From the New York Times bestselling author of The Impossible Vastness of Us and the On Dublin Street series comes a heartfelt and beautiful new young adult novel, set in Scotland, about daring to dream and embracing who you are.

THE FRAGILE ORDINARY is now available where all fine books are sold.

Order your copy of THE FRAGILE ORDINARY today!

About THE FRAGILE ORDINARY

I am Comet Caldwell.

And I sort of, kind of, absolutely hate my name.

People expect extraordinary things from a girl named Comet. That she’ll be effortlessly cool and light up a room the way a comet blazes across the sky.

But from the shyness that makes her book-character friends more appealing than real people to the parents whose indifference hurts more than an open wound, Comet has never wanted to be the center of attention. She can’t wait to graduate from her high school in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the only place she ever feels truly herself is on her anonymous poetry blog. But surely that will change once she leaves to attend university somewhere far, far away.

When new student Tobias King blazes in from America and shakes up the school, Comet thinks she’s got the bad boy figured out. Until they’re thrown together for a class assignment and begin to form an unlikely connection. Everything shifts in Comet’s ordinary world. Tobias has a dark past and runs with a tough crowd—and none of them are happy about his interest in Comet. Targeted by bullies and thrown into the spotlight, Comet and Tobias can go their separate ways…or take a risk on something extraordinary.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Amazon Kindle

iBooks | GooglePlay | Kobo

“Endearing and relatable, Comet-the girl who is searching for her place in this world-will shoot through the sky and into your heart.”

— #1 New York Times bestselling author Erin Watt

My Review

The Fragile Ordinary, the title of Samantha Young’s newest release, seems quite contradictory; the implication that something normal…something standard…something regular could be vulnerable or delicate doesn’t quite fit its moniker, but it doesn’t mean it’s any less true…it doesn’t mean there’s not value and understanding in that paradoxical idea.

In the continuum between ordinary and extraordinary, especially when it comes to teenagers, there’s a learning curve due to the pressures, insecurities, and expectations that come with traversing through hallways and classrooms where people are constantly judged and evaluated based on their actions and their words, and what that means for those individuals who see themselves as nothing more than ordinary is that they must contend with labels, pressures, and bullying, upsetting the delicate balance that exists for them on any given day, making it difficult to keep themselves and their lives in check, which forces a spotlight on those who would never choose to be exposed as anything but regular.

Based on her name alone, there are certain expectations for Comet Caldwell – thoughts on how she should act and who she should be, and even though that’s not the path that she would ever choose for herself, it places her in a rather precarious position that is further aggravated by the appearance of a certain American bad boy – one who enters her life and brings with him his own issues and demons to fight, which means that, together, Comet and Tobias need to decide if they’re meant to be an extraordinary duo or remain behind the scenes as unequivocally ordinary as they can be.

Before I go any further with my review, I think it’s important for readers to understand that I don’t read a lot of young adult literature; it’s not that I don’t enjoy it; it’s just that my reading schedule, which includes author review teams, ARCs as a blogger, and the books I beta read, isn’t conducive to all of the YA books that have been released. But, not only is Samantha Young one of my absolute favorite authors, but her storytelling and the characters she constructs never fail to illicit a wide range of emotions and thoughts.

And The Fragile Ordinary did just that!

All readers will relate to Comet in some significant way; to me, I felt like she was my high school self kindred spirit. Everything she endures…her views on life and living…the way she handles the multitude of difficult situations and decisions…her love of book characters and her connection to them…Comet is such a relatable character and the turmoil that surrounds her doesn’t feel the least bit contrived or over the top and that is exactly the kind of main character readers can identify with, support, and cheer on because as Comet experiences all of drama and pressures of being a female teenager, her plight resonates with everyone who hears/reads her story.

Tobias King definitely has a hardened edge to him, but in some ways I think that helps him deal with his past and the aspects of his current life that seem out of his control. He doesn’t appear to be someone who would mesh well with Comet, but that’s the thing about preconceived notions and judging people based solely on what is said about them and the mask they wear. To truly understand someone, there needs to be an investment…a common ground and slowly but surely that connection is made and solidified between Comet and Tobias, and it’s heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time simply because of how things play out and the choices that have to be made, not only for them individually but also for any future they could possibly have together.

In every sense of the word, The Fragile Ordinary is a paradoxical title – one that teaches relatable and significant life lessons and then goes about exemplifying those teachings through two main characters who every reader will identify with and be inspired by…Comet and Tobias’ story is an amazing story of resilience…of friendship…of love, and it realistically illustrates a teenager’s journey through life – the highs and the lows and everything in between.

It’s definitely a story that stay with me and its lessons will not soon be forgotten.

5 Poison Apples 

Excerpt

By the time we got to the house and I let us into my bedroom, I was a jittering wreck. Massive waves of nervous energy were emanating from Tobias, making me worse. He was rarely nervous about anything. Once inside my room, I waited impatiently as Tobias slumped down on my bed, elbows on knees, head in hands.

I shrugged out of my jacket and unwound my scarf. Still waiting.

“Comet,” he huffed, not looking up. “Sit down, okay, you’re making me nervous.”

“You’re making me nervous.” I sat on the armchair across from him. “You and Stevie didn’t kill someone, did you? Did Dean dispose of the body for you and now he’s blackmailing you?”

Tobias’s broad shoulders shook and he lifted his head to stare at me with amusement tinged with sadness. “You’ve got to stop reading so many books.”

“Never.”

He smiled at me, his look so tender that I squirmed with the need to shoot across the room and throw my arms around him. Instead I met his gaze and asked directly, “What happened back there?”

“I just chose you over Stevie,” he said.

I swear my eyebrows must have hit my hairline at this pronouncement. “What?”

“Stevie and some of the guys have been hanging around Dean more and more. Dean is a dealer. And he’s part of something bigger—we’re talking an adult-sized, criminal gang who deal drugs and steal cars for a living. Dean deals cocaine to kids. Blair Lochrie High School is one of his grounds. He sells to quite a few kids there.”

At our high school?

Class A drugs at our high school?

“Bloody hell,” I whispered, “Where have I been?”

“Where I prefer you—safe with your nose stuck in a book.”

“Tobias…Stevie?”

Hearing the worry in my voice, he winced. “I tried, Com. I tried to keep him out of it, but he’s so messed up and I couldn’t stop him. I hung around to make sure he was okay.”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” God, please let that be why he was avoiding me.

“Yes.” A million apologies swirled in his gorgeous eyes. “I didn’t mean for Stevie to find out about you, because I didn’t want you anywhere near the stuff he was getting involved in. But then you two got along, so well I thought you might…have feelings for each other, so I told him that he either stopped hanging around Dean or he stopped hanging around you. He agreed keeping you out of that stuff, away from the boys, was better for you. So we stopped coming around as much and then stopped coming around at all. Tonight was his initiation into Dean’s crew. It was supposed to be both our initiations, I guess, because Dean was sending Stevie to some other party with drugs, and I was following Stevie as backup. Now I’m not.”

There was so much to process in what he’d just said.

My brain blurted out the first thing it wanted to deal with. “Stevie and I don’t have feelings for each other. I don’t like Stevie, Tobias.”

His eyes widened as my tone implied that I liked someone else. “No?”

“No.”

“Good. Because I just left him to that hell.” He stood up and started pacing back and forth. “I tried to help him even if it meant hurting you, and he just let himself get pulled further down into that crap.”

I stood up, reached out to touch him, to slow him down. He stilled, looking at my hand on his arm. “What did you mean? You chose me over Stevie?”

“Comet, Dean made it clear that if I left with you, I couldn’t go around there or anywhere near him again. So I either had to stay and go with Stevie as his backup on a drug deal and leave you to handle Dean on your own, or I could walk out of there with you and leave Stevie to do it alone. For good.” His gaze moved over my face, as if he were committing each feature to memory.

My heart started thudding so hard the blood rushed through my ears. “So you chose me.”

“Of course,” he choked out. “I’d never let anything happen to you. And seeing you there…I never want to see that crap touch you again. It was a wake-up call for me. I don’t want to be a part of that shit either. That’s not me.”

Seeing something in his expression made me brave in a way I never thought I could be. Knees trembling, I stepped up to him and placed a hand on his chest, over his heart. His chest was strong and hard beneath my hand, his body heat surrounding me and that woodsy, spicy, citrusy scent he wore teasing my senses. I wanted to sway into him, hold him tight, and never let go, but I had something important to say first now that I had his absolute attention. “Being a good student, working for something, achieving something, playing hard at football…it wasn’t all for your dad, Tobias. There is no maybe about it. Deep down you want those things for yourself, too. You’re smart and good and such a special person.” I gave him a tremulous smile, wondering if how I felt for him was as obvious to him as it was to apparently everyone else. “You deserve the life you really want.”

His chest rose and fell faster beneath my hand as we stared into one another’s eyes. Tobias licked his lips, as if he was nervous. “What if I want to get my grades back up?”

“Then I’ll help.”

“And join the rugby team?”

“Then you’ll try out.”

He nodded and slowly lifted his hand to cover mine. He took a step closer to me, his breathing sounding a little shaky. The thud of his heart racing beneath my palm made mine accelerate. My legs shook and my fingers curled into Tobias’s shirt. “And…what if what I really want…is you?”

Joy flooded me. I can’t truly describe the feeling. The euphoria. The excitement and thrill and fear and worry that cascaded through me at the thought of being with Tobias King.

No matter the plethora of emotions that came with his question, my answer was instant and absolute. “Then you have me.”

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Samantha Young

Samantha Young is the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows. Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us will be published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for Hero. On Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

The Queen of Paranormal Romance, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Gena Showalter, returns with THE DARKEST WARRIOR, a searing Lords of the Underworld tale featuring a beastly prince and the wife he will wage war to keep.

THE DARKEST WARRIOR is now available where all fine books are sold.

Grab your copy today!

Synopsis:

He is ice…

Puck the Undefeated, host of the demon of Indifference, cannot experience emotion without punishment, so he allows himself to feel nothing. Until her. According to ancient prophecy, she is the key to avenging his past, saving his realm and ruling as king. All he must do? Steal her from the man she loves—and marry her.

She is fire…

Gillian Shaw has suffered many tragedies in her too-short life, but nothing could have prepared the fragile human for her transition into immortality. To survive, she must wed a horned monster who both intrigues and frightens her…and become the warrior queen she was born to be.

Together they burn.

As a rising sense of possession and obsession overtake Puck, so does insatiable lust. The more he learns about his clever, resourceful wife, the more he craves her. And the more time Gillian spends with her protective husband, the more she aches for him. But the prophecy also predicts an unhappily-ever-after. Can Puck defeat fate itself to keep the woman who brought his deadened heart back to life? Or will they succumb to destiny, losing each other…and everything they’ve been fighting for?

Grab your copy of THE DARKEST WARRIOR here!

Amazon | Kindle | Nook | B-A-M | Kobo | Book Depository | Audio

Add it to your Goodreads Now!

Excerpt

So. This is the girl William will live or die for.

Puck crouched on the railing of an eighteenth-story balcony, gargoyle-style, and peered into a spacious apartment with only two occupants. William of the Dark and Gillian Shaw.

Soon she would be Gillian Connacht.

Find William. Wed his girl. War with brother.

Now that Puck had found the warrior, his tasks shifted: wed the girl, cart her to Amaranthia, return for the male. Wed. Cart. Return.

Perhaps he should stop staring at the female first? Impossible.

While the demon of Indifference growled with displeasure, Puck drank in Gillian’s dark fall of silken waves and eyes the color of whiskey. Seductive eyes filled with kindling. One day, a male would light her match, and she would burn for him, and him alone.

Flawless golden skin and blood-red lips only added to her appeal, making her the embodiment of a fairy-tale princess.

My princess.

Puck bit his tongue—he should have tasted blood, but because of Indifference, he tasted nothing. There was no denying the truth. Being near the female he planned to wed came with an unexpected complication. Indifferent? Hardly. She roused his most possessive instincts.

Soon she would belong to him. She would be his first and only “mine,” without actually being his.

Must police my thoughts about her, or I’ll ruin everything.

He felt as if he’d been watching Gillian for days, even weeks, as if he knew her, and yet he marveled over every new detail he learned. She was shockingly human, with a gentle spirit and an aura of kindness. Her beguiling smile was infectious, the rare times she revealed it.

Mostly she studied the people and world around her, somehow both present and detached, all while radiating bone-deep sadness.

Too many centuries had passed since Puck had experienced such heartfelt emotion. Before his possession, he might have sympathized with her—whatever her troubles happened to be—and sought to make things better. Now? He would use her without hesitation. He must.

War before a woman.

“I’m needed elsewhere,” William said, and kissed her cheek.

Puck scrutinized his competition for the female’s affections: six-five, solidly built, black hair, blue eyes, handsome if you liked perfection, and soon to be sporting a broken nose if he kissed Puck’s future bride again.

Inner slap. To achieve his goals, Puck needed both Gillian and William to cooperate.

“Hades requires my expertise to obliterate Lucifer’s newest palace,” William continued.

Lucifer. The male’s older brother.

Gillian scowled. Soon she would smile. Around William, her moods tended to change lightning fast, as if she wanted to feel one way, but he made her feel another.

“No, you’re staying here.” Her voice, even laced with a thread of anger, had the power to seduce.

No wonder William had fallen hard for her, and no other.

Puck had actually found the male hundreds of years ago, not long after the Oracles spoke their prophecy. Back then, William had loved no one but himself, forcing Puck to turn his efforts to obtaining the shears of Ananke.

She was the goddess of Bonds, and rumors claimed her shears could sever any spiritual, emotional or physical tie without con- sequence. Of course, rumors also claimed the artifact severed more than the user bargained for.

What was truth? What was lie?

At first, Puck had contemplated using the shears to sever his bond with the demon. The creature had become a part of him, another heartbeat he needed to survive. Ditching him without penalty…could anything be better?

Why else would the Oracles instruct him to find the shears?

But, if using the shears on Indifference had been the answer to Puck’s dilemma, why instruct him to marry Gillian, and recruit William?

What if the shears severed Puck’s connection to Indifference, but also his emotions? He would be in worse shape than before. What if he used the shears and died? The artifact might consider death a blessing rather than a consequence.

Too many risks.

In the end, Puck had opted to stick with his original plan, and work with William.

Help me defeat my brother. In return, I’ll divorce your female and give her back to you.

Puck returned his gaze to the dark-haired Gillian. She had such lush breasts. A flat stomach, and rounded hips. Long legs meant to wrap around a man’s waist—my waist.

His heart beat with renewed determination, as if the organ had come back to life, even though it had never died. As if it said, I’ve been waiting for her.

About Gena Showalter

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the spellbinding Lords of the Underworld and Angels of the Dark series, two young adult series–Everlife and the White Rabbit Chronicles–and the highly addictive Original Heartbreakers series. In addition to being a National Reader’s Choice and two time RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan (Red Hot Read) and Seventeen magazine, she’s appeared on Nightline and been mentioned in Orange is the New Black–if you ask her about it, she’ll talk for hours…hours! Her books have been translated in multiple languages.

She’s hard at work on her next novel, a tale featuring an alpha male with a dark side and the strong woman who brings him to his knees. You can learn more about Gena, her menagerie of rescue dogs, and all her upcoming books at genashowalter.com or Facebook.com/genashowalterfans

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Head of the class…

Garrett Daniels has this whole life thing figured out.

The cocky, charismatic former high school star quarterback is an idolized football coach and “cool” teacher in the hometown where he’s not just a golden boy — he’s platinum. He has good friends, a great house on the lake, and the best damn sidekick a man could ask for: Snoopy, the albino beagle.

Then…Callie Carpenter comes home.

And knocks him right on his tight end zone.

Back to school…

Callie has a pretty sweet life herself…on the other side of the country. But circumstances — that she’d prefer to never speak of again — have brought her back home, helping out her parents and substitute teaching at her old high school.

Now she’s facing bickering, raging hormones, constant gossip, awkward weirdness, and drama galore…and that’s just the teachers.

Just like old times…

When Garrett offers to show his former high school sweetheart the secrets of his winning teacher ways, Callie jumps at the chance – and then has to stop herself from jumping him.

Good friends are all they can ever be.

Or…these teachers just might end up getting schooled — hard — by love.

Includes a special bonus interview with the author!

©2018 Emma Chase (P)2018 Audible Originals, LLC.

AUDIBLE: http://adbl.co/2BGsVA6

AMAZON KINDLE: http://amzn.to/2FvxzTG

PAPERBACK: http://amzn.to/2EqurJt

iBooks: https://apple.co/2nriACY

B&N: http://bit.ly/2DWF3SP

KOBO: http://bit.ly/2Fsy7tq

GOODREADS: http://bit.ly/2rQFxoG

My Review

‘Those that can, do; those what can’t, teach…’

I cannot tell you how many times throughout the course of my 18 years of teaching that I’ve heard this phrase, and each and every time I hear it, I want to trade places with the person who said it and have him/her experience what it’s like to day in and day out be responsible for a classroom full of impressionable teens – ones who are temperamental, arrogant, and immature on any given day – the same students who will potentially go home to an empty house or to one full of siblings that they are responsible for babysitting until bedtime.

Teachers play many roles in the lives of their students, and I love that Emma Chase illustrates that very idea in her latest release, Getting Schooled.

I can tell you unequivocally that if Garrett Daniels taught and coached at my high school, the female population would be crushing on him big time and they would do anything they had to in order to have him as their teacher. Mr. Daniels is definitely a ‘cool’ teacher – one who knows his stuff when it comes to the subject he teaches as well as the sport and players he coaches. He’s a very laid-back teacher but he has the respect of his students, and he teaches them a whole heck of a lot more than history facts and football plays.

I thoroughly enjoyed Garrett’s interactions with his kids and the effect he had on them but also the effect they had on him. There’s an established rapport between them, which proves how invested Garrett is in their lives and how willing he is to help his team and his students in any way he can. 

Callie Carpenter’s reappearance in her hometown of Lakeside, New Jersey, is a game changer, not only for her but also for her high school sweetheart who just happens to be Garrett Daniels, and while it seems like Callie and Garrett have great separate lives with careers, friends, and homes, reunited, their chemistry, their attraction, their connection proves just how easy it has always been when they’re together, and all the heat and love that used to surround them has only intensified, which means that the only thing stopping their second chance at love is matters of the head and not the heart.

Both Garrett and Callie are easy-to-love characters; they’re relatable in who they are, how they view their lives, and what they want out of life. The reboot version of their relationship works seamlessly with the plot line of Getting Schooled; as they grow together in their feelings for each other, they teach one another valuable lessons about life and love and as they learn from their own lessons and from their students, Garrett and Callie realize what truly matters in their lives and at the top of that list is one another.

The secondary characters add a great dynamic to Garrett and Callie’s story. Garrett and Callie’s students, Garrett’s players, their friends, and their family give readers further insight into ‘Darpenter’/‘Carret’ and even the hard ass principal illustrates how easy it is to grow as a person, albeit in subdued ways, when it comes to working with kids and being responsible for so much more than just their education.

Getting Schooled is a fantastic second chance romance about two people who were always meant to be together, and while they went their separate ways after high school, they’re now back where they’ve always belonged, which means that Garrett and Callie have a number of years to make up for, and boy do they know just how to do that!!!

I’m already hooked on Emma Chase’s new series, and I can’t wait to see what and who she plans to school her readers on next!

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

High school parking lots are one of the most dangerous places on earth. I don’t have statistics to back that up…but I know it’s true.

I pull into the school parking lot Monday morning in my Dad’s giant, newly repaired mint-green Buick, with Back in Black by AC/DC blasting from the speakers. I feel tough, powerful—like I’m driving a tank.

I’m a badass teacher—I’ll run you down even if you’re a student—I’ve got twenty-nine more in class just like you.

The outfit helps too—leather boots, blue jeans, a starched white blouse and a black leather jacket. It’s my armor. The morning air is cool and crisp today, but I barely feel it. I’m locked and loaded and ready to roll.

As I march towards the main entrance, I spot Garrett and Dean and Alison Bellinger outside the doors. They pause when they see me, waiting.

“Damn,” Dean chuckles. “Callie’s got her shit-kickers on. Did you dig them out of a mosh pit from 1993?”

Garrett crosses his arms. “Somebody’s channeling Michelle Pfiefer in Dangerous Minds.”

He looks fantastic. His hair is tousled from the breeze and kisses his brow, and he’s wearing a dark blue sweater that’s snug around his biceps and soft, worn, light blue jeans. I remember his arms around me yesterday on my parent’s porch. The wonder and exhilaration of the moment.

Of him.

The intensity in his eyes, the desire and possessiveness in the grasp of his hands. The scorching feel of his mouth, his wet talented tongue that made my stomach swirl and my head spin.

So much for not complicating things.

But I’m not going to play head games with myself or Garrett—we’re too old for that shit.

I have feelings for him—I always have—our break-up had nothing to do with either of us not wanting each other desperately. But these aren’t just leftover echoes of a sweet, first love—this is something new. A throbbing, breathless attraction to the amazing man he’s become. I want to be near him. I want to know him, inside and out, all over again.

And he feels the same way. Garrett wants this version of me as much as he always did—maybe even more. I heard it in his whispered words and felt it in his kiss.

I don’t know if we have a future, if it can go anywhere. We have separate lives on opposite ends of the country. But I’m not going to worry about that—for now, I’m going to take each day as it comes and enjoy every moment we can.

Except for now. Now is not the time for enjoying or worrying or relationship building…now is the time for focusing. Now is the time to be ice and steel—don’t smile, don’t waver.

“Little fucknutters don’t know who the hell they’re dealing with,” I growl.

Allison pumps her fist. “That’s the spirit.”

Garrett opens the door for me. “Go get ‘em, Gangster’s Paradise.”

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | NEWSLETTER | TWITTER | GOODREADS | READER FAN GROUP

From New York Times bestselling author Julia London, comes TEMPTING THE LAIRD—the fifth standalone novel in her Highland Grooms Series!

TEMPTING THE LAIRD is now available where all fine books are sold.

Grab your copy today!

Synopsis

Mystery and desire cloak the Scottish Highlands

Unruly. Unmarried. Unapologetic. Catriona Mackenzie’s reputation precedes her everywhere she goes. Her beloved late aunt Zelda taught Cat to live out loud and speak her mind, and that’s exactly what she does when Zelda’s legacy—a refuge for women in need—comes under fire. When her quest puts her in the path of the disturbingly mysterious Hamlin Graham, Duke of Montrose, Cat is soon caught up in the provocative rumors surrounding the dark duke. Never one to retreat, Cat boldly goes where no one else has dared for answers.

Shrouded in secrets, a hostage of lies, Hamlin must endure the fear and suspicion of those who believe he is a murderer. The sudden disappearance of his wife and the truth he keeps silent are a risk to his chances at earning a coveted parliamentary seat. But he’s kept his affairs tightly held until a woman with sparkling eyes and brazen determination appears unexpectedly in his life. Deadly allegations might be his downfall, but his unleashed passion could be the duke’s ultimate undoing.

Grab your copy of TEMPTING THE LAIRD here!

Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Nook | iBooks | Kobo

Google Play | B-A-M | IndieBound | Powell’s

Add it to your Goodreads now!

Excerpt

Kishorn Lodge, Scottish Highlands, 1755

There’d been a spirited debate among the Mackenzies of Balhaire over where to bury the remains of the ven­erable Griselda Mackenzie. Arran Mackenzie, her much beloved cousin, wanted her buried at the clan’s seat at Balhaire alongside two hundred years of Mackenzies. But Catriona, his youngest daughter—who had been as close to her “Auntie” Zelda as her own mother—wanted to bury her at Kishorn Lodge, where Griselda had lived most of her remarkable life.

In the end, a compromise was struck. Auntie Zelda was buried in the family crypt at Balhaire, but a fèillein her honor was held at Kishorn a month later. This arrangement satisfied Catriona, as it was the celebra­tion she wanted for a woman who had lived life very much on her own terms.

Unfortunately, the weather turned foul on the eve of her fèille. Kishorn was remote, far into the Highlands, reachable practically only by boat. Therefore, only the most immediate Mackenzie family was able to attend, rowing up from Balhaire, past the Mackenzie prop­erties of Arrandale and Auchenard, and across Loch Kishorn to the point where the loch met the river for which it was named.

There was scarcely anything or anyone this far into the Highlands. A village and prime hunting grounds had once graced the banks of the river, but they were long gone. A Mackenzie ancestor had built the lodge on the ruins of the village. Zelda, who had always pre­ferred her freedom to a confining marriage, and had been indulged by her father, had taken possession of the abandoned lodge as a young woman and had made it her home, lovingly repairing and adding to it over the years.

The only thing left of that ancient village was a crumbling abbey, built on a hilltop overlooking the river glen. It was small as abbeys went, and no one could say whose abbey it had been. Zelda had decided it was hers and had made half of the original structure habitable again. The other half—what had once been the sanctuary—was missing its walls, and only a few beams and arches remained of the roof. It served no useful purpose, other than to provide a wee bit of re­spite from the weather for the cows that wandered in from time to time.

If only they’d had a respite from the cold rain that continued to beat a steady rhythm against the paned windows on the day of the fèille.

Catriona was quite undone by it—she’d planned this event to rival all such celebrations for years to come. “I’m bloody well cross with God this day, that I am,” she said to the women gathered around the fire blazing in the hearth. They included her mother, the Lady of Balhaire, and Catriona’s sister, Vivienne. Also present were her sisters-in-law, Daisy, Bernadette and Lottie. “It rained the day we buried her, and here it rains again. She deserved better, she did,” Catriona said as she care­lessly held up her wineglass to be refilled.

“Zelda would not care a whit about rain, Cat,” her mother assured her. “She would care only that you car­ried on with the fèillein spite of it. Can’t you hear her laughing? She’d say, ‘Did you expect cherubs and blue­birds to herald my arrival? No, lass, heaven weeps when I knock at the door.’”

“Mamma,” Catriona said gravely, but she couldn’t help a small smile. Zelda would have indeed said some­thing like that.

“I miss that old crone,” her mother said fondly, and lifted her glass in solemn salute. “She was incomparable.”

That was high praise coming from Margot Macken­zie. She and Zelda had maintained a fraught relation­ship through the years, had never quite seen eye to eye for reasons Catriona still didn’t fully understand. She knew that Zelda couldn’t bring herself to forgive her mother for being English, which, to be fair, was a sin in the eyes of many Highlanders. But Zelda had also seemed determined to believe the absurd notion that Ca­triona’s mother was a spy, of all things. Once, Catriona had asked her father why Auntie Zelda said her mother was a spy, and he’d given her a strange look. “Some things are better left in the past, aye?” he’d said. “You canna believe everything Zelda says, lass.”

He had not, Catriona had noted, denied it.

About Julia London

Julia London is the New York Times and USA TODAY best-selling author of more than thirty romantic fiction novels. She is the author of the popular Cabot Sisters historical romance series, including The Trouble with Honor, The Devil Takes a Bride, and The Scoundrel and the Debutante. She is also the author of several contemporary romances, including Homecoming Ranch, Return to Homecoming Ranch and The Perfect Homecoming. She has over 100,000+ Facebook followers, is the recipient of the RT Book Reviews for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award for excellence in romantic fiction. You can visit her website JuliaLondon.com. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Website| Twitter| Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Instagram

As the provocative, sensual Blood Type series continues, the rare bond between Reyna and Beckham is threatened by betrayal, greed, and twisted secrets.

A desperate human. A powerful vampire. A world divided.

Reyna Carpenter was promised paradise. She was delivered into hell.

Giving up her body for money was supposed to be the hardest part of becoming a blood escort. She never expected to lose her heart to her dark, enigmatic boss, Beckham Anderson. After being taken by a depraved captor who plans to rule the world, Reyna will do anything to return to Beckham.

She just has to find the will to survive this game.

From the pawn, rises a queen.

Note: Reyna and Beckham’s story begins in Blood Type and continues in Blood Cure.

✦ ADD TO GOODREADS

AVAILABLE NOW
✦ Amazon US ✦ Amazon UK ✦ iBooks ✦ B&N ✦ Kobo ✦ Google Play

A startling new vision of paranormal romance: When a human ventures into the world of vampires—a decadent milieu of blood-bonds and betrayal—she discovers that not all is what it seems.

For Reyna Carpenter, giving up her body isn’t a choice. It’s survival.

In a civilization laid waste by poverty and desperation, Reyna accepts a high-paying position with the wealthy and hungry vampire elite. Her new job is as the live-in blood escort for the intimidating, demanding, and devilishly handsome Beckham Anderson. He’s everything she expected from a vampire, except for one thing—he won’t feed off her.

Reyna soon discovers that behind Beckham’s brooding, wicked façade lies a unique and complex man. And that, in a dark and divided world, she is more valuable than she ever would have believed.

For with each passing night, Reyna can’t shake the sensation that it’s Beckham who’s afraid of her.

Note: Reyna and Beckham’s story continues in Blood Match.

ADD TO GOODREADS

✦ Amazon US ✦ Amazon UK ✦ iBooks ✦ B&N ✦ Kobo ✦ Google Play

The stunning conclusion to the Blood Type series finds the world in chaos and turmoil with one final battle left to determine who will survive—humans or vampires.

She had the world on her shoulders. Now she has nothing.

Reyna Carpenter was twenty-one when she became a live-in blood escort for the ruthless and darkly handsome vampire Beckham Anderson. She thought this was just a small price to pay for feeding her brothers back home.

But nothing went as planned. Not even her tumultuous relationship with Beckham. And now she wonders if anything will ever be the same again.

As she finds herself in the midst of a losing rebellion, she and her trusted friends must flee from a city conquered by the vampire elite. With their plans blown to pieces and everything they knew and loved gone, their future hangs in the balance.

Despite all she has lost, Reyna must rise from the ashes, reclaim the life that was stolen—and complete her mission, once and for all.

✦ ADD TO GOODREADS
✦ Amazon US ✦ Amazon UK ✦ iBooks ✦ B&N ✦ Kobo ✦ Google Play

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

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

WEBSITE / FACEBOOK / TWITTER / INSTAGRAM

Fixed Forever (Fixed book #5) by Laurelin Paige

Release Date: June 25th 2018

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Blurb

Hudson Pierce-

You act so high and mighty, you and your perfect pregnant wife Alayna. With your perfect child and your perfect home.

You weren’t always perfect. Your past is filled with misdeeds.

Does your wife know all your secrets?

Would she stand behind you if she did?

You think because she’s on bedrest you can protect her? How sweet.

Sleep tight, you two.

-An Old Friend.

Amazon → https://laurl.in/FixedForever-Amazon

Amazon International → http://myBook.to/FixedForever

iBooks → https://laurl.in/FixedForever-ibooks

Nook → https://laurl.in/fixedforevernook

Kobo → https://laurl.in/FixedForever-Kobo

Google Play → https://laurl.in/FixedForever-GP

Add to Goodreads → https://laurl.in/FixedForever-GR

My Review

Hudson and Alayna have been one of my top book couples since I read Fixed on You, so as soon as I saw the announcement for Fixed Forever, I was both excited and terrified. I was worried that the newest conflict wouldn’t completely fit Hudson and Alayna’s marriage or their current family life. I’ll admit that I was hesitant to start Fixed Forever for that very reason. I’ve come to expect a lot from Ms. Paige’s Fixed Universe and the characters who I’ve spent so much time with over the years, and while maybe that’s not fair of me as a reader, I can’t help but feel that way because it’s the truth.

When I had finally reached the point where I was prepared to re-enter Hudson and Alayna’s lives, I did so with an open mind and an anxious heart, and now that I’ve finished it, I can wholeheartedly say that Fixed Forever lived up to my expectations and Hudson and Alayna have retained their position at the top of my list, and here’s why:

Reason 1: Regardless of how many years have passed or how much their little family has expanded, they remain the Hudson and Alayna they’ve always been, meaning that H and his Precious still hide things from each other, whether they think it’s what’s best or it’s simply done to spite the other: they still fight with every fiery part of them and then release their heightened emotions in the sexiest of ways; Hudson still tries to control everyone and everything around him, which means looking out for Alayna and her mental state even to his detriment, and Alayna’s OCD and obsessive nature still figures into their lives and sometimes it gets out of hand, but each and every time, they work through it together.

Reason 2: The central conflict doesn’t feel contrived, and it also is not solely due to Hudson’s past and the games he and Celia played with so many lives. Each piece of the puzzle that Laurelin Paige provides readers with until the climax is revealed makes sense on all fronts and it’s easy to trace the events back to their origin, and when it all comes together, the plot lines intersect in all ways possible. 

This was an absolute must for me because I didn’t want Hudson’s old life and his old ways to be the sole reason for the events he and his wife face, and I also didn’t want Celia to be the sole antagonist that she’s been throughout Hudson and Alayna’s relationship. There’s still a reason for her to be in their lives and that idea is laid out nicely, and while I’m still holding out for Celia to truly get hers, I didn’t want it to be due to her past meddling or issues with between her and Alayna.

Reason 3: Hudson and Alayna are complicated people with flaws and eccentricities that define them and that continues to be the case in Fixed Forever, and while their tendencies do cause some issues between them, there’s never a doubt of their commitment to each other…their endless love for another. So while they might bring out the worst in each other, they most assuredly bring out the best in one another, which means that there’s not Hudson without Alayna and there’s not Alayna without Hudson.

Something tells me that I’m still going to be able to get my fix of Hudson and Alayna in the years to come, and I have to say that I’m beyond intrigued by the revelation at the end of Fixed Forever, and like most readers, I’m ready to see how the dragon was slayed!

5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

If she’d needed a day or two in bed, upset and processing and obsessively looking through pictures of the event on social media, what would that have mattered?

I trusted her to come back to me when she was through her anxiety.

Maybe that was the key. Maybe she wasn’t punishing me —but rather, was testing me. Seeing if I was capable of actually letting her go to work and not interfering. Not showing up, cold and demanding, when she lost track of time.

Because in truth, I was the one who wasn’t strong enough.

For all that I blamed her for giving in to her overactive mind, I was the one who worried too much. Who was overprotective. Who couldn’t handle the thought of her suffering, even only slightly. She was the one who alerted me to possibilities, her mind skittering from one thing to the next even as she stayed my rock.

The truth was, without me, Alayna was still brilliant and clever and lovely and big-hearted and enough.

But without her, I was nothing.

About Laurelin

With over 1 million books sold, Laurelin Paige is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She’s also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn’t do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaurelinPaige/

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/laurelin-paige

Twitter: @LaurelinPaige

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thereallaurelinpaige/

Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HudsonPierce/

Website: http://www.laurelinpaige.com

Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list:

Newsletter: http://bit.ly/LaurelinNews

Audio Newsletter: http://www.subscribepage.com/LaurelinPaigeAuralReport

OFFICE MATE by Katie Ashley

Releasing July 9

Blurb

Thorn

From the first time I played army as a kid, the military has been my life. As an Airborne Major, I’d led my men through two tours in Afghanistan. But when my father was elected president, I became an even greater target for the enemy—a prize for someone to take out. To ensure not only the safety of myself, but of my men, I got stripped of my cammies, shoved into an Armani suit, and placed into a management position at my father’s company. After years of trekking through the desert with an assault rifle, I was way out of my area of expertise, which my transition coordinator was more than happy to let me know on a daily, if not hourly basis. The brunette bombshell would be the death of me in more ways than one, especially since I hadn’t been with a woman since my last deployment. She’s turning out to be one of the greatest foes I’ve ever done battle with.

Isabel

In the backwoods Georgia town I was born in, you either married right out of high school or got the hell out of town. I chose the second and never looked back. After graduating top in my class, I started working for The Callahan Corporation. Fast forward five years and I was about to become the youngest female manager in the history of my department. And then all the blood, sweat, and tears I’d put into my career were for nothing when the boss’s billionaire son was handed my position on a silver platter. Not only that, I was expected to help transition him into the job that was supposed to be mine. Sure, he’s easy on the eyes with his chiseled good-looks and impossibly built physique, but I’m not going to let that distract me. I hope soldier boy is good at military strategy because sabotage is the name of the game I’ll be playing.

——————————-

About the Author

Irresistible attraction.  Unimaginable danger. 

I knew from the moment Noah Williamson walked into the diner that he was haunted—deeply haunted—but I couldn’t resist the lure of him.  He was gorgeous and fascinating and mysterious, and like a delicate moth to a brilliant blue flame, I was drawn to him.  Drawn to his fire.

But if I’d known about his job, about what happened to his wife, I’d have run the other way.  Before I got caught up in the red-hot blaze of his life.  Before everything in my world got burned to the ground.

It’s too late to run now.  I hesitated and that was it. I fell. I fell for him before I knew there was danger in loving him.

Noah once told me that this is the way we burn—together or not at all.  At the time, I didn’t know what that meant.

Now I do.

The Way We Burn is a love story…with a kicker!  Suspense, chemistry, and twists galore, I can’t wait for you to jump in!  But don’t be afraid.  This is a stand alone VERY romantic story with a VERY satisfying ending.  I promise:)  xoxo  M

AMZ: http://smarturl.it/TWWBAmz
iBooks: http://smarturl.it/TWWBiBooks
Nook: http://smarturl.it/TWWBNook
Kobo: http://smarturl.it/TWWBKobo

Get an alert on Bookbub:  http://smarturl.it/MLeightonBookBub

Add to your Goodreads shelf:  http://smarturl.it/TWWBgr

Sign up for my newsletter:  http://smarturl.it/MLeightonNews

Join my FB group:  http://smarturl.it/MLeightonFBGroup

Nook/Kobo Universal:  http://smarturl.it/TWWBUniversalLink

My Review

The Way We Burn is a unique, mysterious, and insightful story about pain, about loss, and about love. It’s about two kindred souls whose eyes convey the sadness and anguish they both carry and endure, and as a reader, it’s easy to understand why Noah and Poppy are drawn to each other; like attracts like and these two desperately need rescuing and regardless of their respective torment, it seems as if Noah and Poppy can move forward together but only if the nightmares that have found their way into the characters’ reality are handled and conquered, which, when readers get an up close and personal look into Noah and Poppy’s darkness, they’ll be able to see the wounds and scars that have been left by an hellish set of circumstances that seem hellbent on destroying everything these characters love.

Throughout much of the text, the story line is unpredictable, which means that it’s difficult for readers to ascertain exactly how all of Noah and Poppy’s thoughts, spoken words, and actions align, and this is deliberate on M. Leighton’s part because she doesn’t want to reveal how all of the pieces fit together too quickly; she wants her readers to make their own assertions…come to their own conclusions before she unravels everything because that’s what keeps readers invested…it’s what has them being active readers – ones who look for clues and make inferences about content and then see how their assumptions pan out once all information is out in the open.

M. Leighton describes The Way We Burn as a ‘love story with a kicker,’ and let me tell you that ‘kick’ is as unsuspecting as it is exhilarating and it brings both Noah and Poppy full circle, but what that truly means is something that each reader will need to find out on her own because Noah and Poppy’s journey to the end of the book is beyond difficult, beyond traumatic, and beyond anything that readers could probably anticipate, which means that in order to get through the ordeal that drives the ending, readers need to dispense all outside thoughts and focus on what M. Leighton is exploring beyond the anguish in Noah’s eyes and beyond the brokenness that seems to drive both Noah and Poppy.

All I have left to say is hold on tight and enjoy the ride because it’s definitely a complex and layered one and it’s also one that doesn’t follow a clear and uninterrupted path because life’s complications always veer off course.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

NOAH

Maryland, eighteen months ago

“Mind going over the story with me one more time?”

I stare at the detective.  I see the disdain in his eyes. I see the disbelief.  He came here with his mind made up.  I’m suspect number one and we both know it.  What we both don’t know is that I did nothing to my wife.  I would never hurt her.  I don’t think I could even if I had to, even if she was trying to hurt me.  She is the only woman I’ve ever loved, the only person whose happiness means more to me than my own.

Except for our daughter.

Her happiness would’ve meant more to me than my own, too.

Would’ve.

Past tense.

Grief slices through my chest like a scalpel.  Clean. Neat.  Surgical.  Like someone is cutting out my heart.

Five months ago, we lost our daughter.  And now I’ve lost Carly.  How the hell is a man supposed to live through something like this?  A child. Then a spouse.  This is the shit nightmares are made of.

And I would know.  I’ve seen nightmares. Up close. Personal.  The kind that sink their teeth in and leave marks. Wounds.  Scars.

Sweat beads on my upper lip.  I’ve never felt such an intense sense of loss, so much pain.  So much helpless, hopeless agony.

A few months ago, I’d have said a person couldn’t bear hurt like this. I’d have said the human body couldn’t take it.

But I’d have been wrong.

It can.

I’m proof.  I’m still alive, still standing.  Damned if I know how, but I am.  Even when I’d rather not be, I am.  And now, on top of everything else, I’m being questioned like a felon.  I’m the primary suspect in my wife’s disappearance, and every second they spend focusing on me is another second she’s further from being found.

But there’s nothing I can do to change that. It’s Basic Detecting 101.  The husband is suspect numero uno.  Why?  Because it usually is the husband. I know that.  I also know there will be no convincing them otherwise.

Maybe if I could split my chest wide open, they’d believe me.  Maybe if they could see what I’m feeling, see the bruised and bleeding thing that used to be my heart, they’d understand. Maybe if they could physically see what this is doing to me, they’d look beyond the obvious.  But outside of that, there’s nothing I can say to make them understand.  That’s why there’s an edge to my voice when I answer this asshole’s questions. I may not be able to change it, but I sure as hell don’t have to like it.

“It’s not a ‘story’, Detective. It’s the truth.  Carly left for work Tuesday morning at seven. She said she had an early meeting.  I texted her at lunch to see if she needed me to bring anything from the store. She didn’t answer.  I haven’t seen or heard from her since that morning.  And that was almost sixty hours ago.”

Sixty hours.  That’s twelve hours after “we’ve got a good chance of finding her”, and twelve hours before “hope for the best, but expect the worst.”  The window is closing.

“Had you two fought before she left?”

There’s a dull throb just above the bridge of my nose. I pinch it between my index finger and thumb.  “No, we hadn’t fought.  We don’t fight anymore.  At all.  I told you we’ve both been recovering from…from…”

I can’t make the words come out. They’re stuck in my throat like tar—black and sticky and foreign.  Bitter.

“The death of your daughter. Right, right.  I feel you,” he placates, making more notes on his pad.  “But they never recovered her body, isn’t that right, Mr. Williamson?”

My eyes snap up to his.  Surely to God he’s not insinuating…

Zero to sixty in one second.  In one sentence.  That’s how long it takes my blood to come to a hard boil. Like lava down a mountainside, it rushes through my veins in a thick, hot river, destroying trees and grass and flowers and life as it goes.  Killing off a little more of what was left of me.

I take a deep breath, striving for cool.  Or even tepid.  Anything but the blazing rage that’s pumping through me.

“Detective, I’m a patient man. I work for the FBI, so I understand how this process works. I also understand that I’m at the top of your list of suspects, so I get it. I get it.  But let me make one thing crystal clear.” I take a step forward.  “My daughter was killed. My child is dead.  So while I have agreed to jump through all your hoops, make no mistake. My tolerance has its limits and you are dangerously close to finding out what happens when my patience runs out.  I’ve got nothing left to lose. Not one thing, so wiping the floor with your smug ass might actually improve my situation.  You feel that?” The last is hissed through teeth clenched so tight my jaws ache. I’m practically spitting down into his face, my chest close enough to bump his if I take a deep enough breath.

I can tell by the set of his lips and the narrowing of his eyes that I’ve pissed him off. But I can also tell that he’s not fool enough to press me one more inch right now. Not one more. It’s there in the way his pupils swell. It’s there in the way his nostrils flare.  He won’t push me.  He’s smarter than that.

My daughter is dead.

My wife is missing.

There’s nothing left.  Nothing that matters. There’s nothing they can take from me or threaten me with.  Surely this pathetic lackey knows what I know from years and years of experience—men like me are unpredictable.

Unpredictable and dangerous.

Connect with the Author