Welcome to Whynot, North Carolina, population 3,872. It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.

Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.

So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.

But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.

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Review

“Nothing worth having doesn’t come without some measure of sacrifice.”

11 years ago, Trixie Mancinkus and Ryland Powers weren’t ready or willing to surrender who they were and what they wanted as individuals, so they ended a three-year relationship and never looked back…at least that’s what they attempted to do, but now that Trixie has asked for Ryland’s help with a case, their past feelings resurface and the passionate connection they once shared has brought them to a crossroad, once again, and hopefully this time, they can find a way to be together or at least get the closure they need to move forward without dwelling on what might have been all those years ago. 

Ain’t He Precious brings southern living and southern hospitality to the forefront of readers’ minds, and it illustrates the truly special bond that exists between a southerner and his/her small town community and slow-paced lifestyle. The setting of WhyNot, North Carolina, is just as integral a character as Trixie and Ryland are because through the charming environment that Ryland experiences when he leaves his big city living to lend Trixie a hand, he begins to understand why Trixie felt compelled to leave the life she and Ryland had created in Boston and go back to the place that holds her heart just as much as Ryland did. 

Through their time together, Trixie and Ryland realize that they shouldn’t have been so hasty in giving up their forever simply because they weren’t willing to compromise what they wanted all those years ago, and while those same obstacles seem to stand in their way now, perhaps they’ll understand just how precious the love they share is and they’ll figure out a way to have their job and each other because having one without the other is really not an option anymore. 

Trixie and Ryland’s story has the perfect blend of drama and steam. It’s a feel good book that illustrates just how precious second chances are and it also proves why a southern girl is willing to sacrifice a good life and a man she loves for what her hometown and the people who live there do for her heart and soul. 

I adored this story and Pap Mancinkus’ insights and advice made a great story even better because his wisdom and his love for Trixie and his family proves just how easy it is for a Yankee to find his place in the South.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

Over lettuce wraps, I let her vent more about her brother but I only let this go on during the appetizer. Once our entrees arrive, I insist we change the subject. She’s not calming down, only getting more worked up, and diversion has always worked best with Trixie.

“Raleigh seems to be a nice town,” I say conversationally in an effort to get her relaxed.

She rolls her eyes at me because as much as I know how to “handle” her when her temper is spiked, she recognizes the fact that I am indeed handling her. Apparently, she finds it adorable. She cuts a piece of her orange chicken and gives in to my attempt to switch the conversation. “It really is. It’s spread out so you don’t have that overwhelming big-city feel, but you have all the luxuries a big city affords like museums, professional sports, fine dining, etcetera.”

“Overwhelming is an interesting choice of words,” I observe. “You didn’t feel that way in Boston, did you?”

I’m surprised when her cheeks turn a bit red. Her voice is reluctant when she admits, “Yeah… it was a bit too much for me.”

My mouth hangs open as I stare at her. How could I not know that? We had made plans to live in Boston, and there was a time when she was completely on board.

“I’m sorry,” she blurts out. “I know what you’re thinking… Why would I have even considered all those plans we’d made if I felt that way?”

“Got to admit… this is a bit surprising to hear.”

Trixie puts her fork down and levels her gaze on me. “Ry… I loved you. And I loved Cambridge. It was small and well… comfortable. It wasn’t small like Whynot, but it reminded me of home a bit. But honestly, I was only considering staying there in Boston because of you. I didn’t like it at all. Too many people. Too much concrete and glass. Too much noise. It’s just not me.”

“You should have said something a lot earlier than you did,” I reprimand her quietly. I can’t help feeling a bit angry over this revelation, because who knows what would have happened had we had some honest discussions about where we wanted to go that could suit both of us.

“Would it have changed anything?” she asks me bluntly. “You were set on Boston. You wanted that job at Hayes Lockamy. You worked your ass off at Harvard and the clerkships to get that job offer. It was everything to you.”

“It wasn’t everything,” I tell her sharply.

“Maybe not,” she retorts. “But it clearly meant more than me. As I recall, I asked you to come to Whynot to practice, and I got a resounding ‘no’ to that offer.”

“You sprung that on me at literally the last minute, Trixie,” I say angrily. “After I’d accepted the job offer at Hayes Lockamy. You didn’t give me any time to process any of it.”

“And you didn’t bother to try to talk me into staying,” she snaps.

“Seriously, Trix,” I say in exasperation. “I’ve been here two days, and I’ve watched you in your element. You were born to live here. This is where you’re supposed to be. Being a small-town lawyer in Whynot surrounded by your close-knit, if not nutty, family is what brings you joy. Are you seriously trying to infer that you would have left all of this to stay in Boston with me if I’d just tried to talk you into staying?”

“No, what I’m saying,” she sneers at me as she leans across the table but I don’t miss the light sheen of tears in her eyes, “is that you and I clearly weren’t meant to be, and we’re both better off for making the choices we did.”

Now that hits me hard, right in the middle of my chest, and I have to resist the urge to rub my knuckles over my breastbone to ease the pain.

Trixie merely pushes up from her chair, grabs her purse, and practically runs out of the restaurant.

“Shit,” I mutter as I stand up. I grab my wallet, take out enough money to cover the meal and tip, and toss it down on the table.

I jet out of the restaurant, scan the area, and see Trixie walking quickly toward her car. I wouldn’t put it past her to jump in it and drive off without me, so I break into a fast trot to catch up with her. My hand latches onto her elbow just as she reaches her car, and I spin her to face me.

“What the hell, Trix?” I ask her with frustration, anger, and a little bit of self-loathing that I let the conversation get so out of hand. I’ve always been the mild-mannered one between the two of us, knowing how to deftly control and sidestep her temper so it doesn’t get the better of her.

Or me.

I brace, expect her to rail and rant some more. Instead, she launches herself right at me, making a tiny hop to throw her arms around my neck. Her mouth comes to mine hard as one of her hands grips into my hair, fisting it tight.

Jesus Christ… stars wink in my vision at the feel of her mouth on mine, so long forgotten and yet completely familiar all at once. I don’t think—just act. My arms band around her tight, hauling her body to mine. I push her back into the side of her car, tilt my head, and I kiss her back with every bit of longing and regret that she seems to be mutually feeling in this moment.

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.

A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.

When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

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Title: Trophy Wife

Author: Alessandra Torre

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 19, 2017

Judi Perkins, Concierge Literary Design & Photography

Everyone in Nashville knows Nathan Dumont. That’s what happens when you develop half a town and sleep with the rest.
Five years ago, his fiancee disappeared.
Last night, he proposed to me.

I had wanted to escape my life, the seedy strip club and the mountain of bills. I had seized the opportunity to live in a mansion, fill my days with country clubs and caviar, my nights with romance and sex.

Maybe I should have done my homework first.

The Trophy Wife is a standalone erotic romance. It is approximately 70,000 words. An earlier edition of this book was previously released in 2013 under the name The Dumont Diaries, this is an expanded and rewritten edition of that novel, with over 50 pages of new content.

***

Alessandra Torre is an award-winning New York Times bestselling author of fourteen novels. Her books focus on romance and suspense, all with a strong undercurrent of sexuality. Torre has been featured in such publications as Elle and Elle UK, as well as guest blogged for the Huffington Post and RT Book Reviews. She has also served as the Bedroom Blogger for Cosmopolitan.com.

From New York Times bestselling author Kristen Proby, comes the next sexy and captivating standalone title in the Boudreaux Series, EASY MAGIC.

Take a trip to the Big Easy and fall in love with Beau and Mallory’s story in this passionate and magical contemporary romance.

Grab your copy today!

ABOUT EASY MAGIC

The Boudreaux Series. Sexy. Intriguing. Easy.

Family. Responsibility. Stability.

As the co-CEO of Bayou Enterprises, and the eldest of the Boudreaux clan, Beau is the epitome of these. Now that his baby sister Gabby is happily settled down, Beau has moved into the company loft in the heart of the French Quarter to be closer to his office while his own home is built. He doesn’t have time for anything but the family he adores and the company that drives him.

If only the bewitching owner of the herb shop downstairs from Beau’s loft wasn’t so damn tempting.

Mallory Adams is living the life. The good life. The best life for her. After years of hiding who she is, and the gifts she’s been cursed with, Mallory opened her little shop in the French Quarter, offering herbs and lotions for anything from soothing a sunburn to chasing those pesky ghosts New Orleans is known for out of a client’s home. Some call her eccentric, and some say she’s simply odd, and that’s okay with her. She is a bit odd, but in her experience, all of the best people are.

When an old pipe bursts in the loft above her store, flooding her storeroom, Mallory comes face to face with Beau Boudreaux, and she doesn’t need the clairvoyant abilities that have been passed down through generations to know that she’ll never be the same. Beau is her exact opposite; serious, straitlaced. He wears suits for Pete’s sake and probably wouldn’t know the difference between arnica and flaxseed if his life depended on it. But when he touches her, the electricity is through the roof and she’s smart enough to know that a chemistry like theirs doesn’t happen every day.

Can two people so very different possibly find their way to happily ever after?

Grab your copy of EASY MAGIC today!

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Excerpt

“I’ve always had a knack for knowing what people need,” she says softly, as if she’s choosing her words very carefully. I don’t know why that bothers me. I want her to speak her mind, to not have to censor what she says.

But this is a good start.

“In what way?”

“Maybe someone has headaches, or their feet hurt. I have essential oils and herbs that can help with those things.”

I nod.

“My grandmother taught me all about alternative medicine from the time I was a child. She wasn’t crazy with it,” she says quickly, “she still believed in western medicine as well, but why take a pain reliever full of chemicals if you can just put a drop of oil on the back of your neck to get the same result?”

She shrugs and reaches for the dessert, smiles when she opens the box, and digs in with enthusiasm.

“I thought it would be fun to open a store full of those things,” she continues. “I wanted the bottles to be pretty, and everything to be tied with a bow. I wanted a place where people enjoyed coming in, even if only to browse. It smells good, the energy is calming.”

And I realize that that’s exactly how I feel whenever I’ve been in her store.

“I’d say you’ve accomplished those things.”

“Thank you.” Her smile is huge and genuine. “That’s really the best compliment I could ever get.”

“Really?” I cock a brow and watch her lashes flutter. “I’d also say you’re stunning. I want to bury my fingers in that amazing curly hair of yours.”

There must be something in the food that’s making me speak so freely. But Mallory seems to bring out my flirty side.

I’d forgotten that I had a flirty side.

Her smile slips just a bit, and her cheeks flush, and I know she’d look just like that when I’m buried balls deep inside her.

“That’s very nice of you.”

“But not what you want to hear.”

“Well, don’t get me wrong, every woman wants to be told she’s pretty.”

“I didn’t say pretty,” I reply and lean in, resting my elbows on her desk. “’Pretty’ is too dull of a word to describe you.”

“You’re an interesting man,” she says, tilting her head to the side and studying my face with narrowed violet eyes. “You just say whatever you’re feeling.”

“Not always,” I reach out to tuck her hair behind her ear and she stiffens. I pause, keeping my eyes pinned to hers before I slowly brush just the pads of my fingertips over the outline of her ear, tucking that soft curly hair, then lowering my hand back to the desk. “But I see no reason to not be honest with you.”

“I opened this shop because I love it,” she says, her voice still soft but firm. She’s not weak in any way, and that pulls at me like a siren’s song. “I want to help people if I can, even if it’s just to moisturize their hands. And I like this building.”

“There are other streets with more foot traffic.”

“And I like where I am,” she says again. “I do well here.”

“I’m glad you do.” I nod and without giving it much thought, reach out to pull my fingertips over her hand. My eyes are watching hers as I do, and I can see the hesitation just before I touch her, and then the relief when my skin rests on hers.

She doesn’t like to be touched.

“Tell me more,” I say softly.

“That’s all there is about the store.”

“Tell me about you.”

She pulls her hand out from under mine and sits back in her chair. “I think you’d better go, before I tell you more than I want to.”

I cock a brow. “I’m a fan of honesty.”

“Good.” She nods once and begins loading the empty boxes in the trash. “I’m in favor of being honest, and in that same spirit, I’m exhausted, Beau.”

“I know. I am, too.”

But I’m not ready to say goodbye to her yet. I’m afraid that we’ll go our separate ways, and I won’t see her again.

“What are you thinking?” she asks.

“That I want to see you again.”

“You live upstairs from my shop,” she reminds me. “I don’t see how we could avoid it.”

“We avoided it for a damn long time,” I say and stand, shoving my hands in my pockets. “But I won’t make that mistake again.”

Giveaway

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And don’t forget to grab the first four books in

The Boudreaux Series!

EASY LOVE

EASY CHARM

EASY MELODY

EASY KISSES

Review

“You can’t control the wind, but you can adjust your sails.”

For Beau Boudreaux and Mallory Adams, control is an important aspect of their lives; it’s what drives Beau to take care of his family and their businesses, constantly working to keep his siblings protected, never dwelling too much on his personal life or the lack of one. For Mallory, it’s what keeps her closed off to powers she never asked for nor wanted because the emotional toil of her gifts is too big a burden to power.

But Beau and Mallory can only control their lives to a certain extent, and sometimes, relinquishing power can be freeing as well as reenergizing, and what Beau and Mallory find when they allow their feelings for each other to lead them and open themselves up to the possibility of what they can be is a magical bond that calms them just as much as it guides them to live in the present and allow life to happen, and even if Beau doesn’t completely understand Mallory’s gifts, his feelings for her change his outlook and give him the most precious things in life – love, family, and a relationship that comes to mean everything to him.

I’ve adored each couple’s story in Kristen Proby’s Boudreaux series, but there’s something extra special about Beau and Mallory’s book. Right from the start, readers will be just as bewitched as Beau is when it comes to who Mallory is…her goodness, her sassiness, her outlook on life despite all of the loss she’s experienced. And, it’s clear that Mallory brings out a different side of Beau – one that his family hasn’t seen before and one that they’d give anything to continue to experience.

Beau and Mallory’s courting is beyond magical, not only due to Mallory’s powers but also due to the calm that Beau allows her to have when he’s with her. Beau may be a self-proclaimed workaholic as well as a practical man, but there’s no denying the magical powers Mallory wields over him because he is a new man with her and he wouldn’t want it to be any other way.

The advice that both Beau and Mallory receive about adjusting their lives and the course it takes is what allows them to not second guess their feelings for one another and work through the situations that complicate things a bit more than they would have liked.

If readers haven’t yet met the Boudreaux siblings and their significant others and friends, they definitely need to because it’s an eclectic group of caring, fierce, and loving individuals who deserve every bit of happiness that they work hard to receive and being able to experience these characters at both their best and worst moments is a worthwhile journey because it illustrates the realities of life as well as the magic involved in finding lasting love and friendships that truly matter.

4.5 Poison Apples

ABOUT KRISTEN PROBY

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves.

Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.

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Author Goodreads**Novel Goodreads

I met Bianca in an elevator.

She was on her way to interview me when we got stuck.

The beautiful, raven-haired reporter assumed I was a delivery guy because of the way I was dressed.

She had no clue I was really Dex Truitt, the wealthy, successful businessman she’d dubbed “Mister Moneybags”—her afternoon appointment.

Bianca told me how much she hated Dex’s type—snobby, over educated, silver- spooned men who didn’t appreciate the simple things in life.

So, after the elevator finally started moving again, I cancelled the interview and let her believe I was someone I wasn’t—a bike messenger named Jay. I loved the way she looked at the fake me and didn’t want it to end.

I began dating her as “Jay”—all the while letting her interview the real me over email.

I didn’t expect that our chemistry online would be just as hot.

I didn’t expect the mess I’d gotten myself into.

I didn’t expect that Jay and Dex would fall in love with her.

And she was falling for two men.

Only, both men were me.

And when she found out, we were both going to lose her.

Nothing could have prepared me for that day. And I certainly wasn’t prepared for what came after.

All good things must come to an end, right?

Except our ending was one I didn’t see coming.

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MEET BIANCA

I sighed audibly.  Are we even moving?  It was seriously the slowest elevator I’d ever taken.  Frustrated, and maybe a bit anxious to get the interview over with, I took another shot at the elevator panel.  Again, pressing the button repeatedly, I groaned, “Come on.  I’m already freakin’ late.”

I breathed a sigh of relief when the car seemed to finally pick up speed.  But then, it jolted to an abrupt stop, and the elevator went pitch black.

“Well now you’ve gone and broken the damn thing,” a deep voice said from behind me.  Startled, I jumped and bobbled my cell phone in the dark, which resulted in it falling.  From the sound of it smashing against the floor, I knew it had broken.

“Shit!  Look what you made me do.” I bent over and patted the floor, but I couldn’t find it.  “Can you at least give me some light so I can find my phone?”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Thank you,” I huffed.

“If I had a cell phone on me.”

“Are you kidding?  You don’t have a cell phone on you?  Who walks around without their cell phone?”

“Maybe you should try it. If you weren’t so obsessed with yours, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.”

I stood, and my hands went to my hips. “How so?”

“Well, you were so busy typing away on your phone, you didn’t even notice another passenger was in the car with you.”

“And?”

“Had you seen me, you wouldn’t have jumped hearing my voice and broken your phone.  Then we would have had light, and you would be able to see that elevator panel well enough to push that button another twenty or thirty times. I’m sure that would’ve helped.”

I felt the man moving around behind me.

“What are you doing?”

When he answered, his voice came from a different place.  It was to my left and beneath me.  “I’m on the floor looking for your cell phone.”

It really was pitch dark.  I couldn’t see a thing, but I felt the air move, and I knew he must have stood back up.

“Put your hand out.”

“You’re going to put my phone in it, right?”

“No, I’ve taken down my pants and I’m going to stick my dick in it.  Christ, you’re really a bitch, aren’t you?”

Thinking he couldn’t see me, I smiled at his sarcasm and put out my hand.  “Just give me my phone.”

MEET DEX

Wow. My little ball player was quite the fox.

I’d only seen her from the back before the lights went out. Now, I was staring into her beautiful, big brown eyes, feeling like this elevator mishap wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

She cleared her throat. “The lights came back, but we’re still stuck.”

I clicked on some of the buttons. “Seems that way. But this is a step in the right direction. I bet this thing will be moving in no time.”

And by this thing moving, I do not mean my dick, although I could have sworn I felt it twitch when she just licked her beautiful full lips.

Do that again.

Fuck.

She is beautiful.

My eyes travelled down the length of her body then back up again, loving how the small buttons on her conservative blouse formed a path up to her delicate neck. I wouldn’t have minded sucking on that skin.

Maybe I could entice her to play hooky with me.

“Where are you headed once we get out of here?” I asked.

“The thirty-fourth floor,” she said.

What?

What is she doing going up to my floor?

I know she doesn’t work for me. I would have remembered that face, those eyes.

“What kind of business you have going on up there?”

“I actually have the pleasure of interviewing Mister Moneybags himself.”

My stomach sank.

Ohhhh.

This didn’t bode well for me.

I swallowed then cocked my head to the side and played dumb. “Who?”

“The elusive Dexter Truitt. He’s the CEO of Montague Enterprises. They occupy the entire top floor.”

Trying to seem like I was not seriously about to lose my shit, I asked, “Why do you call him Mister Moneybags?”

“I just picture him to be this crabby, money-hungry asshole, I guess. Sounds like a fitting name. Of course, I don’t actually know him.”

“Why do you think that way about him, then?”

“I have my reasons.”

Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times Bestselling author. With more than a million books sold, her titles have appeared in over fifty Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twelve languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.

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Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling author. She’s a fifteen-time New York Times bestseller of twelve novels.

Having grown up in Boston with five older brothers, she spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor, before switching to a more family-friendly career. She is the proud mother of a beautiful 12-year-old girl with autism and a 10-year-old boy. Penelope and her family reside in Rhode Island.

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Other books from Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Cocky Bastard
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1LfN3fc
iTunes: http://apple.co/1PffE2J
B&N: http://bit.ly/1EjxNpY
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1UxCSUO

Stuck-Up Suit
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iBooks: http://apple.co/1Qbwy57
B&N: http://bit.ly/29vrQhV
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Playboy Pilot
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Nook: bit.ly/2caXPEK
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2cJDXO1

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Standalone novels

Egomaniac
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/b1gi74
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Bossman
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iBooks: http://apple.co/25x2jyX
B&N: http://bit.ly/29sL4H2
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The Baller
Amazon: amzn.to/1PBF2hG
iBooks: http://bit.ly/iBooksBaller
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Left Behind (A Young Adult Novel)

First Thing I See

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/first-thing-i-see-ms-vi-keeland/1114703332

Life on Stage series (2 standalone books)
Beat
http://www.amazon.com/Beat-Vi-Keeland-ebook/dp/B00ZOMUV12/ http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/beat-vi-keeland/1121715501 https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/beat/id983959123 https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/beat-5

Throb

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/throb/id948747986
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throb-vi-keeland/1121112695
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MMA Fighter series (3 standalone books)
Worth the Fight

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/worth-the-fight/id805540252
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/worth-the-fight-vi-keeland/1117014180
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/worth-the-fight

Worth the Chance

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Worth Forgiving

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The Cole Series (2 book serial)
Belong to You

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/belong-to-you/id639401754
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Made for You

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/made-for-you/id84550637
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Mack Daddy:
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RoomHate
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Stepbrother Dearest
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Neighbor Dearest
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Sins of Sevin
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Jake Undone (Jake #1)
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My Skylar
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Jake Understood (Jake #2)
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Gemini
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Blurb

It’s all part of his sick game. A game he’s been planning for an entire decade. Now everything is perfect. A male and female have been selected. They have a history and can’t stand one another. They are the perfect victims. He doesn’t want the game to be easy. He wants to push them to the brink of insanity, to make his hunt real.

Now Lara and Noah have been captured and dumped into a massive wooded area. There’s just one rule. They have 72 hours to find a way out before the sadistic serial killer begins his hunt. And these two people who don’t trust or even like each other must rely on one another to escape–and to survive.

A nail biter from start to finish, Jewel’s new venture into romantic suspense is enthralling and will have you cheering on the hero and heroine as they fight back against a man who is pure evil. Adding a whole different element to romance, 72 HOURS is a tightly spun plot with heat between the pages.

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iTunes: http://bit.ly/72HoursBJewel
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/72HoursGR

Praise for Bella Jewel

“Bella Jewel is a go-to author for a quick and sexy read.”

— Once Upon a Page

“A sexy, dramatic suspense that I didn’t want to put down!”

— Harlequin Junkie

“Sexy, irresistible, and lively, this story was addicting! I read it all in one sitting and I couldn’t get enough.”

— The Novel Tease

Review

How long does it take for someone’s life to be irrevocably changed?

What circumstances must be endured in order to find one’s inner strength and fight for a future that isn’t guaranteed?

Lara and Noah must find the answers to these questions as they attempt to work through what’s happened between them and work together against a psychopath who has infiltrated their lives and made them his prey in a game that they have no choice but to play because their very lives count on it.

72 hours…3 days…4320 minutes…25,9200 seconds

That’s the timeframe Lara and Noah are up against…that’s the amount of time that stands between them and a killer whose fixation on his prey is so much more than a game of cat and mouse. Because at the end of this game – one that works according to his rules and his plans – Lara and Noah will find themselves with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, fighting for their lives with very little hope of escaping the sadistic bastard’s agenda.

Lara and Noah’s story is definitely a romantic thriller; everything occurs incredibly fast when it comes to the couple entering the game and the hours that separate them as well as the decisions they make when it comes to protecting themselves against their hunter’s agenda. And, while the dynamics of the hunt are played out well and Lara and Noah’s overwhelming emotions are clearly explored, I had a difficult time understanding exactly why they were chosen by this psycho and the reasons behind his need to hunt and kill them at all costs. Readers are privy to some of this monster’s thoughts, but I wanted a deeper look…a backstory that explained how and why he turned into a killer. I get that there may not be any real reasons behind it, but someone doesn’t set-up a game as meticulously as he did without a strong need/compulsion to do so, and as scary and demented as it might be, I wanted inside his head a bit more.

Lara is quite the complex heroine. She will definitely rub some readers the wrong way due to how she initially treats Noah and how easily she seemed to give up on her two year relationship with him without even a brief discussion of what happened. I understand her insecurities and the reasons behind her personality transformation, but the man readers are introduced to and the way Noah protects Lara despite his anger doesn’t mesh well with what she allowed herself to believe happened.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy 72 hours; I liked it…I just didn’t love it…because while I understand the need to tell a fast-paced story due to the title and the main requirements of the game, I felt like parts lacked the details I needed as a reader to truly understand what led to this deadly hunt and the depth of the relationship that Lara and Noah once shared that the killer banked on not being a factor when it came to his plans for them and the ease with which he would be successful in claiming his prey.

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 Poison Apples

Excerpt

TWO

“Lara, can you please put my mug under the cof- fee machine and press start before you go for your run?” Rachel calls out.

“Already done,” I call softly, leaning down to lace up my shoes.

Rachel took me in after Noah and I broke up and I moved out. I do as much as I can to help her out, including making sure she’s got hot coffee every morning before I go out. She saved my ass. It’s the least I can do.

“You’re a gem.” So I’ve been told.

“I’ll be back in an hour.”

I grab my water bottle and move to the front door, checking that I’ve got my phone before heading out. The weather is warm in Orlando today, a soft breeze trickling through the trees.

After pulling my long chestnut hair into a pony- tail, I step out onto the path in front of my apart- ment and put my earbuds in, starting my usual morning jog. I move down two blocks and then cross a road to a local park. It has a path running beside it that goes into some thick forest before coming out close to downtown.

My one hour of peace each day.

I sing softly to the music, pounding harder and faster as my body warms up. Crossing the road, I move past the park and into the trees. The weather instantly cools without the warmth of the sun breaking through, and it dries up some of the sweat forming on my brow. I think about Noah and how much it hurt to see him at the bar last night, let alone with another woman.

Will it ever stop hurting?

A hand taps my shoulder and I scream, spin- ning around to see Noah standing behind me, sweat running down and soaking the front of his tank. I press a hand to my heart, studying him, then pull out my earbuds. Only he would find a way to be on his run at the same time I’m on mine. Can’t this man just leave me alone? “What are you doing here, Noah?”

“I recently moved into an apartment in the area and was jogging when I saw you. I see you still enjoy running?”

“Why did you move into this area?” He shrugs. “I liked it.”

This is too much. “Why now?”

“For a while I was traveling for work. I volun- teered to train some other recruits. Considering you wouldn’t talk to me, I needed a distraction.” He shrugs again. “Now I have a little time on my hands and it felt like time to relocate.”

I take a step back, my mind reeling. “I want to finish my run,” I say. “And you’re going to leave me alone.”

“Lara, come on,” he sighs. “Let’s talk about this.”

I take a drink from my bottle, ignoring his pleading. My eyes focus on anything but him.

“Are you seriously still doing this?” he grunts. “I’ve been tryin’ to call you for months with little success. You ignored me without a word and you’re really not going to give me five minutes to explain?” “Explain what?” I ask, crossing my arms. “The fact that I walked in and found you with a woman

on your lap in your office?”

He jerks, and his face grows tight with frustra- tion. “You read it wrong.”

“I can’t imagine how,” I mumble.

He uses the back of his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. It takes all my inner strength not to stare at his big, muscled form. Mostly to avoid remembering how good it felt to be tucked into his arms, how secure and safe he could make me feel. He just had that way. He made me feel like nothing in the world could ever touch me when I was in his arms. And then he took that all away in one moment. The only feeling of safety I had left was gone in an instant.

“Is Noah in?” I smile to the young girl sitting at the front desk of the firehouse.

“Yeah, he’s in his office.” “Mind if I go through?” “No, go for it.”

I walk down the hall, heading toward Noah’s office. I thought I’d bring him lunch, spend some time with him. Things have been rough in the last few months, and he’s been by my side through it all. He’s seen me at my worst and picked me up when I fell. After Nan died, I have felt like noth- ing is enough, like I’m not enough. I feel like I’m not being the girlfriend he deserves. He deserves me to try, so that’s what I’m doing. I’m trying.

I open the door and step in, opening my mouth to greet him when I see her. She’s on his lap, long blond hair flowing around her back, pretty as can be. The kind of woman that looks like his per- fect fit. She’s kissing him. Their mouths, connected, touching—it’s all I see before my vision blurs, tears clouding it. I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I stumble back, gasping for air.

How could he do this to me?

I already know how. Because I’m an emotional, broken woman who got her nanna killed because she couldn’t control her loud mouth. Then I be- came this weak, pathetic mess who spends most days crying and trying to figure out who I should be and who I am now. Of course he’s with another woman. Why the hell wouldn’t he be? This is ex- actly what I deserve.

I turn and leave, but not before I hear Noah call out my name.

I run, tears flowing down my cheeks. “Lara!” he calls. “Lara, wait!”

He catches me at the door, hand curling around my upper arm. He spins me around but I shove at his chest, causing him to stumble backward.

“Don’t touch me!” I scream. “Don’t touch me.” “Lara, it isn’t—”

“Get away from me.”

I turn and keep going, darting straight across the road. I reach the park and drop to my knees, sobbing with agony, and pain, and regret. Maybe this is my karma. Maybe this is the universe’s way of punishing me for what happened with my nanna. Or maybe, just maybe, Noah is better off without  me.

Of course he is. I’m worth nothing.

“Lara, fuck, how could you throw it all away? We were together over two years.”

His question brings me back to the present. “Se- riously?” I ask, eyes wide with shock. “You think I’m the one who threw it away?”

God, if only he knew how much it meant to me. I wanted to marry this man, to have kids with him, to be with him for the rest of my life. Walk- ing in and seeing him with another woman ripped my heart out. It sent my whole world crashing down. Leaving him was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to endure in my life. How he could think it meant nothing is beyond me. He was the one who hurt me.

He grunts. “Yet you won’t talk to me, you just broke it off and ran.”

I flinch. “It was what I had to do.”

He shakes his head, jaw tight. “God, you’re a pain in the ass.”

That hurts. He’s acting as if all this is my fault, when it was he who cheated on me.

“I don’t need to listen to this, Noah. I don’t deserve it.”

“That’s just the thing,” he yells. “You’re not lis- tening. You’re refusing to listen.”

The familiar sting of anger bubbles in my chest, but I push it down. Be calm. Don’t react. It isn’t worth getting upset over. “I don’t want to hear your excuses.”

He makes a frustrated noise in his throat.

I shake my head. I can’t listen to any more of this. I can’t take any more of this. “I have to go.” I turn my back to him and start walking away.

“Fuck, Lara,” he barks. “Let me talk to you.”

I pick up into a jog and disappear out the other side of the trees, but not before I hear his angry curse. I run until I’m out of breath, but I could swear he’s still behind me. I stop and turn every now and then, glancing into the trees, but nobody is there. Yet it feels as though someone is. He’s probably following me—he’s protective like that, always wanting to know I’m safe. He doesn’t need to worry anymore—I’m no longer his burden.

Author Bio

NOW LIVE!!! All You Need by Lorelei James is available now!!!

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Review

The enemies to lovers trope is one that I adore because the snarky back and forth between the hero and heroine as well as their internal musings of frustration and annoyance mixed with undeniable chemistry between the two make for one hell of a reading experience, and in Lorelei James’ newest release, All You Need, the overwhelming feelings of hate and lust that Annika Lund and Axl Hammerquist have for one another makes it a must-read story.

There’s never a dull moment with the way Annika and Axl torture one another, not only with their snide nicknames for each other, but also with their inability to keep things just about positive PR for Axl’s hockey career, because regardless of how much they want to loathe one another, there’s no denying that the “Iron Princess” and the “Hammer” intrigue one another and wouldn’t mind working out the frustrations of their situation as well as their complicated feelings between the sheets.

The “girlfriend angle” that Axl’s agent wants Annika and Axl to take in order to clean up Axl’s image and get the focus on his hockey abilities rather than his off ice antics puts Annika and Axl in a daunting position because even if Axl is not Annika’s usual type and the attraction she feels towards him is unwanted, they are now coconspirators in a very public way, and if the double life they’re leading gets exposed in any way but a positive one, there’s more than just Axl’s hockey career at risk, which means Annika needs to wield her PR Superpowers while placing her trust in a man who doesn’t have a very good track record, even if there’s more misperceptions of Axl than there is truth to his manwhoring ways.

Lorelei James does a fantastic job of illustrating both Annika and Axl’s multifaceted personalities. There is so much more to them than what they allow others to see, and because readers are privy to every one of their thoughts and characteristics, it’s easy to see why these two are actually quite perfect for each other. Annika and Axl push each other to do and be better, and while the PR couple and the real couple seem to be separate entities, one allows Annika and Axl to truly get to know one another while the other is just between the two of them, making it all the more precious when the media as well as Axl’s agent want very different things than what the two want themselves.

There’s never a dull moment when Annika and Axl are together, and while they may drive one another crazy just as much as they make each other better, it’s clear that their feelings are real and so far beyond what they would have thought possible when Annika was hired to revamp Axl’s image to help his career. And being a part of their journey, witnessing all the highs and lows that they experience, makes All You Need one heck of a wild, steamy, and intriguing journey.

A complimentary copy was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Poison Apples

Get to know Nico and Paige in Hard Limits by Elle Aycart!

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Full Blurb

Nico Grabar, head of one of the most ruthless cartels in the world, is in the last stretch of a two-year nightmare, his agenda extremely busy. He has a criminal organization to run. A cover to maintain. A promise to fulfill. Too bad he’s bleeding to death in the middle of nowhere, about to meet his maker on a deserted street. A fitting ending to a bleak existence, really. When a beautiful Vintage bride with racoon eyes and a choke collar, covered from head to military boots in blood, came to him. It looked like the Grim Reaper had gotten a makeover just for him. What an honor.

Who finds a frigging drug lord in serious need of resuscitation while coming back from a bachelorette party at the wee hours? Paige, aka magnet for psychopaths, of course.

The Goth waitress at Rosita’s has already survived a major asshole, narrowly escaping with her life. The last she needs is to have to play Nightingale to a dangerous kingpin. What if he dies on her? Or worse; what if he doesn’t?

Review

I’ve been with the Bowen clan since the beginning of Elle Aycart’s Bowen Boys’ series, and these protective alpha males have my heart; there’s not a better group of men to have in one’s corner because taking care of those people who have come to mean everything to them is their number one priority and that includes Rosita’s feisty waitress/bartender Paige, and even though she hides behind her goth exterior, shielding herself with tattoos, piercings, and Goth attire, the Bowens and their significant others consider her one of them and will do what they can to prove they have her back, even when they might not agree with her choices. 

Nico Grabar understands Paige’s need for her smoke and mirrors’ appearance; he’s been living behind secrets and lies for the past two years, and in order to complete his mission – the one that has turned him into a ruthless and imposing criminal – he needs to maintain his cover, which is a bit more difficult since his personal Goth Nightingale saved his life and sparked something in his heart that could cost him so much more than what he initially set out to accomplish when he gave into his baser self, becoming a powerful Drug Lord for the cartel.

Hard Limits is definitely a darker and more dangerous story than the other books in the series, which works well given the backgrounds and current situations Paige and Nico are dealing with and the fact that their romantic connection may cause more harm than good for themselves and those around them.

Elle Aycart packs an immense amount of suspense, drama, and steam in Nico and Paige’s fast-paced and intense story. As Nico works to smash Paige’s hard limits, Paige forces Nico to question his need to remain unattached and unaffected by anything other than his covert op. And, if the sexy energy that surrounds this dynamic duo is anything to go by, their need for one another will outweigh any risks they may take in order to be together.

4.5 Poison Apples

Excerpt

ps on us,” Ronnie said, glancing through the window and waving.

Paige leaned against the steering wheel and smiled innocently at the driver in the next car, but it didn’t help. Eyes about to bug out of their sockets, he spoke even faster into his phone, while automatically locking the doors. “We are sooo ending up in jail.”

Who would have guessed people would be more scared of her clad in white than in her normal Goth clothes? Then again, she was wearing a wedding dress splattered with red, Carrie style, and Ronnie was too, so yeah, she could understand the horrified expression in the neighboring car. That they were driving at three o’clock in the morning through the Boston suburbs—makeup all smudged and hair in messy snarls of paint and party—didn’t improve matters.

“Probably,” Ronnie conceded, trying to pat her frizzy curls down. “You better floor it.”

No shit. When the light changed, Paige put the pedal to the metal and soon lost the spooked driver. Whichever came next, the arrest or the speeding ticket, she would let her lovely lunatic of a boss deal with it.

After all, their current predicament was entirely Elle’s fault. She’d declared her bachelorette party would happen in stages over a whole month, the coed paintball game being the first installment. As if the women hadn’t already been an easy mark for those testosterone-ridden, military-trained guys, Elle had made them wear thrift-store wedding gowns over the protective gear. Wrong move. Not even leveling the odds by mixing the teams had helped.

After the shooting fest, looking like vampire gore brides, they’d gone partying downtown. How Elle had gotten them into the club dressed like that, Paige didn’t know, although it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Elle always got her way. Now, with that ominous weapon of mass destruction called Jack shadowing her 24/7, it was a miracle anyone dared blink at her, regardless of how nuts her requests were.

All in all, a memorable first installment. Paige couldn’t wait to see what was to come. By Jack’s aggrieved looks, he couldn’t either.

Paige glanced at the rearview mirror. No spooked driver, no police cars chasing them. Just empty, quiet road. “We might avoid jail after all.”

“Jail would have been a fitting ending for the night. Can’t believe it didn’t happen before, at the club.”

“You seemed to hit it off with Kai,” Paige said. “How come I’m driving you home and he’s not? Not that I mind. Just curious.”

Ronnie laughed. “Didn’t you see the way Jack looked at him when we were talking? I didn’t want to give my brother a coronary. Besides, better not jinx it now that he’s more relaxed and all that crazy stuff about the drug cartel is over.”

And thank God for that. At the time, when Jack had suddenly started following Elle everywhere, Paige had not known what was going on. Then Elle had gone underground, and James Bowen, Elle’s brother-in-law, had gathered the staff of Rosita’s and informed them he was taking over management of the restaurant temporarily. From then on, there were 250-pound, heavily tattooed bodyguard types on the premises at all hours. In hindsight, no frigging wonder. It was not every day that you had a South American cartel gunning for you.

When all was said and done, Jack had almost lost his life rescuing Elle. Now, though, they were happily in love and about to get married. If the groom or the guests could survive the bachelorette party, that was.

“What about you?” Ronnie asked. “How come you’re driving me home and not with some sexy stranger? You were by far the prettiest bride, the way you Goth-customized the outfit.”

She shrugged. “No one tickled my fancy.”

The last guy who managed that feat had been one of the enforcers for said cartel. The second in command, as she later found out. He had come to Rosita’s to scout the place and had struck up a conversation with her. Nick, oil-rig worker, a reluctant participant on a blind date gone wrong. Extremely handsome, interesting, and easy-going, with a fascinating wit and a deep, husky voice, the man had almost convinced Paige to go out with him.

It figured that the lying psychopath would zero in on her. They always did.

Worst of all? She could still feel how badly she’d wanted him.

“You need to give them a chance,” Ronnie insisted, distracting Paige from her gloomy thoughts. “Talk to them at least. Like that cute guy who kept sending drinks your way even though you kept turning them down.”

A frat boy interested in taking a stroll on the kinky side. No, thank you. Either they ended up disappointed or she freaked out. Both options were unacceptable, really. And unpleasant. Not to mention totally unsexy.

“You need more than drinks to impress a bartender,” Paige answered with a wink.

“So that’s me,” Ronnie said as they turned onto her street, and she pointed at a building. “Thanks for getting me home.”

“No problem. It was on my way.”

Paige would have gone straight home because she was dead on her feet, but she was about to have three days off in a row. She needed to make sure all was in order at Rosita’s, especially as she had been the one closing and at the moment couldn’t recall if she’d verified the lock. Besides, Paige’s colorful roommate was having her boyfriend over. The only thing they did more than fuck was fight, so she was not in too much of a hurry to get into that mess.

She parked in front of the restaurant. Time to make her OCD proud.

The lock on the roller shutter was closed. She opened and closed it again, fixing the moment in her mind, and pulled at it three times to ensure she wouldn’t forget.

Then from the corner of her eye, she detected movement in a nearby parked car, the door ajar.

There was a man inside, hunched over, one leg out.

Probably one of those inebriated morons who thought they drove better intoxicated. She’d met her fair share of those. He didn’t make a sound. No drunken babble or dribble, but it was cold outside. Maybe he was freezing. Or choking on his own vomit.

Paige approached. “Yo, buddy, you okay?”

No answer. The guy wasn’t moving, his head still flung forward. She couldn’t see properly through the window, so she opened the door a bit more, and the huddled figure tipped sideways until his face was half-buried in her stomach. Not cool. At all. She took a step backward and noticed a fresh splotch on her dress. Oh, God. That was blood. Real blood. Thick. Sticky. Dripping from the side of his abdomen too.

She reached for him, and the second she touched him, a strong hand clamped on her forearm.

The man lifted his bloody face to her, his expression a snarl, his deep-blue eyes cold and murderous. Suddenly, he shoved a gun against Paige’s neck.

Oh, shit. She knew that man. “Nick?”

NICO HAD TROUBLE focusing. Everything was blurry. Distorted. He narrowed his eyes, his trigger finger twitching. The image in front of him sharpened little by little: a bride covered in blood. Looked like the Grim Reaper had gotten a makeover just for him. What an honor. Or maybe he was hallucinating. It wouldn’t be the first time tonight.

“It’s me. Paige,” the bride blurted.

Who? He couldn’t recognize the face, but her eyes were strangely familiar. Not sensing any immediate danger, he lowered his gun. It must have been the right call because the bride didn’t grab his weapon and shoot him with it.

He let her go and put pressure on the wound beneath his ribs, his hand sinking into warm blood. How he had any left, he didn’t know.

“You’re bleeding,” he heard her say. “Have you been shot?”

And drugged. Or poisoned. Hell, both probably. He wasn’t sure he could articulate so many words, so he just nodded.

“You need a doctor. A hospital,” she continued.

“No hospital,” he choked out. A hospital meant police. Too many questions. If by any miracle he managed to survive, he didn’t want to wake up in a government black site. Or in a hole in the jungle, compliments of the cartel.

The bride hesitated for a second. “Okay. No hospital. But you can’t stay here.”

That was true. Remaining in the open was a sure death sentence.

Without waiting for his response, she sprinted around the car. Then he heard the door of the passenger side open and felt her beside him.

“Lift your ass when I tell you to,” she ordered, grabbing him by his armpits and taking a deep breath. “Now.”

With the last of his strength, Nico obeyed, gritting his teeth, almost blacking out from the agonizing pain in his side. She was small, but damn if she didn’t manage to drag him over the console onto the passenger seat.

“Sorry,” she whispered, flinching as she helped him bend his knees over the gear shift. Then she ran to the driver’s side, jumped in, and revved the engine.

Nico struggled to keep conscious, but his vision became fuzzy again. Fuck, not now. He had to get to a safe location before he passed out completely. “Where are we going?” Hopefully she was not turning him in, because he was too weak to mount any substantial resistance.

She didn’t answer, just continued driving, throwing furtive glances his way.

He tried to fight the blackness, but he couldn’t. He was drifting away. Resignation blanketed him, dulling his senses as his body started shutting down. He looked at his driver. Vintage wedding dress, covered in blood. Military boots. Spiked choke collar. Crazy hair. Black lips. Weirdly pretty raccoon eyes. He’d always thought the last thing he would see in this world was the snarl of the guy sending him to hell.

If a beautiful Goth bride was the last image he witnessed before biting the big one, he was happy. Considering the life he’d led, it was more than he deserved.

About the Author

After a colorful array of jobs all over Europe ranging from translator to chocolatier to travel agent to sushi chef to flight dispatcher, Elle Aycart is certain of one thing and one thing only: aside from writing romances, she has abso-frigging-lutely no clue what she wants to do when she grows up. Not that it stops her from trying all sorts of crazy stuff. While she is probably now thinking of a new profession, her head never stops churning new plots for her romances. She lives currently in Barcelona, Spain, with her husband and two daughters, although who knows, in no time she could be living at the Arctic Circle in Finland, breeding reindeer.

Elle loves to hear from readers!

elleaycart@gmail.com

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Title: A Vow Of Thorns (Blackest Gold, #3)

Author: R. Scarlett

Genre: New Adult/Paranormal Romance

Release Date: June 1 , 2017

Cover Design: Regina Wamba, Mae I Design And Photography

Synopsis

Never disobey the court.

Never disobey the crown.

And never tame that vicious heart.

In A Vow of Thorns, sacred laws are broken when a beauty holds an iron heart.

More in the series!

Amazon US | Amazon UK

Amazon US | Amazon UK

About The Author

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