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Release Blitz & Review ~ Banger: The Complete Set ~ by ~ Dick Hertz

Today we have the series relaunch of BANGER by Donya Lynne writing as Dick Hertz! Check it out and grab your copy today!!

About Banger!

She wants an easy summer fling. He wants more. And he won’t stop until he gets it.

CEO, Greyson James, has a BIG problem. Below the waist, he’s more man than most women can take, which has destroyed his sex life. Just once, he would like to meet a woman who doesn’t get a load of his . . . well, load . . . and run the other direction.

Katherine Clayton, divorcée and single mother of two, just sent her kids to California to spend summer vacation with their father, which means it’s time for her annual summer fling. Maybe this year she’ll find a man who can give her what she needs. And, after having two kids, what she needs is a lot of man. If she can’t find him this year, she’ll dedicate the rest of her life to her children and celibacy, because she can’t take any more bedroom disappointments.

When Greyson and Katherine spot each other inside Denver’s trendiest nightclub, the chemistry that erupts between them is undeniable, and they soon learn that each has what the other needs. But after one night of intense passion, neither is prepared for the wicked ride fate has in store for them.

As the Banger Serialized Novel unfolds, Greyson and Katherine will wrestle with their feelings for each another, long-held family secrets will be revealed, and scandals neither could have imagined will rock them to the core.

Read Greyson and Katherine’s entire story in this collection of all seven previously published novellas to find out if what they’ve found in each other will be enough for happily ever after, or if one summer fling is all they’ll share?

This collection includes all seven novellas that were previously published separately under the title, Banger (formerly Size Matters). A short summary for each part follows:

Part 1 – Well-endowed Greyson James meets pleasure-seeking Katherine Clayton. She thinks he’s a temporary summer fling. He wants something more.

Part 2 – When Katherine learns Greyson wants to buy her company, sparks fly, and she ends their affair. But Greyson is determined to win her back.

Part 3 – Katherine resists Greyson’s steady attempts to woo her back into his bed, but she can only hold out so long when her desire for him continues to grow.

Part 4 – Greyson takes Katherine on a weekend getaway that leads to a surprising confession—and an unexpected realization.

Part 5 – When Katherine and Greyson attend their friends’ wedding, she’s not prepared for her jealous reaction when she sees him with another woman. And neither is he.

Part 6 – Katherine was finally ready to give Greyson her heart, but a tragic secret from his past, as well as new developments in her family obligations, have threatened everything.

Part 7 – If Greyson is going to win Katherine back, he’s going to have to pull out all the stops. But all the stops might not be enough to overcome the surprises fate still has in store for them.

Get Your Copy Today!

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Exclusive Excerpt:

I tear my gaze away from the tall glass of cool water on the balcony who’s been eye-fucking me for the last minute and nudge Jess.

“I think I found him.”

“Who?” She glances around then meets my gaze. “Oh!” Her eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open. “You mean . . . Mr. Manhunt?”

I nod.

“Where?”

“The balcony.” I bob my head in that direction. “Grey shirt. Dark-brown hair. The one with a jawline that can cut glass.” Of all the men I’ve chosen for my summer romances, this guy is the hottest yet. I only hope he’s as willing as he seems to be, because I’d like to at least see if he excels over the competition in other ways. Namely, is he packing, or isn’t he?

Jess frowns as she glances up to the balcony. “Where? I don’t see—” Her gaze drops and she’s staring over my shoulder. “Oh . . .”

A shiver races down my back, and I know by the look on her face that he’s standing right behind me.

“Excuse me.” His voice is deep and manly, and my stomach drops then buoys back up against my diaphragm.

If just his voice can elicit that response, I can only imagine what the rest of him can do to me. Or perhaps I’m merely hopeful. I have to remind myself that for all the potential of my last four summer flings, none lived up to the hype.

I turn, and he’s more striking up close than he was on the balcony. Taller, too.

Sometimes men are more attractive from far away, but when you see them up close, not so much. When they’re right in front of you, it’s easier to see the imperfections in their skin or that they don’t take the best care of their teeth. Or maybe they have an off-putting scent, whether natural or cologne.

With this guy, there are no imperfections. His teeth are straight and white, and his healthy, weathered skin tells me he spends a lot of time outdoors. Based on the width of his shoulders and his tapered waist, I’d say the time he spends outdoors is spent doing he-man activities such as chopping through ten-foot wide tree trunks with an ax and throwing boulders. He’s obviously chiseled under his grey button-up and black slacks. Are those Armani? As for the way he smells, I feel like I’ve stepped into a crisp, clean shower in a rainforest. I just want to run my nose up the side of his neck, inhaling like a coke addict.

His smile widens as his hazel, grey-blue eyes narrow slightly, and I realize I’m staring.

“I was hoping I could buy you a drink,” he says.

It’s simple as far as pickup lines go. Simple and polite. I like polite. It means he’s not a jerk. Or at least not a total jerk. Or maybe he’s just a smooth operator, but I don’t think so. There’s a gentle kindness in his eyes, as if he’s been rejected one too many times and, while he’s not willing to give up, he’s more cautious now about the women he approaches. Whatever the reason, I feel honored that he’s chosen to approach me.

My turquoise-colored cocktail is almost empty, so I smile and place the glass on the polished bar. “Sure, okay.”

“And your friend?” He gestures invitingly toward Jess as he flags down the bartender. “What are you two drinking?”

Jess squeezes up beside me. “It’s called a Caribbean Mist.”

The bartender stops in front of us and leans in.

“Two Caribbean Mists and another scotch and soda please.” He sets his empty glass on the bar.

The bartender nods brusquely and runs off to fix our drinks.

“My name’s Grey,” he says, speaking loud enough to be heard over the music.

“Grey? Really?” I can’t help smiling. “Like the name of a certain character from a certain book that shall remain nameless?”

He rolls his eyes impishly, and his cheeks flush. “I’ve never read that book, so I barely know what it’s about, just what I’ve heard through the grapevine.”

“You should read it. It’s a pretty good book. Very educational.”

He flashes me his perfect smile, and it makes the sexy dimple in the center of his chin more pronounced. “I’ll think about it.” He studies me for a moment. “My full name is Greyson. It’s a family name. But everyone calls me Grey. I promise I don’t hurt women for pleasure or anything like that.” His slashing eyebrows tick inward as if the idea of hurting women makes him uncomfortable, which scores him extra brownie points.

I pretend to be affronted. “You don’t?” I gasp dramatically. “And here I was hoping you’d tie me up and flog me senseless.”

His mouth falls open, and he appears both lost for words and completely thrown.

I laugh and place my hand reassuringly on his forearm, which is resting on the bar. “I’m only kidding, Greyson.”

Relief washes over him, and he smiles again. “Ah, okay.” He averts his gaze and chuckles tightly. “You had me worried for a second.”

Then he does something I don’t expect. Something that makes me stop laughing and draw in a shaky breath.

He places his hand over mine.

He’s still chuckling, his gaze averted almost shyly, and yet this casual, effortless touch feels more intimate than if he’d reached under my dress and caressed my inner thigh. I don’t even think he’s realized what he’s done. As if comforting people comes naturally to him . . . to the point that he doesn’t even think about it.

But his touch isn’t comforting at all. At least, not to me. It’s sizzling. It’s arousing. It’s all-consuming.

His palm is callused—but not unpleasantly so—and it’s warm and dry. I don’t know what it is about rough hands—man hands, as I call them—but they turn me on. To me, calluses are a sign that a man not only works hard but plays hard, and given Greyson’s physique and demeanor, I’d say his calluses are caused by both. He strikes me as the kind of man who climbs mountains or runs military-grade obstacle courses for fun. He has a special forces look about him. Like he’d look as good dressed in SWAT gear, holding a semiautomatic rifle, as he does dressed in the shimmery grey shirt and black tailored slacks he’s wearing tonight.

All I know is that the moment his hand touched mine, an electrical current traveled up my arm, strengthening the strange connection I feel with him.

He becomes aware that I’ve stopped laughing and turns toward me. What he finds on my face makes his smile fade, and a moment later, lust-filled enchantment seeps into his expression. His thumb brushes over the back of my hand, and I suck in my breath, which in turn makes him suck in his.

“What’s your name?” he asks, moving closer.

“Katherine.”

“Katherine.” He rolls my name over his tongue. Who would have thought my own name could be an aphrodisiac. But the way it sounds rumbling across Greyson’s vocal chords is enough to make my insides quiver and my neglected libido stand up and take notice. “You have a beautiful name.”

I’ve never thought my name was beautiful until just this second. “Everybody calls me Kate.”

“I like Katherine.”

So do I, especially when he says it. “Then you can call me Katherine.”

 TBRreview

Holy cow! Grey and Kate’s story is a little bit crazy. But I absolutely when a bunch of stories are released in a box set like this. I can just keep reading and reading. 

Kate is having her yearly summer hookup. That’s how she meets Grey. Both Grey and Kate have an “affliction” that makes them perfect for each other. Grey is abnormally large. And for anyone who says bigger is better, needs to read this series! 

5 stars!

Doyna Lynne writing as Dick Hertz Bio:

Donya Lynne is the bestselling author of the award winning All the King’s Men and Strong Karma Series and a member of Romance Writers of America. Making her home in a wooded suburb north of Indianapolis with her husband, Donya has lived in Indiana most of her life and knew at a young age she was destined to be a writer. She started writing poetry in grade school and won her first short story contest in fourth grade. In junior high, she began writing romantic stories for her friends, and by her sophomore year, she’d been dubbed Most Likely to Become a Romance Novelist. In 2012, she fulfilled her dream by publishing her first two novels and a novella. In 2016, she began writing serialized novels under the pen name, Dick Hertz. Her work has earned her two IPPYs, five eLit Awards, a USA Today Recommended Read, and numerous accolades. In October and November of 2015, she had two books hit the Smashwords Top 25 Bestsellers list. When she’s not writing, she can be found cheering on the Indianapolis Colts or doing her cats’ bidding.

Connect with the Author:

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Series Tour ~ Behind Blue Line Series ~ by ~ Christine Zolendz

Series: Behind Blue Lines Series
Titles: Resisting Love and Searching for Love
Author: Christine Zolendz
Genre: Contemporary Romance


 To serve and protect…
That’s my job.
That’s who I am, and what I do.
It’s what I’ve always done.

And when she comes back to town,
She’s all I want,
All I need.

But I know better.
I refuse to give into my desire.
I’ll never hurt her,
Never leave her.

And my job alone threatens it all,
Threatens everything.
I have to stay away,
Otherwise, I’ll break her,
Ruin her,
And destroy us.

What you’re looking for might be right in front of you…


 BROOKE FURY
Betrayed. Destroyed. Shattered.
But, I’m used to it.
After all, I’m a cop, and I’ve seen the worst.
I just never thought it would happen to me.
But it did.

 Now, I can’t trust anyone.
Not him.
Not myself.
Nobody.

 RYAN CAGE
Determined. Loyal. Honest.
But she won’t trust me,
Won’t let me in.
Even though I’m a detective, 
I can’t solve the mystery.

 No matter how hard I try,
She pushes me away.
What she doesn’t realize,
Is I’m the one thing she can count on,

 Forever.

Christine Zolendz, a USA Today Bestseller, resides in New York City with her favorite NYPD detective and their two beautiful daughters. She loves reading, writing, wine, and caramel lattes.

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Series Tour ~ The Devils Pride MC ~ by ~ Jessie G

Series: The Devil’s Pride MC Series
Author: Jessie G
Genre: M/M Romance
Novels: Tricking Chase, Talk Dirty to Me, and  
Tys That Bind

http://store.jessiegbooks.com

 

As Sergeant At Arms for Devils Pride MC, Tyler “Trick” Malone’s take no prisoners reputation make him one of the most feared and respected members of the club. Unbeknownst to the MC, Trick indulges his most dangerous secret, traveling out of state twice a year to trade his cut for the whip he expertly wields at a gay dungeon.

 


 

Trick’s well organized life takes a turn when he saves bar back, and terrified submissive, Chase Ward in a Georgia dungeon. With his protector and dungeon owner dead, Chase is no longer safe in the place he once called home. With the new dungeon owners circling like sharks, he desperately begs for sanctuary in the arms of his savior.

 


A year later the MC is still none the wiser that Trick’s houseboy is anything more than a grateful servant. Chase knows if the club finds out they will kill Trick, the man he’s come to rely on for everything from the food he eats to the pleasure he feels to the security he craves. Even when gratitude turns to love, Chase never expects reciprocation from his ruthless Master. After all, the only way for them both to survive is if Trick remains the heartless bastard the MC knows.

Trick is positive he has it under control and having Chase around has definitely made his life easier. There doesn’t seem to be any harm in letting Chase take a part-time job at Velvet Ropes, especially after meeting privately with the owners. That is until a bomb explodes at the club, leaving Chase fighting for his life and forcing Trick to face his long hidden feelings.

Even if Chase survives, that bomb has done more than rock the foundation of the popular leather club. It’s blown Trick and Chase’s well-guarded secret out of hiding, putting their lifestyle and their lives at risk. Now there is only one thing Trick needs to do before the club gets them and that’s to get revenge on the person who dared to hurt his precious boy.
As a secret agent for the DEA, Snake’s gone deep into Devils Pride MC with the hope of bringing down the head of Miami’s lucrative drug trade and finds himself saddled with the club’s volatile and secretive SA instead. Unfortunately, after years as partners doing shit neither of them wanted to do for reasons neither of them felt comfortable sharing, Snake considers Trick his best friend. Now he’ll do anything to repair the damage his own necessary lies.

 

did to their friendship because, while Trick may have walked away from the MC, Snake needs someone he trusts to have his back. 

 


 

Meanwhile, Snake’s contact at the DEA has him tied up in knots. The sexy voice and inappropriate comments have him walking around with a permanent set of blue balls. Life undercover is lonely and he lives for every phone call, but his own personal Deep Throat is skittish about committing to a date once Snake returns to headquarters. As far as Snake’s concerned, they only have one shot to build something together and he’s not willing to waste it. 
Greg knows he’s not Snake’s type, or anyone’s for that matter. Former love interests called him plain, chubby, and boring. More comfortable in his tech cave than with people, he’s a grade A nerd who isn’t exactly GQ material. Normally he would never be brave enough to flirt with anyone—much less the very hot and very dangerous ginger who’d been starring in his nightly fantasies—but Snake needed something to keep him from getting lost undercover. What started out as a helping hand quickly became an integral part of their relationship—if one could call a five year phone conversation a relationship—and Greg is terrified that once Snake’s sees the wizard behind the curtain, he’ll lose the only man he’s ever loved. 

 


 

Now the DEA has called Snake home to plan the next stage of the mission, leaving Greg no more places to hide. When fantasy and reality collide, will it be everything Snake hopes for or everything Greg fears? The trick will be staying alive long enough to figure out the answer.

 

Unprepared, ill-equipped, and with no example to look back on, Ty and Chase embarked on a journey to build a family for Ava and Luc that would far exceed anything they dreamed of for themselves. Two years later, they’ve succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, but there’s still a couple of things missing…and they’re ready to make them happen. 

 


 

Bad boy biker Trick wouldn’t hesitate to fight for those he loves, but Ty knows it will take more than violence to win this war. Willfully submissive Chase has the utmost faith in his Master, but when he sees Ty struggling with demons from his past, it will be his quiet, unbending support that will see them through. Jumping through the loopholes of family court, they are only one event shy of making it all official and neither are willing to wait another second to check it off the list. 

 


Clearing the path for adoption should reassure them, but it will take their cast of well-meaning friends and the occasional slap upside the head before they realize that the ties that bind them together are forged in a love that can never be taken away.

Like many readers, the dream of being a writer has been with me a long time. After three decades of trying, I’d begun to doubt. Thanks to social media, I followed my favorite authors hoping to glean some words of wisdom as I pounded out half-formed ideas with alarming regularity. Two repetitive themes emerged: to be a great writer you must read a lot and your butt must be in the chair every day like it’s a job. The more you write, the easier it will be to write and the better you will be at writing. I took that advice to heart and write every day. With three series in the works and a full schedule of releases planned for the next two years, it’s been amazing to have made this dream my reality.

I am a firm believer in marriage equality, love at first sight, power dynamics, and happily ever after. I’m a lover of strong secondary characters, and series filled with families—biological or chosen. All are themes you’ll find throughout my books.



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Series Tour ~ The Alex Conner Chronicles ~ by ~ Parker Sinclair

Series: The Alex Conner Chronicles 
Titles: Trust, Truth & Forbidden
Author: Parker Sinclair
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Fantasy
Alex Conner’s nights of event production and partying in San Diego, California have taken a turn for the worse as nightmares invade her mind on a daily basis. The memories of the vile man she exiled using the powers inherited from her mother and grandmother are all but breaking into her living hours, and nothing is working to keep her nightmares at bay. Will she ultimately be the one responsible for bringing this horror back into her life? Who can she trust and how is she to deal with the draw she has towards a new man in her life – a man who is definitely more than meets the eye?
Now that Alex can no longer deny her heritage as an Earthen Protector, everything comes crashing down around her. Alex’s estranged mom has enlisted her help in finding Alex’s father; a man who was presumed dead since before she was born. While she waits and trains with Dana, the Mistress of Weaponry and Potions, innocent people, some who she dearly loves, face unspeakable horrors. Alex and her small, yet powerful, group of companions confront danger head on while they hunt down those responsible. Is her father really alive and will Alex’s training prove to be enough for her take on some powerful enemies? As if the threats in her life weren’t enough for Alex to handle, her feelings for two men have her torn and tempted. Join Alex on her next adventure and enjoy the mystery, humor, and passion in her second Chronicle-Truth.
Now that Alex can no longer deny her heritage as an Earthen Protector, everything comes crashing down around her. Alex’s estranged mom has enlisted her help in finding Alex’s father; a man who was presumed dead since before she was born. While she waits and trains with Dana, the Mistress of Weaponry and Potions, innocent people, some who she dearly loves, face unspeakable horrors. Alex and her small, yet powerful, group of companions confront danger head on while they hunt down those responsible. Is her father really alive and will Alex’s training prove to be enough for her take on some powerful enemies? As if the threats in her life weren’t enough for Alex to handle, her feelings for two men have her torn and tempted. Join Alex on her next adventure and enjoy the mystery, humor, and passion in her second Chronicle-Truth.

Ms. Sinclair gives credit to the development of her imagination and passion for writing to multiple childhood destinations lacking indoor plumbing. It may sound odd, yet when your journey to adulthood consists of numerous backpacking, camping, and hiking trips to the most out-of-the-way and breathtakingly beautiful places in North America, the creation of games, worlds, and characters are the results. She would never trade the childhood her parents gave her, and she thanks them for raising her to have her own thoughts, dreams, and bountiful imagination. Oh and she wishes to thank them for teaching her that one should never leave their jeans on the floor of an everglades campground shower—lest they do the dance of the scorpions in the pants again!


While attending college, Ms. Sinclair studied biological sciences and psychology, specifically animal behavior, but her love has forever been to write. There are boxes in her house filled with notebooks, journals, and logs with poems, stories, lyrics, and personal rants scratched into them with pencil, marker, pen, whatever she could get her hands on. Words demanded to be thrown out of her mind and onto paper by any means necessary. Ms. Sinclair’s studies have contributed greatly to the worlds, characters, and stories she creates, proving that no matter what path you take, it will all be part of where you end up—sometimes in spectacular ways!

Since 2007, Ms. Sinclair calls Coastal Virginia home where she is a licensed school counselor currently following her dreams as a professional author. Ms. Sinclair’s writes magical realism, paranormal romance, adult urban fantasy, YA epic fantasy, and romantic fantasy novels.


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Review Tour ~ The Selfish Series ~ by ~ Shantel Tessier

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THE SELFISH SERIES

Blog and Review Tour

by

Best Selling Author

SHANTEL TESSIER

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About Selfish (Selfish Series Book 1)

ASHLYN
It was supposed to be a vacation. Five whole days on the beach with my best friend before we made the move from Seattle to New York. I never expected to meet a man who would make me change the way I saw love and sex. I’ve always believed you can have one without the other. So, when I hooked up with a one-night stand while on vacation, I never expected him to be standing in the middle of my hotel room hours later. Proclaiming to be my best friend’s brother.
RYDER
I’m married to my job. I’m twenty-nine and help run a fortune 500 company. I hadn’t seen my sister in four years, and I wanted to surprise her. What better way than on her vacation? What I ended up getting was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. And for that one night, I was it. I knew that I wanted more. You don’t spend a night with someone like her and let her walk away that easily.
It took me two seconds to decide I wanted him for one night. It took me a day to understand that he was gonna want more.
I’ve always had the means to buy anything I want. Too bad, she is priceless.
I’ve always believed in love. But I’m selfish. I want more … But can he give it to me? Or when this gets hard, does he walk away?

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TBRreview

This was actually the first book of Shantel Tessier’s that I’ve read and I was NOT disappointed. This series was amazing! I loved Ashlyn and Ryder’s start. Ashlyn is not interested in relationships and neither is Ryder. So when they meet at a bar, they figure one night will be perfect for them. Until Ashlyn finds out that Ryder is her bestie’s brother.

Ryder hasn’t been into relationships but he can’t stop himself from wanting one with Ashlyn and having to convince her into it. I love stories where the male wants the female and has to persuade her on giving them a shot.

Now there is a cliffhanger but Myself is out and you get to hear more…

5 stars!

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About Myself (Selfish Series Book 2)

Becca
Mistakes? We all make them. But when you get the chance to right them, you don’t think twice. You take what you know, and you learn from it. I realized I had a chance at something better. He was willing to give me himself. And I wasn’t willing to let anyone take that from me again..
Jaycent
I should have never walked away. He wasn’t right for her; we all saw it. But I did as she asked and let her go. No matter how much it hurt me. But I’ve been given another chance. Now that she’s back in my life, I’m gonna make sure no one comes between us. Some aren’t going to agree. Others are going to downright hate it. But I don’t care. I’m doing what’s best for me, myself and I … and she is the best!

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Beautiful young woman in a sexy short dress

TBRreview

A great continuation of the series but featuring Becca and Jaycent. Yes, Ashlyn and Ryder make appearances but you get to hear about Becca and Jaycent’s story from them directly. Which I so wanted to hear after the a$$hole that Conner was. And I love this title because it fits Becca directly. She is doing things for herself now and not someone else and planning to make herself happy, however that happens.

Jaycent has always been Becca’s protector and now we know why. Yes, she’s his bestie’s little sister but there’s more and almost always has been. I loved that there was more to Jaycent than being just happy go lucky guy and that he was so deep and feeling.

This ends in a cliffhanger too but it will be more about Ryder and Ashlyn again – because we need their story wrapped up STAT!!!

5 stars

About the Author

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Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their three year old little princess. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

She considers herself extremely lucky to get to be a stay at home wife and mother. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee, but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.

Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughter, along with their cat and dog.

Make sure to follow her on all social media sites!

Author Links

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Series Tour ~ Love Overboard ~ by ~ Andrea K. Stein & Sawyer Stone

Series: Love Overboard Series
Novels: Way Too Deep, Up Too Close, & Out Too Far
Authors: Andrea K. Stein & Sawyer Stone
Genre: Steamy Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Captain Lindsay Fisher has committed the unthinkable in the tight little world of superyachting. She’s lost not one but two ships under her command. She takes chances, she’s a little too abrasive, and, oh yeah, she’s taken swearing like a sailor to a whole new level. Celebrity Chef Alton Maura earned the acclaimed “Kitchen God” title and basked in the international limelight for years until his affairs with his kitchen staff landed him twice in a poisonous stew. When Lindsay and Alton are thrown together on an uneasy cruise through the Grenadines, sparks fly. She doesn’t like his shoes or his attitude. He can’t believe a woman who looks that good in a captain’s uniform can be such a hard ass. This is their last chance to prove themselves, but the worst thing you can do when trying to save your career is to fall in love…WAY TOO DEEP.

CeCe Ahlstrom, massage therapist to the rich and famous, is done with men. Her last rich boyfriend tried to kill her on an ill-fated cruise through the Grenadines. Now she’s determined to get on with her life but can’t find the funds to get to her next spa gig in Portugal. Then along comes notorious womanizer Captain Rene Baudouin. He’s hell on the hearts of women, he can handle any storm at sea, yet he might have met his match in a leaky old boat. He needs a first mate crazy enough to help crew the wreck knows as the Tourbillon across the Atlantic. Destiny draws CeCe And Rene together, but things are not what they seem. Rene struggles with a family secret that could destroy his future and CeCe will have to face a truth not even she knows yet. Out on the open sea, Rene and CeCe soon find themselves…UP TOO CLOSE.

Rania Elsaeid is the brilliant engineer aboard the 115-foot yacht, the Bonnie Blue. She’s also a deadly, well-trained security guard. She keeps her cool when everything around her heats up. Morris “Moj” Johnston, internationally famous music producer, is on a much-needed vacation cruise through the islands of the Indian Ocean. He’s not looking for love but trying to heal a broken heart. When Moj meets Rania, everything changes. Suddenly they find themselves on the run from pirates, lost on a deserted island, and dangerously close to going…OUT TOO FAR.

Way Too Close (Love Overboard Series Book 1)

CHAPTER ONE

48°37’17”N, 20°12’20”W

Aboard the Boadicea

One Day Southwest of Falmouth

 

Captain Lindsay Fisher jolted awake to thundering pain centered over a golfball-sized knot on the right side of her forehead. Hot, sticky blood trickled from a gash on her scalp.
The cabin lights were out, but in the gloom she could hear the roar of seawater cascading along the floor of her starboard aft cabin. She’d fallen into her bunk a few hours before encased in foul weather gear — and a life jacket.
The ship was in a severe list. Dazed and still barefooted, she used handholds to make her way to the main saloon. The dim glow from the overhead deck bevels illuminated water pouring through the galley from the forward cabin. Shit. The custom glass top over the owner’s cabin had shattered.
The sixty-four-foot Hallberg-Rassy must have done a full roll. Lindsay had been asleep on the floor of her cabin and had probably smacked her head sometime during the spin.
They were sinking. Fast. And her first mate, her uncle Tommy, had been on watch at the helm.
She ignored the stuttering of her heart and snatched the ditch bag carabineer, clipped to the galley counter rail. She nearly collided with her second crewman in a race to the top deck.
“Jim, deploy the life raft. Now.” she shouted, shoving the bag at him.
“Got it,” he yelled, and pounded up the companionway ahead of her.
She hauled herself up, two steps at a time, and called out, “Tommy.” She didn’t wait for an answer but hit the top deck running.
The wreckage above sickened her. Anything not tied down was gone. The rigging still stood, but the sails were soaked, twisted and ripped. The top quarter of the mast had broken off.
A late, fierce storm, at least Force 11, was kicking up monster size waves, and sixty-knot winds whipped the surface water into a roiling mist. Airborne spray and foam narrowed visibility to nearly zero.
The earlier weather faxes she’d checked had shown the storm passing west of them. Mother Ocean must have changed her mind.
Tommy. I have to get to him.
Lindsay exhaled hard at the sight of the lifeboat valise still lashed to the safety rail. Her third crewman Jim worked at the straps to free the big rubber inflatable, the only thing between them and the frigid North Atlantic waters.
When the huge raft was prepped, he would splash the lifeboat into the savage waves battering the broken yacht. He’d already attached the raft’s painter to the ship to keep it from blowing overboard. When the ship sank, the emergency tether would break free.
The steep tilt of the deck meant she had only minutes to call for help and find her first mate before the yacht plummeted to the bottom of the sea.
She punched the DSC button on the waterproof radio strapped on her chest to broadcast their GPS coordinates. Then she pushed transmit and spoke calmly.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is Captain Lindsay Fisher on the Boadicea, Boadicea, Boadicea. We’re a day southwest of Falmouth at 48°37’17”N, 20°12’20”W, and sinking. The ship has rolled with three passengers aboard. One crew member possibly overboard. We are deploying the lifeboat and EPIRB beacon.”
She waited a minute and repeated the plea while crossing to the wheel where Tommy should be.
They were still less than two hundred miles out of the English Channel. If she didn’t get a response soon from the Brits, she hoped another nearby ship listening to Channel 16 would relay her call for help.
When she reached the stern behind the wheel, the only sign of Tommy was a taut portion of his six-foot safety tether. Lindsay squinted through the spray peppering her face like needles. The strap wound down the backside of the wallowing yacht and disappeared into the black waves.
There was still tension on the line. She heaved up on the tether, but the weight on the other end wouldn’t budge. She didn’t dare divert Jim from getting the life raft ready.
Lindsay heaved again on the strap, this time using her whole body weight but lost her grip when her bare feet slipped on the wave-soaked deck. No dice.
She stood for a moment, scanned the waves around the ship, and then plunged into the cold seawater. The towering waves pounded her senseless like a mass of ice mallets pelting her back. Breathe. Focus.
The roll had knocked out their running lights, and the water below the surface was as black as an oil slick. She clutched her lifeline, still clipped to the ship’s jack line, with one hand while groping along the hull beneath the waves searching for Tommy. She swept a 180-degree arc before realizing his tether was stuck on a piece of the swim ladder twisted during the yacht’s violent revolution. Dammit.
The tension on the end of the line wasn’t Tommy.
She unclipped her safety line and left her life jacket on the ladder to begin a frantic free swim along the keel beneath the hull. The creaks and whines of the straining ship shrieked in her ears. Not much time left.
Lindsay resurfaced, gasped in a few breaths, and dived again to the bottom of the keel. Huge thrashing waves exacerbated the wallowing motion of the ship, and the black water threatened to suck her into the claustrophobic darkness.
Her hands and feet were numb, and she wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and let the frigid water take her.
No. She wouldn’t give in to the cold, but she was out of options. One more dive was all her body had left.
She was all in, no backup plan. In a flash, something brushed against her hand. A fish? Not bloody likely this close to the surface in a storm.
She made a wild grab and grasped a sleeve of her uncle’s foul weather gear. His life vest must have hooked onto a protruding piece of a sensor on the keel during the roll.
She pulled with her last surge of strength, and his body broke free. Kicking them both to the surface, she hung on to his life vest and gave silent thanks for her barefoot state. Sea boots would have filled and pulled her down.
The doomed yacht’s loud groans and creaks filled the air when she came up, gulping breaths. They were out of time.
But there, the big yellow raft bobbed in the water, surrounded by the wake of the sinking ship.
Jim’s face in the low light was grim, the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. He’d found them with the battery-operated spotlight. The EPIRB’s beacon flashed behind him as he thrashed through the waves. He grasped Tommy by his jacket and pulled him aboard, then extended a hand to Lindsay. Once inside the small canopied raft, she rolled her uncle to his back and leaned over his chest, listening for breathing. The screaming winds and rain pelting the raft’s rubber top made hearing next to impossible.
Her frozen fingers were useless. She couldn’t use them to detect a pulse, so instead she looked for a rise in his chest. Nothing. She started compressions and after only two or three, Tommy jerked to life and slapped her hands away.
“You tryin’ to kill me or what?” He took the bucket Jim shoved toward him, and in a matter of seconds, puked up seawater. “Son of a–.”
“He’s back,” Lindsay said, her voice ragged with relief and exhaustion. Painful needles of feeling returned to her fingers and toes. She collapsed onto the inflated rubber floor and stared at the peaked roof.
Her career was over.
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Andrea K. Stein’s daddy was a trucker, her momma was an artist, and she’s a scribbler. The stories just spilled out—the pony escaped, the window magically shattered. Not her fault. Twenty years as a journalist couldn’t stifle the yarns. Yacht delivery up and down the Caribbean only increased the flow. Now those tales celebrate romance on the high seas. As a sailing captain and instructor since 1996, she’s logged nearly 30,000 miles to destinations around the world. She now lives in the Rocky Mountains and is the author of four historical sailing romances available on Amazon.com.
Sawyer Stone grew up dreaming of far-off cities and far-flung continents even though those exotic locations seemed way out of reach. But the dreams of travel and love never left. It wasn’t long before Sawyer walked the alleys of Istanbul, watched the sunsets from the island of Santorini, trekked the Himalayas, and dove through shipwrecks in the Andaman Sea. Now, while still traveling, Sawyer writes all kinds of books under all kinds of names. The world needs more stories about quirky characters falling in love.
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Series Tour ~ The Men of Halfway House Series ~ by ~ Jaime Reese

Series: The Men of Halfway House
Author: Jaime Reese
Genre: M/M Romance
Novels: A Better Man, A Hunted Man, A Restored Man, and A Mended Man

Matthew Doner is starting over. After a five-year prison term that alters every aspect of his life, he receives a bequest from his aunt with the stipulation that he use the money to make things right. Breaking free of the long-standing role he’s played and inspired by the few who support him, he decides to create a safe place where people like him can find purpose and start a new life.

Julian Capeletti likes challenges. He is confident, brash, stubborn, and just what Matt needs. Desperate for work after a downturn of luck, he accepts the job to renovate Matt’s crumbling building.

Over the course of a year, romance simmers between them as they restore the house. But there’s a bigger renovation that must take place in their hearts. To become better men, they need to learn to trust each other even with secrets and painful memories they fear may rip them apart.



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After surviving ten years in prison, Cameron Pierce is attempting to put the past behind him. He tries to adjust to his newfound freedom with a place at the halfway house and a job. But one lesson he learned in prison keeps him guarded: hope is a dangerous thing.

Hunter Donovan, Assistant State Attorney, is a man of justice who loves a challenge. After a lifetime of putting his career first, a milestone brings him to a harsh realization—he’s lonely.

Hunter’s world changes when he meets Cam. The wary young man intrigues him and awakens a desire unlike anything he’s ever experienced. When Cam’s past resurfaces and threatens to rip them apart, their budding relationship is challenged and Cam’s hope for a future begins to dim.

These outside forces hunting Cam will stop at nothing to send him back to prison. But they’ll have to get past Hunter first.


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Cole Renzo thinks his greatest challenge is to behave for the remainder of his term at Halfway House. Until he meets his new boss, Ty Calloway, a man who ticks off every box on Cole’s list of interests.

A sought-after restorer and customizer of exotic and collectible cars, Ty had enough confidence to command what he wanted in life, until one fateful night changed everything. Almost two years later, he’s slowly rebuilding his life with great control. He’s defied the odds and works tirelessly to be the man he once was—but he still feels broken.

Cole’s candor and unfiltered personality awaken Ty’s barely-remembered desire to greet each new day with a smile, while Ty’s unwavering acceptance of Cole’s quirks and brash humor makes Cole feel as if he fits in for the first time in far too long. When a nemesis threatens Ty’s personal restoration and the things he holds dear, Cole is determined to protect their relationship, even if that means sacrificing everything he’s worked so hard to achieve.

But Ty will have to let his guard down, surrender control, and admit he needs Cole first, even if that puts himself at risk of breaking beyond repair.

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Detective Aidan Calloway is rock-solid strong. He’s a man of justice—loyal to his friends, family, and job—even if it requires bending a law…or two. He shields himself behind an abrasive, fearless facade, until a phone call one night chips his armor and throws his perfectly planned, hollow life into a tailspin.

Jessie Vega is the epitome of optimism. His carefully crafted attitude of hope and positivity protects him from a past filled with too much pain. When a ghost from a dark time resurfaces and nearly breaks him, he must tap into his inner strength or risk losing everything he’s worked so hard to build.

But Jessie can’t do it alone. He must fight to break through Aidan’s ironclad defenses to reveal the heart of the man hiding beneath the tough surface and mend his damaged spirit. Only then can they truly heal and become strong enough to battle the demons that haunt them and threaten their chance to finally be together.

———
***This book contains scenes and subject matter some readers may find distressing.***

Word count: 145K
Although part of a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone.


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Jaime Reese is the alter ego of an artist who loves the creative process of writing, just not about herself. Fiction is far more interesting. She has a weakness for broken, misunderstood heroes and feels everyone deserves a chance at love and life. An avid fan of a happy ending, she believes those endings acquired with a little difficulty are more cherished.

 

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