Review of A Woman's Persuasion by Jeanette Watts

Welcome to the Blurb Blitz tour for A Woman's Persuasion, a lesbian fiction novel by Jeanette Watts. In addition to an excerpt, I'm also sharing my thoughts on this story. Be sure to let the author know what you think and ask her any questions you may have. Follow the tour for even more! And of course, there's a great giveaway at the end.

A Woman's Persuasion

What would you do for a second chance at a perfect love?

Anne's privileged family forced her to break off her romance with Freddie Wentworth, an Air Force pilot; they didn't approve. Almost eight years later, Freddie is back in her life. Can they rekindle an old flame? Or is there too much hurt and misunderstanding in the way?

Read an excerpt:

A Moment of Clarity

She looked in the mirror at the result of eight years of self-neglect and self-hatred, and she didn't like what she saw. She wished Freddie could have looked at her and seen that she had improved over the years. It didn't even need to be about her physical appearance. If she would have had three Master's Degrees and a PhD to her name, or a Pulitzer Prize, or an Oscar for Best Screenplay, or a byline in The New Yorker, that would have been something. But she had nothing to show for all the intervening years.

She wondered if Freddie had said the words out of spite, calculating that Henry and Louis would repeat them to her, or they were merely said honestly, not thinking that they might get repeated back to her. She could only assume that Freddie expected the hurtful words to reach her ears. Freddie had not forgiven her.

Well, could she blame her? Her feebleness of character, her inability to stand by her loved one in the face of adversity, wasn't something Freddie would respect. Being in a relationship with a soldier in military service took dedication and courage, not weakness and timidity. Anne couldn’t blame her for being hurt, even disgusted. She was not worthy of the love Freddie had offered her.

The eyes that looked back at her in the mirror confirmed what she already knew. She was going to have to change. It was too late with Freddie, but she needed to be a person she could respect. She wanted her self-respect back.

Buy it on Amazon

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**My thoughts**

I felt like there was a bit of a slow start and that the original relationship between Freddie and Anne was somewhat glazed over. I wanted to know a lot more about that original relationship. And there was a lot of other story about all of the other people in Anne's life and how everything economically was changing, which is timely for when the novel takes place.

And then I started to really feel for Anne. Freddie accidentally appears in her life and it is so awkward. It's so hard to pretend that you have no history with someone as you're trying to save face in front of mutual people. And then there is the whole part about Anne not feeling up to par with who she was back when she and Freddie first met. There's that whole, "If only they could see me now," only Anne hasn't quite gotten to that point before Freddie comes back.

There's a lot of emotion going on here, even beyond this relationship. It may surprise you what kinds of emotions and memories it brings up in your own life. It's also short enough that it is a quick read, though I almost wanted more out of it.

Thank you the author and publisher for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

About Jeanette Watts

Jeanette Watts was happily writing historical fiction when she got the idea for her first Jane Austen-inspired novel, Jane Austen Lied to Me. Going to a JASNA event to work on selling that book, she attended a lecture that asked, "Why does everyone rewrite Pride and Prejudice so much more than her other novels? Why doesn't anyone rewrite Persuasion?"

So she had to...




Contact Links

Website: http://www.jeanettewatts.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansPersuasion

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JeanetteAWatts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967936.Jeanette_Watts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanetteamlwatts/

Jeanette Watts will be awarding a Cameo Necklace to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Review of Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown with Giveaway

Welcome to the review tour for Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown. You'll be able to check out an excerpt and my thoughts before you download it on your favorite platform. You're also invited to leave a question or a comment for the author. Follow the book tour for more chances to converse with her and more chances to win the giveaway for an Amazon gift card!

Note that affiliate links are present within this post. This means that if you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites, at no additional cost to you. I also received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heart of a SEAL

They’re brothers in arms, Navy SEALS risking their lives for their country . . . and the women they love.

This is Luke Harding’s story.

Six months in a desert hellhole taught Navy SEAL Luke Harding things he never wanted to learn about life and death. Only tender memories of the beautiful brunette he met a few weeks before his deployment helped get him through the torturous days and nights. Back in the States after a perilous rescue, physically and emotionally damaged, Luke’s about to plunge into a new kind of war. In a seemingly bucolic Idaho town, Sally Duncan faces real—and unpredictable—danger.

All Sally ever wanted was a safe place to raise her nine-year-old daughter. Her identity hidden behind a façade of secrets and lies, can she trust Luke—a man she barely knows—with the truth? Even as they give in to long-denied passion, a killer with a personal vendetta is setting an ambush that will leave them praying for a miracle and fighting for the future they may not live to see.

Buy links

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes * Google Play * Kobo 

Read an excerpt:

Screaming wasn’t really Sally’s style. The best she could do at the moment was crawl out of the reach of the enraged lunatic and hope he came to his senses.

“Go ahead. Touch her again and see what happens.” The suggestion, coming from the darkness behind Emmett’s vehicle and delivered with steel-edged composure, took her completely by surprise.

Sally swung toward the new player, forgetting Emmett for the moment. The voice was all too familiar, stirring unwelcome memories. Eyes watering from Emmett’s blow, she squinted to see the man standing in the darkness just beyond her yard.

“Luke?” Sally staggered to her feet, clenching her teeth against the sick feeling that swirled in her stomach.

It couldn’t be him. Not the man she’d fallen hard for before he deployed with his SEAL unit over a year ago. Not the man who’d refused to see her when she hurried to the hospital in Bethesda after hearing he’d been rescued from a terrorist prison. Rushing to his side because she’d thought they meant something to each other, she’d quickly learned the truth of the matter. His disregard had let her know, in no uncertain terms, that the feelings had been one-sided. That man had no reason—or right—to show up at her door.

Sally searched the shadows near the street, where the voice had originated. When she finally made out his silhouette, her breath caught in her throat.

Luke didn’t spare her a glance.

“Who the hell are you?” Emmett turned to face him.

“Does it matter?” Luke’s words contained a dangerous warning that Sally had never heard before.

As he stepped from the shadow of the SUV, his military fatigues and the duffel he carried reminded her of the homeless people who’d camped on Elk Creek last fall. A knife in a leather sheath hung at his side. His face was etched with lines of exhaustion, and he might have carried himself stiffly, but otherwise he was the same man she remembered. Light brown hair, longer and a bit more disheveled than the last time she’d seen him, always tempted her to run her fingers through it…even now.

Want to read more? I have another excerpt for you right here. 

**My thoughts**

Both Luke and Sally are highly damaged people. We know all about Luke's trauma, as the book opens with that. But Sally's is a secret that is slowly revealed as the story progresses. The two of them only knew each other for a few weeks before Luke shipped out again, but the they still managed to fall in love with each other and held on to the promise and dream of that love while they were separated.

When they're finally reunited, the fit hits the shan in Sally's life. Luke grabs on to her and her young daughter Jen and takes them on a ride to save their lives. Their rapid relationship progression almost seems implausible. Yet dramatic situations can draw people together and somehow they do save each other.

There's a lot of drama as Sally's past catches up to her. And a couple of the plot twists may take you by surprise.

About Dixie Lee Brown

Dixie Lee Brown lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by gorgeous scenery and at least three hundred sunny days a year. Having moved from South Dakota as a child to Washington, Montana and then to Oregon, she feels at home in the west. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who are currently all the responsibility she can handle. Dixie works fulltime as a bookkeeper. When she's not writing or working, she loves to read, enjoys movies, and if it were possible, she’d spend all of her time at the beach. She is also the author of the Trust No One romantic suspense series, published by Avon Impulse.

Please visit her website: www.dixiebrown.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/Dixie-Lee-Brown-311618418919108/

Twitter: @DixieLeeBrown

Or join her street team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/309603219231692/

Dixie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Read an excerpt from Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown

Welcome to the blurb blitz tour for Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown. You'll be able to check out an excerpt before you download it on your favorite platform. You're also invited to leave a question or a comment for the author. Follow the book tour for more chances to converse with her and more chances to win the giveaway for an Amazon gift card!

Note that affiliate links are present within this post. This means that if you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites, at no additional cost to you.

Heart of a SEAL

They’re brothers in arms, Navy SEALS risking their lives for their country . . . and the women they love.

This is Luke Harding’s story.

Six months in a desert hellhole taught Navy SEAL Luke Harding things he never wanted to learn about life and death. Only tender memories of the beautiful brunette he met a few weeks before his deployment helped get him through the torturous days and nights. Back in the States after a perilous rescue, physically and emotionally damaged, Luke’s about to plunge into a new kind of war. In a seemingly bucolic Idaho town, Sally Duncan faces real—and unpredictable—danger.

All Sally ever wanted was a safe place to raise her nine-year-old daughter. Her identity hidden behind a façade of secrets and lies, can she trust Luke—a man she barely knows—with the truth? Even as they give in to long-denied passion, a killer with a personal vendetta is setting an ambush that will leave them praying for a miracle and fighting for the future they may not live to see.

Buy links

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iTunes * Google Play * Kobo 

Read an excerpt:

Luke stepped from the shower and made quick work of drying off before wrapping the towel around his waist. Sandy-colored clumps of wet hair stuck out every which way as his image stared back at him from the mirror. He raked his fingers through the strands, in serious need of a haircut, and called it good. Grabbing the shaving cream from his kit, he applied it evenly to his whiskered face and dragged the razor down his rough skin, systematically shaving from right to left. He paused for a heartbeat when he heard a knock.

“Be right out.” Luke turned the water on as hot as he could get it and let it run. Jen probably had to use the bathroom. He’d throw on some clothes and finish up in here later. A smile formed beneath what was left of the shaving cream. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for that little girl.

An instant later the door opened behind him, and the razor went still in his hand.

He stared at Sally’s reflection in the steamed-over mirror. Her in that damn shirt of his, leaning against the bathroom door, both hands behind her back. A good deal of shapely thigh led his gaze to well-toned calves. He followed them down to pretty pink toenails on bare feet. Did she know what coming in here like that would do to him? He took the last two swipes of shaving cream off with the razor, rinsed his face in the hot, running water and patted it dry. Barely able to swallow and momentarily unable to form an articulate sentence, he turned slowly.

Her blue eyes went wide as her gaze dropped below his waist, immediately answering his unspoken question. Evidently, she could see the hard-on he sported beneath the form-fitting towel that hugged his hips.

He took a step toward her. “Sally?” That was all he managed to force from his mouth. It sounded more like a command than the question with which he’d intended to rule out the possibility something was wrong.

A secretive smile played on her lips as she brought one hand up and raised it in front of her with a dismissive shake of her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking. This can wait till you’re finished.” Her gaze dipped once again to the towel draped around his hips, and she swiveled with a hand on the doorknob.

Oh no. Hell no. He wasn’t letting her escape that easily. He was damn sure she’d stepped out of her comfort zone for a reason and her baby blues were daring him to find out why. He closed the gap and caught the door as she opened it a sliver. Peering through the opening, he saw Jen, still intent on her game. A glance toward the motel room door confirmed that the dead bolt was thrown and locked. They could have a few minutes of privacy.

About Dixie Lee Brown

Dixie Lee Brown lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by gorgeous scenery and at least three hundred sunny days a year. Having moved from South Dakota as a child to Washington, Montana and then to Oregon, she feels at home in the west. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who are currently all the responsibility she can handle. Dixie works fulltime as a bookkeeper. When she's not writing or working, she loves to read, enjoys movies, and if it were possible, she’d spend all of her time at the beach. She is also the author of the Trust No One romantic suspense series, published by Avon Impulse.

Please visit her website: www.dixiebrown.com

Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/Dixie-Lee-Brown-311618418919108/

Twitter: @DixieLeeBrown

Or join her street team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/309603219231692/

Dixie will be awarding a $30 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen

Welcome to the book tour for Point of Contact by Melanie Hansen. It's a raw and rich love story that captured my heart. I invite you to check out an excerpt and then read my review. Please leave comments for the author. You can also follow along the tour hosted by Goddess Fish for even more chances to win the $50 Amazon or Barnes and Noble gift card giveaway.

Disclosure: Some of the links present are affiliate links. Should you make a purchase through one, I may earn a small commission to help support my websites. I also received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. None of this influenced my thoughts and opinions in any way.

Point of Contact

There'd forever been a thread running through Trevor Estes's life—his son Riley, strong and constant like heartbeat. But when Riley is killed in combat, everything in Trevor's life unravels into a mess he doesn't know how to mourn.

Until Jesse Byrne, Riley's friend and platoon mate, arrives on his doorstep with a box of Riley's things. Jesse's all-too-familiar grief provides an unlikely source of comfort for Trevor; knowing he's not alone is exactly what he needs. Trevor never imagined he'd find someone who fills his heart with hope again. As the pair celebrate Riley's memory, their unique bond deepens into something irreplaceable—and something neither man can live without.

But diving into a relationship can't be so simple. Being together means Trevor risking the last link he has to his son...leaving Jesse to wonder if he'll ever be enough, or if Trevor will always be haunted by the past.

Buy it on Amazon

Read an excerpt:

Trevor reached up to brush Jesse’s tears away, letting his thumb linger along his cheek. “So thank you. Thanks for letting me see my son through you.”

Jesse’s lips trembled. “I miss him. I miss him so much.”

Trevor slid his hand to the back of Jesse’s neck. “I know.”

With a small sob, Jesse reached out to wrap his arms around Trevor, pulling him close. His body was shaking, tremors of grief Trevor knew only too well wracking him from head to toe. All around them the world ebbed and flowed, oblivious to the fact a twenty-year-old boy had been torn from it, leaving behind two people who’d loved him and who now clung together, their shared pain a strange sort of comfort.

Trevor stroked Jesse’s hair as he shuddered against him, biting his own lip against the tears that stung his eyes. This was Jesse’s fight, and Trevor marshaled every ounce of composure he could, determined to be strong in return for this man who’d given him so much.

“It’s okay,” he murmured over and over. “It’s okay to miss him. I miss him, too.”

**My thoughts**
It's been a while since a book grabbed my heart as strongly as this one did. You start out getting to know Riley, as well as Jesse and Trevor. You get to feel the strength of their relationships and that intense bond between best friends and then a single man and his beloved son. I think I even fell in love with Riley a bit myself. And then you know that he is going to die, yet when that part comes, you're still completely overwhelmed. Grab a box of tissues. You'll need them throughout.

The loss of a child is one of the most brutal experiences a parent can go through. It's bad enough for the rest of us, but unbearable for the actual parent. Losing a good friend also rips you to the core. And perhaps the recent loss of a beloved friend made me feel that part even more than I would have reading this at another time.

When you're trying to find your way to a new form of normal that is passable for living generally permissible to the world around you, you find yourself alone when others don't understand what you're going through. Jesse and Trevor have one thing in common, Riley. Their shared love and loss is different and yet the same. They knew and loved the same young man, though they knew different facets. By putting their memories together, they put together a complete picture of their beloved. Their shared bond provides for them an understanding that no one else can match, making them beautiful partners. I found myself crying several times throughout the story as I shared in their joy tinged with pain.

About Melanie Hansen

Melanie Hansen likes to consider herself a cynic, but at heart she’s a hopeless romantic. Every morning she gets up before dawn to spend time with her characters, creating stories that are deeply emotional, sometimes heartbreaking, but in the end where love always wins. Melanie’s proud of the fact that two of her books have been named as RT Book Reviews Top Picks.

She grew up with an Air Force dad, ended up marrying a Navy man, and has lived and worked all over the country. Melanie hopes to bring these rich and varied life experiences to her stories about people finding love amidst real-life struggles.

Social Media Links:

Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Website

Melanie will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

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Read an excerpt from Cowboy Soldier Returns (A Browning Brothers Second Chance Novella) by Jessa Wayne

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel my readers will enjoy. Please note that affiliate links are also present in this post. If you make a purchase through them, I may earn a small commission to support my websites at no additional cost to you.

Cowboy Soldier Returns

Cash Browning left the small town of Rockton seven years ago to join the Army. Now he's back home to help out on the family ranch and it seems like the whole town wants to welcome him back with open arms. Everyone except for the few people whose approval Cash really needs.

Ever since he left, Cash can't get his first love, Carrie Lane, out of his mind. But when he returns home to find that she's dating his older brother, it seems like he's not going to get his second chance at love.

But not everything is quite as it seems to be. Can Cash finally open up about his past in order to heal himself and the people he's hurt?

Available on Amazon

Just 99 cents or FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Read an excerpt:

Cash sipped his beer slowly, trying to avoid eye contact with the large group of women in one of the booths that kept staring his way. The delicate touch of a hand on his shoulder and the familiar scent of vanilla perfume grabbed his attention, and he turned to see her standing there. Carrie Lane. She didn't look a day older than the day he'd left town. Her baby blonde hair tumbled to her shoulders in soft waves, and her skin had the golden glow to it of someone who enjoyed time outdoors. Her soft brown eyes met his blue ones once again, finally. 

She always made him feel alive, invincible like they could achieve anything together. Looking at her now all the old feelings stirred again, and if it was possible, they were even stronger after all these years. 

"Hi, Cash," she said softly. He thought he saw a flash of regret in those beautiful brown eyes, and he steeled himself. The last time he'd looked into them, they'd been red-rimmed, and he'd had to turn his heart to stone to be able to walk away from her. 

"Hi, Carrie," he said, sipping his beer to buy him time to steady his thoughts and his emotions. She was here, she hadn't left town, and her ring finger was bare. He couldn't help the smile that crept over his face. Although he'd be stupid to think he had a chance after all these years, especially with the way they'd left things.

About Jessa Wayne

After moving, working, and playing all around the USA, Jessa has finally settled down to write all about her wild adventures and lively passions. Gathering stories for decades, now it's time to put pen to paper. "Escape for a while through stories that entertain..."

Browning Brothers series:
Cowboy Soldier Returns -- available now on Amazon
Cowboy Protector -- coming soon to Amazon
Cowboy Defender -- coming soon to Amazon

Newsletter sign-up: https://www.jessawayne.com/subscribe

Website: https://www.JessaWayne.com

All the Way Home (The Way Home Series #1) by Kim Mills

I was compensated via Fiverr for sharing this post. I only share those books that I feel may be of interest to my readers. Any opinions expressed in this post are not due to any compensation. Also please note that some links may be affiliate links. When you click on those, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

All the Way Home

Juliette has been walking through life broken and hurting for years, always relying on her friend Tavish to be there for her when she needs him. As soon as he met her, Tavish knew he would do anything for her, that is, until he enlists in the infantry and leaves town, and possibly Juliette, for good.

Soon the events of 9/11 change everything, and an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan prompts him to reconnect with Juliette 5 years later. Despite the time apart she soon finds herself leaning on him again as their reunion leads to something much more. That’s when tragedy strikes during his deployment, and Tavish comes home shattered. Is Juliette strong enough to offer him the support he has always given her? Will it be enough for both of them to find their way home?

All The Way Home is a Canadian-based military love story, the first in the Way Home series but is a stand-alone with its own HEA.

This book is intended for audiences 18+. For those dealing with combat related PTSD, some scenes may be triggering.

Available on Amazon

The Fight For Home (Book 2) coming January 11

From their first night together, nothing about Mark and Megan Lawson’s lives has been normal. Or easy. Finding a way to keep a marriage strong with kids, jobs and mortgages is hard on the best of days. Add the military in, the kind of tragedy that makes you forget to breathe, and a lot of hurt that just keeps piling on and it doesn’t look like their love will survive the storm.

Now, though, Megan is sick. The big kind of sick. When Mark finds himself standing by her bedside, he has a choice to make. It’s time for the two of them to figure out where it all went wrong, and decide if it’s worth the fight to hold on to each other

The Fight For Home is the second book in the Way Home Series. It can be read as a stand-alone novel, but to see more of these characters and their beginnings you might want to start with book one, All The Way Home.

This book is recommended for readers 18+ for adult language, content and topics.

Preorder on Amazon

About Kim Mills

All The Way Home is the debut novel for writer Kim Mills, the author of the Canadian military family blog She is Fierce. Kim has been married to her high school sweetheart for over 15 years and together they have 3 children. You can find the five of them, along with their dog Trooper, at home wherever the army sends them.

Follow her on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kimmillswrites/
Website: https://kimmillswrites.blogspot.ca/

Downfall Box Set by Colleen Charles FREE for a limited time!

Downfall

First it was fear. Then it was passion.

And it couldn’t be denied.

Kai

All I want is to keep her safe. Because that’s my job. But she’s tugging at my heart strings with her fiery red hair and equally feisty personality. I have to resist. I will resist. Nothing is more important to me than being the best US Marshal the government has ever hired.

Until it isn’t.

Nessa

All I want is to escape the chains of my past and start over. Fresh. But the vicious hands of the Russian Mafia and my violent ex-husband are reaching out to snatch me. Kill me. Marshal Kai Henderson can protect me. But he’s tugging at my heart strings with his soulful eyes and rock-hard body. I have to resist. I will resist. Nothing is more important to me than staying safe.

Until it isn’t.

Available on Amazon

FREE for a limited time!

Colleen Charles Bio

Two truths, one lie is one of my favorite games. It's so much fun! No really ... let's play. I'll go first:

1) I once sang the national anthem for college basketball.

2) I've been hit on by Bill Cosby.

3) My horse won an Arabian National Championship.

I answer all e-mails personally so contact me at the address below and we'll see if you're right ;). Then, you can test my skills.

In the meantime, I'll be writing stories with sassy, curvy heroines and swoon worthy bad-boy book boyfriends who have an a**hole edge and hearts of gold. I might sprinkle in some romantic comedy along the way. By my side will be my fur posse and a Starbucks.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, enjoying and recommending the steamy romance stories stories that I write. When you share my work with others, it's so rewarding. Your word of mouth is my very best friend ... that, and your reviews. There is nothing more important to me than all of you.

I love to hear from my readers and answer all communications personally. You can find me at:

www.colleencharles.com - FREE FULL-LENGTH EXCLUSIVE NOVEL for new subscribers

https://www.facebook.com/Colleen-Charles-1505026199744713/

https://twitter.com/booksbycolleen

colleen@colleencharles.com

Colleen Charles is the #1 author of thirteen #1 best selling steamy romance books on Amazon. She specializes in ice hockey romance, second chance romance and curvy girl romance. Her books feature alpha male bad-boys, are written in a series and are not intended for readers under 18.

Black Sequinned Bows and Champagne Nights by Jude E. McNamara

Black Sequinned Bows and Champagne Nights

Riley Cook has been busy building her empire while barely escaping a marriage to a lying, cheating, womanizing man that has broken both her heart and spirit. Having endured the death of her husband, heartbreak, and loss, Riley has lost all hope of finding love and believing “Mr. Right” exists. Only the “idea of him” lingers in the recesses of her heart and mind.

Captain Noah Dunham is a man on a mission. He’s the keeper of promises and the holder of secrets. So what’s Riley to do when this certain sexy Navy Captain steps into her life? She certainly hadn’t counted on falling in love. But, just when things heat up between Riley and Noah, tragedy strikes and a secret is revealed. Can Riley and Noah’s new found love survive the discovery?

Buy links

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / CreateSpace / Universal

About Jude E. McNamara

I am Jude E. McNamara. Virtual adventurer. Keyboard ninja. Guardian of sassy romantic encounters. I am the alter ego of that other woman, Jude. You know, the one that loves snowy nights, is in a relationship with love, and looking for her own hero. While by day she’s off being the disciplined scrappy businesswoman with the mind of a shark, I gallivant her keyboard by night, running wild and free on the down-low. I figure she’ll have to catch up to me. Because once that blue power button turns on, I’m far too busy breathing life into those colorful characters that run around in her head, incessantly telling me their stories even if it’s at the break of dawn.

You can find me and my merry band of jet-setting girlfriends running from the paparazzi at the high-end cocktail bars in Manhattan, drinking Patron Silver. I’m the flashy one wearing the sparkly tiara on my head. Like clockwork, when she faithfully dons her track shoes to catch up with me, I usually have to listen to her lecture me about my behavior over a glass of champagne. She loves champagne. Actually I love champagne too—except I like mine with a side of tall, handsome hunk begging me to stop at the intersection of heartbreak hotel and romantic encounter road, demanding a happily ever after.

It’s an arduous race to “The End” before her blue button goes dark and I cease to exist. But once the blue light appears, the race is on, right up to the point when we two Judes meet on the same page, often in a book like this one.

For more about the author, visit: www.judeemcnamara.com

TwoJudesPublishing.com

Downfall Box Set by Colleen Charles FREE 6/13-6/17

Downfall 

READ THIS BEST-SELLING STEAMY MILITARY ROMANCE FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED

First it was fear. Then it was passion.

And it couldn’t be denied.

Kai

All I want is to keep her safe. Because that’s my job. But she’s tugging at my heart strings with her fiery red hair and equally feisty personality. I have to resist. I will resist. Nothing is more important to me than being the best US Marshal the government has ever hired.

Until it isn’t.

Nessa

All I want is to escape the chains of my past and start over. Fresh. But the vicious hands of the Russian Mafia and my violent ex-husband are reaching out to snatch me. Kill me. Marshal Kai Henderson can protect me. But he’s tugging at my heart strings with his soulful eyes and rock-hard body. I have to resist. I will resist. Nothing is more important to me than staying safe.

Until it isn’t.

Colleen Charles, #1 Author, writes steamy romance for mature audiences. This military romance contains a hot alpha male and curvy heroine.

Free for a limited time

Always free on Kindle Unlimited

Colleen Charles Bio

https://twitter.com/booksbycolleen

https://www.facebook.com/Colleen-Charles-1505026199744713/

From Award Winning #1 Romance Author Colleen Charles:

After 26 years in Corporate leadership at a Fortune 500, I discovered people within the organization lacked integrity. I'd always known deep in my soul that I was trying to fit a square peg in to a round hole since I'm the typical creative type. I miss my staff but I don't miss the corporate world. It's been said that the Universe will let you know if something isn't right for you. The first time, it will hit you with a pebble. Then a brick. Then a boulder. Let's just say that I got flattened. When my fifteen pound toy dog, Nigel, was threatened, I knew it was time to say goodbye.

It's sad but true.

Here's what I found within the first thirty days of being free. Writing stories from my heart that readers love means more to me than working myself in to an early grave for people who only care about their bottom line.

My heart has never been more full and my soul has never been more satisfied.

I've never worked so hard in my life but it doesn't even feel like work. It's worth it. All of it. Because it's about the joy that's found within the journey. The highs and the lows because I get to write stories for all of you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading, enjoying and recommending the stories that I write. When you share my work with others, it's so rewarding. Your word of mouth is my very best friend ... that, and your reviews. There is nothing more important to me than all of you.

I love to hear from my readers and answer all communications personally.

colleencharlesbooks@gmail.com

Pandora's Box by Kasi Blake

Pandora's Box

This romance suspense thriller was written by former Harlequin author Kasi Blake, author of books such as Would-Be Wife and Borrowed Identity. Get ready for a mystery that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Caught between two powerful men.

Madison Grey has to choose, but now is not the time to work out her love life. Her duty-to-country father tried to assassinate the president, and Madison needs to know why, especially since everyone is looking at her like she's a traitor. Her father's final words take her on a dangerous, twisted path to the truth. Some secrets are better left buried.

Along with Navy SEAL Tyler Law and her ex boyfriend who also happens to be her boss, she will risk it all to find out the truth. And in the end she will have to risk her heart or lose everything.

This book has it all: mystery, suspense, romance, and a hot alpha male.

Read an excerpt:

“Kiss me,” Tyler said. 

“What?” Had she heard him right? 

“Kiss me like you haven’t seen me in months.” 

Tyler’s mouth covered hers, parting her lips with ease. His hands continued to cover both sides of her face. In a strategic move he insinuated himself between her and the wall and turned her head in his direction. If the men glanced their way, they would only see a redhead kissing her lover. 

She forgot why they were kissing. 

He deepened the kiss until she couldn’t breathe or think. He wiped her mind clean with his skill. Their bodies turned to molten desire, fusing them together. It wouldn’t be possible for them to get closer, not with clothes on. His hands roughly moved down the arch of her back, molding every curve and his tongue darted between her parted lips, sending a shockwave of emotion throughout her entire body. 

Oh she wanted more. 

An electric current pulsed from head to toe, tingling, transforming her idea of what a kiss could be. She pushed against him with her mouth and tugged at him with her hands, craving harder, deeper, longer. The men in suits were forgotten in a blissful moment of shared heat.

If this was the way he kissed a woman after a short separation, his future wife would need to travel frequently. 

Tyler tore his mouth free. They both gasped for needed oxygen. Her hands continued to cling to his powerful arms. She couldn’t let go if her life depended on it. Her legs felt weak and her head spun in dizzy, crazy circles. This couldn’t be happening to her. Madison Grey did not shiver or shake for any man.

“There’s another one headed this way,” he said. “We can’t fool them forever. We need disguises quick.” 

Madison bit the inside of her lower lip, still numb from the kiss, and forced her mind back into professional mode. Her father had almost killed the president and there were people who believed that meant she was a traitor, too. Only cold hard evidence would change their minds.

Available on Amazon

About Kasi Blake

When Kasi Blake was in the third grade, she found out that a good story could get her out of trouble. Okay, some people call it a lie, but she didn't see anything wrong with using every skill available to her to avoid being grounded. Over the years, that didn't change. Her stories just grew more elaborate. When she was 12, she began to write them down, starting with a six-page tale about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks and the good girl that secretly wanted him. Kasi went on to write for Harlequin for a few years. Then, she published a vampire series on her own, and now she is publishing with Clean Teen.

Get ready for an exciting series on witches using their powers to play dangerous games at school. The first is Crushed. You can find her on Twitter @kasiblake, on FB, and she has a website under her name.

Kasi lives on a farm in the Midwest with tons of animals including cows, ducks, chickens, a dog, and cats.

'Summer Burns (Celestial Springs Salon)' by Candice Gilmer

The last thing military widow Summer Bettes wants in her life is a new man. Correction, a new military man, though they're all over Barrum, Kansas.

She’s convinced herself she works hard enough between taking care of her daughter, trying to maintain control of her asthma, and styling hair in the salon her mother owns that she doesn’t need to add a man into the mix.

When Matthew Hennessey walks into her life--or rather, back into her life, she starts to question everything.

Her husband's rival on the wrestling mat in high school, Hennessey never forgot Summer. She always held a special place in his heart. So after serving with her husband overseas, it was only right that he pay his respects to the widow when he came back state-side. He only wants to do right by her.

Unfortunately his desires are eclipsing his logic, and doing right by Summer is harder than he thought.

Available on Amazon

On sale for $0.99!

Read an excerpt:

I’d been a hairdresser for over a decade--even when Jake and I moved from base to base, I could always find work, and it was the same sounds, no matter what salon I worked in. All the traveling made the familiar environment more home than anything I had for a long time.

Stepping around the corner, my hand bumped the little patriotic flag table topper that sat on the edge of the reception desk. Mom put it there when I married Jake--it was the only patriotic decoration that remained up year round. Now, though, it had other accompanying red, white and blue pieces that filled the reception area, even though Fourth of July was last weekend.
The receptionist, Mikelanne rubbed her ready to pop, pregnant tummy and gestured to the man who stared at the retail shelves near the door with a grin on her face. 

I paused. 

The guy was in fatigues.

He turned around, and had his hat in his hand. Immediately my eyes darted to his shoulder, and recognized the stripes for Sergeant, First Class. 

My heart pounded.

A man in fatigues hadn’t come to see me since, well… that day...

I had to force myself to cross the reception area. This wasn’t a repeat. It couldn’t be…
I met the Sergeant’s eyes.

He took a step. “Mrs. Bettes?” 

I nodded. “Sergeant.” Somewhere my insides jumped into gear. I held out my hand, and he shook it. 

“I, uh,” he paused, closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them. “I came to pay my respects.”

I blinked, then my brain kicked in. “Of course, thank you.” Why else would a man in fatigues be visiting me?

He squeezed the hat in his hand. “May I speak with you, privately?”

Candice Gilmer Bio:

USA Today and NY Times bestselling author Candice Gilmer leads a dangerous double life as a mommy and a writer. In between boo-boo healing and fixing broken toys, she writes stories usually to the tune of children's television shows.

Growing up in the Midwest, Candice stays close to her family, especially the ones with basements when the tornadoes come around.

All in all, she stays very busy, but really, she wouldn't have it any other way.

Well, maybe a little less children's television.

Candice Gilmer Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.candicegilmer.com
Newsletter: http://j.mp/208xqKX
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/candicegilmer
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/candicegilmerauthor

'The Soldier's Lost Love' by Kristen Flowers

I lost the only love of my life years ago. I can’t lose her again…

Kurt
I never wanted to stay in my small hometown. I was adventurous, independent, and I wanted to see the world. But if I’m being honest…

She drove me away…

Claire.

She was my high school sweetheart and I was crazy about her. She was beautiful and perfect in every sense of the word and when she was taken away from me it tore my world apart.

So I left and joined the military.

Now I’m back in town on leave and when Claire gets invited to a neighborhood party a million emotions from the past come crashing into me like a freight train.

Claire, the girl I used to be in love with, is now Claire, the woman. And she’s still every bit as beautiful and perfect as before.

She’s the only woman that can make a six-foot soldier built like a brick house weak at the knees with a jittery heart.

I’m used to fighting for what I want and there’s nothing I want more than her.

But our days are numbered, I’m only on leave…

And before long, I’m forced to question everything I thought I knew about myself…

Claire
The moment I saw him my heart stopped. After so many years, seeing him live and in the flesh was almost too much. He looks so different now.

With his smooth deep voice, a tight t-shirt stretched full of savory muscles, and a touch that sends hot tingles across the skin—what girl wouldn’t have her breath stop and her heart thunder inside her chest?

But he’s not just any man.

He’s Kurt.

And we have a history.

I always regretted our past. He made me feel cared for. He made me feel loved.

But our lives are so different now. I have a budding career in our hometown and he lives a thousand miles away.

Now I have a million questions racing through my mind…

Do second chances really work?

Can we be together if the world is tearing us apart?

But the one question that terrifies me the most

Will this last?...

The Soldier’s Lost Love is a romance novella filled with true passion and fiery emotions that run deep. It explores the world of second chances, long lost loves, and damaged pasts. If you’re looking for a romance filled with fire and passion, this is the book for you.

Want to turn the heat up a little more? You’re in luck! There’s FREE BONUS STORIES in the back by spicy romance author Megan West.

Available on Amazon

Read more from author Kristen Flowers on Amazon.

'Going Home for Bad: A Bad Boy Navy Seal Romance' by Penny Owen

It's the week before May's hometown wedding and she is getting revved up between the sheets. But it's not her brainy fiance Ralph on her mind; instead, she's fantasizing about Blake, the hometown bad boy with whom she had countless steamy trysts before heading off to college twelve years ago. When she and Ralph head back to Madison, Virginia for a backyard wedding, May can't help but wonder whatever happened to Blake.

She quickly finds out on her first day at her childhood home. He pulls up to the house in a tight t-shirt with more muscles and tattoos than she could ever have imagined. While seeing Blake revives an undeniable sexual tension between the two, May has trouble remembering what is was that made her fall for Ralph. Will she settle for Ralph's safe yet complacent attitude, or will Blake's gruff, throw-down demeanor force her to change direction at the last minute?

Cum and find out.

Available on Amazon

FREE 1/19-1/20

Read an excerpt:

May laid down beside her fiance. He was already asleep. She was desperately horny. Beneath the covers, she pulled her nightgown up and lowered her panties.

There was only one man she could ever fantasize about while masturbating.
And it wasn’t Ralph, the man she was about to marry.

*

Blake was a bad boy. Frequently fought. Worked on cars and made them loud and fast.

Always rolled his shirts up his arms to show off his ‘guns.’ 

She heard he even smoked before and after school. 

May, on the other hand, wore long respectable dresses. Shirts that covered her cleavage. Never anything too tight.

She was always on time to class, and turned in all of her assignments the day they were due. 

So how did they even get together? 

It was hard to say. It happened gradually over senior year, and then exploded after graduation.
But no one ever knew. It was between just the two of them. 

It began to simmer after Christmas when she went to a party with some of her friends before school started back up. He was there. Hunting cap on. Fitted flannel t-shirt. Huge, shiny belt buckle keeping tight jeans on. He had apparently just won a fight earlier that day against a football player from a neighboring school, but they said it was no contest. Easy to believe since the only sign he had been in a fight was a scraped knuckle or two on his right hand.

God, he had pecks even then. When she saw him, he was doing one of his party tricks— flexing his chest back and forth like Arnold Schwarzenegger. It got a rise out of both the boys and the girls, making everyone laugh. They asked him to do it again, and he complied. He tried to walk away, but they demanded another encore. One after another, and he did it every time. Stood up proud and straight, with a slight smirk on his face as he did. 

He saw her watching. She may have had her mouth open, she couldn’t remember. But he talked to her that night. Her. The teacher’s pet. Miss Goody-Two Shoes. 

Needless to say, she started going to more and more parties after that.

About the author

Penny's goal is to combine fantasy and reality in both her writing and everyday life. You could meet her characters on the street, but never guess what goes on in their lives behind closed doors...

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http://eepurl.com/bMGfsn

'Romance: Army Wife' by Benjamin Sheetz

Sandra stood in the kitchen, finishing up dinner and looking around at the place. This was their home, the life the two of them have created for one another over the last few years. It hurt to think about the fact that this could be changed over the next few months, but Sandra hoped for the best. She made the casserole for the evening, wondering what Charles was up to.

Charles sat in his office, looking over some of the paperwork that he did. He was the financial man of the house, but he also did do a bit of work on his own pet projects and banking, which was what his mind was focused on tonight. His brown hair was cut in a short manner, his face perplexed as he looked at the numbers on the spreadsheet he was making. He was a military officer, a man who could be asked to leave at any time, and the fact that it could be like that scared him.

Available on Amazon

'Abducted: Reconnaissance Team (Texas Rangers Special Ops)' by TC Archer

Blurb:

She came for the fashion show. He came to catch a killer.

The El Paso fashion gala was slated to be the hottest event of the year and a must do if Liz Monahan, the creative brains behind Nina Bruno Designs, was to vault the company to the big time. Circumstances put Liz at the party in one of her own creations, escorted by a young, handsome model hired to show her off to the well-known and well-established. But Liz didn't count on her date being an undercover Texas Ranger who is investigating a human trafficking ring. She also didn't count on being kidnapped and trafficked herself.

When Texas Ranger Ben Hunter slips away from Liz Monahan at the gala and begins his investigation, he couldn't be more surprised to arrive in Juarez, Mexico to find her held captive by infamous human trafficker Carlos Sanchez. In order to save her, Ben must commit murder. Hers.

Read an excerpt:

He shrugged. “I’m not the one who said a woman isn’t attractive after twenty-five.” 

“You’ll likely think differently when you reach thirty.” 

He smiled and her heart skipped a beat. His smile could stop traffic. Suddenly, she wondered if she’d been going about selling clothes the wrong way. This man was a dynamite package. His blue eyes smoldered—a stunning combination enhanced by his black tux. Six-foot-four of pure male. No contacts, no drug-induced biceps, just good old-fashioned Mother Nature at her ever-loving best. But despite his looks, it was his smile that truly set him apart from the other models. It didn’t matter who wore the dress, only that when a woman wore it, this man would smile at them. 

“Why didn’t you smile like that for the photo shoot?” Liz asked. 

Amusement lit his eyes. “Now that I know you like my smile, I’ll be sure to do it more often.” 

Liz nodded. “You’re going to sell my dress for me.” 

“That’s what I’m here for. But you don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re going to give Tanya a run for her money.” He leaned closer and his warm breath brushed her ear as he whispered, “What do you say we go on the offensive and say hello to her and her date?” 

Liz imagined Adam’s full mouth pressed against her ear. She jarred from the thought. Good Lord, the man was sixteen years her junior—and she was his boss. And he was staring expectantly. 

“What?” she blurted.

A very young female model on the arm of a high school graduate slowed as they passed, and Liz realized her outburst had caught their attention. Liz became aware she was squeezing Adam’s bicep and started to pull away.

He covered her hand with his. “Nope,” he said. “We have to look like we can’t live without each other.” 

Liz glanced down at his hand on hers. The light scratch of calluses against the top of her hand surprised her. Odd. Most male models were as big a prima donna as their female counterparts and seldom lifted a finger for fear a drop of sweat would spoil their looks. But Adam had a down-to-earth quality. Yet tonight, he exuded a dangerous edge that hadn’t been present during the photo shoot.

Available on Amazon

Best-selling author Tarah Scott cut her teeth on authors such as Georgette Heyer, Zane Grey, and Amanda Quick. Her favorite book is a Tale of Two Cities, with Gone With the Wind as a close second. She writes modern classical romance, and paranormal and romantic suspense. Tarah grew up in Texas and currently resides in Westchester County, New York with her daughter.