Blog Tour + #Giveaway: The Compendium by Christine Hart @chris_a_hart @XpressoTours

The Compendium
Christine Hart
(The Variant Conspiracy Trilogy, #2)
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication date: July 13th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Irina and her renegade variant friends are scrambling to pick up the trail of their former employer, Ivan, and his globally catastrophic scheme. After strategically sharing their story with the media, the group heads south from Vancouver to Seattle hoping to recruit more experienced—and lethal—variants to their cause.

Their attention develops a laser focus on an engineered disaster mere days ahead of them. Ivan is using what staff and resources remain of Innoviro Industries to set off a violent earthquake in San Francisco. While they fight to stop the earthquake, Irina pushes the love of her life Jonah as far away as she can, trying to keep his unstable genetic degradation in check.

Irina’s friends think they’ve seen the worst that Innoviro could bring forth by the time they reach a secret facility in the Mojave Desert. As they near the property, the group uncovers a horror none of them had ever imagined.

Goodreads / Amazon

Sequel to:

Excerpt:

As I got closer to the evergreens, I saw glints of red in the spiky leaves and tiny spindly pods on the branches. Flies buzzed around the plants and I saw one of the pods open like a glistening green mouth. A fly landed inside and the mouth snapped shut. I shuddered as I contemplated the size those little mouths could be if they grew proportionate to the rest of the seedling.

I turned around to the desks in the corner. No longer bare, one was occupied. A balding man sat in front of a computer with his back to me. I walked as quickly as my vision self could manage.

The man typed furiously as I came around the desk to face him. He was older and slightly overweight with a ring of straw blond hair on an otherwise bald head. He looked up at the door behind me and frowned. I turned around to see Tatiana and two men enter. I recognized one of the men from Innoviro, but the other was a stranger. Both wore plain slacks and golf shirts. Tatiana wore her typical pencil skirt, buttoned blouse, and stilettos combination.

The bald man stood to greet Tatiana and his height struck me. The man was tall, even while slouching. In spite of his height, he looked defeated, dominated by the displeased look on Tatiana’s face. She opened her mouth and the scene evaporated. I was back in the dim empty version of the warehouse. I regained my focus to find everyone staring at me intently.

“It was a greenhouse. They were crafting weird plants. And Tatiana showed up. She looked grouchier than usual.” I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples to better concentrate. “The guy sitting at this desk was responsible for the place. I think Tatiana was about to give him hell when my vision ended.”

“Did you learn anything else? See anything else?” asked Ilya, leaning towards me.

“So all we know now is that this was some kind of variant grow show.” Faith swooped her arm at the empty basins.

“Did you see any printed material? Anything with a name or an address?” asked Jonah.

“The guy at the desk had an ID badge clipped to his breast pocket, but I couldn’t make out anything on it,” I said.

“So, have we made any progress at all?” said Cole. He rested his hands firmly on his hips.

As my friends started to argue about the chances of successfully tracking down any Innoviro activity, I opened and closed each of the drawers in the bald man’s desk. I reached the top center drawer and a plastic-sheathed card slid forward. The bald man’s face looked up at me next to bold print, Dr. Kingston, George T.

I picked up the card and the angry voices beside me were silenced. I stood in a lush meadow watching Dr. Kingston survey a small field of bizarre plants. The carnivorous evergreens and their giant mouths loomed over teal blue ferns with pearl flowers. A glass and screen enclosure held large colorful bees that shimmered as though bathed in a slick sheen of gasoline. It looked like an alien planet, surrounded by BC’s steep coastal mountains.

A portable plastic table behind Kingston held specimen jars with plant fragments and a stack of pizza boxes with RIVERSIDE PIZZA HOUSE printed in bright red letters. I moved to step towards Kingston and a hand grabbed my arm, pulling me back to the North Vancouver warehouse.

“What happened? Why did you–,” I stopped.

Jonah lay unconscious on the ground. 

Author Bio:
Located on BC’s beautiful West Coast, I write from my suburban Burnaby home staring at North Vancouver’s iconic Coast Mountains. I love writing about places and spaces with rich history and visually fascinating elements as a backdrop for the surreal and spectacular. 

In addition to my undergraduate degree in writing and literature, my background also includes corporate communications and design. I am a current member of the Federation of BC Writers and SF Canada. 

When not writing, I have a habit of breaking stuff and making stuff – in that order – under the guise of my Etsy alter-ego Sleepless Storyteller. I share my eclectic home and lifestyle with my husband, baby daughter and preschool son. 

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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Blast + #Giveaway: A Sunrise in Rio by Rachel Matthews @toobusyreading

A Sunrise in Rio by Rachel Matthews

For Hire: Fiancee

Eric Jansen was aware of the reputation he gained as a cold-hearted playboy. As a widower with a mysterious past marriage, work is his only solace...that is until the company investors threaten to pull out of the deal. With a new luxury hotel in Rio de Janeiro and a housing development for underprivileged families on the line, he needs a way to prove to the investors he is serious. The beautiful new photographer, Jayla Mitchelson, is perfectly outside of the media's eye. Not only will she help the deal, he just may find himself asking her to stay after the job is done.

Excerpt:

Jayla couldn't believe what she was hearing. Instead of her photography skills, she was being hired as a glorified fake girlfriend. Rage sluiced through her and she started pacing to help calm her down. "I don't believe this."

"It would help me greatly."

"Oh, it will? Tell me, Eric is that why you hired me? To just be some arm candy for you and for your boss?"

"Jayla, that isn't it."

"Then why bring me down here? Why go through this phony interview process, checking out my site and bringing me- " Her mouth fell open as she stopped to face him. "Is that why you took me out for breakfast and sightseeing? To butter me up?"

"Jayla - "

She looked over her shoulder. "If I say no, are you going to, what, chop me up and hide me in the building?" Her hand disappeared into the camera case at her side. "Look, buddy. I got Mace and I will not hesitate to use it. I don't care how many yachts you own."

Eric started toward her and stopped, laughing. His body convulsed as the laughter grew stronger, causing him to bend over. Jayla stared him down, trying to keep her expression straight, but there was something infectious about his laugh. Something she hadn't realized before. He let himself go in it. He wasn't the guarded businessman trying to make an impression or be someone he wasn't. He was just Eric. A man who appeared to have found amusement in her words.

Author Rachel Matthews

Rachel Matthews is a wife, daughter, crocheter, artist & dreamer all rolled into one. She's dreamed of writing ever since she was little and now enjoys penning them for readers all around the world. Part mermaid and part stuffed animal wrangler, she currently lives in San Diego where she is fighting an addiction to the beach and enjoying spending time with her loving romantic hero husband.

Website

Blast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 7/30/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Livin’ Large in Fat Chance, Texas by Celia Bonaduce @CeliaBonaduce @JaidisShaw

Title: Livin’ Large in Fat Chance, Texas

Series:  Fat Chance, Texas Book 3

Author:   Celia Bonaduce

Published:  July 19th, 2016

Publisher:  Lyrical Press

Genre:  Women’s Fiction, Romantic Comedy

Synopsis:

From ghost town to growing community, it’s been a few years since a group of strangers inherited property in tiny, deserted Fat Chance, Texas. And besides creating businesses, they’ve developed friendships and romances too. But plans to pave the town may put Dymphna Pearl and her beau, Professor Johnson, on opposite sides of Main Street. In his zeal for the project, he’s making great decisions for Fat Chance, but not for them as a couple. Disgruntled, Dymphna heads back to Los Angeles to collect the rabbits she’s created a special place for in the hot Texas climate. But the professor is in for another surprise…

Professor Johnson didn’t even know about Dymphna’s sister, Maggie, and when he meets her in a most unexpected way, he begins to understand why. In the meantime, Dymphna is off pursuing an exciting venture to let the world know about Fat Chance—one that will bring a talented new crew to the eclectic group. The kitschy little place they call home is clearly destined for bigger, better things—-but with so many changes a-coming will the same be true for everyone in Fat Chance, including the professor and Dymphna?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodReads

Excerpt from Livin’ Large in Fat Chance, Texas by Celia Bonaduce:

Dymphna had to admit, now that Fat Chance had a road, the fact that they could get Professor Johnson’s Outback up to the farm was pure luxury. It would have been hard to sneak off if she needed him to carry her bag up the trail.

            The sun was rising over the farm as Dymphna tucked one small bag into the back of Professor Johnson’s SUV. She felt guilty taking his car, but not guilty enough to stay. The farm was still in shadows, but she was able to make out Thud’s form shooting through the open back and climbing into the passenger seat. He was extremely agile for a large dog. Or at least, extremely determined.

            “Thud!” Dymphna called in a hoarse whisper. “Get out of the car.”

            Dymphna tiptoed over to the passenger side and opened the door. Thud thumped his tail. She grabbed his collar. As soon as she was in range, Thud dealt her a slobbery kiss. Dymphna wiped the drool on her sleeve, grabbed his collar, and pulled. The dog didn’t budge.

            “Come on, Thud,” she said. “Get out!”

            She was not usually this stern with the bloodhound, but there was no time to lose. Dymphna had hoped to be gone by the time Wobble, her crabby rooster, crowed. Even though it was still mostly dark, she could hear Wobble flapping around the yard. The rooster was putting his all into it this morning, looking like a vintage Kellogg’s Corn Flakes ad, perched on the fence and flapping his wings in the hazy morning light.

            “I’m going to miss you.” Professor Johnson’s voice pierced the fog.

            Dymphna started.

            “I was hoping I wouldn’t wake you,” she said.

            “You didn’t,” Professor Johnson said. “Thud did.”

            Dymphna knew a scowl from her would not matter in the least to Thud, so she didn’t bother.

            “I . . .” She paused, then started again. “I just think it’s easier this way. We said goodbye last night . . . and . . . I mean, I’ll be back. Soon.”

            “Will you?”

            “I have your car,” she said, trying for a confident smile.

            “And I guess I have your farm,” he said.

            He had a point. While she was gone, Professor Johnson would be here, taking care of her goats and chickens, as well as packing the orders that came in for her jams and jellies. He would also have to keep an eye on Dymphna’s friend Crash the duck, who remained a wild bird but would show up at the farm every now and then to let her know he was fine.

Both of them had agreed that it was time for Dymphna to return to Los Angeles and collect her Angora rabbits. Professor Johnson and Powderkeg had made a climate-controlled environment here on the Fat Farm that was just waiting for the rabbits. When she and Professor Johnson had first started discussing the details of retrieving the rabbits, their relationship was not as strained as it was now. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it seemed as if when times were tough, the entire town pulled together. When they first got word that the trail was to be paved, it seemed like the answer to their prayers. The asphalt wasn’t even dry before the bickering began. While the town prospered, both sides claimed victory: Professor Johnson’s side thought the uptick in the town’s prosperity was due to the new access to town and would only get better if they continued paving Main Street. Dymphna’s side felt that as long as people were making their way into town, why ruin the historic nature of the place? Folks in the area were well aware of the squabbling among the Fat Chancers and snickered about Team Professor and Team Dymphna. It was idle gossip for those not involved, but tensions were running high at the farm. Neither Dymphna not Professor Johnson took things lightly.

            As the time approached for her to leave for Los Angeles, Dymphna felt she was escaping. Her thoughts turned more and more to her life in Santa Monica, the days before Fat Chance, the years before Professor Johnson. She’d had a good life there, living in the guesthouse of her best friend, Erinn. Erinn was a Broadway playwright who had reinvented herself as a TV producer and documentarian. Erinn’s family had become Dymphna’s family. Fat Chance had completely overwhelmed Dymphna and she’d somehow never made it back to Southern California. Now she was homesick, daydreaming about long walks along the coast, drinking tea at Erinn’s sister’s tea shop in Venice, catching up with how her rabbits were doing from Erinn’s mother, Virginia, who had been watching over the three rabbits that remained in her care. Virginia had moved into Erinn’s guesthouse when Dymphna made the bold move to Texas, but Erinn had said Dymphna would always have a room in the large Victorian on Ocean Avenue that Erinn somehow managed to hang on to, even with her feast-or-famine career.

            Although unspoken, neither Dymphna nor Professor Johnson was sure she was going to come back immediately. Dymphna kept pushing away the thought that she might not come back at all. Tears pricked her eyes. This farm was as close to “home” as any place in her life.

            Of course I’ll come back, she         scolded herself.

            “The rabbits will love it here,” Professor Johnson said.

            The sun had made its way over the hills. She could see him clearly now, his T-shirt and sweatpants wrinkled from sleep, his hair wild from last night’s passionate goodbye. Dymphna’s heart lurched when she saw that he was barefoot—he had obviously run out of the house as soon as he understood what the empty side of the bed meant.

            Of course I’ll come back.

            “Were you going to say goodbye?” he asked.

            She knew if she looked at him, she would see the little boy who no one got to see but her. The little boy who trusted her not to hurt him.

            So she didn’t look. Instead, she tugged again at the dog.

            “Thud, seriously,” she said. “Out.”

            “Do you want to take him with you?”

            This is why she had wanted to leave while he was still asleep. He could be such a dear man—when he wasn’t infuriating her.

             No,” Dymphna said. “He’s been at the farm for years now. I don’t think he’d want to go back to Los Angeles.”

             “But you do?”

            “For a little while,” she said softly.

            “Get out of the car, Thud,” he said evenly.

            The dog jumped out of the passenger side and Professor Johnson closed the door with a solid thwack.

            “It’s a long drive,” she said. “I really better be going.”

            He nodded.

            “I washed the car,” he said.

            “Oh?” Dymphna looked at the Outback. Now that the sun was up, she could see it was sparkling clean.

            “Thank you,” she said.

            She started to put her arms around him. She wanted to hold him and say all the things that she never said. She loved him. He was the best thing that ever happened to her. She would be back. She took a deep breath, but he was the first to speak.

            “If Main Street were paved, the car wouldn’t be completely trashed by the time you got through town,” he said.

            Dymphna kissed him on the cheek, gave Thud a squeeze, and got in the car.

About the Author:

Celia Bonaduce is an award-winning producer whose credits cover a lot of ground – everything from field-producing ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to writing for many of Nickelodeon’s animated series, including Hey, Arnold and Chalkzone. If Celia Bonaduce’s last name is any indication, she is proof that TV talent runs in the family.

An avid reader, entering the world of books has always been a lifelong ambition. She is the author of the Venice Beach Romances, including The Merchant of Venice Beach, A Comedy of Erinn, and Much Ado About Mother. Her dream continues with The Fat Chance, Texas Series. Welcome to Fat Chance, Texas, and Slim Pickins’ in Fat Chance, Texas are available now! The series continues with book three, Livin’ Large in Fat Chance, Texas, on July 19th, 2016.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter 

GoodReads | Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Website

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

• A $50 Amazon Gift Card

Giveaway is International.

Ends July 24^th at 11:59 PM EDT

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Dark Love by Skye Warren @skye_warren @XpressoTours

Dark Love Boxed Set
Skye Warren
Publication date: July 18th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance

Pretty When You Cry:
A new dark romance novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Wanderlust and Prisoner…

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside was full of sin, and the first night I escape, I find out it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

Caught for Christmas
I’ll be home for Christmas…

The plan is simple. Break into the club and steal the money I need to save my father. The ex-military bouncer isn’t going to stop me, even if he is hot as hell.

If only in my dreams…

Except he has a curious knack for knowing my next step.

And there’s something dark underneath his desire, something dangerous. If he catches me, he might not let me go.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT FROM PRETTY WHEN YOU CRY

He’s beautiful in a strange and sinful way, one that makes me more afraid. Not colorful exactly. His eyes are a gray color I’ve never seen before, both deep and opaque at the same time. The building itself is beautiful too with its wrought iron gate around a large courtyard. The fountain in the center is broken, but that only adds to the mystique.

The marquee sign reads Grand, a flash of neon pink against the black night.
He steps closer, the light from the sign illuminating his face, making him look even more sinister. “What’s your name?”
I couldn’t answer those other men, but I find something inside for him. I find truth. “I’m not allowed to say my name to someone else.”
He studies me for a long moment, taking in my tangled hair and my white dress. “Why not?”
Because God will punish me. “Because I’m running away.”
He nods like this is what he expected. “Do you have money?”
I have twenty dollars left after bus fare. “Enough.”
His lips twist, and I wonder if that’s what a smile looks like on him. It’s terrifying. “No, you don’t,” he says. “The question is, what would you do to earn some?”
Anything.
My voice is just a whisper. “I’m a good girl.”
He laughs, and I see that I was wrong before. That wasn’t a smile. It was a taunt. A challenge. This is a real smile, one with teeth. The sound rolls through me like a coming storm, deep and foreboding.
“I know,” he says gently. “What’s your name?”
“Candace.”
He studies me. “Pretty name.”
His voice is deep with promise and something else I can’t decipher. All I know is he isn’t really talking about my name. And I know it isn’t really a compliment. “Thank you.”
“Now come inside, Candace.”
He turns and walks away before I can answer. I can feel the night closing in on me, the sharks in the water waiting to strike. It’s not really a choice. I think the man knows that. He’s counting on it. Whatever is going to happen inside will be bad, and the only thing worse is what would have happened outside.
I hurry to catch up with him, almost running across the crumbled driveway, under the marquee sign for the Grand, past the broken fountain, desperate for the dubious safety of the man who could hold the darkness at bay. It’s the same thing that kept me in Harmony Hills for so long—fear and twisted gratitude.

Author Bio:
Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely tender. 

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Blurb Blitz Tour + #Giveaway: Jigsaw by Stella Barcelona @GoddessFish

Jigsaw

by Stella Barcelona

GENRE: Romantic Suspense/Thriller

BLURB:

Foraging the cyber-world for puzzle pieces…

Zeus Hernandez, a Black Raven partner, is pulled away from a top-secret project to be the personal bodyguard to lawyer Samantha Fairfax. Terrorists have rendered the future frightening and uncertain, but Zeus and Samantha’s past makes two things crystal clear: she’ll be furious to see him and he can’t refuse the job.

Sorting pieces as stakes rise…

Danger surrounds the International Terrorism Tribunal, a court convened to combat terrorism. Samantha is thrust into the limelight when her mentor dies as the trial convenes in Paris, France. Her role requires steadfast focus and nerves of steel. She’s determined to do her job and move her life ahead, according to plan…without Zeus. He’s determined she’ll reconsider.

Completing the puzzle as their worlds collide…

As personal drama escalates behind closed doors, terrorists take aim at an Achilles’ heel that is capable of crippling Zeus, Samantha, and Black Raven. While forcing puzzle pieces to click into place, a personal reckoning looms for these two strong-willed people. There’s no denying they might be better off apart…but they fit together so well.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon

EXCERPT:

Black Raven was her grandfather’s go-to security company, and he’d already made the hiring call by the time he first told her his idea. With steadfast insistence, and continued reference to the horrors of terrorist acts that the ITT was examining, he’d worn her down in repeated phone calls. She’d given her grandfather one stipulation; she’d agree to Black Raven protection, but she did not want Jesus Hernandez to have anything to do with her on-site security detail. She didn’t want to see him or hear from him, and she damn well expected her grandfather to make this happen without it becoming an issue.

Jesus Hernandez.

Zeus to anyone who knew him.

Once, years earlier, she’d known him well. Or so she’d thought. Turned out she hadn’t known him at all. She focused her gaze on the intricately cut crystal water pitcher that the waiter placed on the table. In the last twenty-four hours, she’d been too busy with work to worry about whether her grandfather had truly understood the gravity with which she’d made the stipulation. She hadn’t intended the demand as a request. She hadn’t intended it as something her grandfather could consider and reject.

Now, with the hard knock marking the arrival of the private security company and the literal changing of the guard for the amicus team, her stomach twisted into a hard, nervous ball. Samuel knew the reasons why she didn’t want Zeus there. At least he knew some of the reasons why. Surely her grandfather had damn well listened to her?

Knock. Knock. The email notification finally flashed that the message and the attachments were ‘sent.’ The cc copy that she’d sent to herself appeared in her inbox, with an accompanying ding, just as Lorenzo put a vase of fresh flowers on the worktable that he’d transformed into a dining table.

“Done,” she said, shutting down her laptop and standing. “Thank you for all your hard work today.” As Lorenzo stepped away from the table, she said, “Lorenzo, the table is beautiful. Merci beaucoup.”

Knock. Knock. Knock.

She walked across the room as Charles signed for the room service. She opened the door. Zeus, arm lifted and fingers curled together as he prepared to rap on the door again, towered over her five seven by a good ten inches. Dropping his arm to his side, he gave her a cool nod, his brusque manner suggesting a nod was all that was needed to bridge the gap between his decision to leave her and the intervening seven years. “Hello, Sam.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Stella Barcelona has always had an active imagination, a tendency to daydream, and a passion for reading romance, mysteries, and thrillers.  She has found an outlet for all of these aspects of herself by writing romantic thrillers.

In her day-to-day life, Stella is a lawyer and works for a court in New Orleans. She lives minutes from the French Quarter, with her husband of seventeen years and two adorable papillons who believe they are princesses. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and the Southern Louisiana Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Her first novel, DECEIVED, was inspired by New Orleans, its unique citizens, and the city’s World War II-era history. Her second novel, SHADOWS, began her Black Raven series.

She is currently working on her fourth novel, CONCIERGE, another Black Raven novel, which will be released in 2017.

Website ~ Facebook

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon/BN GC

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Blurb Blitz Tour + #Giveaway: Wagon Train Sisters by Shirley Kennedy @ladyk360 @GoddessFish

Wagon Train Sisters

by Shirley Kennedy

GENRE: Historical Romance

BLURB:

After the death of her abusive husband, Sarah Gregg is free to join her family along with thousands of others in the nation’s westward march for gold. But in the middle of the hard journey, Sarah’s younger sister, Florrie, disappears. Devastated by the family’s failed attempts to find her missing sister, Sarah now wants only to settle into a quiet, uneventful life when she reaches California . . .

But Jack McCoy, a drifter and one-time gambler riding along their wagon train, sees so much more for Sarah. In the roaring mining town of Gold Creek his attentive persistence points Sarah toward new vistas. Then unexpected news of Florrie arrives—and it’s worse than anyone expected. But driven by a new hopefulness, Sarah seeks help from Jack, despite his troubled past. The two have traveled a rough road together, and only their hearts can tell them where they are headed . . .

Excerpt:

“Has anybody seen my sister?”

Lined along the bank, the ladies of the train dutifully halted their labors. “Haven’t seen her since this morning.”

“Haven’t seen her all day.”

“Maybe she ran away.”

Everyone tittered at that last remark. After weeks living in the forced closeness of a wagon train, they knew each other well, and in some cases, better than they wished. Sarah was known to be the hard worker of the family. Her sister-in-law, Becky, was the one with the sharp tongue. Florrie was the quiet one, hadn’t made many friends, and stayed close to their wagon. She’d be the last person in the world who’d run off. Besides, where would she go? Two days ago they’d left the last vestiges of civilization at Fort Hall and were now in a land where rivers raged, wild animals roamed, forests stretched to the horizon and beyond.

`So where was Florrie? Come to think of it, Sarah hadn’t seen her since right after they stopped for the day, and that was hours ago. It wasn’t like her, but she must be visiting at one of the wagons. She’d surely appear in time for supper. Nothing to worry about.

AUTHOR BIO:

Shirley Kennedy was born and raised in Fresno, California. In her early career as an author, Shirley wrote traditional Regency romances, one for Ballantine, the rest for Signet. Later on, she branched into other genres. She lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with her older daughter, Dianne, and Brutus and Sparky, her two editorial assistants who love to nap in the sunshine next to her computer while she works on her next book.

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Buy the book:

Amazon ~ iTunes ~ Google Play ~ Kobo ~ B&N

Giveaway:

A digital copy of Wagon Train Sisters
 

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Blog Tour + #Giveaway: For the Love of Gracie by Amy K. McClung @AmythaMcclung @HotTreePromos

Hard-hitting NA romance wrapped up in delicious heat.

Author: Amy K. McClung

Title: For the Love of Gracie

Series: Southern Devotion series, Book 1

Genre: NA Romance

Release Date: July 8, 2016

Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing

Always falling for the wrong guy, Gracie Walker hasn't had much luck finding Prince Charming. She's reached a point where it's easier to forget about romance and focus on what's important: college, clubbing and her friends.

But the best-laid plans don't always pan out as hoped.

Caught up in a web of relationships that threaten nothing but pain, Gracie has to decide who she can trust and who can help keep her safe.

What lengths will the man of her dreams go to… for the Love of Gracie?

 Only 99 cents for a limited time! 

Amazon: US | UK | AU | CA
ARe | Kobo | Nook | iTunes

"I get cold easily, so body heat helps." I gazed up at the sky. "Isn't it pretty tonight? You can see so many stars."

Ashton and I sat and stared at the stars, not saying a word for a while. Comforted in his company, I quickly relaxed. I lifted the beer bottle to my mouth and took a long swig. "Thanks again, for last night. I had fun, you know, when I wasn't hurling. I cleaned your jacket too."

He chuckled softly. "I had fun too. You can keep the jacket. It looks better on you anyway." He offered me a small wink. "You're in college, right?" he asked.

I nodded.

"What's your major?" Before answering, I choked down the last swig of warm beer and grimaced. Warm beer always made me sick. He laughed at the way my face screwed up in disgust. "Was that a weird question?"

I snickered. "No, silly. I don't like warm beer. It tastes like piss."

His eyebrow rose curiously. "Drink piss often, do ya?"

Nudging him with my elbow, I said, "You know what I mean, smart-ass. Anyway, my major is undecided, much like everything in my life at this moment."

He nodded. "That's not uncommon for someone your age."

Now it was my turn to get some clarification. "Someone my age? How old are you, Grandpa?" He choked on the mouthful of beer he'd been attempting to swallow, and I patted his back. "Need me to grab Cameron for the Heimlich?"

He shook his head. "Nope, I'm good." He chuckled between coughs. I grabbed another beer from a cooler and popped the top. "I'm twenty-six, but thanks for making me feel old, though. You really know how to make a man feel good with that mouth."

I was mid-drink that time and spat the beer all over his shirt. His face burned with embarrassment as he said, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded." I doubled over in laughter, and after his humiliation wore off, he joined me.

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