Summer Sky: A Blue Phoenix Book by Lisa Swallow

Ok, so in between all of the cover reveals and blog tours that I have been participating in recently, I have managed to read a few other books. the only problem is that I fall behind on reviewing them, because it takes me a while to process them. But since I have a few minutes while children are quiet, I thought I would catch up by doing at least one regular blog post. This book is called Summer Sky:A Blue Phoenix Book, (you know, in case you didn't get that from the blog title) and it was REALLY good. Here's the cover, synopsis, and purchase links before I launch into my actual review.

**LIMITED TIME PRICE DROP** Originally $2.99 

Falling Sky (Blue Phoenix #2) now available

Sky changed her life for a man once, and she has no intention of doing it again - even if he is a six-foot, tattooed rock god who makes a mean bacon sandwich.

Sky Davis is fed up of boyfriend Grant taking her for granted, and when she comes home to find him wearing a girl, Sky suspects the relationship is over. She takes an unscheduled vacation and leaves the life (and guy) she hates behind.

Rock star Dylan Morgan is struggling with fame and infamy, sick of his life being controlled by other people. Dylan cuts his hair and walks away from his role as lead singer of Blue Phoenix, leaving behind chaos and speculation.

Outside the English seaside town of Broadbeach, their cars and worlds collide.

Sky decides Dylan is an arrogant guy with too many tattoos, and Dylan is amused by the smart-mouthed girl with no idea who he is. Dylan and Sky soon discover they've travelled to Broadbeach for the same reason - to escape from reality and head back to a place with happy childhood memories. Losing themselves in a world where they know nothing about each other, Sky and Dylan begin a holiday romance that soon heats up their rainy English summer.

Fantasies can't last forever, and when reality crashes the party, Sky isn't sure she wants to be more than his 'summer Sky' but Dylan doesn't want to let her go.

Returning to the real world, public scrutiny isn't their only problem. Blue Phoenix lead guitarist, Jem Jones, has a reason for wanting Sky out of Dylan's life, and is determined to come between them. Some things won't stay hidden, even when they're paid to 'go away'.

Summer Sky is a contemporary romance with a rock star flavour where occasionally more than the bacon sizzles. It is the first in the Blue Phoenix series.

The Blue Phoenix books are a series of contemporary romance novels and novellas centred on the fictional rock band Blue Phoenix.


***This book is not a standalone and has a cliffhanger.***

***Book Two: Falling Sky is now available***


The Blue Phoenix Books:

Summer Sky (Blue Phoenix #1) Amazon

Falling Sky (Blue Phoenix #2)

(Book One and Book Two must be read in order - book one has a cliffhanger and book two completes the story)


Unplugged (Blue Phoenix #3) - Standalone available October 2014

Rising (Blue Phoenix #4) - Standalone available 2015

Please note: This is written in UK English and includes English idiom and spelling.

So here's my summary: There's not a whole lot to say without giving a lot of what happens in the book away, and I hate when I read reviews that tell you almost every little thing that happens. So I am going to try not to do that. Basically, Sky is headed to the one place she has always felt safe due to some unforeseen problems that have come up in the last few days. All she wants to do is clear her head and get back to the girl she use to be.

Dylan Morgan is also running from his past and decides to go back to the one place his family always seemed to have a great time. No one else knows where it is so it is the perfect way to escape from him every day life. What he doesn't expect on his way there is to literally crash into a beautiful woman with a feisty mouth. especially one who doesn't seem to know who he is. but what makes it even more interesting is that the place he rented for a month is the place that she is staying because it's owned by her family.

They figure out arrangements and agree that their lives outside of this place stay that way. It happens a little at a time, but they actually start to like each other once they get to know each other. But that all comes to an end when reality crashes in not even a week later. Sky does what she feels she needs to do and plans to get on with her life. but Dylan has other ideas because he wants the feisty mouth woman with him.

Things get a little heated and crazy for both of them trying to figure out what those few days meant to themselves and each other, but that's not the only thing that is going on. Someone is out to destroy their chances before they ever really start. Can they work through things or is one of them going to run? 

There, I think that was interesting enough to get people to read it, but vague enough that they don't feel like they have already read the book. Anyways I LOVED this book! There was just the right amount of drama, hot guy mystery, and steamy scenes to keep me satisfied. And while I normally don't like cliffhangers, the second book is ready immediately, so I got started on that already! So if this sounds like a book you could really get into, go help an author out and pick it up because it's on sale right now for $0.99!

Laura Lexington - The Storm - Release Day Blitz

Title: The Storm

Author: Laura Lexington

Release Date: Aug 30, 2014

Find on

Goodreads

Jana Cook was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but her fierce determination leads to a successful career in medical device sales. Toss in five-star meals, fabulous sex with her nearly perfect husband, Andrew, and a gorgeous new house … and Jana’s life is picture perfect before she hits the big 3-0. What more can a girl want?

Overnight, her life begins to unravel. When Jana discovers she is pregnant, she dives from hero to zero in the eyes of Covington Company. Despite a resume most would kill for, Jana finds herself unemployed and devastated. Challenging her employer could change her life … if she wins. Does she have the strength to handle the gossip and face the likely reality of being blackballed from her industry?

As Jana struggles to make the right choice, her vivacious best friend, Grace, is convinced her own heartthrob husband, Gavin, is hiding something. Despite Jana’s best efforts to convince her that she is wrong, Grace’s mental illness overpowers reality. Jana was a superstar in scrubs, but navigating first time motherhood is real work … especially in the midst of secrets, lies, and unthinkable tragedy.

She makes her decision. And while Andrew promises to never let her fall, will love be enough to spark the bravery she needs to survive the storm that threatens to overcome her?

Amazon. 

Andrew laughed and shook his head. “When I met you, I never thought you would be so sexual. You seemed so ... quiet.”

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you to watch out for the quiet ones?” I raised my eyebrows and winked, grabbing him spontaneously and pulling him close. I brought my lips to his and lightly parted them, waiting for him to lead.

Now that my second trimester kicked into gear, sex regained its appeal.

Effortlessly, he kissed me, our tongues wrapping around one another’s, awakening an eagerness that zapped me of any other thoughts. “I want to be the only toy you play with tonight.”

I pulled away and gave him a glance at the fire in my eyes. “You can do whatever you want with me.”

“Shhh.” His voice rose slightly as he gently lowered me on the soft blanket I hadn’t noticed. “Take your clothes off for me. I will be right back.”

I obliged, slowly undressing with careful finesse, leaving my lacy panties for him to remove. Naked under the stars, I allowed the mystical, cool breeze to relax me as my eyes fluttered shut.

I never heard him return. Suddenly, he lay beside me, using his firm hands to massage me with the skill of a professional. I bristled with pleasure as he caressed warm liquid over every square inch of my body.

“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured as I gently spread my legs, my muscles reduced to mush. Embracing the sensation of floating in a realm between a memory and a daydream, I relished his magical touch.

After sliding off my thong, he teased one finger over my sensitive spot, and I sighed at the promise of what came soon. Maybe six seconds and I was soaking wet, dying for him to enter me. His intent was sweet romance, but I wanted to grab his body and force him inside me and rock him until he couldn’t see straight. My sex drive now wild and untamed, my body pulsed with intensity unfamiliar to my experience.

I reached up to unbutton his shirt, exposing his sexy arms and chest. I slid his pants and boxers down and unleashed a seductive smile, my eyes lifting from his hardness to his heated eyes. Not much foreplay would be necessary.

I slid my tongue up and down the length of his shaft, amazed when he got even harder.

He started to position himself on top of me, but I placed one hand firmly on his chest and pushed him away. A flicker of confusion crossed his face, but then he grinned as I slyly turned over and rose on my hands and knees.

“You feel so tight,” he breathed as his body became one with mine. He squeezed my ass and let a soft moan escape with the first hard thrust.

He was the perfect fit. With every move he made, my body longed for more of him, grinding against him until I matched his pace. I wanted to slow down, to enjoy this fabulous sex underneath a ceiling of glistening stars, but I lost every ounce of self-control and thrust against him faster and faster until he exploded with pleasure.

“Damn!” He gazed into my eyes, his wild with ecstasy, as I smirked with satisfaction. “You’re an animal.”

I rolled over, collapsing on the blanket cushioned with soft grass. I guided his hand back to where he started, my mouth forming a long “O” within seconds. Feverishly, I grabbed his other hand and placed it on my breast. He took the cue and fondled each nipple until they were both pebbled.

Hold off, hold off... I could have come on command.

He rolled his finger in a circular motion, changing his rhythm to make me last longer. I thought I might fall unconscious if my legs got any weaker.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I came with such power that my whole body jerked. My eyes flew open just in time for my release to coincide with the surreal blend of the majestic stars and distant heavenly bodies as they faded into the night.

Andrew smiled and lay on his back, gazing into the celestial sky, lacing his fingers with mine. The breeze intensified, serving as the perfect cool down as we cuddled under the glistening stars.

This was perfection.

Laura Lexington is a Contemporary Women’s Fiction and Contemporary Romance author. Her debut novel contains elements of suspense and explores elements of every part of life – love, sex, friendship, careers, faith, social issues, and family. She lives in the Southern United States with her family, where she hates the humidity but loves being close to the beach. She is the proud mother of one daughter, a rambunctious five year old who chopped her glorious hair the first week of kindergarten, and is the most awesome wife ever (or so she likes to think). When she’s not daydreaming up future stories, she’s wearing out her Kindle, thinking about shaking the dust off her treadmill, or planning her next trip to Orange Beach.

Laura works full time, and unlike the main character in her debut novel, is thankful to work for a company that recognizes employee talent regardless of age, race, or gender, and provides many opportunities for development. She firmly believes in the power of a good housekeeper, a strong cup of coffee (or two or three), and a novel that makes one’s senses spin with all the good stuff – drama, love, suspense, sex. If dancing with her rambunctious five-year-old in the kitchen counts as working out, she exercises daily, usually after several desserts she couldn’t resist.

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Aden Lowe~Big Game: Hunted Love #1~Cover Reveal

Title:

Big Game: Hunted Love 1

Author:

Aden Lowe

Release Date:

September 15, 2014

Genre:

Western Romance

RECOMMENDED FOR AGES EIGHTEEN AND UP DUE TO EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS, AND STRONG LANGUAGE

Synopsis:

When a legendary predator decides prize horses should be on his menu, Kate takes the advice of her neighbor ranchers and hires a big game hunter to track the mountain lion and remove the threat. The hunter arrives to take up the trail, but instead of the seasoned older man she expects, he's young and impossibly sexy.

Freshly back from deployment to Afghanistan as a special forces operative, Jakob needs to clear his head of the horrors of war. When his uncle is injured, Jakob steps in to fulfill the older man's commitment to hunt down a mountain lion on the other side of the state. The prospect of several days in the wilderness with only his horses and dogs for company sounds like the ideal opportunity. Except the infuriating female rancher insists on going along for the ride.

Excerpt:

A faint noise drew Jakob from the twilight that precedes waking, straight into full alert. Unsure what disturbed him, he lay still and allowed his eyes to open a bare slit. Just his luck that mountain lion would be prowling through camp. Unable to spot anything out of place, he sat up, careful not to move too quickly and get his head injury in an uproar again.

Splashing, louder than the stream flowing over the rocks, drew his attention. Fascination froze him in place for an instant, forcing him to just watch. At the creek, Kate straightened and squeezed water from her hair, then flipped it back to swing down her naked back. Water droplets clung to her pale skin like crystals, refracting the light and mesmerizing him.

She half-turned to retrieve something from the ground, revealing the curve of one breast. The sound of Jakob’s agonized groan must have carried, because she straightened and turned to face him, moving too quickly, and lost her balance.

Head wound forgotten, he leaped up and dove across the small camp area in an attempt to catch her before she could fall into the icy water. She recovered just as he reached her, and stood facing him, breathing hard. Something in her face had changed and for the first time since meeting her, Jakob felt as if she actually saw him. The unreachable Ice Queen was gone, and in her place…



Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22734896-big-game?ac=1

                                                                    About the Author:

Aden Lowe:

As an English major in college, I took a summer job as a proofreader for a small town newspaper, and got hooked on editing. I also worked my way through college training horses. After graduation, I landed a job for a small independent editing firm, and stayed there for 15 yrs. An old friend, Lucian, approached me to edit his special fiction project, and I got hooked. After an insane few months editing his Dom Wars series for him, Lucian convinced me I should try my hand at writing as well. I’m his co-author for Round Six, the final Dom Wars installment, and we will co-write the White Knight Academy series as well. And in Sept 2014, I’ll release my debut solo work, an Erotic Western with BDSM elements, “Big Game: A Hunted Love Novella”. In addition, I have a military series in the planning stages.

Social Links:

Website/blog: http://www.adenlowe.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdenLowe

Pinterest:http://www.pinterest.com/adenlowe/

Amazon Author Page:http://amazon.com/author/adenlowe

Instagram:www.instagram.com/Aden_Lowe

Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/AdenLowe

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116073095679666073937/posts

Release Day Blitz~Blood Beyond Darkness~Stacey Marie Brown

It's HERE! The day has
finally arrived!


The final book in the Darkness Series has arrived!!

After months of searching, Ember and her friends have finally located the Sword of Light, the only weapon capable of destroying Queen Aneira and ending her rule. This is Ember’s destiny. Or so she thought. Now a pact to save the man she loves changes everything.

In this final installment in the Darkness Series, when the truth comes to light, Ember will learn some things are better left in the dark as her world is ripped even further apart. It is no longer a rabbit hole, but a never-ending black void full of endless lies, betrayals, and secrets.

The fight for Earth has begun, and Ember will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save millions of innocent lives and those she loves.

But this price may be too high—even for her.

Stacey Marie Brown by day is an Interior/Set Designer, by night a writer of Paranormal Fantasy, Adventure, and Literary Fiction. She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. Even before she could write, she was creating stories and making up intricate fantasies. Writing came as easy as breathing. She later turned that passion into acting, living and traveling abroad, and designing. Though she had never stopped writing, moving back to San Francisco seemed to have brought it back to the forefront and this time it would not be ignored.

When she’s not writing she’s out hiking, spending time with friends, traveling, listening to music, or designing.

Amazon Author Page

Website

Facebook

Darkness of Light Facebook Page

Twitter

Goodreads Author Page

Youtube

Amazon kindle: http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Beyond-Darkness-Book-ebook/dp/B00MVK6KTW/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1409255646&sr=1-1&keywords=blood+beyond+darkness

Amazon Paperback: 

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Beyond-Darkness-Book/dp/0989013154/ref=sr_1_2_title_1_pap?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409255678&sr=1-2&keywords=blood+beyond+darkness

Amazon Paperback

**Warning: The Darkness Series is not YA, but a NA Series**

Darkness of Light (Darkness #1)

Ember Brycin has been called them all. She’s always known she’s different. No one has ever called her normal, even under the best circumstances. Bizarre and inexplicable things continually happen to her, and having two different colored eyes, strange hair, and an unusual tattoo only contributes to the gossip about her.

When the latest school explosion lands her in a facility for troubled teens, she meets Eli Dragen, who’s hot as hell and darkly mysterious. Their connection is full of passion, danger, and secrets. Secrets that will not only change her life, but what and who she is—leading her down a path she never imagined possible.

Between Light and Dark, Ember finds a world where truth and knowledge are power and no one can be trusted. But her survival depends on finding out the truth about herself. In her pursuit, she is forced between love and destiny and good and evil, even when the differences between them aren’t always clear. At worst, she will incite a war that could destroy both worlds. At best, she will not only lose her heart but her life and everyone she loves. Once the truth is out, however, there will be no going back. And she’ll definitely wish she could.

Fire in the Darkness (Darkness #2)

It's been four weeks since Ember Brycin witnessed what her powers are capable of. The Electrical Current Storm has turned Seattle, Washington into a natural disaster zone. The death toll is in the thousands with countless others homeless and hungry.
And Ember is the one who caused it. Something she will have to live with every day.

Those people who were unable to escape either turned quickly into gangs or live in shelters. Ember, on the other hand, can’t do either. With a price on her head and a Dark Dweller on her ass, she is constantly on the move. Both Light and Dark are hunting her for their own purpose to use her as a weapon or a pawn in the war between the Unseelie King of the Dark and the Seelie Queen of the Light.

Em needs help but doesn’t know who to trust: Lars, the mystery man Torin told her to find? Torin, the Seelie Queen’s personal knight, who has sworn to keep Em safe? Or Eli, who wants to turn her over to the Unseelie King, but whom she has an undeniable, intense connection with?

No matter what she chooses she will probably lose—her life or everything and everyone she loves.

Beast In The Darkness (An Elighan Dragen Novelette)

(Darkness #2.5)

We know the story from Ember's POV, but what happens to Eli after Ember disappears? Crawl inside Eli's mind and experience what he goes through. Be warned his mind in not a fuzzy warm place to be....

Dwellers of Darkness (Darkness #3)

Some days feel like years, but in Ember Brycin’s case just the opposite is true. Em would be 22 now—if she were human. She’s not. She is a Dae—part Demon and part Fay—with a little Dark Dweller thrown in to make her more of a freak.

Life has become further complicated for Ember since returning from the Otherworld. Besides being continuously hunted by the Seelie Queen, Ember is at the top of the Unseelie King’s list, after breaking her oath with him. No one breaks a vow with the Unseelie King without extreme consequences.

Adding to Ember’s problems is a certain Dark Dweller whose mood has become violent and cruel. As much as she’d like to deny it, there is an undeniable connection between them. Eli is sexy, gorgeous, and frustrating as hell. She also knows he is holding something back, something that could change their relationship forever. 

But her problems go way past him. As the tension for war mounts between the Seelie and Unseelie (Light and Dark), the tension at the Dark Dweller’s compound escalates even more as they prepare to obtain the Sword of Light—the only weapon able to kill the Queen. 

But is Ember the answer to the location of the sword? Is she the one to fulfill the prophecy? As usual nothing is ever what it seems.

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Sarahbeth Caplin - Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter - Blitz

Title: Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter

Author: Sarahbeth Caplin

Release Date: July 20, 2014

Find on Goodreads

In a bittersweet twist of fate, I started out “too Jewish” for my Catholic friends in elementary school, but not Jewish enough for the kids I met at summer camp, with their youth group logos and wristbands. In Israel, I didn’t feel I had the right to call myself Jewish at all. Now I was too Christian for Jews everywhere, but still too Jewish to completely fit in with my new bible study friends.

In my most pessimistic moments, I wonder if I’ll never fit in anywhere, with anyone. It’s interesting because Christians are called to be pariahs, to go against the ways of this world. But I am a special kind of pariah.

Amazon

My days of trying to fit in with my college ministry can best be described as a fish learning to fly. I was making friends, but I also felt extremely inadequate, surrounded by Christians who had been Christians since diapers. Outside of that, when I met new people who knew nothing of my past, the cross necklace I wore gave the impression that I was a “cradle Christian” as well.

That’s not wrong or anything. It just bothered me because that isn’t me at all: I’m not and probably never will be someone who fits the curious, cultural Christian ‘normal.’

I’ll never forget my first day of Sociology class my junior year, and the odd series of events that happened after that. I arrived a few minutes early, so after selecting a seat at the back of the auditorium, I quietly read my bible. Soon I was interrupted by a tap on my shoulder and a voice that chirped, “Whatcha readin’?”

This intrusion by a complete stranger felt rude and startling. Upon turning around, I’m embarrassed to say my annoyance quickly evaporated when I saw that the person who interrupted me was a guy, and he happened to be quite attractive. From the get-go, he assumed I was one of those nerdy Jesus Freaks. He nicknamed me “Christian Nerd,” which eventually got shortened to just “Nerd.” I couldn’t come up with any clever nicknames for him so I just called him by his given name: Ryan.

Every day he would sit next to me, and every day he would greet me with, “What’s up, Nerd? Save any souls lately?” I always brushed him off, but was oddly flattered that my spiritual devotion was recognized in such a way that didn’t make him want to run in the opposite direction. When I used to tell people I wanted to be a rabbi, one of two things would happen next: they would be very interested and want to know more, or wonder what planet I just landed from.

Ryan seemed to have me all figured out within the first week of class. He thought I was from a family of devout Christian Republicans who home-schooled me, forbid me to wear makeup, listen to secular music, go on dates, or see any movie rated higher than PG.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I was descended from a long line of liberal Jews who always voted Democrat, drank, cursed, and believed the only unforgiveable sin was rooting against the New York Yankees.

He was funny at first, but the constant heckling about my apparent prude-like ways was starting to get old fast.

Then one day he asked for my number, which led to asking me out for lunch after class. I let his good looks get in the way of my good judgment by saying yes.

Meeting for lunch at Wendy’s after class became a tradition, until one day he informed me that, while I was cute and all, he didn’t see me as a potential girlfriend because I was…wait for it…too Christian for him.

From “too Jewish” for Simon at Hillel to “too Christian” for Ryan in the span of a single year. Go figure.

Beth holds a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Kent State University. It was during college that she first saw her name in print as a columnist for her campus newspaper, The Daily Kent Stater. Now living in Denver, Colorado, she can be found in various microbreweries when not chained to her laptop working on future books.

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Cover Reveal~Cuts Run Deep~Amber Garza

imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Guk-
9CSuv7M/U_ozPHP9VAI/AAAAAAAAAdM/RuBn9YbaDCM/s1600/Cuts.jpg"
height="160" width="320" />

CUTS 
RUN DEEP BY AMBER GARZA



COVER 
REVEAL



YOUNG 
ADULT CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE



RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 8, 2014



Piper wakes up in the
hospital with no recollection of how she got there. Only fragmented memories
surface – her boyfriend Jackson on the ground covered in blood, Piper standing
over him, her hands slick and red.  

Then she is told the awful truth: Jackson was killed the night she was injured, and
she is the only witness.



If only she could
remember what happened.



Piper searches
through her memories, recalling her entire relationship with Jackson in order
to piece together what happened. Meanwhile, as Jackson’s family is trying to make sense of the tragedy, they find his journal and begin reading through it
to find answers.








As the chilling truth
begins to unfold, Piper has to face the darkest secrets of her relationship
with Jackson and the part she played in his murder.







ADD TO 
GOODREADS:
http://bit.ly/CutsRunDeepGRCR






ABOUT 
THE AUTHOR

imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-
yTOrPw5TAo0/U_oz1TUOvFI/AAAAAAAAAdY/EahMVkGvvk4/s1600/Amber.jpg"
height="320" width="212" />








Amber Garza is the
author of the Delaney's Gift Series and many contemporary romance titles,
including Star Struck, Tripping Me Up and Break Free. She has had a passion for
the written word since she was a child making books out of notebook paper and
staples. Her hobbies include reading and singing. Tea and wine are her drinks
of choice (not necessarily in that order). She writes while blaring music, and
talks about her characters like they're real people. She currently lives in
California with her amazing husband, and two hilarious children who provide her
with enough material to keep her writing for years.
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Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush by Victoria Pinder review

 

Penny moves back to Miami to start her a job with a list of things to accomplish.
1. Find a place to live.
2. Avoid her gold-digging mother.
3. Reconnect with old high school friends: her best friend Sandra, the dramatic Eva, the dark Michael, her half-brother Wyatt, and her former crush Jay.

Jay may have kept her firmly in the “friend zone”, but that didn’t stop her from wanting more. Her five friends have stood by her through some difficult times and she’ll need their help now to accomplish her first two goals.

As soon as Jay sees Penny, he puts his plan into motion. His investors need to see him with a stable woman, one who isn’t all flash and no brains; Penny fits the bill perfectly. There’s just one hitch—he wants more.Their pretend date sets off a whirlwind of plots. From mothers who want to control their children’s lives to the loss of her exciting new job, Penny’s world turns upside down. She knows she can overcome all obstacles except one—she’s falling for Jay all over again.

Jay Marshall pressed his lips together as he held the phone. His hands curled into a ball then straightened. He stared out his bay windows overlooking the ocean. Another beautiful day on the beaches of South Florida, not that he cared. Sunshine never filled him with joy. The humidity outside suffocated the spirit, but somehow, with this deal, he’d break free.

“Yes, you’ll see I mean business, Mr. Danvers. My business plans are long term.”

Danvers sucked in his breath, as if he were doubting the sincerity of Jay’s words, then told Jay. “And I’ll meet your girlfriend. It’s always telling with people from Miami. Flashy women and cars do not make good investments on my end.”

Jay gritted his teeth and tugged at his free ear, but kept the phone on the other. Miami advertised plastic women on the highway as a special brand. Flashy came with the area code. Instead he nodded his head and told the potential investor, “I understand. See you next week.”

He hung up the phone and stared out the window. The brightness showed his reflection and his grim frown. Jay needed to win. His eyes squished together. He’d pay the price for success. He had no other choice.

Jay’s mind raced to his technical girlfriend. Eva was the epitome of flashy, beautiful, and fake. She’d been a friend since high school, and two months ago, they’d ended up dating. On paper the award winning dramatic actress, his money, and their history should be a match. Yet he couldn’t imagine his entire life videotaped.

If he walked away from her, there would be no regrets. His investors hoped he had a nice, sweet woman on the side. His cousin and her friend, Penelope, flashed in his head before he dropped the thought.

He pushed his hand on the glass window before he stepped back into the shadows of his office.

Darkness didn’t suit him either. Nothing stirred inside him anymore, though he craved something. Anything other than boredom from the sticky heat of his life.

He shook his head and poked his head out of his office. His secretary sat there typing. “Call Eva. Set up an appointment for us to talk today.”

With the click of the door knob he rolled up his sleeves. He needed the deal to put his goals in line with his investment portfolio.

His eyes narrowed in on the first words, long term growth.

Long term read to his eyes like a rescue rope. He blinked. Life should be lived with long term goals to reach. Freedom meant change.

Today, he’d break up with Eva. In his heart, he’d always hoped for a woman that tugged at his heart strings. But hopes didn’t earn freedom. He’d prove to himself, and the others, John Jay Marshall came out of the game of life on top.

 

Victoria Pinder grew up in Irish Catholic Boston then moved to Miami. Eventually, found that writing is her passion.

She always wrote stories to entertain herself. Her parents are practical minded people demanding a job, but when she sat down to see what she enjoyed doing, writing became obvious.

The Zoastra Affair, Chaperoning Paris, Borrowing the Doctor, and Electing Love, Mything the Throne and Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush published in June 2014.

Now she is represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency.

Also she’s the Vice President for the Florida Romance Writers. Her website is www.victoriapinder.com.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriapinder1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/victoriapinder

Blog: http://victoriapinder.com/?cat=6

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8120316.Victoria_Pinder