Cover Reveal ~ Bad Deeds ~ by ~ Lisa Renee Jones

Title: Bad Deeds

Series: Dirty Money #3

Author: Lisa Renee Jones

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 8, 2017

Blurb

Wall Street meets the Sons of Anarchy in Bad Deeds, the smoldering, scorching next novel in the explosively sexy Dirty Money series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones.Would you bleed for the one you love?

To save his family empire from the grip of the drug cartel, Shane is pushed to the edge of darkness, forced to make choices he might never make. His father is dying. His brother is desperate to rule the empire and this means war and all gloves are off. His brother only thought he knew what dirty meant. Shane is about to give it new meaning. There is another war brewing though, and that one, is inside him, his battle between right and wrong, light and dark, and in the heat of the night, it is Emily he turns to for escape. Driving her to new limits, pushing her to accept a part of him that even he cannot.

In every one of Shane’s seductive demands, Emily can taste and feel, his torment, his struggle to save his family and not lose himself. But he is losing himself, and that is a problem just as dangerous as her secret, that still lurk in the shadows, a threat to the Brandon Family waiting to erupt. No matter where she and Shane have traveled, or will travel in the future, she can’t just sit back and watch him become everything he hates, everything he never wanted to become, everything she tried to save him from when she tried to run. It could be their undoing, the end. His end.

This is war, blood will spill, and someone in the heart of the Brandon family will not survive….

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Start the bestselling Dirty Money series now with book one, HARD RULES! And don’t miss Damage Control (book two) coming out on February 21st!

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Releases February 21, 2017

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Author Bio

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series, which is now in development for a television show to be produced by Suzanne Todd of Team Todd (Alice in Wonderland). Suzanne Todd on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we all can identify with. I’m thrilled to develop a television show that will tell Sara’s whole story – her life, her work, her friends, and her sexuality.

In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, she has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa is presently working on a dark, edgy new series, Dirty Money, for St. Martin’s Press.

Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.

Lisa loves to hear from her readers. You can reach her at www.lisareneejones.com and she is active on Twitter and Facebook daily.

Author Links

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Cover Reveal ~ Sweet Escape ~ by ~ Nina Lane

We absolutely cannot wait to introduce you to the next brother in Nina Lane’s Sugar Rush series. You can meet Evan Stone, heir to the Sugar Rush Candy Company in SWEET ESCAPE on December 6th! In the meantime, check out the incredible cover below!

Cover design by Perfect Pear Creative Covers

Photography by Wander Aguiar

Wander Book Club Facebook: http://bit.ly/1URqyzg

Model: Andrew Biernatt

ABOUT SWEET ESCAPE

When dessert goes wrong…

Hannah Lockhart travels the world and blogs about love. At least she used to before she promised to look after her sister’s bakery. Now, stuck in small town California for the next six months, Hannah is desperate to find romantic content for her blog or risk losing both readers and income.

Then a whipped cream disaster sends her into the arms of sexy, charming Evan Stone, heir to the Sugar Rush Candy Company.

Since childhood, Evan has been trying to overcome family concerns about his defective heart. Known as “The Heartbreaker,” he’s found an outlet with women. And when bad news strikes him, he seeks a diversion by offering to show Hannah the romance of the Bay Area.

Hannah jumps at the chance…as long as they keep things platonic. But soon Evan’s hot combination of charm, perfect kisses, and a serious sweet tooth melts her defenses.

As Hannah and Evan surrender to their delicious attraction, they are forced to confront the reality of her wanderlust and his heart condition. When love and hearts collide, can Hannah and Evan find their sweet ending?

Add SWEET ESCAPE to Goodreads!

SWEET ESCAPE releases December 6th – preorder your copy now:

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While you’re waiting for SWEET ESCAPE, don’t miss out meeting Evan’s brother, Luke! SWEET DREAMS is available now!

ABOUT SWEET DREAMS

He may own a candy company, but this wealthy bachelor is no Willy Wonka.

Sugar Rush Candy Company CEO Luke Stone is a devoted businessman who doesn’t do relationships. He does short-term affairs with clearly defined rules. But when a sexy bohemian angel propositions him in a bar, Luke is tempted to want more.

Polly Lockhart is horrified when she wakes the morning after her twenty-third birthday to realize she made a fool of herself with a sinfully delicious man. She tells herself she doesn’t have time for romance anyway, as she’s fighting to keep her mother’s beloved bakery afloat and finish her culinary studies. That all changes when her class tours the famed Sugar Rush headquarters, and Polly collides with her dream man again.

As she succumbs to their hot attraction, Polly soon realizes her bakery isn’t the only thing that needs saving. Luke, driven and unyielding, will burn out unless someone convinces him to taste the sweetness of life. But can Polly remember this sugar rush is only temporary?

Add SWEET DREAMS to Goodreads!

Grab your copy of SWEET DREAMS now:

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About Nina Lane

New York Times & USA Today bestselling author Nina Lane writes hot, sexy romances and spicy erotica. Originally from California, she holds a PhD in Art History and an MA in Library and Information Studies, which means she loves both research and organization. She also enjoys traveling and thinks St. Petersburg, Russia is a city everyone should visit at least once. Although Nina would go back to college for another degree because she’s that much of a bookworm and a perpetual student, she now lives the happy life of a full-time writer.

Cover Reveal ~ Spiralling Skywards: Fading ~ by ~ Lesley Jones

SpirallingSkywards2 FADING (2).jpg

Title: Spiralling Skywards Book #2 : Fading
Author: Lesley Jones
Release Date: 16th November
Pre-Order NOW: http://amzn.to/2elUp8E
Add to your TBR: http://bit.ly/2f6GP7P

Blurb
From the outside looking in, Sarah and Liam’s bond has been unbreakable since the moment they first laid eyes on each other.
Love, romance, and friendship should form the ropes that tether them together.
But when old insecurities rise to the surface, Sarah loses sight of her self-worth and feels her identity fading. Faced with a choice that threatens to fray those ties, she finally begins to unravel.
Until one day, those ropes snap, that bond is broken, and their relationship sent spiralling off course.

—————————————-

Read Spiralling Skywards Book #1 : Falling TODAY!

US http://amzn.to/2cq7HwU
UK http://amzn.to/2dfa3QG
DE http://amzn.to/2cNhCeX
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Nook http://bit.ly/2dgoNw0
KOBO http://bit.ly/2ciDGfe

It only takes one defining moment.
One look.
One dance.
One conversation.

Sarah knows from the second she meets Liam that their connection is more than just instant attraction. It’s deep, it’s consuming, and has the potential to be the real thing. But true love comes at a price.

Fuelled by Liam’s past, Sarah’s issues, and a messy web of family ties, business partnerships, and exes, the combined forces threaten to snuff out their new found relationship.

Will that spark be smothered by outside forces? Or will they be carried like smoke from the ashes and sent spiralling skywards?
Written in Lesley Jones’ usual heartfelt, witty, and emotional voice, this dual point of view story is just the beginning of her Spiralling series.

Release Day Blitz ~ Boys, Toys – Oh My ~ by ~ A.M. Willard

Cover Design: Shari Ryan, MadHat Books

Now LIVE #99cents

Synopsis

*Warning this could cause strange looks for the laugh out loud moments… It could cause you to pee your pants… Most of all… It could cause you to escape from a long day.*

Charlie Evans is the kind of woman who turns crimson red when she hears the word penis, so just imagine what happens when she has to say it to a crowd of strangers.

Cooper Fields is all business, well, that is until Charlie the blushing beauty stumbles into his life.

Mixing business with pleasure is never a good idea, but their attraction is strong and neither can resist the urge to test the limits of a relationship.

A misunderstanding involving a stripper, a sex toy consultant, and a bachelor party is what it takes to give Charlie the confidence she needs, but it also causes Cooper to ask himself if he even knows her. Will this situation push Cooper away for good, or can they put the dildos behind them once and for all?

Find out now in author A.M. Willard’s romantic comedy where massage oils, suction cups, and training kits are invited along for a wet ride.

Goodreads

http://tinyurl.com/zrs5bxz

Purchase Links

► Amazon ➜ US: http://amzn.to/2dQ2xYq

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► Amazon ➜ AU: http://amzn.to/2f0j2mS

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► iBooks ➜: http://apple.co/2bPtjlW

► Kobo ➜: http://bit.ly/2dY3Apy

About the Author

International Bestselling Author, A.M. Willard resides in Savannah, Georgia. She joined the Peach State many years ago after leaving the crystal blue waters and sugary white sand behind from the Panhandle of Florida. She’s also known for being a wife, mother, and caretaker for her farm animals. A.M. loves anything sassy, glittery, and is a sucker for the Hallmark Channel. That last one might be the reason she believes in soulmates or it could be because she married her high school sweetheart almost twenty years ago.

After releasing her first novella series back in 2014, A.M. set out on a new goal to bring her readers a broad range of romantic stories from her desk. This includes Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance, and from time to time some Sexy Romance.

A.M. is an active member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) and has also had an article published in the Writer’s Monthly Review Magazine.

Connect with A.M. Willard

Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/nnx2s8m

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AMWillard1

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Website: http://amwillard.com/

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Review ~ Just An Illusion – Side A ~ by ~ D. Kelly

Dee Kelly reached out and told me about this release and I am SO glad she did!!!! Although I hate her a little for the cliffhanger and making me wait! I don’t want to ruin this book for anyone going to read it (because you should read it) but I will give you some bits.

Amelia is familiar with rock royalty and the celebrity lifestyle and that doesn’t impress her and she doesn’t want to be involved in it. Her best friend Belle, is dragging her to the BAD concert (Mel has no idea who they are) and they’re heading backstage for a backstage interview with the band. Mel is attracted to the twin bandmates (Sawyer and Noah) but doesn’t care about their celebrity. And that immediately strikes the band and they want Amelia to be their autobiographer on their tour.

This is the start of the story of Amelia and BAD and everything surrounding them.

5 stars!!

Excerpt Reveal ~ What Might Kill Us ~ by ~ M.N. Forgy

Excerpt

Walking toward my room I notice my bike propped up on two blue milk crates. I stop in my tracks, my hands balling in my palms so hard my nails cut the skin.

Bull is hunched down, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. No shirt on under his leather vest and grease all over him.

Music plays behind him as his dexterous hands make quick work at the guts of my Fixie. Panic races in my chest. He’s breaking her apart bolt by bolt!

What the fuck? Is he trying to destroy everything of mine?

“Oh I love that song.” I flinch, not noticing Jose standing behind me. “It’s Godsmack‘s Stay Away.” He informs.

“Jesus Christ, Jose, you can’t just sneak up on me like that!” I scorn, clutching my chest. “I could have just punched you in the throat, do you realize that?” He knows what goes on out here, I have to stay on my toes all the time.

“You going over there?” Jose ignores my rant, eyeing Bull over my shoulder. Biting my cheek I turn. My throat bobbing as I watch Bull toss bolts and shit over his shoulder.

My thighs clench on their own, defying the rage poisoning me. Sweat drips from his forehead, black grease streaked among his hard chest. I can’t help the hitch in my breathing.

“Can I have him?” Jose whispers. I blink away the sultry smog clouding my anger and stomp toward the sexy biker.

“Yeah, after I kill him!” I clip.

Bull stands and flicks his cigarette. His movements appearing in slow motion as smoke bellows from his lips. He turns, his back facing me and shrugs out of his cut, throwing it over on the patio. His muscular back inked with the same image that is on the vest.

I narrow my brows, trying to remind myself of the mission at hand.

Holding my hand out I hesitate on if I should touch him or turn around. I look over my shoulder and see Jose looking at me like I lost my mind.

Maybe I have.

Inhaling a large breath, I poke Bull in the shoulder as hard as I can.

His skin is slick with sweat and hot to the touch. The contact shooting warmth through my finger and through my body before igniting in my toes.

He looks over his shoulder, a hard look on his face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarl.

He lifts his chin and smiles. Fucking smiles.

What Might Kill Us by M.N. Forgy releases November 7th!

Now Available for Pre-order!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2elyL1U

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2dZ5Anq

iBooks: http://apple.co/2dNCvrW

Nook: http://bit.ly/2eXUyP2

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2eeizhF

Blurb

Brotherhood is what Bull bleeds and all that he knows.

Being the king of The Devil’s Dust and surrounded by easy women was his everyday… until having his heart broke rooted him to the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

Heartbroken, and drowning in lost memories he’s unsure of the direction of his life, when the answer – consisting of a terrified Mexican girl- nearly knocks him off his feet.

Determined to get his act together and rectify his club, he rides to Texas for answers, only to be confronted with the emotional ghosts he isn’t ready to deal with.

He sees Anahi, and he wants her.

But she may come with more baggage than Bull is ready for.

Anahi used to be prim and proper. She used to wear dresses and keep up appearances to impress people she didn’t know. I guess you could say she was a fucking lady.

But that was when she lived in Mexico with her parents.

Before her uncle turned on her.

Before, the only man she ever loved, her step-brother, betrayed her.

Before she was forced to be a drug mule for the Cartel.

Evening gowns a lost memory, expensive heels traded for boots, and a nine millimeter in her hand instead of a limited edition purse. Anahi sets aside everything she’s ever known including the fairytale stories her mother told her about America.

She’s angry, determined, and looking for a way out.

Haven’t read this series yet?

Now is your chance, grab books 1-4 for ONLY $0.99!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2eINe62

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2dZ5Anq

M.N. Forgy was raised in Missouri where she still lives with her family. She’s a soccer mom by day and a saucy writer by night. M.N. Forgy started writing at a young age but never took it seriously until years later, as a stay-at-home mom, she opened her laptop and started writing again. As a role model for her children, she felt she couldn’t live with the “what if” anymore and finally took a chance on her character’s story. So, with her glass of wine in hand and a stray Barbie sharing her seat, she continues to create and please her fans.

Stalk Her: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Review Tour ~ Stroked Hard ~ by ~ Meghan Quinn

We’re celebrating the release of STROKED HARD! Check out the review and teasers below!

STROKED HARD

Scheduled to release: November 1, 2016

Sports Romance

Cover Designed by: Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae

Goodreads

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2dGA5s9

Blog Tour & Review ~ Sweet Like Candy ~ by ~ Evie Harrison

Julia Kaye spends her days decorating cakes and daydreaming about finding Mr. Right. She’s tried it all—fix ups, speed dating, online profiles and even a popular phone app, all with no success. She’s sure her dream man is out there, but she’s done trying to find him herself. She figure’s when it’s meant to be; fate will find a way.

Ryan Walters is a workaholic who’s not looking for Mrs. Right. He’s not even looking for Mrs. Right Now. Instead, he spends his days focused on what he cares about most— amassing a fortune. Aside from his sister and her children, Ryan has no time for entanglements of any kind.

What happens when one confirmed bachelor meets the sweetest girl in the world?

Happily ever after, of course!

My stomach was full of butterflies as he opened the car door and helped me into the passenger seat. I grinned after he closed the door and I watched him walk around to the driver’s side. I’d been on thirty-seven horrible dates during my fruitless search for Mr. Right, and never once had any of the men opened the car door for me.

I breathed in deep as he slid into his seat and closed the door. The scent of him was just as sensual as I’d thought it was the night before. Being so close together in the car felt intimate, especially when he turned toward me so he could lay the box of chocolates down on the back seat. His gaze held mine as he did it, the air thick with tension as we stared at each other.

Arousal pulsed hot in my veins as countless seconds passed. I sighed when he cupped his hands on either side of my face and held me in place as he leaned into me. When his lips covered mine, everything suddenly made sense. I knew everything in my life up until that moment had been leading me to Ryan.

He expelled a guttural sound when my lips parted and our tongues touched for the first time. I leaned across the console toward him, anxious to be closer. Never in my life had I been so affected by a kiss. I was a romantic at heart and my dreams were big, but kissing Ryan was more than I’d ever hoped for, mostly because I hadn’t known anything like it was possible. It was too much while also being not nearly enough. His tongue caressed mine slowly as he explored me passionately. He tasted like rice crispy treats, cake, and something else indefinable that was just him.

The console between us jabbed into my side as I slid my arms around his back and held on as the kiss continued. Kissing Ryan was the equivalent of finding an oasis in the desert. It was everything that was right in the world and I never wanted to stop. It was addictive, and I loved it. The entire time we kissed, Ryan cupped my face in a way that made me feel desired and treasured all at the same time. We kept up like that until there was a knock on the window.

When we pulled apart, I turned and found Gina standing next to the car. I giggled nervously as I pressed the control to roll down the window.

“Did I forget something?” I squeaked.

She laughed and shook her head. “No, I just needed to break it up before your audience came back.”

As the title says, this book was sweet like candy. It was a quick novella, instalove that I am becoming a bigger fan of the more I read them.

Ryan is busy building his company to worry about a female, companionship or anything more. He will do anything for his older sister and his nephew so he gladly goes to pick up his nephew’s birthday cake from Sweet Like Candy and meets Julia.

And it’s love at first sight. Julia and Ryan are both feeling the sparks from each other and are immediately going to spend time together and get to know this other half of their heart.

A sweet, sweet story and quick read that helped my work day breaks be more bearable.

5 stars!

Evie Harrison writes what she loves. Strong and sexy alpha men being brought to their knees in an instant when they meet the women they love. Each of her books will contain insta love, incredible passion, and sizzling sex.

Follow Evie on Goodreads

Release Boost ~ Fractured Beat ~ by ~ RB Hilliard

Title: Fractured Beat

Series: The Meltdown Series #1

Author: RB Hilliard

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Published: September 20, 2016

When Grant Hardy, Meltdown’s lead singer, falls off the stage in the middle of a concert while under the influence, his record label has no choice but to step in and take control. The solution is simple. Send Grant to rehab and avoid a public relations nightmare by covering it up as a bad case of the flu.

When the rehab facility’s recommendation for extended treatment starts to affect the label’s bottom line, they are forced to find an alternative solution – hire an in-house counselor for the duration of the tour.

There’s just one problem.

Grant Hardy isn’t an addict.

“WOW! DID NOT SEE THIS AMAZING BOOK COMING! I absolutely LOVED every minute of this highly original story of rock stars.” ~5 Star Review by The Power of Three Readers

“I absolutely loved this book. One of the best books I’ve read all year.” ~5 Star Review by Leigh Shen

“Wow! This was my first read by this author and I’m impressed! Fractured Beat had a unique story line that sucked me right in! I didn’t want to put it down! I love any music/rock star book, but this one was about so much more than just that.” ~5 Star Review by Sammy’s Book Obsession

That night I stood in the same spot as the previous night. The show was equally if not more thrilling to watch. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Grant. The man was a spoonful of charisma and a heaping side of sexy with a vocal range to die for. Tonight he was wearing a pair of faded jeans that looked as if they’d been washed a hundred thousand times. With holes worn in them they still managed to cup all the right places. For observation purposes only, and not because I found the man irresistible, I could see why women lost their minds when they were in his presence. His deep, raspy voice paired with such beautifully harsh, yet poetic lyrics rendered him awe inspiring. Shivers coursed up my spine and tingles danced to my toes with each word he sang. Grant Erwin Hardy had a depth to him that both scared and intrigued me. I could get lost in a man such as this, but I wouldn’t. I’d been lost once before and almost didn’t survive. To do so again would destroy me. I glanced around the stage at the rapt, slack jawed faces and realized I was no different. However, if I was honest, and I mean really honest with myself, I wanted to be.

RB Hilliard lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her husband and two children. Her love of the written word led her to pursue a degree in English and later a career as an academic language therapist. In 2012 she took a break from teaching and began writing her first novel, His End Game. Hilliard has published five books in her MMG Series, as well as Utterly Forgettable, a romantic comedy and Fractured Beat, the first in her Meltdown Series.

His End Game

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Release Day Blitz ~ Home For the Howliday ~ by ~ Cassie Leigh

Title: Home for the Howliday

Series: An Ushers Run Pack Novella

Author: Cassie Leigh

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: November 1, 2016

He may have given up fighting, but he’s in for the fight of his life…

Walking away from his wolf pack duties and woman he loved was the hardest thing Gunner Thoren ever did. But now, ten years later, the successful MMA fighter is giving up the cage, and reclaiming what’s always been his.

Before shifter witch Noelle Hiver could give Gunner her heart, he was gone. And now that he’s back, someone else is determined to claim her as his mate. Refusing to be marked by anyone other than the wolf she’s loved for past ten years, Noelle will do anything in her power to stay connected to Gunner. But the jealous wolf who wants her for his own won’t heel. Now it’s up to Gunner to protect the woman he’s always loved and finally give Noelle the best gift of the holiday season–his mark. Will the howlidays bring something for Noelle and Gunner this Christmas?

Chapter 1

The sultry croon of “Santa Baby” blaring through the crowded cabin might as well have been nails on a chalkboard to Gunner Thoren. The eggnog and holiday cookie smorgasbord only added to his irritation. For the hundredth time he questioned his motivation for coming back into the fold. He’d walked away from a good thing in Las Vegas, to return home to the wolf-pack town of Ushers Run, Iowa. “Eventually you all come home.” Gunner shook the pack-elder’s voice from his already crowded mind. He’d met with the old man along with the pack-leader, Ambrose. It was a lofty position for his best friend to ascend to in Gunner’s absence. Then Ambrose blindsided him with a compulsory invitation to attend the festivities this evening. It was intended for the younger members. Some crap about pack bonding.

Gunner just wanted to enjoy being in nature. It was the only part of being home that he looked forward to after a decade of self-imposed exile. The bright lights of Las Vegas lacked a forest for his wolf to run in. Wolves didn’t belong skulking through back alleys and desert landscapes. At least Ambrose picked a nice spot in the woods for the cabin he’d designed for the pack’s use. Too bad it was currently being overrun with someone’s bastardized idea of Christmas cheer.

From his spot in the corner, Gunner sneered at the garish holiday sweaters covered in ice skating reindeer and penguins decorating evergreen trees. The pack he was born to, or at least this generation of it, might be happy to prance around like drunken fools, but he wouldn’t be caught dead participating in such stupidity. His brother, Asher, loped toward him from across the room in the easy way that came with overstimulated youth. Battery-powered twinkle lights wrapped around the kid’s snowflake-covered sweater. It must have come out of their grandmother’s closet.

Asher grinned up at him. “You aren’t in party gear, bro!”

Gunner growled and hunkered down in his corner, unwilling to acknowledge the fool. This kid was why he gave up fighting and the title shot he had worked for years to achieve. Now he would run his family’s business—the local gym. With their father’s passing, his mother needed the help keeping it from going under and his kid brother from tearing down half the town with his idiocy. Less than two years until he graduated and Gunner could take off again. He was already counting down the days.

“Never fear,” Asher said, undaunted by Gunner’s stoicism. “I knew it would happen, so I brought an extra.”

Asher slapped his brother’s back and gave him an ineffective shove that left the kid rubbing the sting out of his hand. Gunner stood still as a mountain, which he was as a middleweight fighter. He fought at 185 pounds but walked around closer to 220 between fights.

“Nothing’s wrong with my sweater,” Gunner groused. He’d worn a normal sweater, a traditional Scandinavian pattern in grey and navy. A respectable sweater, not some castoff thrift store reject.

“You’re not getting into the spirit,” Asher said, his tone sullen and accusatory.

Feminine laughter that was equal parts wicked and ethereal rose above the chaotic jumble of voices and crappy Christmas pop-music. Gunner tuned out the useless prattle that continued to dump out of his brother’s mouth, searching for the owner of that laugh as if it was a homing beacon meant to draw him in.

“You’ve got enough for both of us.” Gunner answered his brother to stop the distracting noise. He searched the nameless faces. The laughter had stopped but he knew he hadn’t imagined its siren song.

That’s when Gunner saw her. The reason he left town in the first place—Noelle Hiver. She moved like a Nordic goddess come to life—a young and beautiful version of the Norns—as she stood in front of a tinsel-draped tree talking with her hands as if they were weaving a tapestry to illustrate her words. The multicolored lights that reflected off the metallic decorations shone on her like a rainbow spotlight.

The little vixen was a dangerous temptation. Her white sweater dress embroidered with silver poinsettias hugged her lithe curves in places he knew his eyes shouldn’t linger—but he couldn’t stop himself, just like before. No one should look at the pack-leader’s half-sister that way, not if he wanted to keep his eyes. His illicit gaze continued the treacherous journey north to wild platinum blonde hair that skimmed her slender shoulders. He wanted a closer look, perilous as it was. He needed to know if she still wore feathers braided in the riotous curls.

Noelle again laughed at something her companion said, a woman who didn’t exist as far as Gunner was concerned, and it rang like bells calling him home. She glanced his way and his heart nearly stopped. Those eyes, guarded aquamarine glaciers, bored into him from across the room and he was curious what the pack abomination had made of herself.

He’d never called her that, but nearly everyone they knew had. A half-breed shifter witch was not welcome among purebred werewolves, but her brother Ambrose, Gunner’s best friend, had changed that when he took over, hadn’t he? At least for this one pack he had. Gunner had never worried about any of that as she was just Noelle to him.

He closed his eyes against visions of the past that clawed to the surface of his mind and realized his brother was still talking. “Bro, hotties heading our way. It’s too late to fix you now.” This time when Asher shoved, Gunner moved as his eyes flew open. Just a step closer to her but it was as if he jumped a chasm.

Noelle sauntered toward him, her friend in tow. A sweet smile spread across her pouty pink lips. A knowing smile. Gunner steeled himself against its impact. He knew this would come when he made the choice to return home. He just wasn’t ready to see her tonight or for her to see him. But those lips brought a flash he’d give anything to forget, just to relieve the torture.

An image of her broke through, unbidden, from the past. That same smile as she sat waiting for him in the passenger seat of his Camaro on another winter night, reaching for something other than the gear shift, or at least not the one that belonged in his car.

“Gunner, fancy seeing you here.” Noelle’s silken voice pulled him out of the past.

“You’re brother’s invite clearly stated that I didn’t have a choice.”

Noelle smiled at the growl in his voice, clearly finding some kind of perverse pleasure in his words.

Asher glanced from Gunner to Noelle. “Dude, you know her?”

CASSIE LEIGH specializes in all things paranormal romance. She has been dreaming up stories since before she could write. It started with recording conversations for her dolls on a Fisher-Price tape recorder, moved on to an antique typewriter found at a garage sale, then an electric typewriter, and finally computers. In all that time, she never thought of herself as a writer. It was only a dream. It wasn’t until she picked up romance novels in her late twenties that she started to believe it was more than that and she had found where she belonged. With the help of her husband, she carves out time to write while raising five children, working full time and obsessing over her midcentury modern dream home.

Her goal as a writer is to transform the trials and tribulations of everyday life and turn it on its head using the paranormal world of spirits, vampires, and were-animals. The world can be a scary place, but she finds it a little more tolerable knowing that the supernatural things that go bump in the night have problems just like the rest of us.

Want more? You can connect with Cassie Leigh online.

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