Leandro was supposed to protect me. He failed me, covered me in blood and broke my innocence.
Leandro was to love me, but in the end, I knew we had no future.
So, I made a decision, and it has been five years since I last saw him. Now he stands before me, not only as my husband but as my Don.
My decision freed me but destroyed the Leandro I knew. This Leandro was covered by darkness and cruelty, and I was drawn to him like a bee to honey.
The more I get to know the man, the more it makes me question everything I know to be right and wrong.
But he is still the boy I knew and even though I needed him to love me, how long before I fall to the unmerciful side of Leandro Scavo, and truly love him?
*Broken Crowns is the first book in the Kingdom of Lies & Truths series and can be read as a standalone. It is a Dark new adult mafia romance that includes scenes that may be disturbing to some. (Mention of human trafficking, discussions of child abuse, graphic murder & torture scenes, strong sexual scenes, strong adult language and talks of blood). Recommended for readers 18+.
I gave a soft snicker as we stared each other down. Her eyes blinked with humor. She would not make it easy to get answers. “Why did you leave?”
“I thought that reason would be obvious to you.” She took in every inch of the house, as if avoiding looking at me, then her gaze fell on the balcony as if she could see right through it . . . at someone or something out there. Waiting. Watching. Her eyes lingered there as she said, “I told you back in Florida that I lost my innocence and you that night. I was scared every time I was alone. Every sound had me jumping. The sight of a small cut on my hand along with the blood that beaded gave me panic attacks.”
“I just never got comfortable with blood the way you obviously have. I didn’t want to. I didn’t want the guns around, the men, the knowledge of knowing anyone I married in this life could easily be taken from me in some turf war. That I could be used again to get to the man I would end up marrying one day.”
I waited patiently as she zeroed in on me. “You brought me back to the worst part of my life, and I’m alone in it because my best friend and cousin fear you, while my parents hate me.”
Hearing a tremble in her voice and tears running down her cheek, I took her hand and guided her out of her seat to sit into my lap. She circled her arms around my neck and cried over my shoulders. “They don’t hate you. You hate me. You think your parents could ever feel what you feel toward me?” She shook her head. “Then stop saying that. Give Federico time and the doors of the estate will open to you again.”
Sniffling, her arms tightened around me. “But Faye and Eden . . . they’ll never welcome me again. I’m married to you . . .”
She whispered that last part, but all I could hear was her scheming ways to get me to absolve the girls of their role in her lie.
Unsure if I was more amused by it or annoyed, I threaded my fingers through her hair—pulling just hard enough to get a whimper from her—and forced her to meet my eyes.
“Then it’s a good thing you have me for company.” Sighing in defeat, Emilia loosened her arms around my neck, and before she could stand from my lap, I gripped her hips and kept her there. “Keep patronizing me, Emilia. You haven’t met Leandro the unmerciful yet.”
“I have a good idea who he is . . .” Raising her hand to my face, she sketched my forehead to my temple and over my cheeks and nose. Her right hand brushed my midnight shadow before slowly sliding over my parted lips. “He’ll take what’s his by right. He told me that two nights ago.”
The soft undertone of her voice was entrancing. Her delicate touch aroused me, but her condescending words burned me. “You are testing my affection for you,” I said, cupping her cheek with the hand I freed from her hair. My thumb mimicked her fingers, and when I brushed her smiling lips, she opened them and flicked her tongue against the tip.
“Affection. Is that what you call it now?” she murmured, and I pushed my thumb into her warm mouth and exhaled when my dick pressed against my zipper and her ass. “Mmm.”
Writing under the pen name Empress Chang, she is referred to as an overly dramatic, outgoing yet shy individual by her friends and family. Half Chinese Jamaican, Chang was born and raised in Jamaica. She then migrated to the United States of America, three years ago where she is still scared of driving on the other side of the road!
Writing stories about her dogs and princesses at a young age, Chang discovered romance books in high school and started writing her own believing that romantic happy ever after’s are necessary for a healthy and happy life.
She is a huge believer in the simple things in life, and her life’s main goal is to be happy. This includes sunny beaches and junk food (of course)!
When Chang is not writing, she is usually reading, watching a series that has hooked her attention and demands to be binged, or is spending time with her supportive, loving husband.
Her company is failing. His plan could save it. Will their partnership move from business to pleasure?
Carla “Carl” Stevenson takes a special joy in running the local timber mill. But when the economy takes a downturn, selling the family business may be her only heartbreaking option. After a prospective buyer takes an interest, she’s horrified by his plans to raze the Frazier forest to make room for cheap cattle farming. To protect her home, she reluctantly turns to the town’s most notorious player…
Owen Cooper can’t believe Carl’s mill is for sale. But the construction company owner is even more shocked that “Carl” is actually a beautiful woman. Moved by feelings he never saw coming, Owen drafts an ambitious plan to save the mill owner’s livelihood… and maybe even win her heart.
Rallying their community around the audacious idea, Owen and Carl find their fates delightfully intertwined. But both their chemistry and the project hang in the balance when he suddenly walks away…
With the whole town at stake, will Carl and Owen save the mill and find their way to true love?
Rescue Me is the heartwarming first novel in the Frazier Falls romance series. If you like strong women, honorable men, and small-town love, then you’ll adore Kelly Collins’ charming tale. Buy Rescue Me to build a foundation of passion today!
Owen splashed water at my head. I returned the favor as he waded over and picked me up.
“What are you doing?”
“You can barely stand over here.” He lifted me higher out of the water. “I’m giving your legs a break.”
“Is that so?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “One must be sure not to tire when in a precarious situation.” His arms tightened around me.
“I’m pretty sure I could out-swim you on a bad day.”
His brows reached for his hairline. “Is that a challenge?”
“Damn straight.” I pointed to the copse of trees at the bend. “First one from here to the trees upstream wins?”
“Done,” Owen exclaimed, immediately dropping me to get a head start.
“That’s cheating,” I called out before righting myself and working furiously to catch up. It didn’t take long because I was an excellent swimmer. By the time we reached the trees, I was in the lead by several feet.
He stared at me incredulously as he caught up. “Holy shit, you’re fast.”
“I know.”
“You hustled me good, Stevenson.”
“Hey, I told you I could out-swim you, Cooper. If you chose not to believe me, that’s on you.”
“What’s my consolation prize?”
“Why should you get rewarded for coming in last when I don’t get anything for winning?”
He sidled up to me in the water, gently pressing me against the bank. The barest suggestion of a current sent tiny pebbles ricocheting off my feet, the beat of them accurately reflecting the way my heart thumped inside my chest.
“I can think of something that might act as a prize for both of us,” he said suggestively, tracing the edge of my jaw with a finger, tipping it to line up my lips with his.
“How presumptuous of you,” I replied quietly, but I closed the gap between our lips immediately. He tasted of creek water and whiskey. Until now, I’d never have considered that an attractive combination.
As Owen leaned in and deepened the kiss, running his fingers through my hair and pressing his body against mine, I found I couldn’t get enough of it. Enough of him.
I threw my arms around his neck, desperate to get closer.
He wouldn’t be a client for much longer. In a few months, I’d be gone, and unlikely to see him again. It was now or never. I voted for now.
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International bestselling author of more than thirty novels, Kelly Collins writes with the intention of keeping love alive. Always a romantic, she blends real-life events with her vivid imagination to create characters and stories that lovers of contemporary romance, new adult, and romantic suspense will return to again and again.
Kelly has sold more than a quarter of a million books worldwide, and in 2021 she was awarded a Readers’ Favorite Award Gold Medal in the Contemporary Romance category for A Tablespoon of Temptation.
Travel writer Dayna Benning tours Europe to write a feature story for a travel magazine. Along the way, she helps her bestie scatter her husband’s ashes. When Dayna accidentally sprinkles Alex Mendes with dried rose petals intended for the deceased, she senses a chemistry with the silver fox airline pilot. Just one catch—he wears a wedding band. Embittered by her divorce, Dayna refuses to be a homewrecker, like the woman who ruined her marriage. Alex and Dayna go their separate ways, but she’s mystified when serendipitous signs point her toward him at every turn. Determined to find out why, she learns Alex is a widower. Dayna hopes for a second chance at love…but her resentful heart stops her. Can she forgive those that broke her heart the first time? And for that matter, can she forgive herself for her failed marriage? Unless she finds a way to piece together her fragmented heart, Alex will forever remain a fantasy.
Romance was the last thing Dayna trolled for, but if it rolled in her direction, she wouldn’t rule out a casual fling. But not with a married guy.
Mariko elbowed Dayna. “I’ve heard a lot of hot older guys hang out on this side of the Atlantic,” she murmured, eyeing another tall, juicy morsel passing by on his way out the restaurant door.
Dayna wrinkled her nose. “Alex is married, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“Oh, I noticed. No law against enjoying eye candy.” Mariko grinned. “You should write a sidebar for your magazine article, ‘How To Meet Cute Guys on a Beach.’ Tessa would love it.”
“Ha, that’d spice up my travel piece.” Dayna’s editor would love it.
“Sprinkling a handsome guy with dead rose petals would be a fresh angle,” reasoned Mariko.
“You think?”
“You’ve had a sniper dot on Alex the whole time. You may as well write about him.”
Alex strolled toward them, and Dayna fantasized a slow-motion movie scene: Arms swinging, he moves toward me, wind teasing his hair, with an I-Want-You-So-Bad expression on his face. His arms scoop me up and he plants a hot, moist kiss on my quivering lips, dissolving me—
The seating hostess snapped Dayna back to reality. “This way, please.”
“Oh!” In her haste to follow, Dayna’s foot caught a chair leg and she tripped. After a sloppy recovery, she limped after the hostess with heated cheeks, to a table for three.
Mariko jerked her head toward Dayna, smiling sweetly at the hostess.
LoLo Paige is an award-winning author who has a passion for writing romantic comedies after decades of theatre experience acting in stage comedies. While comedy is her first love, she also writes the pitfalls of falling in love in the action-packed, perilous world of wildfire. As a former wildland firefighter who married her hot firefighter husband, she lives her HEA, spending glorious Alaskan summers at her oceanfront cabin on Kachemak Bay, with her husband and two golden retrievers.
The moment I laid eyes on Penny, her innocent, submissive nature called to my dominant side. I immediately volunteered to guide her exploration into my dark and decadent world.
I’m also playing a deadly game of cat and mouse with an obsessed psychopath whose goal is to destroy me. When my worlds threaten to collide, I’m forced to call it quits between us.
Soon I discover I’m too late, and she’s caught in the crossfire. Now, I’ll do everything in my power to protect the woman I’m falling for.
“Who do we have here?” A deep, gravelly voice at my right drew my attention. My breath hitched and my body heated when I spotted the sexiest man I’d ever laid eyes on. I’d always been a sucker for a man with salt and pepper hair. Damn, he filled out that navy t-shirt nicely. My eyes traveled his full length before returning to his face. I flushed at the amused half-smile he wore at my perusal. It took me a moment to remember he’d asked me a question.
“Pe-Penny,” I stuttered, almost breathless as the heat in my face intensified. I don’t remember blushing this much before in my life. Fake it ’til you make itwas my mantra. I stood a little taller and attempted to gain the confidence I typically displayed with chauvinistic surgeons.
“I’m Marcus.” His secret smile remained as he reached out to shake my hand. When I placed mine in his, he squeezed it firmly, and I thought I felt his thumb gently caress mine, but he pulled away before I could be sure.
“Nice to meet you.” The words came out a little shaky.
“So, what brings you out to play with us today?” His voice dropped suggestively.
Maintaining my barely-there confidence, I answered his question. “I’m curious about domination and submission. I figured this was the best place to gain some knowledge.”
“Knowledge about what?” Marcus asked, showing true interest.
Everything. I wanted to know what it felt like to give up control.
To just feel and not have to think.
To be dominated.
To have someone fulfill needs I didn’t even know I had.
I wanted to find my happily ever after, damn it. Sadly, I didn’t know how to express any of this.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Whatever someone will teach me.”
“Sweetness,” he murmured, “I’d be happy to teach you anything you want to know.”
LK Shaw is the bestselling author of the sexy, sinful suspense. She resides in South Carolina with her high maintenance beagle mix dog, Miss P. An avid reader since childhood, she became hooked on historical romance novels in high school. She now reads, and loves, all romance sub-genres, with dark romance and romantic suspense being her favorite. LK enjoys traveling and chocolate. Her books feature hot alpha heroes and the strong women they love.
Want a FREE short story? Be sure to sign up for her newsletter and download your copy of A Birthday Spanking, a short story set in the Doms of Club Eden world! http://bit.ly/LKShawNewsletter
In the Kingdom of Kaloma, a woman is forced to rely on a man to “keep her” and is forbidden from maintaining anything of her own. It’s the law.
In the remote village of Sevens, at the northernmost point of the kingdom, there lives a family with four daughters and a son, toiling day in and day out together, hopeful a treaty with the boarding kingdom of Jast might change things.
When one daughter—at risk of being imprisoned for fighting back—hides away in the Whitling Woods. She stumbles upon a dying man and despite the risk to herself, chooses to save him. Only who he is has the power to change everything…
Tarley Fareview, idealistic and stubborn, does what she can to support herself in spite of an unjust Kaloma law. When she fights back after being attacked, she flees into the woods disguised as a boy. While in hiding, she discovers a dying man and must decide if she risks her life to save him. Unable to walk away, Tarley chooses to intervene and works to save the stranger, only little does she know that by doing so she’ll also risk the heart she promised herself she’d never give to anyone.
When the Crown Prince of Jast, Lachlan Nikolas—forced by the king to attend treaty negotiations with the kingdom of Kaloma in disguise—is attacked, his horse bolts, and they both careen over a cliff, falling to their deaths in a raging river below. Only, miracle of miracles, Lachlan doesn’t perish, and instead is given a second chance at life, but at a price. When he wakes, he’s not only been stripped of his clothes but also his identity. Saved by a strange woman—in a terrible disguise because she looks nothing like a boy—Lachlan must learn very quickly how to survive in a world where he isn’t a prince anymore and with zero skills other than his entitlement and his charm. Unsure who to trust, Lachlan must reinvent himself, learn how to survive, open his heart to discover the truth about worthiness, and discover what it means to sacrifice one’s self for true love.
It was nearing sunrise on the fifth day. The twilight teasing the flap of the tent. The birds were only beginning to sing, and though the music of the birds waking and the river beyond were usually her salve to get her moving, her eyes were so heavy, and her body weighted with exhaustion. Her mind and senses lulled toward sleep by the sound of Ollie’s clear breathing and the song of the birds, so she shut her eyes.
Just for a moment, she told herself. Ollie’s safe. I’ll rest. Just for a moment, she thought and slipped into the rest of the darkness.
“Tarley?”
She stretched her body, uncurling it, and basking in the gloriousness of warmth and rest. Her hand dropped against something unforgiving, her head pressed against a wall. She moaned, disoriented, and grabbed hold of the mound under her quilt trying to figure out what had crawled into bed with her.
“I’ve always enjoyed a good fondling, but I prefer it being reciprocal.”
Tarley’s eyes snapped open at the foreign sound—a man’s voice with just the hint of an accent with which she wasn’t familiar. Skin. That’s what her eyes focused on. Lots of it. An arm. A shoulder. A scruffy jaw in need of a shave as she raised her gaze. Full lips arched with a smile, the bottom slightly fuller though the pronounced arches of the upper. He was grinning, and his eyes—a myriad of colors—were darkened with a ring of deep green at the edges.
Realizing she was flush against him, holding him, Tarley jerked back, scrambling to the opposite side of the ten, only there wasn’t enough room to maneuver. She regretted the quick movement, her body protesting with aches and pains of not enough sleep.
“Ollie. I–” She couldn’t meet his gaze.
“You were asleep.”
Her cheeks heated realizing she’d been holding him in her sleep. Holding onto him the night she’d been trying to save him flashed in her mind reminding her she’d held him before. To save him, she snapped at her inner self.
Her eyes danced across the quilt until she found the bravery to meet his gaze.
Maci Aurora has been writing stories since she was a child. When she was eleven, she fell in love with reading Sunfire Historical Romances about girls who made a difference in their lives and still fell in love. In high school, a friend introduced her to Lavyrle Spencer and Judith McNaught, and from there, her writing journey was cemented in telling stories about love. Having already published many novels (all of which are threaded with romance as upper YA and New Adult titles) under the pen name, CL Walters, Maci Aurora wanted to write stories that offered the same attention to story and characters but with additional steam.
Maci writes in Hawaiʻi where she lives with her husband, their children, and their fur-babies.
Title: Feisty Author: Diana A. Hicks Series: Raven Duet #1 Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance
I wanted her since the moment I saw her. I didn’t even care she’d been promised to someone else. Then we kissed, and I realized I was her first. I became…Obsessed
A Note from Diana: The Duet is now Complete. Binge Read Today! Fallen Raven is book one in the Raven Duet, which is a standalone romance in the Crime Society World featuring Don Enzo Alfera and Aurora Vitali. This star-crossed lovers romance is about never letting go. Check TW
Technically, I’d never been touched before. I’d never had anyone look at me like this before, let alone kiss me.
“What’s it to you?”
He furrowed his brows and dropped his hands to his sides. He watched me with curiosity as I brought my arms around my belly. Tears stung my eyes because I knew he’d say something cruel again. I knew I was going to have to deal with the fallout come Monday morning. I made to leave, but he blocked me, caging me in again.
“Let me show you how.”
What? As in, teach me? “Why?”
“Because I want to.”
He wanted to kiss me? Or teach me? “Why?”
“Tell me to go to hell.” He unraveled my arms from around my body and brought my palm to his face. “Say the words. Enzo. Go. To. Hell.” He enunciated every word.
The raspy quality of his voice was so sexy and hypnotizing; I wasn’t going anywhere.
“What happens if I do?” I moved my fingers ever so slightly. I was afraid if I did more, he’d shut me out again like before.
Diana A. Hicks is an award-winning author of steamy romantic suspense and science-fiction romance.
When Diana is not writing, she enjoys hot yoga, kickboxing, traveling, and indulging in the simple joys of life like wine and chocolate. She lives in Atlanta and loves spending time with her two children and husband. Connect with Diana on social media to stay up to date on her latest releases.
San Francisco attorney Cecily Chang is ready to tackle the New Year head on, so she creates a list of resolutions guaranteed to reboot her life—right after her dutiful visit home to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, for the Lunar New Year. Cecily prepares to face her critical, meddling mother, nosy relatives, and the chaos and drama family togetherness brings. At least the food will be delicious. This holiday, Cecily vows to remain calm—as long as she doesn’t see him.
Jeffrey Lee deeply regrets how he ended things with Cecily ten years ago, but he felt it was best for her at the time. When he runs into her again during the New Year, he sees it as a sign. Now a successful screenwriter, Jeffrey is determined to win back Cecily’s heart.
But Cecily doesn’t believe in signs or second chances and embraces her new resolutions. This time, Jeffrey won’t give up—and he’s convinced he can write them a new Hollywood happy ending.
“Come quick! It’s cold.” Judith ushered her up the steps, every inch the nagging mother hen Cecily had known her whole life. Quick as lightning, she grabbed Cecily’s luggage, and schlepped it with effort.
“Ma, stop it. Put my suitcase down before you hurt yourself,” Cecily scolded.
“I don’t like your tone.” Her mother scowled. It was too early to break Resolution 3, Cecily reminded herself. She hadn’t even walked into the house yet. Surely, she could last more than five minutes before being provoked by her family? That would be an inauspicious start to the New Year festivities.
With a heavy, world-weary sigh, she waited for her mother to open the door and entered the foyer. Immediately she was assaulted by a whirlwind of noise and activity. She saw her sister Gillian and brother-in-law Peter, her brother Owen and his girlfriend Sonia embroiled in a vicious game of Monopoly. Her cousin Molly was manning the stove, and a bevy of aunts and uncles, cousins, and nieces and nephews were running around. It was pandemonium and the familiarity and sheer nostalgia of it all hit her like a punch and almost made her weepy.
Cecily took off her shoes, set her luggage by the foot of the stairs, laid her jacket on top of it, and made her way to the kitchen. She could smell daikon, star anise, and chilies. That could only mean one thing.
“Sit down, sit down. I made beef noodle soup for you with a soy braised egg and pressed tofu on the side, your favorite with some bean sprouts. Fan chay chao dan with rice if you want that too. And went to the bakery and got you a bo-lo,” Judith said, referring to the classic pineapple bun. Cecily took a deep sniff and started salivating. Her stomach rumbled.
“Molly, get your cousin a bowl of soup. Ai-ya,” Judith tsked. “You’re too skinny. Before you were too fat and I told you to lose weight but now you’re too skinny. Not look good.” And right on cue, the nagging, backward compliments, and criticism. Yep, it was good to be home. It was good to know some things never changed—it wouldn’t feel like home otherwise.
Just then, her father walked into the room. Paul Chang was dressed in khakis and a sweater vest and looked like the absent-minded professor he was. He blinked in surprise when he saw her.
“Cecily! What are you doing here?” A big smile crossed his face, and he embraced her with a hearty hug. Cecily clung for a beat longer than necessary, savoring the moment.
“Dad. Didn’t Mom tell you I was coming home for New Year?”
“Your mother doesn’t tell me anything.” For which he received a glare and painful swat on the arm from his wife.
“Hey, sis!” Owen shouted. “Come over here and join my team. We’re destroying Gill and Peter.” He was twenty-eight, her youngest sibling, and lived up to the reputation of the annoyingly obnoxious baby brother.
“Only because you’re cheating,” Gillian huffed.
“You always were a sore loser.”
“Enough!” Judith exclaimed. “Leave your sister alone,” she scolded Owen. “She just flew across the country. She needs to eat. What’s wrong with you?” She then turned to Cecily. “Eat! I didn’t spend all day making this for you for nothing.”
Lisa has been an avid romance reader and fan since she read her first Nora Roberts novel at the age of 13 after wandering the aisles of her local bookstore. Lisa loves that romance has the power to inspire, and believes that HEAs are for everyone.
Lisa writes light contemporary romantic comedies with a liberal dash of snark and banter. She enjoys delving into the complexity of Asian and immigrant family experiences, and celebrates female friendships in her trademark dry, witty style. As an Asian-American author writing own voices Asian American stories, Lisa hopes that her books will show the diversity of the Asian-American experience, and the importance of every reader being able to see themselves represented on the page.
Having grown up in Pennsylvania and helping out at her parents’ restaurant, Lisa has never bothered to learn to cook. She has two liberal arts undergraduate degrees and a J.D, and in her former life she was an intern, then Legislative Assistant for a PA State Representative. She also worked as a paralegal at a boutique law firm. Lisa is a politics junkie (don’t get her started on the wonder that is The West Wing!), indulges in naps whenever possible, and believes Netflixing in her pajamas and ordering take out qualifies as the perfect weekend.
Title: Blackout Trail Author: Linda Naughton Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian
Doctor Anna Hastings is no stranger to disasters, having spent much of her career as an aid worker in conflict zones around the world. Yet when an electrical phenomenon known as an EMP brings down the power grid, Anna faces catastrophe on a scale she never imagined. She must learn what it means to be a doctor in a world deprived of almost all technology.
As the blackout causes planes to fall from the sky, Anna crosses paths with devoted father Mark Ryan in the chaos at the airport. Mark convinces Anna to travel with him and his seven-year-old daughter Lily to their family’s cabin in remote Maine. There Mark hopes to reunite with his wife, and find a safe refuge from a society on the brink of collapse.
Journeying across a thousand miles of backcountry trails, they will face a daily struggle against nature. Their biggest peril, though, may come from their fellow survivors. As Anna grows closer to Mark and Lily, she resolves to see them safely home. But can she hold onto her humanity in a world gone mad?
It became a familiar refrain, everyone hoping that someone else’s phone was working. It soon became apparent nobody’s was. Coupled with the cars all dying, the realization left a hollow fear gnawing at the pit of my stomach. I couldn’t worry about the hows and whys right now, though. There were dozens of people injured, and so far not an ambulance in sight.
Most of the evacuees had congregated in a grassy area between the short-term parking garage and the open parking areas beyond. The flat, grassy stretch was criss-crossed with access roads and stalled cars. There had to be more injured in the terminal, and on the far side of the lot where the second plane had torpedoed the cars. Right now, though, I had my hands full just with the people I could see.
I knelt down beside the middle-aged woman who had called for help. She was with a man —her husband, judging by their matching rings. Leaning against the wheel of a car, he clutched at a bloody gash on his thigh. “I’m Anna, I’m a doctor. Let me see?”
He obliged, but as soon as he removed his hand, the wound spurted blood up into the air. It splattered my shirt, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. Oh shit. I managed to keep the exclamation to myself, clamping my hand over the wound.
Jerry, my volunteer assistant, recoiled. “Damn, that’s a lot of blood.”
Seeing the panicked look on the injured man’s face, I shot Jerry a brief glare. “It’s all right,” I assured my patient. “I’m going to take care of you. Jerry, can you hold pressure here? Tight as you can.” I guided his hands to the right spot, then looked at the wife. “Ma’am, I need your scarf.” Trembling hands fumbled to oblige without question. “Do you have a pen or pencil in your purse?” While she looked, I wrapped the scarf around her husband’s upper thigh, just below his hip.
“Here, will this work?”
She handed me a pen, which I slipped under the knotted scarf. I turned it like a winch, drawing the scarf tight around the leg. The husband groaned at the pressure. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s not comfortable, but it’s going to keep you from bleeding to death.” I secured the makeshift tourniquet in place, then had Jerry remove his hands from the wound. The bleeding had slowed to a trickle. “Okay, that’ll hold you till help arrives. Ma’am, you keep an eye on that. If it comes loose, you tighten it back again and come find me, okay?
Linda Naughton is a writer, software engineer, paramedic, and mother of two. She’s the author of several novels, gaming products, and the blog Self-Rescuing Princesses. A proud geek and gamer girl, she enjoys TV, movies, video games, and role-playing games. Visit her website at https://lindanaughton.com.
Title: Defy the Stars Author: Cathrina Constantine Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Circus grunt. Charmer. Fire wrangler. Growing up within the grind of the enchanted Circus Faire, Crew’s unique talents have blossomed. Though, he’s been warned that the King of Hawkswing is determined to eradicate a certain species, and for his own sake Crew must keep his formidable gifts under wraps.
Relations between interspecies caused an imbalance of power and now are strictly forbidden. Dolorans, like Sage and her sister, are being hunted and persecuted because of their intense powers, leaving them no choice but to run to escape the genocide of their kind.
She possesses a forceful energy for good and evil. His untapped powers are growing stronger by the day. Survival will demand they rely on each other.
When Crew learns a dark wizard is holding his brother captive, he enters into a deal with him in hopes of getting close enough to free those he has imprisoned. Yet, what he uncovers is far more sinister than Crew could ever imagine. Can Crew harness the strength within him to save his brother and Sage and all those in the wizard’s clutches? Or will he be trapped by the wizard’s wicked plan?
“When this is over, promise me—you will never come back to Alderwood. Ever again.” He inhaled a hissing breath. If they managed to survive this predicament unscathed, he would leave, like he did before. He’d leave her wanting, breaking her heart, letting her life essence drain into the ground like a forever weeping willow.
Crew stiffened. Several breaths passed until he articulated, “That’s really what you want?”
No! I want you to stay with me—always! “I…I think it—” Before saying another syllable, his hands slipped out of his pockets and cupped her face.
“Don’t say it.” He leaned in and kissed her. His hands smoothed into the sides of her hair, and he moved in closer.
She brought her hands to his shoulders, intending to thrust him off. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers into his downy hair. His tongue traced her mouth and a carnival of sensations skittered over her skin. He was chipping away at her hardened resolve and she parted her lips, taking him in.
The tips of Crew’s fingers scored down her spine, the desired result had her arching her body into his chest. He kissed the curve below her bottom lip and moved to her temple and then pressed his full, soft mouth to her forehead. He positioned his hands on her shoulders and stepped back, building room between them. “I promise.”
I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.
I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I’m devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.
I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.
He keeps his heart heavily guarded. She meets everyone with a friendly smile. Will the attraction sizzling between them pull them into the space between their two worlds?
Burdened by too many responsibilities, Bowen Jensen struggles beneath their overwhelming weight. Between raising his teenage sister, running their family ranch, and managing Sleigh Bell Tours, he barely has time to sleep, let alone do something just for himself. He can’t even recall his last date. Then a chance encounter with a beguiling woman leaves him pondering if there isn’t more to life than trudging through one lonely day after another.
Juniper Haynes appears to have it all with a successful real estate career and a picture-perfect life. In reality, she’s tired of dealing with demanding clients, wary of her so-called friends, and secretly longs for the peace she finds at her sister’s mountain home. After a magical New Year’s Eve kiss with a cowboy she barely knows, she realizes true happiness might only be found outside her comfort zone.
Can Bo and Juniper find the courage to embrace change and explore the possibility of a future together?
Find out in this sweet winter romance full of small-town charm, memorable characters, laughter, hope, and love.
“What a mess,” the woman said, brushing at her coat with the napkin Sassy handed to her. “I’m not usually such a klutz.” She gave up dabbing at the cider soaking into the white cashmere and looked to Bo again. “Thank you for catching me before I fell. I’m Juniper, by the way. Juniper Haynes.”
“Juniper,” Bo mumbled, finally managing to gain a miniscule amount of control over his tongue. However, his heart pounded so fast and loud, it echoed like a bongo drum in his head.
“That’s an awesome name,” Sassy said, with the enthusiasm summoned by a teenager impressed by someone older and more worldly. “I’m Sassy, and this is Bo Jensen.”
Juniper’s smile widened as she looked up at him. Even with her high-heeled boots, she barely came up to his chest. Then again, at six-four, he tended to tower over a lot of people.
“Sassy and Bo. It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you, again, for catching me. Happy Christmas Eve.” Juniper turned away and took a lopsided step, but her foot slid on a patch of hidden ice. She would have fallen if Bo hadn’t caught her a second time, his arms looping beneath hers from the back. She tilted her face upward and offered him a look of gratitude.
Something that felt like an electrical current trailed up his arms, threatening to short circuit what few working brain cells he had left.
Words.
He needed words.
To speak—to say anything—but nothing seemed to be able to work its way from his overloaded brain to his mouth. The sharp elbow Sassy jabbed into his side didn’t help any more than her questioning glare to rattle something loose.
Bo stared at the woman, fascinated.
Juniper.
What an intriguing name for an entirely captivating woman.
USA Today Bestselling Author Shanna Hatfield writes sweet romances rich with relatable characters, small town settings that feel like home, humor, and hope.
Her historical westerns have been described as “reminiscent of the era captured by Bonanza and The Virginian” while her contemporary works have been called “laugh-out-loud funny, and a little heart-pumping sexy without being explicit in any way.”
When this farm girl isn’t writing or indulging in rich, decadent chocolate, Shanna hangs out with her husband, lovingly known as Captain Cavedweller. She also experiments with recipes, snaps photos of her adorable nephew, and caters to the whims of a cranky cat named Drooley.
