Tuesday, December 29, 2015

***RDB & Giveawy*** Everything to Lose ~ A Lucas Holt Novel ~ JP Ratto

Title: Everything To Lose
Series: A Lucas Holt Novel
Author: JP Ratto
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release Date: December 29, 2015
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR LUCAS HOLT IS ON A MISSION…

Lucas Holt specializes in kidnap recovery. Ex-Delta Force and a former NYPD detective, he has spent the last fifteen years burying himself in case files to cope with the unsolved abduction of his daughter, Marnie.

JANET MAXWELL JUST CAN’T LET GO…

After the death of Janet’s husband and son in a tragic car accident, she hopes Holt’s expertise can locate the daughter she gave up for adoption seventeen years ago. Janet knows her actions will have explosive repercussions for the girl’s father— presidential candidate, Todd Grayson. With no family, hope of finding her only daughter is all she has left. Or is there a more sinister motive?

THERE’S NO GREATER INCENTIVE FOR A FATHER THAN PROTECTING HIS DAUGHTER…

On a mission to bury the constant reminder of his failure to recover Marnie, Holt agrees to Janet’s proposal. But at what cost? When his inquiries lead to news of the death of another woman, Holt can’t shake the feeling something is off about the whole case. And when new evidence surfaces about Marnie’s disappearance, finding her and finding Janet’s daughter become the same treacherous mission.

Crooked candidates, hired mercenaries, and his own life on the line—will Holt find it inside him to risk everything in the line of duty?

THERE’S NO TELLING HOW FAR YOU’RE WILLING TO GO WHEN YOU HAVE…
EVERYTHING TO LOSE.


Chapter 1

The woman in the sunburst yellow dress settled behind a small boy who stood between his parents in the front row. In her carefully chosen spot, she would have no problem seeing the senator. More important, he would be able to see her.

Following the presidential candidate’s schedule occupied most of her time. She knew him, and his routines. He was a clever politician, a clever man. At one time, she admired that about him. In spite of his womanizing history, she’d held him in high esteem. She hadn’t cared about the rumors of his less-than-ethical political acumen. He was bright and confident. Like her, he knew what he wanted and achieved it. The one thing he lacked was loyalty. That was his one unforgivable flaw.

A momentary stab of rejection cut through her as crushing memories of betrayal clamored to the forefront of her mind. Another staunch memory held them at bay, protecting her as always from thoughts that could leave her filled with rage or shattered from distress. I did what I had to. He gave me no choice.

***

Rows of supporters without access to the ticket-only event stood shoulder to shoulder, necks stretched and ready for a coveted glimpse of the man who could be the next president of the United States. Young and old mingled together, most dressed in patriotic colors and wearing Grayson for President buttons. Tabloid reporters and photographers took strategic positions at the iron-gated entrance to the prestigious institution.


The mainstream press had already set up their sound and video equipment on Columbia University’s south lawn. Amsterdam Avenue was closed for two blocks north and south of 116th street. With the absence of thru traffic, the cacophony of city activity hummed in the distance. Escalating murmurs obscured the honking horns, worn, grinding transmissions, and truck trailers loaded with goods booming as they slammed into the streets’ deep potholes. Area residents, intent on going elsewhere, glanced at the restless group and at the clouded sky. Briefcases and umbrellas in hand, they hurried to subway stations or Columbus Ave to hail a cab.

***

She’d been waiting for the event to begin since spectators and press had started to arrive. Turning toward the reporters at the campus entrance, she caught a brief glance from one of them. She almost shook her head in reproof when he gave her a slight nod. Instead, she ignored his acknowledgement and vowed not to look his way again.

She checked her phone for the time. It was still early, but she could be patient. Another half hour was nothing compared to the years she’d waited for what she deserved or rather, what he deserved.

***

As if on cue, stubborn puffs overhead gave way to a glorious blue sky on the warm August afternoon. Mounting shouts and whistles alerted all to the arrival of a line of black vehicles crawling at the curb north of the entrance. Men and women clothed in dark suits, more apt for a funeral than a summer outdoor event, exited onto the street. With serious faces, they scrambled to organize their positions before the guest of honor emerged. By all the staff and security Senator Grayson utilized, one would think he’d already won the election. Some criticized his self-importance. Those who knew him well commended his prudence.

All who gathered cheered as presidential candidate Senator Todd Grayson exited one of the limousines. Skilled at working a crowd to his full advantage, Grayson took his time. Straightening to his full height, he smoothed the jacket of his lightweight, ivory linen suit. He looked like a white knight among his entourage of black-clad minions. He faced the street audience, threw up his hands, and waved.

A mass of hand-held banners and American flags flapped like a flock of gulls vying for a prized clam. Classically tall, dark, and handsome, he had as many men fawning over him as he had women. Not since JFK had a presidential candidate charmed a constituency as Grayson had.

Grayson’s staff paved the way for him to enter the campus, shielding him from direct contact with those crammed behind the barricades. In a move that was either spontaneous or a well-contrived plan, the senator turned and walked in the opposite direction and began to shake peoples’ hands. The crowd went wild with whoops and shouts for attention. Surrounded by his campaign staff, his personal counsel Douglas Cain, and his bodyguards, he navigated among potential voters like a rock star.

Grayson stretched over the wooden barriers grasping as many hands as he could. Men removed their caps in respect, nodded, and returned strong, steady shakes. Women squealed and clapped, some patting their beating hearts as if they might swoon. His broad smile bared perfect white teeth that contrasted with his golden skin. Grayson’s careful choice of attire, including the pale blue shirt and tie, conveyed the tranquility of sand and sea. You could hear sighs of contentment at Grayson’s touch.

As president, Todd Grayson would take care of you.

He moved to the end of the narrow walk and back again toward the campus, scanning the adoring crowd. Grayson slowed when he noticed a woman who appeared oblivious to the lively throng surrounding her. She stood still but for a subtle bob and sway, like a buoy when bumped by gentle ocean swells. Tall, with shoulder-length blonde hair, her bright yellow, sleeveless dress set her apart from all the red, white, and blue. Her white designer handbag hung on her shoulder and she clasped her hands low in front of her. Grayson watched her lift her hand to adjust her dark sunglasses. Sharp and adept at reading people, her stance unnerved him. He couldn’t see her eyes, but he sensed her stare. He would have thought she was blind except her head turned to follow his movement.

Douglas Cain nudged the senator’s arm, breaking the connection with the woman. “We need to move along, Senator, if we want to keep to the schedule.”

“I know, Douglas, but this is as important as a stump speech,” Grayson said, his practiced smile never leaving his face.

Cain had been with Todd Grayson from the start of the senator’s venture into politics. With Grayson’s reputation and past, his lawyer’s presence at all functions was paramount. About to enter the campus, where another group awaited the senator’s appearance, one of the tabloid reporters caught Grayson’s attention.

“Senator, you look well rested from your vacation in the Hamptons. What is your response to some of the negative pushback by your opponent regarding your position on defense spending?”

Grayson glanced at the reporter’s nametag. “Tom, it’s not my policy to waste time on the defensive—at least not until the debates. I’ll continue to do what I’ve always done, and that’s to present my ideas directly to the people. It’s the folks’ opinions that count.”

Those standing nearby nodded and applauded their approval. Before Grayson could turn away, the reporter asked another question. “Senator, is it true that you were involved with call girl Sheila Rand and a prime suspect in her murder?”

Grayson did not move. The rapid blinking of his eyes as he processed the question was the only indication he had not turned to stone. Sheila Rand.

He had not thought of the woman for sixteen years. It was true they’d had a brief affair, but he’d had an alibi for when she was murdered. Cain had taken care of it. He’d taken care of that and another matter.

A moment of recognition flashed through the senator’s mind. He whipped his head toward the woman in the yellow dress. A stream of perspiration dripped down his face as he desperately searched the crowd. Where is she? Was it her?

“Senator?” the reporter prompted Grayson.

Grayson eyed the reporter. Cain moved in to stand between them, but Grayson refused to be intimidated. He grinned.

“Tom, you need to check your facts before you ask questions that make you look foolish. I have nothing to hide. Sorry but, I’m on a tight schedule,” he said and allowed Cain to guide him away.

A grin still pasted to his face, Grayson’s thoughts swam with dredged-up memories of the past. His chest filled with anxiety. He couldn’t breathe. Grayson was drowning in thoughts of all that could go wrong. He looked at Cain, his protector—his life preserver. He exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. The lawyer would deal with any fallout. That was his job.

Grayson shook off his concern and strode through the university’s gate to where he would give a rousing speech. Excited college students and faculty packed the stands. They applauded as he stepped to the podium. Another stage. Another performance. Everyone quieted and Grayson began the prepared rhetoric he knew would raise spirits and hopes. That was his job.

As his popularity tide rose, Senator Todd Grayson glided into the hearts and minds of those who would elect him to the most powerful position in the world. It would be smooth sailing, unless the long-ago matter of a murdered call girl surfaced and dragged his political career into a maelstrom of disaster.



JP Ratto is a husband and wife collaborative writing team. EVERYTHING TO LOSE is the first of a three-book series featuring private investigator Lucas Holt.
Judy began writing full time six years ago. She attended Hofstra University’s Writing Intensive in the summer of 2010, and participated in a Hofstra-sponsored writing and critique group from 2009 to 2012. She has written an upper middle-grade fantasy adventure and a children’s mystery chapter book. Judy also does free-lance editing.
Pete Ratto, a former member of the U.S. Navy serving half his enlistment with the U.S. Marine Corp, is a retired corporate accountant and is now writing full time.  
Both are avid readers of mysteries, thrillers and suspense. Active in a critique group made up of local authors, they enjoy discussions on all aspects of the craft of writing. Pete enjoys photography, writing and going to the beach. In her spare time, Judy paints watercolors and to her husband’s delight, cooks an occasional dinner. They have a son and a daughter, both grown and living in New York. Pete and Judy live in southern Florida with their cat, Gillian.








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Monday, December 28, 2015

*~*~PRE-ORDER BLITZ~*~* Nicole Edwards ~ Inked on Paper

WHAT! 

That's right! Nicole Edwards has her second ever STAND-ALONE ready for PRE-ORDER!

Book: Inked on Paper
Author: Nicole Edwards 
Publisher: Nicole Edwards Limited (Self Published)
Release date: January 12, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance M/F ( I know, right! Who knew!!)
Available for Pre-Order now! 




Chapter One...

What happens when you don’t know what comes next?

Jacob Wild has had a lucrative writing career, but somewhere
along the way he misplaced his muse. Now, unable to put anything on paper, he’s
resorted to hanging out in the neighborhood coffee shop with a pen and paper,
trying to find something to spark his creativity again.

That’s when he meets her.

Presley Abrams.

The coral-haired, tattooed beauty with the piercing gray
eyes and sweet smile draws his attention in a way no woman before her ever has.
Jake soon learns that when he’s around her his world is set to rights once
more. Presley sparks something inside him and not just his ability to put words
on paper.

But, Presley’s not the easiest woman to get close to and
Jake finds himself trying to answer the burning question:

Does happily ever after only exist in fiction?






Pre-Order Now: 
  

Coming soon to Pre-Order:
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Sunday night
“Honey, you need to get laid,” Blaze bellowed before tossing
back another shot of tequila. “You know, by some outrageously hot guy who’s
gonna pin you against the wall and make you beg for mercy.”
I tossed my shot back before I answered her. “Not gonna
happen.”
“Please don’t tell me that Adrian was the last guy you got
horizontal with.” Blaze’s expression turned serious. “That dude’s the world’s
biggest douche.”
“Can’t argue with you there,” I told her, pouring another
shot. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was talk about Adrian. Or anyone,
for that matter.
I’d spent the entire day at the shop handling three
walk-ins, all of whom had wanted tattoos that took more time to prepare for
than to actually ink. And now, I wanted to sit back, get wasted, then pass out
and sleep until I felt better.
“How was the sex with him, anyway?”
“With who?” I asked, playing dumb.
Blaze narrowed her eyes at me. “Adrian.”
I didn’t miss a beat before I said, “Boring.”
“Really?” Blaze snorted. “I always heard rock stars had it
going on.”
“Yeah, well, I think rock stars are the ones who started
that rumor.”
Blaze grabbed her shot glass. “You’re probably right about
that.”
We downed two more shots, and our laughter continued until
the front door opened and in walked Gavin.
As soon as he stepped in the doorway, he stopped cold,
watching the two of us closely.
“Wussup, Gav?” Blaze greeted him, her words slurring. She
looked at me and grinned. “He’s an outrageously hot guy,” Blaze said in what
she probably assumed was a whisper but wasn’t.
“I definitely am,” he agreed, that mischievous smirk on his
face. “Is this party just gettin’ started? Or are we about to turn on the
decision-maker lights?” Gavin closed the front door behind him and tossed his
coat onto one of the barstools, his eyes never straying from us.
“The night’s still young,” Blaze informed him. “Can’t say
the same about you, though.”
Gavin continued to watch us. “How much have you had?”
“Not enough,” I admitted, reaching for the bottle to pour
more shots. “Now quit acting like an old man and come drink with us.”
“Hold up,” Blaze said, snatching the bottle out of my hand.
“Not until he pays the ten-dollar buy-in fee.”
“Buy-in?” A crease formed in Gavin’s forehead. “What the
hell’s a buy-in fee? This ain’t poker.”
Blaze pointed a finger in his direction. “I paid for the
booze, and you gotta buy in if you want some. Ten dollars.”
Gavin grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, flipped it
open, and pulled out a five-dollar bill, then tossed it in Blaze’s lap.
“Dude, who’s the one who’s been drinkin’ tonight?” Blaze
slurred. “That ain’t ten bucks.”
“No, but you bought cheap booze, so there’s a fifty percent
discount.”
“Fine. Whatever.” Blaze snatched up the money and tucked it
into her bra.
I smiled at Gavin. “Grab another shot glass.”
After a quick detour to the kitchen, Gavin returned, setting
his glass down beside the other two, then dropping onto the couch beside Blaze.
With an unsteady hand, Blaze filled all three but ended up
with more on the glass table than in the shot glasses.
“What’re we drinking to?” Gavin asked.
“Hot guys nailing us to the wall,” Blaze blurted.
I rolled my eyes.
“Ain’t no guy nailing me to the wall,” Gavin grunted. “Hot
or otherwise.”
For whatever reason, I found that funny and ended up downing
my shot and nearly shooting it out of my nose.
“I’ve got a question,” Blaze said when the laughter died
down.
“No questions from you tonight,” I said immediately,
glancing over at Gavin.
As usual, Blaze ignored me. “I wanna know why the two of you
have never had sex.”
“Not a question,” Gavin grumbled.
“Okay, fine,” Blaze snapped. “Have the two of you ever had sex?”
“Eww. No,” Gavin and I said in unison.
“Are you fucking serious?” Blaze did not sound convinced.
I placed my shot glass on the table but waved Blaze off when
she started to pour me another. “Dead serious.”
“Why?” She looked genuinely confused.
“Because he’s not my type?”
Blaze’s eyes bounced back and forth between us before
landing on me. “But he’s hot.”
Yeah, well, I didn’t think so. “I don’t see him like that.”
Gavin was watching Blaze intently and I knew this wasn’t
going to be good. For the longest time, I’d gotten the impression that these
two had a thing for one another. Although Blaze pretended to be interested in
other guys—or maybe she wasn’t pretending—I got the feeling that if Gavin told
her to get naked, she’d do it in under three seconds flat.
“What about you two?” I asked, realizing the liquor was now
talking for me. “Why haven’t the two of you
hooked up?”
Gavin grabbed the bottle and poured another shot, but I
noticed he didn’t answer. I looked at Blaze.
“Y’all are best friends,” she said, as though that made some
kind of sense.
“So?”
“So, you and I are best friends,” Blaze added.
“Does that make us all best friends?” I asked, trying to do
the math in my head.
“No,” Gavin noted. “It means we’re not willing to sacrifice
that friendship."

“Oh.” I watched the two of them for a moment. Then it dawned
on me what he meant. “Oooh.



*Inked on Paper Copyright 2015, Nicole Edwards Limited.



Starting Tuesday 12/29/2015 Nicole Edwards will be doing a giveaway a day up to the release day of Inked on paper on 1/12//2016! 

Follow the #NEInked hashtag and visit her Website to find each day's giveaway!

Be sure to join the Nicole & Colt Edwards Group on FB for the release day party on 1/12/2016!





New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Nicole Edwards lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, their three kids, and four rambunctious dogs. When she’s not writing about sexy alpha males, Nicole can often be found with her Kindle in hand or making an attempt to keep the dogs happy. You can find her hanging out on Facebook and interacting with her readers - even when she’s supposed to be writing.

Nicole also writes contemporary/new adult romance as Timberlyn Scott.



Nicole would love to hear from you!




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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

**CR** Forced Play for Libby ~ Men of Baseball #3 ~ Hayley Faiman

Title: Forced Play for Libby
Series: Men of Baseball #3
Author: Hayley Faiman
Genre: Sports Romance Erotic
Release Date: January 6, 2016
Elizabeth "Libby" Lillian Montgomery-McGrath was born and bred—bred to be the perfect, polished wife of some well to do man who would probably never love her. Then she laid eyes on Pete McGrath, a bad boy who would undoubtedly be unacceptable by the standards of her family.

For Libby, it was love at first sight. To her complete and utter astonishment, her father not only accepted Pete, but encouraged and rushed them into marriage. She thought she had been given her happily ever after, but the honeymoon never lasts forever...

Pete and Libby appear to be the perfect couple from the outside. Affectionate, beautiful, successful and rich, strangers envy them and their friends adore them.

Pete McGrath harbors hidden truths that eat away at him daily, destroying the love he holds for his Libby.

One email threatens their picture perfect marriage, exposing their most intimate imperfections. Libby is devastated, Pete's eyes are opened, and he's forced to play for the woman he loves.










32 years young... born and raised in California, did a stint in Oregon only to return to the Golden State. Lived that life a while until the Lone Star State called to us, Hill Country, Texas is where we call home, where our boots rest and loving that country life. Living the life with one bearded power pole climbing husband, two little boys that are full of energy and drive us crazy plus a chocolate lab named Optimus Prime.



 


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