paranormal

Gone But Not Forgotten (TIN Book 1) by Charlie Cochet: New Release Review with Exclusive Giveaway

September 20, 2021 by Denise

Codename: Chaos.
Former THIRDS agent turned TIN operative Dexter J. Daley is a legend. Just ask him, he’ll tell you. Chaos isn’t so much a codename as it is Dex’s state of being. As a spy for the Therian Intelligence Network, Dex has spent the last four years bringing down the bad guys. Hell, his middle name is literally Justice. But a new mission brings him face-to-face with a different kind of monster, one with a weapon that can alter the course of history. Failure is not an option, but as the mission goes from dangerous to deadly, Dex finds himself up against a far more terrifying force, and this time, there’s no escape.

Codename: Atlas
As former team leader for Destructive Delta and now a TIN operative, Sloane Daley knows what it feels like to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. But no matter the challenge, Sloane knows that together, he and his husband, Dex, can overcome anything. When their latest mission takes a personal turn, Sloane is forced to confront the very thing that created him. Looking back to a past he thought he’d left behind is the least of Sloane’s problems, because the greatest threat he’s about to encounter… is his own husband.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

It’s been 84 years since we last saw Dex and Sloan. Ok, that is a bit of an exaggeration. But it has been a while. So like all fans of the THIRDS series, we were salivating for this book. And it didn’t disappoint.

We don’t even pick up where we left off. The last we saw of the guys was at their wedding. Where, of course, chaos ensued. But still. Now we are 4 years later. They have both gone through their TIN training and field training. They have had some ops, but nothing too major yet. Until this one.

Dex is older, wiser and more mature. And while we still get glimpses of the Dex we grew to know and love, this Dex is way more James Bond serious during an op. Which, he had to be because they are acting roles to infiltrate a “Therian auction”. So there isn’t a cheesy doodle or gummy bear in sight.

The whole op is complicated and complex. There are young Therians who are obviously not there because they want to be, there are mega rich people who basically keep them as pets. And the man leading the auction is working on humans getting Therian traits without having to shift. When he kidnaps the son of a Senator, TIN is brought in. With Sloan and Dex leading the charge.

Dex, in super expensive clothes, acting all cool and suave was SO HOT. I love his goofy self, so I think that’s why I loved this side of him as well.

The “omg I love yous” got a little much sometimes, but they are schmoopy like that AND they are bonded. So I got over it.

During the big showdown (no spoilers) I was reading with my eyes bugging out and my mouth hanging open. OH. MY. GOD. And it was left pretty open ended (but not a cliffhanger) to be explored in the next book. Because I really need to know where that is going!

There are familiar faces that make appearances, which is cool since we’ve grown to love them all as well. But again, this isn’t THIRDS. This is TIN.

4 pieces of eye candy

Charlie Cochet is the international bestselling author of the THIRDS series. Born in Cuba and raised in the US, Charlie enjoys the best of both worlds, from her daily Cuban latte to her passion for classic rock.

Currently residing in Central Florida, Charlie is at the beck and call of a rascally Doxiepoo bent on world domination. When she isn’t writing, she can usually be found devouring a book, releasing her creativity through art, or binge watching a new TV series. She runs on coffee, thrives on music, and loves to hear from readers.

Join Charlie’s newsletter and stay up to date with Charlie’s latest releases, receive exclusive content, giveaways, and more! https://newsletter.charliecochet.com/

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One commenter on this post will win an ebook copy of any backlist from Charlie Cochet.

Fractured Souls (Fallen Messengers, Book 1) by Ava Marie Salinger: RB, Exclusive Excerpt, Release Day Review and Kick A$$ Giveaway

July 19, 2021 by Denise

Humans are dying in San Francisco. The most shunned angel on Earth may very well hold the key as to why…

When Cassius Black moves to San Francisco for a fresh start, the angel’s hopes of staying below the radar of the supernatural organizations that oversee the otherworldly and magic users in the city are dashed when he stumbles across a dead body in the sewers. His grim discovery soon puts him in the sight of the Argonaut Agency and Francis Strickland, the bureau director who knows his darkest secrets.

Morgan King and his team of Argonaut agents have been hunting for the culprits behind a series of gruesome killings that have rocked the city all summer. Killings that bear sinister hallmarks of sacrificial rituals where the victims’ souls have been ripped from their bodies. When Fate brings Cassius in Morgan’s path, he realizes the angel everyone likes to call The Devil may very well be the only person who can help them track down the murderers.

Morgan and Cassius soon find themselves chasing down a sect of black magic sorcerers and cross paths with a mysterious warlock whose actions evoke disturbing echoes of an incident from Cassius’s past. As rumors of a potential plot to tear the Nether reach their ears, Cassius and Morgan must work together to defeat their common enemy and save the city from destruction, all while fighting their growing attraction for one another.

Fractured Souls is the first novel in the MM urban fantasy romance series Fallen Messengers. If you like action-packed paranormal adventures with romance and snark, then grab this pulse-pounding book today and enter a world you won’t want to leave!

Fractured Souls

Fallen Messengers, Book 1

By Ava Marie Salinger

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

“Are you the person in charge?” Cassius asked the blonde icily. “On whose authority are you trying to arrest me?”

The woman narrowed her eyes. “You know very well who we are. You are a suspect in the murder of a man whose body was discovered in the sewers under Bayview Park eight hours ago. You were seen fleeing the scene of the crime.”

Cassius drew himself to his full height.

“So, you decided to come in here and gun me down?” he snarled. “Is that the modus operandi of the San Francisco branch of the Argonaut Agency? Kill first and ask fucking questions later?!”

The blonde frowned. “Like I said, that was an unfortunate accident. Now, how about you—?”

“What’s going on here?” someone said behind Cassius.

He whirled around.

Glass crunched under Morgan’s bare feet as he stepped inside the apartment from the terrace. He was wearing jeans, an almighty scowl, and little else.

Cassius stilled. The glass was not cutting Morgan’s skin.

Alarm had Cassius’s pulse spiking. He hadn’t sensed anything unusual about his neighbor when they’d just spoken out on the terrace. His stomach dropped.

Except for the fact that he knew I was there when I’d deliberately masked my aura.

“Morgan?” The blonde gaped. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

Cassius’s heart stuttered. Wait? They know each other?!

“I live next door,” Morgan replied irritably.

Cassius registered the expressions on the other Argonaut agents’ faces with a sinking feeling. It was clear they knew Morgan too. Not just knew him, but regarded him as their superior.

Shit. He’s an Argonaut agent.

Cassius fisted his hands. The demon cat protested with a soft meow when his fingers sank into its hide.

“Since when?” the blonde asked Morgan, still shocked.

“Since a month ago,” Morgan snapped. “Now, how about you tell me what the hell you’re doing in this guy’s apartment, Adrianne?”

“I should renegotiate my salary,” the blonde muttered, looking around the luxurious penthouse. Her gaze focused on Morgan and Cassius once more. “Your neighbor is a suspect in a murder,” she told Morgan. “FYI, your neighbor is Cassius Black.”

Morgan visibly stiffened. He observed Cassius with an inscrutable expression before turning to Adrianne. “That still doesn’t justify you guys coming in here in full tactical gear and shooting at him, Adrianne.”

Cassius blinked. That’s a first.

It wasn’t every day an Argonaut agent came to his defense.

He clenched his jaw. “I happened to be looking for this cat. That’s why I was in those sewers. My client is a woman called Joyce Almeda. Her phone number is on my cell phone.” Cassius studied Morgan and Adrianne coldly. “Seeing as your agency appears to be as biased against me as every other one on this planet, you’ll excuse me for not having stuck around long enough for you assholes to pin the blame on me for something I had nothing to do with.”

Adrianne frowned at Cassius.

“We found another victim,” she told Morgan, a muscle jumping in her cheek.

Morgan froze. “What?”

“We found another human sacrifice. It was a man this time. Your neighbor was at the scene of the crime when our agents got there.” Suspicion glittered in Adrianne’s eyes as she glanced at Cassius. “And yes, before you ask, it was a magic circle made from Dark Blight and human—”

Wind exploded inside Cassius’s apartment. It wrapped tightly around his body in overlapping bands, locking his limbs in place and robbing him of his breath. Cassius gasped as he was lifted bodily into the air, his wings straining uselessly against his back where he sought to spread them and escape.

Morgan’s pupils glowed with blinding-white light as he wielded his powers, imprisoning Cassius in a painful tempest of seraphic energy. The demon cat leapt onto the floor and hissed angrily at the angel who was glaring at Cassius as if he’d committed a grave sin.

Black spots burst across Cassius’s vision as the constraints squeezed his ribs to near breaking point.

He thought he heard Adrianne shout Morgan’s name.

Darkness encroached upon his world as his consciousness faded.

A supernatural detective/security agency of angels and demons. What a cool idea! And the name – Argonaut! I was expecting Jason to show up any second.

So, think bad boy/enemies to lovers. Morgan runs the team of avenging angels trying to find out why humans are dying.

Cassius Black – way more devil than angel – comes to town not looking for trouble but quickly finds it.

And speaking of Angels – these are the type of winged wonders that like whisky and cigarettes.

Add in black magic sorcerers, a warlock, angels, demons, and magic cats – oh my! And you have a high charged magical romp through the underworld – or I believe they’re calling it San Francisco these days.

Read the glossary of terms at the beginning because you’re going to need it!

4.5 pieces of eye candy

Ava Marie Salinger is the pen name of an Amazon bestselling urban fantasy author who has always wanted to write scorching hot M/M urban fantasy. In 2021, she launches FALLEN MESSENGERS, her first M/M urban fantasy romance series. She also writes contemporary M/M romance as A.M. Salinger. When she’s not dreaming up hotties to write about, you’ll find Ava creating kickass music playlists to write to, spying on the wildlife in her garden, drooling over gadgets, and eating Chinese.

Subscribe to Ava Newsletter and receive a free prequel short story to Fractured Souls (Fallen Messengers #1) here: https://www.amsalinger.com/subscribe/

Connect with Ava:

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To celebrate the thrilling release of Fractured Souls, Ava is giving away:

a signed Hardcover edition of Fractured Souls
A signed Paperback edition of Fractured Souls
A Special Angel, Demon, Magic themed necklace

Giveaway is open Internationally!!

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Shiftless by TA Moore: Blog Tour, Exclusive Short Story Excerpt, and Giveaway

June 16, 2021 by Denise

Night Shift is the city’s thin, silver line- and some nights it’s thinner than others.

It isn’t the fact he almost died last night that’s thrown Night Shift officer Kit Marlow. He’s used to that. It’s the fact that instead of a werewolf trying to rip his throat out, it was his friend and colleague who tried to put him in the ground.

Well, ‘friend.’

Now Marlow’s been framed for a murder he didn’t commit by a man who’s committed more than his fair share. Half the cops in San Diego want to see Marlow behind bars for what he’s supposedly done, and the other half want him dead before he can tell his side of the story. The problem is that he can’t tell them apart.

There’s only one person in town that Marlow can trust, even though he knows he shouldn’t drag Cade Deacon into his problems. The sharp-tongued CEO of a private security firm might have gotten close to Marlow over the last few weeks, but taking on the SDPD is a lot to ask.

Marlow doesn’t have much choice, though. If he can’t clear his name before the last full moon of the month sets, he might not see another one. That’d be a shame since Marlow would really like to spend the night with Cade without needing protective gear.

Title: Shiftless

Publisher: Rogue Firebird Press

Release: June 19

Amazon

Book 1: Shift Work

Book 2: Split Shift

First of all, thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here with my new release, Shiftless by TA Moore, which completes the Night Shift trilogy! I believe it is still technically a novella, although it’s the novella that kicked the other novellas out of the nest and ate all the food!

For the blog tour I’ve written a short story set in the Night Shift world. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four

It was a re-run.

Half the programs Marlow had TiVo’d were re-runs. There wasn’t a lot of downtime when you were on the Night Shift or training to get into the academy. Marlow had missed a lot of must-see programming over the years. Some of it was just comfort food, though—old enough that the last time anyone had talked about it around the water-cooler, it had been weekly.

This month it was Quincy. He’d watched it the first time around with his grandmother—probably, he couldn’t remember it, but she’d never missed an episode—and there was something comforting about how simple life was on the show. Murders happened, sure, but if Quincy didn’t solve them with his coroner’s experience, he’d sniff out the killer on the full moon.

Handy trick that.

Marlow sprawled back in the bed and watched the flannel-faced detective scowl intently over a slide before he raced off to save the day. Despite the soporific effect of sentimentality, Marlow’s brain wouldn’t shut off.

He wanted to be wrong.

For a good six months, every time he felt uneasy about a call Piper made or didn’t make, he’d told himself he was wrong. Of course he was. They were Night Shift, the good guys of a hundred stories. Piper was a goddamn legend, a literal poster boy for the department.

Except… he wasn’t.

His phone buzzed next to the bed. He grabbed it in case it was Gil—he might not be scheduled to work, but he was still on call every night until the moon waned—but Bennett’s name was stamped over the text notification.

Marlow flicked it open.

Why were you at the Crate? I told you to let it go. It’s not your problem.

Marlow really wished that was true, too. He set the phone back on the bedside table without answering Bennett and flicked the TV off. It hadn’t been Gil that time, but if she did call him in, he’d rather have gotten some sleep.

By rights, it should have taken him half the night to grab some shut-eye. His head was stuffed with unresolved doubts and questions. His body knew better. His head hit the pillow, and he was out.

His dreams weren’t peaceful, but they didn’t disturb his rest either.

What woke him up was the crack of his door being kicked in.

TA Moore is a Northern Irish writer of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance novels. A childhood in a rural, seaside town fostered in her a suspicious nature, a love of mystery, and a streak of black humour a mile wide. As her grandmother always said, ‘she’d laugh at a bad thing that one’, mind you, that was the pot calling the kettle black. TA Moore studied History, Irish mythology, English at University, mostly because she has always loved a good story. She has worked as a journalist, a finance manager, and in the arts sectors before she finally gave in to a lifelong desire to write.

Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.

Website: www.tamoorewrites.com

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

Twitter: @tamoorewrites

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The Quiet House (Black and Blue Series Book 2) by Lily Morton: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt, New Release Review and Giveaway

April 20, 2021 by Denise

Levi Black has mostly recovered from the events of a year ago. The only lingering effects are that he’s much more well known in York than he’d like to be, and he’s a lot more cautious about walking around his house naked. However, those events brought him the capricious and fascinating Blue, so he’s not complaining. On the contrary, he’s happy, in love, and looking forward to Blue finally moving in with him. And if sometimes he wonders what Blue sees in a boring cartoonist, he keeps that to himself.

Blue Billings is finally ready to throw off the memories of his past and move in with the person who means the most in the world to him. His psychic abilities have grown in the last year to his mentor Tom’s consternation, but Blue is determined to look on the bright side. He’s also focused on ignoring all the warning signs that he’s received lately.

However, even deeply buried secrets have a way of rising to the surface. And when a surprise from Blue’s past turns up and draws them away to a lonely house on the Yorkshire moors, Levi and Blue must fight for their survival once again.

From bestselling author, Lily Morton, comes the second book in the Black & Blue series. The books are intended to be read in order.

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Goodreads

The Mysterious and Amazing Blue Billings (Black and Blue Series Book 1)

I make my way down the hall and throw the door open, laughing. “So, you did need a hand—”

A stranger stands on the doorstep.

“Sorry,” I say. “I thought you were someone else.”

The man turns slightly to face me. “It happens.”

He’s tall and burly with very wide shoulders. He has a tumble of black and grey hair that frames an eye-catching face with full lips and very light blue eyes. I’d put him in his mid-fifties, and he has an amused look on his face. With that and his dark clothes, he looks rather saturnine. I feel a wave of unease run over me which is startling in its intensity.

“Can I help—” Before I can finish the question, the door is seized from my hand and slammed in the man’s startled face. “Shit,” I mutter. Flicking the catch, I pull the door handle. The door doesn’t budge. “Rosalind,” I hiss. “Please open the door.”

She’s become very protective of Blue and me over the last year. The other week she refused to let the gas man in to read the meter, and although it was a lovely thought, it didn’t go down too well with the gas company. “Rosalind,” I prompt. There’s a very protracted pause and then the door slowly opens.

The man is still standing there with a wry expression, no trace of surprise at having the door shut in his face.

“Sorry,” I say. “The wind caught it.”

“Aye,” he says. His voice is deep and rumbling. He looks up at the house. “I’m sure that happens quite a lot around here.”

A smile still plays on his lips, and I’m seized with the sudden feeling that I know him. Rather than easing my concern, my worry grows and my next question is rudely abrupt.

“Can I help you?”

He watches me, his eyes intent. “I’m here for Blue Billings.”

It’s no secret that I am a big Lily Morton fan. And I really loved the first book in this series. While it still contained some snark that Lily is famous for, there was also mystery and ghosts and psychics and it was just so fun. So I couldn’t wait for book 2.

So worth the wait.

Blue and Levi and now in an established relationship going on a year now. Levi’s house only has one ghost and she is welcome, even if she gets mad when they are messy. Everything is happy. And then Blue’s father- whom he has never met- shows up with a proposal to spend a few days at one of the most notoriously ghost ridden houses in England for a few days. The owner of the house wants to turn it into a macabre hotel and wants genuine ghost stories to tell. So of course hire someone who can see and talk to ghosts. He finds out his boss, friend and mentor, Tom was also invited, so they pack up the car and go.

What follows is very Willy Wonka-ish when they arrive and find that they are not the only ones invited. They are the only ones with the gift though. And there are ghosts EVERYWHERE. And they are not happy.

Blue’s 2 former partners are also there, which doesn’t make for a fun time for him. But the quirky owner of the castle seems oblivious to the tension. Blue is also hoping to maybe get to know this man who is his father while he is there.

If you are easily frightened by scary things in books, you might get scared. Because the focus of the book really is on the ghosts and this castle or manor where they live. Blue and Levi are solid and there’s isn’t even a silly conflict that tears them apart before bringing them back together.

Tom is a treasure and I loved reading about he and Blue trying to figure things out.

If you read and enjoyed the first book, you’ll enjoy this one as well.

4 pieces of eye candy

Lily writes contemporary romance novels, and specialises in hot love stories with a good dose of humour.

Lily lives in sunny England with her husband and two children, all of whom claim that they haven’t had a proper conversation with her since she bought her first Kindle.

She has spent her life with her head full of daydreams and decided one day to just sit down and start writing about them. In the process she discovered that she actually loved writing, because how else could she get to spend her time with hot, funny men!

She loves chocolate and Baileys and the best of all creations – chocolate Baileys! Her lifetime’s ambition is to have a bath in peace without being shouted by one of her family.

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Shift Work (Night Shift, Book 1) by TA Moore: Blog Tour, Exclusive Short Story, Release Day Review and Giveaway

March 18, 2021 by Denise

You’d think the werewolves would be the worst thing about the Night Shift; you’d be wrong.

All Officer Kit Marlow wanted was a cup of coffee and some downtime before his next night shift. Instead, he got a naked man in the elevator and an unaccounted-for dead girl in the morgue. He’s going to need to deal with both before he can head for his bed.

Or anyone else’s. Although not much chance of that.

Reluctantly partnered with the acerbic security consultant Cade Deacon—last seen naked in the elevator—Marlow delves into the dead girl’s life. Between them, they uncover a new crime scene with the whiff of old corruption. A corruption that, five years ago, nearly took Marlow’s life and ended his career.

Finding out who killed the dead girl on the slab might only be the start of this investigation. Oh, and it’s the second night of the full moon. So 80% of the city, including Cade, will turn into werewolves in the middle of the case.

So, there’s that.

Title: Shift Work

Publisher: Rogue Firebird Press

Release: March 19

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Coming April 19, 2021

Split Shift: Night Shift: Book Two

First of all, thank you so much for having me! I’m thrilled to be here with my new release, Shift Work by TA Moore. It’s a novella. It’s a longish novella, but still a novella. It’s the first book in a three book series that will be coming out over the next….three months. So that’s easy! Well, for you. I’m going to have no nails left.

For the blog tour I’ve written a short story set in the Night Shift world. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Five

She was blind.

Temporarily at least. As Marlow watched, the blisters were absorbed back into the skin, and the burned tissue stitched itself into shiny scar tissue.

Home-made flamethrower probably—it was a popular self-defense for nulls that had to be out. It didn’t work well, and they’d been lucky she was young. Once someone shifted, they weren’t a person anymore, but they weren’t a dumb animal either. Werewolves were smart enough; they just didn’t think like people. Werewolves were smart enough; they just didn’t think like people or want what people wanted. Annie would forget her blistered eyes when she woke up. The wolf wouldn’t. This wouldn’t work again.

Drool splattered on the floor as Annie swung her head around and snorted at the air. Her ears twitched on top of her head, first one way and then back toward Marlow. She took a step forward, down on all fours, so the muscles bulked in her heavy shoulders, and licked the air.

Marlow didn’t try to hold his breath. It just made your heart beat faster, louder, and eventually you’d have to suck in some air. He just kept his breathing slow and steady, his heart rate calm, as he slid backward on his ass.

The stack of boxes at the end of the aisle were old-fashioned scales. $50 a pop. Marlow hoped he wasn’t going to have to pay for damages. He kicked them over on top of Annie. As the wolf reared back in surprise, he used the time the distraction had bought to scramble to his feet.

“There’s a whole city out there, Annie,” he said as he jogged backward ahead of her. “Deer. I heard they released some pigs.”

She crushed the boxes underfoot as he stalked him. Her eyes were gunked with pus, but the glaze of cataracts had faded. When he shifted direction, she turned her head to track him.

One step back.

Another.

Marlow mentally plotted his route through the department. He needed to keep her away from Beth. They might have been friends in the daylight, but the wolf wouldn’t care if she smelled blood.

Suddenly something crashed against the floor on the far side of the store. Three men, backpacks on their shoulders and kitted out in half-assed body armor, kicked over some of the shelves and stitched a spray of bullets down the aisle. The tiles splintered and shattered in divots and chunks until one of the projectiles caught Annie in the shoulder.

She threw her head back and roared in pain as the metal punched through flesh and bone. The next bullet docked her ear, the point shredded off in a spray of bloody hair, and then Annie threw herself out of the way and disappeared into the darkness.

“Idiots,” Marlow snarled. He gestured back the way he’d came—toward Beth—but hopefully, they’d more sense than to indulge a grudge now. “Get out of here.Go.”

One of them shot at him. It missed, punched into the shelves behind him, and then they ran.

Annie snarled, a low, wet sound, and then lunged out of the darkness.

Read the rest of the story on https://bit.ly/2Ojm6jQ!

This novella is set in a new world, and I had a bit of a time trying to understand what a few of the words meant initially (still not sure I understand what a null is 🙂 ) However, it is easy to catch up and figure out where things were headed.

I’m glad to see there is a second book with these MC’s, because I definitely want to know more about Kit and his past. That was piece that was revealed very slowly, in little chunks, and I want to know more!

There’s a bit of a murder mystery that sneaks into a lot of TA Moore’s books, and to give you a heads up there are definitely a few gory details that you might expect along with a murder among werewolves, but it definitely keeps you guessing.

I enjoyed the interactions between Marlow and Cade, but in many ways, I enjoyed their internal conversations with themselves almost as much. They kept trying to talk themselves out of their crush on the other, and it was such a back and forth it made me laugh.

I am looking forward to seeing how these things play out in the next book.

4 pieces of eye candy

Coffee, Doc Marten boots, and good friends are the essential things in life. Spiders, mayo, and heels are to be avoided.

Website: www.tamoorewrites.com

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

Twitter: @tamoorewrites

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Blood On Tap by Riley Long: Blog Tour, Exclusive Excerpt and Giveaway

March 3, 2021 by Denise

Drew
What’s a retired rockstar vamp to do in a quaint, quiet English town?
Buy the only pub, make it a vampire haven, and flirt incessantly with my one and only employee, of course.

Nova
I hate everything about my new boss.
His face. His arrogant smile.
The way he acts like he knows everything.
I hate him so much I just want to… kiss him? What the hell?

Riley Long on Goodreads

Amazon – Kindle Unlimited

Drew:

I shouldn’t have been surprised by his presence in such a vampire-heavy town, but a vampire serving humans was unusual to my eyes. Seeing an apex predator doing something so mundane struck me as odd. I made my way to the bar and slid onto a stool, the vinyl cracked and fraying.

“Hi there,” I murmured, my voice low. I smiled at the tall, blond bartender, whose wavy hair would have reached his shoulders if it hadn’t been tied back. He looked very much like he could have come out of a picture book about Viking times, except he wore a snug-fitting t-shirt with Blood Money’s logo emblazoned on it, and jeans that perfectly cupped his very firm ass.

“What can I—?” He ended abruptly and tilted his head to the side. His eyes narrowed as he took me in, and I ran a hand through my damp, close-cropped hair. When he spoke again, his tone was cold, closed off, and his expression was carefully neutral. “Are you—?” he shook his head. “Can I help you?”

“You work here?” I knew it was a stupid question. He was behind the bar, of course he worked there, but I couldn’t help asking. I couldn’t wrap my mind around a vampire serving humans willingly.

He nodded. “And I’m busy.” He grabbed empty glasses off the bar top and put them in a tray, then grabbed a rag and began to wipe the bar down.

“Oh, yeah, totally. I can tell.” There were no patrons asking for his attention at that moment and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

“I’ve never seen you around here.”

I laughed a little. “Don’t worry, Tex, I’m not looking to steal your territory.”

He shook his head. “No territory to steal. It’s not like that around here.”

“Then what’s it like?” I leaned forward and slid my fangs out with a smile. I wanted him to see I meant no harm.

He dropped his voice to a hiss, leaning in close. “Put your fangs away, for fuck’s sake. Nobody needs to see that.”

Riley Long is a wife and mother living a quiet life in Virginia, with her husband, son, and one goofy pit bull. She passes her evenings writing, reading, and watching bad television (or not so bad television). For fun, Riley participates in NaNoWriMo, GISH, and reads with her book club, the BAMFs. She likes things with silly acronyms. The craziest thing Riley has ever done involves whipped cream and hugs. Riley writes sweet and sexy romance, with a special place in her heart for hipsters and musicians.

Connect with Riley:
Book Bub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/riley-long
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13515411.Riley_Long
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/writerrileylong
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