Friday, 9 December 2016

BLOG TOUR :DARKNESS WITHIN by Isabel Lucero

Title: Darkness Within

Author: Isabel Lucero

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Release Date: November 28

The moment it happens, everything in me changes.

Imagine somebody was able to fit inside of your body. Their arms are the same length as yours. You’re both the same height. Everything is exactly the same. Now imagine that person not being a person at all. That thing inside of you is a shadow. Darkness. A silhouette of you, only living on the inside of your body. It doesn’t have a conscious. It doesn’t have a heart. Nothing within that darkness is remotely human. Its only goal is to take over your body. It fights against your muscles. It tries breaking through the skin. It wants to replace you. That’s what it feels like when the darkness that lives inside me starts trying to get out.

I feel it happening. The pressure builds. My skin prickles. And the only thing that tames it, getting it back to resting peacefully inside me, is to unleash it. I have to let it wreak havoc, and I quite enjoy the mayhem.

Analeigh Price comes into my life and does the one thing I hate; question me about my past. She can pretend she wants to get to know me all she wants, but she’s not ready for the truth. I won’t become a better person for her, because I am who I am. She can't fix me, because my wounds are unfixable.

You see, I’m not like everybody else. Oh, no. I’m different. My humanity was stripped from me long ago, and those who are responsible are about to be paid a visit. You’ve never heard a story like mine, because I’m unlike anyone you’ve ever met. I’m no hero. I’m the guy you don’t want to piss off, because once the darkness within me is unleashed, it’ll be too late to get away.

What’s my name? It’s Donovan. Donovan James. But the darkness is taking over, and it’s only good at one thing, so I must go.

I narrow my eyes at her. “How old are you?”
“Old enough,” she counters.
“I don’t like that answer,” I say, settling back into my truck, ready to drive off.
“Wait, wait,” she says, putting her hand on the window frame. “If you’re gonna be a baby about it, geez. If I’m at college, I’m clearly at least eighteen. Which is legal, by the way.”
“Eighteen is too young. Legal or not.”
“Well, lucky for you, I’m not eighteen. I’m twenty. I’ll be twenty-one next month.”
“Hmm,” I murmur. “Good for you.”
“And you?” she asks, leaning in closer through the window with a flirtatious smile gracing her lips.
“Twenty-four.”
“See. That’s perfect! We can have fun together.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” I ask. “You were flying across the street like the cops were after you.”
She laughs. “Well, if they were, wouldn’t you want to help me escape them? We’ve been in the road for five minutes. They could be coming any minute now,” she says, playfully widening her eyes in a panic.
“I don’t need to be an accessory to anything, so no, I wouldn’t help.”
“You’re no fun,” she says with a pout.
“I told you.”
“Come on,” she whines. “Take me somewhere.” She leans in and I find myself leaning closer to her. Her brown eyes watch mine, waiting for me to object, but I don’t. I feel her lips touch my neck, but barely. She’s just brushing them against my skin, and then she whispers into my ear. “Take me somewhere and you can take me however you like.” Her voice drops to a husky whisper and my cock responds. She licks and kisses my neck, her free hand running across my stomach and towards my jeans. “Don’t make me beg,” she breathes into my ear. Her hand cups my cock through my jeans, and she moans.
“Get in,” I growl.
She hurries around to the passenger side and climbs in, throwing her book and messenger bag to the floor board before scooting next to me. I drive off, needing to find somewhere to pull over, because I’m not taking her to my house, and I don’t feel like looking for a hotel room right now. Whatever we do will be in my truck, but I don’t think she’ll mind since she’s unbuttoning my jeans.
“I want to taste you,” she says seductively. “Can I?” she asks, unzipping my zipper like she already knows I’m not going to stop her.
I lift up, helping her pull my jeans down a little, and then she sticks her hand inside of my boxer-briefs, pulling my hard cock out through the slit in the front. She strokes it a few times, before lying across the seat and putting the tip in her mouth.
“Fuck,” I groan, trying to concentrate on driving and getting us to a spot where I can park and not be disturbed.
“Mmm,” she moans around me, taking me deeper.
I pass a for sale sign and turn off onto a side street, hoping to find the empty house. When I do, I pull into the driveway and cut off the engine, hoping the neighbors don’t look out their windows and get suspicious.
She releases my cock from her grip and sits up to start pulling her clothes off. First she removes the black V-neck shirt and then shimmies out of her tight, blue jeans and white panties. I slide over, away from the steering wheel, and remove my shoes, jeans, and underwear as fast as possible.
“I don’t have a condom,” I manage to say as she begins to climb onto my lap.
She reaches down to her bag and pulls a shiny square of foil out, holding it up with a grin on her face.
“You have everything you need in there?” I ask, lifting a brow as she rips it open and pulls the colored condom out.
“Mmhhmm,” she murmurs, placing it on my head and rolling it down over my shaft. I groan and throw my head back as she strokes me.

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Isabel Lucero is a multi-genre bestselling author, penning the romantic suspense novel The Secrets That We Keep, the erotic romance books Living in Sin, Unforgivable Sin, and Sins & Mistrust; books one, two, and three in The Escort Series, the crime drama WAR, the contemporary romance novel titled Resurrecting Phoenix, and a forbidden contemporary romance titled Think Again.

She was born in a small town in New Mexico and was lucky enough to escape and travel the world thanks to her husband's career in the Air Force. She's been married for twelve years to the love of her life and Jr. High School sweetheart. Together they have two of the best and most beautiful kids in the world.

She currently lives overseas and is constantly coming up with new book ideas, so keep an eye open for new stories coming your way. Isabel loves connecting with her readers and fans of books in general. You can find her on her personal website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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RELEASE BLITZ : THE CURSE OF THE BLUE SCARAB by Josh Lanyon

Title: The Curse of the Blue Scarab

Author: Josh Lanyon

Genre: Historical Romance & Mystery Suspense

Release Date: December 9, 2016

Blurb

Who or what is responsible for the gruesome deaths of members of the secret society known as the Order of Osiris?

Dr. Armiston, an irascible, confirmed bachelor who believes in medicine not mysticism, is certain the deaths are only tragic accidents.

The members of the Order of Osiris suspect something more sinister is at work. They profess to believe an ancient curse has been visited upon their society. Handsome and mysterious Captain Maxwell requests Armiston’s help.

Tarot cards? Egyptology? Spiritualism? Armiston has little patience with the superficial and silly pastimes of the rich, but he does love a good puzzle. Or could it be that he is more drawn to young Captain Maxwell than he wishes to admit?

Either way, Armiston must solve the secret of the cursed sarcophagus very soon, for Captain Maxwell is the next slated to die…

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Excerpt

I found the place in a quiet back street some three minutes’ walk east from Piccadilly Circus. A gilded sign in the shape of a banyan leaf hung over first-floor windows.

The Banyan was not a club, but an eating-house, with rather a special clientele. It was run by a retired quartermaster, who somehow made his little pile in India. The man spoke Persian and Burmese and worked the house with Indian servants. He catered to Anglo-Indian tastes. It was the first place I was given a spoon for my curry.

According to Maxwell, men had been known to come home cursing India and all its ways—and yet turn up at the Banyan within a month. He said he went there principally to keep up his Indian vocabulary, but the fowl-curry, the chutney, and the fruit were all excellent and well worth the visit.

Though Maxwell was not a sophisticated raconteur like Maundeville, he was good company and sincerely charming. In fact, he was disconcertingly attentive. It was quite a heady thing to have his complete and unadulterated concentration. I could see no reason for it.

“How did you happen to become a physician?” he asked curiously as I finished a long, involved story that even I could see no point to.

“My father was a doctor,” I said. “One of those good old-fashioned country doctors who shepherded his flock in and out of this life for nearly the length of his own. He was greatly loved by everyone who knew him, and I thought that would be a wonderful thing. To be able to take away pain and suffering. And to be greatly loved.”

It was the truth, but it was more than I had meant to say.

“It is a wonderful thing to be able to take away pain and suffering,” Maxwell said after a moment.

“Yes. What I failed to understand was how difficult it would be when, no matter how hard you try, you can’t manage it. Or when your best effort fails to save a life. It’s a dreadful thing to have a child die in your arms.”

Maxwell’s somber expression no doubt matched my own. I said hastily, “Happily, most of my practice amounts to lancing boils and handing out headache powders.”

He laughed. “I doubt it.”

“Oh, it’s quite true. I’m not complaining. The grand career I imagined for myself would have been contrary to my own nature. I like a quiet, comfortable life.”

He stared at the ale in his glass. “You never married?”

“No, no,” I said too heartily. “No woman would have me. Congenital bachelor, I’m afraid.”

Maxwell’s eyes flicked up. He met my gaze and offered a faint, enigmatic smile.

It was not easy—in fact, it was impossible—to get him to speak of himself. Nor did he broach the subject that had inspired this tête-à-tête until at length we settled in a quiet corner of the smoking-room.

“Now,” he said with a sort of grim cheerfulness, “we’re fortified and steadied by an excellent dinner. We shall take a common-sense view of the matter before us.”

“The matter before us?”

“Your continuing involvement in this case.”

“I’m…not sure I follow.”

“It’s quite simple. To begin with we have poor Scrymgeour and D’Aurelle. Both died suddenly, and apparently alone. You knew neither of them, but you certified one death and countenanced the certifying of the other although I believe you thought both those deaths were suspicious.”

I stared at him, unable to believe my ears.

“I believe you feel you’re partly responsible—since you certified those deaths—for the fact that there has been no further inquiry. I think, too, that you joined the Society of Osiris because of those deaths, and that you have those certificates on your conscience.”

“What the devil are you talking about?” I exclaimed. “I certified what I believed to be true.”

“Would you sign them now?” he retorted. “I know you acted honestly at the time.”

“Of what exactly are you accusing me?” I asked very coldly, very quietly.

Maxwell met my stare without flinching. “It’s the truth, isn’t it? Your interest in this matter, your involvement—”

I said, “My involvement is simply one of academic interest. You and your friend have presented me with a mystery, and I mean to solve it. That is all.”

He nodded as though satisfied, though his expression remained uncharacteristically austere. I thought his eyes held an unnatural glitter, and I prepared myself for more unpleasantness. Even so, his next words were startling.

“In thinking over those two deaths, we must consider points of difference and of similarity. Both these poor fellows were bachelors, and both had independent means.”

“You believe their deaths are connected by something other than the Mummy?”

“I do. Perhaps you don’t know where their property went?”

“Well?”

“Miss Hennessey.”

I think I gaped at him. Not at the information itself, but the fact he had essentially accused the poor girl of murder.

I said as much, though I tried to keep my tone neutral. “Then you suspect Miss Hennessey of somehow engineering their deaths?”

It was Maxwell’s turn to look astonished. “Nora? Of course not. I bring up the matter only because you’re a bachelor too, though not so well provided as they were with this world’s goods. You’re an older man also.”

I laughed. He was rude and ridiculous, but I don’t suppose he realized that—or cared. “True on all counts, I’m afraid. Furthermore, I’m an observer, not a participant in this little misadventure of yours. So if your concern is for my safety, you may rest easy. I don’t believe either Miss Hennessey or the Mummy are after me.”

“I think you should retire from the case, all the same.”

I stared. He appeared to be quite serious.

“What’s brought about this change of heart?” I inquired. “You weren’t concerned for my safety five days ago.”

“Five days ago you weren’t taking tea with Miss Hennessey or having dinner with Maundeville. I—we—didn’t then appreciate the fact that there might be risk to you.” His throat jumped as he swallowed. He looked genuinely worried. “Enough people have died, Armiston. I wouldn’t like something to happen to you on our account.”

“You and Perceval have decided this between you?”

“Er…yes.” It was such an obvious lie, I almost laughed. I was too offended to find the situation humorous, however.

“I see.”

“It’s not that we’re unappreciative.”

“No. You’ve expressed your appreciation most originally.”

His brows drew together. “We should never have dragged you into this matter. That’s the truth.”

“Possibly not. But you did—I won’t say dragged me because I joined the expedition willingly enough—invite me, and there’s no going back now.”

“Of course there is.”

I shook my head. “I told you both before that I did not need your permission to continue my investigations. Such as they are.”

He leaned forward, saying with quiet intensity, “You must stop, Quentin.”

I was so surprised he knew my Christian name it took me a moment to collect my thoughts. “Shall I tell you what I think this is?”

“I’m telling you what it is!”

I shook my head. “I believe you’ve recently learned the cards are about to be drawn again. I believe you’re convinced that this time you’ll receive the Priestess. And I believe that you’re afraid that because of my…” I didn’t quite know how to phrase it without making matters more awkward than they were. I settled on, “…respect for you, I may act rashly and come to harm.”

Even in the muted light I could see he flushed and then paled. “I don’t think any such thing.”

“I hope not. I hope you don’t think I’m such a fool.”

“I don’t. Of course I don’t.” He looked stricken.

“However great my…respect for you, I’m not a man prone to rash or incautious action. I’m not the dashing hero of a romance novel. Frankly, you would be better suited to such a role than I.”

He opened his mouth, closed it, and swallowed. “I wasn’t suggesting—”

“Let’s consider the matter closed. You’ve said what you needed to say, and I’ve given you my answer.”

“Very well,” he said stiffly.

Shortly after, Maxwell and I parted. I think he couldn’t escape fast enough.

Author Bio

Bestselling author of over sixty titles of classic Male/Male fiction featuring twisty mystery, kickass adventure and unapologetic man-on-man romance, JOSH LANYON has been called "arguably the single most influential voice in m/m romance today."

Her work has been translated into nine languages. The FBI thriller Fair Game was the first male/male title to be published by Harlequin Mondadori, the largest romance publisher in Italy. Stranger on the Shore (Harper Collins Italia) was the first M/M title to be published in print. The Adrien English series was awarded the 2nd Annual All Time Favorite Male Male Couple by the Goodreads M/M Group. Josh is an Eppie Award winner, a four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist for Gay Mystery, and the first ever recipient of the Goodreads Favorite M/M Author Lifetime Achievement award.

Josh is married and lives in Southern California.

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DELUCA DUET PART 1 & 2 : WASTE OF WORTH & WORTH THE WASTE by Bethany-Kris DeLuca

**Waste of Worth: The Deluca Duet, Part One**

by Bethany-Kris DeLuca Duet #1 Publication Date: January 9, 2017 Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime

Synopsis: DeLuca Duet, Part One

Ask anyone and they will all say the same thing about just who Dino DeLuca is. A criminal, the son of a traitor, and a mafia Capo who can’t be trusted. His past has shaped his life, creating demons he can’t escape from that live in his mind day and night. He is all too aware of just how people see him. Closed off. Cold. Different. He doesn’t care—keeping people out means no one can get close enough to hurt him again, and he already has one too many monsters with their claws stuck in his back that he’s still fighting off. His walls are so high, no one is climbing over them. Or so he thinks … Karen came into his life like a spring shower, her light shining through the darkness and making him see something other than the hell that surrounded him for so long. She doesn’t know who he is or what he has done to become the man he is today. If he can help it, she’ll never know, and his monsters will never hurt her. She sees his differences as beauty. She never asks for more. She is perfect. The problem with happiness for Dino DeLuca is that his monsters don’t mind taking away what makes him happy. After all, what isn’t given cannot be kept. These lessons will be the hardest he has ever learned. AUTHOR’S NOTE: The DeLuca Duet is a two book tale following the same couple through their journey. It is a standalone Duet that can be read independently with a HEA ending.

EXCERPT

Memories could make a monster out of a man. There were times that seemed harder to deal with than others; a passing moment that could make Dino DeLuca’s chest tighten in pain, or his fists clench in anger. The sound of metal being dropped was one of the worst. He swore he could feel his back bruising and bleeding all over again at the simple tinging tone. Whispered words made him jumpy—paranoid. Whispers were good for nothing but taunting, and he didn’t want to hear those mocking words anymore. Had enough yet? Learn to follow directions, Dino. It should fucking hurt, kid. The stench of vomit, clinging to the air and seemingly never letting go, would make his panic rush into overdrive, overwhelming him with an almost sense of itchiness all over his skin. As if the vomit was still soaked and dripping off his clothes in the darkness as he sobbed in a dank basement, curled in a corner and fighting off another round of sickness. The reactions always came so swiftly they surprised him no matter the time or place. His memories weren’t much different when it came right down to it. These times were the most difficult for Dino. Those times came at night. When the lights were off … When the apartment was quiet … When it was just him and his monsters … When he was alone. The most frightening thing about monsters was the fact that they could be anybody. The old man sitting outside the pizzeria, tipping his hat at the ladies passing by. The young woman on the city bus with her hair bleached white and her gaze distant, staring at anything but anyone. The mother pushing a stroller down the street, oblivious but focused. Or a monster could be the man dressed in three-piece suit stepping out of the restaurant he owns, the ring of his key fob for his white Bentley spinning circles as he whistled Ave Maria on his way to church. Dino caught sight of the lower portion of his reflection in the darkly tinted glass of his Bentley’s window. He managed a smile. It was more like a smirk. Fact was, the expression he wore was neither. Dino found it incredibly hard to smile—something that came so easy for others was foreign to him. When he did try, it came off as a grimacing grin and that worked its way into a sneer. Or a smirk. He liked that better. It was manageable. The monster was definitely the man wearing the three-piece suit with the key fob in his hand, staring at himself in the window, Dino knew. Slipping into the SUV, the noise of the busy Chicago city street was silenced instantly as Dino turned on his vehicle and checked his rearview mirror before he could pull out onto the road. He regretted choosing the rearview almost immediately. While his reflection in the window of his car had been partly obscured by the shadows of trees providing shade to the sidewalk, it was not concealed at all in the rearview mirror. Dino didn’t like mirrors. He didn’t like the face staring back at him. The soulless brown gaze, emotionless expression, and silence was more than enough to make him look away. Except he couldn’t. Under the right edge of his strong jaw was a three inch scar that started three-quarters of the way up his throat and stopped just before his ear. The broad slope of his nose had the slightest crook in the middle. Sometimes the left side of his jaw ached when it rained. Those were the obvious things—marks, scars, and reminders he could pick out instantly when faced with his reflection. The longer he stared at himself, the more he would find. It was—without meaning to be—the most dangerous game he could play with himself. Church, he told himself. You need to be seen at church. It was only the ringing of his phone that finally drove his gaze away from the rearview mirror, making him check the caller ID, and breaking his cycle of self-loathing. Dino was grateful for that. Not so much the caller that interrupted him. Sighing, he connected the call through Bluetooth as he pulled out onto the road. “DeLuca here,” Dino answered. “Why the fuck is Riley Conti calling me with demands about you, Dino?” Dino counted back from five silently before he answered his younger brother. “Theo, good morning to you, too. Are you at church? I’m headed that way. We can talk then.” “Dino—” “Church, man.” Dino let the call drop. Theo wouldn’t say two words to Dino at the church and he knew it for a fact. When it came to the public, Theo and Dino were constantly apart from one another—on opposite sides of the room where they didn’t have to speak. It was the easiest way for Dino to handle Theo DeLuca. Maybe that made him a coward. The brothers’ history together was not an easy one, not when it had been shadowed by the death of their parents, and then the events that followed the murders. Unlike Dino, who learned quickly that trust was a beautiful myth in their lifestyle and in the Chicago Outfit, Theo was of a more stubborn mindset. And so, the two were distant. Dino tried with Theo, but it never really seemed to help the relationship. He was all too aware that his younger brother blamed him for things that had been out of his control, though Theo thought his older sibling could have handled the past far better. He probably could have—should have. Dino thought he had, honestly. He’d taken years of abuse from the hands of their uncle Ben after their parents’ deaths. He’d lived separately from the family, sure, but he was not exempt from the beatings and the manipulation. Of course, that was a story for another day. If Dino got his wish, that day would never come. Another call rang through to Dino’s cell phone. He checked the caller ID again. Ben DeLuca, it read. Dino didn’t pick up the call, still driving toward the church. He would see Ben soon enough. Without even being told, Dino was already aware he would suffer for not picking up the call. Years had passed since he’d suffered some form of physical harm from his uncle’s hard hand. Years. Dino’s chest tightened at the thought. Truth was, he still wasn’t exempt from the manipulation. Not when he was constantly haunted with it all. He still wasn’t free.

**Worth of Waste: The Deluca Duet, Part Two**

by Bethany-Kris DeLuca Duet #2 Publication Date: February 6, 2017 Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime

Synopsis: DeLuca Duet, Part Two

The Chicago Mob is the same as it has always been—violent, greedy, and excessive. The Outfit families have turned their backs when they were needed the most one too many times, but Dino DeLuca didn’t expect anything different. His whole life has been lived for the Outfit—for his family. He has a whole new set of reasons to live and fight now. Karen Martin makes Dino change all the rules. He’s finally ready to show everyone just how much waste is truly worth in the mafia, and just how far one will go for freedom from it all. He’s learned these lessons well. Too well. Author’s Note: The DeLuca Duet is a standalone duet with a HEA ending that can be read independently.

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Pinterest • Mailing List • Amazon Author Page

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TATTOOED HEARTS by CA Harms

TATTOOED HEARTS by CA Harms

Genre: Sports Romance

Release Date: December 13, 2016

— SYNOPSIS —

Permanent

An indefinite, everlasting and imperishable stamp.
Like a tattoo.
One that would forever be with you to remind you of a single moment in time, or a person that touched you in some way.

That was exactly what Jenny was to Sean.

And no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget the one girl who would forever have his heart.

A lifetime of friendship, shattered by one irreversible mistake.
A choice that Jenny would forever regret, but only because it pushed away the one person she truly loved.
A love so deep that they felt as if they were one.
Years passed, and still that love remained deep…stamped with an unfading ink.

When their paths cross after six years of longing, they are faced with a choice.
Forget the past and let go of the heartache…giving in to the temptation that was always there.
Or continue to torture themselves by avoiding what was always meant to be.

Tattooed Hearts of endless love…

Will it be enough or will the memories of their past create an unbreakable wedge between them.

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— ABOUT THE AUTHOR —

C.A. Harms is like any other addicted reader. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories. She hasn't always been a lover of Romance and had once been addicted to a good Mystery. Just recently she has taken on a new liking and now is a full blown Romance novel addict.

She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. You will always find her with her kindle or paperback in hand as it is her favorite pass time.

WORDPRESS HTML CODES TATTOOED HEARTS by CA Harms Genre: Sports Romance Release Date: December 13, 2016 — SYNOPSIS — Permanent An indefinite, everlasting and imperishable stamp. Like a tattoo. One that would forever be with you to remind you of a single moment in time, or a person that touched you in some way. That was exactly what Jenny was to Sean. And no matter how hard he tried, he could never forget the one girl who would forever have his heart. A lifetime of friendship, shattered by one irreversible mistake. A choice that Jenny would forever regret, but only because it pushed away the one person she truly loved. A love so deep that they felt as if they were one. Years passed, and still that love remained deep…stamped with an unfading ink. When their paths cross after six years of longing, they are faced with a choice. Forget the past and let go of the heartache…giving in to the temptation that was always there. Or continue to torture themselves by avoiding what was always meant to be. Tattooed Hearts of endless love… Will it be enough or will the memories of their past create an unbreakable wedge between them.

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