 Meet the Author: It can never be said that NYT & USA Today Bestselling author Sidney Bristol has had a ‘normal’ life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, tattoo addict and board game enthusiast. She grew up in a motor-home on the US highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas where she spends her time writing, reading, hunting Pokemon, playing board games and catering to her furry overlords, aka the cats.
About the Book:
Anderson Gratney does odd jobs that usually involve a gun and covert ops for the CIA. His latest assignment? Kidnap a CIA analyst in order to keep her safe. Easy. Except there’s nothing simple about the beautiful, careful Carol Sark, who tempts him the more he learns about her.
Coming face to face with a masked man in her home is the most terrifying experience of Carol’s life—until he kidnaps her. He claims he’s there to keep her safe, but she doesn’t know who to trust. And until they can figure out who the threat is, she's forced to take him at his word.
Time is ticking, and even though she drives him nuts, Anderson very much wants to keep her alive. Unfortunately, the assassins have other ideas…
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Having spent too many years living a life of deception, former undercover agent Cole Stewart demands one thing from his relationships—complete honesty. Masked in mystery and draped in decadence, Avery Fisher has the courage to be with a man as dangerous and sexy as him. Cole would know the seductive and vulnerable Avery no matter how clever her disguise. But he will demand she reveal everything, not just her identity, but her true nature and the need for his dominance. She will learn Cole is not open to compromise...
Sierra was born in Manchester, England where she spent her early years traipsing through castles. After living in Denver for a number of years, the internationally acclaimed author now resides in Galveston, Texas. She loves the way history blends with Southern manners (being called “sugar” is an experience unto itself). She invites you to join her on a sensual journey where the limits are explored and expanded.
Title: The Spark Ignites
Series: MacKenny Brothers Series #1
Author: Kathleen Kelly
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 15, 2018
Eric made the choice to live in a small town. A loner, he has few friends and a secret.
Cherie is a waitress with big dreams and little prospects.
Fate throws Eric and Cherie together when her Grandfather suffers a severe heart attack, and Eric agrees to help the old man and his feisty Granddaughter.
Until now, Eric has successfully kept himself closed off from everyone. For three years, he has been caged-up like a fugitive in the boring, deadbeat town to keep those he loves safe.
As the attraction between Eric and Cherie grows, Eric must decide whether to succumb to the undeniable spark between them and risk it all or walk away.
Can he protect his secret and his family without destroying the small-town girl he’s come to love?
The Spark Ignites is a standalone and the first in the MacKenny Brothers Series.
 
   
Robyn Corcoran - “Wow! What an exciting start to this new book by this author.” Tara Copsy - “Congratulations Kathleen Kelly, you've written another fabulous story that had me from the start.” Angel, Book Boyfriend Blog - “Loved....LOVED The Spark Ignites, I could not put it down!”   
Kathleen Kelly was born in Penrith, NSW, Australia. When she was four her family moved to Brisbane, QLD, Australia. Although born in NSW she considers herself a QUEENSLANDER!!
She married her childhood sweetheart and they live in Toowoomba with their two furry kids. A British Short Hair named Grace and a Burmese named Jack.
Kathleen enjoys writing contemporary, romance novels with a little bit of erotica. She draws her inspiration from family, friends and the people around her. She can often be found in cafes writing and observing the locals.
If you have any questions about her novels or would like to ask Kathleen a question she can be contacted via e-mail: [email protected] or she can be found on Facebook. She loves to be contacted by those that love her books.
      
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Michelle's Review
 The Spark Ignites by Kathleen KellyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A fast paced read. I actually sat down to start it and before I knew it I had read the whole thing. This is a great start to what is going to be a fun series. Lots of great characters, twist and turns and yes some hot moments. This is Maddock and Cherie’s book and boy was it full of excitement and was very entertaining. Cherie is a tough female and I love that about her. These two make a great couple and I really enjoyed their story. Can’t wait to read Sean’s book next. View all my reviews 
A Little Bit Like Desire, an all-new STANDALONE contemporary MM romance from USA Today bestselling author Brooke Blaine is available NOW!
What if you had everything in the world you wanted...except the man you never knew you needed? Shaw Jennings, the seductive, enigmatic owner of Body Electric Tattoo works hard and plays even harder. He’s built a life he’s proud of, and though that doesn’t include a significant other, he’s got plenty of sexy men to keep his bed warm at night. None of them have ever made Shaw sit up and take notice for long, though. But that all changes when a famous rock star walks through his door. Trent Knox had the world in the palm of his hand as the lead singer of TBD, one of the biggest rock bands in history…until the day he walked away. A getaway to South Haven Island seems like the perfect place for Trent to find himself again and reignite his passion for music. But what he never expects is to find his muse in a six-five, tatted-up badass whose sinful smile he can’t get out of his mind. The only problem? Trent’s a notorious womanizer, and Shaw isn’t interested in being someone’s experiment—muse or otherwise. But in a town as small as this one, Shaw is finding it more and more difficult to keep the persistent rocker at arm’s length. As the tension between them builds, maybe it’s time to finally give in and get carried away with something a little bit like...desire.
Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2A13Owl Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/ALittleBitLikeDesir Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2lU71ns
Excerpt: I’d been inside Bash’s mansion enough times to know where he was taking me, even blindfolded. Through the front door, across the foyer, up the never-ending staircase. Walking down the hallway, I heard muffled sounds, as though there were people coupled up and already behind closed doors, and the further Bash took me, the louder the voices became. But there were no discernable words—it was more the breathless cries of men giving and receiving pleasure, and it made me hard as a fucking rock. “Sounds like the party started without me,” I said, a smile tipping my lips. “Not where you’re going,” he replied. I heard the sound of a handle being pressed down, felt the soft rush of air as a door opened and I was led inside, and then the click of the door shutting behind us. Whatever room he’d led me to was dead silent. We were alone. Bash tapped the side of my blindfold lightly.“You’ll keep this on until you get inside,” he said, keeping his voice low, as though he didn’t want anyone to hear him. Ah, so I’d be going through yet another door. I wondered at all of this secrecy, since usually these parties were informal, and if we wanted to wander off with someone, we did. Eyes wide open and lights on. But I trusted Bash with my life and knew him well enough to know that he had to have a good reason for doing this the way he was. So I didn’t think twice when I heard a second door open, felt his gentle hand on my back guiding me forward, and then heard him say with a smile in his voice,“Enjoy,my friends.” Then he was gone, and yet I was not alone. I removed the blindfold, but I needn’t have bothered. The room was pitch black. Not a window, not a crack of light coming through the door. I couldn’t see a thing, but I could feel another’s presence, sure as if they were standing beside me. I waited for them to speak, but the silence lingered on. They didn’t say a word, and they didn’t move, though they had to know I’d arrived. This must be part of the game,I thought. For whatever reason, we weren’t allowed to see each other, and I’d venture a guess that speaking was out of the question as well. Something told me there was more at play here than darkness simply heightening our awareness and setting the mood, and that had a shiver running down my spine. If it’s a game they want, it’s a game they’ll get. Opening my senses, I stood perfectly still and waited until I got a hint of where the man waiting for me was. My rapidly pounding heart was all I could hear for a long moment until a faint sound, maybe a quiet exhale, sounded to my right, and I stalked in that direction slowly, letting my prey hear me coming. Would he run and make me chase him? Or did he want me to find him waiting? With my hands slightly in front of me, I moved forward until my fingertips grazed against smooth material cut with a cold and jagged line that ran vertically—a zipper. The smell of leather filled my nose as I slid my hands up the man’s jacket. He didn’t move, but I could hear his shuddering breath as I reached his shoulders and slipped my hands beneath the leather to feel the naked, tensed muscles there. He was maybe three or four inches shorter than me, and as I pushed the jacket down, I realized he wasn’t wearing anything underneath. No shirt. Nothing to cover the solid muscle of his strong arms and chest. The leather fell to the ground, and then the man reached for me, his hands skimming up my arms, my shoulders, my neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake. There was something so tantalizing about a stranger touching me, wanting from me, as we stood toe to toe in the unlit room. I could see how the mystery of it all would make someone shy feel more bold and empowered, though that had never been something I struggled with. I had no problem telling someone what I wanted and when, which meant tonight’s clandestine activities were tailored for the man currently caressing my body—but it’d sure as hell be a fun, sexy pursuit for me. When his rough fingers reached my lips, I grabbed his wrist and held him there. Then I kissed the tips and sucked his pointer and middle fingers deep into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him, and his gasp hit my ears. The sound was so erotic, the salty taste of his skin so heady on my tongue, that I had to palm my already-up-and-ready-to-go dick to calm it the hell down. As if he sensed my arousal, he pulled his fingers from my mouth and punched his hips forward. I let out a throaty groan at the contact. His erection matched my own, though more constricted through the tight fit of his jeans. Thirsty for more, I grabbed his trim waist and let my hands fall to his backside. His shoulders were against a wall, and with his ass firmly in my grasp, I held his hips against me, rubbing myself off on the bulge rocking against my own. All the while, his fingers deftly unfastened the buttons of my vest, and then he pulled loose my shirt and began removing those as well. My chest heaved as he pushed my jacket, shirt, and vest off in one go, and I kicked them away, not worried in the slightest about finding them later. His touch made goosebumps break out on my naked flesh wherever he roamed. Down my neck and then my chest, where he pinched my nipples so hard that I cried out in painful pleasure and put my hands over his. He froze, as if he’d crossed an unspoken line. But if he’d thought he’d gone too far or that I was about to stop him, he was dead wrong. I guided our hands down together, over my trembling abs and then further, further, until we pushed beneath the waistband of my pants to my-- “Fuuuck.” His head fell back against the wall as the curse left his lips on an exhale. In the dark, I smiled. He’d broken the rules to his own game. With one word, he changed everything, and now? Anything goes.Start the series of standalones today! A Little Bit Like Love Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2h40Ltx Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/ALittleBitLikeLovesale Add to GoodReads: https://goo.gl/ShbNqD About Brooke: Brooke Blaine is a USA Today Bestselling Author of contemporary romance that ranges from comedy to suspense to erotic. The latter has scarred her conservative Southern family for life, bless their hearts. If you’d like to get in touch with her, she’s easy to find - just keep an ear out for the Rick Astley ringtone that’s dominated her cell phone for years. Or you can reach her atwww.BrookeBlaine.com.
Connect with Brooke: Website: http://www.brookeblaine.com/ Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrookeBlaine.Writer Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrookeBlaine1 Instagram: www.instagram.com/brookeblaine1/ Amazon Author Page: http://amzn.to/1i2g15S Brooke & Ella's Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrellas The M/M Daily Grind: https://www.facebook.com/groups/941204085967883 If you’d like to be the FIRST to know about a new release, sale, giveaway, or upcoming signings & events, make sure to join Brooke’s mailing list:
Michelle' s Review
 A Little Bit like Desire by Brooke BlaineMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Sizzling.... This is the best M/M book I’ve read in a while. Come on... a tattoo artist and rock God, you know it’s going to be out of this world. Trent and Shaw are wonderful characters and together they are explosive. The sexual tension was out of this world and when they finally came together it was extremely hot. While I loved the first book in this series I do have to say I like this one more. There is just something about these two that had me from first page to the last page. It’s definitely one of those books that you re-read over and over. I freaking loved it! View all my reviews  
Title: Rock King (Nothing But Trouble, Book 2)
Author: Tara Leigh
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Rockstar Romance
Release Date: July 17, 2018
Cover Designer: Forever Romance
Hosted by: Buoni Amici Press, LLC.
I’m no Prince Charming.
Most people know me as the drummer for Nothing but Trouble. Depending who you ask, I’m also a playboy, a loner, the life of the party, a screw-up, or according to my fans, “The Sexiest Rock Star on the Planet.” Apparently, I’m a legend. Am I surprised? Hell, no. It’s a reputation I’ve earned behind my drum kit and behind closed doors. No one thought foster kid Landon Cox would become famous. Infamous, maybe. Notorious, probably. But successful? Never. No one except Piper Hastings. But I had to make a choice: my woman or my career. I picked fame and fortune . . . and spent every damn day since pretending I don’t regret it. Now fate’s dropped Piper back into my life. I want to believe it’s a second chance for me—for us. But while I can give her a few great nights, I can’t give Piper a future. Because there’s a difference between a legend and a fairy tale . . . Only one of them ends happily ever after.
   
Watching Landon Cox on stage from forty feet away had been bad enough. But here, now, close enough to touch, I was jolted by the power of his presence. Still shirtless and sweating after an intense performance, my eyes danced over the rippling muscles rising from beneath the inked skin of Landon’s naked torso, his broad shoulders tapering to slim hips, perfect V cuts forming an arrow pointing south. Vitality seeping from every pore. My gaze was drawn inexorably upward. Blond hair a damp mess, the faintest trace of stubble darkening a jawline that could have been cut from marble. A face so symmetrical, so severely beautiful, it would take even the most talented sculptor a lifetime to get right. Landon Cox was a fantasy in the flesh. I’d imagined this very moment dozens—no, hundreds—of times. But now that the moment was here, Landon and I, alone in a room again after all these years, I had nothing. In a blink, Landon’s expression wavered. His winged brows, three shades darker than the hair sweeping across his forehead, pulled together. Eyes like hot coals burning into me. As if the sight of me caused him pain. I tore my gaze away from his face, but it only landed on the swaths of ink covering his chest and extending over his arms. My mouth watered at the sight. I wanted to trace every tattoo with my tongue, every slash and swirl and stripe. After six years, how would Landon taste? Like regret, I realized with a sickening thud. Because regret was all that remained of what we’d once shared.
  
 
Tara Leigh attended Washington University in St. Louis and Columbia Business School in New York, and worked on Wall Street and Main Street before “retiring” to become a wife and mother. When the people in her head became just as real as the people in her life, she decided to put their stories on paper. Tara currently lives in Fairfield County, Connecticut with her husband, children and fur-baby, Pixie.
     
 
 
Michelle's review
 Rock Legend by Tara LeighMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely beautiful! Rock Legend is so much more then you typical rock star books. Yes, there is sex, drugs and rock and roll but there is so much more. It actually has a wonderful story that will both break your heart and help put you back together again. Piper and Landon are wonderful characters who have you routing for them right off the bat. Their story is a emotional read that will have you begging for more. I have fallen in love with this series and these rockers. I’m so excited to see where this author takes us next. You’ll definitely want to check it out. View all my reviews 
"Twisted and sexy, this story grabbed me from the VERY FIRST WORD and never let me go. 6 STARS!" —Alessandra Torre, New York Times bestselling authorBroken Edge, the highly anticipated third installment to the “intensely sexy” and “mind-blowing” Edge Series by New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss is available NOW!
You think you’d go far for love? Think again. --------- She really knows how to push a man. She finds the cracks and she goes right for them. She’ll travel across the world just to break me apart, piece by piece, until every last secret is exposed and every weakness revealed. I swear to God, I love her so much I’ll let her do it. I’ll let her do anything. But when she hurts herself to protect me? That’s a line in the sand.
Download your copy of BROKEN EDGE today! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2IgNczA iBooks: https://apple.co/2Gl0FpV Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/BrokenEdge Nook: https://bit.ly/2uutE8Z Kobo: https://bit.ly/2pMrfBJ Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Igkor1 Paperback: https://amzn.to/2KYJ2OZ Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2HAHRne
Start the Edge Series today FREE with Cutting Edge! https://cdreiss.com/books/edge/ About CD Reiss: CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets. Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels. She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.
Connect with CD Reiss: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iwpkPQ Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cd-reiss Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDReiss.writer/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdreisswriter Instagram: https://instagram.com/cdreiss/ Website: www.cdreiss.com Mailing List: https://cdreiss.com/cd-reiss-mailing-list-signup/ For Text Alerts: TEXT “CDREISS” to 77948 *standard text messaging rates will apply*
Michelle's Review
 Broken Edge by C.D. ReissMy rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow! This just keeps getting better and better. You can’t help but get pulled into this gritty sexy book. It’s one of those reads that mess with your mind and keep you so intrigued that you find yourself holding your breath. Wondering what is going to happen, why it is happening and can love survive it? This series is outstanding.... come on August! View all my reviews 
Happy Hour, an all-new hilarious enemies to lovers romance from USA Today bestselling duo Piper Rayne is available NOW!
The perfect man for her is the one she hates most. #gofigure Dating is hard. Dating in your thirties is even harder. Dating in Chicago is harder still. I haven't given up on finding my happily-ever-after, but in the age of swiping right and Netflix and chill, I'm wondering if everything is as temporary as my marriage turned out to be. Truth is, there is one guy I can't get my mind off of. Roarke Baldwin has salt and pepper hair I've dreamed of running my hands through and I'm pretty sure that if I checked he really does have a six pack of abs underneath his suit. And I've always wondered what that stubble on his face would feel like between my thighs. The problem? He's the one man I hate more than my ex-husband… His divorce attorney.
Download your copy today! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2N7jmQB Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/HappyHourPR iBooks: https://apple.co/2LqBSTZ Nook: https://bit.ly/2s5J7bi Kobo: https://bit.ly/2kiL3K0 Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/yaf4yhkg Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2MBUb8P
Excerpt: I press the numbers on my phone with shaky fingers, bringing the receiver up to my ear and release a deep breath. He picks up after one ring. “I thought we were friends? Having your assistant call my assistant. Tsk. Tsk, Ms. Crowley.” Aggravation fuses together every cell in my body until I become an impenetrable wall. “First, we are not friends. Second, I would prefer to talk to you via our office phones.” There’s a brief second of silence where he’s probably realizing I called him through my office line. “Ahh… so now you have my number and I don’t have yours? That seems terribly unfair.” “I didn’t realize you cared about fairness?” I lean back in my chair and cross my legs. “You don’t know that much about me. It’s not like you know me intimately.” He lowers his voice on the last word and drags it out. I roll my eyes, happy we’re not face-to-face so he can’t see the flush in my cheeks. “You may have witnessed how I own the courtroom, but you know nothing about my private life. For instance, you don’t know if I like thrillers or comedies. Whether I prefer sorbet to ice cream or if I wear boxers or briefs.” “I don’t need to know those things,” I say with frustration, shutting my eyes to rid the vision from my head of him in tight black boxer briefs—since that’s my preference. “You want to know though.” A sexual innuendo pours out of his mouth and hits its mark between my thighs. “There you go making assumptions about my wants.” I pick up my pen, shuffling through paperwork. Anything to distract me from this ache. “I not only know what you want, I know what you need, Ms. Crowley.” I smack my hand down on my desk. “Okay Rico Suave, let’s talk about this venue you have access to and keep the discussion of undergarments for another time.” A beeping sound interrupts us. “Hold all my calls please, Kristen.” Then nothing for a moment. “Sorry about that but you know how busy I am.” “Yes, I’m sure destroying people’s lives takes a lot of time. So let’s stop the sexual innuendos and get down to business.” “Let’s meet tonight. You frequent Torrio’s. I frequent Torrio’s. Let’s do something crazy and have a drink together.” “I don’t need a drink at Torrio’s, Mr. Baldwin, I need a venue to house my gala. Now tell me your terms and I want the details of this venue you insist you can secure. I refuse to meet you until you supply me with that information.” I uncross my legs and tap my foot on the floor under me. “So demanding. I like it.” I can hear him shuffling papers in the background. “I’ll have my assistant message your assistant with all the details of the venue. I’m sure it will be of your liking. Then we’ll meet tonight at Torrio’s. Seven sharp. Consider it our own personal happy hour.” “I’m not committing to anything until I see the venue.” “Then I’ll see you at seven.” The phone clicks and I stare at the receiver in my hand. “Prick,” I murmur. A knock sounds on my door.
Start the Series of Standalones today with Manic Monday! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2Fees00 Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/ManicMonday iBooks: https://apple.co/2pwTWSn Nook: http://bit.ly/2pu3iiK Kobo: http://bit.ly/2ua1IY0 Google Play: https://bit.ly/2JTmZsE Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2pbRAJq About Piper Rayne: Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today Bestselling authors for the price of one. Our goal is to bring you romance stories that have "Heartwarming Humor With a Side of Sizzle" (okay...you caught us, that's our tagline). A little about us... We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We're both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We're both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
Connect with Piper Rayne: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PiperRayne/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorpiperrayne/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PiperRayneRocks
"Twisted and sexy, this story grabbed me from the VERY FIRST WORD and never let me go. 6 STARS!" —Alessandra Torre, New York Times bestselling authorBroken Edge, the highly anticipated third installment to the “intensely sexy” and “mind-blowing” Edge Series by New York Times bestselling author CD Reiss is available NOW!
You think you’d go far for love? Think again. --------- She really knows how to push a man. She finds the cracks and she goes right for them. She’ll travel across the world just to break me apart, piece by piece, until every last secret is exposed and every weakness revealed. I swear to God, I love her so much I’ll let her do it. I’ll let her do anything. But when she hurts herself to protect me? That’s a line in the sand.
Download your copy of BROKEN EDGE today! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2IgNczA iBooks: https://apple.co/2Gl0FpV Amazon Universal: http://mybook.to/BrokenEdge Nook: https://bit.ly/2uutE8Z Kobo: https://bit.ly/2pMrfBJ Google Play: https://bit.ly/2Igkor1 Paperback: https://amzn.to/2KYJ2OZ Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2HAHRne
Start the Edge Series today FREE with Cutting Edge! https://cdreiss.com/books/edge/ About CD Reiss: CD Reiss is a New York Times bestseller. She still has to chop wood and carry water, which was buried in the fine print. Her lawyer is working it out with God but in the meantime, if you call and she doesn't pick up she's at the well hauling buckets. Born in New York City, she moved to Hollywood, California to get her master's degree in screenwriting from USC. In case you want to know, that went nowhere but it did give her a big enough ego to write novels. She's frequently referred to as the Shakespeare of Smut which is flattering but hasn't ever gotten her out of chopping that cord of wood. If you meet her in person, you should call her Christine.
Connect with CD Reiss: Amazon: http://amzn.to/2iwpkPQ Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cd-reiss Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CDReiss.writer/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdreisswriter Instagram: https://instagram.com/cdreiss/ Website: www.cdreiss.com Mailing List: https://cdreiss.com/cd-reiss-mailing-list-signup/ For Text Alerts: TEXT “CDREISS” to 77948 *standard text messaging rates will apply* 
Title: Broken Love Story
Series: Love Series #3
Author: Natasha Madison
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 10, 2018 Kindle Unlimited
Samantha:
I had the perfect life; a husband who loved me, and two kids who were my world.
Until someone else answered his phone and my perfect life shattered.
When he died, I was left with answers he couldn't give me and a box full of lies.
He left me broken.
Blake:
I fell in love when I was fifteen, knowing she was the one.
For five years, she was my everything—my every breath, every heartbeat, every thought.
She made me promise to move on, promise to find love again, but I broke those promises because I can't move on.
Two broken souls brought together by tragedy and heartbreak.
Can a broken love story be fixed?
Samantha
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in my room, I smooth down my black skirt. My blond hair is tied up in a ponytail, my cheeks are sunken in more than normal, and the blackness around my eyes indicates I haven’t slept well since this whole thing happened. Since I found out that not only did my husband die, but that he also married someone else. I sit on the made bed and look down at my wedding band. My thumb of my right hand touches it, and the lone tear that falls out of my eye lands straight on it. “Mommy.” I look back at Lizzie, who is standing in the doorway wearing a black one-piece dress similar to mine with ballerina flats. My mother-in-law went shopping yesterday and bought us all new outfits for today. “We need to put our best foot forward,” she said as I watched her walk in with the six bags. “We can’t let people talk.” I turned around and walked out of the room, going upstairs. Shutting myself in my bathroom with my back against the door, I cried quietly, trying to hide my sobs. “We can’t let people talk,” I whispered to myself. The hatred I had begun feeling when I remembered my husband. Lizzie walks to the side of my bed and sits next to me. “I hate this dress,” she says when I put my hand around her shoulder and bring her to me, kissing her head. “I know, baby,” I whisper, “but after today, it’s going to be all over.” “That’s what Grandpa A said.” She mentions the name she calls my father-in-law. Grandpa A because you can’t get better than an A. “Is everyone ready?” I hear Ethan yell from downstairs. “The limo is picking us up in twenty.” “Let’s go, baby,” I tell her, getting up and holding her hand while we walk downstairs. My in-laws are both sitting in the kitchen. My mother-in-law in a black skirt and top while my father-in-law has on a black suit. “Where is Daisy?” I ask them. “Elliot is upstairs changing her. She spilled milk on her dress,” Judy tells me, looking at Lizzie. “You look like such a big girl.” She blinks her tears away. Elliot comes down the stairs with Daisy on his hip, smiling at me when he walks in. “Okay, you girls go sit in the living room while us grown-ups talk,” my father-in-law says, and the girls both know to leave the room. When he knows they are both out of earshot, he starts. “Today is going to be tough, tough for us all, but we have to stand together. We have to be the family that we are.” I lean against the counter while he talks. “The situation with the other one has been taken care of, and she has been served papers.” I look at him and then at Elliot and Ethan, both of them looking down when our eyes meet. It’s almost as if they feel guilty for meeting this woman. My father-in-law continues, “After all this is done today, we are meeting with the lawyers in person, so we can go over the will, start the paperwork for the insurance, and make sure she doesn’t touch a thing that belongs to him.” I stop listening at this point, turning to look out the window at the backyard. The swing set that he built in one day to make sure the kids could use it when he left the next day. The patio set he had delivered to us, so I could have somewhere to sit while I watched the girls while he was living with another woman. I shake my head, walking out of the room. I sit on the couch, and the girls come to sit next to me, one on each side. “Today is going to be really hard,” I whisper to them, “but we have to be strong for Daddy.” They both look at me, their eyes exactly like their father’s. “But, if at any time, you need to leave or you need me… I don’t care who is talking to me or who is around; you come and get me.” “Grandpa A said we had to sit and wait,” Daisy whispers just as Elliot comes into the room and kneels in front of us. “What is this meeting about?” he asks, smiling at us. The circles around his eyes are just as black as ours. He hasn’t left our house since this happened. “Mommy said if we need her that we can go to her,” Daisy says, looking at him and then me, “even if Grandpa A said no.” He leans in, whispering, “You can come to me too, and I’ll make sure that you get Mommy.” “Okay,” Lizzie and Daisy both whisper at the same time, and then the doorbell rings. We get up, put our jackets on, and one by one file into the black limo that has come to take us to the funeral home. We arrive before everyone else. “We get an hour with him, and then they will open the door,” Adrian says as Judy grabs her tissue and dabs her eyes. I look around the funeral home. I’m not sure what I’m looking for, not sure where he is. I haven’t seen him since he kissed me goodbye four days earlier. His last words to me were, “Call you when I can.” That phone call never came. I follow my in-laws to the big brown door that is closed. “I want to go in before the girls.” Everyone turns to look at me. “We can keep them in the lobby,” says the lady who greeted us at the door. She told me her name, but I just didn’t listen. I nod at her as she turns to ask the girls if they want hot chocolate. Daisy’s eyes get big as Lizzie turns to look at me. I nod my head, giving her permission, so she can go with the woman. The doors open, and I don’t even know what to expect. I’ve never been to a funeral. Never known anyone well enough to pay my last respects. Judy and Adrian walk in first, followed by Ethan, and Elliot waits with me. I step foot into the room, and it’s so cold that I shiver. The smell of flowers hits me right away, making me turn my head. The number of flowers and wreaths shocks me; the whole room is almost full. Some wreaths blocking others. Rows and rows of brown chairs line the room, all facing toward the front of the room. My eyes land on the brown wooden casket at the front of the room. The open half showing you the white satin inside. I walk down the aisle toward him, and then my eyes land on him. Eric. I can’t take another step forward because my knees give out, and I fall. Elliot isn’t fast enough to hold me up, and my knee lands with a thud. But the pain doesn’t matter because nothing could take the place of the pain in my heart. The sound of wailing fills the room as I look up at my dead husband. I feel arms around me; I feel myself lifted; I feel myself almost floating. He isn’t the Eric who kissed me goodbye; he isn’t the Eric who I made promises to; he isn’t the Eric who made all my dreams come true. This isn’t him. The man with makeup caked on his face isn’t my Eric. My sobs overtake my body as I look at him, expecting him to open his eyes. Expecting something, anything but this. “I want the casket closed,” I say, my voice soft. “I want it closed.” “Samantha,” my father-in-law starts, “it’s—” I shake my head. “I don’t want the kids to see him like that,” I say softly. I know that for me they wouldn’t even consider it, but for the girls, they would move heaven and earth. “They need to remember him alive and smiling, not like that,” I say, pointing at the casket. “Dad,” Ethan says after me, “I agree.” “Me too,” Elliot says from beside me. “Close it.” He just nods at us, then walks to the man standing in the corner. The man looks at him as they have a hushed conversation and then just nods his head. “Do you need some water?” Ethan says to me, and I nod. I don’t bother listening to what else he says; instead, I get up and go to the casket. Standing before the brown box, I look at him, really look at him. You see some bruising under the makeup, and his nose is a little swollen. His hands are folded over his stomach, resting on his black suit. The suit he wore when we got married. Why? I ask him in my own head. Why did you do it? I ask him, hoping I can hear him whisper something to me, whisper anything back. To answer my questions, to give me something; anything to make me understand why he did what he did. Why he left me with so many fucking questions and not one answer. The man comes over to close the casket. Eric’s face disappears slowly, the shadow filling his face till the casket finally shuts. “I’m sorry for your loss,” the man says, nodding at me. “If at any time you want it open, we can open it back up.” I turn around now, looking at the chairs that will fill up as soon as the people start coming in. Ethan consoles my mother-in-law, and Elliot stands where we were just sitting, his hands in his pockets. “I’m getting the girls,” I tell them and then walk out with my head held high but my shoulders slumped. Defeated is a word that you use so many times not really understanding what can actually defeat you. I know now, my husband dying, him cheating on me, my kids without a father, my dreams of growing old with him gone. Beaten straight down to my core, straight down to my bones. I walk over to them as they look up. “Let’s go, girls,” I tell them as they both get up and walk to me. Lizzie takes one hand, Daisy takes the other, and we walk back into the room that holds a piece of our hearts. The room where their father lies, with no answers and no tomorrow. We stand in that room for four hours while people come up to me and give me their condolences. I nod my head and play the part of the grieving wife. I am the grieving wife, but I’m also the wife whose husband didn’t love her enough to just be with her. The wife who knew her husband was slipping away but couldn’t catch it in time. The wife he said he would love and protect. The wife who stands here between his girls wishing that for one second he suffered horribly. The wife who has to pick up the fucking pieces and lie to her girls about what a great guy he was. The wife who, at the end of the day, just wasn’t good enough. We listen as people tell us how amazing he was, how much he loved his family, and how much he loved his girls. The whole time, I’m yelling on the inside, ready to stand in the middle of the room, throw my head back, and yell at the top of my lungs. But I don’t do what I want. I don’t tell them what a fraud my husband was. I don’t tell them that it was almost all lies. I don’t tell them that the day he died, they called his other wife and not me. I don’t tell them that I wasn’t the one with him when he died. I stand here thinking about this other person—his other wife—and wonder how she would handle this. How she would be with my in-laws. Would she just let them control her and do everything for her? Would she want it to be open and weep for him beside the casket instead of standing next to it? I look around the room at all the people who came to pay their respects, and my eyes find someone I’ve never met before. Someone I’ve never seen before, and our eyes connect. His green eyes stare into mine as I watch him nod to me and turn to walk out. As he walks out of the crowded room, I strain my neck to watch his back. I don’t have long to think because Elliot comes up and whispers, “It’s time.”   
 
  
When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her...
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 Broken Love Story by Natasha MadisonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Absolutely perfect! I have fallen in love with each book in this series and although they are all wonderful this one is definitely my favorite. I totally love Blake and his story. He pulled on my heart strings and I am so happy for him to get his own book. Two broken people come together and help each other heal and find love again. Both Blake and Samantha are so deserving, you will laugh, you will cry and you will fall hopelessly in love with these characters. This is part of a series but they do standalone but believe me you will want to check the whole series out. This author has a way with her words that will keep you begging for more. Five beautiful stars! View all my reviews 
Today we are sharing the release day blitz for DILF DIARIES: OH BABY by Stephanie St. Klaire! This book kicks off a brand new series that you cannot miss! It is available now for just .99 cents (only till Sunday). Enter the giveaway below to win a surprise book box, including a Kindle!Sign up for Stephanie's newsletter for exclusive news and details about the series.-------------Purchase Now for just .99 cents onAmazon | Kobo | iBooks | Barnes & Noble |
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Stephanie St. Klaire is a Pacific Northwest native currently living in Portland, Oregon with her husband, five children, and two ferocious lap dogs that are used to the finer things in life like sleeping all day. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found with a plate full of taco’s, a side of bean dip, and probably some gummy bears while being a little bit hippy and a lot bit busy mom’ing and wife’ing.
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