Read an excerpt from Wild for You by Daisy Prescott

Cowboy fantasies. Oh boy, do I have them. I blame the shiny belt buckles and those chaps. Mother of pearl buttons, those chaps.

After getting dumped by my Not Future Husband, I've decided to spend the summer in Aspen exploring new adventures. First on the list is rugged, sexy rodeo champion Justin Garrison, who seems happy to accept the challenge.

What if I fall in love with the real man behind the fantasy?

Being the charming cowboy is an easy role to play. Whenever I'm on the back of a horse or riding a bull, everything's simple, uncomplicated. Running my family's ranch and trying to keep the past buried are a lot harder.

When my path crosses with a beautiful brunette at a rodeo, I'm not looking for more complications. Feisty Zoe Saragossa's not a typical buckle bunny and I'm definitely not her type.

Can a city girl fall for a real cowboy?

Wild for You is a standalone, slow burn cowboy romance. It's part of the Love with Altitude series of standalone romantic comedies set in Aspen, high in the Rocky Mountains.

Excerpt

Zoe

Justin’s warm, rough fingers cradle my hand like it’s something precious. I blindly follow him through the bar to the dance floor. He could probably lead me right out the door and into the night, and I wouldn’t protest.

It’s the first time we’ve touched skin to skin for more than a minute, and my body responds like he’s flipped a switch, flooding light where darkness has loitered for months.

The warmth from his hand around mine is the sun breaking through storm clouds.

On the small stage—only two feet higher than the rest of the floor—is a quartet of older men playing old fashioned country tunes. One has a slide guitar splayed in front of him. The tunes are upbeat, but the lyrics I catch could drive anyone to drink whiskey for breakfast.

Justin leads me to the far edge, where it’s less crowded with couples rotating counter-clockwise around the floor.

“Trust me.” With a jerk to my hand, he spins me around to face him. He lifts my left hand to his shoulder and rests his on my back near my bra strap. It’s a formal position with lots of room between our bodies for the Holy Spirit. Or at least the big gap makes me think of dancing supervised by Catholic nuns.

“What’s so funny?” The corners of his mouth curl up.

“Nothing,” I say with a shake of my head. “I’m nervous.”

“Don’t be. I’ve got you.” The smile he gives me is nothing but sweet and genuine.

“All I ask is you catch me before my face plants on the floor.”

He barks out a chuckle. “Promise.”

“Swear on your belt buckle. Or Cisco.”

He’s still chuckling when he meets my eyes. “Take me at my word.”

Beneath his black Stetson, his eyes are dark as a night without stars. It would be so easy to get lost in them forever. He begins talking again and I try to focus on his words and not the trifecta of his eyes, his hand on my back, and mine touching his shoulder.

“We’re going to go quick quick, then slow slow. Step on your right foot first.” He lifts and lowers his feet to demonstrate. “Follow me. When I want you to turn, I’ll put a little pressure on right here. Can you feel that?”

Yes, yes I can. I nod as he flexes his hand against my bra strap.

“Good, now open your hand and rest your palm on my shoulder.”

I’m fondling his shoulder. It is everything and more. Strong, rounded with muscle, and hard as a rock. A girl could have fantasies about his shoulders. I add it to my collection.

“Here we go.” He smirks.

Dancing with Justin is like skiing in fresh powder. Effortless and smooth. Even though I’m dancing backward, he leads me around the floor, weaving us through the other couples. With a gentle press of his fingers on my shoulder blade, he guides me through a turn. Amazingly, I don’t trip.

“You look surprised,” he whispers when I’m back in his arms.

It’s an understatement for how I’m feeling right now.

I’m a minute from turning into a pile of swoony goo. Never in my life have I swooned over a man before.

But Justin isn’t a regular guy.

He’s a cowboy.

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies with heart. 

Her Modern Love Stories feature characters in their thirties and forties finding and rediscovering love in unexpected and humorous ways. Her Wingmen books star regular guys who often have beards, drive trucks, and love deeply once they fall. Look for her new Rom Com series, Love with Altitude, in 2017.

Born and raised in San Diego, Daisy currently lives in a real life Stars Hollow in the Boston suburbs with her husband, their rescue dog, and an indeterminate number of imaginary house goats. When not writing about herself in the third person, Daisy can be found traveling, gardening, baking, or lost in a good book.

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Read an excerpt from Barking up the Wrong Tree by Juliette Poe

Things in Whynot, NC have gone to the dogs, and that’s just the way the town’s only veterinarian, Laken Mancinkus, likes it. No matter if she’s up when the rooster crows, or working until the cows come home, Laken never leaves an animal in need. So when a gorgeous Yankee comes begging for help herding some wily goats, Laken is up to the task.

Jake McDaniel is looking for a tax break, and what better way than to take up…farming? This ex-football player turned businessman turned unwitting goat farmer is up to his knees in goat drama. Runaway goats, dehydrated goats, and a baby goat that wants no one other than him, Jake needs more help than he cares to admit. Good thing the sexy veterinarian is right there to coach him on how to be a farmer. The only problem is, Laken’s not looking for anything more than a good time, while Jake is looking for his forever girl.

Will the baby goat, and Laken, be enough to get Jake to stay? Or will he take his tax break and hoof it back to Chicago? One thing is for certain…what happens on the farm doesn’t always stay on the farm.

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About the Author

Juliette Poe is the sweet and swoony alter ego of New York Times Best Selling author, Sawyer Bennett.
 
A fun-loving southern girl, Juliette knows the allure of sweet tea, small towns, and long summer nights, that some of the best dates end sitting on the front porch swing, and that family is top priority. She brings love in the south to life in her debut series, Sex & Sweet Tea.
 
When Juliette isn’t delivering the sweetest kind of romance, she’s teaching her southern belle daughter the fine art of fishing, the importance of wearing Chucks, and the endless possibilities of a vivid imagination.

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Read an excerpt from Holly Freakin' Hughes by Kelsey Kingsley

31-year-old HOLLY HUGHES is happy with her life. She’s a moderately successful teen advice columnist living in a tiny studio apartment on the Upper East Side with her boyfriend STEPHEN and their cat CAMILLE. She has grand plans of marrying Stephen and having his babies, until Stephen announces that he is in fact gay and in love with someone else, his boss ANTHONY. This twist of fate is the beginning of a slew of life-changing events in poor Holly’s life. Her boss fires her from the magazine for being too old, leaving her unemployed and unable to keep her apartment.

With nowhere else to go, Holly moves back to Long Island to live with her younger sister LIZ and 3-year-old niece ANNA, and takes over as Anna’s babysitter until she can find the confidence to get herself back on her feet.

As a part of her babysitting routine, Holly takes Anna on bi-weekly trips to the local bookstore, where they attend Story Time. On one occasion, Anna just so happens to run face-first into 36-year-old BRANDON DAVIS, a tall, handsome man who just so happens to be an international best-selling author of a fantasy book series. Holly is unaware of this bit of information, and remains oblivious as their friendship and love for each other grows.

When Brandon faces his personal qualms toward his career and confesses who he is to her, Holly is left to face her own issues with inadequacy.
The story deals with acceptance for one’s position in life, forgiveness, and overcoming the feeling of simply not being good enough.

Excerpt

And as though the universe could sense the awkwardness hovering around the barista bar, I felt myself struck in the side of the leg by a moving object. The edge of my kneecap pulsed with pain as my assailant crashed to the floor with a wail, and I looked down to find myself staring at a little girl; blonde and frantic with hands clutched to her face, a stuffed giraffe laying at her side.

Instinctively I knelt down, preparing to assess the situation.

“I-is she okay?” Scott asked, suddenly standing over me, his hands nervously working inside the sleeves of his oversized sweater.

I glanced up at him incredulously. Of all the stupid questions.

“Sweetheart, are you hurt?” I asked in a gentle voice, hovering my hands over her with caution, undecided on what I should do with them.

She continued to cry in hysterics, and I noticed a trickle of blood coming from underneath her hands. Although my mind raced with the possible lawsuits I knew absolutely nothing about, I asked without panic, “Can you move your hands, and let me take a look?” When she refused, I took a chance and gently pried her hands away from her face to reveal a bloody nose and a fat lip.

Scott rushed to grab a few napkins, handed them down to me, and went to fetch some ice for her lip. Perhaps feeling a little too at ease with the little girl, I pulled her up into a seated position and wiped up the blood that ran over her lips. Gently tilting her head back, I pinched the bridge of her nose. Her hysterics had subsided into controlled sobs, and her wide brown eyes watched me with caution. Evidently, the Stranger Danger had settled in.

I lifted my head to quickly look around the store for any sign of a person missing a child. “Honey, where is your mommy or …”

“Anna! Oh, my God!”

I was startled by the sudden voice of a disheveled woman. She fell to her knees beside me, more of her dark brown hair falling out of her already messy ponytail. Her hands immediately went to the pudgy cheeks, turning her face unintentionally out of my fingers’ grasp, and the little nose went un-pinched. A slow drop of blood appeared at the entrance of her nostril, and I reached over to hold her nose shut again, not bothering to wonder if I should keep my hands off this woman’s daughter.

Scott returned with the icepack and handed it to the woman. Through her frazzled panic, she looked at it curiously in her hands. Understanding the worry she must have gone through, only to find her child bloodied and screaming on the floor, I spoke to her gently and instructed her to use it for the girl’s lip. That’s when she finally acknowledged my presence, turning to face me. If there was ever a moment to strike me breathless, it was that one, and it did.

She was a pale beacon of effortless beauty, without a mask of makeup to enhance or disguise. The delicate plains of her high cheekbones radiated with the natural flush of excitement from losing her child, while a set of full lips appeared red and bitten, and in the center of it all was a slender nose that came to a perfect point. I caught myself gazing into the melted chocolate pools of her eyes, clouded by a sadness I was all too familiar with, and I realized, had I believed in love at first sight, I had just fallen face first into it.

But I didn’t believe in love at first sight.

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About Kelsey Kingsley

Kelsey Kingsley grew up in the great state of New York, and still lives there with her family and a cat named Ethel. When she isn’t writing her fingers to the bone, she enjoys a good (or bad) book, reruns of Frasier, ruining the lives of her Sims, and singing and dancing in the kitchen. She somehow survives off a diet of tea, doughnuts, and French fries. However, she hates cheese and listening to people chew. You’ve been warned.

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Spotlight: Gone Daddy Gone by Cheryl Bradshaw

A single moment is about to change Sloane Monroe's life forever ...

On an early winter morning, college student Shelby McCoy walks the quiet, snowy path back home. A tree branch snaps in the distance. Then another. A man is there with her, following close behind, whispering her name. She looks back, sees him gaining on her, and runs. Who is this man, and why is he carrying a gun?

Excerpt

Cade let out a long, tired breath. “I don’t feel like talkin’ to anyone right now. I just wanna get out of here.”

            I slid my hand inside his. “Why don’t we head to the truck and sit for a few minutes before we drive to the cemetery?”

            He nodded, and we stood, walking together toward the back door. A few people reached out along the way, patting him on the arm, giving him a smile. Cade’s puffy, swollen eyes hid the tears he wouldn’t let fall. He focused on the ground, never lifting his head until we reached the back door. He pushed it open, and we stepped out.  

            A loud bang pierced the air, the sound of a gun being fired at a relatively close range. My head whipped around as if in slow motion, processing what had just happened, even though it seemed more like a dream than reality. I squinted, focusing in the direction the sound had come from. A man in a ski mask, dressed head to toe in black, darted out from behind a vehicle, pausing a few moments to meet my gaze before running toward a tree-lined hillside behind the building.

            I was too stunned to move, my feet planted on the ground like they’d been strapped to weights. I turned toward Cade, blinking in disbelief as the present moment came into focus again, and the awareness of what had just happened hit me. Cade had been shot, blood dripping from his forehead onto his suit. He glanced at me and then released my hand, his body slumping to the ground.

I fell to his side, hovering over him, screaming. 

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About the Author

A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Bradshaw writes in the genres of mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, and supernatural suspense. To date, she has published almost two dozen novels and novellas, including her New York Times bestselling mystery series based on a sassy, OCD challenged private eye named Sloane Monroe. In 2013, Bradshaw’s fourth novel in the series, Stranger in Town, was a finalist for a Shamus Award, and that same year, book three in the series, I Have a Secret, won best thriller of the year from eFestival of Words. She was raised in California and currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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Spotlight: Dirtiest Little Secret by Skye Jordan

She is his fantasy…

Ava Jennings has spent her life dedicated to her family’s steel business. So when she catches her fiancé engaging in extracurricular activities under his desk with a coworker, Ava fires him on the spot. With her self-esteem at an all-time low, Ava throws caution to the wind and heads to a well-known, wild biker bar. She’s determined to prove she’s capable of the spontaneous, wicked-hot sex her fiancé was searching for outside their relationship. And she finds all that and more in a rugged, edgy motorcycle mechanic, the one man in the bar who eclipses all the others.

He’s her dirtiest little secret…

Isaac Banks doesn’t talk to members of the Steel Warriors motorcycle club about his painful past. All they know is he’s the best bike mechanic in the state, which is exactly how he likes it. Ava doesn’t recognize him as the awkward kid who used to spend Sunday nights at her dinner table with their families, but she’s sure interested in the man she thinks he is now. She’s from the world he left behind, and he knows he should walk away—but it’s impossible to say no to the woman who starred in all his adolescent fantasies. All he wants is one night to get her out of his system. Because there was no way she could live up to his dreams. 

But he’s wrong. One night will never be enough.

Excerpt

“I’m going to say good-bye to my friends,” Isaac told her, his voice low, slow, and deliberate, “and walk out to my bike. I won’t wait more than five minutes. But before you follow, let me tell you exactly what you’ll get if you do.”

Ava’s heart pounded hard in her ears. At this point, she wanted everything he’d give. She was already so out of her comfort zone, she might as well go all the way. How often would this moment come again?

“I’m listening,” she told him.

“I will push your every limit. I’ll fuck you in ways you never dared. Next week, you’ll still see shadows of the bruises and bite marks I leave on you tonight.”

Her mouth dried up.

“I’ll take you places you’ve never even dreamed of going. I’ll fuck you in ways you’ve never dreamed, and you’ll love every minute. I’ll make you whimper, scream, and beg.”

His words quickened her heart. Her sex felt full and hot and wet. She pulled in a stuttering breath and licked her lips, trying to play it cool. “Someone has a high opinion of himself.”

“And there will be none of that. No mouthy backtalk. No attitude. No bullshit. Just raw fucking. The only thing you’ll be using your mouth for is to scream in pleasure or suck my cock. On your knees. In the dirt.”

Her insides trembled. The picture he painted was terrifying and thrilling at the same time. She’d always believed that fear was a precursor to greatness, the subconscious recognizing what the conscious mind denied. And everything in her gut screamed Yes!

“You’ll never feel so used or so satisfied, and I’ll leave you begging for more.”

He took a step away, creating a buzz of panic in her gut.

“Five minutes,” he said. “Not a second more.”

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About the Author

Skye’s New York Times bestselling novels are all about enjoying that little wild streak we all have, but probably don’t let out often enough. About those fantasies we usually don’t get the opportunity to indulge. About stretching limits, checking out the dark side, playing naughty and maybe even acting a little wicked. They’re about escape and fun and pleasure and romance. And, yes, even love, because Skye is ultimately a romantic at heart and a happily ever after kinda gal. Skye also writes romantic suspense as Joan Swan, weaving fast paced novels of passion, danger and suspense.

Skye is a California native recently transplanted to the East Coast and living in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington DC with her husband of 25 years. She has two grown daughters in college in Colorado and Oregon. In her free time she loves rowing on the Potomac. She's always learning, attending courses and seminars in art and history and cooking.

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Spotlight: Everett ( Drake Brothers #1) by Casey Peeler

Everett Drake left the small town life and his three brothers behind the day he was old enough to enlist. However, he returned sooner than he had planned with a chip on his shoulder.

Taking a job with the local beer distributor, he makes a living, but when a new bar owner arrives in town, he knows exactly what he wants—Stella.

Excerpt

Pulling into Barger’s, the sun is shining and so is Seth’s brand new Camaro. Shaking my head, I put the Dodge in park and step toward my future as a beer truck comes barreling out the back entrance, almost running me over. Turning to see who’s driving, I put my hands on my hips and see dark hair and a set of emerald green eyes on the sexiest man I’ve ever seen and when he smiles my way, I try to act mad but it’s no use. Mental note—stay away from whoever that is.

“Sorry about that, ma’am,” he hollers out the window.

“Damn right, you better be,” I say firmly as he laughs, gives a wave and takes off down the two-lane road.

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About the Author

Casey Peeler grew up in North Carolina and still lives there with her husband and daughter.

Growing up Casey wasn't an avid reader or writer, but after reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston during her senior year of high school, and multiple Nicholas Sparks' novels, she found a hidden love and appreciation for reading.  That love ignited the passion for writing several years later, and her writing style combines real life scenarios with morals and values teenagers need in their daily lives.

When Casey isn't writing, you can find her near a body of water listening to country music with a cold beverage and a great book.

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