Cover Reveal! Dirty Promises, Dirty Angels #3 by Karina Halle

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Blood. Sex. Revenge.

Being king comes at a brutal price.

Drug lord Javier Bernal has sliced and diced his way to the top of the Mexican drug trade, presiding over the country's largest cartel. But his rise to power comes at a brutal price: the death of his sister, Alana. Devastated and wracked with guilt, he turns away from his new wife, Luisa, forcing their marriage into a steady decline. But it isn't until she's pushed into the waiting arms of Esteban Mendoza, his right-hand man, that Javier realizes everything he's lost.

And it isn't until he learns the truth about Alana, that he realizes everything there is to gain.

Blood will spill.

Cities will burn.

Heads will roll.

Because Javier will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.

And what he wants is raw, ruthless revenge.

Dirty Promises is the third and final book in the Dirty Angels Trilogy. While the other two books - Dirty Angels and Dirty Deeds - can be read as standalones, it is recommended you read at least Dirty Angels before reading Dirty Promises.

All my life, I thought I could operate under my own code of morals and ideals. It was no different than most, I supposed. The cop who has to shoot someone in self-defense. The soldiers that go to war and raid villages in the name of freedom. Everyone makes excuses for what they do, because they believe in it. Because they believe they are in the right.

I had always thought of myself as a somewhat civilized, almost classy, narco. I at least wanted to bring purpose and grace to what I did. I didn’t believe in killing mercilessly. I believed in mercy, in forgiveness, in giving people second chances. I believed in letting people go after I got what I wanted from them.

I believed that to snitch was an outrage, that even though we were dealing and fighting and killing to be in a billion dollar industry. I believed that religious celebrations were to be respected. I believed that family came first. I believed that women and children would not be harmed.

For a moment, I thought that perhaps I had lost my mind. Never mind the needless, senseless deaths that were already at my hands over the last few months. Never mind that I had broken promises to others, to myself. Dirty, filthy promises. It was then and only then that I knew I had lost who I was. That every moral fibre that I based myself on was threadbare and I was close, oh so close, to losing all sense of myself forever.

It scared me. I watched Luisa leave the room and though I was reeling from her own words, the callous ones that reached deep inside me and left a scar, I knew I might have damaged her beyond repair. I could heal myself in time, but could she? Would we? 

I didn’t think so.

Karina Halle is a former travel writer and music journalist and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author of Where Sea Meets Sky, Racing the Sun, The Pact, Love, in English, The Artists Trilogy, Dirty Angels and over 20 other wild and romantic reads. She lives on an island off the coast of British Columbia with her husband and her rescue pup, where she drinks a lot of wine, hikes a lot of trails and devours a lot of books.

Halle is represented by the Waxman Leavell Agency and is both self-published and published by Atria Books/Simon & Schuster and Hachette in North America and in the UK.

Hit her up on Instagram at @authorHalle , on Twitter at @MetalBlonde and on Facebook. You can also visit www.authorkarinahalle.com and sign up for the newsletter for news, excerpts, previews, private book signing sales and more.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway! Blue Horizons by Kathryn Andrews

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Will Ashton

Music is my motivation. I’ve always believed that, because of it, I would be somebody. Somebody to someone, and something to myself. 

At age four, I picked up my grandfather’s acoustic guitar and, up until three weeks ago, I’ve never put it down. From a single chord to a full arrangement, music fed my soul. I craved it with every fiber of my being, but now, I just don’t know. That driving force that’s always pushed me has somehow stalled, along with the thrill, the passion, and the familiarity . . . it’s all gone. I’m beginning to worry that my love for music just isn’t enough.

As the summer tour finally comes to an end, I head to the Blue Ridge Mountains instead of returning to Nashville. It’s here that I’ve always been able to lose myself amongst the solitude and the lake, but what I didn’t expect to find was her.

Wild blonde hair, light blue eyes, and a laugh I find myself trying to coax from her has me completely enamored. She’s quiet, incredibly poised, and driven by secrets as big as the mountains around us. They’re what’s made her untouchable, and left me wanting to know more. Maybe that’s what I need. Maybe I need more. Maybe I need her.

Ava Layne

They say that life isn’t about how many breaths we take, but how many moments take our breath away. But what if those moments aren’t filled with happiness and love, but something dark and haunting? For me, it’s those moments that’ve shaped and taken over my life. I can’t change who I am, God knows I’ve tried, and, because of this, I’ve accepted the silver lining . . . I’m alive. 

Fifty-two white keys, thirty-six black keys, ten fingers, seven notes, two friends, and one stage. At the piano, on the stage, with my two best friends, I finally found myself, and I live for those moments. One by one, I collect them, cherish them, patiently waiting for the next, until it arrives and changes everything. That’s the moment I meet him. 

OVER TEN YEARS ago my husband and I were driving from Chicago to Tampa and somewhere in Kentucky I remember seeing a billboard that was all black with five white words, “I do, therefore I am!” I’m certain that it was a Nike ad, but for me I found this to be completely profound.

Take running for example. Most will say that a runner is someone who runs five days a week and runs under a ten minute mile pace. Well, I can tell you that I never run five days a week and on my best days my pace is an eleven minute mile. I have run quite a few half marathons and one full marathon. No matter what anyone says . . . I run, therefore I am a runner.

I’ve taken this same thought and applied it to so many areas of my life: cooking, gardening, quilting, and yes . . . writing.

I may not be culinary trained, but I love to cook and my family and friends loves to eat my food. I cook, therefore I am a chef!

My thumb is not black. I love to grow herbs, tomatoes, roses, and lavender. I garden, therefore I am a gardener!

I love beautiful fabrics and I can follow a pattern. My triangles may not line up perfectly . . . but who cares, my quilts are still beautiful when they are finished. I quilt, therefore I am a quilter.

I have been writing my entire life. It is my husband who finally said, “Who cares if people like your books or not? If you enjoy writing them and you love your stories…then write them.” He has always been my biggest fan and he was right. Being a writer has always been my dream and what I said I wanted to be when I grew up.

So, I’ve told you who I am and what I love to do . . . now I’m going to tell you the why. I have two boys that are three years a part. My husband and I want to instill in them adventure, courage, and passion. We don’t expect them to be perfect at things, we just want them to try and do. It’s not about winning the race; it’s about showing up in the first place. We don’t want them to be discouraged by society stereotypes, we want them to embrace who they are and what they love. After all, we only get one life.

In the end, they won’t care how many books I actually sell . . . all that matters to them is that I said I was going to do it, I did it, and I have loved every minute of it. Find something that you love and tell yourself, “I do, therefore I am.” 

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway! Redemption (Diversion #5) by Eden Winters

Rocky Ridge Books

Living is the easy part.

Agent Lucky Lucklighter and his partner escaped Mexico alive, only to plunge into bureaucratic fallout from their mission. Hell, maybe Lucky should have stayed south of the border. Especially when the Southeastern Narcotics Bureau places Bo into rehab, and Lucky’s facing both therapy and an inquiry into a fatal shooting. Watching over his shoulder for a vengeful drug lord or a cartel don calling in favors leaves him scarcely able to imagine a future for them as agents, or as a couple.

Bo Schollenberger once had a vision for their life together, but he’s bowed beneath the weight of his undercover work. Lucky’s hanging on by his deeply chewed fingernails, clinging to hope by making Bo’s dreams of a home into reality. The last thing he needs is a phone call from a dangerous man who knows too much, summoning him back to Mexico for “an early Christmas present.”

Not when the SNB brass asks tough questions, like “How well do you know your partner?”

“What’s your current credit rating?” 

Lucky didn’t often use credit. After getting out of prison to work for Walter, he’d bought his car from a police auction for cash, and lived a low-key lifestyle. Before that, Victor Mangiardi had taken care of him. A nice way to live, but other than a car stereo in his teens, he’d never made payments on anything. And he’d been Richmond Lucklighter then. He’d only been Simon Harrison for a short time, and although he’d used credit cards to make expense reporting easier when on assignment, he paid them off every month. “I’m not sure.” 

“Then let’s see.” The woman tapped on her laptop and whistled. “Mr. Harrison, I don’t think we’ll have a problem getting you the loan.”

He owed Walter one hell of a lot of those frou-frou coffee drinks from Starbucks for giving him a credit score to make a loan officer whistle. 

An hour later Lucky fought to hide a grin from a woman who’d put the Energizer Bunny to shame. “Now, I’m familiar with the house you’re considering. Offer 180. Trust me.” She winked and handed him the phone. 

He pulled a dog-eared card from his wallet and dialed. 

“Mr. Harrison?” The Realtor didn’t sound too happy to hear from him, not that he blamed her. She’d been working hard for her commission. That’s why she got commission.

“Is that house still available? The fixer-upper in the gated neighborhood?”

“Y… yes.”

“I want to make an offer.”

Now what was he gonna tell Bo?

Captivated young by story-telling, Eden Winters’ earliest memories include spinning tales for the family’s pets. Her dreams of writing professionally took a sojourn into non-fiction, with a twelve-year stint in technical documentation.

She began reading GLBT novels as a way to better understand the issues faced by a dear friend and fell in love with the M/M romance genre. During a discussion of a favorite book, a fellow aficionado said, “We could do this, you know.” Good-bye gears, motors, and other authors’ characters; hello plots and sex scenes.

Somewhat of a nomad, Eden has visited seven countries so far. She currently calls the southern US home, and many of her stories take place in the rural South. Having successfully raised two children, she now balances the day job with hiking, rafting, spoiling her grandchildren, and stalking the wily falafel or elusive tofu pad Thai at her favorite restaurants. Her musical tastes run from Ambient to Zydeco, and she’s a firm believer that life is better with fur kids and Harley Davidsons.

Find Eden’s other works at http://edenwinters.com or contact her at edenwinters@gmail.com

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway! Beyond the Surface, The Breakfast Club #1 by Felice Stevens

On 9/11 firefighter Nick Fletcher’s world changed forever. He's unable to rid himself of survivor’s guilt

made worse by the secret he hides from his family and co-workers. Nick's life is centered around helping burn victims until he is reunited with the man he’d once loved but pushed away. Now he has a second chance at a love he thought lost forever.

For fashion designer Julian Cornell appearances mean everything. His love affairs are strictly casual

and the only thing he cares about is making his clothing line a success. A chance encounter with the man he loved long ago has Julian thinking for the first time in years there may be more to life than being seen at the best parties and what designer labels to wear.

When Julian’s world takes an unexpected turn it's Nick who helps him regain perspective on what matters most in life. Julian in turn helps Nick accept who he is and understand he isn’t responsible for tragedies he couldn't prevent. Lost love found can be even sweeter the second time around and after all the years apart both men learn to look beyond the surface to find the men they are inside.

Julian was in the kitchen, sitting on one of the stools by the counter. He had a glass in front of him filled with what Nick presumed was vodka, having spied the Grey Goose bottle.

“Would you like a drink? I have beer, wine…anything you’d like.”

Nick shook his head, regret piercing his heart as he watched the hope drain from Julian’s eyes.

“I don’t think so. I’m going to head home. I want you to know how much I appreciate what you did for Jamal tonight.”

Julian stood abruptly, kicking the stool away from his feet.

“Don’t treat me like I’m some fucking stranger, Nicky. You owe me. It’s been eighteen years; you think I’m going to let you walk out on me again like you did before? After what just happened between us? After you fell apart? No fucking way. I’m not that same person and neither are you, obviously.”

Taken aback by Julian’s anger, Nick remained mute.

“What the hell is going on with you? One minute you’re tongue fucking me into the next century and the next you’re freaking out. I know I’m a damn good kisser, but this isn’t about us, is it? It has nothing to do with our past and everything to do with you and the shit that’s floating around in your head.”

Julian stepped closer to him and Nick, who normally couldn’t stand people near him, was rooted to the floor, unable to move.

“Talk to me, Nicky. Tell me what happened to you.”

He was so tired of holding himself together, feeling like at any moment he’d shatter into a million tiny pieces, leaving nothing behind but a pile of dust.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The words poured out of him, flowing unchecked this time. “It should’ve been me. We all went to the Towers to save them. It was my day off, but I went anyway. I heard and couldn’t stay home; I had a duty to help, you know? But I lived and they all died. Why, Julian? Why did I live and they didn’t?”

“Oh, Nick.” Julian held him close. “I don’t have the answers for you. No one does. But I’m going to be completely selfish and say I’m so thankful you did make it and we’re here together after all these years.”

Unflinching green eyes gazed back at him. Clever, beautiful eyes that Nick could never stop dreaming of. Eyes that at one time had held the promise of forever, until Nick ruined everything with his cowardice and shame. Unable to maintain Julian’s scrutiny, Nick broke away and ran to the elevator, his chest heaving, eyes stinging with tears.

“Let me out. I need to leave here. NOW.”

I have always been a romantic at heart. I believe that while life is tough, there is always a happy ending just around the corner. I started reading traditional historical romances when I was a teenager, then life and law school got in the way. It wasn’t until I picked up a copy of Bertrice Small and became swept away to Queen Elizabeth’s court that my interest in romance novels became renewed.

But somewhere along the way, my tastes shifted. While I still enjoys a juicy Historical romance, I began experimenting with newer, more cutting edge genres and discovered the world of Male/Male romance. Once I picked up her first, I became so enamored of the authors, the character-driven stories and the overwhelming emotion of the books, I knew I wanted to write my own.

I live in New York City with my husband and two children and hopefully soon a cat of my own. My day begins with a lot of caffeine and ends with a glass or two of red wine. I practice law but daydream of a time when I can sit by a beach somewhere and write beautiful stories of men falling in love. Although there is bound to be angst along the way, a Happily Ever After is always guaranteed.

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Cover Reveal - Excerpt & Giveaway! ACE, Band of Brothers #1 by Lyra Parish

My name is Ace and I'm the Ace of Spades. I'm not nice and I misbehave. I will be your nightmare. I will be your dream. I will have you begging for more of me with each scream. The truth is in my lyrics. Uncontrollably controlled. I bleed many things one being Rock & Roll. I don't date or make love, I fuck real hard. Did you know the ace of spades is considered the death card? Love doesn't exist in my world, it never did. Love won't exist in my world; it's something I forbid. My name is Ace and I'm the Ace of Spades. Proceed with caution, because I'm sharp like a blade. The Band of Brothers novels are full length and will follow each brother in the band. They can be read together or separately. 

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Disclaimer: this is subject to change.

Tonight I would fuck the blonde in the front row. The set was nearing the end and I could feel her gaze peeling off every piece of my clothing. I liked when a woman knew what she wanted. Blue and green lights flashed over the stage then washed across the crowd. When we made eye contact again, her tongue traced the outside of her plump bottom lip and at that moment I knew she was DTF. Her being down to fuck made this so much easier but then again, being the lead singer of the Band of Brothers made panties magically melt. I'd be her fantasy for the night. This tour wasn't like the others because this time everyone wanted a piece of us as if our success happened overnight. But we earned every fucking opportunity we had. I would say given but that's bullshit. My brothers and I worked hard for every small and large success we had because that's our nature. We were raised to not take shit for granted and to work hard. Being assholes just came naturally but we knew to give respect where respect was due. Each show from Florida to California, all the way to New York was sold out and that felt incredible. The drums beat on as I screamed out the next few lyrics. "I won't let the world decide. I'll die before that happens." The drums stopped and the distortion was cut leaving a melodic strum of Nicolas's guitar. The lights faded when walked off stage leaving the crowd to themselves. Ian, Nicolas, and Liam had huge smiles covering their faces as they chugged the water the technicians handed us. This would never get old. Moments like this were the ones we lived and worked for. Once the chanting and clapping started, the four of us walked back onstage and gave the fans what they wanted, an encore. Green and yellow lights flashed over the crowd and smoke hovered at the bottom of the stage. We played three more songs and the people sang and swayed to the lyrics and music. Some jumped up and down, feeling the full beat of the drums while others banged their heads. The feeling of having thousands of people chanting my words would never become real. More often than not, I felt like I was in a dream, one that I never wanted to wake from. During the last song, I pointed to the blonde who continued to visually rip my clothes off with every little blink she took. By the way she was dressed in a tight pink shirt and little bitty skirt, I knew she wanted to be seen. She could have possibly had this night planned from the beginning. Randomly, I chose a few others from the crowd to join us, to dance in front of our audience, to feel the temporary power. It was something I did every show, every tour. It was a habit of sorts. Security helped the girls climb on the stage and they shook their asses in those little pieces of material that were supposed to be skirts. It always made women feel special when they were with the band, and I loved giving them just a little taste. A person doesn't fully understand performing live until they have had the opportunity to look out past the stage lights and see the people. Before the song ended, the technicians led the girls' side stage as cannons of confetti shot from the floor. Different colored pieces of paper glittered everywhere. When the final song ended, my brothers and I walked side stage where girls anxiously waited us. I smiled, popping an eyebrow at my chosen woman for the night, and she instantly came to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and hers hung on my waist. My brothers stopped in the green room with the other girls, but Blondie and I walked to the bus. "I'm Lindsey," she whispered in my ear before we reached the end of the hallway. I smiled at her and pushed open the exit door. Groupies and fans waited near the bus and as soon as we walked up they rushed it. "I'll be out in a bit," I said, smiling at them with pearly whites. "My brothers are coming out that door over there. Really soon." I hated to out their exit strategy, but I wanted to take my time burying my dick deep inside Misty or Christy or whatever the fuck her name was. It didn't matter. Names never did. 

Lyra Parish loves to write, glamp, and sing obnoxiously loud at the top of her lungs in the shower. Sweet love stories (along with the dirty ones) make her gush. She is a firm believer that a person can never have too many cups of coffee, cats, or happily ever afters. When she isn't busy writing, she can be found sipping various beverages from her non-alcoholic drink buffet, pimp slapping excel spreadsheets, or riding her bike. Lyra lives in Texas with her glassblowing, guitar-playing hubby and black cat named Nibbler.

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway! A Demon Inside by Rick R. Reed

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Hunter Beaumont doesn’t understand his grandmother’s deathbed wish: “Destroy Beaumont House.” He’s never even heard of the place. But after his grandmother passes and his first love betrays him, the family house in the Wisconsin woods looks like a tempting refuge. Going against his grandmother’s wishes, Hunter flees to Beaumont House.

But will the house be the sanctuary he had hoped for? Soon after moving in, Hunter realizes he may not be alone. And with whom—or what—he shares the house may plunge him into a nightmare from which he may never escape. Sparks fly when he meets his handsome neighbor, Michael Burt, a caretaker for the estate next door. The man might be his salvation… or he could be the source of Hunter's terror.

Hunter wasn’t sure how much time had passed as he wandered the rooms, thinking, but he knew he should be getting back to Ian. He remembered there was a back staircase, not nearly as grand as the large curving one at the front, but closer. It led down to the kitchen and was narrow, for utilitarian purposes only.

The stairway was close… and dark. Hunter needed to grip the walls as he made his way down the raw wooden stairs. Before he even saw it, he felt it, the web of a spider, sticky yet almost ephemeral, clinging to his face. And in dim periphery, he saw a fat, hairy brown spider, alerted to a catch, begin to make its way toward his face. Hunter struggled to get out of the web, trying to tear the gluey strands away from him. He gasped as some of the web got into his mouth and was horrified at the thought that the spider might follow suit.

He pushed onward down the stairs, stumbling, the web clinging to him, accompanied by the crawly sensation of the spider now making its way through his hair. From below he heard laughter. He realized Ian must have returned to the house and glimpsed his predicament. The laughter grew along with Hunter’s horror at the web. He batted at it, struggling to get down the stairs and away from the spider.

After jumping down the last few stairs, Hunter managed to get most of the spider’s web off himself and at last to fling the advancing beast to the floor. He looked back to see it scurry away.

He had a few choice words for Ian, which he started right in on before even seeing the man. “What’s wrong with you? Couldn’t you have helped me? Who knows if that damn spider wasn’t poisonous? And to laugh at me! I just don’t get—” Hunter stopped talking all at once in the middle of the bright, sun-drenched kitchen.

He was alone.

“Ian?” Hunter moved through the other rooms. Ian was nowhere to be found.

“Ian? This isn’t funny. Come out now.” Behind him he heard giggling. Hunter whirled around and was confronted with only empty space. This was not like Ian at all, not at all like the kind but rather staid and humorless friend of the family Hunter had always known. He did one more search of the first floor rooms, assuring himself that all were empty.

Hunter hurried from Beaumont House and stood for a moment after closing and locking the doors behind him, composing himself. The sensation of being watched returned once more, and this time Hunter could pinpoint where it came from. He turned quickly, surveying the upstairs windows, but all of them were dark, reflecting only the sun.

Hunter knew the car was just a few yards away, but as he rushed to it, his foot caught on a bramble, which brought him to his knees. He skinned his hands as he went down. “Jesus,” he whispered… and then tensed. He could feel someone behind him, drawing closer. He was sure it wasn’t Ian. Hunter squeezed his eyes shut, muscles tensing, as he felt hot breath on his neck. He wanted to scream but had no voice.

He turned quickly.

And there was no one there.

Rick R. Reed is all about exploring the romantic entanglements of gay men in contemporary, realistic settings. While his stories often contain elements of suspense, mystery and the paranormal, his focus ultimately returns to the power of love. He is the author of dozens of published novels, novellas, and short stories. He is a three-time EPIC eBook Award winner (for Caregiver, Orientation and The Blue Moon Cafe). Raining Men and Caregiver have both won the Rainbow Award for gay fiction. Lambda Literary Review has called him, "a writer that doesn't disappoint." Rick lives in Seattle with his husband and a very spoiled Boston terrier. He is forever "at work on another novel."

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Cover Reveal! Harmony's Healing, Downtown Series #2 by T.J. West

Danny Jay, lead guitarist of the hottest new band, JINXS has found himself fighting for control in his own life. He can’t control his father’s choices, the sister he blames for his abandonment or his best friend dating his sister. It’s the ultimate betrayal leaving him bitter, angry and unforgiving.

Harmony’s older sister raised her after their parent’s fatal car accident instead of going into the foster care system. When tragedy struck again Harmony made the hardest choices to pay the bills and survive. She gets a second chance to build a better life when offered a job at Montgomery Suites, where she crosses paths with Danny.

After one horrible drunken evening at Montgomery Suites, Harmony takes care of Danny and feels a connection but he is damaged and reserved. Will these two abandoned souls be able to heal each other?

I'm a stay at home Mom of two teenagers. I became a self published author in 2014 after being inspired by many self indie authors. I have enjoyed writing for a long time, but never thought my imagination would carry me to this point in my life. After many years of losing my passion, and from enjoying raising my children I am finally at a place where I can reach for my dreams. Whether I become a best seller or not, I am loving the journey I am on and will continue to write as long as my readers are willing to read my stories.

Other interests: Watching many many TV shows (yes I am addicted), movies, hiking, going to the beach, spending time with the family, road trips, cocktail nights with friends and being interactive with my fans, friends and family on Facebook.

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