'Reckless Endangerment' by Amber Lea Easton

Reckless Endangerment

by Amber Lea Easton

Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Categories: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Mountain Moxie Publishing

Release Date: April 13, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 93,400

 

Description:

Heroes come in many forms--soldiers who fall and rise, ordinary people doing extraordinary things, women who battle for their marriage, reporters who fight for truth and justice, and men who put it all on the line for the women they love.

Sometimes heroes fall.

Colonel Michael Cedars is a decorated war hero returning home from Afghanistan. Wounded, unsure if he’ll walk again, he’s not sure how he fits in civilian life, and he definitely questions if he wants to remain married to the feisty redhead he married a world away.

Hope Shane’s never been one to play it safe. She met the Colonel while working as a war correspondent, fell in love with the man in uniform, watched him get blown up, and isn’t willing to give up on him now.

Back in Denver, Colorado, she’s working as an investigative reporter who becomes entangled in a human trafficking story. As the danger of her story intensifies, Michael is tested more than he ever imagined. Will he be able to see beyond what he’s lost to embrace what remains? Is he still the man she married or has he become a liability that could get her killed? Is he still the hero she claims him to be? Will her reckless pursuit of justice endanger the life they’ve pieced together?

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Read an excerpt:

“Screw you.” She wanted to shake him, make him see that he was wasting away like this. She’d been so lonely without him, had ached for him, and had been tortured by his silence. “I’m done giving into your wishes. I left you alone for five months and went through my own personal hell because of it. No more.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I wish I’d never met you.”

“Me, too, damn it.” She looked at him, no longer strong enough to stop a tear from escaping. “But we did meet. We loved each other. We got married on a cliff in Greece with our friends by our side and we laughed through our vows because we were so goddamn happy. I’m not leaving here until you acknowledge that. You married me. You loved me.”

“The man you loved died a long time ago.”

Frustration clawed inside her skull, aching for the right words that would break his resolve. She rubbed trembling hands over her hips and struggled for clarity. This was one argument she intended on winning...and it had been a long time coming.

“None of us are who we were. Do you think I’m the same person I was before seeing my best friend killed? Before stepping over Marishka’s body and the bodies of her murdered children? Before seeing you face down in the dirt? Do you think I don’t see corpses in my sleep? Do you think that hasn’t changed me?” she asked.

“You look the same.” His gaze flicked over her before sliding toward the window.

“Maybe I’m still walking on both of my feet, but that doesn’t mean other parts of me aren’t paralyzed.” She scrubbed her fists against the tears and hated herself for being weak. “I’m pissed at you for denying me access to you in Frankfurt. You have no idea—none—how much I needed to be with you when you were hurt and you made me out to be a liar. I’m your wife, for God’s sake.”

“Stop saying that word.”

“You’re a selfish bastard.” She shoved her hands through her hair and counted silently to twenty. “Say what you want, I don’t care because I’d rather fight with you than mourn you. I’d rather you hate me than feel nothing.”

“I do hate you.”

Blowing a strand of hair from her face, she grabbed the ouzo bottle, opened it and slammed cabinet doors looking for a glass.

“I know you’re lying,” she said.

“Get the hell out of here,” he yelled.

“Where are your goddamn glasses?” she asked between clenched teeth.

“How would I know? I’ve been here less than six fucking hours.”

“Who needs a glass, right?” She took a long swig of the liquor. The alcohol burned her throat but felt damn good. She took another swig before meeting his gaze.

“Is that how you’re dealing with your guilt? Drinking it away?” he asked.

She held the bottle out toward him. “Want a taste?”

He looked at her through narrowed eyes, muscle working overtime in his jaw.

“C’mon, soldier boy, look at it this way…maybe a taste will kill you,” she said.

For the first time since entering the room, a flicker of humor shot through his eyes. With a shrug, he grabbed the bottle and drank without breaking eye contact.

“I’m still alive,” he said.

“Sorry to disappoint you…again.” Needing to touch him, she reached for the scar that zigzagged across his forehead.

He flinched away from her touch.

“You need to leave. You don’t owe me anything,” he said without looking at her face.

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and studied his bent head before answering. “This isn’t about owing you anything.”

He met her gaze then, annoyance flashing in the brown depths. But there was something else there, too...pain so intense she took a step back.

“What is wrong with you?” he asked. “Just because I’m in this chair doesn’t mean that you can bully me.”

“Am I bullying you?” She grinned at the idea of bullying him. He’d always been the badass marine with more arrogance than necessary. Her independence clashed with his attitude more often than not, but that had been a good thing. Maybe...just maybe...he’d missed it. “I brought you fast food and alcohol. We even had a fight. I think you like that I’m here. I’m livening things up. You looked pretty bored when I walked in.”

He grabbed her hand before she could snag another fry. He squeezed her fingers so hard she thought her bones would snap. “Look at me. I’m not the man you married. I’m not even a marine anymore. Look at me.”

She only saw the man she loved who stared back with desperation in his eyes. She saw his hair thicker and longer than she’d ever seen it before and liked it. She saw his teeth sink into his lower lip and wanted them sinking into her skin. She only saw Michael.

“You’re still the sexiest man on the planet,” she said.

“You’re delusional.” He dropped her hand as if the mere touch of her skin sickened him.

“Maybe I am.”

“What are you getting out of this?”

“A headache.”

“I can’t…I’m changed. We’ll never be able to be like we were.” He looked at his legs. “Not like how you remember me anyway. I’m different now.”

“So am I. We’re all different.”

“It’s more than that and you know it. You and me...sex...there will be...expectations.”

“I see, so I should pretend you don’t exist because you feel awkward about sex? You must not think much of me, Colonel.” She bit out his rank between clenched teeth.

“When I see you that’s what I want, are you satisfied now? Right now I would like to throw you up against that counter, rip those jeans from you and fuck you. I remember how we were together. That’s what I want. I can’t do that. Do you hear me? I can’t have what I want and seeing you is torture for me. I can’t have you.”

Silence quaked in the room.

She put both of her hands on his knees, conscious that he couldn’t feel her touch. “You keep talking about what you’ve lost, but you haven’t lost me. Don’t you see that? You may not be a marine anymore and you may not be able to walk anymore, but you have me. I love you. I need you. Can’t that be enough? And you have your son. What about him? He needs you, too. You haven’t lost him.”

“I wish you hadn’t come here.”

“Too bad, I’m here. Deal with it.” She moved onto his lap and moved her hands over his shoulders. “What’s the problem?”

“Stop this,” he whispered.

“You want me to kiss you. You want to kiss me back.” She could see it in his eyes, the need, the desire, the question. “Is that what you want, Michael?”

“What would that prove?”

“Does it have to prove something? Can’t a kiss be a kiss?”

“No.”

“Typical man.” She leaned within a fraction of his lips. “Don’t you remember high school? Don’t you remember when a kiss meant everything?”

Available at:

Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

About the Author:

Amber Lea Easton is a multi-published cross genre author of romantic suspense, action adventure, mystery thrillers and new adult (coming in summer 2013). Her current releases cross all boundaries and appeal to a wide audience. If you love a clever plot, action that will leave you breathless, riveting characters and sexy love scenes, her books will appeal to you. "Smart is sexy," Easton says, which is why she focuses on smart heroines who always have a lot to lose yet find the courage to face their fears to overcome adversity. She's an avid reader of all genres or "whatever turns her on in the moment".

Easton grew up in Hartford, South Dakota, where she spent her time daydreaming of big adventures over the horizon under a giant blue South Dakota sky. Now living in Colorado, she's an avid traveler who incorporates her real life travels into her novels as much as possible (minus the illegal activities her characters become immersed in--she swears). To her, setting is another character in the novel and often serves as an inspiration. Love is her motivation for all things--whether it be writing, traveling, playing with her dogs or hanging with her two teenagers--if it's not done with love, then what's the point?

Connect with Amber Lea Easton

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

GIVEAWAY INFO:
Prize is a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card from Amber Lea Easton". Contest is tour-wide and ends July 12. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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'Lakota Honor' by Kat Flannery

Lakota Honor

by Kat Flannery

Historical Paranormal Western Romance

Publisher: Imajin Books

Release Date: May 30, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 79,000

Description:

Fate has brought them together…but will a promise tear them a part?

Otakatay is hired to kill the witkowin-crazy women. A deadly bounty hunter, he has found his last victim in timid healer Nora Rushton. Marked as a witch, Nora uses her gift to heal those in need, and the bounty hunter is one of them. Will the desire to complete his promise drive him to kill her, or will the kindness he sees in her blue eyes push him to be the man he once was?

Nora and Otakatay must fight for their freedom in a time when race and discrimination are a threat and innocence holds no ground.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Excerpt:

PROLOGUE

Colorado Mountains, 1880

The blade slicing his throat made no sound, but the dead body hitting the ground did. With no time to stop, he hurried through the dark tunnel until he reached the ladder leading out of the shaft.

He’d been two hundred feet below ground for ten days, with no food and little water. Weak and woozy, he stared up the ladder. He’d have to climb it and it wasn’t going to be easy. He wiped the bloody blade on his torn pants and placed it between his teeth. Scraped knuckles and unwashed hands gripped the wooden rung.

The earth swayed. He closed his eyes and forced the spinning in his head to cease. One thin bronzed leg lifted and came down wobbly. He waited until his leg stopped shaking before he climbed another rung. Each step caused pain, but was paired with determination. He made it to the top faster than he’d thought he would. The sky was black and the air was cool, but fresh. Thank goodness it was fresh.

He took two long breaths before he emerged from the hole. The smell from below ground still lingered in his nostrils; unwashed bodies, feces and mangy rats. His stomach pitched. He tugged at the rope around his hands. There had been no time to chew the thick bands around his wrists when he’d planned his escape. It was better to run than crawl, and he chewed through the strips that bound his feet instead. There would be time to free his wrists later.

He pressed his body against the mountain and inched toward the shack. He frowned. A guard stood at the entrance to where they were. The blade from the knife pinched his lip, cutting the thin skin and he tasted blood. He needed to get in there. He needed to say goodbye. He needed to make a promise.

The tower bell rang mercilessly. There was no time left. He pushed away from the rocky wall, dropped the knife from his mouth into his bound hands, aimed and threw it. The dagger dug into the man’s chest. He ran over, pulled the blade from the guard and quickly slid it across his throat. The guard bled out in seconds.

He tapped the barred window on the north side of the dilapidated shack. The time seemed to stretch. He glanced at the large house not fifty yards from where he stood. He would come back, and he would kill the bastard inside.

He tapped again, harder this time, and heard the weak steps of those like him shuffling from inside. The window slid open, and a small hand slipped out.

“Toksha ake—I shall see you again,” he whispered in Lakota.

The hand squeezed his once, twice and on the third time held tight before it let go and disappeared inside the room.

A tear slipped from his dark eyes, and his hand, still on the window sill, balled into a fist. He swallowed past the sob and felt the burn in his throat. His chest ached for what he was leaving behind. He would survive, and he would return.

Men shouted to his right, and he crouched down low. He took one last look around and fled into the cover of the forest.

Buy it on Amazon

About the Author:

Kat Flannery has loved writing ever since she was a girl. She is often seen jotting her ideas down in a little black book. When not writing, or researching, Kat enjoys snuggling on her couch with a hot chocolate and a great book.

Her first novel, CHASING CLOVERS became an Amazon’s bestseller in Historical and Western romance. This is Kat’s second book, and she is currently hard at work on the third.

When not focusing on her creative passions, Kat is busy with her three boys and doting husband.

Connect with Kat Flannery

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter

Giveaway Info:

Prize is a Kindle copy of “Chasing Clovers” from Kat Flannery. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 5. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

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'Deception (Southern Comfort #3)' by Lisa Clark O'Neill

Deception (Southern Comfort #3)

by Lisa Clark O'Neill

Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Categories: Action/Adventure, Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Lisa Clark O'Neill

Release Date: June 4, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 103,000

Description:

Samantha Martin’s carefully reconstructed life is teetering on the edge of disaster. After surviving an abusive childhood, Sam is only months away from completing her hard-won college degree when she gets devastating news about her brother. Donnie, her protector and best friend, lies in a coma in a Charleston hospital.

Sam struggles with the question of who shot her beloved brother as well as the monumental expenses of his ongoing care, and in desperation seeks ready cash by agreeing to act as the “entertainment” for a local man’s bachelor party – where to her everlasting mortification, she encounters the one man who’d ever meant enough to her to break her heart.

Forensic artist Josh Harding recognizes the butterfly tattoo on the curvaceous hip of the wig-bedecked stripper. After all, he’d spent hours sketching her lovely figure while a student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Now here she is, eight years later, and it becomes clear that Sam is in trouble. Seemingly unrelated threads weave into a pattern surrounding her and her brother. Exposing criminal enterprise among the upper echelon of local society and the shocking truth behind the city’s most famous murder, the unexpected connections that neither Josh nor Sam saw coming draw them both into a tangled web of love and Deception.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Read an excerpt:

“You ran.”

Thinking that he was still upset about her car’s breakdown, she crossed her arms as he strode toward her. “No, I walked, actually.” He inched closer, and she backed up, rear end hitting the counter. He dropped his coat, literally tossing it on the floor, and she worried about his coherence. “Are you okay? Because that jacket’s not a rental.” She motioned to the crumpled garment, which lay like a fallen soldier on the field.

He kicked it to the side. “Eight years ago.” The tie hit the floor next, and Sam eyed its fluttering descent. “You ran away from Savannah.”

Sam’s eyebrows shot up as the first cufflink fell, skittering under the cabinets with a metallic clang. “You ran away from me.” Off flew cufflink number two, another kamikaze victim of the conflict. Josh was either mad or maybe… hot. Sometimes tuxedos could be uncomfortable. Although it wasn’t that warm in the room.

Then her brain registered what he’d just said.

“I…” Sam watched the other little monogrammed circle roll off to join its comrade. What the hell had they been serving at that reception? “I ran from you?”

A sock went flying over her shoulder.

Well, she guessed she had. But what did that have to do with anything? Unless he was feeling guilty because he realized she’d been in love with him at the time. Was still in love with him now. Maybe he was upset about their current situation. Maybe he thought that she should leave. Although how that translated into him taking off his clothes she wasn’t entirely sure.

“Oh, God, Josh.” This wasn’t the conversation she’d meant to have with him. She’d simply wanted to let him know that she was okay with his lifestyle, but it looked like she’d opened a different can of worms. “Look,” she lifted a hand to her temple, “what happened back then is totally irrelevant.”

“I beg to differ,” he said, his beautifully tapered fingers working the buttons on his shirt. “What happened in the past is completely relevant. It laid the foundation for what’s going to happen tonight.” An increasing swath of skin was revealed by his busily marching fingers. Sam tried not to get distracted by The Chest.

“What?” She peeled her eyes away, confused.

And the fact that he was now half naked wasn’t helping matters.

“Um, Josh, I’m not sure if you, uh, maybe, swam in the champagne fountain or something, but maybe we might want to have this conversation tomorrow. After you’ve sobered up.”

A feral look came into those sparkling baby blues and Sam grasped the sink behind her. Because his hands were now attacking his pants. She was happy he was comfortable enough to disrobe in front of her, but it sort of drained the blood from her head.

Was this some kind of test?

Could she resist jumping her hot, naked homosexual friend amidst the rubble of formalwear blitzkrieg currently littering his kitchen?

Truthfully? Probably not. Although she’d pull a Geronimo and give it a good effort.

But then Josh blasted through whatever fortifications she’d erected by dropping a lethal, unexpected bomb.

“I’m not drunk,” he said, releasing his zipper. Pushing his pants down his muscled thighs. “And I’m not gay.”

No. He certainly wasn’t. The state of his silk boxers gave credence to that.

Sam’s eyes boggled as she confronted the hard evidence, while her rioting hormones shouted thank you, God.

But all these years… how was it possible that she’d been wrong?

She raised her gaze to his in amazement.

He met it with a triumphant smile.

And then he was on her, the very naked skin of his chest pressed solidly against her T-shirt. She could feel his heat through the threadbare cotton and her nipples puckered in response. Then his lips took hers in a hungry caress that was more ruthless than she would have expected.

Not that she’d been expecting any caressing at all.

His hands slid down her hips, taking their measure as they passed, to grip her rump in a possessive squeeze that left no doubt as to his intentions. Lights exploded inside her head, tiny white starbursts of disbelief. And when he lifted her a few inches to press his erection firmly against her, liquid heat pooled between her legs.

Her body was at once alive with sensation and yet paralyzed by shock.

 

Available at:

Amazon | Smashwords

About the Author:

One fine day in the not-too-distant past, Lisa Clark O’Neill left Wittenberg University with a BA in English, which she promptly neglected. After working as an interior designer, decorative artist, and Montessori art teacher (there may have been a BA in art as well,) she finally settled into the role of mother to two very fine children.

However, two years of doing the stay-at-home-mom brain cell melt drove her to pull out a pen and one of her old college notebooks.

That turned into six manuscripts.

Lisa spent subsequent years avoiding housework by burying her nose in just about every romance novel she could get her hands on, after completely falling in love with the genre. Her own work falls into the romantic suspense sub-genre, with strong comedic undertones.

Lisa currently lives in the Atlanta area with her family, her dog, her cat and her daughter’s pet rabbit. When she isn’t attempting to keep the rabbit from eating the woodwork, she’s hard at work on her next novel.

Connect with Lisa Clark O’Neill

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Giveaway Info:
Prize is 10 eBook copies (1 each to 10 winners) of "Deception (Southern Comfort #3)" from Lisa Clark O'Neill. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 5. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.

 

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'The Sin Eater's Redemption' by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

The Sin Eater's Redemption

by Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Contemporary Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Rebel Ink Press

Release Date: April 17, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 72,825

Description:

Death brings would-be country singer Tessa Owens home from Nashville to her native Ozarks. But she’s not planning to stay. She turned her back on the old ways of life in the modern world long ago. But she didn’t expect to meet her first love, Lucas Rowlands, at the visitation. Seven years wasn’t long enough to forget him and sparks ignite when they meet again. Even worse, Tessa learns Lucas isn’t the simple country farmer she left behind but the sin eater, an ancient position handed down to him from his grandfather. She still plans to make tracks back to Music City USA but when Lucas falls ill, Tessa can’t bear to leave. As she struggles to understand Lucas’ life and role as a sin eater, Tessa admits she loves him and there’s no doubt what he feels for her. But even if she’ll give up her country music dreams, there’s no way Tessa can become the sin eater’s wife, especially not when Lucas knows he won’t make old bones. The devil wants Lucas’ sin-heavy soul and if they don’t come up with something, Lucas is hell bound on an express ticket. If there’s any chance at a future, it’s up to Tessa.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Excerpt:

“Hello, Lucas.” Her voice came out hushed, like school kids whispering in a library. “It’s been a long time.”

Lucas Rowlands grinned with a naughty smile she remembered very well. He looked the same, overlong brown hair lit with blonde highlights, dark blue eyes and a lean build. “I hear you’ve been living up to Nashville all this time,” he said.

“I have,” Tessa replied. “I live there now.”

His eyes locked on her face and she couldn’t look away, mesmerized by his steady gaze.

“Guess you ain’t famous just yet.”

Face to face, toe to toe, she remembered more than she wanted. His presence, his physical proximity exuded power, so much so the fine hairs on her arms came to attention. “No,” she said, her voice husky. “I’m not. What are you doing these days, Lucas?”

“I do as little as possible,” he said with a sassy grin. “I raise cattle and more than a little hell at my granddad’s old place. I live in the old house and mostly do what I want.”

That sounded like Lucas, she thought. “Are you married?”

“Nope and I don’t plan to get that way. What about you, darlin’? Do you have a husband and kiddies in a little house over there on the Cumberland River?”

He stood close, heat radiating from his skin as it moved over her in waves. Tessa grew too hot, overheating so much she thought she might faint. His questions irked her, though she couldn’t say why.

“No,” Tessa said. If she didn’t get some fresh air now, she would pass out. She stepped forward, prepared to head for the back door. Luke took her hand instead and kept her in place.

“Where are you going? We haven’t had time to catch up or talk about old times.”

His voice affected her like cheap strawberry wine with a giddy rush powerful enough to tilt her off balance.

“I need some air,” she whispered. “I’ve got to go outside.”

Lucas put his arm around her. “Let’s go then.”

He pressed through the crowd with a fake grin plastered on his face, exchanging a few nods and howdys. She allowed him to take her through her aunt’s kitchen, aware the women putting out food stared as they passed. In the backyard, Tessa staggered over to a plastic lawn chair and sat. Cool breezes flowed down the hills behind and she inhaled deeply. After a few minutes, she sighed.

“Better?” Lucas sprawled in a chair across from hers and watched with a frown she might’ve once believed came out of concern.

“Yes, thanks.”

“What the hell happened in there? You didn’t use to be such a wimp.”

“No.” Funny she could sing on any stage, hobnob with some of the remaining greats of country music, talk with today’s chart toppers, handle the meanest drunk in any bar and attend any event and never lose her cool. But come back to the hills and she lost it in her aunt’s house, among her own folks, thanks to Lucas Rowlands. “I’m okay now, though.”

He offered a hand so she could rise and Tessa accepted it. Before she had time to think, Lucas drew her into his arms like a spider catching a fly and put his mouth down over hers. She struggled, protested until his heat fired her and ignited all her old passions. Tessa kissed him back with the same unholy fire. Sweet little charges of electricity ran over her sensitive skin and when his tongue entered her mouth, she would’ve squealed aloud except she couldn’t, there wasn’t space to make a sound.

Pleasure from his mouth expanded lower and spread heat through her in waves. A dim sense Tessa should protest, should push him away hovered at the edge of her consciousness but everything felt too damn good to stop. His lips evoked the past, stolen kisses and heady delights she recalled much too well. If someone, she never could be sure who it was, had not thrust their head out of the back door and called, “Lucas, it’s time.”

Tessa might’ve let him do more than kiss her there, in the backyard, with her kinfolk and most of the rural community steps away. The reality check jarred her back to consciousness as he released her.

“I’ll see you later,” he said with a playful swat at her rear as he vanished into the house.

Tessa watched him go, divided between longing for more kisses and anger that she’d let her guard down so easily. Lucas was the last person she expected to see and before she could ponder why he’d come to Uncle Cal’s private family visitation, the back door swung open.

“There you are! You need to come in now, we’re about to get started.”

“Start what, Aunt Vernie?”

Her aunt ducked her head. “I had the sin eater come. You know what a wicked man Calvin could be, how mean he was. I just hated to think he might spend all eternity in hell so I decided to do it the way folks did back a few years. Truth is they do it more now than you’d think now that we got us a sin eater again.”

“You’re joking,” Tess said. This sounded insane. Clearly she’d left the real world behind in Tennessee and ended up here on the set of The Twilight Zone.

Aunt Verna folded her arms across her chest like fresh laundry. “I’m not, Tessa. You’ve been away too long. That’s why I had them bring Cal back out here from the funeral home. Today’s for the sin eater, the family, and close friends. It’s visitation, too, but this is the most important.”

Buy links: Amazon \ Barnes & Noble \ All Romance

About the Author:

Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy writes romance about everyday people often caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Her titles range from contemporary to historical to time travel and sometimes stray into the paranormal. She is a native of the historic city of St. Joseph, Missouri, a jumping off spot for countless wagon trains in the days of the old west and where outlaw Jesse James met his death. She now lives in a small Ozark town in what passes for the suburbs. As a member of Romance Writers of America, Missouri Writers Guild, and the Ozark Writers League, Lee Ann pens a weekly column for the local newspaper. She has served on the local library board and arts council. As a member of the Rebel Elite team, her upcoming releases will shift to exclusive Rebel in 2013. Lee Ann is also one of the short list of Rebel authors named Best of 2012. She was also among the Best of 2011. She’s married with three children and one spoiled Jack Russell terrier.

Connect with Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy

Email | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook Profile | Facebook Author Page | Amazon Author Page | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY INFO:
Prize is 15 eBook copies (1 each to 15 winners) of "The Sin Eater's Redemption" from Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy. Contest is tour-wide and ends July 12. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
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'Reality Hero' by Ashlynn Monroe

Reality Hero

by Ashlynn Monroe

Erotic Paranormal Romance

Categories: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Superhero

Publisher: Beachwalk Press

Release Date: June 17, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 72,000

Description:

Can reality TV handle a reluctant superhero bachelor, ten attention-seeking women, and one evil villain?

Dina Dell's career as a television producer has hit bottom. Desperate to save her job, she comes up with the idea for a reality show called I Want to Date a Superhero. But the only superhero bachelor she knows is the only man she's ever loved—Zane Blair.

Zane was once a normal human, but a traumatic childhood incident mutated him, along with Dina's sister and their friends. Dina was the only one who escaped without any superhero abilities. And while she might be the "normal" one, that only left her feeling like more of an outcast.

Her lack of powers put Zane in danger. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before someone used her to get to him, she left, breaking both their hearts in the process. After all the pain she caused him, will he be willing to help her now?

Then an old enemy emerges, putting Dina's plans on hold. When her superhero friends are the ones who need help, Dina just might learn that sometimes little Miss Average can be a hero too.

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.

Read an excerpt:

Rushing over to where Zane and Ella lay, she couldn’t figure out why they weren’t getting up, until she touched Zane. Screaming, she jerked her hand back. Her hand throbbed from the shock of the electric current running through him. It wasn’t enough to kill him, but it had to hurt like hell.

“My God, how long have you been like this? I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”

Dina went to her sister and was just about to touch her when Ella’s soft voice stopped her.

“Don’t touch me, Dina. There’s more electricity in me. It’d kill you.”

Dina stepped back a safe distance. She looked around for any trace of the source of the electricity, but couldn’t see it. No obvious cords or wires lay around them. It was perplexing and frustrating. Her damaged hand and side hurt like hell.

They needed a hero. It was someone else’s turn to save their asses. She looked around, but found nothing that would help her stop the current. I’m all they have. I need to figure this out.

She began to feel the walls and floor of the dimly lit room. It seemed impossible, but it was as if the force generated directly on top of them. Feeling the air over them, she felt no cords, wires, or anything that could be causing it. They lay locked in a prison of agony. It made her physically sick watching them suffer. Anger burned inside of her.

A soft whisper slid over her. It made her skin crawl. Turning, she was held transfixed by the sight before her. There’d be no turning off the electricity. Ian stood in the dark doorway at the back of the space. He was wearing a God-awful get up, something that even an acrobat or magician would feel foolish wearing. Half-white and half-black spandex covered his legs and torso. It had lightning bolts running up the legs, and she swore she saw sequins glittering in the dim light. At least his clothes advertise the crazy inside the kook wearing them.

Even with her life at stake, she felt amazed any man would voluntarily wear that. A pair of young, big-haired, brunette women who resembled rock video rejects flanked him on both sides. They looked so similar that Dina wondered if they were twins. They rubbed against him likes cats in heat. It looked like the 1980s had thrown up the worst of the decade all over them. Worse, they wore outfits that matched Ian’s. His cruelty extended to the wardrobe of his minions.

Forcing herself to focus, she glanced back at Zane and Ella. They were writhing. Ian’s proximity must be increasing the voltage. She couldn’t believe he’d torture people he’d once called family. She didn’t know how to stop him, except to kill him, and the iron rod was all she had. Now she wished she’d listened to Ervin a few years ago when he’d tried to get her to go to the range. He wanted her to know how to shoot, and have a carry and conceal permit. A string of attacks in the studio parking ramp had him looking out for her. She’d decided the only safe way to carry a gun was to be willing to use it. She wasn’t willing then, but gun would really come in handy right now.

Ian had grown into a tall, well built, and very handsome, albeit tasteless, man. Knowing he’d thrown away all his positive potential made her ache. In her heart, she still wanted to help him. Dina still saw the scared boy behind his eyes.

They just stared at one another. Dina frowned. She could tell she was the last person he’d expected to see in his abandoned warehouse. He looked as if he were trying to decide what to do. She could sympathize because she was trying to think of a way to kill him. She knew he was the Electrocutioner, but actually seeing it herself was heartbreaking. The electricity related crime spree should have given him away, but she’d hoped she was wrong. After he’d left, she’d always hoped he’d found a way to live a normal life—be happy.

Turmoil raged on his face, and Dina wanted to reach out to him and help him stop the madness he’d created. She lifted her arm ever so slightly and took a small step forward as if to go to him. His men who’d left the room earlier suddenly returned. They were all dressed in black suits and wore sunglasses. All of them had that slack blankness in their expressions. Creeptastic. She shuddered. The minions raised their guns simultaneously. Creeptastic-er. She saw it as if it were slow motion. Her senses seemed to sharpen as mortal fear for her life kicked in, making her hypersensitive to the danger. She heard the shot and closed her eyes. Certainty she’d be dead filled her with resignation. If only I’d saved them, it would have been worth it. Dina felt no pain. She felt no wound. Opening her eyes, she saw the men lay dead. Her mouth fell open, but no sound came out. Confused and terrified, she looked back at Ian. His spandex kitties backed away from him, looking at him uncertainly. She realized that he’d killed his own men.

“How could you kill them?” she asked quietly.

A booming laugh came out of him, and the spandex twins backed farther away. They looked truly terrified. He suddenly stopped laughing, his head snapped forward, and he pinned Dina with a dark look.

Now she knew why the women looked scared. She saw the electricity in his eyes. It hadn’t been there a moment earlier. The realization that he could kill her immediately with a look took a moment to sink in.

“Please, Ian, stop this now. I want to help you. You’re not a killer. This is wrong— What have you become?”

She saw the electricity crackle more intensely. Me and my damn big mouth.

His booming laugh now had his kitties hunched down shaking, but still flanking him. How much electroshock therapy does it take to make your minions that devoted and devoid of style sense? Dina thought she detected genuine humor this time as he laughed. When he stopped, the look he gave her was the oddest one she’d ever seen. His hard face softened slightly. Yet he still appeared lethal. When he kills me, I hope it’s fast and painless. He’d not spoken to her, but his gaze seemed intensely transfixed on her. He’d always given her soul-deep stares, but this felt edged with a matured hunger. She experienced white-hot terror mingle with the adrenaline.

Dina took a step back, and it seemed to break his focus.

“Should I kill you, Dina? Should I kill Zane or Ella and make you watch? What am I going to do with you? I never thought that I’d be near you again, but here you are. It looks like you wanted to come for a visit very badly.” When he spoke, his voice sounded hard and unfeeling. He glanced at her bloody hand and side.

She said nothing, afraid to make him more unstable. She regretted her rash dialogue earlier. She might’ve sealed all their death warrants.

“It’s a reunion. I received a lot of money to bring you two here and hold you.” He turned toward Zane and Ella as he spoke. Then he looked back at Dina. “Poor Dina just came here to give me a little bonus. I’m sure my employers would pay an additional amount for her. Zane, I see how you’re straining to free yourself. You should stop and save your energy, because you’re going to need it. I wonder if I should keep Dina for myself. My employers need never know I have her. Dina, you’re the only thing I ever wanted but didn’t get. I’m wealthy—crime pays. I can buy anything, except…”

Fear coursed down her spine as he trailed off, looking vacant. Zane groaned with his struggles behind her. This wasn’t going to end well for any of them, but she feared that it would go extra badly for her if Ian decided to keep her. Death was preferable to rape. Dina wanted to run. Yet she couldn’t abandon her sister and Zane. If she ran, he would fry her like the guards. Indecision made her crazy with all the various possibilities.

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About the Author:

Ashlynn Monroe has been dreaming up stories all her life. She started to put them on paper at thirteen, but it wasn’t until she was thirty that she decided to share them with others. She’s a busy mom with a full time job, fantastic friends, and a unique sense of humor. She’s just a regular girl who’s in love with the idea of happily-ever-after. She’s honored to be multi-published by some of the best electronic publishers in the industry. Ashlynn survives each day by dreaming up her next tale of romance.

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