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It's In His Touch
by Shelly Alexander
Series: Red River Valley, #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2015
There’s nothing that Angelique Barbetta can’t handle, no illness she can’t recover from, not one item on her outrageous bucket list that she can’t conquer—not even alligator wrestling! But after discovering her fiancé in a less-than-professional position with their perky assistant, even tough-as-nails Angelique needs a break. Her law firm sends her to Red River to work on a case that should be a piece of cake. Until she meets her sexy neighbor Blake Holloway…one of the proprietors who will lose everything if Angelique wins.
On opposite sides of a hostile legal battle—with a pair of Angelique’s silk undies ending up in Blake’s hands—undeniable chemistry swirls between them. As Blake shows Angelique just what Red River has to offer, her heart begins to melt for the people whose businesses make up the soul of the town. Can she put aside her feelings to win the case? Or will he convince her there’s much more at stake than winning—like love?
“Drop the panties, or the octopus gets it.” Angelique Barbetta held out the plush doggy toy, a bottle of bitter anti-chew spray pointed at its overstuffed head. She used the predatory tone usually reserved for courtroom opponents as she glared at her four-legged adversary.
A soft breeze whispered through the trees, wrestling autumn- hued foliage to the ground. The draft of cool air caught the silky neckline of her robe and sent a chill racing through her. Late afternoon sunlight filtered through the shedding branches, and a silhouette of the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains glittered in the background. Her long black hair was up in hot rollers, and a sudden gust pulled a thick tendril loose. She blew it out of her eyes, refusing to lose a staring match to a dog.
The ten-pound weenie dog’s posture tensed, his tail wagged a fraction, and his jaw clamped tighter around the black thong pant- ies he’d snatched from her suitcase while she was unpacking. Hence, the reason she’d scurried outside half-dressed and sporting curlers so big they could pick up a radio frequency from three states away. Why’d she bring skimpy panties on an extended vacay to Red River—population 475? Pfst. Insulated long johns would’ve been a more practical choice.
She shivered against another nippy gust of autumn breeze.
It wasn’t like she’d ever wear the string bikinis currently lodged between her dog’s teeth. They’d been part of the risqué honeymoon trousseau given to her by her best friend, Kimberly, and the horde of female Barbettas. Of course, that was before she caught her fiancé, Gabriel, cheating. While Angelique was recovering from a serious illness.
Asshole.
Come to think of it, she should let the dog have them. Let Sergeant Schnitzel chew up the underwear and every last memory of what she thought she had with Gabriel.
Just like she’d accidentally let the dog chew up Gabriel’s Armani jacket. And his Tumi briefcase. And the crack in his brand-new fifty- five-inch widescreen—a testament to his insecurity and belief that size really did matter—may or may not have been an accident. Golf clubs sometimes slipped out of one’s hands mid-swing. It happened.
Sergeant Schnitzel whined, his tail wagging at lightning speed. “Come on, Sarge. Drop ’em. Please.” Jeez, she was pathetic. Had she really been reduced to begging a dog?
Okay, admittedly, destroying Gabriel’s personal property had been a vindictive reaction, but her momentary lapse in emotional restraint was understandable. While she was in the process of moving out of their rented condo, Gabriel announced his shotgun wedding to her legal assistant, whom he’d knocked up. Now with the wedding just a few weeks away, he actually expected Angelique to attend along with the rest of their law firm because cohesion would look good for the junior partnership he’d just landed. So much cruelty at once probably would’ve pushed Mother Teresa over the edge. That was Angelique’s story, anyway, and she was sticking to it, because Gabriel deserved it times ten.
She drew in a tremulous breath, the familiar sting of loss pinging off the walls of her stomach like a pinball.
Now instead of standing toe-to-toe with a skilled criminal prosecutor, she was throwing down with a weenie dog. Definitely pathetic. She glared at him.
The cocktail-sized wiener growled, enticing her to give chase.
“Sergeant Schnitzel, don’t you dare run off again,” she warned, eyeballing him with her best menacing look. That stare wilted even the most seasoned district attorneys and brought witnesses to tears on the stand. Unfortunately, it didn’t intimidate this little pilferer of women’s underpants.
Book 1: It's In His Heart
The years passed with her helping to run the family business, volunteering for every field trip and school function imaginable, and incalculable loads of dirty laundry generated by her three active boys. When she survived invasive breast cancer, she decided it was now or never and bought her first laptop so she could start writing down her stories.
Now she spends her days writing steamy romances while tending to two miniature schnauzers and a pet boa constrictor named Zeus. Her stories feature strong, independent heroines, hot heroes, and hefty doses of humor.
She still attends her three teenage boy’s sports events, school functions, and music performances, but they have learned to do their own laundry, providing her with more time to devote to writing.
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Title: Holiday Encounters Series Box Set
Series: Holiday Encounters #1-3
Author: Amy Lamont
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 3, 2015
The first three books of the heartwarming and sexy Holiday Encounters Series
Blurb
#1 Christmas with the Billionaire
When introvert Emma Glover makes a bet with her friends to see who can have the wildest adventure by New Year’s, she has no intention of winning. But that’s before she lays eyes on billionaire media mogul Nate Wilder across a crowded hotel lobby. She can’t hope but help he wants her for more than just one night. Will Nate make her Christmas wish come true?
#2 Snowbound with the Biker
Katelyn Murphy has always done what’s expected of her, including staying away from Hunter Lawson, her brother’s best friend and the bad boy next door. But she’s sick and tired of always being the good girl. When a bet with her friends pushes her to break out of her shell, she knows just the biker to help her take a walk on the wild side.
#3 Getting Lucky with the Rock Star
Paige Jordan has firm ideas about what success looks like. That’s the reason she stays in medical school even though she has no passion for it. But when rock star Jared Sloane invites her to take a break from real life to go on tour with his band, will Paige find out that passion—and Jared—are the only things she can’t live without?
Purchase Links
99c
Author Bio
Amy lives in New York with her husband, twin daughters, and two rescue mutts. She loves chatting with readers. To get in touch, visit her at www.amylamont.com.
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Giveaway
Title: Broken Surrender
Series: Surrender #4
Author: Lori King
Genre: Erotic Romance/Contemporary Western
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Blurb
One bullet made it physically impossible for Sarah Bryant to fulfill her dreams of a military career. With her family’s sympathy suffocating her, she escapes to Stone River, Texas, determined to rebuild a life and maybe find a new dream.
Silas and Jeremy are two brothers who are as different as Texas is big. One is an adrenaline fueled former Army medic, the other is a laid back tow truck business owner. The two things they have in common? They know they want to live life in a ménage relationship, and Sarah is the woman for them.
Sarah has too many doubts about herself to believe she can be enough for one man let alone two. Can these souls find what they need to grow together, or will they leave more emotional scars to match their physical ones?
This Veteran's Day, find home in the heart of our heroes with Broken Surrender, part of the Red Hot Heroes multi-author series and stands alone for reading enjoyment.
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This book is also a part of the Red Hot Heroes Collection. A multi-author collection of standalone stories that all feature veterans.
Also Available
Excerpt
“So what have you been up to since you recovered?”
The question caught her off guard. No one had ever referred to her as recovered before. Everyone still saw her as an injured vet, but in all honesty, she was as healed as she would ever be, and she hated the idea that she was in the world’s memory banks as disabled.
“I…um…well, nothing really at the moment. The VA set me up as one hundred percent service connected, so I at least get my medical bills covered, and a little bit of money every month. That’s been enough for now. I came down here for a job, but that fell through. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. Just floating along until I figure it out.” She pushed her now lukewarm beer aside. “How about you? What are you doing besides rescuing damsels in distress?”
He grinned at her joke before responding. “Not much sadly. Casey and I divorced after I got back stateside, and I moved back here to room with Jeremy. He owns his own towing company. The man might be a whiz at business, but he’s a terrible housekeeper, so I pretty much spend my evenings playing housewife to my brother. I guess we both ended up in places we’d never imagined, huh?”
“Truth. I thought I’d spend a couple decades serving, and then retire out with a star on my shoulder.” Admitting the truth to someone stung, but she found Silas easy to talk to. She’d already spilled most of her heartache, whatever else she said wouldn’t much matter at this point.
“I don’t remember what I saw for myself when I enlisted, but I know it wasn’t what I got. Military life sounded a lot more exciting than it was,” he said with a chuckle.
“What? You mean you don’t miss bunking in the elements, carrying eighty pound packs, and fighting to survive with sand in your eyes?” she asked, pretending to be shocked.
“Nope, but I do miss the guys. We had a lot of fun over there. In between bullets and IEDs of course.”
“Of course. Goes without saying. I miss it, but it doesn’t do me any good looking back. I can’t change what is.”
Silas watched her for a few moments silently and then nodded as if he’d decided to accept her answer. There was a weird crackle of tension between them as they stared at each other, and then he sat back in his chair and smiled.
“Whatever it was that happened to get you to Stone River, I have to say I’m thankful. It’s good to see a familiar face. Especially a pretty one.”
Her cheeks grew hot, but she laughed his compliment off. “I never thought I’d run into anyone I knew around here, but I have to admit, it’s been good to see you, too. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.”
“Me either. Hey, you know my brother and I are going out to a friend’s house for a barbecue Friday night. Why don’t you come along? You can meet some more folks from around here, and make some friends.”
She almost said yes just to see his smile again, but then she remembered herself and shook her head. “I’m not much for parties anymore. I can’t sit still for too long without my back hurting, and I hate having to explain why I’m leaving early.”
“Then don’t. Jeremy and I will pick you up on our way out, and when you’re ready to leave we’ll just blame it on him.”
She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up, and she shook her head. “You’re terrible.”
“The worst, but you’ll learn to love me,” he countered with a serious glint in his eye that had her mind dredging up all kinds of implications in his words. “Say you’ll come. I won’t leave it alone, so you may as well agree.”
“Okay! Fine. I’ll come, but don’t be surprised if your friends think I’m stuck up. That’s generally what people assume when someone’s always wandering off and bailing out early.”
“They’re gonna love you,” he assured her. “How could they not?”
Pushing back her chair, she rose and picked up her purse. “Thanks Silas, for the beer and the memories. It’s been fun.”
“I’ll walk you out.” He started to stand, and she stopped him with one hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you anyway, but I’m perfectly capable. My car’s barely twenty feet outside the door, and besides, this is as small as small towns get.” She squeezed his shoulder, and then released him.
“Okay, but I want it noted that I protested. If my mama knew I’d let a woman walk to her car alone, she’d crawl out of her grave and beat me with a willow branch.”
“Duly noted, Sarge,” she teased, clenching her fist to resist saluting him.
The question caught her off guard. No one had ever referred to her as recovered before. Everyone still saw her as an injured vet, but in all honesty, she was as healed as she would ever be, and she hated the idea that she was in the world’s memory banks as disabled.
“I…um…well, nothing really at the moment. The VA set me up as one hundred percent service connected, so I at least get my medical bills covered, and a little bit of money every month. That’s been enough for now. I came down here for a job, but that fell through. I’m not sure what I’m going to do next. Just floating along until I figure it out.” She pushed her now lukewarm beer aside. “How about you? What are you doing besides rescuing damsels in distress?”
He grinned at her joke before responding. “Not much sadly. Casey and I divorced after I got back stateside, and I moved back here to room with Jeremy. He owns his own towing company. The man might be a whiz at business, but he’s a terrible housekeeper, so I pretty much spend my evenings playing housewife to my brother. I guess we both ended up in places we’d never imagined, huh?”
“Truth. I thought I’d spend a couple decades serving, and then retire out with a star on my shoulder.” Admitting the truth to someone stung, but she found Silas easy to talk to. She’d already spilled most of her heartache, whatever else she said wouldn’t much matter at this point.
“I don’t remember what I saw for myself when I enlisted, but I know it wasn’t what I got. Military life sounded a lot more exciting than it was,” he said with a chuckle.
“What? You mean you don’t miss bunking in the elements, carrying eighty pound packs, and fighting to survive with sand in your eyes?” she asked, pretending to be shocked.
“Nope, but I do miss the guys. We had a lot of fun over there. In between bullets and IEDs of course.”
“Of course. Goes without saying. I miss it, but it doesn’t do me any good looking back. I can’t change what is.”
Silas watched her for a few moments silently and then nodded as if he’d decided to accept her answer. There was a weird crackle of tension between them as they stared at each other, and then he sat back in his chair and smiled.
“Whatever it was that happened to get you to Stone River, I have to say I’m thankful. It’s good to see a familiar face. Especially a pretty one.”
Her cheeks grew hot, but she laughed his compliment off. “I never thought I’d run into anyone I knew around here, but I have to admit, it’s been good to see you, too. I haven’t laughed this hard in a long time.”
“Me either. Hey, you know my brother and I are going out to a friend’s house for a barbecue Friday night. Why don’t you come along? You can meet some more folks from around here, and make some friends.”
She almost said yes just to see his smile again, but then she remembered herself and shook her head. “I’m not much for parties anymore. I can’t sit still for too long without my back hurting, and I hate having to explain why I’m leaving early.”
“Then don’t. Jeremy and I will pick you up on our way out, and when you’re ready to leave we’ll just blame it on him.”
She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up, and she shook her head. “You’re terrible.”
“The worst, but you’ll learn to love me,” he countered with a serious glint in his eye that had her mind dredging up all kinds of implications in his words. “Say you’ll come. I won’t leave it alone, so you may as well agree.”
“Okay! Fine. I’ll come, but don’t be surprised if your friends think I’m stuck up. That’s generally what people assume when someone’s always wandering off and bailing out early.”
“They’re gonna love you,” he assured her. “How could they not?”
Pushing back her chair, she rose and picked up her purse. “Thanks Silas, for the beer and the memories. It’s been fun.”
“I’ll walk you out.” He started to stand, and she stopped him with one hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you anyway, but I’m perfectly capable. My car’s barely twenty feet outside the door, and besides, this is as small as small towns get.” She squeezed his shoulder, and then released him.
“Okay, but I want it noted that I protested. If my mama knew I’d let a woman walk to her car alone, she’d crawl out of her grave and beat me with a willow branch.”
“Duly noted, Sarge,” she teased, clenching her fist to resist saluting him.
“We’ll pick you up at seven Friday night, Sarah,” he reminded her. She waved, but kept walking. Maybe between now and Friday she’d come up with a good reason to turn him down. At the moment, all she could think of was, I can’t go because you make my insides quiver, and somehow she didn’t think that excuse would work.
Author Bio
With the motto: Live, Laugh, and Love like today is your only chance, she will continue to write as long as you continue to read. Thank you for taking the time to indulge in a good Happily Ever After with her.
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