Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Sugarcoated by Erin Nicholas

Hi, everyone!

I am excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review on this Blog Tour for SUGARCOATED (Hot Cakes Book #1) by Erin Nicholas.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an excerpt from the book, author info and social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

She’s his best friend’s little sister. He’s known her all his life. He’s practically part of the family. There is nothing either of them could do to surprise the other at this point.

Then she showed up in his bedroom in lingerie and asked him to take her V-card.

Now, that was a surprise.

Aiden is pretty sure Zoe was equally surprised when he told her no.

To say that he didn’t handle it well would be a massive understatement. Almost as massive as the amount of work he’s going to have to do now to convince her that he wants her. Forever.

Right after he tells her that he’s bought the company that’s her bakery’s biggest competitor.

Maybe if he tells her he’s in love with her first, that will help sugarcoat the whole we’re-rivals-in-business-now thing.

So, first “I’m in love with you”, then “take off your clothes”, then “I’m now your business adversary”.

Piece of cake.

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“You can always count on Erin Nicholas for fun, sexy contemporary romance.”―Melissa Foster, New York Times bestselling author

Sugarcoated, an all-new sexy and laugh-out-loud standalone romance from New York Times bestselling author Erin Nicholas, is out now!

Download your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bjel3L
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/sugarcoated
Apple Books: https://apple.co/36BvxzB
Nook: http://bit.ly/39UU6t5
Kobo: http://bit.ly/37Lz6Dk
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Wxondp
Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UvGsWr

Add to Goodreads: http://bit.ly/36Etef8

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SUGARCOATED (Hot Cakes Book #1) by Erin Nicholas is the first book in a new contemporary romance/romantic comedy series. This story is a best friend’s little sister/friends-to-lovers mash-up with all the emotion, humor and sexual chemistry I expect in a romance by Erin Nicholas.

Fluke, Inc. is a highly successful company started by five college friends who sold their highly popular, original video game for millions. Aiden and Camden grew up in a small town in Iowa, which is where they all become involved in the purchase and rescue of the town’s largest employer – Hot Cakes.

Aiden is looking for an investment project so that he can return home and claim his best friend’s sister and live happily ever after. The opportunity to buy and save Hot Cakes to keep three hundred people employed in his hometown pops up and he feels it is the perfect opportunity for Fluke, Inc. and him. How can he tell Zoe he loves her, but he also bought her hated rival and competition?

Zoe has been dreading Aiden’s return to town ever since he turned down her surprise offering of her virginity on Christmas Eve. He is back and shaking up everything she believes in and Zoe does not like change. As Zoe begins to open up and believe in Aiden’s love, he is still hiding his other reason for his return.

This is such a sweet and tasty treat of a romance. When I started this book, I thought Aiden and Zoe were so different, but they both ended up having the same fear. Ms. Nicholas’ dialogue is witty and her sexual tension and inuendo continue to ramp up the heat to a sexy and hot scene in Zoe’s bakery. The sexual banter and sex scenes are explicit, but not gratuitous. The introduction of Zoe’s friends and all the other men in Fluke, Inc. has you anticipating even more fun and sexy romance to come.

I recommend this first book in the Hot Cakes series and I will definitely be waiting for more.

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Excerpt

“Yes!” It was the wrong answer, he knew, even as he said it. But it was true.

“You are so full of yourself!” She frowned. “You actually thought I’d be waiting around, pining for you, didn’t you?”

Maybe not crying herself to sleep every night, but thinking about him? Yeah. Fuck. He hadn’t been able to get her out of his mind for more than a few hours at a time. “It’s only been five months,” he said. “Is it really crazy for me to think that you didn’t get your virginity ‘taken care of’ yet?”

“Exactly! It’s been five months!” she said.

“You went twenty-five years without sex, and you couldn’t go five more months?”

“Well, it’s not like you gave me an IOU!” she shot back. “I had no idea when you were coming back, and I assumed your answer would have still been no. So yeah, I moved on, Aiden.”

“Who was it?” he asked, noting his tone was suddenly a little ominous.

“I’m not telling you that.” She looked at him like he was insane.

“Tell me, Zoe.”

“No.”

“I’ll find out. This is Appleby. I’ll probably know by the end of tonight.”

“You won’t.” She lifted her chin. “I can promise you that.”

“Bet I do.”

“Why do you really even care? Now you don’t have to do it.”

“Because you’re mine.”

Yeah, shit. See, he’d known that was the wrong answer to give. Guys didn’t go around claiming women like they were property or possessions. He knew that. He’d never had that urge before. This woman was strong and independent and confident and certainly didn’t need him for anything.

But the idea of another man touching her, seeing her naked, making her feel the ultimate pleasure, made his blood boil.

She stood, just staring at him. Then she picked up a cake ball. And threw it at him. It hit him square in the red tie and bounced back onto the table.

“You’re a jerk.”

Yeah, maybe he was. A nice guy would probably just take all her explanations and excuses about why they shouldn’t be together and admit his idea was crazy.

He didn’t say anything. He didn’t wipe away the sticky crumbs the cake ball left on his tie. He picked up the ball and rounded the worktable.

Her eyes widened, and she backed up as he came closer. He kept going. Until her back was against the front of the fridge.

He didn’t say a word as he stopped right in front of her, lifted his hand to cup her face, and leaned in.

Aiden ignored her hands on his chest. She wasn’t pushing. She wasn’t pulling him closer either, but she wasn’t trying to get away. She wasn’t lifting her knee to his balls. She wasn’t saying no.

He stared into her eyes for a long moment. She could stop this. He knew she knew that.

She didn’t.

So he kissed her.

***

About Erin Nicholas

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Erin Nicholas has been writing romances almost as long as she’s been reading them. To date, she’s written over thirty sexy, contemporary novels that have been described as “toe-curling,” “enchanting,” “steamy,” and “fun.” She adores reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines, and happily ever afters.

Erin lives in the Midwest, where she enjoys spending time with her husband (who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books), her kids (who will never read the sex scenes in her books), and her family and friends (who claim to be “shocked” by the sex scenes in her books).

Social Media Links

Website: http://bit.ly/2NkB2uF

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2tdTM8e

Twitter: http://bit.ly/2QLd1Pr

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3a3rnm4

Instagram: http://bit.ly/36NqV9y

Website: http://bit.ly/2FM3Doo

Stay up to date with Erin Nicholas by joining her mailing list:
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Book Review: Hide Away by Jason Pinter

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIDE AWAY (Rachel Marin Thriller Book #1) by Jason Pinter is the start of a new thriller series featuring a single mother turned vigilante that had me so engrossed I could not put it down. Rachel Marin is a compelling new main character and I cannot wait for more books in this series!

After an unspeakable crime shatters a mother and her small children’s lives, she changes their identities and moves from the east coast to a small town in Illinois. Rachel Marin emerges from this tragedy changed not only emotionally, but physically. She vows that she will always be able to protect her children in the future.

The disgraced former mayor of Rachel’s town is dead. To all the first responders it appears to be a tragic suicide, but not to Rachel when she sees the pictures from the scene on the news. The former mayor was kind to Rachel when she first moved to town and she will not let authorities believe this was anything but a murder that needs to be solved.

Rachel inserts herself into the investigation because she has reason to distrust law enforcement, much to Sergeant Seranno and Tally’s displeasure. She finds herself in the crosshairs of the police as well as a killer.

This is an amazing new female kick-butt character to love! How she transformed her body and brain to protect her children was fierce. Even as she works to find justice for others, she has to find her own equilibrium between blind anger, true justice and the emotional fall-out on her children. The plot is intricate and intense even as flashbacks pop up to show how Rachel became the woman she is in the present.

I highly recommend this fast paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a strong female protagonist!

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Author Info

Jason Pinter is the bestselling author of HIDE AWAY, the first Rachel Marin novel, as well as six other novels: the acclaimed Henry Parker series (The Mark, The Guilty, The Stolen, The Fury, and The Darkness), the stand-alone thriller The Castle, as well as the middle-grade adventure novel Zeke Bartholomew: SuperSpy, and the children’s book Miracle. His books have over one million copies in print worldwide and have been optioned for film. He has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Thriller Award, Strand Critics Award, Barry Award, and Shamus Award, and more

Pinter is the founder of Polis Books, an independent press, and was honored by Publishers Weekly’s Star Watch, which “recognizes young publishing professionals who have distinguished themselves as future leaders of the industry.” He has written for the New Republic, Entrepreneur, the Daily Beast, Esquire, and more. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, with his wife and their two daughters.

Visit him at www.JasonPinter.com, and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @JasonPinter.

Feature Post and Book Review: In Bed with the Earl by Christi Caldwell

Hi, everyone!

Today I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Christi Caldwell’s new book IN BED WITH THE EARL (Lost Lords of London Book #1).

Below you will find an author guest post, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an author bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!

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Author Guest Post: Flaws Make the Man

My newest release, In Bed with the Earl, features an unlikely Regency hero. He was born to nobility, was kidnapped, and grew up in the roughest streets of London, as a ‘tosher’…a sewer scavenger. Nothing about Malcom or his past is in any way conventional, but he also represents how our pasts shape who we are. And there is no doubting, his past molded him into who he is… a man who doesn’t let people close…and who protects what he does have. Which is why…when he does meet Verity, someone who wants to be close for him (first, for reasons related to her work…and then, the more she knows him, simply because she’s falling for him) he resists.

People are impacted by life, in different ways. We all have many layers; and for Malcom, those layers are protective ones; a shield to protect himself from being hurt…because he’s already known so much. Yes, he’s coarse and ragged, and rough, but beneath that, readers (I hope) will see what Verity sees…that he has a good heart, and is deserving of a happily-ever-after, not only for who he is to others, but because, with the life he’s lived, he deserves it for himself.

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Summary

To solve a mystery that’s become the talk of the ton, no clues run too deep for willful reporter Verity Lovelace. Not even in the sewers of London. That’s precisely where she finds happily self-sufficient scavenger Malcom North, lost heir to the Earl of Maxwell. Now that Verity’s made him front-page news, what will he make of her?

Kidnapped as a child, with no memories of his well-heeled past, Malcom prefers the grimy spoils of the culverts to the gilded riches of society. Damn the feisty beauty who exposed the contented tosher to a parade of fortune-hunting matchmakers. How to keep them at bay? Verity must pretend to be his wife. She owes him.

The intimacy of this necessary arrangement—Verity and Malcom thrust together in close quarters—soon sparks an irresistible heat. But when the charade ends, the danger begins. Will love be enough to protect them from a treacherous plot devised to ruin them?

About the Book

Title: In Bed with the Earl

Author: Christi Caldwell

Release Date: March 17, 2020

Publisher: Montlake

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

IN BED WITH THE EARL (Lost Lords of London Book #1) by Christi Caldwell is the first book in a new historical romance series that had me engrossed from page one!

While sick in bed and his parents dead, Percival Northrop is kidnapped and his life becomes a day to day struggle to survive in the St. Giles area of Victorian London. He blocks his memory of his younger life and learns the life of a tosher. He is now known as Malcolm North and is ruthless as he fights to survive and thrive in the sewers of London.

Malcolm does not quite fit with his fellow toshers. He can read, calculate and speaks as if he is upper class. He is located by a private detective and told that he is the actual true heir to an Earldom. Malcom wants nothing to do with that life.

Verity Lovelace has worked for The Londoner since she was twelve years old. She worked her way from inkwell girl to reporter, but because she is a woman she is only given the opportunity to write the gossip column. She is the bastard daughter of an Earl and has been the sole support for her sister and nursemaid for years since her mother died. After having one of her stories stolen, her job is on the line and she must find the missing Earl and interview him or be out of a work.

Verity is rescued in the sewers by Malcolm. The two butt heads as Verity refuses to be give up her chase of the story. Malcolm has never let anyone get close, but there is something about this female that he cannot forget. Verity is determined to get her story, but is she ready to pay the price?

I loved Malcom and Verity so much! I could not put this book down. Malcolm’s fight for survival and life as a tosher was interesting and a life that was new to me. Even as he refused his memories and emotions, he took care of others. Verity was a survivor as much as Malcolm and that is what made them so perfect for each other. The author’s writing is emotionally charged banter that made me laugh out loud as well as tear up. The sexual tension between these two was well written and there is only one sex scene towards the very end of the story. It is explicit, but not gratuitous. All the secondary characters were fully fleshed and wonderful additions to the story.

I highly recommend this historical romance and I am waiting anxiously for the next book in this series!

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Excerpt: In Bed with the Earl by Christi Caldwell

“May I help you, Miss Lovelace?”

That lethal purr sounded from the front of the room, a silky taunt.

With a gasp, the page slipped from her fingers and fluttered to a damning place at her feet.

Mr. Bram yanked the cloths from his eyes, and he took in Verity beside Mr. North’s open desk. And all the color left his face. “Oh, bloody hell.”

Oh, bloody hell, indeed. And all thoughts of having been rescued by a savior, and even the importance of this story, fled in the face of the danger staring back at her in his ruthless gaze.

He is going to kill me…

Verity swallowed hard. “If you’ll excuse us?” Mr. North murmured.

Verity took a step toward the door.

“Not you, Miss Lovelace.”

Mr. Bram climbed awkwardly to his feet. “Oi’m so sorry,” he said hoarsely, an apology that went ignored by Mr. North.

Her heart lurched. Every muscle in her body lurched. This was bad. Which would have been the understated statement of the century. She curled her toes into the soles of her borrowed slippers and followed the stranger’s—nay, he was no longer a stranger in name—the Earl of Maxwell’s gaze. As dread slowly wound its way through her, Verity curled those digits all the tighter.

And as it was all the easier to focus on matters within her control, she looked to her older patient as he limped across the room. “Be sure and try out those remedies, Mr. Bram.” She felt Mr. North sharpen his gaze on her person. “And I’ve something that might help with that limp, too,” she promised.

The older man stopped. “Do ya, now?”

She may as well have promised him the sun, moon, and stars for the way he looked at her. “Oh, yes. You’ll require—”

“Bram,” Mr. North snapped, and the older man instantly scuttled off, but not before flashing her an apologetic look.

“It is really not Mr. Bram’s fault. He’s not done anything wrong. You really shouldn’t take your…”

Not taking his eyes from her person, he reached behind him with an agonizing slowness and drew the door shut. Click. That soft but decisive snap that served as a seal of her fate.

Just like that, Verity’s bravado flagged. She clutched at the fabric of her skirts. Wanting to be the composed reporter gathering her research, and undaunted in the face of peril.

And she came up … pathetically empty.

That cold smile affixed to hard lips remained in place, a grin that no person would dare mistake for anything but the feral threat it was. He pushed away from the door and started a languid stroll toward her.

Had she truly been relieved about determining the identity of her savior and captor?

It was now all muddled.

“Now, Miss Lovelace? If that is your name?”

“M-my name?” Wasn’t it? Even her name eluded her in that moment. “Of course it is.” Her voice ended on a croak as he drew ever closer; the ice that frosted his gaze sprang her to the reality now facing her, the menace that spilled from his broad frame. Mayhap she’d been wrong. Because she’d experience with earls—was, in fact, the daughter of one. They were nothing like the predatory devil that stalked her now. “I am Miss Verity Lovelace. What grounds would I have to lie?” She hurried to place the chair of his desk between them as another barrier.

He stopped his pursuit. “And how may I help you?”

Ironically, the stranger—the gentleman—could have uttered no truer words than those.

They fortified her, and sent resolve creeping back into her spine as she brought her shoulders back. Verity met his gaze squarely. “Are you the Earl of Maxwell?”

Except, she already knew as much … she simply sought the confirmation from the gentleman’s mouth.

His eyes grew shuttered, but not before she caught the flash of horror in their blue-black depths.

He was a man unaccustomed to being challenged. And his unsettledness eased away further frissons of fear. Verity slid out from behind his desk chair and glided slowly across the room. She stopped when only a handful of steps separated her from the very stranger who’d put a knife to her earlier that night.

“Do I look like an earl?” he countered, belated with that reply—that deliberately evasive one.

Taking that as an invitation to study him, Verity peered at Mr. North. That slightly hooked nose, which had been broken one or more times, did little to conceal the aquiline appendage that served as a signal of his birthright. The small white nicks and scars merely marred a canvas of otherwise flawless high, chiseled cheeks and a hard, square jawline.

Glorious. Her pulse throbbed a beat harder. His features, melded with those flaws, only served to mark him beautiful in his masculinity.

His mouth crept up in a tight, one-sided smile that didn’t meet pitiless eyes. “Did you have a good look, Miss Lovelace?” He’d noted her appreciation. Verity’s cheeks burnt, and she curled her toes into the soles of her borrowed slippers. He merely sought to disconcert her. It was a familiar state she’d found herself many times before, with many men before him. Feigning nonchalance, Verity gave her head a little toss. “You have the look and the tones of an earl,” she pointed out. “And more…” She gestured to those private missives she’d availed herself to. “You have letters written regarding the Baron Bolingbroke.” Verity stretched up on her tiptoes so she could at least hold his gaze and not be peered down at. “Therefore, Mr. North, I would say you are, in fact, the Earl of Maxwell, after all.”

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Author Biography

USA Today Bestselling, RITA-nominated author Christi Caldwell blames Julie Garwood and Judith McNaught for luring her into the world of historical romance. While sitting in her graduate school apartment at the University of Connecticut, Christi decided to set aside her notes and pick up her laptop to try her hand at romance. She believes the most perfect heroes and heroines have imperfections, and she rather enjoys torturing them before crafting them a well deserved happily ever after!

Christi makes her home in southern Connecticut where she spends her time writing her own enchanting historical romances and caring for her three spirited children!

Social Media Links

Website: http://christicaldwell.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/christicaldwell

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5297089.Christi_Caldwell

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/07c2363f260

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Death and Betrayal by Seeley James

Hi, everyone!

Today is my turn on the Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour and I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for the new Jacob Stearne Thriller – DEATH AND BETRAYAL by Seeley James.

Below you will find a book synopsis, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Good luck and enjoy!

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Book Synopsis

Have you ever been betrayed by your government, your best friend, and your fiancé—all at the same time?

Jacob is about to propose to his girl when he discovers the next generation of weapons are being shipped to our enemies. Factions in the government ask him to find the perpetrators while others work to make sure he fails. His intended fiancé does not understand his disappearance and he can’t give an explanation. Can he lose the woman he loves to save the nation?

When Jacob sets out to expose the billionaire intending to auction off national secrets, he is fired, expelled, and hunted by the government that once awarded him medals. If he ever wants to return to his homeland, he must insert himself into the dangerous world of technology smugglers. It’s a place where only the aggressive and ruthless survive. In the cutthroat world of modern-day pirates, every breath he takes may be his last.

As the bad guys close in and those who could deny him aid, he confronts a terrible choice: to complete his mission or take millions in cash and run. The former is a death sentence and the latter is a lonely future. He must ask himself, can he outsmart the most corrupt billionaires in history before democracy is destroyed?

Book Details:

Genre: Thriller
Published by: Machined Media
Publication Date: February 18th 2020
Number of Pages: 300
ISBN: 978-1-7333467-2-6
Series: Sabel Security Thriller #8
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEATH AND BETRAYAL (A Jacob Stearne Thriller; Sabel Security Book #8) by Seeley James is another great addition to this thriller series. I always find these books to be so entertaining. I start a book in the series and get immersed in Pia and Jacob’s world immediately.

Jacob and the winged god Mercury are once again at the center of a fast-paced, action packed plot full of bad billionaires, arms dealers and a weapon that could destroy the balance of power in a country.

This time though, Jacob is without Pia and Sabel Securities. He is fired without knowledge of just what he did wrong and thrown into a dangerous world of a billionaire auctioning off a new technological weapon. To survive, he becomes a modern-day pirate and becomes as ruthless as the bad guys.

Jacob has decisions to make that will change his entire life and future.

I love all of these characters, especially Jacob. Jacob has so much to deal with physically, mentally and emotionally in this addition to the series and I could not stop reading until the end. The plots of all the books in this series are fast-paced and entertaining and this one was no exception. Mr. James writes plot twists and turns that keep me riveted throughout.

I highly recommend this thriller and all of the books in this series!

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Book Excerpt

Chapter 1

The man they called Ra stood on the Savannah’s main deck, staring hatred into the eyes of the general’s emissary. The smug bastard needed to learn a hard lesson about respect. Ra took several deep breaths, tamping down his growing agitation without betraying his emotions. The general had a good deal of money to spend. Ra held the emissary’s gaze as he cooled off. He said, “We’re talking about an auction for the most advanced weapon system the world has ever seen. An auction the general could easily win. What concerns could he possibly have?”

Ra resisted the urge to glance over the sea toward Monaco’s harbor. He was dying to see if his darling’s tender was on its way back from town, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be distracted.

“The general does not believe you have what you claim.” The emissary said in his heavily accented English. He gestured with his arms wide, encompassing Ra’s superyacht. “I do not see it here on your little skiff.”

Behind his left shoulder, the emissary’s sycophantic lieutenant made an insolent face to match his boss.

The dig was childish. Ra had the biggest yacht in Monaco, a present to himself after making billions in commodities. Too big to dock in the harbor. Sure, it was post-season, and the Numina would drop anchor due east of him in a few weeks. Until then, the Savannah reigned supreme. He felt like gutting the slimy emissary for his rudeness. Instead, he smoothed his Kiton sport coat and puffed up his thin frame.

“Don’t be a fool,” Ra sneered. “If I kept Alvaria onboard, sleezy generals from around the world would send commandos to take it from me. In case that’s what you’re thinking, rest assured, I have security. We call them ‘the dogs.’ You’ve met two of them.” He gestured to two bulky men in black suits standing close by. “Fido and Rover. Spot keeps watch with a rifle in case someone approaches uninvited. There are more. I have a whole kennel.”

Ra turned his back on his guests and checked the harbor. He couldn’t wait for his darling to return but he needed to conclude this delicate business before then. He didn’t want her to see the kind of men he dealt with. The emissary wore a ludicrous uniform without insignia yet festooned with medals. His black hair was greased straight back with what might’ve been motor oil. The lieutenant dressed and groomed himself to match. The very definition of a toady.

“The general does not believe the system can do what you claim,” the emissary said.

“Oh, my misguided friend. Alvaria is the stuff of autocrats’ dreams.” Ra laid his hands on the railing, keeping his focus out to sea. “Imagine what it can do. At the push of a button, a hundred drones leap into the air, locate their target, and annihilate whoever you choose. Each drone on a single-purpose mission, never stopping until one of them achieves the objective.” He straightened up and turned to face the emissary. “No more political rivals. No more annoying reporters asking inconvenient questions. No more adversaries across your western border. Everyone doing as they’re told, all under the general’s control. As it should be. It’s science fiction—and it’s here today. If your general doesn’t want to bid on it, he won’t get to see the show we have scheduled.”

“The general is skeptical you can obtain this system.” The emissary crossed his arms and widened his stance. “The Americans have impenetrable security.”

“I stand on my reputation. Many times your poor general has failed to pay me in a timely manner, yet I have never failed to deliver what he needs. From rocket launchers to automatic rifles, they arrived on time and under budget. He would still be a lieutenant were it not for me making good on my promises. He knows damn well my word is gold. My plan has been in the works for years. I have all the right people in all the right places. Alvaria will fall into my hands at exactly the right moment. If he does not believe me, he won’t see the demonstration.” Ra paused before making a sympathetic face. “Until his rival uses it to target him.”

To his credit, the emissary didn’t flinch.

“Think about this,” Ra said. “If Iran acquires Alvaria, they could destroy the ruling classes of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in an afternoon. The next morning, they could annihilate Iraq’s parliament. Then, they invade. The price of oil skyrockets because they would control 24% of the world’s production. Sanctions are lifted under threat of an oil embargo. And just like that, the Persian Empire is reborn.”

The emissary thought while he took a long, deep breath. He pressed a finger to his lips and looked at the deck. After a long moment, he lifted his finger and shook it at Ra. “The general does not like the glimpses of the future you have illuminated. He does not want to participate in your auction. Instead of bidding for it, he will report you to the Americans. That way, no one will have this system.” He paused and smiled. “There will be no resurgent Persian Empire.”

Ra flicked a quick glance at Fido, who sprang into action. To the emissary, Ra said, “I am most disappointed to hear you say that. On a different subject, do you recall meeting my man Bonham in a café last month? Bonham is my second-in-command. He offered you money to turn against the general. Ah, I see from your surprise that you do recall the encounter vividly. Well, sport, the problem for you is that when you turned him down, your lieutenant did not.”

As the emissary’s surprise turned to shock, his gaze swiveled to his lieutenant. At that moment, Fido knelt at the emissary’s feet and clamped leg irons on his ankles. In disbelief, the emissary looked down at his shackles, then followed the attached chain to find Rover standing at the railing, holding a very large, very heavy stone. “Do you think you can scare—”

“You’ve been paid,” Ra said to the emissary’s lieutenant. He held out an old, razor-sharp dagger. “Slit his throat.”

The lieutenant stared at Ra in disbelief. “Now?”

“Yes, now. Or die with him. Your choice. Ah. You’ve seen the light. Good man. Right here, above the collar. Stand behind him so you don’t get blood on yourself.”

As the young man weighed the knife in his hand and moved behind his former boss, Ra took out his phone, set it to video, and pressed record. The knife slashed through the stunned and wordless emissary’s neck. Blood sprayed forward. Rover dropped the rock overboard. The chain’s slack disappeared and yanked the emissary’s body with it, over the railing and into the deep.

The young man looked up at Ra, who kept the video rolling. The psychological weight of his first murder began to contort the young lieutenant’s expression. As he pondered his rapidly changing allegiances, he looked down to find Rover placing leg irons on his ankles. Behind him, Fido stood at the railing with another rock. He looked back at Ra and squeaked, “Why? I did what—”

“I think it’s obvious, isn’t it?” Ra asked. “You can’t be trusted.”

Over his shoulder he saw the tender bearing his darling returning from shore. She would be onboard in five minutes. No time for long goodbyes.

He turned back to face the lieutenant as Rover slit the young man’s throat. “There are four more of your kind in the general’s private guard. He’ll be dead by morning, so you’ll be in good company.”

The stone dropped. The chain tightened. The lieutenant’s body flew over the railing into the deep.

Ra looked at the pool of blood covering the deck. He snapped his fingers. A steward appeared. “You see this ugly mess? Scrub it clean.”

***

Author Bio and Social Media Links

Seeley James’ near-death experiences range from talking a jealous husband into putting the gun down to spinning out on an icy freeway in heavy traffic without touching anything. His resume ranges from washing dishes to global technology management. His personal life ranges from homeless at 17, adopting a 3-year-old at 19, getting married at 37, fathering his last child at 43, hiking the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim at 59, and taking the occasional nap.

Seeley’s writing career began with humble beginnings including publishing short stories in The Battered Suitcase leading to being awarded a Medallion from the Book Readers Appreciation Group. Seeley is best known for his Sabel Security series of thrillers featuring athlete and heiress Pia Sabel and her bodyguard and operative, veteran Jacob Stearne. One of them kicks ass and the other talks to the wrong god.

Seeley’s love of creativity began at an early age, growing up at Frank Lloyd Wright’s School of Architecture in Arizona and Wisconsin. He carried his imagination first into a successful career in computer technology sales and marketing, and then to his real love: fiction.

Catch Up With Seeley James On:

SeeleyJames.com, Instagram,Twitter, Goodreads, BookBub, & Facebook!

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Rafflecopter Giveaway

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Feature Post and Book Review: My Way to You by Catherine Bybee

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for MY WAY TO YOU (Canyon Creek Series Book #1) by Catherine Bybee. This is an emotional and heartfelt romantic start to this new series.

Below you will find an author interview, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author blurb and social media links and a Rafflecopter giveaway. Enjoy!

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Author Interview

Please tell us about the fire that inspired your newest novel My Way To You.

I was taking my youngest son to his senior pictures for the school when we noticed a plume of smoke in the rearview mirror. I have lived through many fire scares in the twenty years I lived in my home. Only this time, it wouldn’t be a false alarm.

You had to evacuate your house because of the fire. How did you feel in those moments?

I was thankful my children and I escaped, and terrified that I would come home to nothing but ash and debris. I’d packed up the cars with pictures and things I felt I couldn’t replace, but had to leave one of my cars behind because the fire engine was blocking my ability to drive it away. But none of that truly mattered. I felt like all the work I had done to keep my children’s family home after my recent divorce was for nothing. That fire was going to undermine the stability I had desperately tried to preserve. In short, I was an emotional mess.

While your property suffered immense damage, thankfully your home was left standing. Did this experience change the meaning of that word for you—home?

Home is stability. It’s a base for all the things we cherish. But it’s the people who make it so. I had a conversation with my youngest son not too long ago. I asked him if he missed the home he grew up in. (I’ve since moved to San Diego and sold my property in Santa Clarita.) This is what he said, “The day we ran from the fire, I stopped caring about the house. I didn’t think it would be there when we came back.” So no, he doesn’t miss his childhood home. I was shocked to hear this since my youngest tends to hold back his feelings. I lived in that house for 21 of my 51 years of life. There were memories in every corner. But in the end, the fire and flood… and exhaustion made it easier for me to sell it and walk away. Now that I’m in a new place I’m reminded that my family and memories are always with me—and a house is wood and stone. Whether I like it or not, however… it is stability. And that was shook to its core because of the fire.

Your life changed drastically in just one day, which is something your heroine Parker experiences—twice. The first time is when her parents die. How does this one event inform the course of her life?

She has to stop thinking about herself and put others before her. She had to grow up. Trauma changes you! Period. And I needed Parker to experience that so she could realize just how strong she was.

She has to find that strength again when fire almost destroys her home. Tell us how your heroine changes during all of this.

She needed to learn to lean on others again. Her parents death took that away and made her a very controlling person. (Ahummm… that’s my own epiphany.) It’s through the course of the book, and all the other players, that she learns to open herself up to live a full life. I think she also learns to be a big sister again and not the parental figure she took on.

In what ways is Parker like you? In what ways is she different?

She learned to let go, I still can’t do that.

She fell in love… That’s not me.

She had a privileged childhood with tons of options… Not me.

Parker fought to keep her home and make it right to live in it. I fought to keep my home and make it right to sell it. After so many years and so many struggles, it just wasn’t the peaceful place it once was. And with an empty nest and no Colin there to give it meaning, I needed to let go and start new.

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Summary

When a wildfire nearly destroys Parker Sinclair’s family home, it’s just one more disaster to add to her mountain of stress. For the past two years, she has shouldered the responsibility of raising her younger brother and sister after their parents’ untimely deaths. Forced to leave college for a crappy job that barely pays the bills, Parker manages her family property, which consumes every aspect of her life. Now winter is coming and the forecast isn’t spreading sunshine on the dark cloud over her head. The last thing Parker needs is a mudslide destroying everything she has worked so hard to maintain.

Colin Hudson’s job as a public works supervisor is to protect Parker’s property and neighborhood from further damage. But it’s a little hard when the owner of the land is a control freak who tries to do everything herself. The hardworking, attractive young woman is far from the “hot mess” she claims to be. In fact, her tight grip of control is one of the things that attract him the most. It’s also the hardest to crack. Now Colin’s working overtime to help Parker open up her heart, trust him, and let him in.

As Parker and Colin work together to keep her home and neighborhood safe, they may be in for another disaster. Or they may just realize that sometimes it takes destruction to create something new.

About the Title

Title: My Way To You

Author: Catherine Bybee

Release Date: March 10, 2020

Publisher: Montlake

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MY WAY TO YOU (Canyon Creek Series Book #1) by Catherine Bybee is the first book in a new contemporary romance series that is a powerful and engaging emotional read. I have enjoyed many books by this author, but this one grabbed me and would not let go.

Parker Sinclair had to grow up fast. Her parents were killed in an accident which meant she had to drop out of college and return home to finish raising her two younger siblings. After two years of a job that barely pays the bills, Parker is managing to keep the family property up in Canyon Creek, but it takes everything out of her.

When a wildfire strikes and burns all of the outbuildings and vegetation on the surrounding hills, Parker knows she is lucky to have had the house survive, but now with the rainy season coming Parker has to worry about mudslides that can destroy everything she has worked hard to save.

Colin Hudson is the county public works supervisor sent to evaluate Parker’s property for mud slides. He is struck by the tenacious and strong young woman shouldering such a large burden. Colin and Parker butt heads due to Parker not willing to give up control, but Colin is the is willing to work hard for Parker’s trust.

Can Parker and Colin work together to save her home and neighborhood?

I absolutely fell in love with Colin and the way he treated Parker. I know how hard it is to give up control even when you feel like you are drowning and I could relate with Parker. Ms. Bybee gave the couple witty banter and realistic dialogue. The sex scenes were explicit, but not gratuitous and did not overshadow the tenderness of the romance. I will be thinking of these two H/h’s for a long time to come. This story also has a third major character in Mother Nature and the destruction that she can bring. All the secondary characters are fully fleshed and are completely believable.

I highly recommend this emotional contemporary romance! I am now anxiously waiting for more books in this series.

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Excerpt: My Way To You by Catherine Bybee

“Excuse me?”

Parker turned toward the sound of the male voice and brushed aside hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. The sun glared in her eyes, making it difficult to get a clear picture of the man standing on the other side of her gate.

“Hello,” she greeted him.

“Do you live here?”

Probably a neighbor, she thought to herself. They’d shown up constantly after the fire to see how close the flames had actually come to their homes. Many of them invited themselves in without knocking. That was until she paid to have someone come in and fix the broken gate and stop the trespassers.

“I would hope so,” she said, waving the pruner in her hands. “I don’t think I would take this job for actual money.” The closer she got to the gate, the better the features of the man came into focus. He stood at least three inches taller than her, no easy task when she was five nine. Broad shoulders and arms that didn’t look like they slaved in an office all day. He wore jeans. It had to be over a hundred degrees, and the man wore jeans.

And filled them out nicely, if she wasn’t too tired to notice.

Parker forced her gaze back to his face, his eyes hidden by his sunglasses; his thick brown hair wasn’t covered by a hat.

She stopped in front of him, the gate to the property a clear division. The intense set of his jaw softened slightly. “Is your, ah … husband here?”

Three years ago, in a bar … or while out with friends, she would have instantly denied a lack of a husband. Out here, with a stranger … even an attractive one standing at her front door, she wasn’t about to correct him. “Who’s asking?”

The man’s smile fell and he quickly removed his sunglasses. “I’m sorry. My name is Colin Hudson. Colin to my friends.”

“What can I do for you, Mr. Hudson?” She wasn’t about to call him by his first name.

“I work with the Public Works Department and wanted to see if you’d let me take a quick look at the wash that runs through your property.” He reached into his back pocket and removed his wallet. Out came a business card that he handed her through the bars of the iron gate.

She had to move close enough to take the card, but retreated once she had it in her fingertips.

He instantly shoved his hands in his front pockets and took a step back.

The card looked legit. Parker reminded herself that anyone with a computer could make a business card. “Does your department work on Saturdays, Mr. Hudson?”

“All the time.”

She peered beyond the gate, didn’t see a car. “Did you walk here?”

Mr. Hudson looked over his shoulder, pointed his thumb down the street. “I have a company truck. I parked around the corner.”

“Ah-huh.” She wanted to believe him. His caramel brown eyes looked kind enough. “Even Ted Bundy was good-looking,” she said loud enough for him to hear.

Parker looked up to find him staring, his mouth gaped open. “That’s a first.”

“Sorry.” Not sorry. “By-product of being a lone woman on a large piece of property with a stranger asking to come in. Business card aside, you could be anyone.”

He lifted his hands in the air. “Very wise. I hope my sister would do the same. I was just hoping to get an eye on the canyon before Monday’s meeting. But I can wait.”

She relaxed her grip on the tree pruner. “What meeting?”

“The city and county are meeting to discuss the concerns of the watershed after the fire. We’re developing a plan to preserve property during the winter. If I could take a quick look it would help.”

“You mean prevent mudslides?”

“Control mudslides,” he corrected her.

She shifted from foot to foot. “You can do that?”

“It’s a big part of our job.” He smiled, looked over her shoulder. “I can wait. I don’t want to make you uneasy.”

Parker looked back toward the house. “Tell you what. You go get your company truck and I’ll grab a snake fork and show you the wash.”

His eyes narrowed with an unasked question.

“It’s summer. Rattlesnakes are a thing,” she explained.

“You sure?”

Yeah, she was sure. “I’ll open the gate. You can park inside.”

***

About the Author

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Catherine Bybee has written thirty-four books that have collectively sold more than seven million copies and have been translated into more than eighteen languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. For more information on the author, visit www.catherinebybee.com.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com

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

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

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/catherine-bybee

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Bybee/e/B002UL11RS/

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Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Deadly Waters by OMJ Ryan

Deadly Waters (DCI Jane Phillips #2) by OMJ Ryan

#DeadlyWaters #InkubatorBooks @OMJRYAN1 @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours

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Hi, everyone!

I am very excited to be one of the first to share on the Deadly Waters Blog Tour today! This Feature Post and Book Review is for DEADLY WATERS (Detective Jane Phillips Book 2) by OMJ Ryan.

I am a huge fan of DI Jane Phillips books! Jane was first introduced in Deadly Secrets and now is featured in the Detective Jane Phillips series that began with Deadly Silence which is labeled as book 1.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and an about the author section with social media links. Enjoy!

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Book Blurb

Several young women have recently drowned in Manchester’s vast network of canals. A coincidence? Or something more sinister?

When star detective DCI Jane Phillips begins to investigate, her finely tuned instinct tells her these are no accidents. And when she discovers that each of the drowned women has a mysterious circular bruise on the back of her neck, Phillips is sure of it — she’s up against a very clever serial killer.

But how are the victims being chosen? And who will be next?

With the body count rising, Phillips and her team find themselves in a fight to the death with a shadowy figure who always seems to be one step ahead.

Can Phillips stop the killer before the next victim dies? Or will she herself become an offering to Manchester’s deadly waters?

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEADLY WATERS (Detective Jane Phillips Book 2) by OMJ Ryan is an edge-of-your-seat addition to this British Police procedural thriller series. This can be read as a standalone focusing on the serial murder plot itself, but the characters continue to become more fully fleshed with each book in the series and I recommend they be read in order. (FYI: To read about Jane in order, the numbering of these books is somewhat confusing. Jane is introduced in Deadly Secrets but is featured in Deadly Silence which is labeled book 1 and now Deadly Waters is labeled book 2.)

DCI Jane Phillips and DI Jones are called to the scene of an apparent drowning in a Manchester canal by an overeager young recruit on the basis of a rumor. Everything points to an accidental drowning until a second body is found with the same strange circular bruise on the back of her neck and under the same circumstances. Each was a heroin addicted young prostitute with a small child at home.

With the body count rising and pressure from the top, Jane and her team have a short amount of time to figure out how and why the victims are being chosen. Will Jane be able to stop the killer or will she be another corpse in the deadly waters?

I loved DCI Jane Phillips, her team and this thriller plot. This series is fast becoming one of my favorites. Mr. Ryan was able to focus my attention completely away from the true identity of the killer. I once again thought I had it all figured out with the team and I was wrong, but I love when that happens. I also love being completely engrossed in the suspense and not being able to put a book down as I was with this book. The pace of this thriller starts out slowly with just a hunch and then builds to a fast-paced crescendo. The tool used by the killer that produced the bruise on the neck of the victims was unique and an interesting twist.

I highly recommend Deadly Waters and all of the books in this series!

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About OMJ Ryan:

Hailing from Yorkshire, OMJ Ryan worked in radio and entertainment for over twenty years, collaborating with household names and accumulating a host of international writing and radio awards.

In 2018 he followed his passion to become a full-time novelist, writing stories for people who devour exciting, fast-paced thrillers by the pool, on their commute – or those rare moments of downtime before bed. Owen’s mission is to entertain from the first page to the last. DEADLY WATERS will be his third novel published with Inkubator Books.

Social Media

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OMJRYAN1 @OMJRYAN1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OMJ-Ryan-2449880305025779/

Website: https://www.omjryan.com/

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

Purchase Links

Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deadly-Waters-thriller-Detective-Phillips-ebook/dp/B0852PXLBY/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=deadly+waters&qid=1583326835&sr=8-2

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Waters-thriller-Detective-Phillips-ebook/dp/B0852PXLBY/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=deadly+waters+by+OMJ+Ryan&qid=1583327466&sr=8-1

Publishing Information:

Published by Inkubator Books in digital format on 15^th March 2020.