Release Blitz ~ Black Hole Infection ~ by ~ Nazarea Andrews

Today we are celebrating the release of BLACK HOLE INFECTION by Nazarea Andrews. Black Hole Infection is an adult, paranormal romance novel in The Hopeless World series. Check out the buy links below and follow Nazarea’s newsletter for exclusive news!

Buy it Now!

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Click here to add BLACK HOLE INFECTION to Goodreads

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Black Hole Infection by Nazarea Andrews

The Hopeless World, #2

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Blurb:

They thought they knew how the world ends…
Parker has always been other, an outsider in the Last Holdout, a strange almost feral creature that trusted Josiah. Josiah always accepted his strangeness as a strength.
Africa changed everything.
Parker is different here. Dangerous and powerful in a way neither knew he could be. It’s terrifying.
But if they are going to survive the continent, they’ll need to trust each other–and their reluctant allies–in ways they never have before.
All of Africa is watching them as they change the balance of power.
And the zombies aren’t the only things trying to kill them.

GET THE PREVIOUS BOOK IN THE SERIES

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Purchase PERSONAL APOCALYPSE on Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

NazareaAndrewsNazarea Andrews (N to almost everyone) is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. Which means she writes everything from zombies and dystopia to contemporary love stories. When not writing, she can most often be found driving her kids to practice and burning dinner while she reads, or binging watching TV shows on Netflix. N loves chocolate, wine, and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, spoiled cat and overgrown dog. She is the author of World Without End series, Neverland Found, Edge of the Falls, and The University of Branton Series. Stop by her twitter (@NazareaAndrews) and tell her what fantastic book she should read next.

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Release Blitz ~ The Wright Secret ~ by ~ K.A. Linde

A new brother’s-best-friend stand alone romance by USA Today bestselling author K.A. Linde…

I was just his best friend’s little sister.

But he was always more than that to me.

After twelve years of pining over Patrick’s easy smile, baby blues, and captivating charm, I decide to take matters into my own hands—and completely blow my chance.

Who knew a self-proclaimed manwhore would decide to be a gentleman the first time I’m naked in his bed? Definitely, not me. But when I land there again, neither of us has any intention of stopping.

There’s only one problem: nobody can know. Especially not my three older brothers. If they found out, all hell would break loose.

So I’m willing to keep our secret. Because I want him Wright here, right now.

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K.A. Linde is the USA Today bestselling author of more than fifteen novels including the Avoiding series and the Record series. She has a Masters degree in political science from the University of Georgia, was the head campaign worker for the 2012 presidential campaign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and served as the head coach of the Duke University dance team. She loves reading fantasy novels, geeking out over Star Wars, binge-watching Supernatural, and dancing in her spare time.

She currently lives in Lubbock, Texas, with her husband and two super adorable puppies.

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE / BOOKBUB

Blog Tour & Review ~ Small Town Siren ~ by ~ Lexi Blake

Re-released in a second edition with a prologue and three new chapters.

Two cowboys looking for love…

Jack Barnes and Sam Fleetwood met in foster care. Over the years, they’ve become best friends and partners. They share a business as cattle ranchers and a house. There’s only one thing missing: a woman to share. The men are sure they’ve found that woman when Abigail Moore arrives in their small town, Willow Fork, TX.

A woman trying to find her place in the world…

Abby left her hometown twenty years before under a cloud of scandal. She’s raised a daughter, forged a new life for herself, and is ready for the next phase when she meets the handsome cowboys.

One small town that’s ready to explode…

They’re a dream come true—Jack is the sexy Dom, and Sam the playful lover. It’s everything she’s ever fantasized about. There’s only one problem. She’s still not welcome in Willow Fork, and someone is willing to kill to keep her away.

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The door to the women’s room slammed open. Abby practically jumped, ready to beg whoever was walking through to give her some privacy. Jack filled the doorway with his presence.

“You can’t come in here, Jack.” She smoothed down her uniform and swept back her hair, trying to retain as much dignity as she could.

“Why not, darlin’? I am going to admit that I’m not a man who tends to let things like social conventions keep me out of a place I really want to be in.” Jack walked right up to her. The man really wasn’t big on personal space.

Sam walked in and closed the door. He leaned with his back against it. One boot rested negligently against the painted pink door.

“Sam, tell him he can’t come into the women’s room.”

“You’re the one who chose the venue for this particular conversation, Abigail.” There was nothing vaguely resembling a joke in Jack’s voice now. Abby looked to Sam for help.

Sam shook his head. He was grinning like an idiot. “Hell no, honey. You’re gonna have to learn that when Jack gets that hard edge to his voice, he means business. Besides, I’m happy with the way things went. Thank you, baby. You made this so much easier. Jack was talking about dating you and treating you like a lady. That was gonna take forever. It’s much simpler this way.”

“What’s simpler?” Abby was unable to keep the trepidation out of her voice.

“Taking you home, taking you to bed, and showing you where you belong,” Sam replied with a wink.

“Where do I belong?” Abby couldn’t take her eyes off Jack. There was a simple smile on his face that held a wealth of arrogance. He’d been serious. He really had been playing the gentleman. Abby got the feeling she was about to get a full dose of Jack Barnes, and damned if she wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Always between me and Sam.” Jack reached out and put his hands on her shoulders, his expression intense. “Tell me you don’t want us, Abby, and I’ll walk away right now. I won’t bother you again.”

“Don’t give her ultimatums.” Sam sounded a bit desperate. “I thought we’d give her a taste before we forced her to make a decision. Baby, why don’t you let us play around a little? I promise you’ll want us.”

She looked up into Jack’s forest-green eyes. They were very serious as he stared at her. His hand came up to cup her face. He forced her to look at him and Abby felt his will. It should scare the crap out of her, but she found it amazingly sexy. This was a man who would always keep his promises, no matter what it cost him.

“She already wants us.” Jack brushed his thumb across her mouth. It was all she could do to not open her mouth and suck his thumb in. “She just needs to admit it. Can you tell me you haven’t spent the last few weeks thinking about this? Thinking about you and me and Sam coming together in bed?”

“No,” she said. Jack’s eyes flared, and she felt compelled to continue. “I have thought about it, but I’m scared.”

The time for honesty was here. She could run, and they would probably accept her decision. She could give in and enjoy the sex and walk away. Or she could ask for what she wanted. She could be brave and tell them what she needed and what she was scared of. If she did that and it all fell apart, then she would have to forgive herself. She’d learned that one of the great joys of maturing was learning how to forgive herself.

“What are you scared of?” A deep crease appeared in Sam’s forehead. He walked up to her and leaned forward. “Honey, we want to take care of you. We don’t want to hurt you.”

She felt tears pricking at the edge of her eyes. Everything in her was screaming for that to be true. She wanted them. She craved them.

“You could be lying to me. You could want to make me look bad.” She could hear her teenaged self in the statement. She felt every bit as vulnerable as she had then. The last month she’d spent with these two disparately different men had been one of the best of her life. Every evening they’d spent together over the last month had made her want them more. More than once, she’d fantasized about them sweeping into the diner and carrying her away. Lately, when things went wrong, her first thought was to call Jack. Now that her fantasy seemed to be coming true, she didn’t trust fate.

Jack’s hands came out and soothingly rubbed the back of her neck. He hadn’t stopped touching her once. “Sweetheart, why would you say something like that? Why would we want to make you look bad?”

“Because the Echols family wants me out of town.” Her heart soared when she saw the complete confusion on their faces. They couldn’t make that up.

“Are you talking about that crazy old biddy who runs the church socials?” Jack seemed to struggle to place a name with a face. “She always looks at me funny.”

“Ruby. That’s her name.” Sam frowned. “She’s real unpleasant to me. Why would we do anything for her? For that matter, why would she care that you’re in town?”

Hope swelled inside her. They really weren’t gay, and they really weren’t working for Ruby Echols. If that was true, then she had to assume they wanted her. It suddenly didn’t matter that they were in a bathroom in a public place. She couldn’t wait to feel their mouths pressed to hers. It wasn’t forever. The universe didn’t work that way, but she could have this moment. She could have a few weeks with them.

“It doesn’t matter. Kiss me.”

“Which one?” Sam asked.

Abby continued to smile, looking from gorgeous man to gorgeous man. “It doesn’t matter, but one of you should kiss me.”

Jack’s eyes never left her face. “Sam, take care of that door. We wouldn’t want anyone walking in.”

Sam cursed and bemoaned his fate, but he walked back and took his previous position.

Jack took Abby’s face in both his hands. “I’m completely crazy about you, Abigail Moore.” He leaned over and finally, after what seemed to Abby like a lifetime of wanting, pressed his mouth to hers.

Abby felt helpless against the onslaught of desire that rocketed through her as Jack took her mouth. He plundered it, his tongue gently forcing its way in and dancing strongly around hers. She held on to his lean waist for dear life as he slanted over her mouth again and again. He poured his will into her and everything inside her responded. She felt that kiss in her pussy and already she was slick and warm. Jack’s hands reached up and pulled at the band that held up her hair. He set it free and pulled back to look at the mane of auburn locks he’d unleashed.

“You’re so fucking gorgeous,” Jack breathed almost reverently as he stroked her hair. In that moment, with Jack’s green eyes looking at her like she was some goddess he was worshipping, Abby felt gorgeous.

“Why don’t we take this home, people?” Sam’s voice was tight. Abby looked back at Sam, and his blue eyes were dark with passion.

He wanted to go home so he could join in. He wanted to have his turn. The thought should have turned her off, but all it did was get her hotter.

Jack’s lips turned up in a lazy smile. “You’ll have to forgive Sam, darlin’. He’s always so impatient. Always has been.” Jack suddenly lifted her up and set her on the counter. He looked back at his friend with great affection. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve told him that anticipation is the best part?”

Jack’s hands pushed up the skirt of her uniform.

“Anticipation is damn frustrating, Jack. And I’ve been anticipating for weeks,” Sam complained.

I’m not one normally for menage but that being said, there are 2 authors who write it in such a way that I don’t mind it. Lexi Blake is one. And just like her uber hot Masters & Mercenaries series, this one is just as hot! Jack, Abby and Sam’s relationship isn’t quote unquote conventional, but it’s still hot as hell! Jack is totally the Dom, Sam somewhat and Abby loves these two men. Unconditionally. Even when she thinks she shouldn’t and that it’s not right, she can’t deny her true, underlying love for them.

Plus there’s a mystery in this story too and I’m all about the mysteries! I can’t wait to read more about Jack and Abby and Sam and their relationship.

5 Stars!

NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance and urban fantasy that she found the stories of her heart. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome, or foursome may seem.

FACEBOOK / TWITTER / WEBSITE / AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

Cover Reveal ~ Reckless ~ by ~ Lex Martin

Title: Reckless
Author: Lex MartinGenre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs
Photo: Perrywinkle Photography
 Release Date: February 20, 2018
Blurb
Tori…
For the record, I’m
not going to hook up with my boss.
I’m a lot of
things—a screwup, a basket case, a flunky. But when I take a nanny job to be
near my pregnant sister, I swear to myself I’ll walk the straight and narrow,
which means I cannot fall for my insanely hot boss.
I don’t want to be
tempted by that rugged rancher. By his chiseled muscles or southern charm or
the way he snuggles his kids at bedtime. Ethan Carter won’t get the key to my
heart, no matter how much I want him. 
Ethan…
Between us, she’s
the last thing I need as I finalize my hellish divorce. 
What sane man trying
to rebuild his life wants a hot nanny with long, sexy hair, curves for miles,
and a smart mouth? A perfectly kissable, pouty mouth that I shouldn’t notice.
My focus is on my
kids and my ranch, not the insufferable siren who sleeps in the room next to
mine. It doesn’t matter that she wins over my kids in a heartbeat or runs my
life better than I do. Tori Duran is the one woman I can’t have and shouldn’t
want, no matter how much I crave her. 
ADD TO GOODREADSPre-order Links
$2.99 pre-order ONLY price!
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Also Available
USA TODAY BESTSELLER
On SALE for the first time – 99c limited time only!
Shameless is a standalone featuring a different couple
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Author Bio
Lex writes contemporary romance, the sexy kind with lotsa
angst, a whole lotta kissing, and the hot happily ever afters. When
she’s not writing, she lives a parallel life as an English teacher.
She loves printing black and white photos, listening to music on vinyl,
and getting lost in a great book. Bitten by wanderlust, she’s lived all
over the country but currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and twin
daughters.
Author Links

Release Blitz ~ Learning to Love The Heat ~ by ~ Everly Lucas

Today we have the release day blitz for LEARNING TO LOVE THE HEAT by Everly Lucas! Check it out and grab your copy today!

Title: Learning to Love the Heat

Author: Everly Lucas

Genre: Contemporary Romance

About Learning to Love the Heat:

What she needs most might be what she least expects…

Living without air conditioning in a Philadelphia heat wave has Claire on the brink of a total meltdown. When she escapes her overheated apartment to spend a day at the park, the last thing she expects—or wants—is for a gorgeous guy to chat her up. But his sweet smile and nerdy charm are impossible for even Claire to resist.

Patience and persistence go hand in hand…

For Ben, Claire is the One, but there’s a small snag—she’s terrified of a man’s touch. But now that he’s found her, he’ll never let her go, even if he never gets to hold her.
Another snag? Her obvious attraction to his best friend.

Sometimes it takes fire to wash you clean…

Ben respects Claire’s firm boundaries, but Andy crashes right through them. He’s arrogant, crude, a total jackass…and criminally sexy.
Even if she can fix what’s broken inside her, how will she choose between the delicious slow burn she feels with Ben and the explosive inferno Andy ignites in her?
Can they find their happy ending without three hearts going up in flames?

Grab Your Copy Today!

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Exclusive Excerpt:

Shoving off the wall, I clear the final step and have a fucking heart attack when I see a tall, broad silhouette blocking one of the windows.

“Andy?”

At the sound of his name, he looks over his shoulder, wearing a heart-stopping smile meant just for me.

Simply put, the man steals my breath, leaving my lungs empty and aching. In the dim light of the room, he’s dark and handsome from head to toe, with his glossy black hair, black dress shirt, and charcoal gray pants. Until this moment, I thought only my grandmom and black-and-white movie stars used the word debonair, but Andy DelVecchio is very much here and now and debonair as fuck.

His beauty both lures me in and screams danger, kind of like the first time we met. Only I didn’t know him then, and he didn’t know me. I’m starting to think we were better off that way.

“Peach.” His deep voice caresses my nickname, making my heart stutter. My hand flies to my chest, clutching my literal pearls. “I saw you down there. You really are an angel tonight,” he says, gesturing at, well, all of me.

My knee-jerk response is to reject and deny his words, but instead of keeping that response to myself, my impulsive mouth sets it free. “I’m no angel. Trust me.”

Why I blurt that out is beyond me. It’s not my usual M.O. to open myself up to further discussion about my flaws. They exist. They’re obvious. No need to poke at them.

Stepping farther into the room, I perch on the edge of Ben’s bed, crossing my ankles and folding my hands in my lap. Andy sits beside me, so close our thighs almost touch. I freeze, keeping a watchful eye on the two inches of space between us to make sure they don’t get any radical ideas, like shrinking or disappearing altogether.

“Nobody’s perfect, babe. Some people just come closer to it than others. Benny’s practically a saint, and you…” His rich, brown eyes meet mine, and I can’t look away. I’m trapped by his gaze, with no real desire to break free. “Like I said, you’re an angel. You’ve just got a few broken feathers. That’s all.”

Try a few hundred.

“Ben might be close to perfect, but I’m…” I trail off, shaking my head to finish the thought. Best to keep sidestepping that conversational landmine. “You should hear the way he talks about you, though. It’s embarrassing, really. He’s all, ‘Andy’s super talented.’ ‘Andy’s so much cooler than I’ll ever be.’ ‘Andy’s the absolute shit.’”

Okay, so I’m paraphrasing a bit, but the sentiment is pretty accurate.

Andy’s booming laugh fills the room with pure, concentrated awesomeness. It’s impossible to hear that sound and put up a decent fight against fangirl-level giddiness. I dare anyone to try. It can’t be done.

This book took me a little to get into. I was waiting to see why Claire had such an aversion to being touched. I can’t remember the exact phobic term. And it wasn’t what I was expecting. But I did keep reading the story because I wanted to find out if Ben or Andy was who Claire would choose. Ben was the solid rock in her life that knew she was for him once he saw her. But Claire’s visceral reaction to Andy made me think he was sort of a better, more explosive match for her.

Possibly a spoiler but I think people should be warned. This is a menage book. I had no idea it was. And I know there are some people who will rate it lower because they weren’t necessarily warned.

4 Stars!

About Everly Lucas:

After years of rooting for couples and falling for heroes created by other authors, Everly decided to create her own. She now has a crowd of characters hanging out in her head, with no intention of kicking them out.

She lives in Philadelphia with her precious laptop, a cat named Bunny, and a kitten who falls down a lot. Her favorite things include Dr. Pepper, sparkly stuff, blissful silence, and singing while doing the dishes.

Everly can be found on Twitter, like, all the time.

Connect with Everly:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Blog Tour & Review ~ Almost ~ by ~ Danielle Norman

Sexy couple in underwear

Almost doesn’t count for Carter and Sophie.
The second book – a standalone! – in Danielle Norman’s Iron Orchids Series is AVAILABLE NOW!

Almost_Ebook

What are you waiting for? ONE CLICK IT!
AMZ US → http://amzn.to/2Atr7LF
AMZ UK → http://amzn.to/2AM2eNN
AMZ CA → http://amzn.to/2BDLmXb
AMZ AU → http://amzn.to/2ATCEXX

Fitness couple posing outdoors.

BLURB:

Some people are unforgettable.
Like, the first sheriff that pulled you over for speeding.
The first person to kiss you senseless on the hood of a car.
And, the first guy to make you orgasm.
But, when all of those things are from the same man; let’s just say unforgettable doesn’t even come close.

I wonder if he ever thinks about me and everything we ALMOST had.

Oh, he remembers and he’s prepared to put his money where his mouth is…

ALMOST_BT_2

TBRreview

Danielle Norman is a new author to me but I like her style. I read Enough before this book and it was similar to Kristen Ashley type characters. Strong women, alpha men who love their women implicitly and have no qualms about showing it.

I knew that Sophie and Carter’s story was going to intrigue me, and it did. You basically get a little setup for their story in Enough but then you get the full, amazing story in Almost.

I definitely will be adding this series to my TBR. I love that these women have formed an MC all because they like to ride or are friends and then get drug into the motorcycle riding lifestyle.

5 Stars!

About Danielle

Danielle is a Harley riding romance writer. Most days she can be found in jeans, t-shirts, and pearls (she’s a lady like that).

Danielle writes about men that will open the door for you during the day and throw you against them at night. She loves stories that will make you laugh and fall in love without all of the emotional baggage faced every day in our real lives.

And her talent is the ability to tell the difference between a rye, wheat, corn, or potato vodka in just 1 sip, but she prefers a few glasses just to be certain.

Find Danielle online!
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2jMFmDi
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2zMOfUg
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2BHW7aX
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2AL1OYf
Twitter: http://bit.ly/2iLv9L7
Website: http://www.daniellenorman.com

Release Blitz ~ Something So Irresistible ~ by ~ Natasha Madison

 

 

 

 

Max Horton

They call me an outcast like it’s a bad thing.

An asshole byproduct of a shitty upbringing. I don’t care about anything except myself and my little sister.

I will always protect what’s mine.

With one year left on my hockey contract I’m keeping my head down and my eyes on the goal.

A collision, with her, changes my entire existence.

Allison Grant

Never fall in love with a sports star. That’s what my stepfather always said. He told me athletes are complicated and moody—that the higher their paycheck, the lower their morals.

As public relations for the New York Stingers I know exactly what he means, but I can’t seem to say no to a friendship with one beautiful, damaged man.

What started out as hate turned into something else.

We tried to stay away, to keep our distance, but the pull was too strong.

Something forbidden turned into something so irresistible.

 

 

 

When her nose isn’t buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she’s in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It’s a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn’t listen to her…

Author Links

 

 

Release Blitz ~ Crazy, Sexy Notion ~ by ~ Sarah Darlington

Title: Crazy Sexy Notion
Author: Sarah Darlington
Genre: Contemporary Romance 
Release Date: January 8, 2018

 

My former best friend…is now a hooker…

 


MICK
After a terrible breakup, the crazy notion hit me to look up my childhood friend. With half a country between us, I haven’t seen Raven since the day my dad rushed in and saved me from the Sandy Hill Trailer Park. But I loved Raven as a boy, and now I need to find out if I could love her as a man. Only problem: her profession.

Come to find out—she’s a prostitute.

RAVEN
Mickey Lawson
Yeah, I hate that guy.
Really, he’s only a faint memory now, but at one point in time he meant everything to me.
My protector. My savior. My best friend.
I was ten.
Then he left.
Now he’s back.
Fifteen years too late.

 

Sarah Darlington grew up traveling the United States—although, she’s called Virginia home for most of her adult life. She’s the proud mom of an intelligent 5-year-old boy with autism, who makes every day an adventure, and a 1-year-old red-headed little girl who is as fiery as her hair color. She believes in true love, soul mates, unicorns, rainbows, and that Hogwarts really does exist. Before having kids she worked as a flight attendant. And when she’s not writing, she’s busy plotting her next grand adventure.

 

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Excerpt Reveal ~ Buried in Lies ~ by ~ T.L. Smith

 

 

T.L. Smith’s BURIED IN LIES releases in a little over two weeks…but today we are sharing an excerpt with you! Check it out below and pre-order your copy today!

Title: Buried in Lies
Author: T.L. Smith
Genre: Romance Suspense
Release Date: January 23, 2018
Cover Design: RBA
Photo: Regina Wamba/Mae I Design 

His lips told me he knew me. 


His hands touched like old lovers. 

His eyes held secrets of a past I’d never known.

I was lost you see. 

Lost as the flowers that grew in the meadow. 

The devil told me he knew me. 

But lies had a way of unraveling, even if we didn’t want them to. 

The devil had a trick, for his love was full of acid. Acid that burnt at every touch, every linger, and I let it burn all the way to my core. 

A devil made you sin. And my devil was the worst. 

But now that devil wanted my last kiss, and it wasn’t one I was willing to give. 

He could take the acid and leave the burn behind.

I was keeping my heart, even if I died trying.

“Mouse…”

I take his moment of silence, and slip myself out from his grasp while putting much-needed distance between us.

“You’ll end up hating me, I’ll end up resenting you…” I shake my head and step back again.

“I wouldn’t.”

“You would! You had to be forced into it. It took me almost dying more than once for you to choose me. That isn’t healthy, none of this is. We aren’t good for each other. We’ll keep on burning until there’s nothing left.” Stepping back again, I’m not clear where my car is, but I know it’s not far from here.

“We need to stop, Mouse. I’m ceasing the ellipses. No more pauses or question marks for me. Now it will just be full stops.”

I want to smile at his editor’s metaphor.

I want to ravish in it.

I know better, though.

“I’m full stopping it, Wolf! Before I fall deeper down a rabbit hole where I cannot escape.”

“I’ll chase you, Mouse, right down that rabbit hole.”

Turning, so I’m walking away, I look back only once.

“I hope you catch me, I really do. But this time you may not.”



HOSTED BY:

 

Cover Reveal ~ The Island: Vampires of Merovingi 1 ~ by ~ Sarah M. Cradit

Title: The Island: Vampires of the Merovingi #1
Author: Sarah M. Cradit
Genre: Historical Fantasy Horror
Release Date: March 12, 2018 

From the USA Today bestselling fantasy author of the House of Crimson & Clover novels comes a chilling new historical fantasy series, Vampires of the Merovingi. Ancient lore, a vidid historical backdrop, and elusive, tantalizing mythical creatures await readers as they dive into the secretive, ancient, powerful world of The Saga of Crimson & Clover. 

1789. Saint-Domingue. Hispaniola. West Indies. 

Etienne de Blanchefort has seen incredible success as a colonial planter in the Northern Province of Saint-Domingue. Though uprooting his family from France a decade past was a gamble, life in the tropical West Indies has been good to him, his wife, and four children. With France embroiled in their great revolution across the Atlantic, he harbors little doubt he made the right decision for his family’s future.

Until, that is, the arrival of his fiend.

Etienne’s practical nature cannot reconcile what he knows to be true of his world with what he cannot ignore about the abominable creature haunting his family and the island.

Nor can he ignore his wife’s terrifying dreams that slowly steal her vitality.

Or Victorine’s burgeoning free spirit and wariness of their way of life.

Or Nanette’s curious, furtive behavior as she hides in trees.

Or Marius’ secret new friendship with one he cannot name.

Or Flosine’s unsettling drawings of a man from a time long before theirs.

Etienne’s fiend will not stay elusive for long. He has a request. A very particular, very important request, one that will change the lives of Etienne, his family, and his descendants forever.

Sarah is the USA Today bestselling author of the Paranormal Southern Gothic series, The House of Crimson & Clover, born of her combined passion for New Orleans, and the mysterious complexity of human nature. Her work has been described as rich, emotive, and highly dimensional.

 

An unabashed geek, Sarah enjoys studying obscure subjects like the Plantagenet and Ptolemaic dynasties, and settling debates on provocative Tolkien topics such as why the Great Eagles are not Gandalf’s personal taxi service. Passionate about travel, Sarah has visited over twenty countries collecting sparks of inspiration (though New Orleans is where her heart rests). She’s a self-professed expert at crafting original songs to sing to her very patient pets, and a seasoned professional at finding ways to humiliate herself (bonus points if it happens in public). When at home in Oregon, her husband and best friend, James, is very kind about indulging her love of fast German cars and expensive lattes.

Nanette rested the quill in the spine of the book, and chanced a recline back into the trunk of the massive pine. The world below her was exotic and charged with briny energy, but up here it was whatever she wished it to be. She could imagine herself a pirate sailing for Île de la Tortue or Port Royal, or a comtesse on retreat from Paris. Adelphe had taught her little about the wide world around them, but Nanette could not be stopped from slipping into her father’s study and delving into his own collection of rare and expensive books.
Books were only words, but words had power. Nanette, on the eve of thirteen, did not yet understand the nature of that power, only that she was entirely under its sway.

 

Her knowledge of the world was not limited to what she read. Childeric entranced her with tales of kings and bloodlines not ever recorded. Of the hundreds upon thousands of different tongues and dialects. Of golden chalices and wealth beyond even her imagination.

 

In the beginning, Nanette wrongly assumed the companionship of Childeric was hers alone. Soon enough, Marius begun babbling of a dark-haired prince who helped him tell afternoon tales with his puppets. Shortly after, Flosine began drawing crude scribbles of the same man, standing on their cliff overlooking the sea. This last cut the deepest, as Nanette had first spotted him in the same manner. She’d claimed him as hers in that very moment.

 

Only Victorine seemed immune to Childeric’s attentions.

 

Her maman and papa had also been affected by their new uninvited guest, though neither addressed it except through oddness in their behavior. Maman, not sleeping. Papa, taken to jitters and paranoia. Nanette wanted to tell them Childeric was their friend, but was afraid of being whipped for speaking out of turn.

 

More, she feared they would see the lie in her eyes. She could not tell of Childeric’s friendship without also repeating his warnings. I am the path to the future of the de Blanchefort dynasty. Follow me, and your world will bloom in ways unimaginable to you now. Turn away, and await your own peril. 

 

His words frightened her. There was nothing playful or adventurous in them, as all their other conversations had been. From then on, she feared the moment he might return and repeat them, or offer further elaboration.

 

Remembering all this in a huff, Nanette swung her left leg up and accidentally jostled the branch holding her precious ink. With a sharp cry, her gaze traveled toward the ground and the inevitable loss of her only outlet. 
She was shocked to see Childeric holding the bottle upright in his right palm, his left outstretched to her.
“You must be more cautious, mon cher,” he chastised. His alabaster flesh reflected the bold green of his tunic, and he seemed preternatural to her; a figment of her dreams.

 

“I am grateful,” Nanette replied with a hasty breath, gathering her leg and skirt to one side to avoid an unseemly disaster. His hand remained high in the air, an invitation.
She had climbed up with the help of several branches, hitching her skirts to avoid a snag. Going down would be even less ladylike, and she had counted on being alone. Childeric settled her ink down on a nearby flat stretch of dirt and returned with both arms wide.
Nanette set her lips in a tight line, unwittingly resembling her mother in that moment. She saw no other choice. He was not leaving, and she could not be seen flashing her undergarments in the presence of a man. Unchaperoned, no less. With a fearful glance around the grounds, she pulled in a breath and dropped into his arms. His embrace was solid, but brief. He backed away before the blush could fully form in her cheeks.

 

She had never before been so close to him. Now, she could see his eyes were the brilliant violet hues of indigo dye, and his skin was lineless, devoid of the markings of the age and experience someone of his words bespoke.

 

“Has no one discovered your love of trees?” Childeric teased, his blood-red lips forming a smile that paused her heart.

 

Nanette shook her head. “I must return to the house.”

 

“Must you?”

 

Her head pulled to the side, startled by the impudence in his question.

 


“Your secret will not ever leave my lips,” Childeric said when she found herself unable to form a reply. “As you have kept mine, I shall keep yours.”

 

Nanette swallowed a lump in her throat. “You’re mistaken. You’ve bade me keep no secret of yours.”

 

Childeric paced a circle around her, his steps nimble. “So, you have told your maman and papa of the strange man who visits you and tells you tales?”

 

“I have not!” Nanette exclaimed, indignant, realizing in the moment his point. Her expression turned cross. “Yet, as I am not the only one you visit, it is not such a secret after all.”

 

“Marius and Flosine know no better. They see me through the visage of a child. Not you, Nanette. Yours is the age of discernment.”

 

“It is?”

 

“They have not yet developed a healthy fear of the world. They trust without thought, and move through life with an artless grace. They do not yet understand the consequence that can follow a decision, a split-second choice.”

 

“They’re seven and five,” Nanette offered, frozen in spot.

 


Childeric swept one arm of his brilliant emerald tunic toward the Caribbean. Chartreuse waves lapped at the shore, cresting against the crag. “You stand at the cliffs and innately accept that to fall is to invoke injury. Even death. Yet at the bottom also lies a world unknown to you. You see, in your dreams, that I am the cliff. You have not yet decided where I lead.”

 

The abruptly adult turn the conversation took left Nanette unwittingly stumbling back up the grassy cliff side. The temptation to continue this palaver was stronger than she’d like to admit, for admitting it would be to embrace her maman’s claim she was nearing her journey as a woman. Her fear of being caught without a chaperone outmaneuvered all other competing emotions.

 

Her eyes moved toward the ink, standing behind Childeric. To reach it, she would need to either cut a wide berth or brush directly past him. His smile broadened, as if he could see through to the darkest thoughts in her heart. As if he enjoyed them.

 

“Here you are, mon cher.” Childeric’s outstretched palm held the pot of ink. She’d not even seen him move to reach for it. She couldn’t fathom how he’d done it so quickly. She didn’t want to. “Not a drop spilt.” 

 

Eyes averted, Nanette swiped the pot and murmured her gratitude before whirling and fleeing back over the arc of the cliffs, toward the safety of the house, sensing his indigo eyes burning word-shaped cuts into the soft flesh of her back.