Spotlight: Stolen by the Billionaire by Blair Babylon

(Twisted Billionaires, #5)
Publication date: March 5th 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

From USA Today bestselling author Blair Babylon comes a new edge-of-your-seat romantic suspense thriller between an Iowa farm girl and the ex-Navy SEAL billionaire who kidnaps her.

I am an American Navy SEAL, and I will not be blackmailed by a goddamn Russian mafia boss.

Years ago, I parlayed a loan into a billion-dollar crypto fortune. The head of the White Russian Syndicate is demanding I pay it back in illegal military-grade weapons, but I won’t. I will not be responsible for adding to the misery of innocents.

It’s time to hit back at the head of the White Russian Syndicate.

So I kidnap the mafia boss’s niece.

Who I did not realize is my best friend’s estranged little sister.

Who he’s never mentioned.

Not even once.

Sarah is a sweet little hayseed right off her Iowa farm, but when the mafia boss decides she’s a liability to eliminate, she becomes my responsibility to protect.

We’re on the run. But with each passing day, with each attack I defend her from, every hotel room with only one bed, I’m starting to fall for her.

The Russian mafia wants Sarah dead, and her brother is going to murder me when he finds out I’ve gone too far with his sister.

If you like:

✓ Enemies to Lovers

✓✓ Only one bed!

✓✓✓ On the run thrill rides!

✓✓✓✓ Hot, ripped billionaires

✓✓✓✓✓ Spicy stuff with ropes

You’ll love Blair Babylon’s Thrillers that Bang!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blair Babylon writes bestselling romance books that will free your mind. These five star billionaire boss, enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, and romantic novels quickly turn into suspense thriller books that will make your pulse pound and soothe your heart. Whether the couple are trapped in a pretend marriage or there’s only one bed, Blair’s books are like romancing your own duke, mister, or billionaire. Some are an ugly cry, some are an affair to remember with a king or a prince, and some are a few shades darker, but all are unputdownable. Fans of E.L. James, Rina Kent, Nicole Snow, Sadie Kincaid, Catharina Maura, and Shantel Tessier will love Blair’s romantic books and romance audiobooks. Set your heart free with these fantastic, complete series!

Excerpt

Tiffany struggled to her feet and towered over Sarah, seated in the chair. “Please, for the love of God, tell me that you aren’t attracted to the guy who broke into your house and held a knife to your throat while he threatened to murder you.” 

Well, when she put it like that— “Of course not. But he was really sorry he had to do it.” 

“He was trying to get you not to call the cops.” 

Sarah blurted before thinking, “And he had a nice voice and pretty eyes.” 

Tiffany shook her head and spat her words. “Even if this guy was a fey prince with an eight-foot wingspan, you still should never see him again. And if you do, call the cops. Or shoot him.” 

And that’s why Sarah had to poke at her. “But definitely not call him my big bad zaddy.” 

“Jesus is Lord, Sarah. This guy is nothing but red flags, and you’re just feeling the flutters.”

Buy on Amazon

About the Author

"I'm passionate about books and literature. Books delve into what it means to be human and connect us to each other. I write intense, deeply imagined romance novels for serious readers because the world needs more love." ~~Blair Babylon

Blair Babylon is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author who used to publish literary fiction. Because professional reviews of her other fiction usually included the caveat that there was too much deviant sex and too much interesting plot, she decided to abandon all literary pretensions, let her freak flag fly, and write hot, sexy, suspenseful romance.

Connect:
https://www.blairbabylon.com/
https://www.facebook.com/BlairBabylon/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlairBabylonBooks/
https://www.instagram.com/blairbabylonauthor/
https://www.youtube.com/c/BlairBabylonAuthor
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7201465.Blair_Babylon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: If Only You Fell by Stefanie Castro

Elody Lorrent’s heart was fused to another at an early age. But what happens when life takes a tragic turn and she’s left behind to pick up the pieces? 

Burying her husband found a way to bury her soul as well. Elody now lives for her kids. Her chance at love was lost the moment her husband took his last breath. She never saw her future by someone else’s side. The only thing she didn’t account for was the grumpy parent of one of her students. 

Wyatt was never known for his warm personality. His world consisted of hockey and his daughter. The only issue was his daughter’s teacher took hold of his heart in an unexpected way. 

When Elody and Wyatt’s world collides, Elody fights the love that blossoms because she doesn’t trust the harsh realities that come along with living. She can’t give her heart to another after all the pain she endured. She lived on top of the world and everything collapsed. Wyatt didn’t understand that reality. 

If only he fell…

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Prior to becoming an author, Stefanie had written for years on blogging platforms. She is a registered nurse with years of experience working with families starting their journey into the parenting world. She started writing as a way to connect with families. After releasing her first memoir in May 2023, she felt a pull towards writing romance. Her love of the genre is something she is highly invested in as a reviewer and cheerleader for authors all around. Stefanie debuts her romance writing career with If Only You Knew in November 2023. She is shining a light on romance characters that are in their forties, something she feels is not easy to find in the genre. Stefanie resides in Southern California, with her husband, two kids, and their Cavalier King Charles dog.

Keep up with Stefanie and subscribe to her newsletter: https://authorstefaniecastro.com/contact/

To learn more about Stefanie Castro & her books, visit here!

Connect with Stefanie Casto:

https://authorstefaniecastro.com/contact/

Spotlight: The Berlin Letters: A Cold War Novel by Katherine Reay

Bestselling author Katherine Reay returns with an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.

From the time she was a young girl, Luisa Voekler has loved solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brilliant and logical, she’s expected to quickly climb the career ladder at the CIA. But while her coworkers have moved on to thrilling Cold War assignments—especially in the exhilarating era of the late 1980s—Luisa’s work remains stuck in the past decoding messages from World War II.

Journalist Haris Voekler grew up a proud East Berliner. But as his eyes open to the realities of postwar East Germany, he realizes that the Soviet promises of a better future are not coming to fruition. After the Berlin Wall goes up, Haris finds himself separated from his young daughter and all alone after his wife dies. There’s only one way to reach his family—by sending coded letters to his father-in-law who lives on the other side of the Iron Curtain.

When Luisa Voekler discovers a secret cache of letters written by the father she has long presumed dead, she learns the truth about her grandfather’s work, her father’s identity, and why she has never progressed in her career. With little more than a rudimentary plan and hope, she journeys to Berlin and risks everything to free her father and get him out of East Berlin alive.

As Luisa and Haris take turns telling their stories, events speed toward one of the twentieth century’s most dramatic moments—the fall of the Berlin Wall and that night’s promise of freedom, truth, and reconciliation for those who lived, for twenty-eight years, behind the bleak shadow of the Iron Curtain’s most iconic symbol.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audiobook | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children. Follow Katherine on Instagram, Facebook and her personal website here.

Spotlight: The Space Between Us by Melanie Summers

(Brainiacs in Love, #1)
Publication date: February 29th 2024
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

Love just might be the final frontier…

S.E.T.I. researcher, Gwen Fox, is a woman on a mission—to answer the cosmic question of the ages: Are we alone?
Along with her work family, Gwen is perfectly happy spending her days listening for extraterrestrial signals— until the worst happens. They get word that they’re about to be shut down by Ty Sterling, their billionaire backer whose heart is as cold as interstellar space.

About to lose everything, Gwen has no choice but to travel to Peru to change his mind. Armed only with scientific zeal and optimism, Gwen faces off against Ty, who just might be the most stubborn, cynical man in the galaxy.

As the tension between the pair builds, so does the undeniable chemistry that neither of them saw coming. Against the breathtaking backdrop of the Peruvian jungle, the space between enemies and lovers begins to collapse.

Will Gwen and Ty discover that together they form a supernova of passion? Or will their budding relationship crash and burn on impact?

*** The Space Between Us is a swoony, adventure-filled, delightfully funny tale of a woman who will do anything to save her job and the stubborn billionaire who dared to get in her way. It’s a standalone rom-com with a little more spice than a regular Melanie Summers book. ***

WHAT TO EXPECT:
Enemies to lovers
S.T.E.M. romance
Billionaire
Adventure, romantic settings, and a little danger
Forced Proximity/Only one tent
A secret cinnamon roll hero
Loads of banter, awkward moments, and delicious tension

Excerpt

“Anyway, I’m really sorry about Dr. Napper. I’m sure this must be just awful for you—losing your business partner and probably your best friend.”

He stiffens a little, then says, “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“He was an incredible human,” I say, glancing out to see that we’re no longer flying over Lima, but are now at the base of the mountains. “Not only generous, but so full of life and really incredibly inspiring. I watched every one of his adventures on the Dick Cam.”

Mr. Sterling blinks slowly, then says, “You needn’t bother. I meant what I said earlier—about there being absolutely no chance of me funding any of your projects.”

“I know you did. You hate what we do, even though SETI is a real and highly respected line of research. Not like a lot of the other projects in the foundation.” Leaning toward him a little, I say, “I mean, come on, the search for Atlantis? Might as well look for King Arthur’s sword. Embarrassing.” 

His lips curve up ever so slightly, and I’ll be damned if those aren’t a nice set of lips. “Let me get this straight. You look down on them?”

My face heats up with humiliation, which turns instantly to rage. Doing my best to stay icy calm, I say, “I assure you what those other teams do and what we do are nothing alike. Ours is a very real science based on facts and certainty. Theirs is a fairy tale.”

“I have news for you. You’re not that different.”

Okay, now I’m mad. “We most certainly are nothing like those crazy Yeti people.”

“You most certainly are. You all employed exactly the same strategy when it came to sending someone on this godforsaken trip to try to handle me.”

“Which is…?” 

“Sending a young, attractive woman to convince me not to shut you down.” His eyes sweep over me. “It’s insulting really.”

Attractive? Did he just call me attractive? Is my face bright red right now? Because it feels ridiculously hot. Stupid face. “That’s not why I was picked.”

He arches his left eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” I answer, sounding haughtier than I should. “There was a very good reason my team sent me.”

“What? Are you the only one who speaks Klingon or something?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Obviously not. I’m the only one who had the necessary qualifications.”

He looks impressed for a second, but then I realize he’s just pretending. “So you’re the brains behind the whole operation then?”

“No, everyone on the team is … the brains behind the operation. We’re all one big brain and together we have all the skills and knowledge needed. Honestly, the whole thing would fall apart if you got rid of any of us,” I say, laying the groundwork in case he does give us funding but then decides to turn around and downsize us. Well, he could let Chad go. That would be fine. I’m about to say as much when the helicopter suddenly seems to be lifted up out of nowhere, pushing me into my seat with a terrifying force. 

Without thinking, I reach for Mr. Sterling’s hand and he does the same to mine. We grip each other as the nose of the aircraft pitches up violently and the engine stalls. Closing my eyes, I feel panic take over me as it feels like we’re about to drop out of the sky. Without a parachute in sight. Thank God I went pee back at the airport…

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback

About the Author

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International. 

Connect:
https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks
https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/
https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers

Spotlight: Bid on Love by Sharon C. Cooper

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

Single dad, Benjamin Jenkins Jr. learned the hard way that women can’t be trusted. But the moment Mahogany Rowsey hits his radar, he’s captivated and unable to resist her magnetic pull.

Mahogany can spot a player a mile away, and she’s managed to dodge every single one… until Ben. He charms her into a one-night fling that leaves her panting for more. But it won’t happen again. She lives in Chicago. He lives in Cincinnati. Still, that doesn’t stop her from wanting what she can’t have.

But when Ben shows up to bid on a project Mahogany is overseeing, what began as one night of passion becomes so much more. Can these two get on the same page long enough to turn one night into forever?

*All books in this series can be read as a standalone. 

Excerpt

“Once you’re the VP, you’ll report to someone else. Not me. Mahogany, all I want is a chance to show you how good we can be together.”

Considering how good-looking he was, it was a wonder that she wasn’t at least attracted to Odin physically. Mixed race, black and white, his skin tone was olive with red undertones that made his hazel eyes pop. He usually had a five o’clock shadow on his cheeks and his mustache and goatee were always perfectly trimmed. 

He reminded her of the actor Daniel Sunjata with his good looks and similar build. He was such a nice, easy-going guy. Yet, Mahogany felt no inkling of sexual attraction. No butterflies taking flight in her stomach. Not even weakness in her knees. She felt nothing.

A part of her felt guilty about that, but she had to stay true to what she wanted in a mate. 

“Odin, I am truly flattered, but—”

“Don’t say no. Take some time to think about it. All I’m asking is for a chance. If you get to know me outside of work, I’m sure you’ll see how compatible we are.”

She started to step back, but he reached for her hand. His touch was gentle when he brought it up to his lips and kissed the back of her fingers.

His mouth on her skin was having the opposite effect of what he was probably going for. Instead of enjoying the feel of his lips on her hand, it felt as if ants were scurrying up her arm. She yanked her hand out of his grasp.

He smiled. “You felt it too,” he said, his baritone going even lower and his eyes glimmering with desire. “There is something between us. I feel it, and it’s clear you feel it too. Why don’t—”

“Am I interrupting?” 

Mahogany startled at the deep voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. She glanced to her right and her breath caught. Ben.

Without another thought, she hurried to him and almost knocked him off-balance when she threw her arms around his neck. She covered his mouth with hers before he could say a word. 

Ben stiffened, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he stopped breathing. But as her lips moved over his, before long, he had taken over the impromptu kiss. Their tongues tangled while his strong arms slid around her waist, and he pulled her snug against him. As he loved on her mouth the way he had three months ago, heat surged through her veins. 

Every nerve in her body sparked to life. Longing charged through her with each lap of his tongue, and her body burned with need.

It was as if no time had passed between them. Everything she felt that night came rushing back. Desire. Passion. Yearning. 

She couldn’t believe he was there, and like before, her body responded to him immediately. She missed him more than she cared to admit, and if given the chance, she’d…

A throat cleared and Mahogany startled, then stiffened. She had temporarily forgotten Odin was in the room.

Ben lifted his mouth from hers but didn’t move as he searched her eyes. Suddenly, his eyebrows drew into a frown. Though he didn’t speak, his troubled expression said it all… What the heck is going on? 

Oh, crap. What have I done? 

***

Copyright © 2023 Sharon C. Cooper

Buy Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Sharon C. Cooper loves anything involving romance with a happily-ever-after, whether in books, movies, or real life. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and dabbles in romantic comedy. She enjoys rainy days, carpet picnics, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sharon’s stories have won numerous awards over the years, and when she isn’t writing, she’s hanging out with her amazing husband, doing volunteer work, or reading a good book (a romance of course). To read more about Sharon and her novels, visit www.sharoncooper.net

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight: House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world. As their legions scour the world of superstition with the bright flame of reason, so they deliver a mountain of ragged, holed and scorched flesh to the field hospital tents just behind the frontline.

Which is where Yasnic, one-time priest, healer and rebel, finds himself. Reprieved from the gallows and sent to war clutching a box of orphan Gods, he has been sequestered to a particularity unorthodox medical unit.

Led by 'the Butcher', an ogre of a man who's a dab hand with a bone-saw and an alchemical tincture, the unit's motley crew of conscripts, healers and orderlies are no strangers to the horrors of war. Their's is an unspeakable trade: elbow-deep in gore they have a first-hand view of the suffering caused by flesh-rending monsters, arcane magical weaponry and embittered enemy soldiers.

Entrusted – for now – with saving lives deemed otherwise un-saveable, the field hospital's crew face a precarious existence. Their work with unapproved magic, necromancy, demonology and Yansic's thoroughly illicit Gods could lead to the unit being disbanded, arrested or worse.

Beset by enemies within and without, the last thing anyone needs is a miracle…

Excerpt

It is a vision of hell. 

The air is made of screaming. Like a picture where the gap between two objects is revealed, after a squint, to be just more of the same, here the gap between throat-stripping shrieks is just less-insistent sounds of men and women in agony. A hierarchy of torment so constant and yet so varied it becomes something close to a choir. 

Here, then, is the choirmaster. A great weight of a man who nonetheless passes through the bloody clutter of the space with an appalling deftness. Like the thing in your dream, that cannot possibly follow you into the small spaces, and yet does so in defiance of reason. His bulk is gravity, demanding the attention of everything around him. It’s a wonder the rivulets of spilled blood don’t orbit him in a wheeling astronomy of gore. 

Behind him his minions, his attendant devils, are hard at work. Time enough for them when you’ve escaped the pull of this man, this bloody-handed emperor, even now stomping to look over the new arrivals thrown to his mercy.

His face is a thing of parts. It can clench like a fist, open like a flower. In other moments, with the rigour of his profession lifted from him, it’s a good face. A friendly thing to see. A broad smile, such as might be used to persuade you to open your door to him at night. His moustache, which right now is crusted with red, can make him seem clownish and harmless. The mass of him, which can drive a cleaver through a limb or give bite to the teeth of a saw, becomes the ungainly comedy of a dancing bear. When he wants it to. Right now, though, he’s working. The worst kind of torturer, who preys only on those already in agony. No fit and healthy victims come to his dungeon to be broken. He takes the leavings, and his people make them squeal. 

Spilling into his tent now: a flurry of men and women, some in full uniform, others stripped to their shirtsleeves. They are whole as yet. They aren’t his. And those that are his, well, their uniforms are already ragged, holed, sodden, scorched. The fit set down the stretchers of the infirm and retreat. Nobody wants to spend time in the Butcher’s company when he’s working. Most especially not the howling victims set at his feet. 

One figure remains. Uniform jacket open, slovenly, hanging improbably from her shoulders as though it’ll slough off any moment, save it never does. She’s been outside with the bearers, taking details, and she bends to the Butcher’s ear. 

“Taking the wall. Caught a bonecutter, then counterattack.” The words almost stripped of their regular meaning, a code between her and the Butcher to give him context. 

He casts a look over the array of the agonised, a workman inspecting the damage, a clerk, today’s agenda for the meeting. Nearest to him a man whimpers with his leg laid open. Sword-stroke. Next, the woman without a hand, screaming at the stump. Then three silent ones. He sees where their uniforms are shredded, the ripped edges presented outwards where the shards of shattered bone erupted from within. Then the next, and the next. The pucker-and-scorch of baton-shot. The man whose head is laid open so that the jigsaw of his skull is present for any budding puzzlesmith to piece together. The woman – the loudest screamer in the place, whose leg was splinted by some cack-handed amateur who doesn’t understand how bones go. 

The Butcher works his first magic. The silent man whose ribs were shattered on one side can still be saved for future torments. Blunt-fingered hands signal and that stretcher is hauled deeper into hell where the devils can get to work with saw and tongs. The woman with the shattered arm, she can be saved. She goes to the foreigner with the shimmer skin, staring up with eyes pulled so taut it’s a wonder her lids will ever close again. The gutshot man can be saved. He’s placed in the far corner for a scouring and a working over, back where a weird old man plays a weird old pipe, skirling and squalling on it as though mocking the screams of the afflicted. It’s all a part of the service. A necessary component of this precise and exacting hell the Butcher built. 

Those are the highest priority, where a little delay means the difference between live victim and corpse. Now it’s time for the Butcher’s second magic. His apron is not that of a friendly family butcher. There are twenty pockets in the leather, each with a flap to keep the worst of the ambient weather out, though most have an inch of red at the bottom of them by now. He goes down the line of the brutalised, his blunt fingers finding phials and bottles by long habit, feeling for the nicks he cuts in the corks, to tell him concentrations and active ingredients. A personal love-language of agony and alchemy. The woman without a hand has had the stump cauterised – not battlefield medicine but the side effects of a point-blank baton discharge. She’ll keep. He forces the lip of a glass phial to her lips. She chokes, swallows. Her screams fall inwards until their scrabbling fingertips can’t reach her lips any more and she’s silent. He goes down the line, a bespoke service for each, this philtre or that, based on wound, on whim, on the individual predilections of his busy hands that seem to act on their own recognizance. Sometimes he salts the wounds with powder, stuff that burns and eats away necrotized flesh, undoes the work of energies and corruption or at least staves it off for long enough.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audiobook | Hardcover | Paperback

About the Author

Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire before heading off to Reading to study psychology and zoology. For reasons unclear even to himself he subsequently ended up in law and has worked as a legal executive in both Reading and Leeds, where he now lives. Married, he is a keen live role-player and occasional amateur actor, has trained in stage-fighting, and keeps no exotic or dangerous pets of any kind, possibly excepting his son. Catch up with Adrian at www.shadowsoftheapt.com for further information about both himself and the insect-kinden, together with bonus material including short stories and artwork.