Thursday, July 31, 2014

Blog Tour: Plantation Nation by @Mercedes_King_ #interview


Historical Fiction

Date Published: May 27, 2014
   
Sixteen year old Emma Cartwright runs away from her family’s South Carolina rice plantation after a slave is beaten to death. Determined to join the fight against slavery, Emma enlists in the Union Army disguised as a young man. Nothing could prepare her for the sacrifices needed—and for falling in love for the first time.    

Interview


Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp?

Hopefully, there are a few messages that come through. The most obvious being that every issue has two sides, and while the solution to a problem may seem obvious, respect and communication are key to working through complicated matters. And I hope that younger readers may notice that love and falling in love isn’t just about those warm and fuzzy feelings, that true, genuine love is deeper than just a physical attraction.  


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?

For Plantation Nation, the biggest challenge was finding a balance between the on-goings and details of the Civil War with Emma and her challenges. I wanted to stay true to the history, but not bog readers down with too much. At the same time, weaving in meaningful touches of the past was important, and hopefully gives the story better dimension.


How many books have you written and which is your favorite?

Plantation Nation is my second novel. My first was O! Jackie, a fictional take on Jackie Kennedy and her private life. I followed O! Jackie with The Kennedy Chronicles, a series of short stories about Jack and Jackie before they were married and before ‘Camelot’. Each tale has a special spot in my heart. They have to. As a writer, you spend so much time in the story world that you’d better love what you’re working on—and I do, every time.


If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why?

I think the most obvious pick of who should play Emma Cartwright would be Jennifer Lawrence. She’s definitely the got-getter / action type with a softer side. That’s Emma. Plus, if you look at the cover for Plantation Nation, the girl depicted there looks like Jennifer Lawrence. A pretty sweet coincidence.


When did you begin writing?

Like most writers, I began when I could put pen to paper and construct a story. Not that those early tales were any good, but hey, practice is everything. I wrote “Mrs. Jackson and the Genie” in fourth grade, and I’ve been working on my craft ever since. I also think most writers are compelled to write; we just can’t help it, gotta do it!


How long did it take to complete your first book?

The first book took a solid nine months. Plantation Nation took about the same. Part of the reason is the research involved and going back and forth from writing to research. I would love to be a writer who cranks out three books a year. Three QUALITY, reader-worthy books. Maybe I’ll get there or get closer one day.


Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer?

Mary Higgins Clark was a big influence for me. I discovered her when I was in middle school, loved her stories and everything about her writing. And let’s hope I can carve out a writing career and booklist as successful as hers.


What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I’m an idea person! I love, love, love playing ‘chess’ with the plot and characters. So mapping out the story, doing a rough, ROUGH outline of the book, I love it! And then writing it, connecting the pieces…WOW! That’s my drug.


Describe your latest book in 4 words.

Teen fights for equality.


Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?

I’m working on several things: another short story, a novella, and a novel. Right now, no guesses as to which one will be first to the finish. I do have two more books in mind for Emma and her family, but they won’t be out for a while. So in the meantime, I hope readers stayed tuned! 





Mercedes King is an Ohio native and founding member of Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio (affectionately dubbed SiCCO). With a degree in Criminology from Capital University and a passion for writing, she crafted O! Jackie, a novel focusing on the private life of Jackie Kennedy. She has also written The Kennedy Chronicles, a series of short stories featuring JFK and Jackie before they were married and before 'Camelot'. Mercedes writes in a variety of genres, including historical and mystery / suspense. In fact, she's working on creating a new genre, 'modern historical'.
Her newest release, Plantation Nation, follows the journey of Emma Cartwright, a 16 year old Southern girl who disguises herself as a young man and joins the Union Army.
Visit her sites, OJackiebook.com or Mercedesking.com . Contact her at Mercedes 'at' ojackiebook 'dot' com. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Twitter: @Mercedes_King_
Instagram: mercedes_king_author




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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Blog Tour: A Prescription for Delirium by @velveteclipse


Urban Fantasy
Date Published: December 1, 2012
   
Demons, werewolves, possessed bikers, madness spreading like a virus, and a revenge that has waited for over 500 years. What more could Gabby look for in a vacation spot?

Ninety years ago, Gabriella di Luca promised to protect the family of her dying lover. She failed to keep that promise.  She was too far away to stop the devil that murdered the eldest Van Helsing son. Years later, Gabby learns the devil has resurfaced. She arrives in Hampton, TX, determined to stop the devil before it can lay a bloody hand on the remaining three brothers.



However, madness is spreading through Hampton. She suspects the devil is using this madness to test a drug which has a side effect of demonic possession.  Gabby rushes to end the source of the madness only to fall victim to it. For a woman cursed with eternal life, dying is no threat. However, Gabby must stop the devil's plot or risk losing her most precious possession: her mind.


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Preorder Today!: pandoraunboxed - Home


REVIEW


What I like? The world Noree Cosper has created. She has managed to use wonderful descriptions to paint a world in each of her books. She doesn't rely on her readers to imagine the world herself, she paints the picture for us. 

What I love? The characters! They are so fun and real. I enjoy reading about them and their growth.

Something new? I like the spin she has put on the Van Helsing story, it is very unique and keeps the reader invested in the characters. 



Noree Cosper loves writing about magic in the modern world. While growing up in Texas she constantly searched for mystical elements in the mundane. She buried her nose in both fiction and books about Wicca, Religion, and Mythology. Everyday became an adventure as she joined a group of role-players, acting out her fantasies of vampires, demons, and monsters living in the world.
She embraced her nerdom wholeheartedly.

Noree grew, but never left her love for fantasy and horror. Her dreams pushed her and her hand itched to write the visions she saw. So, with her fingers on the keys, she did what her heart had been telling her to do since childhood. She wrote.


Wednesday, July 23, 2014

PROMO: Strangers on a Bus by @RobManary #giveaway


PROMO Blitz – Strangers on a Bus
Romantic Comedy / Memoir
Date Published: March 29, 2011

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If you liked When Harry Met Sally, you'll fall in love with Robb and Gertrude from Strangers on a Bus...

Robb is crushed by a failed relationship with the love of his life and finds himself unexpectedly on a long bus trip from his adopted home in the U.S. back to his native Canada.

At the first stop in NYC, a girl gets on and so begins a contemplation of life, love, and strange events that will bring tears of laughter and heartache streaming down your face.

Is this girl Robb's real true love or just a rebound? How far can they get on a bus ride anyway?

This is a true story.



EXCERPT

Chapter 22
Things To Do in A Bus Stop Bathroom?

The sun started to come up as we crossed into Canada, and Gertrude told me we wouldn’t be making out once it was daylight. Lip dancing on a brightly lit bus was too “tacky” for her, and besides her lessons were having a not entirely unpleasant side effect on her.

I find it best to try not to understand women at all. But, there is one phenomenon that causes me more confusion than any of the other baffling behavior women indulge in.

When you tell a woman something and she doesn’t believe you, so you tell her the opposite, and she doesn’t believe that either, I like that.

So, you tell her the first thing you said was, indeed, the truth, and she doesn’t want to believe that one either.

Confused?

So am I. Here is the latest incarnation of this occurrence.
Gertrude: “All this kissing isn’t bothering you? You’ve got more restraint than any guy I’ve ever met. I thought you would have been trying to feel me up hours ago.”

Me: “Would it have worked?”

Gertrude: “Maybe, probably not. I think it’s nice. You’re a gentleman.”

Me: “Not really. Every time we stop I take care of that in the bathroom.”

Gertrude: “You’re such a pig! You washed your hands right! You’re so gross! You didn’t! Did you?”

Me: “I thought I was a gentleman! I lie! I lie! I lie! Of course I didn’t.”

Gertrude: “You’re such a pig! You did! Didn’t you? You’re so gross!”

Me: “Stop laughing at me if I’m so gross! I didn’t! I didn’t!”

Gertrude: “You did so! You’re such a pig!”

Me: “Okay. Fine. I did.”

Gertrude: “No you didn’t! You’re not that big a pig. Close. But no. You didn’t.”

Me: “I tell you I didn’t and you say I did. I tell you I did, and you say I didn’t. You’re such a weirdo.”

And then I kissed her, because the sun was rising quick, and because I couldn’t see another way to end that conversation. It is possible that debate could have gone on indefinitely, and there was no way I could prove conclusively what I had or had not done in a bus stop bathroom.

After what might be our last extended lip dancing lesson Gertrude whispered in my ear, “I was horny and wanted Dicky-bird…that is fun to say, so in the bathroom… I did.”

         



About the Author - Rob Manary

Robert Manary is an international playboy and man of mystery, with the charm and sophistication of James Bond shaken not stirred with a couple ounces of Cyrano de Bergerac, a dash of Rasputin, and garnished with the rapier wit of Thurston Howell the Third.

That's how he sees himself, anyway.

The truth is Robert Manary is a construct created to protect the dubious reputation of his Clark Kent like mild mannered writer/puppeteer/the man pulling the levers and breathing life into the Great and Powerful Oz (don't look too closely behind the curtain).

Robert Manary's alter ego dropped out of Radio Broadcasting College to pursue a lucrative career bartending at a seedy gentlemen's club, played around stocking shelves at a small grocery store until he screwed up badly enough to be given a promotion, and finally left the glamorous life of fighting with Parmalat representatives over the quantity of soy milk required for a small Northern Ontario town to function adequately, for the bright lights of New York.

Wow that was one long sentence!

Manary is also a master of the run-on sentence, an abuser of commas, and has no idea how to properly use this bit of punctuation: ";"

He also thinks he is much "cleverer" than he probably is.

Manary is an award winning blogger, an erotic romance novel writer, the author of a pretty decent romantic comedy, and for a brief period in the early nineties served as dictator of a small South American country.

Most of that is true.

New York, New York, if you can make it there you can make it anywhere. Manary couldn't make it there, and with only a little prompting from law enforcement agents returned to Canada, and chronicled the journey in that pretty decent romantic comedy mentioned in a paragraph above.

Manary is also an experimental artist who has no clue how to write an Author's Bio, and definitely no idea how to end one.


He has only been in love once, and that didn't work out so well, but he dreams and dreams of that girl he's loved all along.  Can a taste of love be so wrong?
P.S. He is also a shameless plunderer of pop culture.


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Tuesday, July 22, 2014

PROMO: Deep in Death by @ColleenHelme #giveaway



Deep in Death – Release Blitz
A Shelby Nichols Adventure – Volume 6
Paranormal Mystery
Date Published: July 22, 2014

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Running “errands” for her mob-boss employer, Joey “The Knife” Manetto, often ends with Shelby in trouble, making her cautious about continuing her association with him. Instead, she focuses on a new client who hires Shelby to find her missing mother. What seems like a routine case turns into something more sinister and deadly than she ever imagined. In the meantime, Uncle Joey has summoned Shelby to his office, where she runs into her former nemesis. Shelby inadvertently hears something that makes her fear for the lives of Uncle Joey and his hit-man, Ramos. This time, Uncle Joey is not sure he wants to involve Shelby in something he knows could get her killed. Keeping Shelby’s involvement to a minimum has disastrous results, sending Shelby on a dangerous path. As her investigation unfolds, Shelby finds death at every turn, and soon realizes she is in over her head. Can she escape from danger in time? Or will she find herself deep in death?



EXCERPT

A twinge of pain burned through my arm, and I gently rubbed the spot where I’d been shot nearly three weeks ago. Getting a shot in the arm may sound like a simple thing for most people, but when it’s done by a bullet, it’s a whole different story. At least it was healing nicely, and the scar wasn’t too big, but every once in a while my arm ached like it had happened yesterday, probably because I was overdoing it again. After a few seconds the pain subsided, and I finished pulling on my shirt and got dressed.
Today was my first day back at work since the shooting, and I was ready to take on a new project. This time the job was a client from my consulting agency, which suited me just fine. My last job for Uncle Joey, the local mob-boss, had gotten me both arrested for murder and shot by a bullet in the arm, so I was a little nervous about doing anything for him again.
A few months ago I had to tell Uncle Joey my secret that I could read minds so he wouldn’t kill me. We’d worked out a compromise, and over the course of our association, we’d even become close. Crazy as it sounded, I’d started to think of him as my real uncle, even though he wasn’t. Since most of his errands seemed to get me into trouble, he’d also saved my life a few times. Well, to be honest, it was his hit-man, Ramos, doing most of the saving. But it was Uncle Joey who’d told him to watch out for me.
I sighed every time I thought of Ramos. He had a troubled past which only I knew about, and I’d helped him come to terms with it. Besides saving my life several times, there was also a physical attraction that I only dared admit out loud to my best friend, Holly. Of course after seeing him, she had a crush on him too, and since we were both happily married, I had to think it was all right. But with all of that going on, I had to wonder about myself. I mean, Uncle Joey was a big, bad mob-boss who had threatened to do me bodily harm, and Ramos was his hit-man. They were the bad guys and I had a soft spot in my heart for them. Was something wrong with me?
My husband, Chris, had no qualms about severing all ties with Uncle Joey, and it put me in a hard spot trying to please them both. But since the last job, things had changed. After I got shot, Chris had a long talk with Uncle Joey, and I hadn’t heard from him in three weeks. In some ways it was a relief, but in others, I kind of missed him…and Ramos…well…mostly Ramos. Still, I wasn’t about to call and offer my services. Not considering what had happened last time. Nope. I wasn’t ready to get shot again. In fact, I would be pretty happy if I never saw another gun in my life.
I took a deep cleansing breath and checked the time. I had an appointment with my client at ten this morning, and it was time to go. Her name was Tiffany and this was her senior year of college. Since I didn’t have a real office, I’d told her we could meet at the campus library in-between her classes, and with her busy schedule, meeting on campus worked out great for both of us.
I drove through town with my windows down and breathed in the crisp fall air. It was the first part of October and the sky was the perfect color of blue. The trees were just beginning to change into brilliant autumn colors, and framed against the blue sky, the pure beauty and serenity lifted my spirits. With everything I’d gone through lately, I knew I was lucky to be alive.
I parked at the visitor parking meters near the library and headed toward the front of the building. It had been several years since I’d been there last, and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I’d only been to one year of college before I’d talked Chris into marrying me. It was love at first sight for me, but it had taken some gentle persuading on my part to help Chris see how perfect we were together. Right after our marriage, we’d gone off to law school in another state. Josh had been born exactly nine months later followed by Savannah two years after that. There were times when I regretted not finishing college back then, but I wouldn’t trade the life I had now for anything.
I loved my family and, as it turned out, I had a pretty good career without a degree, and I was proud of what I’d accomplished. Of course, if I hadn’t gotten shot in the head during a bank robbery, which left me with the ability to read minds, it might be a different story.
It was still hard for me to believe how my life had turned upside down simply because I’d stopped at the grocery store for some carrots. Who would have thought? Now I had my own consulting agency where I could get paid for helping people, and most of the time, all I had to do was read their minds. Not that it was always that easy, but after getting shot, I’d take some simple cases for a while.
A young woman sat on a bench near the fountain where we’d planned to meet. Her gaze caught mine and her eyes widened slightly before she recognized me. As I approached, she smiled and gave me a quick wave. She had long blond hair and a sweet face, but her somber eyes seemed out of place for someone her age, like she’d gone through some hard times.
Since she was a college student, I was a little nervous that she couldn’t afford my one-hundred-and-fifty-dollar-an-hour fee. But we’d talked about that before I agreed to meet her, and she’d seemed fine with it then. She stood to greet me.
“Shelby Nichols? Hi. I’m Tiffany Shaw. Thanks for meeting me.”
“Hi Tiffany, nice to meet you in person,” I answered.
“I know this is kind of informal, but it’s such a beautiful day. Do you mind staying out here in the sunshine?”
“I think that’s a great idea.”
“Good.” She resumed her seat on the bench and I sat beside her. She was thinking that she wasn’t sure how to start. What she needed might not even be possible, but she’d read about me in the paper and figured if anyone could help her, it was me. She’d been saving up for years to hire a private investigator and wanted the best. After a little digging, she’d heard rumors that I had premonitions. It didn’t faze her in the least. In fact, after all this time, she thought it might be the only thing that would solve the case. She just had to make sure her dad didn’t find out, since he was the over-protective sort. He’d tell her she was throwing away her money, and probably accuse me of taking advantage of her.
That certainly put a lot of pressure on me, and my stomach tightened with dread that her father would disapprove. But since she was thinking about not telling him, maybe he’d never need to find out. Considering her age and circumstances, I had hoped she’d hired me for something easy, like finding out if her roommate was after her boyfriend. But no, she was thinking about her mother, and that she was probably dead, and I knew nothing was ever as easy as I wished.
“I’d like to hire you to find my mother.” Her lips tightened and pain flashed through her eyes. “You see…I’m getting married in a few weeks and I really want her to be there.” She didn’t add ‘if she’s still alive’ like she was thinking.
She’d always imagined her mother would be at her wedding, and now that it was actually happening, she couldn’t stop wondering where her mom was and what had happened to her. The day her mother had gone missing was the worst day of her life, and thinking about it brought all the horror back, but she knew she would never move on unless she had some answers.
“Tell me what happened,” I said gently.
She took a deep breath. “It’s been nearly six years, and I know that’s a long time, but just hear me out before you decide if you can take the job or not.”
“Okay.” I encouraged her with a smile. “Go on.”
“Like I said…it will be six years on the twenty-eighth of October since she went missing. That night, she drove to the office where she worked to drop something off and never came back. They found her car parked in the parking structure with the keys in the ignition. Her purse was on the passenger seat. Nothing was taken, and there was no sign of a struggle. It was like she just disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“What did the police tell you?”
“Well…they dusted for prints, checked her office, put out a missing person’s report, questioned her colleagues at work, and brought my father in for questioning.” She hated that they had suspected him. He was innocent. He had nothing to do with it. He loved her mom. It still made her angry. It was part of what had made the day so bad. She not only lost her mother, but her father was never the same after that.
“What happened to your father? Did they charge him with anything?”
Tiffany shook her head. “No. They had no evidence that he was involved, but the police always suspect the husband first. So it was bad enough that my mom disappeared, but the fact that they thought my dad had something to do with it made it ten times worse.”
She sighed, wondering for the thousandth time what kind of person she would be right now if she still had her mom. She’d probably be a lot happier, that was for sure. “My dad’s doing better now. He even got married a couple of months ago.”
“That’s good,” I said.
“Yeah.” She was glad he had finally moved on, and wished it was something she could do. But the ache just wouldn’t go away, especially with her upcoming wedding. This was the most important day of her life, and her mother should be there. So where was she? What had happened? Who had taken her? Why hadn’t she come home?
In her heart, she knew her mother never would have left unless she was forced into it. Speculation from the police and others of affairs, with her mom running off with another man, only deepened the wound, and she wouldn’t believe any of it. That’s why a small part of her had to believe her mom was dead, but what if she wasn’t? What if someone was holding her captive? It could happen, and she just couldn’t give up until she knew for sure.
“What did the police decide about the case?” I asked.
“Officially, she’s missing and presumed dead. At least that’s what they declared so my dad could re-marry. I don’t know what happened to the case files. But I’m hoping you can dig them up and maybe find something that got passed over. I know it’s a long shot, but I’ve never had the resources to hire a private investigator until now. Do you think you could look into it for me?”
I bit my bottom lip. The chances of finding out what happened at this point were pretty slim. My mind-reading ability wouldn’t be of much use, although I could still question her dad. Even though she didn’t think it was him, I’d learned that some people were really good at keeping secrets, and I wasn’t about to rule him out. I could probably get my hands on the police file and talk to the detectives who handled the case, but beyond that, I didn’t have much hope.





About The Author - Colleen Helme


As the author of the Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, Colleen is often asked if Shelby Nichols is her alter-ego. “Definitely,” she says. “Shelby is the epitome of everything I wish I dared to be.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. “I love getting Shelby into trouble…I just don’t always know how to get her out of it!” Colleen lives in the Rocky Mountains with her family. Besides writing, she loves a good book, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.





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Monday, July 21, 2014

Blog Tour: Fallen by @LauryFalter




Young Adult Fantasy

Date Published: April 1, 2009

Maggie is unaware of the terrifying fate that awaits her. It isn’t until she lands in New Orleans for a full year at a private high school and her unknown enemies find her does she realize that her life is in danger.

As a mystifying stranger repeatedly intervenes and blocks the attempts on her life, she begins to learn that there is more to him than his need to protect her and that he may be the key to understanding why her enemies have just now arrived.




Interview

Is There a Message in Your Novel That You Want Readers to Grasp? I write entirely for entertainment value. When readers pick up my novels, I hope they are thinking "Boy, I want this novel to provide me a small, pleasurable break from reality" instead of "I hope I learn something from this fictional novel". If on the offhand chance they find a message embedded in my writing then that's simply sprinkles on top.


Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing? Deadlines. I typically finish a book every four months. That's a grueling schedule. At least life isn't dull.



How many books have you written and which is your favorite? I had to actually go back and count. It turns out I've written eleven books, at least eleven that have been released to the public. My favorite? That's difficult, similar to asking me to choose a favorite child. They all have their appeals, each has given me a wonderful writing experience. No, I'm sorry. I can't choose.




If You had the chance to cast your main character from Hollywood today, who would you pick and why? From what I've learned so far, Hollywood doesn't allow an author to have a say in who is cast for character roles, but I wrote Maggie with Margarita Levieva in mind and Eran with Adam Garcia in mind.



When did you begin writing? I wrote my first story back in 7th grade, about a girl who survives a nuclear blast. I then stored it in the freezer because my dad said it was the safest place if our house should burn down. Yeah…still embarrassed about that to this day.



How long did it take to complete your first book? Two months. I wrote Fallen back when I had a full-time job and found it was a fantastic escape at the end of a long day to dive into a fictitious world. I wrote steadily, after work and on the weekends, sending blocks of the book to my sister, Babs, who was my chief inspiration to continue the book. If you enjoyed Fallen, you can thank Babs because if it wasn't for her the book would never have been written.



Did you have an author who inspired you to become a writer? Humbly, I must acknowledge Stephenie Meyer. She brought me back to my love for good stories. Thank you, Stephenie. In addition, I grew up reading Stephen King. My dad would leave me his latest novels on our stair's landing and when I found them I would disappear into my room for hours, reading until it was dinnertime. I suppose I could credit Stephenie Meyer's for my love of romance and Stephen King for my love of fantasy.



What is your favorite part of the writing process? That mesmeric place a writer goes when the writing is flowing from them. It is a beautiful, exhilarating journey when you have harnessed a scene and are conveying it perfectly from your mind to the page.



Describe your latest book in 4 words. A page-turning romantic suspense



Can you share a little bit about your current work or what is in the future for your writing?  I'm currently in the midst of writing the prequels to the Guardian Trilogy, filling in the lifetimes in which Maggie and Eran fell in love despite incredible resistance. So far, it has been a thrilling ride.



Laury Falter is a bestselling author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She is also an animal rights activist, a sailor, a one-handed golf putterer, and a Colorado River conqueror.
She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the Apocalypse Chronicles.

Thursday, July 17, 2014

PROMO: For Her Protection by @amberabardan #giveaway and #excerpt




For Her Protection - PROMO Blitz
By Amber A Bardan
Erotic Romance
Date Published: May 30, 2014

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You shouldn’t mix business with pleasure.

Yet pleasure seems to be the one and only thing on Charlize’s mind the moment Connor steamrolls into her life. Desperate to save her family company, prove she’s more than a pretty face and worthy of being CEO, pleasure is a distraction she can’t afford.

She doesn’t want a bodyguard, especially not one whose caveman heroics kick her libido into hyperdrive. But surrounded by enemies and an attacker on the loose, there’s only one man she can trust with her life.

Connor knows better than to get personal with clients. Yet there couldn’t be anything more personal about his feelings for Charlize. From the moment he clapped eyes on her he wanted nothing more than to throw her over his shoulder and really give her something to scream about. He’ll get his uptight she-cat to unwind, preferably one orgasm at a time.

With Connor in her office, her home, driving her to sweet, merciless distraction, there’s only so long Charlize can resist his sexy, dominant brand of protection




EXCERPT

They made use of her mostly empty living room for training, standing barefoot in the middle of the room. Charlize glanced at the hardwood floor.

“Wouldn’t this be safer on the rug?”
“We won’t be doing throws today,” he said and circled her, walked around her three times.
She refused to turn her head and follow him.

“Here’s how it’s going to work. I’m going to show you a dozen simple techniques. At the end I’m going to test you.”

She frowned. “Like a quiz?”

“No, like a challenge. We see what you’ve remembered. Get you to think on your feet, force you to think quickly and react fast.” He stopped in front of her. “If you pass the challenge, you win—and trust me, you want to win.”

Charlize folded her arms and tried not to look as if she caught the suggestion in his tone. “We’ve played this game before. If you want to prove you’re bigger, stronger and better at this Karate crap than I am, then I concede—you’re better.”

He grinned a devilish smile that reminded her just how quickly he could make her heart race. “This is a new game. All you have to do is prove you were paying attention. It’s not a contest, it’s a challenge—and the stakes are higher.”

She uncrossed her arms. “How high?”

“At the end of this I’m going to fuck you.” He slinked closer in his prowling-panther way of moving. “How I do that is up to you. Either you get to fight me off, put up your best resistance, or I own you and you do exactly as I say. If you win, you get to choose how it happens.”

Charlize took a breath then reminded herself to breathe out. Told her hands not to shake at her sides.

“But if you fail, I’ll take you how I want.”

How he wants? Her body rushed with adrenaline. Part of her wanted to lose just to see which option turned him on. She wanted him rough. As impolite as that might be, as much as it fell outside what she’d done before, she acknowledged the desire—but this was different. This was saying it out loud. This was conscious choice, deliberate. This was agreeing to some kind of kinky role-play. None of which she could bring herself to accept.

“How the fuck is there a win for me in that?”

He closed the distance, made her look up at him, made her breathe in the scent of his clean body. “Because it’s what you want, kitten. But you’ve got to admit it.”

Her tongue fumbled in her mouth, which had apparently found new saliva glands. The idea of fighting him off sounded hot all right, but she couldn’t do that. Not with memories of the parking lot so raw.

But if he wanted to challenge her, then he could be challenged too. With something equally as hot. “Instead of the fighting, the other option is you do as I say.”

“You want to bargain for that? Sounds less fun to me.” He stepped back and positioned himself two feet in front of her. “Let’s get started.” He ran her through exercise after exercise. Showed her the vulnerable places on the body to target, how to sneak a hit to the throat before an attacker saw it coming. How to break every kind of hold, but more importantly he showed her how to look around. How to stop the world from closing in and see the things around her, things she could use to protect herself.

Her muscles ached by the end but she knew she had this.

“You been paying attention, kitten?” Connor asked.

“Does it look as if I’ve fallen asleep?”

He grasped her wrists. “You mean like you did last night? You’re going to pay for that you know. I’m still aching.”

“Only if I fail,” she whispered and twisted her arms free. “So was that score one for me?”

He chuckled and laugh lines dimpled his cheeks. “Sure. Are you ready for the next one?”

She nodded and stepped from foot to foot. He had her ducking, twisting and even landing a hit to his “vulnerable” place. Not that he reacted—the bastard. She was ready to savor the sweetness of victory when he caught her from behind, twisted his fist in her hair.

Breath evaporated from her chest. Fear streaked through her limbs. The imagined smell of tobacco tingled in her nose.

“Breathe, baby,” he whispered and air rushed back into her lungs.

Charlize slammed her heel into his foot, her elbow into his stomach and twisted—breaking the grip on her hair. She dropped to the floor and rolled out of reach.

Connor pursued with his slow, confident swagger. “Congratulations, you did well. So what is it, baby? Am I yours to command?” He tucked up the legs of his sweatpants and crouched in front of her. “Or are you mine?”

About the Author: Amber A Bardan
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After spending years imagining fictional adventures, Amber finally found a way to turn daydreaming into a productive habit. She now spends her days as a graphic designer but her nights writing gritty, raw, erotic romance with heart.

She lives with her husband and children in semi-rural Australia, where if she peers outside at the right moment she might just see a kangaroo bounce by.

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