New Releases from Liz Meldon, Shealy James, & M.E. Gordon

 

Book Title: The Fool 

Author: Liz Meldon 

Genre: Paranormal Romance 

Release Date:  December 21, 2015 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

One night can change everything.

That's what they always say, and for now, vampire hunter Delia hopes it's true. After years of mediocre performances, she's still nothing more than a grunt in her hunter league, stuck on surveillance duty and low-level vamp busts.

So, when her informant drops an amazing lead in her lap, she jumps at the opportunity to take down the region's rumored vampire leader at an invite-only masquerade ball. Clad in a mask and uncomfortable dress, Delia throws herself into the fray—only to realize she’s woefully unprepared for the night that awaits her.

Also… Some ridiculously attractive guy dressed as the Fool keeps distracting her.

One night. One job. One man. One chance to change her life.

All she has to do is not screw it up.

The Fool is a novella intended for readers aged 18+, and is the prologue for the paranormal romance serial Games We Play.

Music drifted languidly from speakers around the dance hall, and couples whirling around the floor barely missed a beat, moving this way and that, too wrapped up in themselves to notice when the songs changed. It was a more appealing sight than the one she was used to seeing on a dance floor: Kain and his boys grinding up on drunk girls, their sense of rhythm all but absent. Most here were intoxicated, but the costumes gave a degree of modesty, and no one, as far as she could see, was mashing pelvises.

She’d had a few conversations since leaving the bathroom, but the women flying solo were more interested in finding someone to spend the evening with, while most of the men fed her the same dull lines over and over again: Why was she alone? Where was her drink? Did she know her eyes sparkled like emeralds?

Vomit.

Delia had just barely escaped the last guy—his breath rank with alcohol—who kept guffawing in her face whenever he cracked a joke. So there she stood, hovering on the outskirts of the dance floor, unsure of her place.

Arms wrapped around herself, she watched a nearby couple as they danced. They were both young and slim, effortlessly gliding around like they’d done it a hundred times before. Maybe they had.

She blinked quickly, bringing herself out of her daze, and tightened her grip on her clutch as the jingling of bells grew louder. The Fool had found her again.

Throughout the night she’d spied that ridiculous gold and purple mask at a safe distance out of the corner of her eye. Sometimes she actually turned and looked, only to find him chatting with one or two other people.

“Delia,” he said, dipping his head cordially as he stood beside her.

She pursed her lips, noting the barely-there gap between their bodies.

“Fool.”

She returned her gaze to the dancing couple. So elegant—hypnotic, even.

“Did you find who you were looking for?”

It took her a second to process the question, and she glanced his way curiously.

“What?”

“Earlier,” the Fool continued with a nod in the direction of the garden. “You ran after someone. Did you find them?”

“No.” Delia squared her shoulders and let out a small sigh. “Just a look-alike. I don’t think the person I want to see will show tonight.”

“Pity.” The Fool sniffed, his gaze wandering the dancing couples. “Fortunate for me, however.”

She almost laughed. “Why?”

“Because now I can enjoy the pleasure of your company… uninterrupted.”

Delia forced away the incredulous look that flashed across her face, her lips threatening to turn upward in a smile, and finally faced him.

The Fool, however, continued to study the dancers, ignoring her narrowed stare.

“Does this usually work on girls?”

“What?” he asked innocently, sparing her a quick glance, a few of his bells jingling.

“This faux-formal crap you’re spouting.” She cocked her head to the side as she waited for a response.

Slowly, a smile spread across his face, lips pulling back to reveal a set of perfectly straight, perfectly white teeth. “I don’t know. Does it?”

“No,” she replied quickly, turning toward the dance floor again just before their eyes could meet. “It doesn’t.”

“Shame. And here I was thinking I’d been doing so well.”

“That’s presumptuous of you,” Delia remarked, her head tilting to one side again, mimicking the slow way the man dipped his female partner. Her fair blonde tresses tickled the floor, and they grinned at one another. Despite herself, Delia suddenly found herself grinning too.

“Hmm…”

Her skin prickled at the deep rumbly quality of his voice, but she was determined not to react to it.

“… Perhaps I can remedy that.”

She almost told him it was unlikely, all the while feeling a little guilty for her rudeness. After all, he had scared off that psychotic Donovan vamp earlier. Even if he didn’t realize it, she actually owed him. However, before she could get another word in, the Fool snapped at a passing waitress, and the woman hurried toward them with a tray of drinks in hand.

“You seem to have lost the one I brought you earlier,” the Fool noted as he handed her a glass, which Delia took almost begrudgingly. He then looked to the waitress and gently touched her arm as he said, “And if you can manage, perhaps a red wine for myself?”

“Of course, sir.” The woman gave a small nod before hurrying away, moving with more purpose than any of the servers Delia had seen all night. She raised an eyebrow at the Fool again; he wasn’t a vamp power-player, but he had to be someone important in the human world.

He caught her studying him, and then flashed a charming smile as Delia pretended to be admiring his bells.

“Champagne gives me a headache,” he told her, as if that explained the drink request.

Delia shrugged. “Sucks to be you.” The new glass of bubbly liquid, tinged with a rose-gold hue, slid down smoothly, but she vowed that this would be the last of the night. “I love champagne.”

“I know.” He then reached up and brushed his fingertip over her cheek. Delia flinched back, nostrils flaring in alarm. Even after his arm fell back by his side, she felt the warmth of his touch on her skin. “You get a little blush every time you drink it. Quite endearing.”

“Well, that’s some extra-close attention you’ve been paying to me,” she forced out, her breath catching at the intensity of his stare. She cleared her throat as she stepped back, flustered. Genuinely flustered. Because a hot guy in a stupid mask was doting on her, and Delia wasn’t accustomed to men doting on her. The guys in her history weren’t exactly the doting type.

But then again, there really was only one reason a man would dote on her…

Her blush darkened at the thought.

Toasting him with her champagne glass, she took another few steps back, alarmed that he followed slowly.

“Thanks for the drink… again,” she told him. Then, without another word, Delia turned on the spot and cut across the dance floor, not stopping until there was some distance between her and the Fool.

For a short time, she tried to distract herself with the sea of dancers, the swirl of fabric and the flash of masks slowly blending into one living, breathing organism.

Through the fleeting gaps between couples, she saw him. The Fool. Watching her from across the room, he stood quite still amidst all the twirling and whirling, through the swishes of fabric, his glass of red wine in hand. She wasn’t sure why she decided to stay there, directly across from him. Maybe it was the fact that after a night in sultry, but painful, heels, her feet finally decided enough was enough. Time to stay in one place for a while.

Delia chose to ignore the fact that every time she did try to move, her feet were like heavy stones, keeping her in place, in the Fool’s line of sight.

Liz is a Canadian author who grew up in the Middle East. She has a degree in Bioarchaeology from Western University, and when she isn't writing about her own snarky characters, she is ghostwriting romance novellas, loitering on social media, or taking care of her many animals.

As a freelance ghostwriter, she has written thirteen books, which range from romance to horror, full-length to novella-sized. A handful are currently on the market, and she stalks their "authors" with fiendish delight. She loves writing realistic characters in fantastical settings.

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Book Title: The Safe Bet 

Author: Shealy James 

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Release Date: December 29, 2015 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

There’s no man in the world who won’t break Reagan Anders’s heart…

At the fragile age of eight, Reagan’s life seemed perfect. But when her beloved father abandoned their tiny family, Reagan was left emotionally scarred.

Now in high school, not much has changed. Reagan still won’t let her guard down. Not even for her long-time friend, Brock Anderson, who has spent years pursuing Reagan, yet never tearing down her walls.

If you push hard enough, eventually you’ll get your way...

By graduation, Brock has finally won over Reagan’s affections. They aren’t a public item, but Brock is content just being hers, even if that means going without the official boyfriend title.

As usual, Reagan’s fears get the better of her, and suspicions of Brock’s commitment creep in. Surviving their relationship’s tension, they make it to college together, where their game of cat and mouse takes a darker twist.
Tragedies come in threes...
But after a tragic car crash that kills her best friend, her mother ships her off to the one person Reagan hates more than herself. Her father.

When she meets her brother she never knew, they immediately become friends. Years pass until one day when she meets one of her brother’s friends…Brock Anderson—and he’s on a mission to win her back.

When Reagan and Brock are reunited, the chemistry is stronger than ever. But when uncertainty threatens their future, will Brock be the safe bet, or will he be the heartache she always feared?

 

Shealy James is a Georgia native who teaches math by day and writes romance at night. As an avid reader, expert on romantic comedy films, and lover of realistic characters who could be her best friends if only they really existed, Shealy appreciates when humor mixes with drama to guide her imaginary friends to their happy endings. And there must always be a happy ending. Shealy openly eats enough candy to feed a small nation, drinks sweet tea by the gallon, hopes to hit 10,000 steps each day, and lives every day with her amazing daughter.

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Book Title: Torn Hearts 

Author: M.E. Gordon 

Genre: Contemporary/New Adult 

Release Date: August 29, 2015 

Hosted by: Book Enthusiast Promotions

A tale as old as time—a girl, tall and wispy, hair the color of the sun, eyes as blue as the sky, caught in a love triangle with the noblest of men…Not in this book honey!

Okay so maybe I am caught up in a love triangle, but I’m sure as hell not running through a field of daisies in a sun dress. My name is Elizabeth and I’ve managed to avoid men for most of my life. I wasn’t a nun by any means, but I know what the hot guys want—and it usually isn’t me. How I got myself involved in a love triangle with one sexy photographer and a millionaire bachelor, who had women worshiping the ground he walked on, is beyond me. Yet, here I am, attempting to navigate waters that I’ve never expected to. Trying to figure out which man was right for me, dealing with my family—and have I told you about the paparazzi? Well, it’s all really making me rethink the situation. Who do I trust? Who’s being genuine? What should I do if both men are perfect for me in different ways? How the hell am I supposed to choose just one? Or better yet do I have to choose just one?

I needed time to at least talk to Simon and explain there was somebody else—but Spencer wouldn’t listen…

I had mind blowing sex last night but I didn’t remember making this official. I still needed to talk to Simon, at the very least he deserved—he deserved someone better than me. That was what this all boiled down to. I had turned into the one thing I used to despise, a careless, thoughtless, wishy-washy, Barbie and a slutty one at that. Everything had felt so good in the moment, but I was drunk and not thinking. What am I going to say to Simon? Fuck, what am I going to say to Spencer?

“Spencer I—”

“Don’t,” he said, chuckling and holding his hand up. “Don’t even start with the excuses. You chose to be here with me. Why the fuck do you keep doing this to me if you’re in love with him?” he roared, slamming his fist into the mattress.

“I don’t know if I’m in love with him—”

Cutting me off, he stood from the bed, his deep voice shook the walls as he spoke. “Now!” he spat, as he moved closer to me. “Choose now!” he growled.

“I can’t,” I said back as sternly as I could.

“You can’t or you won’t?” Taking a step back, he turned from me shoving his hands through his tousled hair, the muscles in his back flexed, and I nearly went knees to the floor.

“You can’t have us both, Elizabeth. You either stay with me, be with only me, love only me—or fucking leave.”

His words were raw and savage as he turned back to face me. I couldn’t talk, so I simply stared up at him. This isn’t happening, is it? Things were perfect five minutes ago, now everything is just wrong. It’s all wrong.

Coming quickly toward me, he grabbed my upper arms, taking me to lie down on the bed. He stared into my eyes before running his hand up the inside of my thigh. Two fingers slid deep inside me. Who was I kidding? Just seeing him made me aroused and arguing with him only made it worse.

M.E. Gordon, was born and raised in Maryland, where she still resides with her husband. She is a stay at home mom to four children, three boys and one very, spoiled, little girl, all under the age of five. Growing up M.E.G. was an avid journal writer. She wrote her first romance novel at the age of 14, and it was pretty bad, but over the years and through all the kids she honed her craft. When M.E.G. doesn't have her mom hat on, you can find her reading, working on her next story or watching guilty pleasure television.

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