Super Book Blast: Naked Choke by Vanessa Dare

Naked Choke

by Vanessa Dare

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Trapped at the bar during her best friend's engagement party, Emory finds herself with Mr. Dud and his obnoxious pick-up lines. That is, until sexy Grayson Green steps in to rescue her. She's been out of the game so long that she's practically a dating virgin. With her son off to college and her husband now an ex, Emory is learning how to be not a wife, not a mom, but a single woman. What she doesn't anticipate is falling—hard and fast—for a dominate, alpha male.

Grayson Green's an MMA champion, used to working hard and playing harder. He spent years in the limelight where fast times and fast women were easy to come by. Women just want to screw him and men want to be friends with the infamous Green Machine. The appeal is gone and he steps out of the ring to make some changes and get control of his life. He runs his own gym and is a trainer for the next champ. All the training in the world can't save him from the one-two punch of meeting Emory. She's different. She has no idea who he is...and she wants him anyway. She's everything he never knew he ever wanted and he's going to do whatever it takes to keep her.

Gray convinces Emory that there are no games with him, that he wants to take care of her, protect her, and pleasure her until she can't see straight. But not everything from his past are championship belts and sponsorship deals. He'll have to protect her from the one thing he can't control. Gray will do anything to keep Emory because he knows that winning in the cage is nothing compared to winning her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“Which one is he?” He popped the lid on his drink.

One team wore black-and-white striped T-shirts like a bunch of convicts, the other wore dark green ones with a yellow collar. As I scanned the men, I realized Faith would have enjoyed this. Watching sweaty, fit men run around and tackle each other, showing off their caveman qualities would spike any woman’s libido. When I finally glimpsed Gray on the field, my heart stuttered. The other night wasn’t a fluke. He did something to me. This guy, why this guy? Was I insane? There was one way to find out.

“There.” I pointed.

“The blond?”

I shook my head, took a sip of soda to cool myself down. Gray looked…God, amazing. Manly. He was wearing one of the ridiculous convict shirts, the neckline stretched out by someone’s rough grab. Sweat dripped down his forehead and he had a streak of dirt on his arm that blended in with the tattoo. With his arm exposed, I could see it was large enough to creep up his forearm and over his biceps. Although he was dark complected and tan, it stood out in stark contrast. I hadn’t been wild about tattoos in general before, but on Gray…it totally melted my butter. I had to wonder if he had any others, and if so, where?

“No, the one with the dark close-cropped hair.”

Simon looked where I pointed, his brows going up. “Holy shit, Em. That’s the guy?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Vanessa Dare does it all: Urban contemporary to time traveling to Scotland and everything in between. Her bestselling alter ego, Vanessa Vale, sticks with steamy Wild West romps.

Vanessa loves to hear from fans. She is on:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008430166353

https://www.facebook.com/vanessavaleauthor/

@iamvanessavale

Join my mailing list: http://vanessavaleauthor.com/v/y

Buy Link:

https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/naked-choke/id1065552198?mt=11&at=1001l8P9

http://www.amazon.com/Vanessa-Dare/e/B016YKNBYG

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Vanessa will be awarding a ebook copy of <i>Naked Choke</i> to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a ebook copy of any Vanessa Vale/Vanessa Dare book to a randomly drawn host.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Book Blast and Giveaway: Pretty When You Cry by Skye Warren

Pretty When You Cry

by Skye Warren

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Dark Romance

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

I came from a place of dirt floors and holy scriptures. They told me the world outside is full of sin, and the first night I escape, I know it’s true. Ivan saves me, but he does more than that. He takes me. He makes me his own girl.

My conditioning runs too deep. Ivan sees what I am.

That’s the thing about showing a mouse to a cat. He wants to play. And it’s terrifying, even for me. Because the only thing darker than my past is his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

So far a city looks exactly how I thought it would—gutted buildings and dark alleys.

A den of wickedness.

This morning I woke up on my floor mat in Harmony Hills. Sunlight streamed through the window while dust rose up to meet it. The white walls somehow kept their color despite rough dirt floors.

A desperate trek through the woods and a series of bus rides later, I made it to a city. This city. Tanglewood. It could have been anywhere. They’re all the same, all sinful, all scary—and the only thing that makes this one special is that I ran out of money for bus tickets.

My shoes are made of white canvas, already fraying and black from the grime of the streets. I made these shoes by hand when I turned twelve, and the heel on the left side has never fit quite right. But the bamboo soles lasted four years in the hills. Now they’re cracking against concrete. I can feel every lump in the pavement, every loose rock, every rounded hump as the sidewalk turns to cobblestone and then back again.

That’s not the worst part.

There’s someone following me. Maybe more than one person. I try to listen for the footsteps, but it’s hard to hear over the pounding in my ears, the thud of my heart against my chest. Panic is a tangible force in my head, a gritty quicksand that threatens to pull me down.

I could end up on my knees before this night is over.

But I don’t think I’ll be saying my evening prayers.

Men are standing outside a gate that hangs open on its hinges. They fall silent as I walk close. I tighten my arms where they are folded over my chest and look down. If I can’t see them, they can’t see me. It wasn’t true when I was little, and it’s not true now.

One of them steps in front of me.

My breath catches, and I stop walking. My whole body is trembling by the time I meet his eyes, bloodshot red in a shadowed face. “What’s your name?” he asks in a gravelly voice.

I jerk my head. No.

“Now that’s not very polite, is it?” Another one steps closer, and then I smell him. They couldn’t have showered in the past day or even week.

Cleanliness is a virtue.

Being quiet and obedient and small is a virtue too. “I’m sorry. I just want to—”

I don’t know what comes next. I want to run. I want to hide. I want to pretend the past fifteen years as a disciple of the Harmony Hills never happened. None of that is possible when I’m surrounded by men. I take a step back and bump into another man. Hands close around my arms.

A sound escapes me—fear and protest. It’s more than I would have done this morning, that sound.

I’m turned to face the man behind me. He smiles a broken-toothed smile. “Doesn’t matter what you want, darling.”

My mouth opens, but I can’t scream. I can’t scream because I’ve been taught not to. Because I know no one will come. Because the consequences of crying are worse than what will happen next.

Then the man’s eyes widen in something like fear. It’s a foreign expression on his face. It doesn’t belong. I wouldn’t even believe it except he takes a step back.

My chest squeezes tight. What’s behind me? Who is behind me that could have inspired that kind of fear? The men surrounding me are monsters, but they’re backing off now, stepping away, hands up in surrender. No harm done, that’s what they’re saying without words.

I whirl and almost slip on a loose cobblestone.

The man standing in front of me is completely still. That’s the first thing I notice about him—before I see the fine cut of his black suit or the glint of a silver watch under his cuff. Before I see the expression on his face, devoid of compassion or emotion. Devoid of humanity.

“We didn’t know she worked for you,” one of the men mumbles.

They’re still backing up, forming a circle around us, growing wider. I’m in the middle. I’m the drop, and the men around me form a ripple. Then they fade into the blackness and are gone.

It’s just me and the man in the suit.

He hasn’t spoken. I’m not sure he’s going to. I half expect him to pull out a gun from somewhere underneath that smooth black fabric and shoot me. That’s what happens in the city, isn’t it? That’s what everyone told me about the outside world, how dangerous it is. And even while some part of me had nodded along, had believed them, another part of me had refused.

There had to be beauty outside the white stucco walls. Beauty that wasn’t contained and controlled. Beauty with color. Only apparently I was wrong. I haven’t seen anything beautiful—except him.

He’s beautiful in a strange and sinful way, one that makes me more afraid. Not colorful exactly. His eyes are a gray color I’ve never seen before, both deep and opaque at the same time.

He steps closer, the light from a marquee sign illuminating his face, making him look even more sinister. “What’s your name?”

I couldn’t answer those other men, but I find something inside for him. I find truth. “I’m not allowed to say my name to someone else.”

He studies me for a long moment, taking in my tangled hair and my white dress. “Why not?”

Because God will punish me. “Because I’m running away.”

He nods like this is what he expected. “Do you have money?”

I have fifteen dollars left after bus fare. “Some.”

His lips twist, and I wonder if that’s what a smile looks like on him. It’s terrifying. “No, you don’t,” he says. “The question is, what would you do to earn some?”

Anything.

My voice is just a whisper. “I’m a good girl.”

He laughs, and I see that I was wrong before. That wasn’t a smile. It was a taunt. A challenge. This is a real smile, one with teeth. The sound rolls through me like a coming storm, deep and foreboding.

“I know,” he says gently. “What’s your name?”

“Candace.”

He studies me. “Pretty name.”

His voice is deep with promise and something else I can’t decipher. All I know is he isn’t really talking about my name. And I know it isn’t really a compliment. “Thank you.”

“Now come inside, Candace.”

He turns and walks away before I can answer. I can feel the night closing in on me, the sharks in the water waiting to strike. It’s not really a choice. I think the man knows that. He’s counting on it. Whatever is going to happen inside will be bad, and the only thing worse is what would have happened outside.

I hurry to catch up with him, almost running across the crumbled driveway, under the marquee sign for the Grand, desperate for the dubious safety of the man who could hold the darkness at bay. It’s the same thing that kept me in Harmony Hills for so long—fear and twisted gratitude.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Skye Warren is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of dark romance. Her books are raw, sexual and perversely romantic.

Sign up for Skye’s newsletter:

www.skyewarren.com/newsletter

Like Skye Warren on Facebook:

facebook.com/skyewarren

Join Skye Warren’s Dark Room reader group:

skyewarren.com/darkroom

Follow Skye Warren on Twitter:

twitter.com/skye_warren

Visit Skye’s website for her current booklist:

www.skyewarren.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY:

Skye will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Book Blast and Giveaway: Deadman's Blood by T. Lynne Tolles

Deadman's Blood

by T. Lynne Tolles

BLURB:  

As the dust settles from the destruction of the Bloodstone Heart, a small scroll that had been hidden in the hearth of the altar room for hundreds of years, reveals a prophecy that seems to be about the Larsen family. While the group tries to unravel the riddles of the prophecy they also start to notice they've acquired some interesting new powers from the Bloodstone itself, some of which are going to take some getting use to.

Darby and Devon head to Ireland to set up house and get ready for their impending nuptials when Darby is asked to help cure the Summer Queen of the Everworld or the delicate balance of power between the Seelie and Unseelie courts will topple throwing the planet into a deadly ice age. While at home, things take a turn for the worse when there's a tragic airplane crash, the Larsen vampires start dropping like flies, Bernard goes missing, and all the bad deeds dealt seem to point towards one person - the Dark Angel.

What's so important about the altar room? Why are people dying in the name of this prophecy? Will the Larsen's survive these new tragedies? These questions and other deep seated secrets will be revealed in this final installment of the Blood Series.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

“Move over, Dean…I’m starving,” Mark said as he grabbed hordes of food, filling his plate. “As for Alyssa, oh, she has a power, all right.” He looked at Dominic and said, “What is it called when you can float in the air?”

“Levitating?” Dominic said.

“Yes. Levitation…that’s what Alyssa’s power is,” Mark said.

“What? What are you talking about?” Alyssa asked.

“You. When I turned back into a person this morning, I walked into the bedroom and found you sleeping above the bed - two to three feet above the bed. I made some stupid comment to myself about a mon…I mean a furry little creature and ‘poof’ I turned again.”

“What were you before you were a monk…” Blake was interrupted by Mark sticking his fingers in his ears and singing “LaLaLaLaaaaaLa. I can’t hear you saying anything. Laalaaaalalalalaaaaaalaa.”

“Okay. Okay…I get it.”

Mark took his fingers out of his ears and continued, “I was a…” and then he put his elbows tight to the sides of his body and with his hands near his shoulders he made a waving motion, like he had some kind of strange wings.

Dean said, “You were a Faerie?”

“No, moron. Faeries aren’t animals. I was an insect that…” Then he continued the strange motion with his hands.

Blake said, “An insect that…flies?”

Mark touched his index finger to his nose.

“Didn’t I swat at a...” Rowan started to say and Mark raised an eyebrow at her with a warning. “Didn’t I swat at something at dinner last night?”

Mark answered, “Yes, you did and you nearly knocked me out cold. So from now on, if you see an insect or animal and I’m not standing right next to you, don’t kill it, smash it, or swat at it. It could be me.” His voice almost squeaked as he made his point.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

T. Lynne Tolles can be found most days, juggling one of two cat muses and a laptop, tripping over a Newfoundland puppy and washing a never-ending pile of laundry. When life doesn’t get in the way, she writes paranormal romances for new adults.

Her passion for witches, ghosts, and vampires together with a light-hearted wit are reflected in her loveable characters and the adventures of mystery they unravel to find their happily ever after.

web: http://tlynnetolles.me.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/tlynnetolles

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/T.LynneTolles.Author

GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4132968.T_Lynne_Tolles

Newsletter - http://tinyurl.com/tltnewsletter

Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/tlynnetolles/videos?view=0

Books:

http://amazon.com/author/tlynnetolles

http://www.kobobooks.com/search/search.html?q=t.+lynne+tolles

https://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=t.+lynne+tolles

https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/t.-lynne-tolles/id398441115?mt=11

GIVEAWAY:

$50 Amazon GC or 5 premium swag packs

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Super Book Blast: Bar V5 Dude Ranch Series by Melissa McClone

Bar V5 Dude Ranch Series

by Melissa McClone

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURBS:

Three couples. Three stories, where you can follow one pair from meeting to wedding day!

1. Mistletoe Magic – short story – $0.99 for Kindle and Nook, FREE at Smashwords

2. Kiss Me, Cowboy – eBook novella — $0.99 on Kindle Oct 17 - 22

3. Mistletoe Wedding — eBook novella — New Release! Only $2.99

Mistletoe Magic

Spending a quiet Christmas housesitting and reading novels about hot cowboys sounds perfect to Caitlin Butler. Until a stray kitten brings her face-to-face with Noah, her crush from college. Watching the handsome vet in action melts Caitlin's heart and brings back long forgotten emotion. She would be safer back at the house lost in the pages of a book. But a toe-curling mistletoe kiss tempts her to stay. Maybe she won't be spending this Christmas... alone.

Veterinarian Noah Sullivan isn't a Scrooge, but the Christmas Eve tradition of hanging mistletoe in the clinic's waiting room annoys him. Kissing doesn't belong at the Copper Mountain Animal Hospital. Noah rethinks his position when Caitlin arrives with a stray kitten she found freezing in the snow. All he wants now is to maneuver the pretty preschool teacher under the mistletoe. If he's not careful, he'll wind up on Santa's naughty list.

Kiss Me, Cowboy

She didn’t mean to kiss him…

When dude ranch wrangler Charlotte – aka Charlie – Randall kisses Zack Harris in an act of empathy, she falls hat over spurs for the handsome military veteran turned cowboy. Zack has too many demons, however, and refuses to get involved. A year later, he's still stonewalling, and Charlie needs to move on with her life so she can find a fulfilling relationship, not frustrating unrequited love. Putting distance between them seems the best way to get Zack out of her head and heart...but that means quitting the job she loves and accepting a position in Colorado.

He didn’t mean to kiss her back…

Growing up, Zack longed for a real family, and had one with his squad while deployed in Afghanistan. Now, he's back in the States and doesn't want anything messing up his new ranch family, no matter how much he's attracted to the sexy, hard-working Charlie. She could break his heart and ruin the comfortable working relationship they and the other wranglers enjoy. Besides, her friends claim she's looking for the perfect guy, and perfect he's not.

A kiss is just a kiss…or is it?

When Zack learns Charlie's thinking about leaving the ranch, he decides to find her a boyfriend — someone so good, so perfect, she has a reason to stay in Montana. Until he realizes too late that the only cowboy he wants her kissing is him. Can he commit to love and convince Charlie not to leave? Or has she made up her mind to put the past, and the kiss that started it all, behind her and move on without him?

Mistletoe Wedding

Longer: Event planner at the Bar V5 Dude Ranch, Meg Redstone is dreaming of a white Christmas with twinkling lights, sparkly decorations and strategically placed mistletoe. She loves making dreams come true for others, whether planning a holiday wedding or giving her young daughter the best Christmas ever.

Ranch foreman Tyler Murphy loves the holidays, but his newest employee has taken over his barn with her over-the-top decorations. He admires Meg’s desire to give her daughter the perfect Christmas while planning a winter wonderland wedding, but he wants to show her that a Montana Christmas is more than glitter and lights.

After raising his younger sister, an instant family is not on Ty's Christmas wish list. But he finds himself falling hard for the single mom and her little girl. Meg, however, is not interested in a romance with a cowboy like Ty, or any man. Getting her under the mistletoe is going to take a Christmas miracle . . . or a little help from Santa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

MISTLETOE WEDDING

Her gaze kept straying back to the man walking next to her.

And she knew with pulse-pounding certainty.

All the rationalizations of why romantic feelings didn’t matter and why she was better off alone than in a relationship disappeared like a snowflake being caught on a tongue. They mattered, and she wanted those things badly.

With Ty.

She hadn’t meant to fall for him, but she had. Hard.

A shiver raced down her spine. The realization was unexpected, scary.

He shot her a sideways glance, which she knew because she couldn’t drag her attention off him. “You, okay?”

“Just thinking.” Of course, he would sense something was up. That was part of his appeal. He got her. The way he understood her daughter, too. If there was one man out there who was what she needed and Brooklyn needed, that was Ty Murphy.

Feelings and desires long buried rose to the surface. She was ready to stop saying she didn’t want more, want him.

“Know what you want?” he asked.

Meg swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Excuse me.”

“What chocolates you’re going to get?”

She sighed with relief. She thought he’d read her mind. “Salted caramels for the guys. I’ll have to see what Sage has in the display case before I decide what I want.”

Besides him.

“You can have more than one,” Ty said.

“I might want only one.”

“It’s Christmas. Don’t be so cautious. Live it up.”

If only she knew where he stood . . . Dare she ask?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

With a degree in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, Melissa McClone worked for a major airline where she traveled the globe and met her husband. But analyzing jet engine performance couldn’t compete with her love of writing happily ever afters. Her first full-time writing endeavor was her first sale when she was pregnant with her first child! Since then, she has published over thirty romance novels with Harlequin and Tule Publishing Group. She’s also been nominated for Romance Writers of America’s RITA® award. When she isn’t writing, you can usually find her driving her minivan to/from her children’s swim practices and other activities. She also sends care packages to deployed service members and fosters cats through a local no-kill animal shelter. Melissa lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three school-aged children, two spoiled Norwegian Elkhounds and cats who think they rule the house. They do!

Website: http://www.melissamcclone.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaMcCloneBooks

Twitter: @melissamcclone

Buy links:

1.         Mistletoe Magic

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Magic-Copper-Mountain-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00GUZ195O

Smashwords:

Mistletoe Magic is FREE on Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380641

2.         Kiss Me, Cowboy

http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Cowboy-Montana-Born-Rodeo-ebook/dp/B00NF0LNFI/

3.         Mistletoe Wedding

http://www.amazon.com/Mistletoe-Wedding-Montana-Born-Christmas-ebook/dp/B00NPMPNE8/

Super Book Blast and Giveaway: Molly Harper and Duets by Emelle Gamble

Molly Harper

and

Duets

by Emelle Gamble

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

MOLLY HARPER Blurb:

Movie star Molly Harper has it all, beauty, success in her field, and a loving family and marriage to actor Ben Delmonico.  Norma Wintz, Molly’s mother, has it all, a lovely life style and two children who adore her, and a respite from the battle against cancer she’s been fighting. Anne Sullivan, at age fifty, is optimistic that her move to sunny Santa Barbara, California, will allow her to be closer to her youngest son and his family, and help her start her life anew after the death of her beloved husband.

But all three of these women, despite their considerable blessings, are plunged into turmoil when the most intimate of secrets that ties their lives together is revealed. At this same time, Molly Harper is confronted with the news that her marriage to actor Ben Delmonico is over. As she navigates this heartbreak and tries to keep the personal details of the drama off the front pages of the newspapers, Molly must also find a way to once and forever negotiate a way forward with her ex- lover and best friend, the volatile and compelling Cruz Morales.

How each of these characters handles the resulting upheaval in their own life, and in their relationships with one another, forms the compelling story of family, secrets and trust in the romantic women’s fiction novel, Molly Harper.

DUETS Blurb:

DUETS offers alternating looks into the lives of two women who would seem to have little or nothing in common.

Screen star Molly Harper has it all…beauty, success in her profession, a loving family and an upcoming marriage to actor Ben Delmonico.  But as Molly is on the verge of marrying the man who has swept her off her feet, she still wonders if he hasn’t swept all her feelings for her first love away, Cruz Morales.

A handsome and cerebral college professor, Molly and Cruz have an on-again, off-again history stretching back to Molly’s early teen years. He’s not a man who a girl can ever forget about, and his feelings for Molly are equally conflicted.

Anne Sullivan, happily married for twenty-five years, is fighting to hold onto the man she loves, and hold off a confrontation that could shatter her family’s image of what they are. It involves the beautiful screen star and her mother, upper crust matron Norma Wintz, who Anne has traveled to California to meet under the most dramatic of circumstances.

Duets confronts the most intimate type of family secret that ties these two women’s lives together, just as chance events turn Molly and Anne’s worlds upside down. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT:

From DUETS:

“He’s not what you think.”

           

Molly Harper turned away at these words, knowing they more than likely preceded an indictment of her fiancé. Keep from showing you’re hurt, she told herself. But she knew disappointment had flashed in her eyes, and that her mother had seen it.

“Ben’s not what I think?” Molly stared outside as the limousine she and Norma rode in glided down Wilshire Boulevard, five miles from the brick-paved road leading to her mother’s neighborhood. “Why don’t you tell me what you think I think he is?”

“You think he’s a man like your father, a man inclined to put his wife’s well-being and his children’s needs before his own. Ben Delmonico is not that kind of man,” Norma said.

She turned and faced her mother. “I don’t think you know Ben well enough to say that. And honestly, I wish you had a little more faith in me. I gave this a lot of thought before I decided to marry him.”

“A lot of thought? You told me five minutes ago you said ‘yes’ the same night Ben proposed. I think you’ve agreed to marry him because you’re panicking.”

Molly sighed. She’d hoped Norma would be delighted by the news she was marrying a successful man, the gorgeous, Academy-Award-nominated actor, Ben Delmonico. A man known the world over for his sophisticated action movies and box office charisma. But it was clear Norma was not delighted.

Typical. Mother loves being contrary. And in control. “What am I panicking about?”

“About being thirty-two. About not having children. But mostly because Cruz Morales is seriously involved with another woman. And, as usual, when you panic you make impulsive decisions. I’ve seen you live to regret that several times.”

 “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.” Molly’s took a breath. “When you told me a few weeks ago Cruz was involved with Shar, how did I act? I was happy. I told you to give him my congratulations! Cruz and Shar hooking-up has nothing to do with me deciding to marry Ben.”

“Really?”

“You know as well as anyone that Cruz and I have been over forever. He’s moved on, and I’ve moved on. We’re friends, but only that.” Heat bloomed on her cheeks and spilled down her neck.

“I don’t remember you being all that crazy about Ben  before you heard the news about Cruz.” Norma tilted her chin up.

“Just because I don’t announce something to you, doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

Norma snorted.

“Ben and I have been dating for months. He’s a charming and generous man who convinced the studio to consider me for Traitor, risking his own chances for the lead. All my friends like him, Mom, both for himself and because he’s a wonderful actor.”

 “Well, that is one thing we can agree on,” Norma said. “He is a good actor. So why not just make movies with him instead of marrying the man?”

“Those are not mutually exclusive. I’m marrying him and making a movie with him. Or have you forgotten I’ll be on set in Paris at Christmas?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten that. It’s the first Christmas you won’t be home; thank you, Ben Delmonico.” Norma leaned closer. “I just can’t help but wonder if that movie isn’t what’s behind him proposing so suddenly. The wedding publicity is sure to make it a blockbuster.”

“For god’s sake, that’s just plain insulting. He didn’t ask me to marry him to get publicity.” Molly reddened again, remembering how Ben had said, two minutes after she’d accepted his proposal, “Our box office will be huge.”

“Let’s just drop this, Mom. We’re almost home and I’ve got a million things to do.”

The Lincoln slowed and turned onto North Highland, the main thoroughfare into Hancock Park. “Every time we come this way, I remember the day Charles and I brought you home, all those years ago. It was the biggest triumph of our lives,” Norma said softly.

“That’s a nice memory.” It was, but Molly knew better than to let down her guard.

“It is.” Norma turned to Molly. “Now look, obviously I can’t tell you what to do any more. But until you found out Cruz was moving in with Shar, every time you called home, you asked about Cruz first. Every time you came home, he was the first one you called. I think you’re still in love with him. And, despite his behavior, which might fool someone who hasn’t known him since he was a little boy, it’s clear to me that he loves you too. I think this relationship with Shar is a ruse to provoke you into finding a way to work things out.”

The limo rocked gently and the women’s shoulders brushed against one another. Molly ran her fingers through the wild blonde hair she was famous for. “You’ve just outlined a plot so pathetic it wouldn’t get made by the Hallmark Channel.”

“I like the Hallmark Channel. They make lovely movies, without all the naked fannies.”

“I like the Hallmark Channel too, but that’s not my point. Cruz wouldn’t be with Shar for any reason other than he finds her a good match. He doesn’t do ‘ruses’.”

“What’s he got in common with her?”

“They both work at the college and they’re both into books and the local arts scene. I bet she’ll finally get him to turn one of his ideas into a novel. I never could.” Molly’s voice wavered.

“See, that’s pain in your voice, not happiness. You shouldn’t be afraid of the truth about your feelings, whatever the cost.”

“Like you? Are you always completely honest, Mother? No matter the cost?”

Norma blinked. “What are we talking about now? What haven’t I been honest about with you?”

Molly looked down. Her question had surprised both of them and she wished she could un-ask it. Now isn’t the time to open that particular can of worms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Emelle Gamble was a writer at an early age, bursting with the requisite childhood stories of introspection. These evolved into bad teen poetry and worse short stories. She took her first stab at full length fiction in an adult education writing class when her kids were in bed.  As M.L. Gamble, she published several romantic suspense novels with Harlequin. She contracted with Soul Mate Publishing for Secret Sister, published in the summer of 2013, and Dating Cary Grant, an April 2014 release.

Once and Forever, an anthology which includes the novella Duets, came out on November 1st. Molly Harper, a full length novel starring the characters from Duets 3 years later was released by Posh Publishing in January, 2014. Duets is now available as a standalone novella. Emelle lives in suburban Washington D.C. with her husband, ‘Phil-the-fist’, her hero of thirty years, and two orange cats, Lucy and Bella. These girls, like all good villains, have their reasons for misbehaving.

Her daughter, Olivia, and son, Allen, are happily launched on their own and contributing great things to society, their mother’s fondest wish.

Review Quotes:

Praise for SECRET SISTER…

“Along with being a very unique and captivating plot, SECRET SISTER offers a shocking turn of the paranormal kind… This is a story of friendship, family, and most of all, true love and what those things can mean. I cannot recommend SECRET SISTER strongly enough… “ Fresh Fiction, Fresh Reviews

DUETS…

"I'll admit I grabbed this book for review more because Emelle Gamble had a story in there - I've loved her significant touch brought to family relationships in a previous book of hers that I've read, and I wanted to confirm if this sort of embroiled-relationships type of tale is really her niche or not. Turns out, it is!" Zee Monodee's Author's Corner reviews

MOLLY HARPER…

"MOLLY HARPER ...is the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be my last! Ms. Gamble does a wonderful job of drawing these characters and making them just leap off the page."  Long and Short Reviews

DATING CARY GRANT…

"Fantasy and reality blend together in this mesmerizing tale from Emelle Gamble…It's not your typical romance, making it a breath of fresh air in a market currently inundated with new adult contemporary romances (which I do love, but need a break once in a while!). I continue to be a fan of this author..." Andi's Book Reviews

Links:

Email: emellegamble@aol.com

Website:  www.EmelleGamble.com 

FaceBook:  https://www.facebook.com/Emelle.Gamble

Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmelleGamble

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7123746.Emelle_Gamble     

Emelle Gamble BOOKS:

DATING CARY GRANT book of the month at Long & Short Reviews. eBook exclusively at Amazon.com

http://amzn.to/1iiE8Y0

SECRET SISTER… RONE  Award Honorable Mention for BEST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL of 2013

available in audio, paperback and eBook at Amazon   http://amzn.to/17J2Bn6

DUETS, a prequel novella to MOLLY HARPER, now available at Amazon http://amzn.to/1cagyNa

MOLLY HARPER, available in paperback and eBook at Amazon  http://amzn.to/MOJUXa

MOLLY HARPER & DUETS now available in one Paperback volume!  http://amzn.to/1hW6YSj

 GIVEAWAY:

Emelle will award a signed paperback of MOLLY HARPER with bonus novella DUETS included (US ONLY) to THREE randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway