Spotlight: When Time Stands Still by Sara Furlong Burr

When Time Stands Still
Sara Furlong Burr
Publication date: June 15th 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

It’s been nearly a decade since Elle Sloan last saw Luke Hutchins. Close to ten years since she broke up with him over a single phone call, providing him with little explanation. Since the end of their relationship, Elle has done everything she could do to move on, marrying, proceeding forward with her life, almost allowing herself to completely forget about Luke.

Almost.

Out of nowhere, Elle receives a phone call from Luke’s mother. Luke has been in a horrific car accident and, a month later, has just awoken from a coma. However, instead of celebrating, his family is stunned to learn that Luke is suffering from amnesia and only remembers his life as it was before his breakup with Elle. Not wanting to tell Luke that he and Elle aren’t together anymore for fear it may compromise his recovery, Elle is asked by Luke’s family to come to the hospital to see him. Their hope is that she will slowly be able to jog his memory and cushion the blow.

Guilt-ridden over how their relationship ended, Elle readily agrees, finding herself transported back in time with Luke to the life they once shared and the future they could have had together.

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—

EXCERPT:

I heard voices even before I stepped inside of the room. They were soft, but one by one, I was able to discern who was speaking. The first voice struck me like a freight train, catapulting me further back in time with each word he spoke. The second one made my heart skip a beat.

As I walked farther into the room, I saw another vision of my past sitting next to the hospital bed. His attention, at first, was entirely focused on the occupant in the bed, until movement from me diverted his attention to me. He locked eyes with me, surprise on his face quickly turning to an odd combination of contradiction. Anger, excitement, and suspicion all appeared to be waging war and were enough to give me whiplash just looking at him. Peter Monroe—or just Monroe, as he preferred to be called—had been Luke’s best friend since pretty much the dawn of each other’s existence. He’d aged. His boyish good looks had hardened into a man who would have been difficult to recognize to me, save for the same square chin, overly large nose, and mischievous eyes I had remembered so fondly.

Another step inside the room revealed a sight I had fought valiantly to keep from infiltrating my dreams for the last several years. Like Monroe, he didn’t notice my arrival at first, and I was grateful for that because the shock I was feeling at that moment would have undoubtedly transferred onto him. His head was turned, his eyes, from what I could see of them, were closed. Most of his features were facing Monroe, but from what little I could make out of them, he looked exactly how I remembered him. The rest of his body, however, was a different story.

His hair had begun to grow back after having obviously been recently shaved to prep him for surgery. On the side of his head that was visible to me, a bandage was secured to his scalp just above his ear and was wrapped around his head. Both of his legs had been broken and were secured with immobilizers, resembling large boots. He’d been through hell and back physically, and I feared he’d soon go through the same emotionally, all because of me.

Tears fell down my face before I even had the chance to realize they had formed. Not wanting Luke to see me upset, I dabbed my eyes with my sleeve and did my best to maintain my composure before he realized I was there. With a lump in my throat, I took a step closer to the bed, approaching it on the opposite side of Monroe. There another chair sat, which I was grateful for in the event my legs felt like they were going to give out on me. Monroe sat watching me expectantly, silently screaming at me to announce my presence and put an end to the torment Luke must have been going through since regaining consciousness.

Closing my eyes, I took a breath and spoke. “Luke.”

Author Bio:

Sara “Furlong” Burr was born and raised in Michigan and currently still lives there with her husband, two daughters, a high-strung Lab, and three judgmental cats. When she’s not writing, Sara enjoys reading, camping, spending time with her family, and attempting to paint while consuming more amaretto sours than she cares to admit.

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Spotlight: Hart of Darkness by S.B. Alexander

Hart of Darkness
S.B. Alexander
Publication date: June 12th 2018
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

The road to love is paved in the dark.

Former gang member Dillon Hart abandoned the streets to join the US Merchant Marines. He feels his life is finally on track until he returns home to discover that his sixteen-year-old sister is missing. With his younger brother in jail and his older brother living a life of crime, it’s up to Dillon to find Grace. After four years of searching, a phone call from a morgue gives him a lead that he can’t pass up. Enlisting the help of a cutthroat reporter may be his only hope.

Crime reporter Maggie Marx has just the right mix of grit and sex appeal to get anything she wants, even the darkest stories on the street. Growing up in a gang, she had her fair share of setbacks and obstacles. When Dillon Hart seeks her help, she’s more than ready to take down the street’s biggest enemy. Her actions could help her exact revenge or land her in the belly of the beast.

As Dillon and Maggie team up to search for Dillon’s sister, they aren’t prepared to find what lies ahead. One family is torn apart. Another is brought together. Hearts are shredded, secrets are uncovered, and love takes on a whole new meaning.

Intended for audiences 18+

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—

EXCERPT:

I parked two blocks from a sea of red and blue flashing lights. I grabbed my bag, hopped out of my car, and ran up to the crowd that had gathered around.

I sidled up to an older lady. “What’s going on?”

She didn’t even look my way. Instead, she lifted up on her tiptoes to see over others’ heads. “Word is the cops are in a standoff with some gang.”

My internal radar was firing on all cylinders. “What gang?”

She clutched the robe she was wearing. “Not sure.”

I plowed through the throng to get a better view. Some protested as I wiggled my way up to a man in blue, whose name read Miladin on his uniform shirt. I knew some cops but not him.

Police cruisers and unmarked cars littered the street on the other side of the police barricade.

I flashed my reporter credentials. “I’m here to see Detective Ted Hughes.” I scanned the men in blue and some in plain clothes. Ted was tall, lanky, and sometimes hard to miss with his thick mustache that was similar to the actor Tom Selleck’s. I did another once-over and spotted Rick. He wasn’t as tall as Ted, but he was husky, compliments of the gym he lived at during his off-duty hours.

Officer Miladin narrowed his dark eyes. “Civilians are not allowed past this barrier.”

“I work for the paper, so let me through.” I knew working as a reporter held no clout to get me into an active police scene, but most cops knew I was close to Ted.

Officer Miladin stabbed a finger at another police barrier along the sidewalk in front of the brick homes that lined the street. “The media is over there.”

I didn’t budge from my spot. “You’re new. Aren’t you?”

Miladin’s voice dropped an octave. “I said over there.”

I huffed and decided it wasn’t worth arguing. Ted would only kick me out anyway.

I spotted Deidre, a news reporter for CBNT, a local station in the city. If anyone had a lead, it would be Deidre. She was relentless in her hunt to get the big story. I was about to make my way over to her, when a shot rang out through the humid night.

People screamed and scattered.

The cops took cover behind their vehicles.

I managed to duck behind one of many cars parked along the curb. The lady in the robe joined me, breathing heavily, while the crowd scattered to take cover.

Then silence ensued.

I slowly peeked through the car window, when the lady in the robe nudged me.

She pointed a red-painted nail toward the driveway of the house across from us. “Look.”

A girl with bold red hair darted from the back of the house, setting off the motion sensor.

Miladin, who had abandoned his position, edged along the base of the house and down the driveway. He said something into his radio, when the redhead climbed the chain-link fence.

Considering the girl was running, I suspected the cops didn’t have the house completely surrounded. Or if they did, then their attention wasn’t on the girl.

The crowd seemed to be holding its breath.

Author Bio:

S.B. Alexander is a bestselling romance author of the Maxwell Series. Her books are filled with stories that tug at your heart, and are filled with romance, drama, action and suspense. As much as she loves to write, she also loves to read. Some of her favorite authors growing up were Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. She stills enjoy reading Stephen King. In fact, she loves most genres, although in the past three years she has gravitated toward the romance genre, which is when she started her journey to write her first book. Her motto: write what you love to read.

Aside from writing, she’s a huge sports fan, in particular, baseball. Since she hails from New England, she is a diehard Red Sox fan. She’s also a navy veteran and former math teacher, loves white powdered donuts, and handbags. Her husband calls her the bag lady. When she’s not writing, she enjoys playing golf and hanging out with friends and family.

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Cover Reveal: The Scent of Heat by E.P. Sery

The Scent of Heat
E.P. Sery
Published by: Acorn Publishing
Publication date: September 5th 2018
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance

Ariella Paz is not in a good place. It’s the 1950s, and the 19-year-old is serving her country in the Israeli military, going home at night to a mother who is devastatingly ill, and realizing her dream of leaving home and going to America is slipping further and further away.

Meeting Arik Emmanuel, her boss’s friend, lifts her spirits and distracts Ariella from her sorrows. He showers her with love and luxury, which only masks the dangers inherent in his increasingly possessive behavior.

As their torrid and secret love affair plays out in Israel and Europe, Ariella has some big decisions to make. Can she really leave her family in their time of need? Does she have a legitimate future with Arik? And is there anyone in whom she can confide?

Each direction she turns will change her life dramatically. Perhaps our destiny isn’t something written in the stars, but a path forged by the choices we make.

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Author Bio:

Estee Perchik Sery was born and raised in Israel, before moving to Johannesburg, South Africa. Just before a major political shift in her adopted country, Estee moved to California with her family in 1993 and has been soaking in the San Diego sunshine ever since. In addition to raising her children, Estee was a Hebrew teacher and teacher trainer for many years.
​
Retired now, Estee is putting all of her life experiences to good use.
THE SCENT OF HEAT is her first published novel.
​
When she's not writing, reading, painting, or traveling the world, she loves spending time doting on her grandchildren.

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Spotlight: About Last Summer by Patricia B. Tighe

 

Hello Readers! Another great book for lazy summer days is

About Last Summer by Patricia B. Tighe!

Check out the excerpt below, and grab a copy today!

 

 

Pretend to be from Spain? Act like she can barely speak English? Sure, why not? It wouldn’t be the first time Gabby Vega had agreed to a challenge from her best friend, Kenzie. Besides, it’s only for a week of vacation with Kenzie’s cousins. Gabby will prove to Kenzie she can keep up the fake identity for the whole trip—that she’s not a quitter.

There’s just one major surprise. Noah Jernigan is also staying with Kenzie’s cousins. Noah, the boy she fell in love with at drama camp last summer and the boy she had to dump when it was over. The boy who knows who she really is. Noah can’t believe it when Gabby appears at the Bryson’s vacation home in the New Mexico mountains. He hasn’t seen her in a year. It practically took that long just to get over her. And now she’s Gabriela from Spain? All he wants is to get as far away as he can. Or maybe the exact opposite. Stick as close to her as possible and find out what the heck happened last summer. And definitely get some payback. Now Gabby has to keep Noah at arm’s length as she pretends to be Gabriela. She doesn’t want to answer his questions or rehash last summer. Because one thing is clear—the more time she spends with Noah, the more she’s in danger of falling for him all over again.

About Last Summer by Patricia B. Tighe Publication Date: May 30, 2017 Publisher: Swoon Romance

Available for Purchase: Amazon

 

  Noah   I was three measures into a different Celtic song when a sound broke my concentration. A footstep? Probably not. I frowned and kept playing. But somehow, the shades of darkness shifted. I squinted. Someone stood on the blacktop where we shot baskets, half hidden by the side of the deck. My heart rate picked up. There was only one person it could be. The others were inside, and Amanda didn’t go anywhere without Haley. I kept playing, just more quietly. “You can come out,” I said. “I know you’re there.” Gabby’s voice came from the blackness. “How?” I waited until she reached the bottom of the steps. “A shadow moved or something.” “Oh.” She stepped up and sat on the stair just below the deck’s floor. “That sounds familiar.” Crap. I’d been playing her song again. I purposely plucked the wrong string, the flat note twanging out like a slap. “Haven’t played it in awhile.” Idiot, idiot. You played it a few minutes ago. If she was outside, she heard it. She leaned back on her elbows and faced the backyard. “It’s still good.” I could’ve switched songs. I so wanted to. But a perverse need to show her just how great the song could be filled me with determination. So I let myself fall completely into the music, each note ringing out with precision and aching sweetness. Finally, when my chest was so tight I could barely breathe, I stopped. My body still rocked uncontrollably forward and back, the last notes reverberating into the night. She said nothing. Just sat there as if she deserved the whole performance. And I was caught. I wanted to jump up and go inside. But I also wanted to lean toward her. Remember how much you liked that last summer? Do you still? I had to be the biggest fool between here and whatever the hell river ran through Texas. She sighed, and it broke through the Gabby-cloud in my mind. “What’re you doing out here, Gabby?” She looked over her shoulder at me, but I couldn’t see her face in the darkness. Just her soft voice floated out. “Why didn’t you play games with everybody?” I picked idly at the guitar strings. “I’m tired of games. Especially ones I can’t win.”  

 

The mother of two grown sons, Patricia B. Tighe lives in West Texas with her husband and dog. She eats way too much pizza, drinks way too much coffee, and watches way too much NFL football. On the bright side, she also reads and writes teen fiction. She promises to include as much romance, angst, and adventure as possible in her books.

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Read an excerpt from Up to You by Daisy Prescott

I'm the last single woman among my friends. Don't feel sorry for me. I'm fine with flying solo, especially with ski season right around the corner. You won't hear me complaining. Until my mother decides I need a date for my cousin's wedding ... and chooses the worst man in the world for me.

Landon Roberts is the human equivalent of a parka with every ski pass he's ever purchased hanging off of his zipper. Apparently my mother is the last person in Colorado to know about Landon's reputation.

To make things worse, his super hot brother Aiden's back in town. Still gorgeous and still not remotely interested in me.

I can survive this wedding disaster as long as I pretend my date is someone else.

***

As one of the stars of Aspen's rugby club, I don't need help meeting women. Tell that to my mother. She's picked out my date for the biggest wedding of the year.

Mae London is the local girl who broke every heart in the valley before she left for California. Now she's back and hotter than ever. Too bad she hates me.

Enlisting the help of my brother, I'm going to become the ideal man, and charm Mae right out of her bad opinion of me.

This wedding date will be perfect as long as I pretend to be someone else. 

Excerpt

“Yes, Mother Dear?” I fold my hands and put on my wide-eyed innocent face.

“Save it for your revolving door of women.” She places her empty glass on the island counter. “Do you have a date for the wedding?”

“What wedding?” I ask because I’m sure there is more than one upcoming wedding on her radar.

“The London-Tierney wedding, of course. Unless you’ve had one concussion too many and can’t remember our conversation from five minutes ago.” She’s not even a little amused by me right now.

“Why would I have a date for a wedding I’m not going to?” Crossing my arms, I lean against the counter. Mom’s had too many glasses of rosé.

“You’ll be invited. Invitations will be sent out this week.”

“I think I’ll be out of town. Playing rugby.” There’s no way I’m missing one of the last tournaments of the season for some society wedding.

“I thought the season ended mid-September with Rugby Fest?” Aiden’s grin tells me he knows he just threw me under the bus.

“It does. Didn’t Mom say September was the wedding? I’m sure I’m busy every weekend.” I feel the solid ground of my excuse begin to slip out from under my feet.

“It’s Columbus Day. That’s mid October,” she adds like I’m an idiot, which apparently I am because I just blew my out. “And you have to go because I’ve already told Mrs. London you’ll be Mae’s date.”

“What?” I ask, my voice cracking.

“Why?” Aiden sets down his beer with too much force. The glass makes a loud cracking noise against the marble, but doesn’t break.

“Yeah, why?” I echo him. “If I have to attend, I can bring my own choice of dates. I’m not some sad sack who needs his mother to set him up. Not like Aiden. Make Aiden shave off the recluse disguise and take her. If either of us needs help with the opposite sex, it’s him, not me. I’m sure he doesn’t have any other options.”

I can’t believe she thinks this crazy idea is going to fly with me. Anger heats my neck as I try to process why she thinks I’ll go along with her plan.

“Fuck off, Landon,” Aiden mumbles, wiping the bottom of his bottle with his open palm, checking for leaks.

Mom’s lips curve with the start of a small frown. “Can you two be in the same place for more than five minutes without sounding like the dialogue from an R-Rated mob movie?”

“No,” I say, sarcastically.

“It was a rhetorical question, Dumbass.” Aiden stares at the ceiling before mumbling, “I really need to get my own place as soon as possible.”

“You could always move back in here. We have a guest suite on the lower level with its own bathroom.” Mom touches his forearm, hope shining bright in her eyes.

“Thanks, but I can’t move home with my parents. I’m thirty, and while I’m not even in the running for wedding date material, I do have some pride left.” Aiden rests his hand over hers.

“Oh, sweetheart. I assumed you’d be gone before October. Plus, Landon and Mae are friends.” Mom reassures him, her voice all lovey and doting.

“We are?” I ask. “Since when?”

“Aren’t you? You grew up together and I know you run in similar circles in Aspen. When I ran into her at the bridal shower she was with Sage Blum, who dates your team’s captain. You can go to the wedding as foursome.”

Yeah, she’s definitely been pounding the pink wine if she believes any of that bullshit. I don’t even know where to begin unraveling her words.

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About the Author

USA Today Bestselling Author Daisy Prescott writes romantic comedies about real love.

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. Daisy's Love with Altitude latest small town, rom com series is set in Aspen, Colorado. Bewitched is a magical serial set in Salem, Massachusetts. Don't miss her standalone, Tinfoil Heart, a rom com about love, letting go, and little green men.

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Spotlight: The Gunslinger’s Vow by Amy Sandas

Three runaway brides

Determined to escape their fates

Flee West to find freedom that can only be had

in a cowboy’s arms…

Alexandra Brighton spent the last five years in Boston, erasing all evidence of the wild frontier girl she used to be. Before she settles down, she’s determined to visit her childhood home one final time. But when she finds herself stranded far from civilization, she has no choice but to trust her safety to the tall, dark and decidedly dangerous bounty hunter Malcolm Kincaid.

Now that Malcolm finally has the location his brother’s killer, he has no intention of wasting time protecting a pampered Eastern lady. But something about Alexandra speaks to the heart he long thought frozen—and her slow transformation from proper miss to wild-eyed beauty leaves him shaken. By the time they reach Montana, Malcolm must decide if seeking justice for past wrongs is worth losing a future with the woman he never expected to need…

Excerpt

Alexandra Brighton came to a swift halt four steps into the Painted Horse Saloon. Blinking a few times to adjust to the dim interior, she took a measured look around.

As saloons went, it was nothing special. Not that Alexandra had seen many—or any, to be honest.

Despite the early hour, the place was busier than expected. Three men stood in hushed conversation as they leaned against the bar running the length of the wall to her left. Several tables filled the open area to the right, where two separate card games were in progress, and narrow stairs toward the back led up to a closed second floor. An upright piano that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years stood lonely in the shadows by the stairs.

Upon her entrance, everyone turned to stare at her, yet only a handful of the men bothered to scrape to their feet. Their expressions, ranging from mildly curious to outright covetous, reminded her of what she already knew: a saloon was no place for a lady.

Alexandra steadied her chin as she stared coolly back. She did not have the luxury of fear. That would have been handy before she had left Boston. But now, she was too far from the place she’d called home the last five years to go back.

Her only option was to go forward.

Preferably as quickly as possible.

All she needed was one good man. One noble, honorable man who could escort her to Montana while keeping her free from harm. Was that too much to ask?

She feared it was, but Alexandra was low on options. And funds.

The stagecoach out of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was inoperable due to required repairs, leaving Alexandra in desperate need of another way to get to Helena. When the blacksmith mentioned a bounty hunter in town who was heading in that direction, she didn’t stop to think about it—just headed off to the saloon where the man was said to be catching some respite.

It had been a long time since her reckless will had landed her in trouble, yet here she was, standing in the middle of a filthy saloon while men of all varieties stared at her in a way that made her feel like a sheep who’d wandered into the midst of a wolf pack.

Stiffening her spine and reminding herself of her purpose, she scanned the room again.

One of these men had to be the bounty hunter.

The longer she stood there, the cruder the gazes became. The nerves running along her spine prickled, and her palms started to sweat in her fine gloves. Time to see her business done so she could get herself out of there.

“Which of you is the man called Kincaid?” she asked in a tone that cut uncomfortably through the humming quiet that had taken over the place.

She hadn’t intended to sound so imperious, but her courage was slowly ebbing away, and her voice tended to sharpen in compensation for a lack of confidence.

More than a few men glanced away, refocusing their attention on their drink or their card game or whatever conversation they had been in before her interruption. Others eyed her with a new level of curiosity or an odd dose of wariness.

No one answered.

She opened her mouth to repeat her question when the bartender, an aging man with a bald head and rotund belly, caught her eye and gave a sharp jerk of his chin toward a man standing in the shadows at the far end of the bar.

Bolstering her nerves, Alexandra started forward with long strides that caused her many-layered skirts to snap against her heeled boots. The stranger appeared as rough as the other men in the place, but there was something about him—something in the way he held himself—that struck her acutely even as common sense urged her to be extra wary.

Though he hunched forward to rest his elbows on the bar, there was no mistaking his height, or that his shoulders were broad and strong beneath his dark duster coat. A good layer of dirt covered everything from his scuffed boots to the bandana around his neck and the wide-brimmed hat tipped low over his face, supporting the fact that he’d just ridden into town.

It was more than his intimidating size and trail-worn appearance that set this man apart, however. Despite his relaxed posture, he seemed ready for action. And if that were not enough, he was the only person in the whole place who had not given her a second glance. He appeared intent on ignoring her and everyone else.

And everyone else seemed equally determined to ignore him.

If she were a sheep, and the saloon’s occupants were a pack of wolves, then this man was the alpha.

Her steps faltered. What kind of stupid sheep walked right up to the alpha wolf?

Apparently, this one did.

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