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Saturday, October 31, 2020
The Takings by Sandie Will
Black Oak : The Loveless Chronicles Chapter 1 by Titus Murphy
Excerpt:
“A what?” Sharon
laughed.
“You know, a
PITA. Pain in the ass?”
Sharon couldn’t
contain her laughter. The conversation seemed to be leading to a much more
relaxed place for Mark, and that had to be a good sign. Sharon playfully pushed
Mark and prodded him on. “Tell me the story your mom told you, silly,” she
said. ”What was it about?”
“Okay. Now I
know this might sound kind of crazy to you, but she would tell me about these
wild beasts in the Black Oaks.”
“Are you
serious?” asked Sharon.
Mark nodded.
“Very.”
“Well, to be
honest, I’ve heard that story over a million times too.”
“Word?”
“Yeah. What, you
thought you were the only one it was told to? This is Wichita, Mark. Everyone
here has heard that story before. My dad used to tell my cousin and me that
story every weekend and virtually every day she was sleeping over during the
summer. He said that the forest was run by wild animals with long fangs and
claws that could rip a man to shreds with one swing. Said they’d harvest your
heart for food and drink your blood like wine.”
“Word? Like
werewolves?” Mark asked.
“Yeah. Sorta. I
remember how my mom would lean against the threshold of my room, listening with
a serious look on her face as if the story my dad was telling us was the truth.
And no matter how many times it was told to me, it would always sound the same.
Wild beasts, murderous rampages and mysterious sightings in Kansas, especially
in the Black Oak Forest. I brushed it off as a myth because it always sounded
like some werewolf story to me. But some people say the stories are real
because they’ve been told for over a hundred years in Wichita. Who knows, maybe
it all could be the truth. But I never have nor do I now give it too much
thought. I tend to put my faith in what I can see, and I’ve never seen anything
like what my father and others describe in those stories.”
“Me either,”
said Mark.
“Well, I tend to
live by one rule when it comes to wives’ tales. If it doesn’t happen to me,
it’s not real. So since neither of us has ever seen one before, they don’t
exist. And that means it was just a story. Something to tell unruly kids, like
you and me, to keep us in line.”
Friday, October 30, 2020
The Caging at Deadwater Manor by Sandie Will
Hole Punch by Garth Simmons
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$15 Amazon giftcard, Signed Art Print – 1 winner each
Horses Heal Hearts by Kimberly Beckett
Liz
Randall is coming home a champion.
Fifteen
years after leaving Columbus to follow her dream of riding dressage
for the United States Equestrian Team, Liz has returned with a gold
medal, a determination to raise her teenage daughter, and a dream to
expand her therapeutic riding practice.
Falling
in love again isn't in her plan, especially not with Jason Merrick,
her first love, the boy whose heart she broke all those years ago.
The man with whom she shares more than just a history.
Jason
Merrick came home a hero.
An
Army Ranger seriously wounded in the same attack that killed his best
friend, Jason sought the familiar comfort of his hometown to recover.
Now he's ready to build something rather than destroy. What he wasn't
ready for was seeing Liz Randall--the girl who broke his heart
fifteen years ago. His growing construction company needs the money
remodeling Liz's stables will bring. That's the only reason to take
the job...or so he tells himself.
The
moment they see each other again, feelings that never died come
rushing back. Jason knows he'll do anything to have her. But as much
as Liz wants to be his, she has a secret. A secret that, once
revealed, could make him walk away from her forever.
Lionel's Leap of
Faith
Horses Heal Hearts
Book 3
He doesn't know the mob has him in its cross hairs
Lionel
Hayes is shocked to discover a world-class jumper among the abused
horses he rehabilitates. Unfortunately, the only man with the talent
to ride that horse is not only the man of Lionel's dreams, he has
also been recruited by the mob to frame him.
One
fateful decision in a moment of weakness destroyed Lionel Hayes' life
as he knew it and led to the death of his longtime partner and lover.
At first, he blamed his friend Michael Stafford for his misfortune
and sought revenge, but through his work rehabilitating abused horse,
and the trust of one special horse, he realized that he had to take
responsibility for his actions, and that he and he alone should take
the blame. From that day forward, Lionel vowed to restore his image
and resume the career that he loved. In the process, he found the
horse of a lifetime, Gideon's Rainbow.
Monty
Campbell was a rising star on the international show jumping circuit
until he lost his horse to injury. Desperate for a replacement mount,
and with the support of the British Equestrian Team, he leaned of
Gideon's Rainbow and knew this horse was for him. To his surprise,
the horse's owner was also a perfect match for him, although the man
stubbornly refused to acknowledge it. How could Monty convince Lionel
they were meant for each other and would the sinister force that
sought to destroy Lionel destroy Monty as well?
Racing Toward
Love
Horses Heal Hearts
Book 2
Once
a hero, always a hero.
After
his best friend died in his arms in Afghanistan, Ian Stafford felt
broken. Then he's compelled to save a beautiful, compassionate woman
from rape at the hands of ruthless thugs, and he realizes his unique
skills are needed to ensure her family's phenomenal horse gets the
chance to race like the champion he is.
Ian
Stafford is a former British Special Forces soldier and Afghanistan
war veteran who still has nightmares after watching his best friend
cut down by a sniper in a remote village in Afghanistan. When he sees
a woman in a local pub being harassed and threatened, he intervenes.
During the ensuing brawl, the woman escapes, but Ian accidentally
stabs one of his attackers who later dies. Ian is charged with
manslaughter, and the woman who can exonerate him has
disappeared.
Megan
Brady and her father Daniel never imagined that the thoroughbred colt
they raised from birth would grow up to be a contender for the
British Triple Crown. Seabiscuit II is the last horse you might
imagine as a champion if judged by looks alone. Like his namesake,
Seabiscuit II is not much to look at, but has a heart as big as all
outdoors, and refuses to be beaten. Unfortunately, the Irish mob has
also taken notice, and has approached Megan's brother Stephen with an
offer of a bribe to purposely lose the most important race of his
career. Stephen refused, and Megan has taken it upon herself to
thwart the mob, but their brutal tactics nearly see her raped until
Ian steps in to save her. Megan knows she must come out of hiding to
exonerate Ian, but knows if she does, the mob will be there too.
Meanwhile the date of the big race approaches.
Can
Megan's example of courage in the face of overwhelming odds, and the
will to prevail even when the going looks tough, help Ian come to
grips with his grief, and give him the courage to forgive himself and
allow himself to live and love again? Will Ian be able to trust Megan
with his heart?
Dressage Dreaming
Horses Heal Hearts
Book 1
A
once in a lifetime horse,but only one of them can have him.
For
very different reasons, Michael Stafford and Jessica Warren need the
right horse to fulfill their dreams to compete in international
dressage, and the black stallion Tempest is that horse. When
Tempest's owner requires them to compete head to head for Tempest,
theydiscover the tension between them is not just about the horse,
but about the strong attraction neither of them can deny.
Ever since she can remember, Kimberly Beckett has loved horses. She wore out 4 rocking horses before she was 5 years old, and as she got older, she read every horse story in print, from Black Beauty to My Friend Flicka. It wasn't until she got her first job as an attorney for the federal government, however, that could afford to buy her first horse, and she hasn't been without at least one ever since. She has been riding dressage for several years and has earned her United States Dressage Federation Bronze Medal. When she wasn't reading about horses, she was reading romance novels, and her favorites always involve an alpha male Hero riding a magnificent horse. Kimberly has now found a way to combine her love of horses with her love of romance by writing her own version of equine-facilitated happily ever afters. She truly believes that Horses Heal Hearts. She lives in southwest Ohio, and loves practicing dressage with her own beloved equine.
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Queen’s Ascension Blood Prophecy 3 by Barb Jones
Blood Prophecy
Book Three
Barb Jones
Genre: Paranormal
Publisher: World Castle
Date of Publication: August 17, 2020
Print ISBN: 9781953271013
eBook ISBN: 9781953271020
ASIN: B08DKK66PM
Number of pages: 236 pages
Word Count: 86107 words
Cover Artist: Steven J. Catizone
Excerpt:
Malakai, Seattle, Present Day
With the
betterment of both Michael and Rae, Malakai was glad that they were well and
fine; nevertheless, he needed some time to decompress. All the magical
commotions that had occurred were too overwhelming for him. He needed some sort
of release.
He enjoyed the
brisk jog in the park, as he cut through the sharp wind of the cold night. But
this did nothing to lift his spirits. He was happy that Amber’s smile finally
met her eyes. That was all he’d ever wanted for her: happiness, that’s it.
There was nothing more he could ask for—she was his priority. Yet, in the back
of his mind, as in his heart, he couldn’t help but believe the ancient legend
that he’d heard so long ago was the certifiable truth, as it was written in
Eschmun’s scroll.
…her fate is
tied to the true alpha of the wolves. A blood drinker will stand formidable,
but it is the nature of the child to call upon the true alpha and bring him to
the queen’s inner heart.
Could this be the truth? he often wondered as he traveled the world collecting artifacts and evidence supporting this notion. Yes, he’d crafted a reliquary, quite accidentally, and people assumed it was to keep the magic insulated, away from the humans. But that wasn’t the case, at least not for him. He so wanted to believe, just from the sheer fact that it was said in the scroll. But Malakai was a man of logic, driven by cold hard data. Although wanting to romanticize that his destiny was tied with Amber’s, he needed confirmation. He wanted validation for the strong emotions he was feeling.
***
Zaraquel, Seattle, Present Day
Walking the
cemetery grounds as she so often did without the knowledge of her parents,
Zaraquel wandered at a leisurely pace. She whipped out her phone and checked
the time, which read midnight. Her brow quirked in confusion, as she had expected
Loquiel some time ago. With her long hair styled in two braids and her bright
red coat to keep her warm, she sat down on a bench.
She was elated
that her best friend, other than the one that was currently running late, was
alive and breathing. Rae had given Zaraquel a terrible fright, for she had
never known the death of someone close to her heart. She shook, not from the
cold, but from remembering the tragic vision she had of Rae’s demise.
A throaty growl
awoke her from her thoughts. She heard the fast footfalls of someone,
something, running toward her, and she put her fight training to use. Zaraquel
spun around, so much so that her wings unfurled. But that did not deter the
undead man from attacking her. His decaying flesh was a sight she instantly
wished she could unsee, but she had to fulfill her duty and protect the people,
which meant ridding the world of this monster.
She punched him
in the stomach as her father had taught her, but that did nothing to stop him
from throwing his fists at her. She dodged his poor attempts at aiming for her
and grabbed his arm, twisting him around so he fell to his knees. Her weight on
his back caused the corpse to fall to the ground. It growled in anger, shaking
its head savagely, as if it couldn’t wait to get back to its feet. Zaraquel,
however, had plans of her own. She stood briefly to step on his neck to keep
him from moving, and whispered a spell she’d learned from a book.
“Capite
obtruncato intestinisque extractis.”
She heard the
cracking of his bones, the stretching of his skin; with a pop! his head flew
off, gore spattering in every direction. His body went limp, as it was before
he had risen from the ground.
Zaraquel sighed
in frustration as she walked off, disappointed from another unnecessary and unjustified
kill. She continued to walk the grounds and felt a rush of warm wind, the kind
she felt every time Loquiel was near. She turned and there he was, right behind
her.
The Fifth Horseman by Freida Kilmari
Excerpt 3
The patience she’s using and the time she’s taking are killing me. I’m a bundle of nerves and heat and molten puddles, and I’m pretty sure I will have to take a cold shower after this.
She’s really going to kiss me. She leans closer to my face, but then she pulls back, looking down at me with a genuinely curious smile and whispers, “You’re beautiful.”
I can’t take my eyes off of her pink lips, wondering when they will reach mine. Impatience bubbles closer to the surface, and before I know it, the need to kiss this beautiful woman overtakes every rational thought, and I grab a fistful of her pajama top and yank her face to mine.
Our lips connect, and that tingling sensation her every touch has caused since I got here explodes throughout my body, making me want to feel every inch of her smooth skin against mine.
Her lips move slowly with mine, in tandem with my uncertainty, but that insecurity flies farther out the window as the seconds tick by, and her lips press harder against mine. I want more—more of her, of our lips together, of her breathes mingling with mine—and a frenzied urgency fills me as I crash harder into her, nipping her bottom lip open in a gasp.
She rips my hands off of her thighs and yanks them above my head, pinning me beneath her.
Her lips steel everything from me—my breath, my rationality, my worry over whether this is a good idea—and I meet her with equal fervor. Her hips shift against mine, and I can’t help but respond. I wiggle my fingers free from her grip, return them to her thighs, and inch my fingers closer to the edge of her shorts, feeling her skin cool against the heat of my touch.
She groans against my mouth and breaks away, gasping for breath, and whispers, “Fuck. I’ve wanted to do that since our moment in your closet.”