Thursday, June 28, 2018

Release Blitz: Dance with Me by Ann Grech

Title: Dance With Me
Author: Ann Grech
Genre: M/M Romance
Release Date: June 24, 2018
Can an unlikely pair be the perfect match?

When twenty-four year old Eddie Taylor joins cruise liner, the MV Dreamcatcher as a dancer, he thought traveling and performing would be the highlight of his life. He never imagined the Dreamcatcher would lead him to hook his fantasy man.

Silver fox, Captain Will Preston, doesn’t date crew members. It doesn’t set a good example for the captain to be bed swapping, but instant attraction has him rethinking his rule for the spunky dancer. Sparks fly and chemistry sizzles in paradise. But Will wants more. Is Eddie his dream catch?

Movement in the shadows had me pausing. I didn’t think anyone would come down here so long after the show finished. My shift had just ended—I’d been dancing in the performance then the nightclub and I needed to wind down. This was my time, my chance to dance the way I loved best rather than the moves we pulled in the shows. The choreography was hot as hell, but pole dancing was my passion.

I paused the music and called out, “Who’s there?” I cursed myself for letting the tinge of anxiety I felt show. My heart thudded in my chest while I waited for the answer.
“I…I am,” the person answered. It was a man, his Australian accent a deep rumble, and I inwardly moaned. Damn. That accent. An Australian accent got me every time, and the hesitancy in his voice, like he didn’t know if he was in the right place even though he worked on board, was kind of cute.
I was hot and sweaty and I desperately needed the water I had stashed in my bag in the change rooms, but he’d piqued my curiosity. I stepped forward, trying to coax shy boy out. “You wanna step into the light so I can see you, rather than standing in the dark like a creeper?” I was teasing him, but his voice drew me to him and I stepped forward.
The man who came into the light was not at all what I was expecting—he was so much…more. Wearing a smirk and clothes that looked like they’d been tailored to fit him despite being deceptively casual, he was the picture of style. Broad shouldered with thick biceps and forearms, rounded pecs and a flat stomach that tapered down to slim hips, he was an Adonis. Mussed up blond hair and rich chocolate brown eyes, with a chiseled jaw and a perfect nose completing the package. He was beautiful enough to model for any fitness magazine, and lust spiked through me. Fuck me, he is gorgeous. He was tall, so tall I had to look up into his eyes that were piercing yet warm at the same time. I was in trouble. Big, big trouble. I hated to say I had a type because our differences were what made us all amazing, but let’s be real, I had a type. And the man in front of me ticked every. Single. Box.
I was checking him out and not being subtle about it. Who the hell could when this sexy slab of man-meat was standing in front of them? When he shivered, my eyes instinctively snapped to his. Did he do it because of my inspection? Was he feeling the same insane lusty connection I was? He licked his lips and I nearly pounced on him. I was using all my restraint to stop myself from climbing him like a jungle gym, but I couldn’t help the growl that escaped from me. “What’s your name?” he rasped, his voice all dark and sexy.
“Eddie.” My voice came out a lot quieter than normal, but it had the desired effect; he leaned in closer and I smirked. Clearing my throat softly, I added, “My, my, my, aren’t you a handsome one? And what might your name be?”
“Will,” he responded immediately and I smiled at the name. It suited him. Clean cut like a William but he was loose enough not to introduce himself with his full name. I’d only been on the ship since the day before, but he was the sort of person I wouldn’t forget, and now that he was here…
“And what are you doing down here, Will? You lost or are you looking for little ol’ me?” I smirked and checked him out again, this time dropping my gaze straight to his crotch. He had a nice bulge, the length of his shaft clearly outlined in the shorts he wore. Either he was going commando, or he had loose boxer shorts on because there was no way that snake was being contained by anything. I licked my lips, imagining what it'd be like to drop to my knees right here and now and taste him. Sue me, I like sex. 

“I, ah…” He shifted his weight and I noticed for the first time he was carrying something–a suit bag, a duffel bag and a hat. And not just any hat, the same hat that the executive staff wore. Will, executive staff? No, it can’t be. My eyes shot to his and I knew. I just knew it.
By day Ann Grech lives the corporate world and can be found sitting behind a desk typing away at reports and papers or lecturing to a room full of students. She graduated with a PhD in 2016 and is now an over-qualified nerd. Glasses, briefcase, high heels and a pencil skirt, she’s got the librarian look nailed too. If only they knew! She swears like a sailor, so that’s got to be a hint. The other one was “the look” from her tattoo artist when she told him that she wanted her kids initials “B” and “J” tattooed on her foot. It took a second to register that it might be a bad idea.

She’s never entirely fit in and loves escaping into a book—whether it’s reading or writing one. But she’s found her tribe now and loves her MM book world family. She dislikes cooking, but loves eating, can’t figure out technology, but is addicted to it, and her guilty pleasure is Byron Bay Cookies. Oh and shoes. And lingerie. And maybe handbags too. Well, if we’re being honest, we’d probably have to add her library too given the state of her credit card every month (what can she say, she’s a bookworm at heart)!

Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Release Blitz: Claimed by Maria Vickers

CLAIMED
RELEASE BLITZ
Series: Love Seekers, Book 3
Author: Maria Vickers
Release Date: 6/27/2018
Cover Designer: T.E. Black Designs
Genre: Contemporary Romance

**While this is book 3, it can be read as a standalone.
When she was a little girl, Michaela Snow dreamed of a life full of love and adventure, but not all dreams come true. As a widow raising her niece, Lauren, she doesn’t have time to think about what could have been, and she certainly will not allow herself to think about a certain taekwondo instructor with mesmerizing hazel eyes. Meeting Evan was never part of the plan, and now she can’t seem to get rid of him. She doesn’t want him there, however, the more he’s around, the more she finds herself reluctantly trusting him.

Evan Gibson loves his life and his job, but something is missing. After watching his friends find partners to share their lives with, he wants the same thing for himself. One night stands no longer hold the same appeal they did and so far, no woman has been able to measure up to his ideal…until Michaela.

Complications arise, threatening everything. Life is about to change. Will it tear them apart or push them together?

Staking a claim doesn’t always mean forever.


Evan

Sometimes it was hard seeing my friend so happy. Bryan had finally pulled his head out of his ass and got the girl of his dreams, and it was someone he never saw coming. Emma was made for him though, which made me a little jealous.

I’d always considered myself a nice guy, good-looking, tall, muscular, and yet, while I could get almost any girl I wanted, I’d never found the one. Lying deep inside me, a hopeless romantic waited—something most didn’t know about me. Bryan did, but then again, we’d known each other since junior high and he was my best friend/former roommate. My friend Chad, whom I met through Bryan, probably suspected, but he never said anything. Then again, although he’d be loathed to admit it, he’d been looking for the same thing…until Rayne.

Rayne was a work of art. Beautiful on the outside, but a decrepit, flesh falling off the bones, ugly bitch on the inside, and Chad had it out for her–not that I blamed him. I didn’t. She attacked with a vengeance and only thought about herself, but there was something in her eyes. Something hidden in the depths of a darkness few truly knew.

I knew the darkness. I understood where she’d gone, and it wasn’t a place many left without help. Sometimes, I could still feel the pull of the ghosts trying to drag me back, but I refused to go back there. I wouldn’t lose myself again.

“Sabum,” a small voice broke through the fog and cleared the air. I grinned and turned around to find one of my students standing behind me, rocking on her feet, her hands behind her back as if she were hiding something from me. Today, her hair had bright pink fuzzy something holding it in two long blonde braids. The ends were thankfully not as bright or distracting.

“Matilda,” I answered, biting the inside of my lip when I saw the disgusted face she made. She stuck out her tongue as if she’d eaten something that tasted disgusting and scrunched up her face. The first day she joined my Taekwondo dojang, she’d made almost the same face when her mother introduced her to me. Matilda had tried to hide it, but she’d failed miserably. I didn’t tell on her though. “Mattie then?”

Rolling her eyes, she sighed comically, overemphasizing everything by lifting her shoulders more than necessary and exhaling loudly. “I don’t know why it’s so hard for you to remember. You make me call you sabum because you are my teacher, why can’t you call me Mattie?”

“You’re right.” I held back my laughter. This little girl had come a long way in the year I’d been teaching her. Her mother had brought her in hoping that learning Taekwondo would give her some confidence. Mattie had been shy and quiet, unable to look me in the eyes. It took me a month to find out she had a pair of striking blue eyes. Up to that point, I only knew she had hair so blonde, it was white, and it was always in two French braids that ran down the back of her head, ending at her shoulder blades. When I’d met her, she was eight but very small. I thought she’d been in first grade, not third. The first time she watched a class and someone got thrown, she screamed and begged her mother to let her go home.

A year later, this little girl loved coming, could take on some of the kids bigger than her, and was always the first to show up for class. Such a drastic change. I wished I could say the same about some of my other students. Unlike her, some of my other students would stick to the shadows and stay in the background if they could. Fortunately, or maybe it was unfortunately for them, I didn’t allow that in my dojang.

“Sabum,” Mattie called out again.

“Hmmm?” I hummed, shaking myself from my thoughts. “What is it?”

Rolling her eyes, she put her hands on her hip. “Aren’t you the one that said we should always listen to others?”

“I did?” I stepped past her and ruffled her hair, giving her a small wink.”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t it time for you to get ready for class?”

“I suppose.” She sighed.

“Don’t sound so put out.”

“Hey, Sabum…?” Her words drifted off, but I had a feeling she wasn’t done. Clasping my hands behind my back, I waited, and it didn’t take long for her to continue. “Why are boys jerks?”

This threw me off. Boys? Was she old enough to even know the difference between boys and girls? Was she old enough to like boys? I’d admit that I didn’t have that much experience with kids outside of the dojang, which was probably for the best since I really didn’t know how to handle them besides teaching them Taekwondo.

“Sabum?” she called out to me.

“Sorry.” I smiled and patted her head. “Boys will always be jerks. Even when they are my age.” My thoughts drifted to Bryan and Chad. One had finally learned to pull his head out of his ass, but his wife still kept him on his toes, and the other…sometimes I wondered if there was any hope for him.

Her grimace reminded me of someone who just ate a lemon and didn’t like it. “Really? And you’re old.” She shook her head in disappointment.

I snorted unable to hold back my laughter any longer. “Why don’t you go and get ready and we’ll warm up as we wait for everyone else.”

When she ran off, her mother approached. “Sorry about that Evan.”

“No worries. I don’t mind at all. When I was her age, anyone twenty and above seemed old. How are things going at school?”

“Her teachers rave about her and she gets along with the other students.”

I smiled. “I’m glad.”

“Me too. She had such a hard time and now…she’s a different person. Thank you. My husband and I can’t thank you enough.”

“She did all the work,” I corrected Mattie’s mother.

“But you helped her along.” She smiled and grabbed my arm to squeeze it before walking over to the metal bleachers I had in the far corner for parents to watch their kids.

I was about to go and join Mattie when a stranger who appeared very unsure of herself entered practically dragging a little girl with messy, curly brown hair entered. The girl could have used a good hairbrush. The woman…I swallowed hard.Fuck me!Her white teeth were biting her lower lip and I half expected to see blood gushing from a wound any minute. Her brown eyes were darting from side to side, and she kept pushing a few strands of her straight golden hair that had escaped her bun, behind her ear. And the curves on this woman was enough to make my dick stand at attention.

Clearing my throat, I approached her slowly and said, “Hi. I’m Evan. Can I help you?”
Exposed: Book One of the Love Seekers
Exposed buy links:
Redeemed: Book Two of the Love Seekers
Redeemed Buylink:
Maria Vickers currently lives in St. Louis, MO with her pug, Spencer Tracy. She has always had a passion for writing and after she became disabled in 2010, she decided to use writing as her escape. She believes that life is about what you make of it. You have to live it to the fullest no matter the circumstances.

From a young age, she has always loved books and even dreamed of being an author when she was younger. Growing up in the Navy, she used to weave tales for her siblings and her friends about anything and everything. And when she wasn't creating her own stories, she had a book in her hand. They transported her to another world. She hopes that with her books, her readers have the same experience and that they can relate to her characters.

Getting sick changed her life forever, but it also opened doors for her that she thought would always be out of reach.
IG: @authormariavickers
Twitter:@mvauthor


Join her reader group, Maria’s Love Seekers.
@LipServicesPR

Book Blitz and Giveaway: Superhero High by T.H. Hernandez


Superhero High
T.H. Hernandez
Published by: Soul Mate Publishing
Publication date: July 5th 2018
Genres: Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Sixteen-year-old Annarenee Stevens is the sole member of her family without a super power. The only time she feels powerful is in the pool. With her sights set on swimming for U.C. Berkeley, she’s ready to win it all at the State championship and secure her future.
When the government unexpectedly ends the secret Genetically Enhanced Asset (GEA) program, Annarenee is uprooted from Dayton, the only home she’s ever known, and relocated to San Diego with all of the other GEA families. Queen of her public school, Annarenee is just another zero at Superhero High, a school without any sports teams.
With the end of the program, her hero older brother now needs a college education, too, meaning the only way Annarenee is getting into Berkeley is on a scholarship. Her dream is slipping through her fingers, no matter how tightly she clings to it. To make matters worse, super hot superhero, Ren Gonzalez, is paying too much attention to her. The kind of attention that has Ren’s ex-girlfriend intent on making Annarenee’s life even more miserable.
But when heroes begin disappearing, zeros and heroes will be forced to team up in order to solve the mystery. If they don’t kill each other first.
Smith slides in beside me and drapes his arm around me, kissing the side of my head.
Ryan glances over his shoulder before backing up. “You guys are coming tonight, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Smith answers for both of us.
The drive to my house is less than five minutes. On the way Smith leans in and whispers in my ear, “Anyone going to be home?”
I shake my head then wonder if I should have lied. Smith’s been hinting more frequently that he wants to have sex. We’ve been dating for three months, but unlike Smith, I’m not ready. Call me old-fashioned, but I want my first time to be special. I like Smith, he’s cute, popular, and funny, but I’m not in love with him. Plus, I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t keep secrets from the person you share the most intimate part of yourself with, and I’m keeping a huge secret from Smith.
We pull up in front of my house, and Smith and I hop out, grabbing our stuff from the back.
“I’ll call you later,” Ronny yells as Ryan roars off.
I wave as they turn the corner and disappear, nerves twisting in my belly as Smith takes my hand. I glance at him, my gaze drawn to his crystal blue eyes beneath messy-wild blond hair. Smith moved here last summer and rapidly became one of the most popular guys in our class. He’s always tan and his body is cut, a result of time spent in the pool or surfing in his native Florida. Every single girl in our school, and possibly even a few with boyfriends, would be thrilled to have my problem. I need to figure this out soon before he decides he’s tired of waiting.
Smith guides me up the walkway toward the porch, and I wonder how far I can let him go this time before I put on the brakes.
Our front door opens and two men dressed in black suits, white button-ups, black ties, and sunglasses exit our house. The taller of the two seems to size me up behind his dark lenses before he nods and passes. I turn and watch them get into a black Escalade parked across the street.
My brother, Noah, cruises up and parks his vintage blue Mustang convertible in the driveway. He climbs out, his eyes glued to the SUV as it pulls away from the curb.
Smith snorts. “What are the Blues Brothers doing here?”
I don’t share his humor and instead turn toward my brother, eyebrows raised in silent question.
Noah shakes his head, and inside my own head, I hear, “I don’t know, they were blocking me.”
A chill runs through me starting in the pit of my stomach. It’s not unusual to get a visit from the Men in Black, but my parents should be at work, and Noah should still be at his school for another couple of hours. Something is wrong.
“Don’t panic, AR,” Noah says in my head.
I turn to Smith, “Um, I’ll call you later, okay? Pick me up at eight?”
He leans in and kisses my cheek. “Sure. Wear something sexy.” He smiles and waggles his eyebrows.
“Douchebag,” Noah says only to me before heading inside.
T.H. Hernandez is the author of young adult books. The Union, a futuristic dystopian adventure, was a finalist in the 2015 San Diego book awards in the Young Adult Fiction category.
She loves pumpkin spice lattes, Game of Thrones, Comic-Con, Star Wars, Doctor Who marathons, Bad Lip Reading videos, and all things young adult, especially the three young adults who share her home.
When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside her head, T.H. Hernandez lives in usually sunny San Diego, California with her husband and three children, a couple of cats, and a dog who thinks he’s a cat, affectionately referred to as “the puppycat.”
You can find her online at http://thhernandez.com

XBTBanner1