Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Series Spotlight: Love And Series by Mary Kate Kopec

Love AND Bullets
Love And Series
Book One
Mary Kate Kopec


Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense


Book Description:
Three years ago Giffin Reese fell for the man of her dreams. But it wasn't meant to be. She was already married to a good man. A man who believed in her. Needed her. Loved her. Sometimes in life we do what it calls upon us to do.

It wasn't your everyday protection detail of a Senator plus trophy wife. First, she was no trophy. She came with brains and an attitude. Just what he liked. And two, the case was all kinds of screwed up. A threat with no name on it. Maybe even a leak. And it all turned to hell when the Senator got taken down by a sniper shot.

Devon Monroe still doesn't know what the hell went wrong that day. But he's not going to let it happen again. Someone's serious with an itchy trigger finger, and this time the target is squarely pointed at a certain Senator's beautiful widow. But not if he can help it. It'll take everything he has to set things right, clear his conscience, and prove himself to her. Even if it means dying, trying.

Love and Bullets is an action packed steamroller of mystery, suspense, and rekindled desire. Come join Devon and Giffin as they race against the clock, explore their hearts, and dodge bullets in this story of secrets, deception, betrayal, and love.

Sparks fly and so do the bullets!

Book Trailer

Amazon 


Excerpt:
“As you can see, Mrs. Reese, we can quite easily get to you.  You cannot be protected, despite what Mr. Monroe seems to think.”
Devon?  They knew him?  How could that be?
“So unless you choose the same fate as your husband, I suggest you reconsider your current ventures.”
She was baffled.  What current ventures?  She helped people.  How could that be a problem?
“What do you mean?” she asked.
He continued, ignoring her interruption.  “Mrs. Reese, you will die if you do not heed my warning.”  As if to emphasize his words, he raised a gun and pointed it in her face.  “This is not a negotiable request.  Do you understand?”
No way did she understand, but she nodded anyway, afraid to ask and not wanting to get shot.  What current ventures?  What could she be doing that would get her killed?  What could she be doing, and had it gotten her husband killed?  She felt sick with fear and confusion.
Without warning he leaned over and opened her door.  Keeping his gun leveled on her, he added flatly, “Now get out.  Your ride is coming.”
Abruptly the car stopped.
You didn’t have to tell her twice.  She didn’t hesitate.  She jumped out.  But before she could get all the way out, the car began accelerating again.  And in her efforts to clear the speeding vehicle, she fell to the ground and rolled, skinning her hands and knees.
Pain shot through her, and tears stung in her eyes.  Giffin attempted to get up, but stumbled back down to one knee.  Her arms and legs shook like leaves.  She was in a full body tremble.  Not for trying, but she couldn’t quite catch her balance, and she realized that her heel had broken.
Giffin reached around, and with a shaking hand, removed her shoes.  Holding them in her hand, she pushed herself up and tried to stand steady on her two feet.  She looked up the road to where her abductors’ car was disappearing into the horizon and a wave of overwhelming relief flowed through her.  They didn’t kill her.  It was over.
But then the other side of brain fought back and asked, What the hell is going on?
She was unsurprised now, when Devon pulled around the bend in a shiny silver Lexus sedan and came to a stop beside her.
“Get in,” came the voice in the car.
She knew that voice, knew it well.  It did something to the pit of her stomach.  She got in, tossed her shoes to the floor, and fastened her seat belt.  Throwing him a sidelong glance, without humor, she asked, “Just in the neighborhood?”




Love AND Leaving
Love And Series
Book Two
Mary Kate Kopec


Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense


Book Description:
Emma June Carter’s life is as normal as can be. All except the part where once upon a time she was Miss Michigan and a finalist for the Miss American Sunshine pageant. She's a baker and a co-owner of Delectable Delights, a sweet treats bakery that she loves. She has good friends. A best friend. And it was all going so well - until her boyfriend dumped her. The boyfriend that had hinted at love and a life together - and then disappeared.

Detective Jack Haley is good at his job, likes life, and knows how to laugh. Poker and his luxury ride with perfect performance and buttery soft leather seats take the edge off of the grit and grime of his work in property crimes.
For them, it was any other day. Until he got the call. And she went out for one last drink to shake off the breakup. A chance meeting in a bar, and neither gets what they came for. They get so much more. Neither know it, but danger is trailing Emma's footsteps, and her life is about to go from normal to hell in six seconds, flat. It doesn't take long before their paths cross again, and this time it won't be so easy leaving.

Love and Leaving is a story about nothing being safe, but in life, having everything to gain . . . at a cost. Jack and Emma will have to decide what is worth it and what isn't.

He's coming, and she's leaving!

Book Trailer 

Amazon 


Excerpt:
Emma June Carter, former Miss Michigan, now successful pastry chef and master of all things sweet, sat twirling her pathetic excuse of a lemon twist stormily about in her second, now half-empty, vodka tonic, swearing off men and their many useless promises.
Twenty-nine—for real—and three days shy of being thirty, she thought she’d found the one.  But after six months of crazy-for-you, non-stop fun and abandon—and a major hint at permanent things to come—Max Stone, man of her dreams, had abruptly called it quits.
One phone call.  No explanation.  And he was gone.
Now all she wanted to do—when she wasn’t bawling miserably—was rip his lying heart out of his gorgeous, too-fit chest and feed it to him for lunch.  Or at least sit here for the moment, alone, to enjoy a short, self-indulgent and well earned—if you don’t mind—pity party.
And a drink or two.
Emma wasn’t one for anger or wallowing, but this really hurt, and she just needed a moment to cope.  And process.  And get a grip.  And to stop seeing herself stomping her pain out all over Max’s, now annoyingly, beautiful face.
She smiled.  Stomping on his face wasn’t the nicest of thoughts.  True.  But “It’s over.  Take care of yourself.  Bye.” followed by a dial tone just wasn’t the way it was done.  The weasel hadn’t even been respectful enough to do it in person.  And now, all she got was voicemail and a visit to his empty apartment.  So yes, not a nice thought, kicking the crap out of Max, but Max didn’t deserve a nice thought.  And as wishful thinking went, it was a pretty good image, and so even though it really wasn’t like her, it made her smile.
“Your drink’s getting low.  Lemme buy you another.”
Emma dropped her smile and slid her eyes left to the gravelly and deeply masculine voice interrupting her lament to find Mr. Ripped and Ruggedly Handsome in black leather and jeans eyeing her up appreciatively.  Good grief.  Not another one.  She barely suppressed a sigh.
Ruggedly Handsome was just that and then some.  But he and his molten-chocolaty brown eyes, heavy jaw, thick brows, and perfect lips—minus the hairline scar—were all bad-boy to the bone.  And if you weren’t convinced, the spider web and dagger tattoos on his hands and hard-ass biker boots should finish off the story.  He was oozing sex appeal like the Hoover Dam had just let loose.  And barking up the wrong tree.  Emma had had enough of suave and slick.
She shook her head, “No thanks.  I’m good.”
Returning to her drink and her thoughts, it occurred to her that perhaps having a pity party publicly—even if she was situated at the end of the bar, with her face tilted down, hair falling forward, staring morosely into her drink—wasn’t the best signal for personal time.  But still.  Couldn’t Mr. Ripped and Ruggedly Handsome see that she wasn’t up for company, especially male company?
Apparently not.
Mr. Handsome followed with, “I can see that, and it’s just a drink.  Give me a chance.”
Oh God.  He was going with a lame line.  Seriously?
Not really wanting to engage hotty biker dude in a verbal duel over drinks, Emma thought to cut him short, so she could get back to her alone time.  But she wasn’t the mean type, so she returned his appreciative once over and sighed in mock disappointment, “Sorry, but you’re way too cool for me.”
Not-getting-it biker guy edged closer with an undeterred glint in his eye and gave her comment the brush off.  “Don’t say that—”
So much for being nice.
Emma realized her pity party was over.  Ruined by Mr. R. and R. Handsome and his annoying persistence.  And this time, she dropped a very heavy sigh for real.  He made to continue with his pitch, but frustrated by his intrusion, Emma pushed back from the bar, scraping the metal feet of her stool on the stone tile floor beneath, and dropped a ten spot next to her drink as she made to leave.
“Hey,” he said, and inappropriately reached for her arm. “You don’t have to go.”  But Emma firmly deflected his touch with her hand.  “Let me stop you right there.  No means no.  I’m done.  Got it?”
The molten look in his eyes wasn’t chocolaty anymore, and he said, “Got it,” like he meant it.  And then he called her a bitch as he turned to the barkeep and signaled for another round.
Emma stood, shouldering her purse, back to thinking feeding men their hearts for lunch was a good idea and came to the conclusion, Bars are bad.  Next time just buy a bottle and take it home.
But there wasn’t going to be a next time.  She’d sworn off guys, and Mr. Ruggedly Handsome Jerk had just sealed the deal.
Shaking her head, fully irritated and no longer feeling any form of self-pity, Emma angled for the door wanting nothing more than to get the hell out of this bar.  Two strides into her escape, the front door pulled wide and bright-ass sunshine poured in, silhouetting her view of the incoming human.  She blinked to shake off the flashbulb effect and kept marching toward the door.  And subsequently plowed headlong into a six-foot tall wall of solid muscle.
Bouncing back, jolted, and losing her footing, Emma once again noted that Bars are bad, and this time added, Men are worse.  As evidenced by the shadowed cretin blocking her getaway.
“Whoa, hey there,” came the solid hands that kept her from stumbling, and the calm, even-timbred male voice that felt soothing on her angry nerves.  “You okay?”



Love AND Revenge
Love And Series
Book Three
Mary Kate Kopec


Genre:  Romantic Action Suspense

Book Description:
Maddie Monroe has had better days. And made better choices. When she wakes up kidnapped--used for bait--and in more danger than she could have ever imagined, it's all she can do to hope that she'll live to regret telling Seamus no.

Ex-Navy Seal Seamus Kincaid knows that the only easy day was yesterday. And in his line of work, enemies happen. He just never thought anyone would use Maddie to get to him. And now her life is on the line.

Maddie's dimples bring hard men to their knees, and her smoothies make them beg for more. She's smart, funny, and just one of the guys. She wields a computer like Seamus wields a knife. And she's a spunky ray of sunshine in skinny jeans and a bop-tail who gives his serious, get-it-done attitude the adjustment it needs. She's happiness in his life, until he scares the hell out of her on a mission gone bad, and she can't deal. Letting her go won't be easy, but losing her forever is unacceptable

Love and Revenge is a story about facing your fears, fighting for what's important, and learning that you can't control life--you can only decide which life you want to live.

Fight for love - die for revenge!

Book Trailer

Amazon

Excerpt:

“Maddie,” he said, and reached out to pull her into his reassuring embrace before she could retreat any further.  “That was a bad day.  One of the worst.  But I made it.  The whole team did.  Everything’s okay.”
No.  It wasn’t.
He held her tightly, but her arms stayed at her sides.  His chest was solid, his arms strong, but they no longer brought her the comfort they once did.
Every time he had to deploy to suppress a hostile environment—even though it was completely unlike her—all she could do was think the worst.  And she didn’t want to do it anymore.
Seamus, refusing to accept her withdrawal, kept her close and lovingly whispered into her ear, “Maddie, you are my world, my joy, my laughter, the sunshine in my days.  I love you.  You are the only woman for me.  My family.  Maddie,” he whispered low, with his heart in his words, “marry me.  Be my wife.”
Maddie stopped breathing.  Her lungs froze.  Her breath got lost somewhere in the silence between the stalled beats of her heart.  Unwanted tears blurred her vision, so she closed her eyes and leaned into his shoulder.
Seamus cradled her as though she was the most precious person in the world to him, but his words coaxed aching misery into the very core of her bones.  Her body.  Her heart.  They had so much in common.  Yet they were so very different.
She was the light to his darkness, the laughter to his calculating necessitated tenacity, the warmth to the loneliness of his life, and she knew it.  And they both valued family and could see their hopes fulfilled in each other.  But she wouldn’t ask, and he wouldn’t offer—and his job was her breaking point.
She’d known it was going to tear her apart, facing him down again.  But no way was she prepared for this.  He was pulling out all the stops, save one.  And she knew that if he gave up his field work for her it would be poison to them both, so she never asked and wouldn’t.
She just needed to let him go, so he could do what he was driven to do, and he needed to let her.
It took everything she had to step back from him, out of his embrace, away from his love.  Tears rolled heavily down her face.  She couldn’t seem to stop them, and rather than brush them away, she ignored them and stood up straighter, gathering her strength and will.
Seamus looked confused, but no less determined.  “Maddie,” he said reaching for her again, but she took another step back and out of his reach.
“No Seamus.  If you really love me, you’ll let me go.”
His eyes briefly clouded, then cleared.  His ironclad willpower maintained his control.
“Maddie, this doesn’t make any sense.”
Matters of the heart rarely did.
“We can do this.”
She shook her head, and his frustration began to break through.  “You’re not thinking this through.”
It was the perfect thing to say to move her from disconsolate agony to biting anger.  He was telling her she wasn’t being rational, and there was a part of her that agreed, but he didn’t get to make that call.
“You’re wrong Seamus,” she said with heat in her voice.  “I have thought it through, and I’ve met somebody.  I’m moving on.  I suggest you do the same.”
Maddie’s stomach clenched, and she’d gone cold with the pain of her own words.  Her heart was breaking, and from the look on his face, so was his.  But he said nothing.  He just stood there searching for a new tactic, a solution, a way to win the fight, and if she didn’t get him out of there, he’d find one.
She couldn’t take much more of this, so she didn’t give him the chance.  She couldn’t cave.
A desperate force of will incited her tone with something so harsh it made her nearly sick.  She didn’t want to hurt him, but before he could find his bearings, Maddie dismissed him with a firmness that shattered like ice across her skin and made it hard for her to breathe.  “Please.  Leave.”
To her relief and misery it worked.  And her stomach sank as she watched the light in his eyes fade, shutting her out.  Where once she was his joy, now she was not, and the determination in the strong lines of his face turned flat.  She could have never imagined how bad this was going to feel.  It stabbed at her heart and ground her stomach into bits.  She wanted to crumple into a ball and cry the horrible river she knew was coming, but she’d made him let her go.
Seamus stood there a moment longer, staring at her with strengthening detachment, and if she wasn’t mistaken, disgust.  He shook his head, then stiffly turned and walked out of her room and away from her.

About the Author:

Mary Kate Kopec creates steamy character driven stories of hopeful love. She thinks love and life are worth fighting for and that at times both are filled with hard bits and messy emotions. She likes a good mystery, lots of action, and a heavy dollop of humor to lighten the mood. She writes what she loves and wishes you great enjoyment in everything you read.

Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Goodreads 



Tour Giveaway
5 copies- winner’s choice of ebook or print for any of the 3 books 
1 goody bag full of swag.  Open to US shipping.  

Monday, August 11, 2014

Book Bundle Blast, Excerpt, Author Interview & Review: Extraordinary Love

Extraordinary Love

Micah Persell (author touring), Kathleen Shaputis, Holley Trent, Andrea R. Cooper, Candace Sams, Spring Stevens, Bobbi Romans, Lisa White, Becky Flade, Danica Winters




Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Crimson Romance

Publishing Date: Aug 4, 2014





Book Bundle containing 10 full category-length novels


Book Description:
Everybody needs love — especially those sexy shapeshifters, gentlemen ghosts, misunderstood demons and witches, and intergalactic leaders. You’ll find all of these otherworldly heartthrobs -- and the strong, sexy women who make their perfect matches -- in this captivating collection of paranormal titles from Crimson Romance.

Titles include:
Of Eternal Life: Micah Persell
Her Ghost Wears Kilts: Kathleen Shaputis
A Demon in Waiting: Holley Trent
The Garnet Dagger: Andrea R. Cooper
The Peacekeeper’s Soul: Candace Sams
Embrace the Fire: Spring Stevens
Swamp Magic: Bobbi Romans
Discovery: Lisa White
Fated Souls: Becky Flade

The Nymph’s Labyrinth: Danica Winters


Amazon
MRP would like to extend a very warm welcome to Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Love, book one in the Extraordianry Love bundle.

Micah, who or what most influenced you to become a writer?
I’ve always been an avid reader.  Before my daughter was born, I read about a book a day (I’m finding it harder to read for pleasure now with a three-month-old!).  A couple of years ago when I’d gone through every book I could find and couldn’t find my next read, I had the idea to write the book I wanted to read.  Of Eternal Life was born, and I haven’t stopped writing since.
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

If you were to be left alone on an island, what three books would you take with you?
Rhage’s story, Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward; Malkom’s story, Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole; and a massive volume of all 7 Harry Potter books (cheating I realize, but I’m willing to take the consequences).
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

What are your most and least favorite movie genres?
I really cannot stand non-fiction films and movies that are packaged as fiction but are just preachy documentaries in disguise can turn me into a scary lunatic. However, action/adventure movies – big guns, over the top stunts, crazy explosions, corny one liners, bad guy that die in fantastic fashion and the saucy heroine strolling into her HEA with the hero who has beaten all odds (sigh) – they are my favorites and I’m not afraid to admit it. – Becky Flade, author of Fated Souls

If you could choose any man for your next book cover, who would he be?
Yum, excellent question.  Here’s a sappy answer:  I love men so much, I am honestly thrilled with any specimen put on my covers.  Choosing just one feels impossible.  I suppose…Michael Fassbender.  No, Michael C. Hall!  I mean Sam Winchester.  No…  I choose all of the men.  All of them (see my above note about cheating).
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

When you are on a deadline, what aspect of your ‘regular’ life suffers most?
Weirdly enough, eating. I say “weirdly enough” because I love to eat. I cannot stress this adequately.  But if I’m really in the writing groove, I can forget to eat up to two meals before my husband intervenes.
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

What advice would you give aspiring authors?
This one is easy.  Do not give up.  Even if you receive your 100th rejection, don’t give up.  Just keep plugging away, learning, reading, revising, making your work better and one day you will (not “might”, but “will”) get the call that someone wants to publish your work.  It will happen.  Just keep at it. – Lisa White, author of Discovery

What advice would you give seasoned writers?
How pretentious of me!  Well, people who are much, much better than I am, here’s my advice: don’t believe your own hype.  Remember where you came from and us little people and mentor, mentor, mentor!  Unless you’re Kresley Cole.  Then, feel free to believe your own hype.  ‘Cause you’re amazeballs.
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

When reading for pleasure, do you prefer a physical or electronic book?
I prefer a physical book, but I’ve run out of room in my home.  My entire home.  I’ve become a Kindle girl out of necessity.  Look for me on future episode of Hoarders: Book Edition.
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

From the first stroke of a pen (or laptop), how long did it take you get published?
I was very lucky; I started Of Eternal Life in the summer of 2011, and finished in October of 2011.  It was accepted for publication in February of 2012 and published on June 4, 2012.  So, my first book was written and published in about a year.  I know this is not the “norm,” and I definitely don’t take it for granted!
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

Did you ever feel like calling it quits?
Most definitely, but not with regards to novel writing.  Sadly, I am an appalling academic writer.  As I have multiple degrees in Literature, this was a problem.  And as I had a professor who relished telling me I am an appalling academic writer, I felt like throwing in the towel every single time she dropped an e-mail in my inbox, which, awesomely, was frequent indeed.  Luckily, she was wrong when she told me I would “never be published.”
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

What did you do when you got your first contract?
My “real people job” is high school teacher, and I got the e-mail saying my first book had been accepted for publication while I was on a field trip with a bunch of my kids.  I was able to keep my cool for about 1.2 seconds before I freaked out and told them all.  They were suitably impressed for teenagers who can never fake being suitably impressed.  It was grand and humbling.
-Micah Persell, author of Of Eternal Life

Thank you so much for joining us today, Micah. We really enjoyed the visit. Good luck and great sales with Of Eternal Life and the Extraordinary Love book bundle.

Excerpt: Chapter One Of Eternal Life by Micah Persell


Abilene Miller, sitting cross-legged on the floor, squinted at the rolls of gauze on the shelf in front of her through the fringe of her lashes. When the gauze blended into something resembling a snow-covered mountain, she sighed with satisfaction and leaned her head back against the wall behind her. The supply closet was the coolest place in the hospital, and with this little trick, she could almost fool herself into thinking she was not in the God-forsaken Mojave Desert.
“Southern California, you lying bitch,” she murmured as she took a vehement bite from her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Dreams of rolling ocean waves, vibrant night life, and Disneyland had quickly given way to the reality that was Needles, California: a small town of 4,000 outside of the Mojave National Preserve.
Of course, the two military recruiters who had come to her hometown of Aspen, Colorado, right after med school to convince her to come work in their “cutting edge” research facility had played up those very tourist attractions in a way that merited a court martial for perjury. If that was even a thing that could happen. She didn’t know. Military I am not, she thought in amusement as she set aside her sandwich for a baggie of Oreos.
She sighed again, this time in disgust. Top 5 percent of my class at Duke University Medical School, and I get duped. She hadn’t even begun her residency, and these guys had wanted her. Really, really wanted her. Enough to throw an obscene amount of money at her, making “no” an impossibility. And if she had thought it was suspicious that they wanted to hire her before she had even seen the facility, the pull of finally being on her own had overshadowed the oddity.
She snorted. “On her own” was proving to be an elusive concept. In fact, she felt as though every step she took was measured. She lived in a military dormitory with the four other women who worked in the labs. They all carpooled to work each morning, and the head of the hospital, Major Taylor, seemed to lurk around every corner, as aware of her movements as her overbearing parents.
Abilene knew she’d made a mistake in taking this job. She just so badly needed to prove herself. What was that old adage? If it sounds too good to be true, don’t effing move into a military compound?
“Abilene, you in here?”
She gave an unfeminine grunt in response and returned her attention to her Oreos. The door edged open, and Dahlia looked in.
“Oh, Abi, hon, are you fantasizing that the gauze is snow again?”
“Among other things,” Abilene replied.
Dahlia shut the door behind her and sank down to the floor beside Abilene, reaching over and snagging an Oreo from the baggie. She turned her warm caramel-colored eyes toward Abilene.
“Tough day?”
Abilene met her friend’s gaze. “Dahlia, how many patients have you seen today?”
Understanding lit in her friend’s eyes. Dahlia had been at the facility longer than Abilene. She had been recruited straight out of the University of Pennsylvania, also before her residency, and had been working here for nearly ten months. From their talks, Abilene knew it had been a long ten months.
“Abi, I haven’t seen any patients today. You know that.”
Abilene nodded. Both women had come to this hospital in part because they believed in the cause. According to the military recruitment team that had visited each of them, the government was conducting an experiment in which they planned to refurbish small, abandoned military buildings in rural areas. These facilities would be for the local population as well as for the processing of the armed forces’ medical tests. The facilities would employ civilian doctors, but they would be funded by the government and sanctioned by the military.
It was nice in theory; however, the largely Native American population in Needles viewed any help from the government with suspicion, understandably so, and avoided the new hospital as though they still used plague-ridden blankets — a reaction the government had to have expected, which lead Abilene to wonder what the real purpose of this facility was. It was hard to believe she and the other women were here just to run labs.
“What are we doing here?” Abilene pushed a hand through her short blonde curls in frustration. “Damn it, I want to see patients. I want to save lives. I want to do something.” Dahlia broke eye contact and looked at the floor.
Abilene blew out a breath. “Sorry.” She offered a smile. She’d gotten carried away again. “Jeez, I’m sorry, Dahlia. I know you’re frustrated, too.”
Dahlia gave Abilene’s knee a squeeze. “Hey,” she shrugged, “the government is paying us to run labs and make friends. What’s to complain about?” She rose to her feet in effortless grace, turning to offer Abilene a hand up. “Come on. Treat you to a Diet Coke from the vending machine?”
This was turning into a tradition among the women at the hospital. Whenever one of them had a meltdown, it always ended with Diet Coke, which, personally, Abilene loathed. The other women sucked it down like ambrosia.
“Oh baby, you know just what I like,” Abilene said in a breathy voice, grasping Dahlia’s proffered hand while shoving thoughts of her disappointing career aside. She rose to her feet, much less gracefully than Dahlia. “You and your weird Swan Lake moves suck, you know,” she grumbled.
Dahlia chuckled and glided out into the hall.
• • •
Awareness flooded his senses so quickly he choked on his gasp of air. For several moments all he could do was gulp as his body took over in its need for oxygen. His lungs burned. He could hear his ragged breaths echoing around him, bouncing around an empty cavern.
Where am I?
His instinct urged him to take in any details he could. He heard a measured beep. His frantic mind wouldn’t place it. In fact, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on anything but that hysterical pull of air. Panic crept into the edges of his consciousness, causing his heart rate to thump.
Where was he? What was happening? Why was he … afraid?
God, not fear.
His mind clamped down on him. Fear was dangerous.
Regulate breathing. Determine surroundings. He clenched his teeth behind closed lips. Slowly, steadily, he drew a measured breath through his nose. The debilitating fear in his chest abated. Again, an internal voice whispered.
He pulled another breath through flared nostrils, this time blowing it out between parted, parched lips. As the panic receded, he noticed the incessant beeping slowed. In an instant, he discerned the beeping: his own heart rate.
A medical facility.
I’m hurt? He took mental inventory of his body. The sudden awareness of his limbs brought an onrush of pain. His bones felt crushed, agony knifed through him, and he groaned in the back of his throat.
Pain. Familiar pain. He was not a stranger to this anguish. He eased his eyes open. An involuntary moan escaped his lips, and he squeezed his eyes shut against the bright lights.
“1457, subject is stirring. Shows signs of light-related visual pain.”
Intense, animal fear arose at the sound of the clinical voice above his head. At the alarming reference to a subject.
As in test subject? Ah, God …
He held his breath as he processed this new information, what the presence of that voice meant.
I’m not alone.
For some reason, instead of calming him, this revelation ratcheted the terror tighter, to the snapping point. The inner voice whispered urgently:
This man is dangerous.
A lock fell from a hidden cache of information in his brain. He recognized the voice that whispered to him. The Voice had been his constant companion since this nightmare had begun. Now, the Voice whispered the identity of the other person in the room: The Tormentor. The beep above his left shoulder sped up as panic rushed in again. The muscles in his arms and legs clamped down as his mind scrambled over fight-or flight.
This involuntary movement caused more pain to slice through him, and he just stopped another moan from rising out of his chest. He could not let himself make any sounds of distress. Another revelation from that hidden instinct: Hide your suffering. He loves it.
Oh, God. How did he know that? There was no doubt in his mind that he knew that from personal experience. This newest revelation solved his fight-or-flight dilemma: flight.
He moved his left arm infinitesimally to determine how much pain he would be dealing with when he fled. He became aware of the cold, cutting metal impeding further movement.
A new flare of panic. Oh, no. Not that. He moved his arm again and met the same immovable restraint. He tried to move his feet. He was shackled. The sharp edges of the metal binding his wrists and ankles bit into his skin, adding to the buffet of pain, but his terror would not allow him to cease his struggles.
His mind screamed at him, urging his body to do the impossible.
“1500, subject is showing usual onset of panic at regained consciousness. Thrashing has opened wounds at the sites where he is restrained.”
The last of his confusion melted away. He remembered. He remembered everything, and knew he was lost. There would be no escape, just as there had been no escape for the past eight years. He’d been through this before. The panicked awakening. The fierce pain swamping every corner of his existence. The dawning horror of remembered tortures.
When he forced his eyes open, ignoring the sting of the bright operating room lights, a familiar figure approached.
“Always such a fuss, hmm, Eli?” The Tormentor tsked. Eli recoiled. His name was not safe with that man. He never heard it without being reminded that he had no control over himself or his situation.
His struggles against the metal restraints now resulted in a rather satisfying cacophony, but still only caused blood to drip down his arms and pool beneath his feet. The Tormentor approached, eyeing the damage Eli had done to himself with a sadistic leer that turned Eli’s stomach.
“Blood is strength, you know.” The Tormentor shook his head in mock-sorrow. “What a pity that you seem to hold it in such low regard.”
A feral growl resonated in Eli’s chest, and he punched his head up from the stretcher to glare into the Tormentor’s eyes. “I’m going to kill you.
I’m going to make sure everyone knows what you’ve done here, and then,” he paused to ensure the Tormenter was looking at him, “I’m going to kill you.”
The Tormentor cocked an eyebrow and raised a recording device to chin level. “0817, subject is displaying the symptoms of aggression that have heretofore been associated with memory recollection. Has threatened death. Again.” He clicked off the recording device and slipped it into the pocket of his scrubs.
“‘What I’ve done here,’ hmm?” He leaned down until his face almost touched Eli’s. “What I’ve done here is what you signed up for, soldier.
Nothing more, nothing less.” He straightened with a sneer and turned toward the door.
One of the two guards on the other side of the see-through barrier keyed a code into the door, and the hiss of released pressure and a grinding of gears announced that the door was unlocked. The Tormentor paused with his hand on the handle and turned to announce over his
shoulder, “Number 140 begins in four hours. Perhaps you should use this time to gather your strength instead of waste it.” He twisted the handle and left the room.
Four hours.
In just four hours they were going to conduct their one hundred fortieth experiment.
Number 14: gunshot wound to the chest. The cold feel of steel pushed against his sternum. The force of the bullet driving his body into the unforgiving metal at his back. Gunpowder stinging his nostrils as his teeth chattered from the cold caused by his bleeding out.
Number 58: asphyxiation by smothering. Excruciating burning in his lungs. The flailing of his limbs as he fought the restraints in a need to knock the oppressive hand from his mouth and nose. Stars dotting his vision as his brain fought the lack of oxygen.
His heart rate sped up to match his ragged breathing. Number 100: dismemberment. He couldn’t stifle the moan that memory dredged up, hearing in his mind the buzz of the bone saw, feeling the heat of whirring metal on flesh. His Tormentor had informed him that they had wanted to make the one hundredth “special.”
He was panting like an animal now. Four hours. In four hours, they were going to kill him.
For the one hundred fortieth time.


My Review for Of Eternal Life: 


This book had me by the end of the first page – maybe even by the end of the first sentence. I liked the heroine, Abilene, right away. She’s quirky, friendly, smart, and has a fondness for Oreo’s that seems to rival my own. And then I started chapter two….gripping, breathless, painful, horrible, gut-wrenching . . . awesome – a completely unexpected turnabout from chapter one, and what a premise! The Garden of Eden and her trees – so cool. But of course the discovery exacts a price, and that is where the story begins to gallop. Along with a great story, the author can write a mind-blowing sex scene, let me tell you, but perhaps there were too many (is that possible???)? Whatever the case, I wished fervently and frequently I was in Abilene’s shoes. The hero, Eli, is a great mix of strength and vulnerability, honor and revenge, with just the perfect amount of Special Forces hunkiness. The book was a treat to read. Well done.

About the Author:
Micah Persell, winner of the 2013 Virginia HOLT Award of Merit for her first novel Of Eternal Life, holds a bachelor's degree in English and a double master's degree in literature and English pedagogy. She is an avid reader of all types of literature, but has a soft spot for romance. She currently teaches high school English classes in Southern California. Her paranormal romance series, Operation: Middle of the Garden, and her "wild and wanton" editions of Austen's Emma and Persuasion are available now through Crimson Romance.

Author Links:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Catching a Man by Elizabeth Corrigan

Catching a Man
Valeriel Investigations
Book 1
Elizabeth Corrigan


Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Elizabeth Corrigan
Date of Publication: November 2014
Cover Artist: Streetlight Graphics

Book Description:
Kadin Stone's life is finally going according to plan. She's starting her new job as a homicide detective's aide at one of the premier criminal investigation companies in Valeriel City, the capital of a 1950’s-style kingdom. Kadin is certain her new position will introduce her to any number of eligible men, so she'll finally be able to get married and stop burdening the brother who insists on supporting her.

On Kadin’s first day, the royal family calls in her team to investigate the murder of gossip-rag cover girl Queen Callista. Kadin’s superiors think it’s an open and shut case. The queen’s jilted lover Duke Baurus DeValeriel had motive, means, and opportunity, but Kadin can’t help but spot holes in their theory.

After checking into a few leads of her own, Kadin inadvertently ends up in the confidence of Duke Baurus. When she tries to share what she knows with the rest of the team, she finds them unwilling to listen to the opinion of a girl who they know is only after a ring on her finger. In order to see justice served, Kadin finds herself doing the last thing she expected when she started working for a homicide detective—solve a murder!


About the Author:

Elizabeth Corrigan has degrees in English and psychology and has spent several years working as a data analyst in various branches of the healthcare industry. When she’s not hard at work on her next novel, Elizabeth enjoys singing, reading teen vampire novels, and playing RPGs as medieval versions of her characters. She once made herself a birthday cake with five layers and two different kinds of chocolate frosting and is pathologically afraid of bees. She lives in Maryland with two cats and a purple Smart Car.

Author Links:

Website | Facebook | Twitter 



Tour Giveaway:
$25 Amazon gift card 
1 signed set of  Oracle of Philadelphia and Raising Chaos- open to US Shipping
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Book Spotlight &Giveaway: Borrowed Promises by Judith Ingram

Borrowed Promises
Moonseed Trilogy
Book 2
Judith Ingram


Genre: paranormal romance
Publisher: Vinspire Publishing, LLC
Date of Publication: May 31, 2014
Number of pages: 249 pages
Cover Artist: Elaina Lee/For the Muse Designs

Book Description:

On the night of the new spring moon, a near-fatal accident propelled Victoria Reeves-Ashton over a century back in time to awaken in the body of Katherine Kamarov.

Now, after three months of pretending to be Katherine and laboring to repair relationships damaged by Katherine's brash and selfish personality, quiet and gentle Victoria finds that her heart is putting down roots in Katherine's world, in her family relationships, and especially in a deepening friendship with Katherine's winsome cousin Michael.

Hidden letters reveal the story of other moonseed-time travelers like herself-and Victoria realizes that she and Katherine will likely be returned to their own times the following spring. Tension mounts when a rich and handsome suitor applies to marry her, and Victoria must choose whether to accept him for Katherine's sake or to follow her own heart.

Ryan Ashton, the husband Victoria left behind, is baffled by the woman his wife has suddenly become. Unwilling to believe her story about an exchange in time, Ryan struggles to understand the stark transformation of his timid, remote wife into a sexually aggressive and captivating siren. Against his better judgment, he falls hard for this new woman who is a perplexing mixture of cruelty, sensuality, and tenderness, a woman who he suspects has the power to either break his heart or heal the aching loneliness he has lived with all his life.

Amazon paperback | Amazon Kindle |  BN | Kobo

Excerpt:
I bit my lip, wanting to avoid any subject that could ruin the easy camaraderie of our afternoons together. Michael had been friendly and funny, teasing me gently, treating me with the easy affection of an older brother. Once or twice I'd caught him watching me with a fierce intentness that made my heart skip. But then he'd grin or offer a quip that made us both laugh, and the uncomfortable moment would pass.
I enjoyed the lightness of our friendship, grateful for the reprieve. In the rose garden at Summerwood and later on the trip to San Francisco, I had felt the slow but persistent budding of a new feeling that both thrilled and frightened me. The lightest touch of Michael's hand pricked up hairs along my skin like electricity; his boyish grin twisted a slow, sweet pain deep into my body. His clean, male scent in close proximity could stun me with unexpected waves of need, often forcing me to look away so he wouldn't see the flame in my eyes.
I couldn't allow Michael to guess where my heart was taking me—because of Raymond.Although many things were unclear to me, one fact seemed certain—Katherine must marry Raymond Delacroix and have at least one child with him. If I gave in to my new feelings for Michael, and if I were cruel enough to let him see them, then I risked both hurting him and ruining Katherine's chances with Raymond when she came back to her own time.
And Katherine would come back. I was convinced of it, all my desperate wishes to the contrary. She would marry Raymond, give birth to Elise, and secure a future that would eventually lead to her daughter painting a picture of Katherine and me at the bridge over Two Trees Creek. By the same token, I would return to life as a lingerie model and a cold marriage with Ryan Ashton. Ryan.
"What?" Michael's voice made me jump and turn my head.
"What?"
"You said 'Ryan' again."
"I did?"
Michael had removed his glasses, and he blinked at me from only a foot away. God, he has beautiful eyes, I thought. Soft gray-green depths that held me breathless, fighting a slow, aching pull to be in his arms.
"He's...nobody," I said.
Michael was studying me, his eyes so solemn and searching that I couldn't look away. He didn't speak, but in that moment my heart yearned toward him, and he saw it. His expression changed. His gaze moved slowly from my eyes to my mouth.
I turned my face away and shut my eyes over a sudden sting of tears.
"Kat?" he said softly. His voice held a new, cautious note of intimacy. A moment later his thumb brushed my 
wet cheek, and the tenderness of his touch wrenched a low cry from me. I pushed his hand away and struggled to sit upright.
"Don't touch me!" Pain made my voice sharp. "You can't touch me, Michael!"
But his hand was already under my elbow, helping me to sit. He pushed a handkerchief into my hand.
"Here. Take it." He sounded bewildered and hurt. "Seems you'd rather do the job yourself."
He watched me wipe my eyes and blow my nose with his handkerchief. I couldn't look at him, and after a moment he reached for his glasses and slipped them on.
In a tight voice he asked, "Do you still want to visit Union Square?"
I pressed the soggy handkerchief to my lips and nodded.
Michael pushed himself to his feet and thrust out a hand to help me up. We folded the blanket between us, careful not to touch each other's fingers, and he picked up the hamper. As we crossed the grass in uneasy silence, a fresh roll of tears made me reach into my handbag for a clean handkerchief. A flash of copper tumbled into the grass.
I stopped quickly, but Michael was quicker. He scooped up the coin, examined it briefly, and gave it back to me.
"You still carrying that thing around?"
I looked up at him, my handkerchief arrested halfway to my face. "My coin? What do you know about my coin?"
He squinted at me and frowned. "You're kidding, right? I was with you when you paid a nickel for that worthless thing at the county fair. You said it was good luck, and you carried it around in your pocket for years." He stopped at my look. "What is it?"
"Michael, are you certain this is the same coin?"
I handed it back to him. His gaze lingered on my face, puzzled, before he examined the coin. He weighed it briefly on his palm, flipped it over, and gave it back to me.
"Of course I'm certain." He pointed his finger at the familiar nick in the rim. "There's where the wagon wheel ran over it, and you were so furious because you thought the magic was ruined." He screwed up his eyes against the sun and studied me. "What's the matter with you, Kat? You're looking at me like I've got two heads."
I shook my head in dazed wonder, suspended once again in that universe where Katherine's world and mine overlapped and where it made perfect sense that her lucky coin should have somehow come to me—twice.

About the Author:

Judith Ingram weaves together her love of romance and her training as a counselor to create stories and characters for her novels. She also writes Christian nonfiction books and enjoys speaking to groups on a variety of inspirational topics. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco East Bay and makes frequent trips to California's beautiful Sonoma County, where most of her fiction characters reside. She confesses a love for chocolate, cheesecake, romantic suspense novels, and all things feline.

Website, blog & free weekly devotional | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn 



Tour giveaway 
4 signed paperback copies of Borrowed Promises with bookmarks.
4 ebook copies (.pdf or .epub) of Borrowed Promises.
4 sets of Moonseed notecards; each set of six cards features scenes from the story, sketched by artist Amy Wong.
4 Amazon gift cards at $25 each.
4 coffee mugs featuring the book cover for Borrowed Promises along with tagline, "The past isn't always behind you…".

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Book Spotlight: No Biz Like Showbiz by Julie Moffett

No Biz Like Showbiz
Lexi Carmichael Mystery Series
Book 5
Julie Moffett


Genre: Mystery/Romance/ Action Adventure
Publisher: Carina Press


Book Description:
Lexi Carmichael: Helping Geeks Everywhere Get Some

Okay, so it’s not exactly as it seems, but that’s what is happening on the dating reality television show called “Geeks Get Some” that I, Lexi Carmichael geek extraordinaire, am called to work on. Not that I’m a fan of reality shows (I can barely deal with my own reality), yet I’ve been sent to Hollywood to find a hacker who’s screwing with the results of the show’s online voting system.

So what happens when I get there? Well, the producers convince me to continue my investigation from the inside. What should be an easy hunt for the hacker turns ugly when he sets his sights on me. Add to that a studio obsessed with ratings, a bunch of nerdy contestants, and my own confusing love life, and unraveling this mystery might make me a star—or get me killed.

Catch up with Lexi in No One Lives Twice, No One to Trust, No Money Down, No Place Like Rome!

Trailer


Amazon

Excerpt:
No Biz Like Showbiz . . .

My name is Lexi Carmichael and I have a problem with most of today’s television programming. Not because of the sheer implausibility of a majority of the shows—although that does factor—but because too many programs seem to feature a tech genius who can solve the problems of the world with one stroke of a keyboard.
Here’s how it happens… a tech head is desperately trying to hack into a system. Death, the collapse of the free world, or the apocalypse is imminent if he fails. (Yes, tech heroes always seem to be guys since I guess in Hollywood a woman doesn’t know her way around a keyboard.) He types commands frantically as the clock ticks down to Doomsday. As the scenario continues, our frazzled hero takes a moment to run his fingers through his perfectly styled hair before he types just one more command and bingo, he’s in. He’ll then have a whole millisecond to navigate a completely unfamiliar system, find the magic switch, and shut down the entire system in time to save the day, world, girl, whatever, with one stroke. All of this while the super expensive, cutting-edge government system or expensive black-market technology used by the show's villain will aid our intrepid hero by providing helpful visual prompts like Access Denied or Access Granted in big bold letters across the screen as he works his hacking magic.
Just shoot me.
I’m a real hacker and yes, I’m female. I double-majored in mathematics and computer science at Georgetown University and have spent most of my twenty-five years learning how to bypass cryptographic protocols, exploit system vulnerabilities, and finesse distributed denial of service attacks. I’ve never had to avert an apocalypse, but if I did, I’m pretty sure it would take more than one freaking minute, and I wouldn’t be worried about my hair while doing it. My first successful hack on a relatively simple system took five hours. It might have taken four, but my mom kept distracting me by yelling through my bedroom door that if I gave ballet class just one more try she’d give me a hundred dollars to spend however I wanted. So, watching these types of shows and movies is hard on both my nerves and stomach.

© Julie Moffett No Biz Like Showbiz Excerpt

About the Author:

Julie Moffett is the award-winning author of thirteen published novels in the genres of historical, paranormal fantasy, and time travel romances, and action/adventure mysteries.

She grew up as a military brat (Air Force) and has traveled extensively. Her more exciting exploits include attending Kubasaki High School in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking around Europe and Scandinavia for several months, a year-long college graduate study in Warsaw, Poland and a wonderful trip to Scotland and Ireland where she fell in love with castles, kilts and brogues.

Julie has a B.A. in Political Science and Russian Language from Colorado College, a M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and is nearly finished with her M.Ed from Liberty University in Virginia. Able to speak Russian and Polish, she worked as a journalist for the international radio station, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Washington, D.C. for eleven years, publishing hundreds of articles. She now works as a proposal writer and research advisor for a defense contractor in the Washington, D.C. area.

Julie has two sons who keep her quite busy. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and Washington Romance Writers where she served six years on the organization’s Board of Directors. She was also the Market News Columnist and Feature’s Editor for the organization’s monthly newsletter, Update, for eleven years.

Connect with Julie:

Website | Twitter | FacebookGoodreads


Tour giveaway
5 ebook copies of No Biz Like Showbiz

Monday, August 4, 2014

Book Blast Spotlight: Outlaw Revenge by London Casey

Outlaw Revenge
A Back Down Devil MC Novel
Book One
London Casey


Genre: romance, new adult, romantic suspense
Publisher: Hundred to Home
Date of Publication: July 3rd
Number of pages: 170


Book Description:

Emily didn't want to go watch a bunch of bikers fight each other, and by the time the fight is over, her best friend is shot dead and Emily finds herself clutching the leather cut of a sexy guy named Gaige as she's on the back of his motorcycle, escaping gunfire.

As Vice President of Back Down Devil MC, Gaige Gaen's world is consumed by the club, the life, and finding a way to make it all work. The last thing he needs on his plate - or in his bed - is a woman like Emily. He can't stop looking at her, and he definitely can't stop touching her. He promises to avenge the death of Emily's best friend, Rachel, but then the situation takes a turn for the worse when Rachel's father - a rich man hell bent on revenge - shows up and wants answers that the MC doesn't have.

Emily is in fear of returning to a past she had escaped. She and Gaige can't seem to stop their feelings for each other, and as her dangerous past digs its way into the present, Gaige and Back Down Devil are now in the line of fire.

The war in Emily and Gaige's hearts rage on, but the war outside needs to be fought... the question is, who is going to make it out alive?

Amazon BN  | Kobo  | iTunes

About the Author:
London Casey is the pen name for bestselling romance author Karolyn James.


Author Links:
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