Saturday, October 31, 2015
UNCOVERING DESIRE by Kacey Shea
It’s LIVE! Uncovering Desire by Kacey Shea is now available on Kindle, iBooks, Nook, & Kobo. Pick up your copy today for Kate & Jon’s story!
Synopsis:
Jonathan Beltran is adjusting to life as a civilian after an eight year military career. With a booming private investigation business and good friends to count on, life is headed in a positive direction. Coupled with his fierce will and strength, Jon will learn if his training has prepared him for this next journey.
Life is never boring for the ever-positive, smart-mouthed, fearless Kate Bryant. When unexpected events leave her temporarily homeless, she accepts an offer of a free place to stay with Jonathan. The challenges of working with rock stars, living with Jon, and finally confronting ghosts of her past may prove to be too much.
Uncovering Desire, book two in the Uncovering Love series, is a full length, contemporary romance, and can be read as a standalone.
Link for Giveaway of Signed Paperback: http://gvwy.io/m74ubiy
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Friday, October 30, 2015
Book Tour: THE FALL UP by Aly Martinez
.
Maybe there’s only one direction to go when two people fall
in love at rock bottom—up.
NOW AVAILABLE!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Gt7jsy
iBooks: http://apple.co/1PNWYKO
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1PPOmCv
I wanted to jump.
He made me fall.
As a celebrity, I lived in the public eye, but somewhere along the way, I’d lost myself in the spotlight.
Until he found me.
Sam Rivers was a gorgeous, tattooed stranger who saved my life with nothing more than a simple conversation.
But we were both standing on that bridge for a reason the night we met. The secrets of our pasts brought us together—and then tore us apart.
Could we find a reason to hold on as life constantly pulled us down?
Or maybe there’s only one direction to go when two people fall in love at rock bottom—up.
Excerpt One
“Thank fuck!” Sam said, swinging the door open before Devon even had the car in park.
“Oh, this isn’t my place. We’re just dropping Devon off. I’m about twenty minutes across town?” I tossed him a sugary smile then boldly shifted my hand into his lap, purposely brushing the bulge under his denim.
Grabbing my wrist, he narrowed his eyes and called out, “Devon, I’m gonna need to borrow a bedroom.”
I burst out laughing as Devon cursed loudly.
“Fine. This is my place. No smoking inside though,” I snipped as I climbed from the SUV.
“You better have some seriously exciting extracurricular activities to keep me distracted, then.”
“I have Ping-Pong!”
“Not exactly what I was thinking.” He mischievously cocked his head. “But I guess paddles and balls are as good a start as any.” Dipping down, he hoisted me over his shoulder. “Point me to the Ping-Pong table, my lady.”
I didn’t. I laughed hysterically as he carried me inside. Then I directed him to my bedroom instead.
I heard Devon locking up the house as Sam deposited me on the bed.
“Jesus. This view.” He pushed the curtains back. “Why the hell would you ever go up to the bridge when you have this here?”
“I don’t know,” I answered, pulling my earrings off and placing them on my nightstand.
Oh, but I knew. It might not have been what had originally sent me up that bridge, but it was why my feet carried me back every night. And that very reason was currently standing in front of me with entirely too much clothing on.
“You want a beer?” I asked, sliding my shoes off.
“Nah, I’m good.” He faced me, and I could tell something was off with his demeanor. He didn’t inch any closer. Instead, his lips were tight and his eyes uncomfortably flashed around the room.
It suddenly didn’t feel like Sam standing in front of me at all.
He felt like a stranger who had just come face-to-face with Levee Williams.
Damn it.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you about to freak out?” I whispered, nervously moistening my lips.
He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not really sure yet. But I’m gonna need you to stop licking your lips long enough for me to figure it out.” His mouth cracked into a wide grin, and my shoulders relaxed.
Now that was a flash of my Sam.
“Want to tell me what’s going on?” I asked.
“It’s just… I think this is the first time I’ve realized that you’re some big-time celebrity. I might be in over my head here, Designer Shoes.”
“I just make music, Sam.” I returned his smile and very slowly prowled in his direction. “Imagine how I feel though. You’re Samuel Nathan Rivers. A tough, tattooed furniture designer who makes six figures a year but is too afraid to tell his mommy he votes democratic.” I giggled as he frowned humorously. Stopping in front of him, I dragged a fingernail down his chest then teased the waistband of his jeans. “Have you considered that maybe I’m the one who’s in over her head here?” I leaned forward to nip at his lips, but he spun us around.
“Excellent point. I’m going to need you to try really hard to keep it together, Levee. You haven’t even seen my six-pack and huge cock, yet.” He smirked and attempted to return my nip, but I stepped out of his reach.
“You brought beer and chicken?” I feigned excitement.
That one corny joke was all it took to bring my Sam back completely.
With a sexy smile and a coy shrug, he seductively backed me toward the bed. “What can I say? I like to be prepared.”
“Clearly,” I breathed.
He moved in close so his lips were only a centimeter away, but for as much as I wanted him, it was agonizing. “Clearly,” he repeated, his smoky yet sweet breath breezing across my mouth.
His strong arm looped around my waist, tugging me against his chest, while I stared into his hooded eyes, eagerly waiting for him to make a move.
Any move.
Every move.
Excerpt Two
“You’re overdoing it, Lev. I know this job isn’t exactly nine-to-five, but it’s not twenty-four-seven, either. You have to stop being Levee Williams all the time and just be you.”
“I know,” I responded.
I didn’t though. I felt like a robot parading around in a lost woman’s body.
Smile.
Pose.
Turn.
Toss in the occasional song.
Repeat.
What little time I did manage to carve out for myself was spent at various children’s hospitals across the country.
Smile.
Pose.
Turn.
Watch a child die.
Repeat.
With every day that passed, the smile became less and less genuine, the pose more and more forced, and the turn took me further and further away from who I really was.
My career was soaring while, personally, I was plummeting. Every single day felt like a terrifying free fall in no particular direction. I was stuck in the middle with no way up—or down.
“You remember that girl, right?” Henry asked, tucking a hair behind my ear.
I nodded.
I did remember her. She was fun and carefree. She loved going out and dancing at nightclubs until the very last song played. She slept until noon if she could. Then, fueled by coffee alone, she’d spend the day with a guitar strapped around her neck and a notepad at her side. She had a huge heart, but she knew her limitations.
Oh, I remembered that girl. I just couldn’t figure out how to get back to her.
About the Author:
Aly Martinez
Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.
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TH
Cover Reveal: THE LAYOVER by MJ Carnal
Title: The Layover
Author: MJ Carnal
Genre: Romance/ Erotica
Type: Standalone
Cover Design: Judi Perkins/Concierge Literary Promotions
Photography Credit: Eric Battershell Photography
Model Credit: Derrick Keith Shane Meachum
Release Date: December 2015
When a freak snowstorm forces pilot, Shane Saliasi, to make an unscheduled landing in Rhode Island, he has no idea that the next few hours will change everything.
Kendall Dean is frantic to get to Boston. She’s left everything behind to make a desperate plea to the one person who has the power to change her life.
When destiny puts them on the same path at The Layover Diner, a life will hang in the balance and only one of them will have the power to change their fate.
MJ Carnal is a USA TODAY Bestselling Romance Author who lives in South Carolina. Her love of the written word began while listening to her mother’s poetry as a child and has been a creative outlet ever since. When she isn't writing, you can find her watching episodes of The Walking Dead and terrible reality television, having tea parties with her daughter, Singing karaoke for anyone who will listen and reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She has a small obsession with Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, Sour Patch Kids, and So You Think You Can Dance.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Goodreads
All images copyright © 2015 Concierge Literary Promotions, LLC. All rights reserved.
Blog Tour: THE WRATH OF CAIN by Kathy Coopmans
Synopsis
Watch the Wrath unfold! Clubs. Mafia. Drugs. Murder. And the man they all know as Scarface, will leave you guessing in book one of this brand new series...
Eloped at the age of eighteen. Separated at the age of eighteen. Disappeared at the age of eighteen. This is what happened to Calla Greer. Her perfect life was shattered on her wedding day when she caught her husband Cain with another woman just hours after they said I do. With her heart broken, she moves across the border to Windsor, Canada to get away from the nightmare she stumbled upon. Hell bent on going to college and fulfilling her dream of becoming a lawyer.
After six long years of still being married, Calla returns to Detroit to have Cain sign divorce papers.
Only Cain has changed.
He’s bitter, angry and for a good reason.
At least that’s what he’s been telling himself for the past six years. Cain Bexley had fifteen minutes to destroy his marriage to protect the woman he loved.
He did the only thing he could think of to make her leave. He jumped in bed with a woman. Life at home was a lie. Lives were at risk. People are not who they seem.
Not even Cain’s dad or Calla’s parents are who they say they are. When Calla shows up begging for a divorce. He shows her exactly who he is and no way in hell will he sign those papers.
What happens when six years later she returns? The only woman he has loved. A woman who has changed herself! When all the lies surface will she be able to forgive everyone she has trusted in her life or will Calla turn to the man who destroyed her?
Eloped at the age of eighteen. Separated at the age of eighteen. Disappeared at the age of eighteen. This is what happened to Calla Greer. Her perfect life was shattered on her wedding day when she caught her husband Cain with another woman just hours after they said I do. With her heart broken, she moves across the border to Windsor, Canada to get away from the nightmare she stumbled upon. Hell bent on going to college and fulfilling her dream of becoming a lawyer.
After six long years of still being married, Calla returns to Detroit to have Cain sign divorce papers.
Only Cain has changed.
He’s bitter, angry and for a good reason.
At least that’s what he’s been telling himself for the past six years. Cain Bexley had fifteen minutes to destroy his marriage to protect the woman he loved.
He did the only thing he could think of to make her leave. He jumped in bed with a woman. Life at home was a lie. Lives were at risk. People are not who they seem.
Not even Cain’s dad or Calla’s parents are who they say they are. When Calla shows up begging for a divorce. He shows her exactly who he is and no way in hell will he sign those papers.
What happens when six years later she returns? The only woman he has loved. A woman who has changed herself! When all the lies surface will she be able to forgive everyone she has trusted in her life or will Calla turn to the man who destroyed her?
Buying Links
Amazon US:http://amzn.to/1MxpYGj
Amazon UK:http://amzn.to/1P1q9tC
Review
Oh boy how do I recover from such an amazing book. I honestly couldn't put it down and got very little sleep in order to finish it. This is my 1st Kathy Coopmans book and I could kick myself because I have been missing out on reading books by an obviously extremely talented author! This book has everything to keep you engrossed and on edge. It has romance but it's the suspense and intrigue which will keep you guessing. The two main characters Calla and Cain are fantastic, they are passionate, feisty, sexy and real!! The surrounding characters especially Manny are used to great effect to add depth to the storyline. I really can't sing the praises of this book enough. It is up in my top 5 for 2015!!! Well done Kathy Coopmans, this book deserves every one of the 5 stars!! I loved it!!
Teasers
Author Bio
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Release Boost: RULES OF THE RIDE by H.J.Bellus
Title: Rules of the Ride
Series: Silver Star Ranch #2
Author: H.J. Bellus
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 26, 2015
Blurb
If it wasn't for bad luck Maverik wouldn't have any luck at all. He is the oldest of the Slatter brothers and the protector of his family. He’s a hometown legend and has one best friend, his dog Jake. Life is simple with Maverik. He loves working cattle on the ranch and keeping the dynasty his granddad built alive and well.
He's never believed in second chances.
When Maverik looks into the eyes of Ella James in the middle of his hometown grocery store, he finds himself staring at the ghost of second chance redemptions. Ella walked out on him ten years ago and never looked back. She has returned to town to bury her mom but when their paths collide, it sparks up old flames. Both know better than to indulge, but some train wrecks just can’t be stopped.
Ella in her high heels driving her fancy sports car and Maverik still deep in his hometown roots...
Turmoil is at an all time high at Silver Star as buried secrets surface between Ella and Maverik leaving behind irreparable damage. Maverik is left hollow and hopeless wallowing in his bad luck. He has two choices.
Forgive
or
Forget.
Follow the Slatters in this second installment in the Silver Star Ranch Novels: Rules of the Ride.
Purchase Links
Also Available
FREE for a limited time
Excerpt
“Wake up.” Freezing water splashes in my face and then there’s a kick to the right side of my ribs. The pain ripping through my head is too much to take. I roll over and clench my eyes shut, gripping for my head.
“Maverik Maddox Slatter, get your ass up now.”
Granddad’s voice rings clear in my throbbing head, and I do everything I can to muster enough energy to sit up against a hay bale. I pull down my straw hat and grumble back at him.
“What in the hell are you doing, son?”
He waits for me to answer but only a few more painful moans escape.
“I’ve watched you destroy your life year by year since Ella left town, and I’m done. She’s back in town and needs support. You going to be a coward or step it up?”
“I love her. I’ve never stopped loving her. I want all of her and can’t control myself around her. It’s just like she walked out of my life yesterday.” I let my hat slide to the ground and grip my temples. “I don’t want her to leave but don’t know how to let myself love her again.”
“Maverik, look at me.”
The silence in the barn is deafening as I pick at the straw coating my jeans. It’s more painful than my throbbing headache and dry mouth.
“Look at me, dammit.”
When I look up, the grief and pain combination covering Granddad’s face is just another dagger to my already wounded heart.
“Then be man enough to give her a chance.” Granddad slowly takes a seat on a bale of hay across from me. “Have you ever flat out asked her why she left?”
“I’m not dumb. She left for the city.”
“There’s your problem, boy, you’re assuming you know all the answers.”
“She basically told me that when I ran into her for a few brief minutes at the rodeo with Challis and Merek.” I do my best to slide up onto the hay bale and sit down, but I don’t miss the shooting pains going off in my head. “She could do nothing but brag about the city life and told me she needed help dodging a date.”
“Dammit, Maverik, you’re not listening to me. You’re assuming everything when it comes to Ella. Now I don’t know why she left, but I do know she loved you just as much as you loved her, and it’s worth finding out.”
I bury my face in the palms of my hands and grunt. I can’t handle any more of Ella and the fucking emotions simmering within me. I want nothing more than to chalk it all up to a pot of bad decisions and move the hell on.
“Can you live the rest of your life without her, Maverik? Will you be okay knowing you let her walk right out of your life this time?”
“No, it killed me the first damn time.” Overwhelming emotions attack my core.
“Then go get her, find out answers, and make a decision from there instead of living in your own personal hell.”
“She left for the city life. I wasn’t enough.”
“Dammit, boy, it’s your choice.”
I watch as he takes his time to stand and hear several of his bones creak and crack as he moves about. I let his message replay over and over in my head as I process the words. When I look back up, Granddad is nearing his front porch and Marvel is by my side in the stable.
“I need help today.”
“I’m here.”
“We need to move some cattle around and help Merek and Challis work the colts. We need to be on them double time from here on out.”
“Okay.” I kick a cloud of dust up in the air, sliding my boot back and forth.
“Saint’s going to be done screwing with us.”
“Saint will never be gone until the day he dies, and then more than likely he’ll leave behind a mini-him. Fuckers like Saint will always be around fucking with the good people.”
“Go change and be ready in twenty minutes. I’ll get your horse ready.”
Marvel storms out the open doors into the sunlight and it’s in this moment I see the Marvel I used to know disappear in front of me. He’s hardened with hatred and stressed beyond belief. Life’s been a bitch to all of us, but I guess the difference between Marvel and myself is that I have the choice to try to fix this shit with Ella, or at least get some unanswered questions resolved.
My tiny bunkhouse is quiet and lonely with lingering memories of sweet Ella gracing it. Just the short time she was here made everything change. I want her here. I want her forever. My heart just has to figure out a way back to her.
I grab my phone and dial the local motel’s number and cringe when I realize I have the number memorized from several nights of inappropriate behavior with strange women. A vicious cycle I used to drown out memories and numb my pain that Ella left me in.
“Wagon Wheel front desk.”
“Um, yeah.” I pause, not really knowing what I want to ask or say.
“Hello? What can I help you with?”
“Ella James’ room please.”
“One moment.”
The phone begins ringing, and I cringe with each ring, still not knowing what I’ll say to her. Ring after ring goes by until it’s cut off.
“Fuck.” I throw down my cell phone, start my coffee pot, and head for the shower.
The cold water stuns every single one of my senses as well as brings my sore muscles to life. Cuts and bruises begin to sting the longer I stand under the spray of water. My hand stops over my chest, right above my heart, and I hear my granddad’s words again, encouraging me to find out the reasons Ella left. I could argue back with well over a dozen reasons not to, but something clicks in my mind. I’m going for her and not giving up this time.
I race out of the shower, dry off, and throw on my riding clothes. Snagging the hot and very full coffee pot, I dash to Granddad’s porch where he’s sitting and begin speaking before he has a chance to. I feel Jake settle between my legs but don’t even take the time to pat his head.
“You’re right.” I fill his empty black coffee mug and then sit down next to him. “I have to end this hate relationship I have for Ella and accept why she moved.”
“You do.” He nods and takes a long sip from his mug.
“I’m going to need you by my side. I’m afraid she’s going to shatter me again. Fuck. I’ve been shattered for years now.”
“Maverik, I’d rather have a broken boy who can heal than a bitter bastard who’s going to waste away the rest of his life in hatred.”
“I hear you. I do.” My hand finds the top of Jake’s head. “I just don’t think I can let her go if I give in.”
“Then don’t let her go, dammit. We all make mistakes, son. Move on.”
“Let’s go.” I look up to see my brother with my horse saddled and him atop his.
“I’ll do it.” I brave a smile when I turn to Granddad and don’t miss his beaming face. “Thanks, old man. I’ll grab my coffee pot after dinner.”
My boots are deafening as they pound the sidewalk down to the gravel road where my horse stands. With each step, I feel like a coward with the thoughts of what I’m about to let my heart do, but I know it’s the right thing. I fucking love Ella and looks like I have one chance to get her back in my life.
“What was that all about?” Marvel tilts his head to one side.
“Oh, just Granddad making me do the right thing.” I throw a foot up into a stirrup, grip onto the horn of my saddle, and settle down on the back of Chili. I smile knowing Marvel saddled up my favorite horse. He’s been around since my high school days and I used to calf rope and team rope off of him before saddle bronc became too addicting. Ella loved Chili.
I kick him into a slow trot and realize every single thought that passes through my mind always goes back to Ella, even before she came home. Marvel keeps up by my side as we let our horses go at full gait to the back pasture. The crisp air, the sound of pounding hooves, and the smell of the ranch all calm each of my senses, causing me to breathe in deep and exhale.
Merek and Challis’s happy faces flash before my eyes. I see my granddad rocking happily on his porch and Marvel working his fingers to the bone on the ranch he loves. Then I see me on the tailgate of my truck holding a cold beer and petting Jake. The scene immediately makes my stomach turn because it’s not the right ending for me and never has been.
“There they are.” Marvel points over to a herd of black cattle.
I follow behind him as he rides up to them. We begin gathering them up one by one and I watch and listen to old Jake work his heart up gathering the cattle. Several minutes go by before they group together and we begin trailing them back toward the barn and corrals.
I’m going for her. I’m going for her. I chant over and over in my head as Chili trots behind the herd rhythmically, lulling me back into an Ella induced trance.
“Maverik Maddox Slatter, get your ass up now.”
Granddad’s voice rings clear in my throbbing head, and I do everything I can to muster enough energy to sit up against a hay bale. I pull down my straw hat and grumble back at him.
“What in the hell are you doing, son?”
He waits for me to answer but only a few more painful moans escape.
“I’ve watched you destroy your life year by year since Ella left town, and I’m done. She’s back in town and needs support. You going to be a coward or step it up?”
“I love her. I’ve never stopped loving her. I want all of her and can’t control myself around her. It’s just like she walked out of my life yesterday.” I let my hat slide to the ground and grip my temples. “I don’t want her to leave but don’t know how to let myself love her again.”
“Maverik, look at me.”
The silence in the barn is deafening as I pick at the straw coating my jeans. It’s more painful than my throbbing headache and dry mouth.
“Look at me, dammit.”
When I look up, the grief and pain combination covering Granddad’s face is just another dagger to my already wounded heart.
“Then be man enough to give her a chance.” Granddad slowly takes a seat on a bale of hay across from me. “Have you ever flat out asked her why she left?”
“I’m not dumb. She left for the city.”
“There’s your problem, boy, you’re assuming you know all the answers.”
“She basically told me that when I ran into her for a few brief minutes at the rodeo with Challis and Merek.” I do my best to slide up onto the hay bale and sit down, but I don’t miss the shooting pains going off in my head. “She could do nothing but brag about the city life and told me she needed help dodging a date.”
“Dammit, Maverik, you’re not listening to me. You’re assuming everything when it comes to Ella. Now I don’t know why she left, but I do know she loved you just as much as you loved her, and it’s worth finding out.”
I bury my face in the palms of my hands and grunt. I can’t handle any more of Ella and the fucking emotions simmering within me. I want nothing more than to chalk it all up to a pot of bad decisions and move the hell on.
“Can you live the rest of your life without her, Maverik? Will you be okay knowing you let her walk right out of your life this time?”
“No, it killed me the first damn time.” Overwhelming emotions attack my core.
“Then go get her, find out answers, and make a decision from there instead of living in your own personal hell.”
“She left for the city life. I wasn’t enough.”
“Dammit, boy, it’s your choice.”
I watch as he takes his time to stand and hear several of his bones creak and crack as he moves about. I let his message replay over and over in my head as I process the words. When I look back up, Granddad is nearing his front porch and Marvel is by my side in the stable.
“I need help today.”
“I’m here.”
“We need to move some cattle around and help Merek and Challis work the colts. We need to be on them double time from here on out.”
“Okay.” I kick a cloud of dust up in the air, sliding my boot back and forth.
“Saint’s going to be done screwing with us.”
“Saint will never be gone until the day he dies, and then more than likely he’ll leave behind a mini-him. Fuckers like Saint will always be around fucking with the good people.”
“Go change and be ready in twenty minutes. I’ll get your horse ready.”
Marvel storms out the open doors into the sunlight and it’s in this moment I see the Marvel I used to know disappear in front of me. He’s hardened with hatred and stressed beyond belief. Life’s been a bitch to all of us, but I guess the difference between Marvel and myself is that I have the choice to try to fix this shit with Ella, or at least get some unanswered questions resolved.
My tiny bunkhouse is quiet and lonely with lingering memories of sweet Ella gracing it. Just the short time she was here made everything change. I want her here. I want her forever. My heart just has to figure out a way back to her.
I grab my phone and dial the local motel’s number and cringe when I realize I have the number memorized from several nights of inappropriate behavior with strange women. A vicious cycle I used to drown out memories and numb my pain that Ella left me in.
“Wagon Wheel front desk.”
“Um, yeah.” I pause, not really knowing what I want to ask or say.
“Hello? What can I help you with?”
“Ella James’ room please.”
“One moment.”
The phone begins ringing, and I cringe with each ring, still not knowing what I’ll say to her. Ring after ring goes by until it’s cut off.
“Fuck.” I throw down my cell phone, start my coffee pot, and head for the shower.
The cold water stuns every single one of my senses as well as brings my sore muscles to life. Cuts and bruises begin to sting the longer I stand under the spray of water. My hand stops over my chest, right above my heart, and I hear my granddad’s words again, encouraging me to find out the reasons Ella left. I could argue back with well over a dozen reasons not to, but something clicks in my mind. I’m going for her and not giving up this time.
I race out of the shower, dry off, and throw on my riding clothes. Snagging the hot and very full coffee pot, I dash to Granddad’s porch where he’s sitting and begin speaking before he has a chance to. I feel Jake settle between my legs but don’t even take the time to pat his head.
“You’re right.” I fill his empty black coffee mug and then sit down next to him. “I have to end this hate relationship I have for Ella and accept why she moved.”
“You do.” He nods and takes a long sip from his mug.
“I’m going to need you by my side. I’m afraid she’s going to shatter me again. Fuck. I’ve been shattered for years now.”
“Maverik, I’d rather have a broken boy who can heal than a bitter bastard who’s going to waste away the rest of his life in hatred.”
“I hear you. I do.” My hand finds the top of Jake’s head. “I just don’t think I can let her go if I give in.”
“Then don’t let her go, dammit. We all make mistakes, son. Move on.”
“Let’s go.” I look up to see my brother with my horse saddled and him atop his.
“I’ll do it.” I brave a smile when I turn to Granddad and don’t miss his beaming face. “Thanks, old man. I’ll grab my coffee pot after dinner.”
My boots are deafening as they pound the sidewalk down to the gravel road where my horse stands. With each step, I feel like a coward with the thoughts of what I’m about to let my heart do, but I know it’s the right thing. I fucking love Ella and looks like I have one chance to get her back in my life.
“What was that all about?” Marvel tilts his head to one side.
“Oh, just Granddad making me do the right thing.” I throw a foot up into a stirrup, grip onto the horn of my saddle, and settle down on the back of Chili. I smile knowing Marvel saddled up my favorite horse. He’s been around since my high school days and I used to calf rope and team rope off of him before saddle bronc became too addicting. Ella loved Chili.
I kick him into a slow trot and realize every single thought that passes through my mind always goes back to Ella, even before she came home. Marvel keeps up by my side as we let our horses go at full gait to the back pasture. The crisp air, the sound of pounding hooves, and the smell of the ranch all calm each of my senses, causing me to breathe in deep and exhale.
Merek and Challis’s happy faces flash before my eyes. I see my granddad rocking happily on his porch and Marvel working his fingers to the bone on the ranch he loves. Then I see me on the tailgate of my truck holding a cold beer and petting Jake. The scene immediately makes my stomach turn because it’s not the right ending for me and never has been.
“There they are.” Marvel points over to a herd of black cattle.
I follow behind him as he rides up to them. We begin gathering them up one by one and I watch and listen to old Jake work his heart up gathering the cattle. Several minutes go by before they group together and we begin trailing them back toward the barn and corrals.
I’m going for her. I’m going for her. I chant over and over in my head as Chili trots behind the herd rhythmically, lulling me back into an Ella induced trance.
Author Bio
I'm just a simple girl who loves the country life.. .oh yeah! & a good corn dog! Throw in a little Vanilla Ice, and shits bound to get crazy! Be brave...
- Loves country life & music
- Gets the case of the "eff-its" often
- Loves Big
- Hurts Big
- love corn dogs & candy.... & (sex & candaaay)
- My heart is happy writing!!!
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SLIDER by Stacey Borel
Title: Slider
Series: The Core Four Series #2
Author: Stacy Borel
Genre: NA Romance
Published: September 21, 2015
Dr. Turner Brooks may be the professional brother, but he's also the adrenaline junkie. When he meets Annabelle, a girl scared to death of veering from the path she’s paved for herself, all he wants to do is push her out of that comfort zone.
Annabelle has already lost too much. She wants to stay focused on her new nursing job and away from unnecessary risks. Turner Brooks is exactly that – an unnecessary risk. She’s heard the rumors about him flying around the hospital, describing him as a “womanizer” or “sex god.” Yeah, she doesn’t need that.
Still, Turner tries to teach her that life is full of risks worth taking. As they grow closer and she begins to let go, the unexpected happens.
Will they be able to recover from that surprising fastball or could this be the final strike out?
**This book can be read as a stand alone**
REVIEW
I am a sucker for a good romance book with a hot alpha male and a feisty strong female. And you get that in Slider but it isn't nearly as good as the first book of the series. The Brooks brothers are wonderful and in this book we meet and fall in love with Dr. Turner Brooks. He is a bit of a player, that is until he falls for Annabelle. Annabelle is a nurse and has a sad past but she falls for the Brooks family but Turner is her heart stopper. I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read and kept me entertained I award it 3.5 stars!
Stacy Borel is currently a resident of Illinois. She has two children and is a world traveler. Stacy's passions are reading, road trips, experiencing new things, and living life to the fullest. She was a full time nursing student when she rediscovered her love of reading, and in 2012 she decided to try her hand at her own novel. Each of her books contains little pieces of herself, and they are her pride and joy.
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