COVER REVEAL: Out of Focus by L.B. Simmons

   

*** Upper New Adult Spinoff Standalone to the USA Today Bestselling Novel, Under the Influence***

 

“Shhhh, Cassandra, it’s our little secret.”

Secrets are stubborn things when they refuse to remain hidden. They tear through your soul, clawing and lashing until the pain becomes so unbearable, you’re left no choice but to silently scream your agony. No one hears you, of course. You smile on the outside and drift through life as though your mind is at peace, but all the while, you remain your own tortured prisoner. Sealed inside the darkened, soundproof room of your conscience, deafening cries echo as you plead for someone to unlock the door and release you from your nightmares. And eventually, when no one comes, you find ways to cope. To dull the suffering the only way you know how.

But what happens when you’ve become so numb, when everything around you has become so blurred, that you begin to lose focus on the saving grace standing directly in front of you? When you’ve anesthetized yourself to the point of losing consciousness, forced to watch as his once solid image fades away, lost to your reach in the haze as it smothers you?

What do you do then?

 

You fight. You heal. Then you bring him back.

Well, my name is Cassie Cooper, and it’s time.

No more secrets.

This is my story.

***WARNING - The subject matter of this novel centers around the psychological effects due to sexual abuse experienced during childhood. For this reason, as well as sexual situations, language, and adult themes, suggested reading age is 17+.***

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L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and holds a degree in Biomedical Science. She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her husband and three daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets. Join her newsletter here

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Inked on Paper by Nicole Edwards - Pre-Order

Nicole Edwards has her second ever STAND-ALONE ready for PRE-ORDER!

Book: Inked on Paper

Author: Nicole Edwards 

Publisher: Nicole Edwards Limited (Self Published)

Release date: January 12, 2016

Genre: Contemporary Romance M/F ( I know, right! Who knew!!)

Available for Pre-Order now!

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Chapter One...

What happens when you don’t know what comes next?

Jacob Wild has had a lucrative writing career, but somewhere along the way he misplaced his muse. Now, unable to put anything on paper, he’s resorted to hanging out in the neighborhood coffee shop with a pen and paper, trying to find something to spark his creativity again.

That’s when he meets her.

Presley Abrams.

The coral-haired, tattooed beauty with the piercing gray eyes and sweet smile draws his attention in a way no woman before her ever has. Jake soon learns that when he’s around her his world is set to rights once more. Presley sparks something inside him and not just his ability to put words on paper.

But, Presley’s not the easiest woman to get close to and Jake finds himself trying to answer the burning question:

Does happily ever after only exist in fiction?

Sunday night

“Honey, you need to get laid,” Blaze bellowed before tossing back another shot of tequila. “You know, by some outrageously hot guy who’s gonna pin you against the wall and make you beg for mercy.”

I tossed my shot back before I answered her. “Not gonna happen.”

“Please don’t tell me that Adrian was the last guy you got horizontal with.” Blaze’s expression turned serious. “That dude’s the world’s biggest douche.”

“Can’t argue with you there,” I told her, pouring another shot. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was talk about Adrian. Or anyone, for that matter.

I’d spent the entire day at the shop handling three walk-ins, all of whom had wanted tattoos that took more time to prepare for than to actually ink. And now, I wanted to sit back, get wasted, then pass out and sleep until I felt better.

“How was the sex with him, anyway?”

“With who?” I asked, playing dumb.

Blaze narrowed her eyes at me. “Adrian.”

I didn’t miss a beat before I said, “Boring.”

“Really?” Blaze snorted. “I always heard rock stars had it going on.”

“Yeah, well, I think rock stars are the ones who started that rumor.”

Blaze grabbed her shot glass. “You’re probably right about that.”

We downed two more shots, and our laughter continued until the front door opened and in walked Gavin.

As soon as he stepped in the doorway, he stopped cold, watching the two of us closely.

“Wussup, Gav?” Blaze greeted him, her words slurring. She looked at me and grinned. “He’s an outrageously hot guy,” Blaze said in what she probably assumed was a whisper but wasn’t.

“I definitely am,” he agreed, that mischievous smirk on his face. “Is this party just gettin’ started? Or are we about to turn on the decision-maker lights?” Gavin closed the front door behind him and tossed his coat onto one of the barstools, his eyes never straying from us.

“The night’s still young,” Blaze informed him. “Can’t say the same about you, though.”

Gavin continued to watch us. “How much have you had?”

“Not enough,” I admitted, reaching for the bottle to pour more shots. “Now quit acting like an old man and come drink with us.”

“Hold up,” Blaze said, snatching the bottle out of my hand. “Not until he pays the ten-dollar buy-in fee.”

“Buy-in?” A crease formed in Gavin’s forehead. “What the hell’s a buy-in fee? This ain’t poker.”

Blaze pointed a finger in his direction. “I paid for the booze, and you gotta buy in if you want some. Ten dollars.”

Gavin grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, flipped it open, and pulled out a five-dollar bill, then tossed it in Blaze’s lap.

“Dude, who’s the one who’s been drinkin’ tonight?” Blaze slurred. “That ain’t ten bucks.”

“No, but you bought cheap booze, so there’s a fifty percent discount.”

“Fine. Whatever.” Blaze snatched up the money and tucked it into her bra.

I smiled at Gavin. “Grab another shot glass.”

After a quick detour to the kitchen, Gavin returned, setting his glass down beside the other two, then dropping onto the couch beside Blaze.

With an unsteady hand, Blaze filled all three but ended up with more on the glass table than in the shot glasses.

“What’re we drinking to?” Gavin asked.

“Hot guys nailing us to the wall,” Blaze blurted.

I rolled my eyes.

“Ain’t no guy nailing me to the wall,” Gavin grunted. “Hot or otherwise.”

For whatever reason, I found that funny and ended up downing my shot and nearly shooting it out of my nose.

“I’ve got a question,” Blaze said when the laughter died down.

“No questions from you tonight,” I said immediately, glancing over at Gavin.

As usual, Blaze ignored me. “I wanna know why the two of you have never had sex.”

“Not a question,” Gavin grumbled.

“Okay, fine,” Blaze snapped. “Have the two of you ever had sex?”

“Eww. No,” Gavin and I said in unison.

“Are you fucking serious?” Blaze did not sound convinced.

I placed my shot glass on the table but waved Blaze off when she started to pour me another. “Dead serious.”

“Why?” She looked genuinely confused.

“Because he’s not my type?”

Blaze’s eyes bounced back and forth between us before landing on me. “But he’s hot.”

Yeah, well, I didn’t think so. “I don’t see him like that.”

Gavin was watching Blaze intently and I knew this wasn’t going to be good. For the longest time, I’d gotten the impression that these two had a thing for one another. Although Blaze pretended to be interested in other guys—or maybe she wasn’t pretending—I got the feeling that if Gavin told her to get naked, she’d do it in under three seconds flat.

“What about you two?” I asked, realizing the liquor was now talking for me. “Why haven’t the two of you hooked up?”

Gavin grabbed the bottle and poured another shot, but I noticed he didn’t answer. I looked at Blaze.

“Y’all are best friends,” she said, as though that made some kind of sense.

“So?”

“So, you and I are best friends,” Blaze added.

“Does that make us all best friends?” I asked, trying to do the math in my head.

“No,” Gavin noted. “It means we’re not willing to sacrifice that friendship.”

“Oh.” I watched the two of them for a moment. Then it dawned on me what he meant. “Oooh.”

Nicole Edwards will be doing a giveaway a day up 

to the release day of Inked on paper on 1/12//2016! 

Follow the #NEInked hashtag and visit her Website to find each day's giveaway!

Be sure to join the Nicole & Colt Edwards Group on FB for the release day party on 1/12/2016!

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers - even when she’s supposed to be writing.

Nicole also writes contemporary/new adult romance as Timberlyn Scott.

Nicole would love to hear from you!

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COVER REVEAL: DOLCE by Rachel Blaufeld

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Excerpt from ACED by K. Bromberg

Rylee and Colton's ride continues... One moment. Six years ago. The night she made the world around me so much more than just a blur. Now it's the catalyst that threatens to tear us apart. Our happily was supposed to be ever after. So why do I feel like it's slipping through my fingers? How can one moment, when our world seemed so right, resurface and cause our perfect life to spiral out of control? I can't lose her. She's my checkered flag. 

 

"Smoldering! Rylee and Colton's romance continues burning up the pages in this steamy and exhilarating addition to the beloved Driven series!" - Katy Evans, Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author

Colton Donavan is back in ACED, January 11, 2016!

Now available for Pre-order!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1ZJghHE

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1J7I4gi   

iBooks: http://apple.co/1hML059

B&N: http://bit.ly/1NqDlFf

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1EkCboq

Amazon CA: http://amzn.to/1NX9mb5

Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1OVtIjs

Staring at the empty doorway, I’m not quite sure what to think so I lean back in the chair and blow out a slow and steady breath to calm myself. Colton’s never said anything like that to me before, and while everything he just said holds serious merit, I’m still astounded he said it. And while a small part of me warms, knowing he wants to take care of me, a larger part is irritated he’s laying down the law. The irony.
It doesn’t mean I have to abide by it though. 

I look toward the ceiling and close my eyes momentarily. The many things I need to do run through my head, but I can’t do any of them because I can’t leave my house, can’t carry on my life like normal. I’m stuck here and that thought alone makes me feel claustrophobic.

I’m exposed to the world but trapped in my house.

Feeling defeated, my eyes flutter open to see the beach beyond the windows down below. And for the first time since we’ve met, I truly understand why Colton finds such refuge in his beloved beach—the crash of the waves, the feel of the sand beneath his feet, and the sense he’s this tiny blip on Mother Nature’s radar. 

A soft chuckle falls from my lips as it hits me. On the beach, he feels inconsequential. How very fitting for a man who once told me I would never be that to him to have the need to feel that way at times. 

My mind shifts back to that place and time. A ghost of a smile turns up my lips of the welcome memory of the Merit Rum party: dancing in the club followed by him chasing me into the hallway. Angry words. Contemptuous kisses. Hungry eyes. An elevator ride to the penthouse with a promised threat to decide. Yes. Or. No. 

I find comfort in the memory. Without that night, there most likely wouldn’t be this. No Colton. No baby on the way. No chaos to want to hide from.

My eyes are drawn back to the beach. To the temptation of Colton’s place to escape. Sadly, right now, I couldn’t escape down there if I wanted to. At least he can get on his board and paddle out beyond the break to get some distance from the photographers. I’m not so lucky.

What I’d give to be inconsequential right now.

And yet deep down, no matter how hard I try, I know I will never be that to Colton. He’d never allow it. My handsome, complicated, and very stubborn husband takes too much pride in the two things he never thought he’d have—a wife and her love—to ever let me feel inconsequential again.

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author K. Bromberg writes contemporary novels that contain a mixture of sweet, emotional, a whole lot of sexy and a little bit of real. She likes to write strong heroines and damaged heroes who we love to hate and hate to love. She’s a mixture of most of her female characters: sassy, intelligent, stubborn, reserved, outgoing, driven, emotional, strong, and wears her heart on her sleeve. All of which she displays daily with her husband and three children where they live in Southern California. On a whim, K. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Since then she has written The Driven Series (Driven, Fueled, Crashed, Raced), the standalone Driven Novels (Slow Burn, Sweet Ache, Hard Beat, Aced (a new Rylee and Colton novel releasing 1/11/16), and a short story titled UnRaveled. She is currently working on new projects and a few surprises for her readers. She loves to hear from her readers so make sure you check her out on social media.

 

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COVER REVEAL: Broken Beat by April Brookshire

BROKEN BEAT

Broken Beat #1

April Brookshire

Releasing Jan 27th, 2016

You’ve heard the story before. A young woman moves to the big city, catches the eye of a rich and powerful man, and they live happily ever after.

Unless they don’t.

Vanessa has learned to live without her happily ever after.  In fact, she no longer needs or wants it. Her heart may have been shattered by the loss of true love, but it’s made her a stronger person. Her fairytale dreams faded, making way for more practical aspirations.

Keenan made a mistake when he brutally discarded Vanessa from his life. Ever since, he’s been in a hell of his own making. The life he’s led for the past several years isn’t one to be proud of and he doesn’t deserve to win Vanessa’s heart once again.

Not that he’ll let anything stop him.

“Keenan wants to see you,” Darius said.

My hand tightened around the glass, at the same time it began to shake. Adding my other hand into the mix, I gripped it until the shaking lessened. “You’re not serious.”

Staring at where some of the water had sloshed out onto my hand, I tried to ignore the rising panic.

“He’s found out the truth,” Darius explained.

My eyes rose to meet is all-too-serious ones. “How?” The word left my numb lips barely above a whisper.

His head dropped to look down at his shoes, but I could still see his hesitant expression from where I sat several yards away. He rubbed a hand through his thick hair. “He asked me to leave any explanations to him.”

My dread morphed into irritation. “That sounds like him. Always needing to have the final word.”

The strain left his features at my comment. “So, what do you want me to tell him?”

I stood, setting my glass down on the coffee table. The view of Manhattan outside became larger as I walked to the large penthouse windows. I stared down below at the tiny people walking on sidewalks and the toy cars moving down the street. Inside here, it seemed as if everything had come to a standstill.

It was impossible to pinpoint any one feeling about the possibility of seeing Keenan again. A combination of anxiety, sadness and defiance mingled with something I refused to identify as anticipation.

I imagined an awkward conversation between Keenan and myself. Rehashing our history wasn’t an event I’d enjoy. So he finally knew the truth and in his arrogance had decided it was time for closure. 

He’d always made all the decisions.

Well, this time I’d be the one deciding the outcome. Seeing Keenan would benefit me in no way. It had taken time, but I’d moved on from the heartbreak of our disastrous ending. All evidence proved Keenan had also moved on. Any conversation between us would come too late.

Not turning from the view, I told Darius, “Tell him it was another lifetime.”

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April Brookshire is the author of the Beware of Bad Boy and Young Assassins series. She also co-authors the Dead Chaos series. She writes in the New Adult & Young Adult Romance and Apocalyptic Urban Fantasy genres.

April lives in a suburb of Denver, Colorado, where she raises her young son. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually reading, but also enjoys attending concerts and plays in the numerous venues of the city.

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NOT THE ONE by Amy Daws

My name is Reyna Miracle.

Even though a part of my name is Miracle, there’s nothing miraculous about me.

My body portrays the tales of my life.

Every feeling, every heartbreak, every emotion.

Marked. Inked. Stained.

A walking canvas of my messed up truth.

But there’s one confession I can’t put in a tattoo.

A confession that will kill me to tell, but my best friend died before I had the chance.

Now I’m left with him.

The only one who can hold me in the night and squeeze that spot on my neck that feels like my lifeline between sanity and chaos.

But we don’t work together.

We’re absolute poison for each other.

We’re a stifling, suffocating, sickness of darkness.

But I feel safe...because I’ve made an art of pushing people away.

Now he’s pushing back…

And making me believe...

Making me wonder...

Maybe, just maybe...

I could be the one.

~Not The One is Full Length Standalone Adult Romance~ 

 

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Not the One was a fabulous read. It is much darker than other novels by Amy but the feels that you get from this book are off the chart! Definitely in my TOP 10 if not 5 for the year!

Reyna Mircle is a lost soul. She's been spinning since the death of her best friend and the betrayal that she was never able to confess to her. She's in a constant state of array and has finally decided enough is enough. The only problem is that she's been in this spiral with her best friend and he just keeps pulling her back, no matter how much she tries to stay a float.

Just as she thinks things are starting to turn around, in walks Liam back into her life, causing a new line of problems, Rey desperately wants to forget. But Liam is pushing...he knows the there is something hidden deep down in the both of them that they need to face, together.

Rey feels she's not worthy of love, but Liam is pushing harder than ever to show her she deserves that and so much more.

I seriously had a huge book hangover after reading this book. It's not all deep and down. We get comic relief in the form of our favorite redhead from the London Bound Series. This is a standalone book but in order to get a little more depth in the story line I would recommend reading the London Bound Series because they are fabulous reads and I adore Amy.

Must Read of 2015

 

“Christ, I hardly recognized you,” he seethes, the angry bulge in his jaw bone ticking violently. He grabs my arm firmly and pulls me off the concrete steps and into a covered archway away from all the other happy students. “What the fuck, Rey?”

“What are you talking about?” I ask in utter confusion.

He reaches beneath my chin, grabs the zipper and yanks it down harshly. I shove his hands away as my robe is yanked open.

“Fuck, Rey! You’re skin and bones!” Liam’s face is tortured and sickly. Dark circles reside under his eyes but he still looks gorgeous as ever.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Grabbing the edges of my robe, I cover myself back up, protectively. I’m wearing a short blue shift dress that used to hug every one of my curves but now hangs on me like a potato sack. I know I’ve lost some weight since Marisa but I’m not about to let him scold me like a child over it. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old adult, Liam. I don’t need you chastising me over this.”

“Rey,” he says my name on a sigh. “How can you expect me to ignore this?” His eyes are pleading and pained as they flash between my eyes and my mouth in utter agony.

“I’m not your concern!” I push back my dark hair and squeeze the back of my neck to try to gain some of my control back.

“You made that perfectly clear when you shoved me out of your dorm room. Fuck. How did we get this so utterly wrong?”

“Just leave it, Liam.”

“No.” He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him. “Don’t you miss me? At all? I miss you like crazy. I feel like I’m mourning two deaths instead of one. It’s like you died on me two weeks ago. And now I see you today and it makes me sick to my stomach that I’ve left you the way I did!” His eyes are shimmering with tears and pain, only adding to the self-loathing I’ve developed the past fourteen days.

My eyes are dead and cold, my voice flat and unaffected. “I told you I wanted nothing to do with you, Liam. I meant it.”

“You’re lying to me. Again!” he roars, angrily punching the concrete wall beside my head. 

Q: Readers are calling Not The One a “painfully beautiful love story.” Why is that? What was the writing process like?

A: Writing this book was terrifying. I’ve never been so far outside my comfort zone with any other book. This storyline literally terrified me and I got pretty depressed during the process. It was crazy hard, but crazy cathartic. It feels good to sink into those dark corners sometimes. It makes finding the light that much more magical.

Q: What inspired this story?

A: Well, Reyna was a character in my London Lovers Series that I couldn’t get out of my head. I had an idea for an interesting backstory for her…a mother/daughter dynamic that I’d never read before but could relate to because of some of my own personal struggles. I needed to know more about her, so I wrote it.

Q: But this book isn’t a London Lovers Series novel, correct?

A: Correct. I’m calling it a spinoff. A cross-pollination so to speak. There are characters from my London Lovers, but it reads best as a total standalone.

Q: Who the heck is Frank? And how did you create him?

A: LOL! Ohhh, Frank and Beans. He is my London Lovers secondary standout. He’s a fantastical redheaded gay Brit that everyone needs in their life. Magically, he fit into Not The One like it was meant to be. Frank is the comedic lightness that this story needed, but he’s so much more. He’s special.

Q: Will he get a story? 

A: He is my most requested story.
That’s not an answer. 
LOL…Let me be “frank” when I tell you…it is a distinct possibility. ;)

Q: Who designed your cover? It’s stunning!

A: I’m so glad you like it because I did! LOL. My sister in law took the photos. We do all of my covers together. We both come armed with cameras and click away until our models can’t take anymore. But I always end up using my sister-in-laws pictures for the cover. I just like to see through the lens instead of my eyes. But I do all my own layout and designing in Photoshop.

Q: And the cover models? 

A: All of my covers have just normal people. I never shoot models. The cover models on Not The One are just a couple of local hairdressers that my sister-in-law knew! It’s funny…I had met the girl a couple of times and talked with her briefly about her incredible ink and through the writing process, her tattoos fit my story perfectly. It was kind of chilling.

Q: So what’s next for you?

A: I’m pretty sure I’ll be continuing on this London path for a couple more stories. Without revealing any spoilers, I’m really hoping readers will be interested in one of the characters’ HEA. I’d love to write his story next. And then…finally, Frank and Beans. :)

Amy Daws is a commercial producer and lives in South Dakota with her husband and daughter. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is what inspired her passion for writing. Amy is a lover of all things British and her award-nominated romantic comedy series, The London Lovers Series, is centered around Americans in London. It's emotional and self-deprecating with lots of humor sprinkled in. On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside children’s-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little miracle.

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Amy Daws - Not The One - Blog Tour