Audio Spotlight & Excerpt: An Unbidden Visitor by Dianne Ascroft and narrator Elizabeth Klett

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A short story inspired by Northern Ireland's famous Cooneen ghost.

A tale of family, friends, and fear....

And the unnatural force that threatens to ruin everything....

March 1913: Struggling to make ends meet, widow Bridget Murphy finds life in rural Ireland difficult, raising six children while farming her small acreage. With the help of neighbors and friends, Bridget is able to cope with the many arduous tasks and chores required of her.

When an unnatural and terrifying force invades their house, threatening their family, Bridget is surprised to see so many backs turning on her. Fearing for themselves, those she once counted on for help and support will not risk their safety for her. Father Smyth, their priest, is the only one who stands alongside their family in the battle against the uninvited and fearsome poltergeist. But, prayers alone won't run the farm. Will Bridget find a way to save her home and her family before there's nowhere left to turn?

Excerpt

Excerpt

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Dianne Ascroft writes historical and contemporary fiction, often with an Irish connection. Her writing includes a ghost tale inspired by the famous Northern Irish legend of the Coonian ghost, An Unbidden Visitor; a short story collection, Dancing Shadows, Tramping Hooves, and an historical novel, Hitler and Mars Bars.

Her series The Yankee Years is a collection of Short Reads and novels set in World War II Northern Ireland. After the Allied troops arrived in this outlying part of Great Britain, life there would never be the same again. The series strives to bring those heady, fleeting years to life again, in thrilling and romantic tales of the era.

Dianne lives on a small farm, in Northern Ireland, with her husband and an assortment of strong-willed animals. When she’s not writing, she enjoys walks in the countryside, evenings in front of her open fireplace and folk and traditional music.

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Elizabeth Klett spends her days teaching English literature at a university in Houston, TX, and reading Dr. Seuss to her daughter. She has also been a professional audiobook narrator since 2011, with over 100 titles available at Audible and elsewhere. She has performed in a variety of dramatic projects, reading roles ranging from Lady Macbeth to Antigone to Juliet. She can also be heard voicing various characters in audio dramas at The Online Stage, and reading poetry at Rhapsodize Audio. Her audio narration and voice-over clients include: ACX, Audible, Findaway Voices, Duple Media, Essential Audiobooks and Listen2aBook..

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Read an excerpt from STEEL by J.L. Lora

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Only the Devil you know has the power to really hurt you.

Strong, daring, and loyal to a fault, Amelia Solis is the soul of The Trinity. Yet, this leader of New York’s top cartel has become a pawn in the game of revenge. All to hurt Leandro, the man she wants more than life but cannot be with. 

The enemy’s always watching, biding his time. 

Leandro Masseur, Lieutenant in the McLean crime family, earned his position through loyalty, shrewd business, and ruthlessness. His enemies never see the bullet until it’s ready to lodge between their eyes. When a dead woman is found in Amelia’s bed, his world is flipped off its axis. 

Their Devil knows what buttons to push.

Four women will die before a killer finishes a macabre target list, with Amelia as his crown piece. Leandro and Amelia must dodge the barrage of bullets and bombs to keep her safe. Tragedy has left them scarred and broken. But love won’t be denied, won’t wait, and Leandro won’t stop fighting for a chance. The only woman he’s ever loved has been marked for death. Leandro won’t let that happen.

*Note* STEEL is NOT a standalone! BOSS (#1) and MADE (#2) must be read BEFORE Steel and complimentary copies of the books can be requested on the sign up form!

Excerpt

The pounding on the door wakes me and I look around the room, wondering how the hell I got here. I'm in our old apartment, sleeping in the room I once shared with my sister, Nelly, before we all got rich and got our own places. Back then, all we had to worry about was Calum's tired ass trying to get us.

I'm still wearing the pink bridesmaid's dress, a color that only Gia could force on me. Nelly's pillow's in my hand and, as I do every morning, I dwell on the thought that she's gone. But my chest is not as tight and the tears don’t come today.

Since my sister died, I have two states of waking up: pissed off and agitated. If I dream of her, I wake up shaken, scared, sad. She's still dead, because I overprotected and under-protected her in equal amounts. The guilt is a reminder, firming up my resolve because when I wake pissed off…I've dreamt of things I shouldn't.

Better said, someone I shouldn't. Doing things I really shouldn't. Not that I haven't done him, which is why I'm really messed up in the head these days.

Someone pounds on the door again and I jump off the bed. "Hold on. I'm coming."

I fling the door open, ready to skin my bodyguards. Instead, I find my friend Jamie. The strain on his surfer-cop face makes him look like he's got a sweaty tummy ache. He throws his arms around me, his hug so tight he squeezes the breath out of my lungs. It hurts and I pound on his bicep. "Let up."

He pulls back. His lips are ashen, and his eyes dart over my face like marbles, as if he's going down a mental checklist of all my features. What the hell is going on?

"Jesus, Mel. I'm so happy to see you. You fucking scared me. Carissa is bugging the hell out." He drags himself to the rack where we keep the alcohol and grabs a bottle of rum so old I can't remember when we bought it. Jamie removes the cap and tilts the one eighth of a bottle into his mouth and drains it.

My hands are trembling, my knees sending me a firm warning. They're about to fold. I can't wait anymore. "What are you talking about? Why is Carissa flipping out? I fell asleep here, waiting for Byanca. She made me get on a plane last night, saying she needed my help, then stood me up for some dude."

Jamie slams the bottle on the rack and moves closer to me. His lips do the cop pucker-and-purse. "Who was she meeting? At what time was that? Why didn't you call her?"

I feel a slight pull on the back of my neck, like someone's yanking my hair at the root. "I don't know. I took the red eye after the wedding and when I got here, she wasn't around. She sent me a text saying she’d met some hot piece and would be here right after she took care of business…why?"

His shoulders sag, fall along with his gaze. He doesn't need to say it, I know. I know, because I've gotten bad news before. A lot. I've seen the footsteps of death in other people's eyes.

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About J.L. Lora

J. L. Lora is a Dominican-American author. Her stories explore the dark side of good characters, people living in the gray areas of life while playing the cards life has dealt them. She loves strong heroines and their equally powerful Men. She currently lives in Maryland, pursuing her dream of writing compelling, sexy, can’t-put-down stories about empowered, badass alpha heroines and take-your-breath-away alpha heroes

If you wish to know more information about J. L. Lora, you can visit her website: www.JLLora.com. 

You can also sign up for J. L. Lora’s newsletter for news, releases, events, more information, and extras related to Boss, Made, and The Trinity Series. Visit www.JLLora.com/newsletter to sign up and never miss a thing!

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Spotlight: Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen

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Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen

Publication Date: March 14, 2018
Aspidistra Press
eBook; 359 Pages
ASIN: B079SMGC7S
Series: Scott-De Quincy Mysteries, Book One
Genre: Historical Mystery
A reluctant lady sleuth finds she’s investigating her own family. Step into Lady Helena Whitcombe’s world with the first novel in a series that will blend family saga and mystery-driven action with a slow-burn romance in seven unputdownable investigations. 1881, Sussex. Lady Helena Scott-De Quincy’s marriage to Sir Justin Whitcombe, three years before, gave new purpose to a life almost destroyed by the death of Lady Helena’s first love. After all, shouldn’t the preoccupations of a wife and hostess be sufficient to fulfill any aristocratic female’s dreams? Such a shame their union wasn’t blessed by children . . . but Lady Helena is content with her quiet country life until Sir Justin is found dead in the river overlooked by their grand baroque mansion. The intrusion of attractive, mysterious French physician Armand Fortier, with his meddling theory of murder, into Lady Helena’s first weeks of mourning is bad enough. But with her initial ineffective efforts at investigation and her attempts to revive her long-abandoned interest in herbalism comes the realization that she may have been mistaken about her own family’s past. Every family has its secrets—but as this absorbing series will reveal, the Scott-De Quincy family has more than most. Can Lady Helena survive bereavement the second time around? Can she stand up to her six siblings’ assumption of the right to control her new life as a widow? And what role will Fortier—who, as a physician, is a most unsuitable companion for an earl’s daughter—play in her investigations?

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Praise for The House of Closed Doors Series

"I cannot praise Jane Steen enough for her ability to build a world that captures every essence of an era. She was able to take the singularly focused plot of an unwed teen and wrap her journey with the social, political and cultural values of the day. Within this framework the reader is given an eyewitness experience into the daily realities of homemaking, transportation, fashion, society's value of women and those less fortunate as well historical events such as commerce, war and the Chicago fire." "I loved this book. It was well written and well edited. The story captured me on the first few pages and held my interest to the last page. I forced myself to close the book at midnight! Moves nicely along from scene to scene. Some of the heroine's choices were not what I expected and when I thought I had unraveled the whole mystery, I hadn't. Just an overall satisfying reading experience! Loved it." "Engrossing historical fiction that really stays with the characters (who are well-crafted) and doesn't go for the obvious cliches. I loved Nell, the protagonist, and so many others...Martin and Tess especially. I admit I kind of wanted it to end a certain way, but the ending the author chose was a braver one for Nell, and more true to who she'd been throughout the novel. The historical backdrop was interesting, but it was the character work that really drew me in, and the mystery." "Extremely well written story! I couldn't put it down, and pulled an all-nighter reading it. I was mesmerized by this story, and captivated by the depth of characterization."

About the Author

Jane Steen was born in England and, despite having spent more years out of the British Isles than in, still has a British accent according to just about every American she meets. Her long and undistinguished career has included a three-year stint as the English version of a Belgian aerospace magazine, an interesting interlude as an editor in a very large law firm, and several hectic years in real estate marketing at the height of the property boom. This tendency to switch directions every few years did nothing for her resume but gave her ample opportunity to sharpen her writing skills and develop an entrepreneurial spirit. Around the edges of her professional occupations and raising children, she stuck her nose in a book at every available opportunity and at one time seemed on course to become the proverbial eternal student. Common sense prevailed, though, and eventually she had the bright idea of putting her passion for books together with her love of business and writing to become a self-published author. Jane has lived in three countries and is currently to be found in the Chicago suburbs with her long-suffering husband and two adult daughters. For more information, please visit Jane Steen's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Goodreads.

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away two eBooks of Lady Helena Investigates by Jane Steen! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below. Giveaway Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on April 13th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open to US residents only. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. Lady Helena Investigates

Read an excerpt Glam Squad & Groomsmen by Samantha Chase

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Dressing up as a bride once a week is all fun and games until you come face to face with your ex.

Penny Blake loves her job with Enchanted Bridal.  She gets to model wedding gowns and help brides plan for their big day.  And yet…she’s wanting a little more. Besides wishing for her own happily ever after, she has big dreams of making her own contribution to the business in the form of her own glam squad.  Her bosses all think it’s a great idea, but right now she’s needed in other ways – like helping out with the groomsmen.

Was there any greater form of torture than having to help your sister plan her wedding?

That’s what Spencer Buchanan is facing and although he goes into it with a bit of an attitude, running into the girl who got away – three times! – suddenly made this whole wedding planning thing a lot more bearable.  Moving back home was never part of his plan, but once Spencer sees Penny again, all bets are off. And having her help him with his fittings on his tux turn into his favorite pastime ever!

Excerpt

For a minute, he thought she was going to scream and the expression on her face said that she certainly hadn’t been expecting him.  Actually, he hadn’t been expecting her either. His plan had been to come in for a tuxedo fitting – something he was seriously jumping the gun for Eva’s wedding – and figured it would be a legit excuse to see Penny.  He’d casually stop in at the bridal shop and say hello and then…

“Spencer?  What are you doing here?”

He gave her a lopsided grin.  “Doing a test run on tuxedoes to help Eva and Brett out.”

At first he didn’t think she believed him, but then she visibly relaxed.  “Oh. Okay.”

“So what are you doing in the tuxedo shop?  I didn’t think you worked in here too.”

She quickly explained about the owner needing to get home to a sick child – again – and then she stepped away and began to explain to him about the tuxedo options that had been pulled for him.

      If he didn’t know any better, he’d swear she was nervous and that pleased him a little.  If she was nervous around him, that meant that she wasn’t unaffected by him – or by their kiss.

      Good to know.

Because kissing Penny had been all he could think about all week.  He should be back in Atlanta right now.

But he wasn’t.

He should be working on reports for the building he was designing.

But he wasn’t.

What he was doing was trying on tuxedoes when he didn’t need to just on the off-chance he could see her again.  How twisted was that?

By now Penny was standing next to a dressing room and holding a tuxedo hanger in her hand.  “Martin already placed a shirt and shoes in the fitting room for you,” she said, “and this is the first tux he pulled for you to consider based on your measurements.”

“I never gave him my measurements,” Spencer said.

“Um…what?”

He nodded.  “All I did was call and ask if I could come in and try some on,” he explained.  “No one asked for any sizes or measurements. I guess I can try this on and we can go from there, right?”

Then he watched as her shoulders sagged and she sighed.  But she immediately went back into sales mode and gave him a nice but professional smile.  “Okay, we’ll need to get your measurements first. No need for you to try to fit into a suit that isn’t your size.  That’s just crazy.” She stepped away and hung up the suit she had in her hands. “Why don’t you step up on the platform over there by the mirror and I’ll go get the measuring tape.”

Wait…measuring tape?  Couldn’t he just tell her what size he normally wore?  That would certainly make things easier – especially since Brett hadn’t made any decisions on tuxedos and he wasn’t planning on ordering anything tonight.  Then again, if he did happen to go in that direction, there’d be no need for him to stand up on the platform for measurements. And that would mean…

“Just step up on there and face the mirror,” she said.  “I’ll need to make a note of your shirt and sleeve size, waist, outseam…”

Then he felt bad for giving her extra work.  “Wouldn’t it be easier to give you at least some of my sizes so you don’t have to go through all of this?” he asked and hated that he was quite possibly depriving himself of some extra time with her.

“Under normal circumstances, yes,” she explained.  “But for this sort of thing, we require specific measurements.  Every designer is cut just a litter differently so it makes everyone’s job easier to just go by what the measuring tape says.”

“Ah…gotcha.”  Doing his best to hide a grin, he simply stood and did as he was told as Penny’s hands roamed all over him – in a completely professional way – as she took the needed measurements.  

Best. Friday. Night. Ever.

At first, he felt all kinds of wrong that even though there was nothing sexy about what she was doing, it was still mildly arousing – her hand skimming down his leg…her arms wrapped around him to get his waist measurements…

He cursed the fact that they were in the middle of a tuxedo shop and that he had on so many damn clothes!

Once she was done, she moved around the shop and pulled tuxes in his size and then sent him back to the dressing room to start trying them on.  

They didn’t talk about much – she kept all of the conversation focused on Eva and Brett and their wedding and tuxedo style questions.  Not that he cared. Basically, this was all going to be Brett’s decision and right now, Brett had no idea that Spencer was even looking at tuxes.

No one did.

If his sister caught wind of what he was doing, he knew he’d get her approval and possibly her help.  And as much as he knew he was going to need some of that where Penny was concerned, he wanted to do it in his own time and in his own way.

He just never thought trying on tuxedos was a length he’d ever have to go through in order to spend time with a woman.

“Let me know how that first one fits,” Penny called out to him.

And as he closed the dressing room door, he figured he had at least an hour to try to break down some of her defenses and convince her to go out with him again.

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About Samantha Chase

Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than forty titles under her belt! When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Scrabble or Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 25 years and their two sons in North Carolina.

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Spotlight: For Eternity by Bethany Lopez from the Tempting Luck Anthology

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Tempting Luck Anthology

I needed a little "luck of the Irish" on my side. 
Doesn't everyone?
But I had no idea that a little luck could mean bad luck too.
What started as a perfectly polished plan turned tainted and tarnished.
I was just trying to get back on my feet, back to the lucky side of life.
But then everything changed...
One look, one touch, one taste,
And now, suddenly, my luck is improving.
This just might be the trip I'd wanted all along.

In this 21 book boxed set, from New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors, find out just how lucky you can be with just one click. You'll be packing your bags and hoping Ireland will have just that sexy sort of magic you've been looking for.

About For Eternity

Down on her luck...
Since divorcing her abusive ex, Natalie is finally on her way back to the woman she used to be. She has a job she loves, an apartment that's all her own, and the best group of friends a woman could have. Content with her current situation, Natalie has no idea that her world is about to be turned upside down. 

The man who has everything...
To the outside world, Carson Brandt appears to have everything he could ever want, and then some. He built his company from the ground up, and as CEO of Brandt Industries, he has the world at his fingertips. But, there's one thing he doesn't have, and she's the only one who can give it to him. 

Natalie thinks she's going on a work trip to Ireland, but Carson has other plans. Will he convince her to give him the eternity he desires, or will the luck of the Irish be just out of reach?

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About the Author

 

Award-Winning Author Bethany Lopez began self-publishing in June 2011. She's a lover of all things romance: books, movies, music, and life, and she incorporates that into the books she writes. When she isn't reading or writing, she loves spending time with her husband and children, traveling whenever possible. Some of her favorite things are: Kristen Ashley Books, coffee in the morning, and In N Out burgers.

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Spotlight: Cry for You by Shaniel Watson

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You know how the story goes. Don’t you?

Boy meets girl. Eyes lock, they fall in love, live happily ever after.

Not this story.

Lacey baby, was what he called me. He said I was too young for him but who cares, we were both young. He stopped resisting and we fell in love. 

I thought we were going to be forever. We were. Until the unthinkable happened savagely ripping through us, ripping us apart, and forever turned in to never. 

He was gone. I was left to pick up the shredded pieces. Punished for the life inside me I couldn’t give up. The very thing I didn’t know would bring me out of darkness years later, could be the very thing that brings us together again for a second chance.

If we can only survive the ripple effects of the pain of the past and what lies ahead…

Excerpt

I smooth my hand across his chest in the early dawn, knowing it’s almost time for this to be over. He has to leave soon. I press my lip over his heart, where my name is scrolled.  “Why did you never get rid of it?”
“Why would I?” His sleep-roughened voice rumbles through his chest, wakening my senses in a curl of sensual need. “I didn’t want to erase you from my life. It would be like erasing a part of my soul.” 
He knows exactly what to say, as if he has a direct line leading straight to my heart. I shake my head. “You say these things—” 
“That I mean.” He rakes his fingers through the hair at the back of my head, pulling my face closer to his. “I’ve never lied to you about my feelings for you. Why would I start now? No one has ever touched me like you do, Lacey.”
“That the truth?” I ask, feeling the answer in the direct line he has to my heart. He nods, kissing me tenderly, pulling my body half over his so I feel the rising need for me in his body. 
Parting my thighs, I straddle his hips, deepening the kiss I can tell he wants to keep light and gentle, but I know he wants more as much as I do. 

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About the Author

Shaniel Watson is the author of the Imperfections Series. Her first book was published in 2015. She writes books she likes to read: sultry, emotional stories with imperfect characters that eventually get their happy ending. 

Shaniel lives in New York and is the proud mother of two daughters.

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