Saturday, September 15, 2018

First Look: Butterfly Ops


Title: Butterfly Ops
Author: Jen Doyle
Series: Butterfly Ops
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy with Romantic Elements
Release Date: Sept 24, 2018
Length: 120,000 words

Blurb:
What's a superheroine to do when her super soldier ex turns up alive after more than fifteen years?

Lyndsey doesn't have much time to walk down memory lane before she and Ian find themselves thrown together to investigate the mysterious deaths of ten young men in the Canadian wilderness. How do such seemingly normal, healthy men's hearts just...stop?

With the hint of an evil spirit in the wind--and a whole lot of butterflies--there's no telling what Lyndsey and Ian are dealing with, including their own extensive baggage. Though seventeen years is a lot of life to live, there's one thing they can't deny: their attraction is as intense as ever. But is it just a spark that will burn itself out, or is it true love bringing them back together? When the force they're hunting turns its sights on them, the leap of faith required far exceeds either of their powers. But worrying about their future might be premature because one wrong move and they might not make it out alive.

In Book One of the Butterfly Ops trilogy, Lyndsey and Ian reconnect fifteen years after seeing each other for what each thought was the last time. That the spark is still there is undeniable—but is it enough to get past the secrets and lies that tore them apart the first time around? With old tensions rearing their heads as new challenges arise, what at first seems to be a sure path back to trust and happiness is rockier than it seems.

Note: this is Book One in a serial trilogy. Book Two will be released in Spring 2019; Book Three will be released in early Summer 2019. Books should be read in order. 
Find out more at: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo



 Excerpt:
Taking a deep breath and deciding to face her demons head on, Lyndsey whirled on her heel—and proceeded to walk directly into someone who, thank you very much, had been a little too close for comfort. Coffee and bags went flying everywhere.
Damn it. This was not at all what she needed fifteen minutes before the meeting she didn’t even want to be at. Why hadn’t she just let the cab take her all the way there?
Trying to keep her irritation contained, she accepted the napkins being offered from an outstretched hand.  An outstretched hand presumably connected to the body she had knocked into, a body in such close proximity that a collision had been unavoidable. Big, solid, muscular body, by the way, all done up in Army green, medals and ribbons to boot. Not that that did much to improve her mood, of course.  
She purposefully didn’t look up right away, knowing it was an accident and this person had no intention of spilling everything all over her and the sidewalk. Therefore it would do absolutely no good to say something like, ‘Haven’t you ever heard of personal space?’ Not until she could say it with a smile at least.
“I’m so sorry,” she heard the man say in a tone that seemed genuinely apologetic, as it should. “You look like someone I...”
His voice cut off abruptly.  
She slowly raised her head, and...
No.
Um... No.
This couldn’t be real. Lyndsey backed away, looking into the eyes of a ghost. A six-foot-and-change, two-hundred pound, solidly-packed-in-all-the-right-places ghost. She stared at him, his face so familiar despite the lines around his eyes and mouth. His hair had a few flecks of gray in that distinguished way men’s hair did, but his arms and chest and shoulders had lost none of their definition in the time that had passed, nor had his body lost its ability to stir something deep within her. Something that hadn’t been stirred in a very long time. And despite her various issues where the Army was concerned, she certainly didn’t mind seeing him in that uniform with all its medals and ribbons. Which also reminded her of all the times seeing him out of his uniform and, well, it wasn’t exactly helping her in the thought-forming parts of the brain.
“But you’re… You’re…” she stammered.
He was dead. He’d died almost ten years ago, as far as Lyndsey knew. Beyond that, she was unable to form a coherent thought.
Well, except that Ian—Ian Fox—seemed to be right there with her, also totally incapable of speech.  
“Dad, please tell me you did not make this mess.”  
Lyndsey looked past Ian to see the coffee shop girl coming towards him. A girl who called Ian, ‘Dad.’  A girl who was Ian’s daughter.


Author Bio:
A big believer in happily ever afters, Jen Doyle decided it was high time she started creating some. CALLING IT, her four-book baseball/contemporary romance/romantic comedy series, has been winning awards since its inception, the most recent being the 2017 Best Banter Contest for Calling It and a nomination for the 2017 Harlequin Hero of the Year for Called Out. She also wrote the acclaimed HANSONS OF ST. HELENA series of novellas in the St. Helena Vineyard Kindle World. Butterfly Ops: Book One is the first installment of the BUTTERFLY OPS trilogy, an epic love story and her first in the paranormal realm.

Jen has an M.S. in Library and Information Science and, in addition to her work as a librarian, has worked as a conference and events planner as well as an administrator in both preschool and higher education environments (although some might say that there is very little difference between the two; Jen has no comment regarding whether she is one of the “some”). She is a member of the Romance Writers of America and is represented by Sarah E. Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency.

You can visit her online at the following places: Website Facebook | Twitter Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub | Pinterest

Friday, September 14, 2018

Excerpt Tour: Christmas with the Band


Title:  Christmas With The Band
Author: Michelle Hazen
Release Date: September 3, 2018
Publisher: Self-published
Series: Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll #3.5
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 46

Synopsis:

All Jax wants for Christmas is for his favorite people to get along. So when he takes Ava home for the holidays, she vows to finally make peace with his drummer. What she gets instead is a house fire, house arrest, and the kind of dinner none of them will ever forget.
This comic romp of a holiday story wraps up the world of the Sex, Love and Rock and Roll series in a red lacy bow. Click now to have Christmas with the Band!

Goodreads → http://bit.ly/2Mcvxip

Buy Now: Amazon | iTunes | B&N | Kobo
Barnes & Noble → https://goo.gl/HXSsPV


Christmas With The Band Excerpt
Copyright © 2018 Michelle Hazen

Jax pulls to the curb, and my heart beats so fast my vision goes swimmy at the edges. Oh shit, we’re already at his bandmates’ holiday party and I'm not ready yet.
I turn wide eyes to look at the over-decorated house. Somehow I never pictured Jera's family as inflatable Santa people.
“This isn't their place.” Jax tips my chin toward him, the callouses from his frets soothing against my skin. “Ava, I'd rather turn around right now than take you someplace where you won't be comfortable. Especially not on Christmas Eve. Just say the word and we'll go back to my condo.” He smiles, the tilt of it all wicked promise though his sky-colored eyes are whisper gentle: my soft place to land, always. “I'll even Photoshop Justin Bieber's head onto some pictures of chipmunks, the way you like.”
I laugh in spite of myself. “Okay, as awesome as that sounds, I'm not taking you away from your band family at Christmas.”
“Oh, great! Let's get going, then.” Jax reaches for the gearshift and my stomach drops out through the floorboards of the car. I stop his hand and my eyes guiltily collide with his knowing ones. I just walked right into that bluff, damn it.
“Okay, you're right. This was a terrible idea. Why don't I just drop you off, I'll go hide in your beautiful condo, and we can meet up after?” My heartbeat is like a rabid butterfly trying to escape my ribcage. Christ, I'm being such a coward right now.
It's not like I haven't been living knuckle to knuckle with these people for most of the year. It's just...that was our concert tour. This is their town.
It's Jax's real life, and I haven't claimed my place in it.


About Michelle Hazen:

Michelle Hazen is a nomad with a writing problem. Years ago, she and her husband ducked out of the 9 to 5 world and moved into their truck. As a result, she wrote most of her books with solar power in odd places, including a bus in Thailand, a golf cart in a sandstorm, and a beach in Honduras. Currently, she’s addicted to The Walking Dead, hiking, and Tillamook cheese.

Follow Michelle:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | Pinterest | Instagram

Release Blitz: How the Earl Entices


Title: How the Earl Entices
Author: Anna Harrington
Release Date: September 11, 2018
Publisher: Self-published
Series: Capturing the Carlisles #4
Genres: Regency Romance
Word Count: 95K
Format: print and digital

Synopsis:

WHEN OLD DECEPTIONS …
Ross Carlisle, Earl of Spalding, has dedicated his life to serving his country. When he discovers secrets that could endanger England, he’s forced into an impossible situation—commit treason and race to London to clear his name before the crown turns against him. He’s prepared to abandon everything he possesses in order to protect England, including his life…until he crosses paths with a woman who’s keeping her own secrets.

LEAD TO NEW DESIRES
Ten years ago, Grace Alden fled London in order to protect her son, only to come face-to-face with that past when Ross collapses on her doorstep. They strike a deal—she’ll help him travel to London if he helps her reclaim her son’s inheritance. But as old deceptions turn into new desires, will they be willing to sacrifice everything they hold dear in order to protect the people they love?

BUY NOW: Amazon | iBooks | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
GooglePlay → https://bit.ly/2tl48iN



HOW THE EARL ENTICES Excerpt
Copyright © 2018 Anna Harrington

    “Where are the documents?”
    Ross Carlisle, Earl of Spalding, spat out a mouthful of blood onto the midnight-black deck of the pitching ship as the storm intensified around it. “Go to hell!”
    A fist slammed into his stomach. He doubled over in gasping pain, coughing and struggling for breath, yet thankful for the pouring rain that cooled the bruises the men had already put on his ribs and face.
    The two Frenchmen holding his arms jerked him up straight.
    Their leader grabbed him by the hair and yanked back his head. “You are a murderer and a traitor. No one will care what happens to you.”
Ross gritted his teeth against the pain.
“So I will ask you one more time before I cut off your kneecaps,” the thug threatened in street French, having to yell even at such close range to be heard over the wind and driving rain. In his free hand he brandished a knife. “Where are the documents?”
    Ross glared at him, refusing to answer.
    So it all came to this…a decade serving the crown as a soldier and diplomat, an unblemished reputation without a hint of scandal, more recently a dangerous pursuit in which recognition would never have been possible—only to end ingloriously on a fishing boat being tossed about on the Channel.
    He’d been running for the past week, fleeing for his life from Paris to the coast with hired henchmen on his heels. First on horseback, then on foot, changing identities as easily as other men change clothes. But he’d been unable to throw them off his trail, and always they’d been less than a day behind. Then a handful of hours. By the time he’d reached Calais and found a captain brave enough to take him across the Channel in this storm, they’d caught him. In a matter of minutes he’d be dead.
    And damn the world that the last person he thought about was Christopher! Not one of his French mistresses, not one of his first loves as a boy, not even his mother—but his brother. How the last thing Ross did in life was prove Kit right, that eventually he’d be discovered and that even his post at the Court of St James’s wouldn’t be able to save him.
    The Frenchman released his hair and stepped back, struggling to keep his footing on the wet, rolling deck. With a menacing gleam in his eyes, he lowered the knife toward Ross’s legs. “Where are the papers?”
    The knife tip sliced across his left thigh and through the rough work trousers he’d donned in his last attempt to hide, biting into the flesh beneath. Ross sucked in a pain-filled gasp through clenched teeth and bit back an ironic laugh—his left thigh.
    The boat rose on the swell of a wave, then dropped with enough force that the men holding his arms wobbled to keep their balance. His interrogator stumbled backward—
    Now.
    Ross lunged toward the closest railing, tearing his arm free of the man on his right and catching the one on his left off-balance. He lowered his shoulder and rammed it into the man’s chest to push past. All went dark as he tumbled over the railing and into the black sea below.


About Anna Harrington:

I fell in love with historical romances—and all those dashing Regency heroes!—while living in London, where I studied literature and theatre. I love to travel, fly airplanes, and hike, and when I’m not busy writing, I can usually be found in my garden, tending to my roses. I love to hear from readers and can be reached at anna@annaharringtonbooks.com or follow me on all my social media. And be sure to sign up for my newsletter to be the first to receive exciting news, enter contests, access exclusive content, and more!


Review: Holiday Hat Trick

In hockey, a hat trick is three goals (in one game) from the same player.

In the Portland Storm series, the term is used in life.
Mitch Quincey has "three goals" he would like to score during the Christmas break. However, none of the goals have anything to do with hockey.

As a novella, is book is a quick read or listen. This is always a plus with me.

Holiday Hat Trick is listed as 4.5 in the series about a fictional hockey team. The Storm are a team that I am a fan of since reading Light the Lamp.

Rating: 😃😃😃😃😃

Thursday, September 6, 2018

First Look: Forever Theirs

Title: Forever Theirs
Author: Katee Robert
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Thriller/Menage
Release Date: September 10, 2018
Publisher: Indie
Series: The Thalanian Dynasty
Page Count: 73K
Format: Digital
ASIN: B07DP7HT14

Synopsis:

Meg Sanders enjoyed her wild night with a prince and his bodyguard—but now she’s moving on. She has enough problems without borrowing the kind of trouble Theo brings just by being who he is. But no matter how determined she is to leave that night a fond memory, she hasn’t seen the last of Theo and Galen…

Galen Mikos's life boils down to one goal. Keep Theo alive. But as long as Theo draws breath, he’s a threat to the powers that have taken over Thalania—and anyone they associate with runs the risk of becoming a target, too. Galen will never forgive himself if they let their selfish desire for Meg puts her in danger. But it might already be too late…

Theo Fitzcharles might be an exiled prince, but he doesn’t intend to stay that way. He’s only concerned with one thing—clearing his mother’s name and reinstating himself as Crown Prince of Thalania. There’s no room in that plan for distraction, especially when it makes him forget himself the way Meg does. But after spending one perfect night with her and his best friend, Theo has no intention of leaving her alone. 

Even if it damns all three of them in the process.

Available at:  

iTunes: https://apple.co/2JBPRtb


Forever Theirs Excerpt
Copyright © 2018 Katee Robert

Galen stepped out of the cab and pulled Meg after him. At this time of night, there was still plenty of street traffic—plenty of opportunity for his father’s men to blend in until they were close enough to attack.
They already had attacked.
He hustled her off the sidewalk, half carrying her in his rush. She cursed at him, but she could be pissed. At least she was still alive. He didn’t believe for a second that Dorian would order her killed, not when he would see her as a tool just waiting to be used. But Galen’s father would attempt to take her, and that Galen couldn’t allow.
He didn’t relax until the elevator doors opened into their apartment and he caught sight of Theo pacing back and forth through the living room. He’s okay. Meg’s okay. They’re safe.
Except they weren’t.
Shit had hit the fan in the most fucked up way possible, and there was no cleaning up this mess.
Galen released Meg’s arm and ensured the security system was booted up and the door was locked. “Trouble?”
“Not here.” Theo rounded the couch and stopped just out of reach. He devoured Meg with his gaze, no doubt taking in her tangled hair, her torn dress, and the way she shook like a junkie in need of a fix. Adrenaline letdown. Theo cursed. “I’m sorry, princess.”
Meg crossed her arms over her chest and slid back a step, shying away from him—from them both. “I… I need a minute. A shower. Something.”
Theo gave a short nod. “Take what you need.”
She headed for the bedroom and spun at last second. “Alone.”
“No shit,” Galen growled. “Go. Take your time. We don’t touch walking wounded anyways.”
Her spine went rigid and her hazel eyes icy. “Fuck you.”
Better she be angry than terrified. He could work with angry. The scared woman in the back of the cab, looking for reassurances that he couldn’t give her… That kind of comfort wasn’t in Galen’s skillset. He preferred the harsh truth to silken lies, and there was no truth he could give Meg that wouldn’t result in her terror.
He stared until she squirmed. “Already did.”
Meg raised a shaking finger. “I swear to god—”
“Children.” Theo’s voice snapped through the room, a sharp tone that a person ignored to their peril. Meg made a sound perilously close to a snarl, but Theo ignored it. “Go shower or do whatever you need to get your head on straight. You’re fucking terrified and you’re snapping at the biggest dick in the room just to prove that you’re not helpless. It’s wasting time we don’t have.”
“His dick isn’t the biggest,” she muttered.
Galen almost laughed. Even scared out of her damn mind, Meg still had a mouth on her—and hell if he didn’t respect her more for it. “Go shower, little mouse. The adults are talking.”
She made a sound like an angry teakettle and stalked down the hallway. He waited for the sound of the door slamming, but a soft click was all he got. “Damn.”
Theo stalked into the kitchen and snagged the whiskey bottle. He took a long pull and then passed it over. “Tell me.”
“Two men. I didn’t recognize them, but they claimed Dorian sent them.” Galen drank from the bottle, letting the whiskey burn away the awful feeling in his chest when he’d walked through that door and found Meg tied to a chair with two men standing over her. He’d thought… It didn’t matter what he’d thought. He got there in time. They hadn’t done any lasting damage.
At least not the physical kind.
“She can’t go back.”
Galen stared at the bottle. He tightened his grip and put serious consideration into bashing Theo a few times with it. “You just couldn’t leave her alone, could you? It took them a grand total of three days to figure out she might matter and come after her. Fuck, Theo, this shit is on your head.”
“I know.” Theo watched him. Those blue eyes saw too much, just like always. “And yet I’m not the one who was skulking outside her work. You told me you were meeting a contact.”
Caught.
He opened his mouth, and then abandoned the lie before he gave it voice. “You put her in danger. I was ensuring she stayed safe.”
Theo’s lips quirked, but his eyes went hard. “Lie to yourself if you need to, but don’t you dare lie to me. I know why you were there—the same reason I was a week ago. You couldn’t stay away from her any more than I could.” He bracketed Galen’s throat with his hand, his thumb caressing Galen’s pulse point. Theo leaned in. “I shouldn’t have paid the tuition with my own name, and I’ll be the first to admit it. But we are both moths to her fucking flame, and you don’t get to play the beleaguered bodyguard—not right now, and not with me. You want her.”
“Yes.” The word felt ripped from him, taken despite his best efforts to stay silent.
Theo’s grip tightened and his gaze dropped to Galen’s mouth. “We can’t stay in New York. They’ll have eyes on her place.”
“They wanted to take her, Theo. There was a van illegally parked near the back door. They might have set her up to answer questions, but they were going to take her.” If they had, Dorian would use her for whatever purpose he had in mind, a lever to get Galen and Theo to dance to his tune, and then he’d discard her like yesterday’s trash. Even if he didn’t kill her, there would be scars, and she wouldn’t be the Meg they knew anymore.
Theo pressed his forehead to Galen’s, grounding them both. One breath. Two. Three. On the fourth, he stepped back and released him. “You were there in time.”
“I might not have been.” If he’d managed to resist the siren call of Meg’s presence, if he’d had more control, if he’d really gone to meet his local contact instead of doing the skulking Theo accused him of.
“You were there in time,” Theo repeated. He glanced down the hallway to the master bedroom where they could still hear the shower going. “Make the call.”
“She’s never going to forgive us for this.” For dropping a bomb on her life and leaving on destruction in their wake. The two grand was nothing compared to what came next.
Theo sighed. “I know. But better she’s pissed and alive than the alternative. Make the call, Galen. We need to be out of New York before dawn.”  



About Katee Robert
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. Her 2015 title, The Marriage Contract, was a RITA finalist, and RT Book Reviews named it 'a compulsively readable book with just the right amount of suspense and tension."  When not writing sexy contemporary and romantic suspense, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her children, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 
Connect with Katee at: Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads | Instagram | BookBub

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