Day: October 18, 2018

Book Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Suspense/Intrigue Romance

Review – The Collective Season 2

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The Collective Season 2 (Series)
(Authors are listed below by each title)

This review is from: October 18, 2018 By Kay Daniels (Kindle Edition-Goodreads) Due to time constraints I was only able to read 1/2 of the season, the other 1/2 awaits in my TBR-enjoy.
Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Heat Level:🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Eight authors eight standalone novels. The Collective is an epic crossover series that interconnects and weaves a storyline taking you on a thrill ride of deceit and deception. Can you figure out the answer before the very end?

Ensnared: The Collective Season Two, Episode 2
Author: Leona Windwalker
Genre: Male/Male BDSM Romance

Review:

Everything I ever wanted to know about Japanese/American culture. But seriously, Leona Windwalker brought me into a world I knew nothing about and I was transported there living the life with Hisoka. She has a gift with words.

Hisoka Tsukuda has to pick up his life, move away from his family, find a new job and place to live all due to a creepy ex-lover/Dom who turns stalker in the second book of this series. Getting Hisoka‘s new life on track, his new job, where he eats, shops, whom he meets takes up a large chunk of the story, which may seem irrelevant, but don’t let it fool you. Pay close attention because as you continue reading the other books you may remember clues from Hisoka’s new life and those clues may help you solve the case.

Swayed: The Collective Season Two, Episode 4
Author: Erin Trejo
Genre: Mafia Romance

Review:

Erin is the queen of writing a gripping, disturbing love story. One where bloodshed and murder surround a blossoming love story and instead of cringing you still root for the couples love. She is able to shine a light on their very, very dark souls and yet you still root for them.

Neither Luciana nor Nico were looking forward to their arranged marriage, but as with most things when dealing with the mob, neither had a choice. What neither expected was to actually enjoy the other’s company once the deal was done. Luci turned out to be everything Nico never thought possible and yet everything he needed. Nico was exactly what Luci had never wanted, but he completed her in a way she never allowed herself to dream. Now if they could just sway the rest of the mafia to think like they did then life would be living on easy street.

Trust: The Collective Season Two, Episode 6
Author: Riley Edwards
Genre: Detective Suspense Thriller Romance

Review:

Riley Edwards is a master at writing a suspenseful novel. Trust is filled with action, twists and turns.

The city is under siege and things are going downhill fast. Each book has been building upon the other, layer upon layer, have you picked up on all the clues? If you read last seasons series you know sometimes the clues can be deceptive. Trust delves in deep with characters from last season. We met Logan Reid and Ava Kelley in book 1 last season along with their family and friends. Trust focuses on their best friends Aiden “Mac” Mackenzie and “Laura” Harper Russo. Mac and Laura have been playing with a D/s relationship for several months although it’s clear that Mac wants more and Laura isn’t willing to give more.  We learn she is on the run and doesn’t have a real life to give anyone. When reality comes knocking and it’s finally time to say goodbye to the best thing she’s ever known, she finds out the hard way just how stubborn Mac can be and he isn’t going to let her go without one hell of a fight. Thankfully Laura wants Mac to win this one.

There are a lot of clues to be picked up along the way. Are you keeping track?

Redemption: The Collective Season Two, Episode 8
Author: Ellie Masters
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Review:

I love Ellie Masters’ contemporary novels. They are lush, steamy and just darn good.

As the city falls to pieces Jennifer Galloway, a paramedic for San Francisco, has been there to help the victims. From the death of an innocent child that seems to be a catalyst to the riots, to a tenant in Hisoka’s building who was suffering a heart attack, to treating a wounded Aiden and so on and so forth. Jennifer has borne witness to it all. Therein lies the problem with her very story, bearing the burden when she seems to have a problem with bearing her own children.

She and her husband, Patton love one another very much, but have had trouble sustaining a pregnancy on top of additional losses that continue to surround them.  Love may not be enough to get them through their troubled times. With the very city falling into chaos around them it only seems right that nothing else is right in their world either.

With a war on the brink, the city in chaos, and people in an uproar what will become of San Francisco? No one is safe as corrupt politicians and dirty cops rule the street. A child’s death puts targets on the backs of those in law enforcement and sets two cities ablaze with riots. When the police chief’s daughter is kidnapped amid the chaos, will the Collective solve the case and rescue her in time?

Find out when you read The Collective, Season 2

Find more of my reviews on Amazon under kayreader
or on Goodreads under Kay Daniels
You can also follow me on Facebook at Kay Daniels Romance

Cover Reveal, Excerpt/Teaser Share, New Releases

Cover Reveal – Ravished River

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COVER REVEAL
Title: Ravished River
A Mercy & Mayhem Series Novel
Author: Lindsay Cross
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Cover Design: Kari March Designs
Release Date: November 6, 2018

BLURB 

As a Special Forces operative, Aaron Spears treated relationships like Tangos. He’d seen the wreckage of his Task Force brothers’ attempts and had no desire to put any woman through the hardship. He had one purpose – serve his country and protect his teammates. Then Celine Latimer walked into his life and turned his world upside down.

Celine Latimer thought she’d hit the jackpot when hunky SF operative Aaron Spears asked her to accompany him to the high-profile wedding of Senator Cotter’s daughter. They’d get to spend two weeks together while Aaron pulled guard duty for Caroline Cotter and Celine intended to use every spare minute, seducing the man she’d had a crush on for over a year.

The time and place proved to be more of a barrier than either of them realized. With his commander watching his every move, Aaron couldn’t afford to show any weakness. That meant ignoring Celine.

Rejected and hurt, Celine packed to leave only to be caught in a kidnapping plot against the Senator. Here she sat, in a hut in the Middle East, waiting on a rescue that may never come.

He’d sworn to protect and he’d failed. Now Aaron lived for one purpose- to rescue the woman he lost before she’s sold into slavery and spend the rest of his life making her see how much he loves her.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42186704-ravished-river

EXCERPT 

CHAPTER ONE

Camp Eagle Claw, classified location Afghanistan…

The Afghanistan desert would have made the devil himself sweat, not that the devil was brave enough to set up headquarters in this godforsaken land. Only the United States Special Forces would be sick enough to pick the meanest valley in the Middle East as its home away from home.
Even the insects were AWOL. The only creatures crawling across the sand were the death dealers – scorpions, snakes and Special Forces.
Operative Aaron Speirs, assistant medical sergeant and weapons expert, bent over and gripped the metal bar in front of him, working on his fourth set of dead lifts in the spotted shade provided by the camo net over Task Force Scorpions, TF-S, camp.
Up, down. Three hundred ninety-five pounds, nearly twice his bodyweight an extreme amount guaranteed to give him arthritis by retirement but he wasn’t worried about that since most men in the Teams didn’t live to see their fiftieth birthday. Sweat ran in rivulets down his shirtless chest, dropped to the scorched earth with a sizzle and evaporated instantly.
Up, down. One more round of lifts and he might fall out from weariness, which was exactly what he intended. He couldn’t stop thinking about Celine Latimer with her perfect platinum hair and soulful eyes. He couldn’t forget the taste of her strawberry flavored lip gloss or the fact that it was his fault she’d been kidnapped.
Up, down. Another lift. Aaron’s exhausted muscles screamed in protest, but he kept moving, ignoring the pain.
Why had he turned her away?
Because he knew what would happen if he let himself care about her – he’d lose her just like he’d lost his mother.
He yanked the weight up hard. How many people had to die before he learned his lesson?
He’d buried his mom ten years ago, someone else had dug the grave but he’d put her there. The memories crashed into him. Her blank stare when he’d found her on the bathroom floor, blood flooding from her wrists. Dammit, how could have been so blind? If only he’d been paying closer attention…
Aaron ground his teeth together and held the ungodly weight high, fighting the cold seeping into his chest. But no matter how hard he tried to resist another image flashed. Shane falling to his death in that ambush, his scream cut off when he hit the ground.
Celine.
The hurt in her eyes when he’d cold shouldered her…all because he couldn’t face the fact he’d been unable to hold his vow to never do to a woman what his father did to his mother.
Now they were all gone. Guilt bread and multiplied in him, taking over everything else.
“Dammit, Speirs, drop the weight before you crush your spine.”  Ethan Slade, communications sergeant and Aaron’s best friend, strained under the weight of his bench press five feet away.
Aaron blinked the blinding brightness of the desert into focus, shoved the memories down and turned to Ethan with a blank expression.
Ethan racked his weight and shot upright. “Don’t give me that fucking look. I know exactly what you’re thinking.”
Aaron let the weight crash to the ground, ignored the sweat stinging his eyes and reached for the barbell again. “Giving up already?”
He had no intention of letting Ethan go at another one of his amateur counseling sessions.
Ethan ignored the barb and mopped the moisture from his face with a nearby towel. “You need to ease up, give yourself a break.”
“Celine’s not getting a break. Caroline’s not getting a break.” That dammed thought crept into his nightmares every single night. 
“You drowning in guilt won’t save them either.” Ethan tossed the towel on the bench and stood.
He stood, pulling the bar up with him. “Who said anything about guilt? I’m out for revenge. Cold and simple. Guilt hasn’t got anything to do with it.”
Ethan strode to Aaron’s gym back and yanked out Aaron’s BDU jacket. “Really?” He ripped open the front pocket and pulled out two photos. “Then why do you carry their pictures over your heart?”
Ethan held the pictures up right in Aaron’s line of vision. His mom’s sad smile mocked him. The one screen shot he’d taken with Celine taunted him.
“Fuck you.”
Those pictures were the ghosts that haunted him daily for his fuck up.
Ethan didn’t relent, instead he shoved their faces closer. “You couldn’t have done anything to stop it, bro. She wanted to go after you dad left.”
His dad didn’t leave. He died. He took his thousandth fucking mission, ground his mother’s heart into their gravel driveway and never came home.
A growl built in his throat. “Drop it.”
“Stop blaming yourself.” Ethan’s voice dropped and he let the photo’s fall into Aaron’s bag. “Your mother wasn’t your fault back then and Celine’s not your fault now.”
Aaron slowly lowered the weight this time, allowing his comment to pass without reaction. His teammate was wrong on both counts. He’d seen the clues in his mom. She’d started with the drinking first and then the anti-depressants. And then he’d gone and done exactly what his dad had done before he was killed in action, he’d left.
Just like he would always do.
He’d devoted his life to the Teams. His country. His brothers in arms.
A life in the special forces was not life for a relationship. His firsthand experience with the disaster of his parents failed attempt was enough to keep him forever away from giving his heart to any woman other than the Statue of Liberty.
He was man enough to admit that he’d been week with Celine. She’d been the first woman who’d ever tempted him from his duties. He’d actually thought about more than a one night stand with her – he’d envisioned a future together. And because he’d given into that weakness, she’d been taken by the one man who could do the most damage.
Ethan would never understand, he had his woman. Kate was safe and sound, waiting on him to return home. At least until she wasn’t. “Let it go.”
“Not until you do.” Ethan faced off with him, hands balled into fists at his side.
Aaron straightened, for one second letting the pain show in his expression. “When Kate dies because of you, come talk to me about letting go.”
Ethan threw his hands up in the air and stomped over the weight bench. “Your mom’s gone, man. Celine’s not. You’ve still got a chance.”
“Not if I don’t find her.” Not even then. He hadn’t learned before but he had now. Fate had given him one chance – she wouldn’t allow another one. He’d find Celine, deliver her safely home and walk the hell away before he did more damage than he’d already done.
Ethan shot him a look of quiet anger. “We.”
“What?”
“We will find them. You’re not the only one on this team. We were all there when Celine and Caroline were kidnapped, in case you’ve forgotten.” Ethan fell back on the bench and lifted the barbell straight over his chest with a grunt. “If you aren’t willing to let go of the guilt, at least realize you don’t have the corner market on it.”
Aaron stared at him, testing his friend’s words, allowing them to roll around in his mind. Maybe with Shane, their teammate, he wasn’t alone in the feeling. They’d all fell for the ambush – set up by their very own CIA liaison. TF-S had moved in without question to motivation and still hadn’t realized they’d snuck right into a trap until they were right in the middle of a shit storm of combatants.
What about Celine? Could he share the blame of her kidnapping with them?
Hell, no he couldn’t. He hadn’t told Ethan about sleeping with her or about the fact he’d left his post because he couldn’t stay away from her. Only their commander, Colonel Grey, knew that he’d given in to the insurmountable temptation of Celine Latimer. He’d broken his vow to his mother that he’d never put a woman through her hell in one scorching night of passion that had permanently seared his soul.
Ethan snorted. “You’re skull’s as thick as that metal bar.”
Aaron grunted gratefully at Ethan’s change in conversation. His limit for talking about his failures had been reached a week ago. “Can’t argue that.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“What?”
“You agreed with me. What’s that – like the second time since we’ve been over here?” Ethan said.
“Quit with the chick talk and start talking about how we are going to gut J and I’ll talk all day.” Aaron emphasized the we just for Ethan’s benefit.
He could feel Ethan rolling his eyes. “I get it. No more talking about anything but the mission.”
“And killing Mr. J.,” Aaron finished for him.
“We’ll find them. We’ve already narrowed their location down to this area of the desert.”
“You mean this hundred-square mile radius of ISA loyalists protecting our old liaison? Mr. J wants nothing more than to make us pay.”
The Islamic State of Afghanistan, the lead terrorist organization in the world, along with the help of Mr. J, was responsible for kidnapping Caroline Cotter during her high-profile wedding to General Rainer. A relationship crafted in the hallways of JSOC themselves and a bargain struck between the senator in command of JSOC and his four-star General. It was a match made in Department of Defense, DOD, heaven.
Senator Cotter would take complete control of JSOC with the General at his side, carrying out his tasks. “You get the feeling the whole wedding was orchestrated by Mr. J?”
Task Force Scorpion’s former CIA liaison turned traitor. Caroline Cotter had been the bait to seal the deal and Celine Latimer had been collateral damage.
Ethan said, “Or it was a deal Mr. J couldn’t afford to allow to go down.”
Aaron paused mid-air. “You think he wanted to stop it?”
Ethan shrugged and racked his bar. “Makes sense, why else kidnap her before the wedding could take place?”
“You talk to the commander about this?”
“Yeah. He said he’d starting kinda thinking the same thing. But without proof, the girls or J, we won’t know anything for sure.”
Aaron grabbed his towel and wiped his face. He’d been so focused on his failure he’s never stopped to consider that J wasn’t pulling the strings, but trying to cut them. “It should never have gone down like that.”
“Exactly. The senator vetted his own security. He pulled us in for extra detail, that’s it,” Ethan said.
“It was a cake mission. How hard could it be to pull security at Caroline’s wedding?” He’d gotten complacent. He should never have taken Senator Cotter’s word that he’d fully vetted his own staff. Aaron grabbed the bar, needing the physical exertion to tame the internal battle.
If he’d approached the mission with the same intensity he did all others Celine might still be here.
Up, down. The barbell bowed under the heavyweights stacked onto the ends every time he lifted. He was going to make Celine’s kidnapper bend like that, right before he snapped the bastard in half.
“You’re right, we knew better, but we both trusted the Senator. It was his fuck up, too, and his daughter that was kidnapped because of it,” Ethan said.
“Not just Caroline. Celine was kidnapped, too. Don’t forget her,” Aaron ground out, jaw clenched under the pressure of holding up the extreme weight and guilt.
“In case I need to remind you, my girlfriend, Kate, was almost taken. Don’t talk like I don’t understand, man. We nearly lost all of them.”
“I’m not, I just- I was the reason Celine was there in the first place,” Aaron said, careful to keep his emotions on the back burner.
“Yeah, so what? You invited her because you you’d vetted her and we needed a makeup artist and stylist we could trust. Someone who could be close to Caroline that we wouldn’t have to worry about. You were just doing your job.”
Oh, he did his job alright. He’d fully vetted Celine Latimer, but not as a stylist for the bride. “If you say so.”
He wanted her. He’d wanted her for nearly a year. He’d wanted her so bad he’d forgotten the cardinal rule – no relationships in the special forces. Not that he enjoyed one-night stands, but he wasn’t about to put a girl through the shit of being in a relationship with a man who was never there, or one who may never come home from a mission.
He’d seen the toll it took on his mother. Each and every time his dad left on a mission, Aaron would watch another batch of light in his mother’s eyes dim. Then the painful forced reunions with a man none of them knew anymore. Hell, his father didn’t know his wife and kids either and how could Aaron blame him for just doing his duty. He couldn’t fault his father for signing his life over to the military, but he could sure as hell make sure he never put a woman through that kind of pain. His dad didn’t come back from his last assignment. His mother lost it, broke apart into a million pieces. The one woman Aaron had loved above all others slipped right through his hands and took her own life.
He’d thought about blaming the military – but how could he? He blamed his father for falling in love and committing to a relationship he could never hold. No matter what, Aaron had vowed to never do that to a woman. Either they understood that they came to his bed for one night only or they didn’t come at all.
And that life creed had held him rock steady for his entire career – until Celine Latimer made him want more.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk about it anymore. Aaron dropped the heavy metal bar with a satisfying clank onto the concrete at his feet.
Ethan wiped the sweat from his face and dropped the soaked hand towel on a nearby metal chair. Their workout facility had the necessities. Water enough so they wouldn’t pass out from dehydration. Weights heavy enough to work off the steam. All the outdoor circulation the desert could provide.
Hell on earth.
They’d been stationed there for two weeks, searching and pulling recon non-stop. They’d tapped all their contacts in the area, searched satellite photographs and even done some door-to-door searches only to come up with nothing. Not even a blip. It was as if the two women had vanished.
“I saw Hoyt and Jared pull in a few seconds ago. Let’s head back out. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a lead,” Ethan said.
Aaron left the barbell on the concrete pad for the next guy who needed to bend some metal. “Five minutes.”
After a quick shower and uniform change, the two checked in with the commander and then headed out on their knock and talk mission, which was a complete waste of time, but it was also their only hope for a lead right now.
“Just got a call from the rest of the team, they’ll be here in the next hour. Top has some new intel he wants to show us.” Ethan pulled the Humvee to a stop at the end of Mississippi Street, in Shorawak, a medium sized town near the Afghanistan/Pakistan border. Square built white stone buildings lined the dirt road, some with metal doors and other with burlap covering the opening. Kids kicked soccer balls down the end, but stopped the second they got out of their Humvee.
“Looks like we weren’t expected.”
Ethan snorted. “We were expected, not welcomed.”. Mississippi was one of the safer streets to patrol, and one that they hadn’t covered yet in their door-to-door search for Caroline and Celine.
“OK,” Aaron got out of the Humvee, heading to the first door on the street. He banged hard, waited a sec and knocked again. A man answered, his gaunt face haggard with deprivation and dirt. Aaron held up the headshots of the girls. “You see them?”
“No.” The man slammed the door in his face and Aaron forced himself to back up a step and move down the street.
No had been the standard response from those who had any English vocabulary. Most of the time, they just got angry retorts in Farsi, followed by a door slam.
Ethan trailed behind, guarding Aaron’s back as he stopped at every single door on the street. They questioned twenty households on Mississippi and then moved on to Arkansas Street. When they reached the end of that, about fifty doors of no new news of the girls later, Aaron reached the end of his patience. “I hate not knowing.”
“Me, too, brother. Maybe the new intel will be something we can actually use,” Ethan scanned the now deserted street behind them, keeping his rifle at the ready.
“I’m letting you take the next one.” Aaron knocked on the beaten up green metal door. “I swear, if another asshole slams the door in my face, I’m gonna kick it down.” A man in a white tunic and pants answered, his gaze raking over Aaron a second before the man spit on Aaron’s boot.
Aaron gritted his teeth and held up the worn photos of the girls. His boots had been through worse shit than this. “Have you seen them?”
The man cursed and made to shut the door. Rage rode through Aaron on wings. He slammed a hand to the door and yanked the man out, pinning him to the wall. “You hear me? I asked you a question. Where are the girls?!”
The man threw his hands up, waving in front of his face and shouting back in Farsi, “Man nemefahmam. Man nemefahmam.”
Ethan grabbed Aaron’s shoulder, pulling him off the local. “He doesn’t know. What the hell are you doing?”
The man ran inside and locked the door. Ethan grabbed Aaron and threw him against the wall where the villager had been. “What’s going on, man? I know you, and this isn’t like you. And don’t give me another line of shit about how you feel guilty for screwing up the mission, because we all screwed that one up and you know it. We’ve all failed missions before and moved on. What’s eating you alive over this one?”
What was so different?
Maybe it was the fact that he’d cornered Celine in her bedroom and tried to devour her whole. Or maybe that she’d returned the favor full force in an explosion of passion neither of them had been prepared for. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the fact that Aaron had thrown out his training and experience on pure instinct and lust. He’d known the digs of getting involved with Celine, or at least he’d thought he had. But once he’d had her, the moment he buried himself between her sweet, honey drenched thighs, he’d realized his mistake.
Celine Latimer was his one. The One. He wouldn’t be able to quit her after a one nighter. She was like a drug. Her kisses. Her moans. Her need for him.
And fuck all if he’d ended up killing her like his father killed his mother.
Colonel Grey walking in on them going at it like two teenagers in the back of his father’s car when Aaron should have been on patrol, was just the steel shovel to bury the relationship coffin.
Aaron had tucked tail and turned away from Celine, pointedly ignoring her for the rest of the week despite the wounded expression she shot him whenever they were in each other’s vicinity. “I should have paid better attention. It was my job to protect them.”
“And mine. And the Team. And the Secret Service.”
“But-”
“No buts.” Ethan kept him pinned. “You’ve been on edge since we got here and I’ve tried to stay out of it, but I’m not gonna sit back and watch you lose it. You’ve been taking chances lately; chances you never used to take.”
Celine was at the mercy of a murderer and in a den of monsters who treated women worse than dogs. They wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her. Bile clawed its way up his throat at the thought of another man’s hands on her body.
“Just let it out, brother. Get whatever is eating you alive off your chest so we can get to work.” Ethan crossed his arms.
If he’d pushed harder, tried to pick him apart, Aaron might have clamped down, but the obvious concern in Ethan’s voice broke through Aaron’s wall of anger; straight through to his fear.
“Shit.” Aaron shoved a hand through his thick sweaty hair. “I’m trying, you know. I can’t get her out of my mind long enough to concentrate. Every time I think about someone hurting her…” He wanted to punch something. To break something. To kill someone.
“I get it. You know I get it. But you got to find a way back to zero, brother. This edge you’re riding puts us all at risk.”
“I know you understand, but that doesn’t stop the fact that Mr. J has them. We know that. He’s already tried to murder our team twice. If he can find a way to use the girls against us, you know he will. We have to find them before it comes to that.”
Ethan put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “We both know what Mr. J is capable of. Just like we both know that if you don’t get your center back, Mr. J will win. Again. Your greatest weapon is your training. Take that rage filling up your insides right now and compress it into cold hard hate. You figure out a way to get it under control and we will find Mr. J and Celine. But you keep letting the anger rule your decisions instead of logic and you’ll get us all killed.”
Aaron blew out a long sigh, knowing Ethan was right, but at a complete loss as to how to tame the raging beast inside him. “I know that’s what I need to do. I just don’t know if I can.”
“Oh, you can, brother. Trust me. Just think about how good it’s going to feel to put a bullet in Mr. J’s skull. If it hadn’t been for Mr. J, Shane might still be alive, and ISA sure as shit wouldn’t have had the resources to attack us on our own soil.”
ISA made the Taliban look like amateurs. They had ambushed Task Force Scorpion’s headquarters, nearly killing the entire team and their families. They’d turned Shane Carter, TF-S’s first sniper, against his own team, resulting in Merc having to put a bullet in his teammate.
All that, and now Senator Cotter’s daughter. “This is going to sound corny, but my instincts are telling me he’s up to something else, something so twisted, we can’t even imagine it, but, dammit, I don’t know if that’s really my instincts or the fact that I’m scared to death he’s going to hurt Celine.”
Ethan went silent. Finally, he took a step back and gave Aaron a look of dawning horror. “That’s it. This was not a random kidnapping – Caroline Cotter’s father is head of Joint Special Operations Command, JSOC. The general she was supposed to marry was in charge of the Special Forces. If Mr. J can get control of those men, he’ll be able to manipulate United States SF to do his bidding and the forces would think they were just following orders.”
Aaron froze, the truth of Ethan’s words way too possible. “If Senator Cotter puts in orders to deploy an attack and the general signs off, it will look totally legit.”
Ethan nodded, “He could order the takeover of a small country and make it look like it happened with the blessing of the United States.”
The words sunk deep and heavy in Aaron’s gut, pulling the plug on his fury as a heavy dread settled over him. “If Cotter really worships his daughter above all else, he’ll do whatever Mr. J demands to ensure her safety.”
Aaron, on the other hand, was the only one who worshipped Celine Latimer. Unfortunately for her, the desires of an expendable Special Forces agent didn’t bear a whole lotta weight when it came to striking a deal with the devil.

AUTHOR BIO

Lindsay Cross is the award-winning author of the Men of Mercy series. She is the fun loving mom of two beautiful daughters and one precocious Great Dane. Lindsay is happily married to the man of her dreams – a soldier and veteran. During one of her husband’s deployments from home, writing became her escape and motivation.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://www.lindsaycross.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsaycrossauthorpage
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/203321623348970
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaycrossauthor
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bDbFNb
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lindsaycross101
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8292030.Lindsay_Cross
Amazon: http://amzn.to/293aMCR
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/lindsay-cross
Book+Main: https://bookandmainbites.com/lindsaycross

GIVEAWAY 

There is a giveaway for a $25 Amazon gift card

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba3ffd552026

Release Day/New Release

New Release – The Rogues Redemption

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RELEASE BLITZ
Title: The Rogue’s Redemption
Series: Border #8
Author: Cecelia Mecca
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: October 18, 2018

BLURB

He thought himself irredeemable. She showed him the truth.

The Rogue
Reid Kerr has always known his place. He’s the brother no one can depend on, the rogue who’s determined never to marry. But when he attends a council of border chiefs at Highgate End, he meets the one woman who might change his mind about love—and his own worth.

His Redemption
After narrowly escaping an arranged marriage, Englishwoman Allie Bowman is content to remain a permanent visitor at her sister’s new home, Highgate End. She is finally free to be herself. Or so she thinks. When she falls for the most notorious rogue in Scotland, she will discover her sister has very particular ideas of whom she should marry.

With both loved ones and circumstances poised to keep them apart, will Reid and Allie fight to stay together?

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41054001-the-rogue-s-redemption 

PURCHASE LINKS – $2.99 for release week only!

US: http://1click.bz/TheRoguesRedemptionAMZNUS
UK: http://1click.bz/TheRoguesRedemptionAMZNUK
CA: http://1click.bz/TheRoguesRedemptionAMZNCA
AU: http://1click.bz/TheRoguesRedemptionAMZNAU

Free in Kindle Unlimited

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE BORDER SERIES

Start the series for just 99c!

US: https://amzn.to/2L3FcnQ
UK: https://amzn.to/2IfEWVe
CA: https://amzn.to/2IilUxq
AU: https://amzn.to/2Il7vwv

Free in Kindle Unlimited

AUTHOR BIO

Cecelia Mecca is the author of the bestselling Border Series medieval romance.

A former English teacher, Cecelia combines two of her passions, romance novels and the middle ages, transporting readers to an admittedly romanticized time of knights and castles. Her first series, set along the Anglo-Scottish border in 13th century Northumbria, turned Cecelia from educator to full-time author. Readers love the Border Series for its focus on well-developed characters and their steamy relationships leading to satisfying happily ever afters.

Cecelia lives in Northeast, Pennsylvania with her husband and two young children where she can be found either planning a Disney trip, watching period dramas or convincing her children to watch Star Wars. She is firmly House Stark and Gryffindor.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website: http://www.ceceliamecca.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ceceliamecca
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ceceliamecca
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/ceceliamecca
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ceceliamecca
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Cecelia-Mecca/e/B01N3BI0A0
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cecelia-mecca

GIVEAWAY 

There is a giveaway for a signed paperback of The Rogue’s Redemption (US only)

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba3ffd552025

Release Day/New Release

New Release – The Collective Season 2

K

The Collective Season 2
New Release – October 18th
 
Eight outstanding authors celebrate the release of The Collective Season Two. Eight standalone novels that interconnect and weave together taking readers on a thrill ride of deceit and deception. 
 
Are you ready to find out what all the buzz is about?
 
We’ve set the stage, created the characters, and fashioned a world full of twists and turns. Now it’s your turn to sit back and immerse yourself in this incredible series. Each episode weaves the characters and storylines of our standalone novels together to give you an epic crossover series.
No one is safe as corrupt politicians and dirty cops rule the street. A child’s death puts targets on the backs of those in law enforcement and sets two cities ablaze with riots. When the police chief’s daughter is kidnapped amid the chaos, will the Collective solve the case and rescue her in time?

 

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Absolution: The Collective Season Two, Episode One
Author: B.R. Bradley
Genre: Mafia Romance
124 pages

 

 

 
 
Makenna
 
Four years ago, the man I loved was murdered in cold blood right before my eyes. The moment his heart stopped beating mine did too. 
 
Until Callisto Suppato came along, and a whole new world began to unravel. 
 
In his arms I found comfort in the darkness I used to run from. The future we both always dreamed of is finally within reach.
 
All we have to do is let go of our past…
 
Callisto
 
For seven years, I loved Makenna from the shadows. It was the only way to keep her safe. In my world, love is a death sentence. But I couldn’t stay away. 
 
Now here she is, walking through Hell with the devil as her guide. 
 
Just when our life is starting to feel normal, my best friend’s sister is kidnapped and Makenna could be next. 
 
I promised her no more secrets, but I have to keep her safe. 
 
She thinks she knows me. 
 
She thinks she loves me. 
 
She’s about to find out who I really am…
 

 

 

Universal Amazon Link:

 

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Ensnared: The Collective Season Two, Episode 2
Author: Leona Windwalker
Genre: Male/Male BDSM Romance
198 pages

 

 

 
 
“To My Soul Mate On Our Anniversary”
 
It was a beautiful card. The problem was Hisoka wasn’t celebrating. It was another unwanted token from the Dom who’d trained him in the fine art of Shibari and to understand and appreciate the gift of submission. Hisoka knew things had to change as Jeff had become too fixated with having his former apprentice on his knees for him.
Moving to San Francisco should have been a fresh start—a new city, a new job, new friends, and a new club. And, best of all, a new sub. Danilo looked simply gorgeous wearing his Master’s knot work. However, things aren’t going as smoothly as Hisoka had hoped. Family issues, city-wide riots, and a stalker have complicated his life, but he’s determined to stand his ground for one reason—Danilo. The sub is worth it. Will Hisoka keep the best thing that’s ever happened to him or will outside forces destroy everything?
 
 
 

 

Universal buy link for the entire series: mybook.to/Collectiveseason2
 
Universal link to my Amazon author page: author.to/LeonaWindwalker
 
 
 
 
 
Leona is an Army Brat and veteran as well as a longtime staunch supporter of human rights and environmental causes. Her favourite genre to read is M/M fiction and she particularly enjoys the science fiction, fantasy, and action/suspense subgenres–especially if they have a nice seasoning of romance and at least a hint of kink. She has far too many books on her Kindle, has overloaded her phone with even more and, when not reading, writing, being driven to distraction by her children, or being overlorded by her seven(!) cats and two Newfoundland dogs, can be found trying to locate the portal that the sock monster uses to steal socks from her dryer. That is, when she’s not run off on another adventure while holing up in her beloved caravan.
 
 
Social media links:

 

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Gravity: The Collective Season Two – Episode 3
Author: J. L. Leslie
Genre: MC Romance
149 pages
Remy…
 
As a rehabilitation therapist for the California State Prison, I look for the best in people. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to find the best in myself though. I only wanted an escape. That’s all I have ever wanted. I walked into that bar and found my escape in a man I had no intentions of seeing again. 
I didn’t have any expectations from the stranger from the bar. I didn’t expect him to save me from a riot that broke out in the city. I certainly didn’t expect to feel this unexplainable pull to him. But I do. And now I know who he is. He’s a member of the Iron Claw MC.
 
Riggers…
 
She was supposed to be a one-time thing. Neither of us wanted more. Instead, she turned my world upside down. I don’t know who I am when I’m with her. A good guy, or the guy I have always been? The guy who follows orders from my president. No matter the cost.
I can’t expect Remy to be part of my world. She’s heaven and I’m hell. It doesn’t matter that gravity continues to pull us to each other. I can’t drag her down with me, especially when the things I do for the club will forever change her life.
**This book contains adult content, graphic language, violence, and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers only.**
Universal Amazon Buy Link:
 
I am a happily married mother of three (two boys and one girl). I live in a very small town in Alabama. Never lived anywhere else. I’ve been writing since my early twenties, but I couldn’t seem to finish a book. I started self-publishing with the encouragement from my mom. Without her encouragement, I don’t think I would’ve done it!
 
I get my inspiration from life experiences, movies, television, other authors, and music. Music is definitely a big influence on my writing. I can hear a song and it can inspire an entire book for me. I listen to it while I’m driving or before I start writing and it keeps me inspired. I like to put music in my books, even if it’s just one song the characters listen to or hear at some point. Sometimes music has gotten me through the really tough times in my life and that’s why it inspires me.
I like to write fast-paced, steamy romance reads. I like for my males to be alpha-males and my heroines to be strong, but both need to have one weakness- each other. I am an avid reader. I absolutely love romance books!
 
Social Media Links: 
 
You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, and Amazon!
 
 
Fan group/reader group, J.L. Leslie’s Lovelies: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1120018351380810/
 
Street Team, J.L. Leslie’s Pimpin’ Peeps:
 
 
Exclusive Author Group, Sexy Kissaways Book Club:
 
 
Instagram:
 
 
 
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Swayed: The Collective Season Two, Episode 4
Author: Erin Trejo
Genre: Mafia Romance
126 pages
I wanted to be on top. I vowed to make all the things my father wronged right. Arranged marriages have been happening in our family for a very long time and I was no different. I took it in stride with the mindset that my father had instilled in me. I could rule her as well as this family. Sadly, that was my first mistake.
 
Are you ready to find out what all the buzz is about?
We’ve set the stage, created the characters, and fashioned a world full of twists and turns. Now it’s your turn to sit back and immerse yourself in this incredible series. Each episode weaves the characters and storylines of our standalone novels together to give you an epic crossover series.
No one is safe as corrupt politicians and dirty cops rule the street. A child’s death puts targets on the backs of those in law enforcement and sets two cities ablaze with riots. When the police chief’s daughter is kidnapped amid the chaos, will the Collective solve the case and rescue her in time?
Universal Amazon Link:
I am an author that doesn’t fit well into any category. The books I write have romance in them but they are not your typical read. Not all fairytales have a happy ending and in my books, it is always hard for the characters to stay together. They really have to work for it. There is usually a lot of drama and/or suspense also.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
 
 
Facebook Group – Fire and Ice https://www.facebook.com/groups/1177887305577544
 
 
 
 
 
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Flawed: The Collective Season Two, Episode 5
Author: Jade Royal
Genre: Multicultural Romance
Pages
Him 
After a horrible breakup, Donovan swore off women and focused on his dream of building a web design empire. Family and one-night stands had to be enough to cure his broken heart or at least distract him from the pain. All love wanted to do was string you along and make false promises. Who needs that? All was well without that. Then he saw HER.
 
Her 
Kayleena is called home from college because things are falling apart without her. She only has one semester left at school before she’s done but it doesn’t look to be in her near future. Covered in flour and icing, she never expected to see HIM. She’d put enough distance between them so that she would never have to deal with being just friends. Her heart has always craved forever with him, but he proposed to another. Now he’s back in her life and dead set on them being friends. Will she have the power to walk away again or should she settle for his friendship?
Universal Amazon Buy Link:
When the voices begin to speak, Jade Royal sits down in her lab to write the tale. The story unfolds with each keystroke as she listens to her instincts bring the words to life. For as long as she can remember, Jade has always expressed her creative nature artistically, especially by writing. She refers to herself as “Slave to the Pen” because it’s difficult for her to resist the call to write.
 
Jade resides in Cincinnati, Ohio where she was born and raised. She has many siblings and is very family oriented. She spends Sunday evenings eating dinner with them keeping the bond between family nice and strong.
 
Jade Royal is the author of the series Limits of Love. The series focuses on love, romance, and the eroticism of the two combined. The first book was released in December of 2016.
 
As an author, Jade hopes to pull in her readers to experience a community of stories that they can relate to on various levels. The emotional roller coaster that is bestowed will hopefully make her readers stalk her words and provide literate entertainment.
 
For more information on Jade Royal, follow her on her website and social media avenues.
 
Stalk Jade Royal’s Seductive Words… 
She writes just for you.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Trust: The Collective Season Two, Episode 6
Author: Riley Edwards
Genre: Detective Suspense Thriller
224 pages
 
I have a million reasons to keep running—and one to stay.
 
I’m a dead woman walking; there’s a target on my back and a million-dollar price tag on my head. I shouldn’t have fallen in love, not if I wanted to stay alive. I’m a liar, a con, I’ve changed my name so many times I can barely remember who I am.
 
They’ve found me and I have to leave. I keep telling myself it’s better this way. He’s too good for me. The detective and the mafia princess, can you image?
She ran like a thief in the night taking my heart with her. The city I’ve sworn to protect is in chaos; buildings are burning and there are riots in the streets. Innocent people are being killed and all I can think about is her. 
 
I’ve uncovered her secrets. Now all I have to do is find her and convince her I can keep her safe. 
 
Easier said than done—the woman has trust issues. 
 
 
 
Universal Amazon Buy Link:

 

 
 
 

 

Hey everyone. *waves*…For those of you who are new to me, my name is Riley Edwards. My debut novel Nightstalker released in July. It’s a Military Thriller romance. With a badass female lead! Of Course, there is plenty of smoking hot sexiness sprinkled throughout a storyline that will keep you guessing! What is a romance novel without a sexy alpha male that challenges his woman in and out of the sack?


Anyway….back to me. 🙂 I tried to come up with some interesting stuff about myself you would like to know. You know some witty funny stuff that would make me sound 
fab-u-lous, but alas I am boring as hell. Just an FYI, nothing will depress you faster than that realization.


A close friend recently described me as, and I quote “You are annoying, brash, sexy, loud, boobed, beautiful, needy, supportive, wonderful, interesting, aggressive, and fun. All to varying degrees throughout each and every day.”


And that about sums me up.
Social Media Links:
Email – thecollectivenovels@gmail.com
Newsletter sign up – http://eepurl.com/cxCJFb

 

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Angst: The Collective Season Two, Episode 7
Author: Samantha A. Cole
Genre: Male/Male BDSM Romantic Thriller
Quinn and Carson’s long-term D/s relationship is on the rocks. Between Quinn’s job as a US Marshal and Carson’s as the Head of anesthesiology at San Francisco’s only trauma center, they haven’t had much time together lately. Quinn’s aversion to discussing what’s bothering him doesn’t help matters. 
 
When all hell breaks loose in the city, riots, dirty cops, and a missing woman put Quinn and others in danger. Carson discovers trying to get his lover to open up to him might be the least of his worries. Before he can salvage their relationship, will he lose the love of his life forever?
Universal Amazon Link:
 
USA Today Bestselling Author and Award-Winning Author Samantha A. Cole is a retired police officer and paramedic. She’s lived her entire life in the suburbs of New York City and is looking forward to becoming a snow-bird between New York and Florida someday. Her two fur-babies, Jinx and Bella, keep her company and remind their mom to take a break from writing every once in a while to go for a walk, which is the best way to deal with a stubborn case of writer’s block.
 
An avid reader since childhood, Samantha was often found with a book in hand and sometimes one in each. After being gifted with a stack of romance novels from her grandmother, her love affair with the genre began in her teens. Many years later, she discovered her love for writing stories was just as strong. Taking her life experiences and training, she strives to find the perfect mix of suspense and romance for her readers to enjoy.
 
Her standalone novel, The Friar, won the silver medal in the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Awards in the Contemporary Romance genre out of more than 1000 entries. 
 
While the original planned stories for the Trident Security series have been completed, they have brought many opportunities for Samantha to spread her wings and bring her readers more characters and stories to love. Look for her new Hazard Falls series, the Trident Security Omega Team series, the Doms of The Covenant series, the Blackhawk Security series, and more from the Malone Brothers series, in addition to several standalone projects.
 
 
 
Social Media Links:
Sexy Six-Pack’s Sirens Group—
 
 
Subscribe to my newsletter—www.smarturl.it/SSPNL
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Redemption: The Collective Season Two, Episode 8
Author: Ellie Masters
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Pages
 
Jennifer:
 
Our city is in flames.
 
Crooked cops and corrupt politicians rule the streets. 
 
All it took was the murder of an innocent to ignite a firestorm and set two cities ablaze. 
 
While our cities burn, I face the devastation on the streets, saving lives while my marriage falls apart. I once thought Patton and I could survive anything, but we’re not coming out of this unscathed. We’ve lost too much and our love is stretched beyond the breaking point.
 
The choices I make aren’t easy, but at the end of a long and brutal night, I’ll see what remains of both my city and the love of the man I can’t live without. 
 
Patton:
 
Overcome with grief, I walked away from the love of my life. Jen is on the streets, doing what she does best. She’s saving lives while I watch the city burn.
 
But, when she goes missing in the middle of the riots, I can no longer ignore the truth. She’s my wife. My love. She’s my life. I’ll do whatever it takes to find her and beg for forgiveness.
 
I’m not sure if I’m strong enough or worthy of such redemption, but I will bring my wife home.
 
 

 
 
Universal Amazon Buy Link:
ELLIE MASTERS is a multi-genre author, writing the stories she loves to read. These are dark erotic tales. Or maybe sweet contemporary stories. How about a romantic thriller to whet your appetite? Ellie writes it all. Want to read passionate poems and sensual secrets? She does that too. Dip into the eclectic mind of Ellie Masters, spend time exploring the sensual realm where she breathes life into her characters and brings them from her mind to the page and into the heart of her readers every day.
 
When not writing, Ellie can be found outside, where her passion for all things outdoor reigns supreme: ATV-ing, scuba diving, hiking, and breathing fresh air are top on her list. Ellie’s favorite way to spend an evening is curled up on a couch, laptop in place, watching a fire, drinking a good wine, and bringing forth all the characters from her Mind-to-the-Page and eventually into the hearts of her readers.
 
Social Media Links:
 
 
 
 
 
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Book Reviews, Contemporary Romance, Release Day/New Release

New Release – Suit; A 44 Chapters Novel

K

The much anticipated novel, SUIT, by BB Easton is finally live! Check it out and grab your copy today!

Title: SUIT
Series: 44 Chapters
Author: BB Easton
Release: October 18

About SUIT

Because BB Easton had so much fun writing her bestselling, award-winning memoir, 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN, she decided to give each of her four men his own steamy standalone. SUIT is Ken’s book—the hilarious, heartwarming tale of how BB finally got over her bad boy phase and found happily ever after with…gasp…a guy in a tie.

“Since when are you into guys in ties? You only like guys who look like they rob guys in ties. At gunpoint.”

It was true. By 2003, my type had been well-established. There might as well have been a giant sign on my heart that said, “Good Guys Need Not Apply.”

Which is exactly why I had to friendzone Ken Easton. The man was a former football star, smelled like fresh laundry instead of stale cigarettes, and had more ties in his closet than tattoos on his knuckles. Pssh. BOR-ING.

But the more I got to know my hunky study buddy, the more questions I came away with. Questions like, why doesn’t he date? Why does he avoid human touch? Why does he hate all things fun and wonderful? The psychology student in me became obsessed with getting inside Ken’s head, while the spoiled brat in me became obsessed with getting inside his heart.

In 2003, I found the one thing I love more than bad boys…

A good challenge.

*SUIT is Book 4 in the 44 CHAPTERS ABOUT 4 MEN spin-off series, but it can be read as a complete standalone.

Buy Now or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited

Add to Goodreads

Read Kay’s Review: Suit; A 44 Chapters Novel

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About BB Easton

BB Easton lives in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia with her long-suffering husband, Ken, and two adorable children. She recently quit her job as a school psychologist to write stories about her punk rock past and deviant sexual history full-time. Ken is suuuper excited about it.

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Spotify | Etsy

Release Day/New Release

New Release – The Hysterics Box Set

K

The Hysterics Box Set by Kristen Hope Mazzola is available NOW!

Amazon — https://amzn.to/2P4qyyB
FREE with #KindleUnlimited

From Best Selling Romance Author, Kristen Hope Mazzola comes Five Standalone Rockstar Romances + Bonus Material all in one book.

The Hysterics Series is made up of heart-melting, swoon-worthy rock star standalone romances focusing on The Hysterics rock band! From the panty-dropping rock gods to the women that steal their hearts and the family that loves them – this series has it all, with tons of characters that will make your heart pound while making you wish you were back-stage with the band and keeping you turning those pages… So, grab your e-reader and get your heart racing while falling in love with this amazing group of incredible musicians and their entire family as they take you on one hell of a wild ride!

The compilation includes:

The Hysterics
Colt & Serena
Becoming Hysteric
Steele
Where Are They Now: A Glimpse into The Hysterics Future

Please note: This is meant for audiences that are 18+ for sexual situations, language, and adult content.

About the Author:

Bestselling author, Kristen Hope Mazzola, is a Florida native that has found herself loving a North Carolina life. She writes contemporary romance ranging from steamy romantic comedy, sexy erotica, angsty new adult, all the way to sports romance – with dirty bikers, hot military men, and swoon-worthy rockstars in between.

Author Links:

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1fQ2eZI
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eUz8P8
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1gZdki8
Website: http://bit.ly/1dBeHku
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/184qzve