"King of Clubs" (Sandra Owens) RELEASE BLAST with GIVEAWAY!!

Passions—and tempers—flare as one star-crossed couple gets a second chance at love.

KING OF CLUBS

Aces & Eights #2

Sandra Owens

Releasing June 27, 2017

Montlake Romance

In the second novel in acclaimed author Sandra Owens’s Aces & Eights series, passions—and tempers—flare as one star-crossed couple gets a second chance at love.

Covert FBI agent Court Gentry loves his brothers, his job, and his Harley-Davidson. Once he loved a girl, too, but when she broke his heart, he put his emotions on lockdown…until she crosses his path again.

On vacation six years ago, free-spirited Lauren Montgomery fell hard for Court Gentry. She returned home happier than ever, only to descend into a spiral of abuse by her ex-husband, Stephan. When Stephan threatened to kill any man who touched her, Lauren cut Court from her life—but not from her heart.

When Lauren and Court reunite after her friend marries his brother, Court guards himself against the person who made him feel such intense passion and pain. Except the undeniable spark between them is impossible to contain and heating up fast. Six years ago, it was love. Now, it’s just lust. Keeping it merely physical is a foolproof plan…right?

When Stephan is released from prison, Lauren can’t outrun her past anymore, and Court vows to protect her. But with Lauren in imminent danger, Court must question his heart and risk his life to save the woman he never stopped loving.

EXCERPT

Court had wanted to let her know he was here, but Madison said if he did, Lauren would just kick him out. According to Madison, Lauren intended to go straight to bed. He tilted his head, listening to the sounds coming from her bedroom. She was moving around, opening and closing drawers. She definitely hadn’t gone straight to bed. What was she up to?

Suspicious, he waited. An hour later, the floorboards in the hallway creaked. A dark-clothed person walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out two bottles of water, and stuffed them into the backpack she carried, and then headed for the door.

Lauren. Lauren. Lauren. “Going somewhere my little midnight ghost?”

She yelped, the backpack falling to the floor with a heavy thud.

“Easy, G.G.” He pushed off the sofa.

“Court?” She pressed her forehead against the door. “Why are you here?”

“Guarding you. Going to be kind of hard to do if you’re not here, don’t you think?” He picked up the backpack. “Where you headed?”

“None of your business.” She slipped around him, backed up to the kitchen light switch, and turned it on. “You can leave now.”

“Don’t think so.” He frowned at the sight of a gun barrel in the partially unzipped bag. He pulled it out and held up the Glock 26, also known as a Baby Glock, preferred by women because of its smaller size. “You planning on shooting someone?”

“Again, none of your business.”

He shouldn’t like that fire in those golden brown eyes so much. “I’m making it my business. Do you even know how to shoot this?” When her gaze shifted away, he had his answer. Christ, she was clueless. About everything. How to use the weapon she’d been careless enough to let him find, how to disappear, and she probably didn’t know how to fight off an attack.

What to do about that? As he saw it, he had two choices. Either let her go and hope she somehow managed to safely disappear or make her his project. He wasn’t stupid enough to tell her that last part since he doubted there was a woman in the world who’d appreciate being any man’s project.

“Are you that afraid of him?” he asked even though he was sure of the answer.

“Feeling like a broken record here because again, none of your business. I’d like you to leave now.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, probably to show him she meant business. It wasn’t working since she’d managed to push up her breasts so that the material of her T-shirt stretched against them, leaving her nipples outlined.

He’d had those beautiful breasts in his mouth, had explored every inch of her body, had known all her sighs of pleasure. He’d once thought she loved him. Until she’d told him in a phone call it was over, not even having the courtesy to tell him to his face.

Nor had she given him a reason. Just, “Don’t call me again or try to see me.” That had happened only days after she’d told him she loved him. He’d learned the hard way women couldn’t be trusted, the first lesson on that coming from his mother. The one time he’d forgotten that lesson had been with Lauren. But never again.

“What are you looking at?” She lifted one arm, snapping her fingers. “My eyes are up here.”

Irritated with himself and her, he kept his gaze on her breasts to prove… What? That he was an ass? “So they are,” he said, lifting his eyes to hers. “Here’s the deal.”

“There is no deal, Court. You have no say so over my life. I’ll ask you one more time to leave.”

“Or you’ll what? Call the cops?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

He chuckled, amused that she had no clue she was threatening to call the police on an FBI agent. “Let’s sit, and I’ll tell you the deal.” Ignoring the little growl deep in her throat, he settled on the sofa. “Come on, G.G. Just hear me out.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Why? You used to like it.” She’d been his Gorgeous Girl for six days. It must have been the sun and beer and salty air that had tricked him into mistaking lust for love. He had to admit the woman had a lot to do with that, too. All six years had done to her was turn her from a cute college girl with a love of life into a beautiful woman afraid of her own shadow. He could appreciate the physical change in her, but he didn’t like the fear her ex-husband had put in her eyes.

And when did she have that husband? Before he met her or after? Or even during? No, he couldn’t believe that she would have given herself to him so freely, showing no sign of guilt during their time together if she’d had a husband waiting in the wings. He wanted answers and he planned to get them.

“Lauren, please. Sit and hear me out.” Her cat jumped onto the sofa, climbed onto his lap, and peered up at him with curious blue eyes. “See, even… Hemingway, is it?” At her nod, he said, “Even Hemingway wants to hear what I have to say.”

Like a wary crab, she inched sideways to the nearest chair. “You have five minutes.”

Little did she know. He had as long as he wanted because she wasn’t going anywhere. She might not like it, but it was for her own good. As an officer of the law, he couldn’t stand by and watch her get herself hurt. From all the signs she’d unknowingly given him, she fully expected bad trouble was headed her way.

“I have an offer for you.”

A best-selling, award winning author, Sandra Owens lives in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Her family and friends often question her sanity, but have ceased being surprised by what she might get up to next. She’s jumped out of a plane, flown in an aerobatic plane while the pilot performed death-defying stunts, has flown Air Combat (two fighter planes dogfighting, pretending to shoot at each other with laser guns), and rode a Harley motorcycle for years. She regrets nothing.

A member of Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll, Sandra is a 2013 Golden Heart® Finalist for her contemporary romance, CRAZY FOR HER. In addition to her contemporary romantic suspense novels, she writes Regency stories. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"A Most Unlikely Duke" (Sophie Barnes) ★★★★★ VIRTUAL TOUR with GIVEAWAY!

He never thought he’d become a duke, 
or that the secrets of his past will cost him his greatest love...

A MOST UNLIKELY DUKE

Diamonds in the Rough #1

Sophie Barnes

Releasing June 27, 2017

Avon Books

Raphe Matthews hasn’t stepped foot in polite circles since a tragedy left his once-noble family impoverished and in debt. The bare-knuckle boxer has spent the last fifteen years eking out an existence for himself and his two sisters. But when a stunning reversal of fortunes lands Raphe the title of Duke of Huntley, he’s determined to make a go of becoming a proper lord, but he’ll need a little help and his captivating neighbor might be just the woman for the job…

After her sister’s scandalous match, Lady Gabriella knows the ton’s eyes are on her. Agreeing to tutor the brutish new duke can only lead to ruin. Although she tries to control her irresistible attraction to Raphe, every day she spends with him only deepens her realization that this may be the one man she cannot do without. And as scandal threatens to envelope them both, she must decide if she can risk everything for love with a most unlikely duke.

EXCERPT

“Ye fought well today, lad,” a man’s voice suddenly spoke from directly behind him.

Bristling, Raphe set down his beer on the counter and turned to face his handler, whose attire—a purple velvet jacket and matching top hat—lent an air of flamboyance unmatched by anyone else. And yet, in spite of the fine attire, there was nothing cultured about this man, a scoundrel who’d gained his wealth through illicit deals and by taking advantage of others. His origins were questionable, but rumor had it he’d killed more than once in pursuit of power.

Raphe didn’t know what to believe. All he knew was that in spite of his own prejudices, crime in St. Giles had decreased since Carlton Guthrie’s arrival eighteen years earlier. Or so he’d been told.

“Mr. Guthrie. Good to see ye.” A blatant lie, if ever there was one.

Guthrie’s moustache twitched. “Likewise.” He sounded jovial, but only a fool would mistake that for kindness. Least of all when his henchman, a scarred boulder of a Scotsman by the name of MacNeil, stood at his right shoulder. Guthrie nodded toward Ben, who returned the salutation.

“Come. Share a drink with me,” Guthrie said, addressing Raphe. “We’ve much to discuss, you ‘n I.”

“And Thompson?” Raphe asked, not wanting to abandon his friend.

“I’m sure he’ll be willin’ to wait for ye till ye get back.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a gold coin and dropped it in front of Ben. “For yer trouble. What I ‘ave to say to Matthews ‘ere doesn’t concern ye. Understand?”

Raphe glared at Guthrie for a moment before

looking at Ben. “I’m sorry. I—”

“No worries,” Ben said, pocketing the coin that would keep his family fed for the next few days. “I’ll see ye tomorrow at work, aye?”

Nodding, Raphe watched him go.

“Well?” Guthrie’s voice drew Raphe’s attention back to him. “ ‘Ow about that drink then?” Eyeing first Guthrie and then MacNeil, Raphe gave a curt nod. “By all means.”

Guthrie’s eyes sparkled. “Excellent.” His lips stretched into a smile. “Follow me.” Turning away, he led Raphe through the taproom, where tobacco smoke mingled with the smell of roasting meat and beer. Dice rolled across one table in a game of hazard. A hand touched his thigh, inappropriately stroking upward until he pushed it away.

“No’ in the mood, luv?” the woman to whom it belonged asked. She was sitting down, her legs spread across the lap of a man who was busily burying his face between her half-exposed breasts. Pitying the life she’d been dealt, he told her gently,

“I’ve not the time.”

“La’er then?” she called as he strode away, not answering her question. Blessedly, his sisters had managed to avoid such a fate.

“ ‘Ave a seat,” Guthrie said moments later as they stepped inside a private room at the end of a hallway. It was sparsely furnished, with just a plain wooden table and four chairs. On top of the table stood a pitcher and a couple of mugs. “Some ale for me champion?” Guthrie asked, indicating the pitcher. Grabbing a chair, Raphe dropped down onto it and poured himself a drink, while Guthrie claimed the other chair with more finesse. “Will ye ‘ave some?” Raphe asked, indicating the same pitcher. Guthrie beamed. “Don’t mind if I do.” He waited for Raphe to pour before reaching for the mug and raising it. “To yer victory today.”

“To me victory,” Raphe muttered, downing the bitter resentment he felt with a brew to match.

“I’ve ‘igh ‘opes for ye,” Guthrie said, tapping a finger against his nose. “Unbeaten for the fifteenth time. That’s unprecedented, tha’ is.” Raphe saw the spark that lit his eyes, like the

promise of treasure or some such thing. “Wha’ do ye want, Guthrie?”

“So cynical, Matthews.” Guthrie’s upper lip drew back, revealing his teeth. “Must a man always want some’in? Can’t ‘e simply enjoy a drink wi’ an old friend?”

Old friend?

Hardly.

“Not when ‘e’s got ’im by the bollocks.” Guthrie’s mouth tightened, his eyes darkening just enough to offer a glimpse of his true nature. “Is tha’ ‘ow ye see our relationship, laddy?”

His demeaning tone made Raphe’s muscles flex. He glanced at MacNeil, who stood by the door, running his thumb along the edge of a wicked blade, and was instantly reminded of the punishment he’d suffered the one time when he’d been foolish enough to try and thwart Guthrie’s wishes. Shoulders tensing, Raphe returned his gaze to the man who owned him.

“ ‘Ow else should I see it? I’m yer puppet, ain’t I?” Guthrie nodded. “Aye, but ye’re me favorite one. Which is why I’d like to offer ye a deal.”

Raphe stiffened. “What sor’ of deal?”

“The sor’ that could set ye free, laddy.” A tempting notion, but surely too good to be true.

Still, he couldn’t help but ask. “What do ye have in mind?”

Leaning forward, Guthrie placed his elbows on the table, the fingers of his right hand reaching up to stroke his chin. “Ye see, there’s goin’ to be an opportunity soon—a grand one, at that.”

Raphe crossed his arms. “Ye don’t say.”

The corner of Guthrie’s eye flinched. “No need to get cocky, now.” Snapping his fingers, he drew MacNeil closer. “Give the laddy ‘is earnin’s.” There was a pause, and then a pouch dropped onto the table with a jangling thump. “Naturally, we’ve kept our share.”

A fat 90 percent.

“Naturally,” Raphe echoed. He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure.

“But . . .” Guthrie took another sip of his ale.

“Word ‘as it, the Bull will be comin’ to town in a month or so.” Raphe straightened in his chair, while Guthrie wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, removing a line of foam. “If ye figh’ ’im and ye win, ye’ll be debt-free. The winnings are gonna be that huge.”

Raphe didn’t doubt it. The Bull was, after all, the bare-knuckle boxing world champion—undefeated since beating Tobias Flannigan several years earlier.

Since then, he’d crippled several of his opponents. The man was a legend. “I’ll do it,” Raphe said without blinking.

“But if ye lose . . .”

“I won’t,” Raphe assured him.

“But if ye do . . .”

Grabbing the pouch that still sat on the table, Raphe pocketed his money. “I know the risk, Guthrie, an’ I’m willin’ to take it.”

CAT'S REVIEW

"A Most Unlikely Duke" by Sophie Barnes is a wonderful tale that I couldn't put down.  Our lovely couple, Raphe and Gabriella, warmed my heart.  They are so untraditional for a historical couple but that is what made them so endearing.  Raphe, while unsophisticated, truly has a heart of gold as he tries hard to provide for his sisters.  Gabriella, trying so hard to please her mother but underneath is nothing like the ideal Lady groomed to be married.  Seeing both fight to be the person they are expected to be yet still hold on to their true selves is a delightful journey, as they help each other along the way.   Ms. Barnes writing is paced fast but not so the reader is lost but keeps the reader engaged throughout, eagerly turning each page.  I enjoyed the path our couple took, the ups and downs and the twists and turns.  Of course, there are bumps along the way, but the way in which Ms. Barnes handles these made me smile and cheer for Raphe and Gabriella throughout.  (received copy for honest review)

★★★★★

Born in Denmark, Sophie Barnes spent her youth traveling with her parents to wonderful places all around the world. She's lived in five different countries, on three different continents, and speaks Danish, English, French, Spanish, and Romanian. But, most impressive of all, she's been married to the same man three times—in three different countries and in three different dresses. 

When she's not busy dreaming up her next romance novel, Sophie enjoys spending time with her family, swimming, cooking, gardening, watching romantic comedies and, of course, reading.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Rock Star" (Stacey Kennedy) RELEAST BLAST with GIVEAWAY!!

A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty 
and a whole lot more complicated!

ROCK STAR

A Bad Boy Homecoming Novel

Stacey Kennedy

Releasing June 27, 2017

A high school reunion is about to get down and dirty and a whole lot more complicated in this new erotic romance from USA Today bestselling author Stacey Kennedy.

Veterinarian, Rae Evans expects to attend a dreadful ten-year high school reunion. Instead, she’s confronted by a past she’s never gotten over. The love of her life, Travis Walker, has returned to Catfish Creek, and the now-famous rock star wants only three things: Her. Naked. And screaming his name.

Fresh off his last world tour, Travis has returned to town to get a dose of reality. With fame casting a superficial cloud over Travis’s life, he’s scrambling to stay afloat. He needs an anchor, and Rae is that for him. But as he finds himself, he’s determined to remind Rae of the heat that once burned between them.

Before they know it, their one hot night is three, and soon, just like ten years ago, Travis holds the strings to Rae’s heart. But Rae’s not that young girl who watched her high school sweetheart race off to become famous. She’s a woman who knows what she wants and realizes when a man needs her. She just has to decide if she should put the past on repeat, or walk away from it forever.

EXCERPT

Travis Walker made women’s panties disappear.

On most nights, anyway.

Tonight, sitting on a wooden stool set upon the stage at Catfish Creek High School’s conference center, only one woman was on his mind. His fingers strummed over the strings of the guitar, mouth rested near the microphone, and after he sang the final two lines of the chorus—I wanna kiss you under the moonlight. And love you ‘til the sun comes up—the applause from the crowd reopened his eyes.

Sparkling string lights and masquerade masks hung from the ceiling above him, reminding him that he wasn’t surrounded by thousands of his typical screaming and wild fans. In his Texas hometown, he stared out at teachers, old friends, and classmates, all dressed in formal wear and masquerade masks.

From his seat in the spotlight, he recalled playing for smaller crowds on this very stage back in high school. Those had been some of the happiest days of his life. Now, fresh off his last world tour, he realized he loved that scene, too. The energy of a smaller crowd, who knew him personally, and a larger crowd, who thought they were in love with him, was so different he couldn’t compare the two, but admittedly, he missed the intimacy that came from a smaller venue.

Done with his song, and with the crowd quieting, he slid the guitar strap over his head and handed the instrument back to a member of the band that’d been hired to play at Catfish Creek High School’s ten-year reunion. When he jumped off the stage, he sighed in relief, finding that all the cell phones pointed in his direction were now put away, and the flashing lights were gone.

That’s when he set his focus on what mattered tonight: finding her. Rae Evans—the muse behind the song he sang tonight, Moonlight.

He scanned the crowd overtop the decorated tables with their gold chairs, but the beauty had escaped him somehow. He recognized Annie Flowers, the librarian, who gave him a little wave, and Christopher Christianson, the principal, who was grabbing a drink from the bar. Travis could have sworn he spotted Rae entering the masquerade ball when he began his song. Desperation now clawed at his chest.

Determined to find her, he moved farther into the crowd, just as his cell vibrated in his pocket. Knowing exactly who it’d be, and that he couldn’t ignore the call, he reached for his phone and then frowned at the text from his manager, Scott Price.

Awesome job. The video is already up on YouTube. Fans are loving it. The mask was a nice touch. Don’t miss your flight in the a.m.

Travis shifted the black masquerade mask around his eyes, and the muscles along his shoulders tightened with the reminder of the weight they carried; of the need for him to always be on point, and the fact that nothing, not even his high school reunion, was sacred anymore.

Life had changed dramatically since the last time Travis stepped foot in the conference center. But he didn’t want to think about the shit weighing on him, so he fired off a response—I’ll be on it—then tucked his cell phone back into his pocket.

He had tonight to fix everything that was wrong with his life, and he wouldn’t waste it. 

STACEY KENNEDY is the USA Today bestselling author of the Dirty Little Secrets and Club Sin series. She writes deeply emotional romances about powerful men and the wild women who tame them. When she’s not writing sensual stories, she spends her time in southwestern Ontario with her real life hero, her husband, their two young children, and her other babies: a mini labradoodle named Jax and a chocolate labrador named Murphy. Stacey is a proud chocolate, television show, Urban Barn, and wine addict. She likes her heroes in her books like she likes her coffee . . . strong and hot!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

"Make Me Stay" (SidneyHalston) ★★★★★ VIRTUAL TOUR with GIVEAWAY!

BOOK INFORMATION

Make Me Stay
Panic #2

By: Sidney Halston

Releasing June 27, 2017
Loveswept

FOLLOW THIS TASTY BOOK TOUR HERE!

BOOK SUMMARY

Secret identities, second chances, drama, desire: It’s all going down in Miami Beach in this tantalizing novel from the bestselling author of Pull Me Close, which was hailed by Aurora Rose Reynolds as “a heart-gripping story about . . . the power of love.” 

April: Walking away from Matt Moreno was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Lying to him was a close second, but for his safety, I had no other choice. I was undercover, working to put some nasty people behind bars. But when Matt nearly recognizes me on Lincoln Road a year later, all those very real feelings come rushing back. Now that my assignment’s almost over, will he understand why I lied? Why I had to leave? Most important, can he ever forgive me?

Matt: I was madly in love with June Simpson . . . or, at least, with the woman I thought was June. Then she just disappeared while my family’s nightclub went through hell. And after months of searching, when I think I’ve finally found that sexy, raspy voice and those exquisite blue eyes, she slips away once more. Turns out, “June” is actually Detective April White. She’s been playing me the whole time. And she’s about to rock my world all over again.

TBR/BUY LINKS

 GOODREADS - BOOK LINK

GOODREADS - SERIES LINK

AMAZON

B&N

GOOGLE

iTUNES

KOBO

CAT'S REVIEW

"Make Me Stay" by Sidney Halston is one heck of a ride. This story is filled with love, hate, romance, anger, suspense, twists - pretty much everything. I couldn't put it down! Ms. Halston does an incredible job with the background of Matt and April's story - yes, it's a time jump but one that is necessary. It also gives the reader some more insight into Nico, if you read "Pull Me Close" (and if not, what are you waiting for!!) My heart hurt for both of these characters. Their journey is certainly not an easy one and I found myself yelling at both Matt and April and then I was crying for them. I liked Matt and I liked April. Even as frustrated as I found myself with their situation at times and I found that Matt was being a jerk or was wishing that April would make a different choice, I still really, really liked them. Ms. Halston certainly did a wonderful job of taking my heart and inserting it right in the middle of this story. The story shows us the sacrifices those that work undercover have to make in order to help keep us safe. "Make Me Stay" is a story I highly recommend (Received ARC for honest review)

★★★★★


AUTHOR INFO

USA Today bestselling author, Sidney Halston lives her life with one simple rule: "Just Do It"--Nike. And that's exactly what she did.

After working hard as an attorney, Sidney picked up a pen for the first time at thirty years old to begin her dream of writing. Having never written anything other than very exciting legal briefs, she found an outlet for her imaginative, romantic side and wrote Seeing Red. That first pen stroke sealed the deal, and she fell in love with writing. Sidney lives in South Florida with her husband and children. She loves her family above all else, and reading follows a close second. When she's not writing, you can find her reading and reading and reading. She's a reader first and a writer second. When she's not writing or reading, her life is complete and utter chaos, trying to balance family life with work and writing (and reading). But she wouldn't have it any other way.

AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

GOODREADS

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TOUR ORGANIZED BY

TASTY BOOK TOURS

"Forever Nights" (Eva Moore) ★★★★ VIRTUAL TOUR with GIVEAWAY!!

Neither is ready for true love, 
but the nights in Las Vegas are long and lonely…

FOREVER NIGHTS

A Girl's Night Out Novel

Eva Moore

Releasing June 27, 2017

One more easy job, life coach and empath Jamie Donovan promises herself. Then she’ll take a well-earned break from her booming business to properly grieve the loss of her mother and pull herself together. When that job turns out to be an ambush intervention for Las Vegas heiress Layla DeGrasso, all bets are off. But Layla isn’t Jamie’s biggest problem on her new job. That honor goes to her client’s hot as hell bodyguard, Axel. Damn those abs.

Axel Frasier is finally free from the Army and is trying to make a name for his fledgling network security firm. When he lands a promising contract at Lush, Victor DeGrasso’s crown jewel on the Vegas strip, a few quiet weeks of system analysis beckon. But a twist of events force him back into the role of bodyguard, one he swore he’d never play again. It wouldn’t be so bad if he could only keep his head on straight around his clients’ distracting life coach.

Jamie needs to move past the baggage her mother has saddled her with, while keeping Layla on track. Axel can’t afford to be distracted by lust and doesn’t trust the lure of more. Neither is ready for true love, but the nights in Las Vegas are long and lonely…

EXCERPT

Heat. Movement. Escape. Jamie craved release. Her mind wouldn’t click off. Thoughts of work and family plagued her, but not for long. The bright lights of Las Vegas still illumined the darkness as she walked confidently into the club. The first rays of dawn were not far away, but she would take what she needed before they called her back to reality. Surveying the room, she chose her partner carefully. She approached with confidence, and the chase began. After a slow build-up, she was desperate for more. More heat. More movement. More quiet space in her head. She chased what she craved with ruthless enthusiasm.

The pounding beat thudded through her body, mirroring the racing of her heart. Heat built within, a hot flush burning her skin. The rhythm was incessant, grinding. Jamie was caught. It’s not enough. It will never be enough. She shut down the negative voice in her head and gave her body over to the moment, the movement. It would be enough for now.

         She sprinted towards her release. Freedom beckoned. All she had to do was reach for it. She bore down, racing for the finish. Muscles screaming, sweat streaming, she panted for breath as she reached her peak, finally satisfied.

         When the treadmill kicked into cool down mode after her five-mile hills challenge, she sucked a deep breath down into her heaving lungs. Keeping her legs moving, she came back down from the high of that final sprint.

         For some, the gym was a chore, a duty, or an ego stroke. For Jamie, it was a sanctuary. When she ran or lifted, she clicked her mind off. No duties, no clients, no emotions or intuition. As a life coach, she was committed to being available to her clients. As an empath, she required alone time to recharge her emotional batteries. It was difficult to find balance between the two extremes. Thanks to a few “real life makeover” segments on Ellen that had gone viral, she was a household name. Fame made it even more difficult to find the time for herself. The exhaustion a brutal workout provided helped her maintain control.

         It also helped her ignore her recent sexual drought. If she got herself tired enough, she could almost forget that it had been a year since a man had touched her without an ulterior motive. And a hell of a year it had been. Between her skyrocketing fame and the death of her mother, she was reeling. She was ready for a well-earned break, as soon as this last contract was finished.

         She wiped down her treadmill and turned to tackle the free weights when a startled squeal escaped from her lips. He’d come in silently. She hadn’t noticed his presence in the hotel gym, but he had to have seen her. There was no avoiding him now. After a second glance, she wasn’t altogether sure she wanted to. She might be okay with her drought, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate watching a hot summer storm through the window.

He sat on the resistance machine, gripping the foam covered handles back near his shoulders. Each outward press caused the muscles in his chest to swell with exertion. His sweat-damp white t-shirt did little to hide some serious pectorals. And his arms, good Lord, his arms. They stretched the sleeves of that t-shirt to the breaking point. She had the irrational desire to feel them wrapped around her.

Another press drew her gaze further. The tendons in his hands and wrists clenched as he began to press the bars away from his chest. Those hands sparked a thousand instant fantasies in Jamie’s sex starved brain. He oozed danger, like a biker gripping the handlebars of a Harley. His short-cropped black hair read military or prison, and the beard spoke of rugged survival. Danger was the only clear thought Jamie could latch onto, as she nodded a quick hello and spun away to the free weights. How long had she been staring? 

CAT'S REVIEW

"Forever Nights" by Eva Moore is quite the ride.  There is a lot happening and I can say, I was never bored.  The main characters, Jamie and Axel, were, in my opinion, terrific together.  I liked both - their strengths and weaknesses.  The sparks flew between these two!  Axel is uber hot and of course, super swoon worthy.  Jamie, although a life coach, I found her vulnerabilities endearing.  This book has a bit of everything - there's a touch of humor, some suspense, action and of course, love.  Ms. Moore's writing style is complete and fluid.  I found I could envision each scene and feel each feeling throughout.  I do wish there was a bit more focus on Jamie and Axel and bit less on the secondary characters and stories, but still, this one was a read that held my interest throughout.  (received ARC for honest review)

★★★★

Winner of Cherry Adair’s Finish The Damn Book Contest, Eva Moore writes sweet and sexy contemporary romance, after leaving a career in the classroom to raise her daughters. Forever Nights is the fourth and final book in her Girls’ Night Out Series. Eva now lives in Silicon Valley, after moving around the world and back, with her college sweetheart, her three gorgeous girls, and two Shih Tzus who think they are cats. She can be found most nights hiding in her closet/office, scribbling away, and loves to hear from the outside world.

a Rafflecopter giveaway