December 2, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Promo Post Crime thriller/police procedural ‘Dead of Night (DI Tom Mariner series #7)’ by local Birmingham author, Chris Collett

After having the absolute pleasure of meeting Chris Collett at a ‘Meet the Author‘ event at our local library in Tamworth (Staffordshire, UK) in October this year we have been excited about hosting her work for our readers to look at. Chris talked in depth about her journey as a writer and how she came to write a police procedural series based in the city of Birmingham. Just to listen to her, and for the audience to be invited to ask questions in-between her story was brilliant and led to some fantastic conversations. It was like meeting a friend. Tina and myself had a great night, and with my interest in crime novels I simply had to get hold of a copy of Chris’ latest release in the Tom Mariner series, Dead of Night. I am looking forward to reviewing this one in the New Year!

Please scroll down to see an Author Post from Chris on ‘Dead of Night’, an excerpt, Chris’ bio, author and buy links, as well as the blurbs for all first six books of the DI Tom Mariner series!

Caroline ❤

Blurb (Dead of Night #7): When a young woman disappears on her way home from work, Detective Inspector Tom Mariner tackles his most challenging investigation yet!
18-year-old Grace Clifton vanishes on her way home from work in the centre of Birmingham late at night, the case is remarkable in that not a single witness comes forward. The more he has to deal with Grace s wealthy and overbearing father, Council Leader Bob Clifton, the more Tom Mariner is inclined to believe that Grace left of her own accord.
Then the package arrives. It contains Grace s clothes, neatly pressed and laundered. A second woman disappears. And a disturbing pattern begins to emerge.
Still adapting to a new investigation team and struggling to pull its members together, Detective Inspector Mariner is about to tackle one of his strangest, most challenging cases to date.

AUTHOR POST ON ‘DEAD OF NIGHT’ (Chris Collett, Sept ’14, Severn House)

The inspiration for ‘Dead of Night’ came from a number of characters who ‘present themselves’, in the first instance, by air! The Queen Elizabeth, in south Birmingham, is one of the country’s leading military hospitals. For several years now this has meant the regular presence of Chinook helicopters, flying low over the city, bringing in wounded personnel from Afghanistan. Perhaps because of what the Chinooks represent, they seem somehow to be a much more imposing and sinister presence than the more familiar Police surveillance and Air Ambulances, and I quickly found myself very attuned to the distinctive engine sound, louder and deeper than the other aircraft and rather ominous. Each time a Chinook flew over, I couldn’t help imagining the people and drama surrounding its arrival; and from that curiosity emerged Private Craig Lomax and critical care nurse Dee Henderson. At around the same time another recurring scenario had taken up residence in my head; of a small girl waiting outside school at the end of the day for a mum who never appears. That child became Dominique. Finally, the confident and rebellious teenager, striding along Broad Street flicking a defiant cigarette, was Grace Clifton. As the characters emerged, the central narrative that would link them together also began to take shape. In Dead of Night I knew my perpetrator right from the start, but as always, had little idea about where the story would take me before the final revelation.

EXCERPT FROM ‘DEAD OF NIGHT’

Milton Tower was one of three angular blocks that sprouted out of the dingy grey spread of social housing that was the Fen Bridge estate. Bordered by a fringe of scrubby green grass and a collection of undernourished saplings, it was rendered no more attractive at this time of night by the harsh glare of sodium lighting. Mariner had decided long ago that the council planner who’d come up with name had a sense of the ironic. Paradise had been irretrievably lost in this neighbourhood, somewhere down the back of life’s sofa. Parking his car in the only bay that didn’t seem to excessively sparkle with broken glass, he double checked that it was locked before entering the bare, concrete lobby. In the last couple of years efforts had been made to make the flats more appealing. A jacket of insulation and double glazing had been added around the outside, and the lobby in an overly bright salmon pink, smelled primarily of fresh paint. A couple to one side seemed to be surreptitiously waiting for the lift, but then Mariner noticed the considerable age difference between them and the man’s good quality wool overcoat that seemed to indicate that these were not locals. He went over, already anticipating the negotiations for how the situation should be handled. ‘Hello,’ he said. ‘You’re the teachers from St Martin’s?’

The man, as tall and lean as Mariner and with a fulsome head of grey hair, swept back from his forehead, stood straighter, bridling a little. ‘I’m the head teacher, Gordon Rhys,’ he corrected Mariner, keeping his hands firmly in his pockets. ‘And this is my Year Two teacher Sam McBride.’

‘DI Tom Mariner.’ Mariner held up his warrant card for them to see. He couldn’t help noticing the proprietorial ‘my’ and raised an eyebrow at McBride as they shook hands. Blonde and petite with a shapely figure under her parka, Mariner could imagine that the young teacher had to work hard to be taken seriously.

‘I feel terrible,’ she said. ‘I knew there was something not quite right with Dominique, but I just never guessed that this was what it could be.’

‘We don’t know what it is yet.’ Rhys was impatient. ‘The mother could be anywhere. Might be on the Costa del Sol for all we know.’ He was distracted, keeping an anxious eye on his surroundings, and Mariner realised he was nervous about being here.

‘With respect Gordon, I don’t think that’s very likely,’ Sam said. ‘Mrs Batista isn’t like that.’

‘How would we know, Sam? We know hardly anything about her.’

‘I know enough to understand that she’s a committed parent,’ Sam said, firmly.

‘Have you any idea where she works?’ Mariner asked, partly to diffuse what he sensed was a growing tension.

Sam frowned. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever really known, although for some reason I’ve had an impression that it’s somewhere in the city centre. On the odd occasions I’ve tried to talk to Dominique about her mum’s work, she’s completely clammed up. The contact number we have on file is a personal mobile number, but that’s nothing unusual.’

‘Have you tried calling it?’

‘Yes, about half a dozen times,’ said McBride. ‘It just goes straight to voice mail.’

‘It’s probably because the job is cash-in-hand and she’s claiming benefits as well,’ said Rhys. ‘It happens you know,’ he added, as if it were proof.

‘Actually, I don’t think that has anything to do with it.’ McBride said, flushing deeply. ‘When we’ve had school trips Mrs Batista has always paid her contribution, and she’s never asked for-’

Rhys effectively cut her off by ostentatiously checking his watch. ‘Now that you’re here Inspector, do you actually still need me? We’ve contacted social services, and Sam here is the one who knows Dominique. This has take me away from a meeting that’s been in the diary for some months-,‘

‘That’s fine,’ Mariner cut in, annoyed by the skewed priorities. ‘I’m sure we can take it from here.’ He sought confirmation from Sam McBride.

‘All right with me,’ she said.

‘Good, well, I’ll leave you to it. Best of luck,’ said Rhys, with obvious relief, and hurried towards the main door. As an afterthought he turned back from the doorway. ‘You’ll keep me informed Sam?’

‘Of course.’

‘He’s a charmer,’ said Mariner, when Rhys had gone.

‘Sorry about that,’ said Sam. ‘Gordon’s all right really, but he does seem to have a particular down on single parents, and it makes me a bit defensive. My mum raised me as a single parent and it hasn’t done me any harm.’

‘Nor me,’ said Mariner.

‘Oh.’ She looked at him anew.

‘Just because I look old enough to have grown up in black and white, it wasn’t all Kelloggs cornflake families back then.’ She waited for further elaboration. ‘You haven’t a clue what I’m talking about, have you?’

‘Not really,’ she smiled. It was a sweet smile and Mariner could imagine any child warming to her instantly.

Right,’ he said. ‘Let’s crack on, shall we? I don’t think social services are going to show up any time soon, so if we do find that Dominique’s at home alone we’ll need to take her to Granville Lane police station to wait for them there. How does that sound?’

‘Good,’ said Sam. ‘I only hope she doesn’t freak out when she sees me at this time of night.’

‘I can’t imagine she will,’ said Mariner. ‘Okay, let’s get this done. What’s the flat number?’

Neither of them was inclined to trust the lifts, so Sam led the way up the concrete stairwell, to a flat on the fourth floor, their footsteps echoing as they climbed.

‘I’ll be better if you make the first approach,’ Mariner said to Sam as they climbed the stairs, ‘are you okay to do that?’

Sam indicated that she was. They emerged half way along a narrow landing that had two, equally spaced doors on either side. The lighting was dim, and up here the smell of urine had not been entirely successfully glossed over. Flat forty-one was at the end. The small rectangular reinforced glass window in the top half of the door reminded Mariner of the observation panel in the custody cell doors. It had no light behind it. He knocked hard on the wood and they waited, but there was no response. Squatting down, Sam lifted the letterbox flap and peered in, before calling: ‘Dominique, are you in there? It’s Miss McBride. I’ve just come to see if you’re all right.’

‘Can you see anything?’ Mariner asked.

MacBride straightened up again. ‘No, it’s pitch dark. Maybe I’ve got this completely wrong and she isn’t there. Oh God, what if I’ve got you out here for nothing.’

‘It’s fine,’ said Mariner. ‘Better that than she really is in trouble and we do nothing. Why don’t you try again?’

McBride crouched by the letterbox, pushed up the flap and called again. This time, as she did so, her fingers brushed the rough string. ‘Oh, there’s something here.’ Bit by bit she pulled through the string with its key tied to the end.

‘Christ,’ said Mariner. ‘I hope no one else knows about this.’

‘Do we use it?’ said McBride.

‘It saves me having to demonstrate my manliness by breaking down the door,’ Mariner said. ‘You go first and I’ll follow, just in case she’s in there.’

Opening the door they entered the darkened flat, which felt no warmer on the inside than it had been on the outside landing. McBride flicked the light switch but nothing happened.

‘The meter’s run out,’ said Mariner. He took a torch from his inside coat pocket and switched it on, directing it down at the floor to light the way.

‘Dominique?’ Sam called, softly. They progressed carefully along a short hallway, and McBride pushed open the first door they came to on the left. The torch beam bounced around an empty bedroom. A second door, on the right, was a small bathroom, but as she pushed open the door at the head of the passageway, Mariner saw instantly from McBride’s body language that they had found the little girl.

‘Hi Dominique,’ Sam said brightly. ‘It’s Miss McBride. We were a bit worried about you, so I just came to see if you were all right. I’ve brought my friend Tom.’ As Mariner came into the room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness and keeping the torch beam directed away from Dominique, he was in time to see McBride slowly advancing on the little girl who seemed to be frozen to the spot sitting at the end of a sofa. But as McBride cautiously sat down beside her, Dominique flung herself into her teacher’s arms and McBride hugged her close. ‘It’s all right sweetie, you’re safe now,’ she soothed, a crack in her voice. After a moment she said, ‘We came to see mummy too. Is she here?’

And Mariner could just make out the little girl’s whispered reply. ‘I don’t know where she’s gone.’

AUTHOR BIO

Chris Collett grew up in a Norfolk seaside town, before moving to the other side of the country, Liverpool, to train as a teacher for children with learning difficulties. The journey from east to west often involved a stop-off in Birmingham, a place she quickly decided she would never want to live. After graduating the first job she was offered was naturally, in Birmingham. Within a few months she met her husband-to-be, moved to the Bournville Village Trust, within inhaling distance of the Cadbury’s chocolate factory, and she has remained in the city ever since.

Alongside raising two children, Chris has worked for a number of years in schools and local authority services, supporting variously children, young people and adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues. Now a lecturer at a midlands university, Chris teaches undergraduate students on a range of subjects around disability and inclusion, and equality and human rights. The DI Tom Mariner series evolved from a single idea: what would happen if the sole witness to a serious crime had an autism spectrum disorder and was unable to communicate what he had seen? The idea became ‘Worm in the Bud’.

Alongside publishing seven crime novels featuring DI Tom Mariner and several short stories, Chris has taught short courses on crime fiction and is an manuscript assessor for the Crime Writers association.

When not teaching or writing, Chris enjoys walking, racket sports, photography, reading, cinema, theatre and comedy. When asked about her thoughts on her adopted city now, Chris has said: ‘Someone, somewhere, must have had a plan. What better location could there be for a crime detective?’

Website: www.chriscollettcrime

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrimeCrow

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chris-Collett/585943991417531

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=128351834&trk=nav_responsive_tab_profile

BUY LINKS (DEAD OF NIGHT)

AMAZON UK

AMAZON US

As ‘Dead of Night’ is the seventh book of the DI Tom Mariner series we thought it only best to give you the blurbs of the previous six novels of the series. Here they are in chronological order:-

Worm in the Bud (DI Tom Mariner #1): A puncture wound in the arm of a local journalist found dead in his home gives testimony to his death by lethal injection, and the cryptic note by his side—“no more”—suggests suicide. To DI Tom Mariner, however, there is something a little too staged about events, especially given that just that evening Mariner had witnessed the journalist—Edward Barham—pick up a prostitute in a bar. As the police investigate the house further, they discover another witness to the events: Barham’s younger brother, Jamie, is found in a cupboard under the stairs. It seems likely that Jamie witnessed his brother’s death, but his severe autism has left him without the means to communicate. Mariner is determined to build enough of a relationship with Jamie to get to the truth. He supposes that Barham’s death is related to his recent investigations into a local crime lord, but there may also be a hidden factor that only Jamie can reveal.

Blood of the Innocents (DI Tom Mariner #2): When two teenagers go missing on the same day, it appears to be nothing more than a coincidence. Leaving aside their age and disappearance, the two have little in common: Yasmin Akram is the talented, grammar-school-educated daughter of devout Muslim professionals, while Ricky Skeet disappeared after storming out of his tenement following a dispute with his mother’s latest boyfriend. Mariner knows Ricky’s mother from his days in uniform, so he is less than happy when his superiors take him off the Skeet case and reassign him to the more politically sensitive investigation. The press—and his bosses—are convinced that Yasmin’s disappearance is a racially motivated abduction, especially since the Akrams had previously been the target of the far right and a prominent white supremacist group. But Mariner soon discovers that Yasmin is far from the innocent victim her parents paint her to be.

Written in Blood (DI Tom Mariner #3): For the first time in his life, DI Tom Mariner’s home life is beginning to look settled. There’s talk of a move to the country and even kids, and while Anna is doing the talking, for once Mariner isn’t trying to evade commitment. The couple’s quiet holiday season is shattered, though, when an explosion rocks the day of a community carol concert. Tom and Anna are caught up in the aftermath of the event, and it remains unclear if the tragedy is accidental or an act of terrorism. Meanwhile, an unexpected reunion with an old friend thrusts Mariner into the unofficial investigation of a violent double murder to which he is inextricably linked. Mariner finds himself amidst a world of corruption where the boundaries between friend and foe are blurred.

Blood Money (DI Tom Mariner #4): Just when he is prepared to take a well-earned leave of absence, DI Tom Mariner is called back to the case when six-week-old Jessica Klinnemann is abducted from a local day nursery. What at first appears to be a random kidnapping gradually reveals itself to be a meticulously planned operation. The motive remains unclear until Mariner discovers that the baby’s father works for a scientific research company that has long been the target of animal rights activists. A crude note seems to confirm that animal rights protesters were behind the scare, but just when Mariner thinks he’s solved the crime, one of the nursery workers is killed in a hit and run, and the case is blown wide open.

Stalked by Shadows (DI Tom Mariner #5): Lucy Jarrett is terrified. She’s convinced that somebody is watching her, following her home from work, and lurking in shadows. But when she looks, there’s nobody there. The phone calls are real enough, even if the caller never speaks, although they never seem to happen when her husband is at home. She’s struggling to make anybody believe her, but with the recent murder of another young woman, DI Tom Mariner must take Lucy’s fears seriously. However, that’s not all that DI Mariner has to contend with. His team is stretched to the limits when the widow of a former police officer is found brutally murdered in an attack that could hark back to her husband’s past misdemeanors. Someone, it seems, is out for revenge.

Blood and Stone (DI Tom Mariner #6): Grieving the death of his ex-lover Anna Barham, Detective Inspector Tom Mariner has taken two weeks’ leave to recuperate, seeking peace and solitude in a remote corner of Wales. The last thing he imagined was being caught up in a murder investigation – with himself as the prime suspect. But when his walking holiday is interrupted by the discovery of a dead body in the woods, Tom finds the local police taking an inordinate interest in him and the reasons for his presence in the area.
As the body count rises, it becomes clear that there are a number of disturbing secrets being kept behind the closed doors of the ancient stone farmhouses that populate the region – and as those secrets gradually unravel, it turns out that Mariner isn’t the only one to have come to the picturesque Caranwy valley to escape a troubled past.

December 1, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Release Day Future Girls by Catharine Bramkamp

Half face closeup portrait of beautiful blond girl with peachy makeup

Eternal Press is proud to announce the publication of Future Girls!

Title: Future Girls

Author: Catharine Bramkamp

Genre: YA Sci-Fi/Time Travel

Release Date: 1st December 2014

Publishers: Eternal Press

PRESS RELEASE

2145. All work and world negotiations take place in virtual reality, call the Realty Cloud – run and organized by men. Charity Northquest knows that her future is set – marriage at 18, babies and the same struggle over dwindling resources that her mother faces daily.

But there is another way. And Charity accidentally becomes one of the girls the women of the Time Cult send back in time. Charity has only 100 hours in the past to make the right change that will create a better future. Or she will stay in the past forever.

Future Girls is Handmaids Tale meets Back to the Future. The action takes place in the “Past” – The SF Bay Area of 2045. Charity travels from San Francisco as far as San Jose. Her adventure begins in an old pub named the Duck and Screw.

SYNOPSIS

On October 10, 2145, 18 year old Charity Northquest’s whole future is ahead of her – and the future sucks.

On October 11, 2145, she unexpectedly has a chance to fix it.

When Charity’s best friend is reported killed, but then re- appears the next day as an old woman, everything Charity has been taught is called into question. Even if she doesn’t believe in time travel, she has little choice but to trust and take the leap.The ill-prepared Charity is flung back to the mysterious and captivating 21st century where her single purpose of changing the future is clouded with the increasingly more urgent question, can she survive the past? here her single purpose of changing the future fades with the increasingly more urgent question, can she survive the past?

REVIEW QUOTES

“Charity is achingly believable. I liked her spunk. Future Girls

was freaky, sad, terrifying, depressing, and captivating as hell.”

– Beth Barany author of Henrietta The Dragon Slayer and Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas

“Wow, Catharine! Great story. I think you have a winner.”

– Carol Collier author of Bohor and An Appalachian Summer

EXCERPT

Charity slipped into room 509 and closed the door quietly behind her.

For a minute she thought the old woman was already dead. The TV was turned up, the Preacher bellowing about the sanctity of marriage and the exalted position of Mothers in the Kingdom of the True God. After they were dead.

“It’s Charity,” she kept her voice as low as she could. “Now tell me what you know about Mirabella.”

The woman smiled. “You’re getting feisty, that’s good.”

“Oh stop. Just tell me.” Charity’s urgency propelled her to the edge of the bed and she unconsciously picked up the woman’s good hand. It was blue veined and thin. The skin felt like the soft paper of an old book.

“Okay, Go. The old university is the easiest place. And go change this.” She rolled her eyes to indicate the whole the room, maybe the whole of the city. “We don’t have to live like prisoners, we don’t have to just be mothers.”

“But we’re protected, we’re safe, we have peace.” Charity automatically protested.

“Safe. Prisoners. Same.” The woman dismissed Charity’s reflexive response. “Just go. I know this is hard and you don’t understand. We aren’t told anything at all, never will, by the way, and there isn’t much time. You remember Hannah Vandermere? She did okay. I haven’t heard about Mary or Honesty. But you need to go back. You’ve read books, you’ll be able to cope. Just try to get to the 21st century, not far. The 19th isn’t where the change is.”

“What are you talking about?” Charity glanced back towards the hall, but it was still empty.

The woman closed her eyes. “Please, for me. For Mirabella, if you will. Go.”

A tingling ran up and down her arms and spread over her whole body. Go where? What did the old woman mean? She glanced back at the sleeping woman and almost shook her awake. But in the space of a heartbeat, the old woman’s breathing had stopped.

FROM THE AUTHOR

I agree with Madeleine L’Engle, “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.”

I had been writing adult mystery novels and self-help for writers. The Real Estate Diva Mystery series is doing well but sometimes you don’t know where your mind will take you. I started Future Girls during NaNoWriMo and began with the small idea: what if the future sucked? And what if you could change it? I love the film Back to the Future that was part of the inspiration for Future Girls.

I also love books with strong female heroines. When I was a young adult reader, books with a kick ass heroine were more difficult to find than they are today, that’s probably whey they are so cherished. The not to subtle message of Future Girls is you can change the future, and it doesn’t need to be a big war, or a small dragon. Change can come from inserting a different idea, showing one person a different way to see things. In the Future Girls series, women work to change the future, because historically women often have much more to change, we have more at risk. It is said that children are our future, but that attitude seems too passive for me, at the very least, too passive for a novel.

I started this book two years ago as a NaNoWriMo project and met the publishers for Damnation and Eternal Press at a local book festival. I glanced down at their book display and said, hey, I think my book would fit into your collection. I sent them Future Girls and they accepted it. Publishing with a small publisher is great, but it is a slower process if you are accustomed to publishing your own work. But in the end I was quite happy with the results.

The second book in the Future Girls series is Future Gold, set in the Gold Country in 1861. And I am working on the third book, Future Run, a weird Mad Max- like road trip across the western states.

AUTHOR BIO

Catharine Bramkamp is a writing coach and podcaster specializing in Newbie Writers. She is the author of hundreds of articles and a dozen books including The Real Estate Diva Mystery series, two essays in the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies, Don’t Write Like You Talk and the poetry collection, Ammonia Sunrise.

She holds two degrees in English, and is an adjunct university professor of English and writing.

She lives with her husband, Andrew Hutchins in Sonoma County and Nevada County, California.

E-mail: bramkamp@yahoo.com

PURCHASE LINKS

Amazon UK

Amazon US

November 30, 2014 by Caroline Barker

Promo Post Lion by B.B. Sorores

Author: B.B. Sorores

Title: Lion

Genre: New Adult Paranormal/Shapeshifter

Release Date: October 2014

Publishers: Secret Cravings Publishers

Length: 78,363 words

Blurb: The City is everything Adam Reid could possibly have hoped for – power and potential. And his scholarship to the prestigious Harton University is his ticket to it all. A chance for a fresh start. A chance to hide from his dark past.
But the City has secrets and its doors only open if you know the right people. People like Jack, Adam’s new louder-than-life room mate, and Lia, who yearns for a soul uncorrupted by the City.
Then Castalia Vallas stalks her way into Adam’s life. Intoxicated by the seductive professor, Adam learns to confront and control the desire he dares not speak of.
But who is the hunter and who is the prey?

Excerpt One

“Stop!” he cried. And the night fell silent. He blinked. The eyes were gone. The zoo quiet. The enclosure black.

He turned and hurried up the path. Weird. What the hell kind of zoo was this? He paused on the pathway and looked back again, one more time. He saw a figure, crouched in front of the enclosure. He stopped. Great, had they been there the whole time, watching him freak out? Shit, he’d better say something, try and make out like he wasn’t being a dick.

“Hey, um. Hi!” he called.

The figure didn’t move. He could hardly see in the dark now, like the park lights had grown even dimmer. He could tell it was a woman, definitely a woman. Going by her profile, what a woman.

“Hello?” he called again, taking a step back down the path.

She stood, running her hand down the pane of glass. The light cast a dim glow over her body. She wore a gold dress, low cut. Adam could just see the rise of her breasts, the curve of her hip, the line of her long legs. He took another step, wanting to see more, but then stopped. There was something about her, something strange, something that made him feel like he shouldn’t get close. But something also drew him in, like walking into some unknown, unnamable danger, but finding it irresistible all the same.

“Can—are—hello?” God, he couldn’t even form words. What the hell was he doing?

“Stop,” said the woman. She held up her hand to him. Adam stopped, frozen to the spot.

“Go back, Adam,” she said.

“Do…do I know you?” he asked, straining his eyes to try and see her better. How the hell did she know his name? Had she been at the barbecue? Did she know Lia?

“Just turn around and go back.”

“But…” But what? But I want to see you, properly, because you look incredible from here and I bet you look even better up close. God, what a loser.

No way. If this woman knew his name, didn’t he have a right at least to know hers? To see her? He walked forward.

“I said stop, Adam.”

But he kept walking, a strange drive compelling him forward. He wanted to drink in that body, find out who on earth this woman was.

Then the rumbling started, pulsing up from the ground, it growled through his legs, stopping him mid-stride. His legs turned to jelly. His knees buckled under him. The noise rippled through his whole body, stunning him. He closed his eyes and held his head. Stop, please stop. He hunkered down, curled up in a ball, wishing it away. Then, as quickly as it started, the growl stopped. He opened his eyes. Everything still and black. He was alone.

Excerpt Two

Sweat trickled down him now. Hot, so hot. It seemed, with every breath he took, the heat intensified. He thought back to that day in the woods, his last day hunting. The animal heat of it, building up around him.

He was back there now, but this time with her. He lay on the patch of long soft grass looking up at a dark moon lit sky. The trees dipped their branches low, nearly brushing the ground. The sound of cicadas buzzed thick in the air. The babbling pool nearby. He heard a rustle in front of him. He propped himself up on his elbows and watched as she crawled toward him along the soft grass floor, her smile curling, teasing him. He leaned back as she got close and closed his eyes. He felt her move around him, then close in, her breath hot against him.

She let out a mock growl as she took his shirt buttons in her mouth and ripped them off, spitting each one to the ground. He opened his eyes. She stood above him now, looking down, her hair cascading around her face. She smiled, then stepped back, faint glints from the starlight catching the gold of her dress. Then she undressed, slowly, languidly and just stood there. He tried to move, to get closer, to see her, but he couldn’t. She shimmered, backing away. He could only just make out patches of her golden skin. A slice of her long thigh, a tantalizing hint of what lay between her legs.

She came close again. Her eyes were pools of black, watching him, wanting him, drinking him in. She leaned down and he saw her lips, red and glossy, asking for him, pleading for him. She lay down beside him and the heat of the woods pulsated all around them, matching their heartbeats, their sweat mingling, their mouths tasting each other’s salt. He kissed her face, her neck, the rise of her breasts.

This was too much to hold in. He wanted her, to gorge on her, to feed on every wondrous piece of her. The surge built up inside him, growing, like a living snarling thing. A thing that swelled and grew until he couldn’t hold it any more. He wanted to bite into her flesh, devour every last bit of her. With a force he didn’t know he possessed he lunged forward, an ancient, guttural scream escaping from his lips. His arms wrapped around warm flesh and then—nothing.

Author bio

I live in a little house near the sea with a temperamental black cat and my shaggy loveliness of a husband. I love all things glam, especially pin-up girl dresses and great shoes. Sparkly shiny things bring me great joy and delight. I relish munching into a fat juicy steak or a succulent roast chicken. I love Christmas, especially putting up the tree laden with twinkly things and sitting beside it after dark when it’s all lit up. I like lots of art on walls and ornaments and plush rugs and big soft pillows. I like the sky when it brings bright bold colours and sunny days so I can go for long walks and breathe in the fresh air. When I write, I like to have a favourite cocktail close to hand. For me, each book requires its own special cocktail to match it. For Lion, I chose the gimlet. The mix of gin with tangy lime, and a sugar and salt mixed rim made a perfect match for the sweet and sour mood throughout the book.

Author contact links

www.bbsorores.com

bb@bbsorores.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/BB-Sorores/627194844068333?fref=ts

Buy links

Amazon US

AMAZON UK

Barnes&Noble

Book Strand

All Romance Ebooks

Kobo

Secret Cravings Publishing

November 30, 2014 by Tina Williams

RELEASE BLITZ ~ Hardened Desire, by Layna Pimentel (includes excerpt)

A Paranormal Erotic Romance

18+/Adult Read

BLURB

What could Luc Mercier, a gargoyle who’s more than a century old, possibly have in common with modern introvert, Gillian Harris? Loneliness and isolation.

When meddlesome friends bring the two together, neither is prepared for the flurry of emotions nor revelations that overwhelm them. That is, until Gillian stumbles across the truth and struggles with how she let her guard down.

Learning to love again has never been harder.

EXCERPT

Luc picked up a newspaper from the stand and tossed a two-dollar coin to the elderly man working the counter. He ascended the cavernous stairs of Bloor and Dufferin subway station, irritated by the lights flickering intensely. I should have just taken my car.

But if he did, Luc would have missed an opportunity to observe society other than from the café he frequented lately. A society he didn’t belong in, technically speaking, and had no business being a part of. Long gone were the muddy, off-beaten roads of provincial France. Long gone was the time when an over-flowing bodice was considered scandalous.

Now people thrived on exposing as much skin as possible. The modern day sentiment of what was attractive and acceptable embarrassed him to the core, from the mode of dress to the inappropriate use of language. Didn’t anyone know how to speak without using an expletive every other word? Where had humanity gone wrong? It was ghastly enough that children didn’t respect their elders, much less their parents.

Nevertheless, as much as this modern world perplexed him, nothing could deter him from at least enjoying his freedom, regardless of the limitations restricting his activities to the darkness of the night.

He did, however, miss the ambiance of candle light and the soft cries while seducing a woman, tormenting her with his wicked tongue. Exploring deviant, but heavenly, practices of binding and mixing pleasure with pain. Sweet promises falling from his lips while exploring every inch of her delicate and exquisite flesh.

These days, the few women he was able to enjoy weren’t interested in highly sensual liaisons. No. Today’s women thrived on being in control of seduction, whether they were proficient or not. There certainly wasn’t anything wrong with the scenario, but it wasn’t his taste. He preferred his women soft, like Genevieve…his sweet, sweet Genevieve.

No matter how many decades passed, the only woman he’d ever confided in, and planned to wed, crept into his mind many a time. Genevieve was an old soul, who found him and fell in love. Then, much like a Greek tragedy, their story ended woefully. The trust and courage it had taken to confess to Genevieve of the monstrosity he had become left him restless and, for once in his miserable existence, vulnerable. If not for her kindness, encouragement, and love, who knew what he would be doing and where.

This last week, though, he thought to explore the possibility of trying again. A particular woman, who frequented the café where he spent his early evenings drinking a brandy and reading The Daily Sun, had caught his particular interest. Her laughter aroused his curiosity in the few and far between moments when he contemplated actually living life. Her voice, whether chuckling or whispering to her friend, always made his body react in an animalistic way.

While they had never met, she seemed like someone he’d be interested in getting to know, at the very least, for a little while. Luc doubted very much he’d find another woman like the love of his life and often thought it would be better that way. How could he even begin to explain why he only ever spent time with her at night, and why he’d always be gone before the first sign of daybreak?

WHERE TO BUY

Amazon (U.S): Amazon (CA): Amazon (U.K):

Barnes & Noble:

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BIOGRAPHY

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Layna discovered her love of reading at an early age. When she isn’t devouring salacious romance novels or writing, she enjoys losing herself in researching ancient history and mythology, weaponry, and hiking. She lives in Northern Ontario, with her husband and two daughters.

Layna is a member of the Romance Writers of America, and is a monthly contributor at 69 Shades of Smut. For updates on her upcoming releases, or to leave her a comment, you can find at:

Website: http://www.laynapimentel.com

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LaynaPimentel

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaynaPimentel

November 29, 2014 by Tina Williams

REVIEW ~ Mist Unveiled (Elemental Desire, Book 1), by Nancy Corrigan

Sizzling and Emotional!

Erotic Paranormal Romance (18+/adult read)

Book Blurb

Cat has one love in her life—science. Facts rule her, not passion. At least it doesn’t until an unknown deadly virus claims her sister’s life. Cat’s quest for answers takes her to Greenland and drops her into the arms of the one man who sways her devotion from logic to passion. Rune stirs her lusts, ignites her desires and fuels her carnal cravings, but he isn’t simply a lover, nor is he human. He’s a weapon, one that has the potential to save or destroy her.

Rune, a child of the mist, awakens into a world hovering on the verge of destruction. Rising temperatures have released his enemies from their frozen prison without his knowledge. He searches for them but finds Cat, a human with the power to save him and the world. He hungers for her—blood, body and soul. Every moment of shared passion convinces him of the truth—she’s his greatest treasure, one he’ll die to keep.

My Review

Sizzling and Emotional!

Erotic Paranormal Romance (18+/Adult Read)

I never knew that the end of the world could be so, well, damned sexy! Author Nancy Corrigan has not only done her homework on Ragnarok, but given it a fresh twist in her release of Mist Unveiled, book 1 in her new series, Elemental Desire. This novel just sizzles and could well ignite your reading device as well as your panties!

Awakened from their long slumber, Wardens and children of the mist, brothers Rune and Jaron, face an unfamiliar modern world. The evil eldjotnar, the fire demons, have escaped their icy prison, due to global warming and are busy wreaking havoc and destruction on the human population.

Scientist Cat travels to Greenland in an attempt to locate the source of a new and potentially terrifying virus which killed her sister. It is there that she literally collides with Rune, unleashing an immediate and unexpected passion (cue many, many scrumptious and smexy scenes)! However, danger threatens. As Rune strives to protect this woman who he desires like no other, Cat struggles to accept Rune for what he is, an immortal creature who requires blood to survive. Her rational and scientific mind also prompts her to try to find out more about the virus and her sister’s death and in doing so she unearths a number of secrets that appear to be coming more and more personal…

I just ADORE reads where the hero and heroine are unexpectedly brought together by blinding passion and then have to face their fears and work through their differences – and the differences between Cat and Rune are a source of conflict throughout. Rune is an alpha male through and through and, as a creature of the mist, he has many magical and mystical qualities. He has the reputation amongst his peers for being emotionally cold towards women, until he meets Cat that is, who excites him and ignites his passion like no other. Cat is a woman who has embraced the logic of modern science over the belief in myth and legends, and has no time for love. The scenes between them are downright hot and sublimely erotic and I enjoyed immersing myself in their physical and emotional journey as they grappled with discovering and accepting each other, as well as combatting the increasing danger that Cat in particular finds herself in.

Although the main focus of the read is on the main couple, Cat and Rune, a number of other key characters are introduced, all with intriguing personalities, who could feature in future books in the series. The plot is fast paced and the scenes describing the power and magical abilities that the characters wield in the book are extremely well done and I really enjoyed the pictures that the words painted in my head.

Nancy Corrigan writes smexy and imaginative lovemaking scenes, laced with passion and emotion. If you are looking for a new erotic paranormal romance fix, you will love Mist Unveiled.

A copy of this book was given to me by the author for the purpose of a fair and honest review.

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Buy Links

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November 28, 2014 by Caroline Barker

SPOTLIGHT with Giveaway Shrink Rapt by Freda Hansburg

Shrink Rapt

By Freda Hansburg

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Blurb: A little hypnosis can be a dangerous thing.

Psychologist April Simon reaches that conclusion when four of her most unstable patients begin to violently unravel following the murder of their psychiatrist, Lowell Morgenstern, April’s arrogant department chairman. She suspects it’s no coincidence that all four were subjects in his research project.

As April tries to undo Morgenstern’s mayhem, she finds her colleagues turning resentful, her career on the line, and the chairman’s killer closing in. Who can she trust? Maybe Sam Perone, the attractive, cynical detective who seeks her help in solving Morgenstern’s murder – that is, when he’s not treating her as a suspect.

Author Bio

Freda Hansburg is a psychologist who lives with her husband in New Jersey. She is the co-author of the self-help books PeopleSmart and Working PeopleSmart. Shrink Rapt is her first novel.

Purchase on Amazon: http://amzn.to/14wUQ5l

https://twitter.com/FredaHansburg

https://www.facebook.com/poospress

http://fredahansburg.com/

Freda Hansburg is giving away one signed paperback of Shrink Rapt!

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November 27, 2014 by Tina Williams

Review ~ Apartment 2B, by K. Webster

A Magical Mix of Love, Healing and Redemption

New Adult Contemporary Paranormal Romance

18+/Adult Read

Book Blurb

Sidney has a rough life. Her mom is incredibly abusive both mentally and physically. One day, she’s awarded the escape she’s always wanted and thrust into a world she barely understands. Each day is a struggle to feel human and not terrified of everything around her.

Sidney has rules. Routines. Structure. It’s the only way she can cope

When a handsome, yet mysterious stranger inserts himself into her life, Sidney begins to come apart at the seams. She’s having trouble sticking to her habits and it’s threatening to shred any hope of a normal life to pieces. Will this stranger help her in ways no other person can, or will things get worse for her?

He comes with his own set of problems and secrets he’s unwilling to share. Will they work together through the mess of their pasts or will they get caught up enabling each other? Will their toxic relationship ultimately be destined for demise?

My Review

I so loved this book, which I found to be such an absorbing, romantic and original read! Apartment 2B chronicles the heroine’s journey from abject cruelty and unimaginable abuse to healing and true love, drawing me in right from the start. It also has a brilliant plot twist to it, which is expertly done and took me completely by surprise!

The abuse that Sidney undergoes at the hands of her own mother is truly horrific and has left her physically and emotionally scarred. I applauded her as she seeks to make a life for herself after her mother’s unexpected death. She has serious issues to contend with arising from her abuse, but is fortunate to find a friend in Tina, a counsellor, who gives her valuable support. The rules and routines that she adopts to cope with life are truly heart breaking. Yet the day she meets a handsome and mysterious young man living in the apartment next to her, her life changes forever…….

The hero Liam is also a conflicted character. They are mutually drawn to each other and he respects Sidney’s physical boundaries that she has put in place. Their relationship and budding romance is sweet, erotic and touching and he is very protective of her. Yet there is a sense to the reader that there is more to Liam than meets the eye and he is unwilling to volunteer what appears to be tearing him apart. I was absolutely gobsmacked when his secrets were revealed and the direction this book took – the plot twist is really something special!

Sidney is fragile – can she cope with what is revealed? I feared for her throughout the book but was more than satisfied with the outcome. If you are intrigued you will have to read Room 2B and see for yourself. I will say though that I found this to be one of the most beguiling and original reads this year.

If you believe in fate, the magic of love and redemption you will love this book too!

Reviewed by Tina Williams

Purchase Links

Amazon US Amazon UK

Connect with the Author

https://www.facebook.com/authorkwebster

November 26, 2014 by Tina Williams

COVER REVEAL ~ Noah and Me, by Beckie Stevenson (includes excerpt and giveaway)

Contemporary Romance Cover Reveal

A BIG welcome today to Beckie Stevenson’s forthcoming release Noah and Me! Check out the super cover and read an excerpt (it’s one of the most intriguing excerpts I have read this year!) There is also a super giveaway where you could win an ARC of the book. Tina 🙂

RELEASE DATE: 15th December 2014

“So you fix broken hearts, do you?” I ask. “Seems a little ironic.”

Noah Carter is one of the best cardiothoracic doctors in the country. He’s incredibly intelligent, funny, kind and he’s a beast in the bedroom. He has scars that drizzle down his chest and painful memories of an unforgettable night that plague his every waking hour.

Seven years ago, Noah stumbled upon me at the side of a grave and saved me in one of the most compassionate ways another human being can save another. I will always love him for that. Always.

He loved me in a way that no man has ever loved me since, and I gave him everything. I gave him it all until my secrets and lies tore us apart, forcing me to shatter his heart into a thousand little pieces.

Seven years ago he loved me, but now he hates me. And I hate that he hates me. Leaving Noah is my biggest regret in life – and I have a lot of things that I regret. A lot.

I’m Ariel Miller and this is the story of Noah and Me.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23384124-noah-and-me

EXCERPT:

I glance around the corner of the small building and spot a woman who isn’t dressed like a smart teacher. She’s wearing white stilettoes and a tiny little black dress that just about covers her backside. Her breasts, which are definitely fake, protrude out from the scoop neckline of the dress. Her chocolate-coloured hair is poker straight and falls to her shoulder blades. I hear her giggling. I see her hand shoot out to touch a glistening, tanned and extremely toned forearm.

“That’s Candy,” whispers Ben.

“What does she do?” I ask. She arches her back and pushes her breasts out even further than they were before.

“She’s a Lawyer,” he tells me. “They call her the black widow.”

I glance at Ben and realise he’s not joking. I look back at Candy and hear her giggle again, watching as she flicks her hair over her shoulder. “Does she eat men after she’s slept with them?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “She eats them after she’s done with them in court instead.”

More like she hypnotises them with her breasts and hair flicking, I think. “I see,” I say.

“Her tongue is evil,” he says before adding, “and not in a good way.”

I grin at him.

“Anyway,” he says, pulling on my elbow, “we should go and say hello to the birthday boy.”

I take a step forward and then the earth stops moving as all of the blood in my body rushes to my ears. I can hear the beat of my own heart as it bangs against my chest. The birthday boy’s blue eyes collide with mine and they’re slowly turning to hard stone in front of me. He steps away from the wall, roughly pushing Candy off him, and marches towards me.

I can’t take my eyes off him. How can someone who is beyond beautiful look so ugly at the same time? His light brown hair is styled perfectly on his head as if he’s just got out of bed. Or maybe he has, if Candy’s performance was anything to go by. His pale, crystal-blue eyes display nothing of the thoughts that I have no doubt are obviously running through his mind. He’s wearing a dark grey shirt and black trousers. Even with his clothes on, I can tell that there’s a wall of pure muscle hiding underneath them. I see a faint smattering of chest hair poking out from the top of his shirt where his top button is undone. His face is tanned and freshly shaven.

“You!” he says, his deep voice wrapping around me like a warm blanket. His gaze shifts to my neck like lightning. His eyes linger for a fraction of a second on my necklace and I see a hint of astonishment flash across his face. Then it’s gone, replaced by the cold, screwed-up face that he had before.

I open my mouth but nothing comes out. Every single hair on my skin stands on end as his angry breath washes over my face. Air leaves my lungs and doesn’t come back in. How the fuck is he here? Of all the places in the entire world, how is he here?

I finally realise he’s still towering over me, looking as if he wants to strangle me. I take a deep breath. I can’t do this.

“Erm, do you two know each other?” asks Ben.

Ignoring Ben, I continue to stare at him. He stares at me. What could we possibly say to each other that would make any of it okay? I can’t be here. I can’t be near him. I need to leave.

“No,” he hisses, as his eyes trail all over me.

Liar.

“I don’t know who this girl is,” he says.

I know it’s wrong to feel hurt that he called me a girl, but I do. I don’t want him looking at me like that either. Not when I feel so shitty about what I’m wearing. I wish I could cover myself up, but I don’t have enough clothes on to even start.

Ben blinks, looking confused. “Noah, this is Ariel. Ariel, this is the birthday boy, Noah.”

This isn’t Noah. This is a stranger that doesn’t know me anymore.

“I’m going,” I announce, tearing my gaze away from Noah. I look at Ben and feel myself beginning to panic. “Erm, I have to go.”

“You have to?” Ben questions.

I nod quickly and start to back away from them. “I have to go. Right now. I have a horrible headache. Here,” I say, pushing my glass into Ben’s hand, “take this. And I’m sorry.”

“Ariel,” Ben calls as I turn to leave.

“Let her go,” Noah says. “She wasn’t invited and she’s not welcome.”

AUTHOR BIO:

Beckie’s real name is Rebecca, but she get’s called (and answers to) any of the following…Beckie, Bek, Becca, Rebecca, Pip, Pippy or Stevo. Beckie is the author of ‘Sorrow Woods,’ the ‘Existing’ series and ‘Noah and Me.’

She is due to publish more YA and NA novels in 2015/16.

She lives in Staffordshire, England, with her partner and two children. Beckie likes putting music on in the house and dancing around like a mad woman. When she isn’t playing with her children, doing housework, dancing around the house like a mad woman, walking, cycling reading or writing, then she can be found working in an investment bank. Or sleeping.

You can find Beckie here…

Twitter: @BeckieStevenson

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeckieStevensonAuthor

Instagram: BeckieStevo

Blog: http://beckiestevenson.blogspot.co.uk

GIVEAWAY:

Enter the super giveaway where 3 ARCs of Noah and Me and some bookmarks are up for grabs!

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COVER REVEAL HOSTED BY:

November 26, 2014 by Tina Williams

99c Blitz ~ Bloodgifted (The Dantonville series book 1), by Tima Maria Lacoba

Bloodgifted Being unable to age is only the beginning …

Laura Dantonville is shocked to learn her strange genetic mutation,
is linked to a dark family secret—a centuries-old curse that turned her Roman ancestor into a vampire. Now that she has come of age, she is the key to breaking that curse. But she’s also the prey of rogue vampires who inhabit the city’s frightening and violent underworld, as her blood gives them the ability to daywalk. For her protection she’s assigned a guardian—the handsome, sexy and dangerous Alec Munro.

Former military doctor and current leader of the Brethren, Alec Munro has no intention of being responsible for Laura. After all, it was her damned family who was response ble for his untimely death and subsequent transformation. He owes them nothing, yet he also knows his own fated role in breaking the curse, and the unthinkable consequences should he not accept.

To the Brethren, the ending of the curse spells disaster. Among a powerful few malice grows…

Buy on: Amazon US Amazon UK

I’m a fifty-something-young woman who lives on the Central Coast, an hour’s drive north of Sydney in Australia. My little house is surrounded by bushland, possums and seed-dropping Rosellas on one side, and waterways on the other. I moved out of the big city a few years ago, and the only thing I miss about it are the quaint shops and cafes. But I’ve gained fresh air and a home with front and backyards–with a garden swing–and wooded hillside views.

Before becoming a writer, I was a practicing archaeologist, and was fortunate enough to have worked on some amazing digs around the world. After several years in the field I was drawn to teaching and ended up as Head of History in a local high school. While there I took the opportunity to take my students overseas to visit various archaeological sites in Europe and Britain. It was a fabulous way to combine my love of history with travel, and share it with others. On one tour, in Italy, I managed to indulge my other passion – gelato ice cream. We renamed it The Gelato Crawl of Italy!

I’ve always been a storyteller, but it wasn’t until five years ago that I seriously ventured into writing. The result was Bloodgifted. In 2011 it was shortlisted in the Atlas Award and came fourth. In 2012 it was listed among the top ten in the Choclit Search for an Aussie Star Competition. In 2013, I was offered a publishing contract but declined in favour of going indie. I liked the idea of being in charge of my own creation.

Bloodgifted is just the start of a four-part series I’ve entitled, The Dantonville Legacy. Book 2, Bloodpledge, was released four months ago, and Book 3, Blood Vault, is due for release June 2015. Later I intend writing individual books on the other characters in the series, for they all have their own story.

Visit Tima Maria Lacoba Around the Web:

Twitter|Facebook|Amazon|Website

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November 25, 2014 by Caroline Barker

RELEASE BLITZ with Giveaway Snare (Delirious #1) by Clarissa Wild

Title: SNARE (Delirious, #1)

Author: Clarissa Wild

Release Date: November 25, 2014

Genre: Dark Romance

Blurb

His secrets will destroy her.

Taken.

Humiliated.

Used.

With his smart mouth, dirty talking, and possessive behavior, Sebastian Brand has me hooked in the most shameless way. I’m obsessed with him. However, now that I’ve escaped the mental hospital, he seeks to control my every move.

The overwhelming aloofness in his attitude and the darkness in his mind tells me there is more to this man than sheer dominance. Depravity is his playground and pain is a necessary evil.

Keeping me away was his first instinct.

Capturing me was his second.

Claimed by a man with the exterior of an angel and the mind of a brute, I will do anything to unveil his secrets and face my own demons.

A body in exchange for freedom. A heart in exchange for truth.

Life is never a given. Only a certain death.

This is Volume 1 in the Delirious Series, which contains 3 volumes and a prequel. This book is a full-length novel. These books should be read in order.

WARNING: This book contains very disturbing situations, strong language, drugs and alcohol, dubious consent, and graphic violence. Contains a cliffhanger that will make your eyes pop.

SNARE (Delirious, #1)

SEEK (Delirious, #0.5) – FREE!

PRE ORDER SEIZE (Delirious, #2) for $2.99 (Will go up to $3.99 on Release Day)

AMAZON | iBOOKS | B&N | KOBO | GOOGLE PLAY

About the Author

Clarissa Wild is the USA Today Bestselling author of FIERCE, a college romance series, but she’s best known for the dark Romance novel Mr. X. She is also a writer of erotic romance such as the Blissful Series, The Billionaire’s Bet series, the Doing It Series and the Enflamed Series. She is an avid reader and writer of sexy stories about hot men and feisty women. Her other loves include her furry cat friend and learning about different cultures. In her free time she enjoys watching all sorts of movies, reading tons of books and cooking her favorite meals.

Check out my sexy books: http://smarturl.it/clarissawildbooks

Giveaway

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