Real-estate mogul Carter Cross has spent his life toiling for another man’s legacy. Then, a phone call unlocks his true destiny as part of the country’s wealthiest oil dynasty. With his famously cool command, he’ll stop at nothing to seize the Cross family’s birthright.
When an infamous oil baron drops dead in a most scandalous fashion, tabloid reporter Nisha Donovan gets assigned to dig up dirt on the new J.P. Star Energy executive—the filthier, the better.
Neither of them counts on their undeniable attraction derailing their plans, but sometimes a star-crossed love can’t be denied. Can Carter and Nisha escape the snares of power to build a new legacy together?
Cross My Heart is book one in The Lone Star Crossed Saga and has a happily ever after. The family saga unfolds with soapy dramatic fun in each book, but there are no romance cliffhangers. Book one has a slow burn but heats up—way up—at the end, so grab a fan!
I hoped I wouldn’t miss him. The only downside to these loosey-goosey barbecues was not knowing who was going to be there and when. I got to Victoria and James’ early to position myself on a barstool in the huge, eat-in kitchen with a wide view of the backyard.
If he came in the front door, he’d have to pass through to get outside, and if he walked around and went directly into the yard via the side gate, I should be able to catch him.
Doing another visual sweep of the patio and pool area where other guests enjoyed the warmer weather, I lost track of the conversation with my host temporarily. Victoria snapped a finger over my head while holding a knife in the other hand. “Hello, Nisha?”
I smiled and turned my gaze back to her, and she continued chopping onions and tomatoes for guacamole.
“What? Oh, yeah. Maya’s doing okay. She’s still staying with me.”
“You’re going to keep her?”
“Hopefully.” I sighed. “All Maya has to do is get through the next three years.”
Of course, I knew nothing about how to raise a teenager except worrying every day we were crammed into my townhouse. And now Lisa was back. My spine stiffened until my neck hurt.
It would be okay. Maya knew what she wanted. And I’d handle the rest. I reached out to my lawyer. He agreed to help, but representation would cost a couple thousand dollars I didn’t have just to get started. I would figure it out.
Lord. Today wasn’t for worrying about Maya. Today was for meeting the guy at the heart of the story that would help me not have to worry.
That’s why I’d asked Victoria about one particular hot, successful guy on the guest list. I hadn’t wanted to get her involved, but I needed to make sure he was going to be here. Otherwise, I’d have to get much more creative.
“Well—oh, hey.” She lowered her voice. “Your hookup is here.”
“What’s up, Victoria? I brought beer.”
The back of my neck tingled at the masculine rumble behind me.
I knew before I swiveled around that he was handsome.
All the news clippings and online pics told me that. But they couldn’t warn me about the earthquaking timber of his voice that surely registered on the Richter scale. The vibration made my toes curl around the footrest of my barstool. The only shakes like that around here came from fracking. The tremors in my stomach told me he might be as dangerous as his new oil magnate employer.
I drew in a steadying breath and turned.
“Hi.” The wicked energy of his grin swayed toward me in time with samba-like way his hips moved when he walked.
Damn.
Focus, Nisha.
What I needed from him didn’t have anything to do with his hips. Or the sinewed ripple of his forearms as he reached past me to set a case of Mexican beer on the counter. He wore a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. It was open. His dark, smooth chest rippled and narrowed to hard abs that cut arrows pointing down into the waistband of his long swim trunks.
He started to say something else, but Victoria interrupted.
“There’s a tub of ice outside for the drinks. Then, come back in, and I’ll let Nisha introduce herself.” Victoria took a break from chopping and wiped her hands on a dish towel.
The slash of his smile spread across his face again. My heart swelled and thumped to the beat that had played in my head as I watched him walk in.
“Or we could do that now before I head outside.” He extended a hand. “Carter Cross.”
Even his hands were sexy. Callused, but smooth at the same time. Strong, but elegant. His fingers wrapped around my hand, and I thought about having the grip sliding up my arm, over my shoulder, and down, down, down.
I was sweating like Victoria’s A/C wasn’t cranked to a chill for the party.
Straightening my spine lifted my chest in my magenta bikini, and his eyes flickered down and back up to my face. Normally, that would have irritated me, but instead, my stomach did another salsa dance.
Let go of his hand, creeper. I’d clung on a nanosecond too long, then dropped it. “Nisha Donovan.”
“How have we never met before?”
“Are you sure we haven’t?” I crinkled my brow as if maybe I remembered him from somewhere else and not the days of research I’d done.
“No. I have an expert eye for faces. Yours”—he paused and pointed at me—“I haven’t seen before.”
Kris Jayne is a devoted writer, reader, and traveler, crafting addictive contemporary romance novels with heat and heart. She spends her days blissfully sweating out the writing process in the Dallas area with her dogs, Otis the Shih Tzu, Rocco the Terrier, and Red the Foxy Mutt.
Her passion for writing is only matched by her passion for the adventures of travel. In 2008, she let a friend talk her into sleeping outside for the first time in her life when she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
P.S. If you’re buying her a gift, she has a penchant for single-malt Scotch and scarves.
Grahame Claire is a USA Today Bestselling author of contemporary romance.
A writer. A blogger. United by our love of stories and all things romance. There was definitely some insta-love. Hello? Books involved. A little courting. A lot of writing. The result…Grahame Claire.
Soulmates. Unashamed of our multiple book boyfriends. Especially the ones that rooted in our heads and wouldn’t leave us alone. Don’t worry. We’ll share.
College Junior Giada Conti wants nothing more than to pursue a normal life fueled by her own choices. Unfortunately, she doesn’t realize her father’s business isn’t completely lawful, or how that fact will completely dictate her future. Pre-law student Adrian Patras is certain Giada is the perfect woman for him, until he meets her family and grasps the extent of his girlfriend’s naivete. As Adrian finds himself unwillingly pulled into the family business, Giada grows frustrated with his insinuations about her father. Meanwhile, Giada’s ex, the notorious Luca Marino, pops back into her life with his own criminal agenda that includes winning her back.
Mafiosa Princess is the captivating first book in the steamy mafia romance series that you won’t want to put down.
Liza Malloy writes contemporary romance, women’s fiction, new adult romance, and fantasy. She’s a sucker for alpha males, bad boys, dimples, and muscles, and she can’t resist a man in uniform. Liza loves creating worlds where her heroine discovers her own strength and finds her Happily Ever After. When Liza isn’t reading or writing torrid love stories, she’s a practicing attorney. Her other passions include gummy bears, jelly beans, and the occasional marathon. She lives in the Midwest with her four daughters and her own Prince Charming. Her books are available in both paperback and ebook, and can be found on Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Google Play, and more!
Title: Black Canvas Author: Laura Rossi Genre: Dark Romantic Suspense
“I dream of waking up and being someone else—my hair, my eyes, even my voice, completely different—and each time I go to the mirror to check my reflection, to see what I look like, I’m her. Every time. Her. It’s her reflection that stares back at me, but I’m the one who controls it. I’m in control, and that’s exactly why it feels so good. I control her and what happens to me; I control both lives—mine and hers—and I have what I want the most: her looks, her status, her marriage. There’s nothing left of me, and only I know the secret. Only I know it’s me inside, it’s me under that perfect porcelain skin, it’s me behind those sweet, smart deep brown eyes. And I have him. He’s mine—just mine now. I’m not the other woman anymore. I’m everything he needs.”
“A story of mystery and intrigue weaved together with prose so delectable, so sublime. A must-read. A masterpiece. A thrill.” Eleanor Lloyd-Jones
“I dream of waking up and being someone else—my hair, my eyes, even my voice, completely different—and each time I go to the mirror to check my reflection, to see what I look like, I’m her. Every time. Her. It’s her reflection that stares back at me, but I’m the one who controls it. I’m in control, and that’s exactly why it feels so good. I control her and what happens to me; I control both lives—mine and hers—and I have what I want the most: her looks, her status, her marriage. There’s nothing left of me, and only I know the secret. Only I know it’s me inside, it’s me under that perfect porcelain skin, it’s me behind those sweet, smart deep brown eyes.
And I have him. He’s mine—just mine now. I’m not the other woman anymore. I’m everything he needs. I can be both the wife and the whore. I’m a better version of myself and a better version of Miss Perfection.
But most importantly I have control.
I’ve never had control.
Then, my eyes open to the real world—right when he’s kissing me in the dream, before he can tell me I’m the love of his life and that he only thinks of me.
I wonder if he lies to her like he lies to me every time we see each other. Does he tell her he loves her? And why? Why does he love her?
She does nothing for him, besides being her.
‘I love you for what you do for me’
Those are his words of love for me. In the moment, they mean everything, but they don’t stay long. They vanish with him—with my dream.
I’m jealous of what he says to her; I hate the way he looks at her.
No secret meetings, no hiding, no masks to disguise ourselves… Everything is out in the open in my dream. I wonder what that would feel like, to live our love out in the open.
Before I wake up completely, I feel this resentment; the rage resurfaces.
Would he be mine if it weren’t for her? Would he have married me, if it weren’t for her? I start to lose control again. I want what she has. I want him.
I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling for a few minutes. I have no reason to get out of bed so early. I’m alone, and I spend the first moments of my day—of each single day of my life—wondering if he’s sleeping close to her, if he’s breathing her scent… Wondering if and when he’ll call me.
I have no control. He decides. He sets up our meetings. He tells me where and when. My role is to be there on time and the way he wants it. Possibly naked.
It’s only when I get his text that I have the incentive to get up. It changes my day. I work around our meeting, I do what I have to do and I hope time flies to the moment when I’ll see him again.
My whole existence revolves around him.
And is focused on how I can be more like her.
I would do anything, anything, Doctor. Anything to be her.”
he last thing he wants to do is play bodyguard to the woman who broke his heart.
As the wife of a pioneer in the field of biotechnology, Katherine Stallworth had an up-close view of the ugly underbelly of corporate espionage and the cutthroat nature of competition. When her husband is murdered and her life threatened, she turns to Raheem Miller, the one man she can trust–despite their sordid past.
Years ago, Raheem fell in love with Katherine–older, sophisticated, and way out of his league. And nothing has changed. While he’d rather avoid this assignment, he’ll never forgive himself if anything happened to her. In the middle of conducting an investigation into her husband’s death, he discovers a conspiracy that could rock the very foundation of the United States.
Now he must bring the culprits to justice while keeping Katherine alive and his desire in check. Easier said than done.
They exited the apartment, and outside, Raheem slipped dark sunglasses over his eyes and surveyed the street filled with passing cars and briskly walking pedestrians. He didn’t always wear shades, but they served a practical purpose when he worked close protection. In addition to shielding the eyes from direct sunlight, flashes, or glares, they kept eye movements hidden from potential attackers. As security personnel, his eyes constantly roved the immediate area around the principal, and this simple fashion tool made it a little more difficult for a would-be attacker to know where he was looking and which way he was going to move.
The first thing he noticed was Morris talking to the doorman, his back turned to the Mercedes. Raheem realized he had forgotten to let him know they were coming downstairs. Because he’d been distracted—by Katherine’s scent, the urge to caress her skin, and his own long held attraction to her.
Morris and the doorman were both laughing heartily at a joke, and Raheem’s temperature spiked.
“Morris, can I talk to you for a minute?”
They stopped laughing, Morris’s eyes opened wide, and he walked over. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you say you were coming downstairs.”
“I didn’t alert you, but what the hell is going on here? Why aren’t you paying attention to the car?”
“What do you mean?” Morris asked.
“Have you already swept the vehicle?”
“Of course. I do a sweep every morning,” Morris said, sounding offended.
“Then why don’t you have eyes on it?” Raheem demanded.
Morris’s cheekbones flushed pink. “Do you really think someone could do anything to the vehicle with me standing right here?”
“Do you really think it would be hard for someone to do something to the vehicle? How difficult would it be for them to attach a tracking device or an explosive to the undercarriage while you’re yakking it up?”
Jaw tight and more color flooding his cheeks, Morris didn’t respond, probably knowing Raheem was right.
“It’s okay,” Katherine interrupted.
“No, it’s not okay,” Raheem said angrily.
“Morris is very good at his job,” she said, her glare signaling he should stop.
“Why did you hire me? To make sure you stayed safe.”
“I would appreciate it if you don’t talk to me in that tone.”
“And I would appreciate it if you’d let me do my job.”
He didn’t care Morris was silently watching the exchange. Katherine had to learn to trust him. He turned to Morris. “We need to do another check of the vehicle.”
“I’m going to be late for my meeting,” Katherine said.
“Then you’ll be late,” Raheem said.
Her eyes flashed at him. “May I speak to you privately for a moment please?”
She didn’t wait for a response and stalked away—heels clicking the sidewalk and the natural sway of her hips catching his eye. While Morris checked the car, Raheem followed and Katherine swung around and faced him.
“Do you have to talk to me like that in front of Morris?”
“You have to let me do my job,” Raheem grated.
“I have no problem with you doing your job, but I don’t think it’s appropriate for you to talk to me however you please. You work for me,” she enunciated.
“Exactly. And my job is to keep you safe.” He removed his sunglasses and challenged her with a stare. “If you don’t like my methods, fire me.”
Katherine’s chin tilted a little higher. “Keep pushing me and I will. Get that damn chip off your shoulder.”
She swept past him and went to talk to the doorman. After Morris finished checking the vehicle, they all climbed in and took off.
Delaney Diamond is the USA Today Bestselling Author of sensual, passionate romance novels, and was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She reads romance novels, mysteries, thrillers, and a fair amount of nonfiction. When she’s not busy reading or writing, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes, dining at one of her favorite restaurants, or traveling to an interesting locale. To get sneak peeks, notices of sale prices, and find out about new releases, visit her website and join her mailing list. Enjoy free stories on her website at www.delaneydiamond.com.
It was supposed to be a fresh start. A completely blank slate in a place where no one knew about the tragedy that ripped her family apart six months ago. A tragedy Rowan can’t help but blame herself for.
Now the only thing she wants is to blend in. To escape the house that has become more like a prison. Her new school is her only hope. Somewhere she can pretend she’s just like everyone else.
Only Rowan doesn’t realize how unique she is. Holden is the first to recognize it, but he’s not the last.
Rowan can’t explain the draw she feels to the guys who have found their way into her life. The way something seems to spark the first moment she touches each of them. How it almost hurts to walk away from them at the end of each day.
Things are changing, from the ripple of power humming just below her skin to this new family she’s finding herself a part of. But not all of the changes are good.
Someone doesn’t like the power Rowan is stepping into or the bonds she’s forming with the guys who have gifts as rare and strong as her own. And when the truth is revealed, it has the power to burn everything in its wake…
I tilted my head back so that I could see his face. “You felt it?”
He nodded. “I knew you were hurting somehow.” There was confusion in his expression, wariness, but also, a fierce protectiveness. “They need to shield you better.”
My hands fisted in Vaughn’s T-shirt. “They do, but no one can stop words.”
“I could,” he grunted.
“But I really don’t want you to go on a murderous rampage to stop a few mean girls.”
Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…
For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…
And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world…and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from…
The Beast by J.R. Ward primarily focuses on the quickly devolving relationship between Rhage and Mary. It also seems to be a book that really pulls in a lot of the side characters to make the story work – which I absolutely loved. Rhage and Mary are one of the first couples w meet in the BDB series, and it was so nice to have a chance to really look into their lives again – even if they aren’t in a very good place right now.
This book also reminds us that The Black Dagger Brotherhood isn’t all about romance. There is a war raging in the background, and something big is about to go down. You can feel it building up on the pages. Something is going to break with either the Scribe Virgin or the Omega, and it’s going to be life-changing for everyone.
There are a few storylines that involve the kids and babies of the household, and they added a little bit of a softer touch that the story needed. In a few years, the Brotherhood is going to have its hands full with all the new youngsters.
A wonderful addition to the series with romance, adventure, suspense, and plenty to make you laugh and cry (sometimes both at once).
We’re about to enter the junior studio on the opposite side of the building when Mara catches up with me.
“Excuse me!” she pants, her cheeks flaming pink. “Could I speak to Mr. Blackwell for a moment?”
The other panel members turn to look at me, to see if I’ll comply.
Sonia is particularly curious. She knew something was up the moment I told her to offer Mara the studio. The discounted rate was a fabrication, invented by me on the spot. The same with this grant. It’s all leverage to get Mara right where I want her: completely at my mercy.
“Of course,” I say quietly. “The rest of you go on without me. I’ll join you momentarily.”
I lead Mara down the hall to an empty studio several doors down. I step into the clean, deserted space. She hesitates in the doorway, afraid to be alone with me.
“Are you coming?” I ask, eyebrow raised.
Pressing her lips together, she marches into the room, closing the door behind her.
I wait for her to speak, watching the rapid rise and fall of her chest, thrilling at the hectic spots of color on her cheeks.
She’s illuminated with fury, eyes blazing, cheeks flaming. Her dark hair swirls around her face, defying gravity from the pure electric tension between us. Her thin hands tremble, and she digs her nails into the thighs of her jeans.
“I know it was you,” she says, her voice low and hoarse.
I’m enjoying this so much I can hardly stand it. Her rage, her fear, and the delicious predicament I put her in, all mixed together in a potent cocktail. Her expression of shock when she saw my face, and the awful struggle as she had to discuss her work with the panel, while her brain must have been twisting and turning inside her skull . . . I’m so glad I have it all recorded. I can’t wait to watch it over again tonight.
“What was me?” I say mildly.
“You know,” she hisses. Her whole body is shaking. I’d like to hold her against me, to feel those tremors vibrating through my frame . . .
“Please explain.”
Her eyes glint with tears of fury, but she refuses to let them fall. Her lips are swollen and chapped, as if she’s been biting at them . . .
“Someone snatched me off the street. They tied me up, cut my wrists, and left me in the woods. You were there. I saw you. You stood over me, staring at me. You saw I needed help. And you walked right over me. You left me there to die.”
“What a bizarre accusation,” I say. “Do you have any proof?”
I know she doesn’t. I just want to see how she’ll respond.
“I saw you,” she hisses. “I’ll tell the cops.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.” I tuck my hands in my pockets, tilting my head as I look at her. “That would cause a lot of problems for you. You’d lose the studio, of course. The grant, too.”
“Are you threatening me?” Her voice rises, the edge of hysteria sharp as razor wire. “Why are you doing this? Why did you do this to me?”
She holds up her arm so her loose bell sleeve drops away, revealing the long, jagged scar across the wrist. The scar is still healing, raised like a welt on the skin.
“I didn’t do that,” I scoff.
Mara falters, her upraised hand dropping an inch.
Interesting—she doesn’t actually know who cut her.
“You were there,” she insists.
“So what if I was?”
She startles, shocked that I admitted it.
“Then you did this!” she shrieks.
“No,” I growl. “I didn’t.”
In one swift step, I close the space between us. Mara tries to turn and run, but I’m much too fast for her. I seize her by the arm, yanking her toward me, holding up that accusing hand and branded wrist.
I look down into her terrified face, pinning her in place with my gaze as much as my fingers locked around her wrist. “There’s no limit on predators in the world,” I hiss. “And no lack of damaged girls to attract them.”
Sophie Lark is an Amazon Bestselling author who writes intense, intelligent romance, with heroines who are strong and capable, and men who will do anything to capture their hearts. She lives with her husband, two boys, and baby girl in the Rocky Mountain West.
She has a slight obsession with hiking, bodybuilding, and live comedy shows. Her perfect day would be taking the kids to Harry Potter World, going dancing with Mr. Lark, then relaxing with a good book and a monster bag of salt and vinegar chips.
Trez “Latimer” doesn’t really exist. And not just because the identity was created so that a Shadow could function in the underbelly of the human world. Sold by his parents to the Queen of the S’Hsibe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer in Caldwell, NY for years- all the while on the run from a destiny of sexual servitude. He’s never had anyone he could totally rely on… except for his brother, iAm.
iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing- and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Serena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around… but by then it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.
Trapped between his heart and a fate he never volunteered for, Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others- or forever leave behind the female he’s in love with. But then an unimaginable tragedy strikes and changes everything. Staring out over an emotional abyss, Trez must find a reason to go on or risk losing himself and his soul forever. And iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice…
I have been wanting to learn more about the past of the brothers Trez and iAm. While parts have been hinted at in previous books, The Shadows really goes into their past and their very unusual society. I found it fascinating and really want to go back to their homeland and see a lot more of it.
Trez’s story was just about everything I had hoped for him. It was freeing and bittersweet, but so meaningful. Of course when he finds love, it can’t be simple. It’s going to be messy, complex, and potentially dangerous for everyone around him. But it was so worth it. It changes him. And I like the new Trez (even if he makes me cry) a lot better than the old one.
While Trez is having his life-changing moment, iAm isn’t immune to fate. It turns out they ahve a lot of things to take of back home, and that a lot of things they thought were true might not quite be what they thought they were. The journey both brothers take are oddly parallel until the very end. i dont always like romances with mutliple people getting their moment in the sun, but it seemed fitting that Trez and iAm, so inseparable, would have their story together as well.
There are a lot of lingering storylines for other member sof the Brotherhood that weave their way through the book, and a few new loose ends are left at the end to draw me into the next book. Once again, the story Ward presents is engaging. I’m just afraid taht we won’t see as much of the Shadow’s society in the future – similar to the way the Smpathes faded from view after their one story.
Title: He’s With the Band Author: Julie Stone Genre: Contemporary Romance
What if life gave you a second chance to make a different decision? Divorced 41 year old amateur photographer Campbell will get just that when she’s asked to tour with one of the biggest rock bands 20 years after walking away from them, and the rock-n-roll life.
Julie Stone was born a child of the seventies complete with rainbow shirts, bell bottoms and a belief in unicorns. All that whim and whimsey ushered her into the wonderful world of being a teenager in the eighties, something she has a hard time letting go of most days. I mean, the styles, the music, the movies? It was a playground for the creative mind she was growing.
Alas, she had to leave all that behind and become an adult. Graduating with a degree in English from the University of Iowa (go Hawks!) where along with a degree she also earned herself a husband. She embarked on all of the regular, boring grown up things that come with age. Until the magical world of motherhood brought along a new chapter of joy, terror and sleepless nights. But also, nap time. Suddenly there was time to go back to her creative calling and write. Through raising two boys, several moves around the midwest, those stories and that keyboard kept her company and kept her, relatively sane. (Depending on who you ask.)
Currently settled in Iowa, she continues to pursue her love of the written word, her cat and sMothering the three boys in her life to the best of her abilities.
