Merakai

Posted on September 24, 2017 by susanhorsnell

Title – Merakai

Series – Halfway House Series (Book 6 of 7)

Author – Dzintra Sullivan

Genre – Paranormal, Romantic Comedy

Release Date – September 24th, 2017

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BLURB

I’m Merakai. I was born on the Island of Shadows and thought I’d die here, kind of wish I had. The daughter of a naiad and a shadow walker has left me with a unique ability to use any water surface as a portal of escape. I don’t trust anyone. How can I? When I know there’s a price on my head, and a rider ready to collect?

Barren, a handsome blood mage I met on the Island, well, I like him, a lot. He looks at me like I’m something special. My father stole his blood and has it hidden away, it’s his ‘ace card’ to save him from a death sentence. Where do the lines of family loyalty and destined love lie?

Ivan Grey, the single most despised person in recent history, is my father. I hate him. I want him dead. I want him to pay the price he’s inflicted on others.

But… he is my father.

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EXCERPT

“So…” She buckled up and relaxed back into the white faux leather seats. “What, where and why?”

“Pardon?” Barren spoke, his head slightly tilted to his shoulder, eyes remaining firmly planted on the road ahead.

“Where is the parlor? What are you getting? And Why?” she repeated.

Barren nodded. “Ohh… well, Ashja recommended a shop on the other side of town, ‘Ink Balz,’ he said a few of the wolves run it.” Barren flipped a look back at Merakai, the word wolf made her wince slightly. “Wolves here aren’t like on the Island, the last few weeks we’ve been going to ‘Hair Balz’ a local bar run by the pack.”

Torsten jumped in, “Dolph is the pack leader. Between you and me I think he has a massive crush on Eloise.” Wiggling his eyebrows. “He’s like a big puppy begging to have his tummy rubbed whenever he’s near her.” He laughed.

“You both sound like you’ve settled in fast,” Merakai said, a slight ping of jealousy to her voice. Her focus had been on her father and everyone judging her because of that fact. Yet, sitting here in the back of a car, traveling to a tattoo parlor was the most fun she’d had in months. She could feel the stress leaching from her muscles. This was exactly what she needed and the two guys she needed it to be with.

“What’s not to like?” Torsten chuckled, sitting back into the front seat, his hands linked behind his head. “This is heaven. We have a warm bed, we have food that we don’t have to hunt down first. There are people who care about us, not to mention the freedom to come and go. Pubs, clubs, beaches and even a tattoo shop…” Torsten’s smile was sincere. “How could anyone not be happy here… I love Havenlea and never want to leave.”

“I guess…” Merakai said, her sight drifting to the trees passing at a speed that created a constant green blur at the window.

“Raki?” Can I call you that?” Torsten asked tentatively. She nodded and he continued, “Cool, okay, Rakes babe, what’s up?” Twisting his body to sit sideways on the chair, his arm bent and rested on the top of the seat. “The three of us shared the Island, nothing can change that, but we can help each other.” He looked at Barren then back to Merakai in the back seat. “Even Whitey here can be a warm and fuzzy guy.”

“We shared the Island but in very different ways. You were sent there, I was born there. Not to mention… my father,” Merakai’s voice was quiet and distant.

Barren nodded. “Yeah, your dad is a dick.” Torsten hit his arm. “Oomph… What?” Barren followed Torsten’s flicking eyes to look at Merakai in the rearview mirror, she had sunken even further into the back seat. “Oh, fuck, sorry,” Barren apologized. “Hey, at least you know he’s a dick. I don’t even know who my dad is, and believe me he could be an even bigger dick than yours for all I know.” Barren laughed. “Besides, we aren’t defined by the dicks that are our parents… the ones we know or the ones we don’t know.”

“You’re a fucking dick.” Torsten rolled his eyes as laughter escaped Merakai’s mouth.

“That he is,” Merakai said softly.

“Hey,” Barren faked his shock at being called a dick. “There’s the shop. Let’s go get this dick inked.” He pulled the hand brake up as the engine shut down. “Wait, not my dick, but my… oh fuck.” Barren laughed and growled at Torsten for making him look like a bigger dick in front of the hot chick.

“Don’t growl at me, fido, you’re holding your own dick on this one.” Torsten held his hands up as he got out of the car, opening the back door for Merakai to exit. Merakai trying her best, but unsuccessfully not to laugh, as she followed the two guys into the shop.

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AUTHOR BIO & LINKS

My name is Dzintra Sullivan and I am an author based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
I am happily married to an amazing Canadian man and a mother of four delightful children. I fell in love with books as a young girl, reading Judy Blume and Enid Blyton. I progressed onto loving the supernatural genre as a teenager and never left. I write romantic comedies with a paranormal twist, my motto being “Love Is Love, no matter species you are”.
I write to escape the normal, my books are heavy in humor, heavy in sarcasm, and heavy in love. Even readers who aren’t a fan of paranormal, love my books. They are not the normal paranormal books, nor am I the normal kind of author.
Take a chance, pick up one of my books, and escape with me.

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Val and Pals

Posted on September 16, 2017 by susanhorsnell

VAL & PALS series

by Margaret Lashley

Genre: Humor/Women’s Fiction/Chick Lit

The first 2 books will be specially discounted to 99 cents on Sept 19th.

Absolute Zero: Misadventures From A Broad

A Midlife Meltdown…with a Side of Fries.

Val’s long-suffering life as a patient daughter, dutiful wife and reliable workhorse has turned her into a snarky, miserable nag.

She has the house, the husband and the career. The only thing missing is the happy.

Before she’s set out to pasture, Val wants one more go around the track. Unbridled. In Italy.

La dolce vita or bust.

Will Val find her happy ending abroad? Or someplace she never thought to look? And will she get there before her money and her sense of humor run out…

If you’ve ever dreamed of ditching your life and running off to Europe, now’s your chance! Join Val on a roller-coaster ride through Europe that will leave you gasping! From gut-busting hilarity to gut–wrenching gaffs, finding yourself again is always worth the price of admission. Buy it now!

The plane came to a halt. A mechanical bell binged. I looked around nervously. I slung my purse across my shoulder and sardined myself into the line of passengers inching their way down the narrow aisle. When I reached the plane’s exit door, I paused hesitantly, like a convict who’d gotten free of her cuffs without anybody noticing. My mind swirled with excitement and abject terror. Goosebumps rushed across my body. The hair at the base of my neck pricked up like a scaredy-cat.

What the hell was I doing?

Mere days before, I’d slammed every single door – including the screen one – on my life back in Florida. The last chance to change my mind had come and gone, as unheeded as a speed limit sign at a NASCAR rally. Every safety net I’d ever known was thousands of miles away, across the Atlantic Ocean, out of sight and out of reach.

I took a deep breath to steady myself, then stepped off the plane into the complete unknown. I glanced back and waved goodbye to the Air Italia flight crew. I turned again and meandered down the gangplank behind a frail, elderly couple holding hands. Their long-standing marriage triggered flashbacks of my own, long-suffering one.

Seven weeks ago, I’d signed the final divorce papers ending fifteen years of matrimony to Jimmy Johnson, a man I no longer knew. I envisioned the beautiful house Jimmy and I had shared together. I’d sold it and my advertising business just days before the flight. After splitting the pot with Jimmy, I’d netted a hot-damn jackpot of $473,000. I pictured my best friend, Clarice Whittle. I’d left my Ford in her garage, along with a few boxes that held the final remains of the cranky, resentful woman I hoped this trip would get rid of for good.

I’d brought next to nothing with me. I’d left even less behind. No kids. No pets. No job. No husband. No responsibilities. No nothing.

I’d spend the last forty-one years in perpetual motion – Val Jolly’s non-stop stint as dutiful daughter, long-suffering wife and brown-nosing business woman. I’d catered to everyone else’s needs for as long as I could remember. Somewhere along the way I’d turned into a crabby, shrill woman that even I didn’t like. I’d forgotten who I was and what I wanted. This trip was going be my R&R&R – relaxation, romance and re-invention.

I was in Italy to try my hand at living irresponsibly, like my trampy cousin Tammy Jeter. She’d always done as she damn well pleased. Up ‘til now, I’d thought she’d been selfish. Especially when she left Whitey Large and their five pit-bulls (One with puppies!) to run off with Tater Johnson. Turns out, that girl had had it right all along.

Available for only 99cents Sept 15-19

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Glad One: Starting Over is a …!

How Many Do-Overs Do You Get in One Lifetime?

One crazy old lady. Two gin & tonics. Three wacko beach-bum friends. Will Val’s fourth stab at starting over add up to a big fat zero?

Val’s down, but don’t count her out just yet. Broke, but not broken (just seriously cracked), Val Fremden returns to her hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida to find everything she knew squashed under the heels of change.

With nothing left to go on but her own dry sense of humor and the life coach advice of a beer-guzzling old lady she meets at the beach, can her life get any crazier? Just wait.

Glad One is a satirical look at divorce, single-hood and climbing back up the social ladder. It’s told through the eyes of a snarky, reluctant, midlife-crisis survivor who lost everything — but regained herself.

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for Val? Or is that just the headlamp of another train wreck heading her way? Knowing Val, it’s probably both.

If you like wacky, deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Glad One! It’s the second book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val & Pals Series of seriously funny women’s fiction.

A puff of jaded air forced its way between my pursed lips like steam from a relief valve. I needed a good cry. But this was not the time or place for it. To distract myself, I started counting my blessings.

One decimated pocketbook. Two cottage-cheese thighs. Three maladjusted ex-husbands…. Crap!

Whoever was running the show up there had a wicked sense of humor – and I was getting damn tired of being the punchline. I scrounged around for my powder compact and opened it, intent on repairing my makeup after the nine-hour flight. One glance in the mirror at my worn-out face made me snap it shut. Why bother?

In forty-five years, I’d accumulated a good portion of wrinkles, a fair amount of belly fat, and, apparently, precious little wisdom. These questionable assets, along with $5,726 and a suitcase full of inappropriate clothes, were all I had left to launch my latest life makeover. I slumped back into my seat. I was bone-dragging tired. Even so, a wry grin snuck across my lips like a stolen kiss from a stranger. I was not defeated. Not yet, anyway.

The way I saw it, I still had two viable options. One, I could finally learn to laugh at myself. Or two, I could drink myself into oblivion. I fished around the bottom of my purse for a coin to determine my fate. I flipped a tarnished nickel into the air with my thumb. It did a triple gainer, plunged into my coffee, and splashed a nasty brown stain on the crotch of my white stretch pants.

Awesome. Let the festivities begin.

***

My last life makeover had begun over seven years ago, and had turned out to be a spectacular, downward spiral reminiscent of diving off a cliff with a bowling ball in my pants. Drowning in dullness and fueled by movie-inspired stupidity, I’d ditched a tiresome marriage and lucrative writing career, sold all my belongings and took off for Europe. In Italy, I met a German and fell in love with the idea of life with a stranger in a strange land. Things had been great for a while. But then the shiny wore off and the cracks showed up, like they always did.

On my arrival back in St. Petersburg, Florida, I’d discovered that seven wasn’t such a lucky number. In fact, seven years abroad had been just exactly long enough for my entire credit history to be erased – just like most of my money. I’d gotten off that plane with no driver’s license. No place to live. No credit card. No phone. No resume. And, worst of all, no friends. Incredibly, I’d somehow managed to become a foreigner in my own homeland.

As a lifelong lover of irony, I’d had to smile at my own ingenuity. How many other people on the planet could have claimed such a monumental fuck-up?

Available for only 99cents Sept 19-22

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Two Crazy: Fickle Finger of Fate

The World is not a Safe Place for Figurines.

When you’re pushing 50 with an industrial bulldozer, birthdays can be a bitch. What was intended as a gag gift for Val ends up making her gag all right – and lands her in a whole heap of trouble with the law.

With one hot cop on her tail and a mean one on her trail, Val turns to old friends and new ones to help prove she’s not into human dismemberment.

Who’s the good cop? Who’s the bad? And who’s the dwarf in the Halloween mask?

Will a pair of falsies help Val stumble onto the truth? If not, she’s got to rely on her wacky, beach-bum friends if she’s going to escape the fickle finger of fate.

Two Crazy is a satirical look at how life seems to take pleasure in screwing up all of our well-laid plans. It’s told through the eyes of a snarky, middle-aged woman with major trust issues and dubious, yet highly original coping skills.

If you like deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Absolute Zero. It’s the third book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val & Pals Series of seriously funny women’s fiction.

I woke the morning after my birthday party with a cop in my bed and a dead body in the kitchen. Okay, it was just a roach carcass. But I swear it was big enough to draw a chalk line around. It was legs-up in the middle of the floor. I’d fumbled, bleary-eyed, toward the cappuccino machine in nothing but Tom’s t-shirt, and had managed, of course, to step right on it. The disgusting crunch of its carapace underfoot made me scream like a little girl.

“Aaahhhh!”

As a native of the Sunshine State, I’d grown up learning to deal with the worst that Florida’s flora and fauna had to throw at me. Poison ivy. Cabbage-palm spikes. Daddy long-leg spiders. Fire ants. Kamikaze tree frogs. Ghoulish house geckos. Deadly rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. Even the occasional gator on the road or in a swimming pool. I’d managed to make my peace with all of them – except one.

Let a roach get anywhere near me – especially a flying one – and my bravado disappeared faster than Oreos at a Weight Watcher’s convention. When I’d stepped on that nasty bug, I’d let out a scream that could be heard on the International Space Station. If that marked me as a sissy, so be it. But there was something abhorrently primeval about a creature that could live for months without its own head.

“What’s going on in there!?”

Tom dashed into the room. He was naked except for his state-issued revolver. The sight of his tan, muscular body almost made me forget about my predicament. Almost.

“A roach,” I grimaced. I held up my foot like it needed stitches.

Tom grinned at me and shook his head.

“There appears to be no permanent damage. What happened to my fearless partner? Valliant Stranger?”

“Hey. Roaches are my kryptonite, okay?”

“Duly noted. I thought you put out some traps. Roach Motels, right?”

I took a paper towel off the roll and ran it under the tap. I bit my lip in disgust and wiped my foot.

“Yeah, I did. I guess there was no room left at the inn.”

Tom sniggered. “Don’t those things come with ‘No Vacancy’ signs?”

“Very funny, Mr. Morning Sunshine. Can we please change the subject now?”

“Okay.”

A dirty grin crept across his face. Tom sidled up to me and put his hands on my hips.

“Have you got a vacancy that I can fill?”

I knocked his hands off of me.

“Geeze, Tom. I think that may go down in history as the most disgusting foreplay line ever.”

Tom scooped me up into his arms. His naughty grin deepened his dimples and crinkled the corners of his hypnotic, green eyes.

“Okay, how about this? I’ve got a gun, lady. Better do what I say.”

Both my hormones and my imagination went haywire.

“Now that’s something I can work with.”

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Three Dumb: Wheelin’ & Dealin’

Baloney and Cheesed.

They say three’s the charm. But charming isn’t Val’s style.

Val Fremden is a lot of things. Quirky. Jaded. Disaster prone. But more than anything, she’s afraid of commitment.

When boyfriend Tom tells her he loves her – then trades away her mom’s ashes for a tiki hut – Val’s just not feelin’ it.

On the warpath with Tom, Val’s forced to rely on her oddball friends to help track down her mom’s cremains. But three botched stakeouts and two disasters later, she still hasn’t got peanuts. Through trial (but mostly error), Val discovers it’s not easy to outwit a mobile master of disguise when she’s stuck driving a paddy wagon full of nutcases.

She loves Tom…she loves him not. Knowing Val, she’s gonna need a bigger flower….

Three Dumb is a satirical look at how life, over time, changes our perception of love and the things we value. It’s told through the eyes of a snarky, middle-aged woman with legendary commitment issues and a gnawing reluctance toward romance.

If you like deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Three Dumb. It’s the fourth book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val & Pals Series of seriously funny women’s fiction.

I’d spent Sunday evening alone, cooling down slowly, like the nuclear reactor at Chernobyl. I’d avoided a critical meltdown, and when I woke up Monday morning, I’d found myself on the verge of no longer being a lethal danger to other life forms.

After a cappuccino and a long, cool shower, at 8 a.m. I called Lefty’s Hauling again. It rang fifteen times, unanswered. This was, of course, totally unacceptable. It was time for Plan B.

I slipped on a sundress and sandals, put my hair in a ponytail and climbed into the red pleather driver’s seat of Maggie, my 1963 Ford Falcon Sprint convertible. With a little encouragement in the form of smashing her gas pedal to the floor, Maggie carried me north along Gulf Boulevard. The four-lane road, lined with two- and three-story beach resorts, skirted the Gulf of Mexico like stiches in a hem.

Year round, tourists flocked to the quaint mom-and-pop motels and sugar-white beaches. I couldn’t blame them. All-in-all, St. Pete Beach was a great place to be.

I turned east on 107th Avenue. Immediately, the salt air and kitsch beach shops disappeared, replaced with anywhere-USA strip malls. At 66th Street, I turned north in the direction of good-old Pinellas Park.

Every major metropolitan area had a section designated especially for rednecks. How they found each other, I didn’t know. Maybe they were all related, or there was some special redneck hotline I wasn’t privy to. At any rate, in Pinellas County, the mecca for country bumpkins and politically incorrect-and-proud-of-it folks was definitely Pinellas Park.

If it weren’t for Florida’s history of hurricanes and tropical storms, Pinellas Park would have choked to death on doublewide trailers decades ago. But in 1993, a freak storm took out all but the very highest quality manufactured homes. It had been dubbed the “1993 Storm of the Century” by some, the “’93 Super Storm” by others, and the “Great Blizzard of 1993” by the Yankees up north. But we locals simply called it the “No-Name Storm,” because it had come up so quickly and unexpectedly not even the weather forecasters had had time to register it with an official moniker.

It had begun on March 12th as a cyclonic storm in the Gulf of Mexico, then quickly grew into a beast that stretched from Cuba to Canada. It moved into Florida around midnight, catching us unaware with winds over 100 mph. It spawned 11 tornadoes and a storm surge in St. Pete that topped out at seven feet. For folks along the coast, bay and rivers, it had been devastating. It wiped out or damaged over 18,000 homes in the Sunshine State and killed 47 of our citizens, more than Hugo and Andrew combined. Suffice it to say, it was not a good time to be living in a tin can on wheels.

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WHAT FOUR

November 7, 2017

Most Definitely Contains Nuts.

All Val wants is a quiet holiday away from her oddball family. But a promise pried from her lips earlier in the year has blown that wish out the henhouse window.

When Val and her boyfriend Tom arrive at her mother’s house in Hicksville, USA, the annual Family Fruitcake Competition is well underway. And there’s more than a few fruits and nuts in the running.

But the biggest contest is between Val and her mom.

As their battle of wills heats up, unexpected ingredients get thrown into both women’s batter. It may be time to call in a referee….

Who will get best in show? Who will get their just desserts? And will Val’s half-baked family turn out to be too much baggage for Tom to handle? Order a copy and find out!

If you like deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love What Four. It’s the fifth book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val & Pals Series of seriously funny women’s fiction.

Like the characters in my novels, I haven’t lead a life of wealth or luxury. In fact, as it stands now, I’m set to inherit a half-eaten jar of Cheez Whiz…if my siblings don’t beat me to it.

During my illustrious career, I’ve been a roller-skating waitress, an actuarial assistant, an advertising copywriter, a real estate agent, a house flipper, an organic farmer, and a traveling vagabond/truth seeker. But no matter where I’ve gone or what I’ve done, I’ve always felt like a weirdo.

As a child I lived in my own pretend world of tickling fairies and talking cats. I began writing when I found an ancient black typewriter on my grandparent’s back porch. (Inspired by my brothers, Boys are Stupid was my first masterpiece.)

I’ve learned a heck of a lot in my life. But getting to know myself has been my greatest journey. Today, I know I’m smart. I’m direct. I’m jaded. I’m hopeful. I’m funny. I’m fierce. I’m a pushover. And I have a laugh that makes strangers want to join me at restaurants. In other words, I’m a jumble of opposing talents and flaws and emotions. And it’s all good.

In some ways, I’m a lot like Val Fremden the main character in my Val & Pals Series. My books featuring Val are not autobiographical, but what comes out of her mouth was first formed in my mind, and sometimes the parallels are undeniable. I drink TNTs. I had a car like Shabby Maggie. And I’ve started my life over four times, driving away with whatever earthly possessions fit in my car. And, perhaps most importantly, I’ve learned that friends come from unexpected places.

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Halloween is Murder

Posted on September 4, 2017 by susanhorsnell

HALLOWEEN IS MURDER

McKinley Mysteries, book 11

by Carolyn Arnold

Genre: Romantic Mystery Comedy

Beware of all that goes bump in the night…

Sean and Sara McKinley are excited about the haunted house they’ve set up as a Halloween charity fund-raiser, but things take a ghoulish turn when the reporter covering their story is found dead. With the media keeping mum about how she died, Sara’s curiosity is piqued, and she convinces Sean to take on the investigation through their PI firm.

But this case is not without its challenges. The police are actively investigating it, as well, and it’s not even clear that the woman was murdered. It will take a little cloak-and-dagger, dress-up, and finesse for the McKinleys to get to the bottom of it, but they aren’t the kind to give up.

As they troll for leads and work through the skeletons in the reporter’s closet, they unearth a few suspects, but they’ll need to carve out the whole truth if they’re going to find her killer. If they do so fast enough, there might even be time for a little trick-or-treating.

Chapter 2

SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS

IT WAS NEARING SIX O’CLOCK in the evening, and Sean and Sara were home in their media room on a large sectional couch, getting ready to watch their spotlight on the evening news with some friends and colleagues. They’d left the haunted house in the hands of some capable employees, who would be posted there until closing at eight.

Jimmy Voigt, their former sergeant when they worked for the Albany PD, also worked for them at the PI firm. He was on the couch next to his girlfriend, Meredith, for the viewing. Sara had told Sean more than once that it was a match made in heaven. He was pretty sure he’d rolled his eyes every time. Not because he didn’t believe in love—he was married to his soul mate—but he just found it hard to picture his former boss whispering sweet nothings to a lady love.

Helen was seated at the other end of the sectional, and Mia was on the floor at her feet, still dressed up as a princess. She really was a good kid—as far as kids went anyway. And it’s not that Sean had anything against children, but for now, he and Sara had decided they weren’t going to have any. And honestly, it was probably for the best, as they traveled a lot and solving crimes didn’t leave much free time.

“I’m going to be on TV.” Mia’s face lit up as she grinned. “I can’t wait!” She seemed more excited about this than she had been at the announcement that pizza was for dinner. Mia stared at the muted television. “That lady was so pretty.”

By “that lady,” Sean assumed she meant Chloe Parsons. Sean had to agree that based on appearances and initial impressions, she was good-looking. But he didn’t understand why she took such issue with Susannah when she didn’t want to talk.

Mia turned to Sara and flashed another smile. “You looked great, too.”

“Thank you.” Sara returned the smile and swept her long brown hair over her left shoulder. “Did you have fun today?”

“Oh yeah. My favorite part was the mummy.”

“That didn’t scare you?” Sara laced her voice with concern but couldn’t hide the underlying amusement.

Mia’s expression faded, and her eyes enlarged. She nodded. “I was, but I like to be scared. And I love mummies!” She bounded to her feet and jumped onto her mother’s lap. Helen let out a whoosh of air but quickly recovered.

“It’s the other kind of mummy, though, sweetheart.” Helen ran a hand over her daughter’s silky hair.

“Oh, it’s almost time,” Meredith said, obviously getting swept up in Mia’s enthusiasm.

Sean looked at the digital clock on the cable box: 5:59.

“It’s on!” Jimmy said, sitting up straighter.

Sean turned up the sound and sank back into the couch, putting an arm around his wife.

Mia wriggled on her mother’s lap.

“Come on, honey, back on the floor.” Helen’s voice strained with the desperation of her plea.

Sean smiled, not because of the woman’s discomfort but because he loved seeing how excited Mia was.

“My costume was the best. They have to show me!” The little girl’s eyes were wide and fixed on the screen.

“You are a beautiful little princess,” Sean said.

Mia glared at him. “I’m not little.” She held up both hands, fingers splaying as she counted them off. “I’m six.”

“My apologies,” he said with a slight bow of his head.

Sara laced her fingers with his, and he met her gaze, which said, You’re aren’t the best with kids…

Message received.

“Shh.” This came from Jimmy, and when Sean turned to look at him, he shrugged. “You want to hear it, don’t you?”

Sean increased the volume a bit more.

“We have some somber news this evening,” a chic reporter announced from the news desk. Based on the set of her mouth and the sad look in her eyes, she wasn’t reading from a script. “Your Source has just received word that one of our own has died.”

Sara tapped her fingers on the back of his, leaned in, and whispered, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

He didn’t look over at her, but his wife had this way of sensing things. He wouldn’t label her clairvoyant, but she certainly had strong intuition.

“Tonight, we say good-bye to”—the reporter, while she kept her tone modulated, was clearly battling with her emotions—“Chloe Parsons.”

The news was a sledgehammer to his chest, knocking the wind out of him.

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What to expect from the McKinley Mysteries:

Romance. Humor. Murder. Are you looking for a murder mystery without all the graphic violence and foul language? Something that you can enjoy in an afternoon and walk away feeling good about afterward? How about a dash of humor and romance? If so, meet former detectives Sean and Sara McKinley. When a billionaire leaves them all his money, they no longer have to work, but they find themselves sticking to what they’re good at—solving murders. Undercover, off the books, and around the world, they’ll get to the bottom of things…and romance it up along the way.

Amazon

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

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Boomerang Boyfriend

Posted on August 22, 2017 by susanhorsnell

Title: Boomerang Boyfriend

Author: Chris Cannon

Genre: YA RomCom, Sweet Romance

Publication Date: Sept. 11^th, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Blurb:

Working with her best friend’s brother at Betty’s Burgers, free-spirited Delia starts to see Jack in a new light. Not only has Jack-the-Jerk turned into a hottie, he’s even acting like a nice guy, who rescues dogs and knows how she likes her coffee. But if Jack is into her, then why is he keeping her a secret? Of course, if her best friend doesn’t approve, Delia could lose the only family she’s ever known.

Seeing Delia in her retro waitress uniform throws Jack’s world out of whack. She’s always been just another pain in the butt little sister…not a datable female. But she’s rockin’ the Pie Princess tiara, and even her hot-pink striped hair is sexy. What’s that about? He needs to get his head on straight, because artsy, funky Delia and her nonconformist ways don’t fit in his safe and ordered world.

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/60296-boomerang-boyfriend-release/embed

Chris Cannon is the award-winning author of the Going Down In Flames series and the Boyfriend Chronicles. She lives in Southern Illinois with her husband and several furry beasts.

She believes coffee is the Elixir of Life. Most evenings after work, you can find her sucking down caffeine and writing fire-breathing paranormal adventures or romantic comedies. You can find her online at www.chriscannonauthor.com.

Author Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2vXeeaJ

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8285334.Chris_Cannon

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ccannonauthor

Web: http://www.chriscannonauthor.com/

Fan Club: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1444443819173580/

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

Buy Links:

Blackmail Boyfriend: http://amzn.to/2ilitK3

The Boyfriend Bet: http://amzn.to/2ikJ75y

Boomerang Boyfriend (Pre-Order): http://amzn.to/2vXaSnW

Something So Sweet

Posted on August 12, 2017 by susanhorsnell

SOMETHING SO SWEET

The Breakaway series, book 1

by Meika Usher

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Comedy

SHE’S A DREAMER STUCK IN A RUT

Big dreams. Tierney Chandler had ‘em. Why else would she leave her small town—and her picture perfect fiancé—behind? Nine years later, the town’s still small, her dreams are mostly still dreams, and her still-perfect ex is interested. Maybe she should ditch her daydreams and pick up right where she left off…

HE’S A DREAMER STUCK ON HER

Jack Elliott is a baker, making his dreams come true one golden, flaky pie crust at a time. Years ago, he lost out on his chance with Tierney, but now she’s back—and he’s determined not to let his annoyingly perfect cousin swoop in and steal her away. Again.

TOGETHER, THEY CAN MAKE NEW DREAMS COME TRUE

With a little magic potpie, some stellar kisses, and a heaping helping of blue-eyed charm, maybe—just maybe—Jack can convince Tierney that he’s the dream she’s been waiting for.

“If only you’d kiss me. Then, things would be just swell.” He looked up and added, “I’ve been waiting years, you know.”

My eyes fell to his mouth. Only inches separated us. I’d just have to lean in…

“Get over here.” Jack said, his voice husky, his eyes burning into mine. And who was I to disobey an order like that?

I moved in, closing my eyes as his hands came up to either side of my face. I could feel his breath on my lips as he drew closer and closer.

Suddenly, my eyes flew open. “What if it sucks?”

“What?” Jack dropped his hands, confusion clearing away the heat that had been in his eyes seconds before. “You picked a mighty good time to doubt my kissing ability, darlin’.”

I put my hands up in a helpless gesture. “Sorry, it’s just…there’s been so much build up. There’s a lot of pressure for this kiss to be good. What if it isn’t? What if—“

Jack cut me off, crushing his lips to mine, his hands pushing through my hair.

And just like that, the world shifted. A whimper left my throat as my hands slid up his arms. Without breaking the kiss, I got to my knees and moved closer. Jack’s hands left my hair to trail down my neck and over my shoulders, settling on my waist.

Sparks scattered over every inch of my skin, ending with a full-on lights display behind my eyes. I shoved my hands into Jack’s hair and leaned closer until I lost my balance, ending up in his lap. He laughed then, the sound vibrating sweetly through my entire body. Turned out, his laugh felt better than it sounded.

With one hand behind my neck, the other resting on my waist, Jack deepened the kiss, his tongue delving into my mouth, slow, luxurious. The embers burning low in my abdomen roared to life. I brushed my tongue against his and he rewarded me with a delicious groan that broke through whatever semblance of restraint I’d been holding onto. Parting, I straddled him, then smiled before pressing my mouth to his once more.

Jack’s hands found the bottom of my shirt and his fingertips played with the naked skin there. My legs began to shake, my lungs ached, my body burned. And yet I didn’t want to stop kissing him.

A sound from my left startled us apart. We looked in time to see Jack’s fishing pole take a nosedive into the pond. I laughed and shook my head. “You, sir, are a terrible fisherman.”

Amazon ✯ B&N ✯ iTunes ✯ Kobo ✯ GooglePlay ✯ Goodreads

Meika Usher is a Michigan romance author, a puppy mama, and a lover of pizza in all its forms. When she’s not writing snarky, sexy love stories, she can be found binge-watching Supernatural (she’s a Dean girl), memorizing all the song lyrics ever (it’s her superpower), or planning to see the world, one country at a time (Prague is next on her list).

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The Flip

Posted on July 24, 2017 by susanhorsnell

Presents

Release Blitz: The Flip

by K.L Montgomery

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Series: Romance In Rehoboth; Book 2

Release Date: July 20, 2017

Add to your TBR

Available Now & FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

AMAZON

Andrew and Sonnet hated each other in high school. Always rivals for the best grades and top academic honors, there was no love lost between these two nerds after graduation.

Ten years later, they’ve both been named heirs to property in Bethany Beach, Delaware, after the passing of its owner, Penelope Vaughn. Ms. Vaughn was Andrew’s great aunt and Sonnet’s beloved next door neighbor growing up.

The quaint beach cottage needs serious work before going on the market. Andrew and Sonnet are both willing to bury the hatchet in exchange for drills and saws, especially since they stand to make a pretty penny with the beachfront property, which will finance Drew’s dream of opening a business and Sonnet’s plan to earn her doctorate in astrophysics.

But when they face a multitude of home improvement obstacles, will these two former adversaries be able to pull off a successful flip? Or did Great Aunt Penny have something else in mind with her bequest?

Click below to read an excerpt

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Love Me

Posted on July 16, 2017 by susanhorsnell

Love Me

Book 3 in the Sage McGuire Romance Series

Quirky, Private Investigator, Sage McGuire can’t seem to stay out of trouble in LOVE ME. Book 3 in the Sage McGuire Romance Series.

Bad-ass, Sergeant Carter Morgan of the Portland Police Department takes risks for a living—but he’d never risked his heart before. From the first flirty look Sage flashes, he is hooked and it has been a roller-coaster ride ever since.

With Carter’s conniving ex-girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Mia Williams, in the looney-bin things finally seem to be settling back to normal, until Mr. Smithfield, Sage’s old boss, appears in her dreams asking for help to avenge his death. Knowing full well it could lead to another trip to the emergency room, Sage agrees to help.

Even with Carter trailing her every move, Sage solves Mr. Smithfield’s murder, and helps put her ex-boss’s wicked bride in jail.

With all the excitement, Sage forgets to buy Carter a Valentine’s Day gift, unless you count the edible, strawberry-flavored panties and banana-flavored massage gel. Carter on the other hand hits it out-of-the-park with a cupcake topped with a very special sparkling surprise.

Can Carter keep Sage safe, and out of trouble long enough to get her down the aisle?

Book 1- Chase Me

Sage McGuire had a great job she loved. All that changed in the blink of an eye when her long-time boss, Mr. Smithfield, had an accident involving an over-sized rubber band. When Mr. Smithfield’s semi-worthless son, Daniel, takes over Smithfield Laboratories Sage figures it’s time to turn her childhood dream of being a PI into reality.

After a night of unadulterated, mind-blowing sex Sage mistakes Sergeant Carter Morgan of the Portland Police Department for a serial killer and runs for the hills, but his sexy pinecone scent and black leather pants have her coming back for more.

Sage’s wild spirit, crazy red hair, and quirky sense of humor take Carter for the ride of his life and he’s more than willing to stick around and see what kind of trouble Sage can get herself into next.

Hold on tight as Sage and Carter rock each other’s world in KISS ME – A Sage McGuire Romance.

Book 2- Kiss Me

Quirky, Private Investigator, Sage McGuire is up to her ears in trouble again in KISS ME.

Sage has left the security of her old job, as an executive assistant to a moron, and jumped feet-first into opening McGuire Investigations. If only her boyfriend, Sergeant Carter Morgan’s big gun and cop’s intuition could save Sage from being grazed by a bullet to the temple, and another trip to the emergency room when she steals back her best friend’s uncle’s pooch, Mimi, from a psychotic loan shark in her very first case.

Carter’s scary and conniving ex-girlfriend, FBI Special Agent Mia Williams, is back in town and full of trouble. Mia is determined to rekindle her relationship with Carter and she is used to getting what she wants—no matter what the cost.

Will Sage and Carter succeed in keeping each other out of trouble while falling head-over-heels in love?

Stay tuned for another crazy roller-coaster ride in LOVE ME – A Sage McGuire Romance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband.

Sharonis a multi-published author of contemporary romance. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other’s arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way.

One of her favorite things to do is pick up a new book and sink into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her.

When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.