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New Release from Madison Michael #friendfiction #BFFs #contemporaryromance #romanceseries #feelgoodromance #romcom #steamyromance

CRAZY TO BELIEVE / All’s Crazy in Love Series Book 1, by Madison Michael

TaglineShe’s Betting on Love and the Stakes are High.

Hashtags—#friendfiction, #BFFs,  #contemporaryromance, #romanceseries, #feelgoodromance #romcom #steamyromance

All’s Crazy in Love Series Background

When eight friends from childhood reunite at their twentieth high school reunion, they realize they only see each other at weddings and funerals. This is unacceptable to friends as close as this. The answer—obviously—more weddings. To get the ball rolling, the lone married woman, Gabriella dares her friends to marry or else. When they laugh off her idea, she doubles down on her challenge and raises the stakes.

Gabriella doesn’t care if Avery is so shy that she’s hardly even spoken to a man, or that Rachel can’t choose between the multitude of guys she sleeps with each month. Gabby ignores every argument, instead selecting the worst price for each of them to pay if they lose.

The Dare is on. The women open their hearts to every opportunity that crosses their paths, no matter how unlikely or elusive the man might be. They’ll help each other – as long as it doesn’t cost them the win.

Within weeks Avery finds a fellow cat rescuer, Sofia’s heart flutters with new possibilities at work, and Willow spars and sparks with her horrible neighbor. Melinda has to be coached, but not Harper. After twenty years, she’s finally flirting with her high school sweetheart.

All’s Crazy in Love offers eight steamy romances—from first love to second-chance romance, from unexpected babies to unexpected attraction. Get to know eight wonderful women who find each other, themselves, and a chance to snatch the biggest prize of all—love.  Read these stories and more in the All’s Crazy in Love series coming soon.

Travel with life-long friends as they discover love, test friendships, and race to cross the finish line.

Let the games begin…

BlurbCrazy to Believe

The “Crazy Eights” have been best friends for thirty years, but they rarely get together. The remedy? An audacious dare contrived to bring them together for weddings—their weddings. Each participant must marry within twelve months or complete a personally mortifying task.

Meet Sofia, beautiful and brilliant, longing for a family. Starting over after a divorce, Sofia is focused on her career, not some foolhardy dare. She’s set her sights on a new job, a new home and reluctantly accepting her single, childless status. Independent and determined, she can’t foresee she will both win and lose her heart’s desire in the next six months.

Jeremy Klein, genius engineer and inventor, is also making big life changes. He’s sold his startup to become a billionaire CEO overnight. Unfortunately, his ego hasn’t caught up yet, and despite family pressures and turning forty, he is gun-shy about returning to the dating game.

Then Jeremy meets Sofia. They bond over shared business interests and a chemistry that sizzles. Their attraction is immediate and so electrifying that a one-night stand quickly morphs into planning a future.

But plans can change. Accusations threaten to derail their relationship, Sofia’s career and Jeremy’s position. Spies, lies and misunderstandings abound until those “Crazy Eights” step in, scheming and manipulating to secure Sofia her happily ever after.

The stakes are high. Win the bet and lose your heart; or lose the bet along with your dignity. When the wager is nothing short of true love, are Jeremy and Sofia crazy to believe?

Excerpt

Mr. Brown Eyes got the message. Sofia watched as he swiftly disconnected from his conversation and sauntered her way. She loved how he moved, relaxed, fluid, and assured. He was a man on a mission. Mr. Tall, Dark and Sexy was every bit as good-looking as Nico. Better. He was classically handsome with high cheekbones and a broad forehead. He appeared serious, intelligent and thoughtful. He bore a straight, slightly hawkish nose, and full, kissable lips.

He was sinewy and graceful as a leopard moving in on his prey. His hair was rich, almost black and a little longer than the current style, longer on top and the back. As he drew closer, his smile widened, blinding her with perfect, white teeth in a face burnished by the sun.

His face was devastating up close – open and welcoming, with a hint of naughtiness in his smirk along with the promise of shared pleasures. But it was his eyes, deep coffee brown and fringed with long dark lashes that were his best feature; piercing, intelligent, inquisitive and currently trained on her.

Please, God, Sofia prayed quickly, do not let this man be the new sales manager. It would be awful if she needed to keep him at arm’s length. He was the first man Sofia had felt drawn to since Nico. If she was honest with herself, he was the first man she had ever felt this attracted to so immediately. It was enough to make her believe in love at first sight or fate.

“Hi.” He stepped closer, ignoring the empty stool beside her to halt just inside her personal space. Usually, Sofia would back up, but she savored his closeness, the power emanating from his presence. Even in this stuffy bar, he smelled good – fresh, like soap and good whiskey. And up close, his eyes were more magical, a hint of gold dancing in their depths.

“Hi,” she responded on a breath, letting the single word hang there for a moment. “You aren’t in sales, are you?”

“Nope.” If he thought it was a strange conversation starter, he kept it to himself and his lack of response increased Sofia’s tension. “I could be in sales for you,” he offered in a voice smooth as brandy, redolent with sexual promise and a hint of curiosity. She laughed at his offer, tense for a better reason. “Are you in sales?”

“Yes, I am. I was thinking of what a crime it would be if you turned out to be my new boss. I’m meeting him tomorrow.”

“Jeremy.” He extended his hand to hers. “Not in sales. Is your boss named Jeremy?”

“Thankfully, not.” Sofia savored the moment as Jeremy closed his long fingers around hers, his skin soft and warm. There was no wedding band. Sofia’s relief was excessive. Everything about him captivated her. “Sofia.”

“Sofia.” He rolled the word around his mouth as if tasting a fine wine. “He was just saying words, but their underlying promise was undeniable. She wanted to be alone with him. She wanted to be naked with him. And all she knew was his first name.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked, already sitting down. “I am anxious to learn why you don’t know who you work with, Sofia.”

His every emotion was transparent, especially the desire flaming in his expression right now. A passion she reciprocated. Wholeheartedly. She couldn’t fathom such an instantaneous attraction. But with Jeremy, she felt electricity and lust move through her entire body, just from the touch of his hand and the sound of her name spoken in his rich baritone.

The man would be thinking their flirtation would lead to sex. She should shut him down—she always had before. But with Jeremy, her body governed her head. She wanted more.

“So, spill.” Jeremy leaned forward on his elbows, putting his mouth dangerously close to hers. Just a few inches, and they could be kissing. “I am dying to hear your story. I want to know absolutely everything about you.” The way he lingered on the word ‘everything’ made Sofia wet. Oh man, she was in way over her head.

“Only if you reciprocate.” She wondered where she found her voice and her nerve. “In detail.”

“It’s a deal.,” he said, lowering his voice until she wondered what exactly he promised to share.

 

BUY LINKS— https://www.amazon.com/Crazy-Believe-Alls-Love-Romance-ebook/dp/B0BSDTLD2J

Bio— Madison Michael is living her dream as a romance writer. Born and raised in Chicago, she covered the four corners of the U.S, before returning to her roots, friends, family and the best pizza anywhere.

She loves cats, cat jokes and cat videos, anything with too much sugar, and everything writing. Author of the Beguiling Bachelor romance series, and several stand alone romance novels, she can be found living in Chicago, writing, eating sugar, pizza or hotdogs, surrounded by cats.

Email: [email protected]

 

Newsletter— Become an insider here.

 

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He wants to please… #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #BookSale #RomanticSuspense

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Snippet Sunday – ten (or so) sentences from all your favorite romance authors! You’ll find them all at this Facebook Group every Sunday:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

By this time next week, the 2023 Belmont will be history – but our four horse-racing romantic suspense books will be on sale for 99 cents each through June 15. Be sure to grab yours before the price goes back up!

A few weeks back I shared a photo of the last horse we owned – a half arabian, half saddlebred foal, nuzzling his mother not long after his birth. Here’s another photo of him, age 10, coming across the field to greet my husband.

His name was Ransom, and we gave him a role in Book Four, Detour Ahead.

EXCERPT

Tracy’s spirits lifted immediately when she saw the half Arabian Saddlebred. He was a beautiful specimen, with a nicely arched neck and a tail that rose when he trotted. When he noticed them approaching, he whinnied softly and advanced toward them at a slow trot. Horse people called that gait a trot, but she thought the word prance captured much more the mood and presence of this animal. While not yet fully grown, he was certainly fully into himself.

This was the fourth morning they’d worked together. Traci confessed she preferred working with a horse from the ground rather than from its back. Without incident, she attached the halter. With a modest amount of confidence, she led Ransom into the corral and stopped in front of Scott.

“Good job,” he praised, rubbing his hand across the colt’s muzzle. “Why don’t you take him through his paces? Go around clockwise and then counterclockwise. Bring him to a halt with the whoa command, tugging gently on the lead rope twice first to get his attention. He wants to please—you can see that in his eye. But he can’t if we don’t communicate our wishes.”

BUY LINK

99¢

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RPT6YJA/

BOOK INFO

Detour Ahead (Riders Up, Book Four)
B&B Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9907476-5-9
ASIN: B00RPT6YJA
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Tags: Horse Racing, Sports Romance, Cowboy, hot-shot lawyer, bribery
Heat rating: three flames (explicit sex, m/f)

BLURB

Threatened race horses, city slicker attorney, sexy California wrangler—what can possibly go wrong?

Hot-shot Chicago prosecuting attorney Traci Steele works tirelessly keeping rapists off the street to prevent other women from suffering the hell she’s endured, so she resists her friends’ insistence that she take a two month R&R in their California Live Oak condo—until they persuade her to help their rancher friend as a private investigator.

Though he runs the stables at Live Oak, well-muscled mustached wrangler Scott McCord much prefers working with the racehorses he trains at his ranch, and he can’t believe his old friends have sent a greenhorn female to help him with horse troubles.

The improbable dance between this mismatched pair barely fits in around the escalating suspense of whoever’s after Scott’s horses. Traci is as tenacious in her sleuthing as she is terrified about her inability to ever love a man. Can Scott succeed in gentling her – like he does his horses – before she flees in panic?

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New Release! Ripening Passion by Adriana Kraft (@adrianakraft) #EroticRomance #LaterInLife @extasybooks #MFRWAuthor

Picture this: The year is 2004. You’re a bisexual woman in your late fifties, and your only significant love relationship was with a woman who died of cancer four years ago. What does your future hold? What do you hope for?

Meet Claire Johnson, heroine of Ripening Passion. As with so many single professional mid-life women, satisfaction and meaning for her have become focused on career. Relationships take second place if they’re on the radar screen at all.

Claire is extremely happy with her work. She helped found and now co-directs a cutting-edge center for human sexuality in New York City, where she’s lived ever since her college graduation in the late sixties—an era of great social and sexual upheaval. Taking stock of her upscale Manhattan apartment, her trusted work colleagues, and her mission to enhance the sexual lives of others, she sees nothing she’d want to change, now or in the future.

Enter Max Wilson.

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Ripening Passion
Series: Passion Series, Book Two
Author: Adriana Kraft
Published by: eXtasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-4874-3813-5
Length: 254 pages, 75,813 words
Publication Date: June 2, 2023
Genres: Erotic Romance, LGBTQIA, Contemporary Romance 
Tags: Menage, Bisexual, New York City, Later in Life
Heat Level: Four Flames
Pairings: MF, FF, FFF, FMF, MFM

BUY LINK

Available at all your favorite vendors

UNIVERSAL BUY LINK

https://books2read.com/u/4D82BP

BLURB

Can Max melt the Ice Queen? Should he even try?

Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to help found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?

Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his now deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but icy temptress.

Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. The jury is out on whether either Max or Claire can transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers—let alone for each other.

EXCERPT

Max glanced up at Claire. “Do you always eat like a bird?

Claire didn’t crack a smile. She used her fork to separate another flake of her tuna niçoise. Deliberately, she snagged a small bite and lifted it to her mouth. She glanced around the early dinner crowd and chewed thoroughly, wondering briefly how many patrons were meeting for business and how many were meeting with other thoughts on their minds. She smiled at two women at a nearby table holding hands while sharing a flambeed flan.

Claire looked back at Max. “If you approve of this body as much as you claim, then you’d better appreciate how I eat. I’m not telling you what to eat.”

“I’m sorry,” he quickly said. “I wasn’t putting you down. It’s just that I’ve never known anyone so disciplined about eating.”

“I enjoy my food. I just avoid sugars and saturated fats as much as possible.”

“You rarely eat dessert.”

“Perhaps I prefer a different sort of dessert.” She slid her bare foot up the inside of his leg.

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June is Pride Month #Giveaway #Polyamory #Bisexual #LGBTQ #BiPride

June is Pride Month.

Celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride feels especially important in our current culture, which is at best torn and at worst possibly poised to erase the progress of our last several decades in recognizing, normalizing, and honoring all sexual orientations.

Pride is a personal issue for my husband and me. Both within our family and in our friendship circle are many LGBTQ+ persons. We have celebrated with them at every step of the way towards full recognition and inclusiveness, and we tremble with them as their rights and safety are threatened. We continue to work, in our own small way, toward advancing and preserving these gains.

One way we do that is through being inclusive in the fiction we write. Of our fifty plus published romance novels and novellas, fully two thirds feature bisexual women as major characters.

I’ve written elsewhere about the range of options through which bisexual women reach that romance-trope mecca of the HEA – Happily Ever After. For some, it’s a long-term romance with one person, of whatever gender. For others, a primary relationship with a man and consensual sex with a woman or women outside that relationship form the core of long-term stability and happiness. Still others manage to forge a stable polyamory relationship, usually a threesome with two women and a man, but sometimes even a foursome, where the women share an intimate relationship with each other. The involved men might or might not do so – my focus here is on identifying satisfying long-term arrangements for women who identify as either bisexual or pan sexual.

In honor of pride month, I’m giving away a free e-book copy of our award winning polyamory story, The Reunion, to the first ten people who email me in response to today’s post. To be eligible, simply send me an email at adrianakraft99 at yahoo dot com, let me know the date and title of today’s blog post, and request your free copy. I’ll take care of the rest.

Wishing you a Happy and Safe Pride month!

BOOK INFORMATION

The Reunion
B&B Publishing: September, 2013
ASIN: B00F30CTLK
Novel: 71,000 words
Cover Artist: Dawné Dominique

A dark and brooding bad boy,
his petite Latina lover,
and his unattainable
former high school crush ~
a sizzling, combustible threesome.

Heat Rating: Five flames.

Explicit sex: M/F, F/F;

Ménage: F/F/M, F/F/F;

Multiple partners; light bondage;

voyeurism; anal sex; sex toys.

 

BLURB

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

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

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

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“I want that tape erased.” #MFRWHooks #EroticRomance #LaterInLife

Coming to Extasy Books this Friday!

Ripening Passion

Passion Series, Book Two

Erotic Romance, Later in Life, LGBTQ

Welcome to MFRW Hooks, where the authors of Marketing for Romance Writers share snippets from their stories to entice you into wanting more. Be sure to click on the links at the end to travel!

EXCERPT

Set up: the first filming of Max and Claire together to demonstrate techniques for older couples went south immediately, with the cameras still rolling.

“Put these on,” Melissa commanded, tossing a Center bathrobe to each of them. “We have to talk. Now!”

“I want that tape erased,” Claire demanded, standing to punch an arm through one armhole. She reached for the other repeatedly without finding it. She felt Max hold the robe for her. Claire closed her eyes, muttered a couple Hail Marys under her breath, and pushed her arm through the sleeve.

With a tinge of remorse, she peered back at Melissa. For a diminutive woman, the dark-haired beauty could certainly look furious.

Melissa came to a standstill at the foot of the bed. She crossed her arms under her breasts.

Claire thought she grew taller by at least three inches.

“I will not erase the tape.” Melissa’s mouth turned into a twisted grin. “Maybe later. If you two ever get it right. Or”—she smiled brilliantly—“we might want to include this little scene in our instructional materials. It might help some of our viewers to see situations between a man and a woman that don’t work out, that don’t lead to orgasm.”

Max ignored Claire. “If that’s what you’re looking for, you sure as hell got it.”

Claire knotted the sash of her robe. “This is not going to work, Melissa.” She sighed heavily. “All right, I admit he’s not a Neanderthal lout, but we can’t get into sync.” She scowled. “And I doubt we ever will.”

She plopped back down on the bed, hoping Melissa would give up on the entire idea of pairing her with Max to demonstrate options for how older couples could maintain their sexuality. She didn’t question the Center’s mission in this area—she’d helped champion the cause with foundations and private donors.

Max was the problem. She winced as he sat back down on the other side of the bed, doing a good job of avoiding eye contact with her and Melissa.

BLURB

Can Max melt the Ice Queen? Should he even try?

Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to help found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?

Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his now deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but icy temptress.

Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. The jury is out on whether either Max or Claire can transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers—let alone for each other.

BUY LINK

Add to your wish list at Extasy Books:

https://www.extasybooks.com/Ripening-Passion

Universal Link to all vendors coming soon!

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Ripening Passion
Series: Passion Series, Book Two
Author: Adriana Kraft
Published by: eXtasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-4874-3813-5
Length: 254 pages, 75813 words
Publication Date: June 2, 2023
Genres: Erotic Romance, LGBTQIA, Contemporary Romance 
Tags: Menage, Bisexual, New York City, Later in Life
Heat Level: Four Flames
Pairings: MF, FF, FFF, FMF, MFM

Click on the links to travel to the rest of the blog posts:

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Guest Post – Character Interview with The Shadowdancer @Libraryoferana #Fantasycharacter #darkfantasy #Fantasy #Meetacharacter

INTERVIEW

CHARACTER NAME: You can call me The Shadowdancer

  • Tell us a little about yourself.

How do you know I’ll tell you the truth? In fact how do you know what is the truth? It’s such a fluidic term.

I am the shadows, they obey me. I am he who walks unseen, unheard. I am he who brings swift death and then is gone. I am he who serves none but the Oncoming Storm.

  • Tell us why you’re embarking on this adventure?

My master the Oncoming Storm wishes it and so I wish it to be so.

We help those who cannot help themselves, we bring a freedom, of sorts in a land where freedom is sold to those who have the gold to buy it. We remove monsters, and those who inconvenience our plans.

We free elves – for they have no freedom, we rescue where we can and avenge where we cannot rescue.

  • Do you have a moral code? If so, what might it be?

*Laughs. I have killed more people than I can remember – men, women, even children once or twice for mercy, I have slain monsters and I have brought death to the highborn and the lowborn alike. There is no lock, cell or door in the whole of Erana that can keep out the Shadowdancer if he wants ingress. The laws of Erana mean nothing to me, I am beyond the law for I have no law.

Those who are my allies have my unwavering loyalty and the sharpness of my blades. Those who are my enemies – fear the shadows – for there I may be.

  • Do you believe in magic and the gods?

I am an adept – I use a magic of sorts although I am not a spellcaster.

Magic in Erana is complex, it goes where it will and shows itself in many forms. I am fast, faster than most, I can use the darkness and the shadows to cloak myself. If I do not wish to be seen, then I am not seen unless the looker is another adept or already knows someone is there.

I am not pious, I’m far too cynical to be a zealot but I pay homage to the gods if I need to. Do they exist? Yes, of course but whether they bother with the lives of mortals is another matter.

  • Are you a good man? What do ‘good and evil’ mean to you.

*Laughs again. Have you not been listening?

But good and evil are such relative terms in this land. The Witch-Hunters claim they are the force of good – they ‘protect’ the population against the mages and the elves, they keep order, they ensure the roads can be travelled safely….

It’s all bullshit – they oppress the elves – elves and half-elves and anyone not human has no rights, no regress to law. If an elf is attacked in the street – the Order of Witch-Hunters will not intervene, in fact they may even arrest the elf for being an elf. Magic is illegal – sorcerers such as my master should not exist. The only good mage is a dead mage, and all that nonsense. But of course they use magic for their own devices. The best healers are magical, the best weaponsmiths and blacksmiths are magical, and the Order knows it.

My master’s lady was taken, raped and beaten almost to death because she was an elven mage. She was kept as a slave and past around her Keeper’s friends because she had no right to law, no rights as a woman to her own safety or body, and no property.

The Order rule by fear, the dissemination of lies and propaganda; they take a cut from the slavers – who kidnap elves, and sometimes humans.

And for the record – the roads are lousy. There are bandits all over Erana – outlawed men and women who either are living that way because they have no choice or who choose a modicum of freedom – at the risk of capture and death.

I kill, I steal, but I’ve never lain with a woman without her consent, I’ve never killed a mage simply because they are a mage, or dragged someone off to be a slave because it’s a lucrative business.

I’ve risked my life to save strangers, to return something which was taken from an elf widow who had nothing but a worthless trinket from her husband, I’ve poisoned lords, and slit the throats of young men barely old enough to shave because of bad choices they made.

You tell me – am I a good man or a bad one? And either way, I do not care.

  • Who is your greatest friend?

The Oncoming Storm – he is my friend, my master, my mentor and the closest person to a father I have ever known or shall know. He saved my life, educated me, brought me freedom of a sort and wealth beyond that of any other elf in this land. He is kind to those worthy of it, and deadly to those who deserve it.

I would die for him.

  • Do you believe you will be successful in your quest?

I hope so. If we fail someone will pay for that.

  • What do you do on your days off?

I like good food, good books, walking in the hills. I am an alchemist as well, so I like to make things that go boom, or make other people regret meeting me. *Grins.

  • Do you have a lover?

Are you offering?

I have Ozena, a forest elf we assisted. She’s brave, and resourceful and her unworldliness is charming. For some reason I don’t understand she thinks I’m a good man.

EXCERPT

Excerpt from The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book I

“I trust you are the chief of this band, sir, for you seem confident enough to sit apart from your fellows?”

The bandit spun around, sword drawn, to see the figure standing at ease near to him yet beyond sword reach, cloaked with the shadows swirling around his feet. “Who are you, that you come here? You yourself are confident sir considering I am armed and you do not appear to be.”

Olek laughed and somersaulted with lightning speed over the bandit’s head, kicking the sword from the fellow’s hand, toppling him in the dirt and landing with his own sword against the man’s throat.

“Appearances may be deceptive, my friend, but I do not come here as an enemy, for if it was so, you would now be in pieces.”

The other bandits formed a circle, weapons drawn, as Olek sheathed his own sword and held his hand out to help the man up. “As for who I am and why I am here, I will discuss that with you at the fire, as a friend and not surrounded by a ring of swords. Believe me in what I say when I tell you that a good deal of you would fall to my blades before I lay slain and those who did not would feel the wrath of him whom I serve. But as I say, I come here in friendship.”

The chief nodded reluctantly and the bandits sheathed their blades. “You have balls, sir, I give you that. Now perhaps you would care to join me and my companions in a beer from the barrel.” The man gestured to the fire, walked to the barrel and fetched some beer.

He sat and motioned Olek down. “You know I have killed men for less than you just did.”

Olek smiled and took the beer, saying, “I do not doubt it, but if I wanted you dead you would be now lying in the dirt with your head removed, or simply you would not wake to see the dawn. I am not honourable enough to feel remorse for killing a man in his sleep should it suit my purpose. I am known, amongst other names, as the Shadowdancer, and I come from my master with a business opportunity.” As he sat, the cowl of the cloak fell enough to reveal his pointed elven ears.

The bandit chief smiled and held out a hand. “I am honoured to meet you, your reputation precedes you. My name is Tholin. I lead this band, but what could the Shadowdancer want with a band of rogues and outcasts such as us?”

Olek waited until the man was sipping his beer before drinking his own. “Ah, well, that is a good question. I have…other business to deal with and not even I can be everywhere, thus I find it useful to have contacts…eyes and ears around that I may use. Shadows in the shadows, you might say.”

One of the other bandits approached. “How do we know this elf speaks the truth, Tholin? He uses the name of the Shadowdancer yet it could be a lie. Elves lie.”

“Well, perhaps you should take it on faith, unless you want a personal exhibition of my skills…human,” Olek said with a smile like a cat.

The man drew his sword. “Sure, I have not shed blood for a few days, and yours will do nicely, elf.”

Olek simply laughed at the man and as he charged, side stepped and drew both his swords. The bandit charged again and Olek stepped back and disappeared into a patch of shadow beneath the trees to reappear behind the man, bringing his swords down a millimetre from the fellow’s face and a lock of the bandit’s hair fell past his eyes. He kicked the hand holding the sword and the weapon spun away. “Move one hair’s breadth and you are a dead man, bandit. I am the Shadowdancer, if you doubt me further perhaps we can continue this…entertainment, and after I leave you scattered for the wolves, I will take my business elsewhere.”

The bandit paled and held his breath until the swords were removed. “Apologies, sir, for the insult,” he managed with a squeak.

Olek nodded and shrugged, pulling the cowl back to shield his face. “It is best to be cautious in your dealings. Now after so much dawdling, perhaps we may talk business, my time is short. Witch-Hunters pass these roads. It would please my master if they were to be delayed…removed…inconvenienced. The Witch-Hunters seek not only users of magic but those of us who, through choice or necessity, live apart from what they term as law. If you are caught, you will hang, if not worse. The ‘hospitality’ of the Order is well known for its brutality. Now do you not think it would suit us all for them to be inconvenienced?”

Tholin looked at him in awe. “The Shadowdancer has a master? This man must be truly great or truly to be feared. What you ask is dangerous.”

Taking a slow swig, Olek merely replied, “The man I serve is both, for he is the Oncoming Storm. Now I can easily take this request elsewhere. You are bandits; you are supposed to be tough outlaws, the menace of the highways. It seems, however, that this is not the case.”

He got up to leave and Tholin stood quickly, moving to stop him. “We accept. We patrol the roads from the edge of the Tremellic Valley to the bend in the Great River known as the Blasted Oak Crossing. I am sure the Witch-Hunters can be inconvenienced.”

“Good will payment,” Olek said, holding up a small bag of gold coins. “I can be contacted at the Sign of the Moon on the road from Eleiry to the Tremellic Valley. There is a box there, of bleached wood. You may leave a message there, and proof if needed. The message will get to me. If you please my master, there will be extra payment.”

BLURB

The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book I

In a dark world where magic is illegal, and elves are enslaved a young elven sorceress runs for her life from the house of her evil Keeper. Pursued by his men and the corrupt Order of Witch-Hunters she must find sanctuary. As the slavers roll across the lands stealing elves from what remains of their ancestral home the Witch-Hunters turn a blind eye to the tragedy and a story of power, love and a terrible revenge unfolds.

*18 rated for adult scenes and violence.

Available as ebook, paperback, hardcover, large print and audiobook.

BUY LINK

Universal Link https://www.books2read.com/Lightbeyondstorm1

 

The Shining Citadel – The Light Beyond the Storm – Book II

Who rules in this game of intrigue where magic is forbidden, and elves enslaved? Journey where beliefs shatter like glass, truth is unwelcome, and monsters from ancient times abound: share the romance and revenge, magic and passion, and the wages of greed in a world of darkest fantasy.

 

*18 rated for adult scenes and violence.

Available as ebook, paperback, hardcover, large print and audiobook.

https://www.books2read.com/ShiningCitadel

The Stolen Tower – The Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles – Book III

What stalks the land cannot be but is.

Where magic is outlawed a troll Shaman calls from her deathbed to her heiress, Mirandra Var, daughter of the storm. Mirandra vows to find her missing kin, sort friend from foe, and claim the dangerous secrets guarded by unthinkable creatures. If she succeeds, she will become the leader of her tribe. If she fails, there will be no tribe to lead.

*18 rated for adult scenes and violence.

Available as ebook, paperback, hardcover, large print and audiobook.

Universal Link https://www.books2read.com/StolenTower

AUTHOR BIO

British-born A. L. Butcher is an avid reader and creator of worlds, a poet, and a dreamer, a lover of science, natural history, history, and monkeys. Her prose has been described as ‘dark and gritty’ and her poetry as ‘evocative’. She writes with a sure and sometimes erotic sensibility of things that might have been, never were, but could be.

Alex is the author of the Light Beyond the Storm Chronicles and the Tales of Erana lyrical fantasy series. She also has several short stories in the fantasy, fantasy romance genres with occasional forays into gothic style horror, including the Legacy of the Mask series. With a background in politics, classical studies, ancient history and myth, her affinities bring an eclectic and unique flavour in her work, mixing reality and dream in alchemical proportions that bring her characters and worlds to life.

Alex is also proud to be a writer for Perseid Press where her work features in Heroika: Dragon Eaters, Heroika Skirmishers – where she was editor and cover designer as well as writer – as well as Lovers in Hell and Mystics in Hell – part of the acclaimed Heroes in Hell series. http://www.theperseidpress.com/

Awards:

Outside the Walls, co-written with Diana L. Wicker received a Chill with a Book Reader’s Award in 2017.

NN Light Book Heaven awards:

The Kitchen Imps and Other Dark Tales won the best fantasy for 2018

Echoes of a Song – one of her Phantom tales – won the best fantasy in 2019

Tears and Crimson Velvet won the best Short Story category in 2020

Dark Tales and Twisted Verses – won the best Short Story Category in 2021

LINKS

Blog https://libraryoferana.wordpress.com/about-a-l-butcher-fantasy-author-poet-author-promotion/

Facebook Author Page https://www.facebook.com/LightBeyondtheStorm/

Twitter https://twitter.com/libraryoferana/

Amazon Author Page http://amzn.to/2hK33OM

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-l-butcher

Goodreads http://bit.ly/GR2iqokvK

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-butcher-8342ab13b/

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

Tumblr https://www.tumblr.com/blog/libraryoferana

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.co.uk/abmonkey/

Books2Read newsletter sign up

https://books2read.com/author/a-l-butcher/subscribe/1/97541/

Independent Author Network https://www.independentauthornetwork.com/a-l-butcher.html

Google Play https://play.google.com/store/books/author?id=A.+L.+Butcher

Smashwords Author Page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ALB123

Apple Author Page https://books.apple.com/gb/author/a-l-butcher/id895849667

Apple Audiopage https://books.apple.com/us/author/a-l-butcher/id895849667#see-all/audio-books

Kobo Author Page https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/search?query=a+l+butcher

Perseid Press Author Page http://www.theperseidpress.com/?page_id=523

Barnes and Noble Author Page  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22A.%20L.%20Butcher

 

Blog tour organised by Writer Marketing Services.

 

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“Who the hell are you?” #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #Sale 99¢ #RomanticSuspense #MFRWAuthor

Welcome to Snippet Sunday – ten sentences from all your favorite romance authors! You’ll find them all at this Facebook Group every Sunday:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

The Belmont is still two weeks away. Have you ever been to that track? It seems to stretch forever – the longest of the three Triple Crown races, it carries a mile and a half.

What fascinated me about being there on the big day a few years back was that the track was gearing everything for the TV coverage of the main event, so grounds were still being groomed and equipment moved around all afternoon, as if the experience of the patrons in the stands didn’t really matter, kind of like being backstage before the show.

Our four book romantic suspense series set in the world of thoroughbred racing will remain on sale for 99¢ each until after the Belmont – today’s Snippet is from Chapter One of Willow Smoke, Book three in the series.

EXCERPT

Picking up from where we left off last week, “Hey kid, do you always talk to horses?”

The horse reared and pawed. “It’s okay, girl.” Daisy kept her voice soft and ran her hand slowly along the mare’s neck.

When the mare had stopped trembling, Daisy stepped out of the stall, shaded her eyes from the sun, and faced the interloper. She scowled at the man’s new sneakers, monogrammed shirt and neatly pressed slacks. He looked like he’d be more at home on a sailboat than in a barn.

The man peered over wire-rimmed glasses like he knew something she didn’t—or was he appraising her? Why? His dark hair set off a chiseled face; it was difficult to guess his age, but she could see a few gray hairs at his temples. He was money. Understated, but money. Probably the stock market. What was he doing in her barn?

She thrust her jaw at him. “So who the hell are you? Don’t you know better than to sneak up on someone who’s working with a horse?”

BUY LINK

99¢

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N0DH13I

BOOK INFO

Willow Smoke (Riders Up, Book Three)
B&B Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9907476-0-4
ASIN: B00N0DH13I
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Tags: Horse Racing, Age Gap, Sports Romance
Heat rating: three flames (explicit sex, m/f)

REVIEWS

Five stars at Amazon “Adriana Kraft has created memorable characters that linger long after the story has ended and I’ve closed the book. She has done what an author should—brought me into the book’s world and made me care about the characters so that my world will not be the same as before their foray into it.” Sheila G.

Five stars at Goodreads “Suspenseful, intriguing and truly romantic! What a fabulous story of the blending of two worlds… the plot twists and turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat and the pages turning.” Risha C “…dreams can become reality, love can transcend age… Exciting, engaging and very entertaining story. The character interplay is spot on and the story is extremely well written.” Donna H.

BLURB

When the chips are down, there’s nobody there. Willowy blond Daisy Matthews has survived the Chicago streets with this mantra but is unprepared for the much older Nick Underwood’s urgent pursuit.  The wealthy businessman receives a thoroughbred in payment for a bad debt and is thrust into Daisy’s world.  She teaches him about horse racing; he teaches her about love.  When Daisy’s seamy brother-in-law threatens Nick’s safety, she doggedly tries to stop him by herself, but flees to the familiar streets when he attacks. Can Nick find her in time – and if he does, will she still want him?

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Cover Reveal: Ripening Passion, coming June 2 #EroticRomance #LaterInLife @ExtasyBooks #CoverReveal

Cover artist Martine Jardin did a marvelous job placing the story in New York City and capturing our svelte, icy heroine and her nemesis.

Ripening Passion releases at Extasy Books next Friday and will be available at all your favorite e-book vendors within a week after that.

https://www.extasybooks.com/Ripening-Passion

BOOK INFORMATION

Title: Ripening Passion
Series: Passion Series, Book Two
Author: Adriana Kraft
Published by: eXtasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-4874-3813-5
Length: 254 pages, 75813 words
Publication Date: June 2, 2023
Genres: Erotic Romance, LGBTQIA, Contemporary Romance 
Tags: Menage, Bisexual, New York City, Later in Life
Heat Level: Four Flames
Pairings: MF, FF, FFF, FMF, MFM

 

BLURB

Can Max melt the Ice Queen? Should he even try?

Claire Johnson’s dedication to sex—the cornerstone of her career—led her to help found the Center for Sexuality and Sex Practices. Now in her fifties, she knows the Center must keep pace with the rapidly growing Baby Boomer market, so she agrees to go back on camera for a series on sex and aging. But work with her nemesis?

Former English Professor Max Wilson has championed the cause of the Center ever since his now deceased wife sought the Center’s help to rekindle the nearly extinguished sexual flames of their relationship. He loves working on camera and welcomes the challenge to perform with the svelte but icy temptress.

Sparks fly immediately on and off camera. The jury is out on whether either Max or Claire can transform those sparks into a fire of sexual desire for their viewers—let alone for each other.

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Blog Tour: Enchanted Ink, by Robin Lynn #LGBTQ #Giveaway #GayRomance #gaybookpromo

BLOG TOUR

Book Title: Enchanted Ink

Author: Robin Lynn

Cover Artist: Art by Gio Guimaraes, Design by Katie Marlin

Release Date: June 1, 2023

Genres: LGBTQ Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy

Tropes: Fantasy/Magic/World-building, Tattoo artists, Hurt/Comfort, Meet-Cute, Secret Identities, Celebrities, HEA, Queer romance

Themes: Self-acceptance, trauma recovery, transformation, Demisexual representation.

Heat Rating: 3 flames

Length: 60 000 words

It is a standalone book and does not end on a cliffhanger

 

Pre-Order Links

Amazon US | Amazon UK

 

When it comes to transformation, magic only fixes what’s skin deep…

 

Blurb

In a world where an artist’s magic brings tattoos to life, ink gone wrong can spell lasting heartache for those unlucky enough to experience it. Jaded and cynical on both life and love, tattoo artist Ashton is about to find out that even the most deeply-etched scars can be transformed into something beautiful when the right person is holding the pen.

“Enchanted Ink” is a ground-breaking romance that showcases how, with a bit of ink, some love, and a whole lot of trust, even the ugliest scars can be transformed into something impossibly beautiful.

Using the art of tattooing as a metaphor for life, “Enchanted Ink” makes it a mission to show even the most cynical and scarred of us that it’s possible to heal, to find love, and that it’s never too late to start all over again.


Excerpt
The twelfth annual “Enchanted Ink” Tattoo Convention has been in full swing for hours, but Ashton has yet to venture inside. It’s not as if he doesn’t know what he’ll find there: a fairly standard convention space, divided using equally standard black curtains hanging from predictable portable frames creating both booths and stations offering displays that are anything but ordinary. Various tattoo artists and their work, in the flesh—the best of the best, by both fact and opinion.

In addition to the booths, there are always several centralized showcase stands, right in the middle of all the hustle and bustle. Elevated platforms where human works of art strip down to their underwear and pose, proudly displaying full-body and wildly colorful tattoos boasting some of the most intricate and beautiful imagery that probably exists in the entire inked world.

This particular convention admits artists by invitation only, and while Ashton isn’t technically here to work this year, it’s an event he’s enjoyed immensely in the past. It’s bittersweet—perhaps a touch heavy on the bitter—hovering on the outskirts, wondering whether he’ll ever find himself behind a booth and promoting his work again. While that remains to be seen, there’s plenty here to worry about in the meantime.

The thought of Whitaker working somewhere inside the building behind him crosses Ashton’s mind and makes him grimace. He can practically feel the tentative nerve he’s so painstakingly gathered, the courage to finally wander through the front door, trickling away like water through a sieve.

Again.

Good thing it’s a nice day out, today. Sixty-eight degrees and sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and Ashton brought a book. He can wait. The courage to go inside will come.

Probably.

Sighing, Ashton rubs the sleeve of his too-dressy collared shirt across the backs of his eyelids. The button on the cuff pokes his eye, and it feels like a call-out. He’s too dressed up, he looks out of place. Too covered, if nothing else. Which isn’t to say that tattooed folks can’t be modest—naturally, that’s false and would be a terribly judgemental view to hold. Either way, the whole point of a tattoo convention is to show off one’s body and as much art decorating skin as possible. It’s supposed to be a positive, empowering experience.

That’s definitely the point, and his body is aesthetically pleasant to look at, both sculpted and toned—yet here Ashton is, buttoned up solidly from head to toe. Acting like he cares more about looking the part of a corporate stooge rather than flaunting the walking canvas he is. Lame. So lame.

Lame, but necessary, he reminds himself.

 

About the Author

 

Robin Lynn is a 36-year-old queer, autistic mother of two, an unabashed fangirl sometimes known as “Wings,” and a disabled former firefighter, paramedic, and registered nurse. She writes for queer audiences with the goal of reflecting and centering the lgbtqia2s+ community in more media, because everyone deserves to see relatable, imperfect main characters who mirror themselves simply existing and getting their happy endings.

Find out more and follow Robin for additional content and future projects

 

Giveaway

Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for a chance to win

one of 5 ebook copies of Fire & Ice or one of 2 signed Enchanted Ink paperbacks with related swag: temporary tattoos and stickers.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Hosted by Gay Book Promotions

 

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“I won’t let anything hurt you.” #SnippetSunday #SnipSun #Sale 99¢ #RomanticSuspense #MFRWAuthor

Welcome to Snippet Sunday – ten sentences from all your favorite romance authors! You’ll find them all at this Facebook Group every Sunday:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SnippetSunday/

Did you watch yesterday’s Preakness? Mage – the Kentucky Derby winner and the Preakness favorite – came in third. The winner, National Treasure, hadn’t qualified for the Derby, so beating Mage was no small accomplishment. Hopes for a Triple Crown winner were dashed with Mage’s loss, but the third leg – the Belmont, coming up in three weeks – should be an interesting race!

Our four book romantic suspense series set in the world of thoroughbred racing will remain on sale for 99¢ each until after the Belmont – todays Snippet is from the opening lines of Willow Smoke, Book three in the series.

EXCERPT

Chapter One

“I won’t let anything hurt you.” Daisy Matthews finished wrapping the ankles of the chestnut mare and sat back on her haunches to evaluate her work. The mare’s ankles were cooler than they had been two hours earlier.

It wasn’t easy to convince a horse to stand in buckets of ice, but after three years of being a groom and an exercise rider, she could do it about as well as anybody at Arlington Park. At least that was what her boss said when he promoted her to assistant trainer.

Daisy grinned. There wasn’t much prestige associated with being an assistant trainer for a fellow with a string of only twenty-some claimers and allowance horses, but it was something, particularly for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks.

RainbowBlaze took a step forward. “I know.” Daisy groaned. “Step one: pay attention. Sorry, I got lost daydreaming. You’re right. Taking care of you is an important job.” She chuckled. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.”

“Hey kid, doyou always talk to horses?”

BUY LINK

99¢

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N0DH13I

BOOK INFO

Willow Smoke (Riders Up, Book Three)
B&B Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9907476-0-4
ASIN: B00N0DH13I
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Tags: Horse Racing, Age Gap, Sports Romance
Heat rating: three flames (explicit sex, m/f)

REVIEWS

Five stars at Amazon “Adriana Kraft has created memorable characters that linger long after the story has ended and I’ve closed the book. She has done what an author should—brought me into the book’s world and made me care about the characters so that my world will not be the same as before their foray into it.” Sheila G.

Five stars at Goodreads “Suspenseful, intriguing and truly romantic! What a fabulous story of the blending of two worlds… the plot twists and turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat and the pages turning.” Risha C “…dreams can become reality, love can transcend age… Exciting, engaging and very entertaining story. The character interplay is spot on and the story is extremely well written.” Donna H.

BLURB

When the chips are down, there’s nobody there. Willowy blond Daisy Matthews has survived the Chicago streets with this mantra but is unprepared for the much older Nick Underwood’s urgent pursuit.  The wealthy businessman receives a thoroughbred in payment for a bad debt and is thrust into Daisy’s world.  She teaches him about horse racing; he teaches her about love.  When Daisy’s seamy brother-in-law threatens Nick’s safety, she doggedly tries to stop him by herself, but flees to the familiar streets when he attacks. Can Nick find her in time – and if he does, will she still want him?

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Looking for one woman, one man, hot sex, and perilous danger? Click above.

REVIEWS

Erotic Romance “Seducing Cat is a Must Read…Hot in all the right places!”

Love Bites and Silk Ties
Romantic Suspense: Mystery and Romance are woven well in The Painter is a Lady.

Romantic Suspense: “The Unmasking is a fascinating tale…some emotionally trying scenes.”

Erotic Romance FFM Menage: “Edgy characters, inclusive sexuality…The Reunion is not for the faint of heart.”

Erotic Romance FFM Menage: “The intimacy is genuine and breathtaking”

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