All of my $3.99 ebooks are now $2.99. My box set ebooks have been dropped ac
cordingly
THE TAME SERIES BOXSET in ebook form is just $5.99. The DESTINY IN DEADWOOD ebook is just $4.99.
My scifi romance ebooks are also now just $2.99. CENTAURI, THE COMPLETE SERIES, is just $4.99 and SWORDS AND BLASTERS, which is the Centauri Series combined with the SWORDS OF GREGARA series is just $6.99 for all six books.
Her Rodeo Masters by Anya Summers
Excerpt
Ignoring the roiling mass of coffee churning in her stomach, she approached her boss. Don gave her a ‘what now?’ scowl.
“Sir, let me do this and not the horoscopes. I really think there’s something here. There’s a club that has a private section,” Ivy explained.
“That’s not news, Ivy, that’s Hollywood spilling over up interstate 210. Most of the posh clubs within fifty miles of downtown Los Angeles have a VIP section,” Don said, shaking his head, his frustration with her palpable.
“Yes, but I know that this one is different. My instincts—”
Don gave her a patronizing glower. “Ivy, you’re a great writer, which is why I hired you in the first place, but investigative reporting is not the right fit for you. I’ve been in the news business longer than you’ve been alive and I know a thing or two. I need you to trust me on this and do the job I’ve hired you to do.”
She flinched. “Just give me this one chance. Let me investigate this, and if I’m wrong—”
“If you’re wrong, you go back to writing what I assign you, no more questions asked,” Don finished for her.
“I won’t let you down. I can do this, sir,” she replied.
“We’ll see. You still have to do the horoscope pieces this week, along with the rest of your workload,” Don said, not giving her an inch of space.
“I understand. Thank you, sir,” she said and walked toward the conference door.
“Don’t thank me yet. Because if you truly fuck up and harm a business without sufficient proof, you won’t be writing anything—you’ll be unemployed,” Don threatened.
The spurt of confidence she’d felt deserted her as the realization sank in. She’d just bet her career on the off-chance that she had a story.
Ivy slunk back to her office, her knees shaking. She ignored the evil smirk from Stuart and the pitying glances from the rest. She could do this: she could be an investigative journalist, just like her father. Back in her workspace, she sat at her desk and stared at the letter from Dungeon Pleasures. There was no time like the present to shake up her life and dive in. Tonight would be the perfect night to begin her investigation. And, if fear slithered through her system at the thought there was a chance she could lose everything she’d worked for, she shelved it for later.
She didn’t have time to be a wimp. This was her ‘go big or go home’ moment.
BLURB
Ivy Phillips is on a mission. She’s an investigative reporter for the Pasadena Tribune, and is hoping to write the story of the century by infiltrating Pleasure Island claiming to be a submissive. Except, when she gets there, she inadvertently finds herself auctioned off for charity and now has two hunky cowboys who want to own her body and soul.
Dax Johnson and Nate Banks have been a rodeo team – and lovers – for years. But they’ve yearned to add a sweet submissive to their union. When they meet Ivy, Dax knows she is the one for them, and the duo set out on a seductive campaign to win Ivy’s affection.
But when the truth is revealed, will their newfound relationship survive? Or will the two cowboys ride off into the sunset without her?
Publisher’s Note: This is the ninth – and final – instalment of Anya Summers’ bestselling Pleasure Island series. While we recommend all the books, it can be enjoyed on its own.
Available at: Amazon https://goo.gl/HDZw6v
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Visit her website here:
Visit her on social media here:
http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
Twitter: @AnyaBSummers
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Sign-up for Anya Summers Newsletter
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/anyasummersauthor/
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers and Blushing Books!
Dungeon Fantasy Club Series
Pleasure Island Series
Her Master & Commander, Book 1
Her Music Masters, Book 2
Their Shy Submissive, Book 3
Her Lawful Master, Book 4
Her Rockstar Dom, Book 5
Duets & Dominance, Book 6
Her Undercover Dom, Book 7
Ménage In Paradise, Book 8
Her Rodeo Masters, Book 9
Cuffs & Spurs Series
His Scandalous Love releasing March 8, 2018
His Wicked Love releasing May 8, 2018
His Untamed Love releasing July 9, 2018
His Tempting Love releasing September 6, 2018
His Seductive Love releasing November 8, 2018
His Secret Love releasing January 8, 2019
His Cherished Love releasing March 8, 2019
Here is an excerpt from my latest book, Mail Order Mystery, Brides of Seattle, Book 1
Excerpt
Meals were eaten in shifts. There was enough room in the mess to accommodate twenty-five at a time. After everyone had eaten, she decided to approach him. Rachel watched Jason Talbot for weeks before finally getting the courage to speak to him. As they sailed south along the coast of South America, she decided it was now or never.
“Mr. Talbot.”
“Yes, Miss Sawyer. How can I assist you?”
“I know I’m being terribly forward,” she felt herself blush. She couldn’t control the reaction even when she wanted to. “But I wondered if you, um, knew anything about astronomy. The stars seem especially bright tonight.”
He smiled. “I do know a little bit about the sky, would you care to join me on deck and I’ll tell you what little I know.”
She headed up to the deck, and he followed because the narrow passageways were barely wider than one person.
And so it began.
*****
Rachel waited by the rail, staring out into the calm, blue ocean. She was sure Jason would be there soon, even though she hadn’t asked him to come again, she knew he watched her leave the ship’s mess. They ate at the same time, though not at the same table.
He sat with his brothers, the captain and the first mate.
She sat with Lucy and several of the other women, including Karen Martell and her two children, six-year-old Larry and three-year-old Patty. The children were very well behaved considering the confinement of the ship, but Karen kept them occupied with games and projects. She never let either of them go topside without her and another bride. The deck was just too dangerous.
Even though most of the brides turned out to be good sailors, there were a few who simply could not go topside, for the vastness of the sea around them made them ill.
Those that did go outside learned to sway with the rolling of the ship over the ocean waves. Most very easily and quickly.
Rachel was one of those. She loved the ocean. The smell of the sea after a storm was amazing. She’d sneaked up to the deck during their first storm and had been mesmerized by the lightning striking in the distance.
She found out later that what she’d done was very dangerous. Lightning and wooden ships do not mix. It was not uncommon for the lightning to strike the main mast of a ship, causing it to shiver or long splinters to be blown from it, occasionally injuring a sailor or knocking him off the deck, which in a stormy ocean usually meant death. The sails also sometimes caught fire, but the captain and crew smothered the fire with the help of the rain and wind.
Knowing those things did not stop her from going up to the deck to watch the storm from the top stair before actually going on the deck. Jason knew he could find her there and she often was just waiting for him so they could spend time together.
One night she watched Jason stand behind Clancy who was at the wheel. Jason had his hands on his hips, and the wind blew through his hair making it curl all over. He stood there like the world was his for the taking. To her, he looked magnificent.
They only met at night which made her sad, but she would rather have him some of the time than not at all. He wasn’t ready, maybe never would be ready, to meet her during the day when his brothers might see.
She didn’t blame him. Rachel was the same way with Lucy. She didn’t want to hear her lectures about falling too soon for a man who is obviously unavailable.
“Jason, why won’t you meet me during the day? Are you ashamed of me?”
He closed his eyes and put his arms around her.
“No, I’m not ashamed of you. Never. You are the kindest, smartest and most beautiful woman I know, but I’m not a free man.”
She pulled away and turned her back to him. “You’re married?”
Jason placed an arm around her shoulders and tugged her back against his chest. “I was. Cassie died birthing our son, Billy. He’s nearly ten now.”
“If your wife died ten years ago, how does that make you not a free man?”
“I loved Cassie. I still do. I wouldn’t be able to give you what you need.”
Rachel turned in his arms, put hers around his waist and glared up at him. “You don’t know what I need. You are what I need…for now. So just kiss me, Jason, and let me make my own decisions.”
She was grasping for whatever happiness she could get. Even if her contentment was fleeting and would end soon, Rachel would take it and try like Hell to figure out a way to make him understand that he could care for her, too.
Lord, how do you fight a ghost?
BLURB
Civil war devastated the country and left Rachel Sawyer stranded in a dead-end job as a seamstress with no prospects for marriage. Men are thin on the ground in Massachusetts, so Rachel and her best friend travel west, to Seattle, with the handsome Talbot brothers. Jason Talbot, the eldest brother and wealthy owner of a lumber company, is so far beyond her reach that falling in love with him is the most non-sensical thing she could do. So, of course, she does. But after one sensual midnight encounter, Jason pushes her away.
Jason Talbot and his brothers are desperate to keep their lumberjack crews happy. And if that means traveling across the country to escort a hundred women to Seattle as mail-order brides, that’s what he’ll do. The brides are for other men. After losing his wife ten years ago, he’s not interested in risking another devastating blow to his heart. When Rachel catches his eye, his head and his heart are at war, and he’s not sure which side will win.
But when a thief springs up in their midst, and Rachel’s determination to solve the mystery leads to murder, Jason realizes he’ll do anything, not just to protect her from a killer, but to win her heart.
LINKS:
AMAZON – https://www.amazon.com/Mail-Order-Mystery-Brides-Seattle-ebook/dp/B077YBS7KR
AmazonWorldwide – http://getbook.at/MailOrderMystery
APPLE – https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/mail-order-mystery/id1321555120?mt=11
KOBO – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/mail-order-mystery-1
GOOGLE – https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Cynthia_Woolf_Mail_Order_Mystery?id=86dBDwAAQBAJ
Excerpt
Adrift and unsteady, he braced himself against the swells as the ferry moved through the cobalt waves like a hungry sea creature.
Eyes shielded behind a pair of aviator sunglasses, Eric surveyed the rest of the passengers aboard Goddess of the Sea. In addition to their boat captain, Deke, a Dom with the bearing of a boxer, there were four couples present on deck whom, after a quick perusal when they first arrived, he had ignored.
He wasn’t intentionally being an ass. Not this time.
As the drummer in an internationally known rock band, maintaining anonymity was difficult at best. Out in public, even on the way to an exclusive resort catering to the BDSM lifestyle, Eric tempered his interactions with people. It was safer that way. Then he didn’t have to worry about it ending up in the tabloids.
And on Pleasure Island, with the non-disclosure agreement every guest must sign, he could sue the pants off anyone who leaked information to the press.
Besides, out of everyone on board the vessel, it was the lone beauty on deck who captured his attention. The name of the ship, Goddess of the Sea, perfectly described the willowy blonde poised at the stern. In skinny jeans that accentuated her endlessly long, supple legs and a gauzy peasant top that rivaled the sea in color, she had seized his full attention.
He had to admit she was stunning. The way the sunlight illuminated the waves of her golden tresses that stopped mid-back made her look like a beacon, a shimmering gemstone. No man, no Dom worth his salt, would want to deny himself the pleasure of her company.
He’d done enough of that.
Denying himself. That stopped, now.
Eric’s intentions on Pleasure Island were simple. Find himself a submissive and fuck himself into a state of orgasmic bliss over the next two weeks. Hopefully one that he could maintain once he left the island.
Easy. Simple.
And, he prayed, the most effective cure for his malaise. Not to mention, it was doctor ordered: the fun, the frivolity to be had on the island, as a way to battle his misery.
And damn it all, he needed to feel happy. It had been too long since anything had stirred his lethargy. Not a stay at an exclusive facility in Switzerland to help his depression, where his bandmates believed he was getting it on with a ski instructor. Not all the accolades, fame or fortune that had come his way through The Harbingers’ success.
And he hated that it made him sound like a pansy ass wanker.
Over the next two weeks, on what was becoming the legendary Pleasure Island, he would soothe his battered soul and the depression surrounding him. And the beautiful woman standing all alone was a damned fine place to begin.
Ménage In Paradise Blurb
Ian has wanted Olivia from the moment they first met. They shared a torrid one-night-stand in Scotland a year prior and never spoke of it again. Now they are business partners, and Ian has plans to woo Olivia back into his bed permanently.
Eric Thomas is a drummer from the superstar rock band, The Harbingers. When he meets Olivia, he knows there’s something different about her. He wants her – and not just for the night.
But when the two Doms cause a stir with their antics on Pleasure Island as they each attempt to win Olivia, they will be forced to contemplate another means of attaining their prize. Can they convince Olivia to experience the fantasy of a ménage with them? And will what happens on Pleasure Island stay that way?
Publisher’s Note: While this steamy ménage is part of the bestselling Pleasure Island series, it can be read and enjoyed on its own.
Amazon: https://goo.gl/qce2BD
Author Bio
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.
Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.
Visit her website here:
Visit her on social media here:
http://www.facebook.com/AnyaSummersAuthor
Twitter: @AnyaBSummers
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15183606.Anya_Summers
Sign-up for Anya Summers Newsletter
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Anya-Summers/e/B01EGTVRKC/
Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/anya-summers
Don’t miss these exciting titles by Anya Summers and Blushing Books!
Dungeon Fantasy Club Series
Pleasure Island Series
Her Master & Commander, Book 1
Her Music Masters, Book 2
Their Shy Submissive, Book 3
Her Lawful Master, Book 4
Her Rockstar Dom, Book 5
Duets & Dominance, Book 6
Her Undercover Dom, Book 7
Ménage In Paradise, Book 8
Her Rodeo Masters, Book 9
Looking for Legendary Events? We’ve got them at Wild Deadwood Reads 2018!
You are officially invited and welcomed to attend Wild Deadwood Reads Book Signing and Legendary Events in Deadwood, South Dakota. You’ll find so many things to do, including fun and adventurous outings planned just for us that weekend. Register right away so you won’t miss out on any of the excitement! Everything starts Thursday evening, June 7, with a Meet-and-Greet Cocktail Hour on the patio overlooking Deadwood. Check out the view!
View of Deadwood from the Deadwood Mountain Grand.
Wild Deadwood Reads has grown since year one. In June, we had just under 50 authors, and since we’ve already registered more than 80 authors for 2018, we’re projecting we’ll double our author roster to around 100 for next June! To accommodate this bigger and more Legendary event, we’re taking over the entire, amenity-packed Deadwood Mountain Grand Hotel, and we’ve negotiated a fabulous rate for guest rooms for you from Wednesday through Sunday night, so you can come in early, stay an extra day, or do both!
Our Hotel – the new and upscale Deadwood Mountain Grand
Get ready to jump onto a luxury motorcoach with 54 of your new friends-to-be on Friday morning for an all-inclusive sightseeing tour including three amazing destinations around the Black Hills.
Big Thunder Gold Mine
Crazy Horse Monument
Prairie Berry Winery
Saturday morning you’ll enjoy a hot, delicious Breakfast With the Authors right in our hotel, in the Deadwood Mountain Grand’s Event Center on the second floor above the Non-Smoking casino. At one end of the Event Center we’ll relax over a scrumptious hot buffet breakfast, and at the other end are the ready-to-rock tables for the Author Book Signing!
The book signing begins Saturday morning at 10:00 am in the Event Center which is accessible by escalator, elevator, and stairs, and there’s lots of room for us at this lovely venue! We’ll even have vendor tables where local small businesses will tempt you with everything from hair pretties to chocolate!
Aaron Bunce and his #1 Helper
During the Book Signing, you’ll have the chance to win something fabulous at the Basket Raffle, which will support a local non-profit organization. Authors, cover models, sponsors, and vendors are all very busy dreaming up the perfect goodies to place into a basket to catch your attention! Check out the basket examples on our website!
Saturday afternoon, we have The Rodeo! Right in town, it’s a gasp-provoking Professional Bull Riders Rodeo with the rankest bulls in the territory. We’re lucky to have an exclusive VIP Package, Behind the Chutes, where we’ll watch PBR Bullriders and stock contractors show us how they load the bulls into the chutes, and how the cowboys get themselves settled onto the bulls – for at least 8 seconds! We’ll enjoy VIP reserved seating for the rodeo, bus transportation both to and from the rodeo grounds, a special dinner after the rodeo at the No. 10 Saloon’s upstairs restaurant (in close walking distance of our hotel) featuring an entertaining show created just for us by our Rodeo hosts! Afterward, head downstairs for a live band at the official after-hours hangout for the Bullriders and all the rodeo staff. Get your cameras ready – they love to show off their belt buckles!
2017 PBR Deadwood Rodeo
If you’re not in a Rodeo mood, we have the perfect event for you! Hosted at a downtown hot spot, Wild Bill Bar in walking distance of our hotel, join authors and readers for Wild Book Readings at Wild Bill Bar – with DESSERT! This sweet event takes us on a trip back in time as we head to their private, upstairs room which has been lovingly refurbished to look like a Victorian theater with bistro seating. A cash bar, an author-sponsored dessert bar of delicacies, and authors reading you their favorite scenes from their own books. Mix, mingle, and indulge! This event will be Legendary.
There’s so much to do and see in Deadwood and all around the area, you’ll have a must-see list that’ll keep you busy all weekend. And we give you plenty of time to explore on your own! Walking the streets of historic downtown Deadwood, you can easily imagine Wild Bill Hickok tipping his hat as he passes you on the sidewalk. Or Calamity Jane causing a ruckus at a noisy saloon. Or Seth Bullock facing down a gunslinger and sending him on his way to Mount Moriah Cemetery, just up the hill from town. And, well, you don’t have to imagine any of this. Deadwood stages free shootouts right on Main Street!
Wild Deadwood Reads Reader Registration is only $10 which includes a handy neck wallet and two more wonderful gifts which are listed for you on the website. Besides being the perfect spot for your phone and other essentials, the neck wallet holds your name tag which allows you to sign up for all the great weekend events listed above, some of which are FREE! Check out our website http://wilddeadwoodreads.com/ and our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/wilddeadwoodreads/ to see everything that you can experience! I am thrilled to be going to Deadwood next June, and I want to make sure you don’t let this awesome opportunity slip your mind or slide off your calendar. Register today and you’ll be all set to have one of the best, Wildest, and most Legendary times you’ll ever experience!
Here is an excerpt from Central City Brides, Book 4, THE PRETENDER BRIDE. I hope you enjoy it.
CHAPTER 1
April 10, 1871
Rockford Residence, Brooklyn, New York
“Detective Nelson. What are you doing in here?”
Katie Kennedy asked the man she found in her stepfather’s bedroom. He appeared to be looking through the books on Noah’s nightstand.
“Oh, I…ah…was looking for the bathroom.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’m sure you won’t find it in Noah’s books.”
He set the book in his hand back on top of Noah’s Bible.
“I…I wanted something to read…you know…”
“You’ll find reading material already in the bathroom across the hall.”
She pointed out the door.
“Oh, well, I don’t seem to need to use it after all.”
Katie thought that was the oddest conversation she’d ever had. What was David Nelson looking for?
*****
“Goodbye. Thank you for coming. I’m sure Noah would have been glad you were here.”
Katie Kennedy closed the door on the last caller to her stepfather’s wake, except for her friend Geneva Watson who offered to stay and was in the kitchen cleaning up.
Ten o’clock. She slumped back against the door. She’d put her little brother and sister to bed several hours ago. Ethan was five and Ruthie just three. They didn’t completely understand what was happening and this was much too late for them. Heavens, she thought, the hour was too late for her as well. Ten o’clock before she could chase the last well-wisher out the door.
Noah Rockford had been well liked in the neighborhood and apparently among his fellow policemen as an endless stream of blue uniforms moved before her eyes in and out of the house today. She’d hated having to host a wake for him. Katie had loved Noah. He’d raised her since she was ten years-old and married her mother.
Katie sighed. Yes, he’d been liked by everyone except the person who shot him.
She looked around at the mess and shook her head. Cups, plates and cutlery were on every flat surface here in the living room, waiting for her to gather and clean them. She gathered dishes from the coffee table, the end tables, and the bookshelves. She should be thankful she and the children still had a house to hold the wake in. Noah hadn’t owned the home but rented it from Mr. Doolittle next door.
After Noah’s murder, the elderly man said Katie and the children could stay for a month before he’d have to get another renter. Katie thought that was because he felt sorry for them and her little brother and sister reminded him of his grandchildren. For whatever reason, she was grateful. That was a week ago and she still didn’t know what she would do. She’d get a furnished room if she had to, all of the furniture here belonged to the house. The only thing she had to move were their clothes, books, pictures, a few keepsakes such as the jewelry Noah gave her and Ruthie. It was pretty and he’d taken such joy giving it to them. Good memories were attached to the jewelry.
The one thing Noah had which she would have kept regardless of needing it to move their things, was his trunk. The piece of luggage was beautiful with brass scroll-work on the steel hinges, corners and lock. The inside was lined in heavy red silk, unlike most trunks which were unlined and it was oversized. Between the trunk and her two valises, they would hold everything she wanted to take,
She wasn’t taking any of the knickknacks her mother had all over the walls. To Katie the plates with kittens, small shelves with ceramic animals and shadow boxes full of nature scenes, were just clutter she had to dust. Mr. Doolittle could sell them or just leave them up. Her mother wouldn’t be happy with that decision but now was not the time to be nostalgic. Memories flooded her anyway.
Mama’s been gone for three years now, ever since my sweet Ruthie was born. I regret Mama’s death, but I certainly don’t blame Ruthie for it. For a long time I blamed Noah thinking that he’d wanted more children and forced Mama to try to have more, but I was wrong. Mama had wanted more children, wanted to give Noah more children even though he tried his best not to let her. I don’t know exactly what that means and Noah didn’t explain other than to say he’d tried.
Katie sighed, walked into the kitchen and sat at the table, still laden with food from the wake. She sipped a cup of tea with her friend, Geneva Watson. Geneva was thin but had a pretty face and beautiful golden-brown hair. “What am I supposed to do now with two small kids and no way to support us?”
Just the thought of her future made her stomach roil. I’ve always had someone I could go to for help with such matters…Mother or Noah…now both are gone.
“I know this isn’t the most normal of suggestions, but why don’t you become a mail-order bride?” suggested Geneva, who looked at the ceiling with some interest. “I have a friend who did that and she seems very happy.” Geneva took a piece of paper from her reticule. “Here. This is where my friend went. She gave this to me from the newspaper.”
That’s not how I’d hoped to be married. I always pictured my life married to the man I love and full of children of our own. The man I obviously haven’t met yet, as I’m not in love with anyone right now. Still…
Katie shook her head. “What man wants a spinster woman for a wife and two young children for an immediate family?”
Geneva waved her hand in the air. “So don’t be a spinster. Say that you are recently widowed and still in mourning. You’re a beautiful woman, Katie. You have blonde hair, blue eyes and a figure I’d kill for. Ethan and Ruthie look just like you and could easily be your children. You might want to say you’re older than twenty-five, since Ethan is five. You’ll have to wear black all the time, but that will also go for keeping your new husband from bedding you.”
“I don’t like the idea of lying, besides, Mama said those men who advertise for brides only want wives so they’d have someone to warm their beds, cook and clean for them. She refused to go down that road, though she could have. The businesses for mail-order brides were just starting up then. But she wanted more than that, so she waited until she found Noah. She fell in love with him almost instantly. He was always nice to me, too, from the very beginning.”
“My brother says that’s the only reason he married. So he’d have someone to…well you know…to bed.”
“I don’t know your brother but do you believe him? You don’t think he loves your sister-in-law?”
“Maybe. That’s not a subject that most brothers and sisters discuss but I asked why he got married and that was what he said. He seems to be in love with Claire, so I don’t know if he’s teasing me or not.”
“What makes you think I would lie? Have I ever given you the impression that lying is something I would do, because I won’t.”
“You will. Because I know you have two young children to care for unless you are planning on putting them in an orphanage and I don’t think you are.”
“I don’t think I could keep up with a lie like that. Besides, I don’t want to begin a marriage that way…with a lie. Anyway, there’s got to be a position I can get teaching in a wealthy home, or working as a nanny.” Her shoulders slumped. “I just haven’t found it yet.”
Geneva shook her head. “You’ve been looking?”
“Yes, I’ve been trying to no avail. But I’ll keep trying. There must be some—”
“Listen to you. You’re talking like you don’t have responsibilities, but you do. Can you imagine any of the homes you’ve applied to actually giving you a job with two young children in tow?”
“Well, I…I…I’ve been trying.”
Geneva cocked her head. “Just say it. ‘No’. They won’t and you know it. You’ve applied to become a governess, a nanny and a teacher and that was before you had two children to care for. Positions are hard to come by, and they’re even harder for an unmarried woman with children. Becoming a mail order bride is the only reasonable solution and you know it.”
Katie sighed and rested her chin in her hand, her elbow on the table. “I suppose you’re right. It does sound like being a mail-order bride is the only way I can keep the children with me and that is what’s paramount.”
“Go see the matchmaker. She said she’s made some great matches. I trusted her.”
Katie read the advertisement and nodded. “All right, I’ll go see her, but as the widow Kennedy, not the spinster Kennedy.” What else can I do? I’m determined to care for Ethan and Ruthie. I have no choice.
“Good. I’ll come by in the morning and stay with the kids while you are gone.”
Katie reached across the table and took her friend’s hand. “Whatever will I do without you? I’m not even gone yet, and I already miss you dreadfully.”
Geneva laughed and squeezed Katie’s hand. “We’ll write often. You have to write me as soon as you arrive and give me your address and you must tell me about your husband.”
Katie was warming to the idea of having a husband, but that didn’t stop her stomach from turning over and over. She really hated the thought of lying, but she would do whatever she needed for those kids. “I will. Hopefully I’ll be able to let you know something about him before I go.”
“I hope so, too. Maybe he will have sent a picture.
“Yes, but who’s to say it’s really him and not his best friend or something.”
“She says she’s very careful who she matches with whom and she has an assistant who verifies the men are who they say they are.”
“Well, that does sound better than what I thought. I’ll go but if I don’t like the way I see the business being run, I won’t sign up.” She sighed and slumped back in the chair. “Though I don’t know what other option I have.”
A few minutes later Geneva left and Katie looked around the kitchen. She should clean it up but she just couldn’t face it right now.
Katie headed to bed. As she passed Noah’s room, she remembered the strange behavior of Detective Nelson. She went into the room and gathered Noah’s Bible from his nightstand and put it on the shelf with her books. She didn’t want to forget it. That Bible was part of the few things that Noah had left for his children and she’d make sure they got it.
It was too bad that all the jewelry Noah bought me, Ruthie and Ethan wasn’t real. I could have sold some and stayed in the house. But then what? Even then I’d still need some way to support us. It doesn’t matter anyway. The best thing I can do for us, for the children, is become a mail-order bride. My dreams don’t matter now. Ruthie and Ethan matter now and I’ll do whatever I have to do.
What better way to celebrate the dog days of summer than with a small-town romance series filled with heat and suspense? Welcome to Pine Point, where secrets abound. I’ve always loved writing about the quirky wonderfulness of small towns, probably because I grew up in one (and I live in one now, too). They’re charming, often picturesque, and filled with characters who know, love, hate, and have all kinds of juicy gossip about each other – some that goes back generations!
People in small towns support each other when push comes to shove, but sometimes they’re oh-so-willing to throw a sworn enemy under the bus too. You can walk down Main Street at midnight and not worry about a thing (yes, the single stoplight has turned from red to blinking yellow, but that won’t matter, because everyone’s in bed anyway). You can buy amazing BBQ chicken from the volunteer firefighters in the summer and ice skate on the church green in the winter. You can make your best friends, your worst enemies, find your soulmate and raise your kids in the house where you (and maybe your parents and grandparents) were raised. Everyone knows pretty much everything about you, but that’s not always a bad thing, isn’t it?
This series was originally published by Samhain Publishing from 2009-2016 but has found a new home with Entangled Publishing and is officially releasing today! In addition to the beautiful new covers, each book has updated content, especially Summer’s Song, which has a whole new beginning: a sneak peek at Summer as a child, a pre-teen, and an angsty adolescent. I loved writing it and can’t wait for readers to see it.
In Summer’s Song, our heroine comes home to Pine Point after 10 long years away. She doesn’t have plans to stay, but that changes once she meets a local hunky handyman. But like almost every main character I seem to create, these two have secrets waiting for them. Each title in the Pine Point series is on sale for only $0.99 through August 27 so you can treat yourself to this entire collection for less than $4.00! Even better, I’ve joined with 7 other Entangled authors to create a Hot August Nights giveaway, and I’ll hope you check out this link for more information about that: http://entangledauthors.myforeverhea.com/
Enjoy this excerpt of Summer’s Song, and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Summer’s Song Excerpt:
“Hey, you can’t go up there.” A strong hand grabbed her elbow.
Summer turned with a start. “Why not?”
“Not safe yet.” He motioned to the steps, and when she looked closer, she saw a missing riser that gaped like a placid crocodile, ready to snatch up her unsuspecting foot.
“Oh.” She smiled an apology at Mac’s assistant.
He was tall, with light brown hair and deep blue eyes, and his broad, shirtless chest shone with sweat. Muscular biceps, no doubt made strong from summer labor, twitched as he reached for an itch between his shoulder blades. Summer swallowed and tried to chase away a crazy urge to scratch the spot for him.
“I’m Summer Thompson, by the way.” She reached out a hand in greeting. “The—ah—the new owner of this place.”
He studied her with a serious expression. “So I guessed. Damian Knight.”
The one who’s renting the farmhouse. “Listen, I…” She meant to talk to him about that, but she couldn’t quite process the words as his blue eyes locked with hers. He hadn’t yet dropped her hand, which she didn’t mind in the least. Strong. Warm. Sending electricity straight through her.
“Summer!”
Mac’s hand on her shoulder broke her reverie. Summer turned and plastered on a smile she hoped looked normal. “Hi, Mac.”
“Shit. Can’t believe you’re here.” He shook his head and grinned, and she glimpsed the chipped front teeth she remembered from high school.
“Well, I wanted to see the house. I just…” She faltered. “I just found out about it.”
“I know. Your father wanted it to be a surprise for you. Sorry about your loss, by the way.” He looked over his shoulder. “He did a great thing, buying this place. Wish he could have seen it finished.”
Mac gestured around the yard. “We’re working on the roof today, obviously. Got another day or so before it’s done. There’s some interior work to do after that. And don’t use these front steps, okay? We still gotta replace a few.”
“Can I see the inside?” she asked. She wanted an idea of the mess she was dealing with. But her doubt grew as she looked around. The needed repairs seemed overwhelming, and those were just the ones she could see.
Damian ran one hand through his hair and sent a cloud of sawdust flying. A grin touched his eyes and, for a brief second, Summer saw her own reflection in his gaze. She looked small and dark, a little girl floating on the blue of his iris. He smiled, and in the sunlight, the blue deepened until she felt like she was falling inside it, floating, forgetting who and where she was. Something jumped in her stomach, and her palms tingled. Knights in Pine Point? There hadn’t been any for as long as she could remember.
Don’t fall for the guy whose heart you have to break tomorrow…
Buy Links:
Entangled Store: https://entangledpublishing.com/summer-s-song.html
Amazon: http://bit.ly/SummersSongAmazon
Apple: http://bit.ly/SummerSongApple
B&N: http://bit.ly/SummersSongNook
Author Bio:
Allie Boniface is the USA Today best-selling author of over a dozen novels, including the Cocktail Cruise, Hometown Heroes, and Pine Point series. Her books are most often set in small towns and feature emotional romance with relatable characters you’ll know and love.
A graduate of the University of Rochester and Case Western Reserve University, Allie is a full-time high school English teacher in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she and her husband love to travel.
Take some time to browse around Allie’s website, check out new and upcoming releases, and sign up for her newsletter. You can join Allie’s All-Stars too, an exclusive readers’ group on Facebook where fans and friends chat about life, characters and story ideas, and have exclusive access to prizes, giveaways, and early sales!
Author Links:
Website: www.allieboniface.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAllieBoniface
Allie’s All-Stars: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllieBonifaceAllStars/
Twitter: @AllieBoniface1
Newsletter Sign-up: http://bit.ly/AlliesNews
How did you get started writing? I started writing Christmas and Easter plays for a local church I attended. In 2006, I was asked to write a full-length play for Still Useable Women’s Conference by the founder, and years later the play blossomed into a series titled The Other Side of Through.
What inspired your latest book? It was inspired by an NFL football player named Torrey Smith (my favorite player by the way), who doesn’t drink or smoke. Those characteristics and values inspired me to reverse the aspect of women usually being the virgins in a relationship. I’m not saying if he was or wasn’t a virgin before marriage (that’s personal and his business). Only that his clean and responsible habits inspired the story behind the main character of the book. Outside of that fact, anything else in comparison to his life is coincidental.
What is most difficult for you to write? Characters, conflict or emotions? Why? I would have to say conflict. Mostly because 80% of the conflict in my novels have been personal battles. Oftentimes, I realized I wasn’t as over the situations as I previously convinced myself and my own emotions would threaten to take over.
Tell us about your heroine. Give us one of her strengths and one of her weaknesses. Vanessa Banks is the counterpart of JaQuan Sulter. She is highly intelligent accountant for the football team JaQuan has been drafted to. She graduated high school and entered college at sixteen, and is faithful to a fault in relationships. She is running from the pure innocent agape love that oozes from JaQuan Sulter’s pores. She tends to allow her life to be controlled by and become the person she is dating. She is angry and afraid of God and wants nothing to do with Christianity… at first.Author Bio and Links
Cynthia Middlebrooks Harris is an ordained minister, native of Atlanta, Ga and Christian Fiction author who has published six books. She entered the US Army in 1984, where she met and married her husband of 32 years, Minister Kim Harris. Together, they have two children; Dominique and Stephanie. Cynthia is a true intercessor with a passion and heart to see the people of God healthy spiritually, emotionally and physically. She is a teacher, playwright, Christian mentor and is currently working to earn her degree as a Registered Dietician. Her work has appeared in Higher Connection magazine twice and her ministry expanded to Kaiserslautern, West Germany in 2014. Cynthia understands that her responsibility to God is to spread His word by any means necessary. It is her determination to do just that through the power of fiction, romance and sound & drama. Cynthia was born to write for such a time as this! She lives and breathes her motto, “Ministry is always… Required!”
Order autographed soft copies her books on her webpage www.tosotministries.org
eBooks and soft cover copies also available on Amazon:
The Other Side of Through: All Things Work Together http://t.co/KQtBtDsDUIConnect with Cynthia
Email: tosotministries@gmail.com
Twitter and Instagram @Writtercynt
LinkedIn and YouTube: Cynthia Middlebrooks Harris
Blog: www.writingfortoday.wordpress.com
Facebook: T.O.S.O.T. Ministries, LLC
It’s August and the temperatures are hot as fire. To celebrate, here’s a scorching summer sale. You can get the first three books of The Ocean City Boardwalk Series for just 99¢. That’s a $7.00 saving off the regular cover price. So… what are you waiting for? Take advantage of this scorching summer sale now!
About the series: Sara, Heather, and Cathy are best friends. Through the years they’ve cheered each other on, celebrating each victory, and they’ve been supportive through every crisis. Join them as they face love and loss… and learn to hold tight to the idea that friends are your chosen family.
The Ocean City Boardwalk series, where life isn’t just fun in the sun—love is waiting on those sandy shores!
Don’t miss this scorching summer sale. Find the bundle:
As a bonus, here’s a frozen summer dessert that’s sure to cool you down.
Summer Coconut Peach Dessert
Ingredients
3 cups raw cashews
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 fresh peaches, peeled and thinly sliced
Preparation
As a genre, romantic suspense frequently features characters in law enforcement professions. The pairing is a natural one. You have characters who are in some kind of danger or trouble. They need help from others whose job is to defend and protect. Most people in law enforcement are willing to put their lives on the line. The nature of the job is to be in danger. They’re trained in ways to root out evil and fight for right.
When I began writing Hunter’s Quest, I knew that one of the two protagonists would be in law enforcement, but I wanted to go with something a little different. There are plenty of police officers, FBI, and other alphabet agency characters in romantic fiction. In my home state of North Carolina, there have recently been several major stories involving the State Bureau of Investigation and I decided that would do nicely, so my hero is a special agent with the NC SBI.
It really worked out well for the story, though telling you why would be a bit of a spoiler.
Instead I offer an excerpt from near the beginning. To set it up, Kristie Sanford has been driving in the mountains when she’s stunned to hear a rifle shot close by and then a man runs out into the road. He jumps out of the way of her car at the last minute but appears to be injured.
BLURB
Kristie Sandford’s vacation is interrupted when a man jumps out in front of her car. She avoids hitting him, but when she stops to see if he’s hurt, he demands she help him escape from the people chasing him. Kristie has an odd “gift”-she occasionally gets warning messages, and she gets one saying he needs her help or he’ll die.
Jason Hunter is an SBI (N.C. State Bureau of Investigation) agent working on his own time searching for a friend, an investigative reporter who disappeared while tracking down rumors of corruption in the bureaucracy of a small, North Carolina mountain town. Jason is grateful to Kristie for rescuing him, but dubious when she insists she has to continue helping him. Kristie is attracted to Jason, but the edge of danger she senses in him reminds her too much of the abusive family she escaped as soon as she could. Still, the message said he’d die if she didn’t help him, and the messages have been right before.
EXCERPT
She dragged her cell phone from her purse, hoping, praying even. It still showed the blasted “No Service” message. She tossed it onto the seat and pounded the steering wheel with her fist, then opened the door and approached the man cautiously. He lay on his side, back to her, so she couldn’t see his face. Torn, dirty jeans covered long legs, with well-worn running shoes below. Sweat, dirt, and blood stained the cotton work shirt stretched tight across broad shoulders. Medium brown hair just brushed his collar.
Her stomach clenched tighter when she surveyed the area around him. The tree he’d hit had saved him from a worse fate. A few feet beyond it, the ground dropped off sharply, diving into a ravine some forty feet down. If he’d gone over the edge he would have been seriously injured or killed. She couldn’t even think about what would’ve happened if she’d swerved too much to avoid him.
He might be dead already. Kristie sucked in a deep breath and walked across the grass to stand over him. With his face turned down toward the ground, all she could see was the hard angle of one cheek, smeared with dirt, streaked with blood and sweat. He lay very still.
She reached down to put a hand on his shoulder, but stopped short when he spoke. Without moving any other muscle of his body, he said in a low, urgent whisper, “Do you see two men on the other side of the road?”
The breath she’d been holding slipped out on a sigh of relief. “You’re not dead. I didn’t think I’d hit you, but you were laying so still–”
“Shut up and listen!” The words cut across her relieved babble. He made no move other than to speak. “Do you see two men across the road?”
Kristie stared at him in shock for a moment before she looked up. Beyond her car the woods on the other side of the road were still. “No.”
“They’ll be here any minute.” He collected himself and sat up so suddenly Kristie backed away. He winced as he levered himself upright. A large smear of blood surrounded a ragged tear in the left sleeve of his shirt. Something more than a scrape had caused that injury. He looked around. The man was probably about thirty. The face that studied his surroundings was lean and had too many sharp angles to be called handsome, but a rugged strength shone through the grime, blood, and bruises. His skin was almost the same shade of brown as his hair, too deep and even to be a suntan. A large abraded area reddened his left temple, and blood from a scratch across the cheekbone tracked toward his ear.
The snap of a twig on the other side of the road made them both swing around to look that way. Kristie still didn’t see anyone. The man sitting on the ground looked up at her. His eyes were very light, either pale blue or gray, the color a startling contrast to his skin and hair, but they held a penetrating intelligence and force. “Tell them I went over the edge,” he ordered.
He offered no further explanation. Without waiting for her response, he crawled swiftly to a thicket of rhododendron bushes ten feet away and disappeared into its depths. Since he stayed low, her car would hide his movement from the person approaching. She winced when she thought about how many more scratches he’d collect in his passage through the shrubbery.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X3Z8VLB
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/705030
Nook: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunters-quest-karen-mccullough/1125808779?ean=2940157500979
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/hunters-quest/id1211862427?mt=11
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/hunter-s-quest
BIO
Karen McCullough, a former editor for a series of trade publications and web designer, is also the author of more than a dozen published novels and novellas in the mystery, romantic suspense, and fantasy genres. Her publishers include Avalon Books, Harlequin, Kensington, Belle Bridge Books, and Five Star/Cengage. She’s won several awards including an Eppie Award for best fantasy novel and been a four-time Eppie finalist, a Daphne finalist, Prism finalist, Rising Star Award finalist and several others. Her short fiction has appeared in a number of anthologies and small press publications in the mystery, science fiction, and romance genres. Her most recent publication is a short story in the Triangle Sisters in Crime anthology: Carolina Crimes: 21 Tales of Need, Greed and Dirty Deeds, published July 31 by Down and Out Books. She has three children, eight grandchildren and lives in Greensboro, NC with her husband of many years.
Website: http://www.kmccullough.com
Blog: http://www.kmccullough/kblog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenMcCulloughAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kgmccullough