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Thriller – The One That Got Away

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Thriller, Crime Thriller Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Down & Out Books

Only one girl survives a string of abductions. The killer captured, no more girls would die. Until another one does.

It’s been seven years since Kira Shanks was reported missing and presumed dead. Alex Salerno has been living in New York City, piecemealing paychecks to earn a livable wage, trying to forget those three days locked underground and her affair with Sean Riley, the married detective who rescued her. When Noah Lee, hometown reporter with a journalistic pedigree, requests an interview, Alex returns to Reine and Riley, reopening old wounds. What begins as a Q&A for a newspaper article soon turns into an opportunity for money, closure and—justice. The disappearance of Kira Shanks has long been hung on Benny Brudzienski, a hulking man-child who is currently a brain-addled guest at the Galloway State Mental Hospital. But after Alex reconnects with ex-classmates and frenemies, doubts are cast on that guilt. Alex is drawn into a dangerous game of show and tell in an insular town where everyone has a secret to hide. And as more details emerge about the night Kira Shanks went missing, Alex discovers there are some willing to kill to protect the horrific truth.

In the modern vein of Dark Places and Mystic River, The One That Got Away is a dark, psychological thriller featuring a compelling, conflicted heroine and a page-turning narrative that races toward its final, shocking conclusion.

About The Author

Joe Clifford is the author of several books, including The Lakehouse, Skunk Train, Occam’s Razor, The One That Got Away, Junkie Love, and the Jay Porter Thriller Series, as well as editor of the anthologies Trouble in the Heartland: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Bruce Springsteen; Just to Watch Them Die: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Johnny Cash, and Hard Sentences, which he co-edited. Joe’s writing can be found at www.joeclifford.com.

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Historical Romance – The Heir and the Enchantress

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The Enchantresses, Book 5

Historical Romance

Published: March 2021

Hazel Trethow is infatuated with a notorious rake despite her father’s plans to betroth her to the heir of a wealthy barony. Her scheming to find a love match for her dearest friend and herself turns into a scandal that could ruin them both.

Harold Hobbs returns home from business in India with a plan to save his family from ruin. He does not anticipate his father’s plot to wed him to Miss Trethow. When he meets his intended, sparks fly.

This is the love story of Hazel and Harold as they find love in the most unlikely of places.

About The Author

Celebrated for her complex characters, realistic conflicts, and sensual love scenes, Paullett Golden puts a spin on historical romance. Her novels, set primarily in Georgian and Regency England with some dabbling in Ireland, Scotland, and France, challenge the norm by involving characters who are loved for their flaws, imperfections, and idiosyncrasies. Her stories show love overcoming adversity. Whatever our self-doubts, love will out.

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Sci-fi Romance – Zorak

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Lunar Uprising Book One

Sci-fi Romance

Published: March 2021

Publisher: Anything-but-Ordinary Books

FREE on Kindle Unlimited!!

Passionate Sci-Fi with a touch of danger and a whole lot of sass.

When Cat’s father is kidnapped by her alien boss she turns to Zorak, one of the mysterious lunar raiders “cultivated” by the aliens to protect Earth. Cat isn’t sure she can trust Zorak, but she has nowhere else to turn. Lunar raiders are ruthless hybrids created for war, so why does Zorak make her feel safe? She has never been so intensely attracted to anyone before and has a hard time believing her feelings are real. They’re surrounded by conflict and deceit, and Cat’s father isn’t the only one in danger. If they can’t learn the truth about the aliens, the entire human race could be enslaved.

Excerpt

His gaze moved over her face, his expression gradually darkening. “What happened to your cheek?”

She raised her hand to the side of her face as resentment rippled through her being. The throbbing in her cheek had subsided, but the memory was still crystal clear. “I didn’t realize he bruised me.”

“The mark is faint. Most will not notice. Why did Erot strike you?”

Embarrassed by his persistence, she shrugged. “He didn’t like something I said.”

Zorak rose and stalked toward her, his movements slow and purposeful. His features hardened while complex emotions ignited his gaze. “How often does he lay his hands on you?”

The possessive edge in his deep voice sent a shiver down Cat’s spine. She’d felt unsafe for so long that she welcomed his protection, but she had no interest in being owned by anyone. “He had never hurt me before, but his disapproval is escalating.”

“Because you refuse to be his spy? Or are their other reasons for the escalation?”

“I’m not sure.” She gazed up at him, way up. Why didn’t he go sit back down? “There are definitely fractures within Pylorian society. Unfortunately, I don’t know what they’re about or who falls on which side of the conflict.”

Without warning he wrapped his hands around her upper arms and drew her to her feet. Cat gasped, surprise widening her eyes. He didn’t pull her closer, nor did he release her. He just stood there holding her in place as his gaze searched hers.

“Why force you to spy for him?” It wasn’t an accusation, just damn close. “Why not recruit someone else?”

“Erot doesn’t like being challenged,” she told him, annoyed by his attitude. “He’s used to people following his orders without hesitation or complaint. He enjoys the power he has over me.”

Zorak raised one of his hands and lightly brushed her cheek with the knuckle of his index finger. “He will regret harming my female.”

“I’m more concerned about—wait. What did you say?”

Pushing his fingers into her hair, he caressed her jaw with his thumb as he stared deep into her eyes. “Vosic told you we have begun to sense our mates. You, Catriona, are mine.”

About The Author

Cyndi has written about rock stars, vampires, and cat shifters, but she’s currently focused on outer space. Her stories are fun, fast-paced, and seriously hot. Her books have made the USA Today Top 100, and frequently land on Amazon Best Seller lists. She is currently working on the Lunar Uprising, an all new series set in the near future.

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Steamy Sports Romance – The Quarterback Sacked by Love

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Erotica, Steamy Sports Romance

Published: March 1, 2021

Professional football quarterback Casen Walls plays for the Philadelphia Golden Eagles who came off a losing season which landed them to play their first game of the new season in London, England for an exhibition game from the league. Casen blames himself for the losing season due to being messed up over his failed engagement to actress Steffi Stevens. Casen vows to put the drama behind him and focus on the upcoming season. During the first night in England Casen has a very steamy one-night stand with a reporter named Collins Baker. Collins has had a tough life and doesn’t want to get close to anyone. When an assignment given to her from her boss brings Casen and Collins together (which will allow them to continue their sexcapades), will they end up having a change of heart about love?

In addition to Casen and Collins trying to navigate through their relationship, Casen has to deal with drama that followed him to England when Steffi and her new fiancé Tyler Spacey show up there as well because Tyler is the quarterback for the opposing team.

About The Author

During the pandemic I took up reading as a hobby. I vastly discovered that I enjoyed sports sexy romance novels. Once I couldn’t find anything to read that I was interested in I thought to myself why not take a stab at writing. So I developed by first novel The Quarterback Sacked by Love.

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Small Town Romance – Lucky Cowboy

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Small Town Romance, Western Romance

Date Published: April 6, 2021

Publisher: Heatherly Bell Books

Lincoln Carver is not worried about the lack of women in Stone Ridge, Texas. He’s content earning the occasional buckle as a rodeo champ and working his family’s cattle ranch. In fact, life was perfect until his matchmaking granny stuck her nose in his business. Now, he’s injured the new schoolteacher, and is spending more time with her than he’d like.

Sadie Stephens has loved Lincoln since she was a girl, but they were never more than friends. And a family feud involving a runaway bride closed any options for a romance with Lincoln for good. Lincoln’s only interest in her now is one of obligation and guilt. After all, he’s the one responsible for the lassoing “incident” at the school (don’t ask.) The single men of Stone Ridge are lining up to nurse the very eligible Sadie back to health, bringing her flowers, candy, and pies.

Lincoln brings her an ice pack…and gum.

No doubt about it, the hunky cowboy needs to learn the ABCs of courtship, but is Sadie the one to teach him?

About the Author

Heatherly was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama but lost her accent by the time she was two. Her grandmother, Mima, kept both the accent and spirit of the southern woman alive for decades. After leaving Alabama, Heatherly lived with her family in Puerto Rico and Maryland before being transplanted kicking and screaming to the California Bay Area. She now loves it here, she swears. Except the traffic.

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Steamy Romance – Getting to Forever

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KinkLink Series, Book Three

Steamy Romance / Romantic Comedy

Date Published: April 6, 2021

Amanda (Mandy) Gilchrist was just baffled by her colleague. One minute he was her rock and the next he couldn’t get away from her fast enough…only to land himself in jail. Her bosses now hate him and wouldn’t help him cross the street let alone post bail so it was up to her — except someone got to him first. What the heck was going on?

By now he must realize he needs her help… And it’s going to cost him because this time she’s not going to turn a blind eye. Mandy’s going to make sure David sees her skills as a PI and as a woman too — one he’s got ‘tied up inside and out’.

Because he may not know it yet but they’re both looking for exactly the same thing.

David aka Hack Varetti is in deep shit. A little finagling with the FBI and maybe he’ll get his life back on track but there’s no guarantees. Making the wrong associations only landed him in the clink, but now he’s got a second chance — to fix his life. And to take care of her.

Because Mandy doesn’t know it yet, but she needs something only he can give her, and he can’t wait to show her how a Dom brings his Sub to fulfillment because it’s something she’ll never forget.

Even though the last thing he wanted to do was involve her in his mess, afraid she’d get hurt. He knew, if he wanted her to trust him again, he was going to have to work for it.

Everyone’s got to learn the ropes sometime…

The steamy standalone novels in Tara Eldana’s KinkLink series are best read in order:

TAKING THE LEAD | MAKING A SWITCH | GETTING TO FOREVER | REACHING FOR FOREVER

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Mandy

The wooden seat in the District Courthouse was as unyielding as Judge Mary Ritkowski. Mandy Gilchrist listened to the judge accept yet another guilty plea for drunk driving. David’s turn was next.

He wasn’t in the courtroom – yet. He was on the judge’s docket to be arraigned this morning. The judge repeated the same spiel to the fifth drunk driving case as a deputy led David and three more prisoners into the jury box.

Her breath quickened and pulse raced. David towered over the deputy and other prisoners. His orange prison garb left his muscled, tattooed arms bare. His jaw was shadowed with stubble. His dark hair fell onto his forehead.

He spotted her before he sat down. His blue eyes blazed – with either anger or relief, she couldn’t tell – before he schooled his movie-star handsome features into the hated mask she’d do anything to crack. The few, rare glimpses she’d had of the real, untamed man were the reason she was here to bail his stupid ass out of jail.

His nickname was Hack because he could hack into anything – a total computer genius. But she refused to call him that. He was more than that, even though he was trying his best to prove that he wasn’t.

About The Author

I am a very recently retired, multi-award-winning staff writer for a weekly community newspaper chain in metro Detroit. I became hooked on romance fiction when my 11th grade English teacher rejected the book report I wrote, saying the book was much too easy for me, and insisted I read and report on Daphne du Maurier’s “Rebecca.” I read Margaret Mitchell’s “Gone With the Wind” that previous summer.

After some life-changing health issues, and covering over a dozen murder and criminal sexual conduct trials, I decided to write the kind of stories I like to read, stories with happy endings.

I love the romance genre and love letting my characters take control of their stories. I am a member of the Greater Detroit Romance Writers of America. I write under the pen name of Tara Eldana

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Humorous Science Fiction – Killing Time

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Physics, Lust and Greed Series, Book 3

Humorous Science Fiction

Date Published: May 11, 2021

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

At every crossroads he has encountered in life, Sean Brody has made the safe choice. In the year 2046, at the age of ninety-three, Sean is given one final opportunity to deal with his greatest regret. Sean is the only man Marshall Grissom and Marta Hamilton can find who might be able to save Sheila Schuler, their friend and fellow traveler lost in the distant reaches of time. If Sean accepts the task of traveling to his childhood in a parallel universe—with no guarantee that any aspect of the past can be changed—Sean must also accept his death in the only world he knows.

Excerpt

Marshall’s response didn’t register, though, because Sean looked beyond Naomi and saw two huge gleaming globes flanking a white, brightly lit platform tinged by a throbbing green glow beneath its surface. Banks of computers, monitors and cameras edged the platform on three sides.

The globes pulsed with a bluish electronic sort of ooze that seemed to creep along their surfaces in random patterns. Where Sean could have sworn an instant before had been empty space between the globes, he saw a lovely, petite, and very nude black woman standing before him. He wondered if she had been there all along, and he’d somehow missed her among the computers and cameras and other shiny things. But . . . no. Old as he might be, Sean was pretty sure he could still tell the difference between a computer and a naked lady.

He felt frozen. He could not bring himself to speak or move. Like a needle stuck on an old phonograph record, his mind simply could not jump beyond this particular groove.

A comforting arm slipped through his and Sean found Naomi beside him.

“I’m sure you’re finding this a bit overwhelming. Do you need to sit? Can I bring you a bottle of water?”

Sean stared silently into the small Chinese woman’s black eyes for a moment before turning back toward the nudist.

“Hello, Mr. Brody,” said the woman, who now wore a white robe. “I know my entrance was a little theatrical. And I apologize for that, but we wanted to impress you. I’m Marta Hamilton. I think Marshall has mentioned me? You’ve just witnessed my return from a brief conference with my counterpart from another universe a few days past. And I do have to admit the timing wasn’t coincidental. We needed to get your attention.”

Sean continued to stare. He found this reality too much to process.

“I know Marshall hasn’t given you all the details yet. I sincerely hope you will agree to help us, though. We will be asking—”

“My God,” Sean croaked through a sandpaper dry throat, believing all this for the first time. “You people want me to be fifteen years old again.”

About The Author

Mike Murphey is a native of eastern New Mexico and spent almost thirty years as an award-winning newspaper journalist in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest. He left journalism in 1998 to form a business related to adult amateur baseball. At the age of 60, he stopped procrastinating and revived his life-long ambition to write a novel. He is author of Sections, an award-winning coming of age novel set in Eastern New Mexico where Mike grew up. He is also author of The Conman … a Baseball Odyssey, another award-winning novel. Killing Time is the third novel in his Physics, Lust and Greed Series. Mike splits his time between Spokane, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona where he enjoys life as a writer and old-man baseball player.

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