Book Blitz & Giveaway: The Friend Face Off [Love on Thin Ice 03] by Grace Worthington!

Excerpt!

   “She can’t go with you,” a voice growls behind me. I spin around to see the hockey player’s steel gaze locked on the jerk who’s asking me out.
   “Why not?”

   “Because she’s going to the party with me,” Dawson replies without looking at me.
   My breath catches. I’m caught between a guy who makes angry hives break out on my body, and one who makes my heart feel things I shouldn’t. 
   “Is this true?” Stewart asks me directly.
   I pause, then look at Dawson. “Yes, he’s my date,” I say, even though I know this is a bad idea. Because once it’s out there, I’m committed. I’ll have to date my brother’s best friend.
   I make myself move closer to Dawson and give his arm a pat, only to realize I'm touching what feels like a boulder. Seriously, no man should be walking around with biceps that huge, even if he is holding a coffee carrier with four cups. Either the man is working for a food delivery service in his spare time or consumes coffee at an alarming rate.
   Dawson’s eyes trace over my workout wear. His mouth quirks at the corner. “Good run?”
   I nod and thread my fingers through my knotted ponytail.
   “You were always so fast,” he says.
   How does he know this?
   “Oh, right,” I laugh. “The night I tried to leave you behind at the party.” 
   I glance up at him and I’m immediately mesmerized by his eyes. He’s not my usual type—his hands are calloused from hockey. He’s rough and mysterious and his hair looks amazing without any effort. Plus, he’s always ready with a hockey pickup line that’s so cheesy it actually circles back to charming. 
   I need an emotionally sensitive man who reads books and quotes my favorite parts. Not someone who punches people in the face for a living. Of course, there was that one time he quoted Jane Austen. And he did buy my favorite romance book at the store. What kind of man does that?
   My eyes trace over his frame. Dawson’s got that tall, dark, and muscular look. Put him in flannel and he’d be a sexy lumberjack. The image of Dawson in flannel with an axe stirs a funny feeling in my chest. 
   I can’t date a hockey player. He’s my brother’s best friend. That’s double the trouble. 
   And I just agreed to a fake date with him.

Getting involved with your brother’s best friend is risky enough. But when he’s a hockey player? It’s a whole new level of bad idea.

As a ravenous reader, I’ve got a secret: I’m obsessed with hockey romances.

But let me tell you, real life hockey players are nothing like my book boyfriends.

So I threw down the gauntlet on BookTok. I challenged any single guy out there to prove me wrong. Can a real hockey player be as romantic as the ones in my favorite stories?

Enter Dawson Hayes, a goalie with a point to prove and my brother’s best friend. He’s confident he can win me over and take me on the most romantic date of my life.

But there’s a catch: for me to accept, I have to pretend that he’s my fake boyfriend. Now everyone in my small town thinks that Dawson and I are having a fall fling. Even if it’s a fling that can’t last.

Worst of all, I’m starting to believe this fling is real. I’m falling for my brother’s best friend.

DAWSON

The first time I met Emmy, her brother warned me to stay away. As hockey teammates, that made her totally off-limits.

But now I’m back in Emmy’s small town to play in a charity hockey match, and I can’t resist her dating challenge: to find out if any man can be more romantic than the book boyfriends she adores.

Emmy and I are both fiercely competitive, and I’m determined to win her over.

When the moment of truth comes, the chemistry between us turns into something neither of us expected:

A romantic face-off between friends who are insanely attracted to each other.

Now, I’m out to prove to her that you should never judge a book by its cover—or a hockey player when it comes to love.

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Author bio:

Grace Worthington eats, breathes, and geeks out over sweet romcoms. So it’s no surprise that she believes that laughter and love are a cure-all for pretty much everything in life. After a short stint working in musical theatre (where she was often cast in comedic roles), she instills her books with witty banter, lovable characters, and a story that moves your heart and soul. Her inspiration includes quaint towns by the beach, romantic comedy movies from the '80s & '90s, and the crazy shenanigans of her family. Snag a free sweet romcom at graceworthington.com

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: State of Union [Kingmaker 03] by Paula Dombrowiak!

Excerpt!

   “Are you so angry I left that you’d offer my mother money just to prove a point?”

   “I didn’t do it to prove a point,” he reassures.

   “You can’t help messing with my life!” I yell at him.

   “I wouldn’t have to if you had just taken the money and gotten the hell away from them,” he explains. “At least I could have dealt with that, but not this.” He motions around the house in disgust and it’s that look in his eyes that I can’t bear.

   I know what he sees.

   “What happened to you?” he shakes his head.

   I look at him with confusion.

   “When I first met you, I was sleeping with one eye open, afraid you’d try to smother me in my sleep,” he jokes darkly. “Then I find you living back here with these people,” he says it with disdain.

   “She was the only family I had left!” I yell, my voice echoing through the empty room and off the walls.

   He raises his voice. “And you are my family!” He taps his chest. “You had five million dollars. You could have gone anywhere. You could have had any life. Instead, you donated it all and came back here to work as a waitress, living with your stepfather,” he accuses. “You cannot ask me to have that knowledge and be fine with it,” he continues. “I couldn’t keep your money.”

   “I know,” he says quietly. “Because you love me.”

   “I don’t love you, Darren,” I grit out.

   He smiles that wolfish grin like he knows a secret. “If you say so. You want to deny that you love me, fine. You don’t want to come back to Washington with me? Fine.” He pulls a lighter from his pocket. Flicking it on, he watches the bright red flame flicker in the drafty room. “But in no world would I ever accept you living here with them,” he raises his voice, the flame flickering.

   “So you can hate me all you want, but I’ll sleep well knowing they’re far away from you,” he grits out, snapping the lighter closed.

   He takes a step forward, grabbing my hand roughly and placing the lighter in my palm. “The house is yours, Evangeline. I bought it for you. Burn it down if that’s what you want.”

Our marriage could make or break us…

Letting go of billionaire playboy Darren Walker was the right thing to do.

My life as a former escort will only damage his campaign for congress, and I’m too scared to admit I’ve fallen in love with my fake husband.

Except when Darren finds me and refuses to let me go, I can’t run from my feelings any longer. It’s time I have the courage to confess that he isn’t my husband in name only. He’s my everything.

All Darren wants is to carve out a future for himself while honoring his father’s legacy. But can I truly be the politician’s wife my husband needs when there are those who will use me to derail his campaign?

It doesn’t matter how much we love each other, I can’t change my past.

But we have no way of knowing that he has shocking family secrets that are yet to be revealed. Secrets bigger than me and powerful enough to destroy him.

And his enemies won’t stop until they’ve left him—and our marriage—in ruins…

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Author bio:

Paula Dombrowiak grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but currently lives in Arizona. She is the author of Blood and Bone, her first adult romance novel which combines her love of music and imperfect relationships. Paula is a lifelong music junkie, whose wardrobe consists of band T-shirts and leggings which are perpetually covered in pet hair. She is a sucker for a redeemable villain, bad boys, and the tragically flawed. Music inspires her storytelling.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Wanderer of the Wastes by Kit Karlsson!

Kol Mendona, one of the last humans on the magical continent of Alon, is desperate to escape his dying underground compound. When Alessi, a fierce dragon slayer with silver eyes, arrives, Kol sees a way out. As they journey together through the deadly wastes, an unexpected bond forms between them – one fueled by passion and dangerous magic.

But as Kol’s strange new powers awaken, their bond becomes increasingly unstable. Something within him is changing in ways he doesn’t fully understand, and if Alessi ever discovers the truth, Kol may lose more than her affections…

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Kit enjoyed writing as a child and rediscovered her passion during the COVID-19 lockdown. She has a degree in finance and recently graduated from law school, where she was the administrative editor of an academic publication. When she’s not writing, you can find her running barefoot, taming stray cats, or listening to paranormal podcasts.

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Book Blitz & Giveaway: A Sleigh Ride For Charlotte by Sarah Lamb!

Excerpt!

   “Doctor, I know. I know that you are in love with Charlotte. I also know that the gifts she’s gotten have been from you, not August.”

   This wasn’t at all what he’d expected her to say. Justin stiffened, though he tried to remain calm. “I beg your pardon?”

   I beg your pardon? That was the best he could do? The only thing he could think of to say?

   “Yes,” she told him. “A mother sees things. You need to tell Charlotte how you feel.”

   It struck him then. She was twisting her hands and looking anxious because she was upset. Of course she was. Her daughter, one who was both beautiful and of marrying age was working for him. They were alone, and it was likely she suspected him of acting inappropriately.

   He had to set things right.

   “Mrs. Harrison, I promise you that in no way have I compromised your daughter’s reputation,” he started.

   “And why not?” she asked, surprising him.

   “Wh-why not?”

   “If you had, then we could have married the two of you, been rid of that horrid August Middleton and whatever plan he has for my Charlotte. You care for her, don’t you?”

   “I do,” he said, panic rising in him. This wasn’t a conversation he’d thought to have.

   “Then why,” she urged, “won’t you tell her? Why do you let her think that scoundrel has sent her those thoughtful gifts? You must say something to her. Especially before it’s too late.”

   Justin was silent for a moment. When he looked into Mrs. Harrison’s face, all he saw was compassion. It made him want to tell her. To confess everything in his heart.

   “My dear boy,” she said quietly. “You care so much for her. So, why?”

   “I’m not who she wants. It’s him, not me,” he suddenly burst out, pacing. All of his hurt, all of his insecurities and fears and upset rushed out of him. Now that the flood had started, he couldn’t hold it back.

   “I’m not rich, I’m not handsome. I have nothing to offer. A doctor with his first practice—a new one at that—in a small town is not wealthy. Why, half of my patients don’t pay me in coin, but in service or food. I couldn’t give her all she deserves.”

   “What does she deserve?” Charlotte’s mother asked, placing her hands in her lap, while her eyes never left his.

   “She deserves someone who loves her. Who can give her what she desires. Who can care for her and protect her and…and I am none of those things.” He gestured wildly, hoping his hands would convey his desperation. “The only way that I can protect her is by staying away.”

   Justin lowered his head and whispered, “If I don’t, he will hurt you both.”

Sometimes the simple choice isn’t easy.

Charlotte Harrison dreams of being part of the winter festival, where romance fills the air and new starts are made. Penniless after her family was swindled, she’s always stayed home, unwilling to be looked at with pity. But this year Charlotte is desperate and willing to do whatever it takes to be there when she hears the most eligible man in town has his eye on her.

New to town, Dr. Justin Davis is in dire need of someone to assist him at his practice. When Charlotte is suggested, it seems like an opportunity for them both. At first, he simply wants to help her financial situation. But against his better judgment, he falls in love with her. Worst of all, the man she desires is someone he can’t stand, and he might have just sent her straight into his arms.

Through a series of surprising events, Charlotte learns that not everyone is as they seem, and when she goes to give her heart away, she’s faced with uncertainty. Who is she going to choose? The man she’s been longing for? Or the man who truly loves her?

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Sarah is wife to an amazing teacher and mom to two boys who are growing up just a little too fast. Her day job is helping others to become writers, while she squeezes in each spare moment she can on her own books. She spends her days working and writing in the Blue Ridge Mountains and planning her next trip to Disney World.

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Release Day Blitz: Rent Free [Carter Brothers 05] by Lani Lynn Vale!

Fuck me for choosing the wrong sister.

Atlas Carter was a protector. He was a police officer, had spent years in the Air Force, spent his entire teen years as a volunteer firefighter.

Being a protector was in his blood.

It was his dream.

So when a woman was in a dangerous situation, it was his every instinct to protect her. To shield her. To watch over her.

Only, that woman had played him.

She’d set him up.

She’d made sure that he only saw her.

Then, when the real woman who should hold his heart, the sister, comes into his life, he doesn’t see past the hatred of her to know that she’s only trying to protect him in return.

He spends the next year terrorizing the woman who’s supposed to be his. When the dust finally settles, and he can see clearly once again, she’s no longer there waiting for him.

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Lani Lynn Vale is an American author of humorous romantic suspense novels. Born in the Great State of Texas, she has lived the majority of her adult life in East Texas where most of her novels are based. She’s married to her high school sweetheart whom her readers refer to as “LLV’s Bearded Half.” She published her first novel, Boomtown. in the summer of 2013 after the birth of her third child. She’s gone on to publish over 100 novels, with most of them going on to become USA Today Bestsellers.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Coerced Queen [New York Underworld 03] by Charmaine Pauls!

My husband will never love me, but I’m in this now until death do us part.

The man who threatened to carry me over his shoulder down the aisle and marry me at knifepoint is both my captor and my liberator. He makes me weak and strong at the same time.

Before, he didn’t give me an option. Now, there’s a choice. But he’s determined to push me away.

If I’m wise, I’ll take that freedom and run for my life. Because the heart of the man who captured and saved me will always belong to the woman who broke it. The man who calls himself my husband will never be mine.

Only, there is no choice for me any longer. It’s way too late to walk away.

I’m in this war now … until death do us part.

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Author bio:

Charmaine loves to write dark and edgy romance that will melt both your e-reader and your heart. She's a mom of two teenagers, an adorable dog, and a dominant cat. Her country of birth is South Africa where many of her stories play off. Her French husband kidnapped her to the south of France where she currently lives with her family. When she's not writing, you'll find her in the kitchen baking cakes or in the gym lifting weights (because ... all those cakes!).

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Blog Tour & Giveaway: Atomica – Between Sea and Sky [Atomica 01] by Heather McKenzie!

Excerpt!

   I had no idea how many days had passed when the ship began losing battle with a raging storm. All of us being held captive by the Raiders had gone through hell and back already, so this was an additional layer of torture. We were all hurting and scared to bits, yet the sea couldn’t care less—it was going to drown us one way or another.

   And maybe that was a blessing.

   As I watched Zoleya from across the cage, water began dripping down from the oily planks overhead and between the unbreakable iron bars. We were in the belly of the ship, the women cowering in the corner either praying or crying, and the men moaning in agony and fear. I was helpless to do anything, only able to watch dried blood turn to tiny red rivers on Zoleya’s skin as she became soaked to the bone. Our journey across Aldira had been hellacious, to say the least, but being responsible for the state she was in felt worse than a million knives slicing up my heart. I was supposed to protect her, and I had failed.

   “We’ll be okay,” said a doe-eyed woman with arms and legs thin as toothpicks. All her front teeth were broken, making her hard to understand. “The storm will pass soon.”

   Normally I’d respect someone who was just trying to be comforting, but that was a bald-faced lie.

   One of the men chained up across from me snorted in disgust. “Delusional,” he said and spat, adding to the slimy water lapping at our toes.

   We could all hear the Raiders up on deck losing battle with the violent weather and churning seas, panic thick in their voices as they yelled “Secure the lashings” and “Man overboard.”

   As water inched past our ankles and up our calves, Zoleya’s gaze met mine. The light from the quivering lanterns danced in her irises. She was so pale. The sky-blue sundress she favored torn and splattered with filth. Her long white hair hung loose down to her hips, clinging to her petite frame—I hadn’t had a chance to braid it for the day before we’d been captured.

   “Calla is correct,” she said, agreeing simply to provide an extra ray of hope. But Zo was bad at lying. Her lip always quivered. “Things will be just fine. Our journey will come to an end soon,” she added.

   Well, that was at least true. Soon we’d all be dead.

   “If you mean that we’re going to drown, then so be it,” a giant of a man with sores all over his face practically growled at her. “I’d rather die at sea than on Cal de Mac. Drowning would be better than what the Raiders will put us through if we make it to their homeland.”

   He was right. The women would be sold as slaves, and the men and I, with our wrists chained over our heads and ankles shackled together, would be forced to fight in the arenas until our last breath. Being captured by these thieves of the land and pirates of the sea was a certain death sentence, and I saw no way out.

   The wind howled like a million wounded Black-Blooded, shrill and curling up tight to my eardrums. As the ship seemed to break apart, I thought of Mom, of Delia, and of Father, their graves dug deep in the toxic Aldiran dirt. Then I prayed to a god who never had a moment to spare for me, begging her to magically transport me back to the cabin with the little woodstove and bury my body next to theirs.

   Those who were not chained up in the cage toppled into each other as the ship crested a wave before dipping sharply downward and then leveling out. Lightning crackled through the sky. Someone let out a heart-wrenching wail… I couldn’t just hang here like a carcass waiting to be gutted, I had to try to do something. Anything.

   Tugging on my restraints caused the shackles to dig deep into my wrists. A sickly warmth trickled down my arms. I nearly passed out from the pain, but I kept tugging; at least I would die with honor trying to save Zoleya.

   “They can’t be barbaric enough to leave us down here to drown,” said a woman with a small child clinging to her legs.

   A man across from me with black greasy curls let out a pained laugh. “Oh, but they are.” His voice was raw with hatred and his face was bruised, one eye nearly swollen shut. “Raiders are no better than the maggots swimming in your dinner.”

   Crates full of stolen food, weapons, silks, and spices slammed into each other, releasing a plume of crushed cloves into the dank air. Someone up on deck shrieked and the wind shrieked back. I wondered if we had minutes. Seconds even. If I had to rip my hands off I would.

   “Eva. Stop that, please,” Zoleya pleaded.

   If I could only break some bones then maybe—

   “Aye, stop for heaven’s sake!” said a massive man directly across from me with hair as red as the blood leaking from his broken nose. His skin was black with filth. His clothes were rags. “It’s bad enough we be trapped in here together. Watching ye torture yourself is making it worse. Besides, even if ye git free, there ain’t nothing a wee missy such as yourself can do. You be just a girl.”

   My pulse throbbed at my temples; how many times had I heard that before? “Don’t you think there’s a reason I’m chained up like the rest of you?”

   The redhead had some sort of answer perched on the tip of his tongue, but the sea spoke first. With another shriek, it dragged its salty claws along the sides of the ship, grabbed hold, and wrenched it to the left. A barrel tipped over, mixing brine and writhing squid into the rising water. More clearly than ever, we could hear the frantic voices of the crew dancing with death above while we waited for it below.

“Never judge based on appearances. Sometimes the most unassuming can be the deadliest.”

A compelling saga of love, duty, and sacrifice set against the stunning backdrop of a lush tropical island, where the line between hero and villain blurs in the shadow of a forgotten world…

In a land ravaged by ancient vendettas, loyal Guardian Eva vows to protect Zoleya, a girl of extraordinary importance. But when a catastrophic shipwreck strands Eva on a mysterious tropical island and Zoleya vanishes, Eva must join forces with other castaways to survive. With ruthless Raiders hell-bent on her capture, Eva clings to hope that Zoleya is alive and waiting to be rescued.

Kade Thorn, a hunter programmed to seek and destroy all remnants of forbidden technology, battles his opposing impulses. Bound by ancient markings etched into his skin that incite violence, he finds himself torn between blindly obeying his directive or pursuing his powerful attraction to Eva, knowing either choice will get him killed.

Forced to rely on each other, Eva and Kade seek refuge deep within the island's eerie jungle and become conflicted about where their loyalties lie. Will they follow their predetermined paths or forge a new destiny together? The fate of Zoleya—the catalyst to either save the world or destroy it—hangs in the balance.

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Author bio:

I am Canadian, born and raised in Alberta on a lovely acreage just outside of Edmonton to musical parents. I began my arts career as a musician, leaving home at the age of fifteen to play in a rock band, then went on to become a singer/songwriter. I wrote songs and told stories with melodies, lucky enough to tour Canada and record four studio albums, as well as work as a studio musician. I spent years singing my heart out. However, when I discovered the limitless creativity of novel writing, I shifted my focus to a literary career. My extraordinary experiences as a musician continue to fuel my writing. I am deeply inspired by art and profoundly humbled by the creativity of others. Creating is a fundamental part of my life, and expressing myself through storytelling is incredibly important to me. I strive to transport readers to different places or provide them with a companion for three hundred pages, impacting them as my favorite writers and artists have impacted me.

I like to write about deeply flawed characters with relatable struggles and how they react in extraordinary circumstances. The Rocky Mountains and the wonders of nature greatly inspire me, and I love to explore the juxtaposition of these settings with urban landscapes. My novels are characterized by action, adventure, lots of romance, and unexpected twists. I like to put my characters in unique settings and fully explore their motivations while drawing heavily on my personal experiences.

I am honored to be represented by Elizabeth Winick Rubinstein of McIntosh and Otis, one of the USA’s longest-running literary agencies, representing remarkable authors such as the late John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. As a ‘hybrid’ author, Elizabeth represents my adult works, while I represent my young adult works. I am determined not to limit myself to one specific genre and hope to follow in the footsteps of authors who have achieved success this way, as I value the artistic freedom it affords.

At present, I have four published novels; Serenade, Nocturne and Rhapsody, all which have achieved bestseller status in digital sales. My newest novel, Atomica: Between Sea and Sky, was just released on August 27, 2024, and is the first book in a new young adult fantasy series.

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