Release Blitz, Spotlight, Author Top Five & #GIVEAWAY: ★Blind Faith★ by @RebeccaZanetti

Blind Faith 
Sin Brothers #3
Author: Rebecca Zanetti
Genre: Romantic Suspense
 (January 27, 2015; Forever Mass Market; $8.00)

A betrayal he couldn’t forget…For Nate Dean, love is a four-letter word. As part of a secret black-ops military unit, he and his brothers were genetically engineered by the government to be ruthless soldiers with an expiration date. They were loyal only to one another . . . until Nate laid eyes on the woman who stole his heart and blew his world apart. Now, years later, his family is still paying the price for his mistake. But as time runs out, there’s only one person who can save his family: the very woman Nate swore he’d never trust again.

A love she couldn’t deny…

The moment Audrey Madison spies Nate across a crowded ballroom, she can barely breathe. He’s just as undeniably sexy as she remembers, yet there’s an edge to him now that’s as irresistible as it is dangerous. When he asks for her help, Audrey can’t refuse. But she has secrets of her own-secrets that, if Nate ever discovers them, may cost them both their lives…

Buy Links
Amazon / B&N / BAM / IndieBound / iBooks
Excerpt

Nate studied her, wondering how their very different childhoods had somehow brought them to the same place once again. “Why haven’t you slept with anybody but me?” he asked, surprising himself.

Her head jerked up. Vulnerability flashed across her delicate face to be quickly hidden as she slid her arms into the robe and belted it around her tiny waist. “I haven’t had a lot of time, with being blown up, operated on, and then trying to commit fraud on the US Government on behalf of your sworn enemy.” Sarcastic humor lifted her top lip, but the lightness failed to reach her eyes or flash that devastating dimple. “Sometimes a girl just has to prioritize.”

He’d loved her sense of humor. This one? Not so much. Sarcasm and fatalism didn’t fit with the person deep inside Audrey, the one she’d shoved down to survive. “I understand why you stayed to receive medical attention.” The commander’s medical team and facilities beat any other in the world, without question. If anybody could have saved her leg, it would’ve been them. “But now it’s time to go.” As much as the thought cut through him like a blade, he didn’t trust her enough to send her to his brothers in Montana. But he could find her safety. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t want your help.” Her stance widened slightly as if they faced off under high noon.

Worse yet, absolute truth lived in every word. The woman really didn’t want his help. A surprising hurt compressed his lungs. “Why are you still working with him?” he breathed out. Could her mother’s approval mean that much to her? After everything?

Audrey lifted her chin. “They saved my life and gave me a second chance. It’s the only life I’ve truly known, and I’m doing some good with the senator.”

“Find another life,” Nate ground out.

“No.” Regret filled her sigh. “You’re the one who told me that our childhood shapes us. I’m just doing what I can right now.”

He shook his head. Why did he get the feeling she wasn’t telling him everything? There was enough truth in her statement that he couldn’t find the lie, but a lie was there. He was sure of it. “I’m going to kill him, Aud. Then I’m going to blow up every facility he owns and make sure they never function again. You don’t want to be here for this.”

Awareness pursed her lips as she studied him. Her breath hitched as her chest lifted. Those amazing eyes widened. “Suicide mission?”

“Probably.” Which was yet another reason the previous night had been a one-shot deal. Chances were slim he’d survive the attack he planned after saving his brothers.

She nodded, regret twisting her lip. “Hasn’t that always been your plan?”

“Yes.” Except for the brief time she’d been his. Then his plans had changed dramatically to a future with possible kids and even a fucking picket fence. He’d known better, without a doubt. A bullshit every-day life had never been for him. He’d been created to kill, and through a lucky turn of fate had been given brothers to love—to protect and ultimately save. They were happy, and once the chips were deactivated, they wouldn’t require his skill set any longer.

He wouldn’t be needed, and he needed them so very much. Too much.

“Hmmm.” Pain lived in her eyes, but no give existed in her jaw. “I just realized—I can’t save you.”

“No.” He frowned. What was she talking about? “I don’t expect you to save me.”

“I know.” She tightened the belt, her eyes glimmering with tears. “I’ll get you the codes and any info on Jory, but you need to decide to save yourself. When this is all over, if you and your brothers survive, you need to save yourself. Decide to keep going.”

That was the rub, now wasn’t it? The life he’d been created for, the one he’d excelled at, was over. Where exactly was he supposed to go?

 Guest Post

AUTHOR’S TOP FIVE

Top five favorite scenes in the Sin Brothers series

Hello, everyone!  Thanks to the gang here for having me over to talk about my top five favorite scenes in the Sin Brother series.  I just love the first scene of any book when the hero and heroine first are on the page together, so it’s probably not a surprise that four of these are from the first scenes in the books, in the order of the books:
1.     FORGOTTEN SINS:  This is the first scene of the entire series, and it has Josie Dean called down to the hospital because her husband has been attacked and has amnesia.  The thing is that Josie hasn’t seen Shane for two years and didn’t really know him all that well during their brief marriage.  She heads down to the hospital to find him wounded, sexier than ever, with danger on his heels.
2.     SWEET REVENGE:  This one starts out with the oldest brother, Matt Dean, wounded in a back alley.  The heroine, Laney Jacobs, finds him and helps him into her bar.  He’s instantly attracted and intrigued by her, and she’s wary…and soon passes out from the sight of blood.
3.     BLIND FAITH:  This one actually starts with Nate Dean hunting down Audrey Madison, the woman who’d broken his heart years ago.  He finds her in a ballroom in DC, and he immediately squires her away to ask for her help in saving his brothers.  There’s a lot of tension and pent up feelings between the two, and they’re kissing more than talking in record time.
4.     TOTAL SURRENDER:  This one starts with sexy Jory Dean, the youngest brother who’s been missing for two years, held in a cell staring out at the heroine, Piper Oliver, who’s been hired to save his life.  They don’t trust each other, but they have a common goal…and attraction.
5.     There’s a scene in TOTAL SURRENDER where all four brothers are reunited, and that’s one of my absolute favorite scenes in the entire series.
About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti has worked as an art curator, Senate aide, lawyer, college professor, and a hearing examiner – only to culminate it all in stories about Alpha males and the women who claim them. She is a member of RWA, has won awards for her works throughout the industry, and has a journalism degree with a poly sci emphasis from Pepperdine University as well as a Juris Doctorate from the University of Idaho.Growing up amid the glorious backdrops and winter wonderlands of the Pacific Northwest has given Rebecca fantastic scenery and adventures to weave into her stories. She resides in the wild north with her husband, children, and extended family who inspire her every day-or at the very least give her plenty of characters to write about.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TheSlayer is coming! Countdown Series Spotlight & #Giveaway with @Kele_Moon

And so, week 2 of my Kele Moon Spotlight and countdown till The Slayer continues. If you missed my previous post, last month I was incredibly lucky to read a super early ARC of The Slayer and It. Blew. Me. Away. One of the best books I’ve read to date. Period. And also one of the best books Kele’s ever written. Considering I’ve loved pretty much every book on her back list, that’s REALLY saying something. I can’t even describe to you all the amount of feels, the swoons, and the hot flashes that Chuito gave me, so I won’t even try. The Slayer will be released on March 31, and I’ll be sharing lots of teasers with you guys in the meantime.

But before you get to get your grabby little hands on MY Chuito (uhem), I want to take you all back to the series that started it all for me; The Battered Hearts. Each week I’ll be spotlighting a different book from that series, leading up to Untamed Hearts with The Viper & The Slayer. In case you’re curious, you don’t necessarily need to read The Battered Hearts series before Untamed Hearts and each book has a different couple. I would still highly recommend reading Battered Hearts first simply because it’s a fantastic series and each of the characters from that series continues to appear in Untamed Hearts. You’d enjoy and appreciate every book that much more if you read them in order.

For those of you that haven’t yet read the Battered Hearts series, don’t forget to enter the Giveaway below. You’ll get a chance to win every book in the series or a $10 Amazon gift card!

So let’s continue, shall we, with one of my favorite takes on Romeo and Juliet; Romeo and Jules from Star Crossed. This is also the book where my favorite brothers get introduced (cough Tino and and Nova cough). I adored this book. It was the book that truly made me fall in love with this series, and I simply can’t recommend it enough. A must read!

About The Book
Star Crossed

Genre: Erotic, Contemporary Romance (fighter romance)
Length: 432 pages

Heavyweight UFC fighter, Romeo Wellings comes from the hard streets of New York where his family ties to the mafia cause him nothing but pain. His life takes a surprising detour when he crosses paths with the twin sister of his long-time enemy. After a steamy, one-night stand, he faces the fight of his life, but it’s not in the cage.
The secret relationship that blooms between Romeo and his real life Juliet has him battling his family and a dark past rather than let her go.
The only lawyer in her hometown of Garnet, Jules Conner is also a volunteer Sheriff’s deputy and co-owner of a successful MMA training center. Strong and dependable, Jules is always there for those who need her. Until one forbidden night in Las Vegas with Romeo leaves her feeling so alive she can’t stop reaching out to the sexy bad boy of the UFC, even knowing the forbidden love affair could jeopardize everything.
As the tide rises against them and the people they love work at keeping them apart, Romeo and Jules hold onto a dream for a better life together and vow to go down fighting rather than accept a tragic ending.
Buy Links
Excerpt
“I’m Jules Conner.”
“Like Wyatt Conner?” Romeo couldn’t help but ask as he shook her hand and felt that electric pulse once more. “The Deputy.”
“Yeah.” Jules rolled her eyes. “He’s my brother, but don’t hold that against me.”
Bingo.
Romeo grinned in triumph. Of course she was his sister. He should’ve known with how tall she was. Wyatt Conner was nearly his height, and Romeo was sure if he had a full-blooded sister, she’d have easily been as tall as Juliet.
“I’m Romeo Wellings,” he offered, though it seemed redundant. He just used the moment to hold on to her hand for a few more milliseconds. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are y’all in town another night?” Jules asked, looking from Romeo to his brothers beside him.
Nova and Tino spoke in unison. “No.”
“Yes,” Romeo said at the same time. His brothers turned to him, dark eyes wide and concerned, but he ignored them. “They’re leaving tonight,” he lied and stomped on Nova’s foot for good measure when he made a choked sound of denial. “Now, actually. But I’m free all night.”
“Lemme buy you dinner,” Jules said so earnestly Romeo would have been inclined to agree even if this woman didn’t have him feeling fidgety and sixteen. “It’s the least I can do.” Her smile grew broader, more endearing and genuine. “Say yes.”
“Yes,” Romeo said without hesitation. “What time?”
Jules glanced at her phone and then looked up with a guilty wince. “I’ll be a while. I’m Clay’s lawyer. I got to finish a few more things with the police, and I wanna make sure Clay’s settled. Melody’s likely staying the night with him at the hospital, so I’ll have to grab them some things from the hotel. Is eight too late?”
“Eight’s perfect.” Romeo resisted the urge to take in all of her with a long, sweeping look, because it was obvious Jules was in that strange lawyer mode that was common for her breed. She was friendly and professional and obviously intent to wrap up everything for Clay, including a proper thank-you to the big fool who’d saved Melody’s life. Trying to play the game, he became cordial. “You wanna give me your phone number, and we’ll touch base once you’re done with everything here?”
“Oh yes, good idea.” Jules reached into her purse to pull out a business card and an expensive gold pen. She laughed to herself, shaking her head as she wrote on the back of the card. “If you would’ve told me yesterday I’d be buying Romeo Wellings dinner, I’d have called you crazy. Things change faster than I can keep up with sometimes.”
Romeo had to agree. The very last thing he expected to be doing on his remaining night in Las Vegas was having dinner with Wyatt Conner’s sister. He’d spent a good deal of time hating the bastard. The irony wasn’t lost on him, and his smile was wide as he took Jules’s card when she offered it. He stared at her cell number on the back.
“I’m not your enemy.” Romeo lifted his gaze to hers and studied her beautiful face under the bright Nevada sun. “Juliet.”
She gasped in surprise, her eyes growing wide. “I don’t—” She floundered. Her cheeks flushed pink as she narrowed icy eyes at him. “How?”

“That’s what Jules is short for, isn’t it?” he asked simply, refusing to look away. “Juliet.”
“I go by Jules,” she said rather than rise to the bait. For a brief moment it looked like she might reach over and snatch the card back. Her guard was obviously up, but instead of lashing out and rescinding the offer, she looked to his left hand that was wrapped in a white gauze bandage and sighed in defeat. “I’ll see ya at eight, Wellings.”
“I go by Romeo.”
“Fine.” Jules took a deep breath, her cheeks more flushed than ever. “Then eight o’clock, Romeo.”
He did it then, took one long, hard look of Jules Conner standing there in formfitting jeans that clung to her long legs like a second skin. It took everything he had not to adjust himself, because eyeing her made his jeans tighter than usual.
Romeo gave her a devious smile. With a voice low and husky with anticipation, he said, “I’ll look forward to it.”
Giveaway
The Battered Hearts ebook series
&
$10 Amazon GC
All for 1 lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

One Month of @ElleKennedy with #GIVEAWAY continues with ☆One Night of Troublel☆

If you guys have been following my reviews, then you already know that I have been OBSESSED with this sexy new series from Elle Kennedy. And the best part? It only gets better with each book. So I’m so freaking excited to spotlight this fabulous author, now with the 3rd book in the series and also my favorite! Elle truly saved the best for last! If you haven’t read this series yet, now’s the time to discover it. Trust me, you’ll love it. I know I sure as hell did!

About The Book

One Night of Trouble
(After Hours #3)
Genre: Erotic, Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 5, 2015
Length: 237 pages

No More Mr. Nice Guy…

The moment AJ Walsh sees the sexy, tattooed pixie walk up to his bar, it’s lust at first sight. He’s always been labeled the “nice” guy―opening doors, buying flowers, and never, ever having one-night stands. But with this wicked little angel with red lips and unfathomably dark eyes? Oh, yeah. Tonight, “nice” has nothing to do with it…

Brett Conlon is trying to convince her family that she’s put away her reckless wild girl side for good. Nothing―and no one―could be better for her reputation than golden boy AJ Walsh. So they make a deal: if he plays The Good Boyfriend for her family, he can be a very, very bad boy with her. Now their one naughty night is about to turn into a whole lot of trouble…

Buy Links
Excerpt

Without breaking eye contact, she grasped the bottom of her dress and teasingly drew it up her thighs. AJ’s mouth went bone-dry as he watched the fabric slide higher and higher, revealing tantalizing glimpses of her smooth, fair skin. When the koi fish on her thigh became visible, he was hit with the memory of dragging his tongue over the tattoo while his fingers pumped inside her.

A groan slipped out as he focused on her bare sex.

“Good girl,” he rasped. “That’s just what I wanted.” She was about to let the dress drop when his hand flew up to stop her. “No, keep holding it up.”

Her breasts rose as she sucked in a breath, but the material stayed bunched between her fingers.

“Spread your legs more,” he ordered.

She widened her stance, exposing herself fully to his hungry gaze. His cock had turned into a slab of marble, pressing painfully into his zipper, but he didn’t make a move to release it yet.

He’d never fucked a woman in his office before. He knew Gage and Reed got it on with Skyler and Darcy in their workspaces all the time, but AJ had always tried to act professional at work. Taking a woman on his desk would’ve felt like breaking the rules.

He was sick to death of rules.

“Walk over to the door,” he said softly. “Brace your hands on it and bend over. Make sure your dress stays up.”

Her breath caught. “What if I don’t want to?”

“Then you don’t get my cock.” Slanting his head in challenge, he slid his hand down his abdomen and cupped himself over his pants.

Brett’s eyes widened, lips parting seductively. Waves of arousal rolled off her slender body, and his own body responded in fervor, his erection thickening beneath his palm.

It occurred to him that they’d gone from hi to spread your legs in five seconds flat, but that only made the whole encounter even hotter. She wasn’t there so they could talk about their days.

She was there so they could make each other come.

 Review

4.5 stars

For this one night, he could drop the good-guy mask and act on the primal urges he’d been fighting his entire life.

Well, well, well, Miss Kennedy. Seems you’ve been holding out on me with AJ and you managed to save the best for last. In the previous two books AJ has always come off as the safe, unassuming, and tamer of his 2 partners. Always the reasonable one and almost…dare I say…boring? Well, still waters run deep, my friends. Because all this time AJ has been hiding his inner bad boy and apparently he just needed the right woman to bring it out in him.

You know, you’re really not as nice as you look.”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been telling you all along?” His smile widened. “There’s nothing nice about what I’m going to do to you tonight.”
And then he touched her…

Brett Conlon is done with her wild, bad girl ways. After her most recent choice of boyfriends puts her in a situation that lands her in jail for the night, she swears she’s done. No more drinking, not more wild parties; she’s on the straight and narrow now. She needs to prove to her father that she’s reliable enough to run the tattoo parlor on her own. So she makes a change and sticks to it…until a blast from her past tempts her to let her inner bad girl out to play, if only for a night.

C’mon, angel, give me a taste of the wild girl you used to be. I promise you can lick her up again after tonight…” He parted the top of his pants. “At least until the next time I want her to come out.”

AJ Walsh is used to being the good boy; a good son, a good friend, and the dreaded ‘nice guy’ when it comes to his relationships. He has a type too; he likes them blonde, beautiful, classy…and safe just like him. So why is a wild brunette beauty covered in tattoos all of a sudden calls to him like a siren? Used to everyone liking him he doesn’t understand why the woman is glaring daggers at him and giving attitude to boot. Especially when all he wants to do is let the true personality he’s hiding loose with her for reasons that he can’t understand.

Ha. Boy next door, her ass. AJ Walsh was the devil.

Brent remembers AJ very well from her high school days. He was 3 years older, popular, star football player, and wanted by every hot cheerleader. Why would he remember the shy and awkward younger girl that all his female friends used to taunt? But AJ is also not at all what she expects and when he makes it clear that even though he may not remember her from high school but he’s very interested in getting to know her better now…well how can she turn that down?

So they make a deal; Brett will give AJ a taste of the wild side he’s craving and in return AJ will pretend to be her boyfriend for the week to make her look more respectable and reliable to her father and brothers. A win/win, right?

This was probably my favorite book in the series. The chemistry between AJ and Brett is sizzling from the very start and it doesn’t let up until the last page. Brett was a great heroine; sassy, a little wild, and incredibly endearing.

My one fear was that AJ’s ‘transition’ from nice guy to bad boy wouldn’t really be believable or feel forced. But Elle Kennedy pulled this off effortlessly. Not only did I believe it, I could see how he’s been hiding the inner bad boy that has been brewing under the surface all these years. His reasons for the personality change were heartbreaking, and it made so much sense that it just pulled everything together for me.

AJ was the perfect combination of bad boy dirty talker with a nice guy. He didn’t need to be a man whore to pull off this vibe, and it was perfect. If you’ve enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, then you’ll definitely love this one. And if you haven’t read this spicy little series yet, then I’m not sure what you’re waiting for.

DON’T MISS THE REST OF THE SERIES

One Night of Sin (After Hours #1)
One Night of Scandal (After Hours #2)
About the Author

A USA Today bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!

Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website www.ellekennedy.com or sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter (@ElleKennedy).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#TheSlayer is coming! Series Spotlight & #Giveaway with @Kele_Moon

Last month I was incredibly lucky to read a super early ARC of The Slayer and It. Blew. Me. Away. One of the best books I’ve read to date. Period. And also one of the best books Kele’s ever written. Considering I’ve loved pretty much every book on her back list, that’s REALLY saying something. I can’t even describe to you all the amount of feels, the swoons, and the hot flashes that Chuito gave me, so I won’t even try. The Slayer will be released on March 31, and I’ll be sharing lots of teasers with you guys in the meantime.

But before you get to get your grabby little hands on MY Chuito (uhem), I want to take you all back to the series that started it all for me; The Battered Hearts. Each week I’ll be spotlighting a different book from that series, leading up to Untamed Hearts with The Viper & The Slayer. In case you’re curious, you don’t necessarily need to read The Battered Hearts series before Untamed Hearts and each book has a different couple. I would still highly recommend reading Battered Hearts first simply because it’s a fantastic series and each of the characters from that series continues to appear in Untamed Hearts. You’d enjoy and appreciate every book that much more if you read them in order.

For those of you that haven’t yet read the Battered Hearts series, don’t forget to enter the Giveaway below. You’ll get a chance to win every book in the series or a $10 Amazon gift card!

So let’s start things off, shall we, with the man that started it all; Clay from Defying The OddsAbout The Book

Defying the Odds 
Genre: Erotic, Contemporary Romance (fighter romance)
Length: 252 pages

When struggling waitress Melody Dylan gives a handsome, lonely stranger a simple gift she has no clue her life is about to take a drastic turn. The stranger ends up being Clay Powers, a famous UFC heavyweight fighter. Clay’s large build and dangerous fists have always intimidated. People in his hometown keep their distance and Clay is fine with that. Everything changes when a new waitress at the local diner buys him a piece of pie on thanksgiving. Touched by the gesture when it’s obvious she can barely afford to survive, her warm smile and lush body churn up powerful feelings that leave Clay wanting more from her than pie.

Melody is running from her past and the small, country town of Garnet is the perfect hiding place. With an ex-husband after her and scars from her abusive marriage etched deep, the last thing she expects is to fall for a man who makes a living with his fists, but she can’t resist Clay or the tender connection they share.

Finding love in the most unlikely of places, the passion is undeniable, but Clay and Melody know their haunted pasts and unpredictable futures leave the odds stacked against them.

Publisher’s Note: This book contains explicit sexual situations, graphic language, and material that some readers may find objectionable: violence.

Buy Links
Excerpt
“For you.”
Clay looked at the small blue plate placed in front of him, his usual scowl growing deeper. “I didn’t order this.”
“It’s a gift.”
Clay’s gaze snapped to the new waitress. He eyed the attractive blonde in surprise. “For what?”
She gave him a broad smile that made her green eyes glow bright and vibrant beneath her black-rimmed glasses. “For Thanksgiving,” she said, her voice soft and musical to his ears. “I saw you were eating alone, and I thought, that man needs a piece of pumpkin pie.”
“Oh.”
He glanced back at the plate, resisting the urge to gag. He swallowed hard, choosing instead to focus on the warm feeling in his chest. He was oddly touched by the gift, simple though it might be. With the exception of his best friends, Wyatt and Jules, this waitress was the first person in a very long time that bothered to do something nice for him without expecting him to sweat or bleed in return.
She turned to leave, but he didn’t want her to. He liked the pretty waitress with her sparkling eyes and thick hair wrapped up in a bun on top of her head that showed every color of blonde imaginable. He thought her glasses were charming and her figure was lush. Full hips, even fuller breasts, she looked sort of like a very huggable angel. The fluorescent lights framed her beautiful, round face with deep dimples that magically appeared when she smiled.
Everything about her was soft and innocent in a way most of the women he knew would never be.
Without thinking, he reached out with lightning-fast reflexes. He grabbed her wrist before she could get too far, making her jump in shock.
Clay winced at her sharp reaction, knowing he was intimidating whether he wanted to be or not. “I’m sorry.”
“’S okay,” she said, her smile back, bright and happy once more. “I’m jumpy sometimes, but that’s not your fault.”
“I wanted to say thank you,” he said, trying very hard to put emotion in his usually gruff voice. “No one’s ever done this for me.”
“Bought you a piece of pie?”
“No.” He felt his cheeks heat, and he looked to the pie in an effort to hide. “Nobody’s just nice to me, for free, without, you know, expecting something for it.”
“Sweetie, you keep being sweet and I’m gonna have to buy your dinner, and between you and me, I can barely afford my own dinner, let alone feeding a big guy like you.” She squeezed his hand, making him realize he was still holding on to her wrist. “So you enjoy your pie. Happy Thanksgiving.”
Clay nodded his agreement and reluctantly let go. He bit his lip against doing something stupid like asking her on one of those dates real people had with flowers and candlelit dinners, or just simply blurting out he thought she looked like an honest to God angel in that waitress uniform.
Rather than gawk at the waitress, which was what he really felt like doing, he focused his attention on the pie, trying to decide if big bites would make it easier to choke down or small ones would lessen the impact.
He tried a small bite first as the chime of a bell signaled someone entering Hal’s Diner, one of the few places to eat in the small town of Garnet and the only one currently open on Thanksgiving. Despite the lack of choices for the holiday, Hal’s was still empty save a few bachelors.
Clay knew what lost soul had walked in without looking, and turned his focus back to the dreaded pie.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Sheriff.”
“Happy Thanksgiving, Judy,” came the upbeat, typically charismatic reply. “What does a hardworking sheriff have to do for a cup of coffee? Damn, but it’s cold out there. Where’s summer when ya need it?”
“Gonna be a nasty winter,” Judy agreed, sounding equally disheartened. “Take a seat. I’ll bring it to you. Are ya gonna catch a quick bite?”
“Sure, bring me whatever turkey special Hal’s dishing up. You know I can’t stay away from ya, darling. Having you serve me is always the highlight of my night.”
“Hush.” Judy laughed, sounding pleased. “You know I’m taken.”
“Tell Jerry he better spoil you rotten or I’m gonna steal you right out from under him.”
Clay rolled his eyes, deciding he’d rather eat pumpkin pie than listen to this shit. He was poking at it with his fork when a large, ominous shadow darkened his table. “Wyatt.”
“Is that pumpkin pie?” Wyatt asked, scooting into the booth seat across from Clay and tossing his hat on the table.
“So what if it is?” Clay frowned at his best friend, who was running a hand through his blond hair, forcing away the unnatural wave caused from his hat.
Handsome and cocky as ever, Wyatt gave him a bemused smile. “But you hate pumpkin pie.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Clay scowled. “You think I don’t know I hate it?”
Wyatt gave him a look. “Then why are you eating it?”
 “That new waitress brought it,” Clay explained, the reminder compelling him to take another bite. He choked, forcing himself to swallow it. “Christ.”
“You’ve officially taken one hit too many,” Wyatt said in exasperation, turning to Judy when she showed up with his cup of coffee. “Darling, dontcha have something else back there besides pumpkin pie?”
“We got praline,” Judy offered, her cheeks still flushed beneath her freckles. The redhead was always pink-cheeked when Wyatt was around. “You want it before your dinner?”
“Nah, it ain’t for me.” Wyatt gestured to Clay. “He hates pumpkin pie. I dunno why he let her serve it to him. Get him a piece of praline.”
“No, it’s all right,” Clay said quickly, not wanting the new waitress to know he’d sent it back. He’d rather choke down the whole thing. “I like it.”
“Bullshit.” Wyatt reached across the table and pulled the plate away when Clay took another stubborn bite of the pie, only to gag on it a second time. “Look at that. He can’t even swallow it to prove a point.”
Giveaway
The Battered Hearts ebook series
&
$10 Amazon GC
All for 1 lucky winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#FINNCLUB Exclusive: BLURRED LINES Chapter 1 sneak peak by @DianeAlberts

Blurred Lines by Jen McLaughlin will be releasing January 26th, but first I have some exclusive content to share.

FINNClub team members will be sharing special details from the book this week, in order to share their excitement for the new novel.

Today I have the first chapter from Blurred Lines.

OOLSeriesBanner
Excerpt
Blurred Lines – Chapter one

Riley

I parked my car in the driveway and just sat there, staring up at the house I shared with my fiancée, Sarah. It was dark outside, and somewhere in the distance, a dog barked. It sounded pissed as hell, but that wasn’t why I didn’t get out of the car. It wasn’t why I was sitting here, feeling empty as hell and just as lost.

The truth was, I wasn’t going inside because I knew my fiancée wasn’t in there alone. I’d seen the car parked down the road, conveniently hidden behind large shrubbery. If I was any other man, it might have worked. I might not have noticed it when I drove by on my way to my next meeting. But I’d know that fucking car anywhere.

It was Sarah’s ex-boss’s car.

The same one she’d once dated.

When we’d met, they’d been freshly split up. He’d broken her heart, and she’d sworn him off forever. We’d dated a suitable amount of time before getting engaged. My parents had liked her, and so had I. It had been an arranged marriage of sorts, but in my circles, that wasn’t such a strange thing.

Our fathers were political affiliates. We were expected to marry. Once upon a time, I’d hoped to have more. I’d hoped to have the kind of love that consumed your soul.

I still hadn’t found it.

So, I’d asked Sarah to marry me. She’d said yes. I’d thought she loved me. I’d been fairly certain I would grow to love her. But if she really loved me…

Why the hell was her ex-boyfriend’s car outside my house?

Slowly, I opened my car door and made my way up the driveway. My heart thudded in my ears, and I knew what I’d find when I opened that door. There was no doubt my fiancée was naked and having sex with another man.

And yet, I went inside anyway.

The door creaked when it opened, and I froze, half expecting to hear frantic shouting and retreating footsteps. Nothing moved. I crept inside the rest of the way, leaving the front door open. As I walked, I found a man’s sweater on the floor. I stepped on it. Another step and I scored a pair of men’s pants and a skirt.

There was no doubt anymore, if there ever had been, that my fiancée was cheating on me. I didn’t need to go any farther. I had confirmation. But still…

I kept going.

For some reason, I needed to see it with my own eyes to believe it. I’d truly believed Sarah was an honest woman. One who wouldn’t sleep with someone behind my back. I’d thought she would be a good partner for life. A trustworthy one.

I reached the couch. The couch I’d picked out.

Sarah was kneeling between her ex’s feet. She was naked, and so was her ex. The man’s bare ass was on my fucking couch. I didn’t know what upset me more: that, or the fact that she was giving the dude a BJ.

She never did that with me. Said it was undignified.

So was fucking a dude on my couch.

And, yes, I knew that the fact that those two things bothered me just as much as the actual betrayal did was fucked up. But I hadn’t loved her. I’d wanted to…

But I didn’t really know what real love felt like.

Fisting my hands, I cleared my throat. “I’m home early.”

Sarah shrieked and flew to her feet, grabbing the throw blanket off the arm of my couch and covering her body with it. Which was absurd, really. We’d both seen her naked before, obviously. The man also stood, grabbing a pillow and covering his half-hard dick with it.

“You can keep that now,” I said drily, not taking my eyes off Sarah. She was pale and shaking. I forced myself to remain calm. To act as if this hadn’t completely taken me off guard, even if it hadn’t broken me like it should have. “So, I take it the engagement is off, then?”

“Riley, I’m so sorry.” Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I didn’t want you to see this…”

“Obviously,” I said. “Cheaters rarely do.”

She shook her head, her blonde hair flying everywhere. “No. I’m not a cheater. I just—”

“Seriously?” I threw my arms out. “If this isn’t cheating, what the hell do you call it?”

Her cheeks flushed. “I love him, Riley. Really love him.”

I froze then, absorbing the knowledge that she’d felt the same way about me that I felt about her—and I hadn’t even known it. I’d naïvely thought she actually loved me, instead of just, well, accepting me as a suitable partner. How had I missed that?

“I thought you loved me,” I said softly, scratching my head. “I didn’t know…”

“I do.” She came up to me, resting her hand on my heart. The same hand that had been cupping another man’s balls moments before. That skeeved me out, so I stepped back from her touch. “I love you, Riley.”

“But you’re not in love with me,” I said, swallowing hard.

I might not love her till my dying breath, but the reality of what was happening hit me pretty hard. We were together for three fucking years, and it was over now. We’d just mailed the wedding invitations out last week.

And she’d been fucking him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks.

I had no doubt she was. She was always a nice person, which was why this came as such a shock. I never suspected this of her. Hell, we’d made love last night, and she’d spent half an hour talking about wedding dresses and centerpieces.

I locked eyes with her bright green ones. “When did this start?”

“Riley…”

“When?”

She crumbled. “A week ago.”

The dude finally spoke up. He took a step forward. “Look, man, I’m sorry, but—”

Without thinking, I cocked my fist back and punched him right in the fucking face. He’d broken her heart, and now he was going to do it again. She might think he’d changed, but any man who would fuck another man’s fiancée on his own couch was not a changed man. He was scum, pure and simple.

And she’d fallen for him again.

“Don’t speak to me,” I snarled. I went after him, even though he stumbled backward and tripped over a fallen pillow. “Don’t you ever fucking—”

“Riley, don’t!” Sarah called out, sobbing. “Please. Don’t hurt him.”

I fisted my hands, my breathing coming out harsh. She’d cheated on me with this lowlife, and she was worried I’d hurt him? I whirled on her. “If you loved me, even if you weren’t in love with me, you wouldn’t have done this, Sarah. Not to me.”

She covered her face and cried. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah.” I shook my head. “You made a big mistake, Sarah. I would have treated you right. I never would have…never…I wouldn’t have done this.”

“But you don’t love me,” she whispered. “You never have.”

“I care about you. I respect you.” I looked at her again. “I would have treated you right. That’s more important than love. And it’s safer, too.”

“I know,” she said, shrugging hopelessly. “I wanted more, though.”

And she thought she’d find it with this guy? I looked at him again. He sat on the floor, butt-assed naked and shaking. Pathetic. Turning my attention back to her, I forced a calm smile. My lawyer smile, as I liked to call it.

The one that said: I have no problem with taking your ass to court and whooping it publicly, so you better enter a plea bargain. I’d never given it to her before.

“Well, then, I wish you the best of luck. Goodbye.”

Sarah stumbled after me, grabbing my arm. “Wait. What will we tell everyone?”

“Tell them whatever you want.” I shook off her hold. “I don’t care.”

She grabbed for me again, but I pulled back. “But—”

“I said I don’t care, okay?” I held my hands up. “You were right about one thing—I never loved you. So, I don’t give a damn what you say to them.”

She covered her mouth and cried. I felt nothing. Not really.

But I didn’t want her touching me. Not anymore. This was the second time I’d found my significant other in bed with another man. The first time had been in college, and it had hurt like hell. I’d actually loved her…or I’d thought I had, anyway.

Now I was starting to think I was incapable of love.

Sure, I’d loved a girl once, but she hadn’t loved me back. She’d been in love with her now-husband, and they were the only couple I knew actually in love. Like, the kind you see in movies. Finn and Carrie had it, but I never would. Not in this lifetime.

I stumbled out the door, tugging on my tie as I went. It felt tight. As if it had come to life and decided to choke what little life I had left out of me. I was tempted to let it.

I was stuck in a job I hated, at a firm my father owned, and now I was single, too. And for the second time in my life, I’d been duplicitously cheated on.

Was it something I’d done? Something that was missing in me that made my women look elsewhere? Maybe I was broken. Maybe I should stop trying to find a partner and just accept the fact that I was better off alone.

Maybe I should just stop trying.

But first? I’d call off the meeting that I was already late to…and I’d get drunk as hell as quickly as possible. I’d get so drunk that I’d forget all about Sarah and the naked man on my couch. So drunk that I’d forget all about how broken I was, because instead of being heartbroken over her betrayal, I was angry that we’d have to deal with the mess she’d made.

I was mad I’d have to tell my mother that I was no longer marrying the woman she’d handpicked for me, and deal with the drama that came with it all. But I wasn’t upset I lost her…

Not at all.

Synopsis

Once burned…Finding my fiancée naked on my couch might’ve been a good thing, if her ex-boyfriend hadn’t been with her. For the past eight years I’ve been a witness to the power of true love, but after getting burned I’d decided there wasn’t any hope for me finding it for myself. Until I met Noelle Brandt in a hotel bar. Maybe it wasn’t the most romantic meeting, but the moment I met her I knew I had to have her. The more I learn about her, the more I know I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her.Twice shy…

I’d already found the love of my life, but I’d lost that love forever. And I’d been lost ever since. But one night a wounded man makes all of that go away. He makes me laugh, live, and feel alive. When he tells me he has no intention of letting me go, I finally begin to believe in the power of true love again. That is, until I find out who he really is…and by then, it’s far too late to correct the mistakes we’ve already made. By the time we both know the truth, the lines have already been blurred beyond recognition.

About the Author

JenM Jen McLaughlin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of sexy New Adult books. Under her pen name Diane Alberts, she is a multi-published, bestselling author of Contemporary Romance with Entangled Publishing. Her first release as Jen McLaughlin, Out of Line, released September 6 2013, and hit the New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal lists. She was mentioned in Forbes alongside E. L. James as one of the breakout independent authors to dominate the bestselling lists. She is represented by Louise Fury at The Bent Agency.
Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. Though she lives in the mountains, she really wishes she was surrounded by a hot, sunny beach with crystal-clear water. She lives in Northeast Pennsylvania with her four kids, a husband, a schnauzer mutt, and a cat. Her goal is to write so many well-crafted romance books that even a non-romance reader will know her name.

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Copyright © 2015 · Dirty Girl Romance

%d bloggers like this: