Category: Age Group

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Too Good To Be True by Deanna Wadsworth Tour with Excerpt and Giveaway

Banner300x250Disgraced former FBI agent Tim Burkhart desperately wants to reclaim his life and find happiness. Relocating his fledgling private security company to Miami—where his ex-wife moved their two daughters—hopefully is a start. When he’s hired to provide protection for an antiques dealer on his way to Scotland to sell a priceless ancient dirk, Tim believes the break he’s been waiting for has finally arrived. Maybe now he can make enough money to hire a lawyer and get shared parenting of his little girls.
Elliot James runs the antique shop he inherited after his grandfather’s death. Lonely and swimming in debt, he longs for a way to turn his life around but keeps making one mistake after another. Then he finds the ancient dirk tucked away among junk as he’s cleaning out his grandfather’s home. Placing it up for sale, he is thrilled when an out of country buyer purchases the priceless antique. The buyer wants the dirk immediately and sends Tim to ensure Elliot safely delivers it on time.
The moment Tim and Elliot meet, however, everything falls apart. Between break-ins, shoot-outs, stalkers, totaled cars, and the cops, it seems Tim and Elliot will never get to Scotland by the deadline. Despite all the obstacles, an unexpected attraction pulls them together, offering each man a glimmer of hope. But if they don’t deliver the dirk on time, they won’t get paid and neither of them will be able to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Will they complete this job and find a happily ever after, or is all of this really too good to be true?

Pages or Words: 36,000 words

Categories: Light suspense, M/M Romance, Romance

Excerpt:
Staring down the sights of his Colt 1911 and into the panicked eyes of the young man, Tim said, “Keep your hands where I can see ’em. I want to know where Mr. James is and why you’re in his store.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw a flash of metal. Instinctively he dropped to the floor. The sharp crack of a bullet shot through the store, shattering something on his left.
The guy behind the counter made a run for the door.
Tim rolled behind the armoire, gritting his teeth when the door slammed shut and the first guy got away. Careful to stay out of sight, Tim assessed the shooter who’d come from the back room. He looked as young and inexperienced as the one who’d run. Tim recognized the weapon in his hand—a 9mm semi-automatic Beretta. Though Tim’s .45 could out-shoot the little pea-shooter at the range, he had no interest in finding out who was the better shot in real life.
“¿Adónde vas? ¡Esperame!” the shooter yelled to his retreating friend.
Wait for me. Tim knew enough Spanish. The guy planned to make a run for it, too. He clambered to his feet. Before he could tackle and subdue him, the kid aimed his Beretta in the general direction of the armoire and fired off a volley of shots.
“Shit!” Tim dove behind a stack of rugs to dodge the bullets.
The gun went silent.
Tim rolled fast onto his back, his 1911 aimed, only to watch the kid flying out the door behind his friend. The door bounced a few times until it closed, the bells clanging.
“Shit! Shit!”
The scraping sounds in the back room, louder than before, drew his attention once more.
As fast as he could, he crept around the counter, his heart pounding. Both hands on his gun, trigger finger resting on the frame and trigger guard, he took a quick peek into the room, ducking back before a possible third perp could make him.
In less than a heartbeat, his brain registered what he’d seen. He exhaled. Keeping his gun lowered but at-the-ready, he entered.
In the center of what looked like a storage room sat the man Tim had been hired to escort to Scotland. He’d been gagged and duct-taped to a chair.
Elliot James.
“Is anyone else here?” Tim murmured.
Mr. James shook his head wildly.
With a relieved sigh, he rushed over to the man and yanked the gag out. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” He gasped for air. “I’m fine.”
“Were there only two?” he clarified, eyes still peeled for danger.
“Yeah,” he managed, his face flushed and startling green eyes wide. Sandy-brown curls fell across the brow of a very frightened but very beautiful man. He took a few slow, ragged breaths, obviously trying to calm himself. “Just the two of them.”
Tim took a steadying breath of his own and slowly released the hammer on his Colt and flipped the safety up, never taking his gaze off Mr. James. “What happened?” He holstered the weapon then tore the duct tape from the man’s wrist.
“Aarrghh!” Mr. James jumped, the chair bouncing.
Tim winced when he noticed the arm hairs stuck to the tape in his hand. “Sorry ’bout that.” He paused over the other strip. “This one’s gonna hurt, too.”
Mr. James pursed his lips and nodded bravely. He let out a tiny hiss when Tim freed his second arm. That one didn’t take as much hair because a silver bracelet had protected most of the skin. Obviously, those punks had been amateurs in restraining.
“Sorry,” Tim said again.
Rubbing his wrists, he let out a breathy laugh. “It’s okay. Thank you for saving my life.”
“I believe that’s what I was paid for. I’m Tim Burkhart, your private security detail.”
Mr. James’s smile made his heart flutter. No, probably just the adrenaline. Tim didn’t get butterflies.
“Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Burkhart.”
“Call me Tim.” He stood and withdrew his phone. He gestured toward his bound legs. “You okay to get those? I gotta call the cops.”
“No!”
Tim almost dropped his phone when Mr. James shouted. He gaped at the man. “What do you mean no?”
Prying tape off of his khaki pants, the man paused. Those big green eyes grew even wider. “You can’t call the cops. My whole life depends on it!”

Buy the book: http://decadentpublishing.com/coming-soon/

https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-toogoodtobetrue1nightstand-2057745-340.html

Meet the author:

Deanna Wadsworth might be a bestselling erotica author, but she leads a pretty vanilla life in Ohio with her wonderful husband and a couple adorable cocker spaniels. She has been spinning tales and penning stories since childhood, and her first erotic novella was published in 2010. She has served multiple board positions at her local RWA chapter and with Rainbow Romance Writers of America. When she isn’t writing books or brainstorming with friends, you can find her making people gorgeous in a beauty salon. She loves music and dancing, and can often be seen hanging out on the sandbar in the muddy Maumee River or chilling with her hubby and a cocktail in their basement bar. In between all that fun, Deanna cherishes the quiet times when she can let her wildly active imagination have the full run of her mind. Her fascination with people and the interworkings of their relationships have always inspired her to write romance with spice and love without boundaries.
Where to find the author:

Website │Facebook │ Twitter │Pinterest │goodreads │Amazon │Instagram

You can also find her young adult alter ego, K.D. Worth Facebook │Twitter

Buy Deanna’s books at Dreamspinner Press, Decadent Publishing or at any reputable eBook seller like Amazon

Goodreads Link: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4264579.Deanna_Wadsworth
Publisher: Decadent Publishing
Cover Artist: Fiona Jade
Tour Dates & Stops:
17-Jun: Elaine White
24-Jun: Bayou Book Junkie
1-Jul: Happily Ever Chapter, MM Good Book Reviews
8-Jul: V’s Reads
15-Jul: A.M. Leibowitz
22-Jul: Kimi-Chan, Man2ManTastic, Book Lovers 4Ever, The Novel Approach
29-Jul: My Fiction Nook, Boy Meets Boy Reviews
5-Aug: Dawn’s Reading Nook, EE Montgomery
12-Aug: Making It Happen
19-Aug: BFD Book Blog
26-Aug: Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews
2-Sep: Inked Rainbow Reads
9-Sep: Havan Fellows
16-Sep: Velvet Panic, Alpha Book Club
23-Sep: Outrageous Heroes, Scattered Thoughts & Rogue Words
30-Sep: Molly Lolly, Unquietly Me

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R. Phoenix Guest Post: Retribution Part 3

Today we’re happy to be hosting author R. Phoenix:

This post is the conclusion, Part III, of a three-part short story set in the Ripples in the Status Quo universe about Elias Ivers, a sadistic witch who plays a large role in most of the series. This takes place pre-Takeover, when witches are still in hiding.

Part I was posted at Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews (http://lovebytesreviews.com/) on 7/5/16.

Part II was posted at  Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter (http://kimmerseroticbookb.wix.com/kimmerseroticbb) on 7/6/16.

Part III concludes at The Kimi-Chan Experience  today, 7/7/16.

Thank you again to these blogs for agreeing to coordinate on this, and I hope you’ve enjoyed!
-R. Phoenix

Retribution. Part III.

“It’s for your own good.”

The words fell like so many stones from his mother’s lips–no, not stones. They were boulders, mountains that crushed him and left his spirit even more broken than it had been. Even his tormentors hadn’t been able to hurt him this badly. Elias stared at her in disbelief, unable to understand why what he’d done had been such a risk. He had used magic to defend himself!

“No. No, Mother, please. I won’t… I won’t use my magic on anyone ever again.” He barely recognized the sound of his own voice; it was something high-pitched and desperate, and he couldn’t remember ever having begged before. He hadn’t begged the boys at school, but he was begging then. “Please!”

His parents stared at him, and his father’s disgust was very nearly a fourth presence in the room. “Do you think this is only about the magic, Elias?” He could have chopped firewood with the edge in his father’s voice; it fell as hard as any axe upon him and left him breathless. “One of those boys died. The other two are in critical condition.”

“And I didn’t do that with magic!” he protested, realizing too late that that…wasn’t really the problem in his parents’ eyes. “They’ve been bullying me all year. They were hurting me. Hurting other people,” he added lamely, knowing full and well he didn’t care what they had done to others.

His mother shook her head, every bit the proper Enforcer as she narrowed cold eyes upon her younger son. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you, Elias. They were just children playing games. They didn’t hurt you that much,” she stated, her lip curving into a sneer. “But you? People are asking questions. I’m handling it, but it’s not without a price. I’m having to make a deal with a leech.”

Elias always had liked vampires more than witches, but his parents had never seen them as anything more than fangers. He should have gone to them instead. “Please don’t take my magic,” he said again, his voice even softer despite his desperation. “Please give me another chance.”

“You should’ve thought of the consequences before you acted,” his father stated.

He couldn’t stand the look in his father’s eyes, couldn’t stand his mother’s judgment, and he looked away.

His mother’s voice filled his ears, every word worse than the last. “The Zajacs have already decided. We will carry out their sentence.”

Hatred surged within him at the mention of the oldest family, the family that had produced one dictator after another. They would pay for this, too. Maybe not today, but some day…

“Come here.”

The finality in his mother’s words threatened to suffocate him, and yet he went to her regardless. He didn’t meet her eyes, because he didn’t want her to see the the disgust in hers or the burning hatred in his own. Yet he spoke despite himself, his voice distant, “they may pat your head and tell you that you’re a good girl, but it doesn’t make you any less of a bitch.”

*****

When consciousness returned to him, his magic was gone.

He could feel it, somewhere against his awareness, but he couldn’t reach it. It was like having an itch he couldn’t scratch, like feeling thousands of ants crawling up his arm and not being able to do anything about it. It burned like fire in his lungs, leaving him feeling like he was gasping for air without being able to draw in a single breath.

The only person who could help him was his brother–his brother, who he loved so dearly he couldn’t put words to it. But Julian had left as soon as he could, sneering at their parents with all of the derision he could muster. There had been one tender look at Elias, but he’d heard nothing from his brother.

In some ways, that hurt more than this, and he didn’t even know how to get in touch with Julian. He didn’t know of anyone else who would defy the Zajac family’s degree.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but he wouldn’t cry. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

He wouldn’t ever let anyone see him cry.

He wouldn’t ever let anyone see into him at all.

END PART III.
END RETRIBUTION.

Read Part I (7/5/16) on Love Bytes Same Sex Book Reviews, (http://lovebytesreviews.com/) .

Read Part II (7/6/16) on Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter, (http://kimmerseroticbookb.wix.com/kimmerseroticbb) .

###

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About the Series

“You say this is a harsh world, a cruel world; you say this is hell.

This is nothing less than what you deserve.

For centuries, for millennia, we abided by your rules. We created gods for you to worship to explain away what you could not comprehend. When you began to suspect, we convinced you that we were myths, legends, and superstitions. We captured your imaginations with beautiful nightmares; enraptured, you begged for more.

And all the while, we hid in the shadows, cringing away from the light as though we held no power even as we shaped your world. We allowed you to live untouched because the loudest amongst us were cowards and fools who believed you were so much more than what you are.

Weak. Ignorant. Oblivious.

Prey.

Already, you have lost your will to fight. Your comrades have fallen. Fewer and fewer dare to act against us, for you know you cannot win. The eternal truth is that history is written by the victors. In time, your kind will forget that you were ever anything more than beasts of burden, toys, breeding stock, food sources. You are what we wish you to be.

You question the status quo, the rules of our society. You will learn that there truly are fates worse than death, and you will experience them for as long as it amuses us.

You will know fear and pain, loss and devastation. Your eyes, so defiant now, will fill with tears and despair. You will beg for mercy, and your pleas will fall on ears that crave your agony. Your screams will echo throughout Tartarus and entertain the masses.

And we will revel in it.”

The Ripples in the Status Quo works are set within a world where supernatural beings seized control from humans and relegated them to the bottom of the food chain. Used for food, entertainment, and worse, nothing protects them from the hands of those who claim them as slaves. But not everyone adheres to the status quo the world at large has accepted…

Please note that the RISQ world has little place for humanity, and as a result, content in these works may be offensive and/or triggering to some readers.

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The Ripples in the Status Quo Books are:

1. Bought. [Dark Erotica.*]
Collision. [Book 1-3 Compilation.]
2. Ravel. [Romance.]
3. Recoil. [Dark Erotic Romance.]
4. Owned. [Dark Erotica.*]
5. Temper. [Dark Erotica.*]

*(This dark erotica work caters to those who cheer on the villains as they pursue their goals…no matter what it takes to get there. This includes Very Bad Things as well as Very Sexy Things. Those with sensibilities will likely be offended and want to attack the author with flaming pitchforks. If this applies to you, save an author. Step away from the button.

Lightheartedness aside, this is dark erotica, and it does contain elements of depravity and cruelty that will be offensive to some readers. Please proceed with caution or skip this read.)

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About the Book

Title: Temper: A Ripples in the Status Quo Story [Book 5]
Author: R. Phoenix
Cover Artist: Brandyjo Newton
Length: Novel. ~40k words without front/back matter. (41,929 words with front/back matter.)
Publisher: Self-Published (Phoenix Publications)
Genre: M/M Paranormal Dark Erotica
Warning: Non-consensual
Price: $2.99. Temper is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Blurb: Only love can set off the ripples that could change this depraved world for the better.

Only one thing can keep Ashton safe from the supernatural predators who made the world into their depraved, twisted playground after the Takeover—but it’s the one thing that would steal the last remnants of his freedom. At every turn, society confronts Reese and Ashton with the way humans are treated as mere playthings to be used and discarded. When they realize their own desires and pride have no place in the status quo, Ashton and his werewolf lover understand they’ll have to engage in the deadly games played by those in charge if they want to make a difference.

But Reese isn’t a diplomat, and Ash is only human. Together, they must decide if they’re willing to work with the devil they know in what might change everything or rely on their consciences in a world that has no place for kindness or honor… and if they’re ready to sacrifice everything along the way.

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Buy Link: http://amzn.to/28R4YJH [Also available on Kindle Unlimited]
About the Author

R. Phoenix has an unhealthy fascination with contrasts: light and dark, heroes and villains, order and chaos. She believes that love can corrupt and power can redeem. Her muse is a sadomasochistic slave driver who thinks it’s terribly amusing to give her the best ideas when she just got comfortable and warm in bed, and she passes on that torture to her readers.

If she had it her way, she would describe the books in her “Ripples in the Status Quo” world as: “Supernatural creatures take over the world and turn humans into pets and food. There’s some sex between guys. And… um… effed up things happen.” It’s probably a good thing she has people around her to remind her that she actually wants people to read her books. (They should really be more diligent, especially when they know she’s writing her author bio.)

She’s an author, stay-at-home mother, housewife, second time college student, and duck herder extraordinaire. She’s learning how to cook without burning the house down, her garden is somehow neither drowning nor drying up, and one day she might remember what that mythical thing called “free time” is. She’s starting to wonder who thought it was a good idea to write bios in third person.

She also tries entirely too hard to be funny, and she mercilessly inflicts her terrible sense of humor upon anyone who speaks to her. Really, it’s not you. It’s her. All the same, she’d love it if you’d say hello, because it makes her day to hear that someone read something she wrote. If they enjoyed it, there’s usually an awkward happy dance and embarrassing sounds of joy to accompany it (no, not that kind of sound, you perv). If all of that hasn’t scared you away, please visit her website at http://rphoenix.theupsideis.com/.

Social Media

Website: http://rphoenix.theupsideis.com/
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/raissaphoenix
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100010806072760
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RaissaPhoenix
Tumblr: http://raissaphoenix.tumblr.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14741537.R_Phoenix

Giveaway

Rafflecopter giveaway for $25 gift card + a copy of Collision [Books 2-4]. Runs 7/1-7/15 for the blog tour.

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The Shattered Door by Brandon Witt

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After a tortured childhood and years of soul-searching, Brooke Morrison has finally settled into a comfortable life. While his sexuality prohibits him from practicing his degree in youth ministry in a church setting, he’s found a fulfilling job as a youth counselor at a residential treatment facility in Colorado. He falls in love, marries the man of his dreams, and makes peace with God. He’s happy.

Then his buried past drags him back to the Ozarks.

The life Brooke has worked so hard to build is crumbling in his hands in the face of painful memories and past abuse, and his confidence is withering. In El Dorado Springs, where his nightmares come to life, Brooke desperately seeks closure life doesn’t offer. Brooke must find value in himself, in his marriage, and in the world around him—and create the hope and perseverance to keep his past from swallowing him whole.

 

Kimi’s thoughts:

I’m going to start off first by stating that this is NOT a romance. It’s LGBT fiction, and while it does have a relationship within it, it is not the focus of the story. It is in fact, a difficult read.

Brooke comes from a devout Christian background and has reconciled his sexual orientation and personal faith. He’s grown up hearing all the hellfire and brimstone that is typical of evangelical  faiths, and has faced the consequences of being true to himself and coming from such a background. When he has to return to the Ozarks, he’s thrust back into the social circle of  the church he grew up within, and it takes it toll. Boy, does it ever, for despite the efforts of the new preacher, some prejudices are deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Some so deeply that it obliterates everything else, including the love they should have for their own child.

Mr. Witt has written a powerful story that works on so many levels- exposing hatred and prejudice for the soul destroying cancers that they are. He’s shone a light on the darkest corners of the Christian faith, and it’s not pretty what we find hiding there. Despite this, it is not a condemnation of faith- just the evil that people often conceal behind it.The story digs its claws in and no matter how distressing the experience we share vicariously with Brooke as we read, we can’t look away. I often had to put this down to take a break, but I couldn’t simply step away. I kept processing it. This book made me smile. It also broke my heart into a  million pieces. I laughed, and I ugly cried so hard that my eyes burned.

Buy from Amazon

Rating: amazing

 

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Guest Post by Kathy Griffith, Author of The Ancient

The Ancient (1)-2Hi, thanks for this opportunity to touch base with everyone ! My subject for this post is fighting through what’s stopping your writing flow and being the best you can be for yourself.

My name is Kathy Griffith, and I came to this writing thing later in life; about five years ago to be exact. I’s wanted to write all my life but I kept burying it putting it off until it was barely there. Life took precedence as it often does, and all through my adult years, my years of raising children, watching them leave the nest, and dealing with periods of depression and feeling sorry for myself.

Five years ago, for my 60th birthday, my daughter gave me a present–an intro to a writing correspondence course. I bit the proverbial bullet and took the test. I must say, it helped to get myself out there and I did learn a lot, and I started searching out what I really loved and wanted to write about. Forget that old nugget about writing what you know–if all writers did that, we wouldn’t have Hogwarts, Narnia, or Westeros. I picked vampires. I’ve loved the whole vampire trope since I was a kid, so I did my research, then I read some of the stuff out there. I didn’t really care for most of the vampire fiction, so I decided to write something that I would read–and I did. But, knowing how I was, I buried it and added more and more to the slush pile, not doing anything with it, but I justified it because hey, I was writing, wasn’t I?

Then I lost my job and couldn’t find another.

I got tired, really tired of telling myself the same excuses so I dusted off one of my favorite pieces and kicked it around a little, hoping to submit it somewhere. I got to within a few chapters of finishing it–and decided it was utter crap. I’m sure some of you can relate. I took out some of my favorite parts, gutted the rest, and started over, adding a few items and tailoring it for my newfound favorite genre–LGBT paranormal romance. Seven months later, I had my vampire, Alasdair Connery, and his story The Ancient. I submitted it to agents, publishers, and–nothing. Utterly petrified, I tried KDP and did it myself in February of 2015. A little more than a year later, I have the sequel, another urban vampire tale, and a few other little interesting tales, including two short stories without a breath of vampires or LGBT issues in them.

All I’m saying here is, it’s never too late to try something. You might surprise yourself, but then again–you might have known you had it in you all along. Stay fresh, friends.

I’d like to showcase my crown jewel, so to speak:

The Ancient–A story of Alasdair Connery, the father of all vampires, and his beginning in the prehistory of Scotland (cover image attached). Here’s a little description of him from a wedding he attended, trolling for new blood so to speak: he finds more than he bargained for.

“Mr. Alasdair Connery.”

He stood at the patio entrance, drawing attention to himself without seeming to realize it. He was young, surprisingly so, appearing to be in his late twenties. His dark glittering Asian eyes scanned the crowd, seeming to suffer the greetings of his fellow employees with gentle good humor. As a sign of respect to the newly wedded couple, he wore a short tuxedo jacket, shirt, and tie, but instead of trousers, he wore a soft cashmere kilt in a dark blue and black plaid tartan wrapped around his lower body, seeming to embrace every curve. Soft soled leather shoes covered his feet and dark hose his lower legs. He was short of stature, barely five feet four inches, but his arms were long and his shoulders powerful, as if he were used to manual labor. He carried himself like a man a full foot taller. His ebony hair was so black it had a purple cast to it, and he wore it swept straight back from his high forehead, wrapped up in a thick braid that reached down the entire length of his back to the curve of his buttocks and tied with a red silk cord. His face, dusted with the lightest of dark stubble, was a pale mocha, like café au lait heavy on the milk, and he wore his high sculptured cheekbones and slim, aristocratic nose like a badge of honor. His small smile showed sensuous, molded lips.

Buy the Ancient from Amazon

And don’t forget the the sequel:

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My links:
Facebook author page:
https://www.facebook.com/Kathy-Griffith-342207395976469/

my blog:
https://kathyg2016.wordpress.com/

My Amazon author page:
http://www.amazon.com/Kathy-Griffith/e/B00V3YQTPC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0