Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Forever Release Day Blitz ~ Spotlights, Excerpts & Giveaway

4 releases today!
Check them all out below!


THE HURRICANE by R.J. Prescott (February 2, 2016; Forever Trade Paperback)

Emily McCarthy is living in fear of a dark and dangerous past. A gifted mathematician, she is little more than a hollow, broken shell, trying desperately to make ends meet long enough to finish her degree. Through an unlikely friendship with the aging, cantankerous owner of an old boxing gym, Em is thrown into the path of the most dangerous man that she has ever met.

Cormac "the Hurricane" O'Connell is cut, tattooed and dangerous. He is a lethal weapon with no safety and everyone is waiting for the misfire. He's never been knocked out before, but when he meets Em he falls, HARD. Unlike any other girl he's ever met, she doesn't want anything from him. Just being around her makes him want to be a better person. They are polar opposites who were never meant to find each other, but some things are just worth the fight.


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Excerpt...


I’d barely even made it through the door before Tommy was throwing his sweaty arm around me and trying his luck. I couldn’t help but laugh, but my laughter didn’t seem to put a dent in his ego.

“Tommy, get your arm off her right now, or I’m gonna break it in at least three places,” O’Connell shouted down from the ring, as Kieran helped him on with his gloves. 

“Fuck off, O’Connell.” He smiled in good humour. “She’s totally into me.” 

Tommy was clearly just yanking O’Connell’s chain, but both O’Connell and Kieran stopped, stock still, and turned to face Tommy. Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure he was joking when he’d threatened Tommy, and from the speed at which he moved his arm, neither was Tommy. 

“Chill out, guys. I was only kidding.” He turned and gave me a quick peck on the cheek before legging it to the locker room.

I was still standing there like an idiot, when Kieran climbed out of the ring and walked over to me. 

“Hello, darlin’. You’d best go and say hello to your man before he goes at it with Shane. He’s all fired up tonight, and he fights badly when he’s in a temper.”

“He’s not my man, Kieran,” I pointed out.

“Well, Em, someone best tell him that, and it ain’t gonna be me,” he said, as he ambled off to start with his own training. 

I looked back at O’Connell shadow boxing in the ring, and I could see that Kieran was right. He was always full of energy, wired almost, which was weird to see in a guy his size. But tonight something was wrong. He seemed edgier and darker than usual, like he was boxing to kill, not hurt. I walked tentatively up the steps to the ring and rested my arms on the top ropes. As soon as he saw me, he stopped and walked over. There was no easy grin tonight. 

“Hey, sunshine,” he said, “you okay?”

“I’m fine thanks. How are you doing?”

“I’m better now that you’re here.” He hung his head as he banged his gloves together, and I had the strongest urge to run my hand through his hair, like you’d do to comfort a small child. 

“You know a problem shared, is a problem halved,” I told him, hoping to lighten things up a little. 

“Thanks.” He smiled sadly at me. “But sharing my crap just drags you into it. Tell me about your day; that will help.” 

I hated that he was clearly upset. I wanted him to open up, but our friendship was still too new and fragile to push it too far, so I struggled to think back over my highly uneventful day. 

“Nikki gave me a hard time for not jumping your bones, but I got an A on my spot test, so it wasn’t all bad.” 

He wasn’t better, but I’d managed to get a smile out of him, at least.

“Well, I’m in Nikki’s camp there,” he spoke softly. “You heading off to the office to work?”

I nodded my head in agreement. He ran the back of his glove along my cheek gently.

“Okay, sunshine. I have to train late tonight, so Kieran’s gonna walk you home later, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” 

He looked so sad, that the urge to kiss him, to comfort him, was overwhelming. But I didn’t. Because guys like him didn’t kiss girls like me. I just gave him a small nod and walked down the steps toward the office. Just as I reached the door, I stopped and turned. Only part of the ring was visible, but it was all I needed to see. He rolled his shoulders and looked up toward Shane. In that instant, all trace of sadness and vulnerability was gone, and in its place was pure, unadulterated rage. The bell rang out and O’Connell’s wrath was unleashed. He bounced up and down on the canvas like he had too much energy to keep contained, ducking and weaving as he did, with a stealth that belied his size. He eyed Shane like a predator sizing up his kill, and as Shane made the first lunge, O’Connell dodged left and slammed into his midsection, with a rib crushing right hook. I’d taken a few right hooks in my life, so by all accounts, this show of violence from O’Connell should be freaking me out. But I was so turned on I couldn’t see straight. My heart was beating so loudly that I couldn’t hear anything else. Everything just faded into white noise. Considering that they were supposed to be sparing, he wasn’t pulling any punches. The sweat beading around his forehead trickled down his cheek and splashed onto his chest, and damn if I didn’t want to follow its path with my tongue. I imagined the feel of those tight, sweaty abs beneath my fingertips and how the silk of his training shorts, encasing all that hard muscle would feel pressed up against me. There wasn’t a single part of my body that wasn’t totally aware of every single part of his, and the more he lost control of himself, the more I lost control with him. By the time he’d knocked Shane out with another killer right hook, I was a mess. 

“For fuck’s sake O’Connell, you’re supposed to be fucking sparring, not knocking him into next week. I’ve warned you before. This has got to fucking stop.”

Danny was going ballistic, and O’Connell, still breathing hard, dropped his hands to his sides while he tried to control himself. I knew that I couldn’t be right in the head to be this turned on when he’d just knocked a man he called a friend into unconsciousness. I was breathing as hard as he was, as though my lust, like his temper, was something we could rein in. He turned and caught my eye, and he knew I’d seen the whole thing. His mask of indifference was replaced with a frown, and I guessed he was worried that he’d scared me with his performance. Before he decided to come over, I turned and shut myself in the office. I couldn’t deal with O’Connell when I was in this state. Christ, even being a foot taller than me, I’d have his back flat against the door the second we were in a confined space. What I needed right now, was to pull myself together.


THE AFTERMATH by R.J. Prescott (December 15, 2015; Forever E-Book)
The second book in a New Adult fiction series from USA Today bestselling author R.J. Prescott.


Cormac "The Hurricane" O'Connell's star is on the rise. Billed as the most promising young boxer of his generation, his new career is taking him to places he never dreamed. But O'Connell only needs one thing in life: his wife. In her final year of college, Em cannot follow him around the world but together they make it work. Just when everything they ever wanted is on the horizon, the past resurfaces to haunt them, and O'Connell realizes that justice might not be a part of his happy ever after. He couldn't protect Em once before, but in the aftermath of the hurricane, he will make sure that never happens again.


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About the author:
USA Today bestselling author R.J. Prescott was born in Cardiff, South Wales, and studied law at the University of Bristol, England. Four weeks before graduation she fell in love, and stayed. Ten years later, she convinced her crazy, wonderful firefighter husband to move back to Cardiff where they now live with their two equally crazy sons. 

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Giveaway...


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This giveaway is hosted and sponsored by the publisher.   StuckInBooks is not responsible for selecting a winner or sending out prizes.


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About WHEN STACI TAKES CHARGE
Powerful CEO Staci Kay has been working like crazy for so long that she's forgotten what it means to play. After her company's launch of an important new shoe line, a sizzling encounter with an irresistibly hot guy is just the stress reliever she needs. But when he's gone the next morning, she realizes she can't forget him - or the way he made her feel.

Dr. Evan Hart isn't a one-night-stand kind of guy. But the gorgeous redhead with the seductive curves is a temptation he doesn't regret - until she calls his office to schedule an appointment. Even as he wonders how she found him, Evan can't deny he wants a lot more than just another night in her bed. Now with his heart on the line, Evan has to put his best foot forward and convince Staci that he's the perfect fit . . .



About Calista Fox
Calista is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set your pulse racing! She is an Amazon bestseller and has won many Reviewer's and Reader's Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards and other competitions with publication as first prize. Calista is a college graduate and teaches online writing classes. She is also Past President/Advisor of the Phoenix Chapter of Romance Writers of America.

Excerpt...


Evan Hart stood across the hall from what could only be described as a fantasy come to life.

Mile-long legs. Narrow waist. Plump breasts. Soft-looking, damp red curls that fell just past her slender, bare shoulders. A fresh, clean face.

Despite being separated by an expanse of carpet, he could smell her. Vanilla with perhaps a hint of lavender, which was extremely alluring.

She stared at him with fiery eyes that were tawny, mostly golden with flecks of orange. She was beautiful. Breathtaking, actually, with high cheekbones, honey skin, and rosy lips.

He had to run a few medical terms through his head in order to divert his attention from how stunning and scantily clad she was. The tactic was also necessary to help ascertain whether the vision before him was real or not, for Evan had a tendency to sleepwalk. He never went far and typically woke up after a few minutes. But hotels could be a bit hazardous for someone with the affliction. It’d been a while since he’d done it, so he’d thought he’d broken the habit.

But there really couldn’t be such a striking, half-naked woman standing eight feet away from him. Could there?

He mentally shook his head. Whether he was imagining this or not, he was willing to fall down the rabbit hole when the fantasy spoke.

“Sooo, this is awkward,” she said, her tone low and breathy. Sultry. Sexy as hell.

His groin instantly tightened. His pulse hitched a notch.

She kept talking as his body started to burn. “See, I was on my way to get some ice—”

“You know the valet could have gotten that for you.”

“Yes,” she ground out. “I realize that. Not my first rodeo at a swank hotel.”

He bit back a grin. The fantasy had some spunk to her.

“Anyhoo,” she said. “I didn’t think there’d be anyone in the hallway in the middle of the night. I even checked.”

“And you would have been in the clear. Except that you got a little loud.”

“I did not get loud. And what the heck are you doing up at three a.m.?”

He sighed. “I was working late. Then I drifted off at the desk. I woke up and did more work, then drifted off again…”

“Aha,” she softly said. Her entire demeanor softened, in fact. Making him instantly wonder how malleable she’d be in his hands, how she might writhe against his body if he held her in his arms.

Whoa. Where were those thoughts coming from?

They were not normal ones for Dr. Evan Hart. By any stretch of the imagination.

But the fantasy was incredibly titillating. Enthralling. Tempting, even.

In her arousing voice, she mused, “So you could actually still be asleep at this very moment. And you never, ever saw me.”

She flashed a pearly white smile.

He smirked. “That’s not exactly how you convince someone they’re sleepwalking and dreaming.”

“And you’re an expert?”

“As a matter of fact, yes.”

“Well, then.” She shifted from one bare foot to the other. “Why don’t you sleepwalk your way back into your suite, I’ll follow and use your phone to call down to the front desk to let them know I’m locked out of my suite, and we’ll pretend this never happened. Whether you’re truly awake or not.”

“You shouldn’t leave your key in your room when you go for ice.”

“Gee. You think?”

Evan shook his head. “I see you like to be antagonistic.”

“No, I like to be fully clothed when caught in situations such as this.”

His gaze swept over her. He couldn’t help it. Hoped he could blame it on the supposed sleepwalking and justify it that way to both himself and to her.

But Evan had to concede that, even in his wildest dreams, he would not have conjured this insanely beautiful, perfectly sculpted creature. And she sure as hell wouldn’t have such a smart mouth. Evan preferred women who were a bit more demure. Studious. More bookish than…sexy. Sassy. Soft and silky looking.

Ha. There it was.

Proof that he had to be dreaming, because he never in a million years would consciously allow his very structured thoughts to run in these crazy directions.

The fantasy said, “So…how ‘bout it?”

Every muscle in his body went rigid.

Yeah. Even that one.

Well, he had the beginnings of an erection at any rate. One that would easily qualify as a mammoth hard-on if he didn’t keep his cool. Thank God he wore loose black pants to help hide the evidence of her effect on him. He also had on a deep-blue tank top and was barefoot. His dark hair had to be a tousled mess from raking his hands through it half the night in frustration. And he knew he sported a five o’clock shadow on his jaw. Or, rather, a three a.m. shadow.

He’d been no more prepared for this unexpected encounter than she.

He flipped the security latch outward to keep his door from closing and locking behind him and took a few strides across the hall to scoop up the ice bucket. His gaze locked on candy-apple-red toenails.

Christ, even her feet were sexy.

With absolutely no restraint whatsoever—again not like him at all—his gaze traveled up her ankles, her calves, her thighs…

His mouth watered as he continued over her flat stomach and her full breasts. All that registered in his brain was silky skin, satiny material…and lace. Oh, the lace.

Get a grip, man.

You’re not an animal.

Or a caveman.

Though he suddenly had cavemen desires. To throw this gorgeous woman over his shoulder and carry her into his cave.

Heat rushed through his veins. A couple beads of perspiration popped along his hairline.

It was entirely possible he’d spent too much time in the office lately, and too little time socializing with the female persuasion.

Or perhaps it was just that he’d never come across a woman that set his body on fire the way this one did.

He found himself saying, “If I really am dreaming, I have a much better imagination than I ever knew.”



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EXTREME EXPOSURE by Alex Kingwell (February 2, 2016; Forever Yours E-Book; Chasing Justice: Book 1)
NOWHERE TO RUN 

Emily Blackstock is running for her life. She thought she'd escaped the men who murdered her cousin, but one terrifying night proves they mean to kill her, too. Trusting a rugged stranger to lead her to safety is risky, but Emily has no other choice...

EVERYTHING TO HIDE
A former Marine, Matt Herrington has seen his share of active duty and knows what it takes to survive a ruthless killer. Protecting Emily is second nature, but as they trek through the wilderness together she stirs something within him that he's never felt before. Now the only thing more dangerous than keeping her alive is falling in love with her . . .

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About the author:
An award-winning writer of romantic suspense, Alex Kingwell is a former newspaper reporter, columnist and editor who much prefers spending her days making stories up. When she's not writing or stuck with her head in a book, Alex can be found running with her dog, obsessing over tribal textiles or watching offbeat movies with her husband (not necessarily in that order). She lives on the Canadian Prairies.

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BY THE ENCHANTMENT OF MOONLIGHT by Serena Gilley (February 2, 2016; Forever Yours E-Book; The Forbidden Realm 2.5)
In a world where desire is forbidden and passion can turn deadly, two Fairies begin a dangerous dance with both . . .

Swift, Enforcer for the Fairy Council, knows something is amiss. Not only does he sense the Realm is in danger, but his own magical abilities are under attack. It's as if his strong, steely will is being replaced by human characteristics like need,want, and lust. Especially after he reunites with his rule-following colleague . . . 

After being locked inside a secret cell and robbed of her Fairy Dust, Pimma is shocked when the Council suddenly releases her into Swift's custody. But even more mind-blowing are the erotic emotions that overcome her as they begin their new investigation. Something is stirring their most illicit fantasies, negating their powers, and threatening the balance between the human and magical realms. To save themselves and their people, Swift and Pimma will tangle with temptation and experience feelings more exhilarating than any magic they've ever known. But their enemy may be closer-and more seductive-than they realize . . .

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About the author:
Serena Gilley grew up reading fantasy and fairy tales, and believing there was a distinct possibility that both of them were real. Somewhere. Even all these years later, Serena's belief in magic and mystery hasn't diminished. In fact, She is living out her own happily-ever-after with a handsome prince in a beautiful castle, taming dragons and granting wishes every day.  Okay, so the prince is a regular guy, the dragons are really just teenagers, and the wishes she grants are as spectacular as frozen pizza on Friday night, but it's a fantasy world just the same.

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Excerpt...


A flicker of heat burned inside when he thought of Pimma. She seemed earnest, so fresh…so full of passion for defending the code. He’d been impressed with her professionalism and intellect. He liked the way she smelled, too. Like sunshine on a warm day, like the bud of a rose, just about to open. He shut his eyes and reveled in the memory of her scent.
His body responded immediately. His breathing was labored, his heart rate increased, and his temperature suddenly soared. What was this feeling? Want, need, urgency…desire.
The realization startled him. But how had he suddenly fallen prey to such a carnal, human reaction? He forced himself to shake it off, shoving his thoughts of Pimma’s sweet scent, satiny skin, and delicate features aside. By the Skies, what was happening to him?
But of course he knew. It wasn’t merely his perception of the Fairy Council that had been changed by his experiences in Iceland. He’d been changed, too.
He’d come too close to the very thing he’d sworn to condemn, and now he was hungry for it in a way he couldn’t quite understand. The conspiracy he had found was fueled by desire, stoked by passion. Human lust had infected the Veil and had infected him, too. Desire—hot, carnal, and wild—was awakening inside him and he dreaded what it might do.
Somehow he had to take control of this thing before it took over him completely, the way he’d seen it do to other magical beings. The rogue fairy Kyne abandoned their Realm when he fell into desire. Swift had seen a huge, raging dragon brought low by passion. There was no place in the Forbidden Realm for this sort of thing—it could only bring destruction.
And now Swift felt it pumping through his veins in full force. How could he have let this happen and how was he going to stop it? Even now, his mind wandered back to those tempting thoughts of Pimma, hoping she’d be happy to see him again and wondering how it would feel to stroke the gentle curves of her body, the iridescent sheen of her wings. She’d done nothing to put these thoughts into his head, but he couldn’t seem to get rid of them.
By the Skies, desire had invaded his system and taken root. He simply had to be stronger than this carnal weakness. He was an enforcer, by the Clouds. He was not about to let depravity rule over duty. No matter how good it might feel.


3 comments:

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  2. The excerpt was amazing! When it came to the end I still wanted to read more!! My favorite from Danny's gym is O'connell. From what I read he sounds sexy, a bad boy but has a Loveable side as well! Thank you for the chance to win! I most definitely can not wait to read this book!!!!

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  3. My favorite fighter is definitely Cormac!

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