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The Parent Playbook
-- EXCERPT: Before I know it, Scotty’s placing an empty water bottle atop his head, standing with a mock-serious expression, hands by his sides. “All right, Annie Oakley, let’s see what you’ve got.” I hesitate for a split second—am I really about to throw my boot at this man? But the impish spark in his eyes is too much to resist. I slip off my boot, balance it in my hand, and toss it gently. It spins through the air, perfectly knocking the bottle off without so much as grazing his hair. Scotty applauds. “Nice shot! But was it luck or skill?” “I think we’re about to find out.” “Over here!” He runs to the other side of the barn and I’m a few strides behind. He snatches his safety goggles, balancing them on his head, but they’re no match for my aim. I knock them off with a satisfying thud. “Over here!” A feed bucket, an egg basket, and a grooming brush later, I’ve kept my perfect score. “You’re amazing!” he shouts. “Wait, I know …” With a particularly devilish grin, Scotty puts on his cowboy hat. “This one’s for all the marbles, Angel.” “You’re asking a lot of me here. That baby is hugging your head.” “I have confidence in you.” “That’s one of us anyway,” I mumble as I take aim, my heart pounding—not from the game, but from the way he looks at me, like I’m the only woman on earth. “Here goes nothing …” The boot flies true, flicking the hat right off that handsome head. “Yes!” he cries, and next thing I know, I’m heading for him. As if drawn by a magnet, I stumble right into Scotty’s waiting arms. Our bodies crash together, his hands steadying me at my waist, and we laugh, my hands on his chest. We’re face to face, breaths mingling, the laughter filling the barn until it fades out and all that’s left is him and me. His eyes search mine, and there’s so much affection, such tenderness, that something inside me melts on the spot. Kiss me. Kiss me. Kiss me. I bite my lip as my arms gently push on his chest. What am I doing? I have no idea. I can’t tell what I want. I think it’s him, that I want him more than I’ve wanted almost anything, but a force in me presses him back. This is a silly crush. A silly crush on a super handsome, considerate, helpful, gentle, intelligent, muscular man. He lets me go, and I don’t know if he just ruined it or saved us both, but he follows up by setting a box of screws on his head. “How about this? One more for good luck, unless you’re scared of hitting something other than hats.” The spell may be broken, but my heart still races. “It’s a small target, but I’ve been known to hit a gourd with an arrow from thirty yards at Maple Fest.” “Prove it, cowgirl.” Must calm these overwrought nerves. I wind up, ready for the shot … “MOM!” “I WASN’T DOING ANYTHING!” I shout as the boot flies a little too forcefully, my aim a little off. And it smacks Scotty straight in the face. 
GIVEAWAY! --
Royally Matched
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GIVEAWAY! --
The White Wolf’s Wrath
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo --
GIVEAWAY! --
The Discovery of Magic
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble -- EXCERPT: Jaime dodged sideways, almost too late, as a sword slashed at him from his right. It wasn’t like him to be this distracted in a fight, but with his escalating schoolwork, his brothers’ nagging and now Jordan’s revelation, it was a wonder he could pay attention at all. Fortunately, the large boy who had swiped at him stumbled before regaining his footing, allowing Jaime an easy victory. Others wouldn’t be that cumbersome, yet Jaime’s thoughts returned to Jordan and Alice. A small hope remained that the girls wouldn’t turn up, but that was currently being devoured by a monster that had recently taken up residence inside him, writhing in his stomach and filling him with anxiety. Perhaps he could distract Alice or Jordan and delay the situation until he’d figured out what to do. Or maybe he could introduce Jordan to someone else. Then Jaime would have plenty of time to figure out whether he really did have feelings for Alice. Up the hill, blonde hair blowing in the breeze caught his attention. Alice and Emily, with Eliot running ahead. This was no time to be putting all his hope into wishful thinking. He’d just have to tell Jordan he didn’t like the idea. His mind made up, he threw himself back into the melee, finding a new opponent, more skilled and more eager than the last. He lunged, then dodged, spun around his opponent, then lunged again, his sword slashing. Back again, dodging out of reach, then thrusting forwards until the other boy’s tiredness began to show. Enthused, Jaime delivered the final blow, the clang of his sword ringing out above the din of the other combatants. As his adversary yielded, two more rushed Jaime, one from each side, making him regret taking his time with his previous opponent. He couldn’t afford to tire himself out yet, not while several people still fought. Sucking in a quick breath, he swiftly sidestepped, swung his sword around above his head, and cut across the first rival before they could do anything to stop him. At the same time, the other lunged, but he was not quick enough for Jaime. Darting behind the felled boy, Jaime brought his blade round to strike, and with a few well-timed blows, had the second boy on his knees, capitulating. With the rush of victory surging through him, he glanced around for his next opponent. Only Jordan remained, surveying him with a smirk. The expression unsettled Jaime. Although Jordan was more committed to LARPing, Jaime’s fencing skill gave him a strong advantage, and Jordan knew it. Whatever Jordan had planned, he would not be easy to beat. Approaching slowly and purposefully, Jordan let his gaze drift towards Alice. Both girls were watching intently. Even Eliot was quiet and still beside them. Suddenly, Jordan’s smile vanished, and he locked his eyes on Jaime, his intent to impress Alice written all over him. Adrenaline coursed through Jaime, reawakening his tired muscles. The previous fighting had been just for fun, but this was his chance. He could stop Jordan. Beat him for his own good. He’d never ask out Alice then. 
GIVEAWAY! --
Second Chance With a Cowboy
-- EXCERPT: The water did look amazing, and he’d been dying for a swim all afternoon. He shucked off his boots and jeans then let out a whoop as he raced past her, wearing only his black boxer briefs, and splashed into the water. He ducked his head under then came up, shaking the water out of his hair. The temperature was perfect, warm but not hot, and cooler the deeper it went. He lifted his hand and beckoned her toward him. “Come on in. The water’s fine.” “No way. I don’t have a swimsuit.” He offered her one of his best flirty grins. “Never stopped you before.” She shifted from one foot to the other, chewing on her bottom lip. “I know you’re mentally weighing the pros and cons,” he told her. It was what she’d always done. She planted a hand on her hip. “You don’t know me that well.” “Yeah, right. Go ahead. Lay them on me.” She let out a little indignant huff before starting the list. “The biggest pro is that the water looks incredible, and I’m hot and could practically die from wanting to go for a swim.” “Avoiding dying seems like a pretty big pro. What kind of con could possibly challenge that?” “Wellll, the biggest one is that getting in the water means I’d have to take my clothes off.” “Nope. That definitely goes in the pro column for me.” He waggled his eyebrows playfully at her. “Oh, come on. You’ve got nothing I haven’t seen before.” “Oh yes, I have. I have much more now than you’ve seen before. I’m no longer a seventeen-year-old girl with flawless skin and no dimples or cellulite. My body has changed. I am much…” She paused as if struggling to come up with the best descriptive word. “Much curvier now.” “I happen to like your new curves. In fact, the curvier the better I like to say.” “Oh yeah? When do you like to say that?” “Just now. And also, any time there’s a possibility of a gorgeous, curvy woman, stripping naked in front of me.” He offered her another one of his trademark grins—the one that most women couldn’t resist. But most women weren’t Eleanor Gibbs. She was different. “Tell you what,” he said. “How about if I turn my back, and I won’t look while you strip down and wade in.” She twisted her mouth from side-to-side with indecision. “You promise you won’t look?” He held up two fingers. “Scout’s honor.” She arched an eyebrow. “Now I know you’re lyin’. You were never a Boy Scout.” He laughed. “Okay. I promise I won’t look…after your shirt and shorts come off.” She huffed again. “Come on, darlin’,” he drawled. “You gotta give me a little something here.” “No, I don’t.” She tried to keep the annoyed expression on her face but couldn’t hold it as she broke into a laugh. He splashed a small spray of water in her direction then held up three fingers. “All right, you had your chance to do this the easy way. Now, Miss Eleanor Gibbs, you’ve got exactly three seconds to peel those clothes off, or I’m coming out of this lake to do it for you.” Leni narrowed her eyes at him. “You wouldn’t dare.” Oh, he would dare. In fact, he couldn’t wait to dare. Chevy took a step toward her as he called out, “Three!” She let out a shriek as she retreated up the shore, splashing water as she walked backward. His grin widened as he took another menacing step toward her. “Two!” “Okay, you win. Stop counting.” She laughed as she shimmied out of her shorts and tossed them further back onto the bank, then pulled her shirt over her head and pitched it toward the shorts, leaving her in only a black lacy bra and a pair of black bikini panties. She made a circular motion with her hand. “Now, turn around.” He stared, the sight of her half-naked body making his mouth go dry. The last time he’d seen her like this, she was seventeen, and he was a horn-dog teenage boy. Now, she was a full-fledged woman, round and lush, and as his gaze roamed over those curves she’d described, he felt like that love-sick out-of-control teenager again. “Why are you staring at me?” she asked, self-consciously putting her hands up to cover herself. “I can’t help it,” he said, all teasing aside. “You’re just so gorgeous.” A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. “Stop it.” “It’s true.” “You’re just trying to get me to take my bra off in front of you.” He shook his head, trying to keep the sincerity in his voice. “No, it’s true. You’re beautiful.” He couldn’t help the grin that creased his face. “Although, if you do want to take your bra off in front of me…” 
GIVEAWAY! --
Somewhere Along the Way
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GIVEAWAY! --
A Montana Feud
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks -- EXCERPT: August 8, 2020 Buffalo Bill Rodeo North Platte, Nebraska As they pulled into the Nebraskaland Wild West Arena on the north side of North Platte, Rusty and Casey were listening to the audio version of Craig Johnson’s book The Dark Horse. Casey, who was driving, parked the truck. In a suspenseful part of the story, neither one of them wanted to get out. Casey killed the engine, but they sat there slightly embarrassed until, after a few minutes, all the electronics in the pickup shut off automatically. “Dammit, Rusty,” Casey said. “Now you’ve got me addicted to these stories of yours. I guess I could start up again.” “Don’t you dare,” Rusty said. “We’ve only got an hour to get bulldogging on our minds.” He opened the door and got out. Casey followed. A hot wind swirled and ebbed and swirled again. They unloaded the horses. There was a dark cloud to the south. “I don’t like the way this wind is gusting,” Casey said. “I hope it doesn’t mean that thunderhead is coming this way.” “It looks like it’s well south,” Rusty said. “The river is between us and it. There’s probably an air current over the Platte that will push it away from us.” “I hope so,” Casey said. More concerned about his horses than the weather, Rusty tied Apache to the trailer and watched as Casey walked Peanut around in a circle. The horse seemed to be walking without pain, at least not much. Rusty wasn’t sure but thought his strides were an inch or two short compared to his normal gate. “How does that wound look?” “It doesn’t look too bad. The stitches are holding,” Casey answered. “It’s draining a little, but his chest is swelled up a bit.” Rusty shook his head. “The vet said we could ride him as soon as we figured he was ready. I think we need to give him at least a few days off. I don’t want to ask him to run when he’s sore.” Casey said, “He’s been stuck in the trailer all day. Why don’t I lead him around for a while, loosen him up? Maybe find him some water.” “Okay,” Rusty said. “I’ll saddle Apache and go to the rodeo office. I’ll find someone to haze for us. When I get back, I’ll pony Peanut in the arena while I warm up Apache.” Rusty encountered Wesley Martin, a former world champion steer wrestler who hauled a team of ‘dogging horses, outside the office. He was more than happy to haze for them. When Rusty rode into the arena, the announcer said, “Our next cowboy is Rusty Blackstone, the current World Champion. He calls that horse he is riding Apache. Apache might be a little bit on the homely side, you can see that for yourself, but he is one of the top two or three steer wrestling horses in Prorodeo. The last time I saw Rusty was at the rodeo in Minot, North Dakota over the Fourth of July. He was traveling with Casey Jones and Warren Weston. They have all competed at the National Finals. I teased them about coming in like a pack of wolves. I was right. They took nearly all the money.” Rusty had drawn the good steer he had at the Phillipsburg, Kansas rodeo where he’d thrown him in 4.1. Considering the mud at that rodeo, he thought he could be faster on dry ground. Since the steer wasn’t terribly fast, he took a conservative start and threw the animal in 3.7. The announcer introduced Casey Jones as a National Finals Rodeo qualifier. “He travels with Rusty Blackstone who made a spectacular run here minutes ago. He’s riding Rusty’s good horse, Apache. As I mentioned a few minutes ago, he also got a big chunk of the money in Minot last month and is sitting about tenth in the standings right now.” Casey threw his steer in 3.9. “See, what did I tell you?” the announcer crowed after the run. “Only two thirds of the Wolf Pack and they still got a big chunk of the money. Rusty ended up in second place for the rodeo and Casey third. After the rodeo, Casey sat in the trailer looking at the road atlas. He said, “It would have been a lot quicker trip if we could have come here directly from Phillipsburg.” Rusty laughed and answered, “If those rodeo committees had asked me, I’d have gotten them to set up the rodeos so that we could have gone from Sidney to Sikeston to Lawton to Dodge City and then to Phillipsburg and North Platte. I don’t know why they didn’t ask me. Would have saved us a lot of miles. Maybe we could get Ruby to organize them next year.” 
GIVEAWAY! -- #Book Blitz #Splintered Realms by L.A. Myles (Doorways, 1) #Fantasy #New Adult @Xpresso Book Tours25/9/2024
Splintered Realms
-- EXCERPT: A curve in the road revealed hills covered with vineyards. The vines were mid-transformation, changing from their summer green to fall’s stunning array of deep golds and burnt reds. “Now I’m in the vineyards.” Taylen sighed. The road opened out, the trees moving away from the asphalt and stench of exhaust to perch atop hills or slip down their sides. They hovered in sparse clusters among the vineyards, distant reflections of the road-scape she’d just left. “If you keep your pace,” Mom said, her voice warm with delight, “you’ll arrive the same time the brownies are coming out of the oven.” “You made brownies?” “Of course.” Mom laughed. “It’s been two months. You must be going through brownie withdrawal by now.” “How’d you guess?” Taylen grinned. The sun sank toward the hills on her left, coloring the few clouds in the sky with luminescent oranges and reds. Sunsets, like sunrises, were the best parts of the day. They were magical, a time in flux in which one thing merged into the next. She glanced down to switch on her headlights. The glint of sunlight off the chrome trim running along the edge of her windshield caught her eye. “Well—” The line in her ears went dead. “Mom?” Her gaze flicked back up. The lights clicked on first in the dash, then on the tree ahead of her. Tree! She swerved right. More trees blocked her path. She flung the steering wheel left to avoid another, veering between tree after tree while careening through a brightly lit forest. Bushes broke and cracked under and against her car, creating a cacophony of breaking wood and screeching metal. The car bounced and jarred her to either side, the seatbelt catching her with bruising force. Another tree appeared in her path, this one fallen over. She cursed and stomped on the brakes. The car spun left. A jarring thump and a loud bang signaled a back tire blowing out. A branch slammed into her windshield, cracking it. She screamed as another branch shattered her passenger window when the car lurched sideways. A clearing in the trees beckoned ahead of her, then it was behind her, and a sickening weightlessness lifted her off the seat. She had a moment to take in the view. A forest stretched out in all directions from around a large pear-shaped lake, its surface a dark reflective gray sheet. Gravity reclaimed her and her car, and she plunged toward the water below. Her shriek ripped through the air. 
GIVEAWAY! --
Love in Overtime
-- EXCERPT: “Today should be relaxing,” I tell him. “At some point I want to have a meeting to go over a few things. Practices start in a few days, as you know.” “Yes,” he says. “It’s going to be a great event,” I continue. “And the town is so pretty and quaint. Their fall events are popular, they’ve made the place famous.” Cooper makes a face. “I doubt Pine Falls is famous.” “Maple Falls,” I say with a giggle. For some reason he can’t remember the name of the town. He groans. “Crap, you’re right. I don’t know why I keep doing that. You’ll have to keep me on my toes over the next few weeks. The last thing I need is to meet the mayor and call his town by the wrong name.” “Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll definitely keep you on your toes,” I exclaim. “Yes, I can tell,” Cooper replies, the corner of his mouth turns up slightly which unexpectedly makes my stomach do a flip. Ugh. What was that? Thankfully we arrive at the baggage carousel at the perfect moment. I conveniently excuse myself to contact our driver while Cooper waits for his bag. As soon as I’m a safe distance away from him, I let out an exasperated sigh as I call for our car. “Hello.” “Hi, this is Blair Radcliffe. Just confirming our pickup at the airport.” I glance back to where Cooper is standing and meet his gaze almost immediately. I give him a quick wave and point to the phone. “Yes, ma’am. Your driver is on his way—ETA ten minutes.” “Wonderful. Thank you,” I gush. I exhale slowly after I end the call. I’m not sure why I feel so frazzled. I’m usually calm, focused, and professional. Seriously, Blair, get your head in the game. Cooper Montgomery may be attractive, but he’s my client, which means we work together. These next few weeks could make or break my career. The last thing I need is to be swooning over a professional hockey player and his tall, muscular physique. In my defense, it’s kind of hard to ignore. Cooper stands out, and I’m only human. 
GIVEAWAY! -- #Book Blitz #Somebody To Love by Mariah Ankenman (Jackson Family Distillery, 2) @Xpresso Book Tours23/9/2024
Somebody To Love
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- EXCERPT: “Hey, BJ.” “Hey, BJ. You send me a 911 text, took forever to answer your door and all I get is a Hey BJ?” Her brow furrowed. Nose wrinkling. The small, upturned tip rising even higher. “I didn’t take forever.” Felt like it to him. Every damn second had stretched into an eternity as he hauled ass over here. The worst of the worst running through his mind. Placing a hand on the door, he pushed slightly. Penny automatically stepped back, allowing him entrance. Once inside her house, he headed straight for the living room. The sound of the door closing, and her soft footsteps followed him. Normally he’d sit on her couch, make himself at home, maybe turn on the TV. Tonight, he didn’t do any of those things. He stood in the middle of her living room and turned to face her. “Penny, what is going on?” Long, thin fingers tapped against her thigh. “Um…well, you see, the thing is…do you want to sit?” No, he didn’t want to fucking sit. He wanted to know what the hell was wrong with his best friend. Crossing his arms over his chest, he remained where he was. “Right, okay, no sitting. Um, I…kind of need…oh! How rude of me. I haven’t offered you a drink, or are you hungry? I bet you’re hungry. I can make you a sandwich. I got those bread and butter pickles you like and—” “Penny!” The woman was killing him. He reached out, grabbing her wrist in a firm, yet soft grip before she could turn tail and run off to the kitchen. Tugging on her arm, he gently pulled her to him. “I don’t need anything except for you to tell me what’s wrong.” She tucked her chin into her chest, refusing to look him in the eye. “Nothing is wrong.” “Bullshit.” At that, her face rose. He rarely swore around her, but he was done playing or whatever the hell they were doing. Something had been bothering her for days. He knew it, knew her. He’d tried to let it go, allow her to come to him in her own time, but he was tired of waiting. Tired of her almost coming out with it, then retreating into herself. They were friends, dammit, best friends. She didn’t get to hide her problems. Not from him. Not when he could help. “Please.” He brought his hands up, cupping her face, stroking the soft skin in a soothing manner. “Tell me what you need.” “I need your sperm.” His hands fell from her face. Shock dropping his hold. Hazel eyes grew impossibly wide as she blurted out words he’d never imagined coming from her lips. His brain tried to come up with something, anything, but surely, he’d misheard her. Penny couldn’t have possibly asked him for his sperm. Had she? “I…what?” A loud groan left her pink lips. Stepping out of his touch, she brought up her own hands to cover her face. He thought he heard her let out a muffled scream, but he couldn’t be sure of anything his ears were hearing tonight. Dropping her hands, she turned and paced back and forth across the living room floor. “Okay, remember a while ago when we were talking about me wanting to be a mom, but being too socially awkward to attract any kind of decent man—” “You mean you being awesome and the entire male species being too stupid to realize it?” Ableists fucks. He knew a lot of Penny’s relationship woes came from her partners not bothering to understand autism or even trying to learn more about it. She waved away his sentiment, continuing, “Anyway, I was remembering your offer and—” “Wait, wait, what offer?” She stopped pacing and turned to face him. “Remember, we were talking about how adoption wouldn’t work, and you suggested I use, um, some guy’s stuff and then said I could even have yours?” His jaw literally dropped. He would even swear he heard it crack. “Penny…I was…I didn’t mean…I didn’t realize you were serious about it.” She lifted her chin. “Well, I am, and I really want the second set of DNA to come from you.” He’d sampled too much of the latest gin batch and was currently passed out in the office having a wild, booze induced dream. That could be the only explanation for what was currently going on because there was no way he stood here, in the middle of Penny’s apartment, talking about her need for his sperm. Nope. No way in hell. This was all some weird, messed up gin fever, and he’d be paying for it in the morning with a hangover from hell. 
GIVEAWAY! -- |
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