The Firefly Cafe Lily Everett "Every inch of her was so hotly aware of his smooth, hard body a mere breath away from hers." London's Last True Scoundrel: New Excerpt Christina Brooke He took her chin in a decided grip, tilted her face upward. The Secrets of Mia Danvers: Exclusive Excerpt Robyn DeHart "Mia sucked in her breath and waited for the touch of his lips." Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger: Excerpt Beth Harbison "I didn’t care because that’s what his kiss did to me."
From The Blog
June 19, 2013
The Firefly Cafe
Lily Everett
June 18, 2013
Meet Maya Banks and Team H&H!
Team H & H
June 18, 2013
June 2013 Bloggers's Recommendations
Team H & H
June 17, 2013
Not-Your-Usual-Historicals Shopping List For June 2013
Wendy the Super Librarian
June 17, 2013
London's Last True Scoundrel: New Excerpt
Christina Brooke
Showing posts tagged: Excerpts click to see more stuff tagged with Excerpts
Mon
Jun 17 2013 1:00pm
Excerpt
Christina Brooke

London's Last True Scoundrel by Christina Brooke

LONDON’S ULTIMATE BAD BOY…

Physically reckless, irrepressibly roguish, and poised on the brink of ruin, Jonathon Westruther, Earl of Davenport, returns from the dead only to throw himself into dissipation. Until he meets his worst nightmare: a straitlaced former schoolteacher he can’t get out of his head. He resolves to seduce the delightful Miss Hilary deVere by fair means or foul. But when his past returns to endanger Hilary, he must protect her at all costs…

MEETS ENGLAND’S MOST PROPER MISS

Dismissed from her post at a ladies’ academy because of prejudice against her uncouth family, Hilary will do anything to avoid going back to live with her loutish brothers. She longs for a London season to show the world a deVere can behave with utmost decorum and to find a respectable husband. Everything about Lord Davenport appalls her but desperation makes strange bedfellows. To get to London, Hilary strikes a bargain with the devilish Davenport, confident that she’s immune to his charm. But as she discovers surprising depths beneath his rakish surface, this infamous scoundrel becomes more temptation than even the most proper lady can withstand…

Get a sneak peek of Christian Brooke's London's Last True Scoundrel (available July 2, 2013) with an exclusive  excerpt of the first two chapters!

Chapter 1

Jonathon Westruther, Earl of Davenport, surveyed the three men standing over him with a jaundiced eye. They were an impressive lot, he supposed: large, well muscled, with that arrogant way of carrying themselves the Westruthers had perfected over centuries of uninterrupted rule.

“What a bunch of old sobersides you’ve become,” he said with a lazy grin. “What’ve I done this time?”

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of London's Last True Scoundrel]

Sat
Jun 15 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Robyn DeHart

The Secrets of Mia Danvers by Robyn DeHart

Since losing her sight in a childhood accident, Mia Danvers has resided in a small cottage on the vast Carrington estate. Thought to be dead, Mia lives a life of virtual seclusion—until one night, while walking home, she happens upon a horrendous crime.

Alex Foster, Eighth Duke of Carrington, lives according to society’s expectations for him. He’s never met the woman who lives in the cottage at the edge of his property. But when she arrives at his door in the pouring rain terrified and claiming she has witnessed a murder, she seizes his attention.

Mia is determined to help the authorities track down the culprit, even though the only person willing to accept her aid is the handsome, arrogant duke. Working closely together proves difficult as Mia’s beauty and independence tempts Alex to ignore convention and follow his desire. But what neither of them know is that this murderer has struck before in Whitechapel, taunting the British press only to vanish—a ruthless killer who knows that Mia is the only living witness to his crime…

Get a sneak peek of Robyn DeHart's The Secrets of Mia Danvers (available June 18, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene.

“Lord Carrington, why are you here?”

“There was another killing,” he said abruptly.

Mia’s blood turned to ice. Though the weather was not as cold today as it had been in previous days, a chill chased up and down her extremities, making her wool dress feel like nothing more than a flimsy night rail. One moment they’d been discussing the benign and now another poor girl was dead. Mia’s hands fisted and she realized how badly they’d been shaking, though not from the cold. She was instantly quite thankful she’d already set down her sculpture and tools so that she did not break anything. She wrapped her arms around herself. “Another? Here, at Danbridge?”

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of The Secrets of Mia Danvers...]

Thu
Jun 13 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt

Ten years ago, Quinn Barton was on her way to the altar to marry Burke Morrison, her high school sweetheart, when something derailed her. Rather, someone derailed her—the Best Man who at the last minute begged her to reconsider the marriage. He told her that Burke had been cheating on her. For a long time. Quinn, stunned, hurt, and confused, struggled with the obligation of fulfilling her guests’ expectations—providing a wedding—and running for her life.

She chose running. With the Best Man. Who happened to be Burke’s brother, Frank.

That relationship didn’t work either. How could it, when Quinn had been engaged to, in love with, Frank’s brother? Quinn opted for neither, and, instead, spends the next seventeen years working in her family’s Middleburg, Virginia, bridal shop, Talk of the Gown, where she subconsciously does penance for the disservice she did to marriage.

But when the two men return to town for another wedding, old anger, hurt, and passion resurface. Just because you’ve traded the good guy for the bad guy for no guy doesn’t mean you have to stay away from love for the rest of your life, does it? Told with Beth Harbison's flair for humor and heart, Chose the Wrong Guy will keep you guessing and make you believe in the possibilities of love.

Get a sneak peek of Beth Harbison's Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger (available July 9, 2013) with an exclusive audio excerpt of Chapter 1!

[Want more? Log in or register to see how things heat up in a selected scene from Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger...]

Tue
Jun 11 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Elizabeth Essex

Scandal in the Night by Elizabeth EssexAssuming a false identity as a prim and proper governess, the bold and beautiful Cat Rowan thinks she has finally escaped the wild misadventures of her past—and the wickedly handsome spy who seduced her in India. Imagine her surprise when her employer introduces his brother: the very same cad who destroyed her heart!

The Honorable Thomas Jellicoe cannot believe his eyes when he sees his beloved Cat—the Scottish beauty who nearly jeopardized his mission in India. Disguised as a horse trader from the bazaars of the Punjab, the British spy risked his life for one night of passion in her arms. But here and now—breaking all rules of decorum—one heated kiss ignites a flurry of gunfire. For their enemies have followed them home. And love is the greatest danger of all…

Get a sneak peek of Elizabeth Essex's Scandal in the Night (available July 2, 2013) with an excerpt of Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter 1
Wimbourne Chase, Hampshire
Early summer, 1830

In India, there was an ancient proverb: Pilgrims seldom come home saints.

Thomas Jellicoe stood as the proof. He had been a pilgrim in the wide, wicked world for so many years he had long ago lost his faith—misplaced on some dusty, less-traveled roadside—and he had all but forgotten how to find his wandering way home.

He could only stand before the ancient lodge gate like a supplicant, and hope he had finally come to the place where—no matter how long he had been gone, or what he had done—they would finally let him in.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Scandal in the Night...]

Wed
Jun 5 2013 4:15pm

MacRieve by Kresley ColeEarlier today, Kresley Cole answered fan questions during an XOXO After Dark author chat. As well as answering questions, Cole also shared an excerpt of MacRieve. Cole said she tried to keep the excerpt as PG as possible because (wait for it) MacRieve will be the hottest Immortals After Dark book yet.

This was probably a bad idea, but at that moment, Chloe couldn’t recall a single reason why. If MacRieve stopped this, she was fairly certain she’d slide-tackle him.

He didn’t stop. His lips were hot on her, scorching a line up her neck.

Excitement drummed through her, her dread completely absent, her senses overloaded. She smelled the rain, the blossoms, his heady scent. How could he possibly smell so good?

When his clever tongue flicked rain from her damp skin, she wondered, Why fight this?

She was as eager as she’d been during her first pro soccer game. She hadn’t let anything stand in her way that day, just surrendered completely to the thrill, the adrenaline, the driving need to experience everything.

She would do the same with this. Don’t be a coward. See where this path leads you.

So far this path was making her question how she’d been living without MacRieve her entire life.

Click through to read the rest of the excerpt.

On her website, Cole also offered the first three chapters of the book prior to the July 2 release of MacRieve. What are you looking forward to most about MacRieve? What do you think of the excerpts? More importantly, what do you think Chloe is?

Update: Cole also let it slip during the chat that the next Immortals After Dark book will be out in early 2014, who will you be looking forward to reading next in the series? Also, I got a chance to ask Cole if there will be more diverse heroines outside of the Valkyrie in the series and she said “MacRieve has new heroine.” What other creatures are you looking to see in IAD?

Wed
Jun 5 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Angie Fox

My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding by Angie FoxLizzie Brown is about to have the destination wedding of her dreams. But as this former preschool teacher knows, being a demon slayer makes everything more complicated. The vengeful Earl of Hell is still on her tail. And now it seems that one of the guests at the eccentric, seaside mansion is possessed and trying to kill her. Maybe she should just elope.

The groom, studly shape-shifting griffin Dimitri Kallinikos, vows to protect her at all costs. Yet even he is acting suspiciously. And minions of the devil are popping up everywhere. Now Lizzie must protect her socialite mother, her Greek in-laws and her grandmother’s gang of biker witches – all of whom are convinced they know what’s best for her, and her big day. As the wedding draws closer, Lizzie has to learn who is behind the attacks – and fast – or risk losing everyone she loves.

Get a sneak peek of Angie Fox's My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding (available July 1, 2013) with an excerpt of Chapter 1.


Chapter 1

My biker witch grandma shut down her Harley and pulled off her helmet, letting loose a tangle of long, gray hair. “You need help, Lizzie Brown,” she said, as if I were the one sporting a flaming skull do-rag, rhinestone-studded riding glasses, and a brand new Ride it Like You Stole It tattoo.

I snorted. “I’m not the one making us late.” I pried off my riding gloves as she blithely hitched her leg over her motorcycle. Shaking my head, I watched her amble toward a bohemian farmers market set up on the side of a country road. It was as if it sprang from the earth between two California strawberry fields.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding...]

Tue
Jun 4 2013 11:00am
Excerpt
Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Famous Last Words by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski

Sixteen-year-old Samantha D’Angelo has death on the brain. Her summer internship at the local newspaper has her writing obituaries instead of soaking up the sun at the beach. Between Shelby, Sam’s boy-crazy best friend; her boss Harry, a true-blue newspaper man; and AJ, her fellow “intern scum” (aka the cute drummer for a band called Love Gas), Sam has her hands full. But once she figures out what—or who—is the best part of her summer, will she mess it all up?

As Sam learns her way around both the news room and the real world, she starts to make some momentous realizations about politics, ethics, her family, romance, and most important—herself.

Get a sneak peek of Jennifer Salvato Doktorski's Famous Last Words (available July 2, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene.

Chapter 1
The Obit Page

Samantha Elisabeth D’Angelo, the Herald Tri­bune’s youngest-ever obituary writer, died Fri­day. She was 16. Born and raised in Chestnutville, New Jersey, D’Angelo would have been a senior at Chestnutville High School in September. She is survived by her fabulous-looking and infi nitely cooler mother and father, Christina and David D’Angelo, and her quirky grandmother, Alfon­sina D’Angelo. A funeral mass will be held Satur­day at 9:00 a.m. at St.  Rose of Lima Church. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Snore, the D’Angelo family foundation for other extraor­dinarily boring high school students whose lives are so dull, they make up their own obituaries.

I’m not dead. But sometimes I feel like I might as well be. I stare at my computer screen one second more before quickly highlighting select all and hitting delete. I don’t want Bernadette, the copy-desk editor, to catch me screwing around with my own fake obituary when I should be working. My second day here, she dubbed me the bane of her existence because of my atrocious spelling. I’m now halfway through my third week, and our relationship hasn’t improved. Not even a smidge.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Famous Last Words]

Fri
May 31 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt

Carolina Girl by Virginia Kantra

Meet the Fletchers of Dare Island
Ambitious Meg, the daughter who never looked back
Steady Matt, the son who stayed
And rebel Luke, the Marine who thought he’d never return
 
Meg Fletcher spent her childhood dreaming of escaping Dare Island—her family’s home for generations. So after she landed a high-powered job in New York City, she left and never looked back. But when she loses both her job and the support of her long-term, live-in boyfriend, she returns home to lick her wounds and reevaluate her life.
 
Helping out her parents at the family inn, she can’t avoid the reminders of the past she’d rather forget—especially charming and successful Sam Grady, her brother's best friend. Their one disastrous night of teenage passion should have forever killed their childhood attraction, but Sam seems determined to reignite those long-buried embers. As Meg discovers the man he’s become, she’s tempted to open her vulnerable heart to him. But she has no intention of staying on Dare Island—no matter how seductive Sam’s embrace might be…

Get a sneak peek of Virginia Kantra's Carolina Girl (available June 4, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene.

Heat radiated off Sam like sun off the tarmac. His dark shirt, wilted in the heat, clung to the planes and muscles of his chest. He was broader than Meg remembered, standing close enough for her to see the darker rim circling his irises and the halo around his pupils, gold against green.

Too close.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Carolina Girl...]

Thu
May 30 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Jayne Fresina

Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal by Jayne Fresina

When a Perfectly Proper Lady...

Lady Mercy Danforthe always has a plan. It's what makes her such a successful matchmaker, and why she's obligated to spend a great deal of time generously organizing the lives of her friends and family. But there's one man beyond her help. One man whose recklessness she can't rein in; whose chaos she can't contain. Her ex-husband, Rafe Hartley. Her one—and only!—mistake.

Flirts with a Reckless Rogue...

Rafe has never forgiven Mercy for running out on him. Their hastily annulled marriage may have only lasted three hours, but that doesn't mean he needs her help finding a proper wife. Someone needs to teach little Miss Know-It-All a lesson about keeping her adorably freckled nose out of other people's business. And it just so happens that Mercy “Silky Drawers” Danforthe still owes him a wedding night...

A Scandal's Never Far Behind

Get a sneak peek of Jayne Fresina's Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal (available June 4, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene. 

He’d waited five years for this. For her. Not that there hadn’t been other women, but there were none like this one, and he knew it the first time he saw her, when he was twelve. Then, looking for some way to get the strange redhead’s attention, he’d lobbed a ball at her head and knocked her bonnet off, directly into a puddle. She promptly called him an “ignorant peasant,” and thus he’d decided she wasn’t worth his notice anyway. Fate had seemed determined to keep them on opposing sides of every argument from then on. Everyone thought he ought to be with Molly Robbins, until even he began to think it. Molly was a part of his world, and this woman never could be. When he was sensible, he knew that.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Lady Mercy Danforthe Flirts with Scandal...]

Thu
May 30 2013 11:55am

Duke of Midnight by Elizabeth HoytOn her website, Elizabeth Hoyt offers the first chapter of her forthcoming October 2013 release, Duke of Midnight, the sixth book in the Maiden Lane series. Here's the blurb:

WHEN A MASKED MAN . . .
Twenty years ago Maximus Batten witnessed the brutal murders of his parents. Now the autocratic Duke of Wakefield, he spends his days ruling Parliament. But by night, disguised as the Ghost of St. Giles, he prowls the grim alleys of St. Giles, ever on the hunt for the murderer. One night he finds a fiery woman who meets him toe-to-toe—and won’t back down…

MEETS HIS MATCH . . .
Artemis Greaves toils as a lady’s companion, but hiding beneath the plain brown serge of her dress is the heart of a huntress. When the Ghost of St. Giles rescues her from footpads she recognizes a kindred spirit—and is intrigued. She’s even more intrigued when she realizes who exactly the notorious Ghost is by day…

DESIRE IGNITES A DANGEROUS PASSION
Artemis makes a bold move: she demands that Maximus use his influence to free her imprisoned brother—or she will expose him as the Ghost. But blackmailing a powerful duke isn’t without risks. Now that she has the tiger by the tail, can she withstand his ire—or the temptation of his embrace?

And here's the very beginning of The Duke of Midnight:

1740
London, England

Artemis Greaves did not like to think herself a cynical person, but when the masked figure dropped into the moonlit alley to confront the three toughs already menacing her and her cousin, the hand on the knife in her boot tightened.

It seemed only prudent.

He was big and wore a harlequin’s motley—black-and-red diamond leggings and tunic, black jackboots, a hat with a wide, floppy brim, and a black half mask with a grotesquely outsized nose. Harlequins were meant to be clowns—a silly entertainment—but no one in the dark alley was laughing. The harlequin uncoiled from his crouch with a lethal movement so elegant Artemis’s breath caught in her throat. He was like a jungle cat—wild and without a trace of compassion—and like a jungle cat his attack held no hesitation.

He launched himself at the three men.

Read the rest at Elizabeth Hoyt's website!

Tue
May 28 2013 9:30am
Excerpt

Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Just when you thought doomsday was over . . .

Centuries ago Acheron saved the human race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.

As the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs. Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s willing to trade his life and future for Acheron’s.

The Atlantean goddess of Wrath and Misery, Bethany was born to right wrongs. But it was never a task she relished. Until now.

She owes Acheron a debt that she vows to repay, no matter what it takes. He will join their fellow gods in hell and nothing is going to stop her. But things are never what they seem, and Acheron is no longer the last of his line. Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or more will suffer.

Yet it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even when it's your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your very soul? 

Get a sneak peek of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Styxx (available September 3, 2013) with an excerpt of a specially selected scene.

“Acheron?” Styxx whispered, nudging his sleeping brother awake.

Slowly, Acheron blinked his eyes open. Rubbing them with his fist, Acheron sat up in bed. Styxx shoved the loaf of sweet bread in his face, making Acheron smile the moment he saw it.

“I didn’t bring the honey, sorry. But...” Styxx opened his small cloth bag to show the sugared figs he’d taken. “I managed to pilfer your favorite.”

[Continue on to read the full excerpt of Styxx...]

Sun
May 26 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Carolyn Brown

Billion Dollar Cowboy by Carolyn Brown

Colton Nelson was 28 when he won the Texas Lottery and went from ranch hand to ranch owner overnight. When people started lining up wanting some of his millions, he hired a friend, Andy Joe, to handle his affairs and find him a bride and buy her, no matter what the cost.

Laura Baker and her sister, Emily, had been raised in foster homes. Though she was the younger of the two, Laura was always bailing Emily out of trouble. So when Andy Joe slid into her booth at a diner one night and made a proposition to Laura, it seemed the perfect solution...until Laura met Colton and realized she didn’t give a damn about his money and that her love was not for sale. Twenty minutes later she was standing over him while he raised the weights up and down in ten unit reps before putting them back in the rack. On the tenth time she thought she’d have to help him but he managed without her. He sat up on the bench, wiped his face with a towel and nodded toward the machinery.

Get a sneak peek of Carolyn Brown's Billion Dollar Cowboy (available June 4, 2013) with an excerpt of a selected scene.

He picked up a bottle of water from the cooler in the corner and drank the whole thing. “I’m going to ride the bike a few miles while you run.”

She stepped onto the treadmill; set it to a nice comfortable trot to warm up and after five minutes hit it to speed up to three miles an hour. Five more minutes and she poked the buttons to do four miles an hour. That wasn’t as fast as she could run but it got a good heavy heart beat going.

[Please log in or register to read the full excerpt of Billion Dollar Cowboy...]

Fri
May 24 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Robin Covington

Playing the Part by Robin Covington

After publicly self-destructing over a heartbreak a year ago, bestselling romance writer Piper James is now making nice with her publisher by agreeing to teach Hollywood's favorite action star how to act like he's in love. Only playboy Mick Blackwell has no clue what love looks like.

When a seductive heat ignites between Piper and Mick, she jumps at the chance for a bit of fun between the sheets, but with two stipulations: she’s kept out of the public eye and things end when she returns to New York. Only Mick keeps changing the rules on her. Tempted by America's favorite bad boy, Piper is wondering how far she's willing to bend...

Get a sneak peek of Robin Covington's Playing the Part (available June 10, 2013) with an exclusive excerpt of a selected scene. 

The sound of screaming shook the limousine windows.

Piper shrank back into the plush interior of the vehicle, nudging up against Mick’s side and under the weight of his arm as he scooped her even closer.

“It sounds like a mob scene out there.” She turned to look at Mick, who was calm, cool, and sexily confident. Damn him. “I thought this was just a club opening.”

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt...]

Thu
May 23 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
Kristen Ashley

Fire Inside by Kristen Ashley

Lanie Heron isn't looking for love-no surprise, considering her last serious relationship nearly got her killed. So when Lanie propositions Hop Kincaid, all she wants is one wild night with the hot-as-hell biker who patrols with the Chaos Motorcycle Club . . . 

For Hop, Lanie has always been untouchable. She's too polished and too classy for his taste. But when she gives Hop the once-over with her bedroom eyes and offers him a night in paradise, he can't say no. And he doesn't regret it when he finds that Lanie is the best thing that's ever happened to him-in or out of bed. Now the trick will be to convince her of that.

Get a sneak peek of Kristen Ashley's Fire Inside (available June 4, 2013) with an excerpt of a specially selected scene. After you've read the excerpt, don't forget to comment to enter for a chance to win a copy of....


I settled in and stared into the darkness.

Hop was pissed.

Hop was gone.

Hop was the kind of man who didn’t let you get a word in edgewise when you were somewhat arguing but it was also somewhat not arguing because he wouldn’t let you get a stinking, stupid word in edgewise.

[Please log in or register to read the full excerpt...]

Wed
May 22 2013 1:30pm
Excerpt

Shapeshifted by Cassie Alexander

Nurse Edie Spence is once again called upon to save a life…and this time, it’s personal. Can her new community of zombies, vampires, and shapeshifters come to her rescue when she needs them most?

When Edie was fired from her paranormal nursing job at County Hospital, her whole world came crashing down. Now she’s is once again shaken to her core. Her mother is deathly ill and there’s only one thing that will save her: vampire blood. But with the paranormal community shunning Edie, where can she obtain it…without losing her own life in the process?

SHAPESHIFTED 

Edie hopes to procure it at her new job at the clinic across town, where the forces of evil loom large. Vampire gang wars are rampant. Old underground enemies are rising to the surface. And Edie’s zombie ex-boyfriend has arrived at the scene—but is he the same man he used to be? And what should she make of the enigmatic doctor with whom she shares an unexpected connection? She’ll have to figure it out soon, because all hell is about to break loose—literally—and time is running out…

Get a sneak peek of Cassie Alexander's Shapeshifted (available June 4, 2013) with an excerpt of Chapters 1 & 2.


Chapter 1

I’d lost fifteen pounds in six months.

Being a nurse, I’d run through the worst-case scenarios first: cancer, diabetes, TB. When I’d checked my blood sugars and cleared myself of coughs and suspicious lumps, I was left with the much more likely diagnosis of depression.Which was why I was here, even though here was an awkward place to be.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Shapeshifted...]

Mon
May 20 2013 2:30pm
Excerpt
Barbara Delinsky

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara DelinskyOn Quinnipeague, hearts open under the summer stars and secrets float in the Sweet Salt Air...

Charlotte and Nicole were once the best of friends, spending summers together in Nicole’s coastal island house off of Maine. But many years, and many secrets, have kept the women apart. A successful travel writer, single Charlotte lives on the road, while Nicole, a food blogger, keeps house in Philadelphia with her surgeon-husband, Julian. When Nicole is commissioned to write a book about island food, she invites her old friend Charlotte back to Quinnipeague, for a final summer, to help. Outgoing and passionate, Charlotte has a gift for talking to people and making friends, and Nicole could use her expertise for interviews with locals. Missing a genuine connection, Charlotte agrees.

But what both women don’t know is that they are each holding something back that may change their lives forever. For Nicole, what comes to light could destroy her marriage, but it could also save her husband. For Charlotte, the truth could cost her Nicole’s friendship, but could also free her to love again. And her chance may lie with a reclusive local man, with a heart to soothe and troubles of his own.

Get a sneak peek of Barbara Delinsky’s Sweet Salt Air (available June 18, 2013) with an excerpt from Chapters 1 & 2.

Chapter One

Quinnipeague lay eleven miles from the mainland. With a year-round population of nearly three hundred, it was serviced by a daily mail boat that carried groceries and a handful of passengers, but no cars. Since Charlotte had one of those for the first time in her life, she proudly booked the ferry, boarding in Rockland on a Tuesday, which was one of only three days each week when its captain cruised past Vinalhaven to islands like Quinnipeague. Nicole had offered air­fare to speed up the trip, but Charlotte flew everywhere else in life. This summer was to be different.

[Log in or register to read the full excerpt of Sweet Salt Air]

Mon
May 20 2013 8:23am

Nalini Singh has released two chapters of Heart of Obsidian, her newest book in the Psy-Changeling series, on her website. If you don't want to be spoiled, turn away now.

[Click for a SPOILER!]

Sat
May 18 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt
K.M. Jackson

Seduction's Canvas by K.M. Jackson

“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.”

[Continue on to read the full excerpt of Seduction's Canvas...]

Thu
May 16 2013 12:00pm

Midnight's Kiss by Donna GrantGet a sneak peek of Donna Grant’s Midnight's Kiss (available June 4, 2013), with an exclusive excerpt—and comment to help unlock a longer excerpt! 

Then, enter for a chance to win a whole set of Dark Warriors books along with a special tote bag and water bottle!*

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DEEPER THAN DESIRE

Dr. Veronica Reid is a world-renowned archeologist whose Druid abilities help her to unearth ancient magical items. The arrival of the all-too-attractive and charismatic Arran MacCarrick puts her on the defensive when he begins to question how she really finds her artifacts…until an unknown foe attacks and Ronnie discovers that Arran has a secret as great as her own. Together, they unleash an all-consuming passion that won't be denied...

STRONGER THAN FATE

Immortal Warrior Arran is on a mission to find the spell to bind the god within him. But one look at the impossibly beautiful Ronnie and he knows there is more to her than meets the eye. With danger lurking around every corner and an undeniable hunger that grows with every kiss, Arran must reveal who he is to keep Ronnie from his nemesis. Now he is left with no choice but to fight—or fall—for the woman he loves...

[About the other books...]

Sun
May 12 2013 12:00pm
Excerpt

Lightning Rider by Jen GreysonHeiress 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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