zaterdag 28 juli 2018

Release Blitz ~ Tainted Heartbreak by Terri Anne Browning #Giveaway



Title: Tainted Heartbreak
Series: Tainted Knights #3
Author: Terri Anne Browning
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2018



Blurb

How do you say no when your roommate wins an all-inclusive rock experience and begs you to go along?
You don’t.
Ever.
But Amara was starting to see that maybe she should have.

Everything that could have possibly gone wrong, has. Until I run right into what feels like a brick wall.

Of course, the brick wall has a name, too.

Cash Graves.

I knew the name, even if it was a newer one to the rock world. He’s the bassist for Tainted Knights, the band who was making huge splashes in the music world. Their newest hit was all over the radio and currently on repeat on my playlist … and I just spit my margarita all over him.

With a wink and a smile, he should have gotten on stage and let me go on with my life, if a little star struck over the delicious rocker. He should never have looked back, and I shouldn’t have begged for more.

But I did.

And now, my heartbreak might just be the end of me.







Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS



Also Available


AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS




AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
B&N / KOBO / iBOOKS



Author Bio

Terri Anne Browning is multiple USA TODAY bestselling author. Being dyslexic, she never thought a career in writing would be possible, yet she has been on best selling lists multiple times since 2013. Reese: A Safe Haven Novella was her first Indie published book. The Rocker Who Holds Me changed the tables and kicked off The Rocker... series featuring the sinfully delicious members of Demon's Wings. The Rocker... Series is now complete with 12 books and the occasional novella. Other books by Terri Anne include the Angel's Halo MC Series, as well as The Lucy & Harris Novella Series, The Vitucci Mafiosos Series, and The Tainted Knights Rocker Series.

Terri Anne lives in Virginia with her husband, their three demons---err, children--and a hyper Frenchie named Grunt.


Author Links

donderdag 26 juli 2018

Blog Tour ~ EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN by Jessica Redmerski #Excerpt #Giveaway


Today we have the blog tour for Jessica Redmerski’s EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. Check it out and be sure to grab your copy today!


 


Title: Everything Under the Sun

Author: Jessica Redmerski

Genre: Dystopian

 

 

About Everything Under the Sun:


Thais Fenwick was eleven-years-old when civilization fell, devastated by a virus that killed off the majority of the world’s population. For seven years, Thais and her family lived in a community of survivors deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains. But when her town is attacked by raiders, she and her blind sister are taken away to the East-Central Territory where she is destined to live the cruel and unjust kind of life her late mother warned her about. Atticus Hunt is a troubled soldier in Lexington City who has spent the past seven years trying to conform to the vicious nature of men in a post-apocalyptic society. He knows that in order to survive, he must abandon his morals and his conscience and become like those he is surrounded by. But when he meets Thais, morals and conscience win out over conformity, and he risks his rank and his life to help her. They escape the city and set out together on a long and perilous journey to find safety in Shreveport, Louisiana. Struggling to survive in a world without electricity, food, shelter, and clean water, Atticus and Thais shed their fear of growing too close, and they fall hopelessly in love. But can love survive in such dark times, or is it fated to die with them?


Get Your Copy Today:

KINDLE

PAPERBACK



EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN – JESSICA REDMERSKI – COPYRIGHT 2017

EXCERPT #5: “TAKE IT.”



“Are you still angry?” I asked him.
“About what?”
“Giving the bread away to those people.”
He shook his head against the quilt.
“No, Thais, I’m not still angry.”
After a moment, he said, “Thais?”
“Mmm-hmm?”
“Don’t ask me to kiss you again.”
I paused, tensed. “Why not?” I was afraid of the answer.
We continued to look up at the stars. Behind us the horses whickered and their tails swished about. A light breeze combed through the trees, carrying the bitter and sweet scents of pine and honeysuckle with it.
Finally, Atticus answered, “Because whatever you want from me, Thais, I’d rather you just take it.”
I wanted to cry.
I smiled to myself instead.



About Jessica Redmerski:


Jessica Redmerski is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, international bestseller, and award winner, who juggles several different genres. She began self-publishing in 2012, and later with the success of THE EDGE OF NEVER, signed on with Grand Central Publishing/Forever Romance. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages. Jessica is a hybrid author who, in addition to working with a traditional publisher, also continues to self-publish. Her popular crime and suspense series, In the Company of Killers, has been optioned for television and film by actor and model William Levy. She also writes as J.A. Redmerski.









Connect with Jessica:

Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook


 


Enter Jessica’s Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway        

woensdag 25 juli 2018

Cover Reveal ~ FIGHTING THE FIRE by Laura Kaye

 

From New York Times bestselling author Laura Kaye, comes the next standalone title in her Warrior Fight Club series, FIGHTING THE FIRE. Check out Laura’s note below and the beautiful cover! Then join the Warrior Fight Club world today!


 

A note from Laura Kaye:


 I love enemies-to-lovers stories because they’re so much fun to write and absolutely delicious to read! And Sean Riddick and Dani England from my upcoming Fighting the Fire are absolutely incendiary together! They’re both bad asses in their own right—both veterans, both fighters, both stubborn as hell. And boy does this cover art capture them so well—the intensity, the passion, the push and pull. Gah, I hope you love it as much as I do!


If you haven’t started my wounded Warrior Fight Club series yet, you can jump in anywhere because they’re all sexy standalone romances! So start at the beginning with Fighting for Everything or grab the about-to-release Fighting for What’s His. And here’s where you reserve your copy of Sean and Dani’s hot, hot story:


 

PRE-ORDER on Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Add to your Goodreads

Coming in ebook, paperback, and audiobook


 

About FIGHTING THE FIRE (Warrior Fight Club #3, 10/16/18):


The more they fight, the more desire consumes them…


There’s only one thing firefighter Sean Riddick doesn’t like about Warrior Fight Club, and that’s Daniela England, the sexiest, snarkiest, most irritating woman he’s ever known. But MMA training keeps the Navy vet grounded, so Sean’s not about to give it up, no matter how many times he goes toe to toe with Dani—or how bad he wants to take her to the mats.


A former Army nurse and the widow of a fallen soldier, Dani is done with the military and with military men. Fight club is the only thing that eases her nightmares, which means she has to put up with Riddick. He might be sex on a stick, but he’s infuriating and everything she’s vowed to avoid.


But when an accident throws Sean and Dani together, all that fight bursts into a night of red-hot passion. Now they’re addicted to the heat and must decide if the one person they’ve most resisted might be exactly what they’ve both been looking for.


 

PRE-ORDER on Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

Add to your Goodreads


   

Check out the whole Warrior Fight Club Series:

Fighting for Everything – Available now!

Fighting for What’s His – August 7, 2018 – Preorder!

Fighting the Fire – October 16, 2018

Worth Fighting For – March 12, 2019


    About Laura Kaye: 


Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty-five books in contemporary and erotic romance and romantic suspense, including the Blasphemy, Hard Ink, and Raven Riders series. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. Laura also writes historical fiction as the NYT bestselling author, Laura Kamoie. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.      









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Suprise Cover Reveal ~ Calix by Esther E. Schmidt

SURPRISE COVER REVEAL: “CALIX” AREION FURY MC #6

Calixbanner  

Title: “Calix” Series: Areion Fury MC #6 


Cover Design: Esther E. Schmidt 

Cover model: Mike Minervini 

Photographer: Reggie Deanching of RplusMphoto.com 

Release Day: August 14, 2018 books2read.com/Calix
Calix is multifaceted. A detective. A Dom. A bartender. A member of Areion Fury MC. So many sides yet nothing defines him. He takes what he wants out of life and gives what he thinks should be freely given; he craves balance and yet he’s at a standstill in life. That is until a woman walks in and tips his balance out of control. Tenley is desperate. A strong woman. A business woman. Born into the biker world she has fought her way to the top. And now, she finds herself following the President’s request to seek the help of the one individual who might be able to handle the betrayal and threat the club is facing. She’s thrown off balance when the one person who should be their savior, might turn into her downfall. When betrayal from within taints the Areion Fury MC, Ohio Chapter with contempt and disintegration, the weight is on Calix to flush out the bad seed and try to save this Chapter. Even if it means leaving his own President to serve another. A fight for the gavel might be the end of Areion Fury MC, or a possibility for a new Chapter…in life.

Calix can be read as a complete standalone. But if you'd like to know all the characters for a greater reading experience:

dinsdag 24 juli 2018

Release Blitz ~ Four Day Fling by Emma Hart

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Four Day Fling, an all-new hilarious and romantic standalone from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Emma Hart is LIVE!


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Imagine this.

You’re ready to leave after a one-night stand, and you’re figuring out how to—shock horror—leave your number and ask him to be your fake boyfriend for your sister’s wedding this weekend.
When he wakes up.
Well, that happened to me. And over coffee and omelets, I found myself a date.
Which was how I ended up arriving at the wedding with a guy I knew nothing about.
I didn’t know his last name, or how we met, or how long we’d been dating. I didn’t know where he grew up, what he’d majored in in college, or how many siblings he had.
I sure as hell didn’t know he was Adam Winters, hotshot hockey player, and not only my father’s favorite player, but my little nephew’s freakin’ idol.
Which means I’m in trouble. Big, big trouble.
My mother is suspicious, my sister is bridezilla on crack, and my grandpa will tell anyone who’ll listen about his time in Amsterdam’s Red Light District.
Four days.
I have to keep this up for four days, and then Adam and I can return to our regular lives, where we don’t have sex whenever we’re alone, and my family aren’t interrogating him over his intentions with me.

At least, that’s the plan.
And we all know what happens to those.

FOURDAYFLING-image3live.jpg

Download your copy today!
Add to GoodReads:https://bit.ly/2JtdUWV

FOURDAYFLING-teaser3live.jpg

About Emma Hart:

EmmaHart.jpg

Emma Hart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty novels and has been translated into several different languages. She is a mother, wife, lover of wine, Pink Goddess, and valiant rescuer of wild baby hedgehogs. Emma prides herself on her realistic, snarky smut, with comebacks that would make a PMS-ing teenage girl proud. Yes, really. She's that sarcastic.


Connect with Emma:
Stay up to date with Emma by joining her mailing list today:

maandag 23 juli 2018

Excerpt Reveal ~ Handle with Care by Nina Croft

HWC_EXCERPT REVEAL


“Heat, heart and plenty of happy sighs.”-- Avery Flynn, USA Today bestselling author


 

Handle with Care, an all-new romantic standalone from Nina Croft is coming July 30th!


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Synopsis

What if all you want is the one thing you can’t have?
First grade teacher Emily Towson always does the right thing. The sensible thing. But in her dreams, she does bad, bad things with the town’s baddest boy: Tanner O’Connor. But when he sells her grandmother a Harley, fantasy is about to meet a dose of reality.
And then he goes and calls her “sensible”...
Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily is standing in his shop. Yelling and waving her hands and looking so god damn sexy he’s having trouble focusing. He’d spent two hard years in prison, with only the thought of this “good girl” to keep him sane.
He really should send her away...
Before either one thinks though, they’re naked and making memories on his tool bench with apparently the oldest condom in history. Now Tanner’s managed to knock-up the town’s “good girl” and she’s going to lose her job over some stupid “morality clause” if he doesn’t step up.
But can this bad boy teach his good girl they’re perfect for each other in time?

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Pre-order your copy now!
Add to GoodReads: https://bit.ly/2I00i3Q

 
Excerpt:


“Tanner.”
Just the way she said his name, sort of breathless, made him hard. He nodded.“Emily.”
“What are you doing here?” Her eyes narrowed.“Did you follow me?”
“You looked a little upset. I was just making sure no one else followed you.”
“You mean Ryan? He’s being a total pain in the…”
“Ass?”
“Yes.” She pressed her finger to the spot between her brows.“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m usually so…” She took a couple of deep breaths.“He was making me so angry.”
“I thought he was your boyfriend?”
“Not anymore. It’s over between me and Ryan. It was over before that night you and I…”
He decided to help her out.“Had hot, dirty sex on top of the workbench in my garage. Then up against the wall in my garage.”
She gritted her teeth but gave a quick nod.
“Why was it over with Mr. Perfect? Did he finish with you?” Maybe she’d needed some sort of affirmation of herself as a sexy woman. He wanted to beat Ryan for that, though he had ultimately benefited from it.
“None of your business.”
“Come on, Em. I’m curious.”
Her face took on a mutinous expression, lips pursed.“He said I was sensible and then he asked me to marry him.”
Tanner managed to choke back the laugh, but she must have seen it on his face.
“It’s not funny.”
He’d proposed? That made Tanner want to growl. But she had a point. It sounded as though Ryan had fucked up on the proposal. Tanner certainly wasn’t sorry. Ryan’s loss, his gain.“Let me get this straight. If he hadn’t called you sensible, you would have said yes?”
“Probably not. He told me he’d decided it was time to settle down, and I was a nice, sensible woman, and would make him a suitable wife. Or something like that. I sort of stopped listening at ‘sensible.’What sort of man starts a proposal by saying you’re sensible?”
“An asshole?”
“Yes. Exactly. I said I didn’t think we were suited and walked out. Then when I got home, Mimi told me she’d bought a bike from you, and then she more than hinted that I was sensible, too. So when you said it as well, I just…sort of blew.”
“Actually, you kissed me, then you stripped, then you threw yourself at me. I didn’t stand a chance.” He had an image of her standing naked in front of him, challenging him to do something, and almost groaned.
“I did not throw myself at you.”
He just stood there, one eyebrow raised.
She folded her arms across her chest.“Anyway.I thought you were pretending that never happened?”
“Believe me, I’m trying. But I keep getting these little flashbacks at the most inappropriate times. Like when I’m picking up a tool from my work bench and there you are, all soft and naked and panting for me.”
Why did he do this to himself? His dick was almost painfully hard.
She was staring at him wide-eyed, her pink lips slightly parted. She didn’t move. He cast a quick look around the street—it was empty—then he closed the space between them, lowered his head, and kissed her before she could even have an idea of his intentions. He half expected her to pull back and run away, but her lips softened, then parted under his, and he slipped his tongue inside, sliding it along the length of hers. He kissed her until they both ran out of air. He hadn’t thought kissing was such a big deal, but he could kiss Emily all night.

About Nina:

NinaCroft

  Growing up in the cold, wet, north of England, Nina Croft spent a lot of time huddled under the blankets dreaming of faraway sunnier places and ponies. When she discovered both could be found between the covers of a book, her life changed forever. At the age of eighteen, in an attempt to turn dreams into reality, she headed south in search of the sun. She quickly picked up the perfect husband along the way, and developed a taste for red wine and holidays in warm places. Soon holidays weren’t enough, and together they volunteered to work in Africa where they both discovered a love of traveling and a dislike of 9-5 work. Afterward they spent a number of years travelling (whenever possible) intermingled with working (whenever the money ran out.) Eventually they stumbled upon a remote area in the mountains of southern Spain where they bought the small almond farm they now call home. No electricity, no neighbors, no chocolate shops, but on the plus side, stunning scenery, a vineyard to make her own red wine, and far enough away from anywhere to satisfy Nina’s hermit tendencies. She shares the farm with her husband, and an ever increasing number of animals, including Piggles, a three-legged Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Nina now spends her days riding her mare Gencianna under the blue Spanish skies—sunshine and ponies. She reckons this is proof that dreams really can come true if you want them enough. She still travels, but usually only in her imagination, and can often be found lying under a fig tree, wine in hand, plotting stories of love in faraway places. Nina believes love can come to anyone, anytime, anywhere and her books reflect this.

Connect with Nina:
Stay up to date with Nina by joining her mailing list today: http://www.ninacroft.com/sign-up-page/

Release Blitz ~ Dirty Sexy Player by Laurelin Paige

   

DIRTY SEXY PLAYER by Laurelin Paige
Release Date: July 23rd
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Designer: Laurelin Paige & Tom Barnes

                 

DIRTY SEXY PLAYER (Dirty Games Book 1) NOW AVAILABLE!!
Amazon International: myBook.to/DirtySexyPlayer
Google Play: laurl.in/dspgp

               
ADD TO GOODREADS

         
        
BLURB

Available in audio first, New York Times best-selling author Laurelin Paige's newest red-hot romance!

Weston King knows how to play. But wild nights and owning an extensive collection of women's panties don't carry the thrill they once did, so when his business partner Donovan suggests an outrageous plan to allow them to take over their competition, Wes takes him up on the offer. The crazy idea? Marry the competitor.
Elizabeth Dyson, the bride-to-be in question, is on board with the plan. She wants access to her trust fund and can only get it once she marries. Each has something the other wants - all they have to do is pretend to like each other well enough to tie the knot.
Only trouble is, playing fiancé to Elizabeth isn't quite that simple. Wes finds her sexy and brilliant...and soon wishes their engagement wasn't fake at all. Not that he'd ever tell her that.
But a lover boy like Wes can only stand an empty bed for so long...and even the best of players has to put down his cards eventually.

           
      
EXCERPT

I looked at the windows past him, trying to distract myself. Lights flashed and swirled around the dance floor in time to the beat, the only part of the music which made it into the sanctuary of the bubble room. I could tell it was crowded, but I couldn't make out faces the way they could probably make out ours. "I don't know if anyone's looking,” I said.
"Don’t worry about them. Just focus on what you’re doing."
Easy for him to say. He wasn’t facing them. He was only looking at me.
Nope. I couldn’t think about that either. Just had to focus on the task at hand.
I closed my eyes. "So just pretend that I… That we are… That under my dress…" I couldn’t even say it.
Weston leaned forward and murmured near my ear. "Yes, pretend that under your dress you are not wearing any panties. I have my dick out. I'm working you, and you are showing me exactly how you like it. Now go."
Just like that, my panties were damp.
I didn't know if he was saying those things to loosen me up or to get a rise out of me, either was possible.
Whatever his intent, it did the trick. He set the scene. I felt my face flush like the women in the videos as I imagined him rubbing his crown against my slit before nudging his tip inside and then burying himself to the hilt.
I opened my mouth in a silent gasp, acting out how I was sure it would feel. Good. It would feel so good.
This was so...weird. So hot and sexy and arousing and weird.
I wondered if he was feeling it too, feeling turned on, or if it was just me. It wasn’t like I could ask though, and knowing probably wouldn’t help my performance anyway.
So I concentrated on me. Focused on the task.
"Do I move or something?" I bucked my hips forward and felt the friction against my crotch as it rubbed the fly of his pants.
Mmm.
"Yeah," he said breathlessly. "That's good. That motion. Just like that."
"Okay. Okay." I rocked against him again, and again, my hips tilting back and forth, my clit brushing against his fly. Every time, stroking and kindling a fire in a fireplace I hadn't had cleaned for some time. I spread my thighs a little wider and braced my knees against the bench so I could swing my pelvis all the way forward, in and out, in and...
Oh.
I froze. "Is that—?" But I didn’t have to ask. There was most definitely a fat, thick ridge pressed against the crotch panel of my panties. I guess that answered the question of whether he was feeling it too.
My eyes flew open. "Oh my God!"
"Look," he said, ready to defend himself. "There's an extremely attractive woman sitting on my lap. I cannot help what happens to my cock. It has a mind of its own.”
A really big mind of its own.

       
       
ABOUT THE AUTHOR


With over 1.5 million books sold world wide, Laurelin Paige is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today Bestselling Author. She is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, or dreaming of Michael Fassbender. She's also a proud member of Mensa International though she doesn't do anything with the organization except use it as material for her bio. She is represented by Rebecca Friedman.

                

CONNECT WITH LAURELIN PAIGE


Twitter: @LaurelinPaige
Never miss an update! Subscribe to Laurelin’s mailing list:

zondag 22 juli 2018

Blog Tour ~ Hyena Queen by Ann Mayburn #Excerpt #Giveaway




Hyena Queenby Ann Mayburn

Series
Synthia Rowley Book One

Genre
Adult
Gender Fluid Reverse Harem Romance
Paranormal Romance

Publisher
Independent

Publication Date
July 17, 2018



Amazon


Also Available On

My name is Synthia Rowley, and so far I really suck at saving the world.

I’m a latent shifter, a human that magically transformed into a hyena Queen. Crazy, right? You have no idea. When I turned twenty-five some magical chastity belt that had been completely blocking my sex drive snapped. One minute I was the ultimate shy science dork, the next I had curves that kill and a libido that won’t quit.

Good thing, ‘cause I’m supposed to have four husbands.

Yep, four. I’m destined to marry them all and they were all born to love me and only me. My own little harem. Here comes the really insane part. My husbands? The four men that I’ll be mated to for the rest of my life? They were born female and my pheromones will turn them into men. You heard me right, my hyena Queen pheromones will literally change my mates from women, into hulked out sexy studs. But if I don’t find and transform my mates, and soon, my world and everyone in it will be slaughtered by demons from a different dimension.

Good times.


Excerpt

Chapter 1
Syn


The early morning subway car was oddly empty for a Monday. Usually it was standing room only and getting a highly coveted seat was a miracle. Somehow, I’d done the impossible and managed to secure not only a seat of my own, but also an empty space next to me for my commute on the Metro. If I believed in good luck, I’d be running to the nearest lotto stand and buying a hundred tickets. The lights flickered overhead as we descended into a tunnel, the pink blush of dawn turning to darkness before my eyes. I leaned my head against the cool glass window, my bored gaze watching the gloom fly by.
I was zoned out, in a weird state of being mentally nowhere when something caught my eye. It was a jitter of movement outside of the speeding car, a brief flash of something. The little hairs along the back of my neck stood up as I shook off my daze and turned so I could get a better look out the window. An endless line of concrete walls, along with the occasional red exit sign met my searching gaze. My body rocked with the movement of the Metro, the constant hum of the subway car over the tracks subtly vibrating through my bones.
There it was again.
A flicker of grey splotched with violent crimson. It was the burst of red that snapped me out of my daze, as bright as a carnation and glowing in the darkness. My brain tried to argue I was seeing some kind of maintenance lighting, that my eyes were playing a trick on me. Tucking a wayward strand of brown hair behind my ear I glanced around, wondering if anyone else noticed something out of place. In the unflattering lighting, my fellow passengers were all going about their normal business, so I turned back to the window and hoped no one noticed my nose was now pressed to the glass.
I was a big enough dork already without adding window licker to that list.
A streak of color seared my eyes, and I sucked in a sharp breath as something sprinted past the hurtling subway car.
Tearing at my throat, a scream tried to fight its way out of me, but it couldn’t get beyond the lump of fear choking me tight.
No other shouts came behind me, so I was sure no one else had seen what I just did. People who lived and worked in D.C. might be jaded, but even the most bored executive would have at least uttered something. That meant only I had seen it, and maybe it wasn’t real.
Keeping my eyes peeled in the darkness, I kept watching, my anxiety building by the second. Something was wrong here—off. As the train continued to rumble and lurch, it dawned on me that we’d been underground for a long time. Way longer than usual. We should have reached the surface by now. Glancing down at my watch, I was shocked to see that it was 3:15 am.
The train lurched, hard, and I cried out in pain as my head thumped the glass. My nose burned and I licked my upper lip, the taste of my blood coppery and harsh. I reached up to feel my sore nose, but a horrible shriek of rending metal behind me had me whipping around in my seat.
A scream, one born of pure fear, tore from me as I scrambled back, trying in vain to put some distance between myself and the horror now staring me in the face.
The back of the subway train was missing like it had been ripped in two, and beyond the jagged curls of metal and the severed sparking wires was a rushing horde of abominations pouring out of the darkness. Shapes that had no right to exist, things made of teeth and fangs, a roiling mass pulsating with evil intent. Their howls and screams combined into a terrifying crescendo that tore through my soul like the end of the world.

“Ma’am!”
A hand shook me roughly, and I jerked awake, blinking in confusion at the sight of an old lady with lots of curly white hair shaking my arm. She sat close enough that I could see the fine white hairs of her old lady mustache, and she smelled faintly of fried food and flowers. Her teeth were slightly crooked, but her breath was nice and minty.
“You awake now?”
“What?”
Releasing my arm so she could sit back in her seat next to mine, she cocked her head and looked at me like I was mental. “You must have been havin’ a doozy of a bad dream. You were screamin’ like someone was trying to murder you.”
“I—I’m sorry.”
As my fear lifted, burned off by the bright sunlight streaming through the windows, I figured out I wasn’t on the Metro, but on the Amtrak train for the first part of my commute into work. And everyone on it was either staring at me, or looking out of the corner of their eye. Scrunching down beneath the weight of their gazes, I ducked my head, wishing I had my hair down so I could hide behind it.
“Don’t be sorry. I used to have nightmares all the time about Richard Nixon. He sure was a terrifying son of a bitch.”
“Uh—”
Abruptly she grabbed my hand. “Sweet Mother Goddess, you’re bleeding.”
To my shock, I looked down and saw that each of my palms had little crescent shaped cuts from where I’d dug my nails into them in so hard they’d pierced my skin.
“Oh,” was all I could whisper as I stared down, the pain finally reaching through my mental paralysis. “Crap.”
“Wish I had my big purse with me, but I always leave it home when I come into the city. Too many snatchers out there, just waiting for me to turn a blind eye. Have lots of Band-Aids in that purse, but none on me. Next stop is coming up, you should get off and go wash your hands. Who knows what kind of diseases are left on these seats. Why just yesterday I saw a man…”
As she rambled on about some guy being repulsive in an alley, I gently folded my fingers over my palms, my racing heart slowing as I took in deep breaths of her French fries and lilies scent. Not the most pleasant combination, but it helped ground me for some reason. The sound of screeching brakes caught my attention, and I quickly stood then grabbed my backpack.
“Thank you for waking me up,” I said in a low voice as I scooted past the old woman.
She patted my arm, then lightly settled her hand on my wrist, her deep blue eyes unexpectedly sharp. “When the benevolent Mother told me to go into the city today I knew it had to be a good reason, ‘cause these bones of mine are tired of moving and would rather be at home. You take care of yourself, young lady. Dark days are coming and you’re going to be a candle in the night. Not all the darkness in the world is gonna be able to put out your spirit. Mmmm, hmmm. I can see it now, your love is gonna guide a lotta people like a beacon from a lighthouse, show them the way to safety through the storm. Many blessings on you.”
Unable to think of anything to say in response to that, I muttered, “Okay, well—um, thank you. Have a nice day.”


Tour Wide GIveaway

To celebrate the release of HYENA’S QUEEN by Ann Mayburn, we’re giving away a $25 Amazon gift card!



GIVEAWAY TERMS & CONDITIONS:  

Open internationally. One winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card. This giveaway is administered by Pure Textuality PR.  Giveaway ends 7/30/2018 @ 11:59pm EST. Pure Textuality PR is responsible for the delivery of the prize(s). Limit one entry per reader and mailing address. Duplicates will be deleted.  CLICK HERE TO ENTER!


About Ann Mayburn



With over forty published books, ANN MAYBURN is Queen of the Castle to her husband and three sons in the mountains of West Virginia. In her past lives she’s been an Import Broker, a Communications Specialist, a US Navy Civilian Contractor, a Bartender/Waitress, and an actor at the Michigan Renaissance Festival. She also spent a summer touring with the Grateful Dead-though she will deny to her children that it ever happened.
From a young Ann has had a love affair with books would read everything she could get her hands on. As Ann grew older, and her hormones kicked in, she discovered bodice ripping Fabio-esque romance novels. They were great at first, but she soon grew tired of the endless stories with a big wonderful emotional buildup to really short and crappy sex. Never a big fan of purple prose, throbbing spears of fleshy pleasure and wet honey pots make her giggle, she sought out books that gave the sex scenes in the story just as much detail and plot as everything else-without using cringe worthy euphemisms. This led her to the wonderful world of Erotic Romance, and she’s never looked back.
Now Ann spends her days trying to tune out cartoons playing in the background to get into her ‘sexy space’ and has accepted that her Muse has a severe case of ADD.
Ann loves to talk with her fans, as long as they realize she’s weird, and that sarcasm doesn’t translate well via text.

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