Contemporary Romance
Date Published: September 2016
Salt Box Trilogy, Book 3
She’s running her heart out to stay in the same place.
Ronnie Ventura has every reason to distrust Fairstein Productions: she’s had run-ins with their shows before. But Fairstein’s newest reality show offers Ronnie a chance to redeem herself from looking like a blonde bimbo. All she has to do is win a modified triathlon. Simple, right? Except this is Fairstein, and nothing is ever simple with them.
Ronnie’s boss at the Blarney Stone bar and café, owner Ted Saltzman, is a lot less convinced that another Fairstein show is just what Ronnie needs, particularly when he’s head over heels about Ronnie himself. But she’s determined, and he’s a man in love.
Ted becomes her running coach, which fans their budding romance to a fever. But can Ronnie’s newfound confidence stand up to the usual Fairstein plots? And can Ted find a way to keep his true love in Salt Box if Hollywood tries to steal her away again?
Other books in the Salt Box Trilogy:
Salt Box Trilogy, Book 1
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Published: June 2015
Reality can be hotter than fiction.
Monica McKellar, associate producer of Finding Mr. Right, is desperate. One of the show’s bachelors has bailed one week before shooting starts. She not only needs a replacement ASAP, he has to get the temperamental bachelorette’s stamp of approval.
Fortunately there’s a hot guy right under her nose who’s a perfect fit. Unfortunately, he pushes all her hot buttons. Until the show’s over, her hands—and every other part of her body—are tied.
When Paul Dewitt signed on to write for the reality show, “Bachelor #10” wasn’t supposed to be in his job description. He fully expects to be cut early on, which will free him to focus on the real object of his attraction. Monica.
Instead, he’s a finalist, and they’re all packed in an SUV climbing the Continental Divide, headed for Salt Box, Colorado. Where stampeding horses, vindictive tabloid editors, and one capricious bachelorette’s waffling over suitors may conspire to end Paul and Monica’s romance before it even starts.
Warning: Contains hot sex on the sly, cold nights, creaking wicker couches, and a gypsy wagon that gives a whole new appreciation for the pioneers.
Salt Box Trilogy, Book 2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Published: January 2016
Breakfast with benefits…
The reality show Lovely Ladies of L.A. should have launched Lizzy Apodaca’s catering company into solvency. Instead, when her carefully prepared appetizers mysteriously gave the cast on-camera food poisoning, she lost everything.
To make matters worse, her car breaks down in Salt Box, Colorado, a town not much bigger than a salt shaker. But maybe her luck is changing—the handsome owner of Praeger House, the town’s premier hotel, needs a kitchen assistant.
Clark Denham realizes his diamond in the rough is a polished gem when Lizzy steps up to save the hotel’s breakfast buffet after his temperamental head chef quits. It isn’t long before she’s winning his heart as smoothly and efficiently as she runs his kitchen.
Their relationship goes from simmer to rolling boil with the speed of a short order cook. But when a bevy of not-so-lovely ladies shows up in Salt Box, Lizzy’s past disaster threatens to flatten her happily ever after faster than a falling soufflé.
Warning: Contains salty dialogue, several servings of high-carb cooking, and a big platter of screaming-hot bedroom delights.
About the Author
Meg Benjamin is an award-winning author of contemporary romance. Her Konigsburg series for Samhain Publishing is set in the Texas Hill Country and her Salt Box trilogy is set in her new home the Colorado Rockies. She also has the paranormal Ramos Family trilogy from Berkley InterMix. Meg’s books have won numerous awards, including an EPIC Award, a Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Holt Medallion from Virginia Romance Writers, the Beanpot Award from the New England Romance Writers, and the Award of Excellence from Colorado Romance Writers.
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On Tour with Prism Book Tours.
Book Tour Grand Finale for
Silver River Secrets
By Linda Hope Lee
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from Lacey's and Rory's story and readers' reviews! If you missed any of the stops or entering the giveaway, go check them out now...
Launch - Note from the Author
I often get ideas for stories from a setting, and such was the case with Silver River Secrets. On a trip to Idaho, I visited a small town nestled between two mountain ranges and bordered by a beautiful river. An old, two-story farmhouse there caught my eye. An abandoned house, built in the ‘forties and still standing, even though in disrepair.
Mommabears Book Blog - Excerpt
“SHE’S B-A-ACK,” Sam Porter announced. “That so?” Rory Dalton didn’t bother to look up from under the hood of Sam’s ’66 Ford Mustang. Instead, he focused on installing the car’s new water pump. “Yep. She’s just about to head over the bridge. Aren’t you gonna come look?”
Katie's Clean Book Collection - Excerpt
Just then, she looked up to the hilltop. Rory jumped back, hoping she hadn’t spotted him. He didn’t want her to think he had the slightest interest in her return to Silver River. Sam shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Wonder how long she’ll be here this time.” “She never stays more than a week. Just long enough to check on her grandmother.”
I Am A Reader - Excerpt
LACEY MORGAN HEADED down Main Street with the image of Rory Dalton imprinted on her mind. She hadn’t intended to look up at his auto shop when she rounded that last curve in the highway, but she had, and there he had been, gazing down at her as though he’d been waiting for her to drive by. Which was crazy. Why should he care that she’d come to town again? He knew she made the trip from Boise to Silver River periodically to visit her grandmother. When their paths crossed, they said little more than a brief “hello.”
Heidi Reads... - Excerpt
“But to be reminded whenever you look out the window...” “Sophie, not a day goes by that I don’t think about what happened in that house.” “I’m sorry, honey, so sorry. But I do wish you could put the past behind you.” Lacey shook her head and bit her lower lip. “Not possible.”
Zerina Blossom's Books - Excerpt
Sophie stepped close and put her arm around Lacey’s shoulders. “You know Hugh and I were friends with your parents, hon. We used to go out together. And, okay, your dad was a hothead sometimes, but we put up with him. No question we loved your mom. Nobody mourned her death more than we did. I miss her to this day. But don’t you think it’s time for you to move on?” “If only I could prove his innocence...” “Let it go, Lacey.” Lacey squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t. I just can’t.”
Rockin' Book Reviews - Review
"This book did a good job of capturing and holding my attention. I really enjoyed the story. . . . I would definitely recommend this book to all readers. I give it a literary rating of 5/5."
Falling Leaves - Excerpt
Lacey sighed. “I just don’t feel comfortable in this town.” “I know, honey. Sometimes, when I get to thinking about the past, I don’t, either.” Gram looked down at her hands. “But it’s different for you. Having your son-in-law accused of murder is not the same as having your father, your flesh and blood, accused.” “Not accused, dear. Convicted,” Gram said in a reproving tone.
Getting Your Read On - Review
"If I had just one word for this book it would probably be gentle. Harlequin Heartwarming line is perfect for a gentle, clean romance. This book has a bit of mystery thrown in but it never became heart pounding or intense. It stayed well within the gentle and calm boundaries." by Linda Hope Lee Adult Contemporary Romance Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 pages December 1st 2016 by Harlequin Heartwarming Tragedy made them strangers. The truth could change that… Lacey Morgan's grandmother is the only reason she has to ever set foot in Silver River. Her hometown is populated with too many ghosts and memories. Too many painful reminders. Including Rory Dalton. In all her brief visits over the past ten years, they've barely spoken. Locked on opposite sides of the tragedy that tore their lives apart, they buried their feelings along with their parents. But this trip is different. She will stay a little longer. Dig a little deeper. And try to solve the mystery that has kept them from the truth…and each other. Tour Giveaway - 1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon eGift Card & copy of SILVER RIVER SECRETS by Linda Hope Lee (print if US, ebook if international)
- 3 winners will receive a copy of SILVER RIVER SECRETS by Linda Hope Lee (print if US, ebook if international)
- Open internationally - Ends December 12th a Rafflecopter giveaway
Title: Grayson: A Bully Novel
Author: Morgan Campbell
Genre: LGBTQ Romance (M/M)
Release Date: December 6, 2016
Blurb:
Ten years ago…
-Grayson-
A month and a half ago, I made a choice.
A choice that nearly cost me everything:
my friends, my family, my life.
Who knew that choice would nearly cost me my future?
-Finn-
A month and a half ago, I made a choice.
I chose to turn my hell into someone else’s.
I nearly ruined someone’s life because I couldn’t handle my own.
Who knew that choice would threaten my future?
Ten Years Later…
Grayson Michaels made that fateful decision as a teenager, he’s determined to not let the past define him. Control him. Bind him. Vulnerability is not an option. When his demons surface in the form of Finn Abbott, Grayson learns that everything isn’t as it seems.
Finn Abbott is trying to put his life back together. Divorce, house arrest, and a slew of lovers have only caused his life to spiral out of control. But a job offer comes along and everything seems to be back on track. That is until the ghost of a scorned boy returns in the form of a vengeful man.
Fate is a fickle friend. Questions need answered and debts need repaid. What happens when past and present collide? Can two people destined to be enemies find love instead? As they say, there’s a fine line between love and hate.
Purchase Links:
Excerpt:
I’m not normally such a pussy. I can take more shit than most people after the way I grew up with my father. But not this.
My stomach empties into the toilet for a second time in thirty minutes. Everything Gray told me last night plays on a loop in my head. I can’t stop hearing his words over and over again.
“I started cutting…”
“I hated you…”
“I almost did die because of you…”
“I wanted to die for everything I was put through…”
Another wave of nausea hits me full force and I lean over the toilet again. Dry heaves wrack my body followed by more tears and snot and disgust. When it’s over, I grab the mouthwash and toothpaste to fix the acidic taste in my mouth before I lay down on the cool black and white tiles of the bathroom floor.
Guilt eats me alive on the inside; like an all-consuming fire ready to burn me alive, swallow me whole. And I’d let it, willingly. I feel like I’m dying on the inside and there’s no coming back from any of this, regardless of what Grayson says.
I need to get out of here, get out of Grayson’s life before I inevitably cause even more damage. Because, ultimately, it’s what I’ll end up doing. I stole a piece of him so many years ago and he’ll never get it back.
I close my eyes and breathe, trying to rid myself of the anguish I feel. The sickness in the hole in my chest is numbing and painful at the same time, playing a sadistic game of tug-of-war with my mind.
How do you say sorry? How do you tell someone you care about, possibly more than you did your own spouse, that you apologize for nearly ending their life? Do I beg? Get on my hands and knees and with clasped hands, pleading for forgiveness, mercy, and understanding? Or do I ask him to do as I did to him? Let him kick me, beat me senseless, and force his hands to take a blade to me?
I don’t have any answers. No rhyme or reason to any of it.
I’m tired.
I want to cry.
I want to scream until my throat is sore and no sound comes out.
I want to forget the knowledge that I ever did what I did because the outcome is bleaker, blacker, and pitiful.
~About Morgan Campbell~
Morgan lives in the south of Texas, going back and forth from Austin and Houston, with her husband. When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose stuck in a book, cooking, baking, crocheting, and causing a general ruckus with her friends and family! Filled with an overactive imagination at a young age, she began writing her thoughts down in a journal, and the rest, as they say, is history.
~Connect With Morgan~
Sexy Contemporary Romance
Date Published: November 4, 2016
Heiress Anna Wynn is hiding a secret – a secret that has blighted half her life and forced her to become an unfulfilled over-achiever. Even preparing for her wealthy family’s summer break in their idyllic New Zealand holiday house, Anna has to be all business and is strung tight as piano wire. Finding her bedroom appropriated by an over-muscled, overbearing, testosterone-soaked tower of annoyance is the final straw.
Dragged up under the callused thumb of his dirt-poor father, Jason Jones regrets his choice of security over his dream. His ambition to work as a freelance photographer has been ruthlessly suppressed in favor of setting up his own construction company. He has a pre-Christmas deadline looming on the current project, and the last thing he needs is constant surveillance by the owner’s sharp-tongued daughter – or the lure of her hot body and big blue eyes.
Forced to endure each other’s company in the small-town beach house, mutual frustration and undeniable chemistry pull Anna and Jason together for a few stolen days. Enemies become lovers – but how long before secrets are revealed that will change everything?
HARD TO REGRET is the first in Kris Pearson’s new Scarlet Bay series of sexy, funny and heart-warming romance novels and is intended for mature readers.
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1 – SAUSAGE ON A FORK
“I’ll do it,” Annaliese Wynn said, heaving her travel bag from the back of the taxi to save the overweight driver waddling out. Finally she’d be swapping her stilettos for summer sandals and solitude, and hopefully winding down from the everlasting treadmill of her life.
As she listened to the waves crashing on the shore of Scarlet Bay, she drew a deep satisfied breath and discovered the delicious aroma of grilling meat wafting on the warm breeze. She glanced at her watch. Someone was barbecuing. At ten-fifteen? She inhaled again. Her tummy gave an unladylike gurgle. The barbecue smelled amazing after her hasty early breakfast of a fresh pear.
Sighing, Anna clicked the bag handle up into place and rolled the case over the cracked concrete path to the old shorefront cottage. This would be her last holiday here before it was demolished to make way for a new, much larger dwelling for her extended family to share. She unlocked the front door and stepped back into her childhood. Faded Indian cotton curtains, Great-aunt Emily's fussy watercolours (also fading) and… the back door at the end of the hallway swinging wide open!
She stood stock-still, like a cat transfixed by a bird that had just landed unwisely close. Loud masculine laughter billowed in and echoed around the high-ceilinged space.
“Shit, no…” someone said.
“Totally crappy luck,” another man agreed.
“And probably a spoiled little bitch,” a deeper voice added.
Anna released her bag, set down her laptop, and crept the length of the old house on tiptoe, trying to stop her high heels from echoing on the varnished hardwood floor. “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, bursting through the doorway.
Four pairs of eyes swivelled in her direction. Three men stuffed meat into their mouths and chewed.
“Ms Wynn?” the deeper voice asked. The attached male raised a can of cola and took a leisurely swig. Dark eyes locked with hers over the shining can, and she watched his tanned throat constrict as he swallowed. He lowered the drink and wiped the back of his hand over his mouth.
“Anna Wynn. Why are you all here?”
Plainly they were the crew from the almost finished house through the hedge. Why weren’t they there instead? And how had they opened the door?
Three sets of teeth continued to chomp. Three pairs of eyes shifted away. The other man set the cola can down with no haste, and stood.
Up and up.
Anna had to tilt her head back to keep eye contact.
He thrust out a large hand as though he expected her to shake it. “Jason Jones,” he said.
He blocked out the light, stole her breath, irritated her far beyond anything that was reasonable.
“We’re having breakfast,” he added in that gritty velvet voice that had queried her name with unmistakeable amusement.
She inspected his fingers for cleanliness before extending her own. His boots were caked with mud, his long, powerful legs were smeared with dust, his khaki shorts had the zipper at half-mast, and there was sawdust all over his garish orange visibility vest. She tried not to ogle his arms and shoulders.
“Breakfast?” She found her fingers enclosed in firm warmth and then held captive.
“Or brunch, if you want to be fancy.” A faint grin teased the corners of his mouth.
Suddenly Anna’s choice of high heels and tailored black silk crepe pants felt ridiculous. Why hadn’t she worn jeans?
She tried to retrieve her hand and he tightened his grip, allowing her no escape.
“We’re on the job by seven in weather like this, and we work hard. We’re ready for more than a sandwich by now. You want a sausage?” Without waiting for a reply he reached sideways with his other hand, speared one from the barbecue on a bent and tarnished fork, and passed it to her.
Of course she didn’t. Nothing was further from her mind. A sausage with a gang of rough builders who had no business intruding into the house? From this over-muscled, overbearing, testosterone-soaked tower of annoyance?
Her traitorous stomach chose that moment to give another loud gurgle, and she gave in to the inevitable, trying to accept the fork without touching him any further. She took a cautious nibble and closed her eyes. She possibly moaned. God, it was good!
“Ketchup with that?” the velvet voice asked, stroking every one of Anna’s nerve endings exactly the wrong way.
Snorts of amusement exploded from the other men and he threw a sharp, “Shut it,” in their direction.
She opened her mouth wider and took a more ravenous bite.
“Go for it…” the youngest man encouraged.
“Shut it, Hoolie,” Jason Jones repeated. He turned to Anna. “Doesn’t take much to amuse someone with no brain.”
Anna glared at them all. The youngest one grinned from ear to ear, the other two tried to stifle their laughter, and even Jason Jones had the faintest twitch at one end of his surprisingly gorgeous mouth. No prizes for guessing what they were imagining.
She managed to swallow the mouthful without choking, took a step backward in case it made him look less impressive, and pinned him with her best ‘you’re-an-insect-beneath-my-notice’ gaze. “And I’ll ask you again; what exactly are you doing here? This is my family’s home. I’m staying to do some work for a few days, and I’m not expecting, or wanting, company.”
Jason Jones folded his tall frame down onto a battered white plastic chair and glanced toward the open back porch of the old house. “I arranged with your uncle for us to use the… facilities… there. But some big rocks slid down the hill and bashed the wall in a couple of days ago.”
“No more facilities,” young Hoolie explained helpfully. “No bog, broken basin, only half a shower.”
Anna flicked her gaze into the damaged porch, bared her teeth, and took another bite of sausage - a really savage one - while looking Hoolie in the eye. Her action had the intended effect, and she had the great satisfaction of seeing him flinch.
She tried to suppress a smirk as she chewed and swallowed. “You’ll have to get a Porta-loo then. I don’t want you in the house. How did you get the door open?”
A big hand rummaged in the pocket of the khaki shorts. Anna glimpsed lime green undies through the gaping fly. Lime green? Did the man have no class?
He pulled out a key on a twist of string. James’s key. The little white lighthouse on the end of the string was a souvenir she’d given him on a long-ago holiday.
He swung it to and fro. “Your uncle gave me this in case I wanted to stay over. There have been burglaries from the other house. Boxes of tiles, appliances - and I don’t need any here at mine.”
Why don’t they lock things up more securely?
“So you’re the foreman?”
“Project manager.”
This brought a ‘yeah, right’ from Hoolie, and a tightening of Jason Jones’ features. He glared at the offender and said, “Hoolie’s not worth meeting until he grows up a bit, but the rest of my men are.” He waved an arm in their direction, and the sun glinted on gilded skin and bulging muscle. “Brett Lambourne and Eric Hansen.”
“Pleased to meetcha,” the younger Brett said.
“Yeah, gidday,” balding Eric added, wiping his lips with a crumpled handkerchief and stuffing it back into the pocket of his shorts.
“But…” Anna said. This was absolutely not what she wanted. She shook her head. “I don’t want to share my bathroom with a crowd of men.”
Jason leaned back in the chair and drew a deep breath. Anna found it hard not to stare as his chest expanded, and saw from the set of his jaw that he was making quite an effort to stay polite.
“There are only four of us,” he said in a tone suitable for explaining quantum physics to young children. “And I’ve been telling them to take their boots off. But okay, I’ll order a Porta-loo. I can’t guarantee they’ll have it here before Monday though. Not with the big surf carnival over the weekend.”
“Every bog’ll be busy,” Hoolie contributed.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Annaliese snapped. She took the last bite of sausage and wondered what to do with the fork. A big hand on the end of a long arm closed around it and she let go in a hurry.
“Thank you,” she added, a few seconds too late, turning and flouncing back into the house.
“Yep - spoiled little bitch”, she heard Jason say just before the door swung closed. So it was her he’d been talking about as she arrived? He’d already known she’d be staying? She nearly whirled around and gave him another earful, but what would that achieve? It wouldn’t do to make an enemy of the builder. Keeping out of each other’s way would surely be the wisest course.
She inspected the bathroom as she returned down the hallway. Men! Four empty toilet roll inners sat along the windowsill… the tap wasn’t properly turned off… and very dirty handprints decorated the pale blue towel.
Oh well, at least they washed their hands to some degree, and from the lack of mud on the floor they were indeed kicking their filthy boots off before they came inside.
She tried to be pleased about that as she collected her bag and pulled it into the front bedroom - the one with the best and biggest bed.
Someone had been sleeping in it. The cover had been tossed back and the pillow held the unmistakable indentation of a head. A half empty water bottle and an electric shaver sat on the chest beside it.
Jason Jones’ firm, clean-shaven jaw came immediately to mind, and for some reason his gorgeous mouth, and she just knew it would be him. Turning on her heel she clattered back along the hallway and flung the door open again.
“Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” she demanded.
“Big bad bear?” Hoolie suggested.
Brett Lambourne grinned. “Don’t you know your fairy stories, boy? Big bad wolf.”
Eric Hansen threw back his head and managed a passable howl.
“Hell,” Jason muttered. “It was the longest bed.”
“Well, will you move please? It sounded like you knew the ‘spoiled little bitch’ was coming to stay.”
Jason drew another of those devastating, chest-expanding breaths. “Your hearing’s a bit too good, eh? Sorry about that.” He set his can of cola aside and stood. Anna was almost willing to believe he was blushing under his tan.
“Move your stuff out at the end of the day,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to stop you working.” This time she slammed the door behind her so she wouldn’t hear any more smart comments.
About the Author
New Zealander Kris Pearson was born to write - at twelve she completed her autobiography – an easy subject which required no research. It filled a whole school exercise book!
Her first proper job was as a radio copywriter. After living in Italy and London she returned to the capital city of Wellington and worked in TV, radio again, several advertising agencies, and then spent many happy years as a retail ad manager. Totally hooked on fabrics, she followed this by going into business with her husband as a curtain installer. It was finally time to write fiction. In sixteen years she hasn’t fallen off her ladder once through drifting off into romantic dreams.
She writes sizzling contemporary romance, pure and simple. Well, maybe not that pure! They're sexy stories about modern couples who fall in love and into bed along the way, just like real people do. She’s the author of fourteen novels, three of which were finalists in New Zealand’s Clendon Award. Four have been translated into Spanish.
The most widely distributed is 'The Boat Builder's Bed'. She gave away more than two million ebook copies of this to kick-start sales of all her others. Did it work? Beyond her wildest dreams. See them all on her website - http://www.krispearson.com
Contact Links
Twitter: @Krispiewrites
Purchase Links
Giveaway
3 ebook copies of Hard to Regret
Title: The Gift
Author: Riley Edwards
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release Date: December 5th 2016
A Sadist and His slave
A relationship between a Sadist and His slave is an intense, overwhelming, and powerful journey. A bond that is forged out of mutual need. The trust that is built with the giving and receiving of extreme pain.
This is our story. A small glimpse into how our journey began. How I took the gift of my slave’s submission and turned it into our forever.
John “Do you need to feel the bite, slave?” “Please, Master,” she groaned as her head fell forward. Thwack! The vibration from the wooden paddle hitting the soft flesh of Victoria’s ass reverberated up my arm. I let my paddle linger on her bottom, not allowing her to escape the stinging pain. The longer I waited before I took the next strike, the more anticipation built and the louder she cried out in shock and pain. I rolled my shoulders and lined up for another smack. We had just started and she was nowhere near the pain level that she needed, but her screams were still high-pitched. Me? I was just warming up. As satisfying as the sound of the paddle was, it still fell short. I needed more, she needed more. These were merely love taps, a finely choreographed dance we were just beginning to perfect. “What do you need, slave?” I asked as I walked up behind her. “To serve my Master,” she answered, her voice already raw from screaming. “How slave? How will you serve your Master?” I grabbed a handful of her shiny red hair, pulling her head back so I could see her face. Her eyes were still clear. There was no sign of discomfort or distress. We would have to change that. She had been especially on edge and bratty this evening. Something was bothering her and my stubborn slave could not get out of her own head. Luckily for her, I knew a way to help and I would enjoy every single of lash of it. “I will surrender,” she moaned. © Riley Edwards
NEWSLETTER: http://eepurl.com/cmYW99
I tried to come up with some interesting stuff about myself you would like to know. You know some witty funny stuff that would make me sound fab-u-lous but alas I am boring. Just an FYI, nothing will depress you faster than that realization. A regular mom of four. My two eldest are in the military. #Go Navy! #Army Strong! A regular wife to an extraordinary man! I now live on the East coast but long for the days of my youth running around the beaches of Southern Cali where I grew up.
A close friend recently described me as, and I quote, “You are annoying, brash, sexy, loud, boobed, beautiful, needy, supportive, wonderful, interesting, aggressive, and fun. All to varying degrees throughout each and every day.”
Blurb:
The town of Saltlick Bluff is famous for an urban legend. Does the spirit of a young girl wait on a misty cliff-hugging highway for her ride to the prom?
In the house on Beech Street a terrible tragedy occurred. Now neighbors won’t look at the place as they pass. Those who live nearby draw their blinds and shutter their windows after dark. What are they afraid of?
Hale Hallow Woods seems sinister and menacing even in the light of day. Does a thirst for revenge beat near its dark heart?
The answers lie within these pages, just waiting to send a chill up your spine!
Buy Link: Amazon US
Excerpt:
Prom Date
The Roller Grille was the real deal. An authentic drive-in restaurant with car hops on roller skates delivering trays of burgers and fries to people parked outside. It had been in business for decades. Other than a fresh coat of paint now and then it hadn’t changed from the day it opened.
Tyler, Andy and Jacob threaded around the cars and pushed through the glass doors to the diner. A hostess dressed in a fuzzy sweater and a poodle skirt guided customers to booths covered in red vinyl. A candy-colored jukebox blared from a corner. The laughter and chatter of the crowd was louder than the music. Tyler noticed Shay jammed into a booth with her friends. He raised a hand in greeting but she ignored him.
Andy pointed to the long soda fountain. “There’s room over there.” Tyler nodded and they each claimed a stool.
“What’ll it be?” Randy, the soda jerk adjusted his black bow tie and gave them a toothy grin. The boys ordered shakes.
Andy whirled around once on his stool and stopped to face Jacob. “So do they have any place like this in Phoenix?”
“No. This is pretty cool.” He looked around and his eye settled on a wall of photographs. “Who are those people?”
“Those are the prom kings and queens from the high school,” Tyler answered.
“Wow there’s like a hundred of them. What’s the deal with those two?” Jacob pointed to a black and white photo that was larger than the rest.
Tyler slipped into telling the story that everyone in town knew by heart. “That’s Johnny Tonnarro and his girlfriend, Samantha. He was like a rock star a long time ago. He got killed in an accident off Yetter Point.”
“It was a foggy night. He drove his car off the cliff and got squished like a pancake,” Andy added. “His girlfriend waited for hours in the cold for him to show up. She was all dressed for the prom and crying like a baby.”
Jacob gazed at Samantha’s sweet face. “That’s sad. What happened to her?”
Tyler lowered his voice for effect. “She drowned a year later on the anniversary of the accident. She was down on the jetty throwing flowers out into the ocean, those stinky white ones…gardenias. A wave swept her off the rock. Some people say they’ve seen her.”
“Seen her? What do you mean?”
Andy took up the story again. “Every year around this time her ghost waits out on Thorne Road near Highway One for Johnny to pick her up. Just standing there crying.”
Randy placed the shakes in front of the boys and joined in. “This time of year the evenings are usually foggy,” “They say she waits just off the edge of the road in the mist - lavender gown, white gloves, and gardenias in her long, blonde hair.”
Jacob’s mouth dropped open and his eyes grew wide. “Really? A real ghost? You’ve seen her?”
Taylor and Andy couldn’t hold back their laughter. “Nobody’s seen her,” Andy snickered. “It’s all made up. Not the accident part but the ghost part.
Jacob frowned. “So Samantha didn’t really die?”
“Oh, yeah. She died alright. She drowned. But only little kids and tourists swallow the ghost story. You have to be a real lamebrain to believe it. Last year the town newspaper offered a ten thousand dollar reward for anybody who could get a photograph of her. There were a lot of fakes but nobody’s earned the money yet.”
Still grinning, Tyler turned to take a sip of his milkshake and caught a glimpse of Shay. She was staring toward the entrance. If looks could kill, her eyes were lethal weapons. Tyler followed her gaze.
“Uh oh,” he whispered and his smile faded. His brother was holding the door open for Anilla Jacoby, Shay’s arch-enemy. Anilla beamed up at Lane and slipped her arm through his. The couple slid into a booth. Shay stood and stormed toward the door without looking at them.
“This isn’t good,” Tyler muttered.
A moment later his phone beeped. He read the text. Come outside now. We need to talk. Shay was waiting for him as he pushed open the door.
“I thought I would die of embarrassment. I can’t believe he would show up here in front of everyone with that airhead hanging on him like that. Now I know why he’s been avoiding me.” She turned on Tyler. “How long has this been going on?”
“Don’t ask me. This is the first time I’ve seen him with Anilla.”
“He needs to pay a price for humiliating me like that. I want to embarrass him in front of all of his friends!”
Tyler shifted nervously. “Shay I don’t want to…”
“Think of something!”
“Look, Shay. Maybe you should just let it go. He’s my brother. I can’t …”
“I’m not going to let this go, Tyler.” She leaned in and growled. “You’re with me or against me. And trust me, if you want to survive high school you don’t want to be against me. I can make your life miserable.” Shay turned and stomped away.
Excerpt from Spine Chillers, by Q.L. Pearce
Copyright © Glass Apple Press 2016
What people are saying:
"Spine Chillers: Hair-Raising Tales is a unique blend of fear and fun - a collection of haunted worlds you'll find yourself returning to again and again. Pearce reveals her secrets masterfully - and each one packs a spookier punch than the last." -- ALISTAIR CROSS, BESTSELLING AUTHOR
"Adapted from her writings, this illustrated book tells the courageous story of Zitkala-Sa, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Capaldi has illustrated the book throughout with richly colored paintings that capture the essence of the accompanying storyline. Assimilation into the dominant culture is not glossed over but handled in a delicate manner that accentuates the enormous obstacles Bonnin overcame. Bonnin is portrayed as a strong woman who fought not only for Native American rights but also for women's rights. Bonnin's gifts as a speaker, author, and musician helped to persuade people to believe in the power of her message. This title will fill the gap in most libraries of strong, non-stereotypical Native American role models. A bibliography and further readings are included." -- LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION
"Capaldi and Pearce document the life of Gertrude Simmons, an author, musician, and activist best known by her pen name, Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird). Drawing from semi autobiographical stories that Zitkala-Sa wrote for the Atlantic Monthly in the early 1900s, Capaldi and Pearce eloquently describe her experience at a Quaker boarding school, where she laments the loss of her culture, but also develops passions for violin and women's suffrage. Reconciling her new identity with her roots, she writes and stages 'The Sun Dance Opera; and advocates for Native American rights. Capaldi's understated illustrations integrate solid colors and doll-like characterizations with reproductions of period materials, while appended information on Zitkala-Sa rounds out this fascinating portrait." -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Books by Q.L. Pearce
Mysterious Encounters: Mysterious Disappearances
Mysterious Encounters: Mothman
Mysterious Encounters: Reincarnation
Mysterious Encounters: La Llorona
Mysterious Encounters: Ghost Hunters
Scary Stories for Stormy Nights
More Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
Still More Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
Even More Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
Super Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs
The 25 Strangest Mysteries in the World
50 Scariest Places and Strangest Mysteries
Blood Moon Harbor (co-author Francesca Rusackas)
Gross Science Experiments
Monsters: Wendigo
Monsters: The Furies
Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist
About the Author:
Q.L.Pearce is the author of more than 120 books for young readers, from picture books to YA, as well as film tie-in books for the Fox animated film Titan AE and the Universal animated series Land Before Time.
Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala Sa (Carolrhoda Books, with co-author and illustrator, Gina Capaldi), received several awards including a Carter G. Woodson Book Award gold medal from NCSS and a Moonbeam Children’s Book Award gold medal.
Her fiction includes the popular middle grade series, Scary Stories for Sleep-Overs italisize (Price, Stern, Sloan). Q believes strongly in the value of scary books for young readers. When asked what credentials she has which qualify her as an expert in this area she replies, "I was a child once. That was very scary."
Contemporary Romance
Date Published: December 5, 2016
Portland, ME, novels Book 4
Deprival haunted her…
Regret troubled her…
Silence left her detached...
A life in the service of others is both penance and a blessing. She soothes her personal hell by pulling victims from theirs, helping them on their path to survival; never finding her own
When a crippling blow finally evaporates her last hope, the temptation to give up is strong. Still, she can’t find it in her to turn her back on those who need her: the innocent, whose rescue is her perpetual goal.
He was blind, but now he sees how his family has sifted through his fingers. The reality hits hard when his son becomes a stranger, slipping deeper into transgression. Concern has him call on the one person he fears will see his own failures all too clearly. A woman he’s kept his distance from for his own protection.
What appeared to be an incompatible pairing, turns out the unyielding bond needed to heal them all.
Portland, ME Series, Novels Book One
August 6, 2015
Pain punished her.
The bottle numbed her.
Guilt kept her trapped.
In the dark alley of a pub, the words “Please don’t” take hold of her heart and break the silence she seeks. Thinking herself beyond redemption, she tentatively grabs on to the slim thread of hope that unfolds inside of her.
Holding her secrets close, she can’t resist the comforting draw coming from The Skipper. The unconditional friendships it offers, the protective roof it provides, and the spark that its owner ignites in her–melting the frost off her heart, and slowly stripping away her resistance.
His life flows from one crisis to the next. Under the pressure of competition crowding him out of his family’s pub and the need to protect his children from the ruins of a bad marriage, he barely breathes. That is until a mane of strawberry-blonde hair and a set of big, pale blue eyes, shake him up.
He never expected the shadow of a woman he finds on the floor of his washroom to bring him the air―the balance and the light he’s been missing.
Portland, ME, novels Book 2
Published: March 3, 2016
Innocence marked her…
Violation crippled her…
Love left her raw…
The life she carefully rebuilt is challenged when she is confronted with the sins from her past. The carefully applied protection is at once ripped away, leaving her exposed and vulnerable.
Her single night of indulgence with the silver-eyed stranger is only the beginning. He sees right to the heart of her and she is unable to ward off emotions that have been deeply buried. With the sting of betrayal still fresh in her soul, she’s surprised to find herself opening up to the honest integrity of the sharp-eyed, rough-looking biker.
When he lost everyone who mattered, he was left without roots and learned to be content simply living in the moment. Completely unprepared for the feisty blonde bartender with old pain marring her clear-blue eyes, he questions his own rules of detachment, as she unwittingly finds a way under his skin.
Appearances deceive and when the masks fall away, revealing deep, dark secrets, there is nothing left but to hang onto each other and survive the storm.
Portland, ME, novels Book 3
Published: July 2016
Violence corroded her…
Obedience defiled her…
Fear kept her chained…
Freedom is hard to embrace when she’s never learned to trust. Yet in the span of a second, she grabs a single opportunity and runs toward it. Straight into the sanctuary of a pub at the end of a wharf.
She doesn’t understand the concept of friendship. She’s never felt the connection of a relationship. She’s as innocent as the driven snow and yet tainted with corruption. Still, she finds herself surrounded by people who accept her, without even knowing the first thing about her. But one of them is determined to dig deeper.
He treasures his friends, yet he’s steered clear of committed relationships. He likes his life comfortably predictable and entirely controlled. Until it isn’t. For months he’s avoided interacting with The Skipper’s newest addition. Perhaps realizing that once he looked deeply into those liquid brown eyes, he wouldn’t be able to turn away.
When his present and her past puts them both on the brink of change, they are forged through fire as one.
About the Author
Freya Barker inspires with her stories about 'real’ people, perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy. She is the author of the Cedar Tree Series and the Portland, ME, novels.
Freya is the recipient of the RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for best first book, “Slim To None,” and is a finalist for the 2016 Kindle Book Awards for “From Dust”. She currently has two complete series and three anthologies published, and is working on two new series; La Plata County FBI—ROCK POINT, and Northern Lights. She continues to spin story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!
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Author: Gen Ryan
Title: Found You (Trade Me Collection)
Genre: Gay Romance
Release Date: January 28, 2017
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Cover Artist: Soxsational Cover Art
$1.99 Preorder Sale
After a tragic accident, aspiring pro-surfer Brad Morris, leaves his hometown of California to try to forget his pain. Unable to swim or surf since his loss, he focuses on a new career as a car mechanic and restorer. After years of struggling, Brad finally agrees to get help and attempts to gain back the parts of himself he lost that day in the ocean.
Colton James gave his all to his partner, Ben, but his all wasn’t enough. Dumped after buying Ben’s dream home, he buries himself further in his career as a police officer. But when he meets Brad, all bets are off, and Colton begins to question what’s more important: a job, or the one you love? Clouded by their pasts, will both men be able to see beyond those they lost in order to have a future together?
Hot Tree Publishing Exclusive M/M Romance Collection
Trade Me is a new genre-linked collection of 30,000 - 50,000 word novellas. With so many sexy trades to pant over, Trade Me stories offer heat, swoon-worthy men, and HEAs that will leave M/M romance lovers completely satisfied.
$1.99 Preorder Sale
You can find Genevieve curled up reading paranormal romance and romantic thrillers, or frantically typing her stories on her laptop.
Psychology is her trade by day, teaching and molding the minds of college students. Her interest in psychology can be seen in her books, each including many psychological undertones. Although she loves teaching, her passion, her true love, lays in the stories that roam around her in head. Yes, they all come from her mind-the good, the bad, and the totally insane.
She lives in Massachusetts-no not Boston-with her husband, daughter, and American Eskimo dog. With each story she shares, she hopes her love for writing and storytelling seeps through, encompassing the reader and leaving them wanting more.
Murder Mystery, Crime Thriller
Date Published: November 2016
Save 50% by order this bundle for only $3.99
Johnson Road Saga Two Book Bundle
Johnson Road
Hiding in plain sight, a predator stalks its prey…
Welcome to Peterson County, Alabama, mid-twentieth century Americana; a quaint, rural community on its journey to becoming the suburban utopia promised by the American Dream. By the time the dreamers realize they are trapped inside a nightmare, it’s too late.
Something has gone terribly wrong inside the dream – something evil – something on Johnson Road.
Peterson County Murders
CHASING A SERIAL KILLER From the moment they found the body, the hunt was on. Now that the FBI and US Marshalls were involved, Sheriff Clifford Gaskin and Deputy Sean Willis were confident it was only a matter of time before they tracked down the murderer and brought justice to the people of Peterson County.
Detective Robert Stallworth wasn’t so sure. This was no ordinary criminal they were searching for. This killer was clever and cruel, but most of all, he was evil. Only hell itself could have produced such a monster, and this demon wasn’t going to stop. He was having too much fun. Only the detective and the killer knew what this psychopath was capable of and what really happened on Johnson Road.
About the Author
CLAYTON E. SPRIGGS works as a health care professional in Southeast Louisiana. Married with a son and two stepdaughters, he is an active participant in the Bayou Writer’s Club and a dedicated member of the Who Dat Nation (an avid New Orelans Saints fan). Johnson Road was his first novel.
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Save 50% by order this bundle for only $3.99
About the Book:
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After David Summers enlists with the Confederate cavalry, his delusion of chivalry is soon crushed when he witnesses the horrors of battle. Shot by a Union picket, he winds up at a stranger’s farm. Four girls compassionately nurse him back to health. David learns his comrades have deserted him in Pennsylvania following the Battle of Gettysburg, but his dilemma becomes much worse. He falls in love with the older sister, Anna, who entices him with a proposition. To his dismay, he must make a decision. Should he stay and help Anna with her underhanded plan, or return to the army and risk capture? Buy Links: Goodreads * Amazon Excerpt: Chapter One “Anna!” She dropped the darning in her lap. Her sister called her name again, this time with more urgency. Springing from the rocker, Anna ran from the room and scurried down the wooden staircase. Maggie clung to the newel post. “There’s someone in the barn!” “Who is it?” Anna asked, but her younger sister was already racing from the house with a lantern in her hand. Anna followed her out the back door, lifted her ankle-length skirt, and hurried across the dark barnyard. She entered the warm, musty building. The lantern’s glow illuminated the barn’s interior. A saddled, spotted steed stood nearby, its eyes an eerie, glowing, brownish-green. The horse snorted and stomped. Something in the corner moaned. Anna’s heart skipped a beat. Stifling a scream, she clamped her hand over her mouth to suffocate the sound. “He’s over there,” Maggie said and pointed at a heap in the corner. Anna squinted in the dim, flickering light. She cautiously made her way over. Her sisters and Claudia, the little girl they were in charge of, followed so closely behind they all seemed to be attached. “Stay back, Abigail,” Anna commanded. “You too, Claudia.” “Who is he, Anna?” Abigail asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “But he’s bleeding.” Anna drew closer. The stranger’s horse snorted threateningly, but allowed her to advance. The interloper moaned. He opened his eyes and gazed around at them, either confused, delirious, or both. “Please,” he groaned, nearly in a whisper, “please, can y’all help me?” The girls stood frozen, looking down at their quandary. Anna came to her senses. “Come on, Maggie,” She kneeled down beside the young man. “Help me get him inside.” Maggie failed to react. “I don’t think we should touch him.” Anna glared at her, forcing Maggie to give in under her stare and pull him up. Anna reached around his other side. The soldier cried out in pain. Balancing the young man between them, they made their way out of the barn and past the sentry steed. “Girls,” Anna called out over her shoulder, “give that horse some hay, lock him in, and bring the lantern.” Staggering toward the house in the dark, Anna and Maggie dragged the weak man across the barnyard toward the house. Two dogs, one a black-and-white sheepdog, the other a sable collie, approached to sniff at the stranger. “Colby,” Maggie hollered in annoyance. “Floyd! Go lay down.” The dogs scurried off into the dark. Entering through the back door, Maggie asked, “Where are we going with him?” “Upstairs to Father’s bedchamber,” Anna replied. Maggie’s eyes widened, but she complied. The sisters made their way through the kitchen and struggled to hoist the man up the long wooden flight of stairs. Abigail and Claudia ran into the kitchen and followed the others upstairs. At the top, Anna opened a bedroom door. Its hinges squeaked loudly. They led the wounded stranger over to the four-poster bed. Carefully, they eased him down, lifted his legs, and gently swung him up onto it. The young man moaned in agony. “He’s too long for the bed,” Claudia commented. Anna noticed his feet hung over the end. She quickly turned to light a kerosene lamp on the bedside table while Maggie pulled the windows open to let out the hot, stale air. Flickering lamplight illuminated the soldier’s condition. The front of his shirt and his right trouser leg were soaked with blood. Anna’s heart clenched. “Oh,” Claudia exclaimed at the sight. “He’s all leaky.” Abigail pulled her long, blonde hair back from her face and drew closer to him. “Eew!” She pinched her nose shut with her thumb and forefinger. “He smells like a horse!” Claudia giggled at the sound of her friend’s voice. “Abigail,” Anna said. “Go downstairs and boil some water. Claudia, please fill that pitcher on the dresser and bring it back up with the prongs, a long knife, and some clean towels. Go quickly!” The two girls scampered off downstairs. Their feet thumped like sticks on a snare drum. “Maggie, help me remove these filthy clothes from him,” Anna said. “Do we have to?” “Yes.” Anna was reminded of how she had tended to their ailing father not so very long ago. The recollection made her shudder. Both sisters gingerly lifted him. They pulled off his shirt, boots, socks, and belt. Anna noticed the letters “CSA” embossed on his belt buckle. “Anna.” Maggie’s voice caught on her breath. “He’s a…Rebel soldier.” Pursing her lips, Anna nodded. “He must have come from the battle at Gettysburg. “But that’s over ten miles away. How could he have made it this far in his condition?” The girls exchanged cautionary glances. They carefully set his gun and holster on the floor and removed his trousers, but left him with his drawers for modesty’s sake. Anna passed the limp, frail soldier to her sister, and thought he felt like an oblong sack of potatoes. He fell back onto the bed and moaned again. Anna’s heart ached at the sound of his agony. Stifling a sob, she covered him with a sheet. “Fetch two large needles and some heavy thread.” Maggie winced but did as she was told. Looking down at the failing soldier, Anna summoned her strength. It was all too sudden and overwhelming, but she had to be strong—for herself and her sisters. “You’re going to be all right, sir,” she comforted him. The soldier opened his eyes and tried to speak. She understood he was asking for water. Claudia returned with the supplies. Anna took them from her and laid them on top of the dresser. She poured the pitcher’s cold well-water into the glass and porcelain bowl. After dipping a towel into the bowl, she placed it across the suffering soldier’s brow and helped him take a sip of water. He faintly smiled at her. About the Author: J.D.R. Hawkins is an award-winning author who has written for newspapers, magazines, newsletters, e-zines, and blogs. She is one of a few female Civil War authors, uniquely describing the front lines from a Confederate perspective. Her Renegade Series includes A Beautiful Glittering Lie, A Beckoning Hellfire, and A Rebel Among Us. All three novels are award winners, and tell the story of a family from north Alabama who experience immeasurable pain when their lives are dramatically changed by the war. Ms. Hawkins is a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the International Women’s Writing Guild, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Pikes Peak Writers. She is also an artist and singer/songwriter. Ms. Hawkins is currently working on a nonfiction book about the War Between the States, as well as another sequel to her series. Contact the Author: Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads * Amazon Other Books in the Series:
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