Looking for your next read? Browse through our featured books that include exclusives, promotions and excerpts.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Goodreads | Newsletter
Synopsis
Before the Prescott family became big in the hockey world, there was just Noah Prescott, fighting for a spot on an NHL roster. Never did he imagine a simple note from a shy fan would speed up his world.
Ryleigh Scott had an issue talking to men, but she knew she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to Noah — potentially negative labels, be damned. Never did she imagine a simple note would start what could only be described as the beginning of the rest of her life.
This is Noah and Ryleigh — before the NHL contract, before the kids, before going back home.
This is Noah and Ryleigh from the beginning.
Excerpt
Of all the stupid, juvenile things I could have done, that certainly put the icing on the cake.
I turned at the top of the stairs just in time to see my best friend slide the folded piece of paper into number eleven’s gloved hand. Writing the note had been fun and sure, the idea of him reading it had been thrilling.
Originally.
But now?
Now I just wanted to hurl.
How the hell did I allow Savannah to talk me into this? This… wantonness… was not me. I didn’t write random men random notes, and I sure as hell didn’t give said notes to them. Especially when the man on the receiving end was a professional athlete!
They had terms for girls who did things like that:
Puck bunnies.
The nauseous feelings were swirling again; I took a deep breath to try and calm the pounding in my chest. I was pretty sure that if I held my hands out in front of me my fingers would be trembling. The only difference between me and the women who threw themselves at Noah Prescott was I kept my cleavage covered, my legs crossed, and my eyes down.
Even if I were willing to take on the ‘puck bunny’ label, I’m pretty sure Noah had a type and I was not it. I’ve seen him around town with willowy blondes with hair down to their bottoms.
Every team had its gorgeous player. Noah was the Enforcers’. Hell, I even heard an older gentleman make a comment on it once, stating, “That Prescott boy’s a good looking fellow.”
A grinding left wing for the Beloit Enforcers, an American Hockey League team playing in its inaugural season, Noah was one of the few veterans on the team. The majority of the players were rookies and the team usually played like it.
In most cases, one could look at a team and see what experience the players had. A true fan could look and see where the depth was.
The depth on this team wasn’t all that deep.
I averted my eyes to take in the arena, most of which had already cleared. To be honest, it started clearing in the middle of the third. While the arena could sit a good ten thousand people on any given day, the Enforcers were lucky to fill a quarter of the place. It was generally the away teams that filled the seats. I’m sure all the negative energy affected the players. How could it not?
I saw the potential in this team, though. I saw the drive of the players. This team could become something in time.
Like the majority of Enforcer fans, I hadn’t even been a hockey fan before they came to town. Going to games was something I could do in a city I was new to. Earlier in the year, I came to Beloit when I was offered a permanent substitute teaching position at the local elementary school. My real passion was photography, but I knew I had to have a consistent income before I even thought about making the transition to self-employed.
With the ‘big girl job,’ I moved into a cute new apartment complex just on the outside of town and fell in love with the smaller-city feel.
My friend Savannah, the culprit in this mess I found myself in at the moment, was all about finding odd things to do. Just prior to the season opening, right after San Diego labeled Beloit as their new farm team, she heard about the team’s “Family Night” and dragged me along. It was a pretty fun night. There had been a skills competition between the prospects, followed by a scrimmage. The event mainly served as a showcase for the men vying for a spot on the roster, with ultimate goals of eventually moving up the ladder to San Diego.
After the scrimmage, there’d been an autograph line. It was in line that I first truly got a glimpse of Noah Prescott and like that, my nerves had been fried. I pulled Savannah out of line and begged to go home.
I wasn’t quite sure what drew me to Noah. Like many females, I was drawn to handsome men. But like I said, I knew I could never compete with the women an athlete looked at. I’m a pretty level-headed girl in that regard. I don’t bother wasting energy on something I know I cannot complete. For whatever reason though, my eye always went to Noah – on the bench, on the ice, in the post-game interviews. In some weird sixth-sense sort of way, I always knew where to find him before even looking. The sane part of my mind, which I certainly hoped was the majority of it, labeled the whole thing as weird.
Just plain weird.
However, that ever slight crazed part of my mind had me looking up Noah’s profile that first night. According to the team’s roster and stats, Noah was only a few years older than my twenty-three. His picture hadn’t been the best, but the part that continued to stay with me was his eyes.
I was a sucker for eyes. It wasn’t just the color I found myself attracted to, but the shape, the youthfulness, the ability to read… I couldn’t be sure of Noah’s eye color, I tended to lower my eyes whenever his locked with mine, but they had a nice shape to them. More than that, you could see his youthfulness and joy for playing the sport.
It didn’t matter if I found a guy attractive though, professional athlete or not. I rarely talked to a guy I didn’t know further than hello. I blamed it on the absenteeism of my father.
“He took it,” Savannah said as she climbed the stairs two at a time, interrupting me briefly from my thoughts. Savannah was the poster child for what a female should be like. Confident, gorgeous… all the qualities I could only wish I had. Instead, I tended to be cynical toward myself and could hardly say I had a confident bone in my body. The last time I could recall being comfortable and confident was when I’d been in a relationship…
Five years ago.
I know, I know, you shouldn’t be in a relationship unless you truly liked and accepted yourself, but I seemed to appreciate myself more while in a relationship.
Where Savannah looked cool and calm in jeans and a hoodie, I wasn’t rocking similar attire nearly as well. I could pass for pretty, I’d give myself that, but gorgeous? That was a stretch. I had a face that was a bit more square-shaped than I cared for, my hair an accidental shade of auburn I hadn’t been prepared for, and eyes a weird shade of blue that actually passed more for grey. My hair color was naturally a golden blond, but a depressed day had me running to a salon for a total change.
Well, change I got.
The dark shade had the blues popping out more, so that was kind of cool.
“He looked pissed,” I said, looking past Savannah again only to catch Noah walking into the tunnel…
But not without first looking up the stairs toward me.
About Mignon Mykel
Mignon is a twenty-something (…getting awfully close to thirty-something) who resides in Wisconsin. An avid reader since her preschool days, she ‘blames’ her mother for teaching her to read during that all-important time during a forming brain. Some of her earlier memories of reading include her mother buying her a book at the mall — and finishing the book before they even returned home.
Writing happened soon after the reading started. Her first writing piece can be found in a box of other important papers from growing up. It’s about an apple who was her friend, but she had to eat.
The first series Mignon started to write was about a close family of one brother and his three younger sisters. She started writing this family and their friends in 2005, but as soon as the Prescott family took over her mind, the Ashbys fell silent. Maybe someday we’ll all hear from the Ashbys, but those Prescotts…. The Prescotts are excited to have their stories told.
Connect with Mignon: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram | Goodreads | Newsletter
Filled with magic, thrilling adventure, and sweet romance, Elementals 3: The Head of Medusa is the latest installment in Michelle Madow’s exciting Elementals series. Follow Nicole and her fellow Elementals as they journey to the end of the world, unsure of who to trust, and facing choices that will put their lives and the entire world at risk. Will they all survive the mission? And if they don’t, will the ones who do be able to find the strength to continue?
Synopsis
THE EPIC JOURNEY CONTINUES IN THE THIRD BOOK OF THE ELEMENTALS SERIES.
Moving to a new town wasn’t supposed to be easy. But for Nicole Cassidy, it meant discovering she was a witch with never before seen elemental powers. Mysteriously given a mission that could help save the world, Nicole and four other gifted classmates journeyed to Greece, where they battled ancient monsters and barely escaped with their lives.
Now Nicole and the Elementals have returned home, and while her relationship with Blake—the fire Elemental—is finally heating up, she can’t rid herself of the guilt that she’s responsible for the death of one of their own in Greece. But she must remain focused, because the portal to the prison world of Kerberos is weakening, and Typhon, one of Earth’s deadliest creatures, has escaped. Now the Elementals must retrieve the only object in the world that can destroy this dangerous monster—the head of Medusa herself.
Follow the Elementals as they journey to the end of the world, unsure of who to trust, and facing choices that will put their lives and the entire world at risk. Will they all survive the mission? And if they don’t, will the ones who do be able to find the strength to continue?
Find out in the riveting third book in the Elementals series, The Head of Medusa.
The adventure began in the first book in the series, Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows! To learn more about the first book, and to read the first four chapters for free, click here!
The Elementals series is available on Kindle Unlimited, so subscribers can read it for free!
About the Author
Michelle Madow writes fast-paced YA (young adult) fiction that will leave you turning the pages wanting more!
She grew up in Baltimore, and now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, where she writes books for young adults. Some of her favorite things are: reading, pizza, traveling, shopping, time travel, Broadway musicals, and spending time with friends and family. Michelle went on a cross-country road trip from Florida to California and back to promote her books and to encourage high school students to embrace reading and writing. Someday, she hopes to travel the world for a year on a cruise ship.
Want all three parts of the Transcend Time Saga—Michelle’s first YA romance series—for FREE? Click here to learn about the series and claim your books
Connect with Michelle: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
Dan Garrett has become exactly what he hates—popular. Until recently, he was just another live-action role-playing nerd on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Cue a massive growth spurt and an uncanny skill at taking three-point shots in basketball and voilà…Mr. Popular. It’s definitely weird.
And the biggest drawback? Going from high school zero to basketball hero cost Dan the secret girl of his dorky dreams.
A band geek with an eclectic fashion sense, Zelda Potts’s “coolness” stat is about minus forty-two. Dan turning his back on her and the rest of nerd-dom was brutal enough, but when he humiliates her at school, Zelda decides it’s time for a little revenge—dork style. Never mind that she used to have a crush on him. Never mind that her plan could backfire big time.
It’s time to roll the dice…and hope like freakin’ hell she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.
About the Author
Mother, wife, and YA author living on a windy hill in Louisiana. I love fuzzy socks, comic books, cherry coke, and brand new office supplies. THE SUMMER I BECAME A NERD released Summer 2013 from Entangled Teen.
Connect with Leah: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr
About LISTEN TO ME
In New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kristen Proby’s brand new series, five best friends open a hot new restaurant, but one of them gets much more than she bargained for when a sexy former rock star walks through the doors—and into her heart.
Seduction is quickly becoming the hottest new restaurant in Portland, and Addison Wade is proud to claim 1/5 of the credit. She’s determined to make it a success and can’t think of a better way to bring in new customers than live music. But when former rock star Jake Keller swaggers through the doors to apply for the weekend gig, she knows she’s in trouble. Addie instantly recognizes him—his posters were plastered all over her bedroom walls in high school—he’s all bad boy...exactly her type and exactly what she doesn’t need.
Jake Keller walked away from the limelight five years ago and yearns to return to what’s always driven him: the music. If he gets to work for a smart-mouthed, funny-as-hell bombshell, all the better. But talking Addie into giving him the job is far easier than persuading her that he wants more than a romp in her bed. Just when she begins to drop her walls, Jake’s past finally catches up with him.
Will Addie be torn apart once again or will Jake be able to convince her to drown out her doubts and listen to her heart?
Excerpt
“It is a shame,” Chris says.
“Don’t start, C.” I toss the bacon on my plate and push it away.
“All I’m saying is –“
“The same thing you’ve been saying for years. I don’t want to live a public life anymore. It just fucks thinks up.”
“You don’t have to live a public life to play music.” She shakes her head, cutting me off when I would speak. “Just listen. Kevin took me to a new restaurant the other night. It’s awesome.” She leans in, her brown eyes shining with excitement. “It’s sexy.”
“The restaurant is sexy?”
“Yes, and it’s amazing. So, these women have opened this place in downtown Portland called Seduction. There are aphrodisiacs on the menu, sexy music and atmosphere, amazing wine cellar. Did you know that asparagus is an aphrodisiac?”
“I had no idea.”
“Me either! Until we went there. It’s so great for couples, and it looks like it’s making quite a name for itself.”
“What the fuck does it have to do with me?” I ask mildly and sip more coffee.
“There was a sign in the window advertising for a weekend musician.”
I stare at her, blinking.
“So?”
“So you should go apply!”
She slaps her hand on the table and leans back with a satisfied smile, proud of herself.
“Fuck no.”
“Why not?”
“Jake Knox doesn’t perform anymore.”
“Jake Keller could.”
I tilt my head, suddenly intrigued.
“You don’t have to go in there and be a rock star, you know. You could just go in with your guitar and play music. You don’t have to do the old Hard Knox stuff, unless you want to try some acoustic arrangements. You could just do covers, if that’s what you wanted. Or new stuff you’re writing.”
Suddenly the yearning in my gut is so intense I can barely breathe. I love producing and writing music. Hell, I spent a month up in Seattle last fall cowriting and producing with Leo Nash, an old friend of mine, for his band’s new album. It’s fulfilling.
But fuck me, how I miss performing. And it’s really not about the screaming women, the lights, the louder-than-fuck music.
It’s just the music itself. Performing and watching the crowd sing along.
There’s just nothing like it. And the other night, when I sat on that stage and sang, it was like visiting an old friend.
But I gave it up on a rainy night five years ago when Christina was almost killed and lost her leg, all because of me.
I shake my head and clench my jaw. “No.”
About Kristen Proby
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Kristen Proby is the author of the bestselling With Me In Seattle and Love Under the Big Sky series. She has a passion for a good love story and strong, humorous characters with a strong sense of loyalty and family. Her men are the alpha type; fiercely protective and a bit bossy, and her ladies are fun, strong, and not afraid to stand up for themselves.
Kristen lives in Montana, where she enjoys coffee, chocolate and sunshine. And naps.
Connect with Kristen: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | LISTEN TO ME Goodreads | Kristen Proby Goodreads
About the Book
A valuable art collection disappears turning a treasure-hunting duo into crime-stopping sleuths committed to vindicating family members in Kaylin McFarren's action-packed suspense novel, Banished Threads.
While vacationing at the stately Cumberforge Manor in Bellwood, England, Rachel Lyons and Chase Cohen attend an elegant dinner party hosted by her uncle, Paul Lyons, and his aristocratic wife, Sara. Before the evening ends, a priceless collection of Morris Graves's paintings are stolen from her uncle's popular gallery, throwing all suspicion onto his wife's missing granddaughter. Determined to clear Sloan Rafferty's name and, in the process, win Paul's favor, Chase scours the countryside looking for answers. In his absence, the police accuse Rachel's uncle of an unsolved murder and secrets surrounding her grandmother's death and the deaths of Sara's former husbands turn his wife into the most likely suspect.
With the true villains hell-bent on destroying Paul Lyons and his family, solving both crimes while ensuring her uncle's freedom not only endangers Rachel's life but that of her unborn child. Will Chase save them before the kidnappers enact their revenge or will the ultimate price be paid, as predicted by a vagabond fortuneteller?
First place - 2016 Hudson Valley RWA Hook, Line & Sinker Contest
Book Excerpt
A lone figure stood in the estuary lookout nestled in the trees above the North Sea on the Holderness Coast, waiting with restless anticipation as Gwen Gallagher approached the cliff's edge. A quick adjustment to the night-vision binoculars allowed the watcher a closer view of the twenty-eight-year-old secretary as she savored the last autumn sunset she would ever see. The crisp, cool air picked up speed, leaving her long black hair sailing like a ghostly pirate's flag behind her. It lifted the hem of her black skirt slightly, exposing her white shapely legs and black suede booties to the wintry elements. Her pale blue eyes swept across the landscape, appraising the beauty surrounding them. She raised her chin toward the darkening sky and smiled, obviously believing the note she had received, inviting her here, had come from her married lover.
As Gwen moved even closer to the edge, the watcher inhaled a deep breath. All that remained between this ludicrous woman and the vividly blue ocean was two meters of solid rock. From the lookout vantage point, there was barely enough light to confirm that she was staring down at the tossing sands and churning water, mesmerizing in the early evening breeze. All it would take was one push, and she would feel the rush of wind through her hair and see the crystal-blue sea one last time as she slammed headlong into the jagged rocks below.
The watcher's heart was fluttering erratically now as Gwen stood balancing on the brink of extinction. The sky darkened, and gray waves slammed into the rocks, blasting sea spray high into the air. By all appearances, she had become preoccupied by the black storm clouds collecting overhead and the hard-hitting raindrops striking her cheeks. The wind was whipping now and had started to voice its howling rage. Meanwhile, the watcher climbed down from the lookout and stepped hurriedly across the uneven ground, arriving only six yards away from the scene where Gwen now remained frozen in place. The soles of her shoes held her stoically to the uneven mafic rock as the rising wind whipped and swayed her body like a frail willow. For a brief moment, the watcher was uncertain of what to do next. Then Gwen turned around suddenly and stared back in a trancelike state. Another step forward resulted in waking her.
"What are you doing here?" she called out. "What do you want?"
The watcher remained silent and took another step forward before pulling out an engraved, freshly sharpened steak knife. A look of fear crossed Gwen's rain-streaked face, making it impossible not to smile.
"Go away! Leave me alone!" she screeched. She took a final step back to distance herself, just as a massive wave hit. The spray washed over her and sent her plummeting fifteen meters down. The watcher dropped on all fours to maintain a protected position on the slippery, stony ground. Minutes later, the surge passed, and it was now safe to stand. A quick assessment confirmed the dangling binoculars were safe and in excellent working order, but the engraved knife had been washed away. After stepping down to a new viewpoint, it was easy to ascertain that Gwen had been injured from the fall and was now trapped in the jagged rocks below. She looked up at the watcher and called out for help, screaming at the top of her lungs.
Bloody idiot. If someone should hear her, they could interfere, and that would ruin everything.
Five minutes passed as poor Gwen continued to scream. Then, as good fortune would have it, the wind rose again. With the crush of another wave, she was pulled under and swept out to sea.
The watcher smiled and was about to leave when a tiny fraction of light picked up something on the ground. Careful inspection confirmed it was a gold hoop earring, plucked from its owner—a marvelous souvenir to add to the prized, growing collection. After the watcher slipped it into a pocket in the yellow hooded slicker and removed the binoculars, a pleasant thought came to mind. Since it had become a moral right and obligation to dispose of the unworthy and undeserving in the Cumberforge Manor, it wouldn't be long before Gwen's lover would be joining her and the rest of the moneygrubbing fools who had been personally escorted to the bowels of hell.
About the Author
Kaylin McFarren is a California native who has enjoyed traveling around the world. She previously worked as director for a fine art gallery, where she helped foster the careers of various artists before feeling the urge to satisfy her own creative impulses.
Since launching her writing career, McFarren has earned more than a dozen literary awards in addition to a finalist spot in the 2008 RWA Golden Heart Contest. A member of RWA, Rose City Romance Writers, and Willamette Writers, she also lends her participation and support to various charitable and educational organizations in the Pacific Northwest.
McFarren currently lives with her husband in Oregon and visits her second home in California once a month. They have three grown daughters and two grandchildren, and look forward to having more.
Latest Book Reviews
Author Spotlight
Kids Reviews
Book Chat
Writing Tips
