Posted in Chapter Reveal

⭐️Cover Reveal ⭐️Wicked by Amo Jones ⭐️#coverreveal #amojones

 

 

 

WICKED by Amo Jones

Release Date: November 7th

Cover Designer: Sarah Sentz, Enchanting Romance Designs

 

Genre/Tropes: Mafia Romance/MC Romance

Complete Standalone within the Sicko world

 

 

Check out this GORGEOUS cover!!!

WICKED, an all-new standalone book in the Sicko world, by Amo Jones is coming November 7th!

Make sure to preorder this all-new mafia/MC romance TODAY!!

PREORDER TODAY for $3.99!

Price will go up on release day!

(Will go into Kindle Unlimited on November 7th)

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QOgBFd

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/yptt8kx2

Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/5dmyrwpk

B&N: https://tinyurl.com/mpamctv2

 

 

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62057629-wicked

 

 

 

 

Blurb:

I remember the day he walked through our front door, bloodied and broken with the kind of torment that breeds, but never dies. Papa had one rule for him. Stay away from his daughter.

He didn’t.

 

Years later, he crashes back into my life and tears down all of the walls I built up around myself. We’re both hiding secrets, but when the mafia world collides with the MC world, the shrapnel could destroy everyone around us.

 

Now the president of the Chicago chapter, not even I was prepared for his return. He’s going to see that I’m no longer the precious princess of the Cosa Nostra, and I won’t play his games anymore.

He’ll play mine.

 

This is a story about two souls destined to be together, but who are trapped in bodies that hate each other. It’s what happens when you both let love kill you.

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Amo Jones is a USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author, totally winging this author thing (she’s probably doing it all wrong). She likes cake, loves wine, and her religion is magic (Slytherin). She’s a profound work-a-holic, but when she’s not writing, you can find her chilling with her kids & Husband at the nearest beach, with a cocktail in her hand.

 

New Zealand is not a state of Australia and rugby is the best sport ever played.

 

 

Connect w/Amo:

Website: https://www.amojonesbooks.com

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

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/10114

Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorAmojones

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thatcrazykiwiauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14047384.Amo_Jones

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TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/ZTdHY5Arw/

 

Posted in Chapter Reveal

🔥🌈Cover Reveal! 🔥Forbidden Mafia Prince by Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank 🔥🌈 #coverreveal

Brooke Blaine & Ella Frank have revealed the cover for Forbidden Mafia Prince!

Releasing: July 25, 2022

Cover Design: Hang Le

“What are you going to do with me?”
“Whatever the hell I want.”

In Manhattan, tensions are rising.
In a play for power, the Rossetti family has made a decisive blow, crippling their rivals—an act that has forced the Fiores to make a desperate move to maintain their supremacy.

Many miles away, Luca Davis, a young medical student, has no idea his life is about to change.
No idea that everything he’s been told about his life has been a lie.
Enter Domenico Rossetti, the ruthless Mafia prince. Powerful and unforgiving, he’s a savage in a suit—and the one who holds the cards when it comes to his new captive.

But when the war escalates and both are forced into seclusion, the two men are faced with a new threat: the rising sexual tension between them.
You don’t fall for the one person you’re supposed to hate, but it’s a temptation neither can resist.
Because falling in love with the enemy isn’t only wrong—it’s forbidden.
And the cost for defying everyone will be their lives.

 

Pre-order your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mJCwA5

Amazon Worldwide: mybook.to/ForbiddenMafiaPrince

 

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3xFVYUC

 

Meet Brooke


Brooke Blaine is a USA Today Bestselling Author best known for writing romantic comedy and M/M romance. Her novels lead with humor and heart, but Brooke never shies away from throwing in something extra naughty that will scandalize her conservative Southern family for life (bless their hearts).

She’s a choc-o-holic, lives for eighties bands (which means she thinks guyliner is totally underrated), believes it’s always wine o’clock, and lives with the coolest cat on the planet—her Ragdoll/Maine Coon mix, Jackson Agador Spartacus.

Connect with Brooke

Website: http://www.brookeblaine.com/

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1i2g15S

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BrookeBlaine.Writer

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrel las

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brookeblaine1

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brookeblaine

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/brooke-blaine

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/brookeblaine11

Verve: https://ververomance.com/app/brookeblaine

 

Meet Ella

 

Ella Frank is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Temptation series, including Try, Take, and Trust and is the co-author of the fan-favorite Preslocke series. Her Prime Time series has been praised as “highly entertaining!” and “sexy as hell!”

A life-long fan of the romance genre, Ella writes contemporary and erotic fiction.

Some of her favorite authors include Tiffany Reisz, Kresley Cole, Riley Hart, J.R. Ward, Erika Wilde, Gena Showalter, and Carly Philips.

Connect with Ella

Website: www.ellafrank.com

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3GXTNig

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ella.frank.31/

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBrel las

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellafrank1/

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ella-frank

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ellafrank

Newsletter signup: https://ellafrank.com/newsletter/

Posted in Chapter Reveal

🔥Cover Reveal 🔥 Green by Nicole James #coverreveal #nicolejames

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Title: GREEN
Series: Evil Dead MC #13
Author: Nicole James
Genre: MC Romance
Cover Design: Lori Jackson Designs
Release Date: November 18, 2021
BLURB

Can a face from my past change my future?

When an invitation shows up out of the blue, I’m reminded of a promise I made to a girl twenty years ago and suddenly my heart is pounding.
Do I dare keep it?
She’s the one girl that ever meant a damn to me, and the one girl that got away. She walked out of my life once and it devastated me. Now life is giving me another shot, but if she walks out on me a second time I don’t think I’ll survive it.
Second chances don’t come around very often. Not for a one-percent biker like me. There are no do-overs in the MC life. Not when you’re staring down the barrel of a gun. Not when you’re deciding whether to pull the trigger.
But love? Maybe for once the luck of the Irish will shine down on me and give me a second chance with the one girl I let slip through my fingers.
Living with regret is a hard pill to swallow.
Living with the same regret twice? Impossible.

Sometimes facing your past can be the scariest thing you’ll ever do.

PRE-ORDER LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

EXCERPT

The sound of a pack of Harleys coming up the street draws my attention and I wander to the front of the house to peer out the window. It’s four of my brothers. They slow to make the turn into my driveway.

I backtrack through the house and go out the back door to meet them. They park and dismount, pulling their helmets off.
“Wondered how long it’d take before you found the place.” I smile. “I hope to God you brought beer.”
Red Dog grins, pulls a twelve-pack out of his saddlebag, and holds it up. “Like American Express . . . don’t leave home without it.”
I fold my arms. “Okay, you’re allowed in. What about the rest of you? Do you come bearing gifts?”
Wolf pulls a bottle of Jack out of his saddlebag. “Does this get me inside?”
“You also may enter.”
I look at Cole and Crash and arc a brow. “Well?”
Cole scoffs. “You’re lucky we hauled our asses over the mountains to come see the place.” They both shoulder past me.
Crash slugs me in the chest as he tromps up the steps. “Let’s see this Tyrolean Haunted House you’re livin’ in, Green.”
Boots trudge inside, and four leather-clad men plus myself take up most of the space in the kitchen.
Red Dog hands me the case of cans. “Don’t say I never gave ya nothin’.”
I tear it open and pass them each a beer.
They wander around the house, checking each room.
“Christ, Green, what are you going to do with a place this big?” Cole asks.
“I know who’s having the next Christmas party,” Wolf says. “Bet you could fit a ten-foot tree in this entryway.” He stares up.
“Look at that staircase, man. How old is this place?” Red Dog asks.
“1889,” I reply.
Red Dog looks up the stairs. “How many rooms you got in this place?”
“Fifteen.”
“Some rich guy build it?”
“Railroad baron or so I’ve been told.” I shrug. “Never really researched it.”
Crash looks over at me, resting his elbow on the banister post. “Seriously, Green, how are you gonna pay to heat and cool a place this big, not to mention the upkeep and repairs?”
“Gram left me some insurance money. If it gets to be too much, guess I’ll sell it.”
We move to the dining room and sit around the big table.
Cole slouches back in the chair at the head of the table, one arm hooked over the back. I sit on the opposite end. Wolf and Crash sit in the middle, while Red Dog leans a hip against the buffet.
“You movin’ in probably lowered the home values of everybody in the neighborhood,” Crash jokes.
“Drive over wasn’t as far as I thought,” Cole says.
“Nope, just twenty minutes from the clubhouse.”
“How you likin’ it so far?” Cole asks.
“Better than where I was,” I reply, and wait for the jokes. My brothers don’t fail me.
“Anything’s better than that trailer, Green.” Crash grins at me.
I can’t argue with him, so I don’t bother.
Wolf leans his elbows on the table. “So you gonna hire a maid to keep the place clean?”
I know he’s only half-joking. “Yeah. Gonna make her dress in one of those little skimpy French maid outfits.”
Red Dog chuckles. “Good luck with that. Maybe you can get one of the strippers from the club to come and play house with you, Green.”
Wolf swivels to him. “Haven’t you heard, bro? Our boy here has sworn off strippers.”
“Nah, can’t be true. Say it ain’t so, Green.” Red Dog laughs and props a hand on the buffet. It lands on the invitation. He glances down, frowns, then picks it up and reads it. “What’s this? You’re cordially invited to the class of 2001 twenty-year reunion. Damn, Green, you’re gettin’ old.”
I nod and take a hit off my beer.
“Wait, you graduated high school? And you’re still that dumb?” Wolf teases.
“He probably paid someone to take the test.” Crash grins at me.
“Or slept with the teacher.” Cole joins in.
“You goin’?” Red Dog asks.
“Yeah.”
“You’re kiddin’ me. Why would you go to something like that?” Wolf asks. “We have better parties at the clubhouse any day of the week.”
“I made a promise to this girl that I would.” That gets all their attention.
“You got a high school sweetheart, Green?” Wolf teases, making kissy faces.
“Grow up,” I snap.
“What kind of promise?” Crash asks.
I explain.
Cole arcs a brow. “So you made a promise to show up at this thing, and if you’re both single, you’ll date this chick whom you haven’t seen in twenty years?”
“I keep my promises, especially to Sara.”
“You mean you suckered some high school girl into this pact? I think we need to rescue her.”
“Ha ha. You guys are hilarious. I said I’d go, and I’m going.”
Red Dog huffs a laugh. “No kidding? You’re really gonna get all dressed up and go to this fancy ball?”
“It’s not a ball,” I argue.
“Says here it’s in the ballroom of the Fife Estate. Sounds like a ball to me,” he says, scanning the invitation. “Dude, did you even read this thing?” He proceeds to read aloud. “We’re recreating the magic of our Fairytale Prom at the ballroom and gardens of the Fife Estate . . . a night of enchantment under the stars . . . Black Tie required. That’s a ball, bro.”
“Fife Estate? Where’s that?” Wolf asks.
“Says here its thirty miles south of San Francisco, nestled on the slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains . . . blah, blah, blah . . . built in 1917 . . .”
“Will you shut up about that,” Wolf grabs it out of Red Dog’s hands and looks at me. “Green, are you serious about this stuff?”
“What stuff?”
“This pact or promise or whatever you made with this girl.”
“Yeah. I’m serious.”
“You realize this is like in two weeks?”
“Yeah, so?”
“You RSVP?”
“Yeah. Couple days ago.”
“What were you plannin’ on wearing?”
Laughter breaks out around the table.
“Dude, do you even own a suit?” Crash asks.
“Crap, hadn’t thought of that.”
More laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
Wolf grins. “You. You’re like a reverse Cinderella. What you need is a fairy godmother.”
“He needs like a pack of ‘em,” Crash adds, finishing off his beer, and crushing the can in his hand.
“I think this calls for a run to the nearest tux shop,” Wolf says, looking not at me, but at Cole who grins and nods.
“I think you’re right, brother.”
“Oh, no,” I protest, but they’re already standing. Red Dog grabs me by the underarms and hauls me up.
“Oh, yes. Come on.”
Wolf is already pulling up the nearest location on his phone. “Ten minutes from here.”
And so, in no time at all, I find myself standing in front of a mirror in a black tux, with some old man measuring my inseam.
“While you got that tape measure out—” Red Dog starts to joke, staring at my crotch.
“Shut up,” I tell him.
The man ignores him and measures my arm and shoulders. “Very good, sir. We’ll have it ready for pickup on Thursday, next week.”
I slip the jacket off into his waiting arms. “Thanks.”
The guys all move out to the street, while I pay at the counter and get my receipt. I shove it in my pocket and head outside where my brothers wait by the bikes parked at the curb. They’ve given me hell for the last hour, and no doubt won’t be letting up until the big day, but for a chance to see Sara again, I’ll put up with whatever they dish out.
Cole is sitting sideways on the seat of his bike, smoking a cigarette. He grins up at me when I come through the door. “Remember, Cinderella, you turn back into a pumpkin at midnight.”
“Green, what if she’s a dog?” Wolf asks.
“She wasn’t a dog.”
“Been twenty years, dude,” he reminds me, and it gives me pause.
“There’s that deer-in-the-headlight look of panic I’ve been waitin’ for,” Crash says, chuckling.
“Crap,” I whisper the word, wondering if I haven’t thought this through. “I have no idea what I’m getting myself into, do I? What if she’s not my style?”
“Your style? You mean fast and easy?” Crash snipes.
“He means a stripper,” Wolf clarifies, laughing.
“Just look her up on social media,” Cole suggests.
“Do I look like a person who uses social media? Besides her name is very common, and there’s like a thousand people who pop up.”
“Maybe you need to bring a date,” Wolf suggests.
“A date? Green?” Red Dog laughs.
Cole chuckles, meeting my eyes. “I’m sure he could pay one of the girls down at the strip club to go with him.”
“Let’s go. Any excuse to stop by there is a good one in my book,” Wolf says, waggling his brows.
“F that,” I protest.
“Come on, Green. We have to nail this down today. You gotta be fair and give the girl time to come up with a dress for this shindig, don’t you?”
I roll my eyes.
“Mount up, Green,” my VP orders with a grin.
I jam my helmet on my head, and swing my leg over my seat, lifting it off the kickstand. “I hate you all.”
I drowned out their round of laughter with the roar of my Harley.

AVAILABLE NOW
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
All free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO
Nicole James is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal
bestselling author who loves writing about hot alpha men who’ll do anything for
the women they love! Her stories are filled with struggle, conflict and real
human emotion. She is the author of the Evil Dead MC series, the Brothers Ink
Tattoo series and more.

Nicole loves to hear from her readers! You can contact her via e-mail, her
website contact form or on her social media accounts.

AUTHOR LINKS
Posted in Chapter Reveal

💗Chapter Reveal💗 Falling For Her by Monica Murphy💗 Reading this now and loving it! #ComingSoon #ChapterReveal

chapter reveal

PreOrder

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3f9g3XX

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/FallingForHerMM

Apple: https://apple.co/3aTzq4e

Nook: https://bit.ly/2KUiQq0

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2VSZ98m

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3bFa4rb

 

FallingForHer AMAZONChapter One

Jake

“How about that one?”

We all snicker when we see who Diego’s discreetly pointing at as we walk past her in the hallway. Some freshman who looks about ten, with big blue eyes and a mouth full of metal. She’s cute enough, but way too young.

“I don’t think so,” I tell my friends as we stride toward the quad.

It’s lunchtime. Our senior year. We’re able to drive off campus now, but not today. Coach wants us to watch game film of the team we’re playing tomorrow night. So we have about fifteen minutes to grab food before we all meet in the team room to study our opponents. Learn their weak spots, their strengths. See if they’re better defensively or offensively.

When I say Coach, I’m talking about my dad. I just try to keep that shit separate. It’s easier that way.

“Check her out,” says Diego—one of my best friends—nudging me in the shoulder and now not-so-discreetly pointing at a group of girls sitting at a nearby picnic table.

“Which one?” Again, they’re young. Maybe sophomores? I don’t really recognize any of them. If they’re a couple of years younger than me and not friends with my sister Ava, who’s a junior, or on the football team, I don’t bother getting to know them.

That makes me sound like an asshole, but I don’t have the time. I have my circle of friends. I even have my circle of acquaintances. This year, my last year in high school, I don’t need to add to either group. I’m perfectly content with what I have.

“Any of them.” Diego slaps me on the back, a giant grin on his face. “You need to find someone, bro. This single, I-don’t-bother-with-any-girl business is getting old.”

I don’t bother with any girls anymore because when I do, they tend to take my heart and rip it to shreds. It’s ridiculous, but when I fall, I tend to fall hard.

Sophomore year I got my heart broken twice, once by Cami Lockhart. We got back together the beginning of junior year only for her to cheat on me—and I found out via Snapchat.

That sucked.

I’ve never bothered with a girl again. Fuck ’em. I’d rather focus on football and my friends and school, exactly in that order.

“Too young,” I tell Diego, and Caleb, my other best friend, bursts out laughing.

“Oh come on. She’s cute. I’d bet she’s down,” he says with a smirk.

Caleb is an actual asshole. He hooks up with an endless stream of girls, yet most of them don’t complain. It’s like they’re proud to be a Caleb fan girl.

“Find him a senior then,” Diego says, stopping in the direct center of the crowded quad. He settles his hands on his hips and turns in a slow circle, scanning the area with a narrowed gaze. Diego has a girl and they’re supposedly madly in love. I mean, good for him. They seem totally into each other—for the most part. They’ve been together for over a year, and Jocelyn treats him like a god, while she’s his princess, as he calls her. I’m pretty sure they’ve talked about getting married, which is just…insane if you ask me.

“Her.”

We all swivel our heads to see Tony—our quietest friend—inclining his head toward a table to the left of where we’re standing.

There’s a girl sitting there, her back to us. Alone. She’s wearing a black T-shirt, her reddish-blonde hair spilling down her back in loose waves. Her elbow’s propped on the table and she’s resting her cheek on her fist, an open book in front of her. Like she’s reading. For fun.

What the hell?

“No way,” Diego says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Jake’s not into smart girls.”

I’m immediately offended. “Who says?”

“You, with the choices you’ve made in the past,” Diego points out.

He’s got me there. Cami wasn’t that smart. None of the girls I’ve dated were. Not really.

“I like her hair,” Tony says, his tone, his entire demeanor impassive, like we’re talking about the weather. “She’s cute.”

“You should go for her then,” Caleb suggests to Tony.

“Nah. Not my type.” Tony’s gaze meets mine and he tilts his head, like he’s giving me permission to talk to her.

Huh.

“How do you know she’s a smart girl?” I study her, taking in her narrow shoulders, the elegant slope of her back. She brushes her hair back from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear and offering me a glimpse of her profile. She’s pretty in an understated way, I guess. Upturned nose. Pale skin. Freckles.

I don’t recognize her at all.

“Because she’s reading a book, dumbass.” Caleb sounds enormously pissed off, though I know he’s not. That’s just how he always sounds. “If you don’t ask her to wear your jersey, I think I’ll ask her instead.”

Yes, this is what we’re doing on a Thursday afternoon during lunch. Trying to find a girl for me to ask to wear my jersey on game day. It’s a big deal at our high school, and so far during my reign as the varsity team’s quarterback, I’ve only had one girl ever wear my jersey, and for only one time. It was Cami Lockhart, right at the beginning of our junior year, when I thought there was a possible chance we could work shit out and be a couple again.

But then someone sent me her private story off Snapchat—a video of her making out with motherfucking Eli Bennett, the quarterback for our rival school’s team, and I was done. Finished.

For some reason, this year my boys want to see me make a claim. Find a girl. They tell me I’m too grumpy. That maybe if I’m getting some on the regular, that’ll mellow me out. Some of them even complain I’m too focused, which I don’t get. Why wouldn’t they want me focused?

Focused wins games. I’ve had that drilled into my head over the years by my dad.

“No way,” I tell Caleb when he acts like he’s going to approach the mystery girl sitting at the table. “I’ll do it.”

I don’t know why I’m bothering with this. I don’t know her, but I’m guessing she knows me. Most girls would probably be flattered if I asked, but I’m not that sure if she’s into football, or if she even goes to the games. But it would be cool to see her wear my number around school all day.

Maybe I could make it a thing. Give it to a different girl every week. They’d start fighting for their chance. It could turn into a contest. Maybe it would go viral…

“Go ask her.” Diego gives me a shove in the girl’s direction, his hand right in the center of my back. “Before you chicken out.”

Okay, that shit’s annoying. And it’s just the incentive I need to make it happen. Glancing over my shoulder, I glare at my three best friends, but all they do is make clucking noises at me in return like they’re a bunch of chickens.

Assholes.

Slowly I approach the table, wondering what I should say first. I don’t have a problem talking to girls. I never really have. I almost wonder if this is because I grew up in a household full of women. Don’t get me wrong, Dad is a strong personality and is a big influence on me, but he wasn’t around much when I was little. He was busy working all the time.

Growing up, I was always with Mom, my older sister Autumn and my younger sister Ava. Our little brother Beck didn’t come along until years later, and by then I was resigned with the idea that I’d never even have a brother.

So I was constantly surrounded by girls. Autumn and Ava used to fight like cats and dogs. Now that Autumn’s gone, away at college in Santa Barbara, we don’t see her that much. Ava is happier with Autumn gone, I think. Having an older sister trying to boss you around all the time gets old.

I know I got tired of Autumn’s bullshit. Now, I miss her. Not that I’d ever tell her that.

Deciding I need to approach this mystery girl straight on, I walk around the table, keeping a wide berth so she doesn’t get suspicious or think I’m a stalker. And once I’m facing the table, I take a good, long look at her.

She’s vaguely familiar, so I’m assuming she’s a senior like me, or maybe a junior. Our school is small, so most of the time I feel like I know everyone, but I can’t place her. I don’t remember her name. Her hair is this burnished, reddish-gold color and her eyes are big and blue. Her features delicate—except for her mouth. Full, bee-stung lips that fill my head with dirty images.

Every one of them involves my dick.

Not that I’m actually interested in this girl. I don’t even know her. But as far as my first choice to wear my jersey this week, it’s not a bad one.

Not a bad one at all.

One of my friends, I’m not sure who, makes a bok-bok noise and I send them all a menacing look before I march right up the table and clear my throat. “Hey.”

The girl lifts her head, sky-blue eyes meeting mine, her expression open. Friendly.

Until she keeps looking at me, her gaze narrowing, that open, friendly expression disappearing within seconds. Almost as if she realized who she’s looking at and doesn’t like what she sees.

Damn.

When she still hasn’t said anything, I decide to keep talking. “What’s your name?”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “You don’t know my name?”

I know this sounds weird, but I like the sound of her voice. A lot. “Should I?”

“I know yours.” She sniffs, shutting the book she was reading. “Jacob Callahan.”

Ah, see? She knows me. She’ll totally agree to wear my jersey. “You have the advantage then.”

“Because you still don’t remember my name?”

I shrug helplessly and flash her a smile that’s hopefully equal parts bashful yet charming. “Guilty.”

She rolls her eyes, resting her arms on top of the table. “Did you have a question or something?”

Her tone is short. Dismissive. This girl is totally trying to get rid of me. “Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do have a question for you.”

“I’m waiting on pins and needles,” she says, her voice going up a notch, those blue eyes of hers extra wide.

They’re pretty, I’ll give her that. She’s pretty. There’s a sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose and she has very white teeth.

“I was wondering if you wanted…” I let my voice drift and I glance down at my shoes, kicking at the base of the picnic bench. I’m trying to up the anticipation a notch. Going for the golly, gee bashful vibe. Girls seem to like it.

“Wanted what?”

Huh. Guess she’s not one for anticipation.

“If you wanted to wear my jersey tomorrow.” I lift my head, my gaze meeting hers straight on, and I see the surprise in her eyes. I’ve shocked her with my request.

Come on, I can see why. I’m me and she’s…whoever she is.

She studies me for a while, and now it’s my turn to wait with anticipation. Her full lips part, like she’s about to say something, but instead, she looks away from me, grabs her things and starts shoving them into her backpack.

As if she’s about to leave.

When she shoots me an irritated glare, slides off the picnic bench and walks away without another word, I chase her, surprised by how quick she is. My friends are laughing, I can hear them as I follow after this chick—still don’t know her name—but I can’t worry about them right now.

Even though they’re total assholes for laughing at me.

“Hey!” I call out, but it’s like my voice only spurs her on. She’s practically in a full jog as she heads toward Adams Hall, and I wonder if her plan is to duck into a classroom and hide from me.

Putting a little speed behind my step, I catch up with her easily, hooking my fingers around her upper arm and stopping her escape. She turns to face me, the look on her face so full of disgust I immediately release her and take a step back.

“Why are you chasing me?” she asks breathlessly. Her cheeks are pink, and she’s practically panting. I get the sense that maybe she doesn’t exercise much? I mean, I’m not even winded.

“You never answered my question.”

She lifts her chin. Blows out an exaggerated breath, like what I’m asking is too damn much. After enduring the last five minutes with this chick, I don’t even want her to wear my jersey now. She’s making way too big a deal about this.

But for some weird reason, I have to know what her answer is.

“My name is Hannah,” she finally says, and it all hits me at once. I do know her. Barely. Hannah Walsh. Senior. Moves in a completely different crowd. As in, she doesn’t really move with any crowd. I’ve never had a class with her ever, because she takes all the advanced courses. My friends were right.

She’s a smart girl.

“Right. Hannah.” I nod and smile. “I know you.”

She smiles in return, though it doesn’t quite reach her sky-blue eyes. “Uh huh. Sure you do.”

“I do. You’re friends with…” My voice drifts. I don’t know who she’s friends with. I can see their faces, but at the moment, I can’t recall their names.

“Please.” She reaches out, settling her hand on my forearm, and it’s like a spark of electricity between us the moment our skin makes contact. She snatches her hand away like I burned her. “Stop trying so hard.”

I almost want to laugh. This girl is telling me to stop trying so hard? Does she even know who she’s dealing with? The power I wield at this school? I’m the most popular guy in the senior class—maybe in all the classes. This is my year to shine. My year to reign.

And this Hannah nobody is telling me to stop trying so hard?

Get the fuck out of here.

Can’t back out now, though. I’m fully committed.

“So what do you say, Hannah? Are you in? Do you want to wear my jersey tomorrow?” Not like I want her to anymore. She’s been rude from the moment I started talking to her.

“Gee, I sure appreciate the offer, but…” She scowls at me, her lush lips pursed. “No.”

Posted in Chapter Reveal

♡ CHAPTER REVEAL ♡ WAITING FOR MY QUEEN by Georgia Cates ♡ https://amzn.to/2VaBb8F #GeorgiaCates #ChapterReveal

🔥🔥 CHAPTER REVEAL 🔥🔥
Are you dying to get your hands on Waiting for my Queen by Georgia Cates?! You are in for a treat. We have a chapter reveal to hold you over until release day, March 3rd!

BLURB

Emilia—

All I’ve ever wanted was to marry for love.

But girls like me don’t have that luxury.

We are used as pawns in a game we can’t control.

The game? It’s called Mafia.

I was foolish enough to try to change the rules… and I lost.

 

Luca—

She was promised to me years ago.

And he dared to take her from me.

Dared to touch what was mine.

I put an end to that.

I hope he’s enjoying the view from his dirt room.

 

Emilia—

My beloved’s killer placed a ruby ring on my finger and called me his queen.

But that red gem symbolizes something different for me.

It represents the blood shed by those I love most.

Hell was empty the day we wed.

Because the devil was standing before me and said “I do.”

 

Luca—

I saw her as a possession.

A shiny toy I didn’t want other boys to play with.

But she’s so much more.

Beautiful and brave and strong and broken all at once.

She tastes like everything I’ve ever wanted.

 

Emilia—

Hidden and patient.

I wait for the perfect time to seek my revenge.

But slowly, I feel him possessing me.

His heart is full of darkness… and I still want every inch of him.

Hard as I try, I can’t escape loving this beautiful monster.

 

Luca—

I’m waiting patiently because I already know that she’s mine.

Mine in a way that no one will ever understand.

Even if she hasn’t yet realized it.

For love, I’d do anything.

For her, I’d do everything.

 

Add Waiting for My Queen to your Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/2QOCCWM

PRE-ORDER LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37aEGzA

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2NWxfEG

Nook: http://bit.ly/2r8hYHG

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qe0xpn

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2qrhah9

 

CHAPTER REVEAL

Chapter 5

Luca Rossini

 

New York, 1978

My father’s consigliere, Arrigo, also known as his right-hand man, comes into our conference room where we’re sitting around the table. He’s one of the few people without the last name Rossini who are allowed into this room.

“The Bellini women have arrived. They’re waiting for you in the living room.”

My father goes to the wet bar and chuckles as he pours six glasses of whiskey. “They came. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“It means they have no allies willing to go to battle for them. They’re out of options,” my brother Stephan says.

“Exactly. And that means we’ve won the war. The Bellini assets are ours.”

And Emilia Bellini is finally mine.

Everyone takes a glass of whiskey, even my youngest brother Enzo who is only sixteen.

“You should be the one to lead us in this toast, Luca. This is your victory.”

I didn’t do this alone. It began with my grandfather’s foresight so many years ago. “From long ago until now, here’s to all of the decisions that led us to this place.”

“But mostly your clever decisions, son. Your bravery,” my father says.

We click our glasses together and toss back the whiskey. Enzo coughs and sputters much like I did the first time I had a shot of whiskey.

“Such a mamma’s boy.” Dante loves ragging on Enzo.

I place my hand on top of my baby brother’s head and muss up his hair. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle your liquor?”

“I can handle it. It just went down the wrong way.”

“Sure, it did, little bro.”

I was younger than Enzo when I had my first shot of whiskey. I still remember the way it burned on the way down. I also remember pretending that I could handle it although I wasn’t certain that someone hadn’t swapped the liquor out with lighter fluid.

My father slams his glass on the table. “Come on, boys. Time to collect our spoils of war.”

This moment has been a long time coming. As I walk to where the women are waiting, it suddenly doesn’t feel real to me. I’m so accustomed to delays that I find myself wondering what the next one will be. But I remind myself that we’re in charge now, and there’ll be no more excuses. Emilia is going home with me tonight.

The six Bellini women are seated when we enter the living room, and my eyes bounce back and forth between the daughters seated on each side of their mother. Both are beauties and very similar, but one is much lovelier than the other. I can’t decide which one is Emilia because it’s been too many years since I’ve seen her.

“Welcome to our home,” my mother says as she comes into the room.

Sofia smiles, but the hostility in her expression isn’t disguised. I don’t fault her for that, though. We’ve earned her hatred a hundred times over.

“Your home is as lovely as I remember it.” Her tone is ice cold.

“How long has it been since you were last here?”

“Many, many years.”

“That’s a shame. Looking back on it now, you and I should have spent more time together and raised the children to know each other. Perhaps things would have gone differently if we had.”

“Perhaps.”

I focus my attention on the girl sitting to Sofia’s left. The more beautiful one. The older-looking one. The more frightened-looking one with tears pooling in her lower lids.

Dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders and down her arms, the ends nuzzling against her bare skin like a frightened child clinging to its mother. Almond-shaped deep-caramel eyes surrounded by lush dark lashes. A few scattered freckles across the bridge of her perfectly shaped nose. Plump, glossy coral lips.

In my wildest dreams, my betrothed didn’t grow up to be this beautiful. And it annoys the hell out of me because I don’t want to be attracted to her.

I want to make her suffer.

Sofia Bellini grips the hand of the girl in question. “Please, Marco. Swear to me on your honor that my daughter will be safe with you.”

My father chuckles. “Emilia is going to give us babies, heirs to the Rossini empire. There is no safer place for her than with our family. You know that.”

Sofia and the girl beside her, my Emilia, embrace one another and sob. Her grandmother and sisters cluster around her, doing the same. It’s pathetic. I would have expected less of a display from Bellinis. Certainly not this spectacle.

My betrothed has weaknesses. Those will need to be eliminated before she influences our sons with that nonsense.

“That’s more than enough of that,” I tell them.

She lifts her chin, and her eyes meet mine for the first time. Inside those deep-caramel orbs, I see something I like very much: rage. There during one heartbeat and gone the next, it was only a fleeting flash. But I saw it and I don’t mistake it for what it is.

This girl is going to be so much fun to break.

“Come, Emilia. I’m ready to take you home.”

“She won’t be living here?” the grandmother asks.

“I have my own home. She’ll live there with me.”

“You didn’t mention anything about her living outside of the Rossini compound.”

“I don’t think we’re obligated to tell you anything more than we wish to tell you, Sofia. In case you’ve forgotten, we have full control,” my father says.

Soft murmurs pass back and forth between Emilia and her mother, and I’m unable to decipher what they’re saying. And it pisses me off.

Reaching for her upper arm, I tug. “That’ll be all of that.”

When she’s on her feet, I realize just how small she is. A dainty little princess to break. That’ll be fun.

“Where’s your suitcase?”

“The foyer.”

“We’ll pick it up on the way out.”

There’s an overlapping of goodbyes and I-love-yous as Emilia and I leave, but her mother’s voice bleeds through the noise. “When will I see her again?”

It’s never been my intention to keep Emilia from her family. I see no value in separating them, but that’s something I’ll keep to myself for now.

Continuing to walk forward, I don’t look back. “You’ll see her when I decide I want you to see her.”

I’m pleased when I manage to get her into the back seat of my car without a bunch of carrying on.

“Where to?” Sal asks.

“Home.”

“Yes, sir.”

During the drive to my house, I don’t say a word to Emilia. I want her fear to escalate to the highest level possible. And I believe I’m successful as I listen to the sound of her rapid, unsteady breath filtering through the silence.

She takes a final deep breath and blows it out slowly through pursed lips when Sal parks the car inside the garage. I’d love to know what’s going through that mind of hers right now.

“Welcome home, Emilia.”

No response from her.

No surprise from me.

I fetch her suitcase from the trunk, and she follows me through the house as I lead her upstairs to the bedroom. Our bedroom. “You’ll get the full tour tomorrow. Right now, you and I have some loose ends to tie up.”

“What kind of loose ends?”

“You’ll see.”

I place her suitcase on the bench at the foot of the bed and point at the door to our left. “That’s the bathroom. There’s a pregnancy test waiting for you on the vanity. When you’ve finished, show me the results.”

“I don’t know how to take a pregnancy test.”

“You can read, can’t you?”

“Of course, I can.”

“Follow the directions on the box.”

“Why are you making me do this?”

“I have to be certain that you aren’t pregnant with Moretti’s bastard.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Then take the test and prove it.”

“Fine.”

There it is again. That flash of anger in her eyes.

That’s it. Come out, angry princess. I want to play with you.

She marches into the bathroom and shuts the door with a firm thud. A brave little princess she is to do that under my roof.

Several minutes tick by and she emerges from the bathroom. “The directions say it takes two hours for the results to appear.”

“I’m aware.”

Two hours. What shall we do while we wait?

She crosses her arms, looking around my bedroom. Avoiding my eyes.

“Come and sit next to me. I won’t bite… unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“I’m not asking.” I pat the bed. “Sit beside me.”

She does as I tell her, but the scowl on her face lets me know that she isn’t pleased about it. “Happy?”

“No.”

“You’ve gotten everything you wanted. What do you have to be unhappy about?”

“Our union should have been a joyous occasion. A beautiful wedding where our friends and families came together to celebrate our marriage.”

“A marriage between us was never going to be a joyous occasion.”

“It could have been, but you chose to make things difficult and unpleasant. That means I was forced to do things I would have preferred to avoid.”

“I know the specifics of how you murdered Nic. You took pleasure in what you did to him.”

“Yes. I rather enjoyed it.”

“Only someone evil could admit that.”

I expected her to bring up Moretti sooner or later, but hearing his name on her lips pisses me off more than I anticipated.

“Would you like to know what his last words were?”

She looks at me a moment before answering. “No.”

“You really don’t want to know what your beloved boy said to me while he was lying there in a pool of his own blood dying?”

“I doubt anything you tell me would be the truth. And I know what Nic’s last words were to me. Those are the ones that I’ll always hold dear inside my heart.”

There’s my confirmation. Marrying Moretti wasn’t about not marrying me. She truly loved him.

“Suit yourself. If you can live without knowing what he said about you, then I can live without telling you.”

“I can live with it. The question is how do you live with yourself after brutally taking the life of an innocent man?”

“Moretti wasn’t innocent. He tried to take what belonged to me.”

“Contrary to what you may believe, I have never belonged to you.”

“We were promised to each other by our grandfathers. Betrothed. I was told my entire life that you were to be my wife.”

“It’s 1978. A betrothal between us when we were children should never have happened.”

“But it did happen. And you will always belong to me whether you like it or not.”

One of her brows lifts. “Unless that pregnancy test proves that I’m carrying Nic’s baby? You won’t have me then, will you?”

I had hoped that Emilia’s Catholic faith, or maybe Nicolò’s fear of Alessandro, had persuaded them to not have sex. I see now that any hope I had was in vain.

The thought of Moretti putting his filthy, inferior hands on my betrothed enrages me. But what’s even worse is that she let him. She wanted him to touch her and he did. Now, she could be pregnant.

I can’t handle it.

I’m so pissed off that I don’t trust myself to be in the same room with her right now.

I get up with the intentions of leaving, but I stop when I hear Emilia’s low chuckle. Moving to stand in front of her, I lean down until we’re so close that I have to blink a few times to focus on her eyes.

She doesn’t blink.

She doesn’t cower.

She stares right back at me.

“I’m going to do you a kindness, which is very out of character for me, and I’m going to leave this room. While I’m gone, I’d suggest that you get on those little Catholic knees of yours and pray very hard that the pregnancy test you just took is negative. Or we’re going to have a huge problem on our hands.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her music and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire

 

AUTHOR LINKS

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

Facebook Author Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GeorgiasGems

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgiaCates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgeorgiacates/

Tumblr: http://authorgeorgiacates.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5228869.Georgia_Cates

Website: http://georgiacates.com/

Amazon: http://bit.ly/GeorgiaCatesAmazonPage

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/georgia-cates

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/georgiacates1/

 

 

 

🔥🔥 CHAPTER REVEAL 🔥🔥
Are you dying to get your hands on Waiting for my Queen by Georgia Cates?! You are in for a treat. We have a chapter reveal to hold you over until release day, March 3rd!

BLURB

Emilia—

All I’ve ever wanted was to marry for love.

But girls like me don’t have that luxury.

We are used as pawns in a game we can’t control.

The game? It’s called Mafia.

I was foolish enough to try to change the rules… and I lost.

 

Luca—

She was promised to me years ago.

And he dared to take her from me.

Dared to touch what was mine.

I put an end to that.

I hope he’s enjoying the view from his dirt room.

 

Emilia—

My beloved’s killer placed a ruby ring on my finger and called me his queen.

But that red gem symbolizes something different for me.

It represents the blood shed by those I love most.

Hell was empty the day we wed.

Because the devil was standing before me and said “I do.”

 

Luca—

I saw her as a possession.

A shiny toy I didn’t want other boys to play with.

But she’s so much more.

Beautiful and brave and strong and broken all at once.

She tastes like everything I’ve ever wanted.

 

Emilia—

Hidden and patient.

I wait for the perfect time to seek my revenge.

But slowly, I feel him possessing me.

His heart is full of darkness… and I still want every inch of him.

Hard as I try, I can’t escape loving this beautiful monster.

 

Luca—

I’m waiting patiently because I already know that she’s mine.

Mine in a way that no one will ever understand.

Even if she hasn’t yet realized it.

For love, I’d do anything.

For her, I’d do everything.

 

Add Waiting for My Queen to your Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/2QOCCWM

PRE-ORDER LINKS

Amazon: https://amzn.to/37aEGzA

Apple Books: https://apple.co/2NWxfEG

Nook: http://bit.ly/2r8hYHG

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2qe0xpn

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2qrhah9

 

CHAPTER REVEAL

Chapter 5

Luca Rossini

 

New York, 1978

My father’s consigliere, Arrigo, also known as his right-hand man, comes into our conference room where we’re sitting around the table. He’s one of the few people without the last name Rossini who are allowed into this room.

“The Bellini women have arrived. They’re waiting for you in the living room.”

My father goes to the wet bar and chuckles as he pours six glasses of whiskey. “They came. You know what this means, don’t you?”

“It means they have no allies willing to go to battle for them. They’re out of options,” my brother Stephan says.

“Exactly. And that means we’ve won the war. The Bellini assets are ours.”

And Emilia Bellini is finally mine.

Everyone takes a glass of whiskey, even my youngest brother Enzo who is only sixteen.

“You should be the one to lead us in this toast, Luca. This is your victory.”

I didn’t do this alone. It began with my grandfather’s foresight so many years ago. “From long ago until now, here’s to all of the decisions that led us to this place.”

“But mostly your clever decisions, son. Your bravery,” my father says.

We click our glasses together and toss back the whiskey. Enzo coughs and sputters much like I did the first time I had a shot of whiskey.

“Such a mamma’s boy.” Dante loves ragging on Enzo.

I place my hand on top of my baby brother’s head and muss up his hair. “What’s the matter? Can’t handle your liquor?”

“I can handle it. It just went down the wrong way.”

“Sure, it did, little bro.”

I was younger than Enzo when I had my first shot of whiskey. I still remember the way it burned on the way down. I also remember pretending that I could handle it although I wasn’t certain that someone hadn’t swapped the liquor out with lighter fluid.

My father slams his glass on the table. “Come on, boys. Time to collect our spoils of war.”

This moment has been a long time coming. As I walk to where the women are waiting, it suddenly doesn’t feel real to me. I’m so accustomed to delays that I find myself wondering what the next one will be. But I remind myself that we’re in charge now, and there’ll be no more excuses. Emilia is going home with me tonight.

The six Bellini women are seated when we enter the living room, and my eyes bounce back and forth between the daughters seated on each side of their mother. Both are beauties and very similar, but one is much lovelier than the other. I can’t decide which one is Emilia because it’s been too many years since I’ve seen her.

“Welcome to our home,” my mother says as she comes into the room.

Sofia smiles, but the hostility in her expression isn’t disguised. I don’t fault her for that, though. We’ve earned her hatred a hundred times over.

“Your home is as lovely as I remember it.” Her tone is ice cold.

“How long has it been since you were last here?”

“Many, many years.”

“That’s a shame. Looking back on it now, you and I should have spent more time together and raised the children to know each other. Perhaps things would have gone differently if we had.”

“Perhaps.”

I focus my attention on the girl sitting to Sofia’s left. The more beautiful one. The older-looking one. The more frightened-looking one with tears pooling in her lower lids.

Dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders and down her arms, the ends nuzzling against her bare skin like a frightened child clinging to its mother. Almond-shaped deep-caramel eyes surrounded by lush dark lashes. A few scattered freckles across the bridge of her perfectly shaped nose. Plump, glossy coral lips.

In my wildest dreams, my betrothed didn’t grow up to be this beautiful. And it annoys the hell out of me because I don’t want to be attracted to her.

I want to make her suffer.

Sofia Bellini grips the hand of the girl in question. “Please, Marco. Swear to me on your honor that my daughter will be safe with you.”

My father chuckles. “Emilia is going to give us babies, heirs to the Rossini empire. There is no safer place for her than with our family. You know that.”

Sofia and the girl beside her, my Emilia, embrace one another and sob. Her grandmother and sisters cluster around her, doing the same. It’s pathetic. I would have expected less of a display from Bellinis. Certainly not this spectacle.

My betrothed has weaknesses. Those will need to be eliminated before she influences our sons with that nonsense.

“That’s more than enough of that,” I tell them.

She lifts her chin, and her eyes meet mine for the first time. Inside those deep-caramel orbs, I see something I like very much: rage. There during one heartbeat and gone the next, it was only a fleeting flash. But I saw it and I don’t mistake it for what it is.

This girl is going to be so much fun to break.

“Come, Emilia. I’m ready to take you home.”

“She won’t be living here?” the grandmother asks.

“I have my own home. She’ll live there with me.”

“You didn’t mention anything about her living outside of the Rossini compound.”

“I don’t think we’re obligated to tell you anything more than we wish to tell you, Sofia. In case you’ve forgotten, we have full control,” my father says.

Soft murmurs pass back and forth between Emilia and her mother, and I’m unable to decipher what they’re saying. And it pisses me off.

Reaching for her upper arm, I tug. “That’ll be all of that.”

When she’s on her feet, I realize just how small she is. A dainty little princess to break. That’ll be fun.

“Where’s your suitcase?”

“The foyer.”

“We’ll pick it up on the way out.”

There’s an overlapping of goodbyes and I-love-yous as Emilia and I leave, but her mother’s voice bleeds through the noise. “When will I see her again?”

It’s never been my intention to keep Emilia from her family. I see no value in separating them, but that’s something I’ll keep to myself for now.

Continuing to walk forward, I don’t look back. “You’ll see her when I decide I want you to see her.”

I’m pleased when I manage to get her into the back seat of my car without a bunch of carrying on.

“Where to?” Sal asks.

“Home.”

“Yes, sir.”

During the drive to my house, I don’t say a word to Emilia. I want her fear to escalate to the highest level possible. And I believe I’m successful as I listen to the sound of her rapid, unsteady breath filtering through the silence.

She takes a final deep breath and blows it out slowly through pursed lips when Sal parks the car inside the garage. I’d love to know what’s going through that mind of hers right now.

“Welcome home, Emilia.”

No response from her.

No surprise from me.

I fetch her suitcase from the trunk, and she follows me through the house as I lead her upstairs to the bedroom. Our bedroom. “You’ll get the full tour tomorrow. Right now, you and I have some loose ends to tie up.”

“What kind of loose ends?”

“You’ll see.”

I place her suitcase on the bench at the foot of the bed and point at the door to our left. “That’s the bathroom. There’s a pregnancy test waiting for you on the vanity. When you’ve finished, show me the results.”

“I don’t know how to take a pregnancy test.”

“You can read, can’t you?”

“Of course, I can.”

“Follow the directions on the box.”

“Why are you making me do this?”

“I have to be certain that you aren’t pregnant with Moretti’s bastard.”

“I’m not pregnant.”

“Then take the test and prove it.”

“Fine.”

There it is again. That flash of anger in her eyes.

That’s it. Come out, angry princess. I want to play with you.

She marches into the bathroom and shuts the door with a firm thud. A brave little princess she is to do that under my roof.

Several minutes tick by and she emerges from the bathroom. “The directions say it takes two hours for the results to appear.”

“I’m aware.”

Two hours. What shall we do while we wait?

She crosses her arms, looking around my bedroom. Avoiding my eyes.

“Come and sit next to me. I won’t bite… unless you’re into that kind of thing.”

“I’m fine where I am.”

“I’m not asking.” I pat the bed. “Sit beside me.”

She does as I tell her, but the scowl on her face lets me know that she isn’t pleased about it. “Happy?”

“No.”

“You’ve gotten everything you wanted. What do you have to be unhappy about?”

“Our union should have been a joyous occasion. A beautiful wedding where our friends and families came together to celebrate our marriage.”

“A marriage between us was never going to be a joyous occasion.”

“It could have been, but you chose to make things difficult and unpleasant. That means I was forced to do things I would have preferred to avoid.”

“I know the specifics of how you murdered Nic. You took pleasure in what you did to him.”

“Yes. I rather enjoyed it.”

“Only someone evil could admit that.”

I expected her to bring up Moretti sooner or later, but hearing his name on her lips pisses me off more than I anticipated.

“Would you like to know what his last words were?”

She looks at me a moment before answering. “No.”

“You really don’t want to know what your beloved boy said to me while he was lying there in a pool of his own blood dying?”

“I doubt anything you tell me would be the truth. And I know what Nic’s last words were to me. Those are the ones that I’ll always hold dear inside my heart.”

There’s my confirmation. Marrying Moretti wasn’t about not marrying me. She truly loved him.

“Suit yourself. If you can live without knowing what he said about you, then I can live without telling you.”

“I can live with it. The question is how do you live with yourself after brutally taking the life of an innocent man?”

“Moretti wasn’t innocent. He tried to take what belonged to me.”

“Contrary to what you may believe, I have never belonged to you.”

“We were promised to each other by our grandfathers. Betrothed. I was told my entire life that you were to be my wife.”

“It’s 1978. A betrothal between us when we were children should never have happened.”

“But it did happen. And you will always belong to me whether you like it or not.”

One of her brows lifts. “Unless that pregnancy test proves that I’m carrying Nic’s baby? You won’t have me then, will you?”

I had hoped that Emilia’s Catholic faith, or maybe Nicolò’s fear of Alessandro, had persuaded them to not have sex. I see now that any hope I had was in vain.

The thought of Moretti putting his filthy, inferior hands on my betrothed enrages me. But what’s even worse is that she let him. She wanted him to touch her and he did. Now, she could be pregnant.

I can’t handle it.

I’m so pissed off that I don’t trust myself to be in the same room with her right now.

I get up with the intentions of leaving, but I stop when I hear Emilia’s low chuckle. Moving to stand in front of her, I lean down until we’re so close that I have to blink a few times to focus on her eyes.

She doesn’t blink.

She doesn’t cower.

She stares right back at me.

“I’m going to do you a kindness, which is very out of character for me, and I’m going to leave this room. While I’m gone, I’d suggest that you get on those little Catholic knees of yours and pray very hard that the pregnancy test you just took is negative. Or we’re going to have a huge problem on our hands.”

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.

When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. When she’s being domestic, she’s listening to her music and visualizing scenes for her current work in progress. Every story coming from her always has a song to inspire

 

AUTHOR LINKS

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

Facebook Author Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/GeorgiasGems

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeorgiaCates

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorgeorgiacates/

Tumblr: http://authorgeorgiacates.tumblr.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5228869.Georgia_Cates

Website: http://georgiacates.com/

Amazon: http://bit.ly/GeorgiaCatesAmazonPage

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/georgia-cates

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/georgiacates1/

 

 

Posted in Chapter Reveal

♡ Chapter Reveal The Second We Met by Maya Hughes ♡ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45022943-the-second-we-met

TSWM Chapter Reveal Banner

CHAPTER REVEAL

Title: The Second We Met
Series: Fulton U #2
Author: Maya Hughes
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Najla Qamber Designs
Photo: Wander Aguiar
Release Date: October 17, 2019

BLURB

Dear Jerk Across the Street, sorry for accidentally walking in on you and catching an eyeful of your—equipment. And hard pass on the open invitation to join you in the shower “anytime”, A-hole.

That’s the note I should’ve written. Instead I sent a pleasant and apologetic version.

Had I known Phoenix “Nix” Russo would’ve been the neighbor from hell, I’d have told him right where he could shove my words.

Nix is the big man on campus with everyone lined up at his games to make sure he knows it. Sure, he’s got piercing blue eyes, abs that don’t quit and a smile that could set fire to a set of panties from a hundred yards away, but he’s also the biggest pain in my ass.

Dear Pink-Haired Menace, learn how to take a joke and stop being such a kill-joy…
Elle Masterson called the cops on one of my parties—again. My sweet talking usually gets me out of trouble, but this time it got me into a nice pair of silver handcuffs. Now I’m on a reputation rehab tour with a stop at a spring break community service project.

Guess who’s my new boss?

Now we’re shoulder to shoulder, sweaty, tired and…she’s not anything like I expected. There might just be a heart under that hardass exterior. She’s invading my dreams and I can’t shake the feeling she’s the key to unlocking a piece of me that I’ve hidden away.

It’s only a matter of time until she finds out why I’m really here.

Maybe I can break through her walls and into her heart before that happens…one screw at a time.

Read CHAPTER ONE on Maya Hughes Blog:

https://www.mayahughes.com/blog/2019/10/10/twsmchapterreveal

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45022943-the-second-we-met

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE FULTON U SERIES

#1 The Perfect First

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AU: https://amzn.to/2GAVh4k

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Maya Hughes can often be found sneaking in another chapter while hiding in the bathroom from her kids! 🙂 I’m a romance writer who loves taking inspiration from everyday life, namely my husband and biggest fan. Inspiration also strikes when I hear a song, meet someone new or daydream while at soccer practice.

I’m the mom of three little ones, the wife to an amazing husband and also work full time. Some of my favorite things are cinnamon rolls, white wine, laughing until I can’t breathe and traveling with my family.

AUTHOR LINKS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayahugheswrites/

Bookbub: http://bookbub.com/authors/maya-hughes

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/mayahughes

Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/mayahughes

Posted in Chapter Reveal, Cover Reveals, PreOrders

IF YOU DARE, the third book in the Dare series from @Shantel_Tessier is coming August 26th!!

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IF YOU DARE (Dare #3) by Shantel Tessier

Release Date: August 26th

Cover Designer: Tracie Douglas at Dark Water Covers

Add to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42672753-if-you-dare

PRE-ORDER NOW AVAILABLE!

IF YOU DARE (DARE SERIES #3)

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Nook: Coming Soon

NOW AVAILABLE & FREE IN KU!

I Dare You (Dare Series #1)

Amazon US- https://amzn.to/2IJRYYz

I Promise You (Dare Series #2) – On Sale for $1.99

Amazon US -https://amzn.to/31vywqR

Blurb:

The game was over. The dares were getting old, and the secrets were piling up faster than the bodies.

But someone had other plans. They wanted to play a new game.

Becky Holt was the love of his life until he found out what she was hiding. Now he wants to seek his revenge in the most daring way.

Deke Biggs has always been a shark. He’s not afraid to kill, and he’s about to become her worst nightmare.

But there’s a new player, and she plans on taking everything, no matter what the cost.

Try to beat him— If You Dare!

Who will win and who will lose?

Chapter Reveal:

BECKY

My phone rings on my bed, and I look down to see Deke written across the screen. My heart begins to race with excitement.

“Hey?” I try to say calmly, but my high pitch gives me away. I turn, placing my back to the door and bounce toward the windows. The falling rain making visibility nonexistent.

“What are you …?”

“Do you miss me, Becky?” he asks in greeting.

A cold chill runs up my spine at his tone. There was nothing affectionate about it. Just cold. Detached. “Of course, … I …”

“What if I said I wanted to see you?”

I swallow, and the hairs on my neck rise. “Deke.” I give a nervous laugh. “What do you mean? I, uh, I’d love to see you, but you’re too far away.” Thank God. He sounds like a serial killer calling his next victim. He’s probably drunk and playing some sick game with me.

“What if I told you I’m here?”

I whip around to face my bedroom door, my chest rising and falling quickly. “In Collins?” My voice shakes.

He gives a dark chuckle, and my stomach drops as I watch a man dressed in black jeans and a black hoodie move to stand in the doorway of my bedroom. His blue eyes look me up and down, taking in my half-naked body, but he shows no sign of interest.

When they reach mine, I hear him whisper in my ear. “Your bedroom.”

I drop the phone and run into my en suite bathroom. I slam the door shut and lock it. He begins to pound on it from the outside. “Stop,” I cry as I press my hands up against it, knowing he’s fucking with me. If he wanted in, that lock wouldn’t stop him. “Deke, please …”

The banging stops, and I flip on the light before taking a step back from the door. Tears sting my eyes and my body shakes. What the fuck is he doing here? In Collins? My bedroom?

Other than my heavy breathing, silence now fills the room. I still hold my hands out in front of me as I take another step back and bump into a hard surface. I gasp, spinning around only to come face-to-face with Cole Reynolds.

They tricked me.

The phone call was to distract me, allowing Cole into my bathroom. Where Deke knew I’d run. He had been covering the door, there was no other escape option for me. His emotionless blue eyes stare down at me. Cole has this way of making you feel cold deep down in your bones. Like death coming to collect your soul. He’s come to drag me to hell. To make me pay for my sins. My breath hitches and my heart hammers in my chest. “Cole …”

___________________

© Shantel Tessier 2019

About the Author:

Shantel is a Texas born girl who now lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her high school sweetheart, who is a wonderful, supportive husband and their two daughters. She loves to spend time cuddled up on the couch with a good book.

She considers herself extremely lucky to do what she does while getting to work from home. Going to concerts and the movies are just a few of her favorite things to do. She hates coffee but loves wine. She and her husband are both huge football fans, college and NFL. And she has to feed her high heel addiction by shopping for shoes weekly.

Although she has a passion to write, her family is most important to her. She loves spending evenings at home with her husband and daughter, along with their cat and dog.

Connect w/Shantel

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

Readers group: Shantel’s Sinful Side – https://bit.ly/2l9EUBJ

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Shantel_Tessier

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shantel_tessier/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7086716.Shantel_Tessier

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KKeTpa

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/shantel-tessier

 

Posted in Chapter Reveal

★★CHAPTER REVEAL ★★ CRUEL PRINCE (Royal Hearts Academy #1) by Ashley Jade ★★

67783311_2428920683827632_1292610522725744640_n (1)

 

 

 

Cruel Prince (Royal Hearts Academy #1) by Ashley Jade

Release Date: August 20th

Add to Goodreads:

http://bit.ly/Cruel-Prince-GR

Make sure to vote for CRUEL PRINCE for August’s Most Anticipated Reads: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/135087.August_2019_Most_Anticipated_Romances

 

 

 

 

 

 

PRE-ORDER TODAY!

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Apple Books: https://apple.co/2H5LORu

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Kobo: http://bit.ly/2MJocIN

**Please note: Cruel Prince will go live on Amazon on release day and will be going into Kindle Unlimited, so if you’re a non-Amazon reader, make sure to preorder so you don’t miss out!**

 

 

 

 

 

Blurb:

Welcome to their kingdom…

I never thought I’d step foot in Royal Manor again.

But four years later, here I am…back to finish my senior year at Royal Hearts Academy.

And forced to face Jace Covington.

My first friend. First crush. First kiss.

The one I left behind.

Only—he isn’t the same boy I gave my heart to.

This new Jace is as cruel as he is gorgeous.

And he’s determined to make my life a living hell.

Along with the rest of his glorified family and crew of tyrants.

They expect me to worship the ground they walk on like everyone else, but I’d rather eat dirt.

If Jace Covington wants me gone…he’ll have to try harder.

Because I’ve never been the kind of girl to play by the rules.

WARNING: Royal Hearts Academy is a New Adult/High School series of standalones filled with drama, a touch of angst, and boys who are bad to the bone.

This series is recommended for mature readers due to graphic language and sexual content.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER REVEAL

 

Thanks to another Post-it note from Aunt Crystal, I was able to figure out which guest bedroom she cleared out for me.

Although cleared out is a bit of an understatement. Aside from the queen-sized bed covered with a purple bedspread, an empty bureau, and yet another Post-it note promising to take me shopping later in the week…the room is bare bones.

Not that I mind. I managed to stuff my entire life into one duffle bag and a medium suitcase. No-frills suits me.

Less shit to get attached to.

I open the closet door to hang up some of my clothes, but three plaid skirts, three crisp, white button-down shirts, and three navy blazers snag my attention instead.

The Royal Hearts Academy emblem above the left breast pockets practically taunts me.

I wasn’t in a position to make any requests considering my aunt and her husband were nice enough to take in a stray—but the one thing I insisted on was attending the local public school instead of Royal Hearts Academy. My dad forced me to go to private school for elementary and junior high and it was one of the worst experiences of my life.

The organ in my chest squeezes. With the exception of meeting Jace.

Of course, the one thing I wanted was the one thing Crystal’s husband wasn’t willing to negotiate on given it’s my cousin’s—technically, step-cousin’s—senior year and he attends RHA.

Wayne thinks it would be beneficial for me to go to school with his son Oakley, so I’ll have someone to show me the ropes.

However, it’s clear good ol’ Uncle Wayne must not be very observant. I only met him once briefly at my aunt’s wedding four years ago, but a quick scroll through Oakley’s Instagram suggests he’s about as useful as a goldfish at a Bob Marley concert.

And by useful? I mean, stoned.

Which probably explains why he didn’t pick me up from the airport like he was supposed to, or why I still haven’t seen any signs of him…despite being here all afternoon and most of the evening.

I send him another text, but just like the first ten I sent today, he doesn’t respond.

Curiosity getting the best of me, I slip out the door of my new room and venture down the long hallway. My aunt said there were six bedrooms in the house—but after knocking on several doors, it’s obvious Oakley isn’t in any of them.

Stifling a groan, I amble down the staircase and wander into the kitchen. Much like the rest of the house, the kitchen is spacious, and everything looks expensive, but price aside, it’s pretty standard. Stainless steel appliances, glass table, large granite island in the center.

And no Oakley.

After checking the living room, my uncle Wayne’s office, and the bathroom on the first floor, I make my way down the stairs leading to the basement.

The smell of marijuana infiltrates my nostrils almost immediately.

I’m not a buzzkill, I have no issues with people who smoke—what I have an issue with is people who indulge so much they forget the important stuff.

Like answering text messages or picking their step-cousin up at the airport.

The big screen television—which is currently broadcasting two naked girls grinding against one another to awful mumble rap—illuminates the basement enough I’m able to see the back of a leather couch. The smoke wafting toward the ceiling fan tells me there’s a good chance I’ll find Oakley on the other side of it.

I don’t know whether to laugh or shake my head as I round the corner and see him passed out with one hand down his pants and the other holding what appears to be a partially smoked blunt.

The baseball cap he’s wearing hides most of his face, but he definitely looks like he’s been asleep for a while. How the house hasn’t burnt down is anyone’s guess.

I’m about to dispose of the still lit blunt and go back upstairs…but then he speaks.

“Hey, babe.”

Uh. Kind of weird, but considering I’ve been called worse by strangers, I decide to roll with it.

“Hey.”

“I was wondering when you’d get here,” he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep.

I tamp down the urge to tell him I would have been here sooner if he picked me up from the goddamn airport like he was supposed to.

We’re going to be stuck together for the next year and bitching at him isn’t a good way to start a relationship.

I open my mouth to ask if he wants to grab a bite to eat later, but he speaks again.

“You’re so fucking hot.”

Okay, this train has officially reached awkward station.

“Um. Thank—”

Before I can finish that sentence, he shoves his sweatpants down and…

Oh. My. God.

Bile works up my throat as he wraps his hand around his exposed dick.

“Come on, beautiful,” he groans. “Quit teasing me and sit on it.”

I’m positive I must have a contact high because that’s the only way to explain why the actual fuck my step-cousin is summoning me to sit on his penis.

“Gross. What is wrong with you?”

Shielding my vision with my hands, I proceed to back away. Unfortunately, I knock into the coffee table so hard I see stars.

“Dammit,” I yelp, gripping my throbbing calf.

“You’re not Hayley.”

Talk about stating the obvious.

“No shit, Sherlock.” I make the huge mistake of looking up. “Oh, my God, dude. Can you please put your wiener away?”

“Sure thing,” the pervert says, rising from the couch. “As soon as you tell me who the hell you are and why you’re in my house.”

He has got to be kidding me.

“Seriously?” I point to myself. “I’m Dylan.”

He tilts his head to the side, like he’s having trouble understanding why my name would have any significance to him.

“Your cousin,” I grit through my teeth and he blanches.

Eureka.

I breathe a sigh of relief as he pulls up his pants.

“You’re not supposed to be here until Saturday.”

“It is Saturday,” I inform him, and his eyes widen.

“Well, shit.” He places the blunt between his lips and inhales. “This stuff is better than I thought.” Coughing, he holds it out to me. “Want some?”

I give him a sardonic smile. “I appreciate the peace offering and all, but I’ll pass.”

He doesn’t look offended in the least. “That’s cool.” His expression turns serious as he snuffs the cherry of the blunt on a can of soda. “Look, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell the parental units I tried to bang you, okay? They’re on my case enough lately.”

Oakley doesn’t have to worry. I won’t be telling anyone he tried to bang me.

I give him a nod.

He nods back.

And then it’s nothing but uncomfortable silence.

Quite the riveting exchange we’re having here.

“It’s Saturday night,” he declares unexpectedly while stretching his arms over his head and yawning. “Christian’s throwing his big end of summer party before school starts.”

I don’t know who Christian is, but I wouldn’t mind going to a party. In fact, meeting a few people and reconnecting with some old friends before school starts will probably make things easier for me on Monday.

My heart does a little flip. Maybe Jace will be there.

There are so many things I want to tell him.

And even more things I want to ask him.

Like why he blocked my number. Or why he never returned any of the dozens of messages I sent him on social media after I left.

“A party sounds like fun. I can be rea—”

“Don’t wait up,” Oakley utters, brushing past me.

Well, that settles that then. My cousin is a bigger tool than the one contained in his pants.

“By the way,” he calls out from the stairs. “The school admins are assholes. I doubt they’ll let you keep that blue crap in your hair.”

Highlights. They’re called highlights.

A smile touches my lips. I hope they hate my blue hair so much they refuse admission and I have no choice but to attend Royal Manor High instead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author:

Ashley Jade loves to tackle different genres and tropes within romance. Her first loves are New Adult Romance and Romantic Suspense, but she also writes everything in between including: contemporary romance, erotica, and dark romance.

Her characters are flawed and complex, and chances are you will hate them before you fall head over heels in love with them.

She’s a die-hard lover of oxford commas, em dashes, music, coffee, and anything thought provoking…except for math.

Books make her heart beat faster and writing makes her soul come alive. She’s always read books growing up and scribbled stories in her journal, and after having a strange dream one night; she decided to just go for it and publish her first series.

It was the best decision she ever made.

If she’s not paying off student loan debt, working, or writing a novel—you can usually find her listening to music, hanging out with her readers online, and pondering the meaning of life.

Check out her amazon page and Facebook page for future novels.

She recently became hip and joined Twitter, so you can find her there, too.

She loves connecting with her readers—they make her world go round’.

 

 

 

Connect w/Ashley:

Website: https://ashleyjadeauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ashley-Jade-Author-788137781302982/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ajadeauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyjadeauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14175946

Bookbub:https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ashley-jade

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2RGsIJ9

Posted in Chapter Reveal, Release Day Blitz

★Release Blitz ★ Filthy Irish (Love Without Limits Book 4) by Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook★

 

IMG_1486

 

 

 

When the summer nanny arrives, I know the job is more than she expected.

After my mam passed, it’s been me looking after my five feral brothers.

I’m running the family bed & breakfast to boot.

I need her help – I’m over my head as it is.

And the moment I meet Wendy, I’m also head over heels.

She has a way with the boys that is gentle yet firm.

But considering she slaps me across the face the day we meet – I’m gonna need to win her over one charming line at a time.

Trouble is, I’m a filthy Irishman.

And she’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen.

Dear Reader,

Ewan O’Brion may be Irish, but he’s never gotten lucky.

Double virgins mean double the fun.

And this time we promise there will be more than one happy ending.

Wink. Wink.

Xo, Frankie & Chantel

Ewan

“Ye’re a good man, Ewan,” my aunt Niav says. “But those boys need more than ye can give them. Ye’ve got enough on yer plate running this business.”

In a way, I know she’s right. The bed and breakfast that’s been in my family for three generations takes up most of my waking hours. I’m struggling just to keep it running. But I promised my mam that I would take care of my brothers.

“I’ve been taking care of them since before my mam passed,” I tell my aunt. “Nothing has changed.”

Except it has. I may be the oldest of seven boys, the head of the household since my dad left when I was sixteen, but it was my mam who kept the boys in check.

I glance out the window, seeing the twins Liam and Niall, playing football with the youngest, Bradan. The twins were only toddlers when my dad left us, and Bradan was still in my mam’s belly. I’m the only father figure the three of them have known.

Colin and Riley are teenagers, but they’re about as much help around here as the goats we keep in the back pen for milk.

And Carrick, the second oldest, well, he up and left to Australia a month after mam passed away. Not that I blame him, the responsibilities here are overwhelming, and there are days when I’ve thought about tossing in the towel myself.

I sigh and drag a hand through my hair, then turn back to my aunt. “I’ve hired a nanny. She’ll be here later today.”

“A nanny?” She grunts. “And where’d ye get the money for that?”

“It’s not yer concern.”

“It ‘tis, lad. Yer mam was my sister, and I promised her I’d watch over ye boys if anything ever happened to her.”

“I’m not a boy, Aunt Niav. I’m twenty-three.”

“Aye. But Bradan is only seven, and the twins just ten. I’ve called the school and they told me the trouble they’ve been getting into.”

“No more trouble than most boys their age.”

She clicks her tongue. “I don’t know why ye insist on making more work for yerself. If ye need hands around here, then Riley can stay. He’s sixteen now—”

“I’m not going to let ye separate them.”

“Ye might not have a choice, Ewan.”

Frustration and anger burn through me. I love my aunt, but even when my mam was alive, she was always sticking her nose in places it didn’t belong. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I didn’t want it to come to this, but since yer being as stubborn as yer father was, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. I’ve contacted the Child and Family Agency.”

“What is the matter with ye?”

She stands and pushes her chair back. “I could ask the same as ye, son—”

“I’m not yer son, and neither are those boys.”

“I’ll be in touch, Ewan.” She walks out the door, and it takes all my self-control not to put my fist through the kitchen wall. But I just put a new coat of paint on it and the last thing I need is to have to re-mud and paint it.

“Bloody, wicked, miserable bit—”

“Ewan?” Bradan is standing in the doorway, his dirty blond hair matted against his forehead, freckles indistinguishable from the dirt that’s smeared across his nose and cheeks. “Is it true?”

I sigh and glance over his head to where my aunt is talking to the twins on the front lawn. “Is what true?”

“We’re going to live with Aunt Niav?”

I could curse the woman for her interference. “Tell your brothers to come inside.”

He makes a face but turns and yells for them.

“Riley, Colin,” I call for the older two who are in the living room on their phones, playing games or talking to girls. Anything but helping out. “Come here, now.”

The kitchen isn’t large, and when all five boys pile in, the space feels crowded…and like home.

I can’t imagine not having them here. Sure, it would be a hell of a lot easier to not be worrying about homework and whether they bathed and brushed their teeth. But they’re my family, and there’s nothing in the world more important. My mam taught me that, even if my dad was a fool not to know it.

The twins start shoving each other before I have a chance to talk, and I pull them apart. “Both of ye, stop.”

“He pushed me first,” Liam says, glaring at his mirror image. Most people can’t tell them apart. They have the same red hair and green eyes, like my mam had. But Liam is a quarter of an inch taller, and he’s got more mischief in his crooked grin than Niall. But the two of them together are trouble with a capital T.

“What are ye hollering about?” Colin, the thirteen-year-old asks, pulling himself up on the counter, legs hanging over the edge.

“Naiv was just here,” I tell him. He’d been too busy playing on his phone to notice.

“Is she threatening to take us away again?” he asks, looking ready for a fight.

“Aye,” I answer honestly. “And this time she’s called the Child and Family Agency.”

“What does that mean?” Riley asks, leaning his long, lanky body against the doorframe. He’s shot up this past year, and at sixteen he almost matches my six foot two frame. Although I still have a good thirty pounds of muscle on him, and I’m still able to whoop his ass when needed.

Which after the stunt he pulled last night, sneaking out and stumbling in drunk at four in the morning, I should probably box his ears. But I figured the hangover he’s sporting today is good enough punishment.

“It means that ye all need to be on yer best behavior, especially when the nanny arrives.”

“But I don’t want a nanny,” Bradan says, sticking his bottom lip out.

“Would ye rather go live with your aunt Naiv?” I ask. “Because that’s where ye’ll all go if she can prove I’m not fit to take care of ye.”

“I’m sixteen,” Riley says. “She can’t make me go anywhere.”

“Ye’re right.” I nod. “But she can take the younger ones away.”

Bradan sniffs and I see the tears start to form in his eyes. I’ve never been good at sentimental bullshit. I was happy playing the man of the house, but I’m no good at this mothering shit.

I place a hand on Bradan’s shoulder. “No tears now. Everything’s going to be alright. But I need ye all to go clean yerselves up while I go to the airport.” I point at Riley. “And I’m going to need ye to check on the guests and start to prepare supper while I’m gone.”

There’s only one couple staying with us right now, so it’s not a lot to ask of the boy. I was doing twice the work when I was his age.

And look at all the things you missed out on. I shake away the thought. Sure, I had to grow up faster than most. Take on responsibilities that most grown men would scoff at. But looking around the kitchen at the five sets of eyes that look to me for answers, I wouldn’t have it any different.

Although truth be told, I wouldn’t mind a little help.

Which is why hiring this nanny is so important. It’s a three-month contract over the summer, with an American agency that I found online. Because the agency focuses on the experience of living abroad, the cost of hiring the woman is half of what I’d have to normally pay. And with trying to keep five growing boys fed, I need that extra money for the grocery bills.

* * *

Dublin airport is busy as always when I park outside arrivals. I glance at my phone, pulling up the email the agency sent me. I know that the woman’s name is Wendy Ferguson. She’s twenty-one, and from the small, blurry photo they sent me, she looks timid and more likely to have her nose stuck in a book than capable of dealing with five rowdy boys.

I glance at the photo again to help me pick the girl out in the crowd. Oversized glasses hide most of her face, and her hair is a mousy brown, with chunky bangs that make her look closer to Riley’s age than my own. The picture is too blurry to make out any other details, so I make a quick sign with her name on it on the back of a sheet of paper, and get out to wait.

I lean against my car and watch the people that come out of the airport, but none of them look like the photo of Wendy Ferguson. Especially not the pretty little brunette, with the curves of a goddess and the smile of an angel who walks toward me now.

Shit, the woman is gorgeous, with hazel eyes that look almost golden when the sun catches them. She lugs an enormous suitcase behind her, and from the tags, I can tell she’s American. Now this is a lass I wouldn’t mind taking home.

My cock twitches, reminding me that it’s been a long time since I’ve even kissed a woman. Too damn long. But with the business and the boys, I hardly have a moment to myself.

“Hello, lass,” I say when the beauty is standing in front of me, squinting at my homemade sign. “I wish that I was the one picking ye up, but I’m afraid I’m waiting on someone else.”

She gives a small frown. “You’re here to pick up Wendy Ferguson?”

“Aye.” I grin down at her. “But I’m afraid she’s not as fair as you.”

Her brows raise. “Really?”

I may not have much time for lasses these days, but the way she’s looking at me now, I know she’s interested. And what’s a little flirting going to hurt?

“Has anyone ever told ye that ye can see the sun in yer eyes?”

She laughs and the sound goes straight to my balls. “No. I don’t think I’ve ever received that compliment before.”

“Ye need a man who’ll tell ye everyday how beautiful ye are.”

She crosses her arms and stares up at me, a grin tugging at her lips. “And you think you could be that man?”

“I wish I were. But—”

“You’re waiting on Wendy Ferguson.”

“Aye.” I sigh, wishing I could spend more time with this woman, but knowing I should be scanning the crowd instead. I glance over the woman’s head and look around, but no one matches the girl’s picture.

When I look back, she’s getting into the passenger seat.

Confused, I run my fingers through my hair. “As much as it pains me to deny ye a ride, lass, I’m not a taxi service.”

She grins up at me. “But you are Ewan O’Brion, right?” I frown, a sinking feeling in my gut. “Aye, and ye are?”

“Wendy Ferguson.” She chuckles. “Your new nanny.”

 

Frankie Love

 

Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men. As a thirty-something mom who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in
love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters. She also believes in the power of a quickie.You can find her at FRANKIELOVE.NET or on FB.
Frankie also writes under the pen names CHARLIE HART.

C.M. Seabrook

 

Amazon bestselling author C.M. Seabrook writes hot, steamy romances with possessive bad boys, and the passionate, fiery women who love them. Swoonworthy romances from the heart!

 

 

 

Posted in Chapter Reveal, New Releases, Release Day Blitz

★Release Day Blitz ★ Unruly Norse by Frankie Love and C.M. Seabrook★

 

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I’m a Nordic fisherman with a simple life.

But when my sister dies in a tragic accident, I’m suddenly the guardian of three children who sorely miss their mother.

My fishing fleet won’t run itself, so I hire help for my niece and nephews.

Sofie is no ordinary nanny – she’s beautiful inside and out.

And when she’s in my arms, I never want to let go.

But Sofie has a life that’s bigger than a small coastal village.

And I’ll have to prove to her that I’m more than a fling – I’m her forever.

Dear Reader,

Turns out we have a soft spot for fjords, fisherman, and Norse gods!

Well, Erik’s not a god, exactly.

But with that hair, those stormy eyes, and that mountain of a body we’re calling him Thor.

All. Night. Long.

Xo, Frankie & Chantel

 

Erik

 

  “Astrid, you need to eat.” I sit down at the kitchen table beside my niece and push her plate closer to her, but the six-year-old just stares blankly at the old raggedy doll she clutches to her chest.

She’s barely said any words since my sister and brother-in-law were killed by a drunk driver six weeks ago. The girl has grown more and more sullen, drawing deeper into her sorrow each day.

Unlike the two unruly boys that run around the kitchen, tormenting each other, and causing as much havoc as they can, Astrid has internalized her pain. And I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.

Finn, my eight-year-old nephew, holds a candy bar above his brother’s head, taunting him. “You can’t have it because you’re too little.”

“Finn, Lars, go outside,” I order, running a palm over my beard, and wondering how I’m going to survive this. I should be out on the water with my men, bringing in a haul of cod, not looking after my sister’s children. But one selfish asshole changed all of our lives forever.

“Give it to me,” Lars shouts before using all of his weight to tackle his older brother.

The four-year-old is all Johansen, sturdy and blond, with eyes like mine and Nora’s, the color of the sky just before a storm rolls in. And I have no doubt he’ll match my six-foot-four build when he’s older.

Finn, on the other hand, is built more like his father, slim, and tall, with dark hair, and clear blue eyes that are constantly looking for trouble.

The boys roll on the ground, and I grab the two of them, pulling them apart before any punches are thrown. God, what would Nora do right now? Or Daniel? He’d have these two under control with one stern look.

I’d wondered what my sister saw in the American when she’d first brought him home, but the man had quickly become one of my closest friends. And together we’d grown our company, bringing economic growth and prosperity to the small fishing village forty miles south of Oslo. And while we grew our fleet, Nora had built a home.

A happy one.

A family that any man would be jealous of.

Anyone but me. I’d been content with my life at sea. Sure, one day I figured I’d find a good woman and settle down. But I’d never imagined I’d be twenty-six and taking on the responsibilities of three young children.

Children that are still squirming in my arms, trying to strike out at each other.

“Outside, now,” I say, putting them down. I break the candy bar in half and give each of the boys a piece, then point toward the door. “And take Odin with you.”

The hound’s ears perk up at the sound of his name, and he follows my nephews out the front door, wagging his tail.

I can see them through the large kitchen window as they race across the yard, Odin following behind, crisis temporarily averted.

Leaning on the counter, I take a deep breath.

Everything will be okay. But even as I think it, I’m not sure if it will be.

I need help.

The woman from the nanny placement services arrives tomorrow. And I’m hoping that things will be able to get back to normal, or whatever my new normal will look like.

It was Daniel’s mother who’d recommended the agency. After the accident, she’d come to Norway to help with the children, but she’d only stayed a few weeks before returning to the States.

There’d been some talk about her taking the kids back to Seattle with her. Part of me wondered if it would be for the best, because honestly, what do I know about raising kids?

But I know my sister would want her children to be raised here-in the home she built, surrounded by the green hills and open sea. She may have married an American, but her heart always belonged to Norway.

So I’d done as her will had asked, and moved into their house, taking over the responsibilities of mother and father.

And I’m drowning.

“I want my mamma,” Astrid says so softly I barely hear her.

With a sigh, I turn and place a hand on top of her head, willing myself to be what she needs. Knowing I’m far from it. “I know, sweetheart. I wish she was here too.” I crouch down so I’m eye level with her. “But even though she’s not here, I know she wouldn’t want you to get sick. And if you don’t eat, you will. So will you please take a bite for me?”

Fine wisps of blonde hair fall over her face, and there are tears in her eyes when she finally looks at me. “Okay, Onkel Erik.” She takes a slice of the bread from her plate and takes a small bite before putting it back.

“Good girl.” I kiss the top of her head before standing. It’s a small victory.

The boys are still in the front, and I groan when I see Lars. He’s covered head to toe in mud, and from what I can tell he’s got fists full of it and is chasing Finn. The phone rings before I can yell out at him.

“Ja?” I say, answering the phone.

“We need you down at the harbor,” Filip says on the other end. “One of the boats is having engine problems.”

“Then call the mechanic. I can’t make it in today.”

Filip sighs. “The men need to see you, Erik. I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, but there’s been talk—”

“What kind of talk?”

He hesitates before answering. “You’re a good man, Erik. But we all know that you’re a better fisherman than a businessman. Daniel kept the books—”

“You can tell whoever’s been talking that they don’t need to worry. They’ll get their paychecks on time.” A car has pulled up the driveway, and I frown. I’m not expecting anyone.

“I told you, I’ll be there Tuesday.” “It is Tuesday,” he says with a sigh.

I glance at the calendar and curse under my breath. How did I lose a whole day? Not only that, I was supposed to be at the airport three hours ago to pick up the woman the agency sent.

“Dritt,” I mutter more loudly, causing Astrid to raise her brows at me. “I’ll call you back,” I say before ending the call. “Astrid, get your shoes on, we need to go.”

She slips off the chair. “Go where?”

“To the airport. We have to—” Through the window, I see what happens next in slow motion. But no matter how fast I move, I know I can’t stop it from happening.

Both Lars and Finn are hidden behind a bush, and I see the trouble in their eyes, and the mud in their hands. When the back door of the car opens, a pretty woman steps out.

Strawberry blonde hair whips in the wind, crystal clear blue eyes scan the yard. She’s tall and lean and has an elegance to her that takes my breath away. And she’s about to have mud slung at her.

I push open the screen door, yelling at my nephews as mud balls are flung through the air. The first one hits her arm, and I’m halfway out the door yelling at the boys when the second one lands square on her cheek.

Dritt.

She sucks in a breath, those blue eyes going wide with shock. Her delicate hand reaches up and wipes away the mud from her cheek, then her gaze locks on mine and I see her step back, her hand on the door handle of the taxi.

“Vær så snill,” I say, storming toward her. “What?” she asks, her voice soft and smooth. Like she needs someone to hold onto her, to keep her here. That person is me.

“Please,” I say in English. “Don’t go.” I contacted the agency because I needed help this summer.

But one look at her tells me I need a hell of a lot more than help.

I need her.

 

 

Frankie Love

 

Frankie Love writes filthy-sweet stories about bad boys and mountain men. As a thirty-something mom who is ridiculously in love with her own bearded hottie, she believes in
love-at-first-sight and happily-ever-afters. She also believes in the power of a quickie.You can find her at FRANKIELOVE.NET or on FB.
Frankie also writes under the pen names CHARLIE HART.

C.M. Seabrook

Amazon bestselling author C.M. Seabrook writes hot, steamy romances with possessive bad boys, and the passionate, fiery women who love them. Swoonworthy romances from the heart!