Playing Possum by Lois Schmitt Book Tour and Giveaway!

Playing Possum

by Lois Schmitt

February 1-28, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Murder, Mayhem, and Missing Animals.

When animals mysteriously disappear from the Pendwell Wildlife Refuge, former English teacher turned magazine reporter Kristy Farrell is on the case. Days later, the body of the refuge’s director is found in a grassy clearing.

Kristy, assisted by her veterinarian daughter, investigates and discovers strong motives among the suspects, including greed, infidelity, betrayal, and blackmail.

As Kristy delves further, she finds herself up against the powerful Pendwell family, especially matriarch Victoria Buckley Pendwell, chair of the refuge board of trustees, and Victoria’s son, Austin Pendwell, who is slated to run for the state senate.

But ferreting out the murderer and finding the missing animals aren’t Kristy only challenges. While researching a story on puppy mills, she uncovers criminal activity that reaches far beyond the neighborhood pet store.

Meanwhile, strange things are happening back at the refuge, and soon a second murder occurs. Kristy is thwarted in her attempts to discover the murderer by her old nemesis, the blustery Detective Wolfe.

Kristy perseveres and as she unearths shady deals and dark secrets, Kristy slowly draws the killer out of the shadows.

Praise for Playing Possum:

Lois Schmitt's Playing Possum does cozies proud. Fresh and traditional all at once."
-Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Sleepless City

"In her third book of the series, writer Lois Schmitt has crafted an intricately-plotted mystery full of twists and humor, with a cast of colorful characters, set in a wildlife refuge rehab center. Cozy fans, and especially followers of Schmitt's animal lovers' mysteries, will find great entertainment in Playing Possum."
-Phyllis Gobbell, award-winning author of the Jordan Mayfair Mysteries

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Published by: Encircle Publications
Publication Date: December 8, 2021
Number of Pages: 296
ISBN: 1645993051 (ISBN13‎ 978-1645993056)
Series:A Kristy Farrell Animal Lovers Mystery, #3
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:

I waited until a man and a woman emerged from the county medical examiner’s van. I followed them into the wildlife preserve, maintaining a discreet distance while wondering what happened. Did a jogger succumb to a heart attack? Did a child fall into a pond and drown? I inhaled deeply, hoping to steady my nerves.

I passed the clearing on the right where the administration building was located. I continued trailing the two members of the medical examiner’s staff until another clearing came into view—this one bordered by yellow crime scene tape.

I gasped.

Not far from where I stood, spread out in full view was a female body with blood covering much of the head. The body was face down, but I recognized the small build, sandy colored hair, and jade green shirt.

I tasted bile. I wanted to scream, but I slapped my hand in front of my mouth.

After regaining my composure, I surveyed my surroundings. Three people wearing jackets emblazoned in the back with the words Crime Scene Investigator were near the front of the clearing. One was bent over the body and the other two appeared to be examining the nearby ground. When the medical examiner’s team approached, the investigator next to the body rose up and started talking. I couldn’t make it all out, but I did hear him say “Blow to the head.”

“Oh, no,” I mumbled when I spied two homicide detectives I knew.

Detective Adrian Fox, a thirty something African American, stood on the side of the clearing, near a small pond. He was talking to a woman who yesterday had been arguing with the preserve’s director.

The director had called this woman Elena, so I assumed this was Elena Salazar, the education coordinator. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to the detective, but she was gesturing wildly with her arms.

The other detective, Steve Wolfe, had marched over to the body and was now barking orders to the medical examiner’s staff, who didn’t seem pleased. As Wolfe turned around, the woman in the medical examiner’s jacket shook her head.

I sighed. Wolfe and I had a history. He was a bully who had gone to school with my younger brother Tim, constantly picking on him. Granted Tim was the classic nerd who might as well have worn the sign “Kick Me” on his back. I had recently solved two of Wolfe’s murder cases, which only irritated him more.

Wolfe spied me and headed in my direction, his face turning the color of a beet. His gray pants hung below his pot belly, his glacier blue eyes as cold as ever, and he wore the same annoying grin as when he was a kid that made me want to slap his face.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I’m here about a dead squirrel,” he said. “I’m a homicide detective. What do you think happened?”

“I know the victim,” I said.

He narrowed his eyes. “How do you know her?”

“I’m doing a story on the wildlife refuge and—”

“How come whenever you do a story people die?”

Not really a nice way to put it.

“Who found the body?” I asked.

“Three hikers.”

“What caused—”

“This is none of your business. This is a crime scene.” He pointed a fat finger at me. “You need to leave.”

“I’m behind the yellow tape,” I argued.

I didn’t think his face could get any redder, but it did. “Stay out of my way.” He spun around and stomped off toward the side where Detective Fox appeared to be jotting something in a notepad. Elena Salazar was no longer there. I had no idea where she went.

I had lots of questions, but I wasn’t getting answers from Wolfe. The crime scene investigators were packing up. Maybe I’d have better luck with them.

“When was she killed” I asked the one investigator, who looked young enough to appear on an acne remedy commercial.

“We need to wait for the autopsy.”

“Do you have an approximate time of death?”

“Sorry. We can’t talk to the public.”

I sighed. I’d have to get the answers somewhere else.

I wondered why the victim had been at the clearing. I glanced at the pond, guessing this was where the rehabilitated turtle would be released. Did she come here early to check things out before the release? But what would she be checking?

My thoughts were interrupted as the medical examiner’s team passed by me carrying a stretcher with the covered body. I figured I might learn something if I listened to their conversation. Eavesdropping was one of my talents.

I scratched my theory about arriving early to check on conditions for the turtle release when one of the attendants said, “I can’t imagine why anyone would be in these woods at midnight.”

***

Excerpt from Playing Possum by Lois Schmitt. Copyright 2021 by Lois Schmitt. Reproduced with permission from Lois Schmitt. All rights reserved.

 Author Bio:

A mystery fan since she read her first Nancy Drew, Lois Schmitt combined a love of mysteries with a love of animals in her series featuring animal magazine reporter Kristy Farrell. Lois is member of several wildlife conservation and humane organizations, as well as Mystery Writers of America. She received 2nd runner-up for the Killer Nashville Claymore award for her second book in the series entitled Something Fishy, She previously served as media spokesperson for a local consumer affairs agency and currently teaches at a community college. Lois lives in Massapequa, Long Island with her family, which includes a 120 pound Bernese Mountain dog. This dog bears a striking resemblance to Archie, a dog of many breeds featured in her Kristy Farrell Mystery Series.

Catch Up With Lois Schmitt:
LoisSchmitt.com
Goodreads
Instagram: @loisschmittmysteries
Twitter: @schmittmystery
Facebook: @LoisSchmittAuthor

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Onyx Sanctuary by M.F. Adele & T.L. Adele Book Tour and Giveaway!

Onyx Sanctuary
M.F. Adele & T.L. Adele
(The Chronicles of a Toy Monster, #1)
Publication date: February 11th 2022
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Reverse Harem, Romance

What do a fake client, an attempted abduction, and a decade of secrets have in common?

Apparently everything.

I don’t remember the shadow realm, but the land recognizes me as someone it once knew.

The lost heir, worshipped and adored… She’s painted on the sides of buildings like some demonic vigilante waiting to accost you in the nearest alleyway.

What I don’t know is that she is me.

Badass bounty hunter.
Mostly fearless.
Pint-size terror.
Full-size train wreck.

I’m surrounded by an onyx cloak; from the demons I befriended in my sanctuary to the creatures I grew up with inside the castle walls. Now, even the strangers who desperately need me bring a cloud of darkness to aid in my fight.

The men in my life are spine-chilling monsters, but I might be the worst one of all.

Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Boom, boom, boom.

The drumming bass in my head ebbed and flowed with my consciousness. Voices echoed, their words warped and distant as visions of the past played in fast forward.

I couldn’t make it stop.

Until, finally… the images slowed, spiraling out of control one last time.

Burning intensity was all I had left. My life didn’t exist outside of the inferno, radiating agony and nightmares.

I was on fire. My veins filled with lava, scorching my skin each time my muscles spasmed. Itching drew my hands to my back. Nausea overtook me as I felt open sores, raw flesh, and sticky scabs.

Fuck. Would the anguish ever end?

Was this the death I deserved?

I awoke in a panic, expecting pain to ambush me again. I lay on the floor for a silent eternity, trying to even my breathing before I attempted to stand. My legs shook as I took the two steps between me and the wall. I stumbled and caught myself before slumping over.

Did those guys drug me?

The first assholes had. The second ones, though… That was to be determined.

But the answer was in front of me as soon as I surveyed the damage. I pulled my knees to my chest, staring in disbelief at the destruction I’d caused in the room. Bloody marks adorned the shredded padding that had previously covered the walls. My entire being was raw, still mending torn skin and self-inflicted wounds.

I closed my eyes, and the movie ran in my mind anew. Still going. Still harassing me. But since I had calmed down, I could see them for what they were. My childhood memories. The gaps between the start of my life and living with Juliet.

Why were they hidden?

And what had changed inside of me to release them?

Author Bio:

M.F. Adele resides in the outskirts of the Rocket City in Alabama. She lives in her overactive imagination, often fueled by caffeine and no sleep. When she isn’t writing, M.F. is outdoors with her family, obsessing over spicy margaritas and cigars, or reading books by her favorite authors.

If you’re looking for M.F. Adele, you can find her on social media in her group:

M.F. Adele's Hellacious Hybrids.

M.F. loves to interact with her readers, hear character theories, and share embarrassing stories.

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In Step byJay Hogan Book Blitz and Giveaway!

In Step
Jay Hogan
(Painted Bay, #3)
Publication date: February 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance

Karma. You reap what you sow, and KANE MARTIN isn’t looking for forgiveness. But the arrival of ABE TYLER in Painted Bay has Kane dreaming of the impossible. The sexy, silver fox choreographer is determined to pull Kane out from the shadows, but Abe’s career isn’t about to shift to Painted Bay, and Kane’s life is in neat little boxes for a reason.

A past he isn’t proud of.
A family he’s walked away from.
A job he doesn’t deserve.
A secret he’s ashamed of.

But life’s dance can make for unexpected partners, and learning to trust and keep up with the footwork is the name of the game.

Two steps forward, one step back.
It takes two to tango.

Trigger Warning: Contains references to past abuse and bullying.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

The pattering rain grew heavy on the iron roof and my thoughts ran to the beautiful guy I’d glimpsed in the window above the garage the night before. His name was Kane, apparently. He worked with Fox and Leroy and rented the bedsit, and I wondered why Judah had made no mention of him when he’d given me a rundown on virtually the entire town.

Even in the gloom and lit only by the reflected porch light, Kane’s stunning good looks and shoulder-length sun-bleached locks belonged on the cover of a surfing magazine, not manning a boat on a mussel farm. Just the memory had my cock thickening in my hand. Nope. I dropped it with a groan. Way too creepy since I was surely gonna have to talk to the guy at some point.

Get a life, Abraham.

The click of claws on wood made their way up the hall and a black nose pushed my door open. I scooted back and patted the bed. “Come on, gorgeous.”

Mack pushed through and jumped on the bed, quickly settling in a big lump behind my knees. Prue followed soon after, curling her small feline body into a ball between Mack’s front paws.

“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?” I scratched Mack behind the ears. “Why do I sense I’m being played here? Are you normally allowed on the bed?”

They both ignored me.

“Okay, you get a free pass this time, but I’m taking it under advisement. One word from your daddies and this is all over. Now move over, you’re hogging the blankets and there’s a dirty paw print on my damn sheet. I th—” I jumped at the loud knock on the front door right outside my bedroom.

At this hour? I got up on one elbow to peek through the window. Huh. Surfer boy himself. But with no answering footsteps from Leroy and Fox’s bedroom, I figured they were still . . . occupied.

“Guess I’m it.” I threw back the covers and bounced out of bed, shivering with the sudden wash of cold over my bed-warm skin. “Shit.” I glanced down at my black briefs, then briefly considered my still-unpacked bag before pulling the spare blanket around my waist instead and hotfooting it to the front door. The glacial blast when I hauled it open almost knocked me sideways and instantly pebbled my skin.

“Damn, that’s cold.” I fumbled the blanket up under my armpits but not before I noticed Kane’s eyes bug out of their sockets. “Sorry.” I motioned back down the hall. “It’s just me. Leroy and Fox are . . .” I snorted in amusement. “Well, they’re likely having a lot more fun than either of us and getting a damn sight warmer in the process. How can I help you? It’s Kane, right?”

Kane nodded, still staring at my naked chest, and for some ridiculous reason, my cheeks warmed. Oh, for fuck’s sake. I was far too old and comfortable in my own skin for that rubbish. I danced for a living and there wasn’t a square inch of my skin that hadn’t come under intense scrutiny at one time or another. Age might’ve frayed me around the edges a bit—I wasn’t as tight or streamlined as I used to be—but I didn’t suck for a forty-two-year-old who was pushing middle age and with a perilous fondness for pasta.

“Kane? Hello?” I sucked in a breath laced with a strong hit of ocean salt.

“Um.” He licked his lips and his gaze shot up as if suddenly aware he’d been staring, and I got a good look at his eyes for the first time. They were the clearest, deepest blue, like those tropical lagoons you drooled over in tourist brochures. Although that’s where the similarity ended as they jackrabbited nervously across my face, making me wonder what the hell I’d done to unnerve the guy.

“I, um, came to drop off the food,” he muttered, still not meeting my eyes. “For Mack.” He dropped the weighty bag of dog food on the deck at my feet, pulled up the waistband of his jeans, and turned to leave.

“Wait.” My hand shot out. “We haven’t met. I’m Abe Tyler. I’m staying with Leroy and Fox while I help Judah out with his class recital.”

Kane stared at my hand for a second like it might bite him, and his grasp when it came was cool, dry, and very short. “Hi. I’m Kane Martin.” He blushed prettily. “But then . . . you obviously know that.” Once again, those magnetic-blue eyes flitted away, and I realised Kane was older than the whole surfer vibe indicated—closer to thirty than twenty.

“Yeah, Leroy mentioned your name and that you worked with them. It was you at the window last night, right?” I inclined my head toward the bedsit, prolonging an unnecessary conversation that was turning me into a human popsicle. But the man in front of me was as gorgeous as I remembered, and a man’s balls worked strange magic on his brain that way. “We, ah, waved.” I bit back a smile and he blushed. He fucking blushed.

Kane tugged at his jeans, then glanced up at the bedsit and sighed. “Sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be nosy—” He hesitated and the flush deepened. “Yeah, total lie. It’s a small town, you know?” He dropped his gaze and scuffed the sole of his boot on the old plank deck worn smooth with age.

I chuckled. “I get it. I came from a small town too.” I willed him to look at me, wanting another moment with those cobalt eyes and the cut-glass cheekbones with a spray of freckles like someone had thrown chocolate hail and only a few had stuck—a darkly sweet and all-too-inviting constellation.

“Really?” He finally met my gaze. “I thought you hailed from Wellington?”

I shook my head. “We moved to Wellington when I was eight. But I was actually born in Reefton on the South Island. You don’t get much more small-town New Zealand than that. Couldn’t wait to leave, to be honest.”

His lips quirked up, soft and red and . . . fuck me, I wanted nothing more than to kiss them. They were the only soft thing about Kane. Like his cheekbones and the hollow beneath them, everything else seemed a little too sharp, a little too thin, a little too . . . hungry. Like the tips of his shoulders that poked through his sweater and the outline of his clavicle at its neck. The bulky knit hung loose on a narrow frame over a pair of jeans that seemed perilously close to falling from his hips, judging by the number of times he hauled them up. I felt the ridiculous urge to sit him down and feed some meat onto those bones.

Author Bio:

Heart, humour and keeping it real.

Jay is a 2020 Lambda Literary Award Finalist in Gay Romance and her book Off Balance was the 2021 New Zealand Romance Book of the Year.

She is a New Zealand author writing mm romance and romantic suspense, primarily set in New Zealand. She writes character driven romances with lots of humour, a good dose of reality and a splash of angst. She's travelled extensively, lived in many countries, and in a past life she was a critical care nurse, nurse educator and counsellor. Jay is owned by a huge Maine Coon cat and a gorgeous Cocker Spaniel

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Tea & Talismans: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Prickly Pear Psychic Mysteries) by Elle Wren Burke Book Tour and Giveaway!

Tea & Talismans: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Prickly Pear Psychic Mysteries) by Elle Wren Burke

About Tea & Talismans

Tea & Talismans: A Paranormal Cozy Mystery (Prickly Pear Psychic Mysteries) 

Paranormal Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series 

Setting - Arizona 

Independently published (November 29, 2021) 

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8768020941 

Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09L5D235F

Alara Beatty never thought her life would change so fast.

 

She’s only just begun to use her psychic abilities, and she’s already being met with a slew of truths and challenges. In a short span of time, she’s met her biological aunt, solved a murder, and discovered that she was given up for adoption due to a mysterious prophecy.

 

But that’s certainly not all that’s in store for Alara. Suddenly, her biological family members are flocking to her small town of Prickly Pear, Arizona to meet her…and evaluate her psychic strength.

 

As Alara begins to get used to her new situation, her cousin Todd receives a mysterious death threat…one that she knows to take seriously. Together, she and Todd must investigate the threats and try to determine who they’re coming from—before it’s far too late.

 

Not only must Alara learn to use her psychic abilities, she also needs to determine who she can trust. Her newfound family? And what about Rudi Rivera, her charming, handsome police officer friend who has no idea that Alara is psychic?

  About Elle Wren Burke

Elle Wren Burke is a paranormal cozy mystery author who writes witty, fun books with strong females as protagonists.

Elle has Master’s degrees in Geography and Business. She lives in Arizona with her husband and fur baby. She enjoys puzzles, baking, and board games.

Author Links 

  Website https://elleburkeauthor.com/ 

  Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ellewrenburke.author/ 

  Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ellewrenburke 

  Twitter https://twitter.com/ElleBurke8 

  Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/ellewrenburkeauthor/ 

  GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21671336.Elle_Wren_Burke 

  Purchase Link - Amazon 

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Ghost Agents by Nita DeBorde Book Tour and Giveaway! @DebordeNita

Ghost Agents by Nita DeBorde

About Ghost Agents

Ghost Agents Paranormal Cozy Mystery 1st in Series 

Independently published (July 26, 2021) 

Paperback ‏ : ‎ 309 pages 

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8544028789 

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B098PM3LDT

An organization that has operated in secret for centuries... a mystery that threatens to burn it all to the ground… and she’s the only agent who can stop it…

 

To the residents and tourists of Galveston Island, Claire Abelard is the friendly young woman who works at the local candy store by day and leads ghost tours of the island’s haunted locations by night. They don’t realize this persona is a cover for Claire’s real job as an agent of the Bureau for Historical Preservation, a clandestine organization that monitors and assists energy projections, or the entities more commonly known as “ghosts.”

 

When projections begin disappearing from around the island, Claire worries that history may be repeating itself. She launches a dangerous investigation and uncovers a sinister, arcane organization whose agenda threatens not only Galveston’s ghosts, but everything she has worked her whole life to protect.

 

The truth behind the disappearances rocks Claire’s world to its core and shows her that ghosts aren’t the only things that can come back to haunt you.

 

Ghost Agents is a genre-defying, cozy paranormal mystery, with a little sci-fi, romance, and Texas history thrown into the mix!

 

About Nita DeBorde

Nita DeBorde is a published author and teacher from Houston, TX. Writing and teaching are her two major passions, though traveling and being dog-mom to a crazy Staffordshire-Boxer mix named Mabel are high on the list as well.

Nita has taught high school French for more than 20 years and absolutely loves her "day job" job (about 95% of the time). She loves to travel, and not surprisingly, France is her favorite destination, though her home state of Texas runs a close second.

She is also a huge history buff, which comes through in her fiction writing, and particularly in her latest novel, Ghost Agents, a genre-defying, cozy paranormal mystery with a little sci-fi and romance thrown into the mix. Ghost Agents: Revelations, the 2^nd book in the Ghost Agents Trilogy, is slated for release in March 2022.

Nita’s first novel, Project Lachesis, is currently available in both Kindle and hardcopy format from Amazon.com.

Author Links: 

  Website - http://www.nitadeborde.com 

  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/debordewriter (@debordewriter) 

  Twitter - @DebordeNita 

  GoodReads Author Page - https://www.goodreads.com/ndeborde 

  Purchase Link - Amazon 

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February 6 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT

February 7 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 8 – Christy's Cozy Corners – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT

February 10 – StoreyBook Reviews – GUEST POST

February 10 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – GUEST POST

February 11 – ebook addicts – REVIEW

February 12 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT

February 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT

February 14 – Baroness' Book Trove – REVIEW

February 15 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW

February 16 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT 

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Love & Other Forbidden Things: What you don’t know, can’t hurt… by Lyndsey Gallagher Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Love & Other Forbidden Things: What you don’t know, can’t hurt…
Lyndsey Gallagher
(The Professional Players Series, #4)
Publication date: February 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Amy Harrington is struggling to readjust to life at home in Ireland after the cosmopolitan buzz of London. Sick of being the only singleton on the shelf, she longs to find the right man, but the second any potential candidate realises who her famous rugby playing brother is, they spend more time worshipping him than her.

Irish rugby player Ollie Quinn is newly single and ready to mingle. When he meets a brunette in the players’ lounge, he promises to show her Ireland can be every bit as exciting as London, before realising she’s Eddie Harrington’s little sister. Despite the explosive chemistry between them, it’s one promise he can’t keep – everyone knows messing with your friend’s sister is forbidden.

When Amy lands her dream job, physiotherapist to the rugby team, the two are forced to face the growing chemistry between them. Injuries on the pitch seem minimal compared to what Eddie might do if he discovers their dalliances.

Is it simply the temptation of tasting forbidden fruit?
Or will forbidden turn into forever?

Perfect romantic reading for fans of Lyssa Kay Adams, Tessa Bailey and Sally Thorne.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

‘I’ll show you everything I know.’ His wink is weighted with promise. I slap his arm in a flirtatious feminine fashion that I had no idea I was capable of.
‘If only.’ I don’t even try to deny my attraction to him.

‘You want it, you know you do.’ It’s become our mantra.

‘I never denied it. But what I want, and what I can have are two entirely different things. As you very well know.’ I arch my eyebrows at him and take the kettlebell he offers.

‘I could give you another workout. One which I guarantee will have all of your muscles trembling.’ He stands a foot behind me, both of us watching ourselves in the immaculately polished glass. Strong hands grip my waist, angling my bottom backwards, just inches in front of his groin. I freeze as he traces the length of my spine. His hands settle gently on both my shoulders, before encouraging my body to drop downwards.

‘Squat,’ he whispers seductively in my ear.

The way his darkening eyes focus intently on my figure, exuding a hunger that no food could satisfy, sends my thighs bending and my ass dropping into the slowest, lowest squat of my life. The Lycra covering my backside slides against the soft cotton covering his front. Rising upwards again, I inch further back to brush against him a little harder. His eyes finally leave my body, locking into mine in the mirror – the heat from our stare could melt Antarctica in seconds.

When I reach a fully standing position again, his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. His deep raspy breath tickles my ear as he whispers, ‘Again.’

Author Bio:

Lyndsey Gallagher is the kindle bestselling author of six contemporary romance novels, with many more on the way! An unashamed romantic, forever in search of the next happy ever after, her debut novel The Seven Year Itch was inspired by the weekend she met her husband. Lyndsey lives in the West of Ireland overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. She enjoys long walks, deep talks and the occasional G & T!

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Wishcraft by Ali Lucia Sky Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Wishcraft
Ali Lucia Sky
(The Powers That Be, #2)
Publication date: February 8th 2022
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

With Michaela in the debt of Shayteen, Whisper is finally free of the Hell World he suffered in for hundreds of demon years. But there seems to be a price for Whisper’s all-new freedom and it has made Whisper’s life just as, or even more complicated. Whisper is serving his true nature and dealing with Michaela’s service to Shayteen, all while trying to hang on to a stubborn soulmate, who won’t forgive him for the most ridiculously perceived transgressions in this life, and one or two from some previous ones. Stuck in the middle of everything, is a broken hearted Gabriel, whose odd obsessions with cooking shows, has turned him into Suzy Homemaker.

~ It’s best to know, you leave those you care about before they leave you. I’m Theadora Langdon … and EVERYTHING sucks.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

“Michaela. You are going to make it through this,” Whisper promised. He would know since he had been in Shayteen’s realm for hundreds of years. Time was different there. One month is equal to a year in the Hell World. I have no one else right now, which makes Whisper the unlucky recipient of my awkward hug. I bury my face into his chest and inhale. “You smell like him,” I say, and wrap my scrawny arms around his middle. He’s warm, something I never feel anymore. I’m perpetually cold.

He’s a moment of comfort and my lungs fill with something sweet, sexy, and excruciatingly mine.

Gabe.

Whisper’s arms tighten around my shoulders and one of his huge hands presses my face further into the material I want to dissolve myself into.

“I wish I could hear his voice.” My whisper ends in a terrible gasp as pain erupts inside my chest where my heart is supposed to reside.

Whisper tenses and then relaxes again. “I wish I could give you what you want, but you don’t trigger my magick anymore than I trigger it with my own wishes.”

I push away from him. I can’t feel up and sniff my only friend all day. It’s Sunday–my first day in an empty house. I have a goal for today. I’ve got a paper to write for Social Science about human trafficking. I didn’t pick the topic and the irony doesn’t escape me. It is due tomorrow, fourth period. I failed to hand in my first two drafts, so this paper better be BBC News quality to make up the two letter grades I have already been dinged with.

“I have homework to do.” I say to Whisper. “I’m not kicking you out, but I am telling you that you have to go.” I say, shooting finger pistols toward the front door.

“I was hoping that I could crash here for a few hours actually. I haven’t had much sleep lately,” Whisper calls over his shoulder and makes his way to the stairs. “I will be as quiet as a church mouse.”

“Don’t you have a bed in that fucking ritzy apartment you whipped up in that imaginary life you have in Hillsboro?” I follow after him.

“My imaginary life is brought to me by your stupidity. He-Who-Musn’t-Be-Thought-Of doesn’t sleep much. I can’t sleep because he makes a shit ton of noise all night, and keeps the volume on the TV up to forty so he can hear it in the kitchen from the living room. Then, I come here to babysit your nightmares. I read a blog post about how kids respond when parents split up. I think I’m suffering from those same struggles. However, none of the articles suggest what to do when two soulmates split up and prove to be major pains in the backside.” His heavy footfalls carry to the guest room, which has become his de facto bedroom. His last sentence disappears behind the closing door.

“Darius Albrecht! If you are staying, the fee is that fucking shirt. I want it. Don’t you dare sleep in it and get your cooties on it.” I bellow.

The door opens and I follow the foot falls as they thud through the ceiling above me toward my bedroom and then back to his. The door slams this time.

“Darius!” I yell again. “Don’t you sleep with those boots on the bed. Mom hates that!”

A loud crash comes from upstairs as a boot hits the wall. His muffled voice filters down through the ceiling. “Don’t use that name, Michaela! Shayteen will punish us both!”

“Fuck him,” I mumble. “He’s the one who told it to me.”

Wishcraft Playlist

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/08LmLjAvOebAJlmF10hOsQ?si=5ec9ecf3049f4c3e

1. Teenagers - My Chemical Romance

2. Sleepwalking - Bring Me The Horizon

3. Build a Bitch - Bella Poarch

4. Jolene - Dolly Parton

5. Hot Girl Bummer - blackbear

6. Cross Me (feat. Chance the Rapper & PnB Rock) - Ed Sheeran

7. Habits (Stay High) - Tove Lo

8. I Mean It - G-Eazy

9. Boss Bitch - Doja Cat

10. Cuts You Up - Seven Nations*

11. Pause - Pitbull

12. Pony - Ginuwine

13. No More Friends - Olivia O’Brien

14. LOST (feat. Hopsin) - NF

15. ANGELS & DEMONS - jxdn

16. Demons - Tech N9ne

17. Truth Hurts - Lizzo

18. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckle

*Appears as the original version by Peter Murphy on Spotify playlist. 

Author Bio:

Ali Lucia Sky is the author of The Powers That Be series. She lives in Southern California with her husband and a house full of kitty cats and a yard full of crows.

She loves laughing, drinking good coffee, the smell of pizza, and supporting animal rescues.

When she isn’t writing or dreaming of new stories, she can be found planning her next vacation because traveling is LIFE.

If you encounter her in the wild, don’t be offended if she should run away. She’s timid with strangers, but can be plied with shiny things and pictures of your cat or dog.

She’s a weirdo like that.

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Hidden Agendas D. Marshall Craig, MD Book Tour and Review! @dmarshallcraigbooks #hiddenagendas #thriller #drkylechandler #bookstagram #booktwt

 

When busy trauma surgeon Dr. Kyle Chandler goes to a medical symposium in London, he agrees to two innocent meetings for his friend Ian Griffin, who runs a private investigation firm. During his time in England, Dr. Chandler stumbles on a mysterious system of illegal smuggling to the United States. How could the smuggling of products in bulk wine carriers have anything to do with the shipping of French antiques? As Kyle continues his investigation, he soon realizes he faces a powerful, complex network involving organized crime while escalating threats to him reveal the truth – and the truth nearly costs him his life.

My Thoughts

Hidden Agenda's, a second in the Dr. Kyle Chandler thriller series, is about a trauma surgeon, Kyle Chandler in Kansas City circa 1990's, with knowledge about French Antiques. He moved to Kansas City, not his original hometown, but it became his adopted hometown after he finished is surgical training in Boston, in 1988. His days were spent patching up members of the Nighttime Knife & Gun Club and the Drunk Driver's Bumper Car Club, humor here. 

He is on his way to a medical symposium in London, when he is contacted by a friend of his, Ian Griffin, who runs a private investigation company in London. What Ian wants Dr. Chandler to do is look into a new case and about bulk wine shipments from Europe to the US.  While there he finds out about a new system of smuggling. What he struggles with is how wine shipments have anything to do with French antiques. 

Evidently a new way to ship wine has been discovered and it makes it a lot easier to ship the wine, and other things. The further he digs, the more immersed he becomes in the investigation. Organized crime, there you have it, dangerous characters try to stop him from obtaining his goal of getting information for his friend.

He has an off and on-again girlfriend, Caroline Martinelli, a successful art dealer, who he wants to move to the next step with her. His investigation kind of puts this relationship on the back burner.

Hidden Agendas has the right amount of suspense, good guys and bad guys, it was enough to keep me interested. The series starts with Cut to the Chase, the first book. I do so enjoy a good mystery, and a medical one to boot. This book was a short but fast read. I do so want to read the first in the series and any more the author plans to publish! If you like a good mystery from an author who knows what he is writing about, this is it for you!

I received a copy of the book for review purposes only. 4 stars!

About the Author

Across a 30-year career in medicine, I accumulated plenty of wild stories and met more than my share of interesting characters. I always thought they might one day make for a good book. Then in 1995, when large insurance companies started muscling their way into the healthcare industry, providing a natural antagonist, I decided to put pen to paper. Or in this case, fingers to a little bitty vintage Dell laptop.

After a year of early-morning writing sessions, and two unsuccessful years of mailing manuscripts to dozens of publishing houses, the book sat on the digital back-burner for almost two decades. Inspiration struck again in the summer of 2019, and I set about revising and re-promoting the work. Through determination, persistence, and the help of my partners at White Bird Publications, I'm proud to be able to present to you Hidden Agendas, a Dr. Kyle Chandler Thriller.

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Please use the hashtag #hiddenagendas #thriller  #drkylechandler

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For Instagram: 

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Literary Publicity Team: @prbythebook

 

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How To Rope A Savage Cowboy by Anya Summers Cover Reveal!

How To Rope A Savage Cowboy
Anya Summers
(Silver Springs Ranch, #6)
Publication date: March 1st 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Lincoln is floundering. He did something undeniably stupid. On an evening out with his best buddies in Vegas, he hooked up with a smoking hot female for a torrid, all night escapade. It was one of the most carnal experiences of his life, and one he wouldn’t be averse to repeating.

Under most circumstances, a one-night stand wouldn’t be an issue. Except, the woman is his boss and his best friend’s sister. If his buddy discovers their tryst, Lincoln is a dead man. Utter disaster. And yet, there was something about that night that makes him want to risk life and limb to hold her, experience her scorchingly addictive surrender again.

As if that isn’t bad enough, after they return home, her ex-boyfriend appears in a bid to win her back, unleashing the territorial beast inside Lincoln. She belongs to him, not some city slicker in a suit.

He plans to prove to her that she belongs in his bed. That he’s the only one who should be gifted with her seductive surrender.

Now he’s navigating wooing his boss and falling for her. Can he convince Amber to take a chance on him for more than one night?

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Author Bio:

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

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Cruel Savior by E.M. Gayle Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Cruel Savior
E.M. Gayle
Publication date: February 8th, 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author E.M. Gayle, comes a dark and sexy enemies-to-lovers second-chance MC romance.

I’m no damsel in distress and he’s not my white knight, but that’s not going to keep him from charging after a killer determined to get his revenge.

I’ve made so many mistakes. Some worth it, most not. Getting involved with him again would be the biggest one of them all.

I knew when I saw him for the first time after a decade that going home was the worst idea possible. But that one moment brought it all back. The heartache. The pain. The longing…

Now my identity has been burned and I have nowhere else to go. I may not be worthy of a second chance, but neither is he. He’s also too dangerous to ignore.

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—

EXCERPT:

“Stop right there. I don’t want to shoot you, but I will if I feel threatened.”

He smirked. “You won’t shoot me.”

“Don’t presume to know what I will or won’t do. I will. It’s what I’ve been trained to do.”

“Is that what you are now, Mandy? A killer?”

I sucked in a sharp breath. His familiar use of my former nickname made my stomach jolt. He was the last one who’d called me that, and it had been over a decade since I heard it.

“This isn’t right. Just go. You don’t want to be here anymore than I want you here. That makes for an easy solution.” I don’t know why I expected him to do anything I asked. I raised my voice. “Go!”

A wicked smile crossed his face, and I knew damn well there wasn’t a shred of humor in it. “The days where I take your wants and desires under consideration are long gone—Kelly.”

An ugly feeling rose inside me as he practically spat my undercover alias in my face. But it was the contempt he delivered with a smile that sealed the deal. “This is your last warning. Leave, or I will make you leave in an ambulance.”

“That’s what I thought,” he said, dropping his arms. “You shouldn’t play with guns if you aren’t going to take them seriously.”

I looked down the sight of the gun and squeezed the trigger, my body absorbing the blowback, so I could keep the gun level and in place for another shot if necessary.

Axel grabbed his ear. “Jesus fucking Christ. You crazy bitch.” He pulled his hand back with a spot of blood where the bullet had scratched him. “You almost fucking killed me.”

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.” My heart beat slow and steady as he freaked out. He had no idea that there wasn’t anyone currently in the CIA who was a better shot. How could he? I’d been recruited for covert operations. Hell, technically, I didn’t need this gun to kill him. There were dozens of ways to get the job done without an official weapon.

“What if I’d fucking moved? A few inches, and that bullet would have landed in my skull. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

That was a good question. However, I did relent and lower my weapon. I’d proven my point. I would shoot him if I had to. That’s simply who I was now and he’d better get used to it.

Author Bio:

E.M. Gayle is a Top 10 New York Times bestselling author devoted to writing romances for readers who love hot and dirty alpha males. She is best known as the creator of the popular Purgatory Masters and Purgatory Club series, but her latest Outlaw Justice series is hotter than ever!

She lives in a small town across the water from Seattle where you are likely to find her writing books, hunting treasure or watching super hero movies at her favorite nearby theater. She and her real life hero husband (he spends his days in a Blackhawk with a National Guard Medivac unit) love to take pictures, many of which you can see on her Instagram page AuthorEMGayle.

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