Mid Week Tease: Her heart sank. #MWTease

by | Nov 8, 2017 | | 16 Comments

mid-week-tease-buttonHi everyone,

Welcome back to Mid Week Tease! Here’s another tease from my story in Moonlight Magic, a paranormal boxed set which just released. My story is called The Accidental Adoption. I hope you’ll check it out!

Moonlight Magic“Good. Be back soon. Hopefully.” She gave the dog a smile, coming to the conclusion she was already losing her heart to it. Bugger. So much for being detached. She hurried to the reception area of the rescue center and went up to the desk. The woman behind it was just ending a telephone call, so Rosie waited.

The woman hung up, made a quick note on the pad in front of her, then looked up at Rosie with a smile. “Hello. How can I help you?”

Rosie returned the woman’s smile. “Hi. I’m looking for a dog to adopt. I’ve been and had a look in a few of your kennels and found one that I think could be a good fit for me, but there’s no information card. It’s the…” she paused to do some quick mental arithmetic, “fourteenth kennel from the door. A black and white Collie-looking thing with some tan markings and mad eyebrows. He or she is gorgeous—and so friendly.”

The woman chuckled. “Yeah, I know the one you mean. The dog warden just dropped him off today, actually. Unfortunately, other than his sex, we don’t know anything about him. We’ve nicknamed him Scruffy for now, but he’s certainly an enigma.”

“Oh?” Rosie frowned. “Why’s that?”

“Well, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but since 2016 there’s been a law in place that says owners must have their dog micro-chipped and ensure the associated contact details are kept up to date. This has meant that almost every dog that’s been brought to us since has been chipped. Obviously some dogs are handed over voluntarily, but for those that have been lost or have escaped by accident, we’ve been able to scan their micro-chips, contact the owners and get them reunited really quickly. It’s been amazing. But this boy, Scruffy, is healthy and happy, definitely not your typical neglected stray and yet… no chip. Hence we know next to nothing about him. The vet hasn’t even seen him yet.”

Rosie nodded slowly as she tried to process this information. “So… what exactly are you saying? He’s not up for adoption?” Her heart sank. Typical—she’d found a dog she thought might be a good match, and he wasn’t available!

Buy Moonlight Magic here: https://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/moonlight-magic/

Don’t forget to check out all the other blogs taking part!

Ghosts of Midsummer Theatre (Revenant Investigations #4) by Libby Bishop (@LibbyBRomance)

by | Nov 6, 2017 | | 0 Comments

Ghosts of Midsummer TheatreBlurb:

In 1956, the Midsummer Theatre—Noble, Maine’s most popular playhouse—closed after the daughter of the owners was murdered. Unfortunately, her killer was never found. The owners did not want the theatre opened again, but when the theatre passed into the hands of their grandson, he decided that it was time to renovate and reopen.

But the ghosts of the past don’t just fade away.

As a two year anniversary present, medium and paranormal investigator Arabella Pierce arranges for a private investigation for her and her love, Lucas Brown. Not only to help the owner get answers about his aunt’s murder, but to help keep interest in the theatre until it reopens. But as the investigation gets underway, Arabella and Lucas quickly learn that the darkness behind the murder still lingers, and if they don’t remove that darkness the theatre can never again open its doors.

They have forty-eight hours to solve the mystery of Midsummer Theatre, and every second will count.

Available from: Evernight Publishing | Amazon UK | Amazon US

*****

Excerpt:

Arabella Pierce—medium and paranormal investigator—nearly choked as she fought to keep the laughter at bay. That was made quite difficult by the shock and awe expression on her boyfriend’s face. With his mouth agape and his gaze slightly wide, not to mention his stillness, she half expected him to faint.

Her control finally broke when he slowly lowered himself onto the couch. “Lucas, are you all right?” she asked with a chuckle.

He blinked once. “Are you saying that you’ve arranged for us to investigate Midsummer Theatre? Just the two of us? On our second anniversary?”

Smiling, she sat down beside him. “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

The shock began to ease away and excitement began to creep in, but the awe was still in his gaze as he met hers. “How did you manage that, Arabella? I’ve been trying for two years!”

Leaning back against the couch and crossing her legs, she replied, “Folger helped me get a meeting with the owner down in Portland. Since he’s in the process of restoring it now, we convinced him that allowing you and me inside for two nights would be beneficial when it came time to reopen. Investigation starts tomorrow morning.”

About three weeks after Lucas had moved permanently to town, he began to hear about the local legends of hauntings. Noble, Maine had its fair share of ghosts, and for a skeptic reporter like Lucas, he was immediately interested in finding more information. He wasn’t skeptic about ghosts—they’d been known to exist for thousands of years, as had people with gifts to help with them. But he was skeptic of claims of hauntings, and especially of people who claimed to have a gift but didn’t have the testing to prove it. That had actually been how they’d met.

Two years ago, her boss, Folger Dade, had allowed Lucas to join the team on a case. Lucas was especially interested in her gift since mediums didn’t have a test that came with official State or Federal paperwork as empaths or conjurers had. Empaths could feel the emotions of the dead, while conjurers could call the dead to them. Lucas was skeptical that she actually had a gift, but he had behaved as a professional, and his article on the Revenant Investigations team had bolstered their cases.

The increase in cases had Folger seriously considering hiring on a few more gifted and non-gifted investigators.

The Kingston Cottage case was also when she’d begun to fall hard for Lucas. “Don’t push him into the bay,” had been Folger’s words to her the day he’d told her about Lucas. Two years later, she was happy she hadn’t done so on their first meeting.

“How did you tell him our investigation would help?”

“Folger wisely used the fact that the theatre was a Noble landmark, and that allowing us to investigate would only help get people interested in following the restoration,” she said. “The theatre was quite popular before it was closed.”

Lucas chuckled. “My article could draw more attention for a better opening?”

“Something like that, yes. And every Noble resident who knows the history of the place wants to know about the ghosts.”

Lucas grabbed her unexpectedly and pulled her onto his lap. He kissed her soundly, causing heat to curl in her belly.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better anniversary gift,” he said when he broke the kiss. “Well, I could, but this is a damn close second.”

Before she could ask what would be a better gift, he stood, with her still in his arms. She wrapped herself around him quickly and let out a laugh. “Where are we going?”

“To the bedroom to celebrate!”

*****

BIO:

Libby Bishop is a paranormal romance/erotic author. She loves reading, writing, movies, Lindt dark chocolate, autumn, the paranormal, and spending time with friends and family. She has one fat, fluffy cat who thinks she’s queen of the house…and really, she is.

Media Links:

Website: https://libbybishopromance.wordpress.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/octoberlibby/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/octoberlibby/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LibbyBRomance
Youtube: http://bit.ly/2uLQ6XJ

New Release: Genie’s Awakening by @JewelQuinlan #99cents A Reverie Resort Vacation

by | Nov 3, 2017 | | 0 Comments

Blurb:

Visit Reverie Resort, a luxury hotel on a tropical island where vacationers come to enjoy their wildest dreams but get more than they ever expected…

Genevieve, a Jinn, comes to Reverie Resort for one last vacation before she must go before the Afrit tribunal and formally declare that she has no powers. She hopes to enjoy one last taste of a luxury beyond even what she is used to before being cast out of her own dimension to live among humans.

But something goes wrong. Instead of the spa weekend she’s expecting, she finds herself on a remote, barren planet being auctioned off to the highest bidder and has no way to contact her hosts to correct the situation. Is there really a mix up? Or do her hosts have sinister intentions toward her? In the meantime, she finds her new owner, Colin, to be quite attractive for a human…

Where you can buy it: Amazon US | Amazon UK |  iTunes  |  Kobo  |  Nook

Add it to your shelf on Goodreads

*****

Enjoy this excerpt:

Will turned to address the men again, but did not release her from his grip. “Have a good look at this beauty, gents.”

As they gawked at her, she stood straight and proud as though daring someone to try and claim her, returning their gazes with scathing, cold eyes, her fair lips pressed into a tight line. After one quick scan of crowd before her, she shot an icy glare at Will, who let go of her and backed off.

Colin chuckled. Could this petite thing be the reason for the bruise on Will’s cheek? She radiated anger, was so alive with it that it cast off her like the heat of a flame.

Will strolled to one corner of the platform as though nothing dramatic had just occurred. “Now, where shall we start the bidding?”

“What skills does she have?” asked one of the men.

“Yeah, can she work a terminal?” asked another.

“A bit scrawny for farm work. Looks like the most she’d be able to do is keep the house clean,” someone else commented. That was followed by snickering from the cluster of men around him.

The woman tossed her head and the dark strands of her hair gleamed onyx in the light of the double suns. “I do not do menial labor.”

She reminded Colin of warrior princesses in tales. And it was obvious to him that she was unused to being handled the way she was right now.

The trader wagged his eyebrows and strolled to the other side of the platform. “Who cares what skills she has? Come now. Let’s start the bidding. With a woman of this quality, why would you ever want her to leave the bedroom?”

The deep multi-toned chuckle of men followed his statement. But Colin wasn’t among them. Instead, he frowned, and started making his way forward to end the show.

“Who will give me twenty credits?” the trader shouted. “Twenty credits for the loveliest creature you’ve ever seen.”

The woman stood with her head held high, eyes distant, stance hard as the rock that formed the distant red mountains of Garrulus Four.

The men shuffled and murmured amongst themselves. Given the kind of lives they led, beauty was a luxury far outweighed by the many other qualities they needed in a wife. This lot of men were used to leading quiet lives, and they wanted women who did the same or went along with it at least. The woman on the platform would not fit in with this plan. Even if one of them could afford her, Colin doubted they’d be able to handle her.

Will’s eyebrows were high with shock. “Nobody?” He stopped his movement on the platform and pulled his head back in an exaggerated way, making his potbelly poke forward from the coat he wore. “No one will pay twenty credits for this gorgeous creature? That’s a bargain for someone like her.”

Colin saw one corner of the woman’s mouth quirk upward in satisfaction, and he grinned again. Obviously, she felt like she was winning so far, but what would be the consequences? She’d already stated she wouldn’t work, and she’d failed to declare any skills. If all she had to trade was beauty, she was on the wrong planet.

“Eighteen credits then. Who will pay eighteen?” Will called, an edge of desperation in his voice now. “You’ve all become shy suddenly. Suffering from performance anxiety, perhaps? Who wouldn’t be with her around, eh?” He chortled and leered at the woman.

Colin could see the men glancing at each other. Who would be crazy enough to take on the beautiful spitfire? That’s what it came down to, their masculinity. Clearly they found themselves lacking, because none of them were brave enough to bid.

As the silence stretched on, a warm wind whooshed through, audible in the vacuum of stillness. It was only then that the woman’s stance thawed. Her shoulders rounded, and worry transformed her eyes from their sparkling glare to the round-eyed, lost look of an innocent. The pink lips softened and parted revealing surprise at the group’s rejection, and Colin’s heart went out to her.

“Eighteen credits!” His hand shot up in the air before he even realized that the words had left his lips.

*****

About the Author:

Restless by nature, Jewel Quinlan is an avid traveler and has visited sixteen countries so far. Lover of ice cream, dark beer, and red wine she tries to stay fit when she’s not typing madly on her computer concocting another romance novel. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga, hike, learn German, and play with her spoiled Chihuahua, Penny.

For more information about Jewel Quinlan

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The Story Behind A New Life For Christmas by Liam Livings (@LiamLivings)

by | Nov 2, 2017 | | 0 Comments

A New Life for ChristmasWhat is the story behind the story?

Every year I watch The Holiday. I remember seeing it at Christmas in the cinema the year it came out. Walking out of the cinema, I brushed a tear from my eye and said to my friend, ‘That’s not going to be the last time I watch that film.’ And rest assured, it wasn’t.

Some years I watch it twice!

Many years ago I read a book called Life Swap which is about a house exchange between two women and it opened up each character’s eyes to what they had missing in their own life and the opportunities for change.

I’m a great one for a change of scene is as good as a rest. That it’s useful to go elsewhere to make you think about your own life.

I also wondered what a m/m romance version of The Holiday may look like…

I also always felt a bit frustrated by how open-ended the ending of The Holiday is.

So I combined all these factors and decided to write a life swap festive m/m romance set in a bit of the UK I’m familiar with (I grew up in the New Forest) and a part of America I’d like to go, and am sort of familiar with, having watched The Bird Cage approximately twelve dozen times.

What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?

There’s a lot of things I like about this season. I’m not great with the cold and darkness of winter, so having a reason to see friends and family, to make lots of lovely comforting food, and relax with a film or board game, is what I love most. So basically, all of it!

There’s something comfortingly familiar about some of Christmas being the same each year – the films, the music, the board games, the trying to rush around and see everyone – while also being a bit different too. It’s that too, I love.

The novella is reduced to 99p / 99c for a limited time, so you can snap up a bargain! http://mybook.to/New_Life_Christmas

*****

Extract

Here’s an extract from when Kyle arrives from America to England, to stay in Oliver’s house in the New Forest:

Kyle was surprised at the price of the taxi and distance the cottage was from Heathrow. He’d expected ‘London’s near’ to mean thirty minutes, not an hour and a half and a demand of, ‘That’s a hundred quid, mate,’ from the taxi driver.

The taxi stopped in front of the cottage Kyle had seen on the website. It was surrounded by trees covered in snow, also covering the edge of the road. He felt he was stepping into the cover of a pretty chocolate box he’d picked up from a tourist shop. He expected a group of children would hop out of a wardrobe next to the cottage and begin exploring the snow-covered countryside.

The key was under a stone next to the flowerpot, as Oliver had messaged him.

Unlocking the door, Kyle entered a low-ceilinged room with two squashy sofas covered in multi-coloured throws facing a metal wood burning stove. The far wall had a wooden dresser covered in old china ornaments with a wooden bookcase stuffed full of books. A small galley kitchen ran along the left wall. Next to the sink was a large black metal thing he assumed was some sort of oven slash heating machine.

The room was so cold Kyle could see his breath in the air. He looked at the books—art deco, antiques, two, no, three, no four Marilyn biographies, a section of picture books of her film stills, and some books about classical music.

As he stood staring at the wood burner, wondering why anyone would choose voluntarily to have to light something when a radiator did much the same job, without all the mess and time he knew it would take to light, the only sound he heard was his own breathing. Deciding to turn on some music to get rid of the unnerving silence, he discarded the piles of classical music and put on a Now album from a few years ago.

Right, now to try and light the stove.

*****

A New Life For Christmas by Liam Livings

A house exchange between two single men leads to a romantic new life for both of them.

Oliver and Kyle live thousands of miles apart, but each needs a break from his current life and love. Enter the Cloud B&B website, a wonderful new way to exchange homes for the holiday. They both muster their courage, and decide to visit another continent for Christmas.

In the UK, Oliver has been pining after his neighbour for far too long, living his comfortable but quiet life in a town in the New Forest. When his crush moves on in the worst possible way, Oliver is seduced by the chance to stay in fun-loving, sunny Miami.

In Miami, Kyle is a club owning workaholic, who suddenly discovers the man he lives with has been unfaithful. Yet again. As consolation, Kyle is tempted to see first hand the picturebook charm of the New Forest in winter.

Both of them find not just a new setting but a new romance. Oliver makes a big effort to shed his inhibitions and meets a musician, Mark, who plays in the Florida bars, and who may be just as cautious and polite as Oliver in making the first move.

And while Kyle’s trying to come to terms with England’s very different culture—and food!—he’s charmed by Oliver’s best friend Edward, who’s bold and sexy, but secretive.

Will Oliver take the leap of faith and encourage a lover who can and will give the commitment he deserves? And will Kyle find a man who can be loyal and also offer Kyle the family life he needs?

But perhaps more importantly—when Christmas is over, can a new life survive?

http://mybook.to/New_Life_Christmas

Mid Week Tease: She gave a firm nod. #MWTease

by | Nov 1, 2017 | | 12 Comments

mid-week-tease-buttonHi everyone,

Welcome back to Mid Week Tease! Here’s another tease from my story in Moonlight Magic, a paranormal boxed set which released yesterday. My story is called The Accidental Adoption. I hope you’ll check it out!

Moonlight MagicWith patience. You look at them all objectively at first, and if there’s a cutie that’s right, you go from there. If there isn’t, you leave and try again in a couple of weeks.

She gave a firm nod. Objectively—that’s how she had to play this. She’d have to disengage her emotions altogether and glance over each animal as though it was a piece of fruit or a vegetable in the supermarket. Assess its shape and size, its suitability for her requirements. Then, and only then, could she let her emotions be involved. It was a weird and kind of heartless way of going about things, but it was also responsible. Better that than falling head over heels for a Great Dane or an Irish Wolfhound.

This tactic lasted for precisely eleven further enclosures. Too big, too big, need to be re-homed together, needs to be in a house with other dogs, reactive, needs extensive training… each one was quickly checked out, then passed by for whatever reason.

But when Rosie arrived at the twelfth kennel, everything changed. The scruffy beast in front of her was perfectly suitable size-wise, and it rushed towards her, panting happily, tongue lolling and tail wagging so fast it was a blur. She tentatively put her fingers to the wire and was treated to a volley of enthusiastic doggy kisses. With a chuckle, she pulled her hand back and wiped it on her jeans. “Well, you’re friendly and affectionate enough, aren’t you?” She glanced to the side. “But where’s your information card, sweetie? I don’t know your name, if you’re a boy or a girl, or anything.”

Like Aidan before it, the dog tilted its head to one side at the sound of her voice. It really was cute. It was some kind of mixed breed—a Collie with something smaller, she suspected, and the result was a lively, unkempt-looking creature which appeared to have a lovely nature. Its scruffiness wasn’t due to its situation, though—it actually looked incredibly healthy; bright eyes, shiny coat, wet nose.

Rosie’s heart sunk. That probably wasn’t a good thing. If the dog looked healthy, it likely hadn’t been missing for long—meaning its owners were probably looking for it and would arrive to claim him or her very soon, or there was a particular reason the creature had been handed in to the rescue center. Maybe it wasn’t good with children, or other dogs, or was terribly destructive.

The dog sat there, continuing to watch her from beneath its bushy eyebrows as its tail wagged nineteen to the dozen. She couldn’t resist poking her fingers into the enclosure again. Once more, she got lots of friendly licks. Hmm—seems nice enough with me. And he or she is the right kind of size. Maybe the information card hasn’t been put up yet, or has got lost? Guess it can’t hurt to go and find out.

Wiping her slobber-covered hand on her jeans again, Rosie said, “Right, don’t get your hopes up, but I’m going to go and enquire about you. There’s a chance we could become friends, but I need to know more about you first, okay?”

Yet more head tilting and tail wagging ensued, followed by a funny growl that sounded awfully like agreement.

Buy Moonlight Magic here: https://www.lucyfelthouse.co.uk/published-works/moonlight-magic/

Don’t forget to check out all the other blogs taking part!

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