Hard Body Rock by Nora Flite

Author: Nora Flite Genre: Contemporary Romance 17+ Publication Date: February 10, 2014 Publisher: Silver String Event Organized by: Literati Author Services, Inc.

Synopsis

From USA Today Bestselling Author Nora Flite She thought she was stepping into fame: Meeting Drezden Halifax should have been a dream. But dreams are supposed to be sweet, fragile things that whisk you away. Not monsters crafted from hard fingers, gritty vocal cords and a voice so powerful it could tear my guts right out. Maybe my heart, too. Becoming the guitarist for Four and a Half Headstones was everything I needed. Too bad the band's lead singer is doing his best to ruin everything I am. He thought she would solve his troubles: Lola Cooper, god damn Lola Cooper. She was the perfect guitarist, fingers that could summon a sweet song or punch a chord. She's supposed to save my band, make us come out of this tour in one piece... But I just want to tear HER to pieces. No one should make me feel this way. One look at her, one smell, and I knew I'd have to have her. She does things to me that scare the shit out of me. Make me want to slam her on a wall and listen to her cries: eager or fearful, it doesn't matter. I'm a monster... And I don't even care.

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Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About the Author

A USA Today Bestselling Author, Nora Flite loves to write new adult romance (especially the dramatic, gritty kind! Inspired by the complicated events and wild experiences of her own life, she wants to share those stories with her audience.
Born in the tiniest state, coming from what was essentially dirt, she's learned to embrace and appreciate every opportunity the world gives her.
She's also, possibly, addicted to coffee and sushi.
Not at the same time, of course.

Check out her blog, noraflite.blogspot.com, also email her at noraflite@gmail.com if you just have some questions!

Connect with the Author: Twitter | Facebook | Blog | Goodreads a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mask Of The Swan Tour

Title: Mask of the Swan (The Fearless, Book Two)

Author: Terry Maggert

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Thriller

Release: March 2014

Synopsis:

Killing immortals is easy. Becoming one is hard.

When three lovers (Ring, Waleska, and Risa) take a vacation after losing a fight with an elegant monster named Elizabeth, their time for healing is cut short by a new threat, and this time, innocent blood will spill.

Reaching for the crown of Hell, Elizabeth gathers Archangels around her to fuel her power-mad ascent—but she has powerful enemies who will fight her every step of the way, including Delphine, the 2400 year old succubus hooker who knows that inside her beautiful body rests a very human soul. Joined by an honorable priest who finds himself in the middle of a war he never knew existed, and a demigod and his partner, the stage is set for another round in the battle to determine how much of Ring, Waleska, and Risa is still human, how tough their immortal side can be—and how far they are willing to go to protect the people they love from the reaches of a creature who would burn their world to ashes.

Excerpt:

The Archangel Enoch

“Dr. Mpemba, this arrived for you.” A mousey student worker placed the heavy box on the professor’s desk as he dismissed her with a wave. He inspected the parcel and saw the description as air mail, originating in Ireland according to the label. Ahead of schedule, as always. I am an excellent customer, and it is good of her to show me proper respect. His eyes glittered with greed and something more primal as he closed his office door, locked it, and sat for a gravid moment, savoring the innocuous nature of the brown box. It was a Friday, which meant that he would not have to wait to use his newest acquisition as the club would be crowded with veterans and newcomers and the undecided who had not yet sampled his unique brand of experimentation and discovery.

Enoch Mpemba had arrived in South Florida two decades earlier, leaving the killing grounds and hierarchical bloodbaths of his native Liberia behind without a second thought. A naturally industrious student, he had quickly demonstrated superior math skills as well as an uncompromising need to explore the relationships between religion, economics, and all of internecine warfare that those forces could cause. Less than a decade later, he possessed degrees in all three fields, earning his doctorate in economics with surprising ease, a discipline that would prove a boon to someone who had a rare combination of intellect, will, and the depravity to use all of his gifts for purposes known only to him. A handsome man with the deep brown, even coloring of his ancestors, Enoch had striking cheekbones and eyes of impenetrable depth that women found compelling, and later commanding. He quickly realized upon becoming a professor that women were, for him, a wholly renewable resource, limited only by his finances, which were meager even for someone of his title. Enoch changed all of that in one single evening, when he discreetly taped a young student doing unspeakable acts in his living room, her flawless, youthful body on display as he defiled her in every possible way, even finishing his performance with a hard slap to her mouth, felling her, and laughing at her shock. He had not even disguised the act of turning off the camera that had filmed the entire sporting affair, and two weeks later, he had arranged to see her at a local coffee shop. He cheerfully informed her that he would be showing the footage of her enthusiastic participation to her xenophobic parents, who he had discovered, showered her with regular checks as their only, precious child finished what was, in his eyes, a meaningless degree in nursing. During the encounter, each salacious wiggle of her youthful hips were punctuated with animalistic groans that were at odds with her solidly demure exterior, a fact that he valued in the amount of $500 per month, until she left school. After that Enoch had serenely informed her she could be assured that he would destroy the digital film. He was, after all, an honorable man, he had asserted, watching the uncontrollable sobs jerk his victim’s shoulders up and down like a piston. The memory of her submission was as erotic as any of her orifices had been during their play, and he had pleasured himself often at the recollection of her tears. Until the next victim, and the next. Eventually, the professor who had lived in a small apartment had purchased a townhome on a lake in a gated community. Still, his appetite for the flesh had not dimmed, so he began to expand his search. Finally, emboldened by his exploits, Enoch forayed into the fringes of society, where he found that the sexual appetites of others could be safely expressed, even augmented within the subculture known simply as The Lifestyle.

What an inadequate word, he mused, thinking of the blossoming that he had witnessed within his own libido. Moving quickly within the accepted participants of the clubs and private parties, Enoch began to find simple promiscuity lacking, even with married women whose husbands watched, craven, impotent in the face of his sexuality, but still titillated by their very weakness. It was a feeling that grafted to his needs at once, and he began an immediate exploration of that new and welcome addition to his encounters. The final piece of his sexual puzzle arrived in the form of a dominatrix visiting from Ireland, or Denmark—he was never truly certain, but he did recognize the moment she began to unpack her beautifully constructed leather goods, all custom-made, purpose-built, and designed to inflict shame and heighten his orgasms in ways he had not dreamed possible. After an evening of enthusiastic debauchery with her, he confirmed two salient facts that would shape his actions from that moment forth. He had not one ounce of submission within his body and spirit, and the surest means to physical pleasure of the highest order, for Enoch, was to visit shame and degradation upon others until even their safe words could not grant them respite from his lust.

So before him sat a package, unopened for the moment, with a new device of his own design, crafted by the Irish or Danish scrivener who was virtually enslaved to the woman who had taught him that pain and pleasure are fruit of the same tree. A careful knife cut along the edge of the parcel, feeling the contents shift ever so slightly, and he spilled the paper-wrapped item onto his desk. He then discarded the box onto the floor with the same disdain that he showed his special students, and swallowing once in anticipation, feathered the heavy paper apart.

Flawless. It was art of a largely unseen quality in this discipline, and he turned the codpiece over gently, almost as if handling a new lamb, admiring the sullen gleam of the wine-colored leather, the metal thread holding everything perfectly with nary a scratch on the heavy hide. But it was the ring of custom-crafted studs surrounding the open crotch that shone like nightshade, each dense, bronze stud forged separately and then freed from burrs with hand tooling. There were twenty-nine in all, a symbolic number mocking the amount of years he waited until he began to feed his true, inner passion. He had no doubt that with each thrust, the metallic punishment of the codpiece would result in a unique calling card, cicatrices of the initials GM branding the recipient as just another conquest in the memory of a man who was slowly but surely, edging ever closer to the abandonment of what little conscience he had left. He felt an awakening in his groin, and the pressure against his linen pants quickly grew nearly intolerable as his hand moved to his lap to reassure his cock that soon, they would begin their night’s work. “Oh, they will have to wait their turn when I wield this. Yes, all of the soft ones will give me a turn.” He spoke quietly, his words clotted with arrogance and lust.

“I see your newest addition has arrived. Mind if I give you my professional opinion?” She asked him this with the familiarity of an old friend, and he was startled, but only for an instant. Enoch leapt back in his chair, drawing himself up with operatic intent as he began to open his mouth and berate the woman who dared interrupt him in his office. That speech was truncated as one of her gloved hands snatched the codpiece from his desk and the other struck him on the temple, a deafening blow that made his vision flash white as he sagged to the floor, slipping from his chair without resistance.

“Now, Enoch. I asked you nicely, and yet you’ve proven to be quite boorish. Those are hardly the manners one would expect from a doctor, are they?” The invasive woman somehow made the honorific an insult, leaving him awash with anger, disgust, and an inability to act. I’ve been cuckolded in my own space. Who is this creature? Looking up from the floor, he saw a stunning woman in her thirties, dripping with confidence and wealth. Her brown eyes were flecked with gold, and she had her dark hair pulled away from a face that Enoch was certain could make men capitulate to her every wish. She extended a regal hand to him, waving for him to accept it and rise, but as he reached for her, she kicked him once, hard, in the testicles, crushing the wind from him in a shocked gasp. He doubled sideways, white hot pain gripping him from balls to brain, and through it all, he heard her calmly speak to him as one would address a naughty dog.

“Gather your things, Doctor. Your erstwhile careers are henceforth concluded, and I have need of you. If, that is, you prove your worth to me. Have you been to New Orleans?” Her voice was conversational, friendly, and utterly without haste. For the first time, Enoch knew true fear, and he also intuited that this was an emotion wielded easily by this woman. Struggling to a sitting position, she knelt daintily, looking at the leatherwork that had dominated his thoughts so soundly she had slipped into his office unseen. Or had she?

“May I arise, Miss—?” he began in his most diplomatic tone given his excruciating discomfort.

“Elizabeth. You may address me as Elizabeth, if we’re being familiar. I will inform you when we are not being familiar. You would do well to pay attention to my tone. So much can be gleaned from inflection, don’t you think?” She smiled wickedly at him.

“Yes, Elizabeth.” He recovered some shred of confidence quickly and made as if to stand. Her hand lashed down and out, striking him soundly in the mouth, and he fell again, but this time he had the sense to remain still.

Seeing his intentions to stay on the floor, she turned to the door and tossed the codpiece at him, striking him in the face. “Bring that. I will have need of it later, on the plane. You training will begin immediately.” She paused for a thoughtful moment. “You may want to consider some stretching exercises, Enoch. I intend to shed light on your innermost secrets.” She laughed a musical, repugnant noise from a beast that is in complete control of an underling. It was a sound that Enoch knew very well indeed, but from the other side.

Enoch stood, shivering. He did not think that she was referring to his past, and his body began to anticipate a most unwelcome night.

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AMAZON

Book 1 in the Fearless Series

   AMAZON

Author’s Bio:  

Born in 1968, I discovered fishing shortly after walking, a boon considering I lived in South Florida.  I had the good fortune to attend high school in idyllic Upstate New York, where I learned the meaning of winter-- and how to seize the whole of summer.

After two or three failed attempts at college, I bought a pub. That was fun, because I love beer. However, I eventually met someone smarter than me (a common event), but in this case, she married me and convinced me to go back to school -- which I did, with great enthusiasm. I hold a Master’s Degree in History, and live near Nashville, Tennessee with the aforementioned wife, son, and a herd of various critters. When I’m not writing, I teach history, grow wildly enthusiastic tomato plants, and restore my 1967 Mustang.

Additional Social Media:

Author’s Blog: http://terrymaggert.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TerryMaggert

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

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/20617266-terry-maggert

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/terry68/terry-maggerts-author-swag/

Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Terry-Maggert/e/B00EKN8RHG/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Amazon Sales Link: http://www.amazon.com/Forest-Bull-Terry-Maggert/dp/1484862201/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1379295785&sr=1-1

Signed Paperback: Contact author directly via Facebook, or at terrymaggertbooks@gmail.com

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A Firefighter's Flame by Dani Hart Blog Tour

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If you dig into the deepest parts of your soul, what would you find? Happiness, pain, love, regret, peace, sorrow? Now imagine experiencing all those feelings at once and then nothing at all. These were the average days in the life of Lennox. An unhealthy and unstable mind is further challenged when fate intervenes. One tragic moment will test her wavering strength and leave a permanent scar on her conscience. Follow her journey of rediscovery, falling in love, and searching for her own fairy-tale ending.

AMAZON /AMAZON CA / AMAZON UK / BARNES & NOBLE

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / GOODREADS / INSTAGRAM

Dani’s passion for writing started at a very young age. It all started with a multitude of diaries, then as her passion grew she turned to poetry and short stories. She received her Bachelor’s Degree at USC in Theatre with an unofficial minor in writing. While at USC she wrote her first screenplay and post-graduation was fortunate to be hired to write another screenplay. As family life got busy her passion was pushed aside, but as she fell back into the love of reading her desire to write again increased, so she returned to it in the summer of 2013. She is currently working on a YA Urban Fantasy Romance series, The Life of Arie, with book 1 already published, and a Romance Novel to be released on March 17, 2014. You can connect with Dani through her website www.danihartbooks.com.

Prologue

There was a time in my life when the light within me shined so brightly. At some point I lost it. I lost me. Life used to course through my veins like an out of control wildfire, unstoppable and infectious. Time was supposed to heal, but all it did was slowly strip me down to an empty vessel void of passion, desire, and drive. I wanted to scream, “Be the one to save me,” but my soul was drained, my heart was shattered, and time had siphoned the life out of me.

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The Spirit by D. Nichole King ~ Cover Reveal

Coming April 2014...

SYNOPSIS

* Book #1 in the Spirit Series *

While seventeen year-old Carrie Reese’s parents were working out the details of their divorce, she headed to Villisca, Iowa to stay with her grandparents.

Villisca was home to the infamous Axe Murder House…

It’s known to be haunted by the ghosts of the victims and their killer. Carrie doesn’t believe in ghosts, but the moving curtains and red flashes of light in the windows of Lot 310 were starting to give her reason to watch her back.

Then in walked Lucas…

Within days, Carrie knew she was in love. But Lucas seemed strange: his hands were cool and hollow, he barely touched his food, and there was sadness behind his brilliant green eyes.

Lucas was falling for Carrie but knowing that loving her puts her in grave danger, he reluctantly slips out of her life….

He struggles between staying away and telling Carrie his darkest secret. Unable to stand being apart from her any longer, he decides she must know.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born and raised in Iowa, d. Nichole King writes her stories close to home. There’s nothing like small-town Midwest scenery to create the perfect backdrop for an amazing tale.

She wrote her first book in junior high and loved every second of it. However, she couldn’t bring herself to share her passion with anyone. She packed it away until one day, with the encouragement of her husband, she sat down at the computer and began to type. Now she can’t stop.

When not writing, d. is usually curled up with a book, scrapbooking, or doing yet another load of laundry.

Along with her incredible husband, she lives in small-town Iowa with her four adorable children and their dog, Peaches.

CONNECT WITH D. NICHOLE KING

* Twitter * Facebook * Facebook "Like" Page * Website * Goodreads *

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Tethered by L.D. Davis

    Blurb: From the New York Times Best Selling Author of the Accidentally On Purpose trilogy… “You were born to be mine and I was born to be yours.” Donya Stewart’s chest filled with the soft beating wings of butterflies when she first met Emmet Grayne’s green eyes at the ripe age of five. Unable to identify the tugging pressure within her when in his presence, Donya moved through the first several years of her life addled by her feelings for the boy who was her best friend’s brother, and very much like her own sibling. But one cool autumn night in her mystifying teenage years, Emmet erases any ideas Donya has of him being anything like a sibling. Donya and Emmet, unable to deny the invisible cord that fetters them together on an incredibly visceral level, begin a long journey on a road abounding with challenges, hurdles, and destructive forces. Their love for one another is absolute, and the emotional link between them is strong, but when they make a series of painful decisions and mistakes that pull them apart, the strength of that tether is challenged. “The tether contorted and quivered and groaned in protest.” If you are in search of an angst-filled romance novel, get tied into Tethered… Tethered Excerpt: "I whirl around and rush towards the exit. It’s January, in Chicago no less, but I feel hot and my palms are sweaty. It feels very stuffy in here and I am having difficulty breathing. I promise myself I won’t turn around and look. There is no reason to look. I won’t look. I’m only a few feet from the door. I turn my head and look. It is as if there is a magnet that draws my eyes to his exact location every time I say I will not look. If I have looked in the past and he was not in my immediate eye sight, I may have turned away and been okay, but that never happens. My eyes always find him right away. He looks stunning in his tuxedo. His deep blue bowtie hangs to one side and his shirt is unbuttoned a few buttons, revealing the beginning contours of what I know to be a well-defined chest. His dark hair is a little on the long side. Hair falls across his forehead. It’s sexy. His wife hates it. She must not like running her fingers through it. His hands are in his pockets as he speaks. He looks casual and relaxed. I look away and escape the crushing pressure of the room. I dig into the little purse strapped to my wrist and get my ticket for my coat. I thrust the piece of paper at the guy behind the counter and he retrieves my coat a few seconds later. I walk out of the building and away from the few people outside who also dared the cold. I follow a walkway until I find myself on the other side of the building, facing what is probably a very gorgeous garden in the warmer months. It was still pretty, even under the ice and snow. I look around and am relieved to find myself alone. The sun is setting. The lampposts are flickering to life. It is cold as cold can be out here, but I needed to get out of there.

Melted & Shattered by Emily Eck ~ Cover Reveal

Cover Reveal  

Melted & Shattered by Emily Eck

Melted & Shattered (L & J #2)

By: Emily Eck

Publication Date: April 21, 2014

Genre: Romance/Trilogy

Cover Designer: Melody Simmons

Ebook Indie Covers

Synopsis

Elle was never broken.
She wasn't shattered.
And she sure as hell never needed to be saved.
That is,
until she found out what the aftermath of love was capable of causing.

Doing her best to stay afloat amidst the sh!t storm that has become her life, Elle is hanging on by a thread. Between worrying about Fernie’s precarious future, an incident with a Shemar Moore look-alike gone terribly wrong, and an inability to let go of her feelings for J, Elle just can’t seem to get her head straight.

Deciding a change of atmosphere is what she needs, Elle heads to Mexico to study abroad for a semester.

She has no idea that she is walking into an even worse storm.

One that involves a pissed off MC President, a ruthless drug cartel, and a man willing to die to have her light.

***This is the 2nd book in the series L&J – cannot be read as a stand-alone***

Purchase Links

Steel & Ice (L&J #1)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords / Kobo

Amazon UK / Amazon CA

J Speaks (L&J #1.5)

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Smashwords /  Kobo
Amazon UK / Amazon CA

Excerpt

“I came here, baby, to tell you I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”  He inhaled sharply, but said in an even voice. “And I can’t lose you before the greatest fight I will ever wage.”

Redemption. Could I absolve him? I lay in a hospital bed for two weeks. All of it at his hands. I’d been marred, though the scar on my skin was not the worst damage. It was a reminder of the scar I’d carried inside. Could he erase that scar? Could he heal a wound one could not see?

There was silence, deafening silence. I tried to keep it together. I used every ounce of energy I had to keep the fire at a low flame, but it blazed through me. He would’ve shot my kid, and I couldn’t let that happen. These kids, they’d become my lifeline. My light.

“Without those kids, I’m just as dark as you.” I said emotionlessly, empty. These last few weeks of pretending during the day, only to come home and sob until sleep graced me was maddening. “I’ve got nothing left to give you, J. Nothing.”

 I hung my head, losing the fight with the tears that had been threatening to erupt since J arrived. “I can’t be your light, when I have none.”

We lay on the floor, two damaged bodies searching for the light. J pulled my head into his hands, bringing us face to face. I could feel his breath against my lips. “You were a comet that bust into my life out of no where” he whispered. “I begged for you. On my knees in the dirt, I groveled to the sky to bring me light. And there you were, at Eight Oh Eight, staring up at me, even though I knew you couldn’t see through the window. I saw you, though. Elle, I saw you long before you saw me.”

“How could I love a killer?”

“How much pain was worth loving this man?

“Please, baby. Please. I need you. I love you. I can’t go into this without knowing you’ll be here when I return.”

“I’m not sure what to say. I want to tell you I’ll wait. That I’ll be here, waiting like a good girl for you. I want to because I love you. Fuck, I love you.” I turned, finally ready to look him in the eye. “I don’t know where I’ll be. I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that I love the fuck out of you, and no matter how much I try to stop,” I paused. Fuck this mother fucker. Fuck! God, why was he doing this to me? Angry tears, sad tears, hopeless tears, tears filled with longing fell from my eyes. J caught then with his thumb, but there were too many. They ran over his fingers like a waterfall.

“Fuck, J. I don’t want you to die.”

He pulled me to him, and I inhaled his scent. I’d never be able to smell Acqua di mother fucking Gio again and not think of him. Today it was mixed with the smell of exhaust, like he’d been riding around all night. For what felt like the gazillionth time, I crumbled into his arms. How did two times come to be a number exponentially higher?

“I don’t want to die, baby. I want to fall asleep next to you. I want to wake up next to you. I’m fighting this war for you. To be with you.”

Teasers

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Author Bio

Emily is a Midwestern Gal, but could be anywhere as you read this. She gypsy's the country, as well as south of the border. Adventure feeds her soul, and offers great writing material.

She loves kids and working with kids, but can only handle caring for four-legged furry friends. A crazy dog and laid back cat have trained her to be their partner in life.

Vices include Swedish Fish, ignoring chores in favor of reading, and caring too much for people in her life. She chose to write this bio in third person as she is an Aries, and found writing in first person ended up with her writing an excessively long life story.

Aries like to talk about themselves. It is something Emily is working on being more mindful of.

Connect with Emily

Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter  

Entice by Rachel Van Dyken ~ Cover & Excerpt Reveal

Release Day : May 13, 2014

From #1 New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Van Dyken comes the third book in the bestselling Eagle Elite Series...

“As burns this saint, so burns my soul. I enter alive, and I will have to get out dead.”

Chase Winter let the love of his life slip through his fingers and into the hands of his best friend and mafia boss of the Abandanato family. Now that he's been given a second chance to right a wrong--he refuses to let his own selfishness stand in the way. The only problem? He's not fully in possession of his heart, so when Mil De Lange, the girl who's innocence he stole, and heir to the worst of the worst mafia families in the US, asks him for a favor. He actually says yes, not realizing that that one yes has the power to destroy them all.

Mil's been in love with Chase as long as she can remember, but as the years went by, the love turned to hate, and now that he's agreed to help her, she's wondering if she made a fatal error. Because Chase isn't a teenager anymore. He's a hot blooded male, bent on owning every part of her body and soul, and willing to kill anyone in his path who dares stand in the way.
It's time for secrets to finally be revealed...but make no mistake, it's going to take a lot of bloodshed for those truths to be discovered.

You've never read a New Adult Mafia story like this before...loyalties will be tested, lovers reunited, and friendships obliterated. Welcome to the Family. Blood in--No out.


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Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

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

Nixon

I checked the time on my cell and leaned against the wall. The desert heat was not in any way helping my already-tense mood and irritated disposition. A guy walked by, flicking his cigarette into the dirt. Note to self: you know you're tense as hell when you’re halfway tempted to grab said cigarette and suck the nicotine dry from the remains.

And I didn’t even smoke.

Shhhit.

My head hurt, my muscles were sore, and Trace was pissed. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the building.

“Hey there.” A flirty voice interrupted my self-inflicted torture session. I opened one eye, then two. A blond-haired girl in six-inch heels and something I can only assume at one point use to be a shirt, hanging over her shoulder, walked into my personal space. Her shirt-dress thing barely met her thighs.

“Yes?” I kept my sunglasses on. If I took them off and glared, she’d probably run screaming down the street, and I wasn’t into scaring females… at least not in that way. I knew I looked downright pissed as hell.

“Just thought you looked lonely.” She lifted her shoulder and offered a teasing smile. Did that really work on other guys?

“You thought wrong,” I said simply. “I’m holding the wall up — like Samson.”

“Samson?” She looked around as if waiting for another man to appear.

“From the Bible,” I clarified.

“The what?”

“Gotta love Vegas,” I muttered under my breath. “Look, I don’t want any.”

“Any what?” She ran a manicured nail down my chest, biting down on her lip at the same time. I could only imagine her point was to get me to stare at her lips, but all I felt was irritation. Damn Chase and Mil. I just wanted to go to bed, but I needed to talk with him before tomorrow.

“Sex.” My voice clipped. “I. Don’t. Want. Any.”

“But—” She twirled a piece of blond- hair in her fingers.

“I’m gay.”

“Right.” She snorted.

“I’m into men.”

“Oh really?” She closed the distance between us. Just as I was ready to seriously put my hands on her and push, I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder.

“Hey there, hot stuff.” Tex said in a low voice as his hand grabbed my ass, cupping it with a little too much enthusiasm. “You ready?”

I ground my teeth together and forced a smile. “Yup.”

“Oh…” The girl stepped back. “Um, sorry, you guys, uh, enjoy your night.” She pushed past Tex so fast I was afraid she was going to teeter off her heels and get hit by a taxi.

“Tex.” I seethed.

“Hmm?” He took off his sunglasses and tilted his head as the girl hurried away.

“You can take your hand off my ass now.”

“Why? Afraid you like it too much?”

I pushed against him.

“Just embrace your feelings!” He shouted, earning the attention of a family walking by with their two little kids.

I grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him few feet away from me, trying my damnedest not to smile.

“Admit it. You keep me around for comic relief.” Tex nodded with a smirk.

“I admit nothing.” I lost the war against smiling and started laughing. “But I do keep your ass away from Campisi, so remember that next time you start yelling about me being your lover.”

“True.” Tex grinned. “Oh, and P.S., don’t knock it till you try it.”

“P.S.,” I repeated in the same voice. “Still pissed at you for screwing over my sister.”

“Yeah well.” Tex sobered. “It’s for the best.”

“Breaking her heart and bringing in whores is what’s best for her?”

Tex lifted his hands into the air. “Look, I didn’t say my methods were sound or that they were intelligent, just let us deal with it, okay? We’re big kids.”

“Kids.” I snorted. “That about sums it up.”

A town car pulled up next to the curb. Chase got out and then held out his hand to Mil. My eyes narrowed; she looked different. Happier.

Her mom had just died, and she'd survived a bombing.

And she was smiling like the Taliban had just declared world peace.

Chase gripped her so tight that I saw the white of his knuckles.

I tilted my head, still watching them when Tex said. “Dude, you get laid?”

“Tex,” I snapped. “Go get something for their luggage.”

“But—”

“Go.”

Tex flipped me off, but ended up jogging over to the main entrance while I inspected both Mil and Chase. “I’m not saying this to be an ass—”

“Here we go.” Mil crossed her arms.

Chase waited.

I licked my lips and tried to appear indifferent. “But if you guys start screwing each other now, I may have to shoot one or both of you. It’s not the time to play house, got it?”

“Play house,” Chase repeated in a deadpan voice as he dipped his free hand into his back pocket, most likely clenching a pair of brass knuckles.

“I know it’s your honeymoon,” I continued. “But this [P1] little scenario you’ve got going on with the whole hot and cold is going to have to wait until everyone’s safe. So Chase, keep it in your pants for once in your life, and Mil, stop trying to seduce the poor kid, alright? It’s like dangling a damn fry in front of a seagull.”

“Who’s a fry?” Tex asked, pulling the luggage cart with him.

“Mil.”

“Are we eating dinner or something? Because I have to admit,” Tex leaned against the cart, “I’m freaking starving.” He eyed Chase and Mil. “Then again, I’m sure you both are too. All those extracurricular really take it out of ya.”

Chase took off his sunglasses, his face twisting in irritation and annoyance, no smile. Nothing. He was pissed.

“Chase,” I said slowly. “You know I’m right. You’re the best I have. I need your focus to be on The Family. Your family. Then you can screw all you want, okay?”

Mil looked like she wanted to punch me in the face. Chase took a step forward, but she stopped him.

“Good talk.” I exhaled. “Chase, I’ll see you down in the bar in a half-hour, okay? We have business to discuss. Mil, you can go find the girls. They’re having dinner out by the pool.”

Nobody moved.

After a few seconds of tense silence where I was pretty sure Chase was trying to convince himself not to strangle me to death, Tex cleared his throat and pointed to the luggage. “You guys need help, then?”

“Yeah,” Chase croaked. “Thanks.”

We loaded them up and sent them on their way.

“Tell me,” Tex asked once we were walking back toward the bar. “Is your only goal to see how far you can push Chase before he kills you in your sleep?”

Dear Tabitha by Trudy Stiles ~ Release Promo

Along with Trudy Stiles, we are very excited to share with you the Release of Dear Tabitha, the 2nd book in The Forever Family Series. If you have not read Dear Emily (Book #1) yet, now is the time to grab it while it is on sale for ONLY $.99 in celebration of the New Release.

Make sure to check out the Book Trailer, add this series to your Goodreads, enter the Giveaway below for a Kindle Paperwhite and Amazon Gift Cards and join the Facebook Release Party Event for more fun and giveaways!

Author: Trudy Stiles

Book Title: Dear Tabitha ~ Series: Forever Family #2

Genre: New Adult/Romance

You know me. You know who I am. What I am.

Damaged. Confused. Alone.

You feel sorry for me. You pity me.

You know what I’ve done. What I’ve given up. Who I’ve given up.

You try to understand what I’ve been through and how I can possibly go on with my life.

But you can’t possibly understand.

I’ve lost too much. Sacrificed too much. Given up everything so that I can find myself.

Well I’m done.

I’m done walking away from everything that matters.

It’s time for me to heal.

It’s MY TURN to earn…

Redemption.

Love.

Family.

Book Trailer - Created by Becca at Bibliophile Productions

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1mgKrhm

B&N: http://bit.ly/1f6DZbn

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1pDr0iN

Trudy Stiles is a New Adult author, mom to two beautiful children, and married to the love of her life. She is the author of the Forever Family series including “Dear Emily” and “Dear Tabitha”. There will be many more stories from this series and you never know who may have a standalone or novella written for them. Stay tuned!

Trudy is a music junkie and you’ll know that she’s writing when you see her plugged into her laptop with her earbuds in. Her playlist is unique and is a must for her writing sprints.

When she’s not writing, she’s carting her children to their various activities while avoiding any kind of laundry or housework. She also loves to run along the boardwalk of the beautiful New Jersey shore.

She’s always been an avid reader and frequently escapes into the fictional worlds of the many characters that she has come to love. Well, now there are some fictional characters in her head dying to get out!

This first story is called “Dear Emily” and was released in December 2013. “Dear Tabitha” will be released in March 2014. The Forever Family series will continue with several companion/stand alone novels.

Email: authortrudystiles@gmail.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/authortrudystiles

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/trudy_stiles

Twitter: @trudystiles

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