Launch Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: Untold by Shannon Richards

Untold by Shannon Richards
Series: Country Roads #7 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: September 5th 2017
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SOMETIMES LOVE HAS A PLAN OF ITS OWN . . .

Brie Davis came to Mirabelle, Florida, for one thing: the funeral of her birth mother-a woman she never had a chance to know. Now Brie must sort through her mother’s life to get the answers she was denied. She plans to leave as soon as she can . . . except the sexy veterinarian makes Brie’s pulse beat faster than she’s willing to admit.

Finn Shepherd knows Brie’s only in town for a short while, but he can’t stay away. Instead he finds himself looking for more reasons to keep her close. Finn’s already had his fair share of heartbreak, yet Brie makes him want to take that risk again. Now all Finn has to do is convince her to take a chance on him . . . before she disappears from his life forever.

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Now here’s an excerpt from Country Roads! ❤

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“Are you leaving soon?”

“In a bit. I want to see the end of the game.”

“Really now?” He leaned in close to her again. And for what was probably the fiftieth time that night she could smell the clean masculine scent that clung to him. Soap and maybe a little aftershave combined with him. He smelled incredible.

So. Damn. Good.

“Yeah, I’m a Stampede fan now. I’m in it to win it.” She couldn’t stop herself from leaning in a bit closer herself.

“Commitment, I like it.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” His smile grew and his eyes got more intense, the blue getting deeper. “It’s not the only thing I like either.”

“What else do you like?” Her voice dropped low as she spoke. Oh God, the more time she spent with him, the more he affected her. The closer he got to her, the more he affected her. The more he looked at her, the more he affected her.

He just affected her.

“About you? The list keeps growing, and growing. Give me twenty minutes and I’d be happy to tell you about it. In great detail.”

Her stomach flipped and the air in her lungs caught. This time her inability to breath had nothing to do with suffocating pressure. “What happens in twenty minutes?” She somehow managed to ask.

“The game is over.” He turned just a little bit so he could incline his head toward the TV, not taking his eyes off of her while he did it.

“You don’t need to stay here? Until closing?”

“Nope, just came in to help with the rush during the game. I’m free after that.”

“Right,” she nodded slowly, her stomach doing a summersault. “And if I said yes? What happens then?”

He moved back so that he was standing directly in front of her again, leaning in close. The nearness of him combined with the way he was looking at her and the topic of conversation—that she was 99.9% sure was one about them having sex—was making her pulse race. And that wasn’t the only thing he was doing to her. It was taking everything in her not to squirm in her seat. She somehow managed to subtly press her thighs together. It was all she could do to combat the swelling ache.

Reading Order: Country Roads series

   
 

#1 ~ Undone: EbookPaperback • Goodreads
#2 ~ Undeniable: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#3 ~ Unstoppable: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#4 ~ Unforgettable: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#4.5 ~ Undressed: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#5 ~ Unsung: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#6 ~ Uncontrollable: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#7 ~ Untold: EbookPaperbackGoodreads

about the author button

Shannon Richard grew up in the Florida Panhandle as the baby sister of two overly protective but loving brothers. She was raised by a more than somewhat eccentric mother, a self-proclaimed vocabularist who showed her how to get lost in a book and a father who passed on his love for coffee and really loud music. She graduated from Florida State University with a BA in English Literature and still lives in Tallahassee where she battles everyday life with writing, reading, and a rant every once in a while. Okay, so the rants might happen on a regular basis. She’s still waiting for her Southern, scruffy, Mr. Darcy, and in the meantime writes love stories to indulge her overactive imagination. Oh, and she’s a pretty big fan of the whimsy.

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Blog Tour + Review & Excerpt: Play On by Samantha Young

Play On by Samantha Young
Series: Play On #1
Publication Date: September 12th 2017
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The New York Times Bestselling author of the On Dublin Street series and Hero returns to Scotland in this passionate and evocative romance about love, loss, and surviving both.

Nora O’Brien chased a dream from Indiana to Scotland, so sure it was the right thing to do. Three years later she was left in her adopted country with nothing to her name but guilt and regret.

Until Aidan Lennox entered her life.

Older, worldlier, a music producer and composer, the sexy Scot should never have made sense for Nora. But somehow in each other they found the light they were looking for, the laughter and the passion—the strength to play on despite their past losses.

But when life dealt Aidan another unlucky hand, instead of reaching for her he disappeared. The agonizing loss of him inspired something within Nora. It fired her spirit— the anger and hurt pushing her forward to take control and reach for her dreams.

Finally pursuing a career on stage while she put herself through college, everything is how Nora wants it. She’s avoiding heartbreak and concentrating on her goals.

Sounds easy but it’s not. Because Aidan is back. And for some reason he hates Nora.

He’s determined to be at war with her.

And she has absolutely no idea why.

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I’ve been a big fan of Samantha Young’s ever since reading On Dublin Street, so when I heard she’d be writing a new book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Play On is a deeply emotional standalone that deals with love, life, and loss. It wasn’t quite the read I was expecting, but I enjoyed it overall. I love getting to travel the world through books, and Samantha Young sweeps us away to beautiful Scotland where our heroine Nora deals with her struggles.

Nora is eighteen and stuck in a rut – working at a fast food restaurant, unable to afford going to college, and no opportunities looking her way. That is, until she meets the sweet, Scottish Jim McAlister who steals her heart and brings her back with him to Scotland. But three years later, she’s alone and barely making ends meet. The only light in her life is her days volunteering at a hospital where she entertains children with her Peter Pan persona. One of her favorite kids has an uncle who is gorgeous, older, more sophisticated… and he wants Nora. How does she resist the man Aidan Lennox is?

“You’re everything to me, Nora. Every bloody thing. I never knew happiness like it until I met you.”

Play On is essentially broken up into three parts – Nora at eighteen and meeting Jim, three years later with Nora first meeting Aidan, and two years after that with Nora reuniting with Aidan. I loved the concept of this, but the execution of it wasn’t my cup of tea. My biggest concern was how the blurb set the story up to be mainly about Nora and her career on stage after losing Aidan. That turned out to be the third part at the very end of the novel and took up the shortest time in the story. I wish we could’ve seen more of their time apart and how Nora grew into her acting career, and I wish Aidan’s love of music and Nora’s acting had played bigger roles in this book.

Despite these grievances, I really did enjoy this book overall. Samantha Young didn’t disappoint with the chemistry and sexual tension between Nora and Aidan. The way they dealt with loss was moving and beautiful. I’m excited to see what else Samantha Young has in store for us with this series of standalones!


lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Now here’s an excerpt from Play On! ❤

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The Wednesday after my Sunday drinks with Roddy and Seonaid, I found myself in the untenable position of wanting to say no to Sylvie and not being able to. Somehow, she’d gotten her hands on a Twister game board and had talked the kids into playing.

I hadn’t thought it was a great idea, and Jan wasn’t too sure, either, but Sylvie won by announcing only she and I would play, and the kids would take turns spinning the wheel. It actually turned out to be a pretty good idea because we ended up in such awkward positions, in fits of giggles, that we had all the kids laughing and trying to cheat by placing us in even more ungainly positions!

I was in the middle of begging Poppy not to cheat with the Twister spinner when a deep, masculine voice sounded from behind me at the door.

“What is going on here?”

Unable to turn to see who it was, I heard Jan’s voice. “The children’s entertain—”

“Uncle Aidan!” Sylvie squealed in my ear, making me flinch. “I’m moving but you can’t move!” She unwound her leg from mine and was gone.

“How is that fair?” I asked. I wanted to move. I had my ass in the air and the mysterious Uncle Aidan was right behind it.

I bowed my head trying to see through my legs but all I saw were his and Jan’s feet and then Sylvie’s as she rushed him.

“Come play, Uncle Aidan,” Sylvie begged excitedly.

“I think I’ll just watch.” His voice rumbled, sounding amused. He had a great voice. A beautiful lilting, cultured Scottish accent. And my ass was in his face. In green Peter Pan leggings that did nothing to hide the shape of my body, I might add.

Great.

I looked super professional right now.

“Oh, please,” Sylvie begged. “Please.”

“No, sweetheart. You go back into the game. I’ll be here when you’re done.”

“But I want you to play with Nora—I mean, Peter Pan.”

I almost choked. It was time to get up before Peter Pan was made to play Twister with a strange man. The thought sounded so perverted, I had to swallow a giggle.

“Please, please!” the other kids suddenly started begging.

Sylvie began instructing him on the position she’d been in.

“Guys, leave Sylvie’s uncle—” The squeak of the plastic mat halted me midsentence.

And then I felt his heat, followed by the smell of expensive cologne. It was earthy but fresh. Like wood, and amber, mint leaves and apple.

Oh, dear God.

Slowly, I lifted my head and found myself staring into green eyes that were bright with amusement. Familiar green eyes with flecks of yellow gold.

“You must be Peter Pan,” he said, laughter trembling on his lips.

Lips I remembered well.

In fact, I remembered those broad shoulders too, that square, unshaven, strong jawline and expressive mouth. I remembered the sexy laugh lines around his eyes. It all belonged on a very tall, well-built guy who had once picked me up off the floor of a pub and then flirted with me the following day in a supermarket on what would turn out to be one of the worst days of my life.

Uncle Aidan was the stranger from the bar.

Small goddamn world.

Realizing I hadn’t spoken, I managed a croaky, “Hey.”

Our faces were too close together, and his long leg was currently entangled with my short one.

“Right hand green, Peter Pan!” Sylvie announced.

I wrenched my gaze from his to the mat. The nearest green spot would mean climbing her uncle like a monkey. Part of me wondered if she’d cheated. I shot her a suspicious look and watched her shake with giggles.

“Oh, crap,” I muttered under my breath.

I heard the rumble of laughter and my eyes flew back to his. There was a challenge in his, but not recognition. He didn’t remember me. Why would he? I was just a girl he briefly met once.

“I’m not doing it.”

His eyes grew round with mock innocence. “But that would be cheating.”

“Cheating?” Sylvie heard. “No cheating.”

“No cheating, Peter Pan!” Poppy cried out from her chair.

Soon all the kids were buzzing with laughter and conversation as I stared at the man who was already too close for comfort.

There was no way I was doing it. It wouldn’t be appropriate. I moved toward him as if I was going to do it and I let my left hand and foot slip. I flipped at the last minute, crashing down on the mat on my back.

“Oh no, I fell! I lose!” I threw my hands up in the air.

I heard his laughter before his face appeared upside down above mine. My breath caught as he smiled down at me. “Liar.”

“It’s called pretending.” I grinned up at him. “There’s a difference.”

Instead of smiling back at me, he suddenly frowned. “Have we met?”

about the author button

Samantha Young is the New York Times,  USA Today  and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of adult contemporary romances, including the On Dublin Street series and Hero, as well as the New Adult duology Into the Deep and Out of the Shallows.  Every Little Thing, the second book in her new Hart’s Boardwalk series, will be published by Berkley in March 2017. Before turning to contemporary fiction, she wrote several young adult paranormal and fantasy series, including the amazon bestselling Tale of Lunarmorte trilogy. Samantha’s debut YA contemporary novel The Impossible Vastness of Us was published by Harlequin TEEN in ebook & hardback June 2017. Play On is an adult contemporary romance and the first in a brand new series set in Scotland.

Samantha has been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award 2012 for Best Author and Best Romance for On Dublin Street, Best Romance 2014 for Before Jamaica Lane, and Best Romance 2015 for HeroOn Dublin Street, a #1 bestseller in Germany, was the Bronze Award Winner in the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2013, Before Jamaica Lane the Gold Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2014 and Echoes of Scotland Street the Bronze Medal Winner for the LeserPreis German Readers Choice Awards for Best Romance 2015.

Samantha is currently published in 30 countries and is a #1 international bestselling author.

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Blog Tour + Excerpt & Giveaway: Oh, Henry by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

Oh, Henry by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff
Series: OHellNo #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: August 25th 2017
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SHE’S GOT ME BY THE FOOTBALLS…

My name is Henry Walton, and though I’ve been called many things throughout my life–tree trunk, moose, walrus–I am now six foot five, solid muscle, and the hottest defensive end in the NFL college draft. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for: fame, women, and glory.

Just one problem: I’m suddenly in a bad slump. And it started the moment I got dumped by Elle, the nerdy goddess with thick glasses, a smokin’ hot body, and a genius IQ.

So what gives? We only dated for a few weeks, and it’s not like I’ve missed her. (Much.) Regardless, all the facts point to one conclusion. Elle is my lucky nerd-charm.

Call me superstitious, but I have to get her back before I lose everything. Even if she’s the last girl I should want and she now hates my guts.

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Now here’s an excerpt from Oh, Henry! ❤

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PROLOGUE

HENRY

Austin, Texas. Alpha Phi Frat House.

“Sorry, Henry, but I don’t owe you an explanation. It’s over, and that’s all there is to it.” Elle’s big brown eyes show zero emotion, so I put on my game face. I’ve never been chucked like this. Never. Because I’m fucking Henry Walton, one of four heirs to the Walton oil fortune, famously handsome, and the most anticipated NFL college draft pick since that asshole who got signed with the Steelers.

Elle’s giant brain must be broken.

Standing in the doorway of our two-story, Southern-charmer of a frat house, I step outside in my Pirates PJs bottoms onto the porch. I carefully close the door so the guys inside, who are fellow Pirates, don’t overhear. They’d never let this go. Football players live to fuck with each other.

“You—you’re rejecting me?” I point to my bare chest, snarling down at her little round face. Sure, she’s got a genius IQ and is the likeliest person to build a tele-transporter or some geeky Star Trek shit like that, but I’m what the ladies call a bona fide catch. Six-five, two hundred and eighty pounds of pure muscle pleasure, orgasm philanthropist, future football Hall of Famer, and—fucking bonus point—I’m an all-around fun guy. Elle can’t deny it. My ability to turn her frowns into smiles is irrefutable. It’s the reason she bought that raffle ticket, the prize being a date with me, during our fraternity fundraiser. It’s the reason she said she wanted me to show her a good time after she won. Which I did. Several “good times” in one night and about fifty more “Oh, Henrys!” since then.

So why is she dumping me? Not that we were official. But, dammit all to hell, I like her. I really fucking like her. Normally, I don’t go nerd, but Elle suckered me with her cute little gap-toothed smile and spunky personality. Okay, and she’s a blonde, which I like, and she has nice jugs.

I swallow down a tangled mess in my throat. “Fine. Plenty of fish in the sea. I’m cool with that.”

“Errr…you don’t look cool. Do you need to sit?”

“Just a hangover,” I lie. “Big party last night.” Actually, I can’t remember what I did. I can’t think straight.

Elle touches my arm, pity written all over her face. “Henry, we were never really going to work out. Even you had to know that.”

I slowly remove her hand. “Never gave it much thought.” Too busy living the dream and all that.

She shoves her petite hands into her pink overalls. “Well, I need more than a hot guy with big muscles. I need…” She blows out a long breath. “I need a man. One who will be there when things get difficult. One who’s had to deal with the real world. You only know screwing and football, and I respect that. I might even be jealous. But there is no universe in which your interests and mine could coalesce into a symbiotic relationship outside the bedroom.”

“Who says you even symbiotified me there?” No. That’s not a real word. And we both know I could fuck Elle all day long and never get tired of her. There’s this little squeaking thing that she does right before she’s about to come. Adorable.

Wait. No. Fuck that. It’s annoying. Just like her shrill laugh, obsession with spy novels, and stupid nerd jokes about black holes—“Two protons walk into a black hole, blah, blah, stupid science punch line, blah, blah.”

Good riddance.

But as I think those words, something deep inside sets off like a grenade. Boom. I’m pissed. I just can’t fuckin’ believe that she’s kicking my awesome ass to the curb and won’t even tell me why. Not the real truth anyway. Because even a guy like me with only above average intelligence can see that Elle’s little line about needing “a man” is bullshit. Men just don’t come any manlier than me.

Elle laughs, followed by a little squeak. My eyes zero in on that gap between her teeth. How had I thought that was hot? She looks nothing like a young Madonna.

Yeah, she looks more like Urkel. Only pale as shit with blonde pigtails and tape in the middle of her glasses. I’m the one who actually broke them, though. I sat on them after we screwed. She kind of got mad, and I offered to replace them ten times, but she just shrugged it off. “No biggie. What’s a nerd without a little tape? I’ll fix ’em later,” she said.

Elle finishes honking out a final laugh. I can’t believe I’m into her.

Was into her.

“Symbiotified. Oh, Henry. I’m going to miss your humor.” She grabs my arm and gives it a squeeze. “It was nice knowing you.”

I jerk my head. “Been nice knowing you, too. Good luck with your…math ’n shit.”

Fuck. That sounded lame.

Elle crinkles her nose. “Yeah. I’ll cross my fingers and hope those big scary numbers finally make sense.” She turns away and heads toward campus, shaking her tight little ass in her overalls.

Jesus, what was I even doing with her? I can get tens—ten cheerleaders, ten models, or ten of the hottest women at any party.

I snarl at the back of her head and clench my fists. “Stupid geek!”

Without slowing her pace or turning around, she throws up a middle finger. “Dumb jock!”

I can’t help but laugh. She may look like a helpless, lost little nerd begging for social ridicule, but I’ve yet to meet anyone with bigger balls. Male or female.

Stop it, Henry. It’s over. I gush out a breath of frustration. Fuck her. I don’t need anything but football.

CHAPTER ONE

Four weeks later.

“Walton! Get your sorry ass over here!” the coach yells, cutting our play short and eliciting a mixture of groans and “eat me, Waltons!” from my fellow Pirates.

I don’t know why I’m in my worst slump ever. I really don’t. Play says go right, I go left. When I’m supposed to block left, I put my head up my ass. It’s like my brain is scrambled or something.

“Fulking herl,” I mumble, spitting out my mouthpiece and releasing my chin strap. This is the seventh play I’ve fucked up this practice, and it wanes in comparison to the chunky-style cluster I created during our last game versus San Diego. And the game before that with LA. And the game before that with Notre Dame—we lost that one. The other games were close calls. Too close.

“Hey, man, it’s okay. Everyone has a bad streak,” says Hunter. He’s the new starting quarterback, so not as big of a dude as me, but a damned good player especially for a freshman. The topper? He’s a damned good friend too—something I never expected to gain out of this shit storm more unaffectionately referred to as the sinking SS Henry.

But I’m not a quitter.

Never have been.

Never will be.

I’ll do anything to turn my ship around, even leaving the coveted Alpha Phi frat house a few weeks ago. With my head in such a bad place, I decided I might be due for a change. That and the parties every night were getting on my last iron-pumping, protein-shake-fueled nerve.

“Walton! You deaf or something?” the coach yells, still standing on the sidelines, waiting to chew me out.

I look over at Hunter, whose face is all soured up, like he’s cringing on my behalf. He knows, just like I do, that the coach doesn’t want me here anymore because I’ve been playing like a moron. Of course, he needs me too much, and luckily, my agent says no one else is worried. The offer to sign with the Texans after graduation is still on the table.

“Uh-oh, Pretty Boy Liam’s in trouble,” one of the guys sings teasingly.

I fucking hate it when they call me that. I do not look like Liam Hemsworth. I am definitely Chris. But bigger.

“Shut it, asshole,” I tell the guy and remove my helmet. I jog over to Coach Newton—a short bald dude with shit-brown eyes. “Hey, Coach, I know that wasn’t great, but I’m working on it—”

“You’re out, Walton.”

My gut fills with cement. “Out? You can’t make me sit out. I need to practice, not jerk off on the bench.”

“No, jackass. You’re out for the season. Take a seat.” He points his finger in my face. “And don’t start, Walton. I warned you, so you’ve only brought this on yourself.”

I am literally speechless. This is my fourth season playing for the Pirates, and my stats have put this team on the map. The publicity alone has attracted new players with solid pro potential, like Hunter, and Coach Newton is now hailed as the best college coach in the country. Everyone is living the dream, thanks to me. Okay, and it doesn’t hurt that my family donates a few million each year to the school. We have the best equipment, best facilities, best everything.

I cross my arms over my chest and snarl down at Coach Newton. I may be a college student, but I’m no child. I know the score. I know my value. “You bench me and you’re the one who’s going to look like a jackass. Everyone’s going to put this on you—your inability to manage one of your star players. Then there’s the fact that the university chairs won’t be happy. The Waltons are key donors.”

Coach Newton’s sunburnt nostrils flare, and his right eye twitches. “That a threat, Walton?”

“No, sir, just a fact. A fact like any other. Including how I could’ve switched schools and taken my money with me. A fact like I’ve been playing flawless defense for almost four seasons and nothing will get more guys signed and bring in more money for the school than me.” I point to my chest. “Me getting drafted for ten mil a year.” It’s a three-year contract, so that adds up to a nice sum, but I’m not in it for the money. I love the game and have since I was old enough to walk.

“Look, Walton,” Coach hisses quietly, “no one is going to deny what you’ve brought to the table, but I’m not putting the championship at risk because you suddenly decided to act like a chimpanzee rolling around in his own shit.”

Dick. My playing isn’t that bad. I’m more like an untamed stallion. Who’s forgotten how to run. “I thought chimps wore diapers,” I say.

“Shut up, Walton!” He points a stubby finger in my face. “I don’t know what’s gotten in your head, and I don’t care. I’ve given you a month to turn it around, but you keep playing like a little cunt, which means we’ll lose the season. All of us.”

Fuck. I run a hand over the top of my sweaty hair. I can’t really argue with his logic. If I keep screwing up, our team won’t go to the play-offs, and that’ll make us all look bad.

I kick at the muddy grass. “Yeah, well. That’s not what I want.”

“That’s a good boy.” Newton goes to his tiptoes and taps the top of my head. “Knew you’d see it my way. Now take a seat.” Coach turns and walks away.

Good boy? And did he just pat me on the head like a dog?

“But I’m still playing!” I belt out.

The coach stops in his tracks and slowly turns to face me.

“Hey, don’t look at me.” I throw him a snide grin. “You’re the one who says ‘quitter’ is just another word for giant pussy.” I smile and point to my crotch. “And I’m not seein’ pussy down there, Coach.”

Just one big dick. Which I’ve had to be in order to get where I am. Because despite growing up in a privileged family, I’ve had to fight tooth and nail every step of the way.

I put on my helmet and walk past him, giving him a slap on the ass. “Thanks for the pep talk, Dana. Just what I needed.”

Dana is his first name. We think Coach hates it because it’s a chick’s name, too.

My teammates eye me in silence as I take my place on the field, head down, fingers pushed into the mud.

“You okay?” Hunter asks, coming up to my side.

“Never better. Let’s play.”

Hunter stands there for a moment too long, like he wants to say something, but then leaves.

Good choice.

The guys line up, some playing offense and facing us.

I can do this. I can make this play. I have to believe that. I have to push out the noise in my head that keeps me from being here and nowhere else.

Focus, Henry. Focus. I can’t keep letting everyone down. Not when their dreams are on the line, too. Most of us have worked since we were ten to get here—the last stop on the way to pro. And there is no sweeter glory than doing what you love for a living, even if it’s just for a few short years. It’s what we’ve all been killing ourselves for: The chance to say “I did it. I made it.”

I feel the soft grass and cool mud beneath my fingertips, and the air fills with a ferocious calm as everyone prepares for the play. I feel the energy spike all around me while my thoughts melt away. Here on the field, there are no tests to cram for, no wars, no angry girlfriends or psycho parents. The only thing that matters is this field where we become one. One team. One goal. One team. One goal…

Suddenly, I’m there. In the zone. And the rush feels like nirvana—a moment of peace and silence so fragile yet so vivid and alive that my entire body electrifies, like I’m touching God or plugged into some supernatural energy.

Playing opposite us, I hear Hunter call the hike, and the moment of serenity shatters like a plate-glass window that’s met with a brick. Grunts and snarls fill the air as I charge at my teammate, Jon, who’s playing tight end and trying to create an opening for the running back so Hunter can pass. There is no doubt in my mind I can block Jon. I’m faster and stronger. No one gets around me. Not ever. That’s what I tell myself, anyway.

I plow into Jon, who goes flying back, landing with a thud on his ass. I keep going, rushing toward an opening right through the guards. Hunter is about to make his throw, and I barrel into his chest, knocking him clean into next Sunday.

“Fucker!” Hunter barks from underneath me.

I chuckle and roll off him.

“Jesus, Henry. You nearly took my head off,” he says.

“It’s a beautiful thing.” I hop to my feet and offer Hunter a hand.

His blue eyes are crisp with anger as I yank him up, but the moment he’s on his feet, his expression turns into a glib smirk.

“Looks like someone’s here to see you,” he says, looking over my shoulder.

I turn, and there she is, sitting on the bleachers. I could spot her thick-framed hipster glasses and honey blonde hair from a mile away.

Elle. Oh, man. Why’s she here?

“Christ,” Hunter chuckles his words. “What is she wearing?”

Her T-shirt has a huge picture of a grey-and-white cat with its head tilted to one side.

“Yeah, that’s Mr. Nucleus.” I clear my throat. “He was hit by a car last year.”

“She’s wearing a picture of her dead cat?”

I nod. It’s one of Elle’s many eccentricities. She seems unable to accept that Mr. Nucleus is gone, like she’s not good at dealing with death or something. I once tried asking her about it, but she’d simply replied by telling me that death is just one more mystery of the universe she hopes to solve. “You can’t solve death, Elle. It’s not a math problem,” I had told her, but she’d just shrugged and changed subjects.

Anyway, I think it’s kind of sweet, the way she loves her cat and doesn’t want to forget him. Still, “If you think the cat shirt is interesting, you should see her unicorn T-shirt collection. It’s magical,” I say dryly because it’s not. It’s fucking horrible. All glittery ’n shit.

The coach blows the whistle to return us to formation, and I hustle. That had been a perfect play, and I don’t want to waste time getting back into my groove. My mind has suddenly snapped into place and everything feels right. I don’t even mind that Elle is here.

“Let’s play, boys,” I say, and get into position.

~~~

ELLE

It’s Friday, the last day of classes before Thanksgiving break, and I’m not exactly sure why I’ve come to see Henry practice, considering that I told him we were through. Maybe part of me longs for a little stress relief, the reason I began seeing him initially. I had never had casual sex before him, but nothing in my life has plotted normal this past year, and now I’m nervous about going home for an entire week. The two-hour drive isn’t far, so I go home all the time to see my poor mother, who has a brain tumor and is in the process of evolving away from this world. At least, that’s the way I like to think of it. When it’s our time, we transform, but we never truly die.

Matter can’t die.

Of course, if my heart believed all that, I wouldn’t have to remind myself fifteen times a day that death is part of life or that my mother can’t leave this world seeing me a mess. Her final happiness is why I started college at the age of nineteen after swearing I’d never go. She’s why I’ve stuck with it and pretend things are normal. Pretending is also how I handle seeing her for a day or two before running back to campus, where I erect my mental fortress and make it all go away.

Thanksgiving week, though… Ugh. My aunt and uncle from California will be there, as will my cousin. My older sister, Lana, who lives nearby, and my father will be there, too, of course. But I know this upcoming week, likely our last Thanksgiving with her, is going to feel more like a funeral, not a holiday. Because my family’s not like me. They’re not able to bury their emotions in a sea of logic. I’ll have to sit there and listen to the sadness in their voices and see the tears. Then I’ll have to watch my mother trying to stay strong for them when I know on the inside, nothing hurts her more than watching the people she loves suffer.

How am I going to get through this?

Crap. It’s no wonder I find myself longing for Henry. Mr. Fun. He’s also the hottest guy I’ve ever met. Tall and strong like a great oak, vivid green eyes, dirty blond hair, and a panty dropper of a smile. My roomie, Tassie, says he looks like a seriously built, young Brad Pitt. I just say the man is fine. Sigh…

I watch Henry’s towering hulk of a frame mow down two guys on the field; one of them is Hunter. Hunter is tall and lean with dark hair and blue eyes. He’s cute, hotheaded, and has a serious heart-on for Tassie, who is currently not speaking to him. It’s a mess, really. Anyone can see that Hunter and Tass are madly in love and have been since they were little. They grew up next door to each other and somehow ended up at the same college.

Anyway, Tass has become a good friend, which is why I feel bad for having lied to her. She has no clue I kept seeing Henry after she had her fallout with Hunter and their frat did the unthinkable. But there hasn’t been a good time to tell her until recently—she’s been too upset.

Well, maybe it’s time to clear the air. And since I’m here, I can warn Henry. Yes, a great excuse for being here since I can’t tell Henry the real reason. I kinda miss him.

I lean back and watch the cheerleading squad—all Gamma Nu sorority sisters—doing flips on the side of the field. I suddenly wonder which one of these incredibly beautiful women with perfect thighs, boobs, and legs is keeping Henry’s bed warm at night. He’s an animal in the sack, completely insatiable, and words cannot describe how much I miss the stress relief he brought to my life. No, he has no clue about my mom, and I have no intention of ever telling him. I need him and everything related to school to remain isolated from that part of my life.

Practice wraps up with the blow of the coach’s whistle, and the sweaty, tired-looking team makes their way to the locker room. Everyone except Henry, who’s high-fiving a few ladies as he heads toward me and the bleachers.

My heart rate increases, and little flutters erupt inside my knotted stomach. I don’t know what I want to say to him. Somehow, I doubt I’ll muster the courage to spit out, “I needed to see your smiling face.” Besides, it wouldn’t be fair. He’ll think it means something more than it does when I already know he’s not the guy for me.

I get up and take the stairs to meet up with Henry on the side of the grassy field.

“Hey,” I say with false bravado.

He pops off his helmet and those stunning green eyes of his sparkle in the sunlight. He’s so full of life. I love that about him.

“Hey, Elle.” His voice is deep, like a growling bear, and exactly what you’d expect from a guy who’s six-five and over twice my size.

A flash of memories explodes inside my mind of Henry groaning in my ear, telling me how beautiful I am, and of him laughing with that gruff-sounding voice as he pins me down and tickles my neck with his stubbly chin. Henry loved making me laugh.

Suddenly, I realize that moments have passed and we’re just standing there staring at each other’s lips.

I shake it off and clear my throat. “I, uh, just came by to say hi. How’s it going?”

He flashes one of those dimply, scruffy-jaw smiles that make my panties instantly steam up. “Surprisingly well, actually.” He makes a little shrug with his wide shoulders, the padding underneath his black jersey making him look even bigger than he already is.

“I’m happy to hear that,” I lie, secretly wanting him to be miserable without me.

Stupid. You don’t want that. Get your head out of your rear orifice, Elle.

He nods and stares like he’s waiting.

“Oh. Yeah, I, uh…just wanted you to know that I’m going to come clean with Tass.”

“About what?” he asks.

“About you and me. I mean, I know it’s over, but I never told her the truth, and I think I should now that she seems to be turning the corner.”

“What corner?” he asks.

“Hunter. She’s finally starting to get over him—I think—and I really don’t like keeping secrets from her.”

The atmosphere abruptly shifts between us, and his eyes harden on me, like he expected me to give him another reason for my visit.

Oh, crap. I’ve made a huge selfish mistake by coming here. Whatever happened between us, we’re still not over it. Yet nothing’s changed. I’m wrong for him. He’s wrong for me.

“Fine by me,” he says. His tone is sharp and accusatory. “I never told you to lie to her—that was all you. I just went along to make you happy. Clearly, that’s not possible.”

The jab isn’t missed, but I need to steer clear of the “us” topic and get the hell out of here. Fast.

“And I thank you for helping me protect her. She would’ve felt betrayed if she’d known I kept seeing you after Hunter slept with her for a bet.”

It’s true, and the infamous bet is also a good reminder of why Henry is so, so, soooo wrong for me. As part of rush week, there’d been a stupid frat game involving stealing things from other Greeks, hazing, drinking, and nailing virgins. The pledges with the highest scores became the newest members of the Alpha Phi fraternity, which is the big football frat that Henry, and now Hunter, belong to. Lame.

Henry shakes his head and drags his strong hand over the top of his sweaty blond mop. He’s the only man in the world whose perspiration comes out smelling like spring water infused with mint or something herbal. He always smells good.

“You’re wrong,” he says. “Hunter didn’t fuck Tass for a bet. He’s into her. Period. And we both know that.”

“Yeah, well, he might be into her, but he still participated in the bet, and you can’t argue that it looks bad.” Henry has three sisters—two older and one younger—so I know he gets what I’m saying.

“It did look bad,” he admits, “which is why a bunch of us left the frat, despite knowing we’d piss off half the team.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

“Why?” I ask, hardly able to believe it.

“I can’t speak for the other guys, but I’m twenty-two and a senior. Doing the same old shit from freshman year just didn’t make sense anymore.”

Wow. My stomach does this little cramping thing that causes a chain reaction, ending in my rapidly beating heart. Henry’s leaving the Alphas takes our romantic equation one step closer to a positive integer. Sadly, however, the facts that football is his life, he doesn’t possess a sympathetic bone in his body, and he’s more narcissistic than an only child who’s a runway model keep our equation in the negative five thousands with regards to chances of succeeding as a couple. Still, Henry’s leaving the Alphas is huge.

“When did this happen?” I ask.

“A few weeks ago. Hunter, me, and two other guys got an apartment.”

“Hunter, too?” I can’t wait to tell Tassie since I’m sure she was the catalyst and she’s never truly going to be happy until she and Hunter make up.

“Hey, who can resist living with me? Plus, my family owns the building, so rent is cheap.”

“Plus you get more privacy for your orgies.”

“Exactly,” he says. “We’re having one tonight. Just us dudes and fifty women. Want to be number fifty-one?”

I make a gag sound.

“Elle, that was a joke. We haven’t even had one party.”

“Yeah, right.” I let out pffft! That’s like saying he’s joined a circus but doesn’t plan to put on a red nose or make balloon animals. Or ride in a tiny car. Or make children laugh. Or scream, depending on their feelings about clowns.

Don’t go there, Elle. Let go of your colorful past.

Henry crosses his big, big arms over his big, big chest. “I’m serious. We’re a no-party, study-only bachelor pad. Why’s that so hard to believe?”

“Because you live for that bullcrap.”

His nostrils flare a little, and his normally plump lips go flat.

“Fine. Whatever.” I hold up two palms in surrender. “I didn’t come here to talk about that, and if it’s true, then I’m happy for you. I think it’ll be good for you academically speaking, because God knows you could use some improvement.”

“Elle,” his light brown brows pull together, “there’s nothing wrong with my academics.”

I laugh. “You have a three point three GPA, Henry.”

Wait. That came out sounding really bitchy, didn’t it?

“Wow.” He shakes his head. “That was bitchy.”

Okay. Mea culpa. Still, how dare he call me that!

I feel my claws extend. “I can’t help it if I find your lack of ambition to be comical,” I say calmly. “Besides, I’m sure you’re used to bitches—since you date the cream of the crop.” I glance over at the cheerleaders, three of whom are watching us and snickering. I know they think I’m just fan-girling over him or trying to trade math tutoring for sex. They wouldn’t ever believe that a guy like him would voluntarily be with a super-nerd like me.

Actually, come to think of it, maybe I don’t believe it either. Just like I don’t believe he could ever make me happy. There. You see, Elle. You made the right choice dumping him.

“That wasn’t nice. Since when did you get so bitter?”

“Must be the company,” I reply.

He shakes his head and throws in a tsk-tsk for good measure. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you.”

His words instantly sting, which shocks me because I’m not new to insults. For example, my nickname in high school was “shark bait.” Yes, from the movie Nemo. I skipped a bunch of grades, which made me very small compared to my much older peer group. For demonstration purposes, I’ll disclose that I literally wore a training bra at my high school graduation. And it was too big. I really needed an over-the-shoulder pebble holder.

Well, that was then and this is now. I’m almost twenty and all filled out. And I don’t need Henry’s approval.

I lift my chin and meet Henry’s angry green eyes. “Well, I know exactly what I saw in you.” I reach for the bulge between his powerful thighs. He’s wearing an athletic supporter, so his footballs look even bigger than they are. But make no mistake, his sporting goods section is as big as a girl like me—who’s five two and weighs one hundred and twenty pounds—can tackle.

I give his man gear a little squeeze, and his whole body freezes up, like he’s sure I’m going to rip off his manhood.

“The truth is, Henry, I stopped seeing you because your goal post isn’t stiff enough to keep me entertained.”

Unexpectedly, Henry cups my left breast. “I know exactly how you feel. There’s just not enough there to hold my interest. Guess I’ll have to find a girl with adult-sized pom-poms to inspire me.” The right side of his mouth curls into a cocky smile.

“Ugh!” I pull my hand from his package and slap his paw from my boob. “You’re a pig.”

“Yep.”

“Well, I hope your little—” I glance at his bulge “—sense of humor keeps you warm at night when your brain is dead from all those concussions in two years.”

“Don’t you worry, sweetheart,” he says, letting his Texan twang break loose and looking over his shoulder at a group of pom-pom-toting girls drooling over him, “stayin’ warm ain’t my problem.” He turns and struts his rock-hard ass toward the locker room, like he owns the fucking world.

My innards sizzle with anger. “Dumb jock.”

He lifts his middle finger without bothering to face me. “See ya, gorgeous.”

He didn’t call me a stupid nerd, but his tone said it all.

As I watch him disappear into the locker room, I can’t help feeling like the tiny part of me he’d brought back to life—the part that loved to laugh and play—has just died a sad, twitchy little death. If there’s anyone in the world I wanted to connect with more, it was him. But this reaffirms my earlier assumption. We don’t work and never will. I need a serious guy who’s my equal.

Henry is a man-child. So hmph! Good riddance. Again.

Reading Order: OHellNo series

 

#1 ~ Smart Tass: EbookPaperbackGoodreads
#2 ~ Oh, Henry: EbookPaperbackGoodreads

about the author button

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of Paranormal and Contemporary Romance. Both traditionally and independently published, Mimi has sold over 800,000 books since publishing her 1st title in 2012, and she plans to spontaneously combust once she hits the one-million mark. Although she obtained her international MBA and worked for over 15 years in the corporate world, she believes that it’s never too late to come out of the romance-closet and follow your dreams.

When not screaming at her works in progress, Mimi spends time with her two pirates in training, her loco-for-the-chili-pepper hubby, and rat terriers, Mini & DJ Princess Snowflake, in Arizona.

She continues to hope that her books will inspire a leather pants comeback (for men) and that she might make you laugh when you need it most.

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Newsletter • Youtube

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Signed Oh Henry by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff Print

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Blog Tour + Excerpt: Hate to Love You by Tijan

Hate to Love You by Tijan
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: August 28th 2017
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Rule #1: No hot guys.
It might sound ridiculous. I get it. It kind of is, but college was supposed to be my sanctuary. It was my place to start over. The rumors, the whispers, and the jealousy I endured through high school would all be gone.
No one would know me at college.

Rule #2: No drama.
I’d major in pre-law. I’d make a few loyal friends. Everything would be easy breezy. No one was going to use me or hurt me. I wouldn’t let them.

Rule #3: New year. New place. New me.
Right?
Wrong.
And all because of Shay Coleman.

Football captain and quarterback, he was the big guy on campus. The cocky guy in my political science class with a smirk. I hated him on sight . . .

. . . and he was about to break all my rules.

Buy Links:
Amazon Ebook • Amazon Paperback
Amazon UK • Amazon CAAmazon AU

Now here’s an excerpt from Hate to Love You! ❤

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I was almost grinning from delight as I shoved open the back door. If I hit him, hey, all was fair in the war we were fighting of who could piss each other off the best.

It didn’t.

He was leaning against the wall, the back of his head resting on the brick, and he looked over to smirk at me. “I want to see your room.”

I thrust my hand out. “I’ll take those notes.”

That smirk just widened. He patted his bag and pushed off from the wall. “They’re in my email. I need to get on a computer.” He patted my arm and moved past me, heading inside. “I can use yours.”

“Hey!” I followed him in.

He was looking up the stairs. “Sabrina said you were on the fourth floor. You saw my place. I want to see yours. It’s only fair.”

He wasn’t waiting for my go-ahead. He was already up and rounding second floor to third. He’d be at my floor before I could get there. “Stop! I am not okay with this.”

He was at the third-floor door. He glanced down with that same goddamn smirk. “Better tell me which room or I’m going to hang out in the hallway.”

“Why are you always smirking? Is it permanently attached to your face?”

“What room, Clarke?” He was at my hallway door.

Fucking hell. I gritted my teeth. “Wait. Just wait. My door automatically locks.”

He’d opened the door but let it shut. Waiting as I covered the last set of stairs, I refused to let him see me panting. I stood there, purposely holding my breath until he narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side. “Breathe, Clarke. You’re going to pass out.”

I almost burped out the small pocket of air I’d been holding. “I hate you so much.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He waved that off. “We get it. Eternal damnation in hell, the whole shebang. Whatever.” He nodded to the door. “Stop stalling. I want to see your room.”

I was picturing pitchforks and fire. Maybe that was the burning smell he mentioned. It was hell, and all the fire in there. I yanked the door, glaring as I did. “Was this Sabrina’s idea?”

“Nope. All mine.” He was right behind me. I could feel his breathing. “She refused to tell me your room number, said I had to call.”

My eyes widened at the thought of him coming up by himself, strolling down the hallway, and then knocking on my door. Good Lordy gracious. Too many would’ve seen him at my door. I would’ve been the talk of the dorm.

I shuddered, unlocked, and entered my room.

about the author button

TijanTijan is a New York Times Bestselling author that writes suspenseful and unpredictable novels. Her characters are strong, intense, and gut-wrenchingly real with a little bit of sass on the side. Tijan began writing later in life and once she started, she was hooked. She’s written multi-bestsellers including the Carter Reed Series, the Fallen Crest Series, and the Broken and Screwed Series among others. She is currently writing a new YA series along with so many more from north Minnesota where she lives with a man she couldn’t be without and an English Cocker she adores.

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Paperback Launch Day Blitz + Excerpt & Giveaway: The Playboy Bachelor by Rachel Van Dyken

The Playboy Bachelor by Rachel Van Dyken is now available in paperback!

The Playboy Bachelor by Rachel Van Dyken
Series: The Bachelors of Arizona #2 (full reading order below)
Paperback Publication Date: August 29th 2017
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She’s no Sleeping Beauty. And he’s definitely no prince . . .

Margot McCleery could have lived her whole life without seeing Bentley Wellington again-her ex-best friend and the poster boy for Hot, Rich Man-Whores everywhere. But Margot’s whiskey-augmented grandmother “buys” Bentley at a charity bachelor auction, and now suddenly he’s at her door. Impossibly charming. Impossibly sexy. And still a complete and utter jackass.

Bentley’s just been coerced by his grandfather to spend the next thirty days charming and romancing the reclusive red-haired beauty who hates him. The woman he abandoned when she needed him the most. Bentley knows just as much about romance as he knows about love-nothing. But the more time he spends with Margot, the more he realizes that “just friends” will never be enough. Now all he has to do is convince her to trust him with her heart . . .

Buy Links:
Amazon • Barnes & NobleiTunes • Kobo • Google Play

Now here’s an excerpt from The Playboy Bachelor! ❤

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“I’m writing a kissing scene!” she blurted, mentally kicking herself for screaming it in his face. “And the guy’s a complete jackass. Since my only experience with jackasses is you…” Her voice was shaky, just like her body. Could he tell how much she wanted him? How much she hated that her response was this—raw. “I-I figured you were the only one who could show me what it’s like.” Good one, Margot. Do you really have to sound so…desperate?

“What what’s like?”

“A kiss. From a jackass.”

“Got the jackass part.” He treaded water and then grabbed her by the arm and pulled her deeper into the pool until they were on the opposite end, his body pressed against hers. At least his eyes were still locked on her face. “And you’ve never been kissed?”

She rolled her eyes. “Not by someone like—”

“If you keep insulting me, this kiss won’t ever happen, Red.”

“Don’t call me that,” Margot whispered. Was she so weak that she’d forgive his abandonment for one kiss? “Please?”

“This kiss.” His calculated gaze didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. “How long does it need to be? How deep? Where do you want my hands?”

Margot’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not how kisses work! You can’t just map out the kiss. That takes all the romance out of it!”

“Oh, so you want romance?”

“Yes! No! I mean. I didn’t say that!” Her face flamed, and she sagged in defeat. Admitting she wanted romance kind of felt like she was on the losing end of the little battles they’d been having, like she was giving him an in. And if he got in, he’d only hurt her again.

“I was joking,” he said, just before his lips brushed hers. His tongue slid across her bottom lip and then sucked it for a few seconds before he slid it into her mouth and deepened the kiss.

Her lips softened beneath his gentle coaxing, and his hard thighs pressed against hers as a deep hunger awakened within her.

Oh, this was bad.

So bad.

And very, very good at the same time.

Reading Order: The Bachelors of Arizona series

  
  

#1 ~ The Bachelor Auction: EbookPaperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Playboy Bachelor: EbookPaperbackAudibleGoodreads
#3 ~ The Playboy Contract: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Nov. 28, 2017)

about the author button

Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of New Adult, Regency, and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor. She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband, son, and their snoring boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers!

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Goodreads

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10 paperback copies of THE PLAYBOY BACHELOR by Rachel Van Dyken

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