The plan was simple. One night. No commitment. No regrets.
Bid on Love
Jenkins & Sons Construction Series Book 5
by Sharon C. Cooper
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Single dad, Benjamin Jenkins Jr. learned the hard way that women can’t be trusted. But the moment Mahogany Rowsey hits his radar, he’s captivated and unable to resist her magnetic pull.
Mahogany can spot a player a mile away, and she’s managed to dodge every single one… until Ben. He charms her into a one-night fling that leaves her panting for more. But it won’t happen again. She lives in Chicago. He lives in Cincinnati. Still, that doesn’t stop her from wanting what she can’t have.
But when Ben shows up to bid on a project Mahogany is overseeing, what began as one night of passion becomes so much more. Can these two get on the same page long enough to turn one night into forever?
*All books in this series can be read as a standalone.
USA Today bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper loves anything involving romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and dabbles in romantic comedy. She enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sharon’s stories have won numerous awards over the years, and when she isn’t writing, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work, or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net
Some tales don’t want to be told. They’re shrouded in the dark and cloaked in danger. Sensible people leave those mysteries well enough alone. But not Debbie Bradley. After all, that’s how she makes her living.
The Poison Dart
Debbie Bradley Crime Mysteries Book 2
by Geri Dreiling
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
An overdose. A drug bust. A captive of the cartel. When fates collide, who will survive?
The ripple effects of an overdose send shock waves through a community.
A sweeping drug bust upends lives, exposing the cartel's deep reach into the Midwest.
A quest for a better life threatens to destroy a family.
As Debbie Bradley digs deeper into each story, startling connections emerge. When fates collide, who will survive?
What readers are saying:
“The narrative contains the right blend of mystery, crime scenes and action. It is one of those books that keeps one glued until the very end.“
“Dreiling relies more on intelligent conversations, on the proper and strategic use of lies, and on wordplay“
“Grab or download a copy, curl up with a blanket on the couch, and enjoy this good read and solid, accurate, crime story with interesting twists and turns.“
“With a talent for plot creation, patiently unwinding the threads of all angles, and never lacking for excitement, Dreiling is an author you will want to read time and time again.“
A girl is dead. A boy is locked up. Can Debbie Bradley discover the truth before more lives are lost…maybe even her own?
A series of deadly shootings. An outbreak of stolen cars. When journalist Debbie Bradley returns home to St. Louis, the summer crime wave has started. And she’s in the center: A witness, a reporter, a target.
Debbie’s reasons for leaving behind her promising career in Washington D.C. were complicated. Her mother, a prominent lawyer, was diagnosed with cancer. Her engagement was cooling. When she got offered a job in St. Louis that she hadn’t been looking for, Debbie recognized an opportunity. Or an escape.
But she didn’t expect to come home and see a girl die. Debbie never planned to investigate a boy behind bars. And she didn’t anticipate colliding with hostile cops and wary politicians.
As her work gains attention, Debbie gathers enemies. Will her assignment to cover the St. Louis crime beat be her last?
What readers are saying:
“Intense crime story full of unexpected twists and turns” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review
“Gripping crime story…with deep themes and highlighting very real problems” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review
“A page-turner, engaging the reader from the first page to the last” — Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review
Geri L. Dreiling is the author of Crime Beat Girl, the debut novel in the Debbie Bradley Mystery series, which received seven book awards. She is also the author of Erasing the Past. Dreiling is an award-winning journalist as well as professor and lawyer. She lives in St. Louis.
Check out the St. Louis on the Air interview for Crime Beat Girl!
Horror, psychological thriller, dark fantasy, occult, fiction
Date Published: February 18, 2024
When winning turns deadly…
It's 1972. On a scorching summer day in North Carolina, the sight of Rut, the father of her child, cheating with the next-door neighbor, sends pregnant Loretta into labor. Amidst the chaos, she promises that her baby boy, Rich Richardson, will not follow in his father's footsteps as a loser, but become something much greater - a professional race car driver. Loretta leaves the hospital's entrance, filled with anticipation of a fresh start and dreams of her baby's prosperous future. However, the fairytale life she had sold herself quickly takes a dark turn, when she is left with no choice but to go back home to the child's waiting father. Driven by a sense of entitlement to fame and fortune, her impulsive decisions forever change her and her son's fate.
Are you ready to face the horrors that await?
Get your copy today and uncover the rollercoaster of frightening evil that
lurks beneath a young man’s life of fame.
About the Author. . .
Brigitte, "Gitte," Tamar was born in a small rural Oregon town. Growing up, she was enthralled by scary tales featuring poetic tones and consistently gravitated towards writing darkened narratives. In the different storylines, Brigitte explores the harsh realities of social issues faced by today's generations. This includes the dark outcomes brought on by peer pressure, addiction, homelessness, mental illness, childhood trauma, and abuse. She feels it is essential to share narratives that refrain from sugarcoating the topics society tends to shy away from.
Book Title: To Be Loved: Ain't Gonna Be Denied by Ronald D. Steele
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 463 pages
Genre: Memoir / Autobiography
Publisher: Ronald D. Steele
Release date: July 31st, 2023
Content Rating: PG-13 + M
Book Description:
Born in poverty and violence, without love, the author goes to the streets to find love, becoming successful at everything he applies, even crime.
Convicted for a crime the victim said he did not commit, at 19, he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years for robbery. Determined to correct the injustice, the author turns to writing. Over 18 months and on the brink of suicide, the author's letters led the sentencing judge to reduce the sentence by 10 years.
So begins the journey of a self-made man.
The author seeks counseling, which was a social taboo and a Godsend. The author confronts the past, determines his future, adopts positive thinking discipline, and uses the ex-con stigma to qualify for a college program. He graduates with a B.A. degree, pursues a career in public affairs in the federal government, serving seven cabinet secretaries, and serving as president of a writers guild, travels the world, sues the agency and local police, and retires at the top of the salary pyramid, a husband, father, and grandfather.
The author illustrates the many life lessons he learns to steer readers from the pitfalls he faced.
Additionally, the author inspires readers to think positive, be true to their beliefs, and believe in themselves, even when family and friends may not, and, regardless of their past mistakes, have the attitude that you "ain't gonna be denied.
Ronald D. Steele is a versatile talent, renowned as a writer, photographer, world traveler, and ardent tennis player. With a career spanning over two decades in federal government public affairs and information technology, Steele’s remarkable journey is a testament to his adaptability and dedication. As a freelance journalist, his work graced media outlets nationwide, and he made appearances on various television and radio stations.
Steele’s leadership as the president of the African American Writers Guild from 1989 to 1992 underscores his impact in the literary world. Born in Manhattan, he now calls Prince George’s County, Maryland home.
You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace provides deep insights into achieving mental strength, physical healing, hope, and peacefulness. It offers reassurance and common-sense answers to living without doubting your inner wisdom and strength.
It’s important to be kind to yourself and trust who you are without harsh criticism. This book helps you find the essence of your sovereignty and encourages you to live a life devoid of doubt, fear, and despair. It introduces you to the core issues that rob you of joy and self-confidence.
Regaining the essence of who you are is not an instant process, but this book has been written for pause and reflection, rewarding you with an abundance of life answers and hope wherein your sovereignty eagerly welcomes you.
5-Star Review by Diana Lopez for Readers' Favorite:
You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace is an inspiring book that will help you discover who you really are. Elizabeth Upton addresses the importance of balancing body, mind, and soul, emphasizing the need to appreciate our inner and outer beauty. She teaches us to strengthen ourselves internally and act with courage in our decisions through affirmations. At the same time, she reminds us of the importance of assuming our responsibilities and being conscious of our actions. Elizabeth Upton also encourages us to pursue our dreams with confidence and joy. She highlights the mind's ability to overcome negative emotions and achieve freedom, happiness, and security. This book will motivate you to take control of your life and live fully.
I loved Elizabeth Upton's statements because of the diversity of topics she addresses. Although her perspective is profound, her writing style is clear, direct, and positive. She talks about real problems like organizing time between family and work responsibilities. She also offers practical advice for living in the present and letting go of the past. She even explains how to devise action plans to achieve your goals. I appreciated her words for their comforting, loving, and inspiring nature. Elizabeth gives us the strength to develop our creativity and encourages us to try new things, accepting success and failure equally because we learn from both results. You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace is ideal for taking a moment of tranquility and getting away from daily stress with uplifting phrases to relax and recharge your personal energies...
Elizabeth Upton is a best-selling author and influential writer of gripping romantic thrillers and inspiring self-help motivational nonfiction books.
Her best-selling books, 'Secrets of a Nun: My Own Story,' 'The Silver Woman of Fire' and 'The Healing Swords of Love and Innocence' helped set her firmly within the world's literary map. With many novels to her credit, like her newest fiction book, released in June 2022, titled 'Lovers' Secrets and Revenge,' a gripping romantic thriller, and her new nonfiction release in Feb. 2024, titled 'You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace: Embrace Your Journey.'
The Author's favorite book she enjoyed writing was 'The Shaman and The Mafia,' as she shares, "The creation of this story has been an exciting journey. I would love to meet all of the characters in this book in real life." Elizabeth's nonfiction books and novels are available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle and are featured on fine literary book sites and magazines.
Elizabeth was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA., until the age of sixteen, when she entered a New York State Convent and became a nun for twenty years, but she yearned for a more authentic spiritual life. Elizabeth left the convent and chose to attend and receive her B.A. from Syracuse University.
Returning to her native state of California, she attended and received her M.A. in psychology from Chapman University. The Author began working for over thirty years in family counseling as a social worker and probation officer working with troubled teens and abused children. She is a speaker, spiritual mentor, and advisor.
Elizabeth is happily married and enjoys writing books for her reader fans around the world. When the Author is not writing, she works out with a personal trainer to stay fit and healthy; she loves long walks on the beach with her husband and dog. She enjoys reading good books by some of her favorite authors like Geraldine Brooks, Hanh, Jerry Archer, Joseph Murphy, and Michael Connelly.
Elizabeth and her husband reside outside the area of Santa Barbara, California.
A #1 Amazon Bestseller, Peter Cloutier's "What We Were Making" is
a must-read for those who love ocean adventures, political thrillers,
romance, or coming-of-age stories!
When the lives of two expatriates intersect at the edge of civilization, opportunity, duty and deception collide. Jane is a budding ambassador of heightened motivation, insight, and curiosity. Relentless in her pursuit of justice, ethics, and the common good, her life lacks love. Enter Bill, an adrenaline-fueled waterman who lives breath to breath, wave to wave, and fish to fish. A schoolteacher by day, he embodies the island life but without partnership. When catastrophe unfolds, the two must respond to those in need while attempting to dismantle the deeper collusion around them. In the end, the only winners are those who have the resilience to stand.
What others have to say about Peter Cloutier's "What We Were
Making":
"A masterful blend of two contrasting worlds, political and natural,
Peter Cloutier's What We Were Making is a sensational and evocative journey
into the lives of two lovers suffering the greatest challenge of all:
meaning. With a new layer of domesticity, romanticism, policy, and reality
in each chapter, it is as multidimensional as it is tragic, and a must-read
in any event."- JJ Hebert, USA Today, WSJ and #1 Amazon best-selling
author
"A tremendous homage to the worlds of land and sea, of beautiful
conflicts of interest, and I hope that all readers may find the same grace,
eloquence, and courage that I found in..." - Mariel Hemingway,
Oscar-nominated actress and author, granddaughter of Nobel Prize-winning
novelist Ernest Hemingway
About the Author. . .
Peter is a waterman with over twenty years working in the South Pacific, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa. He has enjoyed working with countries and communities in the development of greater marine conservation and access to justice, more resilient water, sanitation and hygiene systems, and better maternal-child health and control against infectious diseases. He is married and a proud father of two children. He is disabled after suffered a traumatic brain injury while working in Afghanistan and has pledged to donate a significant portion of the revenue from his writing to charitable groups located in the countries where he has worked. Learn more about Peter and his family on social media and www.seatheworld.org.
It’s not just fear keeping Tyler up at night…and that’s what frightens him.
Blurb
Lucien had almost killed him for it. Now it’s months later, and Tyler hasn’t slept since. Tyler wants Lucien found. When the authorities fail him, he feels forced to take matters into his own hands.
Tyler’s contact ‘Damon’ doesn’t call himself a ‘vampire hunter’, but that is exactly what Tyler intends to pay him to be. What Tyler doesn’t bank on is having Lucien at his mercy, forcing him to confront what’s really consuming him.
Tyler will not only have to face what he is feeling but finally open his mind to a perspective other than his own. He just has to pray that opening up to Lucien won’t bleed him dry before he realizes the truth.
Excerpt
But the weather wasn’t the reason Tyler couldn’t sleep.
It had been the same every night for weeks. As soon as he switched the light off, he was back on Askham Moor. Hands stronger than iron crushed his body. Adrenaline coursed through his veins like venom. The smell of his own urine was sharp in his nostrils.
He could hear his own voice bleeding out of him, freezing and dying in the cold night air: “Let me fucking go,” he cried. “Let me go now, or I swear I’ll…”
The grip on him tightened. Fingernails sharp as glass shards pricked his flesh.
“Be still.” The voice was as smooth as an oil spill. It poured into his ear and down his nerves, stretching them to the point of snapping. The hot, fragrant breath against his skin made his traitorous body shake.
“This is assault. I’ll have you arrested, I swear.”
“This is what happens when weak men pretend they are strong.” The creature tightened his grip in Tyler’s hair and pulled his head back, exposing his neck. “Do you still think you are strong?”
Tyler fought air into his lungs, staring at the stars that had started to wheel overhead. “Who…who are you?”
“I am Lucien,” murmured the voice. “Whether you live another fifty seconds or another fifty years, you will never forget that name.”
Tyler threw his pillow across the room. It knocked a hi-fi speaker flying. It crashed to the floor with the sickening sound of splintering wood. He sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands, breathing hard, until the red mist swirling before his eyes faded.
He checked his phone. Three-o-one a.m. He threw it at the wall, shoved back the sheets and paced the flat until, finally, the sun began to rise, and he dared open the curtains.
By the time he was nearing Fulford Road Police Station an hour later, he was finishing his fourth coffee, and his body felt like it was strung through with hot wire. There was a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth. His heart skittered in his chest.
He swore and swerved to avoid an ambulance bombing the other way down the narrow street…then another. He pulled over and climbed out of the car, shaking as the sirens faded away. Silence descended. He took a steadying breath and made for the police station on foot.
It wasn’t yet six a.m., but when he arrived, the entrance was swarming with activity. Another ambulance was pulled up onto the curb. Paramedics were hoisting up a stretcher on which sprawled an unconscious form. There was blood everywhere—on the man’s face, clothes, matting his hair. The ambulance screamed off after the others.
Tyler stood staring for a moment before shaking himself and striding into the police station.
“DI Walker,” he barked at the harried-looking desk officer. She held up a finger and continued her conversation on the phone. “Oi, lady. I said I want to see Walker. Now.”
“One sec,” she said into the phone then gave Tyler a hard look. “Please, sir. Take a seat.”
“I won’t take a bloody seat. Get Walker out here. Now.”
The woman’s face tightened. “DI Walker is engaged. If you want to leave your number, I will be sure he contacts you. Yes, I’m still here,” she spoke again into the phone. “We need extra techs to go over the CCTV as soon as possible. Yes. Scene photographers, too—”
Tyler reached over and cut the woman’s call. “I said I want Walker…now.”
She held his glare without blinking. “And I said he’s busy, sir.”
“Mr. Lomax.” Tyler turned. A tall man stood in the doorway. His brown hair was disheveled, like he’d been running his hands through it, but the hard amber of his eyes was as unyielding as stone. “You’re up early.”
“Finally,” Tyler said, folding his arms. “I came for an update on my case.”
The detective studied him for a moment. “This way, Mr. Lomax,” he said, stepping back and holding open the door.
Tyler strode through, muttering under his breath. Walker took them to an interview room and shutting them in.
“You’re avoiding me,” Tyler said.
“Why would I avoid such pleasant company as yours?” Walker replied, standing with his hands in his pockets. There were shadows under his eyes and spots of blood on his collar.
“I’m serious,” Tyler said, lifting his gaze from the stain. “You don’t think I’m serious? Because I can show you just how serious I am, if that’s what you want.”
Jesse Truelove never felt a part of his own family. But can a vampire really give him a new one?
Blurb
With a criminal record, no steady job and a penchant for kink, Jesse Truelove has spent most of his life feeling like an outsider. He tells himself it doesn’t bother him, that he never needed human connections anyway.
Now the Undying Baron, Emory Von Magnusson, a vampire—or, to use the modern term, ‘haemophile’—has reclaimed his ancestral home north of Jesse’s hometown, and the human population isn’t sure how to react. Jesse knows a thing or two about what it’s like to be misjudged, so he keeps an open mind. But when a bungled break-in at Emory’s home brings them face-to-face, Jesse finds it’s much more than his mind that’s stimulated.
However, building a relationship with an undead blood-drinker was never going to be straightforward, especially when that undead blood-drinker reveals he wants a family.
About the Author. . .
She finds writing LGBT/paranormal romance provides many unique and fulfilling opportunities to explore many (often neglected or under-represented) aspects of human experience, expectation, emotion and sexuality.
Among her biggest influences are LGBT Romance authors K J Charles and Josh Lanyon and Vampire Chronicles author Anne Rice.
An inheritance lost. A betrothal threatened. A scandal brewing…
Not Quite a Scandal
Audacious Ladies of Audley Book 2
by Bliss Bennet
Genre: Historical Regency Romance
An inheritance lost. A betrothal threatened. A scandal brewing…
Outspoken Quaker Bathsheba Honeychurch knows how difficult it is for an unmarried woman to successfully champion political change. Her solution? Wed best friend Ash Griffin as soon as he comes of age and begin remaking the world. But when Ash’s urbane, aloof cousin arrives with inconceivable news, Sheba’s future dreams are suddenly at risk…
The death of the Earl of Silliman reveals an appalling lie: it is not Noel Griffin, but his long-lost cousin Ash, who is the true heir to their grandfather’s title. Raised to place family above all, Noel accepts his grandmother’s bitter charge: find Ash, disentangle him from his religious community, and train him to take on the responsibilities and privileges of a title that Noel had been raised to believe was his. Noel certainly won’t allow a presumptuous, irritating Quakeress to thwart him in doing his duty—no matter how fascinating he finds her...
When scandal threatens both their reputations, can Sheba and Noel look beyond past dreams and imagine a new world—together?
Bliss Bennet writes smart, edgy novels for readers who love history as much as they love romance. Despite being born and bred in New England, Bliss has always been fascinated by the history of that country across the pond, particularly the politically-volatile period known as the English Regency. Though she's visited Britain several times, Bliss continues to make her home in the States, along with her spouse and an ever-multiplying collection of historical reference books.
Bliss's Regency-set historical romances have been praised as "savvy, sensual, and engrossing" by USA Today, "catnip for the Historical Romance reader" by Bookworlder, "romantic, funny, touching, and extremely well-researched" by All About Romance, and "everything you want in a great historical romance" by The Reading Wench. Bliss's latest book is Not Quite a Scandal, the second book in The Audacious Ladies of Audley series.
Things are going well for Cressida. Egged on by Marjorie, the spirit who has taken shelter in her mind, Jacob proposes marriage as they flee the moon and its goblin king. However bigger things are at stake, and their mission to save all of humanity is jeopardized by mistrust and magical chicanery. Sexual energy flares as the danger to the empire overflows in an orgy of lust and violence. Can Jacob and Cressida’s love survive?
Making love in the absence of gravity is a pleasure experienced by few. In this regard my beloved fiancé Jacob and I, and of course Marjorie, made full use of the three-day journey from the moon. Whenever the mood to clicket like a pair of foxes took us -- as it often did -- we’d strap ourselves into our cocoon -- the Lunarians’ term for the soft woollen bag designed to keep slumbering space travellers from drifting about -- and had at it with unbridled enthusiasm.
We were not the only ones. The dozen or so “marionettes” -- as Jacob termed the human bodies possessed by the spirits of goblins -- also took every opportunity to experience the joy of sex. In their natural form, the small leathery-winged creatures, which resembled the ugly statues of gargoyles, were denied by their nervous systems the ability to derive pleasure from copulation. For them, the act of coitus was simply a procreational chore, and so the ecstasy of sexual intercourse that the human body provided was to them as addictive as laudanum is to opium eaters.
Thus, the mid-section of the ship presented a scene straight from a nightmare. Cocoons bolted to the metal wall jostled their neighbours as they twisted and bucked like angry caterpillars. The contortions were accompanied by a discordant symphony of grunts, groans, and ultimate cries of climactic release.
I blush to recall that Jacob and I were no different. I was in seventh heaven with his cock relentlessly sliding, piston-like, in and out of my accommodating quim, causing my heart to gallop and my breathing to quicken into ragged gasps. I wasn’t alone, of course. Marjorie was enjoying it as well, albeit deep inside my head.
Oh, his cock is so very hard, she bellowed.
She didn’t have to tell me that. I could feel every inch of his rigid shaft stretch my tight fleshly sheath. Having a ghost possess me had added a new dimension to the constant monologue people conduct with themselves in their heads. Marjorie knew my thoughts before I could even express them to myself, and she had access to all my memories as well. The most amazing fact of her residency in my mind was that she could “feel” everything I did, from stubbing my toe to the ecstasy of sexual climax, and everything in-between.
Marjorie could also massage my body from the inside, as it were, stimulating my nipples and nub, and creating the sensations that Jacob would make with lips, tongue, fingers, and cock. She was thoroughly enjoying her demise, making liberal use of this ability, and wasn’t a passive member of our unconventional ménage which united the living and the dead.
I’m not dead, she would protest. Just misplaced, and very grateful I found you.
Murdered while she was a virgin, Marjorie’s spirit had, for some unknown reason, been irresistibly drawn to me, and had possessed my body to alert Jacob and I that her corpse had been stolen from her grave. Marjorie’s body was now possessed by a goblin who named herself Esther. One of our goals once on Earth was to return Marjorie to her rightful home. We were confident that I could perform the swap, as I had successfully done the same for Jacob in the chamber of the dead on the moon.
That Esther was writhing in ecstasy in the cocoon next to us, being ploughed enthusiastically by her so-called husband Warrick, both angered and intrigued her. He’s fucking her now, she said bitterly. I wonder what his cock feels like.
“Ugh!” I groaned, as much in disgust on her behalf as from the jolt of Jacob’s thrust. A half dozen followed, and my rising excitement was reflected in the increasing cadence of my whimpers and moans.
Jacob paused, his body tensed, but not from imminent climax.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Something’s changed. I’ll have a look.”
Now that we were not wholly engaged in pleasure, I noticed that the previously muffled grunts and groans were no longer stifled, but clear as a bell. I lifted Jacob’s arm so I could see out of our woollen shell. The agitated caterpillars, not content to remain in their cocoons, had erupted like butterflies from their chrysalides. With no gravity to keep them to the floor they twisted and tumbled through the air until the space became a mass of undulating human flesh. Jacob and I remained inside our woollen bag. The thought of intimacy with stolen bodies repelled us.
I shuddered at the memory of fucking the king of the Lunarians, Mon Ilson, and his concubine Gloria, but that had been in the cause of buying time and favour till our escape. I had only suffered the act by imagining I was making love to Jacob and Marjorie.
My memory of that awkward situation was suddenly interrupted by our cocoon being ripped open, and before I could react, Jacob and I were separated by gentle but insistent hands. In an instant Esther was kissing Jacob full on the mouth.
About the Author. . .
Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.
