Spotlight: Fall From Grace by Tori Fox

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

About Fall From Grace: 

I risked everything to write the story that could change my life. And it did, just not in the way I hoped. I was fired.

I went to my brother with my tail between my legs begging him for a job.

He came through and managed to get me one… working for his best friend.

But the most embarrassing thing, he happened to be my one night stand from a week ago and now enemy number one in my eyes.

We push each other's buttons every day in every way.

Except, the more time I spend with him, the more I let my walls down.

I’ve always known, some things are too good to be true.

And Carson Taylor is one of them.

—

She’s my best friend's little sister, Grace Prescott.

She is beyond off limits. And now, she works for me.

She’s a constant tease to me with those sexy outfits and bee stung lips.

But her teasing ends up turning into late night rendezvous and dirty secrets.

She’s hiding things from me. And it just might be my downfall.

I could lose everything again. 

My pride, my job, my best friend.

Is this my not so eloquent fall from grace?

Excerpt

I smile at her. “Let me guess, you have an ex who was a lawyer or a politician, maybe both.” She goes to cut me off but I continue talking. “And acted like some big shot. Was an asshole. Made you promises all the time but was too focused on his own career he forgot about you. And you thought you could put up with it but then the sex was lackluster, boring, you needed to get yourself off too many times to count while he lay snoring next to you after he got himself off inside you.”

She bites her lip hard then takes a large sip of her vodka and soda.

“And let me guess, his dick was small too.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered if his dick was big or small. He didn’t know how to use it.”

I smile as I watch her crack.

“Motherfucker.”

I run my finger along the edge of my glass as I hear Mason snickering next to me. “Sounds like it’s not really a lawyer or a politician problem. Sounds more like an asshole problem. Like someone who couldn’t read you, couldn’t understand what you wanted, what you needed.”

“And you do?”

I lean in a brush a piece of loose hair that was framing her face behind her ear. “I saw the way you were talking to that guy at the bar earlier. He wasn’t forceful enough for you. Your body was lax, your stance bored. You want someone to dominate you. You look like the type of woman who will fight back with every demand made. Yet with each second that passes your pussy grows wetter. Your thighs clenching, your body craving my touch. Yet I keep my distance. Each time I lean to grab my drink you hope I brush your arm. Feel the caress of my breath across your cheek. The need grows in you as I keep my distance. Your eyes are dilated anticipating the slightest touch. You want nothing more than for me to touch you. Drag my fingers gently down the side of your cheek. Then grab you, pulling you close, devouring that mouth. Pulling on your hair, gripping your hips hard enough to bruise.” I pull away and see the flush on her chest, the increased rate of her breathing. “But you’ll never admit that. You’re too strong to admit you would submit to me every damn time.”

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About the Author

Tori Fox is the author of romantic suspense and contemporary romance with a little bit of angst and a whole lot of sexy. When she isn’t writing, you can find her listening to true crime podcasts as she tends to her plants or singing along to Taylor Swift as she drinks champagne. Tori lives above the clouds with her husband and dog in the Rocky Mountains.

Connect with the Author: Facebook | Website | Goodreads | Instagram | Tiktok | Twitter | Bookbub | Newsletter

Spotlight: The Oath & The Valley by A.M. Linden

Publication Date: June 28, 2022
She Writes Press
Paperback & eBook; 464 pages

Series: The Druid Chronicles, #2
Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval

Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers.

Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.

Herrwn, the shrine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.

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The Valley

Publication Date: June 28, 2022
She Writes Press
Paperback & eBook; 464 pages

Series: The Druid Chronicles, #2
Genre: Historical Fiction/Medieval

Llwddawanden is a hidden sanctuary where remnants of a once-powerful pagan cult carry on their ancient ritual practices, supported by a small but faithful following of servants, craftsmen, and laborers.

Cut off from the outside world by both geography and conviction, the Druids of Llwddawanden continue to venerate the Great Mother Goddess and to view themselves as the first-born and favorite of Her mortal children. While the belief that the most important of all divine beings gave birth to their ancestors and that Her spirit inhabits the body of their highest priestess is a tenuous conclusion in view of their reduced lot in life, the Druids of Llwddawanden believe it and are, for the most part, committed to carrying on the traditions handed down to them by their forbears.

Herrwn, the shrine’s chief priest and master bard, has the responsibility of overseeing the education of Caelym, the orphaned son of the cult’s previous chief priestess, as well as keeping the peace within the upper ranks of their order—two tasks that grow more difficult as the rivalry over which of the three highest priests will claim Caelym as his disciple grows, and as mounting conflicts between the current chief priestess and her only living daughter threaten to rend the fabric of a society that has endured for more than a millennium.

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About the Author

Ann Margaret Linden was born in Seattle, Washington, but grew up on the East Coast before returning to the Pacific Northwest as a young adult. She has undergraduate degrees in anthropology and in nursing and a master’s degree as a nurse practitioner. After working in a variety of acute care and community health settings, she took a position in a program for children with special health care needs where her responsibilities included writing clinical reports, parent educational materials, provider newsletters, grant submissions and other program related materials. The Oath is the first installment of The Druid Chronicles, a five-volume series that began as a somewhat whimsical decision to write something for fun and ended up becoming a lengthy journey that involved Linden taking adult education creative writing courses, researching early British history, and traveling to England, Scotland, and Wales. Retired from nursing, she lives with her husband, dogs, and cat in Bellingham, WA.

The Oath

Spotlight: The Crash by Skye Warren & Amelia Wilde

Publication date: July 12th 2022
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

Carter Morelli works alone, but his orders are clear. Pilot the small aircraft carrying the renowned geologist to a remote island. Except the plane malfunctions at a crucial moment.

June Porter wants to stay on solid land. She doesn’t want to fly, but it’s the only way to get to the dig site. Then her worst fears come true.

A heavy storm. A swift fall from the sky. And a heart stopping crash.

An emergency landing leaves them stranded.

A shadow moves through the trees. They aren’t alone in the jungle.

Excerpt

It’s a sunny day. Fluffy white clouds in a blue sky. No turbulence jostles us again. We couldn’t have asked for a better day to fly. It’s perfect, except for the sense of foreboding.

The engine stutters. It’s not precisely wrong, but it’s not precisely right.

“Carter? What’s happening?”

“Nothing.”

It’s not unprecedented. Engines make noise. They’re mechanical. It happens. I check the gauges. Nothing. It’s a small plane, but top-of-the-line. Well-maintained. I checked it over, tip to tail, when I arrived at Heathrow. Nothing was out of order then.

Nothing should be broken now.

Another stutter. This one’s bigger. Fuck.

The fuel gauge swings down toward empty, ticking by line after line.

My entire spine chills. That’s a malfunction. That’s a fucking problem. We’re dumping fuel on a delay, out over the ocean, almost like…

Someone planned for this to happen.

Fuck. Is that what my handler was calling about? How would she know something is wrong on the plane, thousands of miles away? I reach for the landing gear controls.

They try to engage. They fail. Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

What’s happening is that the landing gear are stuck halfway open.

Worse, I don’t trust the navigation equipment.

The paper map in the panel above my head resists coming out, but I force it. Open it. Check my bearings one last time. Trust them one last time.

Angle the plane in a slightly different direction.

Off the flight plan, but toward the only land within range on the map. 

What the hell is going on? I’ve logged over half a million nautical miles. This has never happened before. The plane drops. A few hundred feet before I can steady it. June gasps, clapping a hand over her mouth. 

And then the engines cut out.

It’s silent in the sky. Wind skims over the fuselage. My heart pounds in my ears. I ignore all of it.

Because we’re going down.

There’s nothing to keep this plane in the air.

Not a prayer in the world could keep us flying without engines.

“We’re going to land.” It’s the truth and nothing but the truth. There are no other choices. It’s land the plane or die. “Brace yourself.”

“No,” she breathes. 

It’s only a whisper of breath, but I hear it. I feel it, brushing over my skin. I’m tuned in to her. Into the plane. Adrenaline floods my veins, making me tuned into the fucking universe. And every single signal is telling me that we’re fucked.

A patch of green in the ocean comes into view. It looks impossibly small. Too small to land on, much less reach, but as we hurtle forward, it gets larger. Becomes an island. The island I saw on the map. 

That’s it.

Our only chance at survival.

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Meet the Authors

Skye Warren is the New York Times bestselling author of dangerous romance. Her books have sold over one million copies. She makes her home in Texas with her loving family, sweet dogs, and evil cat.

Connect:
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https://www.facebook.com/skyewarren
https://www.instagram.com/skyewarrenbooks/
https://twitter.com/skye_warren
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5339130.Skye_Warren
http://www.skyewarren.com/newsletter/

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

Spotlight: Official: An ABCs of Love Novel by Georgia Coffman

Genre: RomCom

Cover Designer: Indie Sage

Publication Date: July 14th, 2022

Agreeing to a fake relationship with my brother’s best friend is supposed to fix a stupid mistake and save my career. I’m not supposed to fall for him in the process…

My relationship with Xander is nothing more than a way to ease some of the fallout we’re both experiencing in our careers.

It’s intended to be as harmless as the spontaneous trip we’ve decided to take—an adventure of a lifetime to a tropical island. 

It’s the perfect escape to nurse our wounded egos. How can we be stressed with nothing but sunshine and palm trees surrounding us?

At first, our conversations are innocent. Our touches casual. Our glances fleeting.

We aren’t supposed to grow closer.

Or kiss—we definitely aren’t supposed to kiss.

And before I realize it, what I thought would be a regular summer turns into so much more. Right up until our blissful bubble bursts from a dose of reality much stronger than our umbrella cocktails. 

Which begs the question… are we a vacation fling, or can we finally make our relationship official?

**Official is a complete stand-alone in the ABCs of Love series where each author delivers a brand-new story for you to rediscover your ABCs.

Excerpt

“When we look back on this moment in fifty years, trapped in a soul-sucking retirement home, don’t we want to be able to say we did something crazy fun instead of bailing on a trip of a lifetime like a couple of suckers?”

I worry my bottom lip, chewing on his proposition like he asked me to move in with him. But it’s only a short vacation, right? To freaking Maui.

Sweet paradise.

Why am I not saying yes?

“Say yes,” Xander pleads, a sparkle in his eye and a pause in his breathing.

“Okay, let’s do it.” Smiling, I spread my arms and realize too late that I’m still holding a full cup of coffee. It spills over the edge, the warm drops splattering across the tops of my feet and the carpet.

“Leave it. You’ll clean up when we get back.” Xander nudges me toward my closet.

“I need to clean that before it sets.” I set the cup on top of a coaster on my nightstand. “Besides, what’s the rush?”

“I already bought us two tickets, and our flight leaves in two and a half hours.”

“We’re not going to make it. Traffic alone will be ridiculous. And I need to pack, cook and eat breakfast, do my yoga and meditation—”

“Grab a swimsuit and your passport. We’ll stop for coffee and bagels on the way. You’ll meditate on the plane. Maui, Sam. Maui.” He whispers the last word, and his lips twitch with similar excitement to the energy fluttering in my chest.

His enthusiasm is infectious.

“Maui,” I repeat, my smile widening.

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About the Author

Georgia Coffman is a romance author with a Master’s in Professional Writing. She loves books, the TV show Friends, and shopping. She also enjoys working out, traveling, and playing with their two dogs. Georgia loves to connect on social media or through email, so feel free to reach out with any questions, your favorite book recommendations, or even a funny joke!

Connect:

Newsletter - www.georgiacoffman.com/newsletter

Facebook - www.facebook.com/authorgeorgiacoffman

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Pinterest - http://bit.ly/GeorgiaonPinterest

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Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Georgia-Coffman/e/B07VGLV3HM

Verve Romance - https://ververomance.com/app/authorgeorgiacoffman

Spotlight: The Rising by Kerry Peresta

Olivia Callahan Suspense, Book Two

Psychological Suspense / Crime Thriller

Released: March 2022

Publisher: Level Best Books

After an assault that landed her in the hospital as a Jane Doe two years earlier, Olivia Callahan has regained her speech, movement, and much of the memory she lost due to a traumatic brain injury. The media hype about the incident has faded away, and Olivia is ready to rebuild her life, but her therapist insists she must continue to look back in order to move forward. The only person that can help her recall specifics is her abusive ex-husband, Monty, who is in prison for murder. The thought of talking to Monty makes her skin crawl, but for her daughters’ sake and her own sanity, she must learn more about who she was before the attack.

Just as the pieces of her life start falling into place, she stumbles across the still-warm body of an old friend who has been gruesomely murdered. Her dream of pursuing a peaceful existence is shattered when she learns the killer left evidence behind to implicate her in the murder. The only person that would want to sabotage her is Monty—but he’s in prison! Something sinister is going on, and Olivia is desperate to figure it out before another senseless murder is committed.

Excerpt

My mind stalled. Paranoia curdled in my gut. My fingers clenched the armrests. I eased myself from the chair.

My still-unpredictable brain flipped me back to my hospital room eighteen months prior, where for five weeks I’d counted each step my legs could manage. Mechanically, I started counting. One step. Two steps. Three. Don’t look down! Keep going! Four steps. Almost there! Then you can look down!

Five. Five. Five…I looked down.

A scream exploded from my lips and vibrated all the way down to my bones. Automatically, I pulled out my cell to call 911, but…slowly put it back in my purse. I took a deep breath. Just hang on a minute. What would Hunter do?

What should I do?

I made a strangled sound in the back of my throat.

One thing you won’t do, Olivia Callahan, is nothing!

Earl lay behind his desk, staring at the ceiling. The tears came when I realized that he’d dressed up for me…like I’d dressed up for him. He’d even worn a vest, but his shirt was pulled out and the dark red of his blood had saturated his shirt, the vest, the floor. “Ohmigod , Earl,” I breathed.

Buy on Amazon | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Kerry Peresta is the author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense series. Book One, THE DEADENING, released in 2021 and Book Two, THE RISING, released in 2022, both by Level Best Books. She is currently working on the third, fourth, and fifth books in the series. Kerry spent thirty years in advertising as an account manager, creative director, copywriter, and editor. She began writing full-time in 2009 as a humor columnist for a daily newspaper, and in 2012, she moved to the Baltimore area and became chapter president of the Maryland Writer’s Association, where she became an active participant in the writing community. After moving to Hilton Head Island, SC in 2015, Kerry joined the Island Writers Network, the Sisters in Crime organization, South Carolina Writers Association, and became a presenter for the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Kerry and her husband enjoy their wonderful flock of grandkids, and indulgently endure two annoying cats. Find out more about Kerry at kerryperesta.net.

Connect:

Website: https://kerryperesta.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kerryperesta

Facebook: https://facebook.com/klperesta

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kerryperesta

BookBuzz: https://book-buzz.net/the-rising-by-kerry-peresta/

Spotlight: Orb and Arrow by V. L. Stuart

(Exploration, #1)
Publication date: May 15th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Brillar was expected to follow in her mother’s footsteps and become a healer but she was headstrong and impetuous and took the Way of the Bow. Now a highly skilled hunter, she has been forced to kill to release a mage, bound in enchanted chains. It was self-defense, but that is no excuse for a healer.

Releasing a Master War Mage from bondage could get you killed . . . or apprenticed. When Master Elden insists on the latter, Brillar finds herself on a journey not of her making. When it doesn’t end well, she insists on directing a new journey where her healing skills will find newer and greater challenges.

Settled lands are one thing, but in the Wild, she will have to rely on her Master’s knowledge of the terrain and the people. And the Rovers are not always friendly.

Excerpt

Before dawn the following day, Brillar was shaken awake. “Up and quickly,” urged Elden, shoving her pack and bow at her, “and move. Something’s happening.”

When the pair stood, they were confronted by Rovers.

“You are to leave, now,” came Sarl’s stern, angry voice.

“We’re ready.” Elden’s reply was calm, but she could feel his tension.

“Without the woman,” came another voice.

“She has brought disorder here. She will be punished for everyone to see,” Sarl stated with finality.

Reaching out, finding only anger around them, Elden made the only answer he could, unleashing a ring spell that caught the men by surprise. The spell was dark, smoky, mixed with dancing lights, and men around them dropped like stones. He drew in more mana. A spear whizzed past them, thrown from some distance.

“Run,” he shouted, and they sprinted downslope toward open land. There were five miles or more between them and the Rovers when Elden brought them to a halt. He had revitalized them several times during their flight; now he grabbed her arm, spinning her around.

“What, by all that is Good, have you been up to?” he shouted; there was fire in his voice.

“Healing,” she shouted back, “I have been up to healing.”

“And something more, I think, you little fool,” he continued to shout.

That brought her up short. Elden had never spoken to her that way before. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she answered, “Widowanlis and Norrel asked questions, and I answered.” She was still defiant. “Norrel’s daughter, Ralla, is only seven, and already promised to a bully of a boy twice her age. She asked if it was so everywhere, and I answered. Others asked and were answered as well.”

Elden could only turn in a circle. “So you just answered? By all that stands in the Light… just answered?” He stalked away, leaving her to follow.

He set a hard pace, putting distance between them and any who might try to follow them. It was nearly dark when he stopped. She pulled up behind him, holding her side. He had offered her no help during the day and no time for comfort. She was tired, dusty, hungry, and thirsty. He gave her nothing, not even the ease of a fire. Brillar dumped her pack, which had been hastily stuffed, relieved to find everything there. She took a long pull of her water flask, finding it close to empty. Opening the foldbox, she added water to the flask then took out rations and a blanket; her other blanket had been left behind.

There had been no words between them since Elden’s outburst, and for some reason, she felt lost. Neither slept well, despite the Ward.

It was the same in the morning, just silence as they sat and ate where they had slept, then Elden said, “I should never have brought you.” His voice was so low, that she could hardly hear it.

“Then I would be dead already, torn apart by dire wolves.” Her voice was just as quiet. “You know I would have come anyway.”

“Then we are, both of us, fools.”

They sat silently for a time; Elden stood and adjusted his pack. “We need to move. The spell will have held them and left them too weak to follow, but there were others

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

Meet the Author

VL Stuart is a journalist and author living in Costa Rica with her husband and a small comical dog.

She is a long-time reader - usually of science fiction, historical mysteries, and epic fiction. As a teen, she cut her teeth on Heinlein and found the delightful worlds of McCaffrey as an adult. Her first genres were poetry and essays, and she won awards in both. Her 'Orb and Arrow' trilogy has been well-reviewed and is available on Amazon. Her work in progress, 'Warriors of the Kalahn,' is in progress and she recently completed ‘Master of Magic,’ another book set in the world of Orb and Arrow. As for her writing process, she is a pantser - "May all the gods bless grammarly.com. Even with an English degree, my errors are legion."

At present, she lives between two volcanoes, "But no worries, only one of them is active."