Blog tour with giveaway and Christie's review: Thick Love by Eden Butler

Title: Thick Love (Thin Love, #2)

Author: Eden Butler

Genre: NA | Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 31, 2015

Hosted by As the Pages Turn

Synopsis

He doesn’t ask their names.

He doesn’t deserve to know them.

Ransom Riley Hale’s friends think his life is charmed: first string as a freshman on a championship-winning college football team. A father with two Super Bowl rings. A mother with platinum albums and multiple Grammies under her belt. But that brilliant shine on the surface hides the darkness beneath; it’s all Ransom has ever known.

Despite the shadows he walked in, once there was a blinding light fracturing the darkness. It brought the promise of hope and happiness. He’d been careless, filled with pride and stupidity and lost that light. Ripped it from the world.

Now, the shadows are dimming again. Aly King surges into his life threatening to pull him from the darkness. She is everything Ransom can never be again. Her light feels too warm, promises him that there is more waiting for him beyond the shadows.

But the shadows are relentless, resurfacing when he thinks he is safe, and Ransom knows he must keep Aly from them too before he pulls her down into the darkness with him.

Purchase Thick Love → Amazon | Amazon UK | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

Thick Love – Excerpt

“Dance with me,” I said. He only stared up at me blankly.

“I don’t feel like practicing.”

“I’m not asking you to practice. I’m asking you to dance.”

Ransom’s body stiffened when I picked up his hand, but he didn’t fight me. “Just be here with me. Me and you and the music.”

We came together in the center of my living room with that slow, soothing music wrapping around us. There was no Kizomba, no prequel to a seduction we both wanted to avoid. There was just Ransom bending low, arms around me, hand taking mine to hold against his chest. After a few seconds, the tension lessened, and his body did not feel as rigid. It felt peaceful, and safe, and simple—just two people, holding each other, swaying to the music.

His mouth hovered near my forehead and as we moved together with no form or practiced steps, Ransom’s grip on my waist got tighter. “I wish I could breathe again. I want that so bad.” The words were whispered, low.

I closed my eyes, reminding myself that I couldn’t touch him.

“Ransom. You can.”

He looked down at me and right then I saw just how lost he was. This realization didn’t come from flippant comments he made to me or desperate excuses I overheard him make. It was all there right in his eyes—the loneliness, the pain, as though each mistake he’d made was etched into the rise of his cheekbones and the worried, faint lines on his forehead. He was still drifting; he had been drifting for so damn long.

The pain in his eyes drew me in. There was nothing I could say that would make his hurt lessen. There was nothing that would take him from the lingering sorrow he’d created for himself. So I didn’t speak, didn’t give him advice I knew he’d never take. I just watched Ransom’s eyes, and felt the slow way he moved. And then with my hand on the back of his neck, I pulled his face towards me, I took his lips, kissing him, pouring into that kiss everything I’d held back from him since we first met.

This is who I am. This is what I want. That voice came from someplace hidden and secret inside me.

It was minutes, minutes of nothing but my mouth on his, nothing but two people finding solace in each other, before

I realized I’d messed up.

He didn’t seem to want me to pull away, but didn’t stop me when I did. Shaking my head, I smoothed the collar on his shirt, unable to look at him. “I’m…modi, Ransom, I’m sorry.”

Ransom pulled my chin up and smoothed his thumb over my cheek, down the slope of my chin before he returned his attention to my eyes. “I don’t think I am.”

It was a moment I thought I’d always wanted. Him looking at me like I was real, like he saw me, finally saw me. I’d seen that look once before, just as Ransom whispered my name and kissed me over and over the first time. It wasn’t the look of someone hopeless. It was open and raw and I realized right then that I’d give anything for Ransom to never stop looking at me.

But this was against our rules. This wasn’t how we were supposed to be. I took his hand, thought of pulling it away from my face but didn’t have the strength, liked how it felt on my face too much. “Friends don’t kiss, Ransom.”

A small nod, and his eyes narrowed. His grip around me tightened. The music around us swelled. “No, they don’t,” he said, still touching my face, inching closer and I knew, right then, he was definitely not my friend.

Books in the Thin Love Series

About Eden Butler

Eden Butler is an editor and writer of New Adult Romance and SciFi and Fantasy novels and the nine-times great-granddaughter of an honest-to-God English pirate. This could explain her affinity for rule breaking and rum. Her debut novel, a New Adult, Contemporary (no cliffie) Romance, “Chasing Serenity” launched in October 2013 and quickly became an Amazon bestseller.

When she’s not writing or wondering about her possibly Jack Sparrowesque ancestor, Eden edits, reads and spends way too much time watching rugby, Doctor Who and New Orleans Saints football.

She is currently imprisoned under teenage rule alongside her husband in southeast Louisiana.

Please send help.

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr | Blog | Goodreads

Tour Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you ever read a book that you feel like you've not just been through a battle with but an epic war? You've been through blood, sweat, and tears and came out the other side not sure if you're the victor? Well, that's pretty much me at this point. I went through just about every emotion imaginable and not all of them were good. My first reaction after finishing was to contemplate fictional murder of an oh so frustrating character. But wait a minute...frustrating isn't even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to one particular male in this book. That word is completely feeble and unworthy.

Having read Keira and Kona's story in Thin Love, I was familiar with Eden Butler's propensity for giving her readers a massive ball of angst wrapped up in a pretty package of beautifully flowing words. I was expecting difficult. Her stories are never a walk in the park, but I fell in love with her eloquent and profound writing. The way she can build these enduring characters that are imperfect yet somehow so beautiful in their human frailties. She doesn't sugar coat anything, and perhaps that's what makes her books seem so real and striking.

Love told me that Ransom was still lost, still drifting but sometimes he let me pull him closer toward the shore. Love reminded me that things were possible.
Love was louder than logic.

Thick Love is the story of Ransom Hale, Keira and Kona's son from Thin Love. It's told in alternating POV between Ransom and the heroine Ally. If you've read Thin Love, you know that Ransom as a teen had serious anger issues. And it was foreshadowed that the loss of control over his emotions would cause him just as many problems as his parents. And it most certainly did in disastrous, soul shattering, irreversible ways. Ransom's thoughtless actions have brought him to a place where only crushing guilt and suffering exist. He can never turn back the hands of time and undo his actions, so he punishes himself by withholding pleasure from his life. He lives in darkness.



He has no idea that Ally has been silently observing his pain for years and harboring feelings that had no hope of being returned. Ally was a fantastic heroine. She's the type of woman who's resilient and strong, yet nurturing and patient all at the same time. And her dancing was so thrilling. So passionate and so much a part of who she was. Eden wrote such amazingly sensual dancing scenes between Ransom and Ally, they were some of my favorite moments in the book.

She moved like no one could touch her, like just her swaying hips and the strong, confident gait told the world she knew who she was and no one could mess with that.

They were incredible, drawing the sexual tension to a point just short of breaking and starting all over again, leaving me breathless in anticipation.



Ally was Ransom's rock and she stood tall against his need to distance himself. She was supportive and accepting of his struggle and it made for some very poignant scenes between them. As much as Ransom's stubbornness frustrated me, I can't say I never sympathized with him and hoped for him to find acceptance within himself. His martyrdom was a seemingly bottomless pit however and I wondered if he would ever allow himself a little piece of happiness.



"I'm not the bad boy who needs saving, Ally."
"Non, cheri," she said, scooting closer as though I hadn't hurt her twenty minutes before, as though she'd already forgotten how badly I'd fucked up.
"You're a good man who needs to forgive himself."

That voice in his head that haunts him was quieted with the comfort of Ally's force of will. Would he learn to step out of the darkness and into the light?



Just a random thought. Is it just me or did this not make a lot of sense?
(view spoiler)[ In the beginning of the book, Ally gives Ransom a lap dance while wearing a blonde wig and a mask. She's mysterious and completely unrecognizable even though he knows her from the dance studio where she works. After she walks out, she gets hassled by Ransom's drunk friend who tries to grope her. Note: she's still in her wig and mask. Ransom had no clue who she was and he sees her regularly. Flash to later in the book. Ransom gets into a fight with that same friend who makes a derogatory comment about Ally. After seeing her one time in the locker room, he somehow realizes that she is the girl in the mask. The girl he saw briefly while completely shitfaced drunk. WTF even...? (hide spoiler)]

After my initial frustration, I finally came to a place of acceptance with this book. Yes, I wanted to smash things and my tolerance levels of Ransom sunk to an exasperating low. But once again, Eden Butler concocted an unforgettable story. It's a story that I wouldn't necessarily classify as romance....yet. This piece of the story was the structure of their relationship, only the beginning. And I'm hoping after that epilogue that the conclusion to Ally and Ransom's story will have less struggle and more joy. I know what she's capable of so I'm reserving judgement until then.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:



</["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]></["br"]>

View all my reviews

Read More

Cover Reveal: WICKED RESTLESS by Ginger Scott

Check out this gorgeous cover and excerpt for WICKED RESTLESS by Ginger Scott! Don't forget to add it to your TBR!

WICKED RESTLESS

Very Mature YA Contemporary Romance

Scheduled to release: October 20, 2015

BLURB:

Andrew Harper grew up in a house marked by tragedy. His older brother Owen did his best to shelter him, but you can only be protected from life’s pain for so long. Eventually, you end up just feeling numb…and isolated.

Loneliness was the one constant in Andrew’s life. Until one girl, met by chance in a high school hallway, changed everything. Emma Burke was a mystery and all that was beautiful in this world, the only air Andrew ever wanted to breathe. She took the lonely away, and filled it with hope and color, and Andrew would do anything to keep her safe, happy and whole.

But sometimes, what feels good and right is what ends up hurting us the most. And when Andrew and Emma are faced with an impossible decision, Andrew is tested to see just how far he’s willing to go for the girl who owns his heart.

Cuts are deep.

Scars are left behind.

And revenge beckons.

When Andrew finally gets his chance, in college, five years after his first love broke him completely, he finds out old feelings don’t really disappear just because you say you hate someone. The more he tries to avenge all that he believes he lost, the more he uncovers the real story of what happened years before.

Love is wicked. But a restless heart is never satisfied beating on its own. Can Andrew and Emma make it right before it's too late, or will the ties that bind them now destroy their only chance at a future?

EXCERPT:

“Alright, Harper. Who’s the target tonight?” Trent leans over me, startling me out of my trance, grabbing my next beer and taking it for his own.

“Hey, dickhead,” I say. He holds up a hand and orders another one, sliding it to me. “I’m pretty sure it’s your turn this time.”

His face falls and his complexion turns green. Trent and I have this game we play with one another. It started as a drunken dare a few months ago, when he goaded me into taking a girl home from Majerle’s Pub. I’m not suave; I don’t have great pick-up lines. I usually wait for girls to hit on me. I wait for easy. When Trent dared me, I came up with my own set-up—I stole a girl’s wallet. I returned it to her later, pretending I’d found it. She was so grateful she spent the rest of the night sitting on my lap, her arms looped around my neck, her lips sucking on my skin, her hands soon finding their way in my pants.

That first girl taught me to never bring any of them to our apartment. I go to theirs now. It’s easier to leave then it is to kick someone out.

“Fine, I’ll go. But next time, I get to pick your girl,” I say, tipping my beer back to drink what’s left before leaving the bottle on the bar behind me and pointing at my friend.

“Dude, whatever. You know it’s your turn anyway,” he says.

“My choice next time,” I remind him as I walk backward. I know it’s his turn, and I also know he doesn’t really like taking the dare. Trent’s too nice, and he usually ends up dating the girl for weeks after. He doesn’t like to be an asshole. Or maybe he just doesn’t like people to say bad things about him. Maybe there’s no difference between the two.

I couldn’t give a shit what people say about me. Let ’em talk.

I make one pass through the crowded bar, letting my eyes roam over the dance floor and the tables that line the back wall on the way to the bathrooms. It’s a Friday night, so there are lots of girls here. It’s the middle of the semester, too, so they’re all ready to party—no finals to worry about. There’s one group that seems like an easy target, a blonde on the end who keeps trying to talk the others into dancing. I hover around the restrooms waiting for my shot, and when she finally drags the group of girls with her out to the dance floor, I walk back through the crowd, passing their table.

So easy.

Their wallets and purses are all piled in the center of the table except for a red bag looped over the back of a chair, the ID sticking out of the top. I drag my hand along the bottom of the table, and as I pass the red handbag I grab the small plastic card poking from it, tucking it into the sleeve around my palm. I glance up to make eye contact with Trent, and raise the corner of my mouth in a smirk.

“Dude, you are so slick at this. Seriously, if you flunk out of the engineering program you should just turn to a life of crime.”

I slide into my stool and look away from him. I know he was just saying words, but the joke doesn’t sit well with me. I have a chip on my shoulder. It’s my fucking chip, and I earned it. He also doesn’t know how many nights I walk that line with Harley, fixing bets that are illegal in the first place. Trent just thinks I like the workout boxing gives me.

“Well…let’s see it? Who’s the lucky lady?”

I pull my sleeve loose from around my wrist and let the card slide out, flipping it over while I drink what’s left of my beer, and that’s when karma slaps me like a bitch.

She’s older. Of course she’s older. She’s twenty-one, too. But she looks…older. She also looks the same. Nobody looks good in an ID photo. Emma Burke looks like a dream. Her brown hair is just as I remember it, long waves around her bright pink cheeks, lips that stretch into this sensuous smile. I don’t know if it’s sensuous to anyone else, but to me, it sure as fuck is.

It’s also cruel. I swear to god she’s mocking me in her picture, her eyes shining through and looking at me, calling me stupid, telling me what a chump I am for thinking I was some sort of hero or something.

She’s slapping me in the face for being good and decent to her.

Don’t worry, Emma. I won’t ever be good and decent to you again.

Pre-release Teaser blitz beginning Sept 22 

Review tour: Oct 19-24

Release Day Blast: Oct 20

Promo Event: Oct 25-Nov 7

SIGN UP!

About the Author:

Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling author of eight young and new adult

romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How

We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, Wild

Reckless and The Girl I Was Before.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she

often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot

quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has

been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than

15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors,

scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work,

visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a

baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce

Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona

Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college

sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com /GingerScottAuthor

Twitter: @TheGingerScott

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/the gingerscott/

YouTube: https://www.youtube. com/user/GingerScottAuthor

Google: https://plus.googl e.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Gi ngerScott

Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

Read More

Release Blitz: ONE Anthology

AMAZON

Blind Date by Emma Hart ~ Blind Dates are the work of the devil… especially when your date could be the devil. My name is Bee Donnelly, and I’m a serial one-nighter. Carter Hughes is tonight’s Kryptonite.

 Like Emma Hart on Facebook

One Night with Harrison by Heidi McLaughlin ~ Alicia Tucker has had her eyes set on Harrison James from the beginning and all she wants is one night to prove she’s the one for him.

 Like Heidi McLaughlin on Facebook

A Vegas Love by Jillian Dodd ~ Boy (so freaking hot) meets girl. On that drunken night, they hook-up (twice), then decide to party in Vegas, and end up getting married. Consummate said marriage (quite a few times) then girl sneaks out in the morning.

Like Jillian Dodd on Facebook

Lucky by JM Darhower ~ One night. That's all Maddalena Bazzoli has left before family duty kicks in. Tomorrow, she'll be a committed woman, so tonight? Tonight she's getting lucky and throwing caution to the wind.

Like JM Darhower on Facebook

One Taste by LP Dover ~ All Luke wanted was one night with the girl he wanted, but didn’t deserve. When he finally gets her, one taste might not be enough. Unfortunately, it’s all he’s going to get.

Like LP Dover on Facebook

Before the Wreckage by Melissa Collins ~ It’s been eighteen years since David Andrews has seen Grace McCann. One night she’s in his dream and the next she’s in his reality.

Like Melissa Collins on Facebook

Hold It Against Me by Alivia Anders ~ Alyssa Grace is determined to settle an age-old score, one that Mason Weston will never forget. They say the easier way to get something out of your system is to indulge in the fantasy.

Like Aliva Anders on Facebook 

Prelude by Anna Cruise ~ After a fight with his on-again, off-again girlfriend, the last thing Nash needs is a mysterious stranger knocking on his door in the middle of the night. Because as beautiful as she is, their encounter will only be a prelude to much uglier things headed his way.

Like Anna Cruise on Facebook

Thou Shall Not Fall in Love by AO Peart ~ What happens when a frustrated-with-her-love-life professional matchmaker meets a committed-to-celibacy divorce attorney? An explosive and delicious mixture of wild sex and brazen humor neatly wrapped in a friends-with-benefits agreement.

Like AO Peart on Facebook 

Quintessence by Cameo Renae ~ One night. One stolen moment. One complete stranger. One bite. That’s all it took to change Kate’s life forever.

Like Cameo Renae on Facebook 

A Frigid Encounter by Jennifer Foor ~ A winter storm brings a woman and man together during dire circumstances.

Like Jennifer Foor on Facebook 

One Night Wife by Kelly Walker ~ Cole wants one night with a pretty face before he deploys with his unit in two days, but the last thing he expects is for his childhood crush to open the door. With only one night to spend together, can they make up for a lifetime of missed opportunities?

Like Kelly Walker on Facebook 

Only Once by Julia Crane ~ With only months to live, Meghan Clarke throws caution to the wind when she meets an arrogant stranger who makes her feel more alive than she has in years.

Like Julia Crane on Facebook 

A Night Worth Dying For by Lizzy Ford ~ In a city at the mercy of a serial killer, Alicia Donovan takes a chance on a handsome stranger - and will never be the same again. Erotic thriller.

Like Lizzy Ford on Facebook 

Finding Skye by Morgan Black ~ Skye Kellan just wants a body to snuggle up against during the lonely nights that remind her of a dark past. One night with a potential client, is exactly the release she needs. No nightmares when you don’t sleep, right?

Like Morgan Black on Facebook

Shattering all the Rules by Savannah Rylan ~ A rare night off. A girls night out. When Simon meets Carolina, neither can deny themselves any longer, and both decided it’s time to shatter all the rules.

Like Savannah Rylan on Facebook 

Press Your Luck by SE Anderson ~ Marko Veltriv is used to getting what he wants, but there’s always been one thing he knows even he can’t have. Coogan MacNeal is a stranger with a dangerous temptation--one night, indulging in his risky fantasy. How can Marko possibly resist?

Like SE Anderson on Facebook 

Surprised by You by Steph Nuss ~ Tessa Wilder is in for a night of surprises when Justin Jameson offers her a ride home.

Like Steph Nuss on Facebook 

Title: Lucky

Series: Prequel to Twenty to Life

Author: J.M. Darhower

Release date: 1st September, 2015

If you are already a fan of J.M. Darhower, there is no sense in explaining how she dominates when it comes to Mafia Romance. From my early experiences with the Monster in His Eyes series to the most recent, I can honestly say that I’ve always found her writing enjoyable and her stories intriguing.

"In another life, maybe this could’ve meant something."

Lucky is the short but impactful prequel to her upcoming standalone Twenty to Life which centres on eighteen year old, Maddalena Bazzoli. Although she is the only child & heir of notorious mob boss Camillo Bazzoli she is far from a pampered princess. In fact she is being called upon and forced to take on her family duty. With that, comes a merger; a marriage rather. Hers. And so her last night of freedom, brings her final act of rebellion.

This is an arrangement; it's that simple. You'll do your part, and that's that. It means nothing."

Once again J.M. Darhower creates such a wonderful concoction of power, lust and family duty. Not only does she succeed in whetting my appetite with this juicy morsel, but she also has me stopping just short of salivating for more by its end.

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

View all my reviews

Read More

Paperback Release Blitz & Giveaway: POWER AND POSSESSION by C.C. Gibbs

POWER AND POSSESSION by C.C. Gibbs (September 1, 2015; Forever Trade Paperback; Reckless #1)

The ultimate pleasure lies in sweet surrender . . .

Brash. Brilliant. Devastatingly handsome. Billionaire playboy Rafe Contini can have any woman he wants-no strings, no commitments, no promises. But when American graduate student Nicole Parrish crashes his private party in Monte Carlo, he wants more than a casual one-night stand. He wants to possess this beautiful stranger-body, mind, and soul.

Nicole isn't interested in being possessed by any man-especially one as powerful as Rafe. But with a seductive smile and enigmatic charm, he lures her into his private world of erotic discovery and pushes her to the brink of ecstasy. In the summer days-and nights-that follow, they explore every forbidden fantasy, every willful desire, every wild, dizzying sensation. And come dangerously close to crossing the line-between love and lust, pleasure and pain, power and possession…

Buy Links:

Amazon B&N iBooks GooglePlay Kobo BAM

I've been looking forward to meeting Rafe ever since the glimpse we had in the Epilogue of Knight Takes Queen. Considering the situation he and Nicole had found themselves in, I was interested to see how C.C. Gibbs could transform a character that seemed villainous into anything other than that.

Rafe and Nicole's introduction is definitely an interesting one, she stumbles across him during one of his infamous parties aboard his mega yacht. The hospitable host he is, he invites her to stay for a drink; not shy in coming forwards Nicole accepts. The attraction is instant, the lust palpable and as you do; they embark on an agreed two week affair.

The build up to their first encounter was great, I enjoyed the teasing relationship they had. In many respects they are both out of their comfort zones but when push comes to shove, they aren't willing to walk away. The best way for me to describe them would be fiery. It doesn't take much to ignite a heated conversation, embrace or tryst.

There isn't anything typical about these two. Rafe is synonymous with power, wealth, success and instant gratification. He has all things readily available to him and the means to acquire them. Nicole is accustomed to wealth, her uncle is none other than Dominic Knight. She is neither enamoured or intimated by Rafe's power, something that takes him some getting used to.

He’d spent a good many years chasing new sensations and no one had ever provoked this sort of reaction in him. No one but this beautiful, smiling woman.

My only complaint would be I found Nicole too defensive and unnecessarily argumentative. Cause for her behaviour is hinted to and it seems she may have a history of biting off more than she can chew.

"Nicole likes to take chances. Sometimes they backfire—nothing big ever, but well… occasionally things have gotten dicey.”

To be honest, that's the girl I'm looking forward to getting to know, although it's a position she wouldn't like to find herself in; I'd like to see her more vulnerable. With outside influences causing disruption to their lust-filled bubble, it might be a situation she finds herself in sooner rather than later.

Rafe and Nicole’s tempestuous affair continues in the second book in the Reckless series, Seduction and Surrender, on sale December 1, 2015! Pre-order your digital copy today:

Amazon B&N iBooks GooglePlay Kobo BAM

“Where are you staying?”

“At my uncle’s apartment.”

“Come to my place.” He folded his hands on the table, leaned forward a little, his gaze focused, her appeal powerful as a riptide, ignoring the fact that what he was about to say was messing with his head. “I’ll kick out everyone else.”

“Everyone else? Meaning?” She didn’t lack confidence, and he was notorious for his casual sexual encounters.

For some reason he didn’t mind her impertinence. “Only male friends. I never allow women to stay with me.” He smiled. “Until now. So how about it?”

“Sure, I’d like that.” And suddenly the summer takes an interesting turn. So far the boys of summer had been only mildly interesting. “But not for long.” She wrinkled her nose. “I have to go back to school in a couple of weeks.”

Rafe suddenly went still; her little nose twitch reminded him of a child. “Just for the record,” he murmured, “how old are you?” People graduated college at any age; he had at nineteen.

“Worried?” Nicole flashed him a grin. “How much does it matter?”

He scowled. “It matters.”

“Or?”

“Or you’re gone.”

“Now neither of us wants that,” she said, amusement in the blue of her eyes. “Do we?”

He didn’t move a muscle, even his breathing quieted. “Don’t,” he said, very softly. “No games.”

Nicole’s voice was lush with provocation. “Really? I’ve heard you like games.”

“You heard wrong.” He held her gaze for a moment, then sighed. “Tell me your age or get the fuck out.” Hand of fate or not, he didn’t do stupid.

“Twenty-two.” Her brows rose in perfect arcs.

“So, are we seeing blue skies and rainbows once again?” Honeyed sarcasm dripped from each word. “Or do I find someone else at this party to entertain me?”

Rafe’s smile slowly unfurled and his eyes took on a predatory glow. “You could try, I suppose. But you wouldn’t get out the door.”

“Oh dear, oh my, I do declare,” she lamented in playful parody. “Am I your captive?”

“You are.” Smoothly rising from his chair, he strode toward the door. “Now I’m going to lock the door, then fuck you till morning.”

“And then what?”

Whoa. The unmistakable note of demand in her voice brought him to a stop. He turned. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

She met his insolent gaze and smiled. “I said—and then what?… As in afterward.”

Audacious or foolhardy? Fascinating certainly. He winked. “Afterward, you can tell me your name. How’s that?”

She winked back. “I’ll think about it.”

He went very still. “Is this a contest?”

“I hope not,” she murmured, gazing at him from under her long, dark lashes. “I hope I get what I want.”

“Which is?”

“Do you need a list?”

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Unsure whether it was anger or lust igniting his senses, his voice took on a raspy edge and his golden gaze turned cold.

“I can’t answer that definitively, but right now it looks like your dick knows what it’s doing,” she noted, with a languid lift of her hand.

He looked at her for a moment. A woman had never taunted him before and he wanted to pick her up and shove his dick so far up her pussy he’d need a road map to get out.

“Don’t,” she said, very, very softly. “This could be really good… mind-blowing in fact. You have to know that.”

“Fuck you,” he whispered, shifting his stance enough to ease the pressure on his erection.

“Anytime… Just not that way, okay?”

He dragged in a ragged breath. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

She held his gaze, unflinching. “Nor you me.”

A smile slowly overcame his discontent as he held her contentious stare. “Why don’t we see?” he said very gently. “You might like it after all.” Then he reached back, turned the key in the lock, slid it into his pocket, and moved toward her.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

C.C. Gibbs is the pen name of New York Times bestselling author Susan Johnson. She divides her time between the Midwest and Northern California, and considers the life of a writer the best of all possible worlds. Bringing characters to life allows her imagination full rein and researching books is great fun!

Social Media Links:

Website Facebook CC Gibbs Fans Twitter Goodreads

FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON: 

Read More

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Swelter by Nina G. Jones

Title: Swelter

Author: Nina G. Jones

Genre: Erotic Romance

Release Date: October 1, 2015

Synopsis

I married the right brother.

At least that's what I tell myself at night, when I stare at the ceiling and listen to the rhythm of the grandfather clock down the hall. It never feels like the mere passage of time, but a countdown towards something inevitable. Bobby Lightly is selfish, irresponsible, and careless. I haven't seen him since the day I married his brother. He slipped out during the wedding reception without a word. A year later, I heard Bobby was drafted to Korea. He never said goodbye to anyone. Never sent a letter. We had all come to terms with the fact that he was probably dead somewhere, either a victim of the war or its aftermath. That is, until in the midst of an unrelenting heatwave, he showed up at the doorstep of the house I lived in with his brother. Everyone thinks I'm cruel. Everyone thinks I should be easy on him. They think I don't understand him. They all think I hate him. But what no one understands is that it was Bobby who broke my heart. And I think he’s back to do it again.

Excerpt

“What do you want me to do?” I yelled frustratedly. “Pack my bags and go to India? Life’s not that easy. We’re not all you. We don’t all just walk away from our responsibilities.” I immediately regretted those last words, recalling the scar on his shoulder. There were some responsibilities Bobby faced when others would have run. “It’s not about what I want you to do, Lil. What do you want?” What I wanted was no longer relevant. It was too late for what I wanted. “You keep taking that shit and one day you are going to wake up and realize you slept your whole life away. There may be people who need that, but you are not one of them. Let yourself feel it all. The good. The bad. The fucking great. Don’t imprison yourself.” I knew he was right, but I had grown comfortable in the numbness. Yet there was something luxurious about the pain I felt upon Bobby’s return. It was rich and textured. I could feel it in my bones and my chest and on my skin. I could taste it. I could feel again. And feeling the pain also gave me room to feel alive. “If you keep doing this, how are you any different than Rory? We want to get him better, right? Well the changes start with us. I’m back and trust me, that wasn’t easy for me. And now you’ve gotta bring yourself back.” I swallowed sharply, preparing myself to say goodbye to my dear friend. A friend who had always been there. More than my sister, or mother, or Barbie could be. It understood my fears, my insecurities, the things I had sacrificed. It knew my secrets. I never had to explain myself to it. It never judged. “Fine,” I surrendered. But I clutched the bottle tighter in my hands than ever before. Bobby’s body language relaxed as he glanced over to me and opened his palm. “Gimme.” “What? Now you want ‘em?” “Don’t be an ass, Lil.” I sneered at Bobby, slamming the bottle in his palm. The pills tried to seduce me one last time as I heard them dance in their container.  

About The Author

Nina G. Jones is the author of the bestselling novel DEBT, the Strapped Series and the erotic romance, Gorgeous Rotten Scoundrel. Her next novel, Swelter, releases on October 1st, 2015. Nina LOVES connecting with readers. You can connect with her via Facebook, Twitter, or through this site. Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads  

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read More