I’m an outlaw. I don’t fall in love and I sure as fuck don’t run… Until Jillian McAdams.
I fell for a law abiding Sheriff, breaking my vows to my own club, and turning her against her family of blue.An outlaw and a sheriff, it can only end in one way… Mayhem.
Now we both have to pay the ultimate price for betraying our families.
I swore to kill my brother, his allegiance sworn to another club, if I ever saw him again.
Yet here I am running to him in hopes to save Jillian’s life…
We both will have to rewrite the rules we know to stay alive.
Even if it means we lose everything we had in doing so…
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.
Bleu has been living an isolated life away from the clan of Grayslake. He’s a happy bear shifter, building furniture and being alone…until a little curvy woman literally crashes into his life. When he pulls her from her car after she wraps it around a tree, he is blindsided by the connection. Never before has he wanted a mate, but finding Lola changes all that.
Lola didn’t plan on her deadbeat mom blowing the rent and then skipping town, so she’s without a home. Again. But this time it’s going to be different. Hearing whispers of shifters in Grayslake, she takes off in search of something, anything, that can bring some light to her life. When her car slips and she ends up in danger, she never expects her rescuer to be the one to give her everything she’s ever wanted.
Will being snowed in lead to steamy nights and mating bites? You betcha!
Warning: This is a short shifter story filled with sweet cheesy possessiveness and lots of growling. Obviously. Go ahead and read it. You know you want to!
Growling for Mine by Alexa Riley is a quick, hot read with Bleu (a bear shifter) and Lola. Lola’s car crashed and is trapped when Bleu comes across her. Immediately Bleu is drawn to Lola and is determined to help her (and keep her). Lola is escaping from her life and Bleu offers a great distraction.
I have completely grown to love the Alexa Riley insta-love books. Sometimes you need a quick, no angst, novellas. They’re always a quick read and whether it’s a shifter or not, I love them all. I like an immediate couple rather than so many issues they will never get together.
5 sizzling hot stars!
Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!
Claire Ross has never been good enough. Not for the girls in the elite group of dancers in her class and certainly not for the approval of her ballet teacher, Mr. Robins. She definitely doesn’t like what she sees in the mirror. Simply put, she doesn’t love herself, so how could she possibly love someone else?
After twelve years of friendship, Sebastian Reyes’ adoring gaze holds more. They soon find themselves unable to control their feelings for one another.
When tragedy strikes, Claire finds herself in a very unlikely and unfavorable position. Regardless of the weight of the emotion, she must make difficult decisions that impact the rest of her life.
Will Claire see that her true love has been right in front of her? Happily ever after isn’t just for fairy tales. To get hers, all she has to do is trust, open her heart and fall.
“You just let me jab my tongue down your fuckin’ throat. Now answer the question.”
“I can’t.”
“You can’t answer it or you can’t trust me?”
Maybe both. I wish he’d let me fix my shirt. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s not.”
He’s stubborn too. A match made in heaven. Great. “I trust you or I wouldn’t be here.”
“Progress. Good. I trust you or you wouldn’t be here, either. I want to do more than just play your music, Claire. I’ve wanted to do more than that from the moment I saw you, and I’ve never wanted that with any girl at that school before. So, do I wanna play with the ice? Fuck yeah. You have no idea the things I wanna do to you and your pretty little dancer body.” He smirks. “Am I allowed to say that? Use pretty in other contexts where you’re concerned? Or is the word pretty a hard limit in its entirety?” My arms cross over my chest because never have I felt so exposed, so vulnerable, yet so sexy and wanted. “Quit tryin’ to cover yourself up, dammit. You’re beautiful. Don’t you believe that?”
I shake my head. “Pretty in other contexts is fine, just not pretty girl.”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
It was my hope to avoid it. “What question?” He’s already figured out I’m a terrible liar, so I’m sure this won’t go over very well.
He cocks his head and takes a step closer, which I didn’t know was possible. “I don’t really get off on whips and chains, riding crops, that kind of stuff. I’m not into hardcore BDSM. I just dabble from time to time when the mood or the need hits me.” I’m pretty sure my eyes are about to detach from my head. What. The. Hell. Have. I. Gotten. Myself. Into? “But I do love to spank. Don’t play games.”
When I was five years old I wanted to be a ballerina, so my mom signed me up for dance. Over the next ten years, I explored all three styles: tap, jazz, and ballet. Tap ended up being my favorite, and I studied it for ten years, ballet for four, and jazz for one.
The years I took ballet, I was told to grow my bangs out, to wear my hair in a bun because that’s what ballerinas do. When I ate my snacks from the convenience store because that’s what my single mom bought me after school on her way to drop me off at the studio, I was ridiculed and told if I lost just a few pounds, I’d be the perfect size for a ballerina. I was in elementary school. Looking back at those pictures, I wasn’t fat. Not even close. After my entire class was promoted to pointe and I wasn’t, I quit ballet.
While this story is fiction, there is a lot of me in Claire, but it only takes a few minutes to read the trending headlines to see that this happens to a widespread audience every day. I think there is a lot of every girl in Claire.
Do you like every part of yourself when you look in the mirror? Or did someone, society, make you feel if you lost just a little bit more weight or changed a small part of who you were, you’d be better in their eyes? And then after so long you found you didn’t like the person you saw through your own eyes, didn’t even recognize her?
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think so.
When I started this book, that’s not the message I’d hoped to spread or share, but that’s what it ended up being. Like all of my other books, Claire’s story was cathartic for me because it helped me release a part of my past I didn’t realize I’d been hanging onto so tightly. As much as I loved dance, those years in the studio damaged me. But on the contrary, each day in the studio, each mean girl, each hurtful comment, they took an oyster and produced a pearl. A one-of-a-kind, oddly shaped, uniquely colored, and beautiful pearl.
Every day since writing Heartfall I’ve tried so hard to look in the mirror and find something I like about myself or to ignore something I’d ordinarily criticize, and I challenge you to do the same.
We’re all beautiful and strong women. This is Claire’s story on finding her beauty and strength. Along the way, she’s blessed to find incredible love too. I hope you enjoy it.
J.B. McGee was born and raised in Aiken, South Carolina. She is the mother of two beautiful children and a stay at home mom/entrepreneur. She finished her Bachelor of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education at the University of South Carolina-Aiken in 2006. During her time studying children’s literature, a professor had encouraged her to become a writer.
In 2011, it was discovered that both of her children, she, and her husband have Mitochondrial Disease, a disease that has no cure or treatments. Being a writer allows J.B. to remain close to her family, work on raising awareness for this disease, and to lose herself in the stories that she creates for her readers.
J.B. McGee and her family now reside in Buford, Georgia. She is an Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of her debut series, the ‘THIS’ Series.
Stone Wright is Foreplay’s hottest act. While entertaining at the popular L.A. strip club known for catering to the feminine wild, the fever-inducing Aussie with the sex-saturated accent and moves to match is preparing for the audition of a lifetime on the sensational hit reality show Then Prove You Can Dance.
When retired principal dancer and ballerina Emilie Cartier stumbles into his dressing room, she’s still reeling from the one wrong spin that altered her entire life and obliterated her dreams.
After a humiliating public, albeit meteoric, orgasm—the kind so desperate to escape, it took over her body without her brain’s permission—and a second, more intimate and deliriously deliberate one, Emilie makes a deal with Stone: he helps her get her dancing mojo back and she readies him for his national audition.
But she insists he keeps his wily, wandering hands to himself and his dirty mouth shut. Of course, that’s going to be an extremely hard challenge—one of herculean proportions.
Emilie is not prepared for Stone—the way he spins her mind dizzy, rocks her body into sweet oblivion or dirty dances into her every daydream—and falling in love with him is so definitely not an option.
The closer Stone gets to Emilie, the more he realizes he’d do anything to make her his own. Problem is, he’s a real f*ck-up with relationships. And that means he’s dangerously close to becoming her next major f*ck-up.
What happens when all of the emotional layers—along with the stage props, their dancewear and every last shred of their clothes—are ultimately stripped?
Allie Juliette Mousseau is a USA Today Bestselling Author. She can always be found writing, playing in puddles with her children, hiking with her husband, or adventuring somewhere in the world. Her favorite place to write on warm days is outdoors, but when the weather gets too cold, she’ll be inside at her desk inspired by the mountain view from her home office in Montana where she lives with her loving husband, children, and golden retriever. She loves to travel and lived for three years in her RV with her family while visiting the national parks and forests of the U.S. and a couple Canadian provinces. She is excited to add all of Canada and Alaska in the near future!
Sometimes the unexpected things in life turn out to be the most worthwhile.
Tegan Daniels is a twenty-one year old college student and a hopeless romantic. She knows her prince charming will eventually find her one day. Someone must be playing a warped joke on her when he comes into her life; Her perfect man with one huge character flaw—he despises love.
Charles Reed has never been a commitment type of man, except when it comes to his loyalty to the U.S. Navy. When a close friend’s sister moves to town he starts doubting his phobia of relationships. What he doesn’t expect is for her innocence to make him question everything in his life and from his past.
He never anticipated a girl like her would come into his life. She never thought she’d have to convince her dream man to give them a shot.
Sometimes the things we want most, require the most fighting for. Love is something unwanted by him and something desired by her; Neither expect to fall for the other.
Will this unexpected love end in their happily ever after?
ONCE LINKS ARE LIVE WE WILL SEND.
Sometimes the things we fight hardest against are inevitable in the end.
Hunter Stevenson wasn’t interested in wasting nights with bed warmers, he had a daughter to take care of and a life to build. Leaving behind the mother of his four year old child and her incessant partying, Hunter moves closer to his family to help provide Sawyer some stability.
Tessa Daniels didn’t share the ‘typical American dream’ like most girls. A husband, 2.5 kids and a white picket fence weren’t the things she wanted for herself. She had a plan laid out, which included a career in the Navy and being surrounded by her best friends. She was perfectly content with her carefree, fun lifestyle and her casual relationships, but all of that changed when she met him.
What neither of them expected was a nosy brother and best friend with some serious matchmaking skills. The two have an instantaneous pull towards one another, they can’t fight the spark even though they both do. Until one drunken night, Tessa throws herself at Hunter, only to face an agonizing rejection. However, Hunter’s gentlemanly facade doesn’t last with the sassy sailor girl, his alpha attitude quickly emerges in the midst of their sexual tensions.
Hunter refuses to be another one of Tessa’s casual hook-ups, and won’t allow her to run away from the idea of ‘them’. No matter how many obstacles stand in their way of a happily ever after. Now he must convince Tessa that their inevitable love is worth fighting for.
Can their newfound love survive the stress of an impending deployment and Hunter’s past pushing it’s way back into his life?
JC Santo a true southern girl born and raised a in Central Texas. When she met her husband who is in the U.S. Navy they had to relocate to Norfolk, Virginia. That’s where she has been for the past 5 years being a wife and stay at home mom to 3 boys. In the rare occurrences she gets free time it’s usually spent reading a good book. Three things she will never turn away cupcakes, tattoos and arbor mist! Lol you have to sound like Morgan Freeman!
Perfect swagger.They call Dash Wallace the Diamond King.
He’s the hottest commodity in baseball and in the bedroom.
When he runs the bases, every woman’s eyes are glued to his stunning body and a smile that puts the night lights to shame.
I’m no queen. I’m a regular girl with a regular job. I just watch him on TV and from the bleachers, season after season.Girls like me grab a guy like that one in a million times.
My number just came up, and he is as spectacular in bed as he is on the field.
But there’s not a woman in the world who can distract Dash Wallace from the game. Not for a moment. Not even me.
Until the night I do. And everything changes.
Hardball is a SMOKING HOT, SEXY romance with a touch of angst and a ton of heart from CD Reiss. It’s a fun, witty, full-length standalone meant for the over-eighteen crowd.
First off, I LOVE baseball! And I love dirty, foul-mouthed, HOT baseball players. So this book was PERFECT for me! And OMG did I enjoy Dash. Dash was the typical cocky, hot and he knows it, baseball player. BUT he has some flaws. And those flaws make him that much more real.
I devoured Dash, oops I mean Hard Ball ;-), within 24 hours! I couldn’t put it down! And I didn’t want to. My desire to read the whole book overrode any hesitation for it to end. I hope this is the start of a brand new, baseball series by Miss Reiss. Because if so, chalk up a win!
5 Stars
Praise for Hardball
“Dash Wallace is a dirty talking, sexy professional baseball player who falls hard for the girl next door, but beware… your heart will take a beating as you watch him struggle with sticking to all he’s ever known at the risk of losing the best thing that ever happened to him. Hardball is one of those books that will suck you in and won’t let you go until you devour every last, juicy bite.”
– Sawyer Bennett, NY Times Bestselling Author
“Fiery hot and enticingly realistic, CD Reiss’s captivating writing, complex characters and explosive love scenes make Hard Ball an irresistible modern day romance.”
– Katy Evans, NY Times Bestselling Author
“Delightful, sexy, emotional, exciting, exhilarating. I loved every single second of it! A sports romance with a DASH of kink….it doesn’t get any better than that!”
– Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reads
“Unexpectedly emotional, beautifully written, and decadently naughty, CD Reiss once again owned me heart and soul. Hardball was an enthralling romance from start to finish!! And I never wanted it to end.”
– Angie and Jessica’s Dreamy Reads
Author Bio
CD Reiss is a USA Today bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn’t pick up she’s at the well hauling buckets.
Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master’s degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels.
She’s frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn’t ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood.
If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.
After a lifetime of traveling the world with my uncle, I was ready for a normal, routine life. I thought I found it too. A job teaching kindergarten, good friends, and a stable man by my side. I was happy… mostly. Until I walked in on a surprise that shook my world.
Luckily, my friend Ethan McAlister was there to pick up the pieces.
“Friend.” Who was I kidding?
The star quarterback for the country’s newest football team, Ethan was charming, sexy, and the last thing I needed. His life was the opposite of normal and routine. Our passions very different.
But when he touched me… none of that mattered.
Except to the people dedicated to ripping us apart.
“If you don’t stop, I’m going to take you back to the room and give you what you’ve been begging for. Or is that what you’re after?”
Mandy giggles and leans into Charles, and I watch from behind them, trying my best not to eavesdrop. It’s not hard to overhear from just a few paces away, and I’m also trying my best not to look envious of the couple, but I can’t help that either.
I clear my throat to remind the casino owner that I’m still here, and they turn to look as if surprised to see me. Mandy blushes and looks away while Charles just smiles his devilish grin. Mr. and Mrs. Townsend have built the Snake Eyes casino into something wonderful, and I’m here today to talk about some opportunities for our casinos to work together.
I’ve owned the Blue Diamond casino for a few years now, taking it from a downtrodden, shabby dive to a shining jewel. I’ve been looking to expand some of our entertainment venues, and Charles is looking for the same. If we are able to work together, we both look to double our revenue, and it’s hard to turn down something like that. It’s unusual for casinos to promote one another, but Charles and I are birds of a feather. We both have a head for business and a strong work ethic. Although since Charles has gotten married, I can see he’s slowed down just a bit.
I would have slowed down with Tiffany. The thought enters my mind before I can stop it, and it hits me in the gut. I’m usually in better control of myself than that, but being close to a couple who are obviously so in love is eating away at me. My jealousy is palpable, and I have the urge to go throw up.
For years I searched for her. Do you know how many Tiffany Smiths are in the world? Fifty-two thousand, seven hundred and fifty-nine. And that’s assuming she didn’t change her name. I’ve gone through countless private detectives and more money than a normal man could make in a lifetime trying to find her. False hope and women pretending to be her have broken me over the years. I’ve built my empire in the hopes that one day she might find me. Hell, I even named my casino after her. I’ll never forget her bright blue eyes. I see them every time I close my own. Somewhere in my heart, I always thought we would find one another, but maybe she’s with someone else, moved on. The thought makes me clench my fists and grit my teeth. I only have myself to blame. I should have found her by now.
“You doing okay, Ethan?” Charles’s words snap me out of my angry guessing game, and I just nod, following him through the casino lobby.
“Have you seen Foxy’s new show?” Mandy asks, obviously trying to bring us back to business.
“No, I’m afraid I haven’t had the time. But I’ve heard great things.” We pass one of her posters for the old show, and I get a funny feeling in my stomach. It happens every time I see something that reminds me of my Tiffany. The poster is of a woman, turned away from the camera with only her head and shoulders visible. Her hair is white blonde with a pink bow pinned in it. The words Foxy Bow are emblazoned across the bottom in glitter. The picture doesn’t show her face, but the blonde hair makes me think of my girl. This is Vegas, though, and a bottle of bleach is on every street corner.
“Oh, we need to have these changed out. They are the old promotional banners. Come around the front and see the new one. I think they installed it just this morning.”
“Sure, sounds great.” I don’t know why I’m melancholy all of a sudden, but I think it’s because Tiffany is on my mind so much lately.
As we walk through the casino, I try to pay attention to the conversation. Charles and Mandy are discussing plans for the casinos and what they want as far as the future of our partnership is concerned. I spend most of my life working to get noticed by someone I haven’t seen in ten years. Someone who may or may not want to see me. Someone who may or may not even be alive.
I stop that train of thought as soon as it enters my mind. I would know if my soul was gone. I would feel it in my bones if she wasn’t still breathing. I’d know it.
The day I was pulled apart from her was the worst day of my life. When I was put in the back of that cop car by DCP, I begged them to take me back. I knew that if I was separated from her, something bad would happen. If I didn’t have my eyes on her at all times, he would get to her. I just knew her father was waiting for his chance.
When we got down to the police station, it turned out that they had found a relative of mine. I’d gone into foster care after my mother died. I was placed with the Mark family, who just happened to live next to my Tiffany. When I was at the darkest point in my life, it was like God sent her to me. To shine light on my dark world.
They found my grandfather, but he had recently passed, leaving everything he had to me. A pile of money and a casino that wasn’t turning a profit. As soon as the cops let me go, I raced back to Tiffany, only to find her gone. I beat the shit out of her father but later realized he didn’t know where she went either. So I started looking for her and building a life for us. Taking what my grandfather left me and increasing it tenfold. For her. For us.
“There she is. Our star.” Mandy waves her hand up, and I follow her line of sight.
I look up, seeing a huge banner stretched across the front entrance of the hotel, and as her ice blue eyes stare back at me, my knees go weak. It’s her. It’s my Tiffany. Clutching my chest, I nearly collapse to the floor, and Charles and Mandy rush to help me.
“Where?” I manage to choke out, but they don’t respond. They look at one another as if they’re confused. Like my whole world isn’t about to explode.
“Where is Tiffany?!” I bellow, and it echoes off the black marble walls.
“She’s about to go on stage. What the fuck is wrong, Ethan?” Charles is still holding my arm to steady me, but I break free and run as fast as I can to the other side of the casino. My legs burn and my chest aches. It can’t be possible. It can’t be true. Please God, let it be true.
I don’t know what happens, or who I knock over to get there, but when I get to the entrance, security is there to try to stop me. I feel a sudden rage come over me and I turn, punching someone who puts a hand on me.
I see Charles out of the corner of my eye. He’s holding up his hands and telling people to let me pass. He must see that I’m in a fury that won’t be stopped.
When I get past the entrance, I walk into a dark room, seeing the stage at the end, and I watch the curtains part. A bright light centers on the woman, and all the air leaves my lungs.
Standing there, glowing with perfection, is my girl.
Alexa Riley is two sassy friends who got together and wrote some dirty books. They are both married moms of two who love football, donuts, and obsessed book heroes.
They specialize in insta-love, over-the-top, sweet, and cheesy love stories that don’t take all year to read. If you want something SAFE, short, and always with a happily ever after, then Alexa Riley is for you!
Jackson Lombardi refused to grieve for the loss of his wife, Gabi, living the past two years for his daughter and work. Everyone pushed for him to move on, but his heart was fighting a battle between holding on to the past and letting go.
Robin Patrick was a dynamo for the Marketing Department. She came in when all hell broke loose over Gabi’s death, doing everything to ease Jackson’s stress levels and keep her mind off her own problems too. Everyone thought she had it all together, not realizing she was living a lie – covering who she was for the past three years. She’s hiding from a monster who wanted to own her and her father’s company that wants to stop the investigation into his death.
She’d pulled everything off until the one person who’d been her rock had been lost to her forever. A chance encounter with her boss, in the most unlikely of places, was the beginning of her salvation and the road to a temptation she wasn’t sure she’d survive.
Jackson was a force to be reckoned with, an alpha extreme, perfect for her submissive nature. At least she could forget about her past, for a while, and enjoy the pleasures of today – knowing that an eternity would never be possible with someone who couldn’t love her as long as he held onto the memories of his wife or could it?
What he Needs is the promise of forever, but can he finally let go of the past and open his heart to the idea of new love?
“What the hell are you doing? I don’t need a paper trail, nor do I need to disappear from radar anytime soon.” Her facial expression was pleading for me to back off, but I couldn’t. Everything that I saw told me to rescue her at whatever costs.
I grabbed her by the arms. “Look at me, Robin.” She kept averting her eyes. “Damn it! I said Look. At. Me.”
Her body stopped shaking, and her eyes focused intently on mine. “Something’s going on here, and I don’t like what I’m seeing. You make enough money that you shouldn’t have to be living like this. I can’t in good conscience walk out of here tonight knowing that you’ve had your place broken into. I need you to go through it and let me know if anything’s been taken. I also need you to pile all the things you want to take with you on the bed, since Prescott’s security team will be here in fifteen minutes or less.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but I wouldn’t let her. Instead I silenced her lips with mine, kissing her with the intent on making her mindless for a moment so I could take a look at the piece of paper she’d stuffed into her pocket.
Her lips tasted slightly of salt, from her earlier crying, and of coffee. I had only meant for the kiss to be a distraction, but I was swamped with sensations that I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I found my hands reaching down to cup her ass and pull her closer to me. The effect must have been mutual because I found her arms around my neck and her legs wrapping around my waist as if I was a life preserver keeping her afloat in an ocean of craziness.
The moment Robin tried to undo my belt, I snapped back to the present and pushed her against the wall for added leverage. I used one hand to hold both of her wrists. Trying to seek passage into her mouth, I continued to kiss and nip at her outer lips. I managed to slip my fingers into her pocket and sneak out the paper without her even knowing.
Her kiss was lighting up my entire body from within. I found myself hard, wanting, needing some form of relief. I hadn’t been this hard since…
The mood was quickly shattered, when the phone rang. I recognized the ring-tone and knew I had to answer my mother’s call. Leave it to my mother to cock block me.
Groaning in frustration, I pulled back from the kiss. I leaned my forehead against hers. “I’m sorry. I need to return my mother’s call. She’s probably wondering why I haven’t picked up Nicola yet.”
Her breathing was labored and her eyes half-hooded, looking like I felt – needy. “That’s okay.” I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “I shouldn’t have let you come up and I…”
I put my finger on her lips to silence her. “You’ve hidden a lot of things from me, from everyone, and it stops tonight. I know something is going on in your life. It’s obvious by the looks of things that you need help. You should know by now that being part of Prescott International is like being a member of the family; if one person is in need, we all pitch in and help out.”
She tried to unwrap herself from my waist, but I held her firmly against the wall and pressed my hard length into her belly so she could feel how much she affected me. “Oh,” was her only remark.
“I know you’re going to try and argue with me. I can see the spirit you have at work popping up right now, but I’m taking charge here. I’m sorry if I come on a bit strong, but I don’t like what I’m seeing tonight. I want to ensure you’re safe.
– ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
Cynthia P. O’Neill grew up in small town in South Florida and moved to Central Florida to attend college. There, she married her friend, love, and soul mate and still resides with their amazing son, and a feisty, four-legged little boy.
In her books, Cynthia draws on her background in healthcare and business, along with her husband’s engineering knowledge.
She currently writes on all levels of Romance. The Remembrance Series encompasses New Adult with a touch of Paranormal activity and a hint of Historical romance. A Learning Series is for those who like a little more steam with their books, falling into the categories of Contemporary – Erotica, with a hint of suspense.
Her latest series, Need, will have several books, each focusing on one couple per book. The main couple will then become supporting characters, while some of the background characters step forward to find their own happily ever after. It will be will be a Contemporary – Erotic romance with a high level of suspense added.
She tries to make her writing very personal and close to her heart. Regular life is the inspiration for her books, but her imagination takes them to new heights, opening up possibilities that would normally not exist.
To learn more about the author, please visit Cynthia’s website at: www.cynthiaponeill.com
Danger, mysterious pasts, and passion come together in this new standalone contemporary romance novel from USA Today bestselling author, Rebecca Shea. Can Saige and Holt get over the past in order to have a future? Pick up DARE ME today and immerse yourself in the unforgettable moments where one dare spirals out of control and changes lives.
I dare you.
Five coworkers.
Four drinks.
Three glances.
Two fleeting smiles.
One dare.
A dare that will change my life.
That’s all it takes to send me plummeting into the arms of the mysterious Holt Hamilton. Behind his crystal blue eyes is a secret, one that screams danger but calls to me anyway.
“Sometimes you have to take that leap…or that dare…so you can learn to live and love again! Saige and Holt’s story had me on a rollercoaster of emotions…” – Crystal, Barnes and Noble
“This book hooked me instantly, and kept me interested throughout. I didn’t want to put it down! Another winner from Rebecca Shea!!” – Not Your Mama’s Romance
“I just couldn’t get enough. DARE ME took my breath away!” – Shayna Renee’s Spicy Reviews
EXCERPT
Arriving back at our room, I find Holt sitting at the small oval table, his cell phone pressed to his ear. A smile pulls at his lips when he turns around. He’s talking, but his eyes follow me as I walk back to the attached bedroom to hang up my dress in the closet.
Not wanting to disturb him, I kick off my shoes and lie down on the bed to rest for a few minutes. Minutes later, I hear him come into the room, but I keep my eyes closed. “Shopping is exhausting,” I mumble and let out a small laugh.
“Do not let my mother hear you say that,” he says, laughing in return.
“Speaking of your mother, how was lunch?” I push myself up and sit cross-legged on the bed.
He frowns. “She had to cancel, but we’re having dinner with her tonight.”
“Who’s we?” My eyebrows shoot up.
“You and me, Saige. It’s just dinner, nothing serious, so don’t read into it.” His tone tells me he’s annoyed.
“I wasn’t,” I lie. I mean, shit, sleeping with your boss on the first night…that’s fast. Meeting his parents a couple of weeks later…that’s warp speed. I try to picture meeting her, but I instantly begin to get anxious and try to think of an excuse as to why I can’t go.
Pushing off the bed, I blurt out, “I mean, I’m pretty tired; maybe you should just go. Plus, she hasn’t seen you in ages. She’s not going to want to spend her time worrying about including me in conversation.”
“Saige.” He walks over to me, placing his hands on my upper arms. “She wants to meet you.”
“I don’t have anything to wear. I only packed casual clothes.” I play nervously with the small diamond that dangles from a chain around my neck.
He rubs his thumbs softly on my skin. “Well, it’s a good thing we’re eating at her house. Nothing fancy required.” He’s making it difficult for me to get out of this, I think to myself.
“I have a headache. I had a really brutal day shopping.” I nod toward the closet and close my eyes to show my exhaustion. When he doesn’t respond, I finally crack an eye, catching him watching me. He sees right through my bullshit.
He rolls his eyes. “Yes, Barney’s can be so tiring. Personal shoppers running around while you wait for them to return is now classified as a high-intensity cardio workout.” He smirks at me. He can be such an ass, but I can’t help but chuckle. Clearly, he’s a seasoned Barney’s shopper.
“Holt—” I’m about to whip out another lame excuse when he interrupts me.
Exasperated, he finally snaps. “Saige. Stop. What you’re wearing is fine. You look beautiful. I promise, my mother is much more casual than what you’re thinking. She lives in Brooklyn in a beautiful brownstone. She’s married to a normal guy, and they have a dog. She’s the least pretentious person you’ll ever meet, and if you decided to show up in pajamas, she wouldn’t bat an eye. In fact, she’d probably run upstairs and change into hers.”
From everything he just told me, I think I already love her. “What kind of dog?” I ask, as if this will be the deal breaker.
His eyes soften and I can hear his tone relax. “A basset hound. He’s a real pain in the ass, but he’s the cutest damn dog—”
“Fine. I’ll go.” I toss my head back in defeat.
“It was the dog, wasn’t it?” he jokes.
“Yeah. A cute dog will always get me.” I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him.
“Noted.” He laughs.
I LOVED this book! I can’t say enough about it. Definitely gave me a book hangover! Saige reminds me of myself in that people have to dare me to do things I wouldn’t normally do.
This book was just so powerful to me. From the different events that happen in Saige’s life just really touched me. I won’t give away spoilers but just know you might need tissues.
This will definitely be on my re-read list. This book was just amazing and thought-provoking and touching and just all around fantastic!
Rebecca Shea is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Unbreakable series (Unbreakable, Undone, and Unforgiven) and the Bound and Broken series (Broken by Lies and Bound by Lies). She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her family. From the time Rebecca could read she has had a passion for books. Rebecca spends her days working and her nights writing, bringing stories to life. Born and raised in Minnesota, Rebecca moved to Arizona in 1999 to escape the bitter winters. When not working or writing, she can be found on the sidelines of her sons’ football games, or watching her daughter at ballet class. Rebecca is fueled by insane amounts of coffee, margaritas, Laffy Taffy (except the banana ones), and happily ever afters.
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