Cover Reveal! Angel Lover, Angel Assassins #2 by Tricia Skinner

There's no danger greater than falling for your enemy… Publication date: June 30th

The Nephilim are bound. Their powers cursed. But half-angel Kasdeja will do anything to free them from Heaven's tyranny. When Kas is approached by a striking, mysterious woman, she tells him his greatest enemies hold the key to his freedom.

Mariel keeps herself shrouded in secrets, using them to hide her true self. For she is not just employed by the Renegades--enemy fallen angels—she is a double agent, working on the sly for Heaven. Her directive is to seduce the gorgeous Nephilim—despite her insecurity about such sensual acts.

For Mariel is playing a dangerous game, and falling for Kas could only cause trouble; her assignment isn't just seduction. It's destruction.

He traced his fingers under her tank top and made small circles against her back. A soft sound escaped her lips, then she relaxed. “Mariel.” He barely recognized his lust-blown voice. She answered by renewing their passionate kiss, full and open and bone melting. She kissed him thoroughly, drawing the oxygen from his lungs as she twisted her fingers into his long hair. Kas lowered her on the comforter with care, never breaking their kiss. He eased back, and with his gaze on hers, he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it. Mariel’s gaze made several passes over his body. What did she feel for him? Admiration? Uncertainty? He’d never hurt her. No one would ever hurt her again, not if they expected to live. Then Mariel’s gaze fell away. “You are...beautiful.” Her shoulders drooped, and she pulled back. “You don’t believe you are.” She didn’t reply, except for the stubborn jut of her chin. Kas smoothed his thumb over her cheek then gently raised her head. She wouldn’t look at him. He wouldn’t allow her to withdraw from him, from them. He touched her shirt at the waist, and her hands clamped over his, her eyes wet. Her fearful expression tore him apart. “Trust me as I trust you,” he said gently. Kas waited until her grip loosened, and her hands fell to the side. He infused a smile with warmth and then eased the material up in torturous increments. Time she could use to stop him. Her flat stomach and tight abs were revealed. He smothered his reaction, afraid Mariel would mistake a groan for disapproval. Smooth, golden skin fed his hunger an appetizer. “You have control,” he told her. “If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop.” Mariel peeked through her lashes and nodded. He lifted the shirt higher, stared at her breasts, and bit back another sound. God of All, they made him salivate, but he tapped more of his self-control. Finally, the shirt was over her head and joined his on the floor. Mariel’s arms stayed locked at her sides like a soldier at attention. Kas moved around her and climbed onto the bed next to her. “Lie on your side, facing me.” “I do not know,” she said, whisper light. Again his chest felt as if it had crushed inward. No woman should be made to believe she was ugly. None should feel shame about her body. He wanted to beat bloody any man who’d ever looked at her wrong. Mariel expelled a long breath as if she’d resolved herself to do what he’d asked. She stretched out alongside him, chest to chest, her right arm pillowing her head. He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her cheek and lips. “Touch me.”  

Tricia Skinner is an author of passionate dark fantasy. She is a features writer for Fresh Fiction and a project manager for Short Fuse. She began her writing career as a business reporter and wrote for The Detroit News, Investor’s Business Daily, MSN, and The Houston Chronicle. Raised in Detroit, Tricia graduated with a BA degree from the nationally acclaimed Journalism Institute for Media Diversity at Wayne State University. She earned a Masters of Liberal Studies – Creative Writing degree from Southern Methodist University and will obtain a Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2017. Diversity in genre fiction is dear to Tricia’s heart. She is represented by Laurie McLean, co-founder of Fuse Literary Agency. When not writing, Tricia can be found reading, lifting weights, or geeking out over games, movies, and music. She has a Tom Hiddleston obsession, and she is Team Vader. Her family includes three Great Danes (so far).).

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Boo Blitz! Everlost, Night Watchmen #3 by Candace Knoebel

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One truth will unravel them all.

Faye Middleton thought the worst had come to pass the night she and her friends barely escaped from Ethryeal City and the clutches of the evil Priestess Clara. Officially shunned from the Coven, Faye is forced to lay low in order to come up with a plan to bring Clara down.

At Jaxen’s childhood manor, they were supposed to be safe from any outside issues, and they were… until his long-lost mother shows up. Determined to win back what she lost so long ago, Evangeline reveals a secret that could shatter their beliefs, or be their saving grace.

Now, with two Covens searching for Faye, they must find a way to start over. With the help of the Rebellion, they begin the arduous task of forming their own army. However, the choices they are faced with leave them questioning everything they’ve ever known.

THIS ISN’T GOING TO END WELL.

She isn’t supposed to be here, outside this house, across the yard, staring at me like I’m a two-headed vampire about to suck the life from her veins. Her words aren’t supposed to be so intoxicating. Her gaze isn’t supposed to be the kind that glues you in place, turning your brain to mush and your instincts to that of a moth to a flame.

Evangeline Gramm… the woman who escaped the infamous Gramm Curse. The mother who so easily abandoned her two boys. The Witch who has passed under the Primeval Coven’s radar longer than anyone ever thought possible.

She could be our worst nightmare… or she could be the key to finding our salvation.

I thought the worst had come to pass the night we barely escaped from Ethryeal City. We were officially shunned from the Coven under Clara’s orders, Jaxen had been wounded, and we weren’t any closer to bringing Clara down.

But none of that could touch the look on Jaxen’s face when he found his mother standing feet away from him, with an army we never saw coming behind her.

And I’m not sure what’s going to happen now. I’m not sure he’s ready to face his past… the same way I’m not ready to face my future.

But being born a Primeval means that pain isn’t an option—it’s a standard. We can’t escape it. There’s no silver lining in our line of work. There aren’t any small miracles that can relieve us from this hell.

There’s just fear and determination.

That’s it. That’s all we have to drive us forward.

I just hope this time we make it through.

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head. 

Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys.

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Excerpt & Giveaway! Flukes, Flukes #1 by Nichole Chase

Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks

Meena has a secret guarded closely by her family—a secret as dangerous as the sea and buried just as deep. When court-appointed community-service workers are assigned to Flukes, the family-owned animal sanctuary, everyone is on high alert. It doesn’t help that Meena finds herself attracted to sexy-as-sin Blake Weathering, one of the new workers. If he wasn’t so distracting, she might be able to land Flukes a much-needed cruise-line contract.

Blake Weathering, the first in his family to attend public school, has developed a tough image. Unfortunately, it lands him in trouble. Now banned from his high school graduation ceremony, getting his diploma is dependent upon a community-service gig cleaning up fish crap. No diploma, no trust fund fortune—and no way to escape his overbearing father. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a mysterious girl with teal eyes who pulls at his heartstrings.

When Blake discovers Meena’s secret, they are both thrown into a desperate search for information about her past. Two worlds pull them in opposite directions, and they will have to fight to hold on to all that really matters.

“He’s friendly.” Blake’s voice was amused and he automatically scratched under Mitch’s chin. She squee’d loudly and spit water at his face. 

“Mitch is a girl.” He held his hands up to ward off her wet assault and I couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t seem irritated by Mitch’s antics, just amused and wet. 

“My apologies, Mitch. I did think it was weird that you were so pretty if you were a boy.” Blake reached out a hand and scratched her chin again. He looked at me from the corner of his eyes. “Did you tell her to do that?”

“What? Oh, the splashing? No. She’s just sensitive.” Jallia came over and rolled onto her side. I traced my hands over her belly and cooed under my breath. The baby was healthy and happy. He was going to be a big boy. “Not long now, Jallia. You’re going to have your son out and playing in no time.”

Mitch nosed her mother for a minute, checking the baby as well. After a minute, Stormy started making noises about being hungry and I laughed. I set the fish bucket between Blake and Ime. “Here, feed them, but don’t let them knock the bucket over.” Mitch rose out of the water and flopped onto the decking between us. “Mitch! You got my clothes wet!” I yanked the bucket out of the way and pushed Mitch back into the water. 

Stormy darted through the water and opened his mouth for Blake to deposit some fish. It didn’t take us long to empty the bucket and I enjoyed answering Blake’s questions. He was smarter than I had given him credit for.

“Are these markings from the other dolphins? They look like teeth scrapes.” Blake leaned close to Stormy and peered at the teeth rakings on his melon. 

“Yeah. Some of them are from playing, roughhousing. Some of them are from being irritating. He is a nosy guy.” I ran my hand over Stormy’s head. “Most of them fade pretty quickly. They shed their skin every two hours.”

“Wow. Didn’t know that.” Blake looked down at the water and frowned. “So my legs are covered in dead dolphin skin. Nice.”

He was so engrossed at looking at his legs in disgust, I couldn’t help myself. It was the perfect chance to get payback for his insulting Flukes. I shoved his shoulder, pushing him into the water. “Now it’s all over you.” 

Mitch laughed her dolphin laugh, but Jallia scolded me. When Blake came up sputtering, he glared at me. Mitch spit water at him, but he ignored her and swam to the platform. I thought he was going to sulk until he got closer. He looked up at the last minute and his mischievous smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. His brown eyes twinkled and I knew I was in trouble. I tried to get up and out of the way quickly, but he was faster than I thought. His strong hand closed around my ankle and dragged me into the water. Mitch darted down to me and I grabbed onto her dorsal fin. She surfaced quickly and scolded Blake with sharp whistles. 

“She had it coming!” Blake held his hands out in front of him and laughed. He splashed water at me and I returned the favor. Mitch and Stormy joined in, but Jallia swam away, not in the mood for playing. His smile was infectious as he played with the dolphins, not minding when they dunked him or pushed him around. I found myself watching more than playing because I liked seeing him look so happy. 

“You had it coming first. Calling Flukes a hellhole.” I laughed at his fake hurt look.

“I apologized! And it’s not like I didn’t notice that I was getting all the crap jobs last week.” He pretended to hold his heart. “I’ve paid my dues. What else can you want from me?”

“Fine. We’re even.” I rolled my eyes and shifted a little farther away from him. There was something compelling about him, something that made me want to be closer. He was dangerous.

“Looks like you lost something.” He tapped his head and I frowned.

“Ugh. My hat.” I looked around and saw it floating toward the sandy bottom. I took a deep breath that I didn’t need and dove after it. When I came back up, Blake was looking at me with wide eyes. “What? It’s my favorite.”

“How deep is this part of the cove?” He looked down and frowned. “What? Eighteen, twenty feet?”

“Something like that.” This part of the cove was twenty-eight feet. Mentally, I berated myself for being so stupid. I should have sent Mitch or Stormy after my hat, but I didn’t want teeth marks on it. 

“Heh.” Blake looked at me, his eyebrows drawn together. 

I hauled myself onto the platform and felt his eyes following me, making my heart jump in my chest. He pulled himself out of the enclosure and peeled his shirt off. The boy was gorgeous and he knew it. The exact kind of guy I should avoid at all costs. He twisted the shirt in his hands, wringing as much water out as he could.

“What next?” Blake slung the wet shirt over his shoulder.

The water droplets that ran down his chest drew my attention like a moth to flame. My fingers itched to touch him. I scrambled to my feet and backed away from him slowly while squeezing the edge of my shirt. Needing a distraction, I picked up the bucket and turned toward the ladder.

“The others should be here soon. I need to go help Dad with the assignments and then we can come up with a plan for the crews.” I didn’t look back at him after climbing the three short rungs, trying to shake the weird spell he seemed to have on me.

Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, The Accidental Assassin,Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories.

Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway! Vampire Rising by Larry Benjamin

Amazon Beaten Track Publishing

It’s the mid twenty-first century. Anti-Semitism, racism, sexism and homophobia have been consigned to the dustbin of history. The world is run by “the state,” and Christian zealots, whose chief governing tools are fear and oppression. It’s a wonderful time to be alive—unless you’re a Vampire. Vampires are despised, and feared, and subjected to discrimination and unspeakable violence.

Considered undead, unholy, without basic human rights, Gatsby Calloway lives on the fringes of society, avoiding humanity. Until he meets Barnabas, a young encaustic painter.

When Barnabas is mortally wounded during an anti-Vampire attack, Gatsby must forget everything he has known, and learn to trust.

“This here coming up is the stop for Chicksand Street,” the bus driver called out.

Barnabas stood and walked to the front of the bus. He peered out the windshield into the dark, then looked at the driver. “The schedule said you stopped at Chicksand Street,” Barnabas said.

“Not after dark I don’t,” the driver shot back. “This here is as far as I’m going tonight!”

Barnabas shrugged and moved to the door. The Mexican woman he’d noticed earlier touched his arm. As he turned to her, she drew a silver crucifix attached to rosary beads from around her neck and, muttering a prayer in Spanish, pressed it into his hands. He closed his hand around the offering still warm from her bosom and said, “Thank you.”

The bus slowed and the driver said, “This here road, about a mile on, becomes Chicksand Street.” He opened the door, barely stopping long enough for Barnabas to disembark. As soon as his feet touched the curb, the driver closed the door and sped away as fast as the bus’ ancient diesel engine would allow. As the bus passed him he saw the passengers with their foreheads and palms pressed against the windows, their eyes wide, and their mouths forming tiny “O”s of fright.

Bronx-born wordsmith, Larry Benjamin considers himself less a writer than an artist whose chosen medium is the written word rather than clay or paint or bronze. His debut novel, the gay romance What Binds Us was released by Carina Press in March 2012. His second book, Damaged Angels, a collection of short stories, is a 2013 Rainbow Award Runner-Up in the Gay Contemporary General Fiction category. His third book, Unbroken, was a 2014 Lambda Literary finalist, and a 2014 IPPY (Independent Publishers Book Award) Gold medalist.

He lives in Philadelphia with his husband and their two dogs.

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Book Blast- Excerpt & Giveaway! Despite The Odds by Chris T. Kat

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Never judge a book by its cover.

Michael Campbell can’t hold a job for more than a few days. He’s lucky his foreman is giving him another chance with the solar panel project at a primary school in Atlantic City. When he spies a man walking strangely in front of the school, Michael laughs, assuming he’s drunk or high. Little does he realize that Joshua Stone, a teaching assistant, has cerebral palsy, and he’s having a bad muscle control day. Taking a tumble right in front of the handsome construction worker is just his luck.

When Michael learns the truth, he feels badly for his cruel behavior. He offers to give Joshua—and his tricycle, the Racing Rhonda—a lift. Joshua accepts the help, and suddenly there’s a gorgeous man breezing into his life, turning his world upside down. But Michael has more issues than his inability to hold down a job, and neither man is sure if they’ll be able to overcome their fears in order to be together.

Henderson bulldozed right into Michael’s personal space, surprising him with the action. “You stupid son of a bitch!”

“Hey! No calling my mother names, okay?” Michael tried to joke. He’d never seen Henderson this angry. Neither did he care to have all this anger directed at him. Sure, he could hold his own if necessary, but he was more a run-away-if-there’s-trouble kind of guy.

“Do you know who that was?”

“A drunk who shouldn’t set foot on school property?” Michael hazarded.

Henderson’s eyes narrowed to small slits when he replied, “His name is Joshua Stone, and he isn’t drunk. He’s a teaching assistant who works here.”

“He looked drunk to me.”

Henderson closed his eyes, obviously trying to rein in his temper, before he put a bit more distance between them. “Mr. Stone is disabled, hence the way he walks. It’s not always that obvious, but he was carrying books, a lot of books, which threw off his balance. He’s a very good teaching assistant. He doesn’t deserve to be laughed at by someone like you, who can’t even take care of himself.”

That stung.

Chris T. Kat lives in the middle of Europe, where she shares a house with her husband of many years and their two children. She stumbled upon the M/M genre by luck and was swiftly drawn into it. She divides her time between work, her family—which includes chasing after escaping horses and lugging around huge instruments such as a harp—and writing. She enjoys a variety of genres, such as mystery/suspense, paranormal, and romance. If there's any spare time, she happily reads for hours, listens to audiobooks or does cross stitch.

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway! Bad Intentions by Nacole Stayton

She’s careful, but wants to be reckless. 

She’s cute, but wants to be sexy. 

She’s innocent, but wants to be bad.

When ex-Olympic gymnast, Adaley Knight wakes on her eighteenth birthday she only has one wish, to leave the only town she’s ever known and start fresh.

Finding herself enrolled at a college across the globe, the once modest Adaley is almost unrecognizable. Her new persona dances on the wild side by sinking her teeth into the first bad boy she sees. The only problem is he’s not the least bit interested.

Ryle Benson, baseball extraordinaire and brooding campus bad-boy keeps everyone at an arms length. Things have never come easy for him and the last thing he needs is getting involved with any female.

The tables are reversed as she tries to be bad, tempting fate, and he tries to fight his. The push and pull is half the fun. But what happens when one pushes a little too hard?

Tilting my head up, I make eye contact with the other male in the room. It’s then that I really notice the guy that he called Ryle. In the seconds it takes Taylor to wrap up his convo with Zoe, I rake Ryle over, head to toe with needy eyes. He’s tall, but not awkward and lengthily. He’s built, but not like a jock on steroids but rather like a guy who occasionally picks up a set of weights. And by occasionally, I mean every other day. And although his body isn’t painted with art like a typical bad boy there is a certain sex appeal that oozes off him like hot lava. I want to get torched, maybe even burned by his touch.

Nacole Stayton is twenty-something years young and currently resides in the Bluegrass State where she spends her nights writing vigorously. She has a passion for helping others and wears her University of Kentucky gear proudly. While her husband loves all things outdoors, Nacole enjoys the finer things in life, like getting pedicures while reading on her Kindle. She is passionate about her faith, family, and The Vampire Diaries.

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Release Day Blitz! Follow Me Down, Twisted Love #2 by A. Meredith Walters

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The sequel to Lead Me Not, this dangerously sexy second installment in the Twisted Love series continues Aubrey and Maxx’s love story, from New York Times bestselling author A. Meredith Walters—who “writes the most beautifully flawed characters that still have you swooning” (Sawyer Bennett, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Off series).

Aubrey Duncan has loved…and lost. Should she follow a heart that’s betrayed her or a head that tells her to let go?

Maxx Demelo’s addiction almost destroyed him. It ruined his life and, most importantly, his relationship with the only girl he ever loved.

He has vowed to become the man Aubrey Duncan deserves. Even if he has to tear himself apart to do it. So he enters rehab, trying to fix the parts of him that are shattered as he longs to be healthy and whole.

Aubrey lost everything because she chose to listen to her heart. Now she has sworn to put herself first, to heal in the only way that she can…far away from Maxx and his demons.

But just as Aubrey is starting over, Maxx is released from rehab and thrust back into her world, determined to prove how much they still need each other. And the chaos that had defined them threatens to unleash once again…

But a heart, no matter how broken, is impossible to ignore.

Renee walked beside me, her chin tucked into the collar of her jacket. "It'll get better, Aubrey. I promise. This is your second chance. Your time for something more." 

I hoped she was right. i was desperate for that something better.

I can be so much more for you. I want to be everything you could ever want.

It had only been a matter of weeks since Maxx had said those words, his intense blue eyes staring into mine, and had given me his heart. Only weeks since he had made promises he hadn't been able to keep. It was such a short amount of time for my entire life to change.

But it had changed. And now all I could do was accept it and move on. If only it were that simple.

My eyes were drawn to the brick wall that ran along the edge of the green. The once vibrant colors of Maxx's street art had faded, but I could still the painting of a woman walking off a cliff. The word Compulsion was woven into her familiar blond hair. It was a small part of the complicated man who continued to own me. The tiny, intricate X's dotted through the picture seemed to scream at me. Taunting me with their presence.

Even when he was gone, Maxx was everywhere. His art. His love. His chaos.

I couldn't escape him And I was terrified that in the darkest recesses of my heart I still didn't want to.

In this dangerously sexy novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Find You in the Dark, a straight-laced college student meets a handsome but enigmatic stranger who lures her into an underground club scene, where she finds it difficult to resist temptation 

Aubrey Duncan understands loss. She knows what rock bottom looks like, and she is determined to crawl back up to the top after the sudden death of her younger sister. She blames herself for her part in the tragedy, convinced that she could have done something, anything, to help her.

In her effort to gain redemption, Aubrey starts fresh at Longwood University and facilitates an addiction support group, hoping she can support someone else in the way she failed her sister. But what she doesn’t count on is an all-consuming fascination with group member Maxx Demelo, a gorgeous, blond, blue-eyed enigma who hides dark secrets behind a carefully constructed mask. He only reveals what he wants others to see. But Aubrey glimpses another Maxx hidden below the surface—a Maxx who is drowning in his own personal hell.

As Aubrey and Maxx develop an attraction too intense to ignore, he pulls her into the dark underbelly of the city club scene, where she is torn by her desire to save him and an inexplicable urge to join him in his downward spiral. Worst of all, she is beginning to love everything she should run away from—a man who threatens to ignite in her a fire that could burn her alive…

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The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

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