Book Spotlight/ Seal of My Heart

SEAL of my Heart - Tour Banner

 

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – SEAL of My Heart
SERIES – SEAL Brotherhood #7
AUTHOR – Sharon Hamilton
GENRE – Military romance, romantic suspense
PUBLICATION DATE – July 10, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – Full length novel
PUBLISHER – create space
COVER ARTIST – Kendra Egert

 

SEAL of my Heart - Book Cover

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Kate Morgan is engaged to the most eligible bachelor in Sonoma County, the son of a wealthy wine family in Healdsburg, California. On a flight to visit her sister in Portland she is seated next to a young hard-bodied elite soldier who ignites her insides in a strange attraction she cannot deny.

Navy SEAL Tyler Gray plans to spend a weekend home before deploying to North Africa with the rest of his SEAL Team 3. But the conversation with Kate has him rethinking his future.

The encounter has both of them feeling fate has stepped into their lives and altered their course. Unable to just say goodbye as lovers, they agree to carry on a correspondence. Kate becomes the girl Tyler wants to come home to while she is pressured by her family to reconsider her broken marriage plans.

Family secrets are revealed from the past regarding a young Marine and Kate’s mother which brings both heartache and a sense of clarity as old loves are unearthed. From the grave, a Marine’s love letters from the past affect the new love between Kate and Tyler in the present. And when Kate’s life is endangered, will Tyler be the man to save her without sacrificing his own?

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE CAAMAZON KINDLE UK

AMAZON PAPERBACKAUDIBLEGOODREADSSHELFARI

 

EXCERPT

Kate waited on the front porch of Gretchen’s home, watching the waterway below and listening to the sounds of late afternoon boat traffic. The constant commercial noise and the way the river meandered on its way out to the ocean was comforting. Life was in order and would go on as planned, even though her life felt, after this morning’s plane ride and adventure at the donut shop, chaotic.

Gretchen waved as she maneuvered her car up the steep driveway along the side of her house. Kate heard car doors slam and the voices of Gretchen’s three girls. The back door bang and she heard the patter of little feet racing towards the front door. Angela, the youngest, barely four years old, struggled to open the heavy wooden door of the large two-story bungalow. Her face was streaked with smudged Indian war paint.

“Auntie Kate!!” the little one squealed as she ran to her and embraced Kate’s knees. Clover and Rebecca, Angela’s two older sisters, hovered in the doorway, waiting for the hug fest to end. Clover appeared to have grown nearly a foot, and resembled her handsome basketball player father.

“What’s the matter with you guys? Clover, Rebecca, get over here,” Kate commanded. In two long steps, Clover had traversed the distance between them and bowed her head, giving Kate a tentative hug. The girl was nearly Kate’s height. Rebecca pushed Angela out of the way and took her place at Kate’s knees.

Gretchen appeared next and walked over to complete the group hug.

“Sorry about the mix-up. Angela’s preschool had an event I forgot about.” She turned to her daughter. “Angie, you need to wash that face now. Part of your war paint is already somewhere in my car or in the house or—” she checked Kate’s pants to be sure she hadn’t been slimed. “Oh good, you’re unscathed.”

Kate shared a grin with her sister. Despite curly hair that went everywhere—something she’d inherited from their father—her lack of makeup, and the ripped jeans/fluffy sweatshirt ensemble, Gretchen looked happy. Happier than she’d appeared in years.

“Looking good, Gretchen. You have your spark back,” Kate said.

The comment didn’t get past Clover. “Mom’s got a new boyfriend,” she said around her braces.

Good for you, Gretchen. “Ah, so that’s what it is.” Kate examined Clover for evidence the new man was a problem for her. It had been a very public divorce after her dad, the awesome professional basketball player, had been outed doing shots and disco dancing with a coed about half his age. Up until his indiscretion, if it could be called that, he’d been the golden boy of the family. She was proud that her sister refused his attempts at reconciliation and only accepted a minimal amount of child support, even though he had at least a seven-figure income. Gretchen had told her she wanted him to feel as useless to their lives as she had felt when she saw the newspaper photos of him, bare-chested, dirty dancing with the blonde.

“Come on in. We have so much to catch up on,” Gretchen said, wrapping her arms around her girls, who lovingly hugged her back. Kate was glad to see again that her sister had the family she’d always wanted, even without the guy. In fact, she was a bit envious of her sister’s happiness.

“Let’s get Aunt Kate’s bags up to the room,” Gretchen said, and immediately the bevy of girls took everything and preceded Kate up the carpeted stairway to the top floor.

They had moved her into Clover’s room. A poster of Justin Bieber was prominently displayed on the wall, along with some posters of her dad in a Trailblazers jersey. Kate noticed a number of ribbons and small trophies. “Way to go, Clover!” she said to her niece as she pointed at them.

Clover stared at the ground and shrugged, embarrassed.

“She plays basketball, but loves volleyball even more,” her mom said.

Before she could stop herself, Kate blurted out, “Thank God.” The girls snickered and her sister handed her back a smirk.

Kate felt the need to explain. “I was just thinking she’s her own woman. Not to be following along in her dad’s—” She realized her slip and began to shake her head, angry with herself.

“Kate, best to stop digging now you’ve gotten that hole started.”

“I’m sorry, Clover,” Kate said.

“It happens,” she said with a shrug “I’m used to it.” Her voice wavered and Kate could see she’d hurt her feelings. She put her arm around the lanky preteen. “You’re nothing like your dad in all the wrong ways, and everything like him in all the right ones.”

And that seemed to make things okay.

 

SEAL - Author Photo

 

AUTHOR BIO

Sharon’s award-winning almost-erotic Navy SEAL stories of the SEAL Brotherhood, have consistently made best sellers lists and review sites. Her characters follow a spicy road to redemption through passion and true love. Her SEAL Brotherhood Series continues with books 5, 6 and 7 all releasing this year, as well as audio versions currently completed for the first four of the series. She has been an Amazon top 100 author in Romantic Suspense since last fall.

Her Golden Vampires of Tuscany are not like any vamps you’ve read before, since they don’t have to go to ground and can walk around in the full light of the sun. Honeymoon Bite, Book 1 of the Golden Vampires of Tuscany Series was recently named the #1 Gothic Romance by Amazon. It is now available on Audible.

Her Guardian Angels struggle with the human charges they are sent to save, often escaping their vanilla world of Heaven for the brief human one. You won’t find any of these beings in any Sunday school class.

She lives in Sonoma County, California with her husband, and two Dobermans. A lifelong organic gardener, when she’s not writing, she’s getting vera vera dirty in the mud, or wandering Farmer’s Markets looking for new Heirloom varieties of vegetables and flowers..

 

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS:

WebsiteBlogFacebookTwitterGoodreadsShelfariGoogle+Amazon Author Page

 

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

 

Accidental SEAL

Accidental SEAL - Book 1

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

Fallen SEAL Legacy

Fallen SEAL Legacy - Book 2

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

SEAL Under Covers

SEAL Under Covers - Book 3

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

SEAL The Deal

SEAL The Deal - Book 4

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

Cruisin’ For A SEAL

Crusin For A SEAL - Book 5

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

SEAL My Destiny

SEAL My Destiny - Book 6

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

Grand Prize – Gift Basket with a set of books (1-5) and Swag
One – $50 Amazon Giftcard

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Tour Organized By:
myfamilyheartbutton

Book Blast/ Second Song Cowboy

Second Song - Tour Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Second Song Cowboy
SERIES – Second Chance
AUTHOR – Rhonda Lee Carver
GENRE – Western Romance
PUBLICATION DATE – May 30, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 157 pages
PUBLISHER – self-pub
COVER ARTIST – Samantha Holt

 

Second Song - Book Cover

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

April Swift and Dante Brooke were a couple as teenagers. They’d spent a summer falling in love, exploring one another, connecting stars…until April took off to follow her dreams as a country music singer.

Fifteen years later…

Dante shows up at April’s dressing room and she is lost in sky-blue eyes, again. A hello between old friends turns into a passionate reunion and both discover feelings they’d left behind. But April has a music career, and Dante has a ranch to run.

Two months later…

Home is where the heart is, but April doubted she’d find the welcoming committee on the doorstep, especially after she informed Dante that she was pregnant.

Dante has a reputation as a bad-boy. He wouldn’t deny the truth. He’d lived on the edge most of his life, but when he hears he’s going to be a daddy, his priorities flip-flop. He’d never stopped loving April and his only goal is to win her heart for a second time. However, his charming smile and sweet talk don’t work like they did before. Now, he’ll have to prove himself. Can he become the cowboy April needs?

When things start to spiral out of control, April realizes she must make a decision—to follow love or her career.

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE USBARNES & NOBLES NOOKSMASHWORDSGOODREADS

 

EXCERPT

(R rated)

The house was quiet and April paced the floor. She played her guitar, attempted to write a new song…but she didn’t get very far.
Several times, she peeked through the window, hoping to catch a glance of Dante coming out of the garage.
Ten minutes passed, then thirty, until she could no longer ignore the raw need burning in her loins.
With one thought on her mind, she made her way to the garage, determined and free of doubt. Dante’s jeaned backside was the only thing she could see when she approached. “Dante?”
He jerked, hitting his head on the hood as he showed his face. He rubbed his scalp. “I’m almost there. I’ll need to get you some new plugs—”
“Dante?”
His brows curved. “You okay?”
“I want you,” she said without inhibition.
He dropped the tool. “April, I’m not sure—”
She reached for the hem of her shirt and dragged it off. Her nipples bunched and his jaw clicked. She’d gotten his undivided attention. Next, she slid off her shorts and thong, and relished in the concentration that swept across his features.
“You’re going to be the death of me.” In three quick strides, he was across the cement and standing in front of her. She dropped her gaze to the bulge behind his fly. “I’m dirty.” He held up his hands and turned them, showing her his fingers covered in grease.
“But this isn’t.” She hooked her fingers into his belt and unlatched the buckle. Slipping her fingers past the leather, she undid the zipper and tugged his jeans down his legs. His erection had grown above the waist of his boxers. “These must go.” She dragged the material down to his knees. “I want to taste you.”
“Won’t hear any complaints from me.”

 

Second Song - Author Photo

 

AUTHOR BIO

At an early, Rhonda fell in love with romance novels, knowing one day she’d write her own love story. Life took a short detour, but when the story ideas would no longer be contained, she decided to dive in and write. Her first rough draft was on a dirty napkin she found buried in her car. Eventually, she ran out of napkins. With baby on one hip and laptop on the other, she made a dream into reality—one word at a time.

Her specialty is men who love to get their hands dirty and women who are smart, strong and flawed. She loves writing about the everyday hero.

When Rhonda isn’t crafting sizzling manuscripts, you will find her busy editing novels, blogging, juggling kids and animals (too many to name), dreaming of a beach house and keeping romance alive. Oh, and drinking lots of coffee.

 

FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGEWEBSITEBLOGFACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+

 

Other Books In The Second Chance Series

 

Second Chance Cowboy

Second Chance Cowboy - Book 1

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

Second Ride Cowboy

Second Ride Cowboy - Book 2

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

Second Round Cowboy

Second Round Cowboy - Book 3

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

Second Dance Cowboy

Second Dance Cowboy - Book 4

Buy Your Copy Here – Amazon.com

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

One Paperback Copy of Second Ride Cowboy (Book 2) (U.S. Only)
Three Ebook copies Second Song Cowboys
One Ebook copy of Second Burn Cowboy (Book 6, Second Chance) Releasing July 2014
Autographed bookmarks (U.S. Only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Tour Organized By:
myfamilyheartbutton

Book Spotlight w/ Excerpt/ Sexy Siesta Series

Sexysiesta

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Book #1 – His By Sunrise
TITLE – Book #2 – Tequila Sunset
SERIES – Sexy Siesta
AUTHOR – Talina Perkins
GENRE – contemporary erotic romance, military
PUBLICATION DATE
His by Sunrise, April 2nd, 2014
Tequila Sunset, June 24th, 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words)
His By Sunrise – 15,000 word count
Tequila Sunset – 22,000 word count
PUBLISHER – Indie Published
COVER ARTIST – Bookin’ It Designs

 

His by Sunrise Tequila Sunset

 

BOOK BLURB / SYNOPSIS

His By Sunrise, Book #1:

Forbidden Love Has Never Been So Tempting. . .

Isabella Marie thinks putting Blake in her rearview mirror will save them both from certain heartache. But when the sudden death of Blake’s father brings the Marine home before she can make her escape, Isabella is forced to acknowledge leaving Blake isn’t something she’s ready to do.

Honor bound by a promise to keep his hands off his best friend’s sister, Captain Blake Mitchell can look but never touch the only woman that lights his world on fire. Blake’s desires burn hotter than ever, but will he be able to throw away his late best friend’s trust to capture Isabella’s heart? If this mission fails, he’ll be stripped of the only woman he can ever love.

Tequila Sunset, Book #2:

What happens in Cabos stays in Cabos…

Lieutenant Gabriel Daniels is through waiting. Celebrating the wedding of his best friend, he’s determined to win the heart of one stubborn sexy Latina. He’s ready to throw down until she sees things his way. But when danger arises and threatens to take her away from him, he’ll stop at nothing to secure her safety first. Even if it means going toe to toe with a Mexican drug lord to prove the power of his love.

No one understands heartache like Esmeralda Vega. Losing her father to war and her mother to alcoholism, Esmeralda doesn’t believe in opening her heart to love. Left alone to raise her sister and carry on the family business, Esmeralda is faced with losing everything if she doesn’t find an investor, and soon. When opportunity knocks, she answers, unwittingly opening negotiations with a wanted drug lord. A night of drinks and celebrating quickly turns deadly, forcing her to accept more than she bargained for.
Can Gabriel rescue Esmeralda from the clutches of evil and convince her a US Marine is just right for her in only one night?

SOUNDTRACKS

HIS BY SUNRISE:
>> Holding Onto Heaven (Nickelback)
>> Gotta Get Me Some (Nickelback)
>> Drunk On You (Luke Bryan)
>> Crash My Party (Luke Bryan)
>> Losing My Mind (Daughtry)
>> Lovin’ You Is Fun (Easton Corbin)
>> Complicated (Avril Lavingne)
>>Wish You Were Here (Avril Lavingne)

 

Sexy Siesta - Teaser 3

TEQUILA SUNSET
>>Set It On Fire (My Darkest Days)
>>Move Your Body (My Darkest Days)
>>Moviendo Caderas ( Daddy Yankee)
>> El Amante- The Lover (Daddy Yankee ft. J Alvarez )
>>Talk Dirty (Jason Derulo)
>> Bailando-Dancing (Enrique Iglesias)

 

Sexy Siesta - Teaser 1

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

Links for His By Sunrise – Only $.99

AMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE UKBARNES & NOBLES NOOK

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKSITUNESGOODREADSSHELFARIKOBO

Links for Tequila Sunset – Reduced Price of $1.99 for limited time

AMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE UK – BARNES & NOBLES NOOK

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKSITUNESGOODREADSSHELFARI – KOBO

 

EXCERPT

HIS BY SUNRISE EXCERPT FOR ADULTS:

Strong arms slowly embraced her from behind. She tried to pull away, but if she wanted to be honest with herself—it just felt right. This moment. This man. His light aftershave enveloped her like a balm to her wounds. She leaned back and let out a sigh. Just make the ache go away.
“Do you remember what I said to you the day we first met?” His words played in the hair against her neck while he settled his hand on her stomach. Chills tickled down the length of her spine in anticipation of the pleasure his tone promised.
She nodded. “That when you close your eyes at night all you’ll see are my emerald eyes looking at you.” Her voice cracked on the last note. He ran his fingers up and down her arms while the one on her stomach pulled her snug against him.
His touch was light, but the fire from the simple contact infused her skin and set her libido ablaze. Her heart softened a fraction more for the man and the power his touch held over her.
As she spoke, he gently turned her around to face him. “And I meant it, sweetheart. Doesn’t matter if you decide to walk out that door. I’ll never forget the way you look at me. The way you have touched my soul. We might come at this from different angles, but there’s no denying what we feel for each other. Not any longer.”
“Seems love should be easier than this, don’t you think?
“Nothing is ever easy, love. I let your brother down once. Before tonight, I saw the promise I made as my penance.” He pulled her closer. “All that changed today when I thought I’d lose you forever. This,” he squeezed her just a little harder, “is all about you and me now.”
She liked that.
She turned. A wicked grin tilted his lips. She loved to see him smile. Especially this night. It had been so long since even the faintest hint of a smile had lit his eyes as it did now. Which brought everything back to center stage. What now?
Her head screamed at her to step back across the threshold and run like hell. Her heart pushed her deeper into the warmth his words and arms offered.
“Bella, look at me.” The lazy heat in his voice called to her. She licked her parched lips that burned with questions, yet she was so desperate for his lips to caress hers instead.
Their gazes connected, and she had all the answers she needed. He lowered his head slowly, but she wanted more. Faster. Harder.
Isabella threw her arms around him and leaped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist in one smooth motion. His hands landed firmly on her ass, pulling her closer. In a single stride he pinned her flush against the wall. Pictures clattered to the floor with only a small rug to break the fall.
She broke their kiss and received a deep growl and a nip to her lip. She slid her tongue along the tender flesh and watched in awe as his gaze followed her every move. Like he couldn’t get enough of her. Her heart beat against her ribcage, threatening to burst with the love that filled her.
“Take me, Blake. Not for just a night, but for now, and as long as you’ll love me. I’ll take it.” She felt vulnerable, unsure what to do now that she’d set it all out there. So she let her body react for her.
“Baby, this isn’t a one night kinda thing.” His hands worked around her waist as he lowered her feet to the floor. “I am still waiting on an answer.”
Solid muscle slid between her legs, opening her up to his touch. Electricity shot through her on contact. Her clit responded first with a pulse of heat that stole her breath away then gave way to delicious shocks that rocked her from head to toe.
“Do you want to come for me, Isabella?”

Sexy Siesta - Teaser 4

 

TEQUILA SUNSET EXCERPT FOR ADULTS:

Ema eased out of Gabriel’s arms to face him. That same seductive tone she was powerless to resist washed over her like rich, dark chocolate, leaving her heart thundering. Hot liquid pooled in the crotch of her panties. “Like this?” She slid the buttons of her top out of their hold again and slipped the material first off one shoulder then the next before losing the material altogether.
She cupped her breasts, letting her nipples slip between her fingers. A groan rattled deep within Gabe’s throat, giving her the courage to continue.
“Let me see them.” He moved into her space to peel her hands away. If he kept looking at her with such fervor, she’d be lost.
“God, I’ve missed you. I’ve dreamed about having you again. Just like this.”
“You’ve dreamed of me, Gabriel?” His gaze simmered with a deeper passion than she’d seen before. From his kneeling position looking up at her, Ema saw the full force of the fire set deep in his eyes. The blaze burned hotter with each encounter, pulling her closer to the warmth he offered.
“You know I have, precious. The proof is right here.” He guided her hand to stroke the ridge of his cock through his pants. Impressive in every way.
With his forefingers and thumb, Gabe pinched both her nipples, forcing a moan from her. “I’m going to suck those delicate berries into my mouth and make you come for me. First, I want to see the rest of you.”
He skimmed his fingers along her sensitive sides then worked his way toward the front clasp of her skirt. Shudders of anticipation raked through her. With the slightest touch, he had her wanting more than she could ever have. A family. A man to love her body and soul. She had to stop, pull back on her runaway emotions constantly edging her closer to him.
In a flick, he released the final barrier. “Baby, I need you. We’re both in danger of me combusting right now if I don’t get you wrapped around my length soon.”
Dios, he was going to be the death of her. She shouldn’t be here, but he looked at her with such intensity, as if she was his soul reason for breathing, and there was no way she could resist his allure much longer.
What they had went much deeper than just lust and want. For both of them. And it scared her to the core.

 

 

Sexy Siesta - Teaser 2

 

Talina Perkins_PH

 

AUTHOR BIO

Talina writes across multiple genres that include erotic romance, spicy military romance, and paranormal romance. Within her worlds you’ll find steamy fast paced plots with unique characters filled with passion and grit. From sheriffs to military men to shape shifters and vampires, there is no hot blooded hero she doesn’t love to write-and read-about.

Stay connected with Talina on any or all her social sites. She loves to chat with readers so don’t be shy! You can also find her on Bookin’ It Reviews or visit her website where you’ll find free book themed wallpapers, character info, excerpts and more!

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGEWEBSITE / BLOGFACEBOOKTWITTER

GOOGLE+PINTERESTGOODREADSSHELFARI

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

2 Kindle or Nook ebook copies of His By Sunrise
2 Kindle or Nook ebook Copies of Tequila Sunset

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Tour Organized By

myfamilyheartbutton

Book Blitz/ Two Week Seduction

Two Week Seduction - Tour Banner

 

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – Two Week Seduction
AUTHOR – Kathy Lyons (aka: Jade Lee)
GENRE – Fun, Hot Contemporary Romance
RELEASE DATE – 6/30
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 188
PUBLISHER – Brazen
COVER ARTIST – Hot Damn Designs

Two Week Seduction - Book Cover

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

She’s going to break all of his rules…

Tech Sergeant John O’Donnell was never fond of his hometown. Too many reminders of poverty, his rocky family life, and the girl he was never allowed to have. Now he has exactly two weeks to sort out his mother’s finances before he heads back overseas. Two weeks that he’s determined to spend as far from his best friend’s little sister as possible.

Alea Heling has a naughty streak a mile wide. Sweet and simple? Boring. She’s been craving a bad boy like John since their wild days together in high school, and this time, she’s not taking no for an answer. But with every panty-meltingly hot encounter, Alea forgets one hard, cold reality—this soldier won’t let a fortnight turn into forever…and forever might be exactly what they both need.

 

BUY & TBR LINKS

AMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE CAAMAZON KINDLE UK
BARNES & NOBLES NOOKGOODREADS SHELFARI

 

2 Week Seduction - Teaser 2

 

EXCERPT

“Thank you for your help,” he said. His voice was rusty, but clear enough.
She gasped in mock shock. “He speaks! Five words and it wasn’t rude!”
Against his will, his lips twitched. She always could make him smile when he least wanted to.
She leaned forward, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Let’s try something else. I know it’s dangerous—I mean, your head might explode or something—but I say we risk it. Give me a compliment.”

“Fishing?” he drawled.

She tsked. “That wasn’t a compliment. You’re supposed to say something nice. About me.”

He didn’t answer. Mostly because he was thinking of all the things he wanted to say. That her skin looked soft and her eyes were a changeable hazel that always kept him guessing. That her tits were round and full, just begging to be nipped. That she was small compared to his 6’3″ frame, but she had legs long enough to wrap around his waist as he buried himself inside her. And that red hair, a bright red flash of color on her perfect body, was a scream of danger he lusted after.

While those thoughts spun through his mind, her expression soured. With a sigh, she grabbed his empty beer bottle and held it before his eyes. “Say something nice to me and I’ll get you another beer.”

She shook the bottle a little to grab his attention. It didn’t work. He was too busy watching how the breeze pressed her blouse flat against her chest. Her bra had lace, which meant texture, and he wondered what sound she’d make if he tugged it back and forth against her nipples.

“John–-”
“That’s a nice b-blouse.” Damn it, he’d almost said bra.
Her mouth flattened with a sigh. “I thought you’d like it.”
Alea leaned forward as she pushed to her feet. A curl of brown hair tumbled forward, pushing past the tiny gold hoop in her ear to dangle right before him. Without thinking, he grabbed the lock, winding it around his fingers. It wasn’t even long enough to pull into his fist. But it was close enough to hold her still. Her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth—those plump, pink lips—formed a perfect O.

God, he’d been gone so long. And she was so much of a woman now.
“John?”
He wanted to say something, but he hadn’t the words. Just a thick want. He took a breath, trying to clear his head, but all he tasted on the air was her. A citrus scent, so appropriate to Florida and so missed when he was in Afghanistan. But there was another scent on top. The taste of woman, hot and spicy despite her demure yellow shirt.

He should let her go, but his fingers just wouldn’t cooperate. He tightened his hold. And when her hair started to slip through his grip, he pushed forward in his chair. He deserved one taste. He sacrificed so his country would be safe. One kiss was nothing when stacked up against that.

But if he was going to take her mouth—and he damn sure was—then he was going to take something else too…

 

2 Week Seduction - Teaser 1

 

AUTHOR BIO

KATHY LYONS writes light, funny, sexy stories for Harlequin Blaze. She loves the faster pace of category books and that her humor can shine through.

She leaves the dark, tortured love stories to her alter ego, Jade Lee.

Visit them both on the web at www.kathylyons.com orwww.jadeleeauthor.com!

 

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGEWEBSITEBLOGFACEBOOK
TWITTERPINTERESTGOODREADS

 

 

Tour Organized By:
myfamilyheartbutton

Cover Reveal/ Forgiveness

Forgiveness - Happy Anniversary

AUTHOR A.J. BEST IS CELEBRATING THE 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY FOR THE RELEASE OF HER BOOK FORGIVENESS WITH A COVER REVEAL CHECK OUT THE BOOK – THEN HEAD OVER AND GET YOUR COPY TODAY 🙂

Cover Reveal Tour Banner

Title – Forgiveness
Author – AJ Best
Genre – Erotica
Publication Date – 6/28/14
Length (Pages/# Words) – 6,000
Publisher – Secret Cravings Publishing
Cover Artist – Dawne Domonique

Couple

 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Mary is prepared for the anniversary of a lifetime. Ten years of wonderful memories fill her mind. She can’t wait to see what the next ten will bring. When her plans for early morning seduction fail, her mind jumps to worst case scenarios.

Joe’s attention, focused elsewhere, may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Will he be able to come up with a good reason for forgetting their anniversary?

As the day continues, will the answers Mary finds leave her in tears? Will she find the next ten years dreams shattered before her? Only Joe holds the answers to the questions her heart asks.

Amazon Kindle LinkBarnes & Nobles Nook LinkGoodreads LinkShelfari Link

Forgiveness - 2 Years

 

EXCERPT

It seemed more and more lately that no matter how hard she tried, he looked right through her. It was infuriating and heart breaking. She’d had enough heartbreak during the past year to last her a lifetime. Her mother had been sick battling cancer all last year. Unfortunately she’d lost the battle. She’d made sure to pass on information to Mary while on her deathbed though.

Something Mary had never seen coming. She was adopted. Her world felt as if she had lost all control.

The adoption information that her mother had left with her will quickly found its way into the trash. Why would she want to find someone who didn’t want her? She had enough instances of that in her own home. She did wonder, after a year, if she had reacted too rashly. You never know when you’ll need family, and if she met her biological mother maybe she could figure out who she was, inside and out.

Mary plopped herself on the bed and let out a huge rush of air. There was no way Joe hadn’t noticed her outfit. She had bought it specifically for their ten-year anniversary night.

She remembered how she had anxiously awaited this evening and decided that she would make it perfect no matter how she was feeling. Every year on this day, they left the house at four twenty five and drove to the lake where he had romantically declared his undying love and proposed to her. He always hired a horse drawn carriage. The prancing steed would take them from the lake to a lovely candlelit dinner for two. After having one too many glasses of wine and a wonderful meal, they would enjoy a leisurely stroll to the theater. Wicked was currently playing on Broadway, and she couldn’t wait to hear the music that made her soul dance and her heart soar. Re-reading the book several times had her excited, and she knew the night would be perfect.

Then reality reared its ugly head.

Carefully she unlaced her corset and tossed the silky white thong in the corner; it still held the dampness from her unquenched desire.

“I can’t believe I wasted my time and effort on this. Sometimes my husband is such a jerk,” when she took a look around it dawned on her that she was talking to herself. Another deep breath and swish of hair and she mused, “I guess its okay to talk to myself as long as I don’t answer back, huh CC?”

She slipped her silk robe on quickly and snatched the cat from his slumberous repose. He squirmed to free himself but Mary kissed his little nose first. “Don’t be like your daddy, at least notice I’m here.” She placed the cat gently on the bed and started her morning ritual. Getting ready for work was the last thing she was interested in.

 

Forgiveness - Author Photo

 

AUTHOR BIO

Writing books has been a long time in coming for me. When I was younger, my father and I lived in a town where a kid could run the streets all ‘willy nilly’. When I was old enough to babysit myself I was off and running. To where you may ask, the library. At the time the library was in an old shop on a street in town. The children’s books were in the back room and that was where I spent my days. I was never without an adventure in my hands, and I never failed to finish the summer reading program with books to spare.
My love for reading didn’t stop there. My mother is an avid reader and she acquired most of her books from a exchange shop. You would purchase your books there, and return them for partial credit and get more. One night I was left with a bag of to be returned books. It was a Piers Anthony book, Night Mare to be exact. I devoured that book and any other that he has written. I currently am the proud owner of at least 70 of his books. I’m working toward getting them all, I wish he’d quit writing so quickly.

The writing bug caught me when my 12th grade English teacher wanted to use MY essay to show the class. He put it on projector film and everything. I was so excited. The assignment was to pick a month and write about it. Of course, being the child that I was I had to be difficult about it. The rest of the class chose June, July, April and went on and on about how lovely and warm and all of the fun things you can do. Mine was about December. I still remember the first line (and may have the transparency somewhere in my mess); December spreads her snow-filled wings and covers our world in cold despair.

From that paper on, you couldn’t stop me from writing. I found a few poems I had typed on an actual manual typewriter, and became a poet. I had a recurring nightmare, I wrote it down. I dreamed a dream and if I could remember it (which is harder now that I am older) I wrote that too.

In 2003 I started my first full blown manuscript. I still only have four chapters completed, but I swear I will finish it someday. I guess the short attention span has brought me full circle on writing short stories.

So, I guess that’s where I am today. Waiting for the first query letter to come through and make me a published writer. People ask me if I am a writer, and I firmly believe and tell them YES. I write, so that makes me a writer. I may not be published yet, but I will be.

I absolutely love to get email though sometimes with the scattered mind of a writer it takes a few days to get back to you! So please forgive me if I don’t get back to you right way, but I CERTAINLY will get back to you!

ajbestwrites@gmail.com
– See more at: http://ajbestwrites.com/contact/#sthash.qvMzIzxx.dpuf

FOLLOW LINKS

Amazon Author PageWebsite/BlogFacebookTwitter

 

 

Anniversary Reveal Organized By:
myfamilyheartbutton

Book Spotlight/ The Flowering Series

thefloweringseries

Sarah Daltry’s Flowering Series

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MaIqf8_K1E&w=853&h=480]

Forget Me Not (Lily’s story)
young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

18+ New Adult contemporary

This is a coming of age story, but it isn’t always sweet and innocent. If dirty talk, bedroom toys, and threesomes offend you… this is not your book.

“No one tells you when you start school just how homesick you will be, or how hard it will be to start life over with no direction and no friends or family. No one says that becoming your own person is terrifying.”

I never wanted anything but Derek, my brother’s best friend. When I chose a college, it didn’t seem to matter that he would be an hour away. We could survive it. After all, we were in love. But almost immediately, things change between us. I blame myself. Maybe I’m just not sure how to be a girlfriend and independent.

Life seems to be getting away from me – and then there’s Jack, the guy down the hall. He’s rude and vulgar and my parents would be shocked by him, yet every single time I see him, I feel like I’m being pulled toward him. It’s physical, sure, but there’s something in Jack’s eyes – and I want to know him.

I know I don’t always make the right choices, and I’m the only person at fault when everything falls apart. How do I tell Derek, the guy who was supposed to be everything, that I don’t feel like fighting for him anymore? And do I run to Jack, when I know his past is way too much for me to handle when I’ve just turned 19? Finally, where do I end up in all of this? Can I be more than just someone else’s idea of what I should be?

 

Buy Links:

Amazon / Amazon UK / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / All Romance / Smashwords

Playlist Link

Excerpt:fmnteaser

The movie is awful, but it’s fun spending time with people who are easygoing and, when Don suggests going to Denny’s afterward, I agree without even
asking Derek. When we get in his car, I worry that he is disappointed, though.

“Are you mad?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Of course not. Lily, I love you and I’ll be there for you, but you need to have other people. I wouldn’t expect you to demand that I have no one at school.”

“Do you have a lot of friends at school?”

“Yeah,” he admits. “There’s a group Jon and that I spend a lot of time with. If you come up sometime, I’ll introduce you. Although, if you stay with me, you know what that means…”

“Yeah. Hands off all weekend – under penalty of death by older brother.” I laugh. Jon would obviously never hurt either of us, but I still don’t think it would be kosher to get too frisky with Derek in his room.

I debate about asking the question I know I shouldn’t, one I have never worried about, but for some reason need an answer to now. I survived my entire senior year by not asking this question; now that we’re on the same page, I feel like I need to know. I have to know what I’m facing.

“This group. Are there girls in it?” I ask.

Derek pulls into the parking lot at Denny’s, puts the car in park, and turns to look at me. “Three. Alyssa, Maya, and Jodie. Jon had a thing with Alyssa for a while, but nothing serious came of it. And stop it. I see the jealousy brewing. They are all homely and hideous and you’re the only girl I’m interested in.” He kisses my forehead and I know it’s supposed to make me feel better, but it only makes me feel like a kid. I had moments over the past year when I worried that Derek would think I was too young, but now I have these three women to picture and I don’t want to picture them.

Although I was a virgin when I slept with Derek the first time, he wasn’t. I don’t know what he did at school before we got together, but he had plenty of girlfriends in high school and I can’t imagine he was celibate for those first few months last year. We’ve never talked about it; although I know how many people he’s been with, I don’t know for sure who they are or when he was with them. I can’t bear to know. I hate thinking of him with another girl so close to when we started dating.

I’ve managed not to be the jealous type for almost a year, despite him being away, although I can’t pretend that it doesn’t bother me if I think too much about it. I know it’s hypocritical, since my new group of friends includes guys, but I can’t help it. I feel like Derek’s going to realize sooner or later that I’m not enough for him.

We go into the restaurant, because I don’t want to think about Alyssa, Maya, and Jodie; it is easier to fake it with company. Everyone is in high spirits and I try to let the worry slip away. There is not a lot I can do anyway. I’m pretty sure that Derek has been faithful. Right now, all I can do is trust him. As hard as that is, I have no reason to think that he would cheat. Still, I can’t stop picturing him in bed with someone else.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e96aY8SBB0o&w=853&h=480]

Lily of the Valley (Jack’s story)

young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

18+ New Adult contemporary

Jack’s story isn’t pretty. He’s suicidal, depressed, and he uses meaningless sex and alcohol to survive. However, the story is about finding light in the darkness, but sometimes the road there isn’t always easy to walk.

“No one tells you about pain. They tell you that it hurts, that sometimes it’s consuming. What they don’t tell you is that it’s not the pain that can kill you. It’s the uncomfortable numbness that follows, the weakness in your body when you realize your lungs may stop taking in air and you just can’t exert enough energy to care. It’s the way taste and color and smell fade from the world and all you’re left with is a sepia print of misery. That’s when the shift starts – the movement from passive to active. I fall asleep, hoping that the morning will bring back the pain. At least the pain is a thing.”

I’m a plague, a cancer. My mom is dead – and my father is in prison for it. I survived high school because college was my way out. I needed to escape, to get away from my family and the people who tortured me, but it hasn’t grown any easier.

I don’t pretend that I’m a good person. I drink far more than I should, and I use my best friend, Alana, because together, we thrive on destroying each other – as well as the parts of us we hate. I don’t believe in love, but sex is fun and it also makes me feel something.

The morning I see Lily, the beautiful princess who smells inexplicably like strawberries every time I see her, I realize I’m in trouble. I should hate her. I want to hate her, because the alternative terrifies me. However, as she continues to crash into my life (often literally), I can’t avoid feeling something that is the one thing I swore I would never feel. I can’t fall in love, because people like me don’t live in a world where love saves anyone.

She just won’t go away, though, and I don’t know if I can keep running. The voices and the darkness hover over me and they threaten to bring me back to the safety of my hate, but the stupid scent of strawberries lingers on the horizon, as something like hope.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon / Amazon UK / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / All Romance / Smashwords

Playlist Link

 

Excerpt: lotvteaser

My grandmother is so happy that I agreed to visit with my father on my way back to school that I almost feel okay with the decision. Until we reach the prison and the familiar sickness returns. I can’t turn around now and say I don’t want to go in, but the sky is steel grey and I wonder why it’s never sunny when I come here. Even the weather hates me.

She has a hat on, because it’s a prison day, and I don’t have the heart to tell her that she tries to look nice for a group of lowlifes. I feel like somewhere in her head she convinces herself that she looks like she’s going to church or something and that people will think that’s what she’s doing. She seems to believe that if other people assume she’s not the mother-in-law of a killer, then she’s not the mother-in-law of a killer.

The security check is backed up today because some guy is arguing with the guard about his belt. They want him to leave it at the entrance, since it keeps setting off the metal detectors, but he’s apparently really attached to the stupid thing and doesn’t want to give it up. They argue back and forth and it’s the dumbest conversation I’ve ever heard. And I go to college with frat boys.

“Buddy, you have to take off the belt and leave it, or you can’t get in,” the guard explains. “Unless you can pass through here without setting off the machines, you aren’t going to see anyone.”

“You’re just trying to rob me. You’re all part of the system, man, and I ain’t giving you shit.”

“You’ll get the thing back,” the guard tries to reason.

“Fuck you. You’re just trying to keep me down.”

The guard sighs. “Look, just put the belt right here on this shelf. I will personally watch over it and make sure it’s safe.”

“Why should I trust you? You work for them.”

“I do and I make less than twenty bucks an hour. I don’t care about your damn belt.”

“More than I make. Think you’re so special, judging me, acting like you’re too good for something that belongs to me-”

“Holy fuck, just give him the fucking belt,” I yell. The guard, the random dude, and my grandmother all turn to look at me. “What? This is fucking stupid.”

The guy seems so taken aback that he quietly removes his belt and hands it to the guard. He goes through the metal detector, this time without setting anything off, and turns back to look at me. He shakes his head and mumbles, “Crazy ass motherfucker.”

The guard just stares at me. I walk through the machine and the thing goes insane. It’s my belt ironically. He raises an eyebrow and just holds out his hand. “I need you to leave your belt here.”

I don’t care about the belt or this visit and the sooner we get in, the faster we leave. I hand him my belt and then my grandmother is through. The guard buzzes us into the next area, where a few more guards are sitting in a small office. I wait for them to lead us to the room where we’ll meet my dad. The metal table shines in the fluorescent light. If I stare at it long enough, maybe I’ll go blind.

“No outbursts,” my grandmother warns.

“It wasn’t an outburst. He was wasting time.”

“I don’t care. Your actions impact your father.”

“Yeah, well, his kinda impacted me,” I point out.

She shakes her head and turns to face the door through which my dad will enter. I hate it here. I hate the way the lights are covered in weird metal mesh grates that make it always feel like five o’clock on a winter evening. I hate the way that the voices of other visitors and prisoners bounce off the walls, disembodied and incomprehensible, but invasive enough to remind you that you’ll never be alone in here. I hate how the guards try to treat me like their own kid, as if by being sympathetic it will fix anything. And I especially hate the stupid look of hope that refuses to leave my grandmother’s face no matter how many times we come here. Sometimes I think maybe it’s that look that makes me limit my visits as much as I do, more so than even hating my father. Because the fact that she believes someday things can be okay? Well, there is just nothing I can say about that.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1q574y4uCs&w=853&h=480]

Blue Rose (Alana’s story)


young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

Warning: This book deals with topics of abuse and may trigger reactions in people who have experienced those things in their own lives. It remains a story about healing, but it’s not always an easy journey.

“Four. My life has been shaped by four people. Four men, to be more specific. My father, my stepfather, my best friend, and my boyfriend. The first two shaped it in horrible ways, but what I am, who I am, is all because of four men.”

Over the last twenty years, I’ve learned how to keep secrets. It doesn’t really matter, since everyone already seems to think they know everything about me. So I hide. I avoid confrontation, I treat Xanax like a magic pill that will make it all go away, and I become everything they think I am. A slut. A whore. Nothing but trash.

I can only name two guys who have ever made me feel like I was more than that. Jack is my best friend and I’ve loved him since I met him. Now, though, he’s in love… with someone else, and I guess I need to get over him. Somehow.

And then there’s Dave. The guy I never gave a chance. The guy I used almost as much as people used me, because I wanted to pretend I was someone worth loving. Two years have passed since we last spoke, but I don’t know how to stop thinking about him.

My new therapist is making me face my past, and she tells me that life inevitably changes without our permission. I believe it, but I know what I am. I hear what she’s saying to me, and I want to try again with Dave, to help Jack find joy, to love myself, and to move on. I just wonder if anyone can do that, really.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / Smashwords / All Romance

Playlist Link

Excerpt:roseteaser

Later that day, at lunch, I had just found a seat by the window when he sat across from me. I was used to sitting alone. He didn’t say anything, and he had nothing to eat. He looked up at me, though, after a few minutes, and his eyes did it again. I hated my body, hated the way I looked, hated that somehow I owed my body and my looks to everyone else. But when Jack looked at me, I wanted to let someone touch me. I wanted him to hold me. He felt like safety.

It didn’t even make sense. He was just a broken kid, like me. He always wore the same threadbare hoodie. Most days, it covered his head. He was cute, but awkward. His hair was too long and usually greasy. His Chucks were a little too big, so they looked a little like clown shoes. Yet those gorgeous eyes were all I cared about. I hadn’t considered guys at all. I didn’t find them attractive, and I certainly couldn’t see the appeal of sex or of intimacy. With Jack, though, the thought of him near me didn’t make me nauseous.

“Do you want my orange?” I asked him.

“Are you sure?”

It wasn’t a groundbreaking question. But it was how I knew that what I naturally felt for Jack was right. Because no one had ever asked me that. No one had asked if I minded, if I was sure, if something was okay. They just took things.

“Yeah.”

He took it and I handed him my knife. It was flimsy plastic and wouldn’t even pierce the rind, so I took the orange back and peeled it with my fingernails. Jack just watched me and, when I handed him the orange, now peeled, he smiled. His upper lip curled more than it should have and he looked silly, smiling at an orange. But he drew the same smile from me.

“Thank you,” he said, and he pulled two slices free from the whole and handed them back to me. I didn’t eat them right away. I just watched him eat his part. He was messy and he ended up covering himself in the juices. He unzipped his hoodie after the orange squirted down the front. Underneath, he was wearing a washed out blue T-shirt with a train on it. He looked ten.

“Nice shirt,” I teased.

He looked down. “I live with my grandmother. She has no concept of clothes.”

“It’s cute.”

He smiled again and it was less awkward this time. “Do you live with your grandmother, too?”

I was wearing a huge black sweater over baggy black pants. “No. I just… I don’t like people looking at me.”

“Yeah. I get that.”

He didn’t tell me that I was too pretty to dress the way I did; he didn’t say my body was too good to hide. He just went back to eating his orange, letting the juice spill all over the train shirt. We were fourteen, but I already knew Jack would always be the only thing that mattered in my future.

 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joBj64PkqmI&w=853&h=480]

Star of Bethlehem


young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

This is a holiday novella-length story that follows Forget Me Not and Lily of the Valley.

“With you, Jack, it was the first time I ever felt real. It was the first time anyone looked at me and saw substance. It was the first time I wanted to make someone see me.”

Jack: New Year’s Eve. I’ve somehow managed to get here, and now I’m wearing a hideous and unreasonably itchy sweater, because I want to impress Lily’s family. I want to do anything for this girl who has made me believe in second chances.

Lily: The house is beautiful and shining with light, but it feels empty. At least until Jack gets here. I know how desperately he wants this – a family, love, a home. If I can be the person who can give it to him, it’s all I need, but I hope I can keep him from seeing how hollow it all really is.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon / Amazon UK / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / All Romance / Smashwords

Playlist Link

Excerpt:starteaser

I take his hand and pull him down beside me on my bed. I feel so complete in his arms, as if nothing can go wrong when he holds me. It’s all the other stuff. The world, people, pressure. Maybe it’s a little fear that things just ended with Derek. That one day, as quickly as I fell for Jack, I also fell out of love with Derek. I don’t have enough experience to know if that’s normal. What if it happens again?

“What? Tell me,” Jack whispers.

“Have you ever felt like your entire life is some surrealist’s joke? That you think you’re in control of it, while really, you’re probably just…”

“A melting clock?” he finishes and laughs. I look at him, disappointed that I can’t explain it, but also relieved that he doesn’t care.

“All the fucking time,” he says. “I know you’re scared. I know I’m scared. But I seem to remember you telling me that I should remember what matters. I made you a promise, princess. Yes, your house intimidates me. Your life intimidates me. Hell, loving you intimidates me. But I’m in this. I’m here. Present. Entirely. I’m looking only forward. And all I see is you.”

“Take the damn book,” I tell him. “I just wanted to show you that I have faith in us. It was a conscious decision to give you something that was a very special gift to me, to tell you that I trust you with it, because I trust you to be there. Long term.”

He takes me in his arms and kisses me. I decide I won’t stop him if he goes further, but he doesn’t. Our bodies crackle with the energy between us, but as much as the sex thrills me, Jack does so much more for my mind than his body could even do. I can’t believe how alive I feel when he’s near me. Perhaps it’s selfish. Perhaps it’s desperate. But I want him here in my life; I want him with me, because I love being this aware.

I speak against his cheek, while his hands slowly explore my body. It’s sensual but not sexual. He’s studying me like a work of art. “I don’t want to fall out of love with you. I thought Derek was all I ever wanted. I don’t want to be in the same place with you a year from now.”

“You won’t be,” he tells me.

“How do you know?”

He kisses along my face, brushing his lips against my cheek, my forehead, my nose, but never reaching my mouth. “I don’t know how. But I do.”

I love that he can put aside his doubts to ease my own. I know Jack’s had so much trouble in his life, and the fact that he can comfort me, when my problems are so petty and stupid in the scheme of things, is one more thing I love so much. “I know I’m shallow. But I don’t want to be, Jack.”

“You’re not shallow. You’re not empty. Anything you think of yourself – it’s crazy. If you want to talk about surreal, it’s the fact that you think you’re less than something. Maybe you didn’t get shit on the same way I did in high school, but clearly, people have underestimated you. They missed out on you. And you have every right to be hurt. But, Lily? No one will ever hurt you again.”

I smile. “Thanks. I’m sorry I’m being so moody. It’s probably hormones or something. I think I’m just frustrated.”

“Yeah?” He laughs. “Well… I mean… I can help you relieve some of that.”

He’s on top of me and I don’t care that it wasn’t exactly what I meant. I don’t care that someone could walk in. Someone probably will walk in, since eventually they’ll come looking, but I don’t care at all. I want to belong to Jack, and I don’t know any other way to do so.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU54lLTu7qk&w=853&h=480]

Orange Blossom


young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

“I’ve never understood a year. A year was always a measurement of something bad for me. A year in my father’s prison sentence, a year since my mom’s death, a year left of school before I could get far, far away from here. Now, as I look down the end of my college career, with only a little more than a semester to go, a year seems like something magical. It has been a year since Lily chose me, since she sat with me on the old swing set and made a decision that I was worthy of her. And every minute of the entire year has been better than the last.”

You already know their stories: Lily, the perfect princess, always living someone else’s life. And Jack, the broken boy, who had stopped believing in hope. Somehow, though, they found each other and what was one night blossomed into a love story.

Now, a year later, Jack and Lily are dreaming of the future. Despite all of his promises to himself that he would never be indebted to anyone, Jack makes a new promise – this time to Lily – that he will be there for her forever. But when life unravels for them, he starts to pull away, and Lily worries he’s out of reach for good.

When Jack does the unthinkable, Lily is left destroyed. Is it possible to have a happily ever after? Does love ever really save anyone?

 

Buy Links:

Amazon / Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / All Romance / Smashwords

 

Playlist Link

Excerpt:orangeteaser

“I don’t have a ring, and I don’t have anything planned. I was going to plan something. It was going to be big and special and important, but I can’t. I can’t wait to tell you. I love you, Lily. You make me happy, as if that’s something that can even be real for me. I know you can probably think of a million places more romantic than the cemetery, but this is my family, and this is me, in all that I can offer. It’s nothing much, but you’ve made me believe that it might be good enough for you. You’ve changed my life, Lily. And I want to make you a part of the rest of it. Forever. I want you forever.”

She’s crying as she looks down at me on the ground. “What are you saying, Jack?”

“Marry me, princess? Not now, or really anytime soon. I don’t know when. I have very little to give you. I don’t even know when I can afford a ring. I was going to go look for one this week, although it will probably be tiny and nothing that can represent how much I love you and how much you deserve. I know I’m not what you pictured when you were a little girl and you wanted a husband or whatever, but Lily, I love you more than anyone else can. And I want you to be my wife, whatever that means, because I can’t imagine one day of a future that doesn’t have you in it.”

She lifts me to my feet and hugs me. “Yes, of course. I don’t care about a ring or even a wedding. I just want you. Forever. Nothing else is important to me. I will never not love you. Whatever you want to call that, I’m happy to be a part of it. I have two years left of school, but I can promise you that, in two years or fifty, at the end of it, you’re the future for me.”

We kiss and I wish it was epic and fireworks shot through the sky, but it’s not. It’s just me and Lily, holding each other like we do most nights, but I’m kissing my fiancée and that has some kind of importance to it. I believe my mom would be happy for me, because I need to believe it. The whole night, the holiday, the setting, the awkward proposal even, it’s all how it should be, because, although it’s not something people tell their kids twenty years down the road, it’s so real to us.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujhI-K5756U&w=853&h=480]

Ambrosia

young pretty kissing wedding couple against sky

 

Four years. One night that was supposed to be an escape turned into four years. And now, four years is about to turn into forever.

Lily was never anything special. A perfect girl from a perfect world living an empty life. She was lost, thinking she knew who she was and what she wanted. She thought she knew love, but then there was a boy.

Jack has been through Hell. Watching his mother die – at his father’s hands – will never leave him. He had given up on living a life, figuring he would drink himself to death, if he didn’t give in to all the voices telling him to kill himself first. And then there was a girl who smelled like strawberries.

Two years have passed since Orange Blossom. Jack and Lily are only months away from their wedding and their journey is about to come to an end. Join them in the final title in the Flowering series, a story of growing up, of finding yourself, and of “blooming.”

 

Buy Links:

Apple / Barnes and Noble / Kobo / Smashwords / All Romance

 

Playlist Link

Excerpt:ambrosiateaser

After driving for two hours and a three hour seminar session, I’m exhausted. I take out my cell to text Jack and ask if he wants to order dinner tonight, because there is no way I even have the energy to go through a drive-thru. I notice as I look at my phone that I have twenty-six texts. That’s right – twenty-six. All sent between nine this morning and noon. All from my mother. They grow increasingly frantic, as if texts just shoot directly into my brain and notify me that she has something “very important” to ask me. I wish I had never given her my number. More, I wish I had never taught her how to text, because she seems to think it’s the same thing as actually speaking, and then she gets agitated when I don’t reply.

The last one she sent is incoherent. Just a lot of random letters and punctuation. I would worry that something was actually wrong, but my dad and Jon didn’t text. If something had happened, they would have as well. Instead, it’s just endless streams of urgency from my mother.

I leave my stuff in the library and go back outside to call her. She answers almost immediately. “I have been trying to reach you all morning,” she says.

“I had class.”

“But I texted you.”

“Right, but I still had class.”

“Okay, well, two things. First, we need to confirm the DJ. Have you done that yet? Did you meet with him? Do you know what time he’s setting up?”

“I’ll call him when I get off the phone with you. Sorry. It slipped my mind.”

There is a lengthy pause. She’s trying. I keep telling myself that, because it keeps me sane. A few years ago, I would have gotten quite the tirade about forgetting to call the DJ. Instead, she’s practicing deep breathing, which she learned about in yoga. My existence has led her to yoga.

“I promise. I’ll call,” I tell her.

“Okay. The second thing is that your father wants to put down a deposit for your honeymoon this week. Gail has been checking in and we don’t have an answer for her, so you have to pick something. I don’t like having to keep making Gail wait.” Gail is the travel agent my parents use. Everyone in my parents’ life is a long-lost friend; there is no such thing as Expedia.

“Can I let you know tomorrow?”

“I suppose, but haven’t you talked about it?” she asks.

“We have, but Jack feels silly taking your money. Maybe we’ll just do a weekend away at the Cape or something.”

The deep breathing resumes. People in my mother’s life don’t do weekends away at the Cape; they own houses there.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0hGJCd5nhw&w=853&h=480]

floweringsquareRecommended reading order, except Blue Rose can fit anywhere:

Forget Me Not (Lily’s Story)

Lily of the Valley (Jack’s Story)

Star of Bethlehem (Holiday Novella)

Orange Blossom

Blue Rose (Alana’s Story)

Also available:

“Her Brother’s Best Friend” (short erotic story that goes before Forget Me Not)

Volume 1 Box Set (includes “Her Brother’s Best Friend, Forget Me Not, Lily of the Valley, and Star of Bethlehem)

The “Cleaner” Version (includes Forget Me Not, Lily of the Valley, Blue Rose, and Star of Bethlehem with less sex)

About Sarah Daltry

Sarah Daltry is a girl who writes books. The books are in all genres, because Sarah’s not so great at committing to things. She’s happily married and she and her husband live with their cats in New England. Sarah is painfully shy and, if you are able to find her, she is probably in a corner, hiding. She has also written the urban fantasy romance, Bitter Fruits; the YA gamer geek comedy, Backward Compatible; the literary reimagining, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; historical erotica, The Quiver of a Kiss; and a variety of erotica and short stories.

Social Media Links:

Facebook / Facebook Page (New) / Facebook Page (Old) / Jack and Lily’s Facebook Page

Twitter / Google+ / YouTube

 

 

Tour Organized By

myfamilyheartbutton

 

Cover Reveal/ The Vow

Cover Reveal Tour Banner

BOOK INFORMATION

TITLE – The Vow
SERIES – The Lady Quill Chronicles
AUTHOR – D.D. Chant
GENRE – Historical Fiction
PUBLICATION DATE – July 2014
LENGTH (Pages/# Words) – 107,500
PUBLISHER – Self Published
COVER ARTIST – D.D. Chant

The Vow Cover

BOOK BLURB / SYNOPSIS

Dear Reader,
My next story begins with Valrek, where Lord Rafe and Lady Adele’s arrival was cause for much celebration and rejoicing.
However, Finan of Gourney, Rafe’s foster brother and the captain of Valrek’s army, could not help a lingering feeling of worry.
Were Rafe and Adele truly safe from Lord Kyule’s hate?
As Finan fights the shadows in his past, he must face the added problem of Lady Esme, Rafe’s sister. Used to keeping his distance from the ladies of Valrek, circumstance forces him to bear Lady Esme constant company.
As danger and treachery envelops them both, Finan and Esme find themselves drawn together to fight for their loved ones.
What secrets will they unearth in their search for the truth?
Will they find their stories to be more closely linked than either of them ever knew?
Allow me please to answer these questions.
Lady Quill

GOODREADS – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22463885-the-vow

 

EXCERPT

Finan lay perfectly still on the bed and listened to the wood crackling and spitting in the fire. Esme was seated beside the flames, her head bent over her task. Finan had been ignoring her for so long that he had given himself a headache.
Why couldn’t she just leave him in peace?
She sat completely unconcerned and carefully set feathers to the wooden shaft of arrow after arrow. He was thankful at least that she was accomplishing some task more useful than garish embroidery.
The sound of the spiting flames made him restless. Every pop caused him to tense and the acrid smell of smoke brought a gagging sensation to his throat. He wondered vaguely if he would ever be able to sit beside a fire and simply enjoy its warmth ever again. Would the nightmares continue to plague him?
He shuddered involuntarily remembering the fear for Rafe’s safety and the overall impression that something was wrong. He had tried to ignore the memories, pushing them to the edges of his mind, but they refused to be quelled.
Finally he had faced the fear and realised that the consequences of the night he was injured were far from over. He thought back to the fiery room, closing his eyes and forcing himself to relive every horrible detail.
There could be no denying the truth; the fire had not been an accident.
Even that night, with worry for Rafe taking up almost every thought, he had seen the truth. There had been no trailing flames from the fire, they had be concentrated around Rafe’s bed in a very suspicious manner. The furniture in the room had been moved to block in the bed, as though someone had been trying to make sure that even if Rafe did wake, he would not be able to escape.
Who within Valrek’s wall would lift their hand against their master?
It was not possible that an enemy had breached Valrek’s defences, he would stake his life on his men’s conscientiousness. Nothing passed through Valrek’s wall without detection, not so much as a mouse.
Was it possible that it had been Rafe that, through his own carelessness, had started the fire?
He had been the worse for wear, having imbibed more freely than was his custom of the mead served at the feast. Finan shook his head, he couldn’t believe it. Rafe was far too competent a soldier to make such a mistake, however drunk he might have been. Years of admonitions drilled care within a soldier when it came to dealing with fire.
That meant it had been deliberate. As unthinkable as it was, someone with Valrek’s wall wanted Rafe dead.
“What is it?”
Esme’s voice held a slightly exasperated note and Finan pretended sleep. He had no wish to speak to her, in fact he was fast coming to the conclusion that she was the most irritating of her sex. Had he been in a more generous frame of mind he would have realised that he knew several far more unpleasant woman. However Finan was feeling out of charity with the world in general and Esme most especially.
“I know you are awake, Finan, is there anything you require?”
Finan gritted his teeth against the retort that sprang to his lips and forced himself to remain calm. He was an easy tempered man usually, but the constant pain had shredded his tolerance completely. However losing his temper had not helped him so far and it galled him to let Esme know how badly she affected his equilibrium.
“I need nothing, my lady.”
Cool fingers touched his brow and he opened his eyes to find her beside him. A worried frown touched her face and her lips formed the thoughtful pout that was becoming so familiar. It was an endearing habit he remembered from her childhood, but it irritated him horribly now.
More worrying was the fact that he hadn’t heard her move. A man that prided himself on his ability to hear even the stealthiest of approaches and he had not been aware. He blamed lady Esme’s addiction to the manly pursuit of hunting for the silence with which she moved.
“You do not seem fevered,” she mused aloud, transferring her hand from his brow to his cheek and then to his neck. Finan felt and uncomfortable churning in his stomach, as though Brute had almost succeeded in unseating him.
“I am well enough, you need not concern yourself with me.”
Esme grinned.
“What an odd sort of healer I would be if I did not concern myself with my patients comfort.” She smoothed the hair back from his brow. “What troubles you, Finan?”
For the first time Finan noticed the dark circles around her eyes and the tired stiffness pervading her body.
Had she slept at all last night?
He had very little recollection of his nights rest, but he clearly remembered hearing her soothing voice each time he had regained some lucidity of thought. An uncomfortable guilt washed over him. Lady Esme had seen to his wounds and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. That he had not wanted her help did not excuse the rudeness of his behaviour.
“Is it Evoric?”
Esme gazed forthrightly in to his eyes, her words as unadorned as Rafe’s always were. The only sign that she was uneasy with her question, was the way her work roughened finger traced the edge of the furs covering the bed.
“Why do you ask that?”
“You spoke of him last night when you were feverish.”
“I did?”
Panic raced through his veins. What had he said? Worse, what unmanly feelings had he betrayed?
“You still miss him as violently as though his death had occurred just yesterday, do you not?”
“He was my brother.”
“He was my brother too.”
“Tis not the same.”
Esme gazed at him unwaveringly for a few moments, chewing her bottom lip.
“Perhaps that is so, but it does not change the fact that I love and miss him as well.”
Finan did not answer her, his heart had begun to thump uncomfortably in his chest. He did not wish to talk of Evoric, to remember his pain.
It was still too raw, over the years he had managed to bury his memories so deep he could almost believe on occasion that he had rid himself of them completely. Concealing his hurt from the world gave him some relief. Yet ever since Rand had re-entered their lives, forcing them to revisit old wounds, the protective wall he had built had begun to crumble.
After last night it lay in ruins about him, freeing his agony to consume him once more. The years that had passed had not provided him with any more defences against its onslaught than he had possessed in youth. He worried had no strength to pull himself from the mire of his despair a second time.
It had been years since he had dreamed of Evoric. Years of precarious, uneasy peace that he had grown accustom to, that had been his salvation as a boy. Now it was gone and Esme was prodding the festering wound it had exposed.
“Finan, will you not tell me? Perhaps I can help?”
“Why? Why should I tell you? Why should I rip my soul apart just so that your curiosity can be appeased?” demanded Finan, sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “Who wants you to understand? Who wants your help?”
As he spoke, he stood, advancing on her slowly. Apprehension danced in her eyes but she remained defiant, her eyes never breaking contact with his. Every step she retreated before him was diffident, until he had her backed against the wall.
“Why must you always seek to interfere in my affairs? You have no right and you are greatly mistaken if you suppose I welcome your meddling.”
Esme lifted a hand and carefully placed it against a healthy and undamaged patch of skin on his chest. He looked down, surprised at her touch and the firmness with which she pushed him back a step. For a long while they looked at each other in silence, her large eyes filled with compassion. It shook him, for he had expected, wanted, to scare her, hoping she would run from him as she had once before.
“I only wish for you to heal, Finan. Evoric would not want you to be alone and filled with misery and sadness any longer. I cannot watch you despair and suffer like this. Your grief is a poison spreading through you, an agony you bear in silence. You must learn to let it go.”
“How am I to let it go? Must I forget Evoric? Would you be able to let go if you were to lose Rafe?”
An inflection of pain crossed her features but he steeled himself against the regret burning through his veins.
“I would hope there would be a friend with whom I could share my sadness, someone who would comfort me.”
“Am I to gather that you wish to be such a person to me?” taunted Finan coldly.
Anger simmered in her eyes but she refused to be bated.
“I think that Rafe or Leofric would be more suitable friends to choose. You can at least bear their company.”
Her bracing words were free from accusation but for some reason he still felt as though he’d been slapped.

Author Photo

 

AUTHOR BIO:

Hi everyone!
My name is Dee Dee, I’m twenty seven and I live in a beautiful part of Devon, England, with my family. I have a younger sister, Amy, who is a brilliant guitar player, some chickens, duck, geese, pheasants, a cat (that adopted us when we moved in!!!) dogs and some Koi.
The Lady Quill Chronicles is one of three series that I’m in the middle of writing. I have a post apocalyptic series (the Broken City series, I released the 2nd book in February of this year) and a dystopian series (The Chronicles of Discord). I also have a series of humorous shorts, the Claire series.
I really hope you enjoy reading my books as much as I enjoy writing them.
I love reading and have a kindle: I’ll read almost anything with adventure and romance in it! I also like to cook and wear impractical high heels!!! And as you might have noticed I have a horrible addiction to exclamation marks!!!

 

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

BLOGWEBSITEFACEBOOKTWITTERGOOGLE+
GOODREADSSHELFARIWATTPAD

 

The Lady Quill Chronicles Cover

BOOK ONE

AMAZON KINDLE USAMAZON KINDLE CAAMAZON KINDLE UKSMASHWORDSGOODREADS

dcbaa-giveaway-graphic

 

GIVEAWAY PRIZES

4 copies of The Promise (The Lady Quill Chronicles, 1#) via smashwords.com

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Reveal Organized By:
myfamilyheartbutton