Spotlight: False Illusions by Jennifer Youngblood

(Honeysuckle Island, #4)
Publication date: May 10th 2022
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

Is he the answer to her troubles or an intoxicating illusion that could turn deadly?

Single mom Olivia Burkhart struggles to rebuild her life after the murder of her fiancé, Brent Allen, a deputy on Honeysuckle Island. She vows to never get involved with another cop, and then Flynn Yates enters her life with his playful smile and penetrating blue eyes.

As Olivia tries to come to terms with her feelings for Flynn, life delivers some hard blows that resurface her fears with a vengeance.

Then fate gives her the chance to work six weeks at an exclusive art gallery in charming and quaint Carmel, California by the sea.

When Olivia catches the eye of world-renown artist Xavier Kipling, a brooding and handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into a sophisticated world of wealth beyond anything she’d ever imagined.

A strange painting gives way to unsettling events, making Olivia question if her aching heart can discern between illusion and reality.

Is the Kipling mansion an idyllic haven, or a hiding place for deadly secrets?

Excerpt

As he stepped up, Olivia rolled down the window and placed both hands on the steering wheel as Brent had taught her to do. The officer removed his sunglasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. Olivia jerked, taken aback by the vividness of his deep blue eyes. A tidal wave of heat gushed over her cheeks as she took in his rugged features. She was mortified at the attraction that pinged through her. Why did he have to be so dang good-looking? And why did he have to exude such a bad-boy, reckless vibe that called to her inner soul? It didn’t hurt that he filled out his cop uniform well with his cut biceps and masculine forearms. Great gravity, he was nice to look at.

His gaze lingered on her a moment too long, and then he seemed to catch himself. “Good afternoon,” he began in a brisk tone. “May I see your license and registration?”

It happened again. Their eyes connected, sending all rational thoughts flying out the window. When a tiny smile tugged at a corner of the officer’s mouth, Olivia found herself grinning back like a goober.

His quirk of amusement gave her the jolt she needed to return to her senses. Good grief, she was acting like a moonstruck idiot! She’d always been a sucker for cops. Add in his stunning good looks and sense of arrogance, and she was a goner for sure.

“Your license and registration,” he prompted

She snapped out of her daze. No way could she get involved with another cop. Hadn’t she had enough heartache over Brent to last her a lifetime? Danger followed cops, or rather cops followed danger. She owed it to Ryan and to herself to find a guy who had a stable, predictable job.

What the freaky Frankenstein was she thinking! Here she was contemplating a future … or squelching any chance of a future with some guy who probably wasn’t remotely interested in her. He was simply doing his job. The eye-locking thing was probably a figment of her imagination—proof that she was in desperate need of a good night’s sleep. She was getting twitter-pated over nothing. Was the guy even single? She glanced at his ring finger and felt a curious blip of relief when she saw the naked strip of skin over that all-important finger. Of course, just because he wasn’t wearing a ring didn’t mean that he wasn’t involved with someone.

“Uh, sure,” she stammered as she turned to find her purse. She glanced down at the floorboard and Arden’s feet only to realize that her purse was in the back seat. She was twisting around to get it when Arden caught hold of her arm.

“I’ve got this.” Arden’s voice rang out both confident and indignant.

Crumb! Arden was about to get on her high horse. This was bound to end poorly.

“Officer, do you have any idea who this is?” She looked at Olivia as she spoke.

He raised an eyebrow in faint amusement. “A woman who was speeding in a school zone,” he quipped dryly.

Olivia’s jaw dropped. “I was not speeding! I slowed down.”

He didn’t back down in the slightest. “When you saw my car. And for the record, you didn’t slow down soon enough.”

“I never saw your car.” Anger blanketed her, hot and furious. “I slowed down the instant I saw the sign. That sign should be displayed more prominently,” she added defensively.

He smirked. “If it had been a snake, it would’ve bitten you. License and registration,” he demanded, looking her in the eye.

It went through Olivia’s mind that the guy was a jerk. She should be outraged about the snake wisecrack. But right now, she couldn’t think straight. She was feeling things she never thought she’d feel again—the stir of ribbons through her stomach, the flush of warmth over her skin, the heady sizzle of energy pulsing through her like a fireball.

“Fine,” she spouted as she turned to get her purse. Placing it in her lap, she reached for her wallet and slid out her license. As she handed it over, her hand brushed against the cop’s, rustling awareness through her. Okay, this idiotic attraction was out of control. She turned to Arden, her discomfort spewing out in irritation. “Don’t just sit there like a ninny. Get the registration out of the glovebox.”

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About the Author

Jennifer Youngblood is a USA Today Bestselling Author of clean romance, sweet romance, romantic comedy, and romantic suspense novels. For as long as she could remember, Jennifer has wanted to be an author. In those rare moments when she's not dreaming up another story, Jennifer loves cooking, spending time with family, and occasionally breaking away from her hectic life to take spontaneous trips to exotic and sometimes not so exotic locations. She couldn't survive in a world without chocolate, good books, family, and friends.

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Spotlight: Dead Drift by Kelly Romo

Genre: Thriller 

Two teenage girls on the run with fake IDs and a beater car…what could go wrong?

Emmy has always been impulsive. She is no longer a minor and has aged out of foster care. When her best friend, Amber, is the target of a perverted uncle who lives in the basement of her group home, they plan her escape.

They head for Canada, where Amber will be safe, and the foster care system can no longer control their lives. When they come across a whitewater rafting brochure, they decide to take a detour for one last adventure before leaving the country. Emmy and Amber have no idea it will be a decision that will forever change their fates.

The rafting town is so far in the middle of nowhere that Emmy’s car radio catches nothing but static. They consider turning around until a truck pulls up, loaded with hot whitewater rafting guides and rubber rafts--just the fun they were looking for. Ignoring every instinct, they turn off the pavement and follow the truck down an isolated dirt road. They end up in Lodell, the town where a girl went missing the previous summer…and she will not be the last. 

Excerpt

Prologue

HIM

There are five stages of drowning: surprise, involuntary breath-holding, unconsciousness, hypoxic convulsions, and finally, death. 

Shawna’s hair spreads out in a halo of jet-black strands lit by the moon and rippling in the current. There is no fear or panic in her. I spared her of that. Her death is beautiful and silent as I hold her in my arms and cradle her beneath the surface. I put my lips to hers and inhale her very last breath before she gasps and draws my water into her lungs. She becomes heavy then seizes like a fish. My blood surges and thunders inside me. I have never felt so alive. Shawna finally relaxes, surrenders, and becomes mine forever. I hold and comfort her through it all. Binding her to me was easier than I thought. I should have done this years ago. 

I raise Shawna up. Her nose, lips, and tits break the surface, all slick and shiny in the moonlight. I give her one last kiss, then take her nipple between my lips and flick it with my tongue. I wish I could keep her longer, but she is losing her warmth. I take a clump of her jet-black hair and wind it tight around my finger until the tip of it goes numb. I yank it from her head. It is surprising how easily it comes out and hangs from my hand, as black and shiny as tar. It will be perfect. 

 No longer will I catch and release. Shawna is mine forever, for I am the river, and the river is me. It is the fluid, and I am the flesh.

Chapter 1

I guess I’m turning out just like everyone expected, but at least I’m not pregnant. Aiding in Amber’s escape will be the biggest crime I have ever committed. I don’t realize what a death grip I have on my steering wheel until I pull to the curb, put it in park, and turn my headlights off. A million butterflies flutter in my chest and up my throat. It is exactly four-fifteen in the morning, and Amber is not expecting me until four-thirty. She will be shocked that I made it on time. 

Everything I own in the world sits in the trunk, which isn't more than a single suitcase. I used to have more until three years ago. I was pissed that I had to leave my foster parents, Scott and Jeanette. I thought they loved me, and their house would be my forever home. I was so tired of packing up and dragging all my shit with me that I threw garbage bags of clothes, photos, notes, and keepsakes into the trash—which I now regret. I thought all the pictures were of former friends who I would never see again. It took me about a month to realize that the only two photos I had of my mom were mixed in with them. 

I don’t remember much about my mom. She overdosed when I was four. I do remember she had dry hands and a scratchy voice. She used to read to me from a Mother Goose nursery rhyme book with bright watercolor pictures. Other than the two photos, the book was the last thing I had from my mom, but it went missing at my eighth-grade parents’ house. I think one of the little kids stole it when they left.  

The neon blue numbers on my phone say it is four twenty-five. I step out of my car, press the lock button, and silently push the door until it clicks shut. I lived in this neighborhood—until last November when I turned eighteen. I lived in that house. Thanks to the state of Oregon, I’ve always lived in that house in any neighborhood. The one with the foster children—where kids come and go based on their behavior or personality. Sometimes, no matter how good you are, you have to move somewhere new. And you have no idea why.

A few porch lights glow, and some houses have a window or two lit, probably for some child afraid to sleep in the dark—which I never understood. If your light is on, a peeping Tom could stand right outside your window and watch you sleep, even through the smallest gap in the curtains. 

My stomach clenches tight, and my heart pounds on the wall of my chest. I broke laws before, like staying out after curfew, drinking underage, egging houses, or stealing things I needed—but nothing like this. I am legally an adult and about to harbor a runaway. I can do hard-time for this. Amber and I have one chance, and we need to get it right.

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About the Author 

Kelly Romo grew up in California but has lived in Oregon for over twenty-five years. She teaches writing, literature, and social studies. She is the mother of three grown children: Brittany, Brennan, and Ryan. She is an avid outdoorswoman who loves to kayak, hike, and fish.

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Cover Reveal: If I Asked You to Stay by Brianna Remus

Publication date: June 27th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Fall head over heels for this binge-worthy read of two hearts who have always been destined to come together…even after ten years of being apart.

We were both orphans.

While Johnny Moore was the product of alcohol and bad decisions, he never let his family define him. And me? Well, let’s just say that my mother’s unwanted pregnancy almost destroyed her family name and leaving me behind was the best decision she ever made.

Johnny and I made a pact all those years ago—never leave. Two simple words that always gave me hope. Something solid to lean on when things got tough.

But I guess promises are meant to be broken. The memory of Johnny walking away on his eighteenth birthday will forever be burned into my heart like a brand.

Ten years of forgetting him. Ten long years of forging my own path and trying to make my dreams come true…without him.

Nothing could have prepared me for the series of events that brought me back to Pebble Brook Falls and face-to-face with Johnny Moore. The very man I wanted nothing more than to forget…forever.

And nothing could have prepared me for the man that was the embodiment of my weaknesses. With his towering height, southern accent, and a smile that made me weak in the knees, I was completely helpless against him.

He had been my first for everything, and I mean everything. And even though I knew he was the only person who could break my heart, the moment I laid my eyes on him after ten years, I knew I wanted him to be my last—my forever.

The only question was, would he even want me to stay?

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About the Author

Brianna Remus is a Florida-based author who lives with her husband, three pups, and terrorizing cat. She started her writing journey in 2016 to ward off the woes of graduate school. The light-hearted hobby quickly turned into a passion filled dream that consistently distracts her from the real world.

When Brianna isn't working as a psychology resident or writing books, you can find her getting lost in the worlds created by others (through writing and movies), spending a day at the ocean, or taking a walk in the forest. She loves to spend her days outdoors surrounded by the beauties of nature.

A true Tolkien nerd, she also spends a lot of her time immersed in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, as well as praying that Amazon doesn't completely fuck up the new LOTR series.

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Spotlight: The Love List by Elana Johnson

Genre: Beach Romance 

About The Love List:

Beatrice Callahan loves lists. Sometimes she even makes a to-do list of things she's already done, just to go check, check, check and feel accomplished. So it's easy to understand why, when her divorce is finally final and her ex is all moved out, Bea takes a cool, close look at her life...and makes a list.

It's not exactly a bucket list.

It's a love list.

Bea loves the outdoors, so she puts visit 10 National Parks on the list.

She loves animals, and on goes get a puppy.

She loves the beach, and she adds take a dream vacation to the list, and decides to do that one first. After all she's been through and all she's lost, she needs time to relax, rest, and reset.

On the first day she arrives in Hilton Head Island, she meets Grant Turner, the man whose house she's renting for her fabulous beach vacation. He's just there to make sure she settles in properly and has enough towels.

But when Bea asks for recommendations around the island, Grant quickly becomes her tour guide and then a friend and then...more than friends.

Bea turns to her lists when things get confusing and her love list morphs once again... Can she add fall in love at age 45 to the list and check it off?

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About the Author

A USA Today Bestselling and Amazon Kindle All-Star Author, Elana writes clean and wholesome contemporary romance. She is well-known for her young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). She writes clean beach romance in the Hawthorne Harbor Second Chance Romance series, the Getaway Bay Romance series, the Getaway Bay Resort Romance series, the Forbidden Lake Romance series, the Stranded in Paradise Romance series, the Hope Eternal Ranch Romance series, the Sweet Water Falls Farm Romance series, and the Carter's Cove Romance series.

Elana also writes inspirational western romances under the USA Today bestselling pen name of Liz Isaacson. Learn more at Liz's website.

Elana is the force behind Indie Inspiration, and you can find her books for writers, Writing and Releasing Rapidly and Writing Killer Cover Copy among others, and join her group and page on Facebook.

She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog, a co-founder of The League of Extraordinary Writers, and a co-organizer of WriteOnCon. She is a member of ALLi and NINC and a popular speaker for libraries, teens, and writer's conferences across the United States. To contact Elana to speak at your event, please see her contact page.

Connect with the Author: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok | Bookbub | Gmail

Spotlight: Married to the Tight End by Carina Rose

Release Date: May 17

Have you ever felt as though you were having an out-of-body experience? An ethereal feeling that you were floating in the atmosphere looking down on a situation? If not, let me tell you, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. 

Imagine you were at your best friend’s engagement party in Vegas. You were super excited because you were the maid of honor and the best man was the hottest football player you’d ever seen. Even this guy’s position as tight end was appropriate for his, well . . . tight end. 

Anyway, there was something about his cocky attitude that ruffled your feathers and turned you on at the same time. Maybe it was the way he challenged you or because women seemed to flock to the gorgeous man. But according to him, he only had eyes for you. It didn’t matter if he was kidding or not, because you weren’t in the market for a serious relationship. 

Then, for some reason, you engaged in a drinking game. Because why not, right? You were in Vegas after all. Well, let me tell you why not, because the next morning you noticed a silver band on your left ring finger. And adding salt to that tequila-induced wound, there was one on his too. 

Yes, you read that right. Me, Alexa Barton, preferably always the bridesmaid and never the bride, married the uber-sexy, and let’s not forget cocky, football player, Jackson Cartwright. 

I was a cliché. A married cliché. Whose “husband” wasn’t in a hurry to get an annulment and vowed to prove that we were meant to be together. 

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Meet Carina Rose:

Carina loves everything about romance. To her, it’s the little things that matter. She also believes in insta-love, since she knew her husband was the one the first day she met him.

When it comes to books, she uses them as an escape from reality. . . . to get swept away. Carina hopes her words do the same for her readers.

She’s a mother and wife and loves spending time with her family. She enjoys meeting new people, traveling, reading, watching sports, and, of course, relaxing on a beach.

Carina looks forward to sharing more love stories in her future novels.

Connect with Carina Rose:

Website: https://www.carinarosebooks.com 

Newsletter: https://bit.ly/33Aussx   

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorcarinarose/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_carinarose/ 

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Spotlight: Love You Like That by Scarlett Cole

Release Date: May 17

Zoe Atkins wanted exactly one thing. To be the world’s greatest percussionist. Instead, she’s on a tour bus engaged in a stupid bet with rock star, Alex King, trying to fill the hole left behind when her dream gave up on her.The prickly former percussionist wasn’t supposed to steal his heart. With her distrust of lipstick and love of men’s pyjamas, she was everything playboy, Alex, didn’t want in a lover. At least, that’s what he thought when he bet her he could find her a hook up during their tour. Until he’s forced to watch the woman he’s come to desire leave the bar with her perfect guy, taking a piece of his already bruised and battered heart with her.Now it’s up to the Sad Fridays’ rocker to use his passionate powers of persuasion to convince Zoe he’s more than her wingman. He’s her everything.

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Meet Scarlett Cole

The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada where I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I'm getting the chance to follow that dream.

I am represented by Beth Phelan at The Bent Agency, NY.

Connect with Scarlett Cole:

Website: http://www.scarlettcole.com/

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