2021 – Page 105 – TBR Book Blog

Blog Tour & Review ~ Swoony Billionaire ~ by ~ Max Monroe

Meet the swooniest billionaire of all time in one awesome and hilarious romantic comedy collection (all for the price of one novella, too!)

Swoony Billionaire, an all-new hilarious and sexy romantic comedy collection of Tapping the Billionaire, Tapping Her and the all new novella, Be My Billionaire Valentine from New York Times bestselling author Max Monroe is available now!

This collection includes the following three books: *New York Times bestseller Tapping the Billionaire *Tapping Her

*And a BRAND-NEW novella, Be My Billionaire Valentine

This is the perfect indulgence for new and old readers alike!

A favorite book boyfriend of all time, Kline Brooks sets a different kind of standard.

If you’re the type of woman that prefers crotch selfies to small talk, this hero isn’t for you.

If you HATE laughing, this hero isn’t for you.

If you want your male leads to grunt, thrust like jack rabbits, and have one-track minds that prefer a nice pair of t*ts to brains every hour of every day for the rest of forever, well…then, this hero still isn’t for you.

But.

If you enjoy a good swoon, a hearty laugh, witty banter, some hot as f*@% f*@%ing, and an awesome HEA, then dive into this collection and never come up for air.

Kline Brooks isn’t the kind of man you regret.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aghXV7 Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/SwoonyBillion

Add Swoony Billionaire to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3ooQl5s

I have missed the Billionaire Bad Boys!! And truth be told, I hadn’t really thought about them in a bit, when I heard about this collection, I was mistaking Thatch for Kline… Don’t tell Thatch! I had forgotten how swoony Kline truly is! If I didn’t know who Thatch was, I’d be all about Kline. He’s definitely in a tie with Thatch as my favorite. Don’t tell Wes. There are 2 books of Kline that I’ve already read but then I surprise Valentine’s Day novella featuring Kline and Georgie. And of course, Thatch, Cassie and Wes. It was definitely nice to just read 1 couples’ stories from beginning to end without having additional stories in between. It was a nice change of pace from normal series stories. I’m sure it was hard to keep the swoony Kline Brooks into just 1 collection though! I won’t lie and say that I’m not hoping there will be a Thatch collection – as I’m SURE a lot of readers will say. Although I’m sure that might be longer than a collection with the personality of Thatch and Cassie. 5 stars!!

About Max Monroe A duo of romance authors team up under the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling pseudonym Max Monroe to bring you sexy, laugh-out-loud reads.

Max Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of more than ten contemporary romance titles. Favorite writing partners and long time friends, Max and Monroe strive to live and write all the fun, sexy swoon so often missing from their Facebook newsfeed. Sarcastic by nature, their two writing souls feel like they’ve found their other half. This is their most favorite adventure thus far.

Connect with Max Monroe BookBub: http://bit.ly/3bJFJJh Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ReoxkK Facebook: http://bit.ly/31XxggS Instagram: http://bit.ly/39wuCkW Stay up to date with Max Monroe by joining their mailing list today: http://bit.ly/2HzGmau Website: https://www.authormaxmonroe.com/

Cover Reveal ~ Bad Boy Billionaire ~ by ~ Amie Knight

Title: Bad Boy Billionaire

A Cocky Hero Club Novel

Author: Amie Knight

Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance

Photo: Wander Aguiar Photography

Model: Andrew Biernat

Release Date: March 7, 2021

BLURB

Dear Ida,

Never in a million years did I think I’d turn to an advice column for help, but I’m stuck. Moving to New York is my dream come true, but the big city is a tough place to navigate for a small-town, southern girl like me. Luckily, fate sent me my very own knight in shining armor.

Only Whitaker Aldrich didn’t ride in on his white steed to save me. He picked me up on his Harley Davidson, wearing a leather jacket and sporting a cocky smirk that doesn’t bode well for my man free diet. He screams one-night stand.

But there’s so much more to him than that bad boy billionaire persona. He’s thoughtful and kind and his six-year-old son is his entire world.

That twinkle in his brilliant green eyes makes me weak in the knees and I’m terrified that I won’t be able to protect my already bruised heart. I should probably say no when he asks me to be his nanny, right?

Yeah, getting involved with Whit would be a huge mistake.

I should definitely say no. Maybe… Possibly?

Help!

Yours truly,

The Billionaire’s Babysitter

ADD TO GOODREADS

EXCERPT

“Did you leave this note on my computer?”

I turned it toward him, but he didn’t even look at it. Instead, he kept his intense gaze on mine. “Finally,” he muttered, followed by a resounding, “Yes.”

My breath picked up and all of a sudden, I felt like I’d climbed ten flights of stairs. “The night we ran into each other at the club?”

“Yes,” he answered again quickly, stepping even closer to me, until we were toe-to-toe.

He was still looking at me like he was going to devour me. Like I was eight of his favorite tacos. It scared the hell out of me. It made me so hot, I could have burned down this house.

“Did you mean it? I mean, do you still mean it?” I stuttered out, my core throbbing, my nipples aching. What the hell kind of magic had the man put on me?

“Yes,” he answered again, this time pulling the laptop from my hand, setting it on one of the chairs in front of his desk and pulling me to him so fast I had whiplash.

He leaned in close, rubbed the side of his nose along the side of mine. “I’m going to kiss you now, Grace.”

He didn’t give me a chance to answer before his mouth was on mine. Those soft plump, pink lips I’d been dreaming about rubbed against my own, coaxing my mouth to open.

And once I finally opened my mouth, it seemed like it was game on. Out the window went slow, sweet Whit. And all of a sudden, his hands were tight in my hair and his mouth ate at mine like a man starving. Sweet handholding Whit now used those hands to control my every move.

He nipped my bottom lip. Licked the top. Tasted every corner of my mouth with his tongue. And I held on for dear life because, just like that, I was drowning in him.

I’d never once been kissed like this in my life. He kissed me like he owned me. He kissed me like I owned him.

With fire in my bones, I kissed him back as he walked me backward until my thighs were pressed to the end of his desk. And without breaking our kiss, he lifted me right under my ass and set me on top of that desk before stepping between my thighs and pulling me back to him where my core was pressed right to the impressive hardness in his jeans.

Feeling brave, I reached around and grabbed his ass, pulling him as close to me as I could get him.

“Mmm,” he moaned into my mouth, before kissing the corner of each side of my lips and then pushing a few papers out of the way. “I’m sorry, Grace,” he said, grabbing the edge of the sweatshirt I was wearing and pulling it off and over my head. “This isn’t going to be slow. I’ve waited too long.” He unsnapped my bra. Sucking in a harsh breath at the sight of me, he placed his palm right between my breasts and pushed me back until I lay flat on the desk.

AUTHOR BIO

Amie Knight has been a reader for as long as she could remember and a romance lover since she could get her hands on her momma’s books. A dedicated wife and mother with a love of music and makeup, you will never see her leave the house without her eyebrows and eyelashes done just right. When she isn’t reading and writing you can catch her jamming out in the car with her two kids to 90’s R&B, Country and Showtunes. Amie draws inspiration from her childhood in Columbia, South Carolina and can’t imagine living anywhere other than the South.

AUTHOR LINKS

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Blog Tour ~ Thorns & Forgiveness ~ by ~ CoraLee June

The Duet is complete! Thornes and Forgiveness, the all-new intense and fiercely emotional second book in the Twisted Legacy Duet from bestselling author CoraLee June is available now!

Determined to save my mother from her disastrous marriage, I sold my pride for a second chance with Hamilton Beauregard. I ached for him, but my heart refused to forgive.

Hamilton broke me. He betrayed me. He made me fall in love with a lie.

While trying to figure out my feelings, we all had to navigate my mother’s toxic sham of a marriage and her husband’s deteriorating façade. My stepfather was dangerous. Deadly. During a tragic moment of weakness, his evil bloomed to life, and someone died.

Hamilton is the only way I’ll survive.

Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3716OHx Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ThornesandForgive

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2JSHVot

Start the Twisted Legacy Duet with Bastards and Scapegoats! Amazon: http://amzn.to/39YAzc5 Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/BasandScape

Excerpt

“You want a goodbye, Hamilton?” I asked as the pain in my chest cracked and all the disappointment flowed out with a vengeance. What even was the truth anymore? Did he care about me? Did he think I wasn’t worth the effort? He clenched his teeth, the move making his defined jaw harden into a sharp line. “I want a goodbye, Petal.” My heart cracked. I felt cheap. Used. I was done. Done with all of it. Done with the Beauregards. Done with the blackmail. Done with my mother’s guilt. My insecurities. I was done with him. Hamilton then choked out words that softened the blow. “I want you to live your life, Petal. I want you to be happy without me.” I wrapped my legs around his middle and rolled us both over. Pressing him into the mattress, I shrugged out of my sleep tank and clawed at the soft fabric of his shirt. He quickly tore it from his body while kicking his boots off to the ground. “Fuck you, Hamilton,” I whispered before scraping my teeth along his chest. I savored him. I fought with him. My fingers undid the button to his pants, and he slid them down. “Love you too, Petal,” he said in a reverent tone, his voice so soft that I almost didn’t hear it. It was the most tender sound. “I bet you’re drenched. You still want me. Even when I hurt you, your pussy aches for me.” Shame filled me. This was some sick kink for Hamilton. He liked knowing he could still have my body after destroying my heart. I raged. I groaned. “I want your cock. I want your goodbye. I want to get off so I can kick you out of my apartment and out of my life.” We undressed like each scrap of fabric between us was a weapon. He bucked, I pressed him into the mattress. I lined up my sex with his and watched his lips part as I slowly slid down and began riding him. With him fully inside me, he groaned low and slow. I bent over to whisper in his ear. “Enjoy it while you can, because I’m done.”

About CoraLee Coralee June is an international bestselling romance writer who enjoys engaging projects and developing real, raw, and relatable characters. She is an English major from Texas State University and has had an intense interest in literature since her youth. She currently resides with her husband and two daughters in Dallas, Texas, where she enjoys long walks through the ice-cream aisle at her local grocery store.

Connect with CoraLee Facebook: http://bit.ly/3a4hnJU Goodreads: http://bit.ly/39XMB5H Pinterest: http://bit.ly/3a47OLh Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/3iKV5kk BookBub: http://bit.ly/3qPrTvG Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Nt4lOx Website: http://www.authorcoraleejune.com

New Release ~ The Princess of Nothing ~ by ~ Rebecca L. Garcia

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Run. Hide. Pray for escape. Racing down the winding streets of Imperia, my only hope of reclaiming my throne is to escape. Unfortunately, that means returning to the one place I truly fear—Berovia. My fears—it seems—were justified. In the dark underbelly of Berovia, I am captured by King Xenos’s men and thrown into the pits with traitors and criminals to pray for salvation I knew wouldn’t come. My only hope to make it out alive is by agreeing to marry the king’s arrogant son. But this union comes at a terrible price. If I agree to be his bride, my people may be stripped of their magic and forced into submission under Kiros’s reign. If I die, I leave my corruptible cousin, Edgar, to ruin my family’s rule. Can I find a way to save my people and myself? Or, will I die as the princess of nothing?

♦ ♦ ♦

“What makes you think you’re ready to rule a kingdom, to have people’s lives in your hands every day, if you don’t even have integrity or any self-worth to stand up to your father? What about loyalty to the people who have been friends to you? Is that how you repay them? Because if so, then I may rethink my position on helping you.” I sat on my hands, attempting to stop them from shaking. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. “I know what I did, and I will forever be haunted by it. I make no excuses. I didn’t want them to die.” I cried. “It changed me, made me see things differently. I want to do right this time. I know I can be a good ruler because I love my kingdom. Growing up, I would go to the local towns with my mother, and the people were so hardworking. They made the most beautiful things and always stood by their faith. They were strong in the face of adversity. I respected them, and even though I was taught to fear some of the lower classes, I see I was misled. I can’t abandon them. Our faith and land are everything to us. I will not have Edgar, or anyone, take it away from them.” Tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m the only one who can stop it. I know I can bring the dark fae and lunas together too. It didn’t work before, but in time, Blaise will come around. I believe in uniting the kingdom for the first time in history.” He remained silent. My breaths quickened. I placed my hand over my heart. “Have you ever done something you regret, something you couldn’t take back? I trust in redemption. Always have, always will.” His expression changed. The corners of his eyes softened, and his tight lips relaxed. He regarded me with a compassion I definitely didn’t deserve, but it was calming to see him look at me with anything other than the disgust he’d had a couple of minutes ago. “I’ve made mistakes too.” He didn’t look at me. “Ones I can’t take back, but before I help you, we must face the elves.” I looked down. “I know.” “We need to go to the Forest of Tranquillium. We will leave in the morning.” He gave me a look. “It’s the right thing to do.”

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Read the First Chapter HERE!

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Enter the Release Day giveaway HERE!

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Rebecca lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and son. Born and raised in England, you can find her drinking tea, writing new worlds, and designing covers. Rebecca devoured every book she was given from the age of five and fell in love with magical worlds. When she got older, her imagination grew with her and she delved into writing strong characters and vast worlds. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, you can find her traveling, and hosting book signings with Spellbinding Events. The Fate of Crowns, book one, releases January 5th, 2021 with the following four books releasing between January and June.

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Pre-Order Blitz ~ Strings Attached ~ by ~ Loriana Cappello

Title: Strings Attached

Series: A Braebeach Rock Romance

Author: Loriana Cappello

Genre: Contemporary Romance (Rockstar/NA Romance)

Release Date: February 12, 2021

Cover Design: Lou Stock at LJ Designs

Ashton Chambers has one hell of a decision to make.

Finish his final year of university or sign a lucrative record deal with his band, Koolum Law.

Pressure from the record company, a commitment to his family and being the glue keeping the contract on the table,

is weighing heavy on Ash’s shoulders.

But that’s not his only dilemma.

Calla Bryson is the girl who stole his 16-year-old heart

and now she’s back to steal it all over again.

Ash and Calla have a history of bad timing.

The first time around, Ash’s best friend stood between them.

This time, it’s their potential careers.

The one guarantee they have is the summer together.

The one promise they make—no promises.

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Loriana is a bit of a nomad. Born to British parents in Germany where her father was stationed during his time in the British Army. After living her early years in Lincolnshire, schooling and growing up in Royal Windsor, she spent her early twenties living and working in Australia as well as travelling around Asia and Europe.

Now a wife to one very patient husband and mum to four beautiful children, she lives in the Home Counties, not too far from London.

Loriana writes contemporary romance and loves to create stories about countries, cities and people that inspire her.

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Pre-Order Blitz ~ The Devil’s Vengeance ~ by ~ Bella J.

The Devil’s Vengeance by International Bestselling Author Bella J is releasing on Feb. 22nd on Kindle Unlimited!

Pre-Order is available now! https://amzn.to/2JFQe6W

Be sure to add it to your TBR on Goodreads: https://bit.ly/TDV2Goodreads

Gian

I knew I’d never have the luxury of choosing my own wife. An arranged marriage was a sacrifice men in my position had to make for their families. It wasn’t something I looked forward to, but it had to be done.

I just never imagined my father would choose her to be my bride. Daniela Moretti, the daughter of my enemy…and I intended to treat her as such.

But since the day she set foot in my house as my wife, my loathing of her turned into something deadlier than hate. Her strength intrigued me. Her fight seduced me. And I started seeing more in her than just dirty, filthy Moretti blood.

Now…she’s gone. Kidnapped. Vanished without a trace.

But the devil always finds what’s his, and when I do, my thirst for vengeance will be sated by blood.

Pre-Order: https://amzn.to/2JFQe6W

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/TDV2Goodreads

Read Book 1, THE DEVIL’S VOW: http://mybook.to/TheDevilsVow

MEET THE BELLA J.

Bella J is an International Bestselling Author, who loves writing dark and gritty romance with alpha-holes who have absolutely no redeeming qualities…until they do. Maybe.

Some of her bestselling novels/series include:

The Rise of Saint The Fall of Sin American Street Kings Series Royal Mafia Series

She lives in Cape Town, South Africa with her husband, two kids, and a chihuahua who gets treated like royalty.

Bella J’s writing motto: The darker the road to love, the sweeter the HEA.

WEBSITE: https://www.authorbellaj.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/BellaJNovels/ INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/bellajauthor/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/BellaJ_Author

Book Tour ~ The Lost Horseman ~ by ~ Freida Kilmari

Title: The Lost Horseman

Series: The Horseman’s Harem Saga

Author: Freida Kilmari

Genre: LGBT Reverse Harem Fantasy Romance

Release Date: January 31, 2021

Four lovers. Four species. One world to save?

The only thing better than having someone who loves you? Having four.

My memories returned and the horror of my mortal past confirmed, I can’t hide anymore. Not from the world, not from my feelings, and certainly not from the people I’m coming to call family.

But the world is growing more unstable by the day—the magical communities are picking sides and the humans are growing restless at the early signs of war—so it looks like it’s time for the Horsemen of the Apocalypse to come out of hiding.

Damn it all to hell.

Look out world, Horseman of Magic is here!

(HERE TODAY)

Nine steps forward and looks to the audience. I’ll need a volunteer.

By the shocked looks on everyone’s faces, he sent that to everyone in the room. Vampires included.

Mr. Nice Vampire steps up, cautious after Arrie’s display of brute strength. “I’ll help.”

“This won’t be pleasant,” Nine says. “But it won’t hurt.”

Mr. Nice Vampire balls his hands into fists in an attempt to control his nervous shaking.

Cute.

Nine focuses on the man stood in front of him, hand raised in concentration. “Jump.”

He jumps, eyes going wide.

“Stick your tongue out.”

He sticks his tongue out, much to the hilarity of everyone around us.

But we stay silent, knowing how much Nine hates using his powers like this. He defends himself and the team, but without permission, he wouldn’t enter someone’s mind like this—not even ours.

“Pinch yourself.”

He pinches himself lightly on the arm.

Nine releases his mental command. “I can use it to make someone do anything, even kill themselves.”

I wince. Really?

Yes.

Freida Kilmari, an author, writer, and editor from south-west England, has a passion for unique fantasy, one that started with the likes of Philip Pullman, Derek Landy, and JK Rowling. With their fantastical words, she spent her childhood and young adult life vying to create her own world of words one day. Eventually, after finishing her degree and settling into being a business owner, she started writing fantasy romance with LGBT+ twists, and from there, she’s kept twisting tropes, retelling fairy tales and legends, and seeing just how far you can push the boundaries of sexuality and gender.

Living in south-west England, she owns and runs Penmanship Editing, a fiction editing business that strives to make the most out of each author’s unique story, words, and heart. “Every writer is different, and it’s those differences that make our work a part of who we are.” She’s worked on over 100 books in the last two years and has received praise from authors and other editors alike for her encouraging and togetherness approach in a field that is lacking uniqueness and empathy.

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Cover Reveal ~ Twisted Cravings ~ by ~ Cora Reilly

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Title: Twisted Cravings

Series: The Camorra Chronicles #6

Author: Cora Reilly

Genre: Mafia Romance

Release Day: March 2021

Cover Designer: Letitia, Romantic Book Affairs

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As the youngest brother of the notorious Falcone clan, Adamo grew up surrounded by blood and violence. Drugs soon became his way of coping. Becoming a Made Man like his brothers was his destiny but never his passion. When he becomes the organizer of his family’s successful illegal street races and one of their thrill-seeking drivers, he finally asserts his own path in the harsh mafia world. His purpose isn’t the only thing Adamo discovers on the fuel-soaked roads he calls home… Dinara Mikhailov is the only female race driver and hard to ignore. Not only because of her flaming red hair and ruthless driving style, but also because the Bratva princess is allowed to drive in enemy territory. Soon Adamo and she find themselves entangled in a passionate game that goes beyond the race track. Yet, both haunted by events in the past, their dark cravings put everything on the line. As what they crave the most, comes with a brutal price.

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Cora Reilly is the author of the Born in Blood Mafia Series, The Camorra Chronicles and many other books, most of them featuring dangerously sexy bad boys. Before she found her passion in romance books, she was a traditionally published author of young adult literature. Cora lives in Germany with a cute but crazy Bearded Collie, as well as the cute but crazy man at her side. When she doesn’t spend her days dreaming up sexy books, she plans her next travel adventure or cooks too spicy dishes from all over the world.

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New Release ~ Still Standing ~ by ~ Kristen Ashley

“Any hopeless romantic would devour everything Kristen Ashley has to offer!” ―Fresh Fiction

Still Standing, an all-new white-hot, high octane MC romance and the first standalone in the Wild West MC series from New York Times bestselling author Kristen Ashley, is available now!

When Clara Delany walks into the Aces High Motorcycle Club’s hangout, she’s hit rock bottom. She’s hiding her car from the repo man, she has less than two dollars in her bank account and the only employment she can get is delivering messages for a criminal.

All because of a man. Therefore, she’s sworn off them.

And then she meets West “Buck” Hardy, president of the Aces High MC.

Buck also meets her, and the minute he does, he makes it clear (to everyone but Clara) that they’re starting something. Since Clara doesn’t get that message, she decides to leave Buck and sort out her life in order to come back to him clean.

She’s not gone but hours before life hits Clara with another blow. Which means Buck and his boys have to ride in and save the day. After that, Buck makes no bones about where they stand.

But does he?

Welcome to the first novel in the Wild West MC series which will tell the stories of the brothers of the Aces High MC, the Resurrection MC and the Chaos MC…and the women who love them.

Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/3eXeWeh Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/StillStanding Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/39u2Fgx Apple Books: http://apple.co/3m1hhrA Google Play: http://bit.ly/3abobFY Kobo: http://bit.ly/3kSbnHP Nook: http://bit.ly/3nPNmmn Paperbook: http://bit.ly/3cm6XZg

Add Still Standing to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/39t30zU

About Kristen Ashley

Kristen Ashley is the New York Times bestselling author of over sixty romance novels including the Rock Chick, Colorado Mountain, Dream Man, Chaos, Unfinished Hero, The ’Burg, Magdalene, Fantasyland, The Three, Ghost and Reincarnation, Moonlight and Motor Oil and Honey series along with several standalone novels. She’s a hybrid author, publishing titles both independently and traditionally, her books have been translated in fourteen languages and she’s sold over three million books. Kristen’s novel, Law Man, won the RT Book Reviews Reviewer’s Choice Award for best Romantic Suspense. Her independently published title Hold On was nominated for RT Book Reviews best Independent Contemporary Romance and her traditionally published title Breathe was nominated for best Contemporary Romance. Kristen’s titles Motorcycle Man, The Will, Ride Steady (which won the Reader’s Choice award from Romance Reviews) and The Hookup all made the final rounds for Goodreads Choice Awards in the Romance category.

Connect with Kristen

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2FyJg18 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3hl0A7e Instagram: https://bit.ly/33o8nfv Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2ZtoKGz BookBub: https://bit.ly/3bYcTFl Twitter: https://bit.ly/35Kg6rh Pinterest: https://bit.ly/3mftcCt Website: https://www.kristenashley.net Stay up to date by subscribing to her mailing list: https://bit.ly/3mjJiLd

Book Tour ~ The Fury of Angels ~ by ~ Julian M. Coleman

Title: The Fury of Angels

Series: The Damned Reflections Trilogy #1

Author: Julian M. Coleman

Genre: Historical Romance/Women’s Fiction

Release Date: January 25, 2021

‘Julian M. Coleman manages to captivate the reader with a story that is beyond the scope of any usual supernatural fantasy. This is a dark tale, at times leaning towards gothic, other right into light horror, it’s in fact the stuff of nightmares, and yet, flows nicely page after page into a complex thread that forces the reader to keep on reading until the very last page and then ask for more.’ ~ Goodreads Review (Katheyer)

‘The author knocked it out of the ballpark with this installment. This book was a complete page turner…” ~ Goodreads Review (Bridgett)

Sammy is a prep school kid struggling with teen love and bullying. Sara is a shaman’s daughter, an outcast and a sociopath. The princess and the warrior are identical best friends surviving in different centuries. They are also ruthless killers doomed to immortality.

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PROLOGUE
ILLINOIS TERRITORY – 1854
RUTHIE

Thin slivers of sunlight pierced the stark gray clouds blanketing the horizon. A cold wind whistled through the crack of the poorly constructed sash of the bedroom window. Ruthie didn’t hear the howling sound or feel the frigid temperature.

Familiar wretchedness lapped over her heart as she knelt by the makeshift crib, a thing of rough timber tied together with scraps of rope.

She wanted to disbelieve the truth. But her eyes, leaking perpetual tears, saw how the woolen blankets no longer held her curly-haired toddler. He was gone.

No! She had tucked him into bed the previous night with a heartfelt kiss on his cheek. Her soul ached as she absorbed the painful truth. Massa had taken her son as he had stolen the others. This time she hadn’t been allowed to see him grow much older than his need for a wet-nurse. She had always known Massa would sell him. The urgency this time was the family’s desperate need for money.

Ruthie held her breast as her heart pounded against her ribcage. A low, persistent moan snared in her throat failed to swell into a soul-searing scream.

“Ruthie, you is disturbing me with all that sniveling. Git your ass in the kitchen and start making breakfast. I know you ain’t expecting me to fix it!” The annoyed, nasal tone emitted from the Missus’ sunny private reading room.

The rebuke forced Ruthie’s silence, but the pain gnawed her heart. She rose to her feet on legs barely able to support her statuesque frame. And as hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop looking at the empty crib, the rumpled blankets, and a discarded toy, a pitiful thing she’d made out of rags…which he had adored.

“Ruthie! Come here, girl!” The irritation in Missus’ tone meant further sufferings. This time, the infuriating voice streamed from the kitchen.

Ruthie straightened her back, stiffened her shoulders, and lifted her head. Today is going to be different, she promised herself.

Then she chastised herself. After all, she was to blame for wanting to keep him. For falling in love with his liquid brown eyes and curly black hair. For allowing the maternal stirrings to manifest each time she had nursed him.

“Ruthie! I ain’t going to call you again! We’re hungry. Git your ass out here! Or do you want me to come in there and beat you?”

“Comin’ Missus!” she tried to wrench the emotion out of her voice. By the time she emerged from her tiny room near the food cellar, she had pasted on a smile.

Missus, a plain, broad woman in a gingham dress, wore her dark hair in a bun. She sat alone at the kitchen table, sipping from a cup. Her small blue eyes gleamed as she lowered her drink and twisted her lips into a self-satisfied sneer.

Missus relished her pain. Now there wouldn’t be a brown baby to remind her of Massa’s peculiar and non-Christian tastes for his slave.

“Good mornin’, Missus,” Ruthie chimed in false cheerfulness.

Although she could silence her whimpers, she couldn’t stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks. She escaped the hostile scrutiny by wrapping herself in a shawl, grabbing the basket, and departing for the chicken coop. The hired hands, ne’er-do-well white men more likely to drink hooch than put in a day’s work, were repairing the fence. The sinister way they eyed her comings and goings made her nervous.

In the distance, she heard the girls, nine-year-old Glorie and her younger sister, Mabel, laughing, although she didn’t see them. She guessed they were somewhere close, playing a game like, Hide and Seek, as usual. As she filled her basket with fresh eggs, the ever-present agony bored a wider hole in the remnants of her heart.

It wasn’t right. Massa and Missus kept both their children when she couldn’t keep even one of hers.

Alone in the chicken coop, she sank to her knees and wept. With no one nearby to hear, she loudly cried as the pain ripped apart her soul.

“Ruthie!”

She coughed out the wad of emotion lodged in her throat. “Coming, Missus!” She rose from her knees. A part of her hoped for the familiar numbness to take hold, but this time there wasn’t a blanketing detachment to coat over the debilitating injury. The loss continued to grate her heart into shreds.

She assumed her tasks as if watching herself perform them from a distance. She fried eggs, salt ham and biscuits, and later she watched as Missus and her golden-haired girls gobbled their meal. They chatted, laughed and ate as their lives continued. Slyly, she watched them as a nugget of pure hatred welled in the empty pit of her heart.

Next, she took out a tray to the field hands. The riffraff didn’t bother washing up. Instead, they dived into the food with the ferocious gluttony of wild pigs.

As she cleared and cleaned the morning dishes, she heard Massa’s lazy steed clip-clop to the stables. Ruthie caught her breath. She held onto a minuscule iota of optimism he hadn’t sold their son. Massa’s lone entrance into the house dashed all hope. Her missing son was not in the company of his father.

The gangly man with pocked skin unloaded sacks of flour, seeds and tobacco. Under his arm, he carried a bolt of cloth and two new dolls. He placed the items on the table, and then he looked around before swatting Ruthie on her derriere.

Tears formed, but she refused to cry.

She hated him. She always had. Briefly, she remembered how he’d made her a woman before she’d had her first bleeding. She’d been a child, wrenched from her mother’s care, sold and bedded in less than one day.

Massa wasn’t indeed a prosperous businessman. He’d sold his home and failing business in Philadelphia and all his slaves except Ruthie, to stake his claim in Illinois. His skill with farming and raising sheep was as dubious as his haberdashery talents had been.

“Henry!” Missus squealed at the store-bought items. She unrolled the cloth. “A new Sunday dress for church!” she gushed. “It’s lovely!”

He planted a tepid kiss on Missus’ faintly mustachioed lips. “Nothing but the best for my angels.” The girls each took a doll and began squabbling over which one was prettier.

Julian M. Coleman is a wife, mother and grandmother who enjoys reading, gardening and running as well as writing horror novels from her home in Richmond, Virginia. She is a diehard Stephen King/Anne Rice fan and wasn’t surprised when her first trilogy won a Best Paranormal/Horror award.

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