Rumor Has It by Magan Vernon

Title: Rumor Has It

Series: Friendship, Texas #2

Author: Magan Vernon

Release Date: Oct 25, 2016

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 A Brand new Standalone, Second Chance Rom Com from Friendship, Texas featuring Country Music's Biggest Superstar, Eddie Justice and Friendship's resident author, Brook Carrington.

"Rhonda, pst, Rhonda is that the Carrington girl? The writer who was at the bakery with that country singer Eddie Justice? I thought she was in Austin?" one of the old church ladies not-so-subtly asked the woman next to her.

I rolled my eyes and Clay looked at me with a mischievous grin. Slowly I stretched my arms over my head and leaned toward my brother, not so quietly whispering, "I can't wait to get out of church so I can go home and get some Eddie Justice man meat."

The old ladies gasped and started whispering. They didn't need to know that Eddie and I had only ever been next door neighbors and friends, well until we spent the night breaking a tree branch, if that counted for anything.

 

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I wrinkled my nose, thinking of the way my t-shirt clung to me, drenched in sweat, and how I had to smell probably worse than I felt. “I’m going to hop in the shower first.”

“Want me to join you?” he asked.

“Um ...”

He stood up, grinning and slowly peeled his shirt off before tossing it on the couch.

I’d seen Eddie without his shirt plenty of times growing up and even more now on magazines. But seeing the newly ripped six-pack and those hipbones that dipped into his Levi’s, I was practically panting like a dog in heat.

“Do you expect me to whip my shirt off too like some girl in a music video? Because if I did that, I’d probably break something.”

The grin widened on Eddie’s face as he sauntered around the couch until he was right in front of me.

“Then I’ll take it off for you,” he whispered in a husky voice.

I gulped; doing the only thing left to do, I lifted my arms over my head.

He pulled my shirt off as if it wasn’t an old sweaty thing, and his eyes roamed over my now bare chest and stomach. I wasn’t exactly the most in-shape person and my wider hips and skinny waist were something I’d hated in high school. But as an adult, I definitely knew Eddie appreciated the curves when he bit his bottom lip before putting his hands on my hips.

He lifted me up as if I was as light as a feather, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, letting him carry me to the single bathroom.

Eddie let me go slowly, my tennis shoes hitting the tile floor. The bathroom wasn’t the smallest in the world, but it wasn’t huge either. At least the guy who owned the house before us updated it a bit with a stand-up tile shower and a glass door.

Before I could move to make sure I had clean towels and shampoo somewhere, Eddie’s lips were on mine, and his hands made quick work of the button and zipper of my jeans.

His kisses were hot and longing, letting me taste the sweet heat of his tongue as he licked and nibbled my bottom lip.  His hands roaming over every part of me as soon as I was free of my clothes, turned me into a puddle of goo.

I was too turned on to even think about anything but the feel of Eddie’s lips on my body. It wasn’t until he whispered in my ear that I was knocked back to reality.

“Let’s get cleaned up.”

He pulled back slightly to turn on the water of the shower behind me. It sputtered before a steady stream sprayed.

My pants were down to my ankles, and I was still in my tennis shoes, watching Eddie strip out of his boots then his jeans and finally those black boxers.

I’d seen my fair share of naked men in all sizes and levels of hairiness, but seeing the sculpted body of Eddie Justice was enough to make me gulp and I had to hide my staring by quickly removing the rest of my clothes and shoes.

He reached behind me, cupping my ass before his lips were back on mine. Our bodies tumbled backward under the warm water as my hands claimed every part of him I could touch.

I stepped back, hitting my elbow on the shower wall. Damn tight spaces.

I broke the kiss briefly only to inhale a large stream of water and almost choke on it. I pounded on my chest and bent over slightly. Trying not to look at Eddie, I didn’t want him to see how much of an idiot I looked like.

“You okay?” he asked, putting his hand on my back.

“Yeah. Maybe getting frisky in the shower is better in theory than actual practice. I’ll let you shower first, and then I’ll get in,” I said, putting my hand on the door.

Eddie grabbed my arm and whirled me toward him. The water dripped down his face and over his kissable lips to his impeccable chest. “Why don’t you just sit down and let me wash you?”

I was almost too dumbfounded to speak and let him gently push me toward the shower seat.

He grabbed my body wash from the rack showerhead, poured some in his hand, and lathered it up. Slowly, he kneeled down, his hands massaging my arms then over my neck and each breast and nipple until they formed a soft peak and I moaned softly.

He kept moving his hand lower, sweeping over my stomach and then to my thighs. Working his way down my thighs and then back up, he placed his hand on my mound and hooked a finger inside me. I thought he would stop there, bringing my glorious agony to its peak and getting me off with his long fingers. But then just as quickly as his hand was inside me, his tongue replaced it. If I thought Eddie was a master at playing guitar or using his hand, I was way wrong. That magic tongue of his could do way more than belt out a Grammy-winning song.

I put one hand on the back of his head and the other on the glass wall of the shower. An orgasm took hold, and my entire body shook, the steady spraying stream of the water engulfing my scream. But the sound of the water didn’t mask the epic crash of the glass wall completely falling off the hinge and toppling sideways until it wedged between the window and the toilet seat across from the shower.

“Holy shit,” Eddie said after moving his mouth away from between my thighs only to lean back and hit his head on the shower valve. Which, of course, decided his head was big enough to knock that off the wall, and a big rush of water spewed out the hole where the valve had been.

Eddie scrambled to stand up and held his hand out, helping me out of the shower.

I didn’t even know where the towels were and if I even needed to be concerned with getting dry when the entire bathroom would be flooded soon.

“Want me to call my dad and see if he knows a plumber?” Eddie asked, yelling over the rushing water.

“Yeah. You call him, and I’ll call Clay.”

Brooke and Eddie have been best friends since they were in the womb. The two were inseparable and their moms just knew that they were going to grown up marrying each other. But what they never expected was Eddie to leave the small Texas town to become one of country music's biggest stars. Eddie promised to come back from Brook, but once he hit the big city, Brooke seemed to be just a memory of the past.

Now years later Eddie finds himself back home escaping the trials of being a big star and runs into none other than Brooke Carrington - the girl who had his heart from an early age but he was too chicken to admit it. Yes he did wrong in never coming back for her, but he thought he was doing her a favor. Brooke doesn't see it the same way. She has loved Eddie as far back as she can remember - and he dropped her like a hot potato and never looked back. 

Now as the two come face to face again, they must rebuild their broken relationship and see if the spark is still there even after everything that's happen in their lives.

I love Magan's writing and being a fellow Texan myself, I absolutely love anything books that feature the romance of Texas. The Friendship, Texas series is a must read. Magan's humor comes through in her spunky characters and the romance of finding love again prevails, leaving you a happy camper in the end.

Magan Vernon has been living off of reader tears since she wrote her first short story in 2004. She now spends her time killing off fictional characters, pretending to plot while she really just watches Netflix, and she tries to do this all while her two young children run amok around her Texas ranch.

   

The Billionaire Next Door by Jessica Lemmon

Only a fool would give her heart to a billionaire player like Tag-

until suddenly the one man who can't be caught is the one flirting with forever . . .

THE BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR

Billionaire Bad Boys #2

Jessica Lemmon

Releasing Oct 25th, 2016

Forever

Can't Buy Me Love

It's Tag Crane's job to be the life of the party. Traveling from one exotic locale to another is just part of running the luxurious Crane Hotel empire. But even paradise isn't perfect. Devising a new business strategy is keeping Tag up at night-and so is the Great Dane barking at all hours in the apartment below his. To muzzle the problem, Tag charges downstairs . . . right into the most beautiful, blond distraction he's ever seen.

Dog-sitting by day, bartending by night. It's not exactly the life Rachel Foster dreamed of. But when Tag Crane rushes in, all mountain-man shoulders and obscenely sexy smile, needing her help for the Crane Hotels, it's a fantasy come true. What's the harm in a fun no-strings fling? Only a fool would give her heart to a billionaire player like Tag-until suddenly the one man who can't be caught is the one flirting with forever . . 

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“This is so much colder than a cab,” Rachel said through chattering teeth. The bar was probably fifteen blocks from the apartment. What was she thinking agreeing to walk? She couldn’t feel her nose.

“But cleaner,” Tag said. She was currently taking two steps for every one of his, given his gait was longer than hers, even at a leisurely pace.

“I do better when it’s a nice, even seventy degrees.” She buried her chin in her scarf as she watched her boots cut through the gathering snow. “I guess it’ll be a few more months until we see milder temps.”

God. She was hopeless. Walking down the sidewalk next to a gorgeous guy and talking about the weather. But Tag didn’t balk.

“I like extremes,” he said, as if this was perfectly acceptable conversation. “If it’s hot, I like it really hot. If it’s cold, there’d better be snow or it’s a waste. I like the ocean because you can’t see the end of it. If I’m in a forest, I prefer one filled with massive sequoias.”

“Because you can relate to them,” she teased. “Giant.”

He turned his head and smiled and she admired straight, white teeth surrounded by a golden brown beard. He’d pulled his hair down and the light brown waves fell haphazardly over his black coat. Which was so sexy she couldn’t think. Especially since there were snowflakes in the strands. Not that she could blame them. Nestled warmly in those locks wasn’t a bad place to imagine being.

Again, she wondered at her attraction to him. Though he did kind of look like Thor, and while she wasn’t a die-hard comic book fan, she could appreciate the actor in the movie.

“How tall are you?” she asked, mostly to stop her inane train of thought. The more she was around him, the less she understood her basal reaction to him.
“Just under six-six. You’re what? Five-five?”

“Yeah. How’d you do that?”

He shrugged and looked ahead, but she didn’t doubt how he’d done it. He’d likely honed his carnival skills and was stellar at guessing weight and height. It wasn’t hard to imagine him using his intuition to figure out a woman’s weak points so he could attack where she was most sensitive. He’d probably had a ton of practice.

Was that where her concern was coming from? That he’d find her weak spots and use them against her? That’s what Shaun had done, she thought with a token amount of bitterness.

“How’d I do what?” A puff of air came from his lips, buried in his beard. She’d never liked facial hair. Until now, apparently.

“How’d you guess my height?” she shot back, feeling peeved more with herself than him. Lack of sleep, or maybe too much, she wasn’t really sure what to blame her reaction on now. “How’d you know I was a businesswoman before? I’m a great bartender, by the way. I was a bartender for longer than I worked in marketing.” She pushed her hands deeper into her pockets, lamenting not bringing her gloves with her. Her hands were freezing.

“Just observant. I’m good with people,” he said.

She absorbed that for a few seconds.

“What exactly do you do in Guest and Restaurant Services?” She air-quoted those words, which brought her bare hands from her pockets. He noticed.

“Where are your gloves? Do you realize it’s February in Chicago?”

“I forgot them.”

Tag stopped walking, a deep sigh working its way from his wide chest as he tugged off his gloves.

“I’m fine.” But he wasn’t listening. Once he’d had his baseball-mitt sized gloves off, he lifted her smaller, freezing hands to his mouth, cupping them in his palms, and blew on them to warm her fingers. He did this the way he did everything else.

Slowly.

Intentionally.

And looking right at her.

He brushed his lips over her knuckles as a drove of chills shot down her spine and legs. She became fascinated by how soft his beard felt against her freezing skin, and then those chills were replaced with heat. Pooling in her belly, between her thighs, and infusing her face with color.

“Thanks,” she muttered when he let her go. She stuffed her hands into his gloves—they were warm, and after his personal attention, so was she. They finished their walk to Crane Tower, and once they were in the lobby, she put that together with Crane Hotels. “You’re pretty brand loyal aren’t you?”

“Honey, you have no idea.”

 Oh Tag Crane... My my my. Oh how I loved this story. Sigh.

Tag Crane is the head of Guests and Resturaunt Services for Crane Hotel International. He takes his job seriously and with the impending retirement of his father, the CEO, he is primed and ready to take over the family business. The only problem is that the board of directors thinks that Tag is a little too unruly, with all the women and the lack of anything serious in his personal life. So all he needs to do is prove to the board that he's the man to take over. And he knows just the way to do it.

Rachel Foster was more than what Tag was prepared for. But when the two meet - there were sparks... but totally the wrong kind. 

Tag has something that Rachel needs and she may just do whatever it takes to make sure her own family's business stays a float. Even if it mean laying with the enemy.

I loved the banter and chemistry between Tag and Rachel, two head strong stubborn people who were made for each other.

As always Jessica gives you the right amount of laughter, romance and angst. Leaving you with a story that makes you want more.

A former job-hopper, Jessica Lemmon resides in Ohio with her husband and rescue dog. She holds a degree in graphic design currently gathering dust in an impressive frame. When she’s not writing super-sexy heroes, she can be found cooking, drawing, drinking coffee (okay, wine), and eating potato chips. She firmly believes God gifts us with talents for a purpose, and with His help, you can create the life you want.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads

 

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PRE-RELEASE BLITZ: Someone Like You by Lauren Layne

A man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU

Oxford #3

Lauren Layne

Releasing Dec 6th, 2016

Loveswept

Lauren Layne’s bestselling Oxford Series continues with the poignant, heartwarming story of New York’s most eligible bachelor, Lincoln Mathis, a man who’s living a lie—until his dream woman takes away the pain.
 
Lincoln Mathis doesn’t hide his reputation as Manhattan’s ultimate playboy. In fact, he cultivates it. But behind every flirtatious smile, each provocative quip, there’s a secret that Lincoln’s hiding from even his closest friends—a tragedy from his past that holds his heart quietly captive. Lincoln knows what he wants: someone like Daisy Sinclair, the sassy, off-limits bridesmaid he can’t take his eyes off at his best friend’s wedding. He also knows that she’s everything he can never have.
 
After a devastating divorce, Daisy doesn’t need anyone to warn her off the charming best man at her sister’s wedding. One look at the breathtakingly hot Lincoln Mathis and she knows that he’s exactly the type of man she should avoid. But when Daisy stumbles upon Lincoln’s secret, she realizes there’s more to the charming playboy than meets the eye. And suddenly Daisy and Lincoln find their lives helplessly entwined in a journey that will either heal their damaged souls . . . or destroy them forever.

Advance praise for Someone Like You

“Fun and flirty, sassy and steamy, with a deep emotional pull that will keep you turning the pages.”—Kelly Jamieson, author of Top Shelf

“An unsung hero with a story that touched my heart. Emotional and gripping. A top favorite of 2016 for me.”—New York Times bestselling author Melanie Moreland

Lauren Layne is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen romantic comedies. She lives in New York City with her husband (who was her high school sweetheart--cute, right?!) and plus-sized Pomeranian.

In 2011, she ditched her corporate career in Seattle to pursue a full-time writing career in Manhattan, and never looked back.

In her ideal world, every stiletto-wearing, Kate Spade wielding woman would carry a Kindle stocked with Lauren Layne books.

For a list of all her works, please be sure to check out her official website!

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COVER REVEAL: Dashing Through the Snow by M. Leighton

Halloween is over.  Thanksgiving is on its way.  The season's are changing, and Christmas is right around the corner.  What better way to celebrate the holidays than to curl up with a hot, sexy story about a hot, sexy snowboarder?  Dashing through the Snow, the newest creation of M. Leighton, is coming your way November 20, 2016.

Dilyn Hart hates Christmas, so when her boss (and ex-boyfriend) hands her an assignment to interview champion snowboarder and gorgeous playboy extraordinaire, Dash Grainger, on Christmas Eve, she takes it. There are several things she doesn’t plan for—a surly driver, a chalet in the middle of nowhere, a freak snowstorm—but the biggest surprise of all is Dash himself.

Dash Grainger lives for the high, and so far in his twenty-six years, he’s never met anyone or anything he loves more. Nothing has ever thrilled him as much as slick snow, cold air, and breakneck speed.

Until he meets Dilyn.

But one perfect night doesn’t mean clear, blue skies the next day. There are some storms that can’t be weathered.

Christmas Day might just be one of them.

 Amazon Alert:  http://smarturl.it/DashAMZAlert

Add to Goodreads:  http://smarturl.it/DashGR

New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, M. Leighton, is a rarely ever comfortable speaking about herself in the third person, but here goes. Michelle is a former nurse who has always harbored a passion for the written word, a weakness for alpha males, and a profound love of all things romantic. Never in her wildest dreams did this Yankee-turned-Southerner imagine her life as it is today. 

She has the best job in the world, a husband who treats her like a princess, and a dog that's so smart she may one day write a novel, too. You can often find Michelle hidden away in her cave, crafting a new story, or out in the sunshine enjoying some quiet time with her man. Movies, wine, and good food are frequently thrown into the mix, and exercise on days that start with Q. She loves laughter, chocolate, the color red, and you can find out more about her at www.mleightonbooks.com. 

Sign up for her newsletter here: http://smarturl.it/MLeightonNews She promises not to spam your inbox:)

Find her here:

FB: http://smarturl.it/MLeightonFBPage

Reader Group: http://smarturl.it/MLeightonFBGroup

IG: http://smarturl.it/MLeightonIG

Happy Release Day RC Stephens! Halo is LIVE!

Title: Halo

Author: R.C. Stephens

Release Date: Nov 1, 2016

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I fell in love with Thomas Wells and knew he was my forever.

I was sixteen when I gave him my heart.

Our love was the kind to last a lifetime.

But Thomas was broken.

The first day we met he told me he was going to become a Navy SEAL.

At nineteen he enlisted.

At twenty he married me.

At twenty five he left me pregnant and didn't turn back.

I knew he was suffering….

I also knew I couldn't save him.

He left me broken.

I was scared and alone.

Until I met Ryder St. John a wounded soldier…

He was lost.

I was lost.

Together we made sense.

I fell in love again…

What Ryder forgot to mention was that he held a secret so explosive that it could shatter both our worlds.







 

    

“We aren’t from the same area of Rogers Park I’m guessing, but no I don’t like it. I live with my father and I can’t wait to leave. I’ve been training since the day I turned fifteen. There’s a SEAL training camp in Great Lakes, Illinois and that’s where I’m headed. Then I’ll be property of the navy and allow them to take me wherever that may be as long as it’s away from here.”

I can’t help but sulk.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t mind going back to LA,” I mutter.

“How old are you anyway?”

“I’m fifteen. And you?”

“I just turned seventeen,” he replies, biting his lower lip again. I wonder if it’s a nervous habit. “Are you going to give me your number?” he asks. He obviously didn’t have self-esteem issues. I look over to my side and I see Amanda practically drooling as she watches us.

“Ah!” He takes a step back as if he’s tripped and holds his hand up to his chest. “I’m wounded. You seriously need to think about it? Well, that’s a first.” He shakes his head.

Oh geez! He must have lots of girlfriends. Leave it up to me to be lusting after a player.

“Well, if that’s a first then you don’t need to worry,” I snap at him, not liking his arrogance. “You must have them waiting in line for you.”

He looks almost bewildered and remains painfully quiet. It makes me feel like I have the upper hand and I like it for once. Maybe I’ve been drooling too much and he senses it. Not happening.

“There’s a line, but it’s your number I want,” he replies with a cocky grin.

“Thomas, I am not that kind of girl,” I answer harshly.

“Halo, I know you aren’t and that’s why I want your number.” His tone is filled with challenge.

I was so intrigued with this book and couldn't put it down once I started.

Halo and Thomas meet when she was 15 and he was 17. From the start, he was the bad boy who only had eyes for the shy and innocent Halo. When Halo's parents get killed in a car accident, Thomas steps up to take care of Halo and becomes her everything. But she knew from the start that Thomas was ready to leave... he was enlisting to become a Navy Seal. It was always a part of the plan and she was ok with that.

The years of deployment and being on the front lines has taken a toll on Halo and Thomas. And one day she finds that he's no longer coming home... just when she needs him the most.

This book is full of sorrow, pain, redemption, mystery and surprises. It was a true page turner for me.

One of my top reads of 2016.

As far back as R.C. Stephens can remember she was a sucker for a good romance. Of course there had to be a prince charming even if he ultimately was a dark knight and there had to be a happy ending.

She watched the movie Dirty Dancing way too many times growing up and Jean Claude Van Damme movies too. Go figure!

After years of saying she would write a book one day, she finally put pen to paper and carved out the plot line for what would eventually become the best selling Twisted Series. Now R.C. is just finishing up her seventh book and can't seem to stop the stories running through her mind. Visit R.C. on her FB page to find out what's new in her life and what releases she has coming up.