Butterfly in Frost by Sylvia Day
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: August 27th 2019
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
From #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon Sylvia Day comes a hotly anticipated and passionate new love story.
Once, I would never have imagined myself here. But I’m settled now. In a place I love, in a home I renovated, spending time with new friends I adore, and working a job that fulfills me. I am reconciling the past and laying the groundwork for the future.
Then Garrett Frost moves in next door.
He’s obstinate and too bold, a raging force of nature that disrupts the careful order of my life. I recognize the ghosts that haunt him, the torment driving him. Garrett would be risky in any form, but wounded, he’s far more dangerous. I fear I’m too fragile for the storm raging inside him, too delicate to withstand the pain that buffets him. But he’s too determined…and too tempting.
And sometimes hope soars above even the iciest desolation.
IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! Sylvia Day’s next book post-Crossfire series is finally here. And while I can’t say that I loved it, I am SO happy she has a book out and that this means we have even more to come from this author.
Butterfly in Frost is a good-sized novella, not a full length book. It’s a quick, fast-paced, emotional read with the CRAZIEST twist at the end that I truly didn’t see coming. Teagan is a doctor living in Washington who works with pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. She works with Eva Cross(!) and keeps a quiet, steady life since moving away from Manhattan. Then her new neighbor moves in next door and Garrett Frost is all man, all gorgeousness, and all determined to win her heart.
I liked Garrett and Teagan’s story, but it was way too short and quick of a read. We only get to touch the surface of these characters and their issues, especially Teagan and her depression. Things progress insanely fast, romance-, sex-, and relationship-wise. I really wish we got something full-length for them because I know I would’ve loved it a lot more. The plot twist at the end though was FANTASTIC. I actually loved the twist and the way it changed how I looked at the entire story. Most of the problems I had with this book was explained with this twist, though it still wasn’t enough to make me fully love the book.
Sylvia Day can write, there’s no doubt about it. I’m still very much eagerly awaiting her Blacklist duet and praying it’ll be released soon. In the meantime, if you’ve missed Sylvia Day, I still encourage you to try this novella out.
Now here’s an excerpt from Butterfly in Frost! ❤
Roxy bounces on her feet with excitement. “Les and Marge sold their house.”
I blink. “I didn’t know they were selling.”
She laughs and heads toward the front door. “That’s the thing. They weren’t.”
“Wait, what?” I hurry after her as she steps outside.
I look to the right at my home, a lovingly restored butterfly-roofed midcentury, then on to the traditional house just beyond it that belongs—belonged—to Les and Marge. Including Roxy’s, all three of our homes have unique lots set between the homes that line the street and the Sound, affording us unhindered views of the water as well as exceptional privacy—all within a twenty-minute drive of the airport.
Roxy shortens the length of her stride to allow me to catch up, then glances over at me. “The day after you flew to New York, a Range Rover pulled into their driveway, and the guy inside offered them cash to close—and move out—in fourteen days.”
My step falters, and Minnie gets momentarily tangled in her leash. The dog shoots me what I would describe as an irritated look, then keeps trotting forward. “That’s crazy.”
“Isn’t it? Les wouldn’t say how much the offer was, but I’m thinking it was huge.”
We march up the inclined driveway, my head tilted back to take in the houses scaling the hillside. Designed with big windows to maximize the view, the homes have a look of wide-eyed wonder. Our little stretch of the Sound used to be a secret, but with the housing boom taking over Seattle and Tacoma, we’ve been discovered. Many residences are undergoing major renovation to suit the tastes of new owners.
Reaching the road, we turn left. To the right is a dead end.
“Well, if they’re happy,” I say, “I’m happy for them.”
“They’re overwhelmed. It was a lot to happen all at once, but I think they’re happy with their decision.” Roxanne stops when Bella does, and we wait as the two dogs mark one of their usual spots on the gravel edging the asphalt. There are no curbs on the streets in our neighborhood and no sidewalks. Just beautiful lawns and a profusion of flowering shrubs.
“We all tried prying information out of them,” she goes on, “but they weren’t sharing anything about the sale.” She gives me a sidelong glance. “But they did share a bit about the buyer.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Because Mike and I both think the buyer is someone famous. A film director maybe. Or an artist. Can you imagine? First Emily, a bestselling author. Then you, a reality-TV surgeon. Now this guy! Maybe we’re sitting on the new Malibu—beachside living without wildfires or state income tax!”
The mention of Roxy’s husband, Mike, coaxes an inner smile. A New York transplant like me, he adds a welcome touch of the life I left behind to the reality I’ve since created for myself—a reality that’s just been rocked by the loss of neighbors I like.
“What are the clues you’re working with?” I ask, deciding to play along. If I’ve learned anything the past year, it’s to accept the things I cannot change. A tough task for a control freak like me.
“Les pointed out to this guy that he hadn’t even seen the inside of the house. The guy said he didn’t need to. He knew already that ‘the light is perfect.’ I mean, who would say that? Gotta be someone who’s in visual arts, right?”
“Maybe,” I agree tentatively, disquieted by the unexpected conversation. The road rises sharply before us, the incline steep enough to put a little burn in my thighs. “Doesn’t mean he’s famous, though.”
“That’s the thing.” Her words carry a note of breathlessness. “Les wouldn’t give numbers, but he did say it was crazy the guy didn’t just buy that huge compound at the end of the street. That house is listed for three and a half million!”
My mind staggers at the thought. Les and Marge have—had—a beautiful home, but it’s not worth anywhere near that much.
“I think I saw the buyer once through that big arched window in the living room,” Roxy goes on. “The blonde with him was a looker. Supermodel skinny with legs for days.”
I’m panting when we reach the top; Roxy, who hits a gym most days of the week, is not.
A quarter mile farther, there’s a street to the right leading to Dash Point. Beyond that and straight ahead, the road slopes back down and around until it’s at water level. Redondo Beach is there, as is Salty’s, a restaurant on stilts in the water with expansive views of Poverty Bay and beyond. I’m about to wax poetic about Salty’s seafood chowder when a runner dashes around the corner at a full sprint. His sudden appearance rattles me. A closer look makes me freeze midstride. My breath locks in my lungs.
There are too many things to register at once, so my mind attempts to absorb the whole man. Dressed only in black shorts and shoes, he is a visual feast of deeply tanned skin, intricate sleeves of tattooed art, and sweat-slicked, flexing musculature.
And his face. Sculpted. Square-jawed. Brutally, breathlessly handsome.
Roxy, now a few feet in front of me, gives a low whistle. “Hot damn.”
Sylvia Day is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, #1 Sunday Times, #1 Der Spiegel, and #1 international bestselling author of over twenty award-winning novels sold in more than forty countries. She is a #1 bestselling author in twenty-eight countries, with tens of millions of copies of her books in print. Visit the author at www.sylviaday.com.
One with You by Sylvia Day
Series: Crossfire #5 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: April 5th 2016
Links: Ebook • Hardcover • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Gideon Cross. Falling in love with him was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. It happened instantly. Completely. Irrevocably.
Marrying him was a dream come true. Staying married to him is the fight of my life. Love transforms. Ours is both a refuge from the storm and the most violent of tempests. Two damaged souls entwined as one.
We have bared our deepest, ugliest secrets to one another. Gideon is the mirror that reflects all my flaws … and all the beauty I couldn’t see. He has given me everything. Now, I must prove I can be the rock, the shelter for him that he is for me. Together, we could stand against those who work so viciously to come between us.
But our greatest battle may lie within the very vows that give us strength. Committing to love was only the beginning. Fighting for it will either set us free … or break us apart.
Heartbreakingly and seductively poignant, One with You is the breathlessly awaited finale to the Crossfire saga, the searing love story that has captivated millions of readers worldwide.
It’s been a long time coming, but One with You is finally here – and what a wonderful conclusion to the Crossfire series it is!! Eva and Gideon have grown so much, have put so much effort into their relationship, and you can clearly see the culmination of it all in this final novel. I really can’t believe this series is over! It’s one of my top favorite series of all time, and Gideon is one of my top book boyfriends – I’m going to miss everything about the series so much!
I’d built my empire with the past in mind. Now, thanks to her, I would continue to build it for our future.
Eva and Gideon are slowly coming public with their marriage, and the fact that these two are so much more stable and mature than they were when they first met makes everything so much easier. They have a lot of pressure on them from the paparazzi, from their parents, from their jobs, but as long as they have each other, they can handle anything and everything. I absolutely adored how much character growth and development these two have shown throughout the series, how they worked so hard to overcome their struggles together to make their marriage work. Theirs is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love, a soul-deep connection that people only dream of, and the romance in One with You is just as powerful and intense as it was in Bared to You, if not more.
Happiness came in so many forms. Mine was Gideon.
“Miss me,” he ordered.
I blew him a kiss. “Always.”
Gideon is as perfect and sexy as ever. Eva is as awesome and fiery as ever. I love these two so, so much! There’s a lot going on in terms of the plot of this book, but any time it was just Eva and Gideon, I had hearts in my eyes. They can be so flirty and fun yet raw and passionate – Sylvia Day writes these two characters in such a way that they feel so real and genuine. They never once lose that spark that makes their characters shine.
Marriage suddenly didn’t seem like enough to safeguard what she meant to me. Why wasn’t there something more binding than a mere piece of paper that gave me the right to call her my wife? Vows were a promise, but what I needed was a guarantee that every day of my life would have her in it. I wanted my heart to beat in rhythm with hers and stop when hers did. Inextricably entwined, so I would never live even a moment without her.
I loved the way things ended for Gideon and Eva. Do we get the answers to every single question we have about the rest of the characters? No… but I honestly felt pretty okay with that. Yes, I would’ve loved getting Cary’s full story, or even Eva’s father’s story – but I feel like if everything wrapped up picture perfect, it wouldn’t have felt genuine. The Crossfire series is very much about Gideon and Eva, and I can’t complain about how their story ends. It took skill to write such a satisfying conclusion for such a sweeping, all-encompassing romance as Gideva’s, and of course Sylvia Day didn’t disappoint!
City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6) by Cassandra Clare
Release Date: May 27th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.
I am coming.
Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!
To Fix You by Samantha Towle
Release Date: Fall 2014
I’m a gigolo. Male escort. Hustler… whatever you like to call us. And in the past seven years, I’ve had sex with… well, I stopped counting after I hit five hundred… basically, I’ve screwed a lot of women.
I know what you’re thinking… I must have had a terrible childhood, something horrendous happened in my life that drove me to this career.
Wrong.
The best thing to ever happen to me is why I work this job.
My daughter.
I’m a single dad. And I have sex with women for money, to feed, clothe and put a roof over my eight year old daughters head.
Not ideal, I know, but now I need the money more than ever…
Four weeks ago my worst nightmare happened… my baby girl was diagnosed with Cancer. Now, I have to earn, and earn big, to pay the mounting medical bills.
I have never felt more terrified, and more alone, in my life.
My name is Lizzie Connelly.
Beautiful, twenty-two . . . I have it all, including a new internship most girls would rip out their own souls for. I work for Margaret Manning-Emerson, vice president at Emerson & Taylor—one of the biggest fashion powerhouses this country has ever seen.
I’m ambitious.
I want success.
Since we’re friends, maybe I should start from the beginning.
My real name is Elizabeth Emerson.
Alone, twenty-two . . . I have nothing but broken promises and a string of shit luck, and it’s all because of the woman who took it all ten years ago after my father died. My stepmother–Margaret Manning-Emerson, the woman who, before two months ago, had never laid eyes on me.
I’m ambitious.
I need the truth.
Things are complicated, though.
My plans are flawed from the beginning, and the biggest obstacle comes in the form of Landon. Sexy, too smart for his own damn good, and infuriating, he’s the one person who could blow my plans to uncover that bitch Margaret and expose her for what she really is. She’s his mother, and in another life, I guess that would have made him my stepbrother.
I’m ambitious.
I need to know what happened ten years ago.
But I want . . . him.
*This is a standalone title
**Release date to be announced closer to date
Ever since Lily died two years ago, Evie has been lost. She exists but doesn’t live. And she copes the only way she knows how: by wrecking things.
She exposes her dad’s affairs, ends things with her longtime boyfriend, and just last semester, she destroyed her music scholarship. Desperate to break away from all the destruction she’s caused and start over, Evie reinvents herself at her new university.
But then Rhys, her new voice instructor, happens. He’s gorgeous, insanely talented and apart of the dark past she’s trying to overcome. Rhys’s brother is the reason why Evie’s life is such a mess right now, the reason why Lily, Evie’s sister, is dead. And even though Rhys is the last person Evie should ever want, for the first time in two years, wrecking things seems…right.
Dark Skye (Immortals After Dark #14) by Kresley Cole
Release Date: August 5th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
Eternal Obsession
As a boy, Thronos, Lord of Skye Hall, loved Lanthe, a mischievous Sorceri girl who made him question everything about his Vrekener clan. But when the two got caught in the middle of their families’ war, tragedy struck, leaving Thronos and Lanthe bitter enemies. Though centuries have passed, nothing can cool his seething need for the beautiful enchantress who scarred his body—and left an even deeper impression on his soul.
Endless Yearning
Lanthe, a once-formidable sorceress struggling to reclaim her gifts, searches for love and acceptance with all the wrong immortal suitors. But she’s never forgotten Thronos, the magnificent silver-eyed boy who protected her until she was ripped from the shelter of his arms. One harrowing night changed everything between them. Now he’s a notorious warlord with a blood vendetta against Lanthe, hunting her relentlessly.
Can the heat of desire burn brighter than vengeance?
With their families locked in conflict and battles raging all around them, will Thronos and Lanthe succumb to the brutal chaos that threatens everything they cherish? Or will the fragile bond they formed so long ago spark a passion strong enough to withstand even the darkest doubts?
Tame Me (Stark International #1) by J. Kenner
Release Date: March 11th 2014
Preorder: Amazon
Aspiring actress Jamie Archer is on the run. From herself. From her wild child ways. From the screwed up life that she left behind in Los Angeles. And, most of all, from Ryan Hunter—the first man who has the potential to break through her defenses to see the dark fears and secrets she hides.
Stark International Security Chief Ryan Hunter knows only one thing for sure—he wants Jamie. Wants to hold her, make love to her, possess her, and claim her. Wants to do whatever it takes to make her his.
But after one night of bliss, Jamie bolts. And now it’s up to Ryan to not only bring her back, but to convince her that she’s running away from the best thing that ever happened to her–him.
He’s everything I admire plus things I can’t even put into words.
I crush on Jericho Barrons violently.
My brain almost shuts down every time I see him and that’s a lot of gray matter to stupefy.
Used to be, if I couldn’t fall asleep I’d fantasize all kinds of ways I’d impress Barrons by killing monsters or saying something really smart or saving the world, and he’d see me as a grown up woman and I’d glow just from the look on his face.
But then Ryodan began popping into my fantasies like he had some kind of business being there, and he’d look all, well…like…Ryodan and he’d laugh and do that husky groan thing he did on level four, so I terminated that happy little exercise in somnolence.
Now I count sheep.
Lately even those buggers look like Ryodan with clear, cold eyes and some weird kind of hypnotic hold on me.
Fecker.
I’m beginning to think I’m going to have to figure out a way to kill him, permanent-like just to get him out of my head.
My fists clench and teeth grind at the last words—words that feed off the worst of my fears—the urge to break something returning. To drown the pain that’s back with a vengeance. I know he’s pushed me to the breaking point. I can hear his quiet sigh through the screaming of every ounce of my being.
He stands slowly and I tell myself to look at him. To show him somehow I’ve heard him, but I can’t make myself do it. I feel his hand on the top of my head, like I’m a little boy again, and his uncertain voice whispers, “I love you Colton.”
The words fill my fucking head but I can get them past the fear lodged in my throat. Past the memories of the chant I used to say that was followed by the brutality and unspeakable pain. As much as I want to tell him—feel the need to tell him—I still can’t.
Series order:
★ (#1) Driven
★ (#2) Fueled
★ Preorder (#3) Crashed (out March 3rd 2014)
★ A teaser from Saving Quinton (Nova #2) by Jessica Sorensen!
I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming. Or maybe I’m dead. I’m hoping for the latter, but I don’t it’s the correct assumption because this feels different than the first time I died. If I’m dreaming, it’s a beautiful dream, one where I’m with Nova and we’re happy. I’m surprised I’m seeing myself with her and normally I’d stop my thoughts from going there, but I’m not awake enough to care. Plus I feel really good, better than I have in a while. Everything feels light. Breathless. Hazy and weightless. My memories of my past are fading. I can no longer feel the blood on my hands or the weight of guilt on my shoulders. Something wonderful is taking over. I’m not in the darkness, locked within myself. I’ve been swept up by light and I feel like I could do anything at the moment as I lie on my back, gazing up at the sky. Nova hovers over me, cupping my cheek, and her skin is so damn warm and she smells amazing. And her eyes… bright blue with specks of green, her skin dotted with freckles, and her full lips that look so delicious I want to taste them… and I’m going to, because nothing matters at the moment. It’s not real, which makes it easier to take what I want—admit what I want.
I lean up, not even thinking about what I’m doing, and press my lips to hers. It hurts my mouth but the pain is worth it—it’s worth everything just to taste her again. I could do it forever, and I want to, but when I slip my tongue deep inside her mouth, she pulls away, her eyes widening and swarming with confusion. I open my mouth to tell her to come back to me, because I want her—need to kiss her again—but then her lips start moving and the haze from my brain gradually starts to lift.
“Quinton, can you hear me?” she asks, her voice soft, distant. Or maybe I’m the one who’s distant.
“I…” It hurts to talk, my throat too dry, and the brightness of the sun is stinging at my eyes.
“Are you okay?” she says and the sunlight dims as the blue sky changes into my shitty bedroom ceiling stained with water and cracks. That stupid drip comes into focus, haunting me again.
I suddenly realize that I’m in my room. Awake. And Nova’s here. With me.
★ Teaser from Thoughtful (Kellan’s POV of Thoughtless) by S.C. Stephens:
When the coffee was done, I prepared our cups, and set Kiera’s down in front of her. I leaned back in my chair, perfectly content as I drank mine. Kiera hunched over her mug like she was freezing and it was the only source of warmth in the room. I knew her reaction wasn’t from the cold though, and knowing that made my smile even wider. Jealousy is a bitch, isn’t it, Kiera?
★ Special announcement and sneak peek from K.A. Linde!
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
I’ve been working on a super secret project for a little while now. I wasn’t sure if it was going to turn into anything, but I can’t seem to stop writing it. I’m madly in love with this book! Now that I’m at a comfortable distance, I can tell you about it!!!
Yeah, that might sound cocky or maybe a bit disgusting even, but I’ve never given two fucks. I wasn’t about to start now.
And whoever was lying beside me right now needed to get the fuck out before I started remembering her name. Did I remember her name? Lany. Lacy. Lucy? No. Fuck. I didn’t give a shit. She just needed to leave so that I could get back to sleep.
“Babe,” I grumbled, nudging the chick in the ribs. “Darlin’.”
“Mmm,” she groaned. “I love when you call me darlin’.”
I already knew she liked it. She had lost her clothes quickly enough to the sound of it last night. Now, I was pretty sure I’d never say it again if it meant that she would get out quicker.
“Time to go home.”
The girl turned on her side and tucked the comforter over her tits. Well, there went her best quality. She gave me a come-and-get-me look and pouted her lips as if that was going to change my mind.
“Oh come on, Grant,” she whispered throatily.
Her hand slid down my chest and then farther south. Yeah, not happening. I wasn’t interested in another mediocre performance on her part. Maybe a blowjob, but even then probably not.
She stroked my cock and I was reconsidering that blowjob. She had to be better at sucking dick then fucking. It was some unwritten rule. Either they sucked or they fucked.
“No, honey. It’s time for you to go home.” I rolled onto my back and reached for a joint on my nightstand.
“That’s not what you were saying last night.”
I flicked the zippo to life and took a drag on the joint. “That’s what I’m saying now. You knew how this was going to go when you came back with me. So save me the headache and just leave.”
“Whore,” she snapped. She hopped out of bed, snatched up her clothes, and then stormed toward the door. I waited until it slammed shut behind her before blowing out the smoke.
Wasn’t the first time I’d heard that either. I preferred the term man whore. I’d earned that title and I was fucking proud of it.
★ Toxic (Ruin #2) by Rachel Van Dyken has a blurb!
Everyone has a secret…
Gabe Hyde is on borrowed time. He’s been hiding his identity for over four years-hidden from the world that used to adore him–obsess over him–driven to the edge of insanity by one poor choice.
But that one choice, altered the course of his life forever.
Pretending isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially when pretending means hiding your real self from the people that care about you the most. But if anyone ever discovered the truth it wouldn’t just be his life at risk–but hers.
Saylor doesn’t hate men.
Just Gabe.
Only Gabe.
He’s a reckless, happy-go-lucky, silver spoon fed pain in her ass. Everything about him makes her more and more confused. Unfortunately they both donate time at the same Group Home. If she wasn’t afraid of flunking, she’d be long gone. She hates that she’s attracted to him almost as much as he hates that he’s attracted to her–and she can tell, especially since their first encounter ended up making her knees so weak she couldn’t form coherent sentences for weeks afterwards. But the closer she gets to him, the more confused she becomes. He isn’t who he says he is, and he’s hiding something big.
What happen when two worlds collide? Two worlds that never should have met in the first place? Some secrets are too big to be hidden forever–the only question? Will his destroy everyone he loves? Or finally bring about the redemption he’s been craving for the past four years?
★ This is Sylvia Day’s live Q&A! And she’s writing a new series called Blacklist!
★ The Swan & the Jackal (In the Company of Killers #3) by J.A. Redmerski has a blurb!
Fredrik Gustavsson never considered the possibility of love, or that anyone could ever understand or accept his dark and bloody lifestyle—until he met Seraphina, a woman as vicious and blood-thirsty as Fredrik himself. They spent two short but unforgettable years together, full of lust and killing and the darkest kind of love that two people can share.
And then Seraphina was gone.
It’s been six years since Fredrik’s lover and sadistic partner in crime turned his world upside-down. Seraphina went into hiding and has eluded him ever since. Now, he’s getting closer to finding her, and an innocent woman named Cassia is the key to drawing Seraphina from the shadows. But Cassia—after sustaining injuries from a fire that Seraphina ignited—suffers from amnesia and can’t give Fredrik the information he desperately seeks. Having no other choice, Fredrik has been keeping Cassia locked in his basement as he not only tries to get her to recall her past—because she and Seraphina share it—but also to protect her from Seraphina, who clearly wants her dead.
But Cassia is a light in the darkness that Fredrik never believed existed. After a year subjected to her kindness and compassion, he finds himself struggling with his love for Seraphina, and his growing feelings for Cassia—because he knows that to love one, the other must die.
Will light win out over darkness, or will something more powerful than either further destroy an already tortured soul?
(Note: THE SWAN & THE JACKAL is NOT a New Adult title. It, and all other books in the series are categorized as Suspense/Crime/Thriller/Romantic Suspense and Adult.)
The release date for Apolonia has been changed to November 2014. But the good news is that Trent’s book’s release date has been moved up, and you’ll be getting it sooner than fall 2014!
With blood still on her hands, Samantha Matthews is on the run, running from dark secrets and a man she prays to God will never find her. Running and hiding, just to stay alive. She had no choice but to run, to leave, to hide and forget about her life before. When Samantha believes she’s gained enough distance from her past and her demons, she stops running, hoping to find her future in the heavily wooded area of the Adirondack Mountains, a place she never expected to encounter a man with secrets as dark and as sordid as hers.
Kade Grayson is hiding, not from the demons after him, but from himself and from the entire outside world, wishing every day he could have just died. Arrogant and domineering, he’s tormented and terrorized by his past, seeing nothing good for his future. With the ghosts of his past still haunting him, he has exiled himself to a life of solitude, only living for his words and through his stories.
Until her.
An undeniable attraction, turns into hate and then ultimately obsession, an obsession that grows into a powerful story of love and redemption.
Will the bond they have begun to build between them grow stronger than the tragedies that have scarred both of their lives? Or will they allow their demons to consume them?
This book is a full length Adult Contemporary Romance and is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.
Angel Moreno and Sarah Fiero fell in love in Forever Mine, but for a couple of high school sweethearts, forever is a really long time…
Catch up with them and the whole gang in college as past insecurities resurface. As if dealing with her best friend Sydney wasn’t enough, Angel now has two more men to deal with in Sarah’s life. There’s no shortage of edge-of-your-seat, angsty drama, tears, and laughter as Angel and Sarah’s love is put to the ultimate test in this addition to the Moreno Brother series.
Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines.
Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?
His mouth works its way to my other breast, just as his hands slip inside my panties at my hips.
“I think I have to rip these off you, because I sure don’t want you to move off my lap,” he says.
I smile. “Fine with me. I have more where these came from.”
I can feel him grin against my skin as his hands pull at the elastic band of my underwear. He yanks on one side, but fails to tear them. He tries ripping the other side to pull them off me, but nothing gives.
“You’re giving me a wedgie,” I say, laughing.
He lets out a frustrated sigh. “It’s always so much sexier when they do this on TV.”
I readjust myself and sit up straighter. “Try it again,” I encourage him. “You can do it, Miles.”
He grabs the left side of my panties and yanks them hard. “Ouch!” I yell, scooting in the direction he’s pulling to lessen the pain of the elastic digging into my right side.
He laughs and drops his face to my neck. “Sorry,” he says. “Got any scissors?”
I cringe at the thought of him coming at me with a pair of scissors. I scoot off of him and stand up, then pull my underwear down, kicking them off and away from me.
“Watching you do that was totally worth my failed attempt at being sexy,” he says.
I smile. “Your failed attempt at being sexy actually made you sexy.”
My comment makes him laugh again. I walk toward him and climb back onto his lap. He repositions me so that I’m straddling him again.
“My failures are a turn on for you?” he asks teasingly.
“Oh yeah,” I murmur. “So hot.”
His hands are on me again, roaming across my back and up into my hair and down my arms. “You would have loved me from the ages of thirteen to sixteen,” he says. “I failed at pretty much everything. Especially football.”
I grin. “Now we’re talking,” I say. “Tell me more.”
“Baseball,” he says, right before he presses his mouth to my neck. He slowly kisses his way up to my ear. “And one semester of world geography.”
“Holy shit.” I moan. “Now that’s hot.”
He moves to my mouth and pulls me in for a soft kiss, barely touching his lips to mine. “I failed at kissing, too,” he whispers against my mouth. “Terribly. I almost choked a girl with my tongue once.”
I laugh.
“Want me to show you?” he asks.
As soon as I nod, he’s repositioning us on the couch until I’m lying on my back and he’s on top of me. “Open your mouth,” he says.
I open it. He drops his mouth to mine and shoves his tongue inside, giving me what is quite possibly the worst kiss I’ve ever experienced. I push against his chest, attempting to get his tongue out of my mouth, but he doesn’t budge. I turn my face to the left and he begins licking my cheek, causing me to laugh even harder.
“Oh, my God, that was terrible, Miles!”
He pulls his mouth away and lowers himself on top of me. “I got better.”
I nod. “That’s a fact,” I say, agreeing wholeheartedly.
We’re both smiling. The contented look on his face fills me with so many emotions; I can’t even begin to classify them. I’m happy, because we’re having fun together. I’m sad, because we’re having fun together. I’m angry, because we’re having fun together and it makes me want so much more of this. So much more of him.
We quietly stare at each other, until he slowly dips his head, pressing a long kiss against my lips. He begins placing soft kisses all over my mouth until the kisses become longer and more intense. His tongue eventually parts my lips and the playfulness disappears.
It’s quite serious now as our kiss grows more hurried and his clothes begin to join mine on the floor, piece by piece.
“The couch or your bed?” he whispers.
“Both.”
He obliges.
“I wasn’t a violent guy. I never lost my cool, but right now I was close to it. Harlow was here. She’d heard me and Nan. Holy hell!” – Grant Carter from TAKE A CHANCE
Pre-order Be with Me: Amazon | B&N
Pre-order White Hot Kiss: Amazon
★ Teaser from Kiss the Sky by Krista & Becca Ritchie!
★ SQUEE!! Sylvia Day posted a teaser from Captivated by You for New Years, and it’s Gideon’s POV! Read it here.
★ Teaser from Before Jamaica Lane (On Dublin Street #3) by Samantha Young! Pre-order Before Jamaica Lane: Amazon
“I shut the door behind me, leaned against it, and turned the lock. Our eyes met across the room and clung. “New lesson?” The words came out all husky and needful.
Nate straightened up to his full height. “Tonight’s lesson: Use your initiative.”
Without saying a word I shrugged out of my jacket and began to undress.
Nate’s eyes smoldered as he prowled toward me. “Good initiative.”
★ Excerpt from Play (Stage Dive #2) by Kylie Scott! Pre-order Play: Amazon
“Trouble in paradise?” Jimmy Ferris stepped out onto the balcony, his trademark sneery smile in place. I could have kissed him for his timely intervention. Except kissing was what had gotten me into this mess.
“Hiding from Indie?” asked Mal, calmly.
Jimmy flicked his dark hair back. His gaze slid to me before moving onto the city lights below. There was a non answer if I’d ever seen one.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Mal snorted. All of his intensity had evaporated into thin air, thank god.
“We’re all good thanks, bro. Just picking out names for our future children. Anne wants Malcolm Junior for a boy but I said no, absolutely not. Kid should at least have a chance at a life out from underneath the shadow of his old man.”
“That’s real big of you,” said Jimmy.
“I know right? Being a parent is all about the sacrifices.”
Mal slid his hand behind my neck, rubbing at the tight muscles. “Relax,” he ordered. “It isn’t good for the baby.”
“I am not pregnant.”
“Ah, shit, that’s right. We were ‘sposed to be keeping it quiet. Sorry, Pumpkin.” He smacked himself in the forehead. I would’ve been happy to do it for him.
“Don’t worry,” said Jimmy. “We’ve been friends since we were kids. I know when he’s speaking shit.”
I wish I did.
“Who’s pregnant?” asked David Ferris, wandering out onto the balcony with his wife in one hand and a beer in the other.
With a look of great pride, Mal rubbed my belly. Any roundness was far more likely due to a weakness for cake than any acts of procreation.
“We were keeping it on the down low,” said Mal. “We didn’t want to upstage you two lovebirds.”
“Fast work,” said David.
“My boys can swim.” Mal winked.
“I don’t think you can actually tell that soon, dickhead.” Jimmy crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of windows. “Science and stuff, right?”
“A real man knows when his woman is knocked up, Jimbo. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“A real man, huh?” Jimmy pushed off the window, walking slowly toward Mal. His smile would’ve given a shark second thoughts. Hell, they were both smiling. What was it about males that they felt this primal need to beat the shit out of each other for the fun of it? Why?
“Guys,” said Ev. “No punching at my do-over wedding, playful or otherwise.”
“What about bitch-slapping?” asked Mal, swinging his arm in Jimmy’s direction.
“Let’s not.” I grabbed his hand and dragged it down by my side before he could do anyone any damage.
★ Pepper Winters is writing a new book called Destroyed! Here’s a snippet:
“I can order my own liquor, princess.”
“Not princess,” she snapped, never taking her eyes from the page informing her how to get seven fucking orgasms in one go. Oh please. A woman should clap and bow and give us the key to the city if she even achieved one orgasm. That shit was hard work. Seven—that was just asking for a Nobel prize with an Oscar winner trophy all in one go.
Stupid woman.
“You want me to prove to you how ridiculous that claim is?” I twisted further so my finger hovered over the small blurb saying: I came just by looking into my soul-mates eyes.
She chuckled and turned the page. “I already know it’s ridiculous and don’t need a pumped-up idiot who’s afraid of women to tell me.” She smacked her lips. “Now, leave me alone.”
★ Loving Cara (Love Under the Big Sky #1) by Kristen Proby snippet! Pre-order Loving Cara: Amazon
“Okay, then teach me how to do this.” She positions the white ball on the green felt of the table, lining it up to hit a green stripe in the corner. I lean back against my stool and watch her lean over the table, her ass pulling the cotton of her dress tight, and she shoots, completely missing.
“Josh?” She looks back at me over her shoulder.
“Yes, baby?”
“Help.”
“Put the cue down, Cara.”
She frowns and lays the cue on the table and turns to me.
“Come here.”
My arms are crossed over my chest, hands tucked firmly under my biceps as I lean on the chair, my feet shoulder-width apart.
“What is it?” She comes to stand directly in front of me.
I stare down at her for a moment, taking in her wide amber eyes, glassy from a little too much beer, and her long blond hair, tucked behind her ears now, showing off the hoops in her ears.
“You don’t want to play pool?” she asks with a raised brow.
I shake my head no, my face perfectly calm. “What do you want to do?”
I lean in, still not touching her, and whisper directly into her ear, “I want to take you home and f*ck the hell out of you all night long.”
I pull back in time to see her mouth drop in surprise, and then she sends me a sassy smile. “What are we waiting for?”
With a laugh, I bend down and lift her onto my shoulder, my forearm looped over the back of her thighs, careful to make sure the hem of her dress is covering all the necessary parts so I don’t have to kill anyone for looking up her skirt, and carry her out to the delight of the patrons still in the bar.
“Hey!” She slaps my ass and then braces herself on my hips as I slap hers back.
“Stay still, baby.”
“I was right, you are a caveman.”
“At least I’m not dragging you by your hair.”
“No, but can you still pull it later?” She giggles, earning another slap on her ass.
“Absolutely.”
“You sure slap my ass a lot, caveman.”
“I f*cking love your ass, baby.”
-Josh and Cara, LOVING CARA, available January 21, 2014 from Pocket Books.
Other News!!
★ Rival (Fall Away #2) by Penelope Douglas has a BLURB!
It’s different within these four walls—behind this closed door, at night, in the dark. I’m not Madoc, and she’s not Fallon. I’m not smiling, cracking jokes, or putting up a front. And she’s not cutting me down with her smart mouth or looking at me and wishing I was a million miles away from her.
Here—in her room, on her turf—is where she’ll let go of everything that makes her fight me everywhere else. I told her that she could lock the door to keep me out. She never does.
Madoc thinks that he has me pegged. He thinks that what you see is what you get, and that he’s on top of this game. Three years ago, I was cast aside and kicked out of my home all because of him. The little prince plays a game not even knowing that we’re at war.
Some people call it fighting. Others call it angst. Our parents call it sibling rivalry.
★ EEP!! Darynda Jones has written a Charley Davidson Christmas story called Shimmer! You can read it here, but there will be spoilers for those who haven’t read Fifth Grave Past the Light! PLUS, read Glow, Shimmer in Reyes’s POV, here!
★ Another bonus scene in Braden’s POV from Samantha Young! Read it here.
★ You can read teasers of Coming Home and enter giveaways from Priscilla Glenn on her Facebook page here!
★ Read a deleted scene from Howling for You by Chloe Neill here!
★ Abbi Glines discusses 2014 and her upcoming releases here!
Pre-order Take a Chance: Amazon
Pre-order One More Chance: Amazon
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