give him any hope when she had no idea what she faced in the next few days. That kind of trust required more than she was ready to give just yet. Still, resisting the temptation to give in to their attraction was becoming more and more difficult.
“I know you’ll do everything you can to protect my life, and if I survive this mission, we can talk about my heart,” she said, resting her head on his chest.
“You’ll survive,” he said. “I’ve already saved you twice. I’ll do it as many times as I need to.”
“As I recall, the last time it was a team effort,” Holly teased. “If I hadn’t shifted form, you wouldn’t have been able to carry me away.”
She heard his laugh rumble in his chest. “Very true. That just proves what a good team we are.” He pushed her back just a little to look her in the eyes, “And as I recall,” he said, a wicked grin spreading slowly across his lips, “the last time I saved you, you wore nothing but a smile. Is that going to be a habit?”
“You wish. What does that have to do with anything anyway?”
Still holding her close, he traced the line of her dress, down one shoulder, across the valley between her breasts, and back up again, making her shiver.
“Nothing. I was just thinking how impressive it was.”



ABOUT THE AUTHOR



I write romance and science fiction, and I'm published with Entangled Publishing and Evernight Publishing.

Oregon Ducks fan.
 
Donut and pastry addict.

I like cats.  

When I’m not writing you’ll find me in a college classroom teaching English, or working as a literary agent for an amazing agency…and of course, wrangling my family.


AUTHOR LINKS 

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Blog



I hope you enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it!

~Margaret



Thursday, July 16, 2015

#NewRelease - KING STUD by Liv Rancourt @livrancourt






Blurb



Danielle’s got three months to make her Grandmother’s rundown Craftsman house livable. Her game plan is to get in, get grubby, and get back home to L.A. She needs a carpenter, and her best friend’s younger brother is a good one. It’s hard to ignore the buffed body under Ryan’s paint-splattered sweatshirts, but her friend declares he’s off-limits so Danielle reluctantly agrees.

Ryan doesn’t have the cleanest record, anyway. His recently ex-ed girlfriend wants him back, and he has a reputation for brawling. He’s also had a crush on Danielle since he was a kid. Despite their nine-year age difference, he knows she’s worth pursuing.

Soon the paint under Danielle’s fingernails starts feeling more natural than the L.A. sunshine. She’ll have to navigate plumbing disasters, money problems, and one seriously cranky best friend to find something she hasn’t had before: a real home, and a man who loves her.






Excerpt


“Right.” Ryan flipped the ice pack from one hand to the other. “Why’d your grandmother leave you the house?”

 “Because I’m cute.” She scraped back a stray hank of hair, her smile as blank as she could make it. Danielle suspected her grandmother had left her the house because it had always been her safe place, but Ryan didn’t need a rehash of her poor-little-rich-girl saga.

His eyes still held a question, but after a moment he nodded and stepped farther back. “Let’s get those boards.”

“Cool.”

They carried in the two-by-sixes, silence buffering their actions. Over the weekend, Ryan had widened the doorways on either end of the dining room, though the rough edges needed to be enclosed in trim. Once they carried in all the supplies, Ryan stroked the molding she’d sanded. “Nice work with these.” A half grin showed off his dimples. “This place is going to be sweet when we get it done.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” She went over to the kitchen sink, looking out over the old wooden porch to the Puget Sound. A single light moved across the blackness. “Was it hard to open up the doorways?”

“Just had to work around the king studs.”

I bet I could work around your king stud just fine. “The what?” Danielle broke out a super-plastic smile, hoping Ryan couldn’t guess what was on her mind. 

“The extra support beams framing the doors and windows.” He glanced at her, doing a quick double-take. “What?”

She dredged up willpower from some deep internal source, in need of every shred to keep pretending he was just a remodeling buddy. “Nothing.”

“The homeowner’s always right.” He chuckled and headed back into the living room. “If you’re happy with my work, next summer you can hire me to rebuild that nasty old porch out back.”

Danielle’s feet stuck as she got a sudden visual of Ryan, shirtless and sweaty, working in her backyard under the sun. By the time she could move again, he had his jacket on and was headed for the front door. 

“Well, thanks for dropping stuff off,” she said.

“Need more ice on my shoulder.” He paused with his hand on the doorframe, assessing her with that perfectly controlled heat, an expression way too grown up for only twenty-four. “I’ll swing by tomorrow and work on the trim.” 

Her fluttery response demonstrated all the maturity of a teenager.

“Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, Mom said to make sure you know you’re welcome to join us for Thanksgiving dinner,” he said.

Since she couldn’t hug Ryan, Danielle hugged herself. “Really? That’d be awesome.”

“Maeve didn’t mention it, did she?”

“No, but it’s not the night before.” She laughed, because Maeve had always sucked at planning things in advance. Her laugh made Ryan laugh, and then things were better.

Almost.




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Bio






I write romance: m/f, m/m, and v/h, where the h is for human and the v is for vampire…or sometimes demon. I write funny. I don’t write angst. When I’m not writing I take care of tiny premature babies or teenagers, depending on whether I’m at home or at work. My husband is a soul of patience, my dog’s cuteness is legendary, and we share the homestead with three ferrets. Who steal things. Because they’re brats.

I can be found on-line at all hours of the day and night at my website & blog , on Facebook, or on Twitter. Come find me. We’ll have fun!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

#NewRelease Spotlight: VEXED by Wren Michaels @authorwren


Thanks for sharing in the release of my first full-length novel! I hope you enjoy reading about Kena and Luc as much as I enjoyed writing them. There's plenty of action, adventure, romance, and Vodou for everyone! 
 
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I did a little Q&A about the book: 

Q) How did you dream up the dynamics of your characters? Originally the story was going to be completely different when I wrote the first 5000 words or so of the book. But after I came back from the 2014 Romantic Times convention in New Orleans, I was inspired to write something with a Vodou/NOLA flair. So the book took a twist and became so much more than I ever imagined. I wanted a strong heroine and an alpha male. But Luc ended up being more of an Alpha/Beta blend. He's not really one or the other. He's quite complex. Kena ended up being a witty heroine who took things into her own hands.  

Q) Do you have any habits that get you in the writing frame of mind? Music is my biggest influence. I listened to mainly instrumental gaming soundtracks while writing. But one of my Critique Partners burned me a CD of music she thought would be perfect for this book, and it was filled with great songs by The Black Keys, Rolling Stones, Zepplin, Jack White and Muse. It ended up really making scenes come alive for me.  

Q) How much real life do you put into or influences your books? In this book I tried to make the characters reflect their Vodou based deities. I did take some artistic liberties and spun a few things, but I did a lot of research to make sure a lot of the intricacies of their actual descriptions and quirks made it into the story.  

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Vodou stole her life. A gay ghost stole her boots. And the man who stole her heart stole her memories. Kena plans to get it all back.

Ex-cop Kena's life is filled with regret, beer, and Cheetos. That is, until her ghostly roomie sends her dumpster diving, leading her to a sexy stranger named Luc and a fate she'd rather not remember. As Kena's memories resurface, so do her feelings for Luc, the man she's secretly been in love with for the last thousand years. And he needs her for more than a stroll down memory lane.

Vodou spirits, known as Loa, have been trapped in human form, and are trying to make their way back to the spirit world. But Luc's brother is possessed by a vengeance demon conjured at the hands of NOLA's crime syndicate kingpin. Saving him means damning herself to a spirit prison in a loveless, arranged union with the very man she's supposed to rescue. But not helping Luc's brother sentences him to death, leaving New Orleans in the hands of black magick, and losing Luc forever.

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excerptCHANGEOFHEART

After stripping out of the wet clothes, I wrapped the towel around myself and wandered out to his room. On the bed lay a white long-sleeve button-down shirt. With a hard swallow, I dropped the towel and picked up the shirt, pulling it to my face. I took a long, hard sniff. Laundry detergent. Of course. Did I think it would smell like him? 

Like he'd give you a dirty shirt to wear, Kena. 

Thankful he didn't witness me in idiot-mode, I slid myself into the shirt and was caught mid-button when he knocked at the door.

“Are you decent?” He pushed the door open a crack.

“I'm clothed, if that's what you mean. Decent is debatable at the moment.” Purposely leaving the top three buttons undone, I worked my way to the bottom button as he walked in.

He halted mid-stride and looked at me. His chest rose and fell in quick spurts, training his eyes over me from head to toe. Veins traversed the length of his arm as he clenched his fists at his sides. “I don't wear underwear, so I apologize I have no bottoms. It's all I had that was long enough to cover you.” His position relaxed as he leaned against the mahogany armoire. 

“Anything's better than cold, sopping-wet clothes.” I ran a finger through my hair, now slowly drying into loose stringy curls.

“So, are you going to tell me what happened tonight?” Folding his arms across his broad chest, bulging muscles stretched the navy-blue fabric barely covering his biceps.
I shook my head. “Not until I get some honesty from you, big guy.”

With a tilt of his head, he donned a sly grin. “You haven't asked the right questions.”
“Is this a game for you? Do you enjoy messing with people's lives? Do you get off on some fucked-up high being in total control?” My fingernails burrowed into the palm of my hand. Everything in me wanted to slap the shit out of him and then ride him like a cowboy. 

He pushed off the dresser and walked over to me, lowering his head coming to a stop inches from my face. “You're the one in control and yet you refuse to acknowledge it. You refuse to let your mind accept it. Stop playing and start being.”

“What do you want from me?” I yelled, a little louder than intended.

“I want you to be you. I want you to”—he stopped and dropped his gaze to my lips, and then slowly made his way back up to my eyes—“come back.”

“Kiss me.” The words rushed from my lips without another thought. My heart hammered so hard in my chest I thought it would shatter my rib cage. 

His breathing quickened. A low growl rumbled in his throat. “Don't do this to me, Kena.” 

“Don't do what? You're the one doing things to me.” I slammed my hands against his chest and he sailed across the room, his back hitting the dresser behind him. “Shit! I'm sorry.” I reached out for him with a trembling hand. 

Fuck, I’d done it again.

He shook his head and straightened himself up. In a blur of movement, he shot across the room and grabbed onto either side of my shirt, yanking me up to his face. “You want me to kiss you?”

“Yes,” I said in more of whooshing sound than a word. 

He pressed his lips against my neck and his fingers curled into the fabric of the shirt, pulling me onto my tiptoes. “You don't even know who I am.”

“I don't care.” Words no longer made sense to me, only his touch spoke a language I could understand.

He laughed as he pushed me against the wall. Gripping the back of my head with the entire palm of his hand, he splayed the other across my cheek, his thumb resting against my jawline. Tilting my head back, he hovered his lips over mine. “You will.” 

His lips crushed against my mouth.

With a sweep of his tongue, he devoured me into a kiss the likes of which I've never experienced before in my life. He punished my mouth with his tongue, sliding it over mine in a delicious dance of ecstasy and aggression. His hold on me was not that of violence, but of passion. The way his fingertips eased against my face, yet held me there as if he was scared to let go, revealed a vulnerability. He may be a man of few words who knew how to play the vague card, but his body and actions gave him away. 

I arched into him, and he pinned me back against the wall with his hip. Clawing at his shirt, I ripped it out of his jeans and slid my fingers over his heated skin. A surge of energy rushed my fingertips as they glided along his body, electrifying me. 

“Fuck, Kena,” he hissed, pulling back from the kiss. 

In a movement so fast it blurred everything around me, he shot out the door, slamming it behind him. He left me gasping, clinging to the wall behind me just to remain standing. My legs wobbled like Jell-O as I stumbled to the bed and collapsed. He sucked all the air from my body and replaced it with an ache, a driving need for more of him. 

What the hell was he?


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abouttheauthor
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Wren Michaels hails from the frozen tundra of Wisconsin where beer and cheese are their own food groups. But a cowboy swept her off her feet and carried her away below the Mason-Dixon line, where she promptly lost all tolerance for snow and cold. They decided they'd make beautiful babies together and they got it right on the first try. Now Wren lives happily ever after in the real world and in the worlds of her making, where she creates book boyfriends for the masses to crave.




Friday, July 10, 2015

#NewRelease Spotlight: Bella's Beast by LeTeisha Newton


Bella's Beast  
Who could ever love a Beast?
 
BellasBeast-evernightpublishing-JayAheer2015-reansparent-3Drender


What if you had no choice but to try?

Isabella Thomas has a problem that she can't take care of. Her brother, Nate Thomas, is a compulsive gambler that can't say know to the rush of another big win—no matter the losses that have taken everything from Isabella to save him.

This time, Isabella has no house, car, or funds to give up for collateral and her only option is Elijio Vargas, the Beast of the Darkness, a man cursed to walk in the daylight as a wolf. The Beast chooses to save her brother—under one condition: Nate's debt is now Isabella's, and the new deal is for her body.

Isabella can't stop herself from giving in to Elijio, and he can't stop himself from remembering that he does have a heart, and she's quickly stealing it. Will Isabella be saved, or will Elijio have to show just how much of a beast he has to be?


  Teaserwith 3D Render

Excerpt


She stared at Elijio’s broad back, so in awe that she felt her blood quickening as he moved. His muscles rolled under the black T-shirt he wore, his long legs eating up the distance in dark jeans. His attire didn’t fit the home in any way. He struck his own path. Had she lost her mind? She’d planned to do this, give herself to save her brother, but the reality was more than she bargained for. She had seen the heat in his eyes, the bulge in his pants when he’d told her how she’d pay him. She had no doubt that he would make demands on her body. 

I’d pay him, her subconscious screamed, and Bella shook her head. She had to be going crazy. She was supposed to be meeting her fate as a dutiful and honor bound sister, not an eager woman wanting the touch of a man who set her soul on fire. She tried to be the former, but her body was acting the latter. Elijio pulled a slim phone out of his back pocket as she followed him, and she heard, barely, his conversation.

“I need Pace … Yes.” He paused with the phone to his ear. “It’s Elijio. Pace, I’ll pay the debt for Nate Thomas.” Elijio raised one eyebrow before narrowing his eyes and spoke slowly into the phone. “He’s covered. He needs to be home, in one piece and no worse than he is right now, within the hour.” He paused once more, listening into the phone. His voice, when he spoke again, was colder than ice. “Don’t make me find you, Pace. We both know that isn’t what you want.” He listened again. “Good. I’ll have the amount wired. How much? Done.” He disconnected the call and slid the phone back in his pocket.

“Twenty million,” he said to her.

“What?” she stammered.

“That’s how much your brother is in for. Twenty million. I’ve taken care of it. If you need the proof, my butler will bring you the paperwork and you’ll get proof of life within the hour.”

Bella stumbled, nearly falling, but Elijio spun and grabbed her, faster than should have been possible. She sucked in her breath, that same familiar shock twisting through her. Heat blazed over her nerve endings as she curled her fingers, gripping his biceps in confusion. No one, ever in her life, could make her lose her head like he could. His eyes dilated as he started at her, nostrils flaring as he inhaled roughly. His tongue flicked out of his mouth, as he ran it over his lips, tasting the air. God help her, but she wanted him to taste her. She gripped him harder, pulling him toward her without even realizing what she was doing until his face was close to hers. She felt heavy, her pussy throbbing with her heartbeat and her mouth going dry. She wondered what he would taste like. If his tongue would be slick and cool, or hot and damp. She wanted him. She wanted to give in. She couldn’t look away from those eyes.

“Please,” she whimpered, not sure if she was asking for his kiss, or begging him to release his spell on her. She gasped, but before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers. His tongue slid into her lips, sliding wetly against hers. He didn’t ask, or seek, he dominated. He disentangled her arms from his biceps and made her clasp her hands up over his shoulders and behind his neck. His strong hands gripped her head, turning her head for a better fit. His lips, full and yet firm, glided over hears with masterful ease. She moaned, the juice-laced taste of his tongue making her head spin. No other part of his body other than his hands and mouth touched hers, but she felt the connection deep in her gut. Her nipples hardened, her stomach shook, and her pussy moistened. This was desire, this was lust. All thoughts of being here for payment flew from her mind.

She couldn’t think of any reason not to be in his arms. It felt too right. Too explosive to ignore. She pushed against him. The rock solid shape of his abs slid against her ribcage as her breasts were crushed against his diaphragm. Again she was struck by his height, and the way he curved around her. Her touch must of triggered something because he gathered her up into his arms and lifted her off her feet. He broke the kiss and nipped her bottom lip. She swallowed convulsively as he sucked his way down the side of her throat. He bit at the pulse at the base of her throat.

“Ah,” she cried out as he licked the sting away, only to do it again.

This man was rearranging her, and she couldn’t fight it. She sank into him, tightening her arms around his neck and sliding her fingers into his hair.

He growled, the sound rumbling through her as he pushed her up against a wall. The shock of the cold had her arching her back, forcing her body even closer to him. The shift rubbed his cock over her teasingly. She wrapped her legs around him on instinct and he ground his cloth-covered cock against her. Her thighs shook as she held him close and fought the urge to open wider for him. She whimpered and moaned. She thrashed against him and pulled him close. She fell under the wave of his desire as he took her mouth again in a punishing kiss. She could do nothing more than hold him tight against her. His hands left her back and traced their way to her front. He lifted enough away from her to mold her breasts, plumping them with skillful strokes.

“That’s right, baby, give in,” he said, and his voice galvanized her. What was she doing?

“Stop,” she said, between deep breaths. His eyes flared with something, something she couldn’t described before he stepped back, letting her fall to her feet hard enough to jar her teeth.

“You knew what you were here for.”

“Give me a second,” she said.

“I did my part of the bargain, but it’s just as easy to change it. Each time you sleep with me, it’ll take a million off your debt. I’m sure this is the best paying job you’ve had in your life.” Before she could think she reached up and slapped him, the sound echoing in the hallway. Her hand stung from the impact. Elijio roared. Actually stepped back from her, crouched, and roared. The sound filled the hallway, and sending fear curling through her.

He didn’t look like a man. His teeth were sharp, like canines, his face twisting and contorting until he didn’t look human, and his eyes snapping to gold. She screamed, frozen, until he took a step forward.


Decoration
 

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Decoration
     LeTeisha Newton

About the Author

Writing professionally since 2008, LeTeisha has spanned from Fantasy to Interracial Romance on her road to getting the jumping characters out of her head. Most days she’s pretty color blind, unless it’s a great shade of red (then she can’t ignore it). Other times she’s plotting her next twenty books and then remembering that the computer can’t read her thoughts and doesn’t type at lightning speed. Either way, she just can’t seem to get enough of quill to paper…or eh…keyboard strokes, apparently.



You can find her on Twitter l Facebook l Google+ l YouTube l Website

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

#coverreveal FAERIE FATE

Exciting news!

I have a cover for my urban fantasy, FAERIE FATE, to be released through Evernight Publishing. It's just plain gorgeous, too.






Blurb:   

Holly Spencer is a 22-year-old IT major who’s ready to graduate and find her place in the world. What she really wants is a good job and a condo with a view.

But when she’s rescued twice in one day by a mysterious man who claims to be a fae warrior, she’s plunged into a world she grew up believing existed only in fairy tales, and forced to run for her life from warring factions who all want her dead.

Shadow’s on a routine mission when he runs headlong into Holly--the soul mate he’d given up on ever finding. Even though she refuses to believe they’re meant for each other,  he fights to protect her from the very thing that brought them together, even when it means making a dangerous deal with Fate to save her life.

Holly struggles with being told who she’s supposed to love. Shouldn’t it be her choice? But as little by little Shadow kindles her passions and wins her trust, Holly realizes that a life with Shadow may very well be just where she belongs.





Excerpt:

Holly still had to face the things that caused her fear, and as much as Shadow made her feel safe, she couldn’t quite let go of the responsibility of taking care of herself. She couldn’t in good conscience give him any hope when she had no idea what she faced in the next few days. That kind of trust required more than she was ready to give just yet. Still, resisting the temptation to give in to their attraction was becoming more and more difficult.
“I know you’ll do everything you can to protect my life, and if I survive this mission, we can talk about my heart,” she said, resting her head on his chest.
“You’ll survive,” he said. “I’ve already saved you twice. I’ll do it as many times as I need to.”
“As I recall, the last time it was a team effort,” Holly teased. “If I hadn’t shifted form, you wouldn’t have been able to carry me away.”
She heard his laugh rumble in his chest. “Very true. That just proves what a good team we are.” He pushed her back just a little to look her in the eyes, “And as I recall,” he said, a wicked grin spreading slowly across his lips, “the last time I saved you, you wore nothing but a smile. Is that going to be a habit?”
“You wish. What does that have to do with anything anyway?”
Still holding her close, he traced the line of her dress, down one shoulder, across the valley between her breasts, and back up again, making her shiver. 
“Nothing. I was just thinking how impressive it was.”




And, it's an Evernight editor's pick!



I'll let you know when buy links are up, and when we have a firm release date. Until then, you can find me in these places. Come visit me there!



While you're waiting for FAERIE FATE, you can go grab a copy of GAMBLING ON THE OUTLAW to tide you over.    




~Margaret