Blog Tour ~ Against The Clock by Charlie Moore

Against The Clock by Charlie Moore

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Action, Suspense

Shirin Reyes has come out of the cold with a vengeance. Determined to kill the men responsible for her husband’s death, she finds herself torn between her all consuming vendetta and the consequences her actions have on those she cares about.

Unrelenting. Unstoppable. Uncompromising. Shirin ruthlessly hunts down each man, working her way to the top, never realizing she has penetrated the inner sanctum of a covert operation - entangled within an explosive web of scandal, treason, murder and government corruption.

 

 

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What inspired you to write ‘Against The Clock’?

The need and the desire to write had been brewing for a while. I was just waiting for the right moment, the right story. This book was initially intended to be a novella, an introduction to something more.. but as the story and characters unfolded and developed, the ‘novella’ grew organically into a HUGE book, which I’ve decided to split into two. I really wanted to explore the feeling of loss, the feelings of anger and rage that surround that emptiness, and show that for some people, escape is only possible through acts they would normally see as against their moral code. We’re all familiar with people self medicating with drugs and alcohol as a means of coping, but I wanted to explore a different way with a female character that I see as being incredibly strong, yet incredibly damaged as well. And I wanted to do all that within a scenery of fast, furious and deadly action. I wanted it to be a story that moves forward with rapid speed, but that stays with the reader for long after they’ve finished reading it

Which character in your book would you say you are most like? If any.

Whoa... There’s definitely apart of me in all of the characters. So don’t peeve me off, I just might let loose with a string of kung fu super moves! I don’t have a silenced Beretta, so... 

I think there’s character traits I wish I had, like Shirin’s absence of fear, and traits I don’t want to have, like Selig’s megalomaniacal tendencies. I probably relate most to Ben - an ordinary guy, in love with an extraordinary woman, and thrust into a scenario way out of his comfort zone.  I have a feeling he is a character that is going to play a more integral role in future books.

What inspired you to become a writer?

The voices, images, stories in my head that I can’t get out any other way. 

What are you most excited about the most for readers to experience/learn from your newest book?

I’m excited the most about sharing the thrills and heart pounding action the characters pull the reader through on their journey through the book. I just love to hear readers stories about how they couldn’t put the book down, how they sacrificed sleeping, or going out to dinner, or took a day off work, just to finish my book. It’s such an adrenalin rush for me!

Were you scared when you first published? Did you feel exposed or vulnerable?

It never really occurred to me. I was just so happy and excited to finish the book, and get it out there and share it with the world. I didn’t feel nervous or vulnerable until the first reviews started coming out. Thank goodness they were all 5 out of 5 stars!

Do you have ideas for dream cast members for your book?

If I name them here, will I get to meet them??

What do you do on your down time? What do you do to relax?

I love to go rock climbing! I’m relatively new to the sport, but I’m addicted to it. It just seems like defying gravity, defying what is ‘normal’. It really is a challenge. One of the first times I went climbing was in the Blue Mountains out west of Sydney, I was about 40feet up a steep cliff face, stuck, with no idea how on earth I was going to move one more foot. I seriously thought about quitting and telling my partner to lower me down. But somehow, I found a small hand-hold and moved up. 50 more moments like that and I made it to the top of the cliff! It was the most rewarding and most exciting moment since I’d gotten married. I’m pretty keen on skydiving too! But that is an expensive way to relax...

What do you love most about being a writer/author?

I get to live out every secret desire, or impulse that I normally wouldn’t be able to. And I get to have an influence on people’s lives. I give people moments in their lives they won’t readily forget (at least I hope so).

What do you hate most about being a writer/author?

Not all my characters are nice people. Not all the things they do are things I can relate to, or agree with. I find getting into their head space very disturbing sometimes. Some days I had to drink a whole pile of scotch and watch ‘Scrubs’ a ridiculous comedy, just to get my normal head space back.

What writers/authors have inspired you?

Robert Ludlum, Vince Flynn, Eric Lustbader, Dean Koontz and recently Andrew Peterson

When you get stuck in a story, how do you get through it?

Write! And keep writing!

Do you listen to music when you write?

Sometimes. If it’s a dramatic scene, or quiet scene I like silence. But when I’m thick in the middle of intense action I like to put some headphones on and crank the music loud! I had a lot of My Chemical Romance playing for this book.

Can you write anywhere? Or do you need a specific place to write?

I can. Where I write really depends on what’s happening in my life. I started ATC writing from my car on my laptop. My wife was studying, and couldn’t drive to the college, so I would drive her there, and spend the day parked somewhere close by and write all day. It was a great way to avoid the distractions at home. And when my wife was home, I’d go out to a nearby lake, or spot in the mountains, set up a folding chair, thermos with coffee and write until the mosquitoes were bored of me, or I had the urge for a toilet that flushes. In the summer (Australian summers can be deadly hot) I’d find a nice cafe with air-conditioning, or just stay home with aircon cranked up on full.

Do you have advice for aspiring authors?

Write! And keep writing! 

What was the worst advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

I had lots of bad advice.. for example; shaping what I write to fit the latest trend, or give up on writing and get a real job and so on.. All the bad advice I can think of came from a place of insecurity and/or from a person with little or no belief in themselves or their abilities. I’m not a fan of advice. I’m more a fan of support. 

What was the best advice you were given in the beginning of your writing career?

The best advice I ever got, and the only advice I ever offer, is WRITE! AND KEEP WRITING! It stands true in any situation. Whether it be a case of writers block, a bad review, lack of sales, a story that doesn’t seem to be working, not sure where the story or characters are going, self doubt... no matter what, if you keep writing you can always come back and polish what you’ve written, edit it, or even scrap it. But there’s not much you can do with nothing.

 

Charlie Moore was born and raised in Sydney, Australia. He started work on his first full length novel at age 18. When running through final edits for the book, he put it aside; wanting to live and experience some of the adventures his characters were thrust into. He became an accomplished martial artist, winning his first full contact fight by TKO and gaining over 30 medals before retiring from competition. He traveled the globe, got lost in dangerous parts of the world, swam with sharks, jumped out of planes, and became a Private Investigator.

Resuming his passion for writing, Charlie started ghost writing to build and harness his skill, and in mid 2012 "Against the Clock" was born.

Charlie now shares his time between rock climbing with his wife, and writing deadly action-packed thrillers.

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Cover Reveal ~ Dark Indiscretions by Shakuita Johnson

 

 

 

 

Blurb

What would you do if the one fate chose for you vanished into thin air? What would you give up? Who would you become to stay with that person?

Krista Bell finally knows what it's like to be free. The torture she endured at the hands of her psychotic father have unleashed the monster her mother tried so hard to help her suppress. The only thing she wants to do is be the shadow in the night that everyone is afraid of.

Taser is barely holding it together. He lost Kris once to her father and now he's losing her to the monster she is becoming. He's also barely containing his own monster since Krista decided she didn't need her mates anymore. Nathan is still near but he may not be enough.

Nathan is on the verge of losing not one but both of his mates. One vanished without a trace. The other is avoiding him. He has run out of patience with them both.

But when the monster that Krista has become comes to them with a proposal will they take her up on it and possibly lose themselves or will they try to talk her down and get the beast to put back on her chain?

 

Excerpt

Krista made her way down the hall and into the office she knew her mates would be. They were not going to like what she had to say but right now it was about her. She was tired of putting others before herself. Tired of pretending to be someone that she wasn’t. She paused for a moment in the doorway to look at her mates one last time. They were rung tight from her self-imposed seclusion and she knew this was only going to be the beginning of their heartache.

She took a moment to really look at her mates. They were total contrasts to each other. Where Taser was standing at only five-foot-five-inches and weighing one hundred and seventy five pounds. He had dirty blonde hair that stuck out all over the place and hazel eyes. On the other hand, Nathan stood at just less than seven feet and weighted over three hundred pounds of pure muscle. He had black hair with the most mesmerizing green eyes flecked with gold, belaying his paranormal status. They were both handsome. Any girl would be lucky to have just one of them as a mate.

Yet her she was ready to give them both up. It couldn’t be helped so no use in delaying the inevitable. Without preamble Krista spoke the words all men dread.

“We need to talk. Now.”

“Now you’re ready to talk,” Nathan said with an arched eyebrow.

“It’s about damn time,” was Taser’s reply.

Krista saw where this conversation was going to go before it started. Both her mates were upset and yet she still couldn’t bring herself to care, much. She knew what she had to do and she didn’t plan on changing her mind.

“Are you both going to be assholes or listen to what I have to say?” Krista asked.

“Fine. Speak,” Taser barked.

Speak! What was she a damn dog? Krista was fuming and she could feel the air around her zinging with her anger.

“Careful how you speak to me,” she threatened in a low voice. “I am not some common animal that you can issue commands and receive obedience in return. You will do well to remember who and what I am.”

“Let’s all calm down and take a seat. We have just been worried. Taser didn’t mean anything by it. Let’s not fight but instead have a civilized conversation,” Nathan said. He didn’t need anyone losing their cool right now. Emotions were already running high as it was.

“Before the rudeness was introduced, what I was trying to say is I will be leaving here today and never returning. I’ve given this a lot of thought and there is just no way I can continue this existence how I was. I am no longer that person. I have changed. There is no point in a discussion because nothing you say will change my mind. The both of you will also not be joining me,” Krista stated.

Was she serious with this shit? She walks in here like she owns the world and decrees that she is leaving not only the pack lands but also her mates behind. Did she think we were supposed to be okay with it? Nathan was utterly speechless. Never in all his years would he have expected this shit when he found his Nyhiya. He could feel the rage building and getting ready to burst free.

“Come again?” Taser asked. “I think I may have misheard what you just said. I could have sworn it sounded like you were abandoning your mates.”

“No need to be dramatic. It’s not like you only have one mate. Nathan will keep you company but unfortunately I have things to do. Mates would only hold me back from my destiny. I don’t need any weaknesses my enemies could exploit. Now if you both will excuse me, I have preparations to make.”

With those parting words, Krista got up and walked out of the office. She didn’t have time to waste. She had to gather the few things she had here and leave to begin her hunt. She wasn’t sure where she was starting but she was sure she was leaving here tonight and by any means necessary.

About the Author

Shakuita Johnson is a 29-year-old Psychology major. When she isn’t going to school or working, she is doing what she loves most. Writing. She started writing in middle school. Starting with poetry. Then short stories in a creative writing course her senior year. Her love for paranormal and supernatural started with R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and TV show, Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles, and Christopher Pike books. She is an avid reader with over 100 books on her bookshelf and 1000 plus on her iPad. This is her second novel. Visit her online and read her poems and one attempt at songwriting on her blog.

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Now Available

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Blog Tour ~ Taking Back Sunday by Cristy Moran

After five years on the run, Sunday has finally settled into a seemingly normal life in Columbia, South Carolina. What her two best friends don’t know is that Sunday has a secret past. She is the Incarnate, a conduit of mystical energy transcendent of the mundane and the divine. For most of her life, she served under Bernadette, the most powerful witch in the Northwest. Her power is terrifying, and what she remembers of her past—and what she doesn’t—haunts her. In the year that she’s been attempting to be anything but the Incarnate, Sunday has fought her abilities tooth and nail, but it’s been worth it. When Sunday joins her friends’ coven for an innocent gathering, Sunday discovers a darkness hidden beneath the blanket of the coven’s magic and she is determined to find out who is behind it and what she has planned.

For the last four years, Cyrus has been the point man on the contract to recapture the Incarnate and deliver her to the Pastophori of Iset. A gifted tracker and a fearless werewolf, he harbors a wild, inexplicable passion for the Incarnate that has driven him to hunt her. He was one of the original captors that brought her to Bernadette when his obsession with her began. Having found her, Cyrus and his pack find themselves torn between two objectives: take her by force and deliver her to yet another group of fanatics, or help her uncover the traitor among her coven.

Taking Back Sunday (Incarnate, #1)

Cristy Moran

 

 

Goodreads

Excerpt 1 – from Chapter Four (haunted by memories of her past)

Sunday’s eyes shot open, and she jolted upright in bed. Her body was covered in sweat, and her heart was racing. Gripping the sheets in a white-knuckled fist, she scanned the room frantically to make sure that it was only a dream.

Curtains veiled the room from the early morning sun outside. When her eyes landed on the photo on the nightstand, she drew in a hard breath and slowly blew it out. She was in her room in Columbia, not a stone basement beneath Bernadette’s once-sprawling Washington estate. She ran to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

“When will this be over?” she muttered to her reflection.

Black and blue bags tugged at her bloodshot eyes, and worry lined her forehead. Hair mussed and tangled from tossing relentlessly in bed stood at all ends.

Half a decade earlier, nightmares like the one last night had been the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. They had tipped Sunday off to the world hidden behind the veil of Bernadette’s sorcery. Until that time, Sunday couldn’t remember anything before her life at the right hand of the powerful witch. She didn’t even remember thinking that there was a time before then.

Her first real memory, at the time, had been waking as an amnesiac to the first thirteen years of her life. Through slits for eyes, Sunday made out the blurred shape of a man carrying her down a dim hallway. He radiated heat. Cradled in his arms, Sunday remembered thinking that she had never felt so warm in her life. Teeth chattering and freezing, her body shook uncontrollably against his chest. When her body jerked, he tightened his arms around her and held her closer. Her head fell against his chest, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Mind as blank as a newborn’s, Sunday had known no comfort in her life but this. As she closed her eyes again, she fell asleep.

For the first few weeks, her body healed. Open wounds turned to scabs and later scarred. Bruises turned green, and then yellow until they disappeared. During the weeks of her recovery, Bernadette visited Sunday regularly. She sat on the edge of Sunday’s bed and lay the girl’s head on her lap.

“My little girl,” she cooed as she petted Sunday’s head and caressed her gently. “I will teach you all the ways of the Incarnate, and you will shine as a star shines, only brighter. Yours will be the light of the sun, and we will be strong together.”

Under the witch’s hand, Sunday’s spirit relinquished itself and its authority to Bernadette. The witch had burned her, but the witch had saved her.

“I will show you the world that most do not see because they cannot see. I will show you of our kind’s dominion over the world of man and the world of magic. I will teach you of your power and of the power we hold over all that we can see, all that we can touch, which is so much more than that which other men can see, be they human or beast.”

As Bernadette lulled her to sleep, every cell in Sunday’s body tingled. Little by little, her life before the witch drifted further and further away until it all but disappeared. There was nothing then, nothing but Bernadette.

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Dreamcast

Playlist

1.       Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill

2.       Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac

3.       Midnight Creeper - Eagles of Death Metal

4.       Devon - Grimes

5.       Burn the Witch – Queens of the Stone Age

6.       It's a Curse - Wolf Parade

7.       Wolf Like Me - TV on the Radio

8.       Soon - My Bloody Valentine

9.       If the World Ends - Guillemots

10.   The Queen of all Returns - Dead Meadow

11.   Demons - Sleigh Bells

12.   Witchcraft – Wolfmother

13.   The Lucid Dream - The Life and Times

14.   Gold Dust Woman - Fleetwood Mac

Teasers

  

Ten Fun Facts about Cristy Moran

1.       One time, I was offered a job at the White House. But I was in middle school then, and I couldn’t take it. True story.

2.       Neil Diamond called me on the phone one time and woke me up from a nap. Yes. That Neil Diamond. And I cried because, seriously, it was amazing and I was overwhelmed.

3.       I know all the words to Wayne’s World by memory and can recite the entire script at the drop of a hat.

4.       My favorite fictional character of all time is Dr. John “Trapper John” McIntyre from the novel and movie MASH.

5.       I am tall: 5’11”, and I’ve been this height since I was thirteen years old.

6.       I did a two-week-long Shakespeare study abroad at Stratford Upon Avon in England when I was in college.

7.       I absolutely love going to the dentist.

8.       Technically, I was once in a high-speed police car chase. I wasn’t the felon, nor was I the cop. I was somewhere in the middle when my friend who was driving at the time said, “Wanna be in a high-speed car chase?” to which I answered, “Gun it!” and we did.

9.       Of all the colors I’ve dyed my hair, I prefer washed out blue the most.

10.   My cat is named after a comic book character of a little girl who doesn’t realize that she is dead, Lenore, and my dog is named after Indiana Jones and Sherlock (Henry Holmes).

Excerpt 2 – from Chapter Seven (Sunday and Cyrus meet)

As Cyrus and Sunday’s eyes met, the world shifted. The stale stench of cigarette and pungent clove smoke lifted. The penetrating music and the muffled shouting that passed for conversation at the club quieted. In less than a second, Cyrus was utterly changed. Cyrus’ soul settled. In the place of the consuming hate he’d nursed for over a decade, he knew peace. His entire body relaxed, and his mind quieted. His heart froze. The breath caught in his chest.

Sunday’s body swayed as her friend tugged to keep her moving forward, but she stood her ground. Even after Cyrus released her arm, her eyes remained locked with his while her friend asked what the matter was. Her cheeks flushed. As soon as she smiled, her eyes followed suit shimmering like honey.

Another handful of seconds passed when she finally looked away, bent her head slightly, and lowered her chin. She was blushing. Smiling. Tilting her face up, she wrinkled her nose coyly and batted her eyelashes.

“Do I know you?” When Sunday spoke, her voice drowned out every other sound in the room. She smiled again, awaiting his response.

His chest tightened.

All those years he obsessively chased her, and she didn’t even know he existed. Now, she looked up at him sheepishly and more adorable than he ever imagined. She wasn’t rushing to leave. She wasn’t running away. Minutes ago, he was dead-set on tearing her to pieces. It had occurred to him in the past that he would be unable to turn her over to his contractors alive. He considered the very real possibility that, when he eventually found her, she would inspire such blind fury that he might unleash his wolf and tear out her throat. Now, however, confronted with her in the flesh, his anger melted.

“No,” he painfully responded. For such a small word, it took a mountain of effort to say it. It was all he could do to keep from choking on the lie. She looked at him for another long moment.

“Too bad.”

She turned and walked away. Seconds later, Cyrus remained, staring at the gaping hole left by her absence. Her words echoed as she left him standing there feeling more lost and confused than ever in his life.

“What was that about, Cy?”

Cyrus didn’t have an answer. Not allowing his thoughts to delve into their momentary encounter any longer, Cyrus focused on the task at hand. The wolf couldn’t afford to let his prey on too loose a leash. Now, more than ever, she couldn’t get away. 

About the Author

Cristy Moran lives in Miami, FL. She is a college librarian some of the time, a reader and writer most of the time, and a knitter much less of the time than she was six months before she took up writing again. She’s also a nerd and a geek, and proud to be.

Cristy writes the books that she likes to read. Her women are strong and out-spoken and her men run the gamut. Love stories abound in Cristy's work because, really, aren't love stories the best? There's always a killer soundtrack running in the background of her novels - all you need to do is turn to the playlist to know what's up.

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Cover Reveal ~ The Exchange Part 1 by N. Isabelle Blanco

 

 

Event Organized by ❤MaE Book Tours & Promo Stars Services❤

Synopsis

Project Sapphire: The World’s first AI. A top-secret project exposed to a select group of scientists. Lei Heaton, a man desperate to save his daughter, is at the top of the bionics empire. He not only hired the team to repair his daughter’s damaged body, he plans to reanimate her dead mind using the Sapphire AI.

A dangerous man—a killer that is no regular human…

Maxwell Landon—codename: Deimos—is the Adelphi Organization’s top agent. His M.O is simple: Never fail. He's used to annihilating anyone that gets in his way. But this time, he's being called to protect and deliver. Deimos is aware that this mission won't be like any other. Then he lays eyes on the resurrected Ms. Heaton, and instantly he knows:

That is not Magdalena Heaton.

And he will never be the same again.

Control, his most prized possession, is ripped from him with a single glance...

The violent attraction he feels for the girl complicates matters immediately. But what Deimos doesn't know is that things are about to get much worse. Sapphire isn't just a completely different person than the dead Ms. Heaton—she's the AI miracle of the century. An advancement that many would kill to own.

Including himself, no matter how hard he fights against it.

A girl determined to protect her creator. A man determined to protect her...

Despite the fact that she is not Magdalena, Sapphire is bent on taking her place as Mr. Heaton's daughter in order to keep her creator safe. Deimos knows that he has to honor her wish. But the thing inside him is demanding more. More than a touch. A lot more than a taste. It responds to everything about her...every stuttered breath that lets him know she wants him as much as he wants her.

How does he walk away when he knows that no matter how far he is from her, she’ll always be in danger and he'll always hunger for her?

Genre Erotica/ Sci-Fi

Expected Publication Date April 30th 2014

__________________________________________________________________

About the Author

 

N. Isabelle Blanco was born in Queens, NY (USA). At the age of three, due to an odd fascination with studying her mother’s handwriting, she began to read and write. By the time she’d reached kindergarten, she had an extensive vocabulary and her obsession with words began to bleed into every aspect of her life.

An avid reader in her teens, her fascination with Japanese anime eventually led her to the universe of fan fiction, which became her on-again, off-again hobby for the next ten years. During that time she amassed a following of fans that, by her own admission, she would never be able to live without. It was those fans who encouraged her to step beyond the fan fiction realm and try her talent in the publishing world.

N. Isabelle Blanco now has three novellas and two full-length novels under her belt, and spends her days working as an author, web programmer, marketer, and graphic designer. That is when she isn’t handling her “spawn”, as she calls her son, and brainstorming with him about his future career as a comic book illustrator.

Connect with N. Isabelle Blanco!

The House | Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

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Blog Tour ~ Logan's Redemption by Cara Marsi

Doriana Callahan's life is unraveling. Someone is stalking her and sabotaging her father's company; her teenage son is rebelling; and Logan Tanner is back in town. For sixteen years she's kept an explosive secret from Logan, a secret he soon discovers. Logan never belonged in Doriana's world, but a long time ago he allowed himself to dream of a future with her, until the awful night he was forced to run. Now he's back and he needs her forgiveness, but first he must forgive himself. Despite the fact that Doriana kept the existence of his son from him, Logan vows to protect her.

He races against time to stop the culprit threatening Doriana and works to forge a bond with his son. Can the love and passion that still burn between Doriana and Logan overcome old lies and new dangers? The clock is ticking on a second chance at love.

"Right away, author Cara Marsi sets the stage for an intriguing romantic suspense in Logan’s Redemption. With loveable characters, an engaging plot, and a few twists along the way, Marsi hit her mark with the first book in her Redemption series." ~ Romance Reviews by Authors

“Logan’s Redemption has all the elements that keep the pages turning: passion, romance, thrills and suspense…” ~ Fallen Angel Reviews.

“Logan’s Redemption by Cara Marsi is a great read, plain and simple ~ My Romance Story Reviews

 

Logan's Redemption

Cara Marsi

Goodreads

Excerpt

“You’ve never changed your opinion of me, have you?” he asked in a hard voice.  “I’m still the boy from the bad neighborhood, not fit to be a father to your son.”  With a contemptuous glance, he turned away and strode to the fireplace.  He leaned on the mantel, his profile to her.  His chest rose and fell with his shallow breathing. 

Doriana studied him.  His jaw set in a tight line.  His entire body looked coiled and ready to fight.  Or maybe flee.  Tears sprang to her eyes.  They’d come so far in the last weeks.  How had it all gone so terribly wrong?

“What do you want, Logan?”  She tangled her fingers through the long strand of pearls she wore, trying to rein in the anxiety that churned her stomach.

Logan’s hazel gaze impaled her.  “I want to be in Josh’s life.”

“What?”  She yanked on the pearl necklace.  The strand came apart in her hands.  She watched helplessly as beads rolled all over the floor.  My life is coming apart the same way.  She raised her gaze to find a stony-faced Logan staring at her with unyielding eyes.  

“What’s your answer?”  He spit the words out.

“How long will you be in his life, Logan?  You’ll leave again and what will happen to Josh?  I will not see him hurt.”

Loganwas at her side in an instant.  He grasped her shoulders.  She winced at the anger in his eyes.  The twinkling lights of the tree reflected on the golden stubble of his beard, mocking the tension that arced between them like an electrical current.

“I’m Josh’s father,” he rasped.  “I’m not some stranger, here one day and gone the next.”

“Aren’t you?”  She bit down on her lip.  Hurt shattered the chiseled planes of Logan’s face.  She glimpsed the vulnerable young boy he’d once been, the boy she’d fallen in love with.  He released her as if he couldn’t bear to touch her.  Her throat thickened with tears.

“So that’s it.”  The quiet calmness of his voice damned her more than shouts.  “I’ve never been more than a temporary diversion to you.”

“That’s not true,” she whispered.  “I loved you.  I ....”   She stopped herself before she blurted that she loved him now.   

“Do you really know what love is?”  His gaze raked her.  “You have no problem giving your body to me, but I’m not worth bothering with on any other level.”

Fury and pain pierced her like a carpenter’s awl.  “How dare you talk to me like that?”

He released a breath.  “I’m sorry.  I was out of line.”  Sadness creased his features.  “I just want to be in my son’s life.”

“How do I know you’ll be around for him?”

“Trust me.  Damn it, just trust me.” 

Could she trust him?  Maybe she should ask him to stay.  What if he said no?  Could she take that chance?  Her insides shook.  “I can’t.”

“You can’t trust me?”  Steel hardened his voice.

She shook her head.  “No, that’s not it.”

“Then what is it, Dorie?”

Words dried in her throat.  He had to want her enough to never leave again.  She wouldn’t beg.

“Damn you,” he said in a thick whisper. 

He pulled her to him and took her lips in a bruising kiss.  She held herself tight, resisting his pull.  His relentless lips demanded her surrender.  She could no more fight him than she could stop breathing.  And she loved him.  She twisted her arms around his neck and urged his lips apart with her tongue.

He let out a low groan.  His lips softened against hers and he opened his mouth for her.  He tasted like cinnamon coffee and mint.  She pressed closer.  He might leave and break her heart.  But he belonged to her now.

They slid to the floor together.  He leaned over her, his eyes dark and mysterious in the soft Christmas lights.  His unique scent of male and citrus mingled with the pine of the tree.  Those scents would forever remind her of Logan.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down.  Molding her body to his, she kissed him with all the love and hope she couldn’t voice.  His taut frame covered her.  The urgency of his mouth and tongue excited her to a new wildness.  She would love him tonight with all she had to give.  

His mouth plundered hers while his hands wandered down her body, massaging, stroking, driving her crazy with want.  Her soft cries filled the quiet room.

He leaned on his elbows and looked down at her.  Desire darkened his eyes, but something else stirred deep in the gold-flecked depths, something that reached out to the longings in her soul.  “Love me tonight, Logan,” she whispered.

“God help me, but I need you.” He undressed her and flung her clothes aside.  His own quickly followed.

She lay down again and held her arms out to him.  He lowered himself on top of her.  His flesh burned her heated skin.  The wool of the Oriental rug pressed into her bare back.  The slight pain intensified her passion for him. 

“Now,” she whispered.  She wrapped her hand around his hard penis and guided him to her.  He entered her, taking her with a possessiveness that inflamed her.  Arching her hips against his, she molded her body to his.  She belonged to Logan.  Only this moment mattered.  She met his every hard thrust, urging him with her body to make her his forever.  She barely recognized the sound of her voice crying out his name. 

He cupped her bottom, lifting her to meet him, driving deeper and deeper into her.

Her climax erupted, fast and furious, like a shower of dazzling stars, shooting her into the sky.  The lights from the tree overhead blurred and danced before her eyes.

Loganshuddered with his own climax.  She clung to him, running her hands over his muscled back, reveling in his heat and masculinity.

He collapsed on top of her.  The fragrance of pine joined with the musk of their lovemaking. 

She wound her arms around Logan’s neck and closed her eyes.  She would sear this moment onto her brain.

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Excerpt #2

Doriana turned off the TV and dropped the remote on the bed. Thinking about Logan teased her with questions. Why was he at the fire site with her dad? That story about his having fire experience didn’t ring true. Logan and her father were hiding something.    

Thankfully the workweek had been short with the two-day holiday. She needed time away from Logan and all the longings, confusion and guilt he stirred in her.    

She trusted Anita to keep her secret. But she feared her own guilt would force the truth. Logan hadn’t cared enough to stay around the first time. Would knowing about Josh keep him here now? Doriana got up from the bed and ran impatient fingers through her hair. She was obsessing way too much about Logan.

She walked toward the bathroom, pulling her sweater over her head. Too bad she couldn’t peel away her problems as smoothly. The ring of the phone stopped her. Slipping her sweater back on, she hurried to answer it. Josh calling to say goodnight? She doubted it.

“Hello,” she said into the receiver.

“Hello, sexy.” At the crude, unfamiliar voice, she tightened her grip on the phone. Chills chased up her spine.

“Who is this?”  Her voice shook.

“Oh, you don’t know me. Not yet. But I sure know you. You’re sexy as hell, especially in those tight black pants.”  

Doriana slammed down the phone. Her insides shook and she ran trembling hands along the sides of her black pants. Had her caller guessed at what she wore, or was he watching? She gulped air.

The phone rang again and she let out a small cry. Balling her hands, she dug her nails into her palms. She would not pick up the phone. The answering machine clicked on.

“You can’t get away from me that easy.” The harsh voice, laced with menace, froze her. “I know you’re alone.” Almost seeing his leer, she shoved a shaking fist to her mouth.

“Let me in, bitch. I’ll show a hot number like you what a real man is. Not like that pretty boy you’ve been hanging around with.”

His loud cackle shot knife points of fear through her and she stifled a scream. The phone clicked off. The silence of the empty house closed around her. She glanced toward the windows. Could he see her through the sheer curtains?  

Trembling, she sank onto the bed and clutched the chenille spread as if she could hide herself in its folds. She couldn’t stay here, but she dared not leave. He could be waiting outside. She hadn’t set the security alarm.

She reached for the phone. Her dad would know what to do.

With her hand on the receiver, she froze. Her dad had looked tired all day. He’d been under a lot of stress. Remembering his doctor’s advice to take it easy, she knew she couldn’t put more strain on him.

The cops? Would the police even get involved? And if they did, they’d come eventually and look around, then leave. And she’d still be alone.   

Logan. He would help. She had his cell phone number somewhere. She ran to her purse where it lay on the floor and rummaged through it with nervous fingers until she found the slip of paper with Logan’s number.

Taking calming breaths she punched in the number. Please answer, Logan, please.

Her spirits sank with each unanswered ring. Was he with Candi? Or another woman? Hurt mingled with her fear.

“Tanner here.”

Relief spiked through her at the sound of his voice.

“Logan?” A sob escaped her.

“Doriana? What’s wrong?”

The concern in his voice made tears spill out. Despite the tension between them, Logan would protect her.

“Someone called,” she said, swiping at tears. “Outside. He knows where I live. He could hurt my son.” Anger, swift and hard, tightened her stomach. “The bastard will not touch my son.”

“No one will hurt you or your son, Doriana. Did you recognize his voice?”

“No, but he’s watching me. The son-of-a bitch. He said awful things. How dare he do this to me?”

“I’m coming right over. Give me your address.”

About the Author

Cara Marsi, an award-winning author and self-proclaimed TV junkie, is a former corporate drone and cubicle dweller. Freed of her fabric-covered cage, she can now indulge her love of all things romance. She craves books with happy endings and loves to write about independent heroines and the strong heroes who love them. And she loves to put her characters in dangerous situations or situations merely dangerous to their hearts and watch them fight for the happy endings they deserve.

An eclectic author, Cara is published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. She's also published numerous short romance stories in national women's magazines and online. When not traveling or dreaming of traveling, Cara and her husband live on the East Coast in a house ruled by their fat black diva of a cat named Killer.

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Cara is also a member author of the Romance Books 4 Us group blog

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