Thursday, June 30, 2016

*.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`*RELEASE BLITZ*.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`* Roar, Growl & Kiss Box Set

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A SIZZLING SET OF 10 SEXY SHIFTER STORIES!


From a pack of New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling paranormal authors comes a collection of 10 shifter romances that will leave you howling for more!


Jessie Lane
Eliza Gayle
Hildie McQueen
Mena Carter
Marina Maddix
FLora Dare
Jordan K. Rose
Georgette St. Clair
Lynn Red
Celia Kyle


Grab it today before it’s gone forever!


99c for a LIMITED time!!!


Purchase Links:
Amazon US : AU : CA : UK  


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Gage Ivanov is a stupid beast. He let the woman who should be his mate go because she couldn’t be told of his Other identity. Now Elena’s back, but she refuses to give in to his demands for her to be his mate. Does he have his claws in her for good? Or is she just yanking his tail?

Before she can become Alpha, Sierra must take a wolf mate. However, she’s in love with two men, one of whom is strictly forbidden. When the pack is attacked and a temperamental stranger from the past threatens to send them spiraling apart, she must choose between love and duty.

International settings, a supermodel wolf shifter and off the charts chemistry make this a sizzling read.

Mission: Protection duty. No one said anything about black magic or the most powerful magic of all. The call to mate…

It may be against the rules, but when a hot eagle shifter lands at an exclusive resort, one employee really wants to ruffle his feathers. What’s a curvy kitty to do?

She’s a witch trying to forget the past. He’s a shifter who never wants to forget. But if they don’t worry about their future…they won’t have one.

If pack law requires every wolf to mate and mating an outsider is forbidden, why has fate bound Maria’s heart to an angel?

Spoiled city girl Eileen Pennyroyal will do anything to seal a business deal that will win her father’s approval…but does that include a mating of convenience to a deeply damaged wolf shifter? Can Eileen convince semi-feral Marcus that he’s worth saving, before dark forces from his past come back to claim him for good?


Delilah is barely keeping her head above water. Jake is the reluctant alpha of a secretive pack of werewolves whose brother is gunning to take over the pack. When their worlds collide, will they survive? Or will they end up bait before there can be a werewolf wedding?

One headline changed weretiger life forever: Ladies, like a tiger’s stripes? Tug his tail and keep him forever! Now Ares has a town of stripe-hunting women looking for a tiger’s tail to pull and… a full moon on the horizon.


✨AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:DANIELLE ALLEN✨






The cattiness.
The fights.
The shaming.

I don't generally watch reality television, but I definitely don't watch reality dating shows. Besides the fact that it's completely staged, it's a horrible depiction of people -- women especially.

Women are pitted against each other to compete for the affection of a man they "fall in love" with after a week or two.
I call B.S.
It is complete crap.

So when my best friend, Koko, was hired as a makeup artist o the set of the most popular reality dating show, The One, I teased her mercilessly. She told me that if I didn't stop teasing her, she would get me back.
And she did...
Which is how I ended up as a contestant on The One.






When society tries to put you in a box, knock the walls down. –Tati Green 

“You have a pretty face” is such a back-handed compliment. It’s like telling me that my face is beautiful, but the rest of me is not. 

Despite what society says, my curves are hot.
My love life, on the other hand, is not. 

My mom says I’ll never find love because of my weight.
My sister says I’ll never find love because of my personality.
My almost-fiancĂ© says I’ll never find love because I’m incapable of loving anyone. 

My mom and sister are full of it, but my ex kind of has a point. 

At twenty-seven years old, I’ve never been in love. I date a lot, yet sparks never fly. But when I experienced the heart-pounding, skin tingling feeling for the first time, I didn’t think it would be caused by a guy I’ve never met. And I damn sure didn't think he would end up holding my future in his hands in more ways than one.




Roman Harper is known for being three things:
A talented artist…
A charismatic loner…
And most notably, an unintentional heartbreaker.

Even though he doesn’t mean for women to fall in love with him, Roman Harper has left a string of broken hearts in his wake.  But after a lie tore his world apart eight years ago, Roman doesn’t let anyone get too close to him. Sex is sex and love is…completely out of the question.  Using the past as motivation, Roman pours his heart out onto his canvas.  His heartache inspires some of his best work. And at twenty-eight years old, his art is finally getting the recognition that he’s always desired. But when Roman wakes up on the morning after his successful event with no recollection of who left the cryptic message on his bathroom mirror, everything changes.





Months after a secret admirer shook up his life, Roman Harper has found peace with the past that haunted him for eight years. He’s opened his heart to Bianca Baker. He's made a name for himself in the art world. Life is good…

Until an anonymous package with a cryptic message changes everything.

When it happened before, it ripped him apart. This time around, he has so much more to lose.






Mya Washington is a rebel. Or at least, that’s what her family has always said. As the youngest of a set of triplets, she has always been the more rebellious of the three…even though she never considered herself a rebel.

Outspoken? Yes.

Rule Breaker? Sometimes.

Trouble Maker? Nev—occasionally.

Growing tired of being typecast and misunderstood, Mya moves to New York looking for a fresh start away from the life she grew up in and out of the shadow of her older sisters. Striking out on her own may have put a strain on the family dynamic, but it's the new beginning Mya was looking for.

But after the unexpected death of her mother, she is blindsided yet again by a wedding invitation she didn’t see coming. Her father’s upcoming marriage only cements the wall she’s put up around her heart. Because if her father could be such an utter disappointment, why should she even attempt to open up to any man?

Enter Colton Davis.



Is it better to have loved and lost or to have never loved at all?

Sexy, successful and stylish, Autumn Jones believes in love. She believes in the all-consuming, mind blowing enormity of love. She believes in the euphoric state of loving and being loved. She believes in it because she’s had it once. And when it was lost, she was devastated, but she never stopped believing in the existence of love. Unwilling to settle, she learned from the past and moved on with the expectation that she’ll love again.

Beautiful, talented, and slightly jaded, Summer Wilson believes in sex. She believes in the all-consuming, mind blowing enormity of good sex. She believes that love exists, but Prince Charming does not. At least not for her. She’s seen the downside of love—insanity, heartbreak, infidelity, divorce—and she dates with the expectation that she won’t ever subject herself to that type of vulnerability. Instead, she chooses to love her family, her friends, and her work. And although she enjoys the company of men, her heart is hers and hers alone.

Best friends since elementary school, Autumn and Summer kick off the summer by embarking on a dating experiment. Unfortunately, expecting the unexpected doesn’t prepare them for what the dating world has in store.



Sahara Lee is damaged by grief and guilt.

Ten years ago her world was turned upside down and she never recovered. One decision, one choice, one accident killed the person she was before.

The old Sahara had family, friends, and the love of her life. Now Sahara isolates herself from any and everything she once loved. Immersing herself in fashion, art, and music as a way to escape the pain of the past, she accepts her lonely existence as penance for the role she played in the accident.
That is, until she meets Tyree Barker.

Back to Life reminds you that living and existing are two completely different ways to go through life. Grief will break you but guilt, guilt will destroy you. And once that happens, what can bring you back to life?



When Sahara Lee’s past and present collided, a series of events occurred that changed her life forever, leaving her future up in the air.

As a college freshman, a tragic accident changed the course of Sahara’s life. Ten years later, just when she started putting her life back together, Sahara’s world was rocked again due to a similar accident.

Heartbroken and guilt ridden, Sahara fell into old, familiar habits before quickly realizing that she wasn’t the same Sahara Lee anymore. Unable to live a lonely, loveless, isolated life anymore, Sahara decided that the way she coped before wasn’t going to work this time around.

Time didn’t heal her wounds, but forgiveness might.


Danielle Allen is a lover of football, fashion, film and fiction. From karaoke nights to vacationing and everything in between, she enjoys making the most out of the life in which she’s been blessed by living authentically and intentionally. Danielle spends her days teaching college students and her nights writing.

Danielle Allen is the author of the Back to Life Series (Back to Life, Back to Reality, Back to December*), Love Discovered in New York, Autumn & Summer, the Heartache Series (Heartache, Heartfelt, Heartless*), Work Song, The One, and the upcoming Nevermore.

*coming Winter 2016/2017

Website | Email | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Goodreads | TSU | Amazon




Tuesday, June 28, 2016

☆.•°*°•.☆TEASER BLITZ ☆.•°*°•.☆ Until Harry by L.A. Casey


Title: Until Harry
Author: L.A. Casey
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: July 19



Like nothing you have ever read from L.A. Casey before, a story of loss, love, and finding yourself in the darkest of times.


He was my best friend, my best not-really-big-brother and my best protector. He was my best everything. He was mine.
Coming home is hard for Lane. Hard because Harry, her beloved uncle, has died suddenly, but also because of him. Kale.
Kale Hunt has been her best friend since childhood. But it was never that simple. He was Lane’s reason for leaving home and moving to New York. Seeing him with someone else, in love with someone else, shouldn’t have hurt. But it did. It really, really did. So she upped sticks and left, started a new life and cut herself off from her past.
But now she’s back and all the feelings are right there. As if she had never left.
Emotions are running high for everyone, and tragedy has a funny way of bringing people together. But is Lane reading the signs right? Are they still just friends, or is there something more?

Pre-Order Today!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU





L.A. Casey is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who juggles her time with her mini-me and writing. She was born, raised and currently resides in Dublin, Ireland. She enjoys chatting with her readers, who love her humor and Irish accent as much as her books.
Casey’s first book Dominic, was independently published in 2014 and became an instant success on Amazon. She is both traditionally and independently published and is represented by Mark Gottlieb from Trident Media Group.

Facebook | Twitter | Website | Instagram Amazon |Goodreads

Subscribe to L.A. Casey’s Newsletter








Thursday, June 23, 2016

☆.•°*°•.☆RELEASE DAY☆.•°*°•.☆ ROCK THE CITY by GIA RILEY

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Cover Design: Sommer Stein / Perfect Pear Creative Covers Release Date: June 23, 2016
 
Synopsis
Ten years ago, Lane Lewis said goodbye to the only home he’s ever known. Now that Midnight Fate’s tour has ended, he’s more determined than ever to find a balance between music and life. But sometimes reality’s a joke, fate’s a lie, and history’s meant to repeat itself. Ten years ago he shed the pain, but now it’s seeking revenge. Noelle Nash is a hopeless romantic with a dirty mouth. After almost giving up on love, she’s been lured away from her safety net to try one more time with Lane. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to hold onto the man she loves, but her fierce protectiveness even takes her by surprise. Can she learn to accept the truth? Or will she let her fears consume her, leaving her with no choice but to walk away? Six months ago their future began. Today, it’s about to get rocked.
   
Goodreads
   
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Giveaway
 
Mystery pair TC LuLaRoe Leggings & $25 Amazon Gift Card
(2 prizes total - 1 winner for each prize)
 
    Lane teaser 1 RTC  
About the Author
Gia Riley is a New Adult and Contemporary Romance author from the small but mighty state of Delaware. She's a lover of all things romance - a firm believer that everyone deserves a happily ever after. She loves strawberry smoothies almost as much as she loves reality TV. When she's not writing, you can find her roaming the aisles of Kirkland's, up to her elbows in Play-doh, or trying to hunt down spoilers for Big Brother. Her newest addiction is a Starbucks iced mocha - they keep her up late, doing terrible things to her characters.  
Connect with Gia
Facebook Author Page: http://bit.ly/1UsFRhN
Facebook Reader Group: http://bit.ly/20RYGN6
Goodreads Author Page: http://bit.ly/1WXzq9Q
Goodreads Fan Group: http://bit.ly/1XNCGng
Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/22wsHDL
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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

*.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`*NEW RELEASE*.✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨`* A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S FLING by ELIZA WALKER


A Midsummer Night's Fling Buy Links:




Synopsis
“A magical, joyful, delightful, sexy contemporary romance by a new star in the making!” — New York Times bestselling author Marie Force 

The show must go on, but the price of admission could be her heart. 

Sick of her vagabond life in a Broadway touring company, Nicola is ready to settle down. She wants nothing more than to park her suitcase in California, put out feelers for local auditions, and leave her past firmly behind her. 

Too bad her past comes knocking on her door her first day home. All six-foot-three, beautiful man of her past named Max. Stupid Max. The mistake Nicola just can’t seem to stop making. 

Even before Nicola—fiery, quick-witted, beautiful Nicola—slams the door in his face, Max is in trouble. She will always be the one who got away. Three times. Which makes convincing her to play Titania to his Oberon a bit…awkward. 

Though she has zero desire to re-re-rekindle an old flame, Nicola can’t turn down the chance Max is offering: a lead role with the West Coast’s premiere Shakespeare company. But when their first rehearsal kiss disintegrates into a passionate liplock, she’s questioning her sanity and tempted to jump ship—before Max can break her heart again. 

Now it’s up to Max to convince her that the torch he’s been carrying is actually an eternal flame.





Excerpt:

Ready? he mouthed at her.
    Yes. Her eyes softened, and the tiny smile she gave him seemed to set a hook in his heart and pull.
    A million memories surged through him, hitting like a train into the side of a mountain. This scene was so familiar, so precious. Nicola across the stage from him, ready to spar and tease and challenge. Ready to play.
    Ready to be in his life again?
    Just do the scene, idiot. He inched his shoulders back as he eased into the physicality of Oberon, but after those stolen seconds of fussing, he still wasn’t ready. The closeness of Nicola, the potential in being near her had set his body humming in a steady buzz, which had nothing to with theater.
    But what the hell? The curtain was up. Judith was watching. Game on. “‘Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania,’” he rumbled out, deepening his voice and adding the hint of an accent. So he’d sound all kingly and shit. He strode down the short stairs toward her.
    Nicola, as Titania, narrowed her eyes at him and raised one eyebrow. “‘What, jealous Oberon?’”
    He crossed the stage in three easy strides, invading her personal space. She stood on the step above him so he found himself face-to-face with her, close enough to kiss. She startled, jerking her head back, and he didn’t know if that was Nicola or Titania. She made to turn away from him.
    “‘Tarry, rash wanton.’” He slid an arm around her waist, holding her without pulling her closer. “‘Am not I thy lord?’”
    She cocked her head sideways, her mouth a smirking, sensual promise. “‘Then I must be thy lady.’”
    Yes, you are. Having her in his arms felt so right, like he’d been missing a piece of himself and not known it until he touched her again. He was near enough to see the ring of dark brown around her irises, to count the freckles scattered across her nose, to smell the spicy fruit scent of her hair. To feel her breath sigh over the skin of his face.
    He closed the few inches left to her mouth, but she ducked, twisting free of his arms before he could kiss her.
    As Oberon, he was infuriated.
    As Max, he was almost ridiculously disappointed.
    Keep your head in the work. Focus. If he blew this opportunity for her because of his overeager libido, then she would never forgive him. And he would never forgive himself for ruining yet another thing for her.
    Nicola continued the scene, taunting him, playing Titania as the most alluring of sirens. Rita had told them to ratchet up the sexual tension, of course, but Nicola was on exactly the same page as him. The whole scene they each found excuses to stand near the other, to touch and tickle like this was all foreplay. The chemistry between them crackled, and she obviously felt it too, getting as much of a high from this performance as he was. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparking in a way he remembered well.
    He could think of only one other thing the two of them had done together better than this.
    Don’t go there, Max.
    Really hard, though—heh—not to let his mind wander there as she crossed to sit on one corner of the stage and laid herself out, her lovely, petite body displayed for him to admire.
    They had reached the part of the scene where Titania refuses to give Oberon her adopted son. “‘I will not part with him.’” She stretched her legs out and pillowed her cheek on one hand to study him with simmering, heavy-lidded eyes.
    Somehow, even though Nicola sat on a bare stage in blue jeans and a white blouse, somehow she managed to appear decadent, lush, pure temptation made of sweet, supple flesh. Venus waiting in her bower for Mars to ravish her. Cleopatra inviting Antony to negotiate terms for his surrender.
    The sight of her was too much to resist. He maneuvered around behind her and sat. Resting an elbow on his knee, he reached forward and tucked a strand of soft brown hair behind her ear. He let his fingertip linger against the skin of her neck, and she shivered at the contact. He didn’t know if that was Nicola or just Nicola acting, but the sight had heat building low in his gut. “‘How long within this wood intend you stay?’” His line came out throatier than he’d intended, the low rasp of a desperate man.
    And, dammit, he was desperate. You’d think five years would have done something to dim his desire, but he found himself swamped by it, awash in images, wants.
    Like right now, he imagined everyone else gone. To lunch. To hell. Wherever. Didn’t matter. Just away. Then he’d be free to kiss Nicola until her mouth was swollen, to touch her skin and smell and taste her until she was trembling against him, then he’d ease her back flat on the stage and—
    “‘Perchance till after Theseus’ wedding-day,’” she said, cutting into his thoughts. She tossed her head, shaking out her curtain of soft brown hair, projecting indifference, but it was a fragile façade to hide how much she wanted him to stay here with her.
    As Oberon, or maybe using Oberon as an excuse, Max leaned into her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her collarbone. She shivered again, the instinctive tremble of a woman who was just as turned on as he was. That wasn’t acting, or not only acting.
    “‘Give me that boy,’” he murmured, “‘and I will go with thee.’”
    Nicola swallowed, aroused heat and brittle fury burning together in her eyes. “‘Not for thy fairy kingdom. Fairies, away!’” She shot to her feet, striding offstage without a backward glance, the muscles in her shoulders taut, her hands clenched into fists. Their small audience erupted in applause. Tierney even whistled.
    Max rolled to his feet. Nicola emerged from the stage left wings, looking shaken and pale. He tried to catch her eye, but she was staring into the audience at Judith.
    Gil distracted him, patting Max on the arm. “You two were wonderful together.”
    Tierney gave Max a rough slap on the back. “I think I just got a contact high from all the pheromones you two were pumping out.”
    Nicola flashed a wild look Tierney’s way, then wiped her face blank. Except her mouth, which tightened into a grimace.
    Max’s stomach dropped. Crap. Nicola was pissed.
    Her gaze slid his way, and her eyes were dark, actually smoldering with wrath.
    Make that really pissed.
    Which, the more he thought about it, pissed him off too. He’d played his part for her, and pretty damn well, all things considered. Nothing he’d done had been out of character for Oberon. Nothing had been over the line.
    Maybe kissing her neck was tiptoeing close to the line, but Max felt he was on the side of right there. She had a great neck. Sometimes a guy’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.
    For the scene, of course.
    Everyone froze as Judith stood, the sound of her seat flipping up oddly loud in the large theater.
    She was the unknown quantity here, and Max prayed she would act for the good of the show. Isabelle had been known to let her ego get in the way at times. Please, let Judith be different.
Judith started down the aisle, glancing at a small notebook as she scribbled things. Tierney rolled her eyes. Gil shrank into himself, trying for invisibility. Rita twisted the silver bracelets on her arm.
    Nicola folded her arms and waited, cool and collected as a queen.
    That’s my girl.
    Judith stopped at the foot of the stage and, without even glancing at Nicola, said, “I’m sorry, but I need to cut this short. Ms. Charles, can you come in tomorrow to read for me again?”
    Max gaped. What is wrong with this lady? Sure, artistic directors were allowed to be prickly divas. They ran the show, after all. All the shows. Nicola had nailed the audition, the director wanted her, so making Nicola audition again just felt like some weird power play.
    Nicola worked her jaw, clearly offended but fighting to stay professional. “Of course. What time?”
    “No. Nonono no nono no.” Rita sliced her arm through the air. “No, Judith. That is not acceptable. We need to settle this today.”
    “We need a Titania,” Max put in, not glancing at Nicola as he said it. “Ms. O’Fallon, do you honestly think you’ll find someone better for our production than Nic—than Ms. Charles?”
    Judith’s nostrils flared, her cool gray eyes narrowing to slits. Finally, she flung her hands up. “All right. You, Nicola, come in tomorrow to sign your equity contract.” With a dramatic flair not quite on par with Isabelle’s, Judith whirled around and pretty much stormed out of the theater.
    Rita let out a shrill victory cry and threw herself on Nicola for a hug. Max grinned, big and goofy. He had a Titania again. He had Nicola again.
    Her gaze met his over Rita’s back, and Nicola stilled, her face blanking out.
    What the—
    Nicola had the part. She should be thrilled. So why did she look like she had to barf again?
    She eased away from Rita and murmured something. Rita pointed to the backstage area. Giving the group at large a reassuring wave, Nicola hurried off stage left toward the dressing rooms.
    “Maxim, I need you to—”
    He waved Rita to silence. “Give me a second?” Gut churning with unease, Max jogged backstage, f
ollowing—okay, maybe chasing—Nicola.
    He found her in the green room, leaning in the doorway, half-in, half-out, with a faraway expression in her eyes. In his younger days, Max had learned to recognize that look and put as much distance between himself and The Look as possible. Avoidance had always been his favorite way to solve conflicts. But not now. Five years hadn’t only made him older.
    When she saw him, she held a hand out to stop him walking closer. “I’m fine.”
    “Bullshit.”
    She flashed him an irritated glance but didn’t say anything.
    “Nic, what’s wrong?”
    She looked up, her eyes soft, her mouth half-parted. Awareness of her body flamed over him. Memories of the taste of her skin and the softness at the base of her throat had his lower self springing to attention.
    Real professional there, Max. He shifted, uncomfortably aware of what a schmuck he was. Still, he wasn’t going to walk away. “Nicola. Tell me.”
    She sucked in a deep breath and, when her gaze flicked to his mouth, he thought he might explode. “This, Fiesengerke.” She cupped the back of his head, yanking his face down to her. “This is what’s wrong.”
    Then she kissed him.
    As her mouth touched his, he thought, This is a bad idea.
    But still Max grinned against her lips. After all, he’d sort of been hoping this was the problem all along.



A Midsummer Night's Fling
Eliza Walker

This is so much more than a “fling” this book is absolutely beautiful.  Nicola is completely floored when Max comes back into her life. Never did she expect to have a spark ignite into an inferno.  That was the beauty of this book, watching Nicola and Max build on a once collapsed relationship. These two fall in love again in the same way they fell the first time, via Shakespeare.

We all love and appreciate Shakespeare, what better way to capture an audience's attention than with his work.  All the characters in this book played an important role in this story but the headliners, Nicola and Max. The chemistry that was there when they were young and immature is stronger now.  The feelings are hard to miss, the emotion in this book jumps at you and simply sucks you in; good luck escaping the power of Max, he will consume every single inch of your being.

The book is centered on putting the show of A Midsummer Night's Dream; we get to learn how the auditions, creation of wardrobe, delivery of lines from the actors, basically all aspects of the show from beginning to opening night. The process was actually very educational and insightful which leads me to believe that the author has had experience in the arts or has done extensive research. I enjoy when an author knows what they are writing about.

The other part that me interested was that the book takes place in Pasadena, California; literally down the freeway from me. I could picture the scenery that was on the pages; I love supporting local authors and books written in my area. For this being the authors first book, I found it PHENOMENAL. Strong storyline, well written and thought out characters, and of course appreciation for a fave... SHAKESPEARE. I want to just grab a copy of Romeo and Juliet and picture my favorite actors, Max and Nicola in it.


Eliza, thank you, for a lovely book, a book with a refreshing storyline, it stands out among the rest. I can't wait to see what you do next.



Author Bio: Eliza Walker, a native of Los Angeles, is the author of the Much Ado About Love Series that begins with A Midsummer Night's Fling. Her experiences as an actress helped inspire the series about actors finding love amidst the bedlam backstage at a world-class repertory theater. Once upon a time, Eliza met her own wonderful husband when they did a play together. By day Eliza helps corral engineers for NASA (without doing any of the tech stuff herself, of course). By night she loves to write her sarcastic heroes and heroines bantering their way to true love. Eliza is a total geek, a movie buff and a mediocre swing dancer. Eliza and her husband live in sunny Southern California with two of the neediest housecats on the planet.

Eliza's Social Links:


Wednesday, June 15, 2016

☆.•°*°•.☆COVER REVEAL☆.•°*°•.☆ BLOOD TO DUST by L.J. SHEN

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Coming July 18th

Add to your Goodreads shelf now.


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His name is Beat, and I should hate him.


Bound, blindfolded and bruised, I'm tied in his basement, waiting for the men who stripped me from clothes and humanity to collect his debt to them. Me.


His name is Nate and I should hate him, but I don't.


I'm not supposed to know his real name, even worse, I'm not supposed to care. He is nothing to me but means to an end. The plan is simple: break free, collect the pieces of my broken soul, kill the bastards and run away.


His name is Nathaniel Thomas Vela, and I've never seen his face, though I hear that it's beautiful.


Behind the rugged and handsome exterior, there's a quiet murderer, a killer who thinks guns are for pussies and ends people with his bare hands.


His name doesn't matter, neither does his face, but what does matter is my heart. And right now, sadly, it's his.


Blood to Dust is a standalone, full-length novel. It contains graphic violence and adult situations some may find offensive.














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“You don’t get a say in this shit,” Ink announces with borrowed authority. I can hear the uncertainty leaking from him. He’s what I call an easy job. If it were just him watching over me, I would have been dancing in Iowan cornfields far away from here by now, Sebastian and Godfrey’s heads tucked in that Nike bag.
“You make me uncomfortable.” I yank my arm away.
“What, and the other guy makes you warm and fuzzy?” He sounds genuinely offended.
Beat inches closer behind me, and I feel the heat of his body drifting into mine. He’s close. Hot-jock-leaning-against-your-locker close. It’s going to be hard to bypass someone his size.
“You think I’m nice?” His breath moves through the plastic of his mask, tickling my ear. I shudder down to my toes. His mouth smells like peach. How bad can a guy who smells like a peach be?
“Nice-r.” I clear my throat, my eyes still trained on Ink in front of me. Ink shakes his head, indicating that I’m dead wrong. The air becomes chilly. Why hadn’t I noticed it’s so chilly?
Because it’s not. It’s August in California, and I’m cold because I’m frightened.
“Let’s test your theory. I’m going to touch you now. Move without permission, and I’m breaking your arm.”
My busted lower lip splits open again as I scowl at his threat. He definitely looks like a guy who makes good on his threats.
“Okay.” I lick my blood, my voice tender.
Beat kicks my legs open and brings my arms up, patting me down dryly, like airport security. His rough fingers stroke the curves of my shoulders as he moves down from my skull to my outer breasts, circling them lazily. Down to my stomach…lower to my tensed inner thighs, pushing the fabric of my mini dress away to make room for his warm paws.
Every muscle in my body is ready to plow forward, to run away, to try and hurt him; the memory of every experience I’ve had that started this way demands for me to take action. But this…it doesn’t feel like a violation. The sour taste of bile has yet to explode in my mouth.
His hands move down my legs, stroking my ankles…then he stops.
“Got something inside?” He squats down, hooking one of his thumbs into my ankle boot. His masked face is eye level with my pelvis, and warmth spreads along my bones like hot wax.
“No,” I lie. There’s still a slight chance he won’t check.
But he checks.
Beat jerks my boot out and a Swiss army knife falls with a clank on the concrete pavement. I let out a sigh and drop my head. Shit.
Happy thoughts.
Frozen yoghurt with Preston down the local mall.
Curling up on the egg-swing with a Mia Sheridan book.
Water lilies blooming over the artificial pond in the Burlington-Smyth’s garden.
A genuine smile from a stranger.
Beat stands up slowly, his gleeful mask zeroing on my face. It all looks like a scene from a horror movie.
And I’m the victim.








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L.J. Shen is a best-selling author of Contemporary Romance novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.


She enjoys the simple things in life, like chocolate, wine, reading, HBO, spending time with her girlfriends and internet-stalking Chris Hemsworth. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

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