Heart Of Gold by Quinn Coleridge blitz with giveaway
Heart Of Gold
Quinn Coleridge
Publication date: November 19th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Workaholic attorney Simon Phillips negotiates multi-million dollar deals in the tech world, but he’s secretly falling apart. With an ulcer, insomnia, and a growing dependence on alcohol, Simon conceals his dark side from the other partners at his firm, until the day he wakes up on a bathroom floor in his good Tom Ford suit, smelling of Jose Cuervo. Simon barely remembers his intoxicated rant from the night before, but it lands him with a forced leave of absence and two months of community service.
After choosing to perform his service at an obscure nonprofit medical clinic, Simon meets Dr. Kate Spencer. A dedicated physician and widow at twenty-eight, Kate knows how painful love can be, and she doesn’t trust workaholic lawyers. Especially ones with cool blue eyes and a history of breaking hearts.
Yet a rocky friendship develops between these two world-weary souls, and when dangers from Kate’s past emerge, somehow Simon is the one standing at her side.
Can love help them heal? Or will they miss their chance at happiness?
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EXCERPT:
Life was good twenty-four hours ago.
Was being the key word. Past tense.
Simon Phillips knew this in his gut. Just as he knew everything since then had gone to hell somehow.
Where am I? What happened? His muscles felt stiff where they rested on a hard, cold surface of some kind. Blinking rapidly, Simon opened his eyes against the blinding light overhead and inhaled a cinnamon sugar scent, thinking suddenly of the snickerdoodle cookies his grandmother had baked years ago. He detected something else as well.
Is that tequila?
The floor gleamed white beneath him. Simon recognized the Carrara marble and realized with sudden horror that he was in the executive bathroom at his law firm. While his brain urgently told him to move, his motor skills struggled to obey. The room spun when Simon finally pulled himself to his knees. He exhaled slowly and noticed the snickerdoodle-impersonating air freshener attached to the wall. More surprising still, the essence of Jose Cuervo clung to him like cheap cologne.
Leaning his head against a nearby sink, Simon tried to remember. What’s with the booze? And why am I on the floor in my Tom Ford suit?
Then, through the mental fog, the memories came flooding back in gruesome Technicolor. It can’t be true.
Except that it was.
“Shoot me now,” Simon muttered. “I’m as good as dead anyway.”
Leonard Cronin walked through the door at that moment. “Would that I could oblige you but there are laws against that type of thing.”
Author Bio:
Quinn Coleridge grew up in the Pacific Northwest where she learned to love rain storms and reading by a crackling fire. She wrote often in a variety of genres, studied literature as an adult, and created a humor column for a small town paper. Since moving to the desert with her husband and kids, Quinn doesn’t use her fireplace much these days, but she still loves books.
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El Diablo by Marteeka Karland blitz with giveaway
El Diablo
Marteeka Karland
(Black Reign MC, #5)
Publication date: December 3rd 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
I wasn’t expecting a man like El Diablo. Good thing I’m able shake his legendary control.
Jezebel – Life in a gilded cage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – especially if the whole purpose of the cage is to keep me a virgin till I’m ready to be sacrificed to the man of my father’s choosing. I want out, and don’t think I haven’t tried. It’s not that easy with daddy’s Brotherhood guards all over the place. But that doesn’t mean I want to trade one cage for another. And, let’s face it, I have no idea how to live on my own. I’ve never had the chance. Now I’m not sure I want to learn, because my new jailer – err, rescuer — is the sexiest man I’ve ever known. El Diablo’s not the monster everyone’s made him out to be. But can I tame the beast of a man without losing my heart? All I want for Christmas is a chance to find out…
El Diablo — I went hunting for a victim. Instead, I found a Christmas Angel. She’s the daughter of my enemy, used as a pawn in a deadly game of chess. All I really wanted was the Brotherhood out of Palm Beach. Instead I found an innocent who brings out a side of me I’d thought long buried and gone. But Jezebel’s younger than my own daughter, and just as much trouble. And I’m El Diablo — a title I earned heart and soul. I’m so not what she needs. And now she’s under my protection in the Black Reign compound. She should be completely off limits. I won’t let the Brotherhood take her back and force her to give up her dreams. But who’s going to protect her from me?
Goodreads / Amazon* / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
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EXCERPT:
“Get up, come on, get down with the sickness!” I screamed out the song from Disturbed as the video played on the huge TV covering one wall. I had ground beef browning with onion and had just put in peppers, garlic, mushrooms, and tomatoes. It wouldn’t be long before it was time for the cheese and noodles. I rubbed my hands together. This was gonna be so good!
I stirred the egg noodles, testing their tenderness. Yeah. It was close. I cut up the Velveeta cheese into small blocks, then poured in the tomatoes. After mixing it, I dropped in the cheese a few blocks at a time and stirred until melted, all the while belting out song after song. Disturbed. Five Finger Death Punch. Alice Cooper. AC/DC. Rammstein. Yeah, I liked it hard and loud.
I’d just stirred in the noodles when a movement near the door caught my eye. A man. Correction, a huge man was shutting the door behind him, his eyes on me, but wincing as if the sound was a bit too much for him. Which, likely, it was. I hadn’t met this guy before, but I was used to Malcolm sending in men to intimidate or scare me. Sometimes he sent them to get to know me, to try to cajole me into toeing the line. Especially when I was being particularly difficult. I hadn’t been, though. Not for a couple of months. I’d had my fill of the outside the last time I’d snuck out. I suspect Malcolm knew I was capable of bypassing his security and sneaking out and had simply set up a bad situation for me to fall into.
Instead of muting the TV, I smirked at the big bastard and turned it up even louder. He merely shook his head, then motioned at the remote. Obviously either wanting it or wanting me to mute it. Instead of complying, I shoved it down the garbage disposal and flipped a switch on the wall, turning it on.
The big guy ground his teeth, pulled a gun from his back, and shot the TV.
“Well,” he said, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. “I guess I won that round.” He gave me a shark-like smile. “My name’s El Diablo. I’d say I was a friend of your father’s but that would be… oversimplifying things, shall we say.”
Author Bio:
Romance author by night, emergency room tech/clerk by day, Marteeka Karland works really hard to drive everyone in her life completely and totally nuts. She has been creating stories from her warped imagination since she was in the third grade. Her love of writing blossomed throughout her teenage years until it developed into the totally unorthodox and irreverent style her English teachers tried so hard to rid her of. Now, she breathes life into faeries, space hunters, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and a few just plane ole ordinary people. She loves to see the awkward, self-conscious band geek get the captain of the football team and make him beg for it.
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Knights Errant by Ian D. Smith blitz with giveaway
Knights Errant
Ian D. Smith
Published by: SinCyr Publishing
Publication date: December 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Erotica, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Lonely widower Paul is ready to move on and start a new relationship, but he never anticipated meeting two captivating women at the same time. To complicate matters, Becky and Hayley are best friends-as different as night and day-and both fancy him.
The ladies want to recruit Paul and his jousting team for their television show, yet Paul is worried. This is an amazing opportunity, but can he navigate two love interests without damaging their friendship and the show?
In the midst of his healing, Paul also uncovers a hidden world full of bizarre dog bites, bodies drained of blood, and a mysterious task force. Finding love again is hard enough – can Paul protect his new relationships from this dangerous world he knows so little about?
Goodreads / Amazon* / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
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EXCERPT:
As usual, I was early for my dinner-date, so waited in the bar area where I could keep an eye on the entrance. The restaurant was decorated in soft pastel tones with fairly bland artworks on the walls. The room lighting was soft, with a small lamp on every table, and the staff moved quietly and efficiently. The atmosphere was relaxed, just the usual background hum of multiple quiet conversations and cutlery on plates.
Kathy arrived exactly on time. She was easy to spot; good-looking, a little over six feet tall, and nicely dressed in a cream short-sleeved top and a pale green, light summer skirt, both of which suited her height and build. Her light brown, collar-length hair briefly glowed as she walked in the light cast by a downlighter. She’d walked in looking confident and waved as soon as she saw me.
I approached, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “You look lovely.” She did, too. Her hair framed her face well and she wore only a little make-up. She had a single fine silver chain necklace, two tiny stud earrings, and a couple of rings, but neither on the third finger of her left hand.
Her smile made her seem a little nervous and excited. I felt the same, but over the last eighteen months, I’d learned how to hide my true feelings and look relaxed, happy and
confident. For a while anyway. I wanted more than anything to actually be happy and confident¬—to find real love again—but I was still recovering from an emotional train wreck of loss. For the time being, a convincing act was all I had.
She blushed ever so slightly. “Thank you.” She didn’t pull her hand away before I released it a couple of seconds later. Right then, I knew there was a pretty good chance she’d already decided our evening might last well into the morning.
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Yellowstone Wolf by Jaylee Austin blitz with giveaway
Yellowstone Wolf
Jaylee Austin
Publication date: December 2nd 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Her assignment leads her into the wilderness—right back to the man who stole her heart.
Leslie Starr thought she’d left her past behind when she’d joined the Shifter Federal Bureau of Investigation. Unfortunately, the series of violent crimes she’s investigating in Wyoming appear to target her best friend Grace, head of the SFBI… and the sister of her ex-fiancé, Roger.
Leslie’s never fit in with Roger’s wolf pack. She doesn’t do sweet, subservient, or small-town living. The fact that she still burns for Roger doesn’t help, especially now that he’s the alpha of his group and needs to claim a mate…
Roger Diego’s ranch near Jackson Hole is a safe haven for the Yellowstone Pack, and as their alpha, he’s expected to put their needs before his own—even when it means breaking his engagement to the woman he loves and embracing the life of a shifter over his human side.
When a dangerous criminal targets shifters in his area, Roger will do whatever he can to help catch them, including working with his captivating ex, Leslie. Roger knows Leslie is his mate and longs for her to submit to him, but he doubts she’d ever let any man claim her.
With his sister’s life on the line, they have to close this case—before their forbidden desires put the entire pack in danger.
—
EXCERPT:
A body lay on the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue hidden among flawless pruned shrubs.
Another victim.
I snaked both arms around my waist, trying to ward off the eerie darkness slithering along my spine. This woman had the same stoic look as the last two. Something about these dead women reminded me of Grace.
Across the street protest marchers carried signs saying “SHIFTER LIVES MATTER.” If the police didn’t catch the killer soon, they’d have a riot on their hands.
The blue lights of DC’s finest officers created a shield around the victim. I stood on the corner waiting to be allowed to enter the crime scene. I flashed my Paranormal Federal Bureau of Investigations badge. The officer waved me in. I ducked under the yellow police tape. “I’m here to see the police chief.”
The officer pointed me in his direction.
“Third girl this month.” Larry bounced on the balls of his feet and continued to investigate the body.
The deceased woman’s blonde-streaked black hair lay strewn down her breast. Her lips painted blue. Perfect chiseled cheek bones and almond shaped eyes. Her ankles bound with silver coiled rope and a warlock destiny symbol carved across her flat stomach.
I might not have been a forensic detective, but obviously someone wanted to send a strong message. I pushed my glasses to the top of my head squinting. “Thanks for the text.”
“I could use your knowledge of warlock magic.”
“What about the reporters standing behind the tape?”
“We’re trying to keep the press away, especially since every one of these women resemble Grace Isaeva.”
Grace was my best friend, but most important she was the former President of the United States. After she passed the civil rights legislation, gaining the shifter population equal rights, she’d taken leadership of the PFBI. I drew in a breath to take in the fact just over a year ago I’d broken the biggest news story of my career only to find myself under scrutiny by the shifter organization I was trying to help. The hurt still lingered in my heart, so I resigned from CNN as a news reporter. Grace offered me a job overseeing the magical other worlds that co-existed with the humans. At least I was able to put my knowledge of modern witchcraft to good use. “Do you think our perp is killing these women for revenge?”
“The thought has crossed my mind.”
Larry jotted notes in his phone. He stopped at the victim’s feet.
“What can you tell me about the symbols?”
I walked around the body and knelt at her side to get a better look of the painted images on her stomach.
“Human or shifter?” If she was human instead of another shifter then there was a chance our killer wasn’t targeting the clans.
“Wolf.” An officer who worked street patrol gave us her name.
“Which pack?”
“Local girl. She’s part of the Smith pack outside town. Her pack’s pretty riled up and demanding the department turn the investigation over to the shifter authorities.”
Author Bio:
On any weekend you can find me surrounded by faeries, dragons, and angel figurines inspiring me with creative ideas. I live in Apple Valley, California and during the day I teach Language Arts. I inspire other young writers to reach for the stars and trust that they have a story to tell. Since childhood creating stories has always been a favorite hobby of mine. As an adult I’m grateful to write and share my thoughts with others. Happy reading and may the magic of life fill you with dreams of hope. Visit my website, instagram page, and pinterest to see update images of Tilly, my pug and I go on supernatural adventures.
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Why She Left by Leah Mercer #bookreview #mystery #thriller
Title: Why She Left
Author: Leah Mercer
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: December 13, 2021
Page Count: 295
My rating: 3 1/2 stars
About the book:
When I open the door and see her, my mind starts churning. Why are they here? What do they want? And why did my daughter leave in the first place? Am I finally, after all of these years, going to find out? I take a deep breath and usher them in…
Ruth has spent every day of the last fifteen years wondering why her daughter Isobel left. Walking around the school to which she has given her life, every child she sees reminds her of her family’s bright future which vanished in an instant.
So when Ruth opens the door to find Isobel and a teenage grandson she never knew existed, she feels a rush of relief. Despite the years of hurt she never stopped loving Isobel and wants to help rebuild her life. Enrolling her grandson at the school, Ruth wants to make sure they stay for good.
Isobel has spent her life running from a painful secret. A secret which could have destroyed her family. Now, as she flees a bad relationship, she knows that her childhood home is the only place where she can be safe.
But as Isobel looks at her son in his crisp new uniform, she is taken straight back to the reason she ran all those years ago. Soon it becomes clear that she is not the only one tormented by the past. Someone is prepared to destroy everything Ruth and Isobel hold dear. Can Isobel confront her darkest secret before it is too late?
From the bestselling author of Who We Were Before comes a powerful and emotional page-turner about devastating family secrets. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Emily Bleeker and Imogen Clark.
Why She Left by Leah Mercer is a mystery/thriller novel. The story in Why She Left is one that is told by changing the point of view between the two main characters in each chapter with a bit of flashing back to past events.
When Isobel was sixteen she left her home with a huge secret weighing her down but she was determined to make a life on her own. Isobel now has no other choice but to return to her mother’s home as she needs to get herself and son to safety from an abusive relationship.
Ruth never knew why her daughter Isobel left her when she was sixteen but when she opens the door to her daughter and a grandson she didn’t know she had she can’t turn them away. Ruth is excited to welcome her family back not only to her home but to the private school her family begun generations ago but she doesn’t know the school is the place in Isobel’s nightmares.
Why She Left is the first book I’ve read by Leah Mercer and I was glad to find that her writing flowed well between the characters and gained my interest. The story is a solid mystery/thriller plot but being a reader of so many books the twists and turns weren’t not a surprise and dare I say a bit predictable to me. Despite figuring out the whos and whys I did find this one a decent read that I would rate at three and a half stars and be interested in reading this author again.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
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About the author:
Leah Mercer was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. Her first ambition was to be a journalist, but after completing a master’s in journalism, she soon realised she preferred anything other than reporting the news. After trying her hand at public relations, teaching and recruitment in various countries around the world, she finally settled in London and returned to writing… fiction, this time. Her first two novels, Who We Were Before and The Man I Thought You Were, were shortlisted at the UK’s Romantic Novelists’ Association Awards. Leah loves books, running and visiting historic houses with her husband and their son.
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