Excerpt: Don't Speak by Katy Regnery

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Synopsis

From New York Times bestseller Katy Regnery comes a new twist on a beloved fairytale.

In this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, a fisherman’s daughter from an Outer Banks island untouched by time, meets the son of the North Carolina governor at a fancy party she helps to cater. 

Laire, who wants more from life than her little island can offer, is swept away by wealthy, sophisticated Erik, who is, in turn, entranced by her naiveté and charm. The two spend a whirlwind summer together that ends on the knife-point of heartbreak and forces them to go their separate ways.

Years later, when fate finds them together once again, they will discover the terrifying depth of the secrets they kept from each other, and learn that shattered hearts can only be healed by a love that willfully refuses to die.

All novels Katy Regnery’s ~a modern fairytale~ collection are written as fundraisers. 10% of the e-book sales for in March and April 2017 will be donated.

Excerpt

(Excerpt from DON’T SPEAK, a modern fairytale by Katy Regnery. Inspired by “The Little Mermaid.” All rights reserved.)

“Hey!”

    She heard his voice before she saw him.

    Had she known the ultimate cost of that simple glance heavenward, maybe she wouldn’t have stopped. Maybe she would have just kept on walking with her head down. But fate held no warnings for Laire Maiden Cornish.

    Shielding her eyes, she looked up at a deck wrapped around the second floor of the mansion, waiting a moment for her eyes to adjust as he came into view.

    There, in the glittering sunlight . . . a boy.

No, a man.

A young man, a little older than she, tall and muscular, with jet-black hair and a square jaw, dark brown eyes, and a deep tan. He wore a robin’s-egg blue bathing suit with Kelly green palm fronds in a small repeat and a pair of sunglasses buried in his thick hair. In one hand, he held a phone up to his ear, and in the other, he slowly swirled a glass filled with ice and clear liquid. He stared out at the sound, concentrating on his call.

“Hey!” he yelled. “Can you hear me now?” He huffed with annoyance, pulling the phone away from his ear and squinting at it before trying again. “Pete? It’s Erik. Can you hear me?” He set the glass down on the balcony’s wooden railing and gave his phone his full attention. Staring down at it, he muttered, “Shit. No reception.”

It’s Erik.

Erik.

His name is Erik.

Feeling a sharp burn in her lungs, Laire realized she’d been holding her breath and sucked in a huge gulp of air as she stared up at him, frozen in the moment, utterly mesmerized.

She had never seen a more perfect, more handsome person in her entire life.

The sun glinted off his dark hair and wrapped his body in gold, making him appear godlike so very far above her. Were she the type to swoon, Laire imagined she would have been a puddle of goopy longing on the ground below him, content to sacrifice her pride for a glimpse at his beauty.

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Katy Regnery started her writing career by enrolling in a short story class in January 2012. One year later, she signed her first contract and Katy’s first novel was published in September 2013.

Twenty-five books later, Katy claims authorship of the multi-titled, New York Times and USA Today Blueberry Lane Series, which follows the English, Winslow, Rousseau, Story, and Ambler families of Philadelphia; the six-book, bestselling ~a modern fairytale~ series; and several other standalone novels and novellas.

Katy’s first modern fairytale romance, The Vixen and the Vet, was nominated for a RITA® in 2015 and won the 2015 Kindle Book Award for romance. Katy’s boxed set, The English Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1–4, hit the USA Today bestseller list in 2015, and her Christmas story, Marrying Mr. English, appeared on the list a week later. In May 2016, Katy’s Blueberry Lane collection, The Winslow Brothers Boxed Set, Books #1-4, became a New York Times E-book bestseller.

In 2016, Katy signed a print-only agreement with Spencerhill Press. As a result, her Blueberry Lane paperback books will now be distributed to brick and mortar bookstores all over the United States.

Katy lives in the relative wilds of northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, where her writing room looks out at the woods, and her husband, two young children, two dogs, and one Blue Tonkinese kitten create just enough cheerful chaos to remind her that the very best love stories begin at home.

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Cover Reveal: Children of Vice by J.J. McAVoy

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Publication Date: May 17, 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I, Ethan Antonio Giovanni Callahan, first son of the former head of the Irish mob, Liam Alec Callahan, and former head of the Italian mafia, ex-governor, Melody Nicci Giovanni Callahan, solemnly swear to ruthlessly protect our family name, business and way of life, no matter the cost to me or anyone else. I shall show no mercy; I shall offer no forgiveness; there will be no peace for those who stand against me.

I will live for my family.
I will kill for my family.
I will marry for my family.

I, Ivy O’Davoren, the only daughter of Shay O’Davoren, solemnly swear to ruthlessly and mercilessly exact revenge on the Callahans and all those who betrayed my father and family.

I will live for revenge.
I will kill for revenge.
I will marry for revenge.

About J.J. McAvoy

My name is JJ and I’m a student currently living in Ottawa. I wrote Ruthless People in the summer of 2013 in hopes of giving myself a new type of love and crime drama. I never would have imagined that so many of you would enjoy it as well! I truly feel blessed to have fans like you all. Writing is my true love and having you all love my words is a dream come true.

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Spotlight: It Happens in the Hamptons by Holly Peterson

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About the Book

In the Hamptons, the everyday people are as complicated and fascinating as the millionaires...

When Katie Doyle moves across the country to the Hamptons, she is hoping for summer employment, new friends for her young son, and a chance to explore a new love affair with a dazzling investor. What she finds is a strange cocktail of classes, where society’s one-percenters vacation alongside local, hard-working people who’ve lived in the Hamptons for generations. Though she’s looking forward to their move, Katie is wary about mingling with her boyfriends’ East Coast elite circles. She soon discovers Southampton isn’t all that it seems to be on the surface—and neither are the people who live there.

As George takes Katie on a whirlwind tour of country clubs, haute couture, and lavish events, she is amazed to witness sudden whims become dire needs, extra-marital affairs blossoming right and left, and people purchase friends and loyalties like a pair of shoes. Even the middle-class townspeople maintain a determined façade while maneuvering like sharks among the wealthy summer invaders.

The more Katie becomes immersed, the more she learns the secrets of both the upstairs and downstairs, the upper crust and middle of the road. The combustion between the classes becomes explosive as the summer tears on. Betrayals, a sexual predator, and a missing person lost in murky waves drive the reader on a racing Learjet ride through impossible twists and turns until landing at the shocking conclusion. When she meets Luke, a local surfer and middle school teacher, he makes her question what it is she really wants as she understands the life she’s begun for herself is built on shifting Hamptons’ dunes.

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About the Author

Holly Peterson is the author the May 2017 social satire fiction release, It Happens in the Hamptons. In 2016, she curated an outdoor cooking book, Assouline's Smoke and Fire: Recipes and Menus for Outdoor Entertaining. In 2014, she published The Idea of Him and of the New York Times bestseller The Manny in 2007.  She was a Contributing Editor for Newsweek, an Editor-at-Large for Talk magazine and an Emmy Award-winning Producer for ABC News, where she spent more than a decade covering everthing from trials of the century to global politics. Her writing has been published in the New York Times, Newsweek, Town and Country, The Daily Beast, Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Elle Decor, Departures and numerous other publications

Spotlight: Milly’s Real Food by Nicola ‘Milly’ Millbank

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MILLY’S REAL FOOD is all about going back to basics and creating tasty classics from scratch with a modern twist, making food a pleasure; both the ritual of cooking and the joy of eating. Recipes that embrace sustainable and accessible ingredients, easy methods and a refreshingly fad-free approach to home cooking.

With 100 recipes including Saffron and Prosecco baked mussels, Rioja and Jerk Lamb shanks and Death by Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake, Milly is an advocate of using fresh produce, eating a varied diet and having fun with food.

From a rising star on the foodie scene, MILLY’S REAL FOOD is the kind of cookbook that makes you excited to get in the kitchen and has the corner of every page turned down.

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About the Author

When Milly (aka actress Nicola Millbank of Mount Pleasant, Mr. Selfridge and Silent Witness) moved to London aged 18 to become an actress she had to learn to fend for herself and that included improving her cooking skills. With a love for home-cooked dishes, she wanted to make them her own but a bit fresher, lighter and more exciting. So followed a 10-year full-blown love affair with home cooking that became her food blog MILLY COOKBOOK.

Spotlight: Undiscovered by Sara Humphreys

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About the Book

"Darkly sensual, rich with emotion, a wild unsettling ride."—Christine Feehan, New York Times bestselling author
 
He’s the man of her dreams

A long time ago, Zander Lorens was cursed to walk the earth stripped of his Dragon Clan powers. Every night, trapped in a recurring nightmare, Zander relives his darkest moment. He can hardly believe it when the dream changes and a beautiful young woman appears. Zander believes she’s the key to ending his torment. Finding her in the real world is one thing, but how will he convince her of who—and what—she really is?
 
She’s the end to his nightmare

Rena McHale uses her unique sensitivity as a private investigator, touting herself as a “human divining rod” and finder of the lost. By day she struggles with sensory overload, and by night her sleep is haunted by a fiery dragon shifter. Nothing in her life makes sense, until the man from her dreams shows up at her door with a proposition…

Excerpt

A flicker of jealousy flashed when Rena thought about some other woman tending to Zander’s comfort. She ran her fingers over the smooth paper and, for a split second, thought about using her gift to take a look at this Lana chick. But when the front door clicked open, she immediately thought better of it and quickly slapped the note onto the counter.

She spun around and clasped her hands behind her back awkwardly just as Zander stepped inside. She was going to make a smart-ass remark but the sight of him momentarily made her lose the ability to speak. Or at the very least, her mind went totally blank because all she was capable of for that minute was soaking in the sight of him.

He was dripping wet. Water sluiced from his leather jacket, which he promptly hung up before kicking off his boots. His jeans were wet too and clung to his long, strong-looking legs.

Were the pants coming off next?

Rena swallowed hard when she let her gaze skim over his ass as he leaned over and peeled off his socks. Jeez. Even his bare feet were sexy. The dark T-shirt he wore was damp and clung to every dip and curve of muscle in his back. His ropy, well-defined arms flexed as Zander turned to face her and pushed his shaggy, wet hair off his face with both hands. His damp skin glistened in the soft, yellow light of the cabin. Zander’s chiseled features seemed even more defined than before. His jaw was covered in the dark shadow of scruff, and those haunted eyes of his peered at her intently beneath dark eyebrows.

The two of them stood there for at least ten beats of her heart. Neither one said a word. Only the sound of rain pelting the roof and their breathing filled the cabin. The space that only moments ago felt open and spacious had shrunk in size the instant Zander stepped into it.

The man was like a walking flame, and it was as if all of the oxygen had been sucked from the air the instant he slipped inside. Suddenly, each breath was more labored than the last. The plan, the one she was so proud of, now seemed like a stupid idea. This man wasn’t one to be toyed with.

A flicker of self-doubt niggled in the back of her mind.

What if he really didn’t want her?

Maybe he really had only kissed her because she reminded him of Arianna?

Rena sucked in a shuddering breath as he returned her bold stare. The simmering heat in his unwavering gaze seared into hers. Warmth seeped into her chest and her entire body shimmered beneath his inspection.

It was now or never.

Her heart raced and her tongue flicked over her lips before she finally worked up the courage to say something.

“Your Lana,” she sputtered and jutted her thumb over shoulder toward the counter. “I—I mean someone named Lana left you a note.”

Rena’s cheeks flamed. The hint of a smile played at Zander’s lips and he moved slowly toward her. Her befuddlement amused him? She tucked her hair behind her ears as he sidled closer and picked up the paper. Even with the barstool separating them, his towering form was close enough that his body heat, even more intense than it had been earlier, wafted over her, reminding her of the flickering flames of a fire.

She half expected steam to rise off his damp skin.

Rena leaned one elbow on the island and studied him while he read the note.

“Who’s Lana?” she asked with as much nonchalant innocence as she could. “She sure is thoughtful to come over and set the place up for you.”

“She’s a friend.”

Zander crumpled the paper and tossed it over Rena’s head into the tall, white garbage can in the corner. The movement brought him even closer, and his musky, leather scent filled her head. She breathed deeply and fought the sudden lust-ridden urge for her eyes to shift.

His arm dropped to his side and that piercing gaze flicked to hers, melting her insides bit by bit. Rena’s steely resolve to seduce the big, bad dragon wavered as she gazed into the limitless depths of his haunted eyes. Swimming behind the cool facade were the lingering effects from centuries of pain and loneliness.

A kindred spirit, lost in the dark but seeking the light.

The knot in her chest, the core of her steely self-sufficient resolve, loosened. Rena knew, better than anyone, what it was like to drift through the world alone and unwanted. Zander might have been a dragon all those years ago, but he wasn’t a monster.

He was a man deserted, cut off from both the human and the supernatural world.

Rejected by both. Belonging in neither. Just like her.

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About the Author 

Sara Humphreys is the award-winning author of paranormal and contemporary romance including shapeshifter and vampire stories, and contemporary romance about firefighters, police officers, and K9 cops. A public speaker and speaker trainer, Sara lives with her husband and four sons in Bronxville, New York.

Exclusive Excerpt: The Billionaire Takes All by J.S. Scott

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About the Book

A-list movie star and billionaire Julian Sinclair learned from past tragedy that life doesn’t come with multiple takes. Now that he’s figured out what he wants—in the lush form of redheaded Kristin Moore—he’s got one chance to claim it. Between working as a medical assistant and filling in at her parents’ bar, Kristin has no time for pleasure. So Julian is bringing her to his brother’s Vegas wedding, where their mutual attraction can finally get a starring role.

What happened in Vegas has followed Kristin right back to Amesport, Maine. In the space of one magical weekend, the leading man in all her X-rated fantasies whisked her off to Sin City for breathtaking sex, followed by an “accidental” marriage she doesn’t remember. Kristin fully expects Julian to demand a quickie divorce. But instead he’s daring her to go all-in. To gamble everything on a love that might be too good to be true…or the best, wildest adventure of their lives.

Exclusive Excerpt

“I am not staying with you.” Kristin literally stomped her foot as she glared at Julian the moment the concierge had left the enormous suite, after delivering their suitcases and asking if he could do anything else for them.
 
The penthouse was enormous, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls. It was totally breathtaking and opulent, the gold and greenery seeming almost incongruent, but it worked. However, Kristin wasn’t gawking at the suite anymore. She was alarmed that she had to share space with Julian Sinclair.
 
“The hotel is booked. And the suite has two bedrooms. It’s not like I’m asking you to share a bed, although I’m perfectly willing if you get lonely.”
 
She ignored his provocation. “Everybody is staying here. We can’t be in the same room.”
 
He yanked off the baseball cap he’d put on when they’d landed, leaving his hair adorably spiked. Kristin tried not to notice, but she was failing miserably.
 
“It’s a suite. Two bedrooms and you have your own bath.” He sprawled on the couch and pointed to the windows. “Nice view. What do you think?”
 
I think I want to crawl on top of you and ride that gorgeous body until I can’t sit down anymore!
 
Aloud, she said, “It’s lovely. There’s so many lights.” If the hotel was full, there was no use arguing the sleeping arrangements. Although she would like to be as far away from Julian as possible right now.
 
She wandered over to the window, her heart hammering from the thought of sharing this space with Julian for two days. It was a penthouse, so the views were amazing.
 
“It’s so . . . bright.” Vegas was alive with color and neon lights, even at their current height. The city view from up high was like one massive light show.
 
“Welcome to Vegas,” Julian said in a smartass tone. “You’re adorable when you’re nervous, by the way.”
 
“I’m not nervous. I just don’t want anyone to get false . . . ideas.”
 
“You don’t want them to think I’m screwing you into madness because we’re in the same suite,” he concluded.
 
Pretty much!
 
Really, it wasn’t appearances that bothered her. She was twenty-eight years old. If she wanted to bonk a handsome superstar while she was in Vegas, it was her business. Actually, it was the close proximity to temptation that honestly did make her apprehensive.
 
“Sin City,” she mumbled as she leaned against the wall and looked at the sprawling city awash with light.
 
Julian had hired a car, concerned that a limo or driving something flashy would out him. So far, nobody had recognized his face, but Kristin was pretty sure it was just a matter of time.
 
Even in a baseball cap and a normal vehicle, he still looked like Julian Sinclair. Hell, he felt like Julian Sinclair. There was something about him that exuded a special aura no matter where he went or how he was dressed.
 
“Yeah. It is Sin City,” he said huskily beside her ear as he slipped his arms around her from behind. “Want to sin with me, beautiful?” 

Her body tensed, but his seductive scent made her relax back against him. Breathing him in, she closed her eyes and let herself be held against his rock-hard body for a moment, feeling content just to be close to him. “No sinning for me,” she said regretfully.
 
His mouth caressed the side of her neck, making her body tremble. “Sinning is mandatory in Vegas. We have the wedding tomorrow, but I think we should go out afterward and do some crazy things. Something you don’t usually do.”
 
His voice was deep and persuasive, making Kristin want to take a day to be free. “What?”
 
“There isn’t much you can’t do here. Name it, Kristin. I’ll make it happen.”
 
She sighed and turned around, completely hypnotized by Julian’s low, sexy baritone voice offering to basically make any dream she had come true. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she became mesmerized as she looked into his deep ocean-like eyes, feeling like she was drowning in them as she murmured, “I’d like to take a bath in that enormous tub the size of a bed that I saw when we came in.”
 
“Done. But that one is too easy.” He looked down at her with a naughty grin she couldn’t resist. “Think big. Think of something you really want.”
 
“Kiss me?” she asked him huskily, unable to stop herself. It was the most important thing she could think about at the moment. 

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling romance author J.S. Scott is an avid reader. While she loves all types of books and literature, romance has always been her genre of choice. Because she writes what she loves to read, she excels at both contemporary and paranormal romances. Most of her books are steamy and generally feature a to-die-for alpha male, and all have a satisfying happily-ever-after ending. She just can’t seem to write them any other way!

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