Monday, May 25, 2015

My Soul to Wake Release Day


MY SOUL TO WAKE IS NOW LIVE!
SYNOPSIS
Witchcraft. Reincarnation. True love. These are the things of legend. Unexplained, some even say impossible, but nonetheless prevalent in stories and tales from all cultures and in every land from the beginning of time. What if there is something to it? What if there is an explanation behind the mysteries and bedtime stories? Something beyond words? SALEM, MASSACHUSETTES 1692 She was taken from him in the cruelest way... condemned, sentenced and punished out of fear of the unknown. How is he supposed to live without her? How can he go on knowing that in this life, by the natural order of things, they will never be together? There's only one thing to do... only one option that will bring them together again. SALEM , MASSACHUSETTES TODAY Amelia is taken on a weekend excursion with her best girlfriends to let loose, relax and have a little fun. What harm is there in a little vacation? It's not like the legends, the haunted history of the place can scare them away. It's all harmless fun. Or so she thought. Something seems familiar about the town. The trees, the winds, the feel of everything. Her ever present nightmares have become more intense within the limits of the old historical setting. She's prepared to write off the whole trip as nothing more than a case of her mind running away with the sensationalized magic here. When she meets a handsome stranger who's eager to know her in a way no one else can, she begins to think there may be something more to this place, something more to him. Will has been waiting, biding his time, and praying that she'll come back. He's broken the natural order of things to possibly find her again, weaving their way through the years until they can be together again. He knows he may never find her, but he can't risk not trying. This place calls to her, just as it did to him. It will bring her back home. It will bring her back to him. What's 300 years when it comes to true love? He's prepared to wait an eternity if he has to, just to see her, hold her, kiss her again.. to make her remember what was stolen from them so long ago. To make her remember who she is, the power she possesses and the love they swore to each other.If you'd like to purchase My Soul to Wake, feel free to grab your copy here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XUCJB4Q
BOOK TRAILER
TEASERS
OTHER BOOKS BY TARA OAKES
      Amazon US 
                                                               Amazon US       
                                                            
                                                                     Amazon US
 
                                                                     Amazon US
LEARN MORE ABOUT TARA
Tara is a thirty something newbie author from Long Island, New York. She's a voracious reader, a passionate writer and obsessive junk T.V. aficionado. When she's not doing one of those three things she is attempting to garden, hanging with her hubby or partaking in some retail therapy. She enjoys connecting with her readers and is having a blast entering into this new world of publishing.
FIND TARA ONLINE

Saturday, May 23, 2015

My Soul to Wake Preorder Sale

My Soul to Wake is now available for pre-order for 0.99 cents! Make sure to get it now before it goes up to its regular price of $2.99! You can find teasers and the trailer as well as the synopsis below!
Witchcraft. Reincarnation. True love. These are the things of legend. Unexplained, some even say impossible, but nonetheless prevalent in stories and tales from all cultures and in every land from the beginning of time. What if there is something to it? What if there is an explanation behind the mysteries and bedtime stories? Something beyond words? SALEM, MASSACHUSETTES 1692 She was taken from him in the cruelest way... condemned, sentenced and punished out of fear of the unknown. How is he supposed to live without her? How can he go on knowing that in this life, by the natural order of things, they will never be together? There's only one thing to do... only one option that will bring them together again. SALEM , MASSACHUSETTES TODAY Amelia is taken on a weekend excursion with her best girlfriends to let loose, relax and have a little fun. What harm is there in a little vacation? It's not like the legends, the haunted history of the place can scare them away. It's all harmless fun. Or so she thought. Something seems familiar about the town. The trees, the winds, the feel of everything. Her ever present nightmares have become more intense within the limits of the old historical setting. She's prepared to write off the whole trip as nothing more than a case of her mind running away with the sensationalized magic here. When she meets a handsome stranger who's eager to know her in a way no one else can, she begins to think there may be something more to this place, something more to him. Will has been waiting, biding his time, and praying that she'll come back. He's broken the natural order of things to possibly find her again, weaving their way through the years until they can be together again. He knows he may never find her, but he can't risk not trying. This place calls to her, just as it did to him. It will bring her back home. It will bring her back to him. What's 300 years when it comes to true love? He's prepared to wait an eternity if he has to, just to see her, hold her, kiss her again.. to make her remember what was stolen from them so long ago. To make her remember who she is, the power she possesses and the love they swore to each other.
And don’t forget to join the Release Game! It will go from March 19th until Release Day. There will be prizes galore, including daily prizes! You can join the fun here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1628927154003076/
My Soul to Wake will be releasing on Memorial Day, 2015. MAY 25TH, 2015
BOOK TRAILER
TEASERS

Link:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XUCJB4Q

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Release Day Blitz: Evanescent by @CarlyleL


Author Bio

Carlyle is an South African award winning author, with a flair for mixing genres and adding loads of drama to every story she creates. For now she is happy to take over the world and convert non Sci-fi believers.

Her goal as an author is to touch people's lives, and help others love their differences and one another by delivering strong messages of faith, love and hope within every outrageous world she writes about.


"I love to swim, fight for the trees, and am a food lover who is driven by my passion for life. I dream that one day my stories will change the lives of countless teenagers and have them obsess over the world literacy can offer them instead of worrying about fitting in. Never sacrifice who you are, it’s in the dark times that the light comes to life."


Carlyle used writing as a healing tool and that is why she started her very own writers support event - SAIR bookfestival.

"To be a helping hand for those who strive to become full times writers, editors, bloggers, readers and cover artists - it’s a crazy world out there you don’t have to go it alone!"
Author's Links

Book Cover
Title: Evanescent
Author: Carlyle Labuschagne
Series: A Broken Novel
Publisher: Fire Quill Publishing
Release Date: 19th May 2015
ISBN: 9780992244637

Synopsis (Back blurb)
Her fall has just begun. Only his touch can save her from the shift that could destroy it all. Within my blood runs a thing our kind calls the Shadowing Disease. It shadows over, and bends everything to its will. When the first blood- shift came, it tore through flesh and blood, threatening to bend me, break bone, shatter my mind and entrap my heart with its honeyed, seductive poison. It came with vicious intent, moving my thoughts and altering me forever. The shift has caused a rift within me. No one was safe when it entrapped me in its claws of foul lust. But I have the only antidote against the evil that becomes me - his touch alone has the power to release the spurs of sweet darkness that clung on for dear life. I knew what I had to do; the desperation pulled my mind with the deep determination of a hungry predator. By the time the revelation raised me from the dark dungeon of my bounds - it might have been too late.

Excerpt 

My makers would say I was created for revenge. I say, I was born to prove them wrong. I defied the Council and its Keepers. Fought back against the dark magic of our enemies, but 

I am afraid it had come at a cost. Inflicted with the dark disease, I was lost in every possible way; and they were wrong – death does not bring you your true purpose. After death, I am more misplaced than ever, but only because I am immune to guidance. I relive my darkest moments over and over again, just to remind myself of who I am. 

I am the destined one. The haltered. For me, there is no love and no release, only destruction; but I am on a path to be free of its burden. I do love and I will have it, absorb it and never, ever, let all its enchanting affections go. In order to be with love, there is only one path to lead me there; through this war. But nothing and no one knows what awaits on the other side, or what lies have been afflicted upon us about the after. Remorse is an infection I no longer want. I had made apocalyptic mistakes, and will probably keep on faltering forward. It has become my only direction in a reality where there is none. To him, there is no him, if there is no me. He is bound to me, and I hated it more than I will ever confess. His cross to bear is me, and to be that – to be this – is a curse I must fight. 

When the first true blood-shift came, it tore through flesh and parted blood, threatening to bend me, break bone, shatter my mind and entrap my heart to become its will. It comes with vicious intent, moving my thoughts and touching me with a cutting effect from the inside. It has many ways of bleeding out, and when it releases, there is nothing I can do to stop it. No one is safe when it entraps me in its claws of foul lust. Corrupt, damnable, depraved, destructive, hideous, demonic; your kind would call it many things. I have a weapon against the profane that becomes me – his touch alone has the power to release the talons of a sweet darkness that clings on for dear life. It has one trigger – my guilt. I can change it if only I can take the leap, surrender myself utterly. I am ready with all of me, for all of him. 

I know what I have to do, the desperation of it pulls my mind with the unfathomable determination of a ravenous predator. I let it sink in hard and true. I feel the swell of the fight fill me with a bitter sweetness, and with a glorious soothing pain that tears my mind from the disease which transforms me. My loss has become my fight as I watch it all wither away. But, I will never stop fighting. I am my own destiny; my destiny is to be with him. And the Truth-seekers of this prophecy will not take it lightly. 

Everything else becomes Evanescent.

~ Ava.
Links:


Bonus Excerpt

The alien landscape before me is much like that of a desert I once saw in pictures located in my father’s secret collection of ‘Earth’ books. I could never have imagined something so barren. Despite the vastly strange moonscape, there is a beautiful glow from the stars above, drowning everything in a golden hue. It doesn’t look real; it looks as though I could just reach up, pluck the stars from the black glossy sky and capture the brilliance in the palm of my hand. The atmosphere is so thin, everything feels magnified. Dunes upon dunes of sand shimmer with such vividness it’s like staring at churning waves rising to their apex…readying themselves to crash upon the vacant shore. And as I walk, the shuffling sound of my gravity boots sifting through the silky grains of sand becomes rhythmic, echoing in the cosmic emptiness around me. At times it’s soothing, almost hypnotic, putting me in a trance-like state, making this journey a bit more bearable. Sometimes…I see things that aren’t there; shadows moving in the darkness. Figures emerging just beyond the next rise of the next dune. I draw my blade, yet as I get closer they simply float away on windless air. I get the feeling something dark is churning beneath the sand as I make my way deeper into the belly of this stark, foreign world. 

My gravity suit sticks to my skin as I move quickly, adding to my agitation. My throat is so dry it feels like it’s imploding, punishing me for the abuse I have inflicted on my body. 

If only she had listened, I had never expected to stay this long. We were only meant to scout here…not infiltrate. Unluckily my kind can’t die from hunger or thirst, our bodies find a way to adapt. And although I’m sure that uniqueness comes at a cost, it is one I am not sure I can afford during the perils of this war.

Retrieving the others is my soul mission. And the thought of seeing her again is what keeps me pushing forward. But as her Guide in this prophecy, I can’t help but feel tormented by the bitter taste of failure. In a desolate place like this it’s hard not to feel alone, difficult to push back the negative notions. But thoughts of her lift my mood. It never bothered me that I was defying my destiny. I thought there would be a way to be with her and save her at the same time. I had thought love’s glory would give me wings, and for a moment we were flying together in the heat of the light. Perhaps I flew to close to the sun. Perhaps it had been too soon. 

…I have burnt our wings, and all I can see now is the fire that will destroy us all.

Alec John Belle's Short Stories Reveal

Alec John Belle
These short stories are releasing two weeks apart from one another, from different character perspectives, they will lead up to the main event of the release of Before I Break. These stories are FREE and will be posted on Author Alec John Belle's Blog Before I Break and the short stories are young adult focusing on LGBT and social issues.

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Capricious:  In this haunting prequel short story to Before I Break, Jake struggles with the idea of religion, homosexuality, and life as he deals with an obvious mental illness.

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The Winter of Harms:  In Avery's journal, read to uncover the start of Avery's depression, and the mistake that almost takes his life.

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Turmoil:  As Melissa gets into her relationship with Cyril, she can't help but look at other girls.  But Melissa loves Cyril, right?


Synopsis for Before I Break:


“When religiously raised Cyril Hayes begins his junior year at East Hill High School, every choice he makes suffers a greater consequence, and while facing challenges of friends, family, and love, learns that hate and intolerance are also a very large part of our world today.


Cyril Hayes is seemingly just like any other male his age. He has the perfect girlfriend, Melissa Summers, his best friend, Jake Rivers, and a lawyer father who brings home enough money to support his family and then some. When Cyril begins his junior year, he doesn't expect his life to spiral out of control when he meets Avery Branson, the new kid in school who has a big secret: he's gay.


At first, Cyril doesn't handle this truth well, due to the way he was raised, but as the story progresses, he ventures deep into the reality of homosexuality and begins to accept Avery for who he is. Not everyone is happy with Cyril's new friend, including Jake, who believes that homosexuality is a sin and is refusing to change his beliefs.


But Avery isn't the only one at East Hill with secrets, and soon a tragedy will strike, knocking Cyril's world completely off balance and leaving a scar on his heart that will change his view of humanity all together.”



Social Media Links:




Pure Punishment

★•**•.★ Are you ready for the twist? ★•**•.★
“Don’t ever feel anything but beautiful around me, because that’s how I see you. You may be broken Kristy, but we can put you back together. Have faith in us. I won’t ever ask you to do something you’re not ready for.”
#Suspense #Romance #OneClick
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1uaU0kT 

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Antagonize Me by T.L. Smith

 RD AM

Antagonize me
by T.L. Smith
Release Date: May 5, 2015

Goodreads -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25119156-antagonize-me

 RD AM Cover
Synopsis:

I wanted what she had, she had what I wanted. With her long blonde hair and her legs that never ended, she had him, but I wanted him.

We can’t always have what we want, and sometimes that’s the way life is meant to be. Sometimes destiny places other people in our path, a path that should not be mixed. But also sometimes, just sometimes, the paths cross, causing an explosive reaction.

Tanner was my crush. A crush that I’ve had since I first laid eyes on him. But now he’s dating my friend… my beautiful, flawless and perfect friend.

Then out of nowhere Kyrone bursts into my life, taking me over bit by bit. I don’t know how to feel about that. I don’t know what to do. He frustrates me. He annoys me. But most of all, he makes me smile.

RD AM Teaser 1
Buy Links:

Amazon – http://amzn.to/1zu4nIn

Kobohttp://bit.ly/1De2krF

Nook - http://bit.ly/1DVo8Jc

RD AM Banner 2

Meet The Author:

T.L. lives in Brisbane, Australia with her 2 children. She started writing because of her love of reading. T.L. acknowledges she could never do what she does if it wasn’t for the bloggers that pimp her and the fans that support her and read her books.

From T.L.

I love to read, absolutely love it.
Let's rephrase that I'm bloody addicted, I would read a book a day.
I live in beautiful Queensland and have for nearly my whole life, I have 2 beautiful children that always put a smile on my face.

I'm a vivid dreamer and decided one day I was going to let it all pour out into a book. I like emotion and i try to put as much as possible in there <3

RD AM Teaser 2
Stalking Links

Web Page -
http://tlsmithauthor.wordpress.com/?blogsub=confirmed#blog_subscription-2
Facebook –
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-TL-Smith/632113250202244
Twitter –
https://twitter.com/LsmithT
tsu –
https://www.tsu.co/TLSmithAuthor
Google + -
https://plus.google.com/u/0/102802892312606092823/posts
Amazon Author Page --
http://www.amazon.com/T.L-Smith/e/B00JE9C7ZY/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1403039694&sr=1-1-spell

RD AM Full Cover

Closely Guarded Secret by Natalie Money





Many might envy Alixandra Quinn. She rubs shoulders with the rich and famous at glitzy society balls and fund-raisers as a photographer for a popular magazine. But, do the envious notice Ali always goes home alone? She has cut herself off from personal relationships and emotional entanglements. It’s a strategy to cope with her past, and for ten years, her strategy has worked.

That is, until she meets Bryce Steede, a young and bold Silicon Valley entrepreneur. When Ali becomes the center of his attention, suddenly her world gets turned upside-down. She may have convinced herself that life is fine the way it is, but he is determined to break down her carefully constructed walls, free her mind and body, and show her pleasures that she couldn't have imagined.

As Ali navigates through this uncharted journey of self-discovery, she must find the balance between her head and her heart. Is Bryce just another heartache waiting to happen? Will a secret from her past come back to haunt her? Or will Ali make peace with her past and find true happiness . . .


I awaken with a jolt, thinking I’ve fallen out of my seat. As usual, when I fly, I end up scrunched all the way down on the seat as far as I can go. If I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt, I’d be on the floor. Did we hit something? Confused, I sit up, trying to assess the situation only to notice we’re in some awful turbulence. Angry, dark, purple to black rain clouds surround us. My heart starts pounding in my chest. The plane rocks side to side, bouncing us all over the sky. I pull out my earbuds hoping to hear the Captain’s voice saying everything’s okay.
Bryce pries my hand off the armrest and interlocks our fingers. I look over at him, my eyes wide with terror. He’s talking to me, trying to give me reassurance. The only thing going through my mind right now is how afraid I am.
“Shhh, it’s going to be okay, Ali.” He has such a soothing voice when he’s not being an ass. I try to say something, but I can’t speak. Nothing will come out of my mouth.
“Focus on me.” His thumb strokes the back of my hand. It’s serene and has an instant calming effect on me until we hit another pocket of air. Images of the Captain fighting for dominance over the weather and control of the plane against the storm flash through my mind. I know he’s doing all he can so we don’t spiral downward.
Other passengers cry out in panic. My head jerks back toward the window. I can barely breathe. I don’t want him to see me like this - raw emotions, so vulnerable. Weak.
He places his hand on my face, turning it towards him. “Don’t cry. I’ve got you. Just keep looking at me, okay?” He’s trying to calm me but the only thing I can do is nod. I tighten my grip on his hand and he lets me know it’s all right.
My heart is beating so fast, so hard, I can feel it in my ears and can hear each beat. Tears roll down my face and he gently wipes them away with his thumb. In this moment, as much as I despise him, I’m glad he’s here with me.
“I need you to take deep breaths. Can you do that? Do what I do, okay?” I watch his mouth and listen. We hit another pocket of air, but not as violent as the others. My eyes grow wider as more tears stream down my face.
“I’m here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Keep looking at me. Ali, I need you to focus on me and listen. Breathe with me.” All the while, he’s still stroking my hand.
When my breathing gets under control, he leans over the armrest wrapping me in a blanket of calm in the comfort of his arms. I collapse into him. My cries are silent as he holds me and strokes my hair. He inhales deeply, gripping me tighter.


Natalie Money is a former corporate travel agent, a wife, and a cat wrangler. As far back as she can recall, she has always loved to people watch and make up stories about their lives. After many years of creating and getting to know the characters and their stories in her mind, she has finally decided to bring them to life on paper in her first novel, Closely Guarded Secret.

With her husbands job, they're known to relocate often, so when people ask where she lives, she describes herself as a World Citizen.

Monday, May 4, 2015

A Beautiful Taste Release Day Blitz




The Beautiful Series are standalone romances, each with their own HEA. They can be read in order or on their own. 
New Adult romance, for 18+ only due to sexual content and adult themes

It's never easy to go back. That's something chef, Bradley Rae is sweating bullets about as the date of his kayaking team’s reunion draws near. When his old school friend and teammate, Elliot Roberts, convinces him to go, he thinks he'll be fine going back there. After all, chances are, she won't be there at all. It’s been almost ten years. Maybe she she’s moved away. Maybe he won’t see her at all...

Dakota Morgan is a girl with many regrets, and Bradley Rae is on top of that list. You see, she did something - she didn't wait five minutes, and that tiny amount of impatience changed the course of her life forever.

When her father sets up a fundraising reunion for their family owned kayaking club, her heart beats out of control when she sees Brad's name on that list. Part of her wants to refuse to go so she doesn't have to face him. But a larger part of her needs to see him, even if it's just a window into what might have been...

When Brad and Dakota meet again, will sparks fly, or will the past remain firmly in the past? And what about secrets? Can they survive the reality of what that one split decision, made all those years ago, has done? Or will they let it all go again?
Excerpt 1
Dakota:
“He's not here,” Stacey says quietly, as I nervously scan the room. I can't seem to stop fidgeting, and it's giving my nerves away.

“What if he doesn't come? What if he does? What happens if he won't talk to me? And worse still, what happens if he does want to talk to me?”

She places her hands on my shoulders, and her blue eyes look into my brown eyes. “Calm the fuck down. OK? Freaking out doesn't help anyone, and you’re making yourself sweat. And that's not hot.”

I close my eyes and take a breath. “I just don't know what I'm going to say.”

“How about you get out there and mingle with the people who are here? Have a glass of wine and calm the hell down. You’re no good to anyone if you’re all worked up.”

I let out my breath and nod. “OK, you’re right. I’m freaking out, and that isn’t helping.” I smooth my hand down the front of my dress. I’d tried on so many different styles and colours, that it took almost an entire day shopping to decide on the right one. The entire time, I tried to tell myself that I wasn’t doing it to try and look good for him. I tried to convince myself, when I chose an emerald green dress that hugged my curves and flared out when I spun around, that I hadn’t chosen that colour because I knew he liked it. But I did. Of course I did. Despite all the years and everything that has happened in between, I’ve still thought about him every day.

Maybe I should tell him…

***
Brad:
Running my hand over the stubble on my face, I wonder whether I should shave or go as I am. If I’m freshly shaven, will I look like I’m trying too hard, or will leaving the stubble make me appear as though I don’t care, or trying too hard to look like I don’t care?

I let out my breath slowly. I’m making this way too complicated. But then, things between Dakota and me always were complicated. There was the age gap, and the continued tension between us despite that age gap. There was the guilt I held inside because I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and the fact her father had entrusted me of all people to keep an eye on her. I’d often wondered if he was purposely trying to torture me.

There’s also the fact that I broke that trust, and when I thought he was keeping her away from me, I confronted him. He was infuriatingly calm as he worked on repairs on the engine to his speedboat. He simply told me to go home and calm down. I did go home. I also never went back. Tonight will be the first time since that day.

After showering and shaving, I dress in a pair of black pants with burgundy braces and a white button down shirt that I roll up at the sleeves, revealing all the tattoos over my forearms. I pause and look at them, the colourful images representing life and death, reminding me of all I’ve lost, my only family, my only love. Aunt Sara died of old age but my mother left simply because she wasn’t interested in raising a child. Then Dakota left too, although that was for reasons that are unknown to me.

As I nervously drive out to Lane Cove, I wonder if I should just let it all go. What happened between us was over seven years ago now. Surely she’s with someone else, and she’s probably forgotten all about me, just like my mother did. So when I pull into

the parking lot, I’ve decided that I’ll say hello to her and treat her the same as everyone else. I won’t go in there looking for answers, there probably aren’t any that I haven’t already thought of myself. At the end of the day, she probably regretted her decision to come to my house that afternoon, because she left, and she never came back. Elliot is right, I really need to move on.

Even though my brain has made its decision, my body seems to be acting on its own. And I spend some time sitting my BMW, gripping the steering wheel as I try to work up the courage to go in there.

I’m being ridiculous. I know I am. People see their exes all the time, and they manage just fine. I mean, I haven’t seen Dakota since I was nineteen, and she was sixteen. It’s been years and so much has happened in between. This shouldn’t matter now–we’re adults. We can be civil, and we don’t even have to rehash the past.

“Just move forward,” I say to myself, as I open the car door and head toward the kayaking club. I can smell the damp earth of the water’s edge, as the gravel crunches under my feet.

In the distance, the sun is setting, and as I approach the club’s entrance, I can hear the music and the pinging sound of poker machines from inside. I drag my hand through my dark hair, feeling strange coming back here after so long. For three years, my world was cooking and kayaking–they aren’t the most cohesive of couplings, but it worked for me. I was happy back then because my life was filled with everything I loved.

As I step through the door, there’s a sign that instructs me to go to the ‘White Water Function Room’. I look around, seeing that everything is the same, but different because of the renovations. My unsettled feeling grows.

“Are you lost?” a young girl of barely eighteen asks me when I continue to stand in the foyer.

“Ah…um… I’m here for the fundraiser.”

She smiles at me and points down the hall. “It’s right down there.”

I thank her, even though I knew where it was. The White Water Room was here when I was. It’s the room we had award nights in, and where all previous fundraisers have been held. Although, back then I was one of the kayakers.

Walking down the hall, I push the door open, and a girl with a clipboard asks my name and hands me a name tag. She says something else to me as well, but my eyes are too busy scanning the room. Then I find her, and that whole pep talk I just gave myself means absolutely nothing. I feel like I’m sixteen all over again, and I want answers.

Excerpt 2
Dakota:
“Cody?” I turn to the sound of a male voice, and when I turn, it takes me a moment to recognise him.

“Elliot?” I confirm, as I take in his cropped hair, his broad shoulders, and his massive height. I’m smiling because while I know it’s him – he still has those iridescent blue eyes - but, I can hardly believe it at the same time. He’s about twice the size I remember him, although it’s all muscle. He looks amazing.

He smiles and gives me a friendly hug. “It’s been a long time. This is my wife, Paige.”

The obviously pregnant woman at his side gives me a beautiful smile and holds her hand out to shake mine. She’s a little taller than I am at five foot, eight, and she has

beautiful brown curly hair and interesting amber coloured eyes which gives her an otherworldly quality. They’re a stunning couple and I feel as though I’m staring, but I can’t stop.

“It’s lovely to meet you. Elliot’s been telling me all about his time here. Sounds like you all had a lot of fun,” Paige says when she withdraws her hand from mine.

“We did,” I confirm then have a brief conversation with them to catch up on the last seven years of Elliot’s life. “Sounds like you’ve been really busy. Have you kept in contact with anyone else from your squad?” I try to slip the question in there naturally.

He smiles knowingly. “I still talk to Brad. He should be here soon. He just had a few things to do at work before he could come.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean…” He pats me on the shoulder.

“He wants to see you too.”

The blush creeps up my cheeks before I can stop it.

“Elliot!” Paige reprimands. “You’ve gone and embarrassed the girl.”

I shake my head. “It’s fine, really. And he’s right. I am asking about Brad. I don’t know how much you know, but it’s been a long time and things didn’t exactly end well. I’ve been worried he might still be angry and wouldn’t want to speak to me.”

“It was a long time ago,” Elliot says, kindly. Then another male voice speaks up from behind me.

“It feels like yesterday being back here though.”

I freeze at the sound of his voice and stay that way as he greets Elliot and Paige before turning to me. He smiles. I can’t breathe. He still looks the same but the lip and brow rings are both gone. There’s a small scar in his right eyebrow where the ring was torn out.

That scar is my fault I think, as my eyes graze over it, noticing all of the tattoos covering his forearms. One side is new. He didn’t have both sides done before. The realisation of missing out on so much of his life hits me in the chest and twists like a knife. I wish things were different, I really do…

“Dakota,” he says, and my name rolls off his lips like a fine piece of music. I long for him to call me Cody like he did back then.

“It’s so good to see you. How have you been?” I ask breathlessly. My heart beats in my ears, and I feel incredibly warm and a little shaky.

He drops his gaze to the floor for a moment and slides his hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to do small talk with you, Dakota.”

I’m a little taken aback. “You don’t?”

He shakes his head. “No. Will you walk with me?”

I have to force myself to swallow as a fear grips my heart. If I tell him now, he’ll go away forever. I just got him back. I want to keep him for a moment…just a moment. Then I’ll let him go.

“But…but there’s dinner… and… and…”

He holds out his hand. “I don’t want to wait any longer than I already have.”

Apprehensively, I slide my hand in his, knowing that mine will feel warm and clammy to him. How is he acting so calm?

As his hand closes around mine, I close my eyes, taking a brief moment to acknowledge that it feels like home. It feels right. It feels the same.

He escorts me out to the balcony then down the stairs that lead to the pontoon. He releases my hand at the bottom and slips his hands back in his pockets again. Before I was feeling warm–now I’m suddenly cold.

“I guess you brought me out here for some sort of an explanation,” I state, as we walk along in silence for a few moments.

“Well, it is the great mystery of my life. It’s supposed to be the guy who ditches and runs, not the girl.”

It’s his attempt at a joke, but neither one of us laughs. I think we’re both caught

in the same memory. The last time we were together before he asked me to wait for him and I didn’t…

“Are you OK?” he asked, lying beside me, as he held a warm compress between my thighs.

I nodded and lightly ran my hand down the side of his face, my finger touching the ring in his brow and ending at the ring in his lip. He was so beautiful. He was everything I had wanted or even hoped for. He turned slightly and kissed my fingertips.

“I’m perfect,” I whispered.

He smiled, leaning down to lightly kiss my lips. “Yes. You are.”

“I love you,” I told him.

“I love you,” he whispered in return, taking my mouth in his…

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I say, trying to blink away the tears that sting my eyes when I remember what we lost.

“How about you just tell me what happened?”

I take a deep breath, thinking back to that day, and wanting to tell him–even if I just tell him that I didn’t leave him. I was forced away…

I look at him, my mouth opens to speak but all I manage is “I…I…”

“You what?” he presses, and I clamp my mouth shut before shaking my head.

“Cody,” Stacey interrupts, holding out my phone. “It's Riley. He's saying he needs you to go home.” I wince because Brad doesn't know about Riley. She glances over at Brad. “Oh, uh…hi, Brad, I didn't know you were here.”

He looks from me to her, and there's a ticking in the side of his jaw. “Actually, I was just leaving.”
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Sunday, May 3, 2015

Red Nights by Shari J. Ryan




I’m Felicity Stone, a twenty-five-year-old with my whole life ahead of me. Well, until recently.

I didn’t do it. Why would they think I did? Why would I want my twin brother dead? Why is everyone looking at me like I’m a criminal?

Well, everyone except him… Hayes Peyton, the charmingly beautiful stranger I met in the park at midnight—a totally legitimate place to meet the man of my dreams. Plus, he knows I’m innocent.

Believing him is easy. So very easy. Maybe too easy?

But when you hear things like: ‘All good is laced with some bad, and everything you think is the truth—is nothing more than a blatant lie,’ it makes you question reality.

In Shari J. Ryan’s latest Romantic Suspense, Red Nights, you wonder how dark your world can get before all you see is red.







Shari J. Ryan is an Amazon Top 100 Bestselling author, a Barnes & Noble Top 10 Bestselling author, and an iBookstore #1 Bestselling author. She hails from Central Massachusetts where she lives with her husband and two lively little boys. Shari has always had an active imagination and enjoys losing herself in the fictional worlds she creates. When Shari isn’t writing, she can usually be found cleaning toys up off the floor.

To learn more, visit her at, www.sharijryan.com.