“I want to paint you” Artist Samara Leighton had wanted to say those words to the sexy motorcycle rider who lived in the building ever since she first laid eyes on him nearly a year ago. But now that the words were out she couldn’t stop her heart from beating wildly in her chest.

“Honey, you don’t have enough paint to cover me.” Security specialist Mark Thorn didn’t mean to come off as a hard ass. As a matter of fact, he wanted nothing more than to let the tempting artist from across the hall do whatever she wanted to him and then some. But her haughty demeanor left the normally cool rider off his game.

Samara knew this was her only chance to live out her long-standing fantasy and she wasn’t going to let it slip through her fingers. She had very little time before her show was done and the pressure of her family legacy meant she would finally go through with living out her life under the umbrella of the Leighton name and its responsibilities. There would be no more downtown jaunts, lazy museum afternoons, and evenings spent lost in the magic of color and her canvases. And definitely no time spent holding tight to the muscular form of her dark rider while the horrors of her past and her cares drifted further away with each mile of road they covered.

Get a sneak peek of K.M. Jackson's Seduction's Canvas (available May 27, 2013)  with an exclusive excerpt from Chapter 2. K.M. Jackson is also known as the Heroes and Heartbreakers blogger, Kwana Minatee-Jackson.

I want to paint you. Did she really just say that? Out loud?

“Excuse me?” Sam heard the confusion in his gravelly voice — or was that amusement? Her mouth opened to a wide “O” as she felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment. After brunch with the parents could this day get any worse?

She shifted; her spine stiffening as she forced her well worn mask back into place though inwardly she shook. There was no way in hell she was addressing her earlier painting comment. Her first time speaking with her silent rider and that was what she said? Just perfect. “Sorry, I was just, um, talking to myself and, well, adjusting.”

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Heiress to a time-traveling dynasty, Evy Rivera is finally claiming her birthright as a lightning rider. Problem is, she’s forced to learn alongside Constantine, a prickly, obstinate Roman warrior who constantly challenges her to be the woman he sees in her.

Thrown back into ancient Spain, Evy relies on guts and instinct to wield her lightning as a weapon and outsmart Ilif, her quasi-mentor who believes time traveling should be left to the Rivera men.

During her training, Evy and Constantine battle the push-pull of their explosive relationship, aware the 2,000-year span between their lives is an unavoidable hurdle.

Caught between a centuries-old battle rife with secrets, Evy must decide where to place her trust before the wrong history repeats itself. When the heritage her parents have suppressed mingles with the past, Evy must find answers...

Which history is the right one? And who is she becoming?

Get a sneak peek of Jen Greyson's Lightning Rider (available May 30, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 1

A storm is coming.

And not just the one overhead tonight. I’m about to rain one down on that jackass Nick I was dumb enough to date.

There used to be nothing higher on my “Things to Hate” list than lightning. Thanks to this stunt, Nick just catapulted to the top. Lightning makes me hurt. Nick makes me feel.

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It's all been leading to this.

Jolie Benoit has become a skilled agent of the Underlight, relying on her savvy to complete assignments while Sergeant Wesley Haukon was out of commission. But an unexpected clue to the Order of Ananke's diabolical scheme rattles Jolie, and she turns to Hauk for comfort.

It's been years since Hauk took comfort from the touch of another person, though his love for Jolie is deep and powerful. Uncomfortable in his skin, scarred by a terrible fire, he is unable to give in to the pleasures that Jolie so desperately wants to grant him.

Meanwhile, the Order is lurking in the shadows—and when they strike, the blow is swift and terrible. Hauk and Jolie scramble to fight for their community, but with the future of the Underlight threatened, no one is safe. And Hauk will never be the same…

Get a sneak peek of Jax Garren's How Beauty Loved the Beast (available May 13, 2013), book 3 in the Tales of the Underlight series, with an excerpt of a specially selected scene.

The old-fashioned charm of the Underlight soothed Jolie, relieving some of the emotional armor she’d surrounded herself with during the police’s endless questioning. The Underlight was cheer and warmth in a way she’d never felt before. It made her feel jaded and yet so grateful that a place like this could exist.

Hauk returned with two mugs of coffee and slid an arm around her. She leaned in. His touch was exactly what she needed right now. “How are you holding up?” he asked.

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The infamous Laura Falkner has returned to Regency London society in disguise. Determined to clear her father’s name, she becomes a companion to elderly Lady Josephine—only to learn the woman’s nephew is none other than Alexander Ross, the devilish Earl of Copley, the man Laura once loved with all her heart.  The same man who’d accused her father of theft and forced them to flee England.  

Alex has never forgotten Laura—or forgiven himself for letting her go. Today, Laura is as lovely—and stubborn—as ever, and her attempts at crime-solving are putting her in danger. The only way Alex can keep her safe is to marry her. But how can this notorious rake convince Laura that his heart is true…before the clock strikes twelve?

Get a sneak peek of Olivia Drake's Stroke of Midnight (available June 4, 2013) with an excerpt of Chapters 1 & 2.

The London Gazette, 5 April 1838

On this day ten years ago, a terrible crime was perpetrated upon Her Grace, the Duchess of Knowles. In the dark of night, whilst Her Grace attended a soiree in Mayfair, a robber crept into her mansion in Grosvenor Square and purloined several valuables from her private chambers. The most spectacular of these was a necklace containing the Blue Moon diamond, a gemstone so large and perfect that it is priceless, for none other like it exists in the world.

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Nothing is more important to private investigator Sean Rogan than his relationship with FBI trainee Lucy Kincaid. But when his past catches up with him, Sean faces an ultimatum: clear his name and help the FBI take down a rogue agent, or go to prison and lose everything he holds dear. With only Agent Noah Armstrong as his back-up and forced to keep Lucy in the dark, Sean steps back into his old world. But the longer he’s undercover, the more dangerous the game becomes. More than Sean’s future with Lucy is at stake—so is his life.

Lucy can’t imagine Sean would keep secrets from her—until an FBI agent casts doubt about who he really is…and who he used to be. Why did Sean quit his job with his brother and move to New York? Why hasn’t he told her anything about his new job? With more questions than answers, Lucy doesn’t know who to believe or who she can trust. All she knows is that Sean is in grave danger, and this time, it’s personal.

Get a sneek peak of Allison Brennan's Stolen (available June 6, 2013)  with this exclusive excerpt!

Lucy decided to go to the source and called her friend Special Agent Suzanne Madeaux in the New York City office. She trusted Suzanne to be discreet.

After they had exchanged pleasantries, Lucy said, “I need a favor, and I need complete confidentiality. If you can’t help me, I understand. I don’t want you to get in any trouble.”

Suzanne laughed. “Where you go, trouble follows.”

Lucy didn’t see the humor. “I’m serious.”

“Lucy, we’re friends. Lighten up.”

“It’s complicated, and I don’t—”

“Just ask.”

[Continue on to read the exclusive excerpt of Stolen...]

Meet Daniella Delaney. She’s all ready to open her shop, Heavenly Cupcakes, in one of Chicago’s sleepier districts. But she’s having a hard time convincing the local business association—namely Nick St. George—that she’s a good addition to the neighborhood. Daniella hopes that her famous red velvet cupcakes will be enough to melt any man’s heart. But Nick is no ordinary man.He’s got fangs.

As leader of the Vamptown clan, Nick has no intention of letting Daniella breathe new life into his old haunts. But something about her leaves Nick hungry…for more. He can’t control her mind like other humans, a trait that makes Daniella irresistible. Could it be that, for the first time in centuries, Nick has met his match? Love is always a force to be reckoned with. But can this vampire have his cake and eat it too?

Get a sneak peek of Cat Devon's Sleeping with the Entity (available June 4, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 1

“All the good men are taken,” Daniella Delaney said. “The rest are vampires.”

As soon as she spoke the words into her iPhone, the hairs at the back of her neck prickled and a shiver slid down her spine. They really had the air-conditioning cranked up in this Chicago bar and grill. The place was almost as cold as her pink fridge back home. Sure, it was a warm Indian summer October day outside, but come on.

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A child he's never met. A danger he's never known.

That he's a father is news former navy SEAL Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that his son is missing, abducted by a man who wants revenge against Claire and Sam's dead mother. And that Ben is now the child's only hope.

As Ben and Claire band together to track the two down, their concern for Sam draws them closer, each fighting feelings there's no time to explore. Because when their search takes them too close to Sam's abductor and his cohorts, the danger hits home—the son he's desperate to save, the woman he's desperate to love…. Ben's got one chance to take back what's his, and in one gunshot he could lose it all.

Get a sneak peek of Kat Martin's Against the Edge (available April 30, 2013) with an excerpt of Chapter 1.

Chapter 1

Houston, Texas

His head was pounding.  Too much Jack Daniels last night.  When Ben Slocum pulled his big black SUV into the driveway in front of his garage, the only thing on his mind was getting a couple hours of sleep. 

Reaching up to hit the garage door opener on his visor, he spotted a silver Buick with Hertz rental plates parked in front of the house.  His gaze swung to the porch where a woman in a conservative yellow business suit stood rapping on his door.

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Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm. Syrena law states all Half-Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance in the Syrena world turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

Get a sneak peek of Anna Banks's Of Triton (available May 28, 2013) with an excerpt of a selected scene.

It’s one of those moments where life seems to pause, and the universe opens its mouth and vomits comprehension on you. It’s not knowledge, not cold hard facts that you can talk about in casual conversation, like we did in the motel room, surrounded by Galen and Rayna and Toraf. People who I’d already accepted could sprout a fin. Sure we’d talked about Mom being one of those people, too. But until now, until this, I guess I didn’t re­ally believe it.

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Tristan Bradley, the notorious Marquess of Castleigh, is a danger to any woman’s reputation. Devastatingly handsome and devilishly seductive, he delights in the challenge of a lovely new conquest—especially when she’s engaged to a man he despises. But when this particular young lady asks him to dance, Tristan realizes he may not be the only one playing a game.

Defiantly bold and disarmingly beautiful, Lady Charlotte Lindsey will do anything to break free from her loathsome fiancé—even destroy her good name to do it. What better way to seal the deal than a tryst with Lord Tristan, who’s led many a girl to ruin? But when Charlotte looks into his eyes—and Tristan takes her in his arms—all of their schemes melt away...because the heart has a plan of its own.

Get a sneak peek of Tiffany Clare's Midnight Temptations with a Forbidden Lord (available April 30, 2013) with an excerpt from Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 1

Dashing looks, an old-blooded title, and an annual income that could feed the whole country are all attributes considered well worthy of marriage. It amazes this writer that those in possession of all three qualities are often the most jaded pleasure seekers in society, and often the most dangerous for a young lady of marriageable age to dare court.

—The Mayfair Chronicles, May 26, 1846

London

If anyone were to guess what wickedness was going through Lady Charlotte Lindsey’s mind, they’d usher her away from the ball and lock her in a room where she could cause no trouble to anyone, including herself. Thank goodness her thoughts were her own. Because the very moment society’s biggest rogue strode into the ballroom, her plan moved from imagination to reality.

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Dangerous. Unpredictable. That's how people know the hulking Will Carver. And those who don't like pretty words just call him The Beat. No matter how hard Will works to suppress his werewulfen side, certain things drive him beyond all control. And saucy Miss Lena Todd tops the list.

Lena makes the perfect spy against the ruling Echelon blue bloods. No one suspects that under the appearance of flirtatious debutante lies a heart of iron. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can't wrap around her finger and the one man whose kiss she can never forget. He's supposed to be protecting her, but he might just be her biggest threat yet...

Get a sneak peek of Bec McMaster's Heart of Iron (available May 7, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene.

“Tell me,” Lena murmured. “How does a debutante demonstrate her availability as a potential thrall?”

“Ain’t the foggiest," Will replied.

Dragging her skirts behind her, Lena stood and crossed to the cherry bowl, adding an extra little swish to her stride. Picking up the gilded bowl, she settled back beside him, her emerald skirts brushing his thighs. It was finer than what she usually wore for day dress, but he would never know that.

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Jack Winter and his girlfriend Pete Caldecott have encountered a lot of strange creatures in the Black—primordial demons, hungry ghosts, witch hunters, and the Prince of Hell himself, Belial. When Belial asks Jack for one last favor to help him keep his throne, Jack may have finally met his match because Belial's rival is something that no one—human or demon—has ever seen before…

There’s a revolution brewing in Hell, and Jack might be the only one who can stop Belial’s rival from ripping a hole between the Black and the mortal world—a catastrophe that could be worse than Armageddon. But to win, Jack will have to do the one thing he swore he never would: become a servant to the Morrigan, and risk losing everything he knows and loves…including Pete.

Get a sneak peek of Caitlin Kittredge's Dark Days (available April 30, 2013) with an excerpt from Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 1

Everything tastes like ashes. The air above London is black no matter the time of day, smoke billowing from the burning districts south of the Thames. Si­rens scream, echoing from building to building. People scream as hungry things chase them through the street, now the graveyard of cars long abandoned.

Not all people are victims. Some roam the darker, narrower parts of the city in packs, falling on man and creature alike.

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Johanna Walker is used to taking charge. But she’s about to meet someone who will make her lose control....

It has always been up to Johanna to care for her family, particularly her younger brother, Cole. With an absent father and a useless mother, she’s been making decisions based on what’s best for Cole for as long as she can remember. She even determines what men to date by how much they can provide for her brother and her, not on whatever sparks may—or may not—fly.

But with Cameron MacCabe, the attraction is undeniable. The sexy new bartender at work gives her butterflies every time she looks at him. And for once, Jo is tempted to put her needs first. Cam is just as obsessed with getting to know Jo, but her walls are too solid to let him get close enough to even try.

Then Cam moves into the flat below Jo’s, and their blistering connection becomes impossible to ignore. Especially since Cam is determined to uncover all of Jo’s secrets…even if it means taking apart her defenses piece by piece.

Get a sneak peek of Samantha Young's Down London Road (available May 7, 2013) with an excerpt of a selected scene. Once you're done reading, comment below to be entered for a chance to win one of five copies of the book!

Cam sighed but gave in. “Fine. You want a cup of tea?”

I nodded and followed him into his kitchen, trying to keep my eyes on anything but his muscled shoulders and tight ass. I didn’t try very hard.

Standing by his kitchen counter, I was lost in thought about the evening ahead of us as Cam made the tea and coffee, when I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I glanced toward it and nearly had full-on heart failure at the size of the spider clinging to Cam’s kitchen tiles.

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As 1901 comes to an end, there is much to be grateful for: The Dilberne fortune has been restored, and the grand Dilberne Court, with its one hundred rooms, has been saved. Lord Robert's son, Arthur, is happily married to Chicago heiress, Minnie, who is pregnant and trying to come to terms with her new role as lady of the manor, and her charming but controlling mother-in-law, Lady Isobel. As Lord Robert and Lady Isobel get caught up in the preparations of the coronation of Edward VII, they debate the future of their recently orphaned niece, Adela. Isobel and Minnie want to take her in; Robert and Arthur do not. While they argue, Adela runs away and joins a travelling group of spiritualists and has a life-saving run-in with the king.  With Long Live the King, Fay Weldon continues the magnificent trilogy that began with Habits of the House. As the award-winning writer for the pilot episode of the original Upstairs Downstairs, Weldon brings her deservedly famous wit and insight to this novel of love and desire, morals and manners.

Get a sneak peek of Fay Weldon's Long Live the King (available May 7, 2013), sequel to Habits of the House, with an excerpt of a selected scene. The third book in the series, The New Countess, will be available in December 2013.
 

Ivy’s Sweetheart

Ivy had gone round to the cottage opposite Swaley’s Farm and handed her mother the parcel. It was only sensible and hardly stealing. At least it had not been burned and a parcel destined for Adela was not going to end up anyhow with the poor of the parish, more likely in the wardrobe of some deserving relative of the Lady Superintendent. She was right about the parcel: it contained a truly fancy and expensive piece of clothing, a young girl’s nicely made red silk velvet dress, ankle length, with a pink lace collar and crimson satin ribbons, with good seams for letting out, tiny hand-stitching and of very good quality indeed. Her mother reckoned it would fetch at least ten shillings if not more on her Saturday stall. Doreen could get the thatch mended, or at least a start made on it. Ivy wrenched a smile or two out of her mother on the strength of it.

[Continue on to read the full excerpt of Long Live the King...]