Twisted Desire by Jessi Elliott

Title: Twisted Desire

Series: Twisted #2.5

Author: Jessi Elliott

Genre: Urban Fantasy (New Adult)

Release Date: April 16, 2019
Cover Credit: Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs

  

Being left to lead the fae alongside an annoyingly charming partner really screws with your life.

Skylar Chen just received the promotion of an eternity. After Tristan and Aurora trade their esteemed status for mundane life, it’s now her responsibility to lead the fae.

The catch? She has to work with Nikolai Sterling. With his constant smirks and dangerous good looks, he has a way of getting under Skylar’s skin like no one else. Even still, she’d much rather be getting under him.

Sexual tension aside, they have a bigger issue to deal with. The Experiment, a human organization built on hatred toward the fae, threatens to wipe them from existence. It’s time for Skylar and Nikolai to recruit allies, bring the fae together, and prepare for battle.

Fighting to protect her people is something Skylar can manage. It’s the skeletons in her designer closet that make opening up to Nikolai where she’s suddenly out of her element.

In this finale novella, the beloved side characters from Twisted Fate and Twisted Gift take center stage to bring down the organization set on destroying them.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Jessi Elliott is a law clerk and author of both young adult and new adult romantic fiction. Her love of writing was born after many years of reading and reviewing books on her blog.

She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her adorable cat, Phoebe. Yes, named after the Friends character.

When she’s not plotting her next writing project, she likes to spend her time hanging with friends and family, getting lost in a steamy romance novel, watching Friends, and drinking coffee.

You can find Jessi at www.jessielliott.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can join her newsletter to stay up to date on book news and upcoming releases.

HOSTED BY:

Trust the Push by Kaylee Ryan

Title: Trust the Push

Author: Kaylee Ryan

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: March 19, 2019

Blurb

I’m making strides in the world of dirt late model
racing.  With back to back championships under my belt, I’m determined
to win a third and be the youngest driver in history to do so.  I’m
going to make it happen my career is my focus.  That is until the
ultimate distraction in the form of a redheaded bombshell drops into my life.

I know nothing about racing, but when my boss comes to me
with a special assignment, I take it.  Now, here I am traveling from
city to city engrossed in this new world.  I never would have dreamed
that this project would lead me to new friendships and ultimately finding love.

We made a deal, our time together would expire, and we would
part ways.  The only problem with that is I’m not so sure that’s what
I want anymore. She’s pushing at my walls, and I’m trusting her, letting
them fall.

It’s a shame we put an end date on our time together.  I
knew I would fall for him, but I never dreamed that those feelings would run
this deep.  The plan was to walk away, that’s what we agreed to, it’s
just going to be harder than I thought.  I need a new plan one that
helps me move on without him.

ADD TO GOODREADS

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS

GOOGLE PLAY

Trailer

Author Bio

Kaylee Ryan is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling
author.  When she’s not spinning tales of happily ever after, she’s
reading or spending time with family.  Born and raised an Ohio girl,
Kaylee resides in Cincinnati with her husband and their son.

Author Links

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

INSTAGRAM

GOODREADS

Giveaway



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dark Blood by Nikki Hayes

Title: Dark Blood

Series: A Lethal Magic Novel

Author: Nikki Hayes

Genre: New Adult Urban Fantasy

Release Date: March 18, 2019

I'm Natasha.

Friends call me Tash. The world calls me loser.

No one knows I possess a deadly magic.

It was supposed to be a simple surveillance job, just like the zillion others I had run for my tough-guy benefactor, Tobias. An hour into it, I'm sitting with a dead body after barely surviving a warlock's rampage.

I thought things couldn't get any worse, but what did I know? Running point for Tobias or being witness to a murder was the least of my worries. Now I've been blackmailed into working with sexy paranormal cop Ian, and I must help him find what the warlock is up to before he destroys whatever is left of our world.

Piece of cake, right? Sure, if you ignored the dark magic I was born with. I just might save the world from a warlock's evil plans, but can I save it from the darkness that lies within me?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I didn’t hear Red’s growl until its wheels crunched the pebbles right outside the shop entrance. There was no mistaking the sound that engine made, yet my right hand reached for the shotgun Lara kept below the counter. Instinct, I guess. 

A door slammed. Then another creaked open. In came the trouble I’d been hoping to avoid. 

“Hello,” he said from the door, shaking off drops of moisture that clung to his leather jacket. He parted the right side of his jacket just enough for the badge to show. “Detective Fischer, Ridgeview PD. We met at Justice Long’s house.” 

I moved my hand away from the shotgun and flashed a half-smile. “Hello.” 

“How are you doing?” “How did you know to find me at this address?” He smirked but didn’t reply. Instead, he scanned the shop—left to right, front to back. And I was hit by this intense—disgusting rather—need to tousle those dark locks that swooped over his forehead. Yeah, I was utterly flabbergasted by my bizarre yearning and sickened by my sudden lack of self-respect. 

“You’re having quite an evening, aren’t you?” he said on reaching the counter. I noted his eyes were a bluish shade of gray. They made me want to stare into them. And keep on staring. 

Dammit, Tash! Get a grip on yourself. “Did you have something specific to ask me, Detective 

Fischer?” I threw out a snippy question knowing well it was a risky tack to follow given my background and the number of lies I’d fed Semps. But at that moment I was more weirded out by the reaction I was having to Fischer than anything else. And I was desperate and determined to cut through the crap of infatuation . . . or lust. “Or are you on the lookout for some lucky bamboo for your house?” 

He threw an amused look at me. I returned a cold stare. “How long have you been stalking Justice Long?” How the hell did he know? I had to scoff, louder than what would have come naturally. 

“What? Stalking who?” Fischer didn’t reply. He thumped the stone-encircled water feature opposite the counter a few times and then leaned on the largest boulder. I wished it would fall apart and Fischer’s smug ass would find itself in the water. No such luck. The fountain was Dad’s handiwork after all, and his workmanship was always perfect. So Fischer rested comfortably and stably while jumping on to his next question. 

“Who do you work for? Tobias McLellan or Big Jo?” He paused, but not long enough for me to answer. I didn’t think he was even expecting me to answer. “I think you belong to Tobias.” 

Belong? Hell, I belonged to no one but myself. “Tobias?” I arched an eyebrow and feigned innocence. “Who’s that?” 

He looked at me, his eyes narrow and his jaw tight. The glint in his eye passed shortly and I thought I’d given him the slip. 

“Does your sister know you work for Tobias?” I was wrong. The slip was just a daydream. I wasn’t one to give in so easily. I crossed my arms 

before retorting. “I don’t know why you keep bringing up this Tobias character. And I’d rather you didn’t drag my sister into this.” 

He chuckled. The playful sound clawed its way into my ears and scratched at my abundant ego. I bit the inside of my cheek and held on to every irreverent remark that came flooding through my mind. 

“Okay, let’s take a step back,” he said, raising his arms. I was all for taking a step—or ten—back. Had he not been a cop, I’d have thrown his ass out of the shop way back when. “I’m not here to harass you. Although if Semps found out half of your statement was lies, he’d be quite offended.” 

Fischer sure liked to blackmail. First he brought up my sister, and now Semps. I gritted my teeth, sucked in some damp air, and let quiet moments trickle past. To think a few minutes ago I was lusting after him. Utterly disgusting! 

“I came here for the truth,” he said when I didn’t reply, shrugging nonchalantly. “Need to know what went down at Long’s house.” 

I couldn’t stop an eye roll. “But I already told Semps everything I know.” 

“No, you didn’t, Natasha.” His voice was hard and sharp. “You didn’t tell him about Tobias, or about the boy who was with you tonight, or what exactly happened when you faced Kevain Nightwing.” “Kevain Nightwing?” “The man who broke into the justice’s house. The man you hit with your baton. The man who killed Frank Otters.” My mind jotted a few quick notes. Victim: Flashlight Guy a.k.a Frank Otters. Perp: the guy in the long cloak who did something weird that knocked down both Ryan and me a.k.a Kevain Nightwing. 

“You know this Kevain Nightwing guy?” Fischer shook his head. “No. We don’t even know what he looks like. But this is the third homicide case I’ve had with clear evidence pointing to him.” 

“Who is he? A serial burglar?” Fischer let out a long chuckle. “All burglars are serial, aren’t they? Yeah, he is a burglar, but not just any burglar.” 

My brows inched upward. Fischer seemed to hesitate. “He is . . . what we call a warlock.” Words crumbled and died in my throat. A warlock? Sure, I’d seen the guy’s hand glow, but I had chalked it up to my tired eyes and my overexcited nerves. I had to find a reasonable explanation. Warlocks weren’t reasonable, like at all. Their place was in fantasy stories, not in the real world. 

I studied Fischer’s face—didn’t seem like he was joking. What then? Was he high? Or could he be mentally ill? 

Since the Scourge, mental illness had spiked like nobody’s business. Half of the world’s current population was suspected to have some kind of instability. Most kept it hidden. Until they snapped and fell apart in some spectacular show of violence. Perhaps Fischer was one such specimen. 

Even though my gaze held Fischer’s steadily, I let my finger graze the trigger of the shotgun under the counter. I couldn’t let my guard down entirely around a possible loon. Admittedly, I was in a dicey situation, I worked for Tobias and had just lied through my teeth to another of the PD. Fischer had me there. But that didn’t mean I had to trust the guy. That didn’t mean I could ignore the adrenaline coursing up my back and every cell in my body 

screaming “Beware!” 

Still, I also couldn’t just wave a gun at him. He was a cop—armed and trained to kill. So I waited, nails gouging into my palms deep enough to draw blood, for some explanation. 

“You have every excuse to think I’m crazy,” Fischer said, with a lopsided smile that was almost tired. In that second and for the first time since I’d met him, his smug façade fell away. I don’t know why, but my heart twitched. Thankfully, he missed my adoring look. Deep in thought, his gaze fixed on our nursery’s prize specimen—a silver- tipped Ficus—that graced a corner of our shop, Fischer continued, “But, unfortunately, I’m not. The man who killed Frank Otters isn’t an ordinary guy. He’s virtually from a different world.” 

I didn’t know what to say. It was one of those rare times in my life when I couldn’t think of anything to say. 

“Take your hand away from that gun, Natasha,” he said calmly. How he knew about the gun I had no idea. Experience probably. Fischer kept speaking. “Believe me. I’m not here to hurt you. But Kevain Nightwing will, if you don’t listen to me.” 

I moved my hand away, just an inch or two. My head was this jumbled mess of thoughts, none of which made sense. I had to beat some logic out of them, quickly. I breathed, long and deep, recalling the pranayama Dad had taught me. It helped. 

“Why would Kevain Nightwing hurt me?” “Because no one who has seen him has lived to talk about him. Except you.” He paused a second, as if weighing his next words. “Frankly, I’m surprised.” 

His words, so casual and plain, sort of exploded in my brain. I could almost hear the gears in my head churning 

frantically, making conclusions, sending signals to the rest of my body. The worn-out tank top I was wearing suddenly felt clingy. I wanted to think it was the dampness from the evening’s rain, but I knew all too well it was fear. 

“Natasha,” Fischer called. “Why don’t you sit down?” I had more important stuff to do than sit down. Ryan! He had seen Kevain Nightwing also. If what Fischer just said was true, then Ryan was in danger. I had to warn the boy. But there was another thought that came at me at a thousand miles an hour. 

“You said this was the third case with Kevain Nightwing? How do you know for sure if no one lived to tell you about him?” 

“Other evidence pointed to it. But all the witnesses were dead.” 

“What evidence?” “Can’t tell you that. Yet.” “Yet?” He tilted his head and sighed as if he didn’t like what he was about to do or say. 

“I came here to ask you for help,” he said. His eyes flitted from my face to the computer, across the countertop, and back to my face. 

Clearly, Detective Fischer wasn’t used to asking for help. Intimidation was what he was good at; I’d practically seen him glow when he tried to push me around by bringing up Lara and Semps. I was enjoying the new sight, watching his face twist in discomfort as he forced himself to plead. As much fun as it was, I goaded myself to move one. Now was not the time to indulge in an unmannerly power trip. That could wait. Now I had Ryan to call. But there was a bigger question: what kind of help did Fischer need? 

“You want me to describe this Kevain Nightwing guy? Tell you more about how things went down?” 

He ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. “That . . . and more. You don’t understand. You can do more to stop Nightwing.” 

I really didn’t understand shit and it was hardly my fault. Detective Fischer wasn’t really forthcoming. 

“There’s . . . something in you that thwarted him tonight. Some sort of magic,” he said. Completely ignoring my gaping mouth and my golf-ball sized eyes, he went on. “Otherwise, there’d be two more bodies next to Otter’s.” 

My fingers scribbled lines on the worn-out counter as I drew in another long breath. 

“You stopped Kevain Nightwing and I need to find out how,” Fischer said. 

He crossed his arms when I didn’t reply. I didn’t intend to keep him hanging, but . . . what do you say to a man who declares you have some sort of magic in you? I’d handled all kinds of lines from boys and men. But this? I was stumped. 

“I hope you’ll help.” “I still don’t understand—” “I’ll explain. I’ll tell you everything. And . . . I’ll also get your records wiped.” 

Now that was an offer worth considering. Not that I needed that big a bribe. I was already plenty worried, and intrigued enough about this Nightwing character to agree to help. But Fischer didn’t need to know all that. Besides, I kind of liked seeing him desperate. 

I gave him a thoughtful nod. “Okay.” “Deal?” Ryan! Yes, my mind did its coping thing and rushed off on a tangent. It was an important tangent, though. I needed 

to warn Ryan about Kevain Nightwing. 

“I have to call someone first,” I told Fischer. “Right away.” He shrugged. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” 

His was a casual statement. But for some stupid, disturbing reason, my heart did a flip. 

Really, Tash? Again? As I punched in Ryan’s number on the shop phone, I made a mental note: keep a close eye on that unpredictable airhead inside me. 


§§§ 


Fischer and I sat across the kitchen table and furtively studied each other as the coffee brewed. Have to admit, it bothered me like heck that I had invited him into the house. How long had I known him? Thirty minutes tops! Yet, who knows why, I had taken a leap of faith. More like a leap of stupidity, I corrected myself. 

Then I had to keep regretting my decision, of course. What fun would it be if I didn’t? Fischer was a cop, no doubt about that. But everyone knew not all cops were straight. Semps had seemed uncomfortable around him, yet I let him into the house in the dead of night. Could I have been any more gullible? 

What was worse, I didn’t even have a weapon on me. My gun was with Ryan, my baton in police evidence, and Lara’s shotgun tucked away under the counter outside. The thought that I might have made the biggest mistake ever made me twitch and shift and scratch my head. A lot. 

Fischer was cool as a cucumber. He had waited until I called Tobias and made sure Ryan was all right. Then he 

convinced me to lock the gates and got himself invited into the kitchen. He had to be proud of himself; he was right where he wanted to be. I, on the other hand, had played into his expert hands. 

“The coffee should be done by now,” I said and walked over to the counter. It was far from done, but being near a scalding pot of coffee that could be used in more ways than one brought me some comfort. That and knowing I was trying my best to rectify the situation I had created. 

“Why Ponderosa? Why don’t you live here with your brother and sister?” Fischer asked, slinging his arm over the back of his chair. Talk about not respecting boundaries. “You couldn’t have a boyfriend?” he added. 

“My business and . . . my business,” I snapped. Just because I’d agreed to help him with the Kevain Nightwing guy didn’t mean he was my shrink. Who did Fischer think he was dealing with? And what did he mean by I couldn’t have a boyfriend? I sure as hell could. Anytime I wanted. If I wanted. 

“Touchy, are we?” My fists clenched and I was about to retort, but I clamped my mouth shut before the words escaped. This was bait. I knew better than to show him my buttons. 

“Coffee’s ready,” I announced, busying myself with pouring it into two oversized mugs. Telling me all about this warlock dude was going to take time, I figured. I sauntered back to the table, two filled mugs in hand, trying hard to ignore that stare he kept on my face. 

“Tell me about Kevain Nightwing,” I said, sliding into my chair and pushing a mug toward Fischer. Yeah, I had to keep him strictly focused on business. Everything else was off limits. 

“Before I get to that, you need to see something,” 

Fischer said. He slipped a hand into his jacket and I stiffened, my fingers curling around my coffee mug. He simply extracted a wallet and flipped it open to flash his ID. Detective Ian J. Fischer, it said below the photo of a Fischer from a couple of years ago at least. His face had a distinct sweetness in it back then and the eye-catching good looks were in even greater force. It took me a while to peel my eyes off his photo and note what Fischer was pointing at. 

“Ridgeview PD, Paranormal Crimes Unit,” I read out the line he was tapping, letting the words settle into my hyperactive brain. “Paranormal crimes? Is this for real? There’s a paranormal unit now?” 

He slapped the wallet closed and slipped it back into his pocket. “Yes to all your questions,” he said before taking a long sip of his coffee. “The point is . . . I am real. I’m not a lunatic. And I’m not here to hurt you in any way.” Well, all that remained to be seen. Especially the last bit.

Nikki Hayes has always been intrigued by the occult and the magical. So it wasn’t much of a surprise that when she started scribbling ideas into notebooks and dreaming up characters, most showed up with boatloads of magic.

All right! Now that I've done the obligatory third person intro thing, let's get down to some straight talk.

Who am I? I write urban fantasy for new adults. I also love to read—fantasy, science fiction, thrillers, mysteries, among others.

My other loves are a pair of utterly spoiled four-footeds and when I’m not writing, I’m usually busy pampering them.

I enjoy hearing from readers so please stop by my corner on the net at www.lethalmagic.com.

HOSTED BY:

The Virgin Club by Kayley Wood

The Virgin Club
Kayley Wood
Publication date: March 19th 2019
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Challenge: Lose my virginity before my 24th birthday

Time Left: 23 days

Appletinis, a semi-meltdown, and a ‘Lose My Virginity Challenge’ post. That’s all it took for my little blog to go viral.

The realization that I’m the lone virgin left from my club’s original pact ignited my not-so-genius idea. But what else could I do? With my two best friends happily un-single (and having plenty of sex), I’ve become an outcast—the anti-Hester Prynne, walking the streets with a giant V attached to my chest.

I’m going to be fine. I’m anonymous. I can just delete the post and pretend it never happened. No big deal, right?

Wrong!

My co-worker crush, Logan—gorgeous, yummy and out of my league—found out about my secret deadline-driven cherry popping quest.

Humiliated would be an understatement.

Fortunately, my besties come to the rescue with a brilliant plan that involves my trending blog. If all went smoothly, I’d not only win over the untouchable Logan but also live my dream of becoming a full-time writer.

The plan isn’t just brilliant, it’s perfect… until my new boss, Alexander Freeman comes into the picture with his Brooks Brothers suit and Tom Ford briefcase.

So what if the Stiff is hot? I will not ruin my one chance with Logan or my dream career.

But I’m in more trouble than I originally thought.

Turns out Alex has a few intentions of his own and a huge secret I’m totally unprepared for.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Blog: The Virgin Club

Subscribers: 738

Entry # 138

Title: My First Job Interview

There is but one constant, inevitable truth in my life: What goes up, must eventually come crashing down.

My first memory of this recurrent theme happened when I was six years old. I was angry at my mother for putting me in time-out. Believing I was too grown up for such punishments, I set out to prove how self-reliant I was by running away from home. Most kids at that age would end up walking in circles because they know they aren’t allowed to cross the street.

Not me.

My incident involved hiding in our neighbor’s old tree fort nailed between two pine trees. By the time they found me, my entire ponytail was drenched in pine sap. No matter how many times my mother washed my hair, the sap remained. She had no choice but to cut my hair off… all seven uneven inches of it. Of course this all happened a day before I started the first grade.

Needless to say, my first day of school wasn’t a pleasant one.

When I started this blog in college, the Virgin Club had a mission and a purpose we believed in: to never let the complications of sex and relationships sever the bonds of girl empowerment. To raise each other up as individuals who supported our own personal and professional goals.

The five of us made a pact to remain virgins until graduation.

Only three remained in the club by senior year, but we ended up as best friends. We were proud graduates who knew what we wanted and were ready to take on the world. Right?

Not so fast.

Keeping to my inescapable what goes up, must come down philosophy, it seems only fitting that during my first job interview, I tripped over a cord and face-planted into someone’s desk, breaking my nose. You wouldn’t believe the amount of blood that can come out of your face. By the horrified gasps of those in the office and their reluctance to come anywhere near me, you would’ve thought I had transformed into a hideous zombie, unsteady on my feet, reaching out for help and gurgling through the faucet of red flowing out of my nostrils.

Thankfully, someone did eventually come to my rescue. With watering eyes and searing pain, and in a state of panic from the amount of blood on my shirt and hands, I could put girl power on the wayside. Adrenaline doesn’t give a crap about your sense of independence or not wanting someone to be your “savior.” It has only one job—survival.

I took his help without shame.

Although I couldn’t see his face through blurred vision, I still remember his voice, calming me and telling me that I’ll be fine and how he had had his nose broken twice. My heartbeat eventually slowed to a more normal rate as he waited with me for an ambulance. There’s something reassuring about having someone by your side who understands you. Someone who had been through it and was willing to go through it again with you.

I never got his name, and I sure as hell won’t go back for a second interview.

So if you’re out there, I just wanted to say thank you.

Author Bio:

Kayley has three simple rules in life:

1. Surround yourself with some incredible, kick-ass women you call friends.

2. Don’t worry about failure or mistakes. It’s how you respond to them that makes all the difference.

3. An appletini is never complete without two cherries.

Website / Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

RUNED by Kendall Grey

ALL’S FAIR IN REINCARNATION AND WAR.

You’ve heard the stories of Norse gods. Thor. Odin. Ragnarok. I’m here to tell you they’re all true. I know because I was there.

My name is Loki.

A thousand years ago, give or take a century or two, I walked the Nine Realms with my brothers, spreading mischief and leaving behind a trail of broken hearts wherever I roamed. I built an unforgettable brand as the trickster god, the father of the Midgard Serpent, Fenrir the wolf, and even Hel herself. In my exploits, I may have accidentally on purpose triggered a bit of unpleasantness that led to the end of the world, but apparently, it wasn’t the end of me. Recently, the shield of ice that froze me in an arctic cage melted (thanks, global warming), and I clawed my way to the surface of a new world.

With a fresh lease on life and a rocking-hot body, I just need one thing: the rune that grants me immortality.

Oh, and a bra would be nice. These boobs really know how to get in the way of a good hustle.

About the Book

Runedby Kendall Grey

SeriesAsgard Awakening Book One

GenreAdult
Urban Fantasy

PublisherHowling Mad Press

Publication DateMarch 19, 2019

Purchase Your Copy Today!
Amazon

Also Available On

About Kendall Grey

A whale warrior, indie freedom fighter, and vodka martini aficionado, KENDALL GREY is calm like an F-bomb*. She writes about fierce women and the men who love them. Her aliases include Kendall Day (FALLING FOR MR. SLATER) and Seven Slade (COMING OUT).

Kendall lives off a dirt road near Atlanta, Georgia, with three mischievous Demonlings, a dashing geek in cyber armor, a long-haired miniature Dachshund that thinks she’s a cat, and an Aussie shepherd mix whose ice-blue eyes will steal your heart and hold it for ransom.

*Detonation manual not included.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon

This promotion is brought to you by Pure Textuality PR.