Book Reviews

Finally I've managed to read and write a couple of book reviews. I'm traveling and now at beautiful Beverly Beach on the Oregon Coast so I managed to get some reading done. I usually try to read and review Indie pubbed books, but these are a couple of traditional paperbacks I brought with me.

FOUL PLAY AT THE FAIR by Shelley Freydont  

This is a fun read. It’s the first in the Celebration Bay series. We’re reminded of a cozy mystery story and Miss Marple in the Agatha Christie stories is a young Liv Montgomery.  An event planner recently moved to Celebration Bay from Manhattan.  With her dog, she hoped to start a new life and immediately falls in love with Celebration Bay, a town who depends on its festivals and celebrations to bring in the tourists.

When a body turns up in a cider barrel during the fall harvest festival it has to be covered up so as not to ruin the festival and then solved before the Halloween festival. Otherwise Liv could lose her job. She’s a delightful character, but there are many other charming and well-developed characters in the book to keep you interested and turning the pages to see if they find the killer in time to prevent the cancellation of the Halloween festival. Clues are planted and explored as the people continue their normal lives, and planning the next festival.

It’s an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book.

HE KILLS ME HE KILLS ME NOT by Lena Diaz

This is a well-written romantic suspense about a serial killer.  Amanda Stockton was brutally attacked by a serial killer and managed to escape with her life. The other, kidnapped at the same time was killed. Amanda feels guilty that she escaped but lives in terror that he might find her again. She seldom leaves her home.

Logan Richards was born and raised in Shadow Falls. He became a policeman but ten years ago when he let a killer escape he left Shadow Falls and moved to New York to learn never to make that mistake again. He carries the guilt of that mistake with him still. Now he’s back and the Chief of Police – and a serial killer has hit again. The only person who has any knowledge of the killer is Amanda. She has to face her fears and help Logan before the killer strikes again. But everything is complicated when their emotions take over.  And compounded bu t both their history of guilt.

The killer is suggested at the beginning and clues are shared to help hide the identity, but when it’s revealed it’s not a surprise.  Will Logan make the same mistake again? Can they identify the killer and stop him before he kills again? And can they make a relationship between to damaged individuals work?

 

Anyone have any comments?

  

5 Secrets (What No One Knows Abut My Book)

Our guest author today is Janice Seagraves, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Janice grew up with a deep love of science fiction and adventure stories. Always the consummate artist, she traded in her paint brush for a laptop to write breathless life-affirming novels that celebrate enduring love.

She lives in a hundred year old haunted house (not kidding) with her husband of many years and their grown daughter. When not writing, you can find her in the yard either gardening or snapping a photo or two.

Matrix Crystal Hunters

Five Secrets you might not know about my book:

1. The inspiration for my book came from a trip to the Mohave Desert with my family when I was in the sixth grade. Because of that trip, I have my heroine, May Gladstone, raised on the Mohave. And I have much of the story set on a desert.

2. On my family’s trip we rock hunted along the great Colorado River. My family and I stopped at a store with the name Rock Hound and it was filled with polished stones and crystals. Maya’s parents ran a store that sells the same items and they’re rock hounds, people who hunt for semi and precious stones. As you can guess from the title of my book, crystals play an important role in my story.

3. The huge building I mention in chapter three really exists. On our trip across the Mohave Desert, my dad stopped at a long abandoned building made of cement. We got out and went inside. This building might have been closer to sixty or so years old, but the building in Matrix Crystal Hunters, is over a thousand years old and built by the ancients out of stone. And with both, the only thing that remained was the floor and walls.

4. One of the fun things I was able to do while writing my story, was make up some of the animals that inhabit the planet, Zenevieva. There’s the nikki, a long tailed rabbit like creature. Vims who lay eggs and provide meat and resemble guinea fowl. The snags look like a cross between a humpless camel and alpaca. And then there’s the sherrakeys, which I designed after big Clydesdales draft horses, which only the clan members are allowed to ride. The sherakeys personalities, however, are more closely related to some of the nasty horses I’ve come across. The ones that bite. The exception to this is hero, Vach’s, main steed. Brawley is a sweet natured sherakey. Brawley carries a lot of the humor in the scenes, since he’s so laid back compared to the other mounts and thinks with his stomach.

5. I also mentions caverns and caves a great deal in my story. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting two caverns here in California. Crystal Cave is a marble cave near the Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park. And Moaning Cavern Park is California's largest public cave chamber. Both are large and interesting caverns with plenty of stalactites and stalagmites. I hope I did both cavern justice when I described the caves in my book.

Matrix Crystal Hunters is a science fiction romance set on another planet. It was number eleven for two weeks on kindle store for science fiction and fantasy.

Blurb:

Team Alpha Three’s spaceship is out of power after fighting a wormhole, and parked on the primitive world of Zenevieva. With half the team sick from radiation poisoning, the team commander entrust geologist, Maya Gladstone, to find enough matrix crystals to power up their spacecraft, so they can go home to Earth.
Vach Namaste of the powerful Clan Namaste, a native of the planet, has desired the lovely Maya since she stepped off the spaceship on that astonishing day a year ago. He’s hounded her every step since. As Hymeneal Night approaches, he makes plans to take her as his bride… willing or not.

Buy Matrix Crystal Hunters at:

US Kindle:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJ10W26
UK Kindle:http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-ebook/dp/B00FJ10W26/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1380662336&sr=1-3
US Trade paperback: http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-Janice-Seagraves/dp/1492709751/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
UK Trade paperback: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Matrix-Crystal-Hunters-Janice-Seagraves/dp/1492709751/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1_KKW6

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/447796

You can find Janice at:

Website: janiceseagraves.org
Blog: ladyjanice.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/janiceseagraves
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janice-Seagraves-Author/117551164948239?ref=hl

Thanks for checking out Janice and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions, Janice will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book. 

What's News in Writing This Week

1. New Release-Make Me Surrender part of boxed set Brought to His Knees

Blurb from Make Me Surrender (ménage)
She has a proposition…to win their attention, passion, hearts.
     For over a year, Mercy’s had her eye on Travis and Dutch, two of the hottest guys on the Oregon coast. Dark and dangerously virile, Travis owns a saloon that caters to bikers. Dutch looks like one, right down to his impressive tats, and operates a motorcycle repair shop on the premises.
     When a position opens in the saloon’s kitchen, Mercy sees a way to be near these sinfully sexy men, wanting the job and lodging, her cabin snuggled between theirs.
     Travis isn’t so sure about having Mercy nearby. She’s deliciously curvy, but too nice. He’s into temporary fun. To Dutch, forever is a dirty word.
     Imagine their surprise when sweet little Mercy encourages wild nights of carnal pleasure with a dash of bondage and spanking…followed by friendship and tenderness.
     Before she’s through, these tough guys will be the ones who’ve surrendered.

Excerpt

     Travis slammed the pickup’s door and went around to the bed.
     Mercy reached it just as he did. “Can you hand me the cooler?” She pointed to it.
     She’d painted her nails the same shade as her lips. He recalled her finger in his mouth, how good the frosting and her skin had tasted. A sudden shock of heat spread from Travis’s belly to his crotch.
     “There’s a fridge inside, right?” she asked.
     It took him a moment to catch up. He nodded. “Your own private bath too.” Just in case she’d planned to use the one in Dutch’s cabin or his, driving both of them over the edge.
     “Thanks.” She took the cooler from him and pulled out a single-wrapped Popsicle. Cherry-flavored. “Want one?”
     Travis’s answer died in his throat at her tongue snaking around the tip of the pop. She worked the treat between her lips, in and out, as she would a man’s stiffened rod. Unable to speak, he shook his head.
     Mercy licked the corners of her mouth, her tongue stained scarlet. “If you do later, go ahead and take as many as you want. Sure is hot today.”
     His damn underwear was practically smoking.
     After giving him another smile, she followed her girlfriend to the cabin. Like a lovesick puppy, Travis followed, staring at Mercy’s plush ass, the backs of her thighs. All that pale, smooth skin had him breathing hard.
     She stopped. He couldn’t, at least not quickly enough, and bumped into her, his cock snuggled against her butt. Mercy looked over, submission in her eyes, a drop of Popsicle juice on her lower lip.
     It glittered in the afternoon light, inviting him to taste its sweetness, the cushiony comfort of her mouth.
     With a shitting lot of willpower, Travis stepped back, letting Mercy lick her lip before he did.
     On a sigh, she turned from him and considered the cabin’s interior again. Bright and clean, smelling of disinfectant and Febreze. He and Dutch had worked on the damn place for hours.
     “Wow. This is really nice.” Mercy touched the wooden bed frame, small kitchen set, and freshly washed curtains as though they were made of gold.
     Travis wondered what she would think of his old place in one of San Francisco’s most exclusive high rises, or his parents’ many mansions. He’d willingly walked away from so much when she hadn’t had the choice. Rotten luck had caused her to be alone, to work at Fast Fill and here in order to take care of herself.
     Mercy didn’t seem to mind or care about money at all. In that they were so alike, making Travis admire and like her even more.
     She offered a grateful smile. “You did an awesome job.”
     “Way better than Carl would have,” the girl with her gushed, then added, “I’m Jill by the way. Carl’s my guy. That’s his pickup you drove,” she said to Travis. “Thanks for not hitting anything with it.”
     Dutch chuckled.
     Mercy gave him and her friend a disapproving look. “Travis wasn’t driving that fast. He’s just in a hurry to get me moved in. Do you have plans later?” She spoke to him and Dutch. “Either of you? Am I interfering?”
     Travis had thought about calling one of the women he knew, maybe grab a pizza, catch a movie, screw until they were both raw then call it a night. “Nope. Dutch probably does.”
     “I don’t,” he said immediately, and smiled at Mercy. “We’re all yours.”
     She nodded slowly and licked the length of her Popsicle.
     Travis’s throat constricted. He cleared it and said, “After we bring in your things, we’ll set up the ground rules for this arrangement.” He gestured to Dutch. “Let’s go.”
     When they reached the pickup’s bed, Dutch spoke quietly. “Ground rules? You mean her hours of work. What she’s supposed to do.”
     “Yeah, along with you keeping your jeans zipped and wearing a damn shirt when she’s around.”
     “Like you’re doing? Oh wait, you’re not.”
     “I didn’t wrap my arm around her.”
     “It was a friendly gesture. Hell, I do the same with my grandmother. It’s not a felony.”

Buy Links

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/brought-to-his-knees-am-griffin/1119993064?ean=2940045653121

Apples iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/brought-to-his-knees/id902008990?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/459859
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22796872-brought-to-his-knees
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/brought-to-his-knees

Why should you buy this book- For less than the cost of a cup of coffee, you get 11 NEW romances from your fave romance authors about Alpha males brought down by love.

 

2. New Release-Cypher 

Blurb:

Cara Wainwright thinks life can’t get tougher when her mother's cancer becomes terminal—until she returns home from the hospital and finds a courtyard full of police officers and her houseguests dead.

Greenville, SC Detective David Morris, is unsure if Cara is the suspect or the intended murder victim. Searching for insight into her family, their mounting secrets, and the conflicting evidence from multiple crimes, his attraction to Cara complicates his investigation. Is the lure need, manipulation—or real?

While David pursues forensic evidence, Cara pushes for answers about her father's possible involvement, for at the center of the mystery stands Cypher—the company her father built and will take any measures to defend.

When the assassin strikes at the heart of the family, Cara and David have to trust each other and work together to stop the killer before he eliminates the entire Wainwright dynasty.

 

Buy Links:

ISBN                 1942003005

ISBN13      978-1942003007

Amazon     http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MMLX1ZQ
B&N          http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cypher-cathy-perkins/1120110911    

Kobo         http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/cypher-1

3. New Release - Eruption

I've got a pre-order available now, the release date is September 13. Eruption: Yellowblown Book One. Eruption (YellowblownTM Book 1) - Kindle edition by J. Hughey. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

4. Available Now - If My Heart Could See You

If My Heart Could See You is Sherry Ewing’s debut historical romance set in the twelfth century at the border of England and Scotland. Two days after the paperback release, it hit Amazon’s top 10 Bestseller and Hot New Release lists in several categories. Reviewers are giving it 5 Star’s and saying they couldn’t put it down!

Blurb:

When you’re enemies, does love have a fighting chance?

For Amiria of Berwyck, defeat does not come easily as she watches her home and clan being ripped asunder. When the very enemy who has laid siege to her home demands her fealty, she will do whatever it takes to protect her people including a hastily concocted ruse that quickly begins to unravel. All too soon, she starts to question whether she can forgive herself for betraying those she has sworn to protect.
Dristan of Blackmore, champion knight of King Henry II, has a reputation to uphold as the Devil’s Dragon. After his invading army conquers Berwyck castle, he sets out to manage the newly claimed estate by training its knights in the art of proper defense. At first, everything appears as it should be, or is it? Betrayed by those he believed he could trust, he must first set aside his anger before he can make room in his heart for love.

Together they are tied by an unspoken bond. As they begin to rebuild the land and unite their people, forces beyond their control attempt to tear apart their fragile truce and only time will tell if love will forever bring them together.

Buy Links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/If-Heart-Could-See-You-ebook/dp/B00LOVY2X0/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id899366530
Inktera:http://www.inktera.com/store/title/d629289e-30a0-4cf9-90d8-9b75f082bccd
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/if-my-heart-could-see-you?utm_source=linkshare_us&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=linkshare_us&siteID=r4vKT92K_qY-e.oi18yTFba1176Da0y75Q
Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/if-my-heart-could-see-you-sherry-ewing/1119965653?ean=9780990546214&itm=1&usri=9780990546214
Scribd: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/d629289e-30a0-4cf9-90d8-9b75f082bccd

5. And we have a Free Book – Conceived in Blood

It's free until mid-September and is a post-apocalyptic horror story with cannibals. It has violence, swearing and gore:D

Blurb:

A hundred years after the apocalypse, four groups of survivors are on a collision course.

A prodigal daughter will uncover a conspiracy with deadly repercussions.
A raider will fight to complete his bloody mission.
A grandfather desperate to save his sick granddaughter will do anything to get her medical treatment.
A mother will make a horrible  choice just to survive.
Post-Redaction: Humanity's next chapter will be written in blood..

Download links:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306325
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/conceived-in-blood-a-dystopian-novel/m0r4ScpdbkSBo9lLYOxhLQ
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/conceived-in-blood-post-apocalyptic/id637848399?mt=11
amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Conceived-Blood-Post-Apocalyptic-Dystopian-Novel-ebook/dp/B00CCS5IAU/
Barnes and Noble isn't available
If you have news next week be sure to let me know.

Srong Secondary Characters

Have you ever read or written a story

that had a secondary character takeover a story?

What a great question. I love this group blog. I look forward to hearing what other people have to say.

I can’t think of any books where the secondary characters actually take over the story. There are many books that have strong secondary characters but they add to the story. An example is the J.D Robb books. Dallas and Roarke are the h/h, but there are a lot of great secondary characters-Summerset, Peabody, McNab and a bunch more.  They’re all strong, interesting characters and an integral part of the story that makes it a better book and help develop the h/h characters.

I’d like to think I write the same type of secondary characters. I love writing them because they’re less restrictive and less complex, but they need to add to the character’s role. In my Holly Devine series, my secondary character is Lillian, a wealthy older woman with early Alzheimer’s, who likes to pick up bright things, like jewelry.  

In my Hawkins’ Family series I have Gran. She’s part of the family, but a strong independent character, and an integral part of the series. I love her, but I don’t think she takes over the story. I hope she adds to it.

What do you think about secondary characters? I’d love to hear other people’s opinions on this topic.

Now hop over to Diane Bator’s site and see what she has to say. http://dbator.blogspot.ca/   

And here’s the list of all the other members of this group blog.

Marci Baun  http://www.marcibaun.com
Anne Stenhouse http://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com
A.J. Maguire http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Margaret Fieland http://margaretfieland.com/my_blog
Victoria Chatham www.victoriachatham.webs.com
Connie Vines http://connievines.blogspot.com/ Geeta Kakade http://geetakakade.blogspot.com/
Rhobin Courtright http://rhobinleecourtright.com

5 SECRETS (What No One Knows About My Book)

Our guest author today is Rita Henuber, who is going to share some tidbits about the writing of her book that no one knows--until today.

Rita grew up running the beaches of a barrier island on Florida’s east coast. An island brat, she spent more time climbing weathered oaks and chasing alligators than playing with the dolls her family gave her. She married a Marine and feels fortunate to have lived many places and traveled to the states and countries she didn’t live. Leaving government service she moved back to that barrier island where she writes about Extraordinary Women weaving her experiences into her story telling. Her heroes and heroines are either in the military or government service because she writes what she knows. Her father was in the Coast Guard and immediate family members served in every branch of the service as desk jockeys, grunts, pilots and everything in between. She’s experienced the highs and lows of military and government life and is grateful for each experience.

Rita reads or listens to two to three books a week. She has no favorite genre or author she just loves a good story.

Point of No Return

Five Things About — Point of No Return

1. There is a reference to the area of Florida where I live. The island and area of the beach I live on.  In fact in each of my books there is.

2. The editor for my first book thought my helo flight scenes were so real she asked if I was a helo pilot. Nope. In fact I don’t like them at all. I researched incessantly. I gave this, eh, dislike to the heroine in Point of No Return. A military office who, was required to be in one quite often.

3. In Point of No Return the heroine has no problem duking it out with the bad guys. I study fight scenes and vids of martial arts competitions to get the sounds and moves of my characters correct. Should you ever need to know, in body contact fights, women make different sounds then men.   

4. All of my heroines partake in one of my favorite foods or drink. In Point of No return its peanut butter smeared on a thick slice of deli bologna, rolled up and eaten with a pickle. She also has a love of good whiskey.  

5. In each of my books, there is a phrase or saying someone in my family

says, all the time, until you want to bop them. Plus, there are things that
small children have said and done. Can you pick them out? 

Blurb

Point of No Return, is a thriller filled with romance and political intrigue. 

Marine Major Honey Thornton and a contract spy, Jack O'Brien, investigate recent kidnappings of military children and the mysterious deaths of Jacks brother and sister-in-law. As they navigate the murky political waters of the Pentagon, the CIA, and private armies, it’s hard to know who’s lying to your face, who stands with you, and who’ll stab you in the back.  In the end, the only thing you can trust is what you know in your heart.

Buy Links:

Point of No Return can be found where ever fine ebooks are sold.

Amazon http://amzn.com/B00IO262K8 
B&N
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/point-of-no-return-rita-henuber/1118742387?ean=2940149533251
KOBO
http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Point-of-No-Return/book-FkD1qg-lBEaRzAuCGJ3VLA/page1.html?s=5YcoDmA8bUynj-OovMqRBQ&r=3
iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/point-of-no-return/id829041017?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
All Romance
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-pointofnoreturn-1434037-153.html

You can find Rita on her web page http://www.ritahenuber.com/

And on Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/RitaHenuberAuthor?ref=hl

Thanks for checking out Rita and her secrets. If you have any comments or questions, Rita will be around to answer them today.

And don’t forget to check back next Thursday to find out even more author secrets about their book.

What's News in Writing This Week

1. Our first new release - Maximum Risk

Blurb:

It should have been a simple rescue mission…

Retired Pararescueman, Quinn Wolff, wrote the book on how to stay alive during a mission when he founded Wolff Securities, an elite private sector security firm. When he fast-ropes down to save missing humanitarian aid worker, Avery Marks, in the remote mountains of Azbakastan he isn’t prepared for the brave, stubborn woman who challenges the rules he wrote in order to protect her.

But when it comes to matters of the heart nothing is simple…

Avery Marks learned a long time ago to take care of herself, but when her convoy is attacked, her friends and coworkers murdered, she has to rely on the aid of intensely capable and handsome, Quinn Wolff to get her safely out of the country. His skills keep her alive, but his kisses put her in danger. In danger of losing her heart. That’s a risk she can’t take ever again.

Excerpt:

Gut-wrenching sobs choked her as she brought the truck to a skidding stop in front of Quinn’s house. She fumbled with the door handle and nearly fell on her face when it opened. Leaving the door wide open, she ran into the house and straight to her bedroom where she slammed the door. Quinn’s borrowed bloody shirt lay on the floor, tainted with Ryan’s blood. Her own blood.

     Memories of what they’d done to her flooded in. The pain. Her screams. The times she couldn’t scream. The missile hitting the Land Cruiser. Scott taking a bullet.
     Oh God.
     Unable to process, Avery pummeled the fabric with her fists. Over and over she swung until the pain in her arms overshadowed the pain in her heart.
     A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind, picked her up off the ground and swung her away from the bed. Still aching inside, she kicked and fought to be free. The arms held tight, body taut.
     “Let me go.” Her heel landed a blow and sent a jolt of pain up her leg, which only frustrated her more.
     “Avery, stop.”
     Quinn’s gruff command penetrated the emotions pounding inside her. Avery deflated like a balloon and slumped in his arms, chest heaving. Quinn’s chin touched the top of her head, his chest rising and falling in sequence with hers. He still hadn’t put her down; her feet dangled off the ground. The way he held her, tucked against him, made her heart ache even more. Almost as if he couldn’t let her go.
     For just a moment she allowed herself to lean on him, letting him hold her close until it felt like they were fused. She didn’t analyze why she did it, or why he let her. Simply let it happen.
     Quinn tucked his head into her neck, voice gravelly, his breath hot on her skin. “Goddammit, Avery.”
     Mouth dry, she nodded her head in understanding. She didn’t need the words. What was done was done. She couldn’t take it back.
     Gently he set her feet on the floor and she winced. They stung like she stood on a bed of glass. Before she could guess his intention, Quinn swung her into his arms and carried her out of the room. She wrapped her arms around his neck, too worn out to fight. Her gaze followed his tanned neck to the strong line of his jaw. His profile was rigid, lines of fatigue bracketing his eyes. So much strength and so much pain. He wore his emotions inside like a warrior. She admired that after the spectacle she made of herself.

Buy Links:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
iTunes

2. Another New Release Brought to His Knees Box Set

Blog:

The Alpha male. Strong. In control. Letting no one and nothing rule him…until he meets the one, and all bets are off. The world tilts, the bed rocks, and suddenly that tough guy finds himself Brought to His Knees—in more ways than one.



This collection of ten hot to erotic novellas and one short erotic novel will take you on journeys of lust, love, and adventure, leave you breathless and quite possibly in need of a cold shower.

Excerpt:

 

 

Shaking off her uncertainty, Mercy pulled a plate from beneath the counter. On it was her gift to Travis and Dutch. Treats she always offered them when they came here.

Travis reached the counter first, his long fingers wrapped around a bottle of Lipton’s Iced Tea and three packages of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Mercy’s mouth went dry. She imagined his hands on her, the pads of his thumbs dragging over her nipples, sending a thrum of delight through her body.

She managed a wobbly smile. He produced an interested grin, making a dimple in his beard-shadowed cheek. Her belly fluttered and her heart sank. His attention was on the plate she’d set out, not her.

“Hey,” she murmured, soft and warm.

His gaze flicked up. A flash of heat burned in his dreamy eyes before it faded beneath what appeared to be confusion. As though he hadn’t expected that sultry greeting to have come from her. “Hey.”

His voice was so fucking deep and rough, Mercy had difficulty breathing. Jill made a noise that sounded too turned on. Mercy kicked her friend’s running shoe; an order for her to beat it.

Jill pivoted and hurried off, her narrow shoulders drawn to her skinny body, her blonde ponytail bouncing over her thin neck.

“Want one?” Mercy breathed to Travis. She stroked the lip of the plate with the same care she would his balls and cock. If he’d only let her.

Travis studied her breasts as though he’d never noticed them before, which he hadn’t. Given the unusual summer heat, the air conditioning had kicked on, making it nicely chilly in here. The cold air had pebbled Mercy’s nipples against her stretchy cotton tee. When she’d seen him and Dutch pull up, she’d ditched her shapeless Fast Fill jacket.

Travis’s sexy smile said he appreciated her boobs.

Mercy pulled back her shoulders to give him an even better look at her chest.

Joining them, Dutch dropped packs of M&M’s and Lay’s potato chips on the counter. “What’s this?” He regarded the plate.

Travis dragged his attention back to the gourmet cupcakes. Mercy had baked them this morning, hoping he and Dutch would show up as they usually did on Sunday afternoons. Their only time off.

“Breakfast and dessert,” she cooed.

Travis lifted one dark eyebrow. Dutch had finally discovered her tight-as-hell nipples and remained riveted on them. “Huh?”

Mercy’s skin prickled with excitement and more than a little lust. “Technically, they’re bacon and banana cupcakes, with maple, peanut butter, and bacon topping.”

She ran her finger over the edge of one then offered a taste of the frosting to both men. Eager to know who’d lick her first. “Try it. It’s as good as the other stuff I’ve given you.”

They reached for her at the same time, their hands bumping each other. Dutch curled his fingers around her wrist. Before he could lift her hand, Travis drew Mercy’s finger between his lips.

She blinked wildly. Her pulse pounded out of control at the wet heat of his mouth and Dutch running his thumb over her wrist. Travis suckled gently, swirling his tongue around Mercy’s nail, driving her crazy with need.

“Hmm.” His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed with his swallow.

She fought an insane urge to lick it and his bristly throat.

“You should try this,” he said to Dutch.

“I was about to.” He twisted his mouth at her finger still damp from Travis’s awesome tongue. Dutch kept stroking her skin, until he seemed to realize what he was doing. After releasing her, he grabbed a cupcake and devoured half of it in one bite. Frosting clung to the corners of his mouth.

Mesmerized, Mercy watched him chew.

He swallowed. “Fuck—I mean, damn, this is good. Even better than the other ones you’ve made.”

Travis nodded as he gobbled his cupcake. Another strand of hair swayed forward, grazing his unshaven cheek.

Sex radiated from them, weakening every part of Mercy’s body, making her reckless and bold.

“I have a proposition,” she whispered.

Dutch’s chews slowed. Travis forced down a swallow and frowned. “What? Didn’t hear that.”

She spoke louder. “A proposition. I have one.”

 

Why should you buy this book?

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from your fave romance authors about Alpha males brought down by love.

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-brought-to-his-knees
3. Next from Vicki Batman

My adorable cover for Bug Stuff...and Other Stories is in the Book Goodies cover contest. Vote here:  http://bookgoodies.com/cover-contest-bug-stuff-and-other-stories-by-vicki-batman/

It’s a great cover. Don’t forget to stop by and vote.

 

4. And One More Contest

This one is from romancebooks4us. Contest ends soon so enter now!  http://www.romancebooks4us.com

Rules and prizes listed at the website.

Two Winners will split all the prizes: each gets a $50 gift card for Amazon or B&N, and then there are ebooks, print books, jewelry, etc. Feeling lucking this month? If so, enter our contest! While at our website, be sure to visit all our pages. Great authors and books, a publisher, an industry rep, and cover models have pages for you to see!