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Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Red is for Rookie by Anne Greene


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Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Elk Lake Publishing, Inc

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RED IS FOR ROOKIE

RED IS FOR RACE

Tracking a kidnapper is an unusual assignment for a private investigator. But Matt is Holly’s lifelong friend. During the race to save him, Holly discovers a lot more than she bargained for. Matt’s in love with her.

RED IS FOR RISK

Holly’s world has never been more dangerous. Her mother’s convinced Holly will end up dead, so she hires a PI to protect Holly. She needs Stryker’s savvy and expertise and is eager for his help, though she risks her heart working with the danger-loving man.

RED IS FOR REVENGE

Stryker’s past returns to haunt him. The kidnapper wants revenge. Stryker risks his life Holly. The dangerous race transforms Holly from a Rookie into a seasoned PI. But with the two men turning her life upside down, can Holly take the heat?



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Excerpt
  As I turned away to retrace my surveillance route, my gaze swept across a man I hadn’t noticed before. He stood near the ballroom door with his back to me. I did a double-take. An off-duty cop. I could spot one a mile away. The way he walked, stood, and observed his surroundings. A cop couldn’t disguise his identity. Calm, professional, strong, he looked as though he controlled the world. With legs braced wide, right foot behind, he kept his piece away from the crowd. Even from the rear the guy looked cocky.

                Someone touched my shoulder. I jumped. While I’d been eyeing the cop, Matt had crossed to my side of the room.

                “Who invited the police?” Matt jabbed a thumb toward the ballroom door.

                “My question exactly. Maybe one of the rich types demanding extra protection. Or maybe the cop’s moonlighting as a bodyguard.”

                Matt rubbed his clean-shaven chin. “Maybe. Don’t know.”

                “Whatever. I’ll find out.”

                “You do that.” Matt sauntered back to his side of the ballroom.

                I planned to check the cop out but didn’t want to meet him this way. I had an image to project. I was an investigator. A professional. Strong. Independent. Cool. Granted, I had a lot to learn, but I sure didn’t want to be seen on Valentine’s night appearing to shop for a man. In a town as closely-connected as Dallas, if we met in the line of fire–and I had no doubt we would—he’d never take me seriously. Some time tonight I’d inform the cop I was actually working.

                I policed my half of the room then headed back toward the Champion Wrestler table.

                Big, warm fingers grasped my arm with just enough pressure to make me brake and take notice. The dark-haired, fine-looking man extended his other hand. A sense of recognition nagged me. But I didn’t know him.        

He sat with his back to the wall at the Attorney table catty-cornered to the wrestlers’ enclave. I shook his waiting hand, feeling warmth and solid strength. He wore his dark suit like other men wore uniforms. Daring. Proud. Indomitable. Candlelight reflected mystery in his brown eyes. With the kind of smile you see on a man given an unexpected dish of ice cream, he stood and offered me the empty chair his polished wingtips had guarded. With the chair now free, a bevy of females flew over from different tables and circled him.

                “Sit a while.” 

His compelling expression excluded everyone in the room but me. It was an invitation I didn’t want, but my feet, aching from the unaccustomed spike heels, did. So, I slid into the seat.

“Thanks, but just for a minute.”

                Sophisticated women glared—shoppers vying for the man’s attention. He flashed them a smile and motioned to the nearby Champion Wrestler table. “Those men want to meet you.”

                “I’ll be back.” One woman, wearing heavy eye liner, trailed her hand along the top of the man’s chair and threw him a seductive glance before she moved away. The other ladies stepped over to the strong men’s table.

                “Thanks, man.” One wrestler nodded, his long blonde hair falling into his square-jawed face.

                I turned to the man, a real James Bond type. Unwanted sparks ignited my insides. Too intense to be handsome and too electric to be ignored, he was big, tense, and concentrated. I’d never met a man who looked so ready for adventure.

                Here was trouble masquerading as charm.

                “They’re gonna love this at the office,” Bond drawled.

                I blinked. The heat in his eyes warmed me like sun-melted chocolate. The challenge in his steady gaze stiffened my backbone.

                “The office?” I noticed the bulge under his armpit not quite hidden by his well-fitting dark suit jacket. Tingles trilled my spine.

                “Stryker Black. You’re Holly Garden.”

                Recognition hit me. The out-of-uniform cop I’d spotted standing in the foyer with his back to me. How had he settled in so quickly? His proximity caused my eyelid to do its thing. Most people never see my twitch. I hoped Stryker didn’t. The quivers make me look unprofessional.

“How do you know my name?”

                “Looked up your file at our office.”

                Suspicion brought sudden anger biting into me like the Genesis serpent. To keep my temper in check I whispered. “You’re a police officer?”

                “Used to be. Now a PI. Ace Investigations.”

                I shot to my feet, snagged a four-inch stiletto on the chair rung and lurched forward, catching the table’s edge to keep from landing in his lap.

                “I knew it!” Mom.

 With my nose inches from his ear, his masculine scent broke through my protective aura. Trying not to breathe in his woodsy, nautical aroma, I scooted away.

                Because I wasn’t breathing freely, my whisper sounded weird and nasal. “I want you to leave. At once.”

                “Why should I?”

                I stared and forgot to lower my voice. “You’re not needed.”

                The four lawyers seated around Stryker perked up. Fat and thin, they gazed at me like I was a valuable bequest in a contested will. One leaned so far forward on the table his French cuff dipped into his coffee.

                Stryker remained cool. “I’m sure you’re acquainted with a lady named Violet Garden.” 

                My palms turned sweaty.

                My own mother thought I couldn’t fill Dad’s shoes. She thought I didn’t have the guts to be a detective. She thought I’d fail. Knees weak, I slid back into the chair and gazed down. My fingers itched to fiddle with the clasp on my glittery bag, but I held them still. I couldn’t let the PI see how his words curdled my self-esteem.

                “Security was the word Ms. Garden used.”

                I spoke low, not wanting anyone else to hear. “She didn’t. She couldn’t.” I clamped my lips. Striker didn’t need to know how his words upset me.

                “Hard to believe?” He gave me a hard-boiled, tight-lipped Bogart smile.

                Sitting so close, he didn’t look like a cop. Or a PI for that matter. More like a very, very sexy bad guy. Mafia or something. My throat closed. How could Mom do this to me?

                “Mom asked for you? Personally?”          

“She asked for Ace’s top man.” His dark eyes spoke of secrets, hinted of danger. Pulled me in even as they warned me off.

                I whispered, “Luck of the draw?”

                We’d been talking in hushed tones, but now the PI, a beguiling smirk on his face, spoke louder. “I won the lottery.”

                One lawyer said, “I’ve got to remember that line.”

                The other lawyers grunted agreement.

                Their responses helped me regain my poise. I turned back to the PI. “Okay, you work for our competition . . . and you’re here?” I’d staked out Ace Investigations to see what I was up against, so why hadn’t I laid eyes on him there? And he was an eyeful. Plus, he was feeding me a line. And good at it. Too good.

I scooted my chair away from him. Not that long ago I’d been dumped by another charmer. I wasn’t about to nibble this bait.

                Even if I had wanted to chance another romance, I had a new vocation. I had Dad’s murder to solve and his reputation to sanitize. I needed to prove to the city of Dallas and its entire police force that Dad hadn’t been a dirty Private Investigator. If I failed, our investigative firm would dribble on down the drain. I lifted my chin. Even if I had time to spend with a man, I’d never choose this smoothie. But I did need to size up the competition.

                Investigator Rule Number One – know your enemy.

                So, I did an about face and turned on the sugar. “Stryker, is it?” I smiled sweetly. “I thought I had every PI in Dallas pegged. Glad to meet you.”

                Stryker’s focused expression didn’t change. “Likewise.” He laid a strong hand on my bare arm, raising the hair with a single light touch. “Stay a minute more. Tell me about yourself.”

                A male voice interrupted Stryker. “Let’s be judicious here. Fair’s fair. There’re four attorneys at this table and one lovely woman. Time to share. My name’s Jeff Davidson of Davidson, Hillyer & Greene. I’m sure you’ve heard of my firm. And this is . . . .”

                While Jeff introduced the other three suits, Stryker leaned back and scanned the room, doing his security thing. With me quickly shaking hands around the table, the trio of women who’d huddled around Stryker earlier made their move. Rising from the nearby Champion Wrestler table as if directed by an unseen choreographer, they mobbed Stryker.

                I sucked in a breath. His mouth hanging ajar, Stryker looked stunned. Three wrestlers stood too, pushed aside their chairs, and towered over Stryker. I glimpsed Matt striding across the ballroom toward us, security face on.

                The big blond wrestler, who seemed to be their leader, rasped, “We wasn’t just twiddling our thumbs over here. We was talking with these ladies.” His expression looked downright testy. He raised a fist, looking about to deck Stryker.

                The three glamour girls stepped away from Stryker and melted into the crowd.

Prepared to intervene, I grabbed my purse and wriggled to the edge of my seat, curious to see what Stryker would do. This was plain screwy. Were the wrestlers trying to pick a fight?

                Stryker’s face grew leaner, showing clear bone definition. A paper-thin scar slicing through his cleft chin whitened. He stood and faced the three muscled men, their crimson cummerbunds flashing.

“So?”

                “So, we want our ladies back.”

                “Take them.”

                “Cool it you guys.” I unclasped my purse, thinking I might need my gun.

                The fourth wrestler jumped to his feet, tipping his chair backward. It landed with a thud on the carpeted floor. A solid wall of red cummerbunds circled Stryker. I shot off my chair. One mat-pounder grabbed my arm and hauled me toward his table.

“We want this one too.”

                I jerked my arm loose. My abrupt movement caused my ankle to turn in one of the tricky stilettos.

“Yeow!” I stumbled. Before I could catch my balance, I lost the shoe on my twisted ankle, and fell to my knees.

                Events fast-forwarded. Two wrestlers pummeled Stryker. Someone kicked my evening bag. On hands and knees, I chased it under the Attorney Table to rescue my gun. I glimpsed Matt confronting the other two wrestlers and attempted to squirm out to escort the muscle-jocks to the nearest exit. Crouched on hands and knees, my dress tightened around me like shrink wrap and stopped me cold.

                A lawyer squatted beside me. “Let me help—”

One of the wrestlers slammed him backward with an open palm. With a crash and tinkle of broken glass, the table flipped onto its side. A white and silver rain of crockery and cutlery poured down. A plate of romaine lettuce and blue cheese dressing slapped against my thigh, releasing the odor of salad-splashed velvet. My vision slowed as if I starred in a surreal movie. Mind scanning possible actions, my skirt creeping higher above my knees, I crawled free.

                Was this a diversion for a robbery? I had to take control. Still on hands and knees, I smelled something acrid and sulfuric. The lighted candle centerpiece smoldered at the edge of the tablecloth. With a soft whoosh, flames leapt to life. I grabbed the closest thing at hand, a large slab of prime rib probably from the same uneaten place setting as the salad and beat the flames with the semi-rare meat until they died in wisps of smoke beneath charred beef. Smelling cooked steak mixed with scorched hair and fearful of what I would find, I touched my eyebrows and bangs. Crispy but still there.

                Gasps and murmurings told me the crowd grew around us. Heavy feet shuffled, and I jerked my hand back to keep it from getting trampled. Fists struck flesh accompanied by grunts and colorful language. I couldn’t believe such a brouhaha erupted in our little corner of the big room with so little provocation. Something smelled fishy and it wasn’t the shrimp cocktail sauce dripping onto the carpet. I was about to spring to my feet when a body thudded to within an inch of me and lay still.

                Stryker. One look at Stryker’s bloody face and I all but keeled over him.

My pulse spiked, pushing me into Unthinking Mode. Okay, so I lost it here. Thoughts of my job flew out the window. But only for a few seconds.

Still on my knees, I fished in my clutch for my cell, and dialed 911. Dead zone. Resisting the urge to throw the instrument at a wrestler, I dropped the useless thing back into my purse.

As quickly as the commotion started, it ended. The dull thud of fists on flesh died. Fingers and knees digging into the thick carpet, I lifted one hand and pressed two fingers against the carotid artery in Stryker’s muscular neck. Warm skin. Steady pulsing.

                Lord, please don’t let him be badly hurt.

                With all quiet above me, I assumed Matt held everything under control. I loosened Stryker’s red power tie and rubbed his big, limp hand between both of mine. His lashes, fanned across those high cheekbones, looked longer than any man had a right to own. Other than being a little bloody and lying motionless, he looked fine. Too fine. But I didn’t have to remind myself that Mom hired him. A twinge of joy that it was him, not Matt or me lying on the floor, layered in an uncomfortable guilt that squashed the relief, so I said another quick prayer for the competition PI.

He groaned, and his eyelids fluttered.

                Men’s polished dress shoes, accompanied by glittering high heels, moved close enough for me to touch. One wrestler squatted next to me. “Here, let me—”

                “No. Don’t touch him.” I swatted the man’s beefy hand away from Stryker.

                Stryker opened his eyes, relieving my worry about him. But Mom would arrive any minute for her grand entrance, and I desperately wanted her to gawk at her security being carried away in an ambulance.

I said to the wrestler, “I’ve got to call EMS.”

                Furor at the ballroom doors made me look up. “That was fast. Matt must have gotten through to EMS.” But doubt nagged my brain. Too fast. Way too fast.

                Before I could follow up my hunch, the crowd opened up and two blue-uniformed men, carrying oxygen paraphernalia, a stretcher, and a medical kit hustled to the table.

                The EMS team ignored Stryker who lay concealed by a drooping tablecloth, with only his long legs and feet protruding. One Medic knelt beside another stretched-out body. I struggled to my feet, red dress hiked almost mid-thigh, to identify the victim.

                “Matt!” I rushed over in time to see the medic jab a syringe into my co-investigator’s limp arm.

                Electrical impulses spiked my nerves. I’d never seen an emergency team do that. The first medic finished a cursory check for broken bones, then both men heaved Matt onto the stretcher and hustled him through the crowded ballroom.

                Juggling on one four-inch heel and one bare foot, I elbowed my way through the crowd after them. “Which hospital?”

                They mumbled something incoherent and disappeared through the hotel’s exterior door.

                Lord, please take care of Matt. He’s a good friend. Keep him safe.

                I started after them.

                The blond wrestler clutched my arm, stopping me from following them out to the ambulance. Then he smiled crookedly, straightened his bow tie, and righted his cummerbund. “Don’t look so worried, the PI’s in good hands.”

                I stiffened. “How do you know Matt’s a PI?”

                The wrestler frowned and clamped his lips.

                Shivers snaked my spine. Something was very wrong.


About the Author

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Anne Greene lives in the quaint antiquing town of McKinney, Texas, a few miles north of Dallas. Her husband is a retired Colonel, Army Special Forces. Her little brown and white Shih Tzu, Lily Valentine, shares her writing space, curled at her feet.

Besides her first love, writing, she enjoys family, friends, travel, reading, and way too many other things to mention. Life is good. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.”

Anne’s an award-winning author of twenty-three books. She loves writing about alpha heroes who aren’t afraid to fall on their knees in prayer, and about gutsy heroines. She hopes her stories transport you to awesome new worlds and touch your heart.


Contact Links



Purchase Links

RABT Book Tours & PR

Brazen by M. Malone & Nana Malone




Title: Brazen
Series: Brazen Duet #1
Authors: M. Malone & Nana Malone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 29, 2019




Blurb


Wham, bam, thank you ma’am? That’s my motto.



There’s no room in my life for anything more complicated than a one-night
stand. I’m a bodyguard. It’s easier to put my life on the line when there’s no
one worrying if I’ll make it home for dinner.



But then the one woman who made me want more waltzes back into my life needing
my protection.



Despite our explosive chemistry, we can’t go there again. What happened in
Vegas, has to stay in Vegas.



Except the marriage vows neither of us remember.










Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






Coming Soon


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU






M. Malone


NYT & USA Today bestselling author M. Malone lives in
the Washington, DC metro area with her husband and their two sons. She holds a
master's degree in Business from a prestigious college that would no doubt be
scandalized by how she's using her expensive education.

Independently published, she has sold more than 1/2 million
ebooks in her two series, THE ALEXANDERS and BLUE-COLLAR BILLIONAIRES. Since
starting her indie journey in 2011 with the runaway bestselling novella
"Teasing Trent," her work has appeared on the New York Times and USA
Today bestseller lists more than a dozen times.

She's now a full-time writer and spends 99.8% of her time in
her pajamas.




Nana Malone


USA Today bestselling author Nana Malone's love of all
things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense novel
she "borrowed" from her cousin.

It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a
precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick-butt heroines ever since.
With her overactive imagination constantly channeling her inner Buffy, it was
only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.

While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin,
Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit
as brazen and kick-butt as she thinks she is.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Drawn Into Love by Aurora Rose Reynolds






Title: Drawn Into Love

Series: Fluke My Life #4
Author: Aurora Rose Reynolds

Publisher: Montlake Romance
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: January 29, 2019




Blurb


From New York Times bestselling author
Aurora Rose Reynolds comes a flirty romantic comedy of big love and second
chances.

Courtney Williams wanted forever. She got six years of empty
promises, a divorce, and a well-deserved settlement that’s paid her way to
Manhattan. She has a new home under renovation, a new job, and a do-over as a
happy “single in the city”—until she meets an architect with designs on more
than her beams. He’s also a devoted single dad, a great cook, and has dark
lashes to die for. Too good to be true. Now all Courtney can do is whisper, Oh
no, not again.

Divorced Lucas Fremont isn’t looking to get swept away. But
how can he not with a woman this sweet and sexy? She’s making
his broken heart beat fast. His sister-in-law, Fawn, says go for it. But as
cautious as Courtney is, Lucas has to do more than that. He has to fight for
it. Now all he can do is think, Don’t let this one get away.

But Courtney comes with a secret. And Lucas comes with a
bitter ex. If love is to stand a chance, they’re going to have to take a
chance.












Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU


Free in Kindle Unlimited



PAPERBACK / AUDIOBOOK









Also Available


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited



AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited








Author Bio


Aurora Rose
Reynolds is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling
author whose wildly popular series include Until, Until Him, Until Her,
Underground Kings and Shooting Stars.

Her writing
career started in an attempt to get the outrageously alpha men who resided in
her head to leave her alone and has blossomed into an opportunity to share her
stories with readers all over the world.


Author Links

Breaking Rules Series by LaSasha Flame


Breaking
All the Rules
Breaking
Rules Series Book 1
by
LaSasha Flame


Genre:
Dark Erotica

Breaking
All the Rules is an erotic short story of a submissive's first time
attending a luxurious BDSM ball. Caroline is under strict orders not
to play with anyone other than her Master, but when she notices a
smoldering hot Derrick the attraction is instant and all consuming.
Can she make it through the night obedient to her Master or will she
forever be changed from one forbidden encounter?


The
dominant in him not liking me turning my back on him but the man in
him dying to have me. The fire in his eyes scared and excited me at
the same time because I knew in that moment he said fuck the rules.”






**only
99 cents on Amazon – or free with newsletter sign up!**








Pleasures
and Punishments
Breaking
Rules Series Book 2

Pleasures
and Punishment is the second installment of the Breaking Rules
Series! Check out book one, Breaking All the Rules, available for
just 99 cents!


From
treasured to trashed…

Imprisoned
by Master Ben and serving out her punishment for betraying him,
Caroline is now a pleasure slave. Hours turn to days. Days turn to
weeks. It seems like her torment will never end. That is, until
Caroline discovers Master is getting rid of her, and each session is
an audition for a potential new owner.

Caroline
must impress the visiting Masters so they will free her from Master
Ben’s wrath. Things get really interesting when Derrick, the one
who she betrayed her Master for, shows up as one of the interested
suitors! Caroline’s hopes are quickly shattered when she learns
that Derrick’s biggest competition for ownership of her is none
other than the sadistic and cruel Blue-Eyed Devil himself, Carson,
Master’s long-time friend. 

Her
pleasures are laced with her pains. Will she be able to endure any
more punishments at the hands of her Master? Better yet, can Derrick
help Caroline gain her freedom without exposing their dirty little
secret?

This
is a dark, short series which dabbles in BDSM and ends with a HEA.










I'm
a young author from Chicago, I'm hoping to bring some new heat
and sizzle to the romance genre.


My
favorite genres are paranormal and dark romance. I love reading a
good book but I'm so busy in life that I only get to enjoy audio
books. Its the only way I can get lost in a good book nowadays. And
you know what? I half prefer an audio book over print any day! I
have a long standing membership at Audible.com and I plan to
publish audio books for busy bookworms like myself! Yay!

My
love of writing started when a friend of mine encouraged me to write
a short story and just see what happens. Turns out I had a knack for
writing because everyone loved my short stories. From then on I have
worked on improving my craft. Growing  from flash fictions
to novellas. I am really looking forward to sharing all the twisty
goodness I have planned!

Thank
you & Much love and Sizzle!
LaSasha
Flame  O X O X










Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!








Demons Series by Marina Simcoe


Demon
Mine
Demons
Series Book 1
by
Marina Simcoe
Genre:
Paranormal Romance

They
are big, strong and silent. Their faces are hidden behind masks and
their bodies are enclosed in armor suits. They took me from my home
in the middle of the night and have been holding me in isolation for
months. I don't fully understand the purpose of my captivity. No one
explains anything to me. No one even talks to me.





Nearly
driven to madness with no more hope for freedom, I no longer care if
I live or die.

And
then he speaks to me. Just a few words . . . He throws me a lifeline
and helps me find my way back to sanity. He becomes my only
companion. My light in the darkness.

I
suspect they may not be entirely human. What's worse is that he may
be one of them. 


New
Edition, 2018





Warning: Demon Mine is a paranormal romance with
dark elements. It contains sexual situations, graphic descriptions of
intimacy, and potential triggers. Intended for mature readers.






The
Forgotten
Demons
Series Book 2

I’ve
been abducted, twice in as many months.


The
world of my captors is a dark and mysterious place, but for me it
also holds forbidden pleasures I’ve never experienced
before.



Still,
when I get a chance to run, I take it.

A
rebel and a convicted criminal, he has spent most of his existence
suspended between two worlds, in a state his kind call Deep Sleep.
Nearly forgotten by all.

Until
I disturb his slumber.

The
touch of a demon awaken is always dangerous. And for me, it turns out
treacherous in more ways than one.

I
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. LET THE SLEEPING DEMONS LIE.






Marina
Simcoe likes to write sweet and sexy love stories about characters
who may or may not be entirely human. She firmly believes that our
contemporary world could use a little bit of the extraordinary.


She
has lots of fun exploring how her out-of-this-world characters with
their own set of beliefs, values, and aspirations fit into our
everyday life.








Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!