Spotlight: Her Captive Beast by Starla Fleet

(Her Alien Beast, #1)
Publication date: March 24th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

Raynia

Marrying a suitable Royal is a small price to pay for my father’s approval. My fiancé is a good man even if his touch doesn’t evoke my desire. We have science in common and that will have to be enough.

Just as I’ve resigned myself to a lifetime of ordinary, an incident on my fiancé’s science vessel throws me off course and into the arms of a beastly tornado of a male. With my heart pounding for the first time in my life, I’m suddenly not so sure that ordinary will do at all.

Ryker

The Royals have held me captive for too long. Experimenting on me. Shaping me into a monstrous beast. Not any longer. The time to be free is now, and my captors will pay. I have vengeance on my mind, and nothing can stand between me and my goal.

Then I turn a corner on the ship where I’ve been held captive and I see her. Suddenly it’s not vengeance I’m after, it’s her that I need to claim as mine. Kidnapping my tormentor’s fiancée would mean a lifetime of fugitivity for me and my men. Yet, one kiss from Ray and I know that I’m captive once more.

Her Captive Beast is the first in a science fiction romance series filled with Alpha beasts who are tamed by sassy beauties. Strap in for a fast-paced, intergalactic adventure full of hope, love, forgiveness, and redemption.

Excerpt

Ryker 

I burst into Bay Six. My only thought was to destroy Lord Garreth. There the skinny little prick was. He was in the cockpit of a pod. 

Somehow he was escaping me! 

I charged towards the small craft. But I was too late. It was already lifting off. 

Refusing to admit defeat, I leapt for it. My right hand glanced off the belly of the pod. The smooth metal protested as I dug into it with my claws. 

I tried to hold on, but my grip wasn’t enough. He was getting away. I landed in a crouch on the metal floors with a sickening thud. Throwing my head back, I roared my disbelief, my fury, my hatred at the man.

There was a part of my brain, likely the part he tinkered with to make stronger, faster, indestructible, that told me I could follow him out the airlock and into space. The sane part of me knew I wouldn’t survive. That sane part listened to the vengeance in me that said my death would be worth it if I could take him down with me.

But the airlock was already closing. Not even my altered strength could open it in time. He got away. I had failed. Again.

A deafening roar rose within me. When I let it loose, it shattered the room. The high pitched squeal of glass breaking filled my ears. But something in the shriek stole my voice from me.

Looking down, I saw that there was something at my feet. Something trying to scuttle away like a crab. It was a small female, or maybe she just looked small compared to me. Most humans did. For several long seconds I took her in. 

The long brown hair had escaped its braid. The soft tendrils that framed a delicate face. The shapely legs that ended in small feet. The narrow waist that flared out into ample hips. 

My gaze went up and down, left and right. I roamed her body in exactly the way I wanted to touch her, needed to touch her. Everywhere at once. 

Mine.

The word rang loud in my head. It silenced the red hot rage that had been there only a moment before. I gave my head a shake. I must be going mad. Or madder than I had already been.

Mine, my altered mind insisted. Something inside me clawed at my guts, and the cage of my heart, insisting it was true.

Her blue eyes looked up at me wide and terrified. That’s when I knew I must have said the word out loud.

She tried to scramble away. But she was trapped. The stem of the impractical shoes on her feet were caught in the metal grate. If she kept struggling and kicking out, she would hurt herself further.

Without thinking, I crouched down. She didn’t scream this time. No, she did something far worse.

Her lips began to tremble. Wetness pooled at her eyes. Tears began to spill as the sobs broke from her heart-shaped mouth.

I had faced down armies of cyborgs. I had killed men with my own bare hands. I had watched and listened as my brothers and friends were tortured and tormented. None of that compared to the gut-wrenching feeling that tied me up in knots at the sound of her cries.

How could she not know that I would never hurt her?

How could she not know that even her cries caused pain in my heart?

How could she not know that my hands would do anything, everything, to keep her safe and warm?

I reached out for her, and that’s when I remembered why she could not know these things.

My hands were scarred. Scaled. Monstrous.

I didn’t know what I was capable of. Only because the old me wouldn’t have harmed her; it didn’t mean the new beastly me wouldn’t.

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About the Author

Starla Fleet is three BFF author friends who spent so much time watching Amos in The Expanse and Hot Spock in Star Trek Discovery, that they decided to write their own science fiction romances, but with a lot more kissing! Their Alien Beasts are genetically modified warrior monsters with a deadly swing for the villains and a soft heart for their heroines. Visit Starla’s website to download a free prequel novella at www.starlafleet.com

Connect:

https://starlafleet.com/

https://www.instagram.com/starlafleetauthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22242774.Starla_Fleet

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Spotlight: Floating Underwater by Tracy Shawn

Publisher: Turbulent Muse Publishing

Pages: 312

Genre: Women’s Fiction / Magical Realism / Psychological Fiction

BOOK BLURB:

Part psychological fiction and part mystical fiction with a dash of magical realism, Floating Underwater follows a woman’s astonishing journey through the extraordinary and, ultimately, to her self-actualization and power.

Fearful that her lifelong premonitions not only predict the future but can also change its very course, Paloma Leary is devastated when her latest vision foretelling a third miscarriage comes true.

Falling into a mystifying world of increasingly bizarre phenomena, including a psychic connection with her mysterious neighbor, out-of-body experiences, and visits from her long-dead mother, Paloma grows desperate for answers. She is also desperate to start a family. But when a life-changing vision reveals a tragic secret from the past, Paloma learns to accept her gifts and embraces a far different future than she ever could have imagined.

Excerpt

She had missed their silly bantering. They hadn’t been this playful with each other since the last pregnancy, but his jokes and her bursts of laughter had dissipated over time. She wagered, though, that most couples eventually lose sight of what first brought them together.

Reed patted her hand. “It is going to work out this time, Paloma…”

Paloma smiled, then took a bite of her sandwich. Maybe Reed was right; everything would be okay—the future did not have to be defined by the past.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, Paloma saw her. Bone-thin Serena raced across the street and planted herself next to the bumper of a parked car. In her ragged skirt and barely there T-shirt, Serena could be mistaken for one of Sunflower Beach’s many homeless people, who tucked themselves into alleys, behind bushes dotting the hillsides, and around trash-strewn paths by the railroad tracks. Yet the bedraggled Serena lived with her family, who tried their best to care for her in their own, private way. Serena stared at Paloma with her mismatched eyes, one blue and the other an unnatural shade of milky green. Slowly, Serena shook her head as her gaze misted over with what looked to be pity. Even though she had followed Paloma around ever since she’d moved into town when she was in sixth grade and Paloma in fifth, Paloma’s heart raced now, and nausea returned.

Reed leaned away and averted his face from Serena’s scrutiny. “She’s been showing up, even more, you know.”

“I know,” Paloma whispered. “I think she’s trying to tell me something.” Paloma shoved her plate away. Eating would be impossible now.

“She’s not trying to tell you anything.” Reed sighed. “She’s just more unhinged than usual.”

Paloma dared to look again. Serena pinned her down with those unnerving eyes, and then her mouth suddenly twisted into a grimace. Not knowing what else to do, Paloma waved. Serena turned abruptly. Passersby shook their heads and stared as she skipped barefoot down the street. Paloma watched the last coiled ends of Serena’s long, tangled hair as it floated out of view.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Award-Winning Author Tracy Shawn lives and writes on the Central Coast of California. Her debut novel, The Grace of Crows, won several indie book awards. Floating Underwater is her second novel. Tracy Shawn’s short stories have appeared in Literary Brushstrokes, Psychology Tomorrow Magazine, and Steel House Review Literary Journal. She’s written numerous articles for print and online publications and is currently working on her third novel.

You can visit her website at https://www.tracyshawn.com/ or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

Spotlight: The Only Man by A.S. Kelly

(From Connemara With Love, #4)

Publication date: March 21st 2022

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

I was a different man, once.

I was a man with only one woman on my mind – the only woman I wanted to hold in my arms.

I was her man.

But things change. Life changes you. Choices, mistakes, resentment: they all change you.

So do unkept promises.

We hurt each other. We loved each other, then hated each other, then missed each other, then grew apart.

And then…

One day, we found each other again.

At the wrong time, in the wrong place.

Because the two of us are wrong together – we’re too far apart, too incompatible.

We’re the main characters of a story that doesn’t belong to us.

But I still keep loving her, even though she hates me.

And she keeps hating herself, because she can’t help but love me.

And we keep searching for each other, even though we’re destined to lose each other.

I wish I could be a different man, just once.

I wish I could be the kind of man who’s ready to give everything for the woman he loves.

Someone who was ready to let her go.

Because I want her to be happy more than I want her to be mine.

Excerpt

“I hope, Darcy,” I tell her, honestly, “that you do forget about me, one day. I don’t want you to, but I hope you do.”
“That’ll never happen.” Her fingers slide into my hair and her red lips move close to mine. “I couldn’t forget you when I hated you,” she says, her voice trembling. I can hear it, even beneath the music. “So there’s no way I’d be able to forget you now.”
“Why not?” I ask, pain hammering in my chest, climbing up my throat and seeping into my temples.
“I think you know why.”
I don’t want to hear her say it, but I need to hear it. I need to remind myself what happens when you stop believing in the only thing you should believe in.
“Say it.”
“It’s too painful.”
“For me? Or for you?”
She smiles sadly. “Both.”
“Then don’t say it.” I rest my thumb on her lips, and Darcy parts them, sending a shiver through every vein in my body. “This is enough. You’re enough. Tonight is enough.” I’m lying, but I try, anyway. “Just tonight.”
“And then?” Her lips move against my thumb.
And then I’ll keep loving you from here, from afar, at the safe distance we have to put between ourselves so that at least one of us can have a chance. And it has to be you.
I didn’t do all this so that, one day, you’ll come back to me.
I didn’t give up on us to watch you give up on yourself.
“There is no ‘then’. And there’s no ‘tomorrow’.”
I drop my hand, and she looks at me, pity in her eyes.
“There’s no future for us.”
She rests her forehead against mine and lets herself go; my arms are holding her tightly, rocking her gently. We’re not dancing. We’re not following the music, or paying any attention to the world around us.
All we have is tonight, a handful of hours to breathe in. Nothing else has ever mattered compared to this moment.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

A. S. Kelly writes Rom-Com, Romantic Fiction and Family Saga.
Avid reader, hopeless romantic, lover of yoga, knitting and home baking.
She was born in Italy but lives in Ireland with her husband, two children and a cat named Oscar.

Connect:

https://www.authoraskelly.com/

https://www.instagram.com/authoraskelly/

https://www.facebook.com/ASKellyAuthor

https://twitter.com/askelly_writes

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21195166.A_S_Kelly

Newsletter: authoraskelly.com

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Spotlight: Gouda Friends Cathy Yardley

Genre: RomCom

Two high school BFFs reunite and endeavor to fix each other’s lives in this geeky romance from the author of Love, Comment, Subscribe.

Tam Doan dumped her boyfriend after he threw away her gourmet cheese. Sure, it’s a little more complicated than that, but the point is, he had it coming. Newly single and unemployed, Tam calls up her best friend from high school and utters the emergency code word—goldfish. Next thing she knows, she’s on a plane back home.

Josh O’Malley was a troubled, unconfident teenager. Now he’s the successful owner of a multimillion-dollar ghost kitchen. Tam, his high school BFF and fellow member of the Nerd Herd friend group, was instrumental in building his self-esteem. When she calls him out of the blue, he jumps at the chance to return the favor.

Josh and Tam immediately get to work fixing her life—but again, it’s complicated. Their close friendship was always a lifeline between them; a blooming romance might confuse things. Still, at least one thing is for certain: their chemistry is un-brie-lievable.

Exclusive Excerpt:

He probably should just ignore it, let it go to voice mail. But . . .

Damn it. He knew people in New York, and maybe it was an emergency.

You only know two people in New York, at least well enough for them to call this late, and it’s been years.

He grimaced, then accepted the call. “Hello?”

There was a pause, a long one. And he was ready to hang up when he heard a short impatient huff, then a woman’s low voice. “Goldfish.”

Every muscle in his body tensed.

He knew that voice. And he knew what it meant when she said that word.

“Do I need to kill someone, baby girl,” he said automatically, “or just help you hide ‘em?” 

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About the Author: 

 Cathy Yardley is an award-winning author of romance, chick lit, and urban fantasy, who has sold over 1.2 million copies of books for publishers like St. Martin's, Avon, and Harlequin. She writes fun, geeky, and diverse characters who believe that underdogs can make good and sometimes being a little wrong is just right. She likes writing about quirky, crazy adventures, because she's had plenty of her own: she had her own army in the Society of Creative Anachronism; she's spent a New Year's on a 3-day solitary vision quest in the Mojave Desert; she had VIP access to the Viper Room in Los Angeles. Now, she spends her time writing in the wilds of East Seattle, trying to prevent her son from learning the truth of any of said adventures, and riding herd on her two dogs (and one husband.)

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Spotlight: Last Resort by Amelia Wilde

(The Collector Trilogy, #3)
Published by: Dangerous Press
Publication date: March 22nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Emerson LeBlanc lost more than an acquisition. He lost the woman he loves.

There’s no redemption for a man with his past. No future for a relationship built on stalking and kidnapping. At least that’s what he believes. When he meets Daphne again, she’s not a piece of art. She’s a woman determined to paint a new path. For herself. For him. Except the ocean holds more than shadows. It holds danger that could ruin them both.

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About the Author

Amelia Wilde is a USA TODAY bestselling author of steamy contemporary romance and loves it a little too much. She lives in Michigan with her husband and daughters. She spends most of her time typing furiously on an iPad and appreciating the natural splendor of her home state from where she likes it best: inside.

Amelia is a USA Today best selling author from northern Michigan. Be her friend!

Connect:
https://awilderomance.com/
https://twitter.com/awilderomance
https://www.facebook.com/awilderomance
https://www.instagram.com/awilderomance/
https://www.amazon.com/Amelia-Wilde/e/B01C38CNJ2
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amelia-wilde
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14671616.Amelia_Wilde

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Cover Reveal: Behind Her Lives by Briana Cole

Publisher: Dafina (October 25, 2022)

Paperback: 320 pages

“That’s not my sister.” Overwhelmed by shock and relief, those are the only words Deven can muster when she is called to identify the body of a suicide victim. A body she was informed was her sister, Kennedy. But as she stares at the lifeless stranger, she’s filled with questions: Who is this woman? Why was Deven listed as family? And most important, where is Kennedy? Her intuition tells her just one thing: this can’t be a total coincidence.

Desperate to put the pieces together, Deven launches her own investigation. Soon, she finds herself tangled in a web of secrets and lies so twisted that it blurs the lines between fact and fiction.  And between the sister she thought she knew and the one who seems to have many hidden, dangerous lives. But only Kennedy would have the answers to increasingly urgent questions. Just one possibility is clear: Kennedy isn’t missing. Maybe she just doesn’t want to be found. And maybe you can never truly know another person. Even your own sister.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Briana Cole is an acclaimed author, motivational speaker, sex educator and actress. Her novels are known for exploring unconventional relationships and making readers question all expectations about love, lust, and monogamy. An Atlanta native, she graduated cum laude from Georgia Southern University and is a proud member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Her motto and ultimate drive toward success is a famous quote from Mae West: “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Connect with Briana online at BrianaCole.com, and on Facebook, Goodreads, Instagram, and Twitter @BColeAuthor.