Release Launch – THE MATCHMAKER’S PLAYBOOK by Rachel Van Dyken

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VanDyken-TheMatchmakersPlaybook-21818-CV-FT-v5Wingman rule number one: don’t fall for a client.

After a career-ending accident, former NFL recruit Ian Hunter is back on campus—and he’s ready to get his new game on. As one of the masterminds behind Wingmen, Inc., a successful and secretive word-of-mouth dating service, he’s putting his extensive skills with women to work for the lovelorn. But when Blake Olson requests the services of Wingmen, Inc., Ian may have landed his most hopeless client yet.

From her frumpy athletic gear to her unfortunate choice of footwear, Blake is going to need a miracle if she wants to land her crush. At least with a professional matchmaker by her side she has a fighting chance. Ian knows that his advice and a makeover can turn Blake into another successful match. But as Blake begins the transformation from hot mess to smokin’ hot, Ian realizes he’s in danger of breaking his cardinal rule…

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

 

 

The Matchmaker’s Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken from Becca the Bibliophile on Vimeo.

 

 

Blake let out another pitiful groan. “I don’t think it fits.”

“They measured you. It fits. Just, tell me if it looks okay so we can go.” I checked my watch. “Gabi said dinner was at six, and it’s already a quarter till.”

“This is too much pressure.” Her voice was frantic. “I can’t do this. I mean, how do I know if it looks good? They’re boobs.”

I groaned. “Boobs always look good. Believe me.”

“Boobs are gross!”

Said no man ever. Even the gay ones.

One of the salesladies eyed me up and down. “Are you two okay?”

“Great,” I chirped. “Just having a very heated discussion about the beauty of breasts.” I dipped my chin to Blake’s chest. “What are you? A double D?”

Scowling, she marched off.

Thank God.

“Blake,” I hissed.

No answer.

I’d never had such a difficult client. If anything, they jumped when I told them to, asked how high, and then kept jumping until I was satisfied. Blake fought me at every turn.

“Open the door before I crawl underneath it. I’ll pick the bras, you can close your eyes if you want so you don’t have to watch me look at you, alright? My stomach literally just ate my liver. I need protein. Open. The. Door.”

The door slowly creaked open. Taking advantage of the small crack of air, I pushed it farther, then clicked it shut behind me and turned around.

Blake was facing me, hands on hips, face beet-red, body . . . freaking perfect. My tongue almost lolled out, like a dog.

Most girls starve themselves to have abs like that, which was disgusting. But her abs? They had muscle, actual muscle, but still appeared feminine.

She also had a nice tan, just enough to show that she spent time outside or maybe just had naturally darker skin.

My throat went completely dry as I continued to stare.

“Well?” Her voice was weak. “How awful do I look? On a scale of one to ten?”

I’d convinced her to buy some new workout clothes to replace her old ones. I knew I’d never get her to actually completely change her style. She liked workout clothes? Fine, at least buy the kind that fit and actually point to the correct gender. I tried to steer her away from the boyfriend sweats and sweatshirts, but she eventually wore me down, so I told her if she bought at least five new Pink outfits that had spandex in them, I’d let her get one pair of ugly slouchy sweats. You’d think I’d just given her a million dollars, from her reaction.

Currently, she was sporting a short pair of bright-blue yoga shorts.

And a black push-up sports bra that did wonders for her boobs.

And the world just in general.

Holy shit.

I gulped as I became more and more irritated with the fact that my body was reacting as if it had never seen a girl without her shirt on before. “Blake, it’s great.”

“You sound bored!”

I had to, damn it! What did she want me to do? Sound interested? Turned-on? Intrigued? Curious? I was all those things. I just tried to ignorethe insanity bouncing around in my head and blurted, “Your boobs look really good. Perky, happy, just . . . awesome.”

Did I just call her boobs “happy”?

“You think?” She stared down at her breasts, then grabbed them.

Holy shit, was she seriously feeling herself up? I braced my hand against the door and sucked in a breath.

“They still feel comfortable,” she said.

“Do they?” I managed to choke out while she continued bouncing them a bit in her hands. Dear Lord, did she know what she was doing? Waving a flag in front of a bull. My jeans suddenly tight in all the wrong areas, I tried to envision Lex naked, anything to get my dick to clue in to the word “client,” meaning I was in a no-play zone.

Another first.

It was because I was hungry.

And Marissa? Melissa? Hadn’t satisfied me. I’d gotten off, and made sure she did too, but the entire experience left me feeling empty, bored, and—if I was being completely honest? A bit depressed. Besides, her tits paled in comparison. I had to wonder what the hell I’d been doing all my life if this was the first time I was having such a strong reaction to boobs.

Something about Blake had me wondering if I’d been satisfied at all up until this point. And I had no idea what the hell was so confusing about her, and about the situation. I was unable to put my finger on it, and the more I thought about it the more my head hurt.

Hunger does weird things to guys.

“Yeah.” More bouncing, then turning and staring in the mirror. I wasn’t sure what was worse. Her staring at her own boobs or touching them. “I’m just no good at this stuff. I didn’t grow up with a mom, and I hit puberty really early. The girls made fun of me, and the boys pointed.” Her shoulders slumped inward again.

Could we please go back to the bouncing? I was a fan of that Blake. The one that rolled up like an awkward armadillo? Not so much.

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rachelborderRachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!
Want to be kept up to date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

You can connect with her on Facebook www.facebook.com/rachelvandyken or join her fan group Rachel’s New Rockin Readers. Her website is www.rachelvandykenauthor.com.

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Sale Blitz – FIGHTING FOR DEVLIN by Jessica Lemmon

 

FIGHTING FOR DEVLIN
Lost Boys #1
Jessica Lemmon
Released November 24th, 2015
Loveswept

Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Katy Evans, Jessica Lemmon’s irresistible Lost Boys series kicks off with the story of a good girl who plays by the rules—and the bad boy who brings out her wild side.

Devlin Calvary makes his own luck. Orphaned as a young child, he was taken in by a crew of bookies and gamblers—and they became his family. They’re the reason Dev’s running a trendy bistro, living in a high rise, and enjoying the good life with a string of women who never ask for too much. Until, one night, he finds out how much it hurts to trust the wrong people. . . .

Rena Lewis sticks to the straight and narrow, determined not to slip up again . . . like the terrible night of partying four years ago that ended in tragedy. A waitress at Oak & Sage, she knows that sleeping with her boss is not a smart move. But when Dev shows up on her doorstep, beat up and clearly shaken, Rena’s not about to turn him down . . . or kick him out of bed.

Dev reawakens something primal within her—a need to go wild. And Rena soon finds out that the heart she’d sealed away years ago still has the power to fight for love.


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A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing
super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

 

Virtual Tour – Giveaway & Review – ONCE BURNED by Lisa B. Kamps

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ONCE BURNED
Firehouse Fourteen #1
Lisa B. Kamps
Released March 21st, 2016
Michaela Donaldson had her whole life planned out: college, music, and a happy-ever-after with her first true love. One reckless night changed all that, setting Michaela on a new path. Gone are her dreams of pursuing music in college, replaced by what she thinks is a more rewarding life. She’s a firefighter now, getting down and dirty while doing her job. So what if she’s a little rough around the edges, a little too
careless, a little too detached? She’s happy, living life on her own terms–until Nicky Lansing shows back up.
Nick Lansing was the stereotypical leather-clad bad boy, needing nothing but his fast car, his guitar, his never-ending partying, and his long-time girlfriend–until one bad decision changed the course of two lives forever. He’s on the straight-and-narrow now, living life as a respected teacher and doing his best to be a positive role model. Yes, he still has his music. But gone are his days of partying. And gone is the one girl who always held his heart. Or is she?One freak accident brings these two opposites back together. Is ten years long enough to heal the physical and emotional wounds from the past? Can they reconcile who they were with who they’ve become–or will it be a case of Once Burned is enough?

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Excerpt

“Oh shit,” Mike repeated under her breath, too horrified to do anything more than force herself to breathe. Not an easy task, considering she was literally frozen to the spot. The air was thick with heated tension and the buzzing in her ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. She willed herself to move, to do something.

Shit, it’s Nicky. Shit, it’s Nicky. The phrase kept spinning through her mind until she thought she’d be sick with the dizziness of it. Her chest heaved, like she was breathing water instead of air, and her pulse beat in a crazy tap dancer’s rhythm.

Did anyone else notice the sudden change in the room? Mike looked away from that face from her past and quickly glanced around. Four sets of eyes fixed on her with varying degrees of bewilderment. She could still feel his eyes on her, too, filled with stunned disbelief.

Feeling like she was trapped in a nightmare where everything moved with the speed of molasses, Mike pushed away from the counter and walked across the room, straight past the frozen figure of Nicky Lansing and through the swinging door. She turned a corner and rushed through a second door that opened into the engine room, not stopping until she reached the engine on the far side, where she promptly collapsed on the back step.

Heedless of the dirt and grime, she let her head drop against the back compartment door, ignoring the length of hose line in her way. Her breathing came in shallow gasps that did nothing to help the lightheadedness that caused black dots to dance across her closed lids.

Hyperventilating. She was hyperventilating. The calm, rational part of her—she was surprised she still had one—told her to lean forward, to get a grip on herself and her breathing. Now bent over, sitting with her head between her knees, Mike grabbed the running board with both hands and concentrated on the feel of the diamond plate cutting into her palms.

The spots faded away and her breathing slowed to something closer to normal. One last deep breath and she straightened, only to choke on a scream when she came face-to-face with Jay, his brows lowered in a frown as he studied her with concern.

“Jesus! Don’t scare me like that!” She pushed him away then stood, only to sit back down when she realized how bad her knees were shaking.

“Scare you? What is wrong with you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I couldn’t be better! Don’t I look fine?”

“You look like you’re ready to pass out. What the hell is going on? Do you know that guy? He looks like he’s seen a ghost!”

“He probably thinks he has.” Mike moved over and motioned for Jay to sit down, ignoring his scrutiny as he twisted sideways and continued staring at her.

“Are you going to explain that?”

“No.” She ran her hands through her hair, muttering when she pulled a thick hank of it loose from the pony tail. Sighing, she reached back and pulled the elastic band loose, then quickly rearranged her hair into a more secure hold. Jay watched her intently then nudged her leg with his when she continued to ignore him.

“Well?”

“Well nothing. He’s just somebody I used to know, that’s all.”

Jay snorted. “Bull.”

“Okay, fine,” she conceded grudgingly. “He’s also somebody I never wanted to see again.” Mike reached down and gingerly touched her right side, trying not to remember but unable to forget. If Jay noticed the motion, he didn’t say anything.

They sat in silence, the familiar background noises of the station virtually unnoticed. A few minutes went by before Jay spoke again. “You sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

Mike shook her head, ready to make a sarcastic reply when the sound of footsteps echoed through the engine room. The steps paused, then changed directions and hesitantly walked around the side of the engine. Mike knew without looking who it was: the steps were those of a stranger, someone who didn’t know his way around.

Nicky stopped at the back of the engine, not saying anything as Jay slowly stood and positioned himself slightly in front of Mike, shielding her. She touched his arm briefly, in a gesture both of thanks and of reassurance that she was alright. Jay looked back at her, one brow cocked in question, then reluctantly walked away at her nod. Mike didn’t see where he went but knew that he would be close by in case he was needed.

She stood slightly, leaning against the running board, then crossed her arms in front of her, covering the jagged scar that ran along her left forearm. The stance was as close to aloof and detached as she could manage considering her insides were making a milkshake of her early dinner. Too late, she remembered the sunglasses hanging around her neck and wished she would have thought to put them on to hide any emotion in her eyes.

With an effort that took more strength than she wanted to admit, she let her eyes slowly, coolly rake the man in front of her from top to bottom.

Dammit. The Nicky Lansing from her past had been ruggedly handsome with dark looks and boyish charm; this Nick Lansing was dangerously gorgeous. A little taller than she remembered, he stood just over six feet, and was definitely broader through the shoulders and chest. The boy she remembered had finally filled out, to all the best advantages.

The long hair of his past was gone, cut to a length that brushed just past the collar of the light blue shirt he wore. Still too long to be squeaky clean, but short enough by today’s standards to be rated as acceptable. His eyes were the same, though. A dark chocolate brown framed in long lashes, they invited a person to swim in their depths and lose their soul without a second thought.

She would know, since she had done just that.

debbiesreview

Once Burned is the first in Lisa B. Kamps’ Firehouse Fourteen series.  She starts her series and book with us at a location of a fire.  I couldn’t wait to see when Mike and Nicky would finally encounter each other.  There are moments of heartache that had me unsure what to expect.  I did love the mention of Old Bay, it has me looking forward to my own crab feast this summer.

Once Burned is the first I’ve read by Lisa B. Kamps but won’t be the last.  I’m excited to read more of her Firehouse Fourteen series.  I’ll be picking up her Baltimore Banners while I wait.

RatingSystem-4

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Lisa B. Kamps is the author of the best-selling series The Baltimore Banners, featuring “hard-hitting, heart-melting hockey players” (USA Today), on and off the ice. ONCE BURNED is the launch title
of her much-anticipated new series, Firehouse Fourteen, featuring hot and heroic firefighters.
Lisa grew up with an overactive imagination, strong encouragement from her parents, and an insatiable infatuation with the Peanuts gang. That infatuation—along with an impatience she has yet to outgrow—jump-started her love of writing. After all, why should she be forced to wait a whole week to read the stories of her favorite characters when she could create stories for them whenever she wanted?That love of writing continued to grow, along with all those voices in her head, even during her assorted careers: first as a firefighter with the Baltimore County Fire Department, then a very brief (and not very successful) stint at bartending in east Baltimore, and finally as the Director of Retail Operations for a busy Civil War non-profit.

Lisa currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two sons, one very spoiled Border Collie, two cats with major attitude, several head of cattle, and entirely too many chickens to count. 

 

Release Blitz – LOGAN KADE by Tijan

logan kade release blitz

logan kade it's live

Logan Kade is FINALLY here!  #sexmachine #fallencrest #logankade

Amazon US * Amazon UK * iBooks * Kobo

logan kade cover use

Blurb

You think you know me?
Manwhore. Partier. Fighter.
You know what? You’re right. I’m all those things. F*ck with what’s mine and I’ll f*ck you ten times harder. Suspensions. Arrests. You think I care?

So yeah, I may fit the bad boy image, but there’s so much more you don’t know.

I’m loyal to a damned fault. I’ll never leave your side. The real Logan Kade isn’t a manwhore. When I love, I love hard and completely.

Taylor saw that side of me. Inside of me. She saw my darkness and pain, and the second she did, she owned me.

You may think you know me…
…but she’s the only one who sees me.

 

A fit young man wearing a hoodie over his head posing for the camera

EXCERPT

“Get Logan,” someone yelled.

Another girl asked, “Where is Logan?”

I heard other people saying the same thing, but I focused on the girl.

She raised her chin, and a warning flashed in her eyes. “Touch me. I dare you.”

There were three of them, all tall and, not to be stereotypical, but they looked like preppy douchebags. Each was good looking, with bodies built like they rowed every morning for hours. They looked like money. It practically dripped from their clothes. Their jawlines were rigid enough to form glaciers.

Their eyes were icy, too, as they stared back at the girl. They weren’t backing down.

I broke from the crowd, planning to go stand next to her. But before I could move, the crowd broke in half. An actual opening formed, and Logan Kade strode forward.

My foot jerked back into its spot, stepping back as he brushed past me.

Kade stopped beside her, and the three guys turned their attention to him. They didn’t move or say anything, but the air shifted. It’d been dark and ominous before, and I still felt a battle brewing.

“Kade starts fights, and he finishes them.”

A low tingle went through me, warming me. I remembered what Jason said and the nerves/anger/excitement took on a whole other feeling. My mouth was almost watering. I wanted to see what would happen. I wanted to see this Logan Kade in action, and for some reason, I was thirsting to see this fight.

“Kade,” one of them grated out his name.

Kade glanced at the girl, and then settled back on the spokesman. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s a party. We were invited.”

“And that’s why you’re facing off with Sam?” He moved forward a step.

“We weren’t facing off…”

Samantha folded her arms over her chest. “Yeah, right. You were just walking past me? That’s why you wouldn’t let me get past you to the car. We just ‘happened’ to block each other and you didn’t hear me when I told you to move.”

A little laugh slipped from me.

Kade threw me a sideways look.

I should’ve clamped a hand over my mouth. I should’ve let them know I wasn’t involved, because really, I wasn’t. I didn’t know this girl. It wasn’t my place to say anything or join in, but I didn’t. A dark part of me had opened up, seeing that this girl might need help. I wanted something to happen. I was almost egging it on in my head and as Kade watched me, his eyes lingering, the dark part grew into something else. My body grew warm and my pulse started to pick up. It was like he knew what was going on in me, and I swallowed over a lump, because that wasn’t right. He couldn’t know. He didn’t even know me…

But I felt like he did. I felt like he knew exactly what was going on in me, and a flash of anger flared up in me. I turned away. He could see inside of me, and that was too much. I didn’t want that so I slipped back into the crowd. As I pulled further away, enough so I wasn’t on the front line, my insides were still charged up.

logan kade teaser 3

 

Author Information

tijan

I didn’t begin writing until after undergraduate college. There’d been storylines and characters in my head all my life, but it came to a boiling point one day and I HAD to get them out of me. So the computer was booted up and I FINALLY felt it click. Writing is what I needed to do. After that, I had to teach myself how to write. I can’t blame my teachers for not teaching me all those years in school. It was my fault. I was one of the students that was wishing I was anywhere but at school! So after that day, it took me lots of work until I was able to put together something that resembled a novel. I’m hoping I got it right since someone must be reading this profile! And I hope you keep enjoying my future stories.

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Review Tour – JACKSON’S TRUST by Violet Duke

RT-JacksonsTrust-VDuke_FINAL

Jackson's Trust_Duke

Jackson’s Trust
Fourth Down #1

By: Violet Duke

Releasing March 8th, 2016
Loveswept

Blurb

New York Times bestselling author Violet Duke kicks off her fun and sexy new Fourth Down series with a heartwarming friends-to-lovers romance between a no-strings-attached sports analyst and the hottest damn tomboy he’s ever met.

It’s no secret that sports analyst Jackson Gray doesn’t do relationships. What is a secret, however, is the reason why. Jackson’s life is . . . complicated. And it doesn’t help that his current hands-off “friendship” is with the cute-as-hell new sideline reporter he’s assigned to train. Turns out, not only is the woman damn sweet, she also knows as much about football as he does. Like it or not though, Jackson has to remind himself that sex is the only thing he has to offer . . . until now.

Leila Hart’s fast-growing friendship with Jackson is something she’d never risk, no matter how unbelievably seductive the reward. Becoming an NFL sportscaster has always been the goal, and thanks to Jackson’s fierce support and mentoring, it all finally seems within reach. Problem is, a girl can only take so much of that sexy-as-sin voice whispering dirty, filthy football stats in her ear before she loses all self-control. A workplace romance with Jackson is a disaster waiting to happen, especially for someone with big dreams . . . and secrets of her own.

Advance praise for Jackson’s Trust
 
“Violet Duke’s writing jumps off the page and grabs you from the first sentence!” — New York Times bestselling author BELLA ANDRE, #1 bestselling author of The Sullivans series

“Hot, sweet, and filled with tender moments, Violet Duke writes heroes that make me swoon!” – New York Times bestselling author KENDALL RYAN

“A delightfully fresh read…Violet Duke delivers it all!” — New York Times bestselling author JEN MCLAUGHLIN

“Emotional, heart-wrenching, and oh-so-sweet…Violet Duke has me hooked.” — New York Times bestselling author L.P. DOVER

“Well-written kindred souls…Jackson and Leila are a couple you don’t want to miss! New York Times bestselling author HEIDI MCLAUGHLIN

“I love this hotter side of Violet Duke…still sweet & emotional, but with a bit of extra sizzle.Jackson’s Trust is a must-read.” — New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett

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Excerpt

“My life is . . . complicated.” Jackson broke his gaze away from her. “A relationship would be doomed to fail from the start.”

He sounded genuinely disappointed. Almost wistful. The way her grandmother had sounded years ago when her doctors told her she had to change her diet to cut out sweets, her favorite thing ever.

His eyes found hers again. “Funny thing is that I used to be one of those guys who figured he’d have a kid or two by now. Cute hell raisers who’d help me spoil their mom on Sunday mornings, that sort of thing.” Doting affection filtered into his tone. “And vice versa. A partner in crime who’d help me plan surprises for the kids that would be so stinkin’ adorable that I’d max out the memory on my phone taking photo after photo.”

Good grief, she was pretty sure one of her ovaries just fainted.

Leila had the sneaking suspicion that she was going to fall for this man. Hard. “So because of your secretly complicated life, you only date women who want . . .”

“Sex.” His eyes stayed glued to hers as he dropped the one word like a bomb. “Just sex. At their place, not mine.  Occasionally, with lunch or dinner as well, but never breakfast.”

Wow.  That was the very definition of just sex, alright.

“That honest enough for you?”

Yep. That worked. Did it settle her curiosity at the moment? Unquestionably. Did it get her to want to widen the number of spaces between them on the game board?

Not so much.

She watched him watch her reaction to his answer, and gave him the smile she knew he wasn’t expecting. Along with the follow-up she knew he really wasn’t expecting. “So you flirting with me earlier was you picking up on some sex-only, no-breakfast-in-bed vibe I have going on?” she teased. “That’s a pretty powerfully accurate gift you got there, Skippy.”

Aaand they were back to standing on the same square on the game board.

“Sunshine, why do I get the feeling you don’t really have a boyfriend?”

* * * * *

Jackson found his palms flat against the wall on either side of her shoulders before he could stop himself. And yet he did nothing to remedy what was surely a bad decision on his part, work-wise. Instead, he just watched her, and waited for an answer.

Leila’s gaze pulled away from his a moment later, and dropped down to his tie. While her teeth sank into that lush lower lip he’d been fascinated with since yesterday, she reached out her free hand to straighten and smooth out his tie.

Oddly, the unbidden action was a penetrating fist to his chest. He hadn’t been lying about having had more than a few passing thoughts of a wife and kids to spoil. And this tie-straightening? It belonged right there in the vault with all the other untouchable daydreams for his life.

When her lips parted then, instead of an answer, he got another question. “Why do you insist on calling me sunshine?”

“You don’t like it?”

“I’d rather you call me by my name.”

Exhaling slowly, he admitted, “Me too. Which is why I’m sticking to sunshine.”

Eyes still glued to his tie, she resumed her distracting lip biting, looking as reflective as she did amused. “So does that mean I shouldn’t call you Jackson?”

Holy shit, he liked the sound of his name on her lips. Too damn much. “Call me Jackson.” It wasn’t a reply to her inquiry. It wasn’t even a request. It had edged over to a demand

JT3

debbiesreview

I couldn’t wait to read Violet Duke’s Jackson’s Trust.  Duke’s Fourth Down series kicks off with a winner.  I loved Jackson and Leila.  The chemistry is hot and keeps you turning the pages.  Duke knows how to pack the emotions in a page turner.  I couldn’t help but laugh out loud and smile while reading Jackson’s Trust.  I’m looking forward to the next in the series.  If you haven’t read Violet Duke, don’t wait any longer.

RatingSystem-5

Author Info

NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author Violet Duke is a former professor of English Education ecstatic to now be on the other side of the page writing wickedly fun contemporary romances filled with strong, unique heroines and memorably romantic heroes. With just under a million books sold to date, since becoming an author in 2013, Violet has appeared on the USA Today bestseller list thirteen times and the NYT bestseller list three times, with the additional honor of charting in the Top 10 across the major eretailers both in the U.S. and internationally.

When she’s not feeding her book-a-day reading addiction, Violet enjoys tackling reno projects with her power tools, trying pretty much anything without reading the directions first, and cooking impossible-to-be-duplicated ‘special edition’ dishes that laugh in the face of recipes. A born and raised island girl, she spends her days in Hawai’i chasing after her two cute kids (daughter Violet & son Duke) and similarly adorable husband (their ringleader).

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Virtual Tour – Review and Giveaway – BLACK LISTED by Shelly Bell

VT-BlackListed-SBell_FINAL

BLACK LISTED cover

Black Listed
Benediction #4

By: Shelly Bell

Releasing March 22, 2016
Avon Red Impulse

 

Blurb

She sacrificed everything to keep him safe…

Five years ago, con artist Lisa Smith broke the first rule of hustling when she fell in love with—and married—her mark, billionaire Sawyer Hayes. The erotic nights spent acting out her darkest fantasies with her husband and Master were the happiest of her life. But when her ruthless father demanded she kill him and take his money, she had no choice but to disappear without a trace…or lose him forever.

He’ll risk everything to have her again…

Now Sawyer has found her, and he has an indecent proposal: submit to him for seven nights and he’ll grant her the divorce she desires. Forced to pretend she no longer loves him, each night spent in his arms is exquisite torture as they reignite their intense passion through role play and ménage. But when a deranged killer out for revenge targets Lisa, she must finally trust Sawyer with the secrets of her past…or neither of them will live to see the future.

Warning: Scenes depicting BDSM, fisting, MMFMM, consensual non-consent, and references to abuse

Goodreads  *  Goodreads Series

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Excerpt

As long as Lisa had the ability to inherit Sawyer’s estate, he was in danger. Now that he was back in her life, there was one more thing she could do to ensure his safety.

She squared her shoulders. “If I did you a favor by leaving, then you won’t mind giving me a divorce.”

He flinched, the first crack in his armor that she’d witnessed tonight. “That’s what you want?”

Her breath stalled in her chest. “Y-yes.”

A divorce was the last thing she wanted, but it was what they needed. She should have done it years ago, but she couldn’t be the one to file since she would be required by law to give her address.

A slow grin appeared on his face. “What will you give me for the divorce?”

She’d gotten butterflies every time he’d smiled at her in the past, but this time, a lead weight filled her belly. “Give you?”

He toyed with the ends of her short brown hair, his fingers restless. “You took that money from me. Even though legally you had every right to it, you played me to get it. You owe me. And I’m here to collect.”

“I told you, I don’t have the money. You saw it yourself. I own nothing. There’s no way I can repay you.” She took a deep breath, trying not to let his nearness affect her.

His hands framed her face. “I don’t want money. There are other more pleasurable ways to collect on the debt you owe me.”

“What are you suggesting?” she asked, afraid of his answer.

“Seven nights. Same soft and hard limits from five years ago.”

Her heart sped up, making her breathless. Out of all the things she expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. “So if I make love to you for seven nights, you’ll grant me a divorce and forgive the debt I owe you?”

He laughed. “What we’ll do could never be classified as ‘making love.’ We’ll fuck. I set the scenes. And you can do what you do best.” His expression turned cold once more, while his eyes seared into her. “Pretend.”

It shouldn’t hurt as much as it did. Like Sawyer had reached inside her chest cavity and squeezed her heart in his hand.

She could barely get the words off her tongue. “Role play.”

“If you hate me so much, why do you want to fuck me again?” she asked. “I would think a divorce is exactly what you’d want. At Benediction, you have an entire sex club of women at your disposal.”

The idea of him with another woman twisted her insides, but it would be much harder to take him inside her body again and not show him how much she loved him.

She wasn’t that good of an actress.

“I already have an entire sex club of women at my disposal. Didn’t Rachel and Logan tell you about their time at Paradise Found?”

Rachel had mentioned she and Logan had hid at Paradise Found, Logan’s friend’s club in Las Vegas, and Rachel had described to her at length the sinful things she’d seen there. “You own a sex club?”

“Why does that surprise you? You know better than anyone how much I enjoy a good fuck. Once you left, I considered myself a free agent.” His lips tightened into a straight line, his eyes flat. “You didn’t actually think I’d wait for you, did you?”

“No,” she whispered. “Why would you? You were right. Our marriage vows meant nothing. You had every right to sleep with as many women as you wanted.” She looked him straight in the eyes. “And I had the right to sleep with anyone I wanted as well.”

He didn’t give her a warning before slamming her up against the bookshelf. If there had been any change in his eyes, anything other than the coldness still lingering, she would’ve believed he was jealous.

His scent and heat wrapped her in an embrace even as she tried to resist the spell he held over her.

She thought about what Rachel had told her about Paradise Found. She’d mentioned that Logan’s friends were into ménage. Did that include Sawyer? While she had remained faithful, had he been indulging in wild sex parties and threesomes?

Sawyer braced a hand over her head, looming over her as he boxed her in. “For the next seven nights, you belong to me. You don’t fuck anyone else. You don’t even think about fucking someone else. Your nights are mine. Your body is mine. Do it and I’ll grant you a divorce and forgive your debt. You won’t ever have to worry about me again.”

Seven nights. It should be so easy to get him out of her system. But despite what he thought, she’d worry about him for the rest of her life. For the next week, the pleasure he’d bestow would be a living hell for her. It was punishment for her sins. It was no less than what she deserved.

She gave a sigh of resignation. “It’s a deal.”

debbiesreview

Black Listed is the fourth in Shelly Bell’s Benediction series.  Lisa and Sawyer’s story can be read as a standalone but the previous books provide stories of characters found in Black Listed.  Bell packs a punch with plenty of action and sexy, hot scenes.  I was hooked with the married con artist and billionaire, I couldn’t wait to see what happened with their seven day deal.

Black Listed is my first Benediction story but not my last.  I’m looking forward to getting the previous books in the series to catch up with Bell’s characters.  I can’t wait to see what more Shelly Bell has in store for her readers.

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Author Info

Shelly Bell, color photoA sucker for a happy ending, Shelly Bell writes sensual romance often with a bit of kink and action-filled erotic thrillers with high-emotional stakes for her alpha heroes and kick-ass heroines.

She began writing upon the insistence of her husband who dragged her to the store and bought her a laptop. When she’s not working her day job, taking care of her family, or writing, you’ll find her reading the latest smutty romance.

Shelly Bell writes the Benediction series for Avon Red Impulse and the forthcoming Forbidden Lovers series for Grand Central Forever.

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Release Day Blitz – COLLARED by Nicole Williams

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When a seventeen-year-old girl vanishes,

A community is shaken.

Parents turn desperate.

Friends hold vigils.

And the boy who loves her searches.

 

When a year goes by,

The community is recovering.

Parents feel hopeless.

Friends feel helpless.

And the boy who loves her continues his search.

 

When ten years go by,

The community has forgotten.

Parents cling to the past.

Friends move toward the future.

And the boy who loves her . . .

Brings her home.

 

Jade Childs spent ten years in captivity, but now that she’s back, the real battle for survival begins. The media shadows her. Flashbacks haunt her. Her old life evades her. Her so-called new life rejects her. She spent too many years in the dark to recognize the light. She spent too long repressing her feelings to remember how to express them. She spent a decade abandoning hope and cannot dare letting it back into her life. Jade’s not just defined by what happened to her—she’s collared to it.

 

When the twenty-seven-year-old woman is found,

A community wants to know the story,

Parents want to forget the story,

Friends want to be a part of the story,

And the man who still loves her faces the greatest challenge yet: letting her go.

 

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He exhales like there’s some war being fought inside him. I don’t think he’ll answer. He has a right to keep his secrets—god knows I should be able to empathize with that.

His hand dangling over the steering wheel curls into a fist. “The woman I wanted to spend my life with was gone. I wasn’t in the mood to find a backup.”

My chest does that thing again—contracting like someone just hit me in the ribs with a hammer. When Torrin glances at me, it looks like someone’s swinging a dozen hammers at him too.

I can’t keep looking at him watching me like that. I know we’re feeling the same thing—the ache of what could have been. The pain of accepting it never can be again.

I find myself focusing on the dashboard. I don’t notice it right away, but when I do, I touch the bright coral smear running down the front of it. “You never cleaned it.” I trace my finger down the dried nail polish, reliving the moment like it was happening right now.

“I could never bring myself to.” Torrin’s eyes land on the stain from the bottle I accidently spilled when I was painting my toenails on a drive to the beach. “I couldn’t bring myself to just . . . erase it.”

I don’t know a tear’s slipped out until it falls onto my arm that’s still reaching out, touching the stain. It’s only one tear, no more are coming, but Torrin doesn’t miss it.

He sighs and clenches the steering wheel a little harder. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say. How to act around you. I don’t think I’m doing anything right.” His knuckles are white when we exit the freeway. “This is all very surreal. What happened. You being back. I’m totally lost.”

I don’t know why he’s apologizing. The only time I’ve felt like life hasn’t siphoned every last drop of emotion out of me is when I’ve been with him.

“You’re treating me exactly like you used to.” My fingers fall away from the dash. The good memories have turned to painful ones, a spilled bottle of nail polish included. “I’d rather have you act like nothing happened and I’m the same person you remember than have you second-guess everything you say and do.”

           His knuckles loosen around the steering wheel. He rolls his fingers, popping them.

“Just do what comes naturally to you.” I turn in my seat to face him. “I’ll do what comes naturally to me, and maybe things will get easier.”

We’re stopped at the light leading to the zoo, and he looks at me. His forehead is folded into creases. “What comes naturally to me?” He doesn’t pause long enough for me to reply. “I’m not sure that would be helpful to either of us.”

It’s not my chest that hurts when he says that—it’s my stomach. It’s not really pain though—it’s something else. I haven’t felt it in a long time, and I know I shouldn’t feel it right now.

I can’t let that look in his eyes keep doing this to my stomach. I can’t let the way his chest is rising and falling harder now affect mine.

The light changes, thankfully, and his eyes move from me to the road. The air inside the cab takes a while to clear though despite the cracked windows.

“That’s when I started to fall in love with you—after my dad died and you acted the exact same around me. You treated me the same as you had every day before. Still rubbing it in my face when you scored higher on a test. Still knocking on my door and seeing if I wanted to shoot hoops. When everyone was understanding of me wanting to lock myself in my bedroom, you got me to play basketball.” He smiles at the windshield like he’s watching the twelve-year-old versions of us playing a game of Around the World. “You brought me back . . . when everyone else just kind of left me behind.”

I find my eyes drifting back to the nail polish stain. “And when did you finish falling in love with me? When I finally let you win a game of one-on-one? Or was it the night we . . . you know?” Thinking about that night makes me blush. Talking about it makes me shift.

Torrin glances at me for a moment. “I’ll never finish falling in love with you.”

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Nicole Williams is the New York Times and USATODAY bestselling author of contemporary and young adult romance, including the Crash and Lost & Found series. Her books have been published by HarperTeen and Simon & Schuster in both domestic and foreign markets, while she continues to self-publish additional titles. She is working on a new YA series with Crown Books (a division of Random House) as well. She loves romance, from the sweet to the steamy, and writes stories about characters in search of their happily even after. She grew up surrounded by books and plans on writing until the day she dies, even if it’s just for her own personal enjoyment. She still buys paperbacks because she’s all nostalgic like that, but her kindle never goes neglected for too long. When not writing, she spends her time with her husband and daughter, and whatever time’s left over she’s forced to fit too many hobbies into too little time.

Nicole is represented by Jane Dystel, of Dystel and Goderich Literary Agency.

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Review Tour – CLAIMED BY LOVE by Melissa Foster

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Claimed by Love
Love in Bloom: The Ryders #2

By: Melissa Foster

Releasing March 23, 2016
World Literary Press

Blurb

Family law attorney Gabriella Liakos has one true love, Elpitha Island, where she grew up and hopes someday to return. But Elpitha is in financial ruins, and Gabriella will do anything to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.

Duke Ryder is a savvy real estate investor set on making Elpitha into an exclusive resort. Unlike other investors, he’s not scared of purchasing a property where one family has roots so deep they practically reach the ocean floor…until he meets his beautiful, stubborn, and enticing tour host―the daughter of the owner of most of the island.

Gabriella sets out to dissuade Duke from purchasing Elpitha, but Duke has other ideas. He wants Gabriella and the island. Duke’s powerful seduction draws Gabriella in, but can a savvy investor who’s used to glamour and glitz, and a woman interested in preserving the culture she adores find a happily ever after together?

 Click to Follow Tour

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Melissa Foster takes us  to Elpitha Island with the second in her Ryders series.  Duke Ryder is looking to purchase and develop on the island that has belonged to Gabriella Liakos’ family.  The attraction and chemistry between Duke and Gabriella may just get in the way of each of their goals.

I enjoyed reading Claimed by Love.  I couldn’t help but want to know what was going to happen between Duke and Gabriella.  I’m looking forward to reading more of the Ryders.

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Author Info

Melissa Author PhotoMelissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

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Review Tour – Renovate Series by Mindy Carter

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Books: Renovate Series
Author: Mindy Carter
Genre: Contemporary Romance

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NOW AVAILABLE!

Skyscrapers & Camelot

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Restoration & Forgiveness

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Low Key Shot of a Young Couple Embracing

 

BOOK 1:

Skyscrapers & Camelot

Keegan was my world since I was six years old. When he walked out of my life, I was certain I would never see him again. He broke my heart, but truthfully I only have myself to blame. Now I’m looking into his incredibly beautiful blue eyes. He came back into my life as quickly as he left. Both of us have changed over the years, but I can’t imagine living another day without him.

My name is Aimee, and this is the story of how I lost and found my best friend and love of my life. The journey may be tough but there is no denying that Keegan, and I were destined to be together. He rescued me the day we met and had always been my prince charming. One thing I’m sure of, I’m not letting my happily ever after get away this time.

BOOK 2:

Restoration & Forgiveness

When I ran back home, I wasn’t prepared for the reminders of him everywhere I turned. I certainly never expected Keegan to follow. I thought I made myself clear – we were through. I didn’t want anything to do with him. But, he inserted himself back into my life, and there was nothing I could do.

I pushed he pulled.

I ran and he chased me.

I cried and he wiped away the tears.

He just wouldn’t give up, and the battle my head and my heart are waging, is one I don’t want to be a part of. You see my head says be strong, but my heart is saying I belong to him, and always will.

What does one do when her heart can easily forgive, yet her head refuses to.

Can Keegan, and I restore our fairy tale, or will our story be closed for good?

Restoration 2debbiesreview

Skyscrapers & Camelot gives us Keegan and Aimee’s story.  They grew up childhood friends that meet again after a long separation.  Carter gives us their story when friends become something more.  While Skyscrapers & Camelot makes for a sweet read, there’s enough angst to combat any possibility for cavities.  I enjoyed the read and then I got to the end, the cliffhanger.  I wanted to keep reading.

Luckily Restoration & Forgiveness picks right up where Skyscrapers & Camelot ended.  Carter has us turning the pages, eager to see how Keegan and Aimee with work their way back together.  We see how the secrets and manipulations play out.  Carter gives readers an enjoyable sweet second chance romance with her Renovate series.

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About the Author:

Mindy has been in love with love, as long as she can remember. As a child, you could find Mindy engrossed in fairytale books and dreaming of her happily ever after. She was lucky enough to find her prince charming and lives in Ohio with him and her four precarious children.

Connect with the Author:

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Release Week and Review – COWBOY RESURRECTION by Mia Hopkins

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He’s gonna need a longer rope…

Ball-busting business woman meets no-holds-barred cowboy…Visit the rodeo in COWBOY RESURRECTION, the second book in the Cowboy Cocktail series by Mia Hopkins…

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About COWBOY RESURRECTION

Marketing hotshot Monica Kaur has put her big-city life on hold to help bail out her brother’s failing business. Now she’s got three months to plan and promote a rodeo, the first her tiny hometown has ever seen.

To ensure the rodeo’s success, Monica enlists a local hero, a rancher’s son who’s made a name for himself on the bull-riding circuit. Problem? She can’t stop daydreaming about the cocky bastard—and all the things she longs to do to him out behind the chutes.

Professional bullfighter Dean MacKinnon is home helping his family while his father fights cancer. Haunted by bad memories, jaded by love, Dean finds escape in a no-strings-attached go-round with brainy, sexy Monica, whose close-knit Sikh-American family would sooner run him out of town than see her with a notorious rodeo Romeo.

In private, Monica and Dean play as hard as they work. But as the rodeo draws near, that clean break they promised each other is getting more and more hung up in the rigging.

Warning: Contains rope play, motel nooners, a blue-eyed charmer with a taste for kink, and a brown-eyed princess with a taste for cowboys.

On Sale in Digital: March 15, 2016

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 Add COWBOY RESURRECTION to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

 

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Grand Prize: $30 Gift Card to Amazon

5 Runner-Ups: A digital copy of COWBOY VALENTINE by Mia Hopkins

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Excerpt:

“So,” he whispered against her lips. “What do you want?”

“I don’t know.” Her voice was barely audible, a ghost of air carried away by the wind.

“I think you know.” He kissed her again, and before she knew what was happening, he’d pulled her down to the ground with him. The dry grass and soft blanket of flowers crinkled like hot paper beneath them. He sat down and she straddled him, her knees crushing petals that looked like orange fire in the desert.

Dean took off his hat, placed it on the ground, and traced a trail of hot kisses down the side of her neck. Pleasure ran a circuit through her body, firing her nerve endings as her lust rose to high tide.

She dug her hands through his dark hair. It was silky, long enough to curl. When he began to lay hot, open-mouthed kisses on her throat, she grabbed his hair in her fingers and tugged at it gently. A low moan rumbled in his chest.

His lips found hers again. They quickly established a rhythm of breath and tongues that pulled all consciousness from her brain. She was flying, far too high on Dean to realize she was riding him, rubbing herself against the hardening bulge in his jeans.

He broke their kiss and rested his forehead against hers. He let go of her waist and dragged his fingers through her hair, clasping it and gently pulling it back until her lips parted with a gasp.

“Tell me what you want.” His deep voice sent shivers up her spine.

She was silent, paralyzed with pleasure.

“Tell me what you want, Monica,” he said again. His firm tone made her insides clench. Already she could feel how wet she was, how ready.

“You need it. Same as I do.” He touched her face and skimmed his fingertips down her throat. “Don’t you?”

“I do.” She was still. “But no one can know about this.”

“I understand.”

“Dean, I’m serious. Not a soul. Promise me.”

He nodded. “I promise.”

 

See what people are saying about COWBOY RESURRECTION:

“Wow, wow, and wow…The love that blossoms between [the hero and heroine] is unrushed, genuine, true. *sigh* I loved this book from start to finish and highly recommend it, and not just for fans of western romance.” —Goodreads review, 5/5 stars

“The writing is excellent, the emotions leap off the page, and the sex is downright earthy…This is a feel-good romance with a strong, career-minded heroine, a swoon-worthy working class hero, a great setting and lots of lovingly detailed sex.” —Jill Sorenson, RITA-nominated author of romantic suspense

 

debbiesreview

Cowboy Resurrection is the second book in Mia Hopkins’ Cowboy Cocktail series.  I enjoyed the first book, Cowboy Valentine, and was looking forward to reading more by Hopkins.

Monica and Dean kept the pages turning.  I liked their instant attraction, it had me wondering what was going to happen next.  The secret romance works well with the attraction of opposites.  Cowboy Resurrection is a fun, quick, and steamy read.

Mia Hopkins has quickly become an author that I’ll be on the lookout to read again and again.  She gives readers some diversity with her characters that is refreshing.  I hope to see this continue in her future books.

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Check out the first book in The Cowboy Cocktail series, COWBOY VALENTINE!

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Forget chocolate and flowers. This homegrown honey is all the sweetness he craves.

Small-town life is nothing but a waiting room for eighteen-year-old honor student Corazón Gomez. Work and school leave little time for love, but with a full-ride Ivy League scholarship and a one-way ticket out of the boondocks, who needs it?

The answer appears on Valentine’s Day when her old cowboy crush ambles into the ice cream parlor where she works, inviting her to go on a late-night ride in his truck. For the first time she wavers between staying on the straight and narrow, and going off-road with the handsome heartbreaker.

After four years working on ranches all over the country, Caleb MacKinnon is back on the family farm helping out his mom and brothers while his father fights cancer. The one bright spot: smart, funny, and wickedly sexy Cora.

From the start, they both know this blazing-hot love affair can’t last. But when autumn comes and Cora has to leave for the East Coast, Caleb must find a solution to keep himself—and his heart—from falling apart.

Warning: Contains hard, cherry-poppin’ sex in a pickup truck and a cowboy charmer who talks dirty in two languages.

Book 1 Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Google Books | Kobo | BAM

 

Author Bio:

headshot (2)Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. She’s a sucker for working class heroes, brainy heroines and wisecracking best friends.

When she’s not lost in a story, Mia spends her time cooking, gardening, traveling, volunteering and looking for her keys. In a past life, she was a classroom teacher and still has a pretty good “teacher voice” and “teacher stare.”

She lives in the heart of Los Angeles with her roguish husband and two waggish dogs.

You can also visit her online at the following places:

Website Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads | Pintrest Instagram