#Book Blitz #Tale of an Anxious Heart by Elsa Jacobs #Romance #Suspense @Xpresso Book Tours18/6/2023
Tale of an Anxious Heart
-- EXCERPT: After three hours on the road, we make a pitstop. “At last!” he blurts, getting out of the car. Then, I notice something I shouldn’t have. My hitchhiker stands with a slight groan, hand pressed against his right side. And as he stands, he reveals the inside of his jacket, and there it is—a shiny gun sitting in his pocket. My paranoid thoughts aren’t so paranoid after all. It’s not rocket science to figure out where this equation leads. Nobody carries that kind of gun unless they are a criminal. I’m going to die, sliced up by a crazy hitchhiker. Can I handle this? But then again, he’s hurt. Maybe he’s losing blood; maybe his life is in danger. And mine? He enters the convenience store. It’s almost comical; the way he walks, like he’s invincible. Professional criminal, tough as nails. And here I am, professionally screwed. I imagine what they’ll say on the six o’clock news: “A young woman was found sliced up so her killer could make a house of cards out of the pieces…” I can’t take my eyes off his form. The man stands tall, arrogant, his badass attitude taped to his face. He feels nothing. Although, his eyes are more narrowed than before. He’s a human being. A wounded human being and I’m a nurse. I fill up the car while chewing on my bottom lip. He heads toward the back of the building. My heart is pounding, unsure of what might happen next. I might have made a huge mistake. The options before me are unappealing—leave him there, join him, or wait for him to come back and pretend nothing’s wrong. I finish filling the gas tank and pay, trying my best to appear normal. The store is dimly lit and eerily quiet, adding to my growing uneasiness. A knot forms in my stomach as I push the door open, my heart trying to spread my ribs apart. My eyes dart back and forth as I scan the aisles frantically, grabbing snacks and drinks, not knowing what the road ahead has in store. As I approach the exit, my heart is in my throat. I can’t catch my breath, and I only hear an irregular heartbeat in my ears. Shit, I’m having a panic attack. Time slows as my legs weaken, and unwanted sweat rolls down my neck. My sweaty palms land on the door, but the ground drops from under me. My vision blurs, and I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I’m going to pass out. Shit. My phone’s ringtone blares. I don’t recognize the number. “Yes,” I answer, my voice barely above a whisper. An old voice comes through the line. I don’t recognize that, either. “If you value your life, you’ll leave him,” the voice growls. I glare at my phone. I don’t even know if my life has any value at all. “You have a few seconds to leave, Miss Milosh.” The call disconnects, and my eyes flutter to my phone as it chimes again. Another ring announces an incoming text message, but I ignore it. I know what I need to do. I steel myself for the task ahead, fully aware I’m going to tread dangerous waters. One stop to grab my first aid box, and I’m thrilled.
GIVEAWAY! A Plague of Mercies
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: There is a woman who lives in a building in New York City, on the Upper West Side. A man just a few years older lives in a building across the street. These two people live at the same elevation, the same height, one hundred feet above the pavement, above the crust of the earth. They can see into each other’s apartments. Every night before the woman gets into bed she puts on a threadbare gray shirt. The shirt is long and sleeveless and extends down to her knees. She turns off the ceiling light and then turns on a nightlight near her bed. The light casts an amber glow reminiscent of a campfire. The man in the other apartment wonders if the nightlight is the woman’s response to a fear of the dark, to a threat real or imagined, an antidote of sorts. After she turns on the nightlight she looks briefly through her window. Perhaps she is reflecting on another day passed. Perhaps she is considering the quality of her life, or the quantity that remains. Perhaps she is scanning the dark street for signs of life, for hope in any of its many forms.
GIVEAWAY! If I Asked You to Stay
-- EXCERPT: Johnny’s hand cradled the back of my head as he brought his mouth to my ear. “Every moment we’ve been apart, there hasn’t been a single second when my thoughts weren’t of you. How your blonde strands feel like silk against my fingers. The way your blue eyes remind me of sweet summer days filled with your laughter. And how your cute button nose crinkles when you’re frustrated or thinking too hard about something. But most of all”—his thumb grazed the bottom edge of my lip, tugging it down slightly and I swore an entire field of butterflies flew came to life in my stomach—“I missed these pretty pink lips and how they taste like honey pulled straight from the hive.” I closed my eyes as his hand slid up to cup the side of my cheek and a quiet moan escaped from my lips. When I opened my eyes again, I said, “Coming back to our home made me realize that there is no place I’d rather be because this is where you are, Johnny. I’m not staying for a few more weeks just to see what might come of this thing with my mother’s journal. I’m staying forever to see if I might have a chance of you loving me again.” A raspy chuckle and then, “Darlin’, haven’t you been listening to a word I’ve said? Since the first time I held your hand in the garden behind the orphanage, and probably even before then, every breath in my lungs, every beat in my heart has been for you. I love you, Willow Mae. Nothing has and nothing ever will change that.” And then he kissed me. Slow. Tender. With such agonizing gentleness, it brought tears to my eyes because this was what I had held onto for twelve long years of his absence. The song his heart sang to mine when he was near—and even when he was far, far away.
GIVEAWAY! The Lying Kind
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Chapter One I turn the lock on the door and slump against it, sinking to the old oak floor. My sweaty thighs suction to the hardwood so that every time I shift, my skin peels and springs back, leaving me stinging. The phone falls to my side and clatters on the floor. The noise sounds out of place, snapping my brain awake and forcing me back to awareness. Resting my head in my hands, I attempt to steady my breathing and stop my body from shaking. I close my eyes, trying not to think. It doesn’t work. Through the windows across the room, the moon reflects off the lake like a mirror. There’s an outline of a loon adrift on the water. Its soft, sorrowful cry fills the silence. My dress hangs off the curtain rod, the epitome of femininity, reaching to the floor and billowing in an opulent cloud of white. Hundreds of hand-stitched Swarovski crystals glisten elegantly in the moonlight. Even at this moment, such beauty isn’t lost on me. A bitter taste fills my mouth, like the tip of a tarnished spoon lingering too long on the tongue, sending a dull ache all the way to the pit of my stomach. I’m frozen. The throbbing lump in my throat swells painfully, and I can’t fight it anymore. Tears fall freely, and I sob as quietly as I can into my hands. I gasp, but it sounds like someone else. A disembodied intruder. A lost soul, grieving in such a way that should only be done in private. Vulnerability rolls through the air, thick like fog, permeating my lungs and heaving my stomach. My muscles tense at the thought of their prying eyes and saccharine sympathy. At least I have the refuge of this room. No one will try to find me until morning. I glance at the clock on the dresser, 11:43 PM. I have, at best, seven hours to figure this out. How can I decide what I’m going to do by morning? The simple task of moving from this spot is daunting. My body’s unsteady, and my mind’s foggy from the storm of emotions whirling through me. Shame surges above the rest like a rogue wave. How could this be happening? Now? Why now? My stomach dances, vying for center stage. I dig my nails into my scalp, curling my fingers around fistfuls of hair and tugging. I’m so angry at him but also at myself for how pathetic this devastation is. Resolving to get up from the floor, I stumble to the large four- poster bed. At its foot is a long cream-colored ottoman. It reminds me of a gymnast’s vault. Like I should take a running leap and spring onto the pillows in Olympic form. I slip off my shoes, leave my dress on, and clamber over the ottoman and onto the bed. Wrapping the duvet around me, I shield myself from the world like a child hiding from pretend monsters that aren’t so imaginary anymore. The crystals on my gown wink at me one after another, assuring me that it belongs in a fairytale. Vainly, I wish time stood still for me. Or maybe it could rewind a few hours, to ignorant bliss. Better yet, go back ten years to before Mark. The loon continues his mocking song. In the lull of its calls, the chirping of crickets fills the silence, then its cry rings out again. I’m trying not to be drawn in by the splendor of my dress hanging in wait, fearful of its lure. Its beauty entices, and with it, holds a promise of a life I thought was mine to unfold. Perhaps my life isn’t created by my choices, not mine to shape at all. Instead, it reveals itself to me, and I bow to it. I close my eyes to shut out the dress and all it symbolizes. This promise is broken.
GIVEAWAY! The Sorceress Transcendent
-- EXCERPT: “I was beginning to wonder,” Theira said, cool amusement in her voice, “if you thought that this time for sure you would be able to simply stare me into submission.” It was the sound of her voice after all this time more than even the vision of her alive and well and free and gorgeous that almost undid him. His knees tried to buckle, and Varius caught himself. Theira tracked the movement, and the thorny vines withdrew abruptly. She never missed anything, even if she didn’t speak. How long had he stood at the door like a dumbass? And now she also knew he was at her mercy, that he had no hidden strategy she needed to counter, that she could kill him at any time without worry. A first, for them. Varius might have been ashamed if he hadn’t suspected she was nonplussed. He stared at this sorceress, his once-best enemy, who waited with endless patience for him to get to the godscursed point. He sucked in a breath to greet her politely and make his case, to explain and formally request her forbearance, but what made it out was: “I had nowhere else to go.” The words dropped into the night like a stone in a pool. Theira’s deeply expressive eyes flickered, knowing. Unimaginable, that his life had somehow come to this. But the empire he had given his life and body and soul to had betrayed him—betrayed them all. No one there could protect him or anyone else any longer. Varius had spent almost his whole life at war, and now it was only an enemy he could turn to. Theira held his gaze for a long moment and then said, “You’d better come in.”
GIVEAWAY! Babe in the Woods
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: “Have you ever fallen in love?” He winked at her. “All the time.” She’d have the last word, something she realized was important to her. “I think it’s wrong, all these women you lead on. Don’t you? I mean, they may get attached, fall for you. But you seem to use them, to see what you can get out of them for your own purposes. I think that’s wrong, They’re human beings, after all. With feelings.” He turned around, his eyes drained of any light. “They use me, too. It’s not like they’re not getting anything out of it.” “What am I getting out of this?” she asked him, if not rhetorically. He stood on one hip, a move that made him appear more rakish than usual. “I really don’t know, Miss Todd. I wondered that myself. I thought perhaps you were bored or intrigued. Or maybe you’re a control freak.” He took a step toward her so he was within half an inch of her face. “Or maybe you’re just like the rest and can’t resist me.” Hadley stood her ground. “How do you know when it’s over? The moment when love, or lust, turns into something else. Something not as passionate?” “I don’t think about it,” he said, returning her gaze. “It’s something that happens. Maybe it’s not one moment. It just is.” He turned around and walked out of the room.
GIVEAWAY! Casanova Cowboy
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Her mind filled with thoughts, and scents, and images of this man, of Zack. She welcomed the hungry nature of his kiss and the hard strength of his body, and she wanted more. Without breaking the kiss, she slid her hands down his chisel chest and tugged at the navy material of his T-shirt until it came free from the waistband of his jeans. Greedily, she slipped one hand inside and she groaned at the hard heat that flexed beneath her fingers. Needing to touch him, to see him, Izabel sat back and jerk the rest of his shirt from his jeans. Frantically, she pulled and pushed it upward until Zack lifted his arms and allowed her to haul the shirt over his head. She couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The masculine beauty she’d unveiled sucked it all from her chest as her eyes took in every work-hardened crest and valley of his well-built body. The breadth of his shoulders, the thick layers of muscle that made them and his brawny arms bulge and flex when he moved. The perfect plane of his pecs and the ridges of his belly. Her nails rasped over the dusting of dark, curling hair on his chest, her fingers following its path as it narrowed into a line that disappeared under his jeans. “Izabel?” She looked up, startled by the strangled sound of his voice. His cheeks were flushed as his breath heaved in through parted lips, and his soulful whiskey eyes were hooded and full of passion as he stared back at her. “You are gorgeous, Zack.” He smiled, but when she swiveled and got to her feet, apprehension filled his face. “What are you doing?” Reaching for the closure of her jeans, her mouth curled suggestively as she popped the button and slowly lowered the zipper. Zack’s lips tipped up at the corners and appreciation washed over his expression. Once she’d shed the jeans, Izabel crawled back onto his lap, but straddled his legs this time. “Did you think I was going to leave?” she asked, flicking her nails over his nipples. Her grin grew when he sucked in a breath and his eyelids closed briefly. When they opened, he cupped her butt cheeks in each of his huge hands and drew her against the large bulge in his jeans. “I thought so, yes.” He ducked his head and his lips found her neck. “I thought you might leave me with this,” he said as he lifted his hips and pressed himself against her core. She moaned as he nibbled the tender column of her throat, drawing gasps of pleasure from her. When he found a sensitive spot at the base of her neck, a sharp pang of desire shot through her belly. Lust electrified her, zapping along nerve endings and driving her need for him…for Zack. “What do you want, Izabel?” His voice sounded rough against her skin. “Tell me what you need.” “You, Zack. I need you,” she gasped. “I want to see you. I want to feel your skin on mine. I want you to make love to me. Right now!” She reached for her blouse and quickly unbuttoned the first two buttons, but frustrated with how long it took, she reached down and yanked it over her head. Zack’s passion-filled eyes had followed her movement, but now she sat back and watched as his gaze devoured her. From the disarray of her curly hair to her small breasts and down to the plain white bikini underwear she wore, he soaked it all in as his chest rose with each rapid breath. Slowly, almost reverently, he traced the gentle swell of her breasts above the lace edge of her bra with his fingertips. The touch sent a shiver through her body as need pulsed hot and wet between her thighs. “Oh, God, Zack,” she cried, the ache from his simple touch so acute, she had to grip his shoulders to keep from tumbling to the ground. Her head dropped back onto her neck and she sighed. “What you do to me…” “Tell me, goddess,” he said with a throaty growl as his hands bracketed her face and pulled her in for another soul-melting kiss. “You’ve lit a fire inside me,” she said when he let her up for air. “You give me strength when I feel week. You make me feel strong and beautiful and wanted. You make me want…more.”
GIVEAWAY! #Book Blitz #The Unseelie Wallflower by Elisa Rae #Courts of Conflict 1 #Fantasy @Xpresso Book Tours9/6/2023
The Unseelie’s Wallflower
-- EXCERPT: Greyson Then I noticed her, the singular human. A female, small even for her species, hid among the ferns at the foot of one of the massive pillars supporting the soaring ceiling. Dressed simply, she watched the crowd with wary attention, burrowing deeper into the plants’ accommodating fronds every time a guest wandered near her hiding place. Curious, I meandered that way. Slipping around the far side of the pillar, I settled in the deepest shadows of the plant next to her fern and set my back against the stone. She had chosen a good spot for spying. Most of the foot traffic flowed around this central point, but few of the passersby glanced in our direction. They ignored the greenery placed around the walls and bracketing the windows of my entryway. “Bored with eavesdropping?” she asked. I glanced over at her. Fronds framed her features as her bright eyes scanned the mingling crowd. She hadn’t turned my way, but somehow, I was certain she spoke to me. Assessing our surroundings, I noted no one else stood close enough to overhear or be the object of her query. “Are you speaking to me?” I asked. “Who else?” She flicked a glance over her shoulder. Blue eyes focusing on my face and the softening of her mouth hinted at a smile. “You see me?” Utter surprise brought a great rush of excitement. No one saw me when I wished to be hidden. Not even my own kind could detect my passing. Yet this slender human, magicless and helpless, not only saw me but didn’t hesitate to speak to me. It meant one thing. My breath caught in my chest. She was my soul mate. “Of course, I see you.” Her mouth deepened into a suppressed smile while hidden laughter brightened her eyes. “You are a bit hard to miss.”
GIVEAWAY! The Lake House
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GIVEAWAY! #Book Blitz #Monster Mate (Sanity Falls 2) by Isabel Jordan #Paranormal Romance @Xpresso Book Tours9/6/2023
Monster Mate
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