Adriana Kraft

When it's time to heat things up...

romance

On Tour: Twelfth Cake House by Heidi Eljarbo @HeidiEljarbo #Romance #heartwarmingchristmas #historicalfiction #holidayromance #goldenyearromance #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

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BOOK INFORMATION

Book Title: Twelfth Cake House
Series: Heartwarming Christmas
Author: Heidi Eljarbo
Publication Date: December 15th, 2023
Publisher: independently published
Page Length: approx. 90 pages
Genre: Clean Historical Christmas Romance

BLURB

Even a clever matchmaker may need a push in the right direction if she’s to find true love. When she’s asked to find a match for herself, it proves to be the most difficult task she’s ever undertaken.

Mid-December 1796.

Sixty-year-old spinster Miss Jemima Thurgood has three weeks to finish the preparations for her annual Twelfth Night party. In her position as a matchmaker, for over forty years she has assumed a grave responsibility. Luckily, she’s a shrewd observer of people, and many happy reunions have come about due to her exceptional talent for nudging kindred hearts in the right direction.

Every year, Jemima invites twelve carefully selected men and women to her festivity, and each guest is assigned a dinner partner. The days before the merrymaking are constantly disrupted by one unforeseen event after another. Jemima must work hard to be ready in time, and more importantly, to provide the kind of celebration her chosen guests deserve.

But this year, what Jemima doesn’t know is that her life is about to take a sudden change of course—one she could not have predicted or planned for. As the days pass, several gentlemen indicate they are interested in becoming better acquainted with her, but only a very special man can charm a matchmaker.

A sweet romance novella set during a witty and enchanting Georgian-Era Christmas, Twelfth Cake House is a story about traditions, goodwill, and finding hope and the courage to change and take a chance on finding true love.

BUY LINKS

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/b6lWzJ

AUTHOR BIO

Heidi Eljarbo is the award-winning author of dual-timeline historical fiction with heartwarming clean romance, wit, and adventurous mystery.

Heidi grew up in a home filled with books and artwork and never imagined she would do anything other than write and paint. She studied art, languages, and history, danced on the BYU Ballroom Dance Team, and still sings in choirs.

After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She and her husband have a total of nine children, and fifteen grandchildren—so far—in addition to a bouncy Wheaten Terrier.

Their favorite retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summertime and ski the vast, white terrain during winter.

Heidi’s favorites are family, God’s beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.

Sign up for Heidi’s newsletter at https://www.heidieljarbo.com/newsletter!

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: https://www.heidieljarbo.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HeidiEljarbo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorheidieljarbo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorheidieljarbo/
Pinterest: https://no.pinterest.com/heidieljarbo/
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/heidi-eljarbo
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Heidi-Eljarbo/e/B073D852VG/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16984270.Heidi_Eljarbo

Ménage? Polyamory? How about both? #EroticRomance #FFM #menage #polyamory #Excerpt #KU

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Sometime back I was asked this question: Is there a difference between erotic menage romance novels and erotic polyamory romance novels? Here’s what I think:

Most of the erotic romance my husband and I write together involves sex scenes with three or more participants. Which label to place on them isn’t as straightforward as you might think, and people in the non-monogamous lifestyle might laugh at the effort to pigeonhole them.

Though many erotic romance readers and writers tend to think of “ménage” as simply meaning sex among more than two persons, the historic meaning of ménage (from the French) is “domestic establishment,” or “the persons of a household.” Naturally “ménage à trois” adds an enticing dimension, but it still technically implies a living together arrangement.

“Polyamory,” on the other hand, is somewhat simpler in its origin and implication: “Poly” means many, and “amory” means love. Polyamory is many loves. Easy? Not so much. There are what seem endless permutations and combinations of polyamory within the non-monogamous lifestyle. Some threesomes form an equilateral triangle, exclusively and equally committed to one another. Some couples view each other as their “primary,” but have additional loves outside the primary relationship, sometimes together, sometimes apart. And the list goes on.

My husband and I have written erotic romance that explores nearly all those possibilities. Our Swinging Games series chronicles the experience of a pair of empty-nest baby boomers who first dip their toes into the swing lifestyle, then embrace it fully across the fifteen (so far) stories in the series. Which label would those characters use? Though they sometimes have what might be called “casual sex,” they form loving relationships with some of their partners, and for a time they entered into a three-way relationship with another woman which we’re quite sure they would label “polyamory.”

An important additional dimension is whether or not any of the partners are bisexual.  Most of the women in our erotic stories swing both ways, so they tend to form FFM threesomes, whether short term or as their happy ending. In the Swinging Games series, some of the men are also bisexual, leading to additional combinations.

In short, in the real world, what to call it depends on how the participants define it, and there are more combinations and variations than can easily be categorized. What they all share in common, however, is the centrality of open and honest communication among all involved, a continuing effort to understand and meet the needs and desires of the participants, and a loving relationship, whether for the moment or long term. Oh, and need I mention, they share happiness, pleasure, and a wide range of sexual activities and combinations.

For readers who’d like to know more about “real” polyamory and ménage relationships, sex educator, author, and filmmaker Tristan Taormino has written a very straightforward and informative book about the open lifestyle and the intricacies involved:

Opening Up is available at this link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0097DDYR2/

I highly recommend it.

My favorite among our polyamory offerings is The Reunion, winner of the 2014 Bi Writer’s Association award for Best Erotica. I’m comfortable calling its trio either ménage or polyamory, because it is both. By the end of the story, an equilateral triangle has evolved through a series of tugs and pulls, and all three partners are in love with and committed to each other. At least two of the partners never saw this coming, but I’m pretty sure it fulfilled the fondest dreams of the third partner, once she saw what might be possible. Her faith that it could happen was a crucial catalyst in its development.

BOOK INFORMATION

The Reunion, by Adriana Kraft
B&B Publishing: Ebook, Paperback
September, 2013    ASIN: B00F30CTLK
Novel: 71,000 words
Cover Artist: Dawné Dominique
Four Flames:  Explicit sex: M/F, F/F; Ménage: F/F/M, FMF, F/F/F; Multiple partners; Polyamory; light bondage; voyeurism; anal sex; sex toys.

BLURB

Dark and brooding, Adam Granger was always the bad boy out of reach—but now he’s in Sarah Atkinson’s bed, the morning after their twentieth high school reunion. When Adam beats a retreat to his Pacific Palisades estate, former good girl Sarah throws caution to the wind and pursues him.

Petite copper-skinned Maria Ramirez greets Sarah at Adam’s front door. The former exotic dancer doesn’t challenge Sarah’s assumption she’s the maid—how long will it take the dark-haired beauty to figure out Maria is Adam’s live-in lover? Better yet, how long before Maria can entice her into their bed?

Determined not to rock his hard-won lifestyle, Adam resolves to push Sarah past her sexual limits so she’ll leave. When she stays, he watches helplessly as the two women fall in love with each other. Will they shut him out? And, if they let him in, what must he sacrifice?

EXCERPT

“I’ve done the same old, same old for so long I nearly failed take the opportunity to fly out here,” Sarah said.

Maria flashed an eyebrow. “But you did, and you’re not disappointed.”

“Not at all.” Sarah squirmed closer. “You were worth the trip. And we may get Adam to come around. Imagine! I didn’t even know you existed until you met me at the door. If I hadn’t gotten up the nerve to come out here, we never would’ve met.”

“I like that word we.” Maria pecked at Sarah’s neck and hugged her tight. “You’re a pretty damn spunky lady. Adam Granger doesn’t stand a chance facing the two of us.”

“I’m not so sure,” Sarah said, fighting the feeling that all was not well in nirvana. “So, Maria, does Adam love you?”

Maria withdrew and scowled. “That’s not a word in his vocabulary. He cares for me more than he has for anyone, unless for the image of you.”

“Do you love him?”

Maria didn’t flinch. “Yes.”

“Yet you still take other women to your bed.”

“Yes. Loving a woman is quite different. I haven’t found a woman I could be true to.” She offered a quirky smile. “Yet.”

“Oh.” Sarah worked at staying calm while considering the import of Maria’s words. “But you wouldn’t give up Adam for the right woman.”

“No, the right woman would have to love him as much as me. All sides would have to have equal strength.”

“Like an equilateral triangle.”

“Exactly.”

“I wonder if that’s possible.”

Maria sighed. “Maybe it isn’t.”

BUY LINK

Universal Buy Link

Available on Kindle Unlimited

https://books2read.com/u/49Vaj8

 

Out Now: Heather’s Haven, by T.S. McNeil #Romance #RomCom #HolidayStory @ExtasyBooks

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BOOK INFORMATION:

Christmas Romantic Comedy novella
Published by: eXtasy Books
Author: T.S. McNeil
ISBN: 978-1-4874-4090-9
Pages: 90
Word Count: 21766
Publication Date: 2023-12-01

BLURB

Aging Pop Star Heather Fideler has had enough. After a painful divorce, she decides to spend Christmas, once her best time of year, on a remote island with no Wi-Fi or tabloids where no one knows who she is. The plan is to keep her head down and let the holidays slide by, but not if the locals have anything to say about it.

 

 

EXCERPT

Chapter One: Like A Broken Pencil

Holidays were never a big deal in Heather Fideler’s world. Reared by two of the strictest Calvinists in Christendom, she’d long held the opinion that vacations were for people who didn’t like their jobs.

Festivals could be fun, they were basically designed to be, but that was where it began and ended. Christmas was the only exception. Eggnog was part of it. Homemade and from scratch, with sprinkles of hand ground nutmeg dashed across the light-yellow surface. One sip could cure all that could be terrible about the world, at least for a moment. Even in the bleakness of early December, which was still technically late-autumn rather than winter, it could all make everything better. From the tree to the tinsel to the pudding no one really liked but pretended that they did. The magic of the season was down to tolerance, tradition and love. Until Halloween.

At the end of October, it hit like a brick. A mid-autumn shock that was not a treat or a trick, making any future holidays, even the holly-jolly, seem like a broken pencil. Pointless.

The autumn leaves had dropped, and the first flakes were expected to arrive by the week. Everything was made a bit blurry by rain in the meantime, any outdoor attempts at Christmas cheer put up since Thanksgiving sure to get drenched within seconds. Muzak renditions of Christmas classics chimed away in every mall from Seattle to Stockholm.

“Jiminy!” Heather yelped, as the tiny kitty going by the same name landed by her head to read over her shoulder.

Stepping down on the arm of the chair, the oddly green kitten curled up on Heather’s lap and purred herself to sleep. With a couple strokes of Jiminy’s tiny head, Heather got back to the recently discovered exercise in fatuity.

Deep down in the dark depths of the trip booking rabbit hole, each site made even more ludicrous promises than the last, yet she kept falling for them. A hotel could promise an Olympic sized swimming pool, a kangaroo petting zoo and elephant rides and she would probably click just to see. Travel was, after all, an industry based entirely on profit and the desperation of city dwellers reaching their natural limit of concrete captivity, making for massive profits for those who can promise to get them out.

Heather’s desperation only grew the more she knew about what a scam traveling could be. Fighting the urge to fall to her knees—Mr. and Mrs. Fideler had raised their only daughter to be a lot more dignified than that. She instead set her gaze skyward, appealing to a higher power.

“Please, just give me a sign!” she asked, not addressing anyone in particular.

Her request sent out to the universe, Heather got back to the computer, determined to give the little wheel on her mouse one last scroll before just hiding under the bed until it was all over.

A tiny island off the coast of her own city, settled by the Scots and known for its scenery and isolation, appeared from below the bottom limits of the search window. The name of the place, written in a happy blue just above a picture of an old-fashioned pub, was Heather’s Haven.

“That was rhetorical!” Heather said, again looking skyward.

Cynical as she might have become, to the point she was comfortably numb, even Heather didn’t falter in taking a chance when it was given. Scrolling down to the booking part, she gave it a double click for good measure. A photo of the pub’s proprietor came up at the top of the form. It was a moment before Heather’s breathing, let alone heartbeat, returned to form. Finally at the bottom of the form, after leaving her body to a mad scientist and signing away her first born in the terms and conditions, Heather clicked the last icon. Seeing the sweet notice of success, she relaxed a bit. The panic of packing and actually getting to her destination could wait until it was time to leave.

A xylophone of gentle clicks and clacks ran up Heather’s back as she stretched to nearly twice her height, literally reaching for the sky as Social Distortion were imploring her to do just that on the wireless earbuds that were rarely out of her head.

“Coffee,” Heather declared, getting up from the rolling office chair.

Banging like a drummer through every cupboard and cabinet housed in the mammoth kitchen that took up roughly a quarter of the main floor, Heather came up with nothing. Not a bean or ground to be found, even of the instant crystal variety. Gagging a little at the very thought, she deposited the little cat in her basket and set out into the icy December rain, desperately seeking relief.

Disguised as much as she could be by a hat and medical style mask, Heather walked into the relative warmth of the cafe, the smell of a dozen different grounds thick in the air.

Head down past the admirable attempts at cheering things up with lights and holly and such, the music mercifully better than most places that time of year, Heather got in line with the rest to wait her turn.

One of the weirdest things about her lot in life was being treated differently, despite the ideals of humility and respect being instilled in her from a young age. No one was essentially better than any other, no matter the evidence to the contrary. Corporate raiders, presidents, and kings ate, cried and died just like everyone else.

“Hey, sorry about this, but aren’t you Heather Fideler?” the barista asked.

“Yes,” Heather said, not wanting to be rude.

Most heads turned as the whisper ran around the cafe like a sugar-addled toddler. Unable to keep from rolling her eyes, Heather was losing any faith in her skills for disguise.

Stay calm, it’s really just a part of the job. Heather took a table to wait for her order, taking requests for photos and autographs as gracefully as she had been instructed by her agents. Not even able to get coffee without attracting a bit of a crowd was simply the lot of the pop star. Even so, part of her looked forward to going somewhere with no Wi-Fi where she probably wouldn’t be recognized, at least for a while.

BUY LINKS

Amazon

https://www.amazon.ca/Heathers-Haven-T-S-McNeil/dp/148744091X/

Publisher

https://www.extasybooks.com/Heathers-Haven

AUTHOR BIO:

Born in Toronto, and raised in the far north, T.S. McNeil grew up on novels and comedy movies.

Moving to B. C., he earned a degree in Art History in 2009 and has been writing in some way since the age of 8.

Discovering the legit jokes in Four Weddings and A Funeral, he took on romantic comedy as his main genre.

He lives in a cabin in the woods with his dog and several squirrels, and firmly believes that The Smiths would have been better as a trio.

LINKS: https://tmcneil933.wixsite.com/mysite

 

Out Now: Broken Down Cowboy, by Seelie Kay @SeelieKay #Romance #Cowboy #NewRelease

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Book Information

Title:  Broken Down Cowboy
Release Date:  December 8, 2023
Publisher:  Extasy Books
Genre:  Contemporary Holiday Romance
Heat Level: three flames
Pages: 77
Price: eBook $5.99, Print $8.99
 

An interview with Seelie Kay

Why do you write romance?

I didn’t really get into romance books until law school. Between holding down two jobs, studying, and attending classes, I really needed an outlet for the stress. A friend had a large paper bag full of romance paperbacks that she passed around to other law students. I borrowed one and then another until I read every book she had. After that I was hooked. I like to claim that those books got me through law school. Fast forward to 2017, another stressful time in my life. I needed to find a way to escape reality for a bit. So I started writing my own romance tales. My first book got picked up by a publisher and 25 books later, I’m still writing.

Do you prefer a certain type of romantic hero?

I adore smart, dashing gentlemen who aren’t afraid to live on the edge. They can be a lawyer, a bad boy, a billionaire, a prince, or a secret agent. That hint of danger just hooks me! However, they have to be paired with strong, independent women who aren’t afraid to fight for what they want, even love. And brains over brawn, every time!

Why did you write “Broken Down Cowboy?”

This was my way of throwing down the gauntlet. There comes a time when you want to read more stories about people your age falling in love. Just because I’m in midlife does not mean I have become a dried-up old prune with a cold heart. I still adore men and I still enjoy romance. More importantly, I adore seasoned men. Men who remember rotary phones and record players and Van Halen. Since I have always had a fondness for cowboys, I created a story about two middle-aged people who, despite their differences, fall in love. It’s funny, it’s sad, it’s romantic, it’s somewhat steamy, but in the end, they find what they didn’t even know they needed. Love. Obviously, I was not alone in wanting older romance. Look at the success of the TV series, The Golden Bachelor!

You have a tendency to write about lawyers. Is one of the characters in “Broken Down Cowboy” a lawyer?

Actually, she’s a recovering lawyer, like me. Someone who switched careers after practicing law for many years. Her reasons for becoming a pastry chef and owner of a tea shop are very much in line with my own reasons for switching careers. I believe you can choose to be miserable or you can reach out for happiness. Sometimes, that involves changing your life in dramatic ways.

Blurb:

When is it time to take a leap of faith? When the man holding the net is a sexy, middle-aged cowboy!

Tea shop owner and pastry chef Bailey Willis is nonplussed when she finds a handsome Texan sprawled out on the floor of A Spot of Tea. Trevor Anderson, on the other hand, is instantly smitten. Some might call him a broken-down cowboy, but that doesn’t mean he lacks the ability to pursue a beautiful woman, even if she is a northerner and a Green Bay Packers fan! Unfortunately, Bailey has other things on her mind, like winning the Hales Corners, WI holiday bake-off. When Trevor provides a valuable assist, Bailey begins to regard him in a different light. Too bad he’s planning to head back to his ranch after the new year. Will Bailey agree to wear Trevor’s Texas-size ring? Will Trevor agree to settle in the frozen tundra, the site of one of the Dallas Cowboys’ most humiliating defeats? Hold on to your cowboy hats folks, this tale of romance is going to take you for a ride. Texas style!

Excerpt:

Before Mrs. Franklin could respond, they heard a loud crash, and then the sound of breaking glass. The floor seemed to shake.

Bailey paled and quickly curtsied. “Excuse me, please.” She hurried back into the kitchen where her chef, Spencer, held a substantial pastry brush and was swatting a man sprawled out on the floor. A black cowboy hat sat at the man’s feet. “Spencer, what the devil? We do not beat on our customers.” She extended an arm to the man and helped him to his feet. “Now, will someone please explain to me what’s going on?”

Spencer’s victim picked up his hat and slapped it on his leg, then reshaped the crown. He placed the hat on his head. His soft brown eyes, punctuated by crow’s feet that appeared carved into his tan face, gazed at Bailey, and his full lips curled up in a cocky grin. “Sorry, ma’am,” he drawled in a sexy baritone. “I didn’t mean to disturb you, but my daughter sent me to pick up her order for my granddaughter’s birthday party. I saw how crowded it was out front, so I thought it best to come ‘round to the back door.” He made a face. “Not sure how I wound up on the floor. Guess I slipped.” He shrugged and chuckled. “Guess that happens to those of us ready for the pasture.”

Bailey squelched a sigh. Pasture my eye. He couldn’t be more than fifty, around her age. This guy could be on the cover of a romance novel. He was tall and sturdy, with curly dark hair, bushy eyebrows, and just a hint of a five o’clock shadow. And that voice. She could just imagine the man whispering into her ear after a night of passionate sex. A tiny shiver raced up and down her spine. She was exiting her forties, but her body was not immune to a handsome cowboy. Damn, he was fine.

Spencer planted his hands on his skinny hips and scowled. “He didn’t knock. He just whipped open the door and barged on in. Scared the bejesus out of me. I dropped a water glass.” He shot the cowboy a dirty look. “His boots must be wet because he took a less-than-graceful tumble. You know, ass over teakettle? You may be all that in Texas, cowboy. But in Wisconsin, we wipe our feet before entering a building.” He clucked his tongue and tossed his head. “Everyone knows what happens when you track in snow.”

The cowboy held up his hands and tried to squelch a grin. “Hey, I apologize. In my defense, I knocked several times. When no one responded, I just thought it would be easier to come in…”

“Oh, for Pete’s Sake. Did you grow up in a barn?” Spencer huffed. “I need to go clean up. I’ve got enough flour on me to enter a powder puff derby.” He flounced away, muttering about uncouth cowboys with bull crap on their boots.

Bailey rolled her eyes and giggled. She smiled at the man. “I hope that pastry brush didn’t seriously injure you.”

The man chortled. “I’m a bit buttered up, but it beats my granddaughter’s fingerpaints all over my face. As long as he doesn’t force me into an oven, I think I’ll be fine.”

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOPNBT7LHa4

Buy links

Publisher:  https://www.extasybooks.com/Broken-Down-Cowboy

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Down-Cowboy-Seelie-Kay/dp/148744012X

Barnes & Noble:  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/broken-down-cowboy-seelie-kay/1144463727?ean=9781487440121

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/books/broken-down-cowboy-by-seelie-kay

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201784722-broken-down-cowboy

About Seelie Kay

Award-winning author Seelie Kay writes about lawyers in love.

Writing under a nom de plume, the former lawyer and journalist draws her stories from more than 30 years in the legal world. Seelie’s creative pen has resulted in more than twenty tales of contemporary, erotic, and paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

Seelie resides in a bucolic exurb outside Milwaukee, WI, where she enjoys opera, the Green Bay Packers, gourmet cooking, organic gardening, and an occasional bottle of red wine.

She is also an MS warrior and ruthlessly battles the disease on a daily basis.

Seelie can be found on most social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. To subscribe to her newsletter, please visit https://rb.gy/w69pim.

Author links

Website:  https://www.seeliekay.com

Blog:  https://www.seeliekay.blogspot.com

Twitter: @SeelieKay https://twitter.com/SeelieKay

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seelie.kay.77

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/seeliekay51/

Amazon Author Page:  https://www.amazon.com/Seelie-Kay/e/B074RDRWNZ/

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/seelie-kay

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16492565.Seelie_Kay

TikTok:  https://www.tiktok.com/@authorseeliekay

Newsletter sign-up:  https://rb.gy/w69pim

Prior Books

Kinky Briefs:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs-1

Kinky Briefs, Too:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-too

Kinky Briefs, Thrice: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-thrice

Kinky Briefs, Quatro: https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-quatro

Kinky Briefs, Cinque:  https://www.extasybooks.com/kinky-briefs,-cinque

Snatching Dianna:  https://www.extasybooks.com/snatching-dianna

Infamy:  https://www.extasybooks.com/infamy

Cult:  https://www.extasybooks.com/cult

Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/hope

Martimus:  https://www.extasybooks.com/martimus

The Garage Dweller:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-garage-dweller

The President’s Wife:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-wife

Seizing Hope:  https://www.extasybooks.com/seizing-hope

The White House Wedding:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-white-house-wedding

The Last Christmas: https://www.extasybooks.com/the-last-christmas

The President’s Daughter:  https://www.extasybooks.com/the-presidents-daughter

A Touchdown to Remember:  https://www.extasybooks.com/a-touchdown-to-remember

First, We Kill All the Lawyers:  https://www.extasybooks.com/first,-we-kill-all-the-lawyers

Ye Gods! The Law is an Ass!:  https://www.extasybooks.com/ye-god-the-law-is-an-ass

Vive la Resistance:  https://www.extasybooks.com/Vive-la-Resistance

In the Midst of Angels:  https://www.extasybooks.com/In-the-Midst-of-Angels

Saint Con:  https://www.extasybooks.com/Saint-Con

Mistletoe in the City by Amber Daulton @AmberDaulton1 #NewRelease #Sale #99cents #Steamy #Romance #MFRWAuthor

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Derek’s world is about to change forever—again.

Mistletoe in the City
Publisher: Daulton Publishing
Cover Designer: Satin Rose Designs
Release Date: November 7th, 2023
ASIN: B0CG2YHNR3
Genre: New Adult Holiday Romance
Word Count: 35k
Heat Rating: 5 Flames

Blurb

After his father’s stroke, Derek Weston dropped out of college and returned home to help his parents with the family business, Oak Landing Apartments. Now living on the premises as the groundskeeper and handyman, he never expected the girl he’d secretly crushed on in high school to move into a unit right before Christmas or stir up desires he thought long gone.

Krista Hartley needs a fresh start away from her overbearing parents, but falling for the tattooed hottie who ignored her back in school wasn’t in the plans. Despite old hurts, Derek’s hot kisses and strong arms offer the shelter she craves.

When another woman sets her sight on Derek and drives a wedge between him and Krista, they’ll have to decide if their relationship is real, or just a winter fling.

Author’s Note

I wrote Mistletoe in the City several years ago as part of an anthology for my former publisher. Now, since the rights have reverted to me, I’m re-releasing it as a standalone novella with extra and extended scenes, a new sub-plot, and some revised characterizations. On the whole, it’s the same story as before, but now it’s more detailed and delves deeper into Krista and Derek’s steamy and sometimes rocky relationship. I hope you have a blast reading it.

EXCERPT

“Hi, Krista.”

A deep voice jerked her upright. Heat raced into her face, and air lodged in her throat. Wake up, Krista. Right now. She closed her eyes, forced air in and out of her lungs, and pushed the image of Derek Weston out of her mind. She opened her eyes.

What the hell?

Derek stood in front of her table with his pierced eyebrow arched.

She hadn’t noticed the black cone-shaped ring the day before, but she’d never forget the morning he’d shown up in sophomore English with a hoop in his swollen eyebrow.

“What are you doing here?” She winced as his other eyebrow rose. Licking her dry lips, she braced her hands on her knees and stood. “Sorry, I’m just surprised to see you.”

Derek shrugged, but his blue-eyed gaze never left hers. “Yeah, I get it. We haven’t seen each other in three years. You look good, Kris.”

Her heart somersaulted. Only her friends called her Kris. He tunneled his fingers through his dark, shiny hair, and the sexy locks cascaded over the back of his head to dangle around his clean-shaven cheeks and strong chin in erotic waves. The black stud in each of his earlobes poked out from between the locks like a dare for her to lick them.

She longed to reach out and stroke the ribbed fabric of his clingy, V-neck sweater, so she grasped her sweaty hands together behind her back instead. Safety pins secured patches of bands she’d never heard of on his denim jacket, and a collection of badass leather bracelets circled his left wrist. His mouthwatering jeans hung low on his hips, and she was half tempted to lean over the table and check out his footwear to complete the sexy picture of him in her mind for her to take out and drool over later.

Focus, Krista. She rolled her tight shoulders. High school is ancient history. You went to college, slept with a few guys, met a special guy, and then dumped his sorry ass. Be cool. You’re an adult. Act like it!

Easier said than done.

“You’re bigger than I remember.” Her face heated again. “I mean, you’re taller.”

A grin curled his lips. “Not really. I hit six-one back in school, but I am broader now.” He spread his arms wide and glanced down at himself. “There’s a room at my mom’s house that I can’t even enter without turning sideways because my shoulders are so wide. Granted, the doorway is insanely narrow, but I still feel like the Hulk every time I go into the laundry room.”

Her lower belly quivered. She clenched her thighs together and swallowed hard. “Well, you look good, too.” If only she could drizzle chocolate on him and lick it up. “It’s great to see you, but why are you here? Young, single, straight guys don’t usually come to craft fairs. Did your girlfriend drag you here?” Okay, so she fished for information. So what? If Derek wanted nothing to do with her romantically, she better find out now and let him fall into the acquaintance category as the groundskeeper and assistant manager of the Oak Landing Apartments.

If she was lucky, she could call him a friend.

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About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through Daulton Publishing, The Wild Rose Press, and Books to Go Now, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

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Available Now! Checkout Love, by V. J. Allison #Romance #Sweet #ShortStory #99cents #MFRWAuthor

by

When two people are in love,
social distancing cannot prevent them from being together. 

Want a short and sweet story about two people finding an oasis in the middle of a pandemic? Read CHECKOUT LOVE by V.J. Allison here: https://books2read.com/u/mezDnz

BLURB

Vicki has been half in love with her friend and co-worker, Mason, since she started working at a grocery store eight months ago. When a pandemic reaches the province, social distancing protocols are installed, and their friendship is put on hold. A break at work brings them back together, but will they have the time Vicki hopes to pursue her hidden desires?

Formerly known as “COVID’s Arrow”, Checkout Love was originally released in the Together We Stand Charity Collection.

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About V.J. Allison

Sexy Romance, Nova Scotia style.

V.J. Allison was born and raised in southern Nova Scotia, Canada, and her work reflects her strong Maritime roots. She is a stay-at-home mother to a son on the autism spectrum, married to the love of her life, and “mama” to a rescued Maine Coon cat named Marnie. She has been writing various stories of novel length and short stories since her school days, and sees writing as a vital component to her life.

She is a small town erotic romance author published by Extasy Books, and her novels have been received with great acclaim. Two of her novels, Away to Me and Honestly (Feathered Tartan 3), ​​​​​​​are recipients of the Extasy Books Editor’s Choice Seal of Excellence and Enjoyable Reading.

Her first paranormal/horror romance, Eternity’s Gamble, was released by Decadent Publishing on October 1, 2021.

When she isn’t writing, she loves to read romance and science fiction novels (notably Star Wars); listen to music (heavy metal, rock, alternative); and do graphics design. She runs her own graphics design company, V.J. Allison Art, specializing in t-shirt and other merchandise designs, along with book covers and other custom graphic arts. She is also an editor, an author PA under her real name, and spends a lot of time helping other authors.

​​​​​​​This self-proclaimed geeky rocker chick is a warrior and advocate for various chronic illnesses including Occipital Neuralgia, Trigeminal Neuralgia, Diabetes, Migraines, and Glossopharyngeal Neuralgia. She is also an advocate for the prevention of animal cruelty and is a voice for Autism Awareness.

Find V.J. Allison:

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