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The Ground Rules Undone By Roya Carmen ♥ Release Blitz

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The Ground Rules #1

The Ground Rules : Rewritten #2

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The Ground Rules were impossible to follow. It was hard not to become completely consumed by the beautiful and enigmatic Weston Hanson. The heart of a romantic was not fit for this kind of exchange. So, when it ended, I was shattered, but it was all for the better…or so we thought.

The Ground Rules were rewritten, and then bent. We lied to ourselves. We told ourselves we could handle this. Not a single one of us realized just how big this was…just how devastating it could become.

And now, there are no Rules.

Lust… infatuation…blinds you. It can tear everything apart. But sometimes, life needs to be completely torn apart before it can be mended – not just cracked at the edges, but utterly shattered, before you can truly see the mess you’ve become.

I love them both, but I can’t have them both. While one pulls me in, the other pushes me away. And when both eventually open their hearts, I must make the hardest decision of my life.

And now there are no Rules. We are Undone.

He stood back up to his full height, and leaned into me, tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, the gesture so gentle, but in contrast, his words were harsh. “This didn’t mean anything,” he said, his eyes dark, as black as coal. And I knew this wasn’t him speaking. This was the man he became when he was angry. But still, the words still cut deep.

“This doesn’t change a thing,” he went on with that same dark blank expression. “We’re still done, Mirella.”

“How can you say that?” I asked, my words pleading. “We just made love.”

He jerked back. “That was just sex, Mirella,” he scoffed. “You made me hard. I wanted to fuck you…get one last taste of you. That’s all it was.” And with a turn of the handle, he added, “I’m sorry if you thought it was more.”

His words hit hard, a sharp blow to my stomach. But I wasn’t done fighting for us. I reached for the handle, my hand pressed hard over his and I slammed the door shut. “You’re lying. You’re being hurtful on purpose.” After all these years, I couldn’t believe he didn’t realize how well I know him. “You’re still mad at me,” I pointed out, not letting it go.

He wiped the heel of his hand against his forehead and grabbed a fistful of his hair. “You’re fucking right, I’m still mad,” he growled. “But I’m angry at myself more than I am at you right now.”

I pressed my hand against his stomach. “Why?”

He grabbed a hard hold of my wrist and pulled my hand away. “Because you do this to me and I can’t just turn my back and move on.” His beautiful eyes almost did me in, there was so much emotion in them.

“I can’t turn my back on you and the girls. And I still want you. I still want to fuck you… and you,” he added, not quite looking at me. “You know this. And you took advantage.”

He was right. I did. I knew he wanted me. And I took advantage of a moment of weakness. I spotted it, pounced and dug my teeth in. But I wanted him just as much as he did me.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. I knew it wasn’t much, but I was at a loss for words. My eyes were drowning in tears as I pressed my hand against him again. “I just miss you so much, Gabe. I wanted to be close to you again.”

He tore himself from me. “I should go.”

Mom, writer, book junkie, doodle addict and hopeless romantic. I have been writing for over ten years, finding my passion for romance in 2008. When I’m not spending time with my family, I enjoy reading, painting, and writing – there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting down at my laptop and making up my own stories – and if those stories should include beautiful men, a little romance, and a few steamy scenes, all the better!

I write contemporary and erotic romance under the pen name Roya Carmen.

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Kennedy’s Redemption By K. L. Donn ♥ Release Blitz

·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠· New Release ·٠•● Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ●•٠·

Title: Kennedy’s Redemption

Series: Book 3 In The Protectors Series

Cover Artist: Kari March Designs

Release Date: February 18, 2016

Author: K.L Donn

Broken. Trapped. Alone.

Kennedy Maxwell is running from demons haunting her soul. Left to fight alone, she’s soon lost to the monsters in her head.

Fighting. Searching. They won’t back down.

Twins; Creedence and Lincoln Black have finally found the one thing they’ve been searching for, only to lose her in the blink of an eye.

When they find her again will she be as lost and alone as before?

Or can they help her find her redemption?

Three lost souls fighting to become one.

**WARNING** Contains graphic language and violence. A broken heroine. Insta-love and two men who will fight for what they want. Not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1QjN2tW
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1RLe10C
Amazon Ca: http://amzn.to/1Q0jpf5
Amazon AU: http://bit.ly/1QjOjB5

She turned not letting go of their hands, making it so they crossed across her stomach. As she reached her small living area, she let go of them wandering to the small fireplace against one wall. Turning she leaned back against it and asked again, “Why are you here?”

“You really don’t know Sunshine?” He was baffled. Yeah sure, she was in a bad place when they met her up until they left, but they were the only ones she connected with while she was in the hospital. Her brothers had told them she’d deteriorated after they left. That she’d closed into herself even more. So they’d thought that maybe she felt a connection to them.

Looking between them, she seemed to ponder her words before speaking, “Your voices, they’re everywhere. They follow me in my dreams, chase away my nightmares. I get chills down my spine, and it feels like you’re here.” She stopped and took a breath, while he was trying to grasp what she was saying. “But when I look around and realize you’re not? It’s the worst feeling in the world. Like I can’t breathe, the air would get sucked from my lungs and I’m left gasping like a fish out of water.”

“Sunshine,” Linc whispered walking closer to her, only stopping when she shook her head no.

“I just don’t understand what you want. You were there, and I was safe, and everyone left me alone. But then you left, and it was like I was in hell again. For days I waited for you to come back and you didn’t.” Sobbing she sunk to the ground with her arms covering her head.

Keeley’s Fight

Emily’s Protectors

Krystal is a 29 year old stay at home of 4 children, 3 boys, and 1 girl, she has a love for reading that she shares with them anyway she can. Her daughter is forever asking her to write a children’s book just for her, that she might consider. She has been with her hubby, Steve, for 12 years, happily married for 10 of them. She was first an avid reader, then an enthusiastic blogger, and has now finally had her dreams come true and become a writer. More often than not she can be found at home with her family, reading, writing, or scrapbooking. She is a coffee addict, book-aholic, and loves to hear from her fans.

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EMAIL: AuthorKLDonn@gmail.com

Thank you!

Fighting Solitude By Aly Martinez ♥ Book Tour

Fighting Solitude is Book Three in the On The Ropes Series by Aly Martinez and is Quarry’s highly anticipated story.

Now Available!
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Barnes & Noble ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

**Each book in the series can be read as a standalone**

Blurb

I was born a fighter. Abandoned by my parents, I spent my life forging my own path—one guided by my fists and paved with pain.
Untouchable in the ring, I destroyed everyone who faced me, but that’s where my victories ended. Outside the ropes, I repeatedly failed the few people who loved me. Including my best friend, Liv James—the one person I’d die to protect.
Even though I didn’t deserve her, Liv never stopped believing in me. Never gave up. Never let go. After all, she understood what I’d lost, because she’d lost it too.
Liv was everything to me, but she was never truly mine.
That was going to change.
I lost my first love, but I refused to lose my soulmate.
Now, I’m on the ropes during the toughest battles of my life.
Fighting to be the man she deserves.
Fighting the solitude of our pasts.
Fighting for her.

Excerpt

Fighting Solitude
Prologue

“Mia!” I shouted.
It was worthless. She’d been deaf since the day I met her.
She’d never once heard my voice.
She’d never heard the deep rumble of my laugh when she was excited, signing so fast I could barely keep up.
She’d never heard my content sigh when she barged into the locker room after a fight—just her presence soothed the lingering madness brewing within me.
She’d never heard me whispering my deepest fears into her ear as she fell asleep on top of me.
She’d never heard the reverence in which I cried her name each and every time I took her body.
And she’d never once heard the ease in which the words I love you tumbled from my lips as I stared into her deep, jade green eyes.
But as I screamed her name while watching her petite body seizing in the passenger seat beside me, I’d never needed her to hear me more.
“Mia. Oh God. I’ve got you, baby.”
She was still thrashing violently as I made my way around to her door, yanking it open while pleading with whatever god was willing to help.
When she stilled, a whole new level of silence filled the air around us. It wasn’t the absence of sound.
It was the absence of life.
“Mia, breathe!” I roared as her chest remained agonizingly still. “Help me!” I screamed at the closed emergency room doors, but no medical savior rushed out with the miracle I so desperately needed.
My hands shook wildly as I released her lifeless body from the seatbelt.
“I’ve got you, just hang on. Please just hang on, Mia,” I whispered lifting her into my arms and sprinting through the sliding doors. “I need a doctor! She’s not breathing!”
Nurses rushed towards me in slow motion as the seconds without air in her lungs passed at a terrifying speed.
Breathe.
A doctor appeared with a gurney and quickly took her from my arms.
The immediate loss was staggering.
Hope became my only solace.
She needed help that I wasn’t capable of giving her, but that didn’t stop me from following close behind as they rolled her away. I was on the verge of self-destructing; letting her out of my sight wasn’t an option.
I stood motionless in the doorway while doctors and nurses swarmed around her. Their mouths moved frantically, but without my hearing aids I was worthless to make out the words their faint voices carried.
I never wore my hearing aids when I was with Mia. There was no point. She rarely spoke with her voice.
We’d spent four years building a relationship with our hands.
Those hands had told me animated stories that made me laugh until my face hurt from smiling.
They’d fought with me relentlessly, but always ended the night raking down my back in silent ecstasy.
Her fingers had fluidly signed I love you more times than I could ever count—or forget.
But as I felt the nurse attempting to physically remove me from the room, my eyes became fixated on her limp hand dangling off the side of the bed. It was the only sight more frightening than watching her flail mid-seizure.
It ripped the heart straight from my chest.
That hand was supposed to be full of life.
It was the very essence of Mia.
Pale.
White.
Still.
Oh God.
Sucking in a deep breath, I held it until the room began to spin.
It provided me no relief even as it forced me to my knees.
There would be no distraction from this.
I was going to lose her.
Yet another woman I couldn’t save.

This book touches me in a way I couldn’t image. I decide to take on this book because I have love Aly’s books in the past. She is a very talented write that has a way of bring you in to the heart of a story and making you feel what her characters are going through with words. Fighting Solitude is no different.

You are taken in to the lives of Liv and Q. They come to know each other through the boxing gym that her father owes and runs. Liv is the girl who refuses to be told no and will do whatever it takes to get what she wants. She has a past that holds her back from trust people, that is until Q walks in her life. Q not just walks in her life but comes in with a bang. Once these two cross paths they never see an end to their friendship in sight. That is until a decision is made and changes the trust these two have grown to know between each other. Q is the trouble maker that seems to push those that love him the most away when they get to close. Q is unstoppable in the ring but struggles with letting people in outside of it. These two are paired so well together you see nothing but hope for the future.

I love the emotions that are drawn out in this book. You go from total love to hate and everything in between. Grab a good comfy seat and a box of tissues you’re in for one amazing read!

Fighting Silence (Book One) On the Ropes
ONLY $0.99
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iBooks

Fighting Shadows (Book Two) On The Ropes
Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iBooks

About the Author

Born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, Aly Martinez is a stay-at-home mom to four crazy kids under the age of five, including a set of twins. Currently living in South Carolina, she passes what little free time she has reading anything and everything she can get her hands on, preferably with a glass of wine at her side.
After some encouragement from her friends, Aly decided to add “Author” to her ever-growing list of job titles. Five books later, she shows no signs of slowing. So grab a glass of Chardonnay, or a bottle if you’re hanging out with Aly, and join her aboard the crazy train she calls life.

STALK HER:

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$50 (Winners Choice) Book Retailer Gift Card

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Blindsight The Series By Adriane Leigh ♥ Blog Tour

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All three books are included in this edition.

BLINDSIGHT (Part One)

I want her.

She thinks I need her.

What she doesn’t know is she needs me more.

I’m hiring her to protect her.

To save her life.

To make her beg.

Because her big brown eyes make my d-ck pound and the thought of leaving her to the wolves makes my heart bleed. But the past is colliding with an out of focus present that’s on course to a fatal future. Unless I can beat fate at its own game.

BLINDSIGHT (Part Two)

She and I were far from chance.

Our first meeting orchestrated.

Our forever ill-fated.

Because I’m her enemy.

I’m her savior.

I’m her nightmare Romeo.

She’ll thank me at the end of this, and if she doesn’t, I’ll force her to beg.

BLINDSIGHT (Part Three – only available in the complete bundled series )

The web of secrets surrounding Hunter and Erin begins to unravel in the gripping final installment of the Blindsight series…

The only woman I’ve ever loved: taken.

The only man I’ve ever called a father: wanted.

I was hired to watch her, tasked myself with protecting her, and now I have to save her.

I tried to be her Romeo, but despite everything the past crashed into our lives like wild thunder.

She begged me to run, I begged her to stay, until a force greater than both of us took over.

Betrayal comes in threes, and the other shoe’s about to drop.

*Blindsight is intended for a mature audience only due to graphic sex, violence, and language

“I have something to show you.”.

“I think I can feel it,” I teased and nipped at his lips when his hands threaded through my hair and he thrust his tongue into my mouth.

“Not that,” he finally replied when he pulled away with a rakish grin. “It’s downstairs.” He guided me out of bed and I trailed behind him, admiring the view of his boxers sitting low on his hips, the sharp dimples above his ass cheeks making my mouth water. “Here it is.” He nodded and I followed his gaze to land on a huge, narrow box propped against one wall. At least twelve feet tall and at least half as wide, I knew it could only be one thing. “I haven’t seen it yet, wanted to do it with you.” His eyes sparkled as his fingers tightened in mine.

I swallowed the insecurity that was crawling its way up my throat and nodded, too anxious for words. His hand dropped and he pulled a box cutter from a shelf and went to work. Within minutes the edge was sliced open and his deft hands were sliding a bubble-wrapped work of art from its confines. I sucked in a sharp breath when he pulled away the layers protecting the piece.

Staring back was a close up of my body, draped across dark leather, a strand of pearls coiled in my navel and trailing down between my naked thighs. A shudder raced through me at the memory of the cool pearls against my hot skin, sending pulsing lust through my bloodstream, then and now.

“Wow.” I finally blinked and looked at Hunter.

“It’s fucking perfect.” He mused as his finger trailed across the curve of my rib cage and danced across the delicate lace covering my round breasts. The faint outline of an erect nipple could be seen through the transparent fabric. His hand continued up the photo along the sharp angles of my collarbone, past my neck, stretched away from the camera, my lips slightly parted and eyes downcast in shadow. “Guys are coming to hang it tomorrow.”

“Really?” I gasped, eyes still riveted to the stunning erotic photo that was somehow…me.

“Puttin’ it right at the entrance.” His hand returned to mine and his body was invading my space. His breath washed across my skin. “Everyone that comes to the door will see your beautiful body.” He pulled me up the steps and into his entryway, indicating the wall where my picture would hang.

My legs turned to jelly and my brain fizzled as arousal flooded my senses. “I love when you say things like that,” I murmured, feeling more turned on than I’d ever been.

“Mmm, like when I put you on display like a little slut?” His lips were attacking my neck, his tongue laving up my ear and pulling at the lobe with his teeth.

“Jesus, I want to feel you inside me,” I begged, my hands already working his boxers down his waist. My palms grazed across his rigid ass cheeks and I squeezed, loving the feel of his hard body in contrast to my soft one.

“Maybe I should fuck you right here, in front of the window that looks right out over the street,” and before I could reply was planting my hands on the cool glass of his entryway and yanking down my panties. A groan radiated from my throat. If he fucked me here against the window anyone walking by could see us, see me.

“Oh God, Hunter…” I breathed, needing to be fucked right now. Hard and fast without a second thought of an audience. The thought of being watched while Hunter took every single inch of my body turned me on shamefully.

“You like the idea of people watching you, baby?” His words were followed by the loud click of a doorknob, then a slow whoosh of warm air danced across my skin.

Oh Jesus. He’d opened the fucking front door. Right here with his dick poised at my entrance, cars creeping by at twenty miles per hour admiring the finely landscaped city homes, and me. About to be fucked like a dirty whore.

“Mm, fuck yeah you like that. You’re so turned on, so wet. Say it, baby,” he urged as he fisted at my full ass cheeks. “Tell me what you need.”

“I need,” I gasped when his thick cock invaded. “Need you to fuck me, now.” I was nearly growling with desperate pleasure.

A soft groan sounded before he landed a swift smack at my ass, and then another right on the same spot. The stinging pleasure turned to a sharp burn and I yelped, pulling away reflexively before he yanked me back to him. “You need my belt around your neck to keep you still?”

His hand gripped around the root of his cock as he eased his thick girth inside me. A thumb grazed the hot, sensitive bud of my ass, a feral hiss escaping my lips when he eased one deft digit past the tight ring of muscle. His complete ownership of my body, his to show-off, his to play with, blasted my senses with waves of disgraceful desire. “Keep it quiet, Erin. Wouldn’t want anyone to see those pretty tits, your slutty cunt wrapped around my dick, begging me to take this sweet ass.” His sinewy form stretched across my back, his warm breath lighting fire across my nape and sending shivers through every nerve. “Shh.” One punishing palm, the same that’d just eased his cock into my soaked pussy, wrapped around my mouth, choking off words and heaving pants. Caging me from all else but him, his body, his hands, his words. “Anyone catches you, it’d be front page news. Maybe a video uploaded on the internet.” His words and his roughened digits grating against nerve-endings that pulsed with white hot lust. “Ah, here comes someone now.”

Adriane Leigh was born and raised in a snowbank in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and now lives among the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan lakeshore.

She graduated with a Literature degree but never particularly enjoyed reading Shakespeare or Chaucer.

She is married to a tall, dark, and handsome guy, and plays mama to two sweet baby girls. She is a voracious reader and wishes she had more time to knit scarves to keep her warm during the arctic Michigan winters.

Author Links

All This Time By Mel Henry ♥ Blog Tour

Book: All This Time

Author: Mel Henry

Genre: Contemporary Romance, General Romance

Goodreads Book Link

Synopsis

Amicable could easily define Carly Cooper, so it’s only fitting that it should describe her divorce from detective Trey Foster, too. Between two career-driven people, marriage can be hard enough, but combined with fertility issues and constant loss, it just became too much for them to bear.

While sorting out her feelings about her broken marriage and seemingly broken body, she decides to move in with her lifelong best friend, Alejandro Cruz. Alex has been with Carly through all her triumphs as well as her low points, including the break-up with her first love, Josh McCarthy, whom Alex is still friends with.

Carly just wants to get to a point where she can get closure from all her relationships so she can succeed at one – just one that she can keep forever. Determined to help her do that, Alex invites Josh to their house for a “besties” get together weekend. Good food, good wine, and good conversation.

Fortunately for the three of them, closure is exactly what they all get, and for the first time in their lives, they can move forward. After all, Josh has really exciting news that he wants to share with his best friends: South Station Boyz are reuniting. With a new album, new videos, and even a new tour on the horizon, they invite Carly and Alejandro to join them and the Trainwreckz, the tongue-in-cheek nickname for their fans, on this crazy journey.

While trying to prove her closure to herself and others, she becomes quite enthralled with handsome group member (and band mate of Josh), Dave Butler. He returns the interest and sparks fly. Then, one unplanned, reckless night (something that goes against Carly’s very own DNA) in Miami derails all her hard work, possibly throwing everything into the wind. As she tries to sort it out, she also battles to not lose the people she loves. Can what she’s done while under one drunken indulgence ruin everything she’s worked so hard to fix after all this time?

Author Bio

Mel Henry has been an avid reader since stealing her first Harlequin from her mom’s nightstand in second grade. Because some words were too big for her seven-year-old vocabulary, she took to writing her own stories (much to the relief of her teacher) and has been doing so ever since.

After having held various jobs in her life that brought her no satisfaction and only a piddly income, she decided to publish her first book. She figured being a starving artist instead of just starving sounded much more interesting. Being able to do it in her pajamas and no make-up are just perks to the job.

Living in Iowa with her husband and a couple of teenaged kids, Mel’s an avid cook (sometimes by choice), traveler (always by choice), and a hardcore warrior against chronic Lyme disease (definitely not by choice). She loves concerts, thunderstorms, and good coffee. She loathes conspiracy theories, egotistical people, and sushi.

She is currently collaborating with three other authors on a project, and has the foundation in place for her next series. In the meantime, you can find her current works on Amazon and other online booksellers.

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All This Time (#3) (Everywhere for a LIMITED TIME, then Amazon only)

Amazon:

ebook

Barnes & Noble:

ebook & paperback

iBooks:

ebook

Kobo:

ebook

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paperback

Distance and Time (#1) (EXCLUSIVE to Amazon)

Better in Time (#2) (EXCLUSIVE to Amazon)

Excerpt

I skimmed over the document in front of me and sighed. It read just as I wanted it to—my attorney had made sure of that. This didn’t make me feel any better, of course, but at least there hadn’t been an argument. My pen poised over the line above my name, I briefly considered what it meant once I signed.

My marriage to Trey Foster was over.

The last five years would be just another page in my history book. There were no children involved. My defunct body had guaranteed it, despite several attempts. Trey and I were relatively diplomatic about our separation. We split everything equally and overall, we were walking away unscathed. We had come to the decision to get divorced as easily as we’d come to the decision to get married in the first place. We approached it with logic and reason, each of us having our own views on why we thought our marriage failed, another miscarriage—earlier this year—being the final straw for us both. We’d mutually decided to end things before it got ugly. Hell, Trey and I hadn’t really fought the whole time we were married. It was only natural that we end it civilly, too.

I scrawled my name on the line and took a deep breath. The documents stated that I would return to my maiden name once it was filed, so I took pause as I looked at my name signed as “Carlene Foster” for the last time. My heart felt heavy and I took a deep, shaky breath as it all sank in. I slowly slid the paper across the table and looked up at my soon-to-be-ex-husband. I offered a half-smile/half-frown—one of those “I shouldn’t smile, but I don’t want you to think I hate you” kind of expressions. We’d both become good at those over the last year or so. He returned the gesture as he picked up the pen and signed his own name. He looked over at me sadly then handed the paper to his attorney, who picked it up and went into the hallway to make duplicates before the clerk took it to the courthouse to be signed by the judge. My lawyer followed him out of the room, leaving Trey and me alone. The second hand ticked on the clock above the door.

“We tried,” I said, breaking the silence.

“We did.” He nodded in agreement, his lips flattening in a slight scowl.

“I’m glad we can stay friends.”

“Me, too,” he agreed.

More silence. I picked at a snag on my skirt and stared at a smudge on the, otherwise shiny, board room table.

“I’m sor—” he began.

I held up my hand and shook my head. “No regrets, Trey. Remember? No regrets, no woulda-coulda-shouldas, no apologies. We agreed.”

Trey and I had talked about our pending divorce for a couple of months and worked out all of the details ahead of time instead of paying our attorneys to create fights where none existed.

“I think it’s over, Trey,” I said softly as I picked at my dinner with my fork.

He looked up at me from over his wine glass, swallowing a mouthful of Riesling. He set the glass down and wiped his mouth. “It?”

“Us. This marriage. You and me. It’s over.”

He laid his napkin next to his plate and crossed his ankle over his knee, leaning back in his chair. He rested his chin on his fist and looked at me. Our eyes locked for what seemed like several minutes and he finally inhaled and nodded.

“I think you’re right.”

“I mean, it isn’t that I don’t love you. I do,” I started to argue.

“As I do you,” he agreed. “But you’re right, this just isn’t working.”

I nodded solemnly. “Do you think counseling would help?” I offered, though knowing in my heart it wouldn’t. Counseling wouldn’t bring back our lost babies. Or the tension brought to our bedroom with every miscarriage. You couldn’t relight a fire under cold embers. No amount of counseling could fix that.

He shrugged, “We could, but I don’t know that it would help.”

“It’s not like we haven’t tried. I mean, we have,” I reasoned.

“We’ve definitely tried.” And we really had. We took a trip to Hawaii in February for our anniversary. After the last miscarriage, in April, Trey made arrangements with a co-worker to borrow his cabin on Lake Michigan for a weekend. We went to New York for a week in June for his mother’s sixtieth birthday. We tried to scale back our work days and we purposely took weekends off with the intentions of spending them together.

All of it was futile, though. When you’re married to a cop, there is no such thing as time off. His cell phone rang non-stop and his hours were always long. If it wasn’t a case occupying his time, it was training or recertifying.

And I wasn’t blameless in the matter, either. My phone was constantly pinging with new emails from work, too. Photographic editors weren’t always as busy as I was, but when your boss was the female version of Hugh Hefner, you didn’t get to ignore emails. Besides, I loved my job with Beguile. We were two workaholics and I didn’t see that changing for either one of us any time soon.

“Maybe if we gave it a little more ti—”

“Babygirl, we’ve been living like roommates for months,” he said. “How long do we really wanna pretend it’s gonna work? Let’s face it, there’s just nothing left anymore.”

I’d spent so much time worrying about how hard he’d fight me on this that I wasn’t really prepared for his acquiescence. Tears I’d spent months shedding in solitude, rushed to my eyes; my face grew hot. I hoped for at least some small argument—something that told me I was wrong—that he did still believe in us and we just needed to work on it some more. His immediate agreement indicated otherwise, and that stung worse than admitting out loud that we had problems.

Ever the peacemaker, he stood and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back as I let the tears spill.

We decided that he would keep our loft on Superior. It was only six blocks from his work and since I worked by the lake, it would make more sense for me to find a new place closer to the office. We’d bought our condo in 2007, when we relocated to Chicago from New York, and we both worked so much that it was mostly just a place to sleep and change clothes between meetings and travel. Trey insisted I stay as long as I needed to, in order to find a decent place. He felt there was no reason to stop being nice just because our marriage failed. I agreed but moved into the guest bedroom that night.

Our attorneys returned and handed us a copy of our divorce papers explaining they’d send us each a notarized copy of the finalized decree sometime in the coming week after the judge signed it.

That was it.

We shook our lawyers’ hands and turned, walking out of the meeting room together.

Giveaway

Nicole By Carrie Thomas ♥ Release Day Blitz

Nicole by Carrie Thomas

Series: Dream Girls #3
Genre: Contemporary Romance/ NA
Publication Date: February 9, 2016

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Nicole Garrett, a self-proclaimed nerd, has had her future planned out for years. Taking chances has never appealed to her on any level, but growing up means adapting to change and accepting that life moves on no matter what. With her best friends, Piper and Stephanie both starting families of their own, Nicole finds herself concentrating harder on her plan to become a doctor, leaving little time for anything else other than working at the local pub to help cover her living expenses. There is nothing worth more to her than making something of herself—unless you count Corey Tate.
Corey Tate isn’t a self-proclaimed anything. He doesn’t care enough. But ask anyone who has ever been around him and they’ll tell you he’s a bad-boy-recluse, who has a somewhat short fuse. He works hard and plays harder. Even though he has no clue what is involved in having an authentic relationship with a woman, Nicole Garrett has him curious enough to consider trying. Having zero experience in relationships proves to be a challenge for him, both mentally and emotionally.
Timing is everything, right? How much time has to pass before the moment is lost? Two years of knowing glances, private talks, and a connection that surprises them both, come to a head when Corey draws a line in the sand. Can these two very different people find their way to a love that can last forever, or will their own flaws ruin what could have been? If Corey and Nicole could get out of their own heads, they might just find out the difference between falling in love and being in love.

The first book in the Dream Girls series is only 0.99 cents! BUY NOW

“Oh my goodness I loved these girls! Carrie’s writing is light, cheerful and fluffy. Yep I said fluffy. You just want to hug the damn book. These three girls will bury themselves in your hearts. I love that all of them are polar opposites.” – Home Is Where the Wine Is Book Blog

“I read this book in 2 days. I could not put it down. I could relate to Piper on an emotional level. The book portrays the struggles of young adults in life and love. The whole series is excellent.” – Amanda Gulley

EXCERPT

“Thanks, Nic. I’ve just—oh my God. You had sex!” She pointed at me with one hand and covered her mouth the other.

”What?” I asked looking to Piper for help.

”I can’t believe you slept with Corey Tate and didn’t tell me!” Corey walked in at exactly the wrong moment. “You!” Steph pointed at him.

”What?” Cored asked, clearly confused.

”You de-flowered my best friend, and you have the ball to act like it’s no big deal?”

Corey looked at me, and I just shook my head and looked down. I was so mortified. Just then, Moye walked back in. I couldn’t believe we were having this conversation. It wasn’t like I was ashamed of it. I just didn’t want everyone discussing my lack of virginity. Or the fact that I’d lost it.

“That just happens to be the best fucking night of my very private life,” Corey said. “So if you don’t mind, for the sake of my embarrassed girlfriend, could we just make this day about you and your baby and not discuss our sex life?”

“Corey! You love her . . .” Steph cried.

“Baby, let’s just go get ready for the shower.” Cole led her out of the kitchen. He mouthed sorry to us as he turned the corner.

“I heard the doorbell. Let’s go let more of your guests in.” Piper was talking to Steph, but looked back to Corey and smiled.

“Damn, that was funny.” Moye laughed. “Sorry, Nic.”

“What’s a day in our lives without my being humiliated?” I turned back toward my task at the counter.

Moye turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving us alone. Corey came up behind me while I was scrubbing the counter. “I think you got it.”

“I don’t know how they knew. I didn’t say anything.” I turned into him.

“Baby, you don’t need to. They are your friends, they can tell. The same way Moye was ragging on me outside about being whipped.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“I don’t like to brag, but you’ve had a perma-smile on your face since that glorious night.” I knew when his eyes became glazed over, he was reminiscing.

“Stop thinking about it!” I hit him on the arm.

“You might as well get that out of your head right now. I will never forget it, and I will most likely think about it every minute of every day.” He tugged me close.

“You are such a pervert! Seriously though, thank you for saving me.” I kissed him.

“Always, Ace. Now let’s get this baby shower over with so we can go home and do what I was just thinking about.”

“I am home.” I giggled.

“In my mind, your home is my home. One of these days, I’ll convince you.”

“I’m sure you will.” I poked his abs.

Carrie Thomas

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Carrie is a wife and a mom who loves reading and sometimes writing stories of her own. It is impossible for her to write a book without a happy ending. Impossible. If you have trouble finding her, that is probably because she is traveling or at a concert. Music plays a very important role in her writing as she finds inspiration for her future characters. She loves romance novels and has too many favorite authors to list just one…but she will–Jay Crownover is one of her favs! She lives in the South with her husband and two boys.

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All This Time By Mel Henry ♥ Release Day Blitz

Book: All This Time

Author: Mel Henry

Genre: Contemporary Romance, General Romance

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All This Time (#3) (Everywhere for a LIMITED TIME, then Amazon only)

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     paperback

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ebook & paperback

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ebook

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paperback

Distance and Time (#1) (EXCLUSIVE to Amazon)

Better in Time (#2) (EXCLUSIVE to Amazon)

Excerpt

My marriage to Trey Foster was over.

“We tried,” I said, breaking the silence.

“We did.” He nodded in agreement, his lips flattening in a slight scowl.

“I’m glad we can stay friends.”

“Me, too,” he agreed.

More silence. I picked at a snag on my skirt and stared at a smudge on the, otherwise shiny, board room table.

“I’m sor—” he began.

I held up my hand and shook my head. “No regrets, Trey. Remember? No regrets, no woulda-coulda-shouldas, no apologies. We agreed.”

Trey and I had talked about our pending divorce for a couple of months and worked out all of the details ahead of time instead of paying our attorneys to create fights where none existed.

“I think it’s over, Trey,” I said softly as I picked at my dinner with my fork.

He looked up at me from over his wine glass, swallowing a mouthful of Riesling. He set the glass down and wiped his mouth. “It?”

“Us. This marriage. You and me. It’s over.”

“I think you’re right.”

“I mean, it isn’t that I don’t love you. I do,” I started to argue.

“As I do you,” he agreed. “But you’re right, this just isn’t working.”

He shrugged, “We could, but I don’t know that it would help.”

“It’s not like we haven’t tried. I mean, we have,” I reasoned.

“Maybe if we gave it a little more ti—”

“Babygirl, we’ve been living like roommates for months,” he said. “How long do we really wanna pretend it’s gonna work? Let’s face it, there’s just nothing left anymore.”

Ever the peacemaker, he stood and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. He wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back as I let the tears spill.

Our attorneys returned and handed us a copy of our divorce papers explaining they’d send us each a notarized copy of the finalized decree sometime in the coming week after the judge signed it.

That was it.

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We shook our lawyers’ hands and turned, walking out of the meeting room together.

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