Articles

In Kelly’s Corner by Roxie Rivera (Fighting Connolly’s #1)

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Synopsis:

After a stalker breaks into her home, internet entrepreneur Bee Langston decides Kelly Connolly is the only man who can help her—but  seeking help from the former Marine isn’t easy, especially after she made a spectacular fool of herself trying to kiss the sinfully sexy bodyguard. When Kelly spots Bee weaving her way through the Houston nightspot where he’s working security, all those feelings he’s desperately tried to deny for his best friend’s sister come flooding to the surface. He’ll do anything to keep her safe, even if means getting up close and personal with the one woman he simply can’t have. Soon, Bee’s stalker isn’t his only problem. His gambling addict father is tangled in a mess of debts to two of Houston’s toughest loan sharks. With the family gym on the line, there’s only one way for Kelly to make everything right. He agrees to fight for the Albanian mob in an underground bare-knuckle fighting tournament. But winning the tournament and saving his family’s legacy comes at a high price—one that just might cost Bee her life. 

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Excerpt: 

“Where is Winn?”

Kelly’s gruff, rumbling voice caught me by surprise. I whirled around to find him standing a few steps behind me. Wearing only shorts and sneakers, he wiped at his ridiculously sexy chest with a white gym towel before slinging it over his shoulder. The sight of his tanned, toned chest and the tattoos accentuating the rippling bulges of muscle left me momentarily speechless.

“Bee?”

Shaking myself from my lust-induced stupor, I said, “He’s in the restroom. I sort of busted his nose.”

He looked taken aback and then smiled proudly. “Way to go, sweetheart.”

“Um…not exactly. It was an accident.”

“An accident?”

“Well, it tickled and I started laughing—”

Eyes narrowed, he asked, “What tickled?”

“Winn’s hold on me.”

“I see.” His lips twitched, and I knew he wasn’t angry at all. Touching my cheek, he murmured, “I’ll have to keep that in mind…for later.”

At the mention of later, I trembled with anticipation. “Oh?”

“We’ll practice some of the holds Jack showed you.”

“Holds, huh?” I daringly traced his navel and delighted in the way he inhaled sharply. Thinking of the moves I had just learned, I considered whether or not I could take Kelly down. He was a foot taller than me and nearly twice as heavy. Could I catch him off-guard?

Deciding there was no time like the present, I hastily planned my attack. Kelly reached out to stroke my face, but I kicked out my leg to hook his knee. The expression on his face was comical as the realization that I was attacking him registered—but his lightning fast reflexes, honed by years at war, snapped into action.

I gasped as he snatched my ankle mid-air and jerked hard enough to pull me off my feet. The thick mat cushioned my fall. Kelly followed me down to the floor, attempting to trap me, but I twisted my hips and narrowly evaded him. My brief victory didn’t last. He grabbed my wrists in one big paw and pinned them overhead before insinuating himself between my thighs.

Remembering Jack’s lessons, I arched up onto my shoulders and tried to squeeze his ribs with my knees. Kelly shifted, and I ended up wrapping my legs around his waist. Our bodies locked together in such an intimate way. Suddenly my failed attack started to feel like foreplay.

Changing tactics, I hooked my ankles at the small of Kelly’s back and rocked my body against his. His low groan sounded almost pained. Eyes flashing with need, he lowered his face and warningly growled, “Bee.”

Breathless and shaking with desire, I whispered, “Kiss me.”

He capitulated to my request and brushed his mouth against mine. Refusing to be denied what I wanted most, I thrust my aching breasts against his hot, hard chest and dipped my tongue between his lips. A rumbling noise emanated from his throat, vibrating against my lips and sending white-hot shivers through my core.

A loudly cleared throat interrupted our steamy kiss. Tearing away from each other, we glanced in the direction of the noise and discovered Jack standing a few feet away and watching us with amusement. The rest of the room was empty except for Winn, who seemed to have gotten his bloody nose under control.

Jack rubbed his jaw as if thinking. “You know, I’m pretty sure that’s not a self-defense technique I teach.”

Not the least bit embarrassed, I simply shrugged. “You’d have a hell of a lot more signups for your classes if you did.”

 

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About the Author:

I like to write super sexy romances and naughty erotica that make your pulse pound. You can get updates on new releases by visiting my website, signing up for my newsletter or liking my author page on Facebook. I also write erotic romances as Lolita Lopez including the red-hot GRABBED series for Ellora’s Cave and the upcoming Dragon Heat series from Forever Yours/Grand Central. 

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Short Excerpt REVIVING IZABEL (In the Company of Killers #2)

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Check out the new excerpt from J.A. Redmerski’s Reviving Izabel –> Short Excerpt REVIVING IZABEL.

Can’t trust anybody,” I say, looking at nothing.

“No, you can’t,” Victor says and I look up, detecting a hidden meaning behind his words. “Now maybe you can understand why I don’t get close to anyone. It’s not just the job, Sarai, people generally cannot be trusted. Especially in my profession where trust is such a rarity that it’s not worth wasting the time and effort searching for it.”

“But you seem to trust Fredrik,” I point out, looking up at him from the couch. “Why’d you bring me here, of all places? Didn’t you learn your lesson with Samantha?”

His expression darkens, stung by my accusation.

“I never said I trusted Fredrik. That is still up in the air. But right now, Fredrik is my only connection inside the Order and for the past seven months he has done nothing to indicate he is untrustworthy. Quite the opposite, he’s done everything to prove that he is.”

“But that doesn’t make it true,” I say.

“No, you’re right, but soon enough I’ll know one hundred percent if Fredrik can be trusted, or not.”

“How so?”

“You’ll find out when I do,” he says.

“Why bother? You just said that trust is so rare it’s not worth the effort.”

“You ask a lot of questions.”

“Yeah, I guess I do. And you don’t answer enough of them.”

“No, I guess I don’t.” He smiles faintly and it melts my heart into a puddle of mush.

I look away from his eyes and swallow down my feelings.

“I’m not safe here,” I say looking back up at him.

“You’re not safe anywhere,” he says. “But as long as you’re with me, nothing will happen to you.”

“Now who’s full of shit?”

He raises an eyebrow.

“You’re not my hero, remember?” I remind him. “You’re not the other half of my soul who could never let anything bad ever happen to me. Trust my instincts first always, and you, if I choose, last. You said that to me once.”

“And it’s still as true today as it was then,” he says.

“Then how can you say nothing will happen to me if I’m with you?”

His expression becomes vacant as if for the first time in his life someone has rendered him speechless. I gaze across the room into his quiet and emotionless face, only his eyes revealing a trace of numbness. I get the feeling that he spoke before thinking, that he expressed something to me that he truly feels but never wanted me to know: he wants to be my ‘hero’, he will do anything and everything in his power to keep me safe, he wants me to trust him fully.

I do.

He walks back over and sits down beside me. The smell of his cologne faint as if he makes it a point to use as little as possible. It makes my head swim with need. I have longed to feel his touch again, to taste his warm lips, to let him ravage me the way he did a few nights before we last saw each other. I’ve thought of nothing but Victor for the past eight months of my life. While sleeping. Eating. Watching television. Having sex. Masturbating. Breathing. Every single thing I have done since he left me in that hospital with Dina, has been with him in mind.

“Do you think Fredrik will tell Niklas where we are?” I change the subject for fear of breaking into him too much too soon.

“I think if he was going to do that,” he says, “he would have told Niklas the little he did know about your whereabouts a long time ago and Niklas would have tried to kill you already.”

“There’s something…off about Fredrik. Don’t you sense it?”

Victor reaches up and touches my wet hair. The gesture causes my heart to speed up.

“You have a good sense of people, Sarai,” he says as his hand moves to my chin. “You’re right about Fredrik…,” the pad of his thumb brushes my bottom lip. A shiver races between my legs. “He is…shall I say…unhinged in a sense.”

My breathing picks up and I feel my lashes sweep my face when Victor’s lips fall upon mine.

“Unhinged in what way,” I ask breathily when he pulls back. With my eyes closed, I sense his scanning the curvature of my face and my lips, and I feel the breath emitting softly from his nostrils onto my face.

Every miniscule hair stands on end when his other hand pushes up my thigh and finds my naked waist underneath the shirt. His long fingers dance against the flesh of my hipbone and then rest there.

I open my eyes to see him staring back into mine.

“Is something wrong?” he asks and his mouth sweeps mine again.

“No, I…I just didn’t expect this.”

“Expect what?” I feel his fingers fit behind the elastic of my panties.

My head is swimming, my stomach a fluttering, nervous ball of muscle. “This,” I answer, my eyes opening and closing. “You’re different,” I add softly.

“That’s your fault,” he says and then his lips devour mine.

He pushes my body back against the couch pillows and falls between my legs. 

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Visit J.A. Redmerski’s Website for info on Reviving Izabel and more!

 

Stranger’s Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway

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Synopsis 
Bereaved bride Abby Clark is tortured by visions of the fatal crash that took her fiancée on their wedding day.  She succumbs to a dark existence where loneliness, sadness and nightmares dwell; until handsome, brooding Bryce Holden walks through the door of her favorite coffee shop, wearing the same cloak of despair and grief.  Abby discovers in Bryce someone who understands love and loss, and soon their close friendship grows into a deep love.  But ghosts make strange bedfellows, and Abby is forced to battle the tormenting images that continue to haunt her, and confront the ethereal presence of a beloved wife to protect her future with Bryce.  


 

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My Review

I always found it strange that my favorite book is a classic romance novel I read when I was barely a teen yet for some strange reason I never was big on the romance genre. Ten years ago, you couldn’t pay me to read a romance novel. I never actually considered myself a big fan, but as I got a little older I developed a love and appreciation for romance. This book made me remember why I fell in love with a good romance. For me, reading is an escape from reality. I get to delve into a different world for a few hours and sometimes it isn’t such a bad thing. When things are going wrong in life sometimes a little happily ever after is all you need.

Where do I begin? Strangers is a book that makes you fall in love with the entire process of falling in love. It has dark moments, humorous moments and incredibly heartbreaking moments but it makes you appreciate the sort of love that draws you from the depths of darkness into the light. It is in fact about just that – two strangers.

Abby Clark and Bryce Holder meet in a café on Valentine’s Day, which is also the anniversary of Trevor’s death (Abby’s fiancé).  Abby immediately notices Bryce and for some odd reason she can’t stop staring at him. He happens to notice but she turns away. He heads to her table offering her a cappuccino some company if she doesn’t mind. Unbeknownst to them, they share more in common that either of them could ever have imagined. They have both suffered tragic losses and their time in the café leads to a budding friendship that ultimately gives way to the possibility of a much greater love story. Through their shared pain they engage in a friendship that slowly blossoms into what they refer to as “best friends” or “just friends” whenever asked the nature of their relationship. What better relationship is there to be in than one with your best friend?

These two drove me mad waiting for the inevitable romance to commence. The buildup in this book is what made me love it. This is a book where a romance is built and the reader is with them through each step of that courtship. The friendship, the trust and ultimately the love they share are what draw you in.  Most times when we see a relationship formed in a book, it happens quickly and the reader doesn’t get to experience each step. Strangers takes you through a journey of loss, friendship and back to love again. It is an absolutely beautiful book that may shock you, bring you to tears and make you smile all in the same breath. 

I really loved A.L. Parks writing and the direction she took with this book. It wasn’t a story about a first love but it was about a long and lasting love after a tragic and painful loss. The thought of moving on is unbearable to both Abby and Bryce. They are living but their lives are hollow. Their hearts were ripped out the day they lost the love of their life, but somehow they are each other’s redeemer. This book is beautiful and I loved every second I spent reading it. I encourage anyone who is a fan of romance, romantic suspense, contemporary romance or new adult to check this book out. I don’t want to give away too much but you won’t be disappointed. This book is a fantastic debut, I cannot wait for more by this author. 

*This book was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

Purchase Strangers for Kindle

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About A.L. Parks
 
ALParksAuthorPhoto

I am just starting in this crazy world of writing and publishing. Lately, however, there are just too many characters in my head begging me to tell their stories…so here I am. Writing, publishing, sharing and, hopefully, entertaining. I love a great love story, but really want to tell a story with an edge; characters who are imperfect, trying to find the perfect love.

 

Strangers is my debut novel, and will be released on September 6, 2013. I will have another novel, The Return, with an anticipated release date of November 1, 2013. I have been focusing mainly on short stories, but have felt a need to get to know the characters more in-depth, and in turn, tell more of their stories. I have some fairly interesting people living in my head!
I have my own blog (www.parkingitrighthere.blogspot.com), where I review books, and discuss my new projects. I also contribute to www.SheReadsNewAdult.com, dedicated to the emerging new adult romance genre. We have great fun over there…be sure to check us out!

 

I currently live outside Washington D.C. with my family. We spend many hours exploring the area and the deep history of this beautiful land, while experiencing as much of life’s wonders as possible. I have traveled abroad and lived in almost every corner of the U.S., and hope my writing reflects various cultures, people, and places.
Visit AL Parks on Facebook  |  Goodreads  |  Website
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Don’t Make Me Beautiful Blog Tour & Review

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Synopsis

A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL.

No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness…

At twenty-six, Nicole doesn’t even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.
And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.
Does she dare to believe the things she’s told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.

**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie “Sleeping With the Enemy”, then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Intended for mature readers 17+** 

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Don’t Make Me Beautiful Book Review 

This book is scary. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s scary because it is such a real and normal part of what occurs in society, so frequently, that people turn a blind eye to just how awful some people have it. Domestic abuse/abuse is a very serious and very real problem for men, women and children in our society. This book sheds light on a brutal but harsh reality for some. This book took a toll on me emotionally since I have worked closely with people who have had similar experiences. Reading this book brought a lot of memories to the surface. Some harsh realities and even a sense of pride in those who fight back, rebuild and reclaim their lives. For some that never comes but for those who get there it is a monumental achievement. I was an advocate for survivors such as Nicole so I was able to read this book free of judgment, something that doesn’t come easy for most. Experiences like Nicole were more extreme than most but there are so many that deal with abuse like this. It’s not as simple as it looks to leave and it is usually something that someone has experienced over the course of many years which allows them to continue on as though this were life. Abuse of this magnitude is not easy to endure. Oftentimes people are too quick to judge without knowing the entire story so when I read this book. I sincerely read it. I looked past the preconceived notions and threw out the judgment and read the story of a woman who was badly broken but tried to survive.

For many people, it’s hard to understand the reasons why someone would remain in an abusive environment/household. The problem is, most times these survivors are doing exactly that – trying to survive. In many ways Nicole was a survivor, she had a lot of bad things happen to her at a young age. She was nineteen when she met John and he promised her the world. He tore her down and programmed her to think in a manner that suited him. He kept her prisoner and made her believe herself so ugly and worthless that no one would care if she lived or died.  The mentality of the abuser is always one of control. John wanted control and he only wanted to possess Nicole as an object, he never wanted to love her or be loved. People like John are incapable of such emotions.  It’s about power and control, not love.

I really fell in love with this book. The author states it was inspired by a true story and the fact is, this happens all too often and not enough people are voicing these problems. She took something that I see as controversial and heart wrenching and found the beauty in the beast. I loved that she was able to paint a vivid and scary world yet fill it with beauty and love. It is inspiring. 

So, what can I say about the book….a whole hell of a lot as I’ve made clear (see above ^ lol)

Nicole (aka Briana – you’ll need to read to learn why…hehe…I know I’m evil) has been brutalized beaten and turned into a monster. She’s permanently disfigured from years of being battered by her boyfriend John. When a baseball goes through her window and a little boy named Liam comes to reclaim it, Nicole has no idea her life is about to change. Brian, Liam’s father is a stand up man. He has integrity and teaches his son the same. When his son’s baseball crashes through the neighbor’s window, Liam is marched over to apologize while Brian, his father offers to pay. John, Nicole’s boyfriend pretends that it’s no big deal but inside he’s fuming. When the two leave, John beats Nicole senseless that night…Brian feels something is off with John and returns to John’s home in hopes of speaking with the elusive “wife.” He gets more than he bargained for and Nicole gets the break of her life…but can someone like Brian ever love someone as deformed as Nicole? Can he look past the outer appearance and see what’s inside? 

The best part of this book for me is the valuable lessons it teaches the reader. Beauty truly is skin deep and someone who loves you…truly loves you will be able to look past any outward flaws and see into your heart…completely. Brian is a solid human being. He is a living, breathing example of how all humans should strive to be. He is a man of integrity and while Nicole can’t believe the reality of her situation since he entered her life, this is what and whom she truly deserves. Brian vows to do all he can to protect her and help her get her life back from the vile creature that stole it. The only problem is, will she let him?

The abuse/violence in this book is awful but it is equally beautiful in it’s romance. Brian, Nicole, Liam, Agnes and even Helen were all lovable characters. Each plays a key role in Nicole’s healing process. I highly recommend this book – especially for women. I think it is important for everyone to understand how bad it can get and how easily someone (man/woman/child) can fall prey. I give this book 5 resounding stars for it’s power and honesty. It had me hooked from start to finish! 

*This book was an ARC provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.*

 

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ellecaseyAbout the Author

New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She’s a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There’s not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Wattpad

 

 

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Don’t Make Me Beautiful Blitz & Giveaway

DontMakeMeBeautiful.cover
Release Date: August 31st 2013
 
Synopsis via Goodreads:
A ROMANTIC SUSPENSE NOVEL. No one knew a woman lived there or that she even existed. A monster, living in darkness…
 
At twenty-six, Nicole doesn’t even look human anymore. The beast made sure of that. So she hides. A monster consigned to a life of fear and solitude. This is all she deserves, she is quite sure of that.
And then one day out of the blue, the autographed baseball caught by Brian Jensen at the latest Marlins game enters her prison and manages to turn her world completely upside down.
Temptation comes in the form of pity at first, and then perhaps something more.
Does she dare to believe the things she’s told, that this is not the life she was meant to live? That being a monster is not her forever-fate? And will she be willing to risk everything, to reach out and accept the helping hands around her? She knows only too well that hands can hurt. Finding out whether they can also heal is a risky proposition, especially when the beast is still out there. Looking for her.
 
**This story was inspired by true events. If you liked the movie “Sleeping With the Enemy”, then you might like this story too. CONTENT WARNING: Violence, foul language, and adult situations. Not meant for younger readers.** 
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EXCERPT:
Liam’s mother reverses out of the driveway, their young son strapped into the back seat and waving like a maniac out his window.  “Bye, Dad!  See ya later!”
“Bye, Li-Li!  See ya Wednesday!”
“I’ll bring him back before school,” his ex-wife says.  “I have early meetings.”
“Sounds good,” says Brian, still waving to his son.  He waits until he’s out of Liam’s sight before he puts his hand down.  It’s nice to be alone for a few days, but he already feels the pangs of missing his child creeping in.
Standing in the driveway, Brian considers his next move.  There’s an antique armoire in his workshop that needs a final coat of stain and then some clear-coat to protect it.  It took a week to repair and refinish, but he scheduled two. He could do something else if he wanted to…
It can wait.  The issue of the monster lady is weighing too heavily on his mind to let it go.  Ignoring the warning bells going off in his head, he walks to the bottom of the driveway and turns left to go down the street.
“What am I doing?” he mumbles under his breath.  “The guy obviously doesn’t like visitors.”  The fact that the guy also looks like a Bantam rooster spoiling for a fight is not making Brian’s misgivings any fewer.
“Hey there, Brian.  Going for a walk on this fine morning?”  Ethel, his next-door neighbor is out trimming her bushes again.  They don’t need trimming; they’re just a prop to give her a reason to be standing outside, waiting for passersby.
Brian waves.  “Yep.  Just getting some fresh air, I guess.  Seemed like a good idea.”
“Little Liam gone for the week?”
She must have seen him drive by.  She sees everything that happens on this street.  “Just for a few days.  He’ll be back on Wednesday.”  Brian keeps walking, although slower.  If he stops, he’ll be stuck there for an hour and probably end up in her kitchen having an iced tea.  She’s the nicest, most talkative neighbor he’s ever had.  He doesn’t usually mind it; in fact, he’s happy to indulge in a neighborly chat now and again – it’s why he moved to this area – but today, he’s on a mission and he doesn’t have time for gossip or an hour-long discussion about the upcoming weather and whether Mrs. Grandston down the street will ever start recycling.
“Tell him to stop by and see me when he gets home,” she says, poking her clippers vaguely in Brian’s direction.  “I bought some new cookies at the store and I think he’s going to like them.  He’s my official cookie taster.”
“I’ll tell him.  He’ll be really happy to hear that.”
She waves with a gloved hand as he reaches the far side of her property line, and he waves back.
Maybe I should ask Ethel about the guy around the corner.  Brian’s not sure that Ethel knows anything beyond the business of those living on Lodi Street.  She stays pretty close to home, taking care of her husband who’s slowly going downhill with dementia.  Brian’s not looking forward to the day she’ll have to put him in a nursing home.  He has a feeling it will take the spark from her, and she’s fun just the way she is, even if she is a little nosy.
The house comes into view.  As he gets closer, he sees that the window is still broken, but now there’s a piece of cardboard taped over it.  The house is still, with no sign that anyone’s home.  The large black truck that was in the driveway last night isn’t there.  Maybe it’s in the garage.
Brian walks up to the porch, taking the steps slowly as he looks around.  He’s not sure what he’s looking for, but everything seems to be in order.
“What the hell am I doing here?” he whispers to himself.  What am I going to say if that guy comes to the door again?  I’ll ask him for the bill, that’s it.  Tell him I want to pay right away.  Be a good neighbor.  Brian shakes his head at his ridiculous thoughts.  He already told the guy to leave the bill in his box.  Showing up again and ringing the bell when the sign on it says not to feels almost like harassment.  He looks at the sign again, reading the heavy scrawl.
DO NOT RING BELL.  DO NOT KNOCK.  WE DON’T TAKE VISITORS.
Brian frowns.  He can’t get past the feeling that it’s just a weird thing to do, to put a sign up like that warning people away.  It’s like something he would have done as a kid on a clubhouse to keep other kids from discovering his secret hiding place.  It’s so ridiculous it almost begs people to discover whatever it is he’s keeping inside.
Brian laughs nervously at himself.  Don’t be stupid.  You’re a grown man and so is he.  This is his house.  If you trespass he can shoot your stupid ass.
Brian steps back away from the door, prepared to leave and never come back.  But then the sound of his son’s voice and the vision of him standing on their own front porch the night before comes back to him.  “She’s not sick, Dad.  She’s just really ugly.”
Brian doesn’t want to see a really ugly woman.  That’s not what’s motivating him to stand her on this porch and risk pissing off this neighbor.  It’s just that … he’s a math guy.  Brian has always been strong in math, from the time he was Liam’s age.  He uses it every day with his work at restoring furniture, both in the actual hands-on stuff and the figuring he has to do later when he does his billing.  Everything always has to add up in his world, and this situation with the monster lady?  It wasn’t adding up.
Brian glances over at the cardboard covering the hole.  Maybe I’ll just take a look at the damage and make a call to a glass company myself.  Then I can go get some cash out of the bank and be ready to pay the guy when he gives me the bill.
Brian takes a few tentative steps down the porch towards the front window.  A car comes down the street and he freezes, waiting until it’s a few doors down before continuing.  Once in front of the window, he looks around the neighborhood.  No one is outside, and he sees no faces in any other windows.  These people need an Ethel.
Turning to look at the cardboard, he notices it’s stuck to the still intact frame with duct tape.  “That’s going to be a problem when the sun melts that adhesive onto the PVC,” he says out loud.  He runs his finger along the edge, hoping he can find a loose spot so he can pry up the cardboard a little to see the actual damage.  It’s stuck on too tight, though.
His eyes roam up.  A set of white, gauzy curtains are right in front of him, obscuring his view of the house’s interior.  This house has the same basic layout as his, so he knows there’s a large living room of sorts on the other side of the glass.  He wonders what the woman was doing when the ball came through her window.  Was she sitting in the living room reading a book?  Was she in the kitchen making cookies?
He blinks his eyes a few times as they adjust to looking through the white curtain.  There’s a couch in the center of the wall facing him with side chairs on its left and right, its dark, burry contours getting clearer the longer he stares.   A small coffee table rests in the middle of the conversation area.  His eyes roam the walls, wondering what the pictures in frames look like.  It’s too difficult to see.  He steps back and stands straighter, embarrassed when he realizes he’s being worse than Ethel, staring into people’s houses like this.
It’s then that something inside the house catches his eye.  Brian stops moving for a moment as he focuses his attention on the dark shape on the floor.  He steps closer to the window, going so far as to press his face up against the glass and cup his hands around his eyes, trying to see better.  What is that?  A carpet on the floor?  No.  It’s not a carpet.  It’s too bulky.  It looks like…
He bends down, a sense of urgency overtaking his good sense.  He scratches desperately at the edge of the duct tape, finally getting a corner of it to peel away from the window frame.  He draws it down, careful not to let it tear.  Once it’s free on one side, he grabs the cardboard and pushes it sideways, like opening the cover of the book.
What the hell am I doing?  This is nuts…  He ignores his own concerns, needing more than anything else right now to just confirm that what he thinks he’s seeing on that floor is not what he’s seeing.
The hole in the window is finally revealed, and it’s big enough for his hand to fit through.  Thank you, Liam.  Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think he’d thank his son for breaking someone’s window.
Brian reaches through and grabs the curtains on the other side, using both hands to pull the bottom of them out through the hole.  As soon as he has the entire bottom seam through the broken window, he lifts it up and looks into the small space that’s remaining.  Now there are no curtains in the way and he can see into the living room as clear as if he were standing inside the house.
“Holy Mary mother of Jesus,” he whispers.  He raises his voice.  “Ma’am … ! Miss … !  Are you okay?”
There’s what he assumes to be a woman lying on the floor in the middle of the room.  All he can see is the back of her head and blood on her one exposed hand.  “Ma’am!  Are you okay?!”
No response.
“Fuck!” he yells, hurriedly shoving the curtain back through the hole and pushing the cardboard into place.  He cuts the back of his hand on the glass, but he ignores the blood, the pain, and everything else as he struggles to get his cell phone out of his front pocket.
“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Hello, this is Brian Jensen and I’m standing on the front porch of …” He leans out and looks at the number on the front of the house near the door, “…thirty-two Fresno Street, and there’s a woman inside her house who’s passed out and there’s blood.  She needs an ambulance.”
“Are you the homeowner, sir?”
“No, I’m a neighbor.  Can you please send someone quick?  I’m afraid she might be … dead.  I’m not sure.  She’s not moving.”
“Can you check for a pulse?”
“No, I’m outside.  But just wait a minute.  I’m going in.”
“Sir, is there anyone else at the home?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Hold the line while I call the house,” the operator says.
Brian’s at the front door when the woman comes back on the line.  “They don’t appear to have a home phone on record.  Have you tried the doorbell?”
“No.” Brian realizes how ridiculous it is that he hasn’t bothered to do that first.  Surely the guy who lives here needs to know his wife is passed out on the floor.  She’s obviously sick.  Maybe she hit her head or something when she fell.
Brian rings the doorbell several times and bangs on the door with his fist.  “Is anyone home?!” he yells.
No one answers.
“I don’t think anyone’s home but her,” Brian says to the operator.  He tries the handle, but the door is locked.  “I’m going to see if they have another open door somewhere.”
“Sir, I don’t recommend you break into the home.”
“I hear ya, but I’m doing it anyway.”
Brian runs around to the back and tries the door he finds there.  It’s locked up tight as well.  “The back door’s locked too.  I’m going back to the front.”
“The ambulance is on its way along with a police officer.  Can you stay on scene until they arrive?”
“Of course.”
“Do you want me to stay on the line with you?”
“No.  Thanks for your help.”  Brian hangs up without waiting for a response.
Going back to the front, he scrambles to pull the cardboard off and the curtain through the hole again.  He leaves blood on the curtains in his attempts to see inside.
“Ma’am, an ambulance is on its way, okay?  Ma’am, can you hear me?”
He’s about to look away when he sees her first finger move.  It’s just the slightest twitch, but he’s sure he saw it.  “I see you moving!  I know you’re alive!  They’re coming, okay!  They’re coming!”
A low moan comes from inside the house, from the woman.  Brian’s breath catches in his throat as her hand moves again, this time to slide out across the carpet.  It leaves a smear of blood behind.
She moans again, this time an agonizing sound that makes Brian’s skin crawl.  “You’re going to be okay.  I called nine-one-one.”
Her moaning turns to a strange keening, like a growl and a sob blended together into something almost animalistic.  The sounds of a siren in the distance reach Brian’s ears.  He’s frozen in place, holding up the curtains and peering inside, as her head slowly turns.
The ambulance turns into the driveway as her face comes into view.  Brian needs only one second to take in the sight of the horror before him before the blood in his veins goes cold and the words fall out of his mouth unbidden.
“Oh my god … what happened to your face?”
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About the Author
New York Times Best-Selling author Elle Casey is an American girl living in southern France with her husband, three children, and several furry creatures. She writes in a variety of genre including YA Fantasy, YA Action/Adventure, New Adult Romance, and Adult Contemporary Romance. She’s a little on the wild side, usually busy making people laugh, and always in the mood for adventure. There’s not much in this world that she loves more than reader interaction, so feel free to drop her a line.
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Pulling Me Under Cover Reveal

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Series: Pulling Me Under #1
Publication date: October 2013

Paul was Katie’s rock for thirteen years, but then she watched him die.

By day, she is left with her daughter Ella’s questions about where Daddy went, and at night she’s consumed with nightmares of the moment he died. It isn’t long before Katie’s mother hints that her volatile lifestyle and developing drinking habits are no way to raise a little girl.

Through it all, her and Paul’s best friend, Liam is there. Grieving the death of both husband and friend, the time they spend together seems more intimate these days, and Katie soon stumbles into taboo territory: Liam might be in love with her.

Torn between Liam’s feelings and losing Ella, one night Katie runs.

Air. Space. Thinking time. That’s what she thinks she’s getting when she stumbles upon that party. In the morning, in a strange bed, she can’t remember the night before.

Pulling Me Under is raw in its brutality of love and pain, with slow-building suspense to a heart-stopping conclusion.

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About the Author
 
 
Rebecca Berto is an Amazon bestselling author. She is also a freelance editor. She writes stories that are full of heart. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction. Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.
You can find Rebecca at:
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Bare Assets by M.L. Stephens

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Synopsis

*This book is intended for mature audiences (18+) contains adult language and sexually explicit material 

With nothing but shattered dreams and a busted heart to fuel the way, Angela Fletcher drove out of Arkansas and never looked back.

Six years later, the new and improved version of the girl she used to be steered clear of romance, love and late night promises. The only pillow talk Angela engaged in these days, was making sure the person on the other pillow knew to lose her number as soon as he left the bed. She only had room for one love in her life and that was Bare Assets, the gentleman’s club she poured her heart and soul into.

Dean Murray was the devil in disguise and had left behind enough broken hearted women to populate a small country. Angela would know. She was an expert markswoman who was skillfully self-trained at shooting down the good, the bad and the ugly of all masculine targets. After all, as the owner of the most successful strip club in Dallas, Texas, it was her business to know men.

Just as she begins to fall for Dean’s silky words and passionate ways, her past and present unexpectedly collide and a meticulously planned future turns into unpredictable chaos. Is the smooth talking, denim wearing devil responsible for the chaos? Or have the secrets she left buried in Arkansas, coming back to haunt her?

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Bare Assets is $2.99 for Kindle  |  Nook

Excerpt

Changing the subject before it became too serious, Angie opened the bedroom door and glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t had a single thing to eat all day. If I don’t get something soon, I’m going to eat the wood off this door.”
Grinning from ear to ear, he had to say it, “I have something to appease your appetite, but I’m afraid the door doesn’t play into my lust filled scenario.”
Laughing, she tightened the rope on her robe and wittily responded, “I would love to take part in your version of a meal, but I’m afraid I need to rely on the basic food groups for now.”
“And why is that?” he asked, joining her at the door.
“Something tells me that once I truly get a taste of you, I may never want to leave this room again.”

Author Bio:

I’m always clicking away at the keyboard, but when I’m not, my family, two dogs, and a very peculiar cat keep me on my toes! There’s never a boring moment at my desk!

Besides my obvious love for coffee and all things caffeinated, I love to travel. The occasional tourist stop is fun, but I’m a back road kind of gal. Take me off the beaten path. I want to meet the ordinary people behind the culture.

My crazy family includes a husband, four kids, two grandbabies, two dogs and a cat. That’s right. Life is totally insane, and so I write.

Speaking of writing, I’ve been spinning stories around the campfire since I can remember. Poetry was second nature and as a teen and young adult, short stories were constantly being penned. I’m an avid reader who loves almost all genres. Let’s face it! A good read is a good read, regardless of whether it takes place in the future, the present, the past or with ghosts.

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