Chapter Reveal: Undefeated by Stuart Reardon and Jane Harvey-Berrick

A powerful contemporary romance set in the fast-moving world of international rugby.

When your world crashes down
When they all say you’re out
When your body is broken
I will rise.
I will return.
And I will be undefeated.

Nick Renshaw is the golden boy of British rugby. When a serious injury threatens his career, he starts to spiral downwards, a broken man.
Feeling abandoned and betrayed by those closest to him, he fights to restart his life. Maybe there’s someone out there who can help him. Maybe he can find his way back toward the light. Maybe … not.
Dr. Anna Scott might be the one person who can help Nick, but she has her own secrets. And when Nick’s past comes back to haunt them both, the enigmatic doctor is more vulnerable than she seems.
Broken and betrayed, the struggle to survive seems intolerable. Who will give in, and who will rise, undefeated?

Coming January 23rd 2018

Excerpt

Prologue

It’s a beautiful game.

It’s a hard game.

And even on a good day your body is battered and bruised. It’s a brutal game with blood, mud and dirt.

See this scar on my cheek? Rugby.

See this scar running through my eyebrow? Rugby.

I have a lot of scars.

I have 13 scars on each arm from keyhole surgery, knee surgery, scars on my forehead and the back of my head, scars on my knuckles, broken fingers. I’ve had both eyelids stitched, surgery on both shoulders, suffered a broken nose twice and spiral fractures in my hands, I’ve broken my fingers so many times, I don’t event count those. I’ve had cartilage cleaned out of my left knee, two medial ligament grade two tears on each knee, three lots of surgery for Achilles tendon injuries, and once I put my bottom teeth through my top lip. Getting stitches in your mouth isn’t much fun. They tug when you eat or speak.

There’s nothing nice about rugby. Maybe that’s why I bloody love it.

Chicks dig scars? Yeah, I’ve heard that, too.

In my experience, they’re not so keen on being around while you’re healing. Being the loser who’s benched, not so sexy. Being the guy who’s career went down the toilet … I’m looking a lot less appealing now
Trusting a woman when you’re at your lowest—dumbest, stupidest thing ever.

Beat me, break me, butcher my heart.

I’m coming for you. And this time…

I’m going to win.

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About the Authors

Stuart Reardon

Stuart is a retired England International Rugby League player who’s career spanned 16 years as a professional playing for several top League clubs.  He has had several major injuries that nearly ended his career just as in Undefeated, the amazing collaboration with Jane.
Currently he is a Personal trainer living in Cheshire, and has an online fitness program: Fear Nothing Fitness.

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Jane Harvey-Berrick

I enjoy watching surfers at my local beach, and weaving stories of romance in the modern world, with all its trials and tribulations.
It’s been the best fun working with Stu on this story. And yes, he did think about joining the Marines once.

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Spotlight: Something So Irresistible by Natasha Madison

Max Horton

They call me an outcast like it's a bad thing.

An asshole byproduct of a shitty upbringing. I don't care about anything except myself and my little sister.

I will always protect what’s mine.

With one year left on my hockey contract I'm keeping my head down and my eyes on the goal.

A collision, with her, changes my entire existence.

Allison Grant

Never fall in love with a sports star. That's what my stepfather always said. He told me athletes are complicated and moody—that the higher their paycheck, the lower their morals.

As public relations for the New York Stingers I know exactly what he means, but I can’t seem to say no to a friendship with one beautiful, damaged man.

What started out as hate turned into something else.

We tried to stay away, to keep our distance, but the pull was too strong.

Something forbidden turned into something so irresistible.

Excerpt

“You may now kiss the bride,” Judge Reynolds says right before Max grabs my face in both of his hands.

“I love you,” he whispers, then his lips land on mine, gently and full of love.

My hands go to his waist as I close my eyes and take in the safety of my husband.

“I love you with everything that I am,” he murmurs against my lips. I smile and look into his crystal blue eyes.

“I love you more,” I say. He lets go of my face and we shake the judge’s hand. He grabs my hand and we walk out of his chambers while my chiffon train trails us.


Max proposed to me three hours ago. He got down on one knee and vowed to love me and only me till his last dying breath while I stood there in the middle of the shark reef in the Mandalay Bay. It took me two seconds before I nodded and got down on my knees with him, buried my face into his chest, and cried from happiness. I was completely and utterly in love with him. And not one person in my family knew. Well, none of the men knew. But this isn’t about them. This is about me, about Max, about how he took my heart into his hand and treated it like delicate crystal, making sure he bubble wrapped it to keep it safe.

Now here I am, watching my husband dressed in a black tux hold my hand and me in my two-piece lace dress. It is beaded from my collar all the way down. It ties around my neck but leaves my back bare. My arms are also bare. A gold belt ties the second part of the dress, floor-length split chiffon. My legs slip out while I walk, showing off my something blue, which is my Carrie Bradshaw Blue Manolo Blahnik.

As soon as the door to the chapel opens, my chiffon dress blows up almost like Marilyn Monroe’s, the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas almost non-existent since we are off the Strip. Someone in the distance must have snapped a picture because his flash went off.

“I think someone just took a picture of us,” I tell him while we make our way to the car that is waiting for us.

“Angel, it’s Vegas, everyone is taking pictures.” He waits for me to get in before climbing in after me. “So, my wife, where do you want to go?” Max turns to me and smiles while his thumb rubs the hand he’s holding.

“Back to our room.” I look at our hands. “I want to go back with you and lock the door and just be with my husband.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He pulls me to him, his arm going around my shoulder, and I fit perfectly in the crook of his arm.

We watch the city lights come into focus again once we get on the Strip. Walking through the lobby, I hold on to my husband’s hand, watching his ring glisten in the light. Max unlocks the door for us. Walking in, I head for the living room that is now turned into what looks like a small reception. Gone are the couches, and in their place is a cast iron square with blush pink roses wrapped all around it. Tea lights make it across. All the furniture is gone. The only thing in this room are blush roses, which are my favorites.

“This place looks like a fairy tale.”

Max walks to me, holding a bouquet in his hands. “For you.” He hands it to me as our song “Dive” comes on.

“Dance with me?” I ask him as I walk to him.

“Every single day of my life.” He wraps an arm around my waist. I hold the bouquet around his shoulders and we hold our free hands to his chest.

He takes his phone out and raises his hand, snapping a picture of us. I’m looking at the camera while he looks at me. “Stunning,” he says quietly as his cell phone rings. “Angel, don’t freak out.” His voice is curt, tight.

I don’t have to time to say anything because my phone buzzes with a text from Matthew.

Allison, when you get this you better call me.

“Oh my God.” I look at him. “What did we just do?” He looks at me shocked, steps back, and away from me.

“Max.” I reach out to him while he dodges me.

“A mistake.”

I don’t know if he’s asking or telling. My heart hurts as his eyes go dark. He darts out of the room and the front door slams after him. As I stand here in my wedding dress, a tear rolls down my face, and I look down and see my glistening wedding band.

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About the Author

When her nose isn't buried in a book, or her fingers flying across a keyboard writing, she's in the kitchen creating gourmet meals. You can find her, in four inch heels no less, in the car chauffeuring kids, or possibly with her husband scheduling his business trips. It's a good thing her characters do what she says, because even her Labrador doesn't listen to her...

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Cover Reveal: The Billionaire’s Betrayal by Mika Lane

The Billionaire’s Betrayal
Mika Lane
(Billionaire, #2)
Publication date: January 16th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

I own the hottest boutique hotel in Manhattan. Only the rich and famous stay here. They’re the only ones who can afford it. And they’re the only ones we allow.

I’m busy, I’m successful, I’m rich, and I can seduce any woman I want. So when I agreed to another god-awful “bachelor auction” fundraiser for some freaking charity, I prepared myself for a date with some crazy chick who blathered on about her cat, and how many children she’d like to have one day.

Thanks, but no thanks.

So when my “date,” the winner of the latest auction of my bad boy self, emailed me to set up a rendezvous, I planned on having one drink and bailing. My assistant knew exactly when to call me so I could fake an emergency.

Only this date was different. Sure, she was beautiful—Manhattan is full of stunning women, mostly looking for rich husbands. But this one was the brilliant CEO of a tech firm. And she could have given two craps about me. Before I knew it, her half-empty martini sat on the bar wearing the slightest smudge of her red lipstick.

Was she beating me at my own game? I couldn’t let that happen. I wouldn’t.

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Author Bio:

Writing has been a passion of Mika’s since a young age (her first book was "The Day I Ate the Milkyway"), but erotic romance is now what gives purpose to her days and nights. She lives in magical Northern California with her own handsome alpha dude, sometimes known as Mr. Mika Lane, and an evil cat named Bill. A devotee of the intelligent and beautiful, and lover of shiny things, she’s a yogi, hiker, traveler, thinker, observer, and book worm. She has been known to drink cheap champagne and has way too many shoes.

A National Reader's Choice Awards finalist, Mika always deliver a hot, sexy romp, often with imperfect characters, and a promised happily ever after (or at least happy for now).

She LOVES to hear from readers, and can be found at www.mikalane.com, and facebook.com/mikalaneauthor, when she's not dreaming up naughty tales to share.

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Audio Excerpt: Dark Retreat by Grace Hamilton and narrated Andrew Tell

Three months after life as she knows it was decimated, Megan Wolford has only one goal: protect her daughter, Caitlin, at any cost. When a mysterious illness strikes Caitlin down, Megan is forced to forage for medical supplies at a remote lodge. The last thing she wants is help from her fellow survivors when so many in her life have let her down—but soon she'll find herself with no other option. 

Ex-Navy SEAL Wyatt Morris is doing everything he can to hold his family together after the tragic death of his prepper Dad, so when Megan enters their lands, he is mistrustful at first despite feeling drawn to her. He won't turn away an ill child though--no matter how deadly the world has become. But the arrival of another stranger named Kyle soon gives them all a new reason to be suspicious. Wyatt knows he’ll have to forge alliances in order to keep his family safe, but trusting the wrong person could be a deadly mistake. 

When Megan and Wyatt discover her daughter’s illness may be linked to Kyle’s arrival, it sets off a race to discover the truth before it’s too late to save Caitlin—and the rest of the Morris clan. Can they work together for survival . . . and something more?

Excerpt

Audio Excerpt

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About the Author: Grace Hamilton

Grace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mountain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.

Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"

It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences.

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About the Narrator: Andrew Tell

Andrew is an actor and voiceover artist based in Los Angeles, California. He is a versatile, articulate, and technically clean narrator with a strong background in improvisation and comedy.

In audiobook narration, he is an Audible-Approved producer with thousands of 5-star performance reviews by Audible listeners. I work closely with independent authors and publishers to bring their books and characters to life.
Here’s what listeners have to say:

“The narration of this audiobook was EXCELLENT. It was clear right from the beginning that this narrator is a professional. I’m not sure what else to say about it because, quite frankly, it could not have been any better. The narrator was able to draw me into the story right away and allowed me to follow along without ever having to wonder if I had missed anything. “

“The narrator makes the story even better! He’s excellent and I’ll be searching for, and keeping an eye out for other books he narrates.”

“The narration of Andrew Tell is excellent, his performance is spot on and I felt I was listening to more of an Audio Drama at times. His voice and words are crystal clear (even when using various accents for the various characters) and it was a joy to listen to.”Connect: 

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Spotlight: Learning to Love the Heat by Everly Lucas

What she needs most might be what she least expects…

Living without air conditioning in a Philadelphia heat wave has Claire on the brink of a total meltdown. When she escapes her overheated apartment to spend a day at the park, the last thing she expects—or wants—is for a gorgeous guy to chat her up. But his sweet smile and nerdy charm are impossible for even Claire to resist.

Patience and persistence go hand in hand…

For Ben, Claire is the One, but there’s a small snag—she’s terrified of a man’s touch. But now that he’s found her, he’ll never let her go, even if he never gets to hold her.
Another snag? Her obvious attraction to his best friend.

Sometimes it takes fire to wash you clean…

Ben respects Claire’s firm boundaries, but Andy crashes right through them. He’s arrogant, crude, a total jackass…and criminally sexy. 
Even if she can fix what’s broken inside her, how will she choose between the delicious slow burn she feels with Ben and the explosive inferno Andy ignites in her? 
Can they find their happy ending without three hearts going up in flames?

Exclusive Excerpt

Shoving off the wall, I clear the final step and have a fucking heart attack when I see a tall, broad silhouette blocking one of the windows.

“Andy?”

At the sound of his name, he looks over his shoulder, wearing a heart-stopping smile meant just for me.

Simply put, the man steals my breath, leaving my lungs empty and aching. In the dim light of the room, he’s dark and handsome from head to toe, with his glossy black hair, black dress shirt, and charcoal gray pants. Until this moment, I thought only my grandmom and black-and-white movie stars used the word debonair, but Andy DelVecchio is very much here and now and debonair as fuck.

His beauty both lures me in and screams danger, kind of like the first time we met. Only I didn’t know him then, and he didn’t know me. I’m starting to think we were better off that way.

“Peach.” His deep voice caresses my nickname, making my heart stutter. My hand flies to my chest, clutching my literal pearls. “I saw you down there. You really are an angel tonight,” he says, gesturing at, well, all of me.

My knee-jerk response is to reject and deny his words, but instead of keeping that response to myself, my impulsive mouth sets it free. “I’m no angel. Trust me.”

Why I blurt that out is beyond me. It’s not my usual M.O. to open myself up to further discussion about my flaws. They exist. They’re obvious. No need to poke at them.

Stepping farther into the room, I perch on the edge of Ben’s bed, crossing my ankles and folding my hands in my lap. Andy sits beside me, so close our thighs almost touch. I freeze, keeping a watchful eye on the two inches of space between us to make sure they don’t get any radical ideas, like shrinking or disappearing altogether.

“Nobody’s perfect, babe. Some people just come closer to it than others. Benny’s practically a saint, and you…” His rich, brown eyes meet mine, and I can’t look away. I’m trapped by his gaze, with no real desire to break free. “Like I said, you’re an angel. You’ve just got a few broken feathers. That’s all.”

Try a few hundred.

“Ben might be close to perfect, but I’m…” I trail off, shaking my head to finish the thought. Best to keep sidestepping that conversational landmine. “You should hear the way he talks about you, though. It’s embarrassing, really. He’s all, ‘Andy’s super talented.’ ‘Andy’s so much cooler than I’ll ever be.’ ‘Andy’s the absolute shit.’”

Okay, so I’m paraphrasing a bit, but the sentiment is pretty accurate.

Andy’s booming laugh fills the room with pure, concentrated awesomeness. It’s impossible to hear that sound and put up a decent fight against fangirl-level giddiness. I dare anyone to try. It can’t be done.

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About Everly Lucas

After years of rooting for couples and falling for heroes created by other authors, Everly decided to create her own. She now has a crowd of characters hanging out in her head, with no intention of kicking them out.

She lives in Philadelphia with her precious laptop, a cat named Bunny, and a kitten who falls down a lot. Her favorite things include Dr. Pepper, sparkly stuff, blissful silence, and singing while doing the dishes.

Everly can be found on Twitter, like, all the time.

Connect with Everly: Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Goodreads

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Spotlight: Seducing Her Brother's Best Friend by Noelle Adams

Fifteen years ago, three girls were thrown together because their brothers were best friends. Now they're all grown up, and their brothers are grown up too. The Tea for Two series tells their stories. Fans of New York Times Bestselling Author, Noelle Adams, will love this newest playful friends become lovers story featuring Carol and Patrick, releasing January 10, 2017.

After too many years being overlooked by men, Carol is ready to take action. She wants a man, and she knows which man she wants. Her brother’s best friend, Patrick Stevenson.

Patrick is funny and brainy and the sexiest man she’s ever known, but he has never looked at her as anything except his friend’s little sister. That’s going to change.

Carol isn’t good at flirting. Or seduction. Or anything that requires putting herself out there. But she’s going to make sure Patrick sees her as a desirable woman—and one he wants for more than one night—even if it turns her whole world upside down. He already likes her a lot. He just needs to open his eyes to how good they’d be together.

After all, how stubborn can he be?

Excerpt

She narrowed her eyes even more and gave him a cool glare. “You might as well just admit it. I know exactly what happened.”

He groaned softly. “All right. Fine. I couldn’t believe you’d be acting like… like that.”

“Like what?”

She was making this as hard as possible for him, and he couldn’t even blame her. “Like you… liked me.” It sounded ridiculous, immature, but he couldn’t think of any other way to put it.

“And you really can’t believe that I do?”

He wanted to be anywhere but here, put on the spot like this. He wanted to get up and leave, somehow escape everything he was feeling.

But, if he did, that would be it. He’d never have Carol in his life again. He might have messed this up completely, but he wasn’t prepared to lose her for good. So he told her the truth. “No. I really can’t.”

“Why the hell not?”

Carol almost never used to rough language—even something as mild as “hell.” It seemed to emphasize how upset she really was.

“I… I don’t even know.”

She stared at him for a full minute. He could see her chest rise and fall with her heaving breathing. Then she finally got up, muttering, “You’re a real idiot sometimes. You know that, right?” She went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

He hauled himself to his feet and followed her. “I know I’m an idiot. I know that. But I’m still here, trying to fix things.”

She was staring into her open refrigerator, like she’d forgotten what she’d come here for.

“Carol,” he said, touching her shoulder gently. She looked so hurt and wounded. He couldn’t believe he was important enough to her to make her feel this way.

She whirled around to face him. “Why shouldn’t I like you?” she demanded.

He blinked. “Because… because it seems pretty obvious that it’s just because the others have gotten together.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I mean Emma and Noah got together, and then Ginny and Ryan got together. So now we’re the only two left. I get it. I do. It would make sense for us to get paired up in the same way. But that doesn’t mean it’s… it’s real.”

She made a loud, throaty sound of naked frustration.

Patrick contorted his face as he was washed with self-consciousness and confusion. “I’m trying to be honest here.”

“I know you are. I know you are!”

She closed the refrigerator, having taken nothing out. “Why wouldn’t we be good together?”

“We’re totally different. If I wasn’t the last guy left in our little group, you’d choose someone totally different.” He knew this much for sure. He’d been rehearsing it over and over again—for months now—reminding himself that any soft looks she’d given him had been based on something other than real attraction.

“How do you know that?”

“Carol, please. I know I act stupid sometimes, but I do have a functioning mind. And neither one of us deserves to be stuck with… whoever happens to be left.”

She gaped at him. Literally gaped. Then her cheeks paled even more. “You think I’m… just whoever happens to be left.”

“Not you,” he gasped, shocked that she’d ever even imagine he felt that way. “Not you. Me. I’m whoever is left.”

“You… you… you…” She was panting, couldn’t even get the words out.

“Me what?”

“You idiot!”

He was processing her uncontrolled outburst and so he wasn’t prepared for what she did next.

What she did was launch herself at him, grabbing his head and pulling it down into a kiss.

Since he wasn’t prepared, he couldn’t control his response. And he’d been wanting her too much, for too long, and not letting himself act on that desire.

So he didn’t stop it, even though he knew he should.

He didn’t push her away gently and explain that it couldn’t happen.

He kissed her back.

Copyright © 2018 Seducing Her Brother’s Best Friend by Noelle Adams

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About the Author

Noelle handwrote her first romance novel in a spiral-bound notebook when she was twelve, and she hasn’t stopped writing since. She has lived in eight different states and currently resides in Virginia, where she reads any book she can get her hands on and offers tribute to a very spoiled cocker spaniel.

She loves travel, art, history, and ice cream. After spending far too many years of her life in graduate school, she has decided to reorient her priorities and focus on writing contemporary romances.

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