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Title: Ruffles & Beaus
Author: Carina Adams
Genre: NA Romance/Love Triangle
Release Date: August 23, 2018
Every girl who dances on a pole has a story to tell, one that led her to the stage. My last year of college was set to be the best yet. Only a few months stood between me and the life of my dreams. Until my manager was arrested for embezzlement, our department was wiped out, and everything fell apart. I needed a job. I was willing to do anything to pay for school, hoping to simply survive. Desperate, I joined Soirée, the private party company that offered something no other did.
I wasn’t prepared for Roman, the boss who thought I was helpless and hated me as much as I detested him. Or, his best friend Reid, who assumed I was tougher than I was and pursued me in a way no one else ever had.
I never used a pole, yet I took my clothes off as men cheered. My past didn’t lead me there, though.
My story began with the secrets I told as I fell in love with two very different men.
And continued with the lies I weaved to keep us all from breaking.
I stood there, a helpless bystander, as he gave her the same grin he’d always used on the adults to get himself out of trouble when we were kids. The one that said he was sweet and innocent and could be trusted. Lying asshole. Cady responded with a slow, lazy smile of her own, one filled with promises I couldn’t even comprehend.
Not happening. My fingers locked around her upper arm and I hauled her to her feet before I knew what I was doing. “I’ve got it,” I snarled in his direction before I half dragged her up the stairs and down the hall to my room.
With every step we took she sputtered like an angry wet cat and tried to shake me off. My grip only tightened. As soon as we were in my room, with the lights on and the heavy door locked safely behind us, I let her push me away.
“What in the hell are you doing?”
“You said you were exhausted.” I lifted my chin toward the bed in the middle of the room as I dropped my suit jacket on the floor and pulled off my tie. “Get some rest.”
“There’s no couch. Where are you going to sleep?”
I had my shirt unbuttoned and on the pile before I answered. “You’re a smart girl. You figure it out.”
As I reached for the button on my pants, she nodded once. “Okay. So, I’ll be in Andy’s room.”
I lunged for her as she was twisting the handle, squishing her body between the door and me, my hands on top of hers, halting her. I hadn’t been prepared for how she’d feel. She wasn’t built like my other dancers, shorter and curvier, but I hadn’t stopped to think about how soft that would make her body. It was oddly comforting, and I wanted to sink into it and let her surround me.
Fighting whatever craziness my mind had started to manifest, I put my mouth to her ear, needing her to hear me. “If you leave this room, I will spank your ass. I’m too fucking wasted to take on every man here, but don’t think I’m too far gone to haul you back to this room, tie you to the bed, and punish you.”
Glimpses of that scenario ran through my mind, making me instantly hard. I had no idea where the thought had come from. I’d never tied any woman to my bed, or any where else, and I sure as shit had never spanked anyone in more than a playful manner. It should have disgusted me.
We must have gotten a bad bottle of booze. It hadn’t been stored right or something. Maybe one of Alistair’s loser friends laced it.
Instead of throwing her head back into my face and breaking my nose, or reacting the way any sensible woman would, Cady’s breath caught and she shivered underneath me. Not from fear or cold, but because my words had gotten to her.
She moved her head back slightly, fitting it into the spot between my neck and shoulder. Neither of us said a word. Her scent, one I didn’t recognize, invaded my nostrils. I fought the urge to turn her around and kiss her, to beg her to let me fuck her against the door for the entire house to hear.
Her breathing grew more ragged by the second and I knew that she was feeling it, this undeniable attraction. She spun, her back to the door, perfect fat tits shoving into my chest, and I couldn’t think anymore. My fist wound itself into her hair, holding her in place, as I leaned down in slow motion, almost daring her to push me away, and captured her lips with mine.
She tasted like strawberries and whiskey, her mouth warm and captivating as she gave me exactly what I wanted. It wasn’t enough. I bit her bottom lip lightly, tugging it open, so my tongue could find hers.
Fingernails traced down my bare chest, exploring. When they ran over my abs, Cady groaned as if it was the most delightful thing she’d ever touched. The sound made my dick jump. I worked hard for the body I had, pushed myself to stay in shape, so I could accomplish all the things I wanted. It was a bonus to know she appreciated the effort.
Jealousy, that she got to touch me while I was acting like a saint and keeping my hands in PG zones, hit me. I broke the kiss and stepped back, ready to strip her out of the ugly baggy clothes she’d put on and worship her body. She wasn’t fooling me. I’d seen enough during practices and the performance to know exactly what she was hiding.
In spectacular fuckface timing, Andrew chose that moment to pound on the door. “Yo, asshole. You forgot your phone. Reid’s blowing it up.”
Cady ducked and spun away from the wood, backing toward the bed, eyes wide as they darted around the room. Before I could offer an explanation, or beg her to give me five minutes to get rid of the pest problem outside our door and get back to business, the brat smirked at me. Then she began to laugh.
“Well,” she dragged her teeth over her lip making me groan inwardly, “that was a surprise. No more alcohol for us.”
Andy knocked again.
“You get that. I’m going to go to bed. To sleep.” She clarified. “And then you’re going to come to bed. For sleep. So we can get up in a few hours and pretend this never happened.”
“That’s how we’re playing this?”
“Partners don’t have sex, remember? It’s against the rules.”
Fuck the goddamned stupid rules. I hated them. I was going to rewrite the employee manual first thing on Monday.
Cady chuckled, as if she could hear my thoughts. “No, you’re not. They’re good rules. You don’t want to sleep with me. You’re just drunk.”
“I said that out loud?”
She giggled again and I couldn’t stop my own answering smile. “You did.” She moved forward, pushing me out of the way slightly, and opened the door. “Give it to me,” she held out her hand.
“Come next door and I will,” Andy’s husky voice replied as he handed her my iPhone. “I’ll give it to you so dirty you’ll be begging me for more.”
Without a reply, she backed up quickly and slammed the door in his face. He obviously didn’t like his head attached to his body because I was going to remove it if he didn’t cut the shit.
“Here,” she didn’t wait for me to take it, but shoved the phone into my chest instead. “Call Reid. Tell him you’re too drunk to drive, that I’m not any better, and that we’re staying here. It’s been an,” her gaze settled on my stomach and her teeth scraped across her lips, “interesting first day at my new job and I’m exhausted.”
With a quick tug, her sweatshirt was over her head and on the floor, taunting me, before she face-planted herself onto the bed. “Good night.” It was no more than a mumble. The brat was out cold in seconds.
I didn’t dial Reid’s number. Or anyone else. He hadn’t been the only one who had called repeatedly. I especially didn’t want to deal with the force that was Livie tonight. Not when I was drunk and I had a hot as fuck woman in my bed.
No. Cady wasn’t hot. Cady was Ruffles, my employee. The bitter, snarky, clueless one. I wasn’t attracted to her.
She definitely wasn’t Brooke. I wanted my fiancé back. And only my fiancé.
Which is why it was perfectly safe for me to climb up onto the bed next to Cady. Friends could sleep in the same bed. The small width of the full size mattress wasn’t something I was used to, which was the only reason I threw an arm around her and hauled her back into my chest. She was soft and warm, which was why I dropped kisses onto her neck, inhaling her body spray, telling myself I loved the scent and needed to find out what it was.
It was all fine. Completely innocent. Nothing more.
An avid reader who loves epic and unconventional romance, Carina has an unhealthy obsession with Jason Statham, loves the sounds of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, is the crazy friend your mom warned you about, and believes one day she will go through the stones to meet Jamie Fraser.
Carina has been writing and creating characters for as long as she can remember, allowing her to fall in love with the next man of her dreams with every new story. None of which are anything like boring Prince Charming. Thankfully, fate stepped in and granted her the ultimate wish - a life full of men. Carina lives in a picturesque New England town with her husband, the man who ruined the thought of all others, and two amazing sons who always keep her on her toes.
Love, Cutter
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GIVEAWAY!
Title: Irish
Series: Reed Security Series
Author: Giulia Lagomarsino
Genre: Contemporary/Security Romance
Published: August 18, 2018
“Irish is flat out fun to read, keeping me laughing along with swooning from start to finish!” ~ The Red Hatter Book Blog “Holy. Freaking. Amazing… The writing style of this book was amazing. I could not believe how sucked into the book I got.” ~Seraphim Book Reviews “HOLY HOTNESS BATMAN! This book was one of my top 5 books all year!” ~ Goodreads Review (Kelsee)
Derek "Irish" Cortell. Badass close protection agent. Sexy, panty-melting smile. Superhero? There's something strange about the men at Reed Security. When socially awkward Claire Grant works up the nerve to talk to Derek in the grocery store, it opens up a whole new world for her in which her fantasies are becoming reality. Yes, she's a librarian. Yes, it's quite possible she's immersed herself in too many books, but her eyes couldn't possibly be deceiving her. Could they? Though Claire and Derek seem to have your typical romance, there is nothing typical about Derek or the people he works with, and soon Claire will find out just how super Derek really is.
“Not a chance in hell. I happen to like my hands wrapped around your juicy ass.”
She reared back and looked at me in horror. “You think my ass is juicy?”
“Uh, you’ve seen it, right? It’s big and perfect for me to grab onto.”
She struggled to get down and then pushed me away and stalked out of the water. “I can’t believe you just said my ass was big,” she yelled over her shoulder.
I stood there a minute trying to figure out what the hell I said that was so wrong. She had the most gorgeous ass I’d ever seen. Didn’t all girls want a big ass like that Kardashian woman? I ran after her and gripped onto her arm, swinging her around to see me.
“I like that your ass is big.”
She burst into tears and I stood there with wide eyes, wondering what I was supposed to do. There was a reason I didn’t date women. I didn’t know what the hell to say to them on the best of days. Sex was easy. Please them and they’ll be screaming your name the whole night. This…this was totally foreign to me.
“Having a big ass is a good thing. Men like to know they have something to grab onto. Besides, we want to know that you’re sturdy enough that we won’t break you when we fuck you.”
She looked up at me through her tears and cried even harder. “So, now I’m sturdy? Like a tree? Next thing, you’re going to tell me I have big thighs.”
“Big? No, definitely not big. They’re thick and muscular.”
“Thick?” She spun away from me and ran for the beach blanket, grabbing her stuff and throwing it in her bag.
“I like that you’re not a stick,” I said, trying to fix this before I totally fucked up the rest of our day. “If I wanted a model, I would go find one. But those women are all beauty and no brains.”
She sniffed and wiped at her face. “Well, I’m glad to know that I’m thick like a tree, I have a big ass, and apparently I don’t have beauty, but I have brains.”
I'm a stay at home mom that loves to read. Some of my favorite titles are Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Horatio Hornblower. I started writing when I was trying to come up with suggestions on ways I could help bring in some extra money. I came up with the idea that I could donate plasma because you could earn an extra $500/month. My husband responded with, "No. Find something else. Write a blog. Write a book." I didn't think I had anything to share on blog that a thousand other mothers hadn't already thought of. I decided to take his challenge seriously and sat down to write my first book, Jack. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed writing. From there, the stories continued to flow and I haven't been able to stop. I hope my readers enjoy my books as much as I enjoy writing them. Between reading, writing, and taking care of three small kids, my days are quite full.
Undisclosed
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo -- -Are you a book blogger? -- EXCERPT: Eveline Claude blinked slowly. “Come again?” A muscle jumped in the jawline of the man seated on the other side of the conference room table. “You don’t own the freehold to the Tokyo branch of Le Secret,” Malcolm Brooks repeated stiffly. Eveline’s pulse started to race as she stared from Brooks to his poker-faced partner, Victor Kline. “I’m sorry, did I just hear you say that I don’t own the tenure of one of my most successful business enterprises?” Silence greeted her stunned question. “Are you guys yanking my chain right now?” Eveline chuckled in disbelief. “You are, aren’t you? Because there’s no way my one-thousand-dollar-per-hour, top-notch city lawyers just informed me that they fucked up.” Brooks glanced at Kline. “Told you she’d bring up the hourly fee,” he muttered. Kline ignored his partner and studied Eveline with an impassive expression. “Of course, we’ll be working to resolve this matter pro bono. The mistake is ours and we cannot apologize enough on behalf of the firm.” Eveline’s mouth went dry as she looked between the two men and realized they were serious. The first inkling that her day was going to turn out to be gloriously shitty began at six a.m., when the fire alarm in her apartment building went off. Having left Le Secret at two, Eveline wasn’t pleased that her much needed beauty sleep had been interrupted by some asshole who hadn’t figured out how to use his new waffle maker. Her ire rose tenfold when she went to collect her car from the underground garage and noticed the fresh scratch on her midnight blue Maserati. She’d made a note to ask the security guards to check the cameras covering the parking lot and had barreled out of the building and into the early morning Tokyo traffic at twice the allowed speed limit; she hated being late for an appointment and her nine o’clock meeting with Brooks & Kline was taking place on the other side of town. She’d made it to their office on the twelfth floor of the glass and steel high-rise housing their law firm with four minutes to spare and had waited impatiently in the conference room, curious as to why they’d requested the urgent face to face. It was Brooks who’d called her the day before to set up the meeting. “Something’s come up. We need to talk,” the lawyer said cryptically after Eveline’s assistant put his call through. Eveline paused and lowered her cup of coffee, her gaze shifting from the busy dual computer screens on the desk before her, to the glorious views beyond the panoramic windows to her right. Her office was located next to a small, private flat she kept above Le Secret and overlooked Ginza, the most famous and exclusive district in Tokyo. Eveline frowned as she studied the busy intersection outside, the first seed of unease stirring inside her. “What’s this about, Malcolm? It’s rare for you to call me yourself.” “I know. It would be best if we had this conversation face to face,” Brooks replied. He’d refused to answer Eveline’s questions and gave her the details of their appointment before disconnecting. Though she’d been troubled by her enigmatic conversation with the lawyer, Eveline soon forgot about the exchange, the daily demands of running her internationally renowned and incredibly successful chain of upscale escort clubs consuming all her attention and focus. Business was booming, especially since she’d opened the latest branch of Le Secret in Singapore. Eveline swallowed presently and leaned back in the sleek metal and leather chair of the conference room, her knuckles whitening where she gripped the arm rests. Maybe I should have thrown salt over my left shoulder before I left my apartment this morning. Or burned some incense or do whatever it is people do to ward off bad luck. She studied the two lawyers with narrowed eyes. “Explain to me exactly how this happened.” Brooks sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while Kline slid a file across the table. “It seems Mr. Nagato forged the documents his lawyers provided to us five years ago, when he sold you the plot in Ginza as a freehold,” Brooks said bitterly. “What you actually bought off him was the right to lease. His son-in-law works for the local land registry office and we suspect he made the counterfeit papers. According to one of our contacts in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the Nagatos have connections with an organized crime syndicate that specializes in land rights grabs.” Eveline tensed, her gaze skimming the folder before her distractedly. “You mean, they’re part of the Yakuza?” Kline grimaced. “They are linked to them in a distant, convoluted fashion, yes.” Eveline’s heart pounded as she digested the implication of the lawyers’ words. The Yakuza were the Japanese equivalent of the Italian Mafia. Having witnessed secondhand what the mob did to their business rivals in New York, Eveline had no desire to associate with the local criminal organizations here in Japan, even if she suspected several of the clients who had visited the Tokyo branch of Le Secret over the last five years had some kind of connection to them. Eveline clenched her jaw. “What can we do about this? I paid Nagato a hefty sum of money for that land. We’re talking seven figures here, as you both well know.” She paused, an unwelcome thought bringing a bitter taste to her mouth. “Wait. Did he even own that plot? Don’t tell me the asshole sold me someone else’s—” “He does,” Kline said. “Or he did.” “We’ve already lodged an appeal in court to contest the new owner’s claim to the freehold,” Brooks said. He ran a hand through his hair. “It’s going to take some time to—” “New owner?” Eveline scowled. “What the hell do you mean, new owner?” She jumped to her feet and leaned her hands on the table. “Are you telling me that conniving bastard sold my land to someone else?!” “Yes,” Brooks said quietly. “And this time, the documents he provided were the legitimate ones.” Eveline took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes briefly, her nails biting into her palms where she’d fisted her fingers. “I’m gonna kill him,” she hissed. Eveline grabbed her bag and stormed toward the conference room exit. “I’m gonna strangle that lowlife with my bare hands and dump his body in Tokyo Bay! What’s his address?” “Sit down, Eveline,” Kline said with a sigh. Eveline stopped by the door and whirled around. “I’m not kidding, Victor! I hope you guys know a good criminal lawyer ‘cause I’m going to need—” “Nagato is dead,” Brooks said. Eveline froze. She opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, her eyes rounding as she gaped at the two lawyers. “What?!” she shrieked. “Nagato died three weeks ago,” Kline stated. “It was a heart attack, apparently.” A light-headed feeling swept over Eveline. She made her way back to the table on unsteady legs and flopped down in the chair she had just vacated. “He completed the sale of the freehold a few days before his death,” Brooks added. Kline leaned across the table and opened the file in front of Eveline. “This is the letter we received yesterday from the new owner’s law firm.” Eveline blinked before focusing on the top sheet of the paperwork before her. “The land in Ginza is now the property of Lincoln Hudson, the President and CEO of the Hudson Group,” Kline continued. “His lawyers have given us formal notice that Le Secret’s leasehold rights will be revoked in thirty days.” Eveline’s hands trembled as she picked up the letter and read it over, the words blurring in front of her eyes. Her heart sank as she finally absorbed its content. It was just as Kline had said. The new owner of the plot on which Le Secret stood had given her thirty days to dissolve her business and vacate his land. “Wouldn’t a leasehold be for fifty years?” Eveline mumbled. “Can he even do this?” “The new leasehold law that came into effect twenty-five years ago gives the landowner the right to refuse the leaseholder permission to run a business on his property,” Kline said. “Hudson is completely within his rights to issue a revocation order.” Blood thundered in Eveline’s ears, the sound matching the emotions storming through her as she stared blindly at the printed text. She put the letter down, inhaled shakily, and stared at the men opposite her. When it rains, it fucking pours. “How long will the court appeal take?” she said, her voice growing steely as cogwheels started turning in her brain. She had not come this far in life without learning how to roll with some punches. Eveline frowned. Or how to get back up and knock the enemy right out of the ring. “Six weeks,” Brooks said. Eveline drummed the fingers of her right hand on the table, her polished, red-lacquered nails rapping an impatient tempo. “Can we do anything to expedite it?” “We’ve got a meeting with one of the judges this afternoon,” Kline said. “As to whether he will be willing to bring the case forward is not something I’d want to bet money on.” Eveline gritted her teeth. “Do the Hudson Group President and his lawyers know the details of this affair? As in Nagato swindling me out of—” “They know,” Brooks said. “We spoke to Lincoln Hudson’s lawyers and his secretary yesterday after we received the letter. Hudson’s secretary got back to us thirty minutes ago.” Eveline leaned forward in her chair, her heart pounding against her ribs. “And? Is he willing to negotiate something?” “Hudson said that it ain’t his problem,” Kline muttered. Eveline stilled. “What?” Brooks rubbed his eyes tiredly. “According to his secretary, Lincoln Hudson’s exact words were ‘I don’t give a flying fuck’.”
GIVEAWAY!
Title: One Stormy Night: a Kissing Frogs prequel
Author: Kim Deister
Genre: Contemporary/Historical/PNR/18+
Release Date: August 14, 2018
Cover Designer: Kennedy Kelly of Cover Crush Designs
Finneas O'Malley is not a man built for love. He could never love a woman more than he loves the adventure and danger of a life at sea, the freedom to chase the wind wherever it takes him. The lure of a foreign land, the danger of a battle at sea, the exotic lasses he beds... how could any man turn away from that?
But when Finn wrongs Siofra, all of that changes. Curses. Magic. Centuries of being beholden to a vengeful fae who wants nothing more than to destroy him. Can he find a way to break the curse? Will he find the very thing he once scorned?
I was born and raised in a tiny town in the wilds of northern New York, a pretty, little college town called Potsdam. I grew up in a family of lawyers and teachers and bucked all the traditions. Before becoming a writer, I spent a lot of years wearing combat boots in the US Army. I spent most of my time in boots working as a Signals Intelligence Analyst (no jokes!) and a linguist. I also worked as a tech writer, an entirely different kind of writing, for Corning Glass Works. Now, I’m an Army wife and a mom to four sons. Over the years, our Army life has taken us all over the place and I have been lucky enough to work and live in some pretty amazing places. Now we live in Hawaii, just minutes from the beach!
I am a writer thoroughly in love with words. Reading them, writing them... I love that words can take you outside of your world and let the unimaginable become imaginable. When I’m not writing or lounging on the beach, I’m probably somewhere with my nose in a book.
Title: Saving Penny
Series: Imperial Knights #1
Author: Ariel Marie
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 21, 2018
Cover Designer: Melody Simmons with Bookcoverscre8tive Book Cover Designs
Billionaire CEO of the Imperial Knights security empire, Drake Ransley spends his days in full control of every element of his life. By night, he’s a man plagued by a mysterious dream about a brown coin. As time passes, the frequency of the dream increases and the penny morphs into a beautiful woman that Drake can’t stop thinking about.
Penny Berkey has just discovered that she has won the largest payout in lottery history, but it might not be enough to keep her away from danger. The promise of a major payout awaits. Danger lurks in the shadows. A stalker looms at every turn. Unable to elicit help from the police, she turns to the best security team money can buy – the Imperial Knights.
Drake knows the moment he lays eyes on her that she’s the woman from his dreams. His wolf instantly recognizes her as his mate. With danger lurking at every corner for her, he’s all the more determined to keep her safe by any means necessary.
Ariel Marie is an author who loves the paranormal, action and hot steamy romance. She combines all three in each and every one of her stories. For as long as she can remember, she has loved vampires, shifters and every creature you can think of. This even rolls over into her favorite movies! She love a good action packed thriller! Throw a touch of the supernatural world in it and she’s hooked!
She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where she currently resides with her husband and three beautiful children.
Morgan is Missing (Kayla Falk Series #2)
by K. Hanson Genre: Adult/New Adult Thriller Release Date: August 2018
Synopsis
Kayla Falk is trying to move past the traumatic events of her mission in Syria and settle into a comfortable engineering job. However, when Morgan Bellamy, the younger sister of Kayla’s late best friend, disappears while on vacation, Kayla doesn’t hesitate to jump into action to find her. As Kayla investigates, she learns that Morgan has become trapped in a hellish human trafficking situation. Kayla is determined to find Morgan before she slips into the shadows forever. Content Warning: This book is about sex trafficking. While I avoid explicit, graphic depictions of sexual violence, due to the nature of the subject matter, it is definitely implied that it takes place.
About the Author
K lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where he works as a software developer. In his spare time, when he isn’t writing, he enjoys reading, working out, playing video games, and spending time with his wonderful fiancee, Bobbi. Some of his favorite authors are Tom Clancy, George R. R. Martin, and Sarah Maas. The Forgotten Child
Crossroads in the Dark IV: GhostsSeries: Crossroads in the Dark Anthology, Volume 4 You attend a funeral of a friend, one who decided that living was no longer an option. That night, you feel a slight tickle on the back of your neck. Shrugging it off as an overactive imagination, you try to ignore it, yet it persists. You turn to look for the menacing thing bothering you, and nothing is there. Not even a shadow. In the far reaches of your sight, you start to make out a familiar figure ascending from the darkest corner of your room. You reach for the lamp beside you, but hit it, knocking it to the floor. Your fear begins to rise, as do the hair on your neck. A familiar voice pleads with you… “Why didn’t you hear me…? Welcome back to the Crossroads. Crossroads in the Dark IV: GHOSTS is a collection of short stories developed in hopes of bringing awareness to suicide prevention around the world. While the stories do not tell of suicide, they do speak of GHOSTS. Who are the ghosts that haunt us daily? What are the remains of an otherwise perfect life ended far too soon? Which are the people who we find hardest to move forward from when we lose them? The easy answer is, the ones we failed to save. Contributing AuthorsLily Luchesi (Forward): Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon Author Page CC Adams: Website | Facebook | Twitter L Bachman: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Alice J Black: Website | Facebook | Twitter Carol Browne: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter Nikki Collins-Mewha: Facebook | Twitter James Crawford: Facebook | Twitter Rachel de la Fuente: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter | BookBub Kerry Alan Denney: Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter Mirren Hogan: Website | Facebook | Twitter Cindy Johnson: Facebook Frank Martin: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Amazon Author Page James Master: Website | Facebook | Twitter Brian G Murray: Website | Facebook Michael Schutz: Website | Facebook | Twitter Edd Sowder: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Kindra Sowder: Website | Facebook | Twitter W T Watson: Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Author Page Donna Marie West: Goodreads Kevin Wimer: Amazon Author Page Peter Oliver Wonder: Website | Facebook | Twitter Erin Yoshikawa: Facebook | Twitter The Rest of the SeriesIf CRITD IV sounds interesting to you, check out the other books in the series while you wait. Crossroads in the Dark: Anthology of Morality Amazon US | Barnes & Noble Crossroads in the Dark II: Urban Legends Amazon US | Barnes & Noble Crossroads in the Dark III: Monsters Under Your Bed Amazon US | Barnes & NobleChildren of the Fifth Sun: Echelon by Gareth Worthington ~ Book Blitz, Excerpt, & Giveaway8/18/2018 Children of the Fifth Sun: Echelon
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo -- EXCERPT: Location: Somewhere on the Southern Indian Ocean No one saw the attack coming. The first blast tore a hole in the hull at 1:37 in the morning. By 2:15 the aft portion of the supply vessel, Marion Dufresne II, was pointing to the starless sky, while its nose was dipped below the frigid black ocean. A cutting wind battered the exposed keel and the remaining crew who managed to hold on to the outer railings. Freya Nilsson clung to the thick frame of the eighteen-ton oceanographic crane, though it too was already slipping beneath the waves. She cried out, but her voice was drowned by the howling Antarctic maelstrom and the ship’s three, huge, Wärtsilä diesel engines, now churning nothing but air. Freya shivered uncontrollably, her hair and clothes frozen to her skin. “KJ!” she cried out, again. Her son didn’t answer. Freya sobbed, tears freezing halfway down her cheeks. “KJ, where are you?” A flash of lightning illuminated the angry ocean and a thick layer of clouds covering the heavens, but the attacking vessel was nowhere in sight. A deafening clap of thunder filled the air followed by a wave of needle-like raindrops that shattered across her face. The vessel reared up and the engines roared. A muffled explosion beneath the water cleaved the ship in two and the nose began to sink. Have to jump, Freya thought. Can’t let them take KJ! She pushed off the crane and dropped into the icy ocean below. Despite already being frozen, the shock of the glacial water stole the breath from her lungs. Before she could swim to the surface, Freya was sucked under. Tumbling down, down, down, she struggled to find her bearing. Her lungs burned, poisoned with carbon-dioxide. Instinctively, she kicked and fought and pulled until somehow, as if pushed upward, she eventually broke the surface. Freya took a massive gulp of life-giving salty air, only to be pulled beneath again as a piece of the ship crashed into the ocean beside her. The falling debris dragged her farther and farther into the deep. She jerked and thrashed, but it only served to steal the energy from her stiffened limbs. Blackness enveloped Freya’s mind, the cold claiming her will to fight. Yet, even as death stalked her, she couldn’t let go. KJ needed her. She couldn’t die. Refused to die. Freya summoned her last drop of power and kicked. Once. Twice. Three times. And then, she could breathe again. The wind whipped her jet-black hair about her face, and the rain stung her eyes. But she was alive. The silhouette of the supply vessel bobbed in the distance, ass up, before gurgling down into its watery grave. Gone. Still the attackers were invisible. With only the lasting image of where the Marion Dufresne II had just sunk as a destination, Freya paddled forward. Fighting against the chop of the ocean, she inched along. The spray blinded her and the salt burned, but she had to find him. “KJ where are you?” she called. “Answer me, baby. Please.” Only the squall howled back. Her legs tightened and Freya plunged below the surface again, choking on yet another mouthful of seawater before once again scrambling upward—to a light. A bright circle of light rippling on the surface. A strong hand clasped her under the armpit and pulled. Freya was lifted from the water, her hip smacking into the hull of the lifeboat. She fell backward into the bow, panting and coughing. “KJ … have to find KJ.” “Cover her. Someone cover her,” a familiar voice said from above. “I got it. Are there any more?” a woman asked. “We’ve got to get the hell out of here.” “I don’t think so. I only saw her,” the first voice answered. Freya lay in the boat, covered in a thermal blanket, her eyes screwed shut. “I’m sorry, Kelly,” she whispered. “Our son. I’m sorry …”
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