26 February 2023

Then Came You by Dylan Allen Book Blitz! #DylanAllen #ThenCameYou @peddlerofpassion #XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ @XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

Then Came You
Dylan Allen

Publication date: February 23rd 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Most people dream of falling in love.
But all I know of love is that it turns smart people into fools.
So, I don’t dream, I work.
And put distance between myself and the stain my father’s betrayal left on my family.

When I land a high powered job in London,
It feels like I finally have everything I want.

Then comes Simon, the gorgeous architect with a filthy mouth
who sets my body and my mind on fire.
I surrender to the pull of attraction and the promise of pleasure in his heated gaze.
But those smoldering dark eyes of his are also full of secrets.

Playing with that kind of fire is a fool’s game. And I am no fool.

So, when our night together ends on less than happy terms, I’m sure it’s for the best.

When a work project brings us back together,
I’m determined to keep Simon where he belongs – in my rearview.

Fate, however, has a different plan.

Simon breaks down my walls one sexy, wicked smile at a time.
And I discover that behind his brooding, secretive facade, lies a heart of pure gold.
Soon, all I do is dream…of his touch, his kisses,
and of a love good enough and strong enough to last forever.

But I’ve got secrets of my own.
And when they rear their heads,
nothing will be the same again.

Goodreads / Amazon

I look at Simon, ready to make a quip about how they look like two kids sneaking off together. My words die in my throat at the unabashed desire in his eyes.

He doesn’t say a word. There’s no need when that look says everything.

He puts his hand out and I take it. As soon as our palms touch, I know I made the right decision. If this benign touch sends my senses into a tailspin, what’s he going to do to the rest of me?

He links our fingers and brings my hand to his mouth. I shiver at the press of his warm lips and the heated promise in his eyes. I let him lead me out of the restaurant, across the street to catch the tube. But just when I dig out my fare card, he sticks his hand out to hail a black cab.

We get in, and despite the roomy back seats, we sit next to each other, thigh to thigh, both facing forward but if the way the air in the cab cracks with chemistry and attraction is anything to go by, he’s as aware of me as I am of him.

“Where to?” The cabbie’s barked question breaks our spell momentarily and we turn to look at each other. “Is my place okay?” I ask absently, my eyes glued to his mouth.

He nods as if unable to speak. I rattle off my address to the cabbie, and he pulls away from the curb.

“Addie,” Simon’s husky voice is tinged with urgency. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

When I turn to him, his eyes are on my mouth. I lick my lower lip and he bites his.

“So are you,” I confess in a whisper and the rush of anticipation makes my whole body tingle.

“Princess, you’re killing me.” He lets out a soft groan and his head moves toward mine, and my eyes flutter closed.

Time slows making me aware of every single fraction of every single second that passes before his lips finally touch me.

They softly press to the corner of my mouth and every thought flees my mind. The touch is as light as a whisper, and yet I feel it all the way to the tips of my toes. He moves his lips across mine—brushing back and forth—and with every single touch, I am unraveling. And for once, the idea of coming apart doesn’t scare me.

Dylan Allen is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling author.

She’s a Texas girl, with a serious case of wanderlust, Dylan’s travels influence her writing and she loves being able to take her readers on adventures from the comfort and safety of their favorite reading nook.

A self-proclaimed happily ever junkie, Dylan creates stories where her characters unapologetically chase their own happy endings.

When she isn’t writing or reading, eating or cooking, she and her family are planning their next adventure.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

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Celebrating Women in Horror Month (Part 2) By Kelli A. Wilkins!

Hi everyone,

Valentine’s Day is officially over, and if you’ve had your fill of love and romance for a while, why not curl up with a horror story? As you may know, February is “Women in Horror” month. To celebrate, I’m blogging about my “disturbing” novella, Nightmare in the North, and sharing a bit about my short mysteries, Silent Sentinel and More Than I Bargained For.

Nightmare in the North is a cautionary tale about traveling alone in the winter and trusting strangers. Here’s the summary:

NIGHTMARE IN THE NORTH

Stranded during a violent blizzard, Mark hikes to the only house nearby. George, a well-mannered University professor, welcomes Mark and gives him shelter from the storm.

By morning, Mark suspects that everything isn’t what it seems. George’s adult daughter, Kate, who also lives in the house, shares a disturbing and unsettling tale. When questioned, George insists that Kate has a psychological issue and can’t be trusted to tell the truth.

Mark quickly finds himself caught in a game of cat and mouse. Who should he believe? Is Kate’s desperate plea for help sincere? Should he be suspicious of George? Or are both of them plotting something together?

Isolated from everyone, Mark is forced to wait out the storm—and find a way to escape—if he hopes to make it out alive.

***

So… how did this novella come about? Believe it or not, I wrote a version of this story for my eighth grade English class. The assignment was to write a short story – and boy, did I! The original version was much shorter and less detailed, but the basic premise was there. I’m not sure what my English teacher thought when she read it, but I got an A.

I grew up in upstate New York where winters can be brutal and last a long time. It can be an isolated place, and sometimes you could be snowed in for days. I decided to use that as the backdrop to the story, throw in some strange characters, and add a little mystery. After I submitted the story for my English class, I pretty much forgot about it.

Then, in January of 2018 I drove to Vermont in a snowstorm. I was in the car for 12 hours, and naturally, my mind started to wander… I wanted to write a new horror story, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to write. As I was driving, I thought back to the original story and decided to rewrite it – to tell the story the way it needed to be told.

I changed the opening, moved the setting to Vermont, and filled in all the details and backstory that set the tone. The ending of the new version is slightly different from the original, but it’s not off by much. I added an epilogue (of sorts) to the end, and spent about twenty minutes getting the last line just right. After reading Nightmare in the North, my husband said it was well written and it drew you in, but it was “twisted” and “disturbing” – I consider that high praise!

Nightmare in the North is a lot of things, but it’s not gory. My horror stories tend to be more psychological/spooky than bloody. I love writing horror, and after writing romances for so many years, I find it refreshing to embrace my darker side and write something creepy. (In fact, I’m returning to writing horror/speculative fiction. I just finished writing a thriller about a serial killer. I have a few more horror stories in the works.)

Order Nightmare in the North here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9QD45X

All other platforms: https://www.books2read.com/u/m2vqOk

If you’re looking for two quick reads that are more mystery than horror (but still have paranormal elements) check out Silent Sentinel. This 4,100 word mini-thriller blends a crime story with the unusual.

Silent Sentinel - A Mini-Thriller

One afternoon, Valerie visits a flea market and meets a peculiar man who tries to sell her an ancient statue of Anubis—the Egyptian god of the dead. Despite her protests, the man insists that she must have the statue. Valerie gives in and brings her new “guardian” home.

Later that night, Valerie awakens to discover an intruder has broken into her house. She’s forced to fight for her life and relies on Anubis to save her.

When the police investigate, they make a shocking discovery about her attacker and his motive. Only then does Valerie realize how lucky she was— the statue was the last thing she wanted, but exactly what she needed.

Order it here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JB57751

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/mgExB0

More Than I Bargained For is a mini-mystery that blends offbeat humor with the paranormal.

More Than I Bargained For - A Paranormal Mini-Mystery

Katie doesn’t like going to estate sales. Why? Because she sees dead people.

When Katie reluctantly attends an estate sale with her friend Diane, she gets more than she bargained for. The deceased former owner of the house, Grace, realizes that Katie can communicate with her, and she has a lot to say.

As Katie pretends to shop, Grace tells her the story of how she was murdered—and reveals that her killer is still in the house.

It’s up to Katie to uncover the murder weapon and get it to the police… before time runs out.

Order it here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09CG4J8B2

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/me9jzl

Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/more-than-i-bargained-for

If you love to be scared (or at least slightly creeped out) be sure to visit the horror section of my site https://www.kelliwilkins.com/horror and visit my Amazon page www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins for a full title list, links, and more!

Happy Reading!

Kelli A. Wilkins

Kelli A. Wilkins is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20+ romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 5 horror ebooks. Her romances span many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror stories.

Her latest novel, In Another World, was published in early 2022. This contemporary mystery/romance is set in the world of the paranormal.

She released two horror shorts, More Than I Bargained For and Silent Sentinel in 2021.

Like to write? Check out Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get you writing about your feelings and emotions.

Follow Kelli on her Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and visit her website/blog www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and social media links.

Secrets of Ishtabay by Mark David Campbell New Release Blitz! @ninestarpress @indigomarketingdesign #LGBTQIA+

Title: Secrets of Ishtabay

Author: Mark David Campbell

Publisher: NineStar Press

Release Date: 02/21/2023

Heat Level: 3 - Some Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Length: 84700

Genre: Historical, historical, anthropologist, gay. murder, Mayan, Belize, secrets

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In the western jungle of Belize, in 1962, Father Carl, an American missionary priest was found lying dead on the floor of his study. People from the nearby Maya village of San José were blamed but, strangely, no one was ever officially charged or found guilty. This is only one secret within a carefully guarded web of desire, envy, and guilt which torment and isolate people in this village.

Thirty years later, with the introduction of water and electricity, satellite TV, and the completion of the Western Paved Road, the village is connected to the outside world: people collide and their secrets unravel, sometimes tragically.

Secrets of Ishtabay takes you into a world of mysticism and antiquity and introduces you to a people who are suspended between an eroding past of ancient lost cities, half-forgotten myths, and subsistence farming, and a hostile present with encroaching global economics, illicit drugs, artifact smuggling, and civil wars.

Secrets of Ishtabay

Well before the rooster crowed, Rosalinda had stoked the fire, slapped out a stack of tortilla cakes, and roasted them on the flat iron comal cooking plate.

Now, as the sun crept into the morning sky, she stepped through her little wooden gate on her way down to the river. The warming rays had taken away the lingering chill and turned the night dew into steam which hung in the vegetation along the path. She adjusted the large blue plastic laundry tub balanced on her head.

The thick air felt so different from the cool thin air of her highland home in Spanish Honduras, but that was more than thirty years ago. She and her husband, José, had escaped here to Belize when it was called British Honduras and still a colony of Britain. They had no other choice. The coffee growers in Spanish Honduras had claimed there were Cubanos in the villages and had sent in the army to keep the Indians quiet. Bullets were fired, blood was spilled, and her village disappeared. She’d not heard from or seen her family since and didn’t know if they were dead or alive. Rosalinda delicately clasped the small wooden cross dangling from her neck and kissed it. All she had with her when she left was the gold crucifix her mother had given her, and she no longer had that. Now even her daughter, Alicia, was gone. At least she still had her son, Geraldo and grandson, young Solario.

By the time she arrived at the river the other village women were already gathered at their washing rocks gossiping loudly above the sound of the flowing water. No one looked up to greet Rosalinda as she set her tub down, hiked up her plain white cotton skirt, tucked the hem into her waistband and stepped into the cool green water. The shade from the trees on the far bank still blanketed the river as she washed out a pile of dirty socks, underwear, and T-shirts. After scrubbing and beating them clean on her rock, she rinsed out the soap, wrung out the water and loaded them into the washing tub. Then she picked up the tub, stood up straight and balanced it on her head. Now that it was filled with wet laundry, it was a lot heavier. Her feet and shoulders hurt as she walked up the hill toward home.

While she hung out the wet laundry along the hibiscus hedge bordering her yard, boys and girls wearing blue uniforms paraded past her gate on their way to school. Geraldo, her son, had already left for his milpa plantation up in the hills and José, her husband, was sitting slumped over on the three-legged stool, dozing in the shade of their wattle and daub thatched house. She said nothing to him as she went inside to hurry young Solario along for school and to set the afternoon beans on the coals to simmer.

By the time she stepped out of her gate again the sun had climbed well over the trees. As Rosalinda approached the front of the church, she saw Señora Uk coming out wearing a black shawl over her head and clutching a plastic rosary in her hand. Señora Uk came to church every morning to pray for her husband, whose body had been found in the river four years ago. As always, she looked at Rosalinda and turned away.

Rosalinda dropped her head and skirted past her through the doorway into the shadowy interior. The air inside the church was clammy and smelled of must and copal incense. She placed an embroidered handkerchief on her head, dipped her finger into the water in the small cement fount and genuflected. Then she walked up the aisle wooden benches and sat down on the third from the front, as she did every morning. When the light coming in through the blue and red colored glass window moved across the room and touched her, she would know it was time to leave.

The wooden statue of San José, the patron Saint of the village, stood frozen to the left of the altar, his brown hands stretching out to receive her, but, as always, Rosalinda refused him. She turned toward the small plastic gold-framed picture of Maria di Guadalupe, which hung on the wall beneath the plain wooden cross. It was the Virgin she had come to see. Rosalinda fell to her knees, held her crucifix to her lips and bowed her head.

“Hail Mother Mary, full of grace, for I have sinned,” she whispered, then closed her eyes, not daring to whisper more. Sounds emanating out of silence became voices, shadows floating across her closed eyelids became forms and she was carried to that morning thirty years ago when she was only a girl, herself.

NineStar Press | Books2Read

Mark David Campbell is a Canadian Italian who has lived in Italy for the past twenty years where he teaches, writes, and paints, moving between lago Maggiore and Milan with his husband. Prior to this, he spent more than fifteen years working in archaeology and anthropology in Belize and has a PhD in anthropology from the University of Toronto. He enjoys pizza, beer, swimming, and salsa. Find Mark on Facebook.

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25 February 2023

Expiry Dating by @isobelreedbooks Book Blitz! #ExpiryDating #isobelreed #XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣ @XpressoTours⁣⁣⁣

Expiry Dating
Isobel Reed

(Bluestone Series, #2)
Publication date: February 21st 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Sparks start more than a fire… They start an explosion.

Alice is not happy. Her ex screwed her over, literally. One day her mother is dreaming of a white wedding, the next, Alice is hurling hardbacks at a naked boyfriend caught in bed with her best friend. So she did the only logical thing she could think of. She got the hell out of there. In fact, she left the country.

It’s not long before she discovers the perks of small-town living, and she even finds herself a job. There is just one thing stopping this all from being perfect though. One infuriating person she just can’t seem to shake. Brady Mitchell. It figures that the hottest man she’s ever seen also just so happens to be the most annoying one on the planet.

Brady is back home and trying to come to terms with life outside the military. Adjusting to a new job and new limitations from his injury, he expected to settle into a slower pace of life, maybe even a quiet one. That was until Alice Hart came bulldozing into his world. The woman was anything but quiet. Loud, angry and sexy as hell, yes. But definitely not quiet.

Alice and Brady ignite inside and outside the bedroom. But will they survive the burn?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

Alice stared down at her phone in horror.

“No, no, no. This cannot be happening. Goddamn lying, cheating, son of a b***h.”

Her phone was never going to survive this. A loud thud echoed around the room after it went flying through the air and crashed against the dark wood walls of her cabin. Truthfully, as soon as she clicked on the picture, her cell phone never had a chance.

It had been three months since she’d caught her ex-boyfriend in bed with her best friend, two months since she had quit her job, and one month since she’d begged her sister, Lily, to let her come stay with her on her ranch in Bluestone County. Alice had enough self-awareness to admit she was running away from her problems, but being in London right now wasn’t an option. And after just seeing her ex-best friend’s latest social media post, it was a good thing Alice was in another country, otherwise there was a strong possibility she would’ve been locked up for grievous bodily harm by now.

“Oh my God, Ali, what the hell did you do to your phone? The screen is all cracked!” Lily gasped.

Alice hadn’t even heard Lily come in. She was checking on her again; she’d been doing that a lot.

“Um … yeah, it fell. Don’t worry, I’m sure I can get it fixed in town.”

Lily’s jade eyes narrowed. “Oh, really? And where exactly did it fall from, Ali? The sky? ’Cos from where I’m standing, it looks like it either magically fell from the ceiling, or you threw it across the room in a fit of rage?”

This is the problem with being so close to your sister. She knows me too damn well.

Letting out a sigh, Alice slumped further down into the leather armchair that had been cocooning her for the past hour.

“F**king Becky.” She grumbled. “Apparently, she’s pregnant. I’ll give you three guesses as to who the father is.”

And there it was, pity, all over her big sister’s face.

“Oh, Ali. I’m so sorry. How did you find out?”

“My friend forwarded me a post Becky made.”

Lily closed the distance between them and took a hold of Alice’s hand, quickly pulling her up from the chair. “Come on. Let’s go up to the main house. We can drink some wine, eat a f**kload of chocolate, and plot revenge.”

Alice reluctantly followed. Wine and chocolate were probably the only things that could possibly salvage today.

They were just a two-minute walk from the main house where Lily and her husband, Jake, lived. Jake’s sister, Sam, used to live there too but had recently moved in with her boyfriend, Duke.

Lily had initially wanted Alice to stay in the house with them, but she wanted the newlyweds to have some privacy. After all, it had only been two weeks since they’d gotten hitched in Vegas. Not to mention, Alice needed her own space. Luckily, the ranch had guest cabins, so she was able to take up residence in one of them until she figured out her next move.

As they walked into the house and made their way into the spotless stainless-steel kitchen, a familiar voice pricked up the hair on the back of her neck.

No. Please don’t be here right now. Please, not today of all days.

Damnit. There he was—Brady—all six foot two of him. The new bane of her existence. He was wearing a fitted, tan, cop uniform so sexy it should be illegal. If she didn’t already know he was the devil, she could easily be fooled by his dark, brooding good looks. Even his damn caramel-coloured eyes were mesmerizing.

Mesmerizing eyes? Get a frigging grip, Alice. He’s the devil, remember?

It had been two weeks since they’d met in Vegas at Lily and Jake’s impromptu wedding, and despite trying to avoid Brady like the plague since then, he just kept showing up. Yes, Bluestone was small, and Alice was staying at his best friend’s ranch, but it was actually getting ridiculous. He was everywhere. Whenever she ventured out, whether it was to get coffee or go shopping, he was there, waiting in the shadows, ready to make her life miserable.

“Looking good, sweetness.” Brady smirked as he purposely knocked her on the way over to the fridge, where he swiftly removed a beer bottle.

Alice shot him a glare over her shoulder. “Wish I could say the same to you, Brady, but it appears as if the rumours really are true and beer does go straight to a man’s gut.”

She was lying, of course. There was no beer belly in sight. The man was a wall of solid muscle, but something about him drove her absolutely insane. It apparently also meant she couldn’t control her mouth whenever he was in the vicinity. He’d somehow managed to crawl under her skin in a matter of minutes of them meeting, and insults had been hurled between them ever since.

Brady’s silky laughter bellowed behind her. “You offering to help me work it off, sweetness?”

Isobel was born and raised in London. She still lives along the River Thames with her husband and her substantial book collection. Ever the hopeless romantic, she fell in love with the genre from a young age and was inspired to write her own stories. When she's not feasting on romantic comedies or binge reading her hoard of contemporary romance novels, Isobel is writing.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon

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Celebrating Women in Horror Month (Part 1) By Kelli A. Wilkins!

Hi everyone,

People usually associate February with Valentine’s Day and romance… but did you know February is “Women in Horror” month? To celebrate, I’m blogging about my two ghost stories, Dead ‘Til Dawn and Kropsy’s Curse.

First, let’s spend a night in the land of the dead with Dead ‘Til Dawn…

Dead ‘Til Dawn

Disturbing the dead doesn’t prove you’re brave – it proves you’re stupid.

After touring Gettysburg battlefield, Jessica, Tim, and Steve decide to sneak out to the Devil’s Den for some late-night fun. Jessica’s friend Kathy objects, and warns them about trespassing where they’re not wanted.

Undaunted by ghost stories and fueled by his own arrogance, Tim races toward the Devil’s Den. When the group drives through mysterious battlefield fog, they find themselves surrounded by Civil War soldiers looking for a little fun of their own.

Kathy leaves the others to fend for themselves and flees to Little Round Top. Although she’s rescued by a kindhearted Union solider named Charlie, she refuses to believe what she’s experiencing is real. As the nighttime battle rages on, Charlie introduces Kathy to other weary soldiers, and she quickly realizes she’s trapped in the land of the dead until dawn.

Order Dead ‘Til Dawn here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Til-Dawn-Civil-Horror-ebook/dp/B015LHI08A

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/4X9aLb

So how did this story come about? Well, if you know me, you know I love writing psychological/creepy/spooky horror stories. And I also love traveling to historic places—especially if they’re haunted.

This novella was inspired by actual events that happened to me in Gettysburg, PA. I had a very unusual experience with battlefield fog and I wanted to use it in a story. Last year, I wrote a true story account of the incident, and it appeared in the Out of Time anthology. (You can order Out of Time here: https://www.timberghostpress.com/out-of-time1.html I also blogged about the anthology here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/post/just-in-time-for-halloween-26-true-stories-of-the-paranormal

Although I don’t consider myself a “paranormal investigator” I love exploring haunted places and taking ghost tours. Historic houses and “anything old and creepy” appeal to my imagination. Is it any surprise that I love Halloween?

And because Halloween is my favorite holiday, I wrote this Halloween-themed horror story…

Kropsy’s Curse

Late one Halloween night, two young boys venture into a secluded graveyard in the hopes of conjuring up a spirit. Although Kyle is skeptical and would rather be home eating candy and watching horror movies, he reluctantly goes along with Jerry’s plan. He doesn’t believe Ouija boards work—until this one starts spelling out a message…

Kropsy’s Curse is only $.99! Get spooked here:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kropsys-Curse-Kelli-Wilkins-ebook/dp/B014IAH848

All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/47kMYj

This piece of flash fiction came to me when I was mulling over horror ideas. I actually came up with the (strange) ending first, then built the rest of the story around it. I can’t give away any more without spoiling the story, so you’ll have to read it for yourself.

In addition to these two horror ebooks (and my “disturbing” horror novella Nightmare in the North), I’ve also published two mini-mystery/thrillers, and my short fiction has appeared in several horror anthologies. Visit my Amazon page www.amazon.com/author/kelliwilkins for a full title list, links, and more!