Finished
-- EXCERPT: There was no point in telling Reese to go faster. He was going as fast as the truck allowed, his hard stare pinned on the dark road ahead, his knuckles white from his tight grip on the wheel. Gray couldn’t take his eyes off the speedometer. Except for when he glanced down at his watch. One minute and twelve seconds had passed since Willow screamed out that the guys were collapsing in the compound. One minute and twelve seconds since Gray’s heart had become firmly lodged in his throat. A million thoughts constantly tried to stab at Gray’s concentration, and he couldn’t afford to let a single one in. The whispers, the questions, the fears—all of them swirled around in his head. I didn’t know there were gonna be so many victims. Darius better fucking live. Did Alicia release the carbon monoxide anyway? How do we get the guys to the hospital? Gray swallowed hard, his knees bouncing restlessly. He was squeezed into the middle seat between Reese and Niko, and it was suffocating. The second they made it back to the old brothel, he was gonna dive out of the truck. He already felt like Niko was in the way and would delay him. Precisely everything had gone sideways. Because Alicia had fucked them over. She’d been working against them from the start. Gray wanted to murder her. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and tried to take a deep breath. Focus. Get to the compound. Find Darius. He had to be okay. He had to. Willow hadn’t been able to see him on any of the cameras she’d hacked into, and apparently there were only three. One in the showroom where they’d hosted auctions, one in the back where victims had been held, and one concealed in the lobby. River was passed out in the back, in the same room where he’d been interrogating Alfred Lange. Dante and Elliott had dropped in the showroom, and-- “G-guys,” Willow stammered. Gray adjusted his earpiece to hear better, past Willow’s panic and heavy breathing. “We have m-movement. Tariq—mask—he’s dragging—” She cut off with a pained whimper that felt like a knife to Gray’s chest. “I-I have to c-call someone.” “Don’t talk,” Gray commanded, barely recognizing his own voice. It came out sharp and dark, reminding him too much of someone with more authority. “We’re almost there. Focus on your breathing, Willow.” She’d already saved them more than once. “Twenty seconds,” Reese said quietly, just as tense as the rest of them. “Gear up.” Gray reached for his gas mask on the dash and strapped it properly around his head. Niko did the same. The rescue unit wasn’t supposed to face any threats whatsoever, so they didn’t have full combat gear, just utility pants, long-sleeved tees, boots, handguns, and a knife or two. “Gray, I understand you’ll run for Darius right away,” Reese said. “Just like I will get my brother out of there first—but there’s no playing favorites after that. We help whoever we find.” That went without saying. Nausea crawled up Gray’s throat as the brothel came into view, but he pushed it down. He pushed everything down, leaving only his training. Darius’s voice in his head was as clear as ever, and Gray clung to it. He needed to hear Dare’s rough yet smooth whiskey voice calling him knucklehead. In that voice, he imagined Darius reminding him that panic did no one any good. Keep your emotions in check. Focus. To Niko’s credit, he opened the door and flew out before Reese had stopped fully behind their other truck, and it catapulted Gray into action. With his heart threatening to pound its way out of his body, he rounded the big truck, ran up to the remains of the brothel, and tore through it. Then down the concrete steps in one of the back rooms and into the compound’s lobby. I’m coming for you, baby. He’d just veered left when he came to a screeching halt in the narrow corridor. Tariq was there, wearing a mask, and dragging a lifeless…someone. Gray peered closer, just a quick glance, and recognized Ryan’s face. “You’re here. Go,” Tariq urged, breathing heavily. “Hurry! Darius is in the kitchen.” Gray didn’t need to be told twice. He left Tariq behind and ran down the hall, grabbing his gun on the way just in case. Through the showroom, where Gray did everything in his power to shut out the images that wanted to assault him. He’d been through too much, and tonight he’d seen too much, too. The bodies strewn all over the floor didn’t bother him in the slightest. Justice had been served. It was the knowledge that young, innocent people had stood before the vile monsters that sickened him. Monsters that put a price tag on someone’s life. “River!” Reese yelled somewhere. “Niko, Dante and Elliott are here!” Gray barked out. He was sure he just saw Dante move, too; maybe he wasn’t out completely. Gray darted through the doorway on the other side of the large room. It was darker back here, and he felt his senses sharpen, his heart beat faster, his pulse going through the roof. Too many doors, too many fucking doors. But one was open, two doors down, and he poked his head in. At the same time as his hand found a light switch, his vision adjusted enough to notice the big form on the floor. “Darius.” He didn’t register flicking on the light or tucking away his gun, only that it was suddenly bright, and he rushed forward to roll Darius onto his back. “Baby, wake up.” He smacked Darius’s cheeks lightly and quickly searched the floor for a gas mask. When he didn’t find one, he removed his own and placed it over Darius’s face. “I’ll get you out of here.” Then he stood up and hitched his arms under Darius’s armpits. You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine, you’ll be fine. Gray gnashed his teeth and dragged Darius out of the room. Or kitchen. Christ, all impressions registered too late. Same with the cuts and scrapes on Darius’s face. Or… Shit. The blood. Darius was losing blood.
GIVEAWAY! Perfect Grump
-- EXCERPT: I’m in the arms of Chicago’s hottest billionaire bad boy. Only, he’s no bad boy, no scandalicious ticket to tabloid-worthy misadventures. He’s morphed into Prince Charming. He’s too well-behaved. I’m scared. “Hey, Nick?” I whisper. “Yeah?” His warm minty scent tickles my nostrils, a rich cologne tinged with a hint of his sweat and heady testosterone. “What’s really going on?” He looks down at me, his head tilted. “What do you mean? Last I checked, you lied about how much you suck at dancing, Reese. Everybody’s watching us and they love it.” Not what I’m getting at. I’m about to ask what I’m really here for tonight and why, because it’s obvious to me there’s more going on here. This doesn’t add up, and it’s not my paranoia speaking. Yes, I’m playing a part—his fake date. I’m here, spinning in this beautiful ballroom, hanging on his arm. I’m not even freaking out as we fade into each other, as he enthralls me a little more with every breath, or when people start aiming their phones at us for pictures. But this isn’t what we’re here for. I’m guessing everyone in this room has an opinion of Nick Brandt, one way or another. We’re not here to impress them. Who, then? What? Why? Before I can ask, the lights go lower. The dancing turns infectious, and we’re surrounded by gently twisting bodies, happy couples glued to each other’s eyes and following his lead. Our lead. A few of those couples wear their desire, their love, full of longing looks and knowing glances and wandering hands. Oh, God. Maybe it’s the atmosphere or maybe it’s his smell, but before I know what I’m doing, I’ve leaned my head on his chest. And then I’m just lost in the moment, his willing captive, too overwhelmed for words when his thick hand caresses my face. His fingers dip under my chin, urging me up to a beautiful doom. It’s in those eyes. They glow like soft green stars, intense and urgent, asking a silent question—or is it a demand? What will you do, Miss Halle? I hear him saying in my head. What will you do if I take that mouth right here? Right now? My toes scrunch up in my shoes. Our movement slows, our eyes lock, our breaths turn heavy. And when his gorgeous face sweeps down, so ready to devour me, I don’t even have a prayer. Our lips collide like they’re opening a portal to another world, hot and wet and wild. He tastes as good as he looks. He deepens his kiss, drinking me in with a muffled groan. He swipes his tongue in my mouth, chasing me, swinging between a litany of teases and filthy, claiming strokes. The nip of teeth against my bottom lip makes me squeak—but holy flipping bossman, I don’t care. All the tension that’s been choking us for months—all the magnetism since the day he truly met me as a woman at that office pizza party—boils up my throat and into my fingers. I’m clinging to him, moaning, soaked and wanting and too stunned for words. He gives back a guttural noise that’s too much like the sound I imagine he’d make inside me.
GIVEAWAY! #Book Blitz #Alien Embrace - A limited Collection of Sci Fi Alien Romances @Xpresso Book Tours21/8/2021
Alien Embrace: A Limited Edition Collection of Sci Fi Alien Romances
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GIVEAWAY! The Billionaire Shifters Club Boxed Set
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GIVEAWAY! Baring Grudge
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: “Who…what are you?” She lowered the pack of explosives to the floor and drew her guns. “I’m your warrior.” A form stepped out of an alcove. Her head tilted back, back, back. He was a huge f**ker. His broad shoulders, narrow hips, thick thighs were clad in muscle-hugging black body armor. One of his arms was shiny and silver in color. His other arm matched the rest of him. Her gaze lifted higher. His hair was the same color as his protective garment. His skin was gray. His eyes were a brilliant blue. There was a letter followed by numbers inked on one of his cheeks. A bone-deep chill engulfed her. The male was a cyborg. He was half human, half machine, had been designed by the Humanoid Alliance to fight their battles. Rumors said the warriors had rebelled against their human manufacturers. Those rumors must not have been f**kin’ true because he was standing in front of her now, guarding the space station for the Humanoid Alliance—a formidable, some would say unbeatable, foe. She’d heard cyborgs were fast. If his size was any indication, he would be strong also. His garments were decorated with an impressive array of weapons, and he would know how to use them. Cyborgs were some of the best warriors in the universe. She was a warrior also. Her heart pounded hard. If she was alone, she’d welcome the confrontation. Death would come for her eventually. The missions she undertook were dangerous. This planet rotation was as good a time to die as any other. But she wasn’t alone. Blast it. Her lips flattened. Jasny was waiting in the freighter, expecting her to return. If she died, the fate of the kid would be decided by the enemy. The Humanoid Alliance didn’t show mercy to anyone. The girl would die also, and that death was unlikely to be quick or painless. Taelyn had seen what the Humanoid Alliance did to their foes. She wouldn’t allow that to happen to the kid. She had to win this upcoming battle. Bracing her booted feet apart, she aimed her guns at her opponent and prepared for the fight of her lifespan. Failure wasn’t an option for her. She had to defeat the cyborg.
GIVEAWAY! The Random Series Boxed Set
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play -- 99¢ for a limited time only! -- EXCERPT: RANDOM ACTS OF HOPE Excerpt: The last thing I expected to see when I walked into the kitchen of this Friday night gig was eight vibrators twitching furiously on the tile floor in various states of orgasm-inducing glory. The giant black dildo with huge, egg-shaped, bulbous balls at the base was winning. A close second, the pink rabbit with the little clit extenders tried to catch up. Next came a two-inch silver bullet, flailing off to the right but occasionally making a giant leap forward. The other four, a ragtag assemblage of peach and brown flesh-colored rubbery plastic, seemed to cluster around the refrigerator as if stoned, lolling about aimlessly after getting their hands on a quarter bag and a limitless supply of nachos. Ah, yes. The famous vibrator races at a sex toy party. I’d heard about this from one of the other bachelorette party strippers, but I’d never actually seen one. Check that off my list. I assumed that would be the biggest surprise tonight as I hovered behind the crowd in my police officer’s costume, ready to “arrest” the bride and handcuff her to my partner Jack, the other stripper, who would then undress and pretend to get teabagged by her. Yeah—I know. It’s pretty programmed, right? But that’s what the maid of honor always asks for. And the customer is always right. Tonight, though, was full of unexpected curves (and I don’t just mean the women). Because when I looked at one of the chicks on all fours, cheering that big old black vibrator to victory, I realized that wasn’t just any woman. That was Charlotte. My ex-girlfriend.
GIVEAWAY! Aloha With Love
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My thoughts: Aloha with Love is a sweet and heartwarming story of Jenna Burke who left her hometown in Hawaii to pursue a career in architecture in California. When Jenna's project for an apartment complex she put so much hard work in designing doesn't get an approval from an arrogant potential investor, Jenna is understandably upset. Then, her self-obsessed long-term boyfriend Darren checks out of their relationship which was going nowhere anyway. But all of this pales in comparison with the sad news she gets from home- her beloved Aunt May had a heart attack and passed away. Jenna goes back home for the memorial and stays there to renovate her Aunt's home. Aunt May even stipulated the local contractor she wanted to help Jenna take care of her old house- Ben Fletcher. Ben isn't just handsome, he pays special attention to the beauty and the soul of the old buildings he restores and Jenna cannot help but appreciate it. Jenna is a sunny, optimistic person, willing to work hard and look at the bright side of things. She needs some time to reflect on her life and what makes her happy. I really liked her Aunt May's saying that sometimes taking a step back is two steps forward. The message is quite simple: open up to the love of people who love you the way you are, not for what they can get from you. The story is told from Jenna's point of view, because this is her journey of self-discovery, but there are also interesting supporting characters e.g. Sara, Jenna's sister and her teenage children. Jenna never realised that while she was a bit of jealous of how close Sara was to their mother, Sara would have loved to spend as much time getting to know their father, something that Jenna who was into DIY did a lot. There's also Jenna's wonderfully supportive boss/mentor Patti who encourages Jenna to stay true to herself. The setting is gorgeous and I loved all the local food descriptions, especially Sara's baking creations. Overall, this was a very quick read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys Hallmark movies and sweet, clean romance. Thank you to Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours, the publisher and the authors for the gifted review copy. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way. A Breath of Sunlight
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Calle gasped and shot up into a sitting position. He clawed at his throat to remove the boot, but instead of finding a rough leather boot, he touched soft, warm skin. “Shh,” Skaja soothed as she touched his hands, his face, his hair. “It was only a bad dream.” Her face finally came into focus in the darkness. Pinched, concerned brows. Pursed lips. Hair falling across her forehead. He shook his head, suddenly aware of the perspiration that clung to his skin. His back ached where he’d been whipped. His throat still burned for air. The slave brand on his forearm rippled with heat. “N-n-no. It w-w-wasn’t a d-d-dream.” “It was,” she said in a soothing tone, and for the first time since they’d met, her eyes were kind and gentle. Her fingers stroked either side of his hair. She was touching him… And not just an uncertain, awkward touch. A compassionate caring lingered in her caress, and he couldn’t help but lean into her hand. She stilled. “Please don’t stop,” he whispered. A pause. But then her fingers continued their exploration. Her light touch skimmed his hair, his eyebrows, his nose, his cheekbones. They hesitantly touched his earlobe before she more daringly traced the shape of his long, pointed ear. His heart slowed into something calmer. Something safer. The fear in his soul settled to the bottom of a clear, placid lake. The pain in his back and throat ebbed. The burn on his forearm died slowly like a waning fever. He breathed in Skaja’s scent of jasmine and cool midnight skies and breathed out a river of calm. She was right. It was only a dream. Yet, it had felt so real. A flash of darkness passed across his mind, and as if he once again found himself in the deep ravine of the Pits, his hands began trembling. Skaja’s gentle touch trailed from his ear, to his shoulder, down his arm, before she clasped his hand. Her touch felt so good. Like a breath of sunlight after being caged in the darkness for so long.
GIVEAWAY! Now I Found You
-- EXCERPT: Back at her apartment, Kate peeled off her clothes and threw them in a corner before crawling into her twin sized bed. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes painting it with lush green trees and soft wood trails. It had been six years since she left, but she could still smell the clean mountain air. She could still feel the leaves slapping against her arms as she and her cross-country team ran through the woods. She could still hear the soft fireflies zipping through the quiet of the night, and taste the fresh raindrops that would fall softly onto her face. And she could still see her little sister, in her bright yellow swimsuit, smiling at her from the shallow end of the lake, her face partially blocked by the blinding glow of the setting sun. Kate remembered the first time her memory of Emily had started to fade a little. It was a little over two years after Emily died. Up until then, every detail of Emily always lingered at the periphery of her brain. She didn’t even need to conjure it up, it was just always there. Every freckle on her face, the sparkle of her bright blue eyes, the softness of her lush blond hair. The smell of the vanilla sugar body splash she wore every day. But then suddenly, on an otherwise ordinary day, Kate woke up and, for a few seconds, Emily’s face was fuzzy. Her memory did not have its usual depth and clarity. Kate had trouble feeling Emily’s silky hair through her fingers. The memories returned in full force a few moments later, but the shock of it had engulfed her like a tidal wave, pulling her down into a deep depression. It was the first time Kate realized that her memories of Emily would not always be as strong and clear as they originally were. That over time memories would take a new form. They would become more like looking back at old photographs or home movies, rather than the very real feeling of Emily standing right there in front of her. Kate reached for the small container on her nightstand and shook out two pills. Every so often, she found that alcohol was not enough to blur her memories and lull her peacefully to sleep. The pills snagged against the back of her throat as she swallowed them dry and waited listlessly for darkness to fall. GIVEAWAY! Tempest
-- EXCERPT: I slide into a slouch and make a happy hum of approval with my next slurp. Resting my head against the window, I close my eyes and listen to the rain pound. The earlier spit has given way to a deluge. This is close to my idea of bliss—coffee, quiet, and the rain. Between the beats against the car’s chassis, something vibrates. A noise so out of place in the lullaby of rainfall that I sit bolt upright. Another buzz, and a shiver spider-walks my spine. I squint in the dark, chest so tight it’s impossible to breathe. A light illuminates the driver’s side compartment. The sound the plastic makes with the third buzz rattles my very bones. I shove my coffee cup into the holder and squeeze my upper half through the gap between the seat and door. Fingers outstretched, I grapple for my father’s cell phone that blurs to life for the fourth time. Once in my hand, I clutch it to my chest and curl into the darkness of the backseat, as if the shadows might somehow protect me. The screen illuminates for the last time. I peek at the number, but it’s listed as unknown. My heart bangs so loud that I’m afraid it will shatter my ribs. There’s no one outside, at least not that I can tell, but that doesn’t mean anything. A car pulls into the space opposite, the garish headlights flood the backseat. I gasp and throw myself onto the floor, pulling Father’s jacket over my head. Each second that ticks by feels like an eternity. My breath comes in quick, startled pants, and I shut my eyes to pray. Not that I’m overly spiritual, but right now I’ll try anything. “Please, please don’t be them,” I mouth, fingernails biting into the plastic of the phone. “Keep my parents inside, please.” The lights die and doors slam. A second later, feminine laughter bounces around the empty lot and heeled shoes clatter past the car. Relief rushes through every vein in my body until I’m limp as a fish. “Thank you,” I whisper and rub a hand down my face. I toss off the jacket and heave up onto the backseat. It takes a full minute before my breathing regulates and I no longer feel my pulse in my ears. All I can do is stare at the phone screen, at the unlisted number, and contemplate what it means. As if in answer, the phone buzzes in my hand again. I almost drop it, ready to nose-dive to the floor, but morbid curiosity keeps me glued to the spot. It’s not a phone number this time, but a text. A simple sentence that reads: You can’t protect her forever, Fred. They’ll come for her. She’ll need us. T.
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