The first time I saw her was across the room at a bar. I had no idea at the time that she was only sixteen. All I knew was that she was beautiful, she was sending me do-me vibes from across the room, and I was fresh off a deployment where there’d been nobody but men for nine of the longest months of my life.
The second time that I saw her was at a court hearing that would decide how long I’d be sent to prison for. She was a cute little curly-haired blonde with wide, expressive eyes, a banging body, and the reason that I’d gone to prison in the first place.
The third time I saw her was through a glass divider of the prison visitation room as she waited for her stepfather, my lawyer, to tell me how sorry he was that he lost my case. Especially when I’d been the one to kill the man that was about to kill his daughter.
The last time, the time that I decided enough was enough, was when I saw her at my bar eight weeks after I’d been set free.
Unlucky for her, I’d stopped being a good guy about two seconds after those bars closed behind me twelve years ago. Now all that was left was a shell of a man that didn’t see the good in anything. Anything except for her.
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
The warmth of a holiday romance with the suspense and heat you’d expect from a Lani Lynn Vale book … Depends on Who’s Asking is a must read!
Saint isn’t who he seems, but he has his reasons for keeping his distance. When his past comes knocking, and Caro is put in harms way, he knows it’s time to stop hiding. And let me say I never saw this one coming! I hate spoilers, so I won’t divulge more, but be prepared for a bumpy ride. Saint is a bit like Clark Kent and Superman. Which side of him will you fall for?
Caro fell for Saint the moment she met him, so being stuck in quarantine with him isn’t so horrible—once she realizes he likes her too. It’s what happens after that will have you on the edge of your seat.
Romance. Intrigue. Action. And lots of heat… what more could you want in a holiday read?
*Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The review above is only my opinion.
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
Mercenary Bella Di Corte
(Gangsters of New York, #3)
Publication date: November 13th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
I had something to live for.
The moment I saw him, I knew.
His eyes would hypnotize.
His lips would speak the most beautiful promises.
His body? Made for pleasure.
But if Corrado Capitani thought that he could fool me into thinking he was a good man, he was wrong.
The moment I saw him, I knew the truth.
Those eyes hid his poisonous heart.
Those lips were vessels of deception.
That body? Made for inflicting pain.
He wasn’t sent from heaven. He was sent to drag me back to hell.
I had something to die for.
Alcina Parisi had a price on her head, and she’d eluded the best. She thought no one would ever find her, but I did. Everyone in our world called me Scorpio–the man who never let the enemy go. But she was a weapon, not an adversary, and I’d claimed her as mine.
Mercenary is the third of three books set in the savage world of the Gangsters of New York series.
Alcina took my chin in her hand. “He does not matter. Nothing else matters. But us. This moment.”
“You going to stay faithful to me for a hundred years?” I said to her. “When I’m locked behind bars and men like him are hovering around you constantly?”
“I will stay faithful to you until the day I die,” she said, squeezing my chin, coming down and giving me a kiss that was even more solidifying than a blood vow. “You have me forever, Corrado.”
“For every sunrise,” I said.
“For every sunset, too. You are my night, and I am your moon,” she said in Sicilian. “Something to live for. Something to die for. You are my body, and I am your heart. For as long as there is a breath in me.”
Author Bio:
Bella Di Corte has been writing romance for seven years, even longer if you count the stories in her head that were never written down, but she didn’t realize how much she enjoyed writing alphas until recently. Tough guys who walk the line between irredeemable and savable, and the strong women who force them to feel, inspire her to keep putting words to the page.
Apart from writing, Bella loves to spend time with her husband, daughter, and family. She also loves to read, listen to music, cook meals that were passed down to her, and take photographs. She mostly takes pictures of her family (when they let her) and her three dogs.
Bella grew up in New Orleans, a place she considers a creative playground.
She loves to connect with readers, so don’t hesitate to email her at belladicorte@gmail.com if you’d like to reach out.
What he didn’t know was that he did matter to someone.
Someone that worried about him every single day that he was gone.
***
Malachi Gabriel Gnocchi was missing for two years. Thanks to a mission gone wrong, not only had he been captured, but his best friend along with his fellow teammates had been taken, too.
He spent two years in hell, hoping and praying that one day he’d get to go home.
And one day he does. Only, he isn’t the same person that left. Every single thing that made him Malachi is no more.
***
Sierra started writing to soldiers overseas through the soldier pen pal program when she was in high school. Years later, she had no idea that the one soldier that she’d been paired up with in the very beginning would be the one man that would change her world eight years down the road.
When the letters from her soldier stopped, she knew that something bad had happened.
When they started back up again two years after the last letter, she thought that someone was playing a joke on her.
Only, that joke wasn’t a joke at all.
The man on the other end of those letters is a man that’s dying slowly from the inside out.
He’s a living, breathing, mess and there’s only one thing she can do to help him.
Write him back and hope that she can bring him back from the edge.
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
Every time I think Lani Lynn Vale can’t write a better book than the last, she proves me wrong. Nobody Knows has quickly moved into the #1 slot on my favorites list.
Malachi has been such a mystery. While Ms. Vale doesn’t go into detail of all that he suffered while he was a POW, she gives us just enough to understand his mindset and appreciate even more his connection with Sierra. He’s all alpha, but not without his own weaknesses that make him human. I adored his character and loved getting a better look at who he really is instead of the quick glances we’ve had in the past.
Sierra is the perfect contradiction of strong yet soft. When it comes to her family, she’s often done what she felt was best for them. Even if it means lying about her boyfriend. But seeing her take a stand, do what she feels is right for her, and sticking to it even when her family seems to turn their backs on her made me want to cheer her on!
Malachi and Sierra have off the charts chemistry, but their relationship is so much more. This was a perfect friends-to-lovers tale with all the gooey moments that make you smile. As is typical of any Lani Lynn Vale book, you don’t just get romance. Be prepared for lots of drama!
With enemies coming from both sides, Malachi and Sierra need each other more than ever. I flipped the pages, devouring every word, anxious to see what happened next — only to be deeply saddened when the book came to an end (because I wanted more!).
Well done, Ms. Vale! You’ve written another winner! I can’t wait to read the next book.
*Disclaimer: I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The review above is only my opinion.
Don’t ever, ever, ever go near that boy. Not unless you want to be a single mother at seventeen. That boy is Bad with a capital B.
The words that my father spoke to me when it came to Trouper Aoki didn’t scare me like they probably should.
In fact, they only made me intrigued all the more.
When it came to Troup, there was just no resisting fate when it came to the two of us.
Even at eighteen, when we went our separate ways with the promise to come back to each other once we were done pursuing our careers, I knew he would always be it for me.
And color me surprised when eight years after making that pact with Trouper, we were once again reunited. Only this time in an undercover FBI investigation—me, the FBI officer, and Troup call sign ‘State’ as a military liaison.
Trouble always finds him. You’d do better to run far, far away.
Truer words had never been spoken.
From the time Troup was a young boy, he’d been in some kind of trouble.
So it only goes to show when he winds up in the FBI investigation with none other than Beckham Spurlock, his high school sweetheart, things are bound to go wrong.
Only, he has no idea how wrong until things go bad. Really, really bad.
All it takes is saving her by hurting another for him to see the wrong side of a jail cell.
To make matters worse, he has to live the next fifteen years in prison knowing that his son will grow up without him. And the woman he loves will likely move on to a man that isn’t so much trouble.
Lani Lynn Vale is a Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestselling Author of over thirty titles. She is married with three children, two dogs, two cats, a donkey, and a couple (a couple also meaning over twenty) chickens.
When she’s not writing, you can find her curled up in her favorite chair reading.
Lani is married with three children and lives in the Great State of Texas.
A man hiding from his nature A woman shaken to her foundation A reckoning that will shake Bliss to its core
Happily Ever After In Bliss, the brand new installment in the white hot Nights in Bliss series by New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake writing as Sophie Oak is available now!
A man hiding from his nature
Henry Flanders never dreamed his past would catch up to him. After all, the man he used to be is dead and buried. He made a clean break with life in the CIA. He moved to Bliss under a new name. For years he has been living a dream, married to his lovely Nell. Now a miracle has happened, and they have a baby on the way. Life is perfect, or rather it was until a violent cartel showed up in Bliss ready to reap their bloody vengeance on the man he used to be.
A woman shaken to her foundation
Nell Flanders has never met a problem she couldn’t handle, but discovering her husband isn’t the man she thought was more than she was prepared for. How can she trust Henry, when John Bishop—the ruthless man he used to be—keeps bringing deadly problems to their door? She has a beautiful life growing inside her, and now she isn’t sure her marriage can survive long enough to welcome their child into the world.
A reckoning that will shake Bliss to its core
Henry isn’t willing to give up on his life with Nell, but it’s going to take some Bliss magic to overcome the forces pulling them apart. When the full weight of Henry’s past comes to bear on the town and the bullets start flying, it might just be Bishop, and some old friends, who can save the day and win back her heart.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband, three kids, and the laziest rescue dog in the world. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places. Lexi believes in happy endings no matter how odd the couple, threesome or foursome may seem.
Welcome to Magic Pen Book Tours‘ organized book blitz for I Just Need You by J. Nathan taking place October 26-30, 2020!
Book Details
Title: I Just Need You Author: J. Nathan Release date: October 25, 2020 Genres: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Suspense / Bodyguard Romance, Forbidden Romance, hate-to-love romance
Blurb
Kresley
Studying abroad was my chance to gain independence away from my privileged life in California. But, when there’s a kidnapping attempt on my life, I’m forced to return home to finish college. I just never expected to get stuck with a pompous, know-it-all bodyguard who watches my every move with nothing but disdain. One whose good looks don’t soften the cold, impenetrable wall he wears like armor.
Tristan
I pride myself on being a professional and taking my job as a bodyguard seriously. But, nothing could prepare me for the high maintenance, rich girl I’m hired to protect. She’s got a smart mouth, is hell bent on pushing my buttons, and doesn’t take the threats against her seriously. And despite the nightmares that plague her dreams, or the fact that I’m the only one who knows about them, I’m not there to befriend her. I’m there to protect her…no matter how much she intrigues me.
Jabs will be exchanged, glares will become the norm, jealousy will rear its ugly head, and sparks…well those damn things will inevitably fly. But will it all come with a dangerous price?
I climbed off my bed and moved to the door, pressing my ear to it to hear who he was talking to.
“A shadow under the door is a dead giveaway that you’re in there,” a deep voice said.
I looked down at the shadow caused by my feet. Ah hell. I opened the door and my breath caught in my throat.
The guy from the bar was standing in the hallway with Marco.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
He looked at me with those teal eyes but showed no sign of recognition from our run-in outside the men’s room. “Excuse me?”
“We met last night.”
His bottom lip jutted out like he had no idea what I was talking about.
Seriously? He was gonna pretend he didn’t know me and hadn’t insulted me? Well, if that’s how he was gonna play it, so was I. “Now that you mention it…” My eyes moved over his black cargo pants and black T-shirt molded to his broad chest. “The guy I met last night was a lot better looking.” I drank in his dirty blond hair which was more tousled than it had been at the bar, like he’d just woken up. “And, he was taller. And a lot more built.”
“This is my partner, ma’am,” Marco explained.
I glared at Marco. “Kresley.”
Unaffected by my annoyance with his use of ma’am, he continued. “This is Tristan Stone. He’ll be with you when I’m not. We take turns securing locations before you arrive.” He looked to Tristan and leveled him with his eyes. “Like he did last night at the bar.”
I turned my glare to Tristan. Asshole.
He stared back at me, unfazed and not about to apologize for being deceptive.
“We were just discussing the week ahead,” Marco explained to me.
“Oh, great. I have a request.” My eyes moved between them. Tristan was younger and less bulky than Marco, but no less athletic—even though I tried to make him feel less than. “Could you maybe try to look more like college students? The dark clothes make you stand out and, frankly, I don’t want to be known as ‘the girl with the bodyguards’.”
“You are the girl with the bodyguards,” Tristan clipped.
I cocked my head. “It’s a request.”
“Requests don’t have to be granted,” he fired back.
I opened my mouth to respond—
“We’ll do what we can,” Marco interrupted, clearly the calmer of the two. “As long as our weapons are concealed, I don’t see why we can’t try to blend in a little more.” He turned around and walked to his room without another word.
I expected Tristan to follow him, but he didn’t.
Perfect. “Let’s just get this out of the way now then,” I said to Tristan as Marco’s door closed. “I don’t know what your problem is with me—”
He scoffed. Scoffed.
I trudged on, getting more pissed by the second. “You work for me. A little common courtesy is not too much to ask.”
He rolled his eyes.
God dammit. “If I can’t trust you to protect me if things go wrong, my parents can find someone else who can.”
His eyes narrowed. “What the hell does that mean?”
“This whole not knowing me thing after you blatantly disrespected me last night. Maybe I didn’t know who you were at the bar, but you knew who I was. So, what gives?”
“Girls like you are what gives.”
My head shot back so fast I was surprised it didn’t slam into the door behind me. “Excuse me?”
“You were almost taken in France.”
“Thanks for the recap. But I know what happened.”
He shook his head, his teeth clenched and jaw ticking. “You’re careless.”
I pointed to myself. “I’m careless? I’ve got two bodyguards for Christ’s sake.”
“You get one life to live. Think about how you want to live it.”
“Wow. So, now you’re a philosopher?”
“It’s no secret there are people out there who still may want to get to you.”
“Yes. And that’s why you’re here.”
“So, why the bar? Was it absolutely necessary to go out last night?” he asked.
“What I do is none of your business.”
“The hell it isn’t. I had to be there an hour and a half early—with added security—securing the place, not to mention overseeing every fucker they let in there.”
I hated that I was being reprimanded. I’d only wanted to make friends and find a way to sleep. But maybe he was right. Maybe I should’ve considered how it would affect them. Maybe I should’ve considered the work they needed to put in every time I went somewhere.
“I could have been someone trying to get to you,” he continued. “But you were standing there all drunk gazing at me like you would’ve gone home with me if only I asked.”
My mouth parted, too stunned by his words to respond.
“And then that ridiculous necklace you wore. It must be worth tens of thousands of dollars. Way to stay off people’s radars.”
“I’ve been through enough counseling to know what happened to me was not my fault.”
“The thing was like a damn beacon signaling that you’ve got money.”
“Fuck you,” I spat, unsure what had come over me. I’d always been taught to remain proper and composed, even in the most difficult situations.
His features remained stoic, totally unaffected by my words. “Not a chance.”
_____
Author Bio
J. Nathan is the author of new adult, sports, and rock star romances with cocky heroes and sassy heroines. When she’s not writing, she’s a crazy soccer mom and a total romance junkie! She loves country music, guys in backward hats, Peaky Blinders, and the summertime.
Keira is running out of time. The handsome stranger with a dragon tattoo says he can keep her safe, but he doesn’t know the demons on her trail… Will her mysterious past lead her to escape, or drag her back to living hell?
Owen Strong has suffered tragedy, but he’s made a new family in Spencer, Colorado—one he will protect at all costs. When he finds determined Keira Hoa, she rouses more than just trouble. Looking into her lonely eyes, he sees that everyone’s in danger.
But she’s come to the right place. He’s the monster hunter.
He continued to study her, then decided to take a chance. “I’m going to assume you’re running from something or someone. Truthfully, you suck at hiding. You’ve got the right ideas, but your execution is bad. You can stay here and I’ll teach you, or you can take off again. My guess, you won’t last two days before ‘whoever is after you’ finds you. From what I can tell, you’re scared, broke, and alone.”
She plucked at the wristband on her cotton shirt, refusing to meet his gaze.
“Come clean with me. I can help. If they’re out to harm you, I know how to protect you. I can teach you to survive.”
Raising her gaze, she met his. “What do you get? What will it cost me for your noble gesture? Free labor? Free sex?”
Owen was surprised by the fire and anger in her response. On the plus side, it was a good sign that she could learn and survive. Downside, someone had hurt her, and she’d lost all trust. “All I expect in return is that you respect my home and my friends, that you pick up after yourself, and you do me the courtesy of not stealing anything. You do anything illegal on my property and I’ll personally turn you in. You’re welcome to any food you find in the refrigerator. You can sleep down here or follow me upstairs and sleep on the couch. Upstairs is air-conditioned. My friends will be here at seven in the morning.”
He headed for the stairs at the far side of the barn.
“I can’t pay you.”
Owen turned to face her. “I’m not asking for money. Or free labor. Or sex. I don’t know what scum you’re running from, but I’m not like them. If you want my help, ask.”
ABOUT BERNADETTE JONES
Romantic Suspense Writer, Never Give Up-er,
First Wives Club-er, Lifelong Dream Achiever & Mom
Bernadette Jones has been making up stories since she learned to read on her daddy’s lap. She has imagined casts of characters everywhere she’s called home: Texas, Oregon, Washington, South Dakota, Nebraska, Illinois, Massachusetts, and now New York.
After a career in corporate writing, she’s decided to settle down and put pen to paper doing what she loves. Living the dream in her NYC apartment with her canine companion, she’s bringing her stories and characters to life.
Her heroes have seen the good and experienced the evil in this world, and they aren’t afraid to do what needs to be done. They protect what’s theirs and go to the wall for what they believe. Loyalty to those they call family is their binding creed.
They work hard, play hard, love hard. The women who choose them understand who they are, and are strong enough to hold their own. They too realize…
“We are all of us walking a razor’s edge between darkness and light” ~ Ichabod
Recommended for mature adults 18+, due to language, violence, sex and subjects that may be difficult for some readers.
Amazon 5 Star reviewer
“If you like your romance with a lot of suspense and a hefty dose of steam, then Lonely Eyes—or really anything by Bernadette Jones—is for you. Jones has an uncanny knack for painting her scenes with an urgency that has the reader at the edge of their seat. Every time I pick up one of her books, I’m sucked immediately into the action and the pages just fly by. Her characters are believably flawed, grow beautifully, and the bedroom scenes are turn-the-fan-on hot.”
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Romantic Suspense / MC Romance, Ex-Con Romance, Steamy Romance (can be read as a standalone romance)
Release date: August 4, 2020
Pages: 298
Publisher: Vixen Publishing
Cover Design: Sly Fox Cover Designs
Sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit…
Nick Sobolev is finally a free man. After wrongfully serving five years behind bars, all Nick wants to do is keep his head down and his nose clean. But when he meets the mysterious and very beautiful Alexis Cross, he finds himself being drawn back into the life that landed him in prison in the first place.
Hiding dangerous secrets and lies…
Alexis Cross is trying hard to escape her father and his influence, but in a city like Detroit, there’s no way to avoid either. When her past violently collides with her present, it shatters her long-held belief that she’s finally gaining her independence, plunging her into a dangerous game with equally deadly consequences.
“Alex, you didn’t tell me you were bringing someone with you,” she said, clearly fishing for information.
“Yeah, Shelby, it was a last-minute thing.” Alex cleared her throat. “Shelby, this is Nick. Nick, meet Shelby Price.”
I held out my hand to Shelby, but she bypassed the more common and socially acceptable greeting for acquaintances and went in for a hug. I gritted my teeth when I felt her running her hands over my shoulders and down my back, getting precariously close to my ass.
I stepped away, a tight smile on my face. “Nice to meet you, Shelby. Hey, Alex?” I drew her closer, leaning in to kiss her on the side of the neck. I inhaled as I did, drawing in the faint smell of grease, engine oil, and something floral. Perfume maybe? She tasted of sweat, but the combination of her scent and her taste was heady. I pulled away when she stiffened. I’d lingered too long, but I hoped she understood what I was doing. “I’ll meet you outside, baby.”
Her brows lifted in silent question, but then a spark lit her eyes, a lazy grin forming on her mouth. “Sure thing, Pandaboo.”
I was stunned for a moment. She wasn’t just playing along; she’d picked up the script and began re-writing it. Before I broke out into a fit of laughter, I excused myself from the room. I only had to wait a few minutes before she was beside me, her bag slung over her shoulder, both mats sticking out.
“What was that about?” she asked, her face still a little flushed. I hoped it was from the kiss and not the exercise we’d just done.
“Shelby was getting a little…what’s the word…grabby? Yeah, grabby just about sums it up. I didn’t want her getting the wrong idea.”
“And us being a couple is the right idea?” she shot back.
I gave her my best good-old-boy grin. “It’s a better idea than I’m a slab of meat looking for someone to rub up on.”
She studied me for a moment before shaking her head.
“What?” I asked, gesturing for her bag. Slowly, she passed the thing over to me. I slung it over my shoulder and started walking back in the direction of her apartment.
She fell into step beside me. “You’re just a decent guy, you know that?”
“You make me sound like a unicorn.”
“A unicorn?”
I glanced at her, smiling a little at the look of consternation on her face. “Yeah, like I’m some sort of mythical creature.”
“Believe me, finding a decent man anywhere is quite a feat.”
AUTHOR BIO
Kally Ash is a USA Today Bestselling Author whose passions include curling up with a good book, devouring chocolate and getting kitty cuddles. Tempt Me is her debut novel, and the first book in a three book series.
Some of her unicorn authors include Sawyer Bennett, Elizabeth Hayley and Haley Jenner.
