Wednesday, July 30, 2014

***NEW RELEASE&GIVEAWAY*** ***TASTE by CAMBRIA HEBERT***





Synopsis
One taste is never enough…

Spencer Waller’s main purpose in life is to protect and serve. After spending years in the military, he gets a coveted spot on the Secret Service detail protecting the president. Spence doesn’t have time for women or all the work having a relationship with one requires. But just because he isn’t looking for a lady doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate a beautiful one when he sees her. 

And he makes it a point to see one in particular every single day.

Elle Bond has literally chopped and fried her way to the top of the food chain. Earning a coveted position in the White House as the president’s personal chef, she figures her professional life can only get better. Her personal life, on the other hand, could use a little bit of an overhaul, and because of that, she tries to ignore the charm-dripping cookie thief every time he comes into her kitchen. After all, she knows better than anyone that just one taste of something good is never enough.

One night after work, Elle is assaulted, threatened, and given an ultimatum. She can’t go to the police, and she sure as hell can’t do what she was ordered. 

But she has to. Or else.

Pale, shaken, and scared to death, Elle confides in Spence, and his protective instincts take over. Together, Elle and Spencer have to uncover a sinister plot and stop it before someone ends up dead.
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Excerpt
Excerpt 1:
From this close I could see the scruff growing in on his jaw area, it was dark blond too and made him look totally delicious.
Holding my shirt up with one hand he reached out with the other, gliding his fingers across my stomach, just below my ribcage. “Here?” he whispered, staring at the area.
I nodded, not bothering to glance down. The skin stung lightly as he caressed it. I didn’t care. Frankly, it could hurt like hell and I still would have let him touch it. Desire suffused my limbs, making them heavy. I felt goose bumps break out over my bare skin, and maybe I should have been embarrassed at my reaction because really there wasn’t anything sexual to what he was doing but my body sure as well acted like there was.
He frowned a little when my muscled trembled beneath him and glanced up. “Does it hurt?”
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“It’s just red. No blisters,” he answered, not looking back down at the “burn” but not pulling his fingers away either. Spencer watched me as he dragged the tops of his knuckles down the curve of my waist and moved across my navel.
“You burned anywhere else?” he rumbled in a low, throaty tone.
Man, I wish I was. I wished I could point out a thousand injuries just to give him a reason to not lift his hand.
“No,” I whispered.
He glided his hand over my hip and curved his palm around the dip in my waist, tugging me just a little bit closer. Just one step… that’s all I needed to take to bring my bare waist up against his body.
I tilted my head back when he bent, lowering his face toward mine. I anticipated his kiss, I craved it… part of me thought I might need it.
He stopped just inches away, his heavy lidded eyes spearing mine. “Nice drawers,” he whispered.
It took me a second to realize what he said, I was too far under his spell.
But when his lips turned up in an onery smirk his words penetrated my lust laden brain I gasped and leaped back, pulling my shirt from his hand and yanking it down over my “drawers”.
“Oh my God!” I burst out. “You are such a pig!”
He laughed. “What? I was paying you a compliment.”
I groaned, still yanking at the hem of my shirt. “You’re making fun of me!” I challenged.
He laid a hand over his heart and looked at me solemnly. “I do swear that no one wears polka dots like you do.”
I. Was. Going. To. Die. Of embarrassment.

Excerpt 2:
The room was completely silent except for the light scrawling of my pen across paper. Maybe that’s why I heard the sound.
It was a low scraping sound, like wood rubbing against wood. I tilted my head, confused. It was an odd sound to hear in the middle of the night, something I might not even think twice about if it were daylight.
But it wasn’t.
A muffled thump overhead caused my entire body to tighten like a shoelace with a double knot. My head snapped back to stare up at the ceiling.
I was being crazy.
I was being paranoid.
Thump.
There was someone in the apartment!
A surge of adrenaline so powerful it blurred my vision for a few seconds rocketed through me. My brain tried to think as my body went into overdrive. That first sound, someone had opened a window upstairs. The thump was when that someone dropped their up-to-no-good ass into my house.
Still clutching the pen, I raced for the stairs, out of my mind with fear. All the times my mother told me I needed to get a landline phone installed haunted me in that moment. My only means of calling for help was upstairs, beside my bed, in the form of my smart phone.
She was never going to let me hear the end of this.
If I survive. The thought floated through my head like a vicious taunt. Another light scuffling sound upstairs had my heart thumping even harder.
My God, it might not be me they hurt!
I wasn’t quiet on my way up the old wooden steps. In fact, I sounded like a herd of elephants that needed to lose about twenty pounds.
Good.
It would draw all the attention of the no good dirty rotten bastards in here.
Come get me, assholes.
It was dark upstairs except for the nightlight that lit up the hallway. Against the long wall across from that light, I saw a dark, lurking shadow pass. I gasped and my blood pressure skyrocketed so high that my scalp likely should have blown off the top of my head.
Holy shit, this was scary.
But I had to be strong. I had to be a fighter. I was a fighter.
The intruder appeared at the top of the stairs, slipping out of my bedroom just as I cleared the top step. His body tensed when he saw me, and then he rushed me without warning.

Teaser



MeetTheAuthor


Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series, the new adult Death Escorts series, and the new adult Take it Off series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com







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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

***FALLEN by LAURY FALTER***





Title: Fallen
Author: Laury Falter
Series: Guardian Trilogy
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher:  Audeamus LLC
Release Date: April 1 2009
Editions/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
Fallen - the first book in the bestselling Guardian Trilogy...
Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn't until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.
As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.

Book Links
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Author Information



Laury Falter is a bestselling author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the Apocalypse Chronicles.

Author Links
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EXCERPT 

“You appear and then vanish like a ghost. You aren’t injured from venomous snake bites. You aren’t killed by wayward, incredibly sharp arrows.” Then, I reiterated, “I am the only one who can see you…how is any of this possible?”
“You do pay attention,” he said, sounding almost regretful, though I didn’t understand why.
“Yes, now will you tell me how you are capable of all that?”
He paused, still looking at me, as he collected his thoughts. The muscles throughout his body visibly flexed, tensing as he prepared his answer. “I have certain…gifts…that not many others can claim…gifts of speed, healing, and regeneration, to name a few.”
He paused, waiting for my reaction.
“Don’t worry so much,” I said, teasingly. “I’m not going to run screaming for the door.”
We quietly laughed together for a brief moment.  When I felt like he was comfortable again, I asked my next question. 
“So, where did you get these gifts? Did your parents take some sort of special drug?”
“Not exactly. I can’t answer that, as much as I know you’d like me to. Just suffice, Magdalene, to know that without these gifts, you wouldn’t be here right now.” 

Saturday, July 19, 2014

*WHEN NIGHT FALLS*NEW RELEASE* ***by AIRICKA PHOENIX***



Book Title: When Night Falls
Author: Airicka Phoenix
Publisher: Fire & Ash Publishing
Release date: July 7, 2014
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi, Thriller with strong elements of Romance
Warnings: Language and zombies
Formats: eBook & Paperback
Other Novels: http://www.amazon.com/Airicka-Phoenix/e/B00906AGHM

Social Networks:
Author Website: http://airickaphoenix.com
Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/.../252135634831614...
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/AirickaPhoenix
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/airicka-phoenix/40/432/74
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/airickaphoenix/

Buying Locations:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/When-Night-Falls-Regeneration-Book-ebook/dp/B00LKWZ4UI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405799452&sr=8-1&keywords=airicka+phoenix
Barns & Nobles:
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iTunes:


SYNOPSIS

Earth as we know it no longer exists. Humanity has destroyed itself and with it any chance we may have had of returning. 

What had started as a six month voyage through the stars becomes a nightmare when the passengers are stranded in space without hope. With Earth gone, the crew and passengers of The Dawn Light are left wandering the galaxy in search of a new planet. After years of searching, one is found, but no one is prepared for the terror that takes claim of the Galaxy Cruiser when one by one the people begin to turn, mutating into flesh eating monsters.

For Scarlett, Hunter and Rolf, this means being trapped in a sardine can full of piranhas. Their only hope... to get the hell out before they’re next, but someone on the ship wants to be the only survivor to reach the new planet and will do anything to stop them. But just how far are they willing to go?

Death no longer has a limit.



“Grams?”
A series of groans escaped the partly gaping mouth.
“Hunter! Get Dr. Ora up here now!” She took her eyes away from her grandmother just long enough to call over her shoulder. She didn’t wait to see if he’d do it. She knew he would. She turned her attention back to the woman on the bed. “It’s okay,” she said, putting a brave smile on her face. “Hunter’s going to get help. Everything will be okay. I promise.”
Grams continued to watch her with emptiness in her eyes. It was a cold sort of blankness. Scarlett had only ever seen it once before, when she’d gone to sickbay right after the riots. She had seen the patients locked behind the sheets of Plexiglass. There had been a sort of vacancy in their expressions as they stared off into space. Some were mumbling to themselves, rocking. Others just stood there, staring, saying nothing. Scarlett shuddered at the memory, at having it forced back on her by her grandmother’s equally jarring stare. 
“Grams?” she whispered quietly, squeezing the frail fingers clutched between both of her hands. “Can you say something?”
A puff of air slipped past her cracked lips. The tiny, barely audible sound squeaked in the thick silence. Her mouth moved in what looked like words, but nothing seemed to be filtering through. 
“What?” Scarlet brought her ear closer, hoping to catch even a syllable of what her grandmother was trying to say.
The arms came seemingly out of nowhere. They wound around Scarlett with strengths that should have been impossible for an old woman on her sickbed. She was dragged forward, landing in a flailing heap across her grandmother’s thin chest, her arms trapped at her sides. The pillow soaked her scream. A high hiss split the air, amplifying the panic running ice cold through her veins. The top of her knees struck the side of the mattress as she kicked, fighting to be free of the sour tang coating the inside of her mouth with every effected breath.
Pain so blinding, so white-hot, she nearly passed out from it, splintered through her shoulder. Something warm and sticky rushed down her arm. The sickening scent of blood perfumed the air. Scarlett shrieked. By some miracle, she was suddenly free, flying backwards and landing in a dazed heap on the floor beneath the bed. Numbing madness sunk cold fingers into her brain, seemingly freezing the world around her to a syrupy speed. She was only loosely aware of the groan above her, even less aware when the mattress squeaked and sheets rustled. The erratic pounding between her ears had only one focus—escape. 
The carpet sliced through the soft tissues of her knees as she crawled to the door. She stumbled through just as another unearthly moan pummeled the chaos drumming within the walls of her skull. She scrambled, half-turning, half-falling onto her back, as she whipped around to see the deformed figure behind her, dressed in her grandmother’s floral nightdress. 



AUTHOR BIO

International Best-Selling author Airicka Phoenix lives in a world where unicorns, fairies and mermaids run amok through her home on a daily basis. When she’s not chasing after pixies and rounding up imps, also known as her four children, she can be found conjuring up evil villains, bad-ass heroines and swoon-worthy heroes to play with. 
Airicka is singlehandedly responsible for her greatly anticipated collections, the Touch Saga, The Lost Girl Duology, The Regeneration Series, Games of Fire, & Betraying Innocence. 

She also writes adult paranormal & contemporary romance under the dark guise of Morgana Phoenix. Be sure to check out her Sons Of Judgment Saga & My Soul For You.

For more about Airicka and the realm she rules with an iron fist—and tons of chocolate—visit her at: www.AirickaPhoenix.com 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

***THE NIGHT of ELISA***





Title: The Night of Elisa
Author: Isis Sousa
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Gothic/Paranormal
Publisher: Tragic Books
Release Date: May 30 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
.: A Gothic Novella :.

Sometimes, life and love can follow the most obscure paths, just as they did for Elisa.
Her life becomes a dark, cold, lonely cage the day the Devil takes her as his wife. He robs her of almost everything she holds dear: her health, her wealth and what is left of her family.
Trapped between the nuances of life and beyond-life, Elisa finds herself struggling for a better tomorrow. With her health deteriorating, how will she summon the courage and strength to stand her ground? And how far will she go in the pursuit of a dream?
Embark with Elisa on this puzzling Gothic adventure set in the late Victorian era, between the world of the Living and the picturesque, melancholic Duskland.

* * *

"It is strange... How can I 'go home' when I have no memories of that place at all?"
- Elisa

"Stop it, Elisa. You're bleeding, my darling!"
- Leonhard

"Ah, love, the biggest poison and most dangerous drug there is."
- Dr. Charles

Book Links
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Lulu Illustrated Edition
Barnes and Noble Non Illustrated Edition
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Goodreads







“I am not a writer, neither is writing one 
of my passions, on the contrary; I see it as a necessary evil! I like to say I am an illustrator and storyteller.
I was born and raised in Brazil and since 2009, been living in Norway with my best-half. I work as illustrator and graphic designer from my home-office, in slippers and comfy clothes. (Would really prefer PJs, but here and there someone knocks on the door!)
Love Heavy Metal, Fantasy and Dark Fantasy and most forms of art.” 

Author Links
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Blog
Goodreads
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Excerpt I (Chapter I - The XIIIth Hour at Duskland)
‘Elisa’ calmed and the struggle was over. How dare she speak of me like I’m already dead? I know these faces… Father Johannes was throwing holy water over her bed and chanting in Latin.
“E-l-i-s-a i-s b-a-c-k!” a loud voice echoed in the room for all to hear. Quentin was very surprised. “She is back! Father Johannes, how is it possible?”
Father Johannes’ voice was frail. He was a short, gibbous man with an aquiline nose and big, deep eyes. “God the almighty never betrays us, my son!” He raised the wooden cross with his right hand.  “Whatever evil was holding her from life – from death – is here no more!” He came closer to Quentin, reaching for his ear. “She is strong, my son! Keep pretending until the last moment. We don’t want it to happen, but if she survives we don’t want her to tell anyone about what we did.”
“If she survives it will be for a very short time. I will take care of her once and for all, Father!” Quentin pretended he was seeing a miracle from the seven heavens. His young wife back from the dead! How was it possible? We did everything we could, but you persisted… “Elisa, my dearest, you’re alive! You live! You have come back to us!” Quentin continued, admiring that she had endured so much.
* * * 

Monday, July 14, 2014

**THE TRAVELER*GIVEAWAY**





Title: The Traveler
Author: Melissa Delport
Series: The Traveler Series #1
Genre: SciFi Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 3 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook
Blurb/Synopsis:
Seven years ago, Rachel gave her heart to a dark, intense stranger, who left her broken and alone.
Every day since then Rachel has thought about Dex, her memories refusing to be silenced.
Now, Dex is back, but this time he is not alone. He has brought a formidable army – their sole purpose to conquer. Fate will bring Rachel and Dex back together, but on opposing sides of a war that threatens to obliterate her world.
Pitted against the power of the elements, Rachel and her friends must survive tsunamis, earthquakes, tornadoes and fire, all the while being hunted by a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to pillage her planet.
Fleeing for her life amidst the chaos of a raging, burning city, Rachel realizes man’s only chance of survival lies in the hands of the very person who betrayed her all those years ago.
Earth is destined to fall, but Rachel is determined to save mankind, no matter the sacrifice.
Book Links
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Author Information
of The Legacy Series, Rainfall & The Traveler. She graduated from the University of South Africa with a Bachelor’s Degree in English in 2000. She currently lives with her husband and three children in Hillcrest, South Africa, and is hard at work on the final book in The Legacy Trilogy.
Her first novel, The Legacy, self-published in 2013, is the first in The Legacy Trilogy, and is followed by the sequel The Legion. The main-stream publisher, Tracey McDonald Publishers, is re-releasing The Legacy and The Legion in July 2014. Book 3 of the trilogy, The Legend, is due out in 2015. Melissa has also written an independent novel entitled Rainfall, a psychological romance, and a science-fiction, action-adventure called The Traveler.
An avid reader herself, Melissa finally decided to stop “watching from the sidelines” and to do what is her passion.
“I was driving home from work when inspiration struck, and a storyline started unravelling in my head. For a few days, it was all I could think about and eventually I realized that the only way to get it out of my head, was to put it all down on paper. I started writing, and that was that.”


Author Links
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Facebook Page
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The Legacy Trilogy
Twitter
Website

Excerpt #1

I catch Bill up and we walk side by side, our feet echoing dully on the wooden floor. I run my hand along the cast iron expecting it to be cold, like everything else in the city, but to my surprise it is pleasantly warm beneath my touch. The beauty of the ornate banister still takes my breath away – the bridge is a renowned romantic setting for lovers. I can hear Bill’s labored breathing beside me, but I keep my eyes ahead as we make our way up the short incline that marks the halfway point. We are over halfway across the bridge when I finally see him.

Dex.

A myriad of memories flood my senses, more powerful than ever before. Dex is really here. My heart both soars and sinks at the sight of him, so many conflicting emotions overwhelm me that I lose my breath and automatically reach for my inhaler. But then I realize that it wouldn’t work anyway. This has nothing to do with my asthma. It runs far deeper than that.
He is standing on the walkway ahead just beyond the bridge. He has his back to us and is over fifty feet away but it doesn’t matter - I would recognize him anywhere. He is tall and proud, his black hair exactly the same as I remember, and his hands are balled into fists at his sides. He is wearing the same black tunic as the others, the same black pants and black boots. I don’t know why I’m not surprised. I think deep down I knew it was him all along. I knew the moment it had started snowing. Bill sees him too and he drops into a half-crouch but I walk forward now without hesitation. It is still there, that physical pull I feel for him. I reach the edge of the bridge and glance around. He is alone, standing dead still in the center of the storm and suddenly I know that it’s him. That he’s the one controlling it.
I make no sound as I walk, stopping only a few feet behind him, but I know the instant that he senses me there. His shoulders tighten and he cocks his head ever so slightly towards his right shoulder. The storm seems to close in on us, drawing around me like a tightening rubber band and the wind picks up, whipping my hair painfully into my eyes. My jeans are flapping around my ankles so hard that I think they might be ripped off at any moment and I can barely draw breath. The heavens open and the rain immediately starts pelting down. Over the roar of the storm I hear Bill’s bellow of panic and turn to see him sprinting for cover under a nearby tree. He gestures frantically for me to join him but I simply stand there, water coursing down my face and into my mouth.
I turn back to Dex and, as I watch, he draws himself up to his full height, opening his hands suddenly and flexing his fingers. The instant that he does, a bolt of lightning strikes the bridge behind me where Bill had been standing only seconds earlier. With a creak of protest the bridge crumbles almost in slow motion, a whining of tearing iron as chunks of concrete and metal drop into the lake. Dex flexes his fingers again and I watch in horror as the lightning zigzags through the sky overhead and hits the tree under which Bill is standing as though it was hunting him. While most of the energy is mediated by the tree, the current transmits over Bill’s body on its path to the ground and, as he drops to his knees clutching his chest, I understand what has happened - Bill has gone into cardiac arrest. Fierce, brave Bill – the toughest of us all, who has survived war and worse, defeated by a simple flex of the hand. My brain whirrs with the horror of the thought.
I am about to rush towards Bill when out of the corner of my eye I see Dex start to turn and, as he does, his fists open once more, his fingers splaying rigidly. I know instinctively that this bolt of lightning will strike me – I am the next target. I close my eyes, knowing it is too late and spare a last thought for Bill, who I will never be able to help. I can only hope that the others will make it out; that they can find somewhere safe, somewhere far from here.
Slowly, I become aware of the silence. After the pandemonium of the raging storm the silence is deafening. There is not even the boom of distant thunder. My heart is beating wildly in my chest and my breath is coming in short hysterical sobs, tears mingling with the rainwater that is still dripping from my hair. I am too terrified to open my eyes, too panic-stricken even to move. And then I hear him speak, closer than I expected, sounding stunned and angry, “Rachel?”

***GIVEAWAY***

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54e9c4132/

***THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO***





Title: The Nightlife San Antonio
Author: Travis Luedke
Series: The Nightlife Series
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance/Vampires
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: June 9th 2014
Edition: eBook with Print Coming Soon
Blurb/Synopsis:

Vampires, Mafia & Mayhem:
The Nightlife San Antonio is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.
All she wanted was to escape the police. All he wanted was to get laid. They both got more than they bargained for.

EMT on call, Adrian Faulkner resuscitates a beautiful woman after a Mexican mafia shootout. He can't explain why he picks her up in the hospital parking lot three days later and then ducks the San Antonio police and the Feds. Well, the hot sex might have something to do with it.

She needed to hide. With no memory of even her name, she didn't know from who. She only knew she wasn't safe.

Adrian soon learns she is much more than a damsel in distress, and he’s stuck with her. It isn't long before the past she cannot remember begins to catch up with them both…

THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO is a non-stop thrill ride through the shadowy borderworld of mafia politics and vampires – and sex.

Book Links
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Author Information

Travis Luedke is a husband, father, and author of Urban Fantasy Thriller, Paranormal Romance, Contemporary Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, and Sci-fi. He is currently catching a 3rd degree sunburn in San Antonio, Texas, and loving every minute of it.
As the author of the Nightlife Series novels, Travis lives very vicariously through his writings. He invites you to enjoy his macabre flights of fancy, but be warned: The Nightlife Series is violent, sexy, and occasionally violently sexy.

Author Links
Amazon Author Page
Blog ~ Personal
Blog ~ The Nightlife Series
Email ~ twluedke@gmail.com
Facebook
Facebook Page ~The Nightlife Series
Facebook Page ~ Author
Goodreads
G+
Twitter
Wattpad
Website


Grab your copy of this urban fantasy romance today!

The Nightlife Series Novels are Adult Paranormal Romance ~ Urban Fantasy Thriller:

THE NIGHTLIFE NEW YORK
THE NIGHTLIFE LAS VEGAS
THE NIGHTLIFE PARIS
BLOOD SLAVE
THE NIGHTLIFE LONDON
THE NIGHTLIFE SERIES OMNIBUS (Books 1-4)
THE NIGHTLIFE SAN ANTONIO
THE NIGHTLIFE MOSCOW Coming 


The Fugitive (Safe)


Adrian headed for his Chevy pickup at the far corner of the parking lot, Jose’s fifty dollars tucked into his back pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a pale blue fabric flitting past between two cars. In the strange pallor cast by the parking lot lights, he could’ve sworn he saw a flash of butt cheek from a woman wearing one of those open-backed hospital gowns. He changed course and headed straight for this wisp of fabric, intrigued.
He reached the shadows between two vehicles and paused, a sense of wrongness flashing in his mind. He made an about-face and headed back to his pickup truck. He had learned that it didn’t pay to stick his nose into things not his business. He had a date with a Serta Perfect Sleeper mattress in his air-conditioned apartment.
As he reached the truck, he glanced around once more and considered calling hospital security. A renegade patient was their job, not his.
Without a single sound, she was suddenly there, right next to him, her pale blood-splattered hand on his arm – the gunshot victim, the woman who damn near died in the back of his ambulance.
Her weak grip tugged at his arm. “I need your help. You have to help me.”
Her black hair hung limp, plastered to her forehead. Blood speckled her chin, neck and light blue gown. She must have coughed up blood, which would mean her lungs were not doing so good. Pneumonia, collapsed lung, punctured lung, all the possibilities slid across his mind as he stared at her, perplexed. What the hell was she doing out here? Walking around? The woman had flat-lined a couple of days ago.
“Let’s get you back to the Emergency Room. They’ll take care of everything.” At the risk of ruining his jacket with blood stains and who knew what other bodily fluids, he put his arm around her and pulled her close to hold her weight. She wasn’t wearing anything under the paper-thin gown. The contours of her naked hip fit his hand perfectly. He tried to ignore those thoughts and instead steered her back towards the hospital.
“No, wait, I can’t.” She stopped him from going any farther by turning in his grip to face him.
Shit. “Do you need me to carry you?” Please no. My back can’t take any more tonight.
“I can’t be here.”
Her face, which had held a look of pleading, turned dead serious. Dark eyes bored into his soul with a depth of intensity. “I need you. Take me with you. I must leave now.” There was something fascinating about her eyes. She never blinked even once, and he found he couldn’t look away from her. “You have to help me.”
Yes, of course. He had to help her.
He suddenly understood, and really, it was a simple request. She needed a ride. No big deal. Helping her was the right thing to do. The soldier part of his mind rapidly assessed the risks. The CCTV cameras only covered the entrance area of the hospital. Nobody would know where she went from the parking lot. He glanced around, looking for any sign of a witness to this strange moment. Then he recalled her little issue, she was a mafia target or something like that. He had no desire to become collateral damage on a botched hit job. A saner voice nagged him, get rid of her. No upside in helping her, no upside at all. She stank like old blood and medicine, that sick-hospital smell. She stood in his arms staring at him, unblinking, her dark eyes a well filled with raw, intense need.
Something stirred inside him. Even in her present condition, she was eerily compelling.
He had deliberately trained as a paramedic to help people. The bastard shrink had called him a sociopath, unable to care about people. So, here he was, trying to care, trying to help, trying to be like everyone else, normal. It was his job to help people like her, more so than the police who were probably looking for her right now.
Do your job, Adrian. Prove the bastard shrink wrong.
“Okay, I’ll give you a ride. Come on.” She snuggled into his embrace with a grateful smile on her bloody lips as he pulled her back towards his truck. He reacted to her appreciation low in his groin. Obviously it had been way too long since he got laid. Messing around with patients was a major fail, quick way to get fired and prosecuted.
He helped her up into the truck – impossible not to end up with a handful of her ass in the process. She held his gaze with that creepy look, and a small grin split her lips. Adrian smiled back at her reassuringly, then shut the door and jetted around to the driver side for the packet of Clorox wet wipes on the seat. Without surgical gloves, no knowing what nasty germs he might get from touching her.
She just sat there, blood splattered, in nothing but her paper-thin gown, watching him. She looked so vulnerable, and she had put so much trust in him. He started the truck and navigated out of the parking lot with her furtively watching him all the while. She kept glancing back at the hospital entrance, as if looking for someone in pursuit.
“Shit!” She dropped flat on the truck bench seat as a police car sped past. The car screeched to a stop at the emergency entrance and two cops piled out, jogging into the hospital.
Her huge brown eyes looked up at him. She had laid her head in his lap. The girl might be afraid of the police and everyone else, but she trusted him.
He tried not to think about her face on his thigh, or the complete absurdity of the moment. He just kept on driving up to the intersection at the highway. Then it occurred to him he had no idea which direction to take.
“So, where are we headed? We’re on I-35 and I-37, on the south side.”
Still she just stared at him, head resting on his lap like he had become her personal pillow. Damn, he’d have to wash his jeans with Lysol disinfectant.
She shook her head, rubbing her lank black hair all over his jeans. “I … I don’t know.”
Fucking great.
“Look, I understand you’re afraid. I was one of the paramedics who brought you in. Somebody tried to kill you. It’s amazing you can even walk, and you don’t need me to tell you that you need medical attention. You should be in a hospital.”
She shook her head. “I can’t go back.”
He knew she was gonna say that. “If you won’t go to a hospital, then I’ll take you home. I can check your wounds, change your bandages, but I’m not a doctor. I’m not qualified for anything else. Tell me where you live. I’ll get you there, do what I can to help, and then we’re done. We never met. You don’t know who I am, and I don’t know who you are. I could lose my job for this.”
He felt a twinge of something as her emotions flickered across her face. She was afraid. He’d seen plenty of that in Iraq. He stared at her for a minute, until a honking car behind him drew his attention to the stale green light. He took off for the north onramp to I-35. Cruising the highway, he kept glancing down at her. She had her hands over her face, like an ostrich hoping the problem would go away if they simply didn’t see it anymore.
One more exit and they would be at his apartment complex. He tried not to think of the implications. This girl needed to go somewhere, definitely not to his home. “I need a direction, an address, something.”
She uncovered her face and there were dark wet tears in her eyes. Was that blood? Fuck. Why the hell would she be bleeding from her eyes? She choked as though crying. Damn women were always crying.
Adrian hadn’t cried in years. He hadn’t felt that kind of intensity about anything, apart from a few insane moments in Iraq. How could people function when they feel so much? The only thing that got him going, beyond sex, was full-on combat, kill or be killed. The EMT calls got a bit wild once in a while, but not very often.
He reached over to the glove box to find the Kleenex tissues and handed her one. “You’re bleeding.”
She dabbed at her eyes, looked at the tissue and then back up at him. Lost, bewildered, scared, her huge dark eyes raked at him with the urgency of her plight. She choked out the words, “I don’t know where to go. I don’t know anything.”
The problem hit, and he didn’t like the way it made his stomach turn. She wasn’t local. She didn’t live in San Antonio. Where the hell could he take her?
“You don’t have anywhere to go? No friends, no house, no hotel?”
She wouldn’t speak, held her lips tight, as if to stop herself from screaming, and shook her head again.
Damn. He knew he shouldn’t have put her in his truck. No upside to this deal at all. Now, he just wanted to be rid of her. But the woman was still in his lap, looking at him like he owed her something, like he was going to be the one who saved her from … whatever.
Isn’t that why you took this job, to save people? Do your job, Adrian.
“Look, I’ll get you cleaned up, some clothes, a bus ticket, and that’s it. I can’t do anything more. Seriously.”
Huge, wet, doe eyes held his gaze while she slowly nodded acceptance. She covered her face and curled up on his seat, shivering. He turned up the heat, even though it wasn’t cold in the truck. San Antonio spring nights were never really cold. Pulling into the covered parking in front of his apartment complex, he realized he had a new problem.
“Stay here a minute, I’m going to get you a blanket. Just stay low, make sure no one sees you.”
He scooted his thigh out from under her and closed the truck door to peek in through his driver side window, ensuring she stayed down. She stared at him all the while. This was one strange chick. He found it hard to reconcile the Latin goddess who had almost died in his ambulance with this half-naked, crazy chick hiding in his truck. She had looked so beautiful, and fragile, whereas now she was this needy, pushy, intense girl who wanted to dump her whole damn life in the palms of his hands.

Saturday, July 12, 2014

*BOUND by LOVE*BLOG TOUR*





Title: Bound by Love
Author: Stephie Walls
Series: Bound #1
Genre: Erotic Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: April 15 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:
When young college student and working phenom, Annie Teasman, shows up again at the distribution center to pitch a consulting proposal to management in hopes of sealing the deal, she never suspects when their eyes lock that the gorgeous, blue-eyed, ripped Gray Dearsley will change her life forever.
Will the bright, funny, and unassuming coed from an upper class background be able to bind her heart to that of the cocky, carefree Southern playboy? As she tries to manage an impossible school load while working full-time, will her drug use jeopardize their relationship?
While Gray wrestles with his desire to lead a carefree and uncommitted lifestyle, Annie must grow up as she struggles to meet her goals and decide for herself what she needs from a relationship to be happy. Will she choose a relationship where she is bound by passionate love, or will she choose the gentle love and security of a man whose background more closely matches her own?
Set in a Southern town where the cultural divide is wide and the generation gap is even more pronounced, the book is contemporary in its approach to the issue of drugs at colleges where the demands on time for success-oriented students frequently surpass their physical capabilities.
Passionate, sensual, and erotic, Bound by Love explores some of life’s most difficult questions about love & happiness. This is not a fairytale romance; it’s the story of two people desperate to love each other through drugs, infidelity, and painful truths. Not all love is guaranteed a happy ending.

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I'm a thirty-six year old wife to my sweet husband Jason, and mother of one to the most adorable seven-year-old girl to ever walk, Maggie.  I live with my little family on the outskirts of Greenville, South Carolina where we house two cats (Star Anise aka Annie and Asparagus aka Gus) and a dog, Jack. (the largest Yorkie ever!).  
 
I have a serious addiction to anything Coach and would live on Starbucks if I could get away with it. I'm slightly enamored with Charlie Hunnam and Sons of Anarchy and am a self-proclaimed foodie.  I'm an avid reader averaging around 300 novels a year and wish I had time to read more.
I currently work full-time in the Greenville area and fill my "extra" time (haha) with reading anything I can get my hands on and writing contemporary romance novels with a hint of erotica.  This has been a dream of mine for years and I couldn't have done it without the support of my husband and BFF Tracy who both pushed me to keep going when I didn't have the confidence or the patience.

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Teaser #1 
Unbuckling her seat belt, she slides across the bench seat toward me, placing her hand on the inside of my thigh. I’ve got on loose-fitting jeans, but the warmth from her hand makes my cock start to twitch. The movement catches her eye, turning her face slightly pink with a blush. 

“I can’t help it, Annie; he likes you – a lot.” Her lips meet the side of my neck as she trails kisses down my skin. Her hand slowly caressing my thigh, inching up slightly with each circle she makes with her palm. She latches on to my earlobe with just a hint of teeth. My cock is rock hard. Moving her tongue behind my ear, her hand on my dick, cupping it firmly and she knows, without a doubt, that I’m horny as hell. “Baby, as much as I love you touching me, I’m driving and can’t participate. We’ll be home soon. I promise we can finish this there.” 

Sitting up straight, she doesn’t make a sound, but her eyes are piercing mine as I try to stay focused on the road. Both of her hands are in my lap, and I jump when I feel her unbutton my jeans. “What are you doing?” Geezus, I sound like I just ran a marathon I’m so winded. 

“Watch the road, Gray. I’m just having a little fun,” she teases. White knuckles grip the steering wheel as I try to stay focused to keep us from crashing, but then I hear my zipper. I lift my hips just a little so she can adjust my jeans. Reaching her right hand into my boxers, she pulls my dick out and takes it with her left hand while sliding her right down to grab hold of my balls. 

“Holy fuck, Bird Dog! I can’t drive with you giving me a hand job,” I bark at her.

“That’s good ‘cause I’m not going to give you a hand job,” she mutters. Without warning, my dick is in the back of her throat. She tugs slightly on my sac, triggering locked knees. I’m panting, but she’s just getting started. Her tongue rounds the head while her left hand strokes my shaft. I peek down at her head bobbing in my lap, wondering what the hell someone would think if they drove by. Granted, it would be difficult for anyone to see inside the truck, but holy shit, she’s sucking my fucking dick while driving down I-85! 

Her tongue, gah, her tongue and those lips – I had no idea a mouth could have that much suction power. I feel the tip of my head touch the back of her throat, but I can’t pull back in the seat. She’s totally in control. When she raises her head, my dick slides out of her mouth; it’s glistening from her saliva, reminding me of how it looks when I pull it out of her pussy. Her hand propelling in unison with her head, squeezing with just enough pressure to enjoy the friction while her tongue works magic. I can’t hold back much longer. “Baby, I’m gonna come if you don’t stop,” I grunt as my balls constrict. 

“I want you to come in my mouth,” she says like a siren calling to me. 

I realizing I could lose control of the truck and kill us both when I come, but I can’t stop myself, I can’t push her away. My dick starts surging, filling her mouth with my seed. My head falls back against the seat as I fight to keep my eyes open. By the grace of God we are still in our lane, in one piece. 

Friday, July 11, 2014

*CRIMSON & CREAM*BLOG TOUR*





Title: Crimson & Cream
Author: C.M. Skiera
Series: The Oxbow Kingdom Trilogy (#1)
Genre: Epic Fantasy (YA/Swords & Sorcery/Coming-of-Age)
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: July 1 2014 (Second Edition)
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook (Digital)

Blurb/Synopsis:
Hounded by watchmen, trolls, goblins, and a relentless bounty hunter, thirteen-year-old Jetsam dreams of the day he’ll no longer have to run for his life.  A victim of circumstance burdened with an interminable unlucky streak, each sunrise ushers in more difficulty for the resilient adolescent.  An avalanche of life-changing events forces him to boldly decide his future.
In the mountain city of Dwim-Halloe, Eidryn and Elvar were born twins to teachers at the city’s revered School of Sorcery. When the new king outlawed magic, the boys’ parents were murdered. Their deaths forfeited the siblings' magical birthright and made them homeless fugitives.
Rescued by an orphan gang, the water-logged twins were nicknamed Flotsam and Jetsam. To survive as outcasts, the orphans scavenge and pilfer nightly. Their last risky foray sent them fleeing into an unfamiliar cavern. Now the brothers are lost deep underground where they encounter a strange beast that will change their lives forever and begin a harrowing journey for their ultimate survival.
Crimson & Cream recounts Jetsam’s adventurous tale of flight and discovery as the fugitive orphan unravels the tangled mysteries his tortured past while securing his tenuous future.

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C.M. Skiera grew up in Michigan and now lives in California with his wife and two rescue Chihuahuas. He works as a professional environmental engineer to pay the bills and has been writing since the mid 1990s. Crimson & Cream is his debut epic fantasy novel. He started writing Crimson & Cream in 1999, and after lots of twists and turns, 13 drafts, plenty of rejections, the arrival of the 21st Century and the advent of online self-publishing, the ebook is finally here. C.M. Skiera is currently finalizing Mirrors & Mist, book two of The Oxbow Kingdom Trilogy. An avid reader, C.M. Skiera enjoys a compelling story, regardless of genre, though speculative fiction novels are some of his favorites. 

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Excerpt #1
“Jetsam!” his twin brother Flotsam whispered.  “Get down!  We shouldn’t be here.”  Jetsam’s ragged pant leg tightened from his brother’s pull.  The second-hand breeches were ill-fitting for the growing youth.  Jetsam’s trousers, and his wrinkled tunic, were swiped from a peasant’s clothesline.  With a grunt, Jetsam jerked his leg free of his brother’s grasp.
Jetsam hung from the stone wall, transfixed on a maiden strolling in the garden below him.  With the tip of his nose resting on the ashlar, his aching fingers clung to the bulwark’s lip.  Jetsam’s nostrils flared at the fragrances rising in the warm night air.  The toes of his shoddy boots wedged into the cracks between the blocks.
Upon first glimpse, Jetsam noticed the girl’s eyes.  Her crystalline orbs drew him in, mesmerizing Jetsam.  Sallow moonlight danced in her locks, shimmering like waves.  Willowy and angelic, the somber lass displayed a regal air.  She meandered the flagstone path amidst flowers and shrubs, drifting like a leaf on the wind.  Surrounded by low hedges, she moved out of earshot.
“Jet-sssam,” Flotsam hissed again.  “Stick to the alleys.  This is too dangerous!” he whispered.  “Can’t believe you sodding talked me into this.”
Jetsam snorted.  Only had to pester you about it every day for weeks, he thought.  If only you’d relax, then we could enjoy our birthday!  Jetsam was amazed he convinced his brother to go this far.  For months he envisioned this special adventure for their special day, but convincing his cautious twin was another hurdle.  Swimming the moat was hazard enough, but creeping inside the castle through a narrow drainage chute was risky indeed.  Must be the full moon, he rationalized.
“Sheer lunacy, sneaking into the Citadel—birthday or not,” the pragmatic Flotsam warned, whispering his brother’s thoughts while maintaining his sense of reason.  “Turn back while we can.”
Despite the plea, Jetsam didn’t budge.  Logic fell on deaf ears.  Captivated by the lass, Jetsam ignored his twin’s urging. 
“Seem rather fond of that wall,” Flotsam teased.  “Find a soft spot?”
“Always the jester,” Jetsam replied with a smirk.  “Come have a look,” he whispered.
Visibly flustered, Flotsam scaled the rough surface alongside his brother.  Inside the yard, trees rustled in the midnight breeze while their branches shaded flowers and bushes from the lunar radiance.
“Let’s go inside!” goaded Jetsam, blue eyes flashing with enthusiasm.  He glanced at Flotsam’s stern face.  Bet he’s hungry, Jetsam connived.  “Look at those apples!” Jetsam exclaimed in a high whisper.  “Can you imagine eating one?  Fresh and juicy—not some chewed-up core.  Fill our sacks and not a one’ll be missed.”  The trick to getting his brother over the wall was to convince him of the garden’s bounty.  A meeting with the mysterious girl would be Jetsam’s secret birthday present.
“You’re not looking at apples,” Flotsam retorted, “and she’ll holler for the stinkin’ guard.  We’ve done just fine filchin’ in town.  Always enough for both of us, and then some.”

Thursday, July 10, 2014

*THE DUEL for CONSUELO*BLOG TOUR*





Title: The Duel for Consuelo
Author: Claudia H Long
Series: Josefina's Sin, The Next Generation
Genre: Historical Fiction/Historical Romance
Publisher: Booktrope
Release Date: June 15 2014
Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print

Blurb/Synopsis:
Travel back in time to 1711 in colonial Mexico, where the terrors of the Inquisition are slowly receding before the tide of the Enlightenment. Not receding fast enough, though, for Consuelo. She's caught between two men, two religions, and two ruthless inquisitors who are hanging on to their lasts shreds of power.
THE DUEL FOR CONSUELO brings us to 1711 in colonial Mexico. Consuelo, an accomplished herbalist and daughter of a mayor, is privy to the darkest family secret possible while the Inquisition still holds fast to its waning dominance. Her ailing mother is a practicing "Secret Jew", descendent of Conversos, or Jews who converted in Spain at the point of a sword. Her father is desperate to prevent the discovery of this secret as it will mean certain torture and possible death of his family.
Juan Carlos Castillo, the white-blond son of wealthy landowners, has a few secrets of his own. His love for Consuelo has moved into forbidden territory, and he watches as his friend and rival, Leandro Almidon of Spain, woos Consuelo with his sharp wit and promises of social and financial security.
The times are turbulent. The Enlightenment is slowly penetrating the darkness of Spain and its colony, and new thinkers are questioning everything, from religion to science, to the mingling of the castes and races. With new thinking secrets are bared and the Inquisition makes a final grasp at power.  Consuelo finds herself fighting for her mother's life, her own future, and her right to love.

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Claudia H. Long grew up in Mexico City and moved to the United States when she was eleven. She wrote her senior thesis at Harvard University on the feminism of Sor Juana INS De La Cruz, and revived her passion for her when she wrote Josefina's Sin. She lives and practices law in Northern California with her husband. They have two grown children. She is currently at work on her next novel, set in eighteenth century Mexico.

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Excerpt #1
The cold wind whipped through the yard, scattering leaves and dust and blowing Consuelo's hair and shawls. She pulled the rebozo closer around herself and held her mother's arm firmly. 
She watched her father walk towards the gathered men, her eyes searching intently. It was not difficult to spot the white-blond head amongst the throng of dark haired and olive-complexioned men. The sun, weakened by the greenish clouds that increased by the moment, absorbed and returned the unnatural glow of that otherworldly hair. Consuelo swallowed as Juan Carlos turned as if sensing her stare and looked back at her. It was too far for her to see the expression on his face but he clearly raised his hand in greeting. Unable to breathe she nodded back, her flush banishing the cold from the whistling wind. 
Something soft touched her hand. Consuelo looked down to see her mother stroking her hand tenderly where she held her mother's arm in an unconsciously iron grip. "Thank you," Consuelo whispered, but the clarity faded once again to opacity in Leila's eyes. Consuelo turned them towards the hacienda door. Small specks of white swirled in her vision and for the first time in a hundred recorded years snow began to fall in the high plains of Central Mexico.