🌟 BOOK BLITZ 🌟 The Blood King by Abigail Owen {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

The Blood King by Abigail Owen

Release Date: August 25th 2020 by Entangled: Amara

Series: Inferno Rising #2

Pages: 416

Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Ruthless dragon king Ladon Ormarr must keep his throne at all costs. And now, with war on the horizon, he’ll need a miracle. Luckily, the fates have dropped Skylar Amon right into his lap.

Except he may have met his match.

The feisty Amon sister has no fear — of him or any other dragon shifter — is brash, doesn’t stick to protocols, and regularly offends his warriors and advisers.

Skylar also has no intention of sticking around. She doesn’t believe in the whole destined mates thing and believes all dragon kings to be dangerous. But if it means taking out the High King who murdered her parents, she’ll put up with Ladon… temporarily.

But the fates have other plans. And when Skylar disappears in the middle of a battle, Ladon will burn down the world to find her.

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{EXCERPT}

Skylar remained where she was on the floor, rubbing at her throat and glaring at the others with those bright, watercolor blue eyes. At least her skin had turned less sallow. Seconds ago, her pallor had him…concerned.

Ladon did his best to push adrenaline, along with the burning need to claim her immediately, down deep in his gut, though it tested the limits of his control. He gave the members of his guard—his closest friends—as well as the advisors who made up his Curia Regis, a sharp nod and waited in silence while they filed out.

Brand sat, too, saying nothing, probably sensing the dangerous edge on which Ladon’s emotions balanced.

“Damage my future mate like that again, and I’ll rip your arms out of their sockets.” The warning slid from Ladon. He couldn’t have held it back even if he wanted to. Not that he wanted to.

Still on the floor, Skylar’s back stiffened. “I’m not your future anything, asshole.”

“Not helping,” Kasia said pointedly, adding a glare at him for effect.

Shit. Where’d his control go? He’d just been telling himself to cool it with the claiming language. Ladon clamped down on more words.

Kasia held out her hands and pulled Skylar to her feet, allowing Ladon a view of Skylar’s face. His body tensed in reaction. Now that he had a chance to study her, he couldn’t deny her beauty. Darker and sharper than her sister, those glacial eyes a striking contrast to her midnight hair, her skin a darker shade than Kasia’s paleness, and those lips…

Kasia focused on her sister, her gaze settling. “I love you, but you got this totally wrong.”

Given her attitude so far, Ladon waited for an immediate rejection, but Skylar didn’t speak for a long beat, searching Kasia’s eyes. “My sources informed me that a rogue dragon kidnapped you and dragged you here to mate you to a king. Brand is the rightful King of the Gold Throne, right? He killed Uther, and apparently at least some gold dragons now bear Brand’s mark on their hands, which makes him king. A king you’re mated to. Am I wrong?”

Kasia sent a smiling glance at Brand. “You got it mostly right, but what you missed was that I didn’t mate the king I was intended to.”

Skylar turned those ice-blue eyes on Ladon. As realization dawned, her lips quirked. “What happened, big boy? Couldn’t close the deal?”

Ladon held her glance with an unaffected stare, hiding his reaction. Why the hell was her insulting him so amusing?

AUTHOR BIO:

Award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it.

No matter the genre, she loves to write witty, feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories). She currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero, her husband, and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

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🌟 BOOK BLITZ 🌟 Dating Mr. Darcy by Kate O’Keeffe {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

Dating Mr. Darcy by Kate O’Keeffe

Release Date: August 25th 2020

Series: Love Manor Romantic Comedy #1

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Is it a truth universally acknowledged, that a girl must compete on reality TV to win a modern-day Mr. Darcy’s heart?

Clothing designer Emma Brady is having serious doubts about how far she’ll go to promote her new activewear line. Sure, being on a reality show would be great for business, but is putting up with Mr. Darcy-wannabe Sebastian Huntington-Ross really worth it?

Sebastian is straight out of an Austen novel. But it’s hard to focus on his chiseled jaw, broad shoulders and wickedly sexy accent when all Emma can see is his pride, arrogance, and smug demeanor.

But Sebastian has a secret reason for being on the show, and when Emma figures out what it is, her heart warms to him—without her permission.

Will Emma hold fast and keep the aristocratic Sebastian at arm’s length? Or will she put her reservations aside when the lines between reality and “reality show” start to blur?

Amazon

{EXCERPT}

“Emma,” Johnathan says, snapping my attention away from Kennedy. “We would love to hear your performance. Please, take to the stage.”

I wave my hand in the air. “Oh, I’m going to sit this one out, if it’s all the same to you. But thanks for asking.”

His eyes shift to a crew member and back to me. “All the contestants need to perform, I’m afraid.”

“As much as I may want to perform—and believe me I do so, so much—I’m afraid I’m no singer. I told Sebastian that already and he seemed cool with it. Believe me, I’m doing all of you a big favor here.”

“She doesn’t want to have to follow my performance. Do you, Emma?” Hayley says with the fakest sweet smile ever.

“I can well understand that,” Johnathan replies, “but the rules are the rules. Aren’t they, Mrs. Watson?” He’s looking for back-up now.

Mrs. Watson rises to her feet and glares at me. “You. Stage. Now.” Gone is the firm but polite language. It seems she’s going for straightforward orders now.

I chew on my lip as I look around the room. “Do I have to?” I ask, and yes, I know I sound like a whiny kid being made to eat her broccoli.

“You do,” Mrs. Watson replies.

I let out a defeated sigh. “Okay.” I make my way over to the stage like I’m walking the line. I don’t want to perform, and I haven’t practiced anything either.

I scramble around in my brain, searching desperately for a song in my range. Which is basically about four notes, all of them flat, if my car singing skills are anything to go by.

“Miss Emma? We’re waiting,” Mrs. Watson says tersely.

All eyes are on me. Johnathan is watching me warily, Sebastian is looking somewhere between concerned and amused, and there’s no way I’m going to look in Hayley’s or Camille’s direction right now.

I’ve got to think of something, stat!

When I don’t do anything, Mrs. Watson barks, “Sing!”

Out of pure shock, I open my mouth and begin to sing the first song that comes to mind. It was playing in the car as I was driven here what feels like a lifetime ago, even though I think it was only a matter of days. Days? Really?

Lil Nas X’s voice is in my head, and I sing along with it. I’m taking my horse down to an old road, and it takes all my willpower not to bob on the spot as though I’m on that horse myself. When I get to the Billy Ray Cyrus part, I notice a few of the contestants go from controlling their mirth to openly sniggering. It puts me off my game. Not that I had much of a game in the first place.

I fudge some of the words and replace others with the word “horse,” which seems appropriate, given that it’s a song about riding one. Or is it a metaphor? All I know is this is about a gazillion miles from being my finest hour, and I wish more than anything it was over.

When I finally get to the end of the song, I stop abruptly, clamp my mouth shut, and wait for the inevitable laughter to roll around the room. I’m not disappointed. Camille is doubled over, shaking with laughter, Hayley has tears rolling down her cheeks, and even Phoebe and Kennedy are snickering, although I can tell they’re working hard to hold it in.

I glance at Sebastian. His face is alight with amusement, but his eyes are surprisingly soft. “Nice work,” he mouths, and I shoot him my most withering look, which is a little hard to muster when you’re up to your neck in a lake of humiliation, your cheeks hot enough to scramble eggs.

AUTHOR BIO:

Visit kateokeeffe.com and sign up to her newsletter so you never miss out on new releases and great book deals again! Follow her on Bookbub to learn about deals on her books. Just cut and paste this link into your browser: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-o-keeffe

Kate O'Keeffe is a bestselling author of fun, feel-good romantic comedies. She lives and loves in beautiful Hawke's Bay, New Zealand with her family, two scruffy dogs, and a cat who thinks he's a scruffy dog too. He's not: he's a cat. When she's not penning her latest story, Kate can be found hiking up hills (slowly), traveling to different countries, and eating chocolate. A lot of it.

Visit kateokeeffe.com to sign up to her newsletter to keep up to date on new releases, great deals on books, and more.

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🌟 BOOK BLITZ 🌟 #Surviving40 by Karen Anne {EXCERPT + GIVEAWAY!}

#Surviving40 by Karen Anne 

Release Date: August 25th 2020

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Romance

Piper Quinn was more than ready to turn forty. So ready she began planning her Parisian celebration at thirty-five. That is until her life fell apart at thirty-nine. Left staring at divorce papers, Piper instantly regrets signing that pre-nup. How was she to know her husband would turn her in for a younger model?

After “accidentally” setting her Manhattan apartment on fire, Piper finds herself not only newly divorced, but newly homeless. Forced to move back home with her parents and take a job she doesn’t want, she soon discovers the gossip train in town moves faster than the subway system in New York—and she’s the hottest topic to leave the station. If matters weren’t bad enough, life in rural Connecticut seems downright claustrophobic when her sixteen year old daughter stops talking to her.

A blast from her past is the spark Piper needs to reignite her life. Owen Clarke, an old high school flame has the ability to turn back time making Piper feel sixteen again. The instant chemistry between them gives Piper hope of redeeming her second act. There’s only one teeny, tiny three foot problem: Owen’s daughter is in Piper’s Kindergarten class. With temptation lurking in every corner, Piper needs to put her emotions—and hormones— in check.

No one said getting older was easy, but turning forty just became a game of survival.

Amazon

{EXCERPT}

#SurvivalTip: If you have to bang you head, 

might as well be off of a headboard. 

Owen ran a hand up the length of my thigh, nuzzling his nose against mine, stealing kisses and causing me to fall deeper into the bliss he had created. My leg was hooked around his waist, our bodies tangled together, slick with sweat under a cloud of euphoria.

“Happy?” he asked as he brushed the hair away from my face.

“Very,” I admitted. The last hour had been perfection and now… my eyes caught a glimpse of the clock hanging on the wall, the moonlight from the window conveniently illuminating the numbers. “Crap!”

“What’s wrong?” Owen placed his hand on my waist, gave me a squeeze, and pressed himself against me. A guttural groan rumbled in his throat. Clearly, he was ready for round two. There was no time for that now.

“It’s almost one. I can’t have Sage get home and I’m not there.” I grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around me while I slid out of bed, got on all fours, and searched for my missing underwear.

My gown was abandoned, crumpled in a small heap underneath a chair he had in the corner. How did it get there? Did it grow legs and walk away? I snatched it up, along with my panties, which were under his bed, and darted toward the bathroom. I tripped over one of my abandoned heels in the process and slammed head first into the wall. “Ow!” I whimpered and tried to hold onto my dignity along with my clothes, and the sheet, while instinctually reaching for my head. There wasn’t any blood. Thank God for small victories.

“Hey.” Owen leaned over and put on the light, then sprang out of the bed and over to me. He gently lifted my hand away so he could see if there was any damage. “It’s already swollen. You’re going to have a nasty bruise in a few hours.”

“Great, I’m a big fan of having concrete evidence of my more humiliating moments.”

Owen had a drowsy look in his eyes, like everything I said was covered in sugar and he could just eat me up. He kissed my boo-boo like I was a child, then pinned me against the wall. It occurred to me then that he was still very, very naked. Damn, he didn’t lack in the confidence department one bit.

“Owen, I can’t do this right now.” I tried to wriggle free, but he had me locked in place. “I need to snap back into mom mode and set an example and all that jazz.”

He swept his hand between my thighs with a butterfly touch, taunting me. I shuddered. His eyes sparkled. Clearly, this was some sort of weird, single mom foreplay for him.

“Relax, I’ll get you back before your coach turns into a pumpkin.” His mouth found mine, and instantly, all that had transpired between us over the past few hours came rushing back. I wasn’t sure if it was the power of his kiss, or the blow to my head, but I was getting lightheaded. I plucked my mouth away, coming up for air before Owen pulled me back under his spell.

“I could take you right here.” Owen groaned, his breathing quickly becoming a pant, daring me to concede. Would it be so awful to be out all night? Adulting was so hard. So was Owen.

The need to be selfish bubbled up inside me. I wanted to stay, to live in this moment of reckless abandon. Owen pressed against me, causing me to moan. He responded by kissing my neck, which basically turned my libido into a ticking time bomb. How was I ever going to find the strength to say no when every cell in my body was screaming yes? No one knew self-sacrifice like a mother. One of us had to be reasonable, and I supposed it was the one who most likely had a concussion. “I think I need ice for my head.”

That seemed to sober him up. “On it.” He walked away, giving me a great shot of his ass before he reached down and swiped his pants, pulled them on, and headed down the hall to the kitchen.

I sort of loved the idea of him strutting around his place commando. Knowing I only had a few moments of freedom, I ducked into the bathroom and shimmied my way back into my gown. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My eyeliner was smeared, and my perfect curls now had a distinct post-coital look. There was no hiding what we’d done. 

AUTHOR BIO:

Karen Anne was writing before she could read. As a toddler, she sat with a book in her hands and made up the stories, eager for the day when she'd find out if it all truly ended in happily ever after. Karen still determines the destiny of other people's lives, but this time, the characters are her own.

She is a Contemporary Romance author who lives in New York.
Coffee drinker by day, wine enthusiast by night, she loves cats and deeply misses 90's grunge.

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