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The Shadow Queen
-- EXCERPT: Gryphons in the Night I snuck up the mountainside as quickly and quietly as I could. The rocks beneath my feet slid, the goats noticed. The ones awake went on alert as I ran towards them, weaving through the coverage. They darted. The sleepy one, though, was slow. Its instincts kicked in, and it ran for open ground away from me. I herded it up the mountainside to the snow in its panic. It floundered in the snow as I stalked it. The goat recognized me as a predator; its bleats became screeches on the wind as I lunged. With the goat’s neck in my jaws, the screeches I heard grew louder, to an unbearable volume. I snapped the goat’s neck as a roar erupted around me, and the screech kept going. They did not belong to the goat. I pulled my prey free from the snow and ran with it down the mountain to a boulder I had seen earlier. A shadow crossed over me as a gryphon collided with Ares; both creatures were engulfed in Ares’s cloud of flame. Training in the woods, watching Aiden and Ares tussle, did nothing to prepare me for the violence I now witnessed. The goat carcass slowed me down, but we needed the food, and I knew I needed to get out of Ares’ way. I’d only be a distraction on the ground. A second shadow passed over me, more screeches echoed through the mountain. I reached the boulder and dropped the damned goat in the shadow of the large stone before peeking back around the rock. There in the fading light, Ares fought in his dragon form, swooping and diving between two gryphons. Their lion bodies were dark, like their avian heads and wings, a silhouette against the darkening sky. Their beaks were sharp and screeching, yet Ares didn’t hesitate or run. He maneuvered around them as if it was all a choreographed dance; to him, maybe it was. The ribbon of light from the protective barrier grew brighter in the growing darkness. A rake of Ares’ claws along the gryphon rendered its wings useless. As it fell from the sky, its cries rattled the mountains. It was disorienting enough that Ares did not focus back on the other gryphon until it was too late. As if time had stopped, I watched, frozen, as the gryphon launched itself at Ares’ back and ripped his wings to shreds in the same fashion Ares had done to his companion. Ares’s roar of anguish struck a chord deep in my soul. Still in my wolf form, I scrambled to the top of the boulder, and I launched myself into the air. 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:
Wrath
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: “Well, my friend,” Gray continued. “If you want to make money, I guarantee you, you’ve come to the right place. Lawson, Hughsman, and Gray can make you a lot of money.” He emphasized “a lot” and gave me a knowing look. “With money comes power. With power comes perks.” He gestured toward a long table with pretty much any kind of quality drug or liquor a man could want. There were Cuban cigars, Legacy rum, some kind of expensive absinthe, and, of course, heroin, cocaine, and various other mind-altering substances. As if that whole line had been a setup, a door opened just beyond the well-stocked table and several very beautiful, very sophisticated women entered. “See what I mean?” Gray looked positively gleeful, actually rubbing his hands together as he eyed each woman like a kid in a candy store. “Yours to enjoy, Vincent. Take your pick. There’s nothing they won’t do. Live out your nastiest fantasies with as many of them as you like for as long as you like.” He clapped my shoulder. “These are just a very few of the perks you can enjoy as one of us.” Normally, I’d have smiled politely and passed, but one woman caught my eye in a huge way. She was ethereal in her beauty. Long, platinum-blonde hair, flawlessly pale skin. She’d dressed in red, naturally. Some skimpy little number I couldn’t even register. All I saw was the woman. Short and slight, she had rounded hips but was very slender. Her legs were perfectly formed. Just the right amount of muscle to grip a man tight during sex. She looked out of place among the other women. It wasn’t something I could put my finger on, but she just didn’t fit. Nervous. She looked nervous. Where the other women smiled and sought out a partner, this girl seemed unsure of herself. She smiled politely when she had to, but she didn’t have that shark-like quality the others did. If she was looking for the wealthiest man of the bunch — and when did an escort not do that? — she wasn’t doing a good job. In fact, she seemed to avoid eye contact whenever she could. Lord knew more than one of the men in the room tried to get her attention. She was easily the most beautiful woman in that room. Instead, she wandered around, looking at the artwork on the walls. She avoided the table with the alcohol and drugs. My very first thought the second I could see her from head to toe was that if I fucked her the way I wanted, I might break her delicate frame. My next thought was, “I can be gentle.” It was a Goddamned lie, but I told myself that anyway. “Ahh, I see one of them has caught your eye? Which one?” I glanced at Gray, standing next to me. He leaned forward in anticipation. Did he have his eye on the little blonde, too? “Where do you get these girls?” I knew, of course, but I wanted to hear what he had to say. He shrugged. “Most are from a high-end escort service out of Miami. One or two are local, I think. All of them were vetted and screened medically. All disease-free and with an IUD, verified by our physician.” I gulped down the rest of the scotch in the lowball glass I held. Without saying anything else to Gray, I approached the young woman before anyone else had a chance. “Come with me.” I wasn’t big on words and, really, if she was a paid escort there was no need for them. Her eyes widened, and there was the slightest quiver to her bottom lip before she lowered her eyes and ducked her head slightly. Hmm… A little more demure than I’d like, but I could work with it. I took her hand, and I’ll be Goddamned if she didn’t tremble. My gaze snapped to hers. “You OK?” I was a bastard, and I wanted this girl, but the farther away we got from the other women with their cloying perfumes and the more her unique clean, fresh scent wrapped itself around me, the more she wrapped herself around my insides. It was like discovering a new life form. I was eager, excited, and just plain in awe of her. She looked like a fuckin’ angel. “Of course,” she said softly. “Where are we going?” “To be alone,” I said gruffly, my grip on her hand tightening. 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by: #Blog Tour #Book Review of Life's What You Make It by Sian O'Gorman @rararesources @BoldwoodBooks22/7/2021
 Thank you to Rachel from Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to participate in the blog tour for Life's What You Make It, a new novel by Sian O'Gorman. Dreams can come true, you just have to believe... All new from Irish bestselling author Sian O'Gorman 'Utterly irresistible and joyful - The Perfect Summer Read!' - bestselling author, Faith Hogan After 10 years in London, working in a stressful City firm, Liv O’Neill returns home to Sandycove, a picturesque seaside village, just outside Dublin to care for her mother after a fall. Whilst Liv reconnects with friends and family, she is amazed by Sandycove’s thriving community spirit with its artisan shops, delis and cafes - it’s not quite the place she left behind. As village life begins to creep under her skin, Liv is forced to confront the things that drove her away. Can Liv balance her past, present and future and find her own happy place? And will a handsome young doctor help her make a decision about the life she really wants? Suddenly her old life in London begins to seem extremely unappealing and Liv is forced to use her family’s past in order to forge a brand new future. Purchase Link  My thoughts: This was my first book by Sian O'Gorman and I immediately fell in love with her writing style, the setting of a small villige at the seaside near Dublin and all the lovely, quirky, big-hearted characters Sian O'Gorman created in her Life's What You Make It. Olivia O'Neill is working in London as a PA of a highly-strung, overdemanding financial genius with a drink problem. She's been doing it for ten years and cannot imagine going back to the tiny village where she was born and raised by her mum. Then suddenly her boss is sent to a rehab clinic and Liv gets an unexpected five week holiday to go back to Ireland and help out her mum who's had an injury. Liv's flatmate and best friend Roberto keeps telling her that she needs to find what makes her really happy and make her life the life she deserves, but up to now overworked Liv's never had that much time to reassess these things. Once she is back home, she is amazed how easy it is to step back into her lovely, close-knit community and how right it feels to finally allow herself do what she likes, wear things that she likes, and care for people around her. There's a mystery of her own family to uncover, there are a few adorable pets, village gossip to catch up on, the best friend to help, a festival to organise, possibly an old business to revive, and ...a handsome man to make her heart beat faster. Liv may have lost the sight of her own unique personality and her own dreams, but here she gets a second chance at living the best life possible and finally becoming happy. Liv's a very likeable protagonist. She is sweet and considerate (despite feeling guilty for living too far away from her mum to be able to see and help her often enough. Loved her friends Roberto and Bronagh-so different and so much fun to read about. There is a whole cast of wonderful secondary characters that make you feel welcome in their village. There are also a few bad apples that create the tension and drama, but there is a great sense of confidence that whatever life throws at you, you are not helpless, you can choose how to deal with it.  Author Bio – Sian O’Gorman was born in Galway and now lives just along the coast from Dublin. She works as a radio producer alongside writing contemporary women’s fiction inspired by friend and family relationships. Social Media Links Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/msogorman Twitter : https://www.twitter.com/msogorman Newsletter Sign Up Link https://bit.ly/SianOGormannewsletter Bookbub: www.bookbub.com/authors/sian-o-gorman  Thank you for reading the post! 
Flash Point
-- EXCERPT: Chapter One The staked witch burst into flames. Mina swore and jumped clear of the blaze. By the powers, she’d lit the wrong target with her elemental magic. Again. At least it’d only been a mannequin. The camera above the door blinked a steady red, a judgment of her failure. Her boss could be watching right now. Or worse—her sisters. Embarrassment sent hot tingles across her skin, and her pulse thudded louder in her ears than the massive fan above. Why couldn’t she control her powers? If this had been one of her video games, she’d wield her magic with precision worthy of a stupendous title. Something inspiring. Something enviable. Something that would make her, Mina Donovan, legendary. Second spare to the heir of a ruling witch family? Yeah, not so much. Reality sucked in every supernatural way. Or at least it had these last few weeks. Her actual targets—giant cotton balls tacked to a wall across the room—mocked her with their bright white while the mannequin and its formerly Mean-Girls-esque you-can’t-sit-with-us designer threads burned like a tiki torch. “You missed.” Of course her district attorney sister picked that moment to walk into the room. Delia was everything Mina wasn’t—accomplished, distinguished, polished. Never mind how her sister’s blue-eyed, blonde-haired dressed-to-the-elevens flawlessness compared to her own frizzy-curled, height-deprived, rolled-out-of-bed look. “Unless you’re practicing to light one of us up like a witchy sparkler?” “Hardly.” Being recruited to a secret FBI task force right after college had seemed cool. But it should’ve come with a neon warning: “All loved ones may be collateral damage.” Last night, her oldest sister and baby niece had almost died. Not her fault entirely, but that didn’t ease her guilt. Or help her get a grip on her powers. The now flaming mannequin was proof of that. “What happened to safety cones and boring bulls-eyes for training? Whose idea was it to put humanish targets in here anyway?” “The boss’s. A13 wanted to test your aim so you won’t torch us out in the field. After this little demonstration, I’ll be sure to stay out of the line of—” “Don’t say it.” Mina jabbed the button for the secondary exhaust system to blast out her know-it-all sister’s opinions as much as smoke. If she’d heard one bad fire joke, she’d heard them all from her snarky sisters. The roar of the combined fans wasn’t enough to shut Delia up. “Good thing this place is retrofitted for magical elements training. One wrong spark in LA, and the whole city burns.” Not the reminder Mina needed right now. She changed the subject. “Who decided on the witch hat and the giant demon dummy?” Red-sequined horns sparkled in the light from the fire. “My fiancé has a sick sense of humor. You started that little inferno. You going to put it out?” “Yes.” She hoped. But when she pulsed a thread of magic toward the mannequin, the flames shot higher than its pointed hat. “Did you mean to make the fire worse?” “Yep.” Delia’s yeah-right look was a speed dial straight to Mina’s self-doubt. If the place had been made of anything but concrete, the fire would’ve raced across the room taking everything out. As it was, black circles spread in a messy scrawl on the ceiling. Mina closed her eyes. The orange glow burned behind her lids, a flashing pyrotechnics show that didn’t help her maxed-out stress levels. With a deep breath, she imagined darkness where there was light. When she dared a peek, the fire was gone. Thank the powers. “Quick work.” Delia sounded almost impressed. “Maybe we should race sometime.” “Right, except if you’d used your air element, we’d both be unconscious. Me from oxygen deprivation and you from magic drain.” Petty, but true. Delia’s powers would have her blonde butt on the floor within seconds—the price of her whirlwind-slinging element. Then the designer diva would be pissed off that she’d gotten soot on her suit. The tornado-tosser looked anything but amused. “Okay, super witch.” Which sounded like a not-so-subtle reference to another word ending in –itch. This was big sister bossiness at its worst. “Care to hit any of the real targets now? I thought you’d been working on this during your training sessions.” “Don’t you have something better to do? Like making out with your fiancé? Since that’s all I see you doing these days when you’re training.” Mina wiggled her fingers in air quotes with the last word. “Jealous?” “Nope.” She totally was. Legacy daughters—those witches born to rule the witch Senate—were traditionally forced into arranged matches for powerful bloodlines and big bank accounts. But not her sisters. No. They’d each risen above that to find true freaking love. “So why don’t you get back to your guy instead of interrupting me?” “Don’t be such a brat. I was just checking on you.” Because Mina was the screw-up baby sister. Not as bad as their brother, but he’d set the bar low. As in conspiring with the Revelare, a demon-led organization looking to overthrow the witch Senate—that kind of low. “I can do this by myself.”
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:
A Dangerous Man
-- EXCERPT: So I’d never killed anyone, and it hadn’t been part of the deal. The mark had chosen me. I was stuck. Time to make lemonade out of lemons, and get the fuck out of here. I led him up to the hotel room, and took a deep breath. I can do this. I glanced over my shoulder. “This is my room,” I said breathlessly. “Well, mine and Lara’s, but she won’t be back for a while.” I added a little giggle at the end. That was good, right? I made the mistake of looking at him, and the smile slipped right off my face. God, the way he was looking at me. His dark grey eyes were completely focused on me, as if the hallway, the world around us, didn’t exist. He stared at me like I was some sort of combination of chocolate and wine, and he’d been denied both for a long damn time. That gaze spoke of things; of taking his time, of consuming me slowly, of making me feel him everywhere, from my head to my toes. A frisson rippled over me. His thumb rubbed my hand. “Open the door.” For a second I forgot to breathe, and then my other hand was on the doorknob, turning it and letting us inside. He followed me in, closing the door behind him with his foot. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me to him. Then he wrapped his fingers around my chin, and lifted my face to his. Oh, shit. Then he was kissing me. Kissing me like he would consume me from the inside out. Heat poured through me, pooled in my belly, and then burned lower. He brushed my nipple with his thumb, and I gasped as heat struck my core. Fuck. They hadn’t said anything about him knowing how to kiss. About me wanting him. But they wouldn’t, would they? He was supposed to go for the blonde. I growled. Fuck the blonde. This mark was mine. He laughed softly. “Have I got your attention now?” “What do you mean?” I asked. His hand trailed down my side. “I got the feeling there was something going on between you and your friend. A bet, perhaps? See who’s first to get a vampire up to the room?” I blinked. Close the fuck enough. I let a shy smile come over my face. “You got us. It was a bet.” “And you weren’t expecting to win?” I shook my head. “Why?” His hand cupped my face, sending sparks down me. “You’re beautiful, and so much more interesting than she is.” He thought I was interesting? “Because –” I bit my lip, stopping myself from telling him that he was supposed to like blondes. God, what was wrong with me? I never slipped like this. It must have been the alcohol, or the heat. “– because we both know I’m not.” I took a step back, slipping away from his touch. “Don’t we, John?” Too late, I realized my tone had changed with that last part. He gave me a sharp glance, telling me he’d caught my fuckup. He’d seen that hint of my true self. But it wasn’t my fault. We’d gone off-script, and in those situations I always tended to sound more like me. “Drop the act.” He pierced me with his gaze. “I don’t want to see the girl you pretend to be around your friend.” “Then who do you want to see?” I asked. My voice was breathy; so much closer to the person I was pretending to be that it was a relief. It sounded like I wanted him. Which was the goal, right? To get him in bed and stake him? Except I was turned on by him. The arousal spreading through me felt like a low-grade fever. It was fucking with my head. “You,” he replied. He reached out and skated his fingers down my neck, making me shiver. “The girl who just growled at me.” Fuck.
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:
The Fake Prince Jake
-- EXCERPT: A short time later there I was, sitting opposite sexy barista guy in the small, empty restaurant wondering how exactly I was going to open this conversation. Thankfully, the waiter kicked things off. “Would you like to order?” “Yes please.” Without even looking at the menus the waiter offered I said to Jace, “Can I recommend the Caesar salad? It’s very good.” “That sounds great.” “We’ll have two of those, thanks.” The waiter left and I took a deep breath. “So… thanks for agreeing to come to lunch,” was the safe yet successful start to my pitch. So far, so good. “I gotta admit, I wasn’t expecting it. To be honest, most days I didn’t think you even noticed me. I never imagined you’d ask me out on a date.” “Oh! Ah…” I didn’t have time to let him down easy, so I cut to the chase. “Sorry, but this isn’t a date.” He gave me a confused smirk and his dimple appeared. “I thought you asked me out to lunch. And now we’re sitting here… in a restaurant… just ordered lunch. Am I missing something?” “Perhaps I should have made myself a little clearer. You see, Jason…” “Jace.” “You see, Jace. The thing is, I’m here to discuss a job offer with you.” “You want me to work at one of your events?” “Yes. In a way.” He shrugged casually and said, “Sure. I’m always looking for a little extra cash. Do you need me to make coffees or work as a waiter? Wow, imagine working for the Royal Family. What an adventure that’d be!” As he spoke, I saw the smile spread across his face and the faraway gleam in his eye. For a fleeting moment I was envious of this handsome traveller. He was a man who saw mountains and oceans in his dreams, while all I saw were run sheets and production schedules. But envy was replaced by the notion that Jace was exactly the person we needed right now. Someone who loved the thought of adventure. “Actually, I don’t need you to make coffee or wait tables. But trust me, I’m willing to pay you above and beyond what you’re earning now.” “Oh!” Jace said, a realisation dawning on his face. “Hell, I’m up for anything. Although to be honest, you could have had me for free… you’re an attractive guy and if I told you my heart didn’t skip a beat when you asked me out for lunch I’d be lying. So, if that’s what you’re offering, I sure as hell won’t say no.” He’d lost me. “Say no to what?” “Sex. You wanna pay me to have sex with you, right?” I gasped so hard I began to splutter. “No! Oh God, no! There is strictly no sex involved here.” “That’s kinda disappointing. Do you need a glass of water? Waiter! Can we please get some water over here?” The waiter came over with a pitcher of water and two glasses. As the waiter left, I drained a glass and my coughing settled. “So that’s a ‘no’ to sex?” Jace asked, rather amused. I nodded. “Forgive me, I’m normally quite good at pitching ideas but I dare say I’ve done a dreadful job of this one. Do you mind if we start over? I’m a little flustered.” “You’re cute when you’re flustered.” “I am?” I gulped more water and tried to ignore the stirring in my loins. ‘Cute’ was not a word people normally used to describe me, what with my boring brown eyes and my boring brown hair combed neatly in a nerdish and rather boring part to the left. People called me ‘capable,’ People called me ‘reliable.’ People called me ‘organised.’ But ‘cute’? “You heard me. Cute.” He smiled, and there was that dimple again. For God’s sake, if he wanted to be shown the real definition of ‘cute,’ all he needed was a mirror. “But let’s not get you even more flustered than you already are. Tell me about this strictly-no-sex job offer of yours.” I cleared my throat. “As you know, Audrey and I work in events for the Royal Family. We organise charity events, the opening of a library, the extension of a hospital wing, things like that. At each event, someone from the Royal Family does the honours of marking the occasion, they cut a ribbon, they say some words of encouragement, shake a few hands, collect a couple of bouquets of flowers and that’s pretty much it.” “I think you’re selling yourself short. I’ve seen how stressed you get, I think your job is a bigger deal than you’re making out.” “Thank you. Yes, it can be stressful. Like the assignment we have right now.” “What is it?” “Let me try to be as succinct as possible for you. In a nutshell, there’s a tiny kingdom in Eastern Europe called Zsnovania ruled by a king named Zorg. We need to return a royal sceptre that once belonged to Zsnovania. More specifically, the King has requested Prince Jacob of Nottingham to present him the sceptre in person, as something of an apology from England and the Royal Family. There’s just one catch. We need to fly to Zsnovania tomorrow and Prince Jake, as he’s known— among other things— has gone missing with little to no hope of finding him in time.” “Wow. That does sound stressful. But what’s it got to do with me?” “Here’s the kicker,” I said, sitting forward. “With a haircut and a shave, you’re a dead ringer for the Prince of Nottingham.” “I am?” “You are.” Jace pondered this a moment, then suddenly the pennies dropped like a jackpot into the coin tray of a slot machine. “Oh my God! You want me to go to Zsnovania with you.” “You do have a passport, don’t you?” “Yes, but the name on it says Jason Daniels. There’s no Prince in front of it.” “Leave all that to me. So long as you’ve got a passport, I can get you out of the country. We don’t need you to dress up as Prince Jake till we get to Zsnovania. Once we’re there, fingers crossed nobody will know the difference.” “Fingers crossed?” “And toes of course.” “Is this how you run all your events?” “Oh, bloody hell no. I’m normally very professional. This particular assignment’s a little different though. Apparently, it’s my traineeship in thinking outside the square.” I let my crazy plan sink in a little more as Jace sat there pondering for a moment longer. Eventually he said, “So let me get this right. I look like the Prince of Nottingham.” “Yes.” “The same Prince of Nottingham who needs to be in Eastern Europe tomorrow but has gone missing.” “That’s correct.” “So, you want me… to pretend to be him.” “Bingo!” “You’re putting your job in my hands when you don’t even know me?” “You’re the spitting image of the Prince. That’s all I need to know. And to be perfectly honest, without you I won’t have a job anyway.” His eyes narrowed. “How much are you offering?” “Five-thousand pounds. That should be enough to fund your stay in London for a while.” He nodded approvingly at the offer and I could see I almost had him across the line until his brow creased with suspicion. “Wait a minute… I’m not gonna wake up in a bathtub full of ice and a note that says one of my kidneys is missing, am I?” I thought about all the stories of Zsnovania and King Zorg I’d heard so far. “Truthfully… I can’t guarantee that won’t happen. But if it does, I promise it won’t be my doing.” Jace grinned. “That’s good enough for me. Oliver, you’ve got yourself a prince.” He reached across the table and shaking my hand he added, “This is gonna be one hell of an adventure.” I took a deep breath. “That’s what I’m afraid of.” “Wait a second,” he suddenly thought aloud. “I’ve got an American accent. I don’t know how to speak English.” “You’re speaking English now.” “You know what I mean. I don’t have a British accent. How can I pull that off? I’m not an actor.” “Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I’ve got that covered too… I hope.” 
GIVEAWAY! Hosted by:
Honeybees & Sexy Tees
-- EXCERPT: I had dreamed of kissing my best friend for as long as I could remember. Now, here I was in the middle of the most romantic place in Plentiful, his lips pressed to mine and my heart pounding in my chest. Who was this man? Why was he kissing me? How had I missed how much he’d changed over the last year? Was my Mattie finely going to rise up and take control? I sighed again. Mattie was kissing me. Finally, my soul was connected with what it had needed for twenty years. Its mate. His lips left mine slowly, and I waited. I waited to open my eyes and find out all of this was a dream. Instead, I opened them to the lake blue of his. I dropped my arms from around his neck and brought one hand to my lips in a haze of shock and lust. “Why—why did you do that?” My voice shook from the array of emotions coursing through me. I was drowning in the love that swelled inside my heart for this man. I couldn’t catch my breath, and I wasn’t sure I ever would again. He ran his thumb over my lips with tenderness and wonder. “Because I’ve been pretending that I haven’t wanted to for years.” “And now you’re done pretending?” I was unsure of myself when I spoke, and I didn’t want to say too much before letting him explain. “No,” he said with a dazed head shake. “Now I had to know if I was crazy.” “You had to kiss me to know if you were crazy?” The thrumming of my heart paused in my chest while I waited for his answer. His gaze darted away from mine while he put his thoughts together. The expression on his face and the stiffness of his spine told me he was looking for the right way to describe what he was feeling. “I guess curiosity is a better word.” Anger filled me and overpowered the love I’d found just moments ago. I pushed myself up off the bench with purpose. “I’m thrilled to have appeased your curiosity then.” My voice and body shook from the soul-shattering pain of betrayal. “Don’t mistake me for one of your playthings, Mathias Jørgensen. You don’t get to use me to relieve an itch or as a gauge of how well you’re doing in the morality department.” He opened his mouth, but I held up my hand. “I can’t, Mathias. No, you know what? You can’t. You can’t do this to me when you know how I feel about you. It’s not fair,” I whispered right before I disappeared into the trees, tears on my face and my life with him over. I almost collapsed to one knee at the thought. Tears fell down my cheeks, and I wiped them away as I plowed on into a new life. I didn’t know where I was going to go or what I was going to do, but I did know it would no longer be with him. I might need someone to watch over me but allowing Mathias to be that someone was no longer possible. Not after that kiss. It was more than I’d ever dreamed it could be, and now the memory of it would break my heart over and over for the rest of my days.
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Outlaw
-- EXCERPT: She hadn’t been raised with a pack and I didn’t have a grasp on how the human world operated as a society or what standards were imposed, but they couldn’t have been good if this young girl was already viewing her body in a negative light. I imbued my statement with conviction, needing her to understand she was perfect just the way she is, “You are beautiful, Morgan. Unique. Brave. Radiant.” Quick to deny any form of a compliment, she laughed once, dry of any amusement as she shook her head lightly in my hand, “I have no curves. I’m flat as a board and no guy even looks my way. I’ll never find a mate.” Dropping my hand from her chin, I glanced at Tian and saw his eyes were closed and his breathing steady, hopefully truly asleep. Dropping onto the ground with my legs crossed in front of me, I gestured for Morgan to do the same. Thankfully she did, complying without any backtalk. Reclining back with my hands on the ground, I looked up and took in the fir trees surrounding us. “Tell me what you see when you look at the trees.” “Uhm…” She trailed off in confusion. “Don’t overthink it. Just tell me the first thought that comes to mind.” “Well, they all just look like pretty fir trees. I don’t know what else to say.” A soft smile tilted the corner of my lips up as I glanced back down at her. “You don’t see that some are taller or shorter than others? That some are thicker with more branches and some are just beginning to come into their true form, many years later after the seed turned into a tree?” She groaned and facepalmed, “Are you really comparing me to a tree right now?” Her exasperation made me chuckle before I answered. “It’s a valid comparison. We are not all built the same, although we all have human forms, they vary in shapes and sizes, just like these trees do. But when you looked at these trees, you didn’t see all of those dissimilarities. You saw them for what they were–pretty trees. We are our own worst critics.” Her face morphed from slight annoyance to a thoughtful one, and I took it as a good sign as I continued on. “Some people may prefer one tree shape or size to another, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I promise you that when you find your mate, you’re going to be the exact tree he prefers.” You really committed to that tree metaphor. Well, it’s all I could come up with on the spot, okay? Don’t judge me. Lux’s snarky comments made me huff out a breath of air. I hadn’t had much of an opportunity in life to learn how to have girl friends. Sofia and I hadn’t had the opportunity to truly explore the budding friendship, so I knew I was somewhat helpless when it came to understanding other women. Morgan felt like a little sister to me already. Both of our parents were dead and she only had one person in her life– Pop. I had only truly had Milo as a friend growing up. No parental figure after Maya passed. I have struggled with so many things throughout my life, but self doubt was the biggest, and I didn’t want that for Morgan. I’m sure Pop did the best he could with raising her, but he would never truly understand a woman’s mind and the struggles we go through when trying to fit into whatever society deems to be perfect. For me it had been hating myself for being a human in a pack full of wolves, feeling like I would always be less. To her, there were obviously some ridiculous notions of what a woman has to look like in this human society. Her gaze once more was glued to the ground as she inquired, “Why is it so hard being a girl? I feel so many emotions and I don’t always know how to handle them. I have no one to talk to about it. It’s just Pop and I.” Scrunching my nose up, I responded, “It is hard. But I think it is easier when you have strong women around you to remind you of your worth. Like earlier when you told me you believed in me– that meant more to me than I can describe. So, I’ll always be here to remind you how incredible you are, little wolf. You have me now.” She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth but not before I saw it quiver a bit. A few tears rolled down her cheek and my heart hurt, seeing her struggling with whatever emotions were rolling through her mind. Sitting up, I tugged on her arm until she was sitting in my lap as I cradled her to me. Her arms went around my neck as she cried, “I miss my mom. She would have loved you.” The burning sensation that told me my own tears weren’t far behind pricked at my eyes. “I miss my mom too,” I whispered. 
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Ranger
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Changeling Press -- EXCERPT: “Why did I let you talk me into this?” I asked. Scott grinned. “You’ll like it. First time a bull stomps some poor cowboy, you’ll be just as into it as the rest of the crowd.” “Your idea of entertainment is fucked up.” He ignored me and led us farther through the crowd. We ended up on bleachers halfway up, which gave us a decent view of the arena. I should have told him to fuck off and gone to a bar. Instead, I’d let him talk me into going to a rodeo. In my cut and motorcycle boots, I stuck out like a sore thumb. Scott had on his cowboy boots and a cowboy hat, which made sense seeing as how he worked on a horse farm outside Atlanta. My cowboy days were over. Long over. “We just have to make it through the bronc riders and barrel racers before the bulls come out,” Scott said. “Some of the barrel racers are good eye candy, though. A few of them compete all over the country.” Why did it not surprise me he’d be checking out the women, even the ones in the rodeo? The ladies had always loved Scott. Back when I’d served with him in the Army, I’d seen him walk out of a bar with two or three women hanging off him. I’d been leery of being with random women, unless I used a condom I’d brought with me. Even then, nothing was foolproof. “Next up is Danica Adler on Windstorm,” the announcer said. “Oh, this will be good.” Scott rubbed his hands on his thighs. “She’s one of the favorites.” “Why?” I asked. “Her dad is a champion rodeo rider. Last I heard, he was like you… a biker. They live down someplace in Alabama. Both his kids are following in his footsteps. Danica runs barrels and his son rides bulls. They’re both damn good too.” I focused on the arena when a horse shot out of the gate. The slim rider on his back clung to him as he raced around the barrels. I couldn’t see much of her, except long honey-colored hair and curves that made my mouth water. When she finished her run, the announcer whooped with excitement. “She did good?” I asked Scott. I might have lived around horses most of my life, but I’d never really cared about going to a rodeo. I damn sure hadn’t had a reason to watch anyone run barrels. “Hell yeah! I bet she wins tonight.” He smiled and nudged me with his shoulder. “Told you this would be fun.” Beast had sent me to Atlanta for a drop-off, so I’d thought I’d hang at a bar tonight before heading home. Nope. I’d decided to look up my old buddy Scott, and he’d nixed that idea almost immediately, so here I was at a rodeo. A rodeo. Although, I had to admit, watching Danica had been pretty exciting, even if it had ended quickly. I spotted Danica making her way through the crowd. The smile on her face made my heart slam against my ribs. Fuck but she was pretty. Not gorgeous, but a sweet girl-next-door type. She just happened to be exactly the sort of woman I went for. Knowing she was a biker’s daughter, and from Alabama, made me think she was most likely Cowboy’s daughter and therefore the property of the Dixie Reapers. Which meant she was hands-off. Didn’t stop me from wanting her. One night of fun was one thing, but forever? I knew if I put my hands on her, one of two things would happen. Either her daddy would demand I claim her, or he’d make sure no one ever found my body. Hell, he’d probably string me up for even looking at her the way I was right now. If he was like the others, and like Beast, then I had no doubt he was overprotective of his daughter. Scott jammed his elbow into my ribs. “Don’t stare too hard. You know damn well her dad would have your balls.” Right. I scanned the crowd, wondering if there might be a willing woman, and soon realized they were all about the cowboys and boots and wouldn’t want a damn thing to do with a biker. I may have grown up on a horse farm in Middle Tennessee, but those days were a thing of the past. I hadn’t been on a horse in years and didn’t plan to start now. Why the fuck did I let Scott talk me into shit like this? It wasn’t the first time I’d listened to him instead of doing what I’d originally planned, and it always came back to bite me in the ass in one way or another. “You owe me,” I said. “Oh, please. You may not be able to touch, but you can’t tell me Danica won’t be in your spank bank for a long while. The girl has legs for days, even if she is on the petite side. I’m not blind. I can appreciate all she has to offer. Doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to try and go there.” “I had plans for tonight. None of which included going to bed alone, so thanks for nothing.” Scott sighed. “We’ll hit up a bar on the way back to the motel. You can find some easy pussy.” “Like you plan on abstaining?” I asked. He shrugged and looked off in the direction Danica had just disappeared. I narrowed my eyes at him and had the sudden urge to beat the shit out of Scott. Did he have a thing for the Reaper’s daughter? I hadn’t even spoken to her, and yet part of me wanted to blind any fucker who dared look her way. Scott included. What the fuck was wrong with me? I definitely needed to get laid and put Danica out of my mind. No fucking way I’d ever be able to go there. Scott was right about one thing, though. She’d be starring in my fantasies for a long while. 
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Aggie the Horrible vs. Max The Pompous Ass
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