tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4758058728602363392024-03-19T03:02:13.828+00:00Author Empi Baryeh's BlogLove stories tender enough to warm your heart,
erotic enough to ignite your passions.Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.comBlogger337125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-78405427868285092982023-02-14T14:22:00.000+00:002023-02-14T14:22:39.382+00:00A SUITORS & SWEETHEARTS EXCERPT: Most Eligible Bachelor By Empi Baryeh | #AfricanRomance #EmpiBaryeh #Excerpt<div>In honour of Valentine's Day, I'm sharing an excerpt from my book in the Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance Box Set. What does Most Eligible Bachelor have to do with Valentine's Day? Well... given that the story starts on Valentine's Day, I'd say everything. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s1200/SandS_excerpt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s320/SandS_excerpt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-786ddb90-7fff-19d4-e7b1-9c0db83b74c5"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EXCERPT FROM MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR BY EMPI BARYEH</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><blockquote><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hi, Lord, uh, Mr. McKenzie, my name is Chantelle Sah. I’m—”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Hello, Chantelle. What can I do you for?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">His voice possessed a rich timbre, which coupled with his choice of words, evoked images of two bodies intertwined in passionate encounters. An unexpected thrill galloped up her spine.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whoa, what the hell was that?</span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Clearly, her self-imposed celibacy could use some reinforcement. She forced a smile, taking a second to compose herself. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You could grant me an interview.” </span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Good girl. Keep your mind on business</span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Did I win something?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, you were voted Most Eligible Bachelor by readers of </span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Odopa</span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> magazine.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He gave a soft melodious laugh. “I hate that.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She frowned, taken aback. “You—pardon?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Do you know how much trouble you put me in by naming me Most Eligible Bachelor?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If by ‘trouble’ he meant more girls than he could bed, then yes, she knew. Well, she could only guess.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Maybe you can clarify things in the interview.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Silence followed as if he were contemplating her offer. “Tell me, Chantelle Sah, are you single?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, but I don’t—”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why on Earth would she say yes? An embarrassing warmth crept over her cheeks. Thank goodness this conversation wasn’t face-to-face. A flustered image wouldn’t make a good first impression. She should have rehearsed this call. Now she’d given him an upper hand, no matter how remote.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Great. Why don’t you escort me to </span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Afrodite</span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tonight?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She frowned. “The nightclub?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He chuckled. “Yes, the nightclub. I’m having a Valentine’s party there. Surely, you must have heard.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, she’d heard. For weeks now, Lord McKenzie’s VIP party had dominated both traditional and social media. While technically open to the public, the venue—one of the most exclusive nightclubs in the city—and the ticket price restricted the party to the </span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">crème de la crème</span><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well ...” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She didn’t want a date. Particularly not tonight. However, if he was willing to grant her an audience, what choice did she have? She couldn’t let the opportunity slip through her fingers.</span></p></blockquote></span></div><blockquote><div>________________________________________________________________________</div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s851/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="851" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s320/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" width="320" /></a><h4><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Suitors & Sweethearts limited-edition box set.</b></span></h4></div>6 contemporary romance stories celebrating African Joy.<br /><br />Journey from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, from Curepipe, Mauritius to Las Vegas, USA, and meet swoon-worthy book baes. The happy ending is guaranteed!<br /><br /><br />This limited-edition box set introduces 6 exciting and heart-warming book series by African authors. Prepare for enthralling stories of passion, love, and African joy!<br /><br /><b>Tropes: second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires. <br /></b><br /><b>Publication date</b>: February 7th, 2023<br /><br /><b>eBook ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-30-4<br /><br /><b>Paperback ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-31-1<br /><br /><b>Pages</b>: 1050<br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63894008-suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads TBR</a></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye<br /></b>All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.<br /><br /><br /><b>VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor</b><br />A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.<br /> A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.<br /> One night on the wild side that changes everything.<br /><br /><br /><b>LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah<br /></b>Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?<br /><br /><br /><b>MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh</b><br />When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake... and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.<br /><br /><br /><b>THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee</b><br />Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?<br /><br /><b><br /></b><div><b>BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin</b><br />"Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn't always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances." ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER YOUR COPY NOW</b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNNL8TGJ" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/suitors-sweethearts/id6444829667" target="_blank">APPLE BOOKS</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suitors-sweethearts-kiru-taye/1142779644" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CBifEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY</a> | <br /><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank">24SYMBOLS</a></h4><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER PAPERBACK</b></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/suitors-sweethearts-box-set-paperback" target="_blank"><b>LOVE AFRICA PRESS</b></a><b> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/suitors-and-sweethearts/kiru-taye/9781914226311?" target="_blank">WATERSTONES</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Suitors--Sweethearts-Kiru-Taye/9781914226311" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suitors-Sweethearts-African-Romance-box/dp/1914226313" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a> </b></div><div><br /></div></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-46300770750239309282023-02-10T10:00:00.014+00:002023-02-10T10:00:00.234+00:00A SUITORS & SWEETHEARTS EXCERT: Vegas Nights By Unoma Nwankwor | #AfricanRomance #UnomaNwankwor #Excerpt<div>Have you got your copy of the Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance Box Set yet? Allow me to continue whetting your appetite with more excerpts from the box set. Up next is Vegas Nights By Unoma Nwankwor. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s1200/SandS_excerpt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s320/SandS_excerpt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">EXCERPT FROM VEGAS NIGHTS BY UNOMA NWANKWOR</span></div><blockquote><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-cf6e9e3a-7fff-7dab-25cc-f7cef8d1e9e0"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I said no cheese and no onions!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius heard the raspy voice as he walked into the hotel’s restaurant the next morning. His newest luxury hotel had a soft opening two weeks ago, and guests have been arriving by the thousands since then. Later in the evening was the grand opening, so now was not the right time to have dissatisfied customers.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We’re so sorry about that—”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“That’s what you said the first time you brought me the omelet with cheese. You went back to fix that and now you’re bringing me the omelet with onions. I told you the first time I didn’t want either in my omelet.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius stood against the table in the back as he noticed the two women. He was walking over to diffuse the situation, but something in that sultry tone halted him.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Safiya, I know you don’t joke about your food, but calm down.” The woman sitting by her laughed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius observed the scene as the chief chef came out and apologized profusely to both women. He then took her plate and hurried back to the kitchen. Darius took in both women. Since they were seated, he couldn’t get a full view. However, the one he now knew as Safiya had him intrigued and his loins tight. The curiosity to see the face that went along with that voice had him sauntering towards their table.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Good morning, ladies,” Darius greeted.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both ladies looked up at him, but only one of them showed signs of recognition.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“You are—” the other lady started.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He quickly cut her off. “Darius Gray, pleased to meet you.” He nodded at the pair. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Ummmm, you’re more than Darius Gray. I have an interview with you later,” Safiya’s friend spoke again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius nodded and smiled, his eyes resting on Safiya, who hadn’t yet said a word. She had briefly acknowledged him with her eyes before refocusing on her food.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I look forward to it Ms.…”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She stretched out her hand “Assan. Layla Assan.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius shook her hand.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“And this rude one over here is Safiya Nadar.” She nudged her friend with her elbow. Her friend growled back at her. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The sound sent an unfamiliar sensation up Darius’s spine.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Excuse her. Something about not getting her food right sets her off.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Well, I hope the issue has been fixed to your satisfaction.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Safiya looked up at him. In that moment, the trip over to their table was worth it. The right words to describe her beauty eluded him. The wrong adjective would be a disservice.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, it has. Thank you,” Safiya said, and immediately went back to scrolling through her phone and eating.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“I’m glad.” Darius turned to Ms. Assan. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours. You ladies enjoy your meal.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Darius walked away and went straight to guest services. He wanted to know if they were staying in the hotel or if they just came for breakfast. He had an interview with Ms. Assan soon and needed to know how cooperative he’d be based on what he needed her to do.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Lustria, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div>________________________________________________________________________</div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s851/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="851" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s320/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" width="320" /></a><h4><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Suitors & Sweethearts limited-edition box set.</b></span></h4></div>6 contemporary romance stories celebrating African Joy.<br /><br />Journey from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, from Curepipe, Mauritius to Las Vegas, USA, and meet swoon-worthy book baes. The happy ending is guaranteed!<br /><br /><br />This limited-edition box set introduces 6 exciting and heart-warming book series by African authors. Prepare for enthralling stories of passion, love, and African joy!<br /><br /><b>Tropes: second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires. <br /></b><br /><b>Publication date</b>: February 7th, 2023<br /><br /><b>eBook ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-30-4<br /><br /><b>Paperback ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-31-1<br /><br /><b>Pages</b>: 1050<br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63894008-suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads TBR</a></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye<br /></b>All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.<br /><br /><br /><b>VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor</b><br />A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.<br /> A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.<br /> One night on the wild side that changes everything.<br /><br /><br /><b>LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah<br /></b>Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?<br /><br /><br /><b>MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh</b><br />When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake... and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.<br /><br /><br /><b>THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee</b><br />Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?<br /><br /><b><br /></b><div><b>BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin</b><br />"Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn't always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances." ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER YOUR COPY NOW</b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNNL8TGJ" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/suitors-sweethearts/id6444829667" target="_blank">APPLE BOOKS</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suitors-sweethearts-kiru-taye/1142779644" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CBifEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY</a> | <br /><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank">24SYMBOLS</a></h4><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER PAPERBACK</b></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/suitors-sweethearts-box-set-paperback" target="_blank"><b>LOVE AFRICA PRESS</b></a><b> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/suitors-and-sweethearts/kiru-taye/9781914226311?" target="_blank">WATERSTONES</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Suitors--Sweethearts-Kiru-Taye/9781914226311" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suitors-Sweethearts-African-Romance-box/dp/1914226313" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a> </b></div><div><br /></div></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-84960100194871689122023-02-09T10:00:00.001+00:002023-02-09T10:00:00.225+00:00A SUITORS & SWEETHEARTS EXCERT: Bound to Fate by Kiru Taye | #AfricanRomance #KiruTaye #Excerpt<div>The Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance Box Set is out! I'm continuing the celebration with excerpts from each book in the box set. So, I’m starting you off with the first story in the boxset - Bound to Fate by Kiru Taye. I hope you enjoy the teaser.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s1200/SandS_excerpt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUUHuY-MyXh76MsJd1VlYUtTj0bV5GhXX892j5unbPs-wo_BurHFX1XH3vxAFWYN7L1q1GA3OB1WuWSv7pwhCt9VCjfx7Uzv5Aj4DTs-ZNYGqiBgoo2_Rca35J_ybtmiES9Sq6n1K--tN3f1EE57IjlOin4w21kh79NOZXcPv3B5gMDRwuVapAGlF0/s320/SandS_excerpt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>EXCERPT FROM BOUND TO FATE BY KIRU TAYE</b></div><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>Have you got two minutes?” Olu poked his head into Ike’s office.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Sure.” Ike stood up and grabbed his jacket from the back of his leather armchair.</div><div><br /></div><div>“I was just heading out for a meeting. We can walk and talk.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Good,” Olu said as Ike headed towards him and shut the door after he’d exited the room. “I just wanted to let you know we’ve recruited the final member of the Baytown project. I just finished the interview.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“That’s a quick decision.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“She is the best of the candidates we’ve seen and will make a good fit to the team. I didn’t see the point in holding off any longer.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Great. Well done. I’m keen to get the ball rolling on this project. I presume Jane’s already onto HR about the contract.”</div><div><br /></div><div>“She is. I told the young lady to wait and pick up the contract. In fact, she’s waiting in Jane’s office. Do you have a sec to meet her?”</div><div><br /></div><div>“Of course.”</div><div><br /></div><div>Olu led the way and Ike turned in the direction of Jane’s office.</div><div><br /></div><div>He saw the girl then. She was dark-skinned, with a heart-shaped face and wide brown eyes. Something in the back of his mind prickled as there was something familiar about her.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a few seconds, he was standing in Jane’s office in front of the girl and recognition dawned.</div><div><br /></div><div>It couldn’t be. This person standing in front of him looked so different. For starters, the hair was short and had red streaks in it. The girl he’d know five years ago had long braids and was too conservative and introverted to ever colour her hair such a loud shade. Secondly, the glasses were missing.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Lara, I wanted you to meet our MD, Ike Thomas” Olu said. “This is Lara Johnson, the new project planner.”</div><div><br /></div><div>It was her.</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><div>He’d banned anyone he knew from mentioning that name for the past five years. After the night that everything changed. He hadn’t wanted to think of her because he knew he would’ve gone looking for her if only to make sure she was okay. And what if she wasn’t? He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. Seeing her now, she looked okay. In one piece. So it had been a good thing to walk away. She’d survived. He’d survived. The world had moved on. Ike’s muscles went rigid as the breath whooshed out of him. It took him a few heartbeats to recover enough to speak. </div><div><br /></div><div>“Welcome to Thomas International. We’re looking forward to having you on board.”</div><div><br /></div><div>He didn’t stretch out his hand to shake hers, afraid of what physical contact with her would do to him.</div><div><br /></div><div>“Thank you, Mr. Thomas,” she said in a tense tone. “I look forward to working here.”</div><div><br /></div><div>She smiled but it seemed forced.</div><div>________________________________________________________________________</div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s851/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="851" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPL7NjynaaNHJGIMQJg9WOVh8khxZd8fQG2wGJFcVJXtDnZsP0S9zbADYX5Ya3RTgC7dyafA9a8nArwhNPG7RFzESoszmwSy3OxxfKhOgWhnUV8ZDKuIld0AfePN0KoPVXFdNkM0eSD-_oSwPpa4NNKMJ7vfZpS3LAqXsxepV8zbQprN7McTGy6zD/s320/Suitors%20and%20sweethearts%20-SQ1.jpg" width="320" /></a><h4><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Suitors & Sweethearts limited-edition box set.</b></span></h4></div>6 contemporary romance stories celebrating African Joy.<br /><br />Journey from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, from Curepipe, Mauritius to Las Vegas, USA, and meet swoon-worthy book baes. The happy ending is guaranteed!<br /><br /><br />This limited-edition box set introduces 6 exciting and heart-warming book series by African authors. Prepare for enthralling stories of passion, love, and African joy!<br /><br /><b>Tropes: second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires. <br /></b><br /><b>Publication date</b>: February 7th, 2023<br /><br /><b>eBook ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-30-4<br /><br /><b>Paperback ISBN</b>: 978-1-914226-31-1<br /><br /><b>Pages</b>: 1050<br /><br /><b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63894008-suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">Add to Goodreads TBR</a></b><br /><br /><br /><br /><b>BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye<br /></b><br />All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.<br /><br /><br /><b>VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor</b><br /><br />A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.<br /> A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.<br /> One night on the wild side that changes everything.<br /><br /><br /><br /><b>LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah<br /></b><br />Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?<br /><br /><br /><b>MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh</b><br /><br />When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake... and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.<br /><br /><br /><b>THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee</b><br /><br />Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?<br /><br /><br /><b>BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin</b><br /><br />"Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn't always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances." ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.<br /><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER YOUR COPY NOW</b></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"></h3><h4 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNNL8TGJ" target="_blank">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/suitors-sweethearts/id6444829667" target="_blank">APPLE BOOKS</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suitors-sweethearts-kiru-taye/1142779644" target="_blank">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CBifEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">GOOGLE PLAY</a> | <br /><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank"></a><a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank">24SYMBOLS</a></h4><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>ORDER PAPERBACK</b></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/suitors-sweethearts-box-set-paperback" target="_blank"><b>LOVE AFRICA PRESS</b></a><b> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/suitors-and-sweethearts/kiru-taye/9781914226311?" target="_blank">WATERSTONES</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Suitors--Sweethearts-Kiru-Taye/9781914226311" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Suitors-Sweethearts-African-Romance-box/dp/1914226313" target="_blank">AMAZON UK</a> </b></div><div><br /></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-43317773207121366662023-02-07T10:00:00.004+00:002023-02-07T13:44:43.429+00:00New Release: Suitors & Sweethearts: An African Romance Box Set | #AfricanRomance #Giveaway<div style="margin: 0px auto 15px; text-align: center;">
<p>
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</p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Suitors & Sweethearts: An African Romance Box Set</strong></p><p style="text-align: left;">It's here people, it's here! Suitors & Sweethearts: An African Romance Box Set is out today. If you pre-ordered, it's in your e-reader already. If not, grab your copy today. Can you tell, I'm excited? <span style="text-align: center;">🤭</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">PS. Scroll all the way down to enter the giveaway fir a chance to win 1 limited edition paperback of Suitors & Sweethearts!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></p>
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<img alt="" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/Suitors-and-sweethearts_ecover900pw.jpg" style="display: inline-block; float: left; margin: 0px 15px 15px 0px;" />
<p><b>Publication date:</b> February 7th 2023<br /><b>Genres</b>: Adult, Contemporary, Romance<br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Tropes: </b>second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #5e261f; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 16.5px;" /></p><blockquote><p><strong>BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye<br />
</strong>All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.</p>
<p><strong>VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor<br />
</strong>A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.<br />
A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.<br />
One night on the wild side that changes everything.</p>
<p><strong>LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah<br />
</strong>Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?</p>
<p><strong>MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh<br />
</strong>When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake… and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.</p>
<p><strong>THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee<br />
</strong>Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?</p>
<p><strong>BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin<br />
</strong>“Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with…Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn’t always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances.” ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63894008-suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> / <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNNL8TGJ?tag=hubp0a34-20" target="_blank">Amazon</a> / <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suitors-sweethearts-kiru-taye/1142779644?ean=9781914226304" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> / <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/suitors-sweethearts/id6444829667" target="_blank">iBooks</a> / <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/suitors-sweethearts" target="_blank">Kobo</a> / <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CBifEAAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a> / <a href="https://www.24symbols.com/book/english/zee-monodee/suitors--sweethearts---an-african-romance-box-set?id=4419392" target="_blank">24Symbols</a> / <a href="https://www.scribd.com/book/611290510/Suitors%20&%20Sweethearts" target="_blank">Scribd</a></p><p style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">GET PAPERBACKS</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Bodoni MT",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><a href="https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/suitors-sweethearts-box-set-paperback" target="_blank">LOVE AFRICA PRESS</a>
|<a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/suitors-and-sweethearts/kiru-taye/9781914226311" target="_blank"> WATERSTONES</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Suitors--Sweethearts-Kiru-Taye/9781914226311" target="_blank">BOOK DEPOSITORY</a> | <a href="https://www.exclusivebooks.co.za/product/9781914226311" target="_blank">EXCLUSIVE BOOKS SA</a> </b></span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: normal; margin: 0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Bodoni MT", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/SuitorSweethearts_SQteaser4-1.jpg"><img alt="" height="400" src="https://www.xpressobooktours.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/02/SuitorSweethearts_SQteaser4-1.jpg" style="height: auto; max-width: 100%;" width="400" /></a></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;">—<br />
<strong>ENTER THE GOODREADS GIVEAWAY</strong><br />
We’re giving away 1 limited edition paperback copy of the Suitors & Sweethearts African Romance Box Set featuring 6 contemporary romances by award-winning authors.<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/357731-suitors-sweethearts"></a><a class="rcptr" data-raflid="d04251235303" data-template="5655a8e7a10e8a6c420b26cc" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251235303/" id="rcwidget_ptkid367" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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</p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-50227402752487900222022-12-02T13:40:00.001+00:002022-12-13T13:55:38.987+00:00Cover Reveal: Suitors and Sweethearts Limited Edition #AfricanRomance Box Set<p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Suitors & Sweethearts limited-edition box set.</span></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I've been sitting on this news for a while. I'm thrilled to (finally) reveal the cover of a very special collaboration I've been working on with 5 other fabulous authors.</span></font></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></font></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Ta-daa! </i></span></font></p><p dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-5d7349ae-7fff-a807-8987-9cdceca689a9" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b></b></i></span></font></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>
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</b></span></font></div><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>OUT FEBRUARY 7, 2023</b></span></font><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><font color="#000000" face="Bodoni, serif"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">This limited-edition box set introduces 6 exciting and heart-warming book series by African authors. Prepare for enthralling stories of passion, love, and African joy!</span></font></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Journey from Lagos, Nigeria to Accra, Ghana, from Curepipe, Mauritius to Las Vegas, USA, and meet swoon-worthy book baes. The happy ending is guaranteed!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pre-order your copy for only 99 cents! The price goes to $3.99 after release.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tropes: second chance romance, forbidden love, one-night stand, rockstar romance, and billionaires. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63894008-suitors-sweethearts">Add to Goodreads TBR</a></span></p><br /><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PREORDER YOUR COPY NOW</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNNL8TGJ">AMAZON</a> | </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><font color="#0000ff"><u><a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/suitors-sweethearts/id6444829667">APPLEBOOKS</a></u></font></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.2px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/suitors-sweethearts-kiru-taye/1142779644">BARNES&NOBLE</a> | </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/suitors-sweethearts">KOBO</a> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PAPERBACK: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.loveafricapress.com/product-page/suitors-sweethearts-box-set-paperback">LOVE AFRICA PRESS</a> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;"><u>BLURBS<span></span></u></b></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BOUND TO FATE by Kiru Taye</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All Ike wants to do is to keep out of trouble and get through the one-year internship required for his degree program. But trouble finds him, in the form of the intelligent and brave Lara who turns his world upside down. Falling in love is forbidden. So why does it feel so right? Love like theirs cannot be denied. But catastrophe lies in wait and one-night changes their lives forever.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VEGAS NIGHTS by Unoma Nwankwor</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A woman scared of being hurt again is bent on playing it safe.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A man determined to stay focused and never experience poverty again.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One night on the wild side that changes everything.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LOVE AND HIPLIFE by Nana Prah</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blaise is on the verge of taking African Francophone countries by storm with his new style of music. Learning how to sing in French without butchering the beautiful language is harder than he thought. Multi-linguist, Lamisi is the key to his success. When his presence in her life puts her in danger, will he end the budding relationship in order to keep her safe?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR by Empi Baryeh</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, he has more than work on his mind. Yet, even the infamous playboy couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction from the moment they met, nor the evening ending with more than just an interview. But now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake... and that not all bachelors are heartbreakers.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY by Zee Monodee</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eldest sister of the Hemant sibling trio, Lara, returns to Mauritius as a divorcee and she comes across Eric, the man she loved as a teenager and gave up because their interracial relationship would not stand a chance on this island. But here comes a second chance: Eric wants her back in his life, and he will stop at nothing to win her back. Will Lara be her own worst enemy and thus end up unhappy ever after?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-weight: 400; white-space: normal;" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BITTERSWEET BEGINNING by Nkem Akin</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Bodoni, serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Efe Sagay grew up and went to school in Nigeria. While attending school she met the love of her life, her soul mate, the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...Kevwe Mukoro. And the feelings were duplicated by Kevwe. As soon as Efe graduated, they would be married. This was the dream and this was the plan. But real life doesn't always see things the way we do. The perfect future can always be destroyed by unforeseen circumstances." ~ Martha A. Cheves, Author.</span></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-69675858993038844632022-09-18T08:00:00.011+00:002022-09-18T08:00:00.215+00:00Cover Reveal: Dinner and a Kiss by Empi Baryeh | #DinnerAndAKiss #MenOfDistinction #EmpiBaryeh<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span class="selectable-text copyable-text"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 18px; text-align: center;">It's my birthday! Which makes it the perfect day to share my brand new cover and an exclusive excerpt. I can't wait for you to read this story</span>. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span class="selectable-text copyable-text"><br /></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-transform: uppercase;">DINNER AND A KISS
BY EMPI BARYEH</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbyHizb1gantwtVBioeZG_g__W6ZyM6HOv-rrkK0LURnUijMs6iWdug_XDIr_mnTDQ1mV2k54bULU_e7sws7dj6dJYxaDEXVQbj1y1GFU97qCBIt83M2UhUDswyEtP-aIE1bqYdhmjBDRW1mDkhKaKHquM44aMOZlElucdJyNJDk25QAcRIgI6Sfs/s1080/DAAK.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKbyHizb1gantwtVBioeZG_g__W6ZyM6HOv-rrkK0LURnUijMs6iWdug_XDIr_mnTDQ1mV2k54bULU_e7sws7dj6dJYxaDEXVQbj1y1GFU97qCBIt83M2UhUDswyEtP-aIE1bqYdhmjBDRW1mDkhKaKHquM44aMOZlElucdJyNJDk25QAcRIgI6Sfs/w426-h640/DAAK.jpeg" width="426" /></a></b></div><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><b>Cover designer: </b>Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs </span></div></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stand-Alone:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> Yes</span></span></div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Series: </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Men of Distinction, Book 2</span></span></div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genre:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><b> </b>Contemporary
Romance</span></div></span><span style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tropes</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><b>: </b>Billionaire,
Celebrity/Commoner</span></div></span><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;">* </span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>A marriage is anything but
convenient for a billionaire bachelor and a single mum wanting more...</b><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Fashion reporter, Abrafi
Sarpong must get to Tamale to cover an international pageant, her career
depends on it. And her son is depending on her. When a mishap with her flight
reservation lands her on the private jet of a handsome billionaire, her life
takes an unexpected turn. She isn’t looking for love; but Adonis Aggrey-Finn
makes her an offer her heart can’t refuse… even if her head tells her she
should.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Business mogul, Adonis
Aggrey-Finn has wealth, power and political aspirations… which don’t include
tarnishing his name with a scandal. He needs a suitable wife and thinks the
beautiful stranger he crossed paths with could be the one. If he’s not careful,
spending time getting to know Abrafi could cost him everything, but he can’t
deny his attraction to her. When they return home, the illusion is shattered
and reality that they are from two different worlds threatens to destroy what
could be.</span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Keep reading for the very
first excerpt from <i>Dinner and a Kiss</i>!</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyiyEkK7nHhg5-UVSETbUFFTqzQ274_US-0C9vgQq2lqUYpx2VMYCOvJTRXQrNbdLt65geHqecGaPg2q6yTg0ObRaPfdrdm_y1jObh32NOclB2V-9dpF7o_2_lVPwgIGOIWSfBsMuO5Ebz-dAY3IjgVcV1sf-Xutc4axB-hiMjwgWw96z45GgglGj/s909/Exclusive_Excerpt.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="909" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYyiyEkK7nHhg5-UVSETbUFFTqzQ274_US-0C9vgQq2lqUYpx2VMYCOvJTRXQrNbdLt65geHqecGaPg2q6yTg0ObRaPfdrdm_y1jObh32NOclB2V-9dpF7o_2_lVPwgIGOIWSfBsMuO5Ebz-dAY3IjgVcV1sf-Xutc4axB-hiMjwgWw96z45GgglGj/w400-h91/Exclusive_Excerpt.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VXx6FERzlunAWvqGK_xT55_2DklCE8DnUCz6ktSxi-9sbY5pGOKCDYwc3Wu_LrkgfZ43p4WeTRegTNi4mYfN_GmsVuVi1sLst2Z6gOWQ11nSIDFoKjy00YmTeqRyV906e2cZ6aw4nuQF2Ii41n3cjswSBkINGxVpTU_Rhke0lZy_MBJHAZ8bft_7/s500/IMG-20220913-WA0001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4VXx6FERzlunAWvqGK_xT55_2DklCE8DnUCz6ktSxi-9sbY5pGOKCDYwc3Wu_LrkgfZ43p4WeTRegTNi4mYfN_GmsVuVi1sLst2Z6gOWQ11nSIDFoKjy00YmTeqRyV906e2cZ6aw4nuQF2Ii41n3cjswSBkINGxVpTU_Rhke0lZy_MBJHAZ8bft_7/w400-h400/IMG-20220913-WA0001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">The sounds of the party faded from his mind before the doors were shut again. He’d already shifted gears to focus on the woman beside him. Her heels made a rhythmic clickity-clackity sound against the polished marble floors and his pulse seemed to echo the beat.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Did you have a fruitful evening?” he asked.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">He’d never been one to adopt a wait-and-see attitude. If he had the power to take action on anything, he did it without hesitation. Still, he knew the value of strategy, setting the stage. Which is why he didn’t start with a dinner invitation.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Yes,” she replied.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“What exactly were you doing?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Setting appointments for photos and short videos for our blog and social media sites.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“That explains it then.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Explains what?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Why I wasn’t on your list”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Oh yeah,” she said with a chuckle. “I already know what your answer would be.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Which is?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“A resounding no. You hate social media, and everyone knows you never give interviews except in relation to your company.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Doesn’t this event qualify under the latter?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">She started to say something, but stopped. “Wait. Are you saying you’d have said yes?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">He shook his head. “Not exactly.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Then what?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Don’t rely on what you think you know about me. I might surprise you.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">She looked at him, and their gazes held for several seconds. Awareness swirled within him. He could see the same in her eyes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">She did that thing where she shook her head again. It only steeled his determination, but before he could probe, she asked a question of her own.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“What about you? Did you have a fruitful evening?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Her attempt at changing the subject worked to his advantage as she’d soon discover.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Not yet,” he answered. “But the evening isn’t over.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Curiosity claimed her features. “What do you mean?”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“My goal was to secure the company of a beautiful woman for dinner.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Then what are you doing out here? You left at least forty-eight of them in there.” She punched her thumb backwards in the direction of the banquet hall.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“I’m not interested in them.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">She paused. Frowned. “You’re not saying—”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: Playfair Display;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">“Have dinner with me.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <a href="https://bit.ly/Sept2022_NL" target="_blank"><b>CLICK TO READ THE REST</b></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <b><a href="http://bit.ly/DAAK-goodreads" target="_blank">Add Dinner and a Kiss to Goodreads</a> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><a href="http://bit.ly/mod-alerts">Receive an email alert when <i>Dinner and a Kiss</i> releases</a></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><b><span style="background: white; font-family: "Playfair Display"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Connect
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</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-74200023928283830082022-05-06T12:30:00.002+00:002022-09-17T01:32:21.237+00:00New Release: One Night Expectations By LaQuette | #OneNightExpectations #LaQuette #HarlequinDesire #HoneyMagnolia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCHT-tUCVv9UtsXaSy7vKP3vsRQw4_fZ_4BC6t3pgIPJhxh6ovzpuos4IGhX_s9PlM6rXCwBsiHXPleo_oxd6qcUkfL2C0RPlq0d7CSdxewJ4p9SSbR0pKNZ3zyKZhxJ9-I2O7BOPNEOkxtyejTtVPu4oer8YwRmDyc11WA-JQfkq0Ma9pADWDXNp/s563/One%20Night%20Expectations%20mock%20up%20duo%20smaller.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="563" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCHT-tUCVv9UtsXaSy7vKP3vsRQw4_fZ_4BC6t3pgIPJhxh6ovzpuos4IGhX_s9PlM6rXCwBsiHXPleo_oxd6qcUkfL2C0RPlq0d7CSdxewJ4p9SSbR0pKNZ3zyKZhxJ9-I2O7BOPNEOkxtyejTtVPu4oer8YwRmDyc11WA-JQfkq0Ma9pADWDXNp/w400-h339/One%20Night%20Expectations%20mock%20up%20duo%20smaller.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">ONE NIGHT EXPECTATIONS BY LAQUETTE</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>An impulsive one-night stand has unexpected consequences in the latest Devereaux Inc. novel by LaQuette.</em></strong> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /><strong>For these Brooklyn power players,</strong><strong> </strong><br /> <strong><em>one night holds surprises to last a lifetime.</em></strong> <br /><br />When her grandfather meddles in the billion-dollar development deal she’s closing for the family company, Amara Devereaux-Rodriguez feels betrayed…and rebellious. A chance encounter with Lennox Carlisle is just the kind of trouble she’s looking for. But their night together soon becomes a threat to Amara’s aspirations because the mayoral contender has the power to quash the Devereaux deal. And now Amara’s pregnant with his child. Can she quench the fire for Lennox that could send their lifelong ambitions up in flames?</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094ZZ1RTF">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-night-expectations-laquette/1140548689">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/one-night-expectations/id1589231459">APPLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/one-night-expectations">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/One_Night_Expectations/rDiyzgEACAAJ">GOOGLE</a> | <a href="https://bookshop.org/books/one-night-expectations-a-surprise-pregnancy-romance/9781335735614">BOOKSHOP</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59236399-one-night-expectations">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4225-qWsBW4oCevDM_90xHvM4eodnvpBdRWdkg3KTBTSICTHyhGUDGI_CDaKlNIDGivaJlzq0ogpemndBrSyNfICTtJgXbvWsUFr3YPyVhvGOc28ou8I1bFW8aZBN8Ls0JQc3n6RRNLmhVK9WeM8wLCSTNHsilvZGIXgO9dd03o7zLp8vpEruEWiG/s1920/One%20Night%20Expectations%20teaser%203.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4225-qWsBW4oCevDM_90xHvM4eodnvpBdRWdkg3KTBTSICTHyhGUDGI_CDaKlNIDGivaJlzq0ogpemndBrSyNfICTtJgXbvWsUFr3YPyVhvGOc28ou8I1bFW8aZBN8Ls0JQc3n6RRNLmhVK9WeM8wLCSTNHsilvZGIXgO9dd03o7zLp8vpEruEWiG/w640-h360/One%20Night%20Expectations%20teaser%203.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">EXCERPT</h2>
<p>Lennox put the beer down on a nearby end table and stared at the woman sitting next to him. Trying hard to remember John’s warning, he fought with himself about what he should say next. Lennox was in no way afraid to talk to a woman as fine as this. But when you were trying to become the mayor of New York City, you had to think twice about what you said as well as did.</p>
<p>He extended his hand to her, “Thank you, Ms.…”<span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
<p>She tilted her head, her sultry gaze sliding down the seated length of him, leaving a fiery burn in its wake. But instead of making him back away like the cautious, levelheaded professional he was supposed to be, it made him lean in closer.</p>
<p>She took his offered hand in a firm grip and smiled. “Angel,” she said. “My name’s Angel.”</p>
<p>“Angel is a lovely name. It’s my pleasure to make your acquaintance.”</p>
<p>She continued to smile at him, holding his hand and letting her thumb pass over his knuckle. It wasn’t necessarily an overt gesture of attraction. But coupled with the flash of fire he saw in her eyes, he was pretty sure they were vibing on the same wavelength.</p>
<p>“Well,” she said, breaking the silence. “I don’t want to interrupt you any further. I suppose if you’re back here and not at the bar, you probably weren’t looking for company.”</p>
<p>She stood up, and he followed suit, stepping closer to her than he probably should have considering he didn’t know anything about her beyond her name.</p>
<p>“I did come back here to get away from the crowd. But that’s not the reason you should leave.”</p>
<p>She folded her arms, pushing her full, round breasts up, and he couldn’t find enough decency anywhere in him to look away.</p>
<p>“I’m not sure I get your meaning,” she responded. “What’s the reason I should leave?”</p>
<p>He hesitated for a moment, pulling his lip between his teeth to keep the words on the tip of his tongue from spilling out of his mouth.</p>
<p>“Aww, don’t get shy now, Len. Speak your peace.”</p>
<p>He nodded, loving the fierceness she wore like a second skin.</p>
<p>“You should leave because I’m tempted to find out if this thing that makes me want to bend you over that desk is mutual. Because if it is, I don’t think I have enough give-a-damn to ignore it.”</p>
<p>There, he’d given her the truth. And if she was smart, she’d take her leave, and this would never become more than a little flirting in the back of a bar.</p>
<p>But when she stepped into his space, so close that all he needed to do was shift slightly and his body would be pressed against hers, he groaned.</p>
<p>“You’d better know what you’re doing, Angel.”</p>
<p>She narrowed her gaze as her full lips curved into a sultry smile. “Is Len short for Leonard?”</p>
<p>Her question seemed out of place, but instead of using that brief moment as an excuse to step away, he shook his head. “No, it’s short for Lennox.”</p>
<p>“Good.” she moved in closer, wrapping her hand around the base of his neck. “I’d like to make sure I’m calling you by your proper name if this ends up being as good as I hope it will be.”<a href="http://bit.ly/33Bgk0j"><br /></a></p>
<h2> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT LAQUETTE</h2>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3kbDkBm0eA6iUmKZgZpK4wupyrjK_xf31z88yrHqMltbYjZaPR5_5CiaB4X_pEA5Rank0XM1GTkYOhJTCrMIonkUIIYUyYy2-Mm3VsXuhpebc4sK0uBNra4nLbDzXIwmBK75l7VvZguOWGshXE-dLbqaoelQcY3sYoEAhbKLxuH8kvUaGRMBdvoM/s2279/LaQuette%E2%80%99s%20Headshot.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2279" data-original-width="1709" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3kbDkBm0eA6iUmKZgZpK4wupyrjK_xf31z88yrHqMltbYjZaPR5_5CiaB4X_pEA5Rank0XM1GTkYOhJTCrMIonkUIIYUyYy2-Mm3VsXuhpebc4sK0uBNra4nLbDzXIwmBK75l7VvZguOWGshXE-dLbqaoelQcY3sYoEAhbKLxuH8kvUaGRMBdvoM/w150-h200/LaQuette%E2%80%99s%20Headshot.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">2021 Vivian Award finalist and DEIA activist in the romance industry, LaQuette writes sexy, stylish, and sensational romance. She crafts dramatic, emotionally epic tales that are deeply pigmented by reality's paintbrush.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> This Brooklyn native writes unapologetically bold, character-driven stories. Her novels feature diverse ensemble casts who are confident in their right to appear on the page.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> CONNECT WITH LAQUETTE</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://laquette.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LaQuetteWrites/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="http://twitter.com/laquettewrites">TWITTER</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/la_quette">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7480299.LaQuette">GOODREADS </a>| <a href="https://www.amazon.com/LaQuette/e/B00H0IN16K">AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE</a></h2>
<p> </p>
Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-48641398327320924412022-05-04T16:35:00.002+00:002022-05-04T16:35:50.493+00:00New Release: It's Not the Hookup, It's the Chase by Elle Wright | #ItsNotTheHookupItsTheChase #ElleWright #YoungInLove<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQIcizEi-DxkCehDof7DSiXsiCinIbTpRBUJeb5hnE9t0gjirNxhLM2oAslo7eMT3RB_FvjvsDQJi_sA74DbjE6B-AIY73VcZoLv6Kjhl4RaBUYdsMh7IN3kXU8uYBoW2GA7Kr9ibLJFtjFXZuw0S7Auwy6u8g0QeCjTtojhtm3Yronty1WunXrfL/s2477/FRONT%20It's%20Not%20The%20Hookup%20It's%20The%20Chase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2477" data-original-width="1632" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQIcizEi-DxkCehDof7DSiXsiCinIbTpRBUJeb5hnE9t0gjirNxhLM2oAslo7eMT3RB_FvjvsDQJi_sA74DbjE6B-AIY73VcZoLv6Kjhl4RaBUYdsMh7IN3kXU8uYBoW2GA7Kr9ibLJFtjFXZuw0S7Auwy6u8g0QeCjTtojhtm3Yronty1WunXrfL/s320/FRONT%20It's%20Not%20The%20Hookup%20It's%20The%20Chase.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><p></p><div id="m_1133800057241532693gmail-m_3047439415714007991Zm-_Id_-Sgn" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Blurb:</b><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">A long time ago, I helped her. Little tips about what to wear, how to leave a man wanting more, ways to be sexy without being too obvious. The guy she’d wanted was wrong for her, though. Still, she’d wanted him anyway and ended up with a broken heart. But she wasn’t the only one, because even after I’d made my own intentions known, she walked away.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Now, she’s back in town. Still beautiful, still intelligent, still funny, and ready to start over after a bad breakup from someone who never deserved her in the first place.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Want to know when I fell for one of my best friends? I can’t even tell you. Somewhere between eating Superman ice cream in her mom’s backyard and punching the first boy to ever make her cry.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Want to know how I got friend-zoned? She’d have to tell you. My services—Wingman for Hire—help women drive the men they want crazy. Yet, I couldn’t seem to get her to notice me that way.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Want to know what I decided to do about it? The absolute right thing at the wrong time.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Now, everything is different. The past is </span></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">supposed to be forgotten; the rejection </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-style: italic;">should</span><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;"> be in the rear-view mirror. And I’m not asking for much… just forever.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px;"><br /></p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1111; margin: 0px 0px 14px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3KBikL6" target="_blank">GRAB A COPY</a></b></span></h2>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-85745340526264371582021-11-26T12:00:00.003+00:002022-09-17T01:32:51.059+00:00OUT NOW: The Illegitimate Prince by Empi Baryeh | Royal House of Saene Book 7 | #RHOSaene #TheIllegitimatePrince #EmpiBaryeh<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-size: 16pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">THE ILLEGITIMATE PRINCE BY EMPI BARYEH</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bowWOap9Mn8htdYahmHal2l0BbqUXaXa3UGLnY98CvvjoY9iBc0CtneWc2KfgyuoC8IsxhG_zwIsccm6xwADgfw-Q2M8-D3GfBRrccpmRwMQPZq6RPCenIWUa6TGDV-9xYQ_wFoFGgk/s1600/tIP.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2bowWOap9Mn8htdYahmHal2l0BbqUXaXa3UGLnY98CvvjoY9iBc0CtneWc2KfgyuoC8IsxhG_zwIsccm6xwADgfw-Q2M8-D3GfBRrccpmRwMQPZq6RPCenIWUa6TGDV-9xYQ_wFoFGgk/w400-h640/tIP.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Financier, Kalahari Asanti, specialises in corporate takeovers, but his next conquest is personal. The Kingdom of Bagumi owes him a great debt, one he intends to collect from King Ibrahim Saene, the father he’s never met and the man he holds responsible for his mother’s death.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Princess Edina Dampare is soon to be engaged and trying to accept the undeniable truth—no man will ever reach her on the same level as the stranger who imprinted on her soul when she wantonly yielded her innocence to him the one forbidden night she allowed herself to put desire before duty.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kal’s quest for revenge brings him face-to-face with the woman who’s been haunting his dreams for the past eight months. The man who grew up with nothing is determined to reclaim everything the Royal House of Saene took from him…including her.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Playfair Display, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>AVAILABLE ON:</b></span></span></p><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/tip-amzus" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AMAZON US</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #262626; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | </span><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-illegitimate-prince-empi-baryeh/1138917869" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BARNES & NOBLE</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #262626; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | </span><a href="https://bit.ly/tip-amzuk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AMAZON UK</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #262626; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> | </span><a href="https://bit.ly/tip-kobo" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">KOBO</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #262626; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></h3><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://books2read.com/illegitimate-prince" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OTHER RETAILERS</span></a></h3><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #434343; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">***</span></h3><h3 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58341052-the-illegitimate-prince" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ADD ON GOODREADS</span></a></h3><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrgR2f9tfCSXQvgD6d3U_jIO4qTy0yDI7ViRG25dR8NVzNKqHTdaQH-G1DxU-se2LIYYC6Escd5KSCcKNG-wXx7UOsyo0t3tkI3zs3yBYrCc-CuPyAWash3vCQW5XTI_N5iRHKKVweTqW8lscj1J1eLnzAORHeuwXsLaT7BZyd8I4KPs5bZ3SSC9Y/s1080/tIP_graphic1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVrgR2f9tfCSXQvgD6d3U_jIO4qTy0yDI7ViRG25dR8NVzNKqHTdaQH-G1DxU-se2LIYYC6Escd5KSCcKNG-wXx7UOsyo0t3tkI3zs3yBYrCc-CuPyAWash3vCQW5XTI_N5iRHKKVweTqW8lscj1J1eLnzAORHeuwXsLaT7BZyd8I4KPs5bZ3SSC9Y/s320/tIP_graphic1.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-size: 16pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></h2>EXCERPT</span></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />New Year’s Eve. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: georgia; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">8 months earlier …</span></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="49tcg" data-offset-key="ek8o3-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span data-offset-key="ek8o3-0-0">“</span>You<span data-offset-key="ek8o3-2-0"> should have been a prince.”</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="o9ql-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kalahari ‘Kal’ Asanti stilled at the words—words so similar to those his mother had uttered on several occasions; words he’d learnt at an early age to dismiss as the romanticism of a woman who, despite the hand life had dealt her, had still believed in fairy tales. Unfortunately for his Mamaa, she didn’t get the happily-ever-after she’d never stopped believing in. Even on her death bed when the irrefutable truth had laid bare the lie she’d stubbornly clung to all these years, she’d played her final card and revealed a secret she should have taken to her grave.</span></span><span data-offset-key="66pa7-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="b4qtv-0-0"><span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span data-offset-key="b4qtv-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="b4qtv-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The truth had unleashed venom into Kal’s heart and set him on a path of vengeance. Instead of the tearful reunion she’d hoped for, his mother had ensured the downfall of the man she claimed to love.</span></span><span data-offset-key="fj1lc-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="94kcd-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="94kcd-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She had one thing right, though. He was indeed going to meet the Saene family of the kingdom of Bagumi—the first step in his plan to destroy the man he should have called father. <i>King Ibrahim Aziz Saene.<span></span></i></span></span></p><!--more--><p></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="6de2k-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Soft footsteps behind reminded him he wasn’t alone. The Zanzibar Convention Centre brimmed with thousands of guests attending the annual Children’s Foundation Gala, one of the biggest charity events in Africa. Tickets were pegged at a thousand US dollars each, with the proceeds going to several charities across the continent. Like most such events, however, many attendees used it for networking, some to brag about their altruistic deeds, and others for the opportunity to rub shoulders with the rich and mighty.</span></span><span data-offset-key="c8fqm-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span><span data-offset-key="2eg3f-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="2eg3f-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Normally, he avoided such pomp and pageantry. The way he saw it, there had to be something fundamentally wrong with making a big show of one’s good deeds. He preferred to make anonymous donations to many of the causes he supported. He’d broken protocol this time for one reason only: </span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">To observe the enemy.</span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As luck would have it, King Ibrahim was the guest of honour this year, a privilege which came with the price tag of a hefty ‘donation’—a gimmick undoubtedly meant to garner some international media attention. An hour into the event, neither the king nor a representative had made an appearance. His absence hadn’t slowed down the festivities, though.</span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="bgcn2-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finding the glitz and glamour strenuous, Kal had stolen out of the massive ballroom and taken refuge on one of several balconies. As it turned out, his escape from the flashlights and idle conversation hadn’t gone unnoticed.</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="2kpdl-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He gritted his teeth, bringing his mind back to the present and the person who’d interrupted his solitude. The last thing he needed was the company of a stargazing woman who’d spent a thousand dollars in hopes of catching the eye of a prince. Someone ought to save her from herself and rip the plaster off that fantasy. He was as good a candidate as any. After all, he might be the son of a king, but he wasn’t Prince Charming. The sooner he made that clear and got rid of her, the better.</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="7r6mt-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“What makes you think I’m not royalty?” He turned, lips pursed to dish out some tough love, yet the words didn’t form.</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="a9jt9-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He found himself entranced by the way the lights from the ballroom played against every rounded curve, awakening something primitive in him. She looked to be about five-foot-six, discounting the extra height afforded by her shoes. Her face remained shrouded in the dimness of the balcony.</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Intrigued, he knew he’d pay any price to find out what she looked like. She stepped forward, and suddenly, her face was bathed in a beam of light slicing through the darkness from … he didn’t care to check where.</span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="6ahnk-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She held him captive with the most exquisite eyes he’d ever seen. An intense brown, like smoked honey, with a sparkle of gold in the left one where the light reflected off it. Their radiance would have laid his soul bare if he hadn’t been standing in the shadows. With her entire face concealed behind an elaborate tattoo of ethnic make-up designed to give the appearance of a veil, she was mystery personified. She made easy prey of him as desire flared in his being with a fierceness that challenged reason. </span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="38gi-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her effect didn’t end at the physical, though. It ran deeper, reached him on an instinctive and spiritual level. Like a soul mate.</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He shook away the errant thought, hoping she hadn’t sensed his momentary confusion.</span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="bc49g-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">“For one,” she started, “you’re hiding out here instead of basking in the limelight.”</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="cmjco-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He quirked a brow. <i>Hiding? </i></span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="a8ls0-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Her lush lips curved up, revealing an even row of pearly whites invoking a vision of her nibbling on his earlobe. Somehow, he knew her teeth on his skin would be—</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="db9uu-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">He snapped out of the reverie, forcing his mind to focus. Clearly, his unintended celibacy—the result of focusing too intently on revenge—needed to be rectified. How long had it been? Six months? More?</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="5cg93-0-0"><span style="font-family: georgia;">She mocked him with a chuckle. “I saw you inside. You were the picture of boredom.”</span></span></p><p style="position: relative; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span data-offset-key="1hm40-0-0"><span data-text="true"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Now he realised it wasn’t her first remark that had snagged his attention, but rather her voice. It had an ethereal quality that seeped through him and did the impossible. He’d always felt restless, had often grappled with a compulsion to move, to do, to be on alert. When she’d spoken, the ever-present static in his mind had quietened. Her voice had stilled the storm within him. The sudden calm slammed into him with such force, he nearly doubled over at the impact.</span></span></span></p></div><p style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: georgia; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"></span></p><div data-block="true" data-editor="49tcg" data-offset-key="alun7-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-style: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"></div><p></p><h2 style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 6pt; margin-top: 18pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #434343; font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: 14pt; white-space: pre;">Get in touch:</span></h2><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="http://bit.ly/empi-newsletter" target="_blank">Subscribe to Mailing List</a> | </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/mpVIPLounge" style="font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre;" target="_blank">Join Reader Group</a> | <a href="https://bookbub.com/authors/empi-baryeh" style="font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre;" target="_blank">Follow Me On BookBub</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/empibaryeh" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | </span></span><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre;">Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/empibaryeh" target="_blank">@empibaryeh </a>| </span><span style="font-family: "Playfair Display", serif; font-size: large; white-space: pre;">Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/empibaryeh" target="_blank">@empibaryeh</a></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Playfair Display',serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> </span><br /></span></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-86530968831140463572021-11-23T12:38:00.003+00:002022-09-17T01:33:07.027+00:00Spotlight: Takedown by Evelyn Sola <h2 style="text-align: center;">TAKEDOWN BY EVELYN SOLA</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiictLYPKYv1ojo2zSAo4OVV2KV91CDPHnXNoHPgJGi4Qd_dOgQNZovhF5WvQt7s_u8-PrmPSnrvz81qFkPYaci8e7Aui-4FzbZFcdSlYop1KjRe01EZYkNiI28vA7WMYkBgDrxvOzrcMA/s2048/TakedownCover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1229" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiictLYPKYv1ojo2zSAo4OVV2KV91CDPHnXNoHPgJGi4Qd_dOgQNZovhF5WvQt7s_u8-PrmPSnrvz81qFkPYaci8e7Aui-4FzbZFcdSlYop1KjRe01EZYkNiI28vA7WMYkBgDrxvOzrcMA/s320/TakedownCover.jpg" width="192" /></a></div><br /><strong><br /></strong><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mellie</strong><br /><br />I was not a gambler. No way. I’ve built an existence free of risk and adventure. From my career to a small life with my closest family. I was not going to do anything to jeopardize my heart. But when my neighbor and number one menace to my safe plans showed up in Vegas, I did what every adventurous (not!) woman would do. I got drunk and married the man.<br /><br /><strong>Adam</strong><br /><br />What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas. Then, I went and married Mellie Dupree. That woman I’ve been chasing for two years is now my wife. She claims she doesn’t remember our wedding, but I was there, and I know she’s not telling the truth. Then again, neither am I.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58930569-takedown">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pYPOXu7-JUQDEKkz52jBHvFnW10PYsjvLzqryL3g_7ZCK9qxeoTzSjTinTEpd-n2ZMys52q_Xk-2_QT_EXF06vnC57n8mVY4Gyn-Fcxx21EF6u_MpZuJrSzbf32te35hBAP3QHPr12c/s1920/Takedown_Teaser-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8pYPOXu7-JUQDEKkz52jBHvFnW10PYsjvLzqryL3g_7ZCK9qxeoTzSjTinTEpd-n2ZMys52q_Xk-2_QT_EXF06vnC57n8mVY4Gyn-Fcxx21EF6u_MpZuJrSzbf32te35hBAP3QHPr12c/w400-h225/Takedown_Teaser-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">EXCERPT</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">CHAPTER 1</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">MELLIE</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> The down pillow contours my head, shielding me from the cool air coming from above. The temperature in the room is not only due to the ceiling fan, but to the extremely efficient central air. I sigh happily and cover myself with the white, down comforter, basking between sleep and reality. I don’t remember ever being in a bed so comfortable. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <span></span></p><a name='more'></a> I smile and reach for another pillow to hug, but my hand hits something else. Skin. I think I’m touching a stomach. A very hard and toned stomach, which I think belongs to a man. I touch it again, and whoever the stomach belongs to moans softly. I quickly pull my hand away and wait for things to come into focus. <p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I might not know where I am, but I know where I’m not. I don’t have a ceiling fan in my room, and the air conditioning in my bedroom at home works well, but not as efficiently as this one. Besides, I live in Boston, and if there’s one thing I don’t need in Boston in January, it’s air conditioning. I’m not in my bedroom at my brother’s two family house, in the first floor apartment where we live. The one I share with him and his family. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I’m in Sin City celebrating my friend’s wedding. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> One of my best friends got married yesterday. It was a big group, full of her family and friends. It wasn’t the typical Vegas wedding with Elvis officiating the vows. It was a beautiful formal affair held in the ballroom of the Bellagio hotel. I cried when I watched her father walk her down the aisle, the epitome of happiness with her wide smile and inner glow. I’d wiped my wet cheeks with a tissue I had in my purse, and when I had looked up, it was to find familiar, piercing blue eyes watching me from across the aisle. I normally look away from his stares, but that time, I held it, and even in the big room, the electricity between us sizzled.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> My phone buzzes from across the room. Despite not having a headache, I know I must have had some drinks if the dryness in my mouth is any indication. It’s so bad it feels like something died in there days ago. My bedmate moans again, turns over in the bed, and wraps an arm around me, forcing a loud gasp out of me by his sudden movement. He takes it a step further and puts a heavy leg across my thighs, keeping me securely in place. He nuzzles the back of my neck and sighs in contentment. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I stop breathing and my body goes completely still. I close my eyes and squeeze, hoping that when I open them again, I’ll be at home in my bed, and this will have been nothing but a dream. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> But that doesn’t happen, and a dooming feeling hits. My stomach drops, and I feel my heart start to accelerate. I don’t want to do this, but I take a deep breath, and I turn my head, refusing to look at him, hoping and praying that it’s not who I think it is. But his scent is a dead giveaway. No one else smells like that, and in this instant, I know I did something I can’t take back. Images of last night start to surface, but I push them back down, refusing to acknowledge the reality of this situation.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> It’s been a long time since I’ve been intimate with a man, and I squeeze between my legs. When I feel no soreness, I expel a breath of relief. I know whatever happened in this room does not extend beyond sleeping. Unless whoever that is has a small package. I shouldn’t have doubted it. He never would have done something like that. Besides, he’s wanted me for such a long time that I know he’d want me to remember. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Or maybe it’s not him. The altitude is not the same in Vegas as it is in Boston, and I’m sure more than one man uses this cologne. Maybe I went out and decided to let loose. Leaving behind the January northeastern weather will do that to any girl. I remember telling my sister-in-law about my plans to find a man for a night.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em>“Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”</em> I had winked at her and nudged her shoulder with mine. She laughed and told me to have fun. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> My bedmate lets out a snore, and I push his leg off. Making as little noise as possible, I take a deep breath and turn to face him. The cover is now askew, leaving exposed a long, muscular leg filled with dark hair. I close my eyes and say a short prayer.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em>Yeah, now you pray, Mellie, you heathen. God ain’t about to listen to you now. </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> He’s in black boxer briefs, and his morning wood is saluting the ceiling. I swallow involuntarily and do everything in my power to stop myself from wrapping my hand around the steel pipe of a dick that’s just inches away, but I chase the thought out of my dirty mind. Yeah, no way was that thing inside me. It would have ripped me in half. It’s not this particular dick that’s got my mouth watering. It’s the lack of dick in my life that’s making me yearn for this one. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> His ribbed white t-shirt has ridden up, and a perfect six pack is on full display just inches away from my greedy hand. I let out a whimper, knowing for sure that the Lord did not in fact hear my prayers. Or maybe he did and decided to ignore me. It would serve my heathen ass right.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I exhale and continue to look past the broad chest. I see the familiar gold chain around his neck with the signature cross, and I know that God has indeed forsaken me. Again. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> My hand itches to touch the chiseled chin with about three days worth of stubble. Just like it does every time I see him, but I can’t confirm my worst nightmare. He has a pillow covering his face. I’ve come too far to stop now though. I gently pull the pillow and close my eyes in resignation. I count to ten, and like I’m pulling off a band aid, I open my eyes and learn my fate.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> The bottom falls out from under me. It’s my worst nightmare. It’s him.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Adam Flynn. Lying in bed next to me in nothing but a t-shirt and boxer briefs with his eyes closed, looking like a Greek God. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em>But he’s Irish, Mellie, not Greek. </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">He’s gorgeous. Always has been. There is no denying it. Perfect skin with just a tinge of pink. He has full lips, and I yearn to run my tongue along them. His thick, dark hair is a mess and sticking out from all sides, and that only makes him look sexier. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I jump off the bed as if I’m on fire and look down at my bare legs. I’m in nothing but my underwear and a white tank top. The one I had on underneath my sheer kimono top. I look around the room like a cornered animal, relieved only when I see my clothes perfectly folded next to the big screen TV. I quickly put on my jeans. Adam moans again, and when I look at him, he shivers and goosebumps spread over his body. I tiptoe to the bed, careful enough not to wake him, gently lift the comforter, and cover that perfect body of his.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> This room is much more extravagant than mine. A suite with a couch and minibar. There are two bottles of champagne on the table, one of them still sitting in an ice bucket. I walk over there and pick one up. Some French name I can’t pronounce. I find my phone and do a quick search of that champagne. The price ranges from three to five hundred dollars, and I can only imagine the up charge the Bellagio adds. And he got two. What an idiot. I know he can’t afford this on a middle school vice principal’s salary.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I refuse to give in to my guilt since I didn’t make him buy it. I’m pretty sure I tried to talk him out of it. I don’t even remember any of it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em>Liar</em>. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Needing to make my escape before he wakes up, I look around the room for my shoes. I see the black peep-toe wedges underneath the bed, and I get on my knees to reach for them. When I do, something catches the light, a sliver of sun coming through the blinds. I follow the flash, and I blink twice to erase what I’m seeing.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> I hold up my hand, and right there, on my left ring finger is a fat, round, and crystal-clear diamond ring. It’s so clear that it must be fake. It’s bigger than the one my brother gave his wife. I could be mistaken, but I think it’s even bigger than the pink diamond ring one of my friends have. And right next to it is a platinum wedding band with small diamonds all around it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> “It can’t be real,” I whisper. I pull the ring off my finger and examine it, unsure of what to look for. A memory from last night hits. Drinks at a bar. Grabbing him and pulling him out of that bar and away from a tall, skinny bitch. There was a dare, but I chase the memory away. He would do this. He would put a wedding ring on my finger as a joke. I put both rings on the nightstand, but there’s an official looking form already there. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Curious, I pick it up. My stomach drops to the floor and the food I ate last night threatens to come up.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Party 1 – Flynn, Adam Finnegan </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Party 2 – Dupree, Melanie Elyse </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Another memory hits, but I refuse to dwell on it. I do something much worse instead. I look back at the document in my hand. My mouth has gotten drier, and my heart is beating so fast, I’m afraid it’s going to wake my sleeping—I can’t even think of the word to describe him.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> My eyes finally land at the top of the form, but I close them before they can focus on the words. I inhale, say another prayer, convinced this time that I will be delivered. And once again, I’m forsaken. Right there in bold, black letters.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> Clark County, Nevada. Certificate of Marriage.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> A hand flies to my mouth and a sound of despair escapes. The piece of paper slips from my hand, floating in the air conditioned breeze until it lands on the floor. Without a second thought, I grab my shoes and purse and run out of the room, not even sure where I am, but when I step outside the door, I know I’m still in my same hotel, so I sprint to the elevator in my bare feet. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> When I get to my room on the twelfth floor, I run to the bathroom, drop to my knees and empty the contents of my stomach. My eyes water and my throat burns. There’s no bitter taste of rancid alcohol or the putrid smell of last night’s dinner. Hardly anything comes up, and I end up gagging for what seems like forever. My body is like a ragdoll’s, hunched over the toilet as if I have no spine to support me. A loud sound escapes, and I realize I’m crying. I don’t remember the last time I cried, but in my Vegas hotel room, with no one there to witness it, I give in and weep.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> <em>What the hell have you done now, Melanie</em>?</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT EVELYN SOLA</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGamYTNktS0_phbSyHEneUwI1kefBiW6i_VS-94fAiIk3DWPsxCw-k14-4p09iwAxq1DVj4pyNP_61Q4QzD0kZy9wtot25Lyb1SSxtse4ONNLtTEQJSDZ0eAvWZuEjOiSSC8r7gG-k9Y/s200/Evelyn+Sola.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGamYTNktS0_phbSyHEneUwI1kefBiW6i_VS-94fAiIk3DWPsxCw-k14-4p09iwAxq1DVj4pyNP_61Q4QzD0kZy9wtot25Lyb1SSxtse4ONNLtTEQJSDZ0eAvWZuEjOiSSC8r7gG-k9Y/w200-h200/Evelyn+Sola.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find her with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come. <p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion and humor. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">She currently lives in Chicago, IL with her husband and two daughters.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH EVELYN SOLA</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/evelyn.sola.374/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/WritesEvelyn">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/evelynwriteseveryday/">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@evelynwriteseveryday?">TIKTOK</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19962897.Evelyn_Sola">GOODREADS </a>| <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/evelyn-sola">BOOKBUB </a>| <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Addie-Woolridge/e/B08QXM5D4F">AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE</a></h2>
Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-38848200931129866502021-08-26T12:15:00.002+00:002021-10-21T22:15:48.670+00:00New Release: Secrets of a One Night Stand by Naima Simone<h2 style="text-align: center;">SECRETS OF A ONE NIGHT STAND BY NAIMA SIMONE</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">She said yes to one night with a stranger… Now she’s pregnant and that stranger is her boss! </p><p style="text-align: center;">Only in this Billionaires of Boston romance from <em>USA TODAY</em> bestselling author Naima Simone. <br /><br /><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbPnPtp261qToouPat2rmkT58xH5j7QUu9R-91W13SNl9N_wZy2OvTSlKsBLeczjSkFqe8_Veb84UZxiZeLX1s5uVtyT2FmeSxcBDUk_q4lgi-E59Y8RxNFyoVwaMlVKNGqezJ7PRz8Q/s1987/secrets+cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="1254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibbPnPtp261qToouPat2rmkT58xH5j7QUu9R-91W13SNl9N_wZy2OvTSlKsBLeczjSkFqe8_Veb84UZxiZeLX1s5uVtyT2FmeSxcBDUk_q4lgi-E59Y8RxNFyoVwaMlVKNGqezJ7PRz8Q/w253-h400/secrets+cover.jpg" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><strong style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>She told herself it was one night. Nothing more.</em></strong> </div></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><strong style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>But her heart knew the truth…</em></strong> </div></strong><span style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Finding out her previous one-night fling is her new boss is the shock of Mycah Hill’s lifetime. She can’t say no to being VP for software CEO Achilles Farrell—she’s finally made her career dream come true. But knowing he’s so close… It’s only a matter of time before she’s back in his arms. It can’t end well. Achilles’s tortured family history means he’s not up for sticking around long-term. But Mycah’s surprise pregnancy is about to change everything…</span></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08XC1HT7M/">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand-naima-simone/1138888087">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand/id1555248939">APPLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=IvgfEAAAQBAJ">GOOGLE</a> | <a href="https://e.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369708106_secrets-of-a-one-night-stand.html">HARLEQUIN</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> <span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7VwpQBbOR4_c_NuGW9euOcJTwxa2mIMC_5_9fcgpJUnY83L7Z6wwN07CEAhhUQBGiUoQ0aZ3Fnjqtjhgz8KDIpr1TI31lvd-pPzBafeHvsaEUuwHcQU568P1Adq-1V_xXwzJ64n84SU/s1080/SecretsOfAONS_Teaser-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY7VwpQBbOR4_c_NuGW9euOcJTwxa2mIMC_5_9fcgpJUnY83L7Z6wwN07CEAhhUQBGiUoQ0aZ3Fnjqtjhgz8KDIpr1TI31lvd-pPzBafeHvsaEUuwHcQU568P1Adq-1V_xXwzJ64n84SU/s320/SecretsOfAONS_Teaser-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57195022-secrets-of-a-one-night-stand">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand-by-naima-simone-2021-02-25">ADD TO WISHLIST ON BOOKBUB</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT NAIMA SIMONE</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">Published since 2009, USA Today Bestselling author Naima Simone loves writing sizzling romances with heart, a touch of humor and snark. Her books have been featured in The Washington Post and Entertainment Weekly, and described as balancing “crackling, electric love scenes with exquisitely rendered characters caught in emotional turmoil.”</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">She is wife to Superman, or his non-Kryptonian, less bullet proof equivalent, and mother to the most awesome kids ever. They all live in perfect, sometimes domestically-challenged bliss in the southern United States.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH NAIMA</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.naimasimone.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/naimasimoneauthor/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/Naima_Simone">TWITTER</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/naimasimoneauthor/">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3232449.Naima_Simone">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/naima-simone">BOOKBUB</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Naima-Simone/e/B0048XT7YK">AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE</a></h2>
</div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-81986547452357176702021-07-13T15:11:00.000+00:002021-07-13T15:11:03.751+00:00#Review: The Torn Prince by Zee Monodee | #RHOSaene<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58182316-the-torn-prince" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Torn Prince (Royal House of Saene Book 4)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1622174597l/58182316._SX98_.jpg" /></a>Prince Zediah is betrothed to a woman he doesn’t love as part of a peace treaty between their two countries. His heart, however, belongs to another woman, Riona. Zee Monodee presents a refreshing take on a familiar plot with her beautiful narration, a couple of twists, plus a great cast of relatable and realistic characters. <br /><br />Prepare to fall in love with the prince who doesn’t bulldoze his way into getting what he wants. I adored Zed through his journey to finding himself and winning the heart of the only woman he’s ever loved. I loved Rio’s strong personality and sympathised with the drama that is her family (mainly her mother). The scenes with their son, Nour, were simply adorable!<br /><br />The Torn Prince is book 4 of the Royal House of Saene series, but can be read as a standalone. It was great seeing some characters from the previous books.<br /><br />I highly recommend it!<br />
<br /><br />Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-59927452584325558942021-07-09T12:00:00.003+00:002022-09-17T01:33:40.317+00:00New Release: The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VdliGsUIXtV_nJb0naXcJCbPgl15Ut5GskchEdBJb64LLbuq2gFHWBJRX1twTn8A_a6E8zcLMpZhnaXuiZXnOPLVL2WJCpkZHayw0pdJwQcyqsvn7ObNKLjEX9Al5Pw8WREYHsi0R7s/s851/The+Black+Kids+Banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VdliGsUIXtV_nJb0naXcJCbPgl15Ut5GskchEdBJb64LLbuq2gFHWBJRX1twTn8A_a6E8zcLMpZhnaXuiZXnOPLVL2WJCpkZHayw0pdJwQcyqsvn7ObNKLjEX9Al5Pw8WREYHsi0R7s/w400-h148/The+Black+Kids+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">THE BLACK KIDS BY CHRISTINA HAMMONDS REED</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Mocha</strong> <strong>Girls Read sponsored Book of the Month</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>A <em>New York Times</em> bestseller</strong><br /><strong>A William C. Morris Award Finalist</strong><br /><br /><strong>“Should be required reading in every classroom.” —Nic Stone, #1 <em>New York Times </em>bestselling author of <em>Dear Martin</em><br />“A true love letter to Los Angeles.” —Brandy Colbert, award-winning author of <em>Little & Lion</em><br />“A brilliantly poetic take on one of the most defining moments in Black American history.” —Tiffany D. Jackson, author of <em>Grown</em> and <em>Monday’s Not Coming</em></strong><br /><br /><strong>Perfect for fans of <em>The Hate U Give</em>, this unforgettable coming-of-age debut novel explores issues of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Rodney King Riots.</strong><br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYCTGtGahjQyFFXBaJd6Z5C1r6XiLHzBCJRYxq0j-5NbOuqOkeB7yFMtPj4wDAFVg9vghSsxnm13zdwhajXfcr22QH3xXdzYhXKUNJghP59upGnl5OkhgJfDjQkV3hjMwFuebz_OgN5A/s2048/The+Black+Kids+Cover+Image.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1355" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidYCTGtGahjQyFFXBaJd6Z5C1r6XiLHzBCJRYxq0j-5NbOuqOkeB7yFMtPj4wDAFVg9vghSsxnm13zdwhajXfcr22QH3xXdzYhXKUNJghP59upGnl5OkhgJfDjQkV3hjMwFuebz_OgN5A/s320/The+Black+Kids+Cover+Image.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Los Angeles, 1992</em><br /><br />Ashley Bennett and her friends are living the charmed life. It’s the end of senior year and they’re spending more time at the beach than in the classroom. They can already feel the sunny days and endless possibilities of summer.<br /><br />Everything changes one afternoon in April, when four LAPD officers are acquitted after beating a black man named Rodney King half to death. Suddenly, Ashley’s not just one of the girls. She’s one of the black kids.<br /><br />As violent protests engulf LA and the city burns, Ashley tries to continue on as if life were normal. Even as her self-destructive sister gets dangerously involved in the riots. Even as the model black family façade her wealthy and prominent parents have built starts to crumble. Even as her best friends help spread a rumor that could completely derail the future of her classmate and fellow black kid, LaShawn Johnson.<br /><br />With her world splintering around her, Ashley, along with the rest of LA, is left to question who is the <em>us</em>? And who is the <em>them</em>?</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o5rCbUDEAv59Y3DkxXol9eB7tEK1ULscaAbiNnFgPoMr_XUDLNutL8so5OcAzCILhzALviEkjI4O6XPsRqEv9E6H25roWKTotUZDiTi-0M6lJRmUKYLB3DARStNencB5ELADjyStGXE/s1024/76231-Black-Kids-blurb-asset-bookshot-1024x512.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o5rCbUDEAv59Y3DkxXol9eB7tEK1ULscaAbiNnFgPoMr_XUDLNutL8so5OcAzCILhzALviEkjI4O6XPsRqEv9E6H25roWKTotUZDiTi-0M6lJRmUKYLB3DARStNencB5ELADjyStGXE/w400-h200/76231-Black-Kids-blurb-asset-bookshot-1024x512.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">* ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - Top Ten<br />* ALA/William C. Morris Award Finalist<br />* Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Top Pick</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Kids-Christina-Hammonds-Reed/dp/1534462724/">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-black-kids-christina-hammonds-reed/1136314530">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/1688/9781534462724">BOOKSHOP</a> | <a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/9781534462724">BAM!</a> | <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781534462724">INDIEBOUND</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45800564-the-black-kids">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h1 style="text-align: center;"><strong>EXCERPT</strong></h1>
<p> On the news, they keep playing the video. The cops are striking the Black man with their boots and batons across the soft of his body and the hard of his skull, until I guess they felt like they’d truly broken him, and, sure enough, they had. Four of the cops who beat him are on trial right now, a trial that some say is a battle for the very soul of the city, or even the country itself. It’s something I should give a shit about, but I don’t—not now. <span></span></p><!--more--><p></p>
<p>Right now, birds chirp, palm trees sway, and it’s the kinda Friday where the city seems intent on being a postcard of itself. Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch are on the radio singing “Good Vibrations,” and it’s no Beach Boys, but it’ll do. Heather and I do the running man and hump the air to the beat; this even though she’s told us, in no uncertain terms, that this song is lame, and the rest of us have terrible taste in music. We’re several weeks away from being done with high school, and when I think about it too hard, it terrifies me. So right now I’m trying really hard not to care about anything at all. </p>
<p>After we exhaust ourselves, Heather and I collapse on the old pool chairs with their broken slats. The plastic creates geometry on my skin. Heather is pudgy and sometimes doesn’t shave her pits. I can see the dark of her hair in patches in the center of her pasty outstretched arms. How she manages to stay that pale given how long and how often we bake ourselves, I don’t know. It’s a spectacular feat of whiteness. Her lime-green toenail polish is chipped so that each nail vaguely resembles a state in the Midwest. Courtney’s pool vaguely resembles a kidney. </p>
<p>Across from us, Kimberly and Courtney stretch their bodies out across two fat plastic donuts that are pink and tacky and rainbow sprinkled. They float into each other’s orbits and back out again. Every so often they splash water at each other and shriek, “Omigod, stop it!” </p>
<p>Heather yells, “Jesus, get a room already.” </p>
<p>Courtney laughs and squeezes Kimberly’s boob like it’s a horn. They’ve ditched class two times a week for the last month. I don’t ditch nearly as often as my friends do. But my parents and I are supposed to meet my crazy sister’s new husband tonight, and it’s gonna be a doozy of an evening, so it kinda felt like I owed it to my sanity to not be at school today. </p>
<p>These are the places we go—the mall, somebody’s pool, or our favorite, the beach. Our parents hate Venice because it’s dirty and there are too many homeless people, tourists, and boom boxes blasting, which means we love it. We flop across our boogie boards and stare into the horizon. Occasionally, a wave comes and we’ll half-heartedly ride it into the sand, our knees scraping against the grain.</p>
<p> </p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">TAKE A LISTEN!<br /><a href="https://soundcloud.com/simonschuster/the-black-kids-audiobook">CLICK HERE FOR AN AUDIO EXCERPT</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/3Ji5n1PcTt4">FIVE REASONS TO BE RIVETED BY THE BLACK KIDS</a><a href="http://bit.ly/33Bgk0j"><br /></a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT CHRISTINA HAMMONDS REED</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfIq9ZMGwEcw9F2lA4SECnnWPSR1RMpMdCF-AgPurr8FDZAkpoliL1yOkALT59eWONBDR42fGQzLhyphenhypheny-x-fRucSLAYY1VSSadk_fJGQw8dkFFiwNFDECskJhV1fQX3uUrd6_eDhNmbP0/s1798/Photo+Credit+Elizabeth+T.+Nguyen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1798" data-original-width="1188" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzfIq9ZMGwEcw9F2lA4SECnnWPSR1RMpMdCF-AgPurr8FDZAkpoliL1yOkALT59eWONBDR42fGQzLhyphenhypheny-x-fRucSLAYY1VSSadk_fJGQw8dkFFiwNFDECskJhV1fQX3uUrd6_eDhNmbP0/s320/Photo+Credit+Elizabeth+T.+Nguyen.jpg" /></a></div><br />Christina Hammonds Reed holds an MFA from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. A native of the Los Angeles area, her work has previously appeared in the <em>Santa Monica Review</em> and <em>One Teen Story</em>. Her first novel, <em>The Black Kids</em>, was a <em>New York Times</em> bestseller and William C. Morris Award Finalist.<p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA HAMMONDS REED</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://instagram.com/christinahammondsreed">INSTAGRAM</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH MOCHA GIRLS READ</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mochagirlsread.com/">WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mochagirlsread">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.twitter.com/mochagirlsread">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mochagirlsread">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="http://eepurl.com/diOCzf">NEWSLETTER </a></h2>
<span><!--more--></span><span><!--more--></span>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-28309669053967557572021-07-05T19:13:00.001+00:002021-07-05T19:13:21.787+00:00New Release: Love Me Carefully by A.C. Arthur | #LoveMeCarefully #ACArthur #HoneyMagnolia<h2 style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn44gfj01gzRnwqYJsqD1CRhaZkRE_q56YDZOCXvoccrWYdPOHq36xPmbQh72LitAuC4KcT5oCsni0Wk29v3FWDhxnF8BeH2_LblEgOFxOyHOIAm3FyneyQfKpCnC7ghLmx8NB9KIyT-Q/s851/Love+Me+Carefully+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn44gfj01gzRnwqYJsqD1CRhaZkRE_q56YDZOCXvoccrWYdPOHq36xPmbQh72LitAuC4KcT5oCsni0Wk29v3FWDhxnF8BeH2_LblEgOFxOyHOIAm3FyneyQfKpCnC7ghLmx8NB9KIyT-Q/w400-h148/Love+Me+Carefully+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><strong>LOVE ME CAREFULLY BY A.C. ARTHUR</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">For better or worse, this unlikely hook-up might be the perfect union.<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8zsEwWsBj700h5pFmYOX_TU943fTcMoZ4Xdt04cU_4grjaEmZXqsC03YTgyKPkOS8uED-Hg4iXfUG8XHsnZWtwJxwFuV3sDAxerm2JDE68rNJoKGJW5Z9QGYRWlB8Z-licM_RXgHmrA/s2048/Love+Me+Carefully+Cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8zsEwWsBj700h5pFmYOX_TU943fTcMoZ4Xdt04cU_4grjaEmZXqsC03YTgyKPkOS8uED-Hg4iXfUG8XHsnZWtwJxwFuV3sDAxerm2JDE68rNJoKGJW5Z9QGYRWlB8Z-licM_RXgHmrA/s320/Love+Me+Carefully+Cover.png" /></a></div><br />Wedding planner Leah Graham doesn’t believe in “Happily Ever After”. It’s fine for her clients to believe in fairy tales, but when it comes to her own nuptials, her feet aren't just cold - they're frozen. Jaded by her mother’s frequent trips to the altar Leah’s content to plan gorgeous weddings for clients such as her hair stylist, Ms. Rosie; that is until Ms. Rosie's meddling son turns Leah's life upside down.<br /><br />Computer programmer Terrell Pierce is on the prowl for his perfect bride, but when he catches his girlfriend in bed with another man, his search comes to a screeching halt. Then, as if he needed more drama in his life, his mother announces her intention to remarry, and her groom-to-be is a suspected criminal. Finding a wife suddenly takes a back seat to proving this joker is no good for his mama!<br /><br />Terrell and Leah are at instant odds - their positions clashing, their attitudes getting in the way. Still, the passion between them simmers as they travel the streets of Baltimore in search of a drug lord, then cruise the seas to Negril with the FBI hot on their trail. Love-at-fist-sight simply isn't enough to get this couple down the aisle. But murder and mayhem might be!<br /><em><br />*NOTE: This book was previously published. The title is the same, but the cover has changed and the content has been refreshed. Please do NOT purchase this book under a different cover.</em><p></p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE NOW ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://bit.ly/LoveMeCarefullyAC">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/LoveMeCarefullyNook">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://bit.ly/LoveMeCarefullyKOBO">KOBO</a></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT A.C. ARTHUR</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;">AC Arthur was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland where she currently resides with her husband, three children, grandson and an English bulldog named Vader. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school and she hasn’t stopped since. Working in the legal field for over twenty-five years, AC has seen lots of horrific things and longs for the safe haven of a romance novel. To date, she has written in several genres: YA paranormal (w/a Artist Arthur), small town romance as Lacey Baker, and sexy contemporary and paranormal romance. With intriguing plots and sexy love scenes, AC brings a new edge to romance!</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"> </h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH A.C. ARTHUR</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.acarthur.net/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ACBookLounge/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ACBookLounge">A.C.’S BOOK LOUNGE</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ACArthur">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/acarthurbooks/">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/a-c-arthur">BOOKBUB</a>| <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/100764.A_C_Arthur">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001K8C9XW">AMAZON AUTHOR </a></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-78396867813771123382021-06-08T14:19:00.003+00:002021-10-21T22:22:16.118+00:00New Release: Reel by Kennedy Ryan | Hollywood Renaissance Book 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUa8OvbHQLW3IhdQgR5F3daKumUBMrG0gBx-fAjyzTL8MS-u2L1NDaJs8POOtr8HCFeTna2oBAnfJOW2c6Mvra_06Z5x1zj9m2auzNkJMKRhyphenhyphenDRCrqxRPCdCwbmDmDjBQqytIbxFawGc/s1640/Reel+-+FB+banner+AN.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1640" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPUa8OvbHQLW3IhdQgR5F3daKumUBMrG0gBx-fAjyzTL8MS-u2L1NDaJs8POOtr8HCFeTna2oBAnfJOW2c6Mvra_06Z5x1zj9m2auzNkJMKRhyphenhyphenDRCrqxRPCdCwbmDmDjBQqytIbxFawGc/w400-h175/Reel+-+FB+banner+AN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">REEL BY KENNEDY RYAN</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>"</em></strong><strong><em>Reel is alive and pulsing like a beating heart.</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>This romance is a triumph of art and emotion.</em></strong><strong><em>" </em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>--Talia Hibbert, New York Times bestselling author </em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Reel</em>, an all new epic CONTEMPORARY STANDALONE love story from <em>Wall Street Journal </em>bestselling author Kennedy Ryan, is available now!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>One moment in the spotlight.</em></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTNg6nhtN1IGyK2yLJc3hY1iR7zQv15ccrZasoB2eCRmIiLH1sSldBtgsVY9wltWVeJHJM06XYLGJIhdaokkjyq3zk-wrOxn8LPqmSiF2tZPq9bmytO80MVNH0-R0L_yqh_D64mXeXOA/s936/Reel+-936x700.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="936" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicTNg6nhtN1IGyK2yLJc3hY1iR7zQv15ccrZasoB2eCRmIiLH1sSldBtgsVY9wltWVeJHJM06XYLGJIhdaokkjyq3zk-wrOxn8LPqmSiF2tZPq9bmytO80MVNH0-R0L_yqh_D64mXeXOA/s320/Reel+-936x700.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in the wings, preparing for my time to shine. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I never imagined <em>he</em> would watch in the audience that night. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Canon Holt.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Famous film director.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Fascinating. Talented. <em>Fine.</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Before I could catch my breath, everything changed. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">I went from backstage Broadway to center stage Hollywood.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on everyone’s lips.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Forbidden attraction, scandal and circumstances beyond my control jeopardize my dream.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the <em>love</em> of a lifetime—cost me everything?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!<span></span></strong></p><a name='more'></a><p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amazon: <a href="https://amzn.to/3xwekW8">https://amzn.to/3xwekW8</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amazon Worldwide: <a href="http://mybook.to/Ree">http://mybook.to/Ree</a>l</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Apple Books: <a href="https://apple.co/3dWwUyG">https://apple.co/3dWwUyG</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Kobo: <a href="https://bit.ly/2QCKcHS">https://bit.ly/2QCKcHS</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Nook: <a href="https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr">https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Google Play: <a href="https://bit.ly/3gHMDUc">https://bit.ly/3gHMDUc</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amazon Paperback: <a href="https://amzn.to/2RpXgAe">https://amzn.to/2RpXgAe</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Order your <em>Signed</em> copy of REEL today>> </strong><a href="https://bit.ly/EagleEyePB?fbclid=IwAR2ocwcIHr3TQP4iqG4LaGVXU2sGC1tOaxq_BWHTR4Y9QKDGS6rTJjzvwWo"><strong>http://bit.ly/EagleEyePB</strong></a><strong> </strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>ALSO AVAILABLE IN AUDIO NOW!</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>"Bravo . . .A true literary audio experience!" </em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">-- <strong>Alexandria House, Amazon & Audible bestselling author</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Narrated by Eboni Flowers and Jakobi Diem</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Featuring Nicole Small</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Vocal Performance by April Christina</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">➜ Audible: <a href="http://mybook.to/ReelAudio?fbclid=IwAR3sorWi8PGoJnKhrdCaQVX7CvJjTIumW57Y62UDmCo_Zon339Ia2xmq-aw">http://mybook.to/ReelAudio</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>ENTER RELEASE G!VEAWAY</strong> ➜ <a href="https://geni.us/ReelReleaseGive">https://geni.us/ReelReleaseGive</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>$50 G!FT CARD + Signed Paperback</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>JOIN THE ZOOM RELEASE PARTY</strong> ➜ <a href="http://bit.ly/REELPARTY">http://bit.ly/REELPARTY</a> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>About Kennedy</strong><strong> Ryan</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>USA Today</em> and <em>Wall Street Journal</em> bestselling author, Kennedy Ryan and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, <em>USA Today</em>, <em>Entertainment Weekly</em>, <em>Glamour</em>, <em>Cosmo</em>, TIME, O Mag and many others. A RITA® Award winner, Kennedy writes empowered women from all walks of life and centers those who have found themselves perennially on the margins of traditional storytelling. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Her Hoops Series (Long Shot, Block Shot and Hook Shot) and All the King's Men Series (The Kingmaker, The Rebel King and Queen Move) have been optioned for television. </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">An autism mom, Kennedy co-founded LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable initiative, and has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other media outlets as an advocate for autism families. She is a wife to her lifetime lover and mother to an extraordinary son.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Connect with Kennedy</strong> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Text KennedyRyan to 797979 for release alerts!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Subscribe to Mailing List: <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/kennedyryan">subscribepage.com/kennedyryan</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Reader Group: <a href="http://bit.ly/2GY6eyb">http://bit.ly/2GY6eyb</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">TikTok: @kennedyryanauthor</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Instagram: <a href="http://bit.ly/2TaYiAi">http://bit.ly/2TaYiAi</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Facebook: <a href="http://bit.ly/2GUq0uF">http://bit.ly/2GUq0uF</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Amazon: <a href="http://amzn.to/2Fvhqiz">http://amzn.to/2Fvhqiz</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">BookBub: <a href="http://bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan">bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Website: <a href="http://kennedyryanwrites.com/">http://kennedyryanwrites.com</a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-54321047291719485302021-05-07T12:57:00.001+00:002021-05-07T12:57:44.682+00:00New Release: Kyna by Lisa Washington | #Kyna #LisaWashington #HonMagPR<div class="yui3-widget yui3-block-base yui3-block-parent-base sqs-block-html sqs-block html-block with-page-interaction-flag" id="block-87a4165550dccd9d1df6">
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<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhE1tsXfsVVaMv0nKMi-V9Rh7_fE03dxGBLQCmsuKsVi_i3zbJTRHZlSSu5BC92pgUKasrp2BMZL5Zlr-4yzCd1x2ru3oy-D8uhsZCYnqLQ-IcWHu_wh_pcljbWI5ij-WZAm_S4yvtXo/s2048/Kyna-+A+Story+of+Love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinhE1tsXfsVVaMv0nKMi-V9Rh7_fE03dxGBLQCmsuKsVi_i3zbJTRHZlSSu5BC92pgUKasrp2BMZL5Zlr-4yzCd1x2ru3oy-D8uhsZCYnqLQ-IcWHu_wh_pcljbWI5ij-WZAm_S4yvtXo/s320/Kyna-+A+Story+of+Love.jpg" /></a></div><br />Kyna is has accomplished all of her professional goals, but what is there to do now? Morgan is a successful business man with no one to share it with. When they meet at a hotel bar is it love at first sight or the adventure that drives them together.<p></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Their relationship happens really fast allowing seeds of doubt, mistrust and jealousy to seep into the fertile yet unstable ground that is the foundation of their relationship. Will they be able to recover and salvage what is left or move on without each other?</p>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W76JYZ8">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kyna-lisa-washington/1139042689?ean=9781953205025">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Kyna/Lisa-Washington/9781953205025?id=8152460916243">BOOKS-A-MILLION</a></h2>
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<h2>ABOUT LISA WASHINGTON</h2>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yBKETcznh4Nz7CZw4uQkJCMYkSDWNxY7uMXDQRa2YU_w7Ibf22PSkPgTvFYUO1kX1BCeOvksx6CXU2zF9ZSSjnWe4BFz_i5TmTrawcNFrfvMQUvVZBMOUjuqC8AH8DFwSUxraEUSAlo/s1600/Head+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1yBKETcznh4Nz7CZw4uQkJCMYkSDWNxY7uMXDQRa2YU_w7Ibf22PSkPgTvFYUO1kX1BCeOvksx6CXU2zF9ZSSjnWe4BFz_i5TmTrawcNFrfvMQUvVZBMOUjuqC8AH8DFwSUxraEUSAlo/w150-h200/Head+shot.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Award-winning Christian Fiction/Romance author Lisa Washington is a Detroit native and currently residing in Georgia with her family. Washington earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Wayne State University in Detroit, MI and a master’s degree in business administration from Averett University in Danville, VA. It wasn’t until she suffered from the stresses of a Ph.D, program that she decided, if she had to write 75-page papers, they would be something she truly enjoyed writing. <br />Two years later, Washington was accepted into the Master of Fine Arts program for creative writing at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. She applied with a terrible first draft of her first published novel, “When You Least Expect It.” Washington completed her program in 2016. After two years of peer reviews and a year of learning how to self-publish her novel, she went on to win the 2018 African American Literary Award Show, Best Christian Fiction Award for “When You Least Expect It.” <br />Washington also served several years in the US Navy before attending college. Washington credits having a strong faith in God and trusting He had a plan for her life. Her faith is also what drives her to write Christian fiction and romance. She is often quoted saying, “If it were not for God, I don’t know where I would be today.”<br />Lisa Washington and her husband are the co-founders of The Washington Way LLC, which includes Washington Way Financial, Washington Way Publishing, Washington Way Travel, and Ms. Lisa Weddings.<p></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH LISA WASHINGTON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.authorlisawashington.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authorlisawashington">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/authorlisawashington">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17939901.Lisa_Washington">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/lisa-washington">BOOKBUB</a> | <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Washington/e/B079FSMLY5">AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE</a></h2>
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</div></div></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-89744743569500886492021-05-05T18:20:00.004+00:002022-09-17T01:32:01.048+00:00Cover Reveal: Reel by Kennedy Ryan | Hollywood Renaissance Book 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxk0C74QAnjccTGDR5IcfLu2IpuT29VhoDqrFZLpLxiKfomGFvVf1WLGQaKG2yUQibU-5vC_LVg_vnt1h9SZVyWpY_SH3uA2lSsknA6ivhd-y39GL2ncyziPTe2cHZFrOTmk9dKUU9-qE/s1080/Reel+-+CR+IG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxk0C74QAnjccTGDR5IcfLu2IpuT29VhoDqrFZLpLxiKfomGFvVf1WLGQaKG2yUQibU-5vC_LVg_vnt1h9SZVyWpY_SH3uA2lSsknA6ivhd-y39GL2ncyziPTe2cHZFrOTmk9dKUU9-qE/s320/Reel+-+CR+IG.jpg" /></a></strong></div><strong><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><o:p></o:p></span></strong><p></p>
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<h2 style="line-height: 16.8pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d1d1d; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.6pt; text-transform: uppercase;">REEL BY KENNEDY RYAN<o:p></o:p></span></h2>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">Stand-Alone:</span></strong><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"> yes</span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Montserrat; letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><div style="text-align: center;"><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Series: </span></strong><span style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">Hollywood
Renaissance Novel, Book 1</span></div>
<strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Publication Date:</span></strong><span style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"> June
8, 2021</span></div></strong><div style="text-align: center;"><strong style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Genre:</span></strong><span style="letter-spacing: 0.8pt;">
Contemporary Romance</span></div>
<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Reel</span></i><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">, Kennedy Ryan’s new breathtaking standalone
romance set in the glamorous world of film and theater, is coming June 8th, and
we have the beautiful cover and your first look!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Award-Winning <i>Wall Street Journal </i>Bestselling author Kennedy Ryan launches a
brand new series with a Hollywood tale of wild ambition, artistic obsession,
and unrelenting love.</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">One
moment in the spotlight.</span></i></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">For months I stood by, an understudy waiting in
the wings, preparing for my time to shine.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I never imagined <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he</i> would watch in the audience that night. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Canon Holt.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Famous film director.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Fascinating. Talented. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fine.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Before I could catch my breath, everything
changed. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I went from backstage Broadway to center stage
Hollywood.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">From being unknown, to my name, Neevah Saint, on
everyone’s lips.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Canon casts me in a star-studded Harlem
Renaissance biopic, catapulting me into another stratosphere. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">But stars shine brightest in the dead of night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Forbidden attraction, scandal and
circumstances<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>beyond my control
jeopardize my dream.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Could this one shot—the role of a lifetime, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">love</i> of a lifetime—cost me everything?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Montserrat; text-align: center;"> </span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Reserve your copy today!<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Amazon: </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3xwekW8"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://amzn.to/3xwekW8</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Amazon Worldwide: </span><a href="http://mybook.to/Ree"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">http://mybook.to/Ree</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">l<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Apple Books: </span><a href="https://apple.co/3dWwUyG"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://apple.co/3dWwUyG</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Kobo: </span><a href="https://bit.ly/2QCKcHS"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://bit.ly/2QCKcHS</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Nook: </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Google Play: </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3gHMDUc"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://bit.ly/3gHMDUc</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Amazon Paperback:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/2RpXgAe"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://amzn.to/2RpXgAe</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Barnes and Noble Paperback: </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://bit.ly/3nsKKfr</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #050505; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-highlight: white;">➜</span></b><b><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: Montserrat; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-highlight: white;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Enter the Goodreads Giveaway! Kennedy is giving
away 10 Signed <i>Reel</i> Paperbacks!</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/REELGoodreadsGive"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">http://bit.ly/REELGoodreadsGive</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Segoe UI Symbol",sans-serif" style="background: white; color: #050505; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Symbol"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-highlight: white;">➜</span></b><b><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-family: Montserrat; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-highlight: white;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Follow Hollywood Renaissance series on
Instagram:</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">@TheHollywoodRenaissanceSeries<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Keep reading for the very first
excerpt from <i>Reel</i>!</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13esbJ0rg6i9fyVOfy_HrYI8QURa26amKkg9aujfYPocpLTrlRqSxJTqc3jr_oLbJ7Eva7DCaqmMkkKEQhLmqD5fC7o4sRR39HsYIaQ2Fb3x3K_DPsCKvYZjJsH6otdfvQZ5zkKtKBfY/s1080/Reel+-+CR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13esbJ0rg6i9fyVOfy_HrYI8QURa26amKkg9aujfYPocpLTrlRqSxJTqc3jr_oLbJ7Eva7DCaqmMkkKEQhLmqD5fC7o4sRR39HsYIaQ2Fb3x3K_DPsCKvYZjJsH6otdfvQZ5zkKtKBfY/s320/Reel+-+CR.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">When the show
reaches its climax, at the very end, the song pries the final note from my
diaphragm, pulls it from my throat and suspends it—leaves it throbbing in the
air. The theater goes quiet for the space of a breath held by 800 people and
then explodes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Applause.<span></span></span></i></p><a name='more'></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></i><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">The relief is
knee-weakening. I literally have to grab John, the lead actor's arm for
support. He doesn’t miss a beat, pulling me into his side and squeezing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Bravo,” he
whispers, a broad, genuine smile spread across his face. The last song made me
cry, and my face, still wet from those tears, splits into a wide, disbelieving
grin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I did it. I
survived my first Broadway performance. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">The lights drop
and we rush backstage, a cacophony of laughter and chatter filling the hidden
passageways. When the curtain call begins, the cast return to the stage in
small waves, the applause building as the principals take their bows. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">And then it’s my
turn. On legs still shaky, I leave the safety of the wings, the long skirt of
my costume belling out around me. I take center stage. The applause crescendos,
approval vibrating through my bones and jolting my soul. Someone thrusts
flowers into my arms and the sweet smell wafts around me. Every sense, every
molecule of my being strains, opens, stretches to absorb this small slice of
triumph. I can’t breathe deeply enough. The air comes in shallow sips, and I’m
dizzy. The world spins like a top, a kaleidoscope of colors and light and sound
that threatens to overwhelm me. The whirl of it makes me giddy, and I laugh.
Eyes welling with tears, I laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">These are the
moments a lifetime in the making. We toil in the shadows of our dreams. In the
alleys of preparation and hard work where it’s dark and nothing’s promised. For
years, we cling by a thread of hope and imagination, dedicating our lives to a
pursuit with no guarantees.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">But tonight, if
only for tonight, it’s all worth it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I’m still floating
when Takira bursts into the dressing room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Neevah!” she
screams, throwing her arms around me and rocking me back and forth. “You did
it. You chewed that performance up and spat it <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">out</i>. You hear me?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I laugh and return
her squeeze, new tears trailing down my cheeks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Thank you.” I
pull back to peer into my friend’s face. “I can’t believe it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Well, believe it.
You served notice.” She snaps her fingers and grins. “Neevah Saint is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">here</i>.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Now to do it
seven more times.” I laugh and start taking pins from the wig, which is as hot
as a herd of sheep on my head.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Oh, you got it, unless
Elise hears how amazing you were and cuts her vacation short.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Not happening.
She was ready for a break, but she’d never missed a show.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I strip off the
costume and stand in only panties, unselfconscious. Modesty is one of the first
things to go in this business. I’ve undressed hurriedly in a roomful of actors
and dancers in smaller shows where there was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">a</i> dressing room, so we get real communal real fast. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I tug on skinny
jeans with a tight-fitting orange sweater, and layer it with a brown leather jacket,
scarf, boots. I wipe away the heavy stage makeup. It feels like my skin can
breathe for the first time in hours. I assume there will be some fans at the
stage door, even if it’s just a few. They’ll have to get the real Neevah
because I don’t want anything more than a slick of lip gloss and a bit of
mascara. A brown, orange and green plaid newsboy cap covering the neat cornrows
I wore under my wig is all I’m doing for hair. Slim oversized gold hoops in my
ears finish the look.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Ready?” I ask
Takira, hefting a slouchy bag on my shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Let’s do this.
Hopefully your adoring fans won’t take all night, ’cause your girl is
starving.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">We’re still
laughing, and I’m so preoccupied with my empty stomach, I’m completely
unprepared for the crowd at the stage door. Are they here for John? For some
principal player because surely they’re not all here for the understudy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Neevah!” a young
girl, maybe ten or eleven, calls. “Can you sign this?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">She thrusts a pen
and a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Splendor</i> playbill toward me.
She glows, her smooth brown cheeks rounded with a wide grin. Her eyes shine
with . . . pride?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Oh, sure,” I
mumble dazedly, taking the pen and signing my name. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">She’s the first in
a long line of girls, all shapes and colors and ages, saying what it meant to
see me onstage. Mothers whispering how impactful it was for their Black and
brown daughters to be in the audience tonight. The impact is on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">me</i>; what could feel like a weight or
burden or responsibility feels like a warm embrace. Feels like strong arms
encircling me. Supporting me. The first time I saw someone who looked like me
onstage, it planted a seed inside of me. It whispered a dream.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">That could be you.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">It makes me
emotional to think I might have done that for any of these girls tonight, and I
spend the next twenty minutes scribbling my name on playbills through a film of
tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Neevah!” a deep
male voice calls from the back of the now-thinning crowd.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I squint at the
tall man, frowning until I place him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Wright!” I take a
few steps and he meets me halfway, giving me a tight hug. “Oh, my God. You were
here tonight?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Was I here?” When
he pulls back, a warm smile creases his handsome face. “You blew it out of the
water. I knew you were good, but damn.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Laughter spills
out of me and I don’t think this night could get more perfect. I randomly met
Wright Bellamy a few weeks back at a gig when he subbed for the pianist, giving
the audience more than they bargained for with such a famous musician tickling
the ivories that night.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Thank you.” I
step away and shove my hands into the pockets of my jeans, huddling in the
leather jacket against the chill of an October night. “I was nervous as hell.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Didn’t show. Your
voice is spectacular. I knew that from the gig we did, but I had no idea you
were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that </i>good. Wow. Glad I saw your
post on Instagram or I would’ve missed it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I’m stone-still,
shocked that he came tonight specifically to see me perform. “I’m so glad you
made it. You’re still in LA, right?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Yeah, but I’m
here for some stuff. Heading back home in a few days.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Takira walks up,
linking her arm through mine. “Girl, if we don’t get some food,” she whispers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
I turn back to Wright. “Takira, this is Wright Bellamy. Wright, my friend
Takira.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Nice to meet
you,” Takira says. “You got any food on you? I’m about to eat your hat.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">As usual, Takira
never meets a stranger and has us laughing right away.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“We’re actually
headed to Glass House Tavern,” I tell Wright. “Come if you want. It’s a group
of us from the show. Just some of the cast celebrating, but you’re welcome. We
can catch up.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">A small frown
dents between his thick brows and he glances over his shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“I mean, no
pressure obviously,” I rush to assure him. This is one of the biggest names in
music, and here I go, inviting him to dinner with a group of strangers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“No, it sounds
cool,” he says, looking back to us. “Lemme check with my boy. Can he come?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I glance over his
shoulder and spot a tall man turned away from us, his broad shoulders and back
straining a wool blazer, a hoodie pulled up to cover his head and face in the
cold. His hands burrow into the pockets of his blazer and he’s nodding like
he’s talking to himself.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“He’s on the
phone,” Wright explains. “But lemme see if he wants to roll.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">He steps away
toward the man and Takira immediately squeezes my hand and squeals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Neeve.” Her eyes
are wide and bright. Mouth dropped open. “That’s Wright Bellamy.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“I know. He’s cool
as a fan.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“You know him?
How—”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“We’re in,” Wright
says, stepping back up beside us. “He’s finishing a call, but we’re ready. Lead
the way.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">It’s just a few
blocks, and the three of us chat about the show and what Wright’s been doing in
New York. All the while his friend’s deep voice rumbles a few paces behind. I
don’t want to be rude or nosy and look back, but the rich timbre, his towering
height, his face obscured by the hoodie—I’m intrigued. He hangs back on the
sidewalk, still on his call, when we enter the restaurant. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Our friends
already have a table and a shout goes up, congratulating me on popping my White
Way cherry. My three understudy buddies came. John’s here, too, and one other
principal. A few from the stage crew. Our little troupe has become a family
and, as if eight shows a week isn’t enough time together, we gather and eat
every chance we get. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“You’re not paying
tonight,” John says, holding out the seat beside him. “And drinks are on me.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Awwww.” I plop
into the chair and drop my bag to the floor. “You’re so sweet. You don’t have
to do that.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“You were
fantastic,” John says, baby blue eyes sincere and smiling. “Let’s do it again
tomorrow.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Takira is already
sitting beside me, so Wright takes the seat next to her.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Hey,” he says to
Janie across the table. “Could you hold that seat beside you for my friend?
He’s wrapping up a call, but’ll be in soon.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Sure.” Janie
blushes. “I love your work, by the way. The score of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silent Midnight</i> . . . gah.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“Thank you. That
was a special project. Lots of fun,” Wright replies with a smile. “Now tell me
about the show.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Wright’s a genius,
but he’s so unassuming and modest. A man as famous as he is could easily make
this conversation about him, let everyone at this table give his ego a real
nice hand job, but he doesn’t. He talks about our show, compliments the
performance, asks John about his process. I liked him when we did that
last-minute gig, and we’ve interacted some on social media since. My impression
of him holds up. He’s a good guy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Not to state the
obvious, but also fine. Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fine fine</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">He has this Boris
Kodjoe vibe. Real smooth. Kind of golden–brown. Clean-cut, close-cut. I can
objectively recognize his appeal, even though he’s not my type. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Not that I have a
type lately. I’m so deep in this dick drought I’m past the point of thirst. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">At first I thought
it was merely the grind. Auditioning constantly, taking craft classes, doing
commercials and voiceover work to not just keep bills paid, but to save. This
business is feast or famine. I’m eating now, but I’ve been hungry before. Not
again. I’m thirty. Too old to still be living gig to gig and buying into that
starving artist thing. I need health insurance and regularly scheduled meals,
thank you very much. So yeah, the grind could account for my semi-disinterested
libido, but I suspect it’s more. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Maybe <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m</i> disinterested.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I need a man who
doesn’t think that because he has a dick and I don’t that I should defer to
him—shrink my dreams down to a more manageable size. I’m cautious not only
about who I share my heart and body with, but I’m also protective of my dreams;
of my ambition. I won’t endanger my future for a man who can fuck. Though . . .
a man who can fuck? I wouldn’t turn it down, but it will take more than that to
pique my interest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“What are you
getting?” Takira asks, leaning over to read my menu instead of hers. “Anything
here meet your high standards?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">My standards
aren’t that high. I’ve just cut out red meat and stopped drinking as much
alcohol. My health demands it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“I’m thinking
about the salmon, but I—”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">A chair scraping
across the floor catches my attention. Wright’s friend has finally come inside
to join us. The table shrinks immediately when he settles his imposing frame
into the seat beside Janie. He peels the hood away from his head and I bite off
a gasp.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">It’s Canon Holt.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the</i> Canon Holt.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">The director I,
and probably every actress at this table and in this dining room, would
sacrifice a pinky toe to work with. Canon Holt is at my table sitting across
from me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Takira’s
expression doesn’t register this massive earthquake of a revelation, but she
kicks me under the table and hisses from the corner of her mouth. “Did you
know?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">I pretend I need
to reach for something on the floor so I can whisper back, “Do you think I
would have kept my shit together this long if I knew?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">“True. True.”
Takira casually glances up from her menu and smiles in Canon’s general
direction, but he’s not looking at her. He’s studying his screen. He’s
apparently in an exclusive relationship with his phone, and no one at this
table tempts him to stray.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Which means I can
look at him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Good. God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">He’s not that
handsome, but that’s irrelevant. Some might even call his features, examined on
their own, unremarkable. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">They’d be wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">It’s a Maker’s
sleight of hand. Now God knew this man did not need lashes that long and thick,
a paradox against the hard, high slant of his cheekbones. Canon hasn’t looked
twice at anyone here as far as I can tell, but I’ve stolen enough glances to
know there’s a fathomlessness to his dark eyes that is arresting. His unsmiling
mouth is wide, the lips full in the blunt elegance of his face. A five o’clock
shadow licks the ridge of his jawline. There is a geometry to him—angles,
lines, edges—that disregards the individual parts and illuminates the
compelling sum.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">WANT MORE REEL? Click here for the
rest >> </span></b><a href="https://www.thehollywoodrenaissanceseries.com/excerpt"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">www.thehollywoodrenaissanceseries.com/excerpt</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Add Reel to Goodreads</span></b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">: </span><a href="https://bit.ly/3upMOqY"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">https://bit.ly/3upMOqY</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Cover Designer: Lori Jackson Design<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Photographer: <span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-highlight: white;">Sophia Barrett Studios</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Models: <span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-highlight: white;">Jasmine Raiford and </span><span style="background: rgb(250, 250, 250); color: #262626;">Ajayi Bodden</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-highlight: white;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">About Kennedy</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"> Ryan<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white; text-align: center;">A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USA Today</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wall Street Journal</i> bestselling author,
Kennedy Ryan and her writings have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">USA Today</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Entertainment Weekly</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Glamour</i>,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cosmo</i>, TIME, O Mag and many others. A
</span><span style="font-family: Montserrat; text-align: center;">RITA® Award winner, Kennedy writes
empowered women from all walks of life and centers those who have found
themselves perennially on the margins of traditional storytelling.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Montserrat;">Her Hoops Series (Long Shot, Block
Shot and Hook Shot) and All the King's Men Series (The Kingmaker, The Rebel
King and Queen Move) have been optioned for television.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111; font-family: Montserrat;">An autism mom, Kennedy co-founded LIFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable
initiative, and has appeared on Headline News, Montel Williams, NPR and other
media outlets as an advocate for autism families. She is a wife to her lifetime
lover and mother to an extraordinary son.</span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Connect with Kennedy</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Text KennedyRyan to 797979 for release alerts!</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Subscribe to Mailing List</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">: </span><a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/kennedyryan"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">subscribepage.com/kennedyryan</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Reader Group:</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://bit.ly/2GY6eyb"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">http://bit.ly/2GY6eyb</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Instagram:</span></b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"> </span><a href="http://bit.ly/2TaYiAi"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">http://bit.ly/2TaYiAi</span></a><span style="background: white; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Facebook</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">: </span><a href="http://bit.ly/2GUq0uF"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">http://bit.ly/2GUq0uF</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">Amazon</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #181818; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">: </span><a href="http://amzn.to/2Fvhqiz"><span style="background: white; color: #00635d; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">http://amzn.to/2Fvhqiz</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><a href="http://www.instagram.com/kennedyryan1/"><span style="background: white; color: #00635d; mso-highlight: white;"><o:p></o:p></span></a></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pinterest</b>:
</span><a href="http://bit.ly/2NE0cU0"><span style="background: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat; mso-highlight: white;">http://bit.ly/2NE0cU0</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">BookBub:</span></b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="http://bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">bookbub.com/authors/kennedy-ryan</span></a><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Montserrat;">Website:</span></b><span style="font-family: Montserrat;"> </span><a href="http://kennedyryanwrites.com/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Montserrat;">http://kennedyryanwrites.com</span></a></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-55437759650812168992021-04-16T12:15:00.000+00:002021-04-16T12:15:19.937+00:00Cover Reveal: Secrets of a One Night Stand by Naima Simone <h2 align="center"><span style="text-align: left;">SECRETS OF A ONE NIGHT STAND</span></h2><h2 align="center">BY NAIMA SIMONE</h2>
<p align="center"><strong>Book 2, Billionaires of Boston</strong></p>
<p align="center">She said yes to one night with a stranger… Now she’s pregnant and that stranger is her boss! Only in this Billionaires of Boston romance from<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>USA TODAY</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>bestselling author<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a data-link-id="574703089" href="http://naimasimone.com/" target="_blank">Naima Simone</a>.<br /><br /><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1zHedjrRsCHaUAfwDra9f4G3bCopNj4ctbP2NvUdPao5jBrW8qJgFobY8zM0oG2lFQ0DGOjYdE7oFKM1YupA-mN5KsCAS_b5KOvyJFRo9sAO1kjilYcyRT2EKdagZr9oPTSppS-NkoE/s1987/secrets+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="1254" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr1zHedjrRsCHaUAfwDra9f4G3bCopNj4ctbP2NvUdPao5jBrW8qJgFobY8zM0oG2lFQ0DGOjYdE7oFKM1YupA-mN5KsCAS_b5KOvyJFRo9sAO1kjilYcyRT2EKdagZr9oPTSppS-NkoE/w253-h400/secrets+cover.jpg" width="253" /></a></strong></div><strong><em><br /></em></strong><p></p><p align="center"><strong><em>She told herself it was one night. Nothing more.</em></strong><br /><br /><em><strong>But her heart knew the truth…</strong></em><br /><br />Finding out her previous one-night fling is her new boss is the shock of Mycah Hill’s lifetime. She can’t say no to being VP for software CEO Achilles Farrell—she’s finally made her career dream come true. But knowing he’s so close… It’s only a matter of time before she’s back in his arms. It can’t end well. Achilles’s tortured family history means he’s not up for sticking around long-term. But Mycah’s surprise pregnancy is about to change everything…<br /><br /><strong>From Harlequin Desire: Luxury, scandal, desire—welcome to the lives of the American elite.</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>Coming August 24th</strong></p>
<h2 align="center">PREORDER ON</h2>
<h2 align="center"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XC1HT7M">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand-naima-simone/1138888087?ean=9780369708106">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand/id1555248939?id=1555248939&ign-mpt=uo%3D4">APPLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-of-a-one-night-stand">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9780369708106_secrets-of-a-one-night-stand.html">HARLEQUIN</a></h2>
<h2 align="center"> </h2>
<h2 align="center"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57195022-secrets-of-a-one-night-stand">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
<p> </p>
Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-79305025974727451002021-03-25T13:26:00.004+00:002021-03-25T13:26:40.275+00:00Spotlight: Renovation of Love by Meka James | #NewRelease #MekaJames #HonMagPR<div class="yui3-widget yui3-block-base yui3-block-parent-base sqs-block-html sqs-block html-block with-page-interaction-flag" id="block-f71c6d081c96b1ad3763">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9ngCtZZXnKshEJpMb2YxjKvKorapvZzwF2p5cafTWFNnoFakDTDrEx5GG3z91uhCWLsYs0rq7E2xk-rXLS-pL0jKzznU7rWGMVAOznE_iLqWw89snaasnji7eucJC4vNf8b_tOujqeY/s851/Renovation+of+Love+banner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9ngCtZZXnKshEJpMb2YxjKvKorapvZzwF2p5cafTWFNnoFakDTDrEx5GG3z91uhCWLsYs0rq7E2xk-rXLS-pL0jKzznU7rWGMVAOznE_iLqWw89snaasnji7eucJC4vNf8b_tOujqeY/w400-h148/Renovation+of+Love+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><h2 style="text-align: center;">RENOVATION OF LOVE BY MEKA JAMES</h2>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Renovating the physical is easy, but fixing love requires a different set of tools...</em></strong></p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXDMBVzH8KnDzNsHzhg8YaY5xihoZ3LEOLS0iN09y6dD5wiCs2DWoA1yTriyiyjJt42pEmj2UjI4oQgY0vhAhbRE_8EyOGZVo7MluC-qdMaRAys9btRbcnI3JyZJlV7vu67JhV5-sHCo/s2048/Renovation-of-Love-ebook-cover-final-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXDMBVzH8KnDzNsHzhg8YaY5xihoZ3LEOLS0iN09y6dD5wiCs2DWoA1yTriyiyjJt42pEmj2UjI4oQgY0vhAhbRE_8EyOGZVo7MluC-qdMaRAys9btRbcnI3JyZJlV7vu67JhV5-sHCo/s320/Renovation-of-Love-ebook-cover-final-2.jpg" /></a></div><br />Her return could be a second chance to repair a first love.<p></p>
<p>Forty-three and jobless, Cynthia Marshall finds herself in the last place she'd expected, back home on Madison Island, GA. Her small hometown holds the ghosts of choices past. From the large Victorian she inherited from her beloved aunt, to unresolved family issues, and the boy turned man she left behind over two decades ago.</p>
<p>Starting a new career is hard enough but having to do so side by side with a person whose heart she broke is something she never accounted for.</p>
<p>Marcel Lewis is the owner of the only construction company on the island and is the key to making Cynthia's new dream a reality. He never quite got over the abrupt departure of the first woman he ever loved. Her return means he can finally get answers to the whys and what-ifs that have plagued him.</p>
<p>Years have passed, feelings have remained, but some wounds have yet to heal. The more time they spend together, the walls of the old house aren't the only ones tumbling down. But they can't construct a future without answering for decisions of the past.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Renovation-Love-Madison-Island-Book-ebook/dp/B08QQ8JNGP">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/renovation-of-love-meka-james/1138473085">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1545013571">APPLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/renovation-of-love">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Meka_James_Renovation_Of_Love?id=PgAPEAAAQBAJ">GOOGLE</a></h2>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56761086-renovation-of-love">ADD ON GOODREADS</a></h2>
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<h2>ENTER TO WIN</h2>
<p>signed copy of Renovation of Love</p>
<h2><a href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ba335dad70/">CLICK HERE</a></h2>
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<h2>ABOUT MEKA JAMES</h2>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-xTWTNw4mPlmfJED0VmYj4ye8uFwOZKr1YERbvxXI4bt6YIVeaXwohYjDb_N5GReE52Ne5i0B9kHZ1TVR4TEBRiDHvawCVnbr9cjdRaGCDHEqo3CzKbDWFjcEIefjlQmsBRiHffXO2Q/s500/Meka+James+%25284%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG-xTWTNw4mPlmfJED0VmYj4ye8uFwOZKr1YERbvxXI4bt6YIVeaXwohYjDb_N5GReE52Ne5i0B9kHZ1TVR4TEBRiDHvawCVnbr9cjdRaGCDHEqo3CzKbDWFjcEIefjlQmsBRiHffXO2Q/w200-h200/Meka+James+%25284%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div><br />Meka James is a writer of adult contemporary and erotic romance. A born and raised Georgia Peach, she still resides in the southern state with her hubby of 16 years and counting. Mom to four kids of the two legged variety, she also has four fur-babies of the canine variety. Leo the turtle and Spade the snake rounds out her wacky household. When not writing or reading, Meka can be found playing The Sims 3, sometimes Sims 4, and making up fun stories to go with the pixelated people whose world she controls.<p></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH MEKA JAMES</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.authormekajames.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/meka.james.3720/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/AuthorMekaJames">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/author_mekajames/">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="http://eepurl.com/dsJY19">NEWSLETTER</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/meka-james">BOOKBUB</a></h2>
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</div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-33422538784957119772021-03-11T22:36:00.000+00:002021-03-11T22:36:11.752+00:00Spotlight: Almost Out Of Time by L M Richardson | #AlmostOutOfTime #LMRichardson #HonMagPR<div class="sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html" data-block-type="2" id="block-afdd197d4a16b5e93d4b">
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v-68TvnlACgUySAA5cMlLBsQdtebMEbd3tcpR_GZnmuuTR5yg9gIg4ASTjPNGPicg3eiN8WafM59kkFlVTprwLSD8KTttpR_LLXHOq_prMbyY81ZPv3tByWSz83nQh8llwj-iMW_vs0/s851/Almost+Out+of+Time+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="851" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5v-68TvnlACgUySAA5cMlLBsQdtebMEbd3tcpR_GZnmuuTR5yg9gIg4ASTjPNGPicg3eiN8WafM59kkFlVTprwLSD8KTttpR_LLXHOq_prMbyY81ZPv3tByWSz83nQh8llwj-iMW_vs0/w400-h148/Almost+Out+of+Time+banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></strong></div><strong><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></strong><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>From the author of the Ruby Quinn Series, and A Double Play Summer comes Almost Out of Time.</em></strong></p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOKl4kNsoSDTg_8Ky1QKLfi7aCfFensUM4jaipwWb7cfo-Qi8ukU0tLe6Vg-PjaaAIjeN4j2T4Zjjs0l8Mj7U8B7XlMzLlw3p7P-W5arm2UQTCYP5v5OoJPAGzyS2YCkaHxhgMNH4cf4/s2048/Almost+Out+of+Time+ebook+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1283" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxOKl4kNsoSDTg_8Ky1QKLfi7aCfFensUM4jaipwWb7cfo-Qi8ukU0tLe6Vg-PjaaAIjeN4j2T4Zjjs0l8Mj7U8B7XlMzLlw3p7P-W5arm2UQTCYP5v5OoJPAGzyS2YCkaHxhgMNH4cf4/w200-h320/Almost+Out+of+Time+ebook+cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />When the very thing Oakley has run from all her life threatens it, she is confronted with facing HIV/AIDS head-on or continue to deny reality. Choosing life is far more complicated than she expects.<p></p>
<p>Realizing the quote-unquote normal life she has been chasing does not exist, Oakley comes to terms with the circumstances surrounding her existence. A story of triumph, overcoming, and awakening, Almost Out of Time will leave you cheering and rooting for Oakley to live, prosper, and finally find love and peace.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Almost-Out-Time-l-m-richardson/dp/B08WJRX57N">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.larichmedia.com/shop" target="_blank">PRINT</a></h2>
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<h2>ENTER TO WIN</h2>
<p>L.M. Richardson is giving away three copies of Almost Out of Time on her <a href="https://instagram.com/l.m.richardson" target="_blank">Instagram page</a>!<br /><br />To Enter the Almost Out of Time Giveaway <br />1. Like l.m. richardson's Instagram page (@larichmediagroup)<br />2. Like the Almost Out of Time giveaway post<br />3. Comment on the Almost Out of Time giveaway post<br /><br />For an additional entry tag a friend who enjoys reading.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">ABOUT L. M. RICHARDSON</h2>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKM4VjhVceR58m6sKn4_bNkXvXhOk9l4qdgMX63XOl35AfIQR46nD4_lbe8kBdSFBWFfZjN1b1HVnq4mc8apE7BrmZJFswuT_xrMTbJvKoUlOljET0vYIUV4ZN6jAaEdfLNgKcq6HAoo/s2000/Author+LM+Richardson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1545" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirKM4VjhVceR58m6sKn4_bNkXvXhOk9l4qdgMX63XOl35AfIQR46nD4_lbe8kBdSFBWFfZjN1b1HVnq4mc8apE7BrmZJFswuT_xrMTbJvKoUlOljET0vYIUV4ZN6jAaEdfLNgKcq6HAoo/w154-h200/Author+LM+Richardson.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><br />As far back as she can remember, L.M. Richardson has wanted to be a writer. Her start came with a sixth-grade writing contest. Children's books have always been her favorite genre, and recently found her place in Young Adult and New Adult Fiction. Richardson's aim is to create books where young black women can see themselves and be proud of who they are.<p></p>
<p>Richardson is a wife, mother, and grandmother who enjoys spending time with her large family, relaxing on her patio, and cooking. She's a college instructor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, her alma mater, and has a MA in Journalism.</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.larichmedia.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLaTonyaRichardson">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.twitter.com/l_m_richardson_">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/l.m.richardson">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="https://mailchi.mp/5d43561c5771/lmrichardson">NEWSLETTER</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14001519.L_M_Richardson">GOODREADS</a></h2>
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Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-35877252828725428722021-03-06T10:00:00.007+00:002021-03-06T10:00:05.550+00:00Cover Reveal: The Illegitimate Prince | #RHOSaene #IllegitimatePrince <div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180692556" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{140}" paraid="510908224" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; 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-webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Author: </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Empi</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhBQAEAJECAP////8AAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAFAAQAAAIIlGAXCCHrTCgAOw=="); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Baryeh</span></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{158}" paraid="453184049" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Series: Royal House of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhBQAEAJECAP////8AAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAFAAQAAAIIlGAXCCHrTCgAOw=="); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Saene</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> #7</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{168}" paraid="1588243859" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Genre: Contemporary Romance</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{174}" paraid="1423035890" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Trope</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">: </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">r</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">oyalty, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">r</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">evenge, </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">s</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">oulmates</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, second chance</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{198}" paraid="265727024" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Release date: Nov 26, 2021</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{198}" paraid="265727024" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"><br /></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u5qeTG-1ZzGM84GmC8inDpGElQGjttAGn-vKmYn11fD8UVa7pDuhvMOzM3Fsl_kCvwXz6Yy6o6BuWsdIcsPUOYhonDy989i_lNG9NSw_r3WTxKEbNCXbiyTOeiaybaNo23bocUB0yas/s1600/tIP.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0u5qeTG-1ZzGM84GmC8inDpGElQGjttAGn-vKmYn11fD8UVa7pDuhvMOzM3Fsl_kCvwXz6Yy6o6BuWsdIcsPUOYhonDy989i_lNG9NSw_r3WTxKEbNCXbiyTOeiaybaNo23bocUB0yas/w400-h640/tIP.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="OutlineElement Ltr BCX0 SCXW180692556" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{140}" paraid="510908224" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{204}" paraid="662613909" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{208}" paraid="1054727936" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">PREORDER NOW</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{214}" paraid="1335621458" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhBQAEAJECAP////8AAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAFAAQAAAIIlGAXCCHrTCgAOw=="); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Smashwords</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW180692556 BCX0" href="http://ow.ly/TQbz50DNM4n" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="none" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">http://ow.ly/TQbz50DNM4n</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{225}" paraid="516928022" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Amazon: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW180692556 BCX0" href="http://ow.ly/Xoxg50DNM4l" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="none" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">http://ow.ly/Xoxg50DNM4l</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{234}" paraid="619451975" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Apple: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW180692556 BCX0" href="http://ow.ly/BssZ50DNM4p" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="none" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">http://ow.ly/BssZ50DNM4p</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{243}" paraid="518755497" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">B&N: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW180692556 BCX0" href="http://ow.ly/qrrI50DNM4m" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="none" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">http://ow.ly/qrrI50DNM4m</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{13c85270-1d9b-414b-bfd5-1e188414c8e3}{252}" paraid="966285004" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Kobo: </span><a class="Hyperlink SCXW180692556 BCX0" href="http://ow.ly/LPwl50DNM4o" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; user-select: text;" target="_blank"><span class="TextRun Underlined SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="none" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; color: blue; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: underline; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">http://ow.ly/LPwl50DNM4o</span></span></a><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335551550":2,"335551620":2,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{944edc31-e3cc-4f96-9015-61acdfbbca59}{6}" paraid="1735708036" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"></span></span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":200,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{944edc31-e3cc-4f96-9015-61acdfbbca59}{10}" paraid="608613412" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">BLURB </span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div><div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW180692556 BCX0" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "Segoe UI", "Segoe UI Web", Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative; user-select: text;"><p class="Paragraph SCXW180692556 BCX0" paraeid="{944edc31-e3cc-4f96-9015-61acdfbbca59}{16}" paraid="1199148892" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: transparent; color: windowtext; font-kerning: none; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center; user-select: text; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Kalahari </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">Asanti</span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> has one goal. Bringing retribution to the man he holds responsible for his mother’s death—King Ibrahim </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhBQAEAJECAP////8AAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAFAAQAAAIIlGAXCCHrTCgAOw=="); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Saene</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB">, the father he’s never met. He has no desire for the entanglements of a relationship. Until he comes face-to-face with the only woman he’s ever loved. Now, the illegitimate son is determined to reclaim everything the Royal House of </span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"><span class="SpellingError SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-parastyle="No Spacing" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; background-color: inherit; background-image: url("data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhBQAEAJECAP////8AAAAAAAAAACH5BAEAAAIALAAAAAAFAAQAAAIIlGAXCCHrTCgAOw=="); background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat-x; border-bottom: 1px solid transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;">Saene</span></span><span class="TextRun SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-contrast="auto" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" lang="EN-GB" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-ligatures: none; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;" xml:lang="EN-GB"> took from him … including her.</span><span class="EOP SCXW180692556 BCX0" data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}" face=""Bodoni MT", "Bodoni MT_EmbeddedFont", "Bodoni MT_MSFontService", sans-serif" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; -webkit-user-drag: none; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 19.55px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text;"> </span></p></div></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-85175720198424102392021-03-02T13:03:00.004+00:002022-09-17T01:34:35.975+00:00Paperback vs E-book vs Audiobook<p>Close your eyes and think about books - the way they feel, the way they smell ... think about how cool it would be to live in a bookshop. sigh.</p><p>Yes. I confess. I'm one of those readers. I think "new book" should be made into a fragrance for cars. The most compelling argument for paperbacks was from a friend. She said she still prefers reading and carrying them around because people see her reading, which would hopefully encourage them to pick up a book too or strike a conversation. When you're reading from an electronic device, it isn't always glaring that you're reading. So that's one woman's personal mission to encourage reading.</p><p>My reluctant transition from paperbacks to ebooks happened at a point when I travelled a lot for work and carrying books added to my limited luggage allowance. The lower ebook pricing also meant I could buy more books with the same amount of money. More books is always a good thing for a book lover.</p><p>In addition, I love the fact that I can highlight favourite lines. I cannot stand it when people make notes in printed books. With ebooks, you can remove the highlight anytime you want and the page is good as new. So, yea, there are things to love about ebooks.</p><p>Then audiobooks began to trend. I saw the value in audiobooks, but in a limited way - e.g. for visually impaired book lovers, but I never thought I'd be listening to audiobooks on a regular basis. I imagined I'd zone out or just hate the fact that the narrators weren't reading in my accent or my voice.</p><p>Ladies and gentlemen, I was wrong. <span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Lately, I've been listening to more audiobooks since I now have to drive myself to and from work (a minimum of 45minutes each way). Since I can't read ebooks while driving, I ended up trying out a couple of audiobooks and now I'm hooked. I realised that narrators don't just read - they perform. Some are better than others, but audiobooks give a different experience.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH6pHfYDuLpTZYzJae5XHBw71Prcg1hd3LV30vbvCzP4MEdgmSOS5lvzu6MiucqhXCkOcisesCWe_7So4dXLruNIORlMgMYWYzOjp8cQ6ToeWkmNCKB3eFPWiWANcs_8hIedB_Zbh9Z8/s200/HIP_nowinaudio-200.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH6pHfYDuLpTZYzJae5XHBw71Prcg1hd3LV30vbvCzP4MEdgmSOS5lvzu6MiucqhXCkOcisesCWe_7So4dXLruNIORlMgMYWYzOjp8cQ6ToeWkmNCKB3eFPWiWANcs_8hIedB_Zbh9Z8/w320-h320/HIP_nowinaudio-200.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />As you may know (or in case you don't), my book Chancing Faith is available in audiobook format. If you have the ebook already, you can get the audiobook at half-price (on audible). His Inherited Princess is also now available as an audiobook and I can't get enough of it. I'm calling in love all over again with my hero and heroine. <p></p><p>Anyway, after that shameless self promotion, I'll get to the point. Since I'm getting more reading in through audiobooks, I've concluded that there might be more people who need audiobooks, because ... Life. </p><p>So I'd love to know about you. <i>E-book, Paperback, audiobook</i>. Which do you prefer and why? Also, would you buy an audiobook of a story you've already read or own in a different format? <br /><br /><em><strong>mP</strong></em></p>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-58125603388423056962021-03-01T12:00:00.001+00:002021-03-01T12:00:06.657+00:00New Release: Waking Up Married by Reese Ryan | #WakingUpMarried #BourbonBrothers #ReeseRyan #HonMagPR<div class="yui3-widget yui3-block-base yui3-block-parent-base sqs-block-html sqs-block html-block with-page-interaction-flag" id="block-4bd2982b406de9b5c2b1">
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<p data-rte-preserve-empty="true" style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Will these friends’ temporary Vegas marriage lead to forever? Find out in this Bourbon Brothers novel from Reese Ryan!</em></strong></p>
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<p>Their night on the town is a blank, but when Zora Abbott and Dallas Hamilton awaken in a Vegas hotel room, they’re man and wife. With news of the nuptials spreading virally, the high-profile best friends decide to stay married, temporarily. Maybe under the cover of marriage, Dallas can even make his best friend’s baby dream come true. But can their friendship survive their newly unleashed passions?</p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">AVAILABLE ON</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="ttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08GM6X989/">AMAZON</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/waking-up-married-reese-ryan/1137539648">BARNES & NOBLE</a> | <a href="https://books.apple.com/us/book/waking-up-married/id1529103988">APPLE</a> | <a href="https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/waking-up-married-3">KOBO</a> | <a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Reese_Ryan_Waking_Up_Married?id=rzb5DwAAQBAJ">GOOGLE</a></h2>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55123442-waking-up-married">ADD ON GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/books/waking-up-married-by-reese-ryan-2020-08-26">ADD ON BOOKBUB</a></h2>
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<h2>ABOUT REESE RYAN</h2>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6V0PY6yLRT8gfv_JIm1M1IuIYKKxRdTOdG434uMwj8BpUoyD4oRrjT382NLFV4hbyTA0T2Qe1UzkFOPQhPC6xhZgAVdx6OTJ-wJJAjv31Hr_ijOCT6kcCVEV61eJRftygoWEUy7xoxc/s1179/ReeseRyanLA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1179" data-original-width="1179" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6V0PY6yLRT8gfv_JIm1M1IuIYKKxRdTOdG434uMwj8BpUoyD4oRrjT382NLFV4hbyTA0T2Qe1UzkFOPQhPC6xhZgAVdx6OTJ-wJJAjv31Hr_ijOCT6kcCVEV61eJRftygoWEUy7xoxc/w200-h200/ReeseRyanLA.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />Reese Ryan writes sexy, emotional romance with captivating family drama, surprising secrets, and a posse of complex, flawed characters. A Midwesterner with deep Southern roots, Reese currently resides in semi-small-town North Carolina where she’s an avid reader, a music junkie, and a self-declared connoisseur of cheesy grits.<p></p>
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">CONNECT WITH REESE</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.reeseryan.com/">AUTHOR SITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ReeseRyanWrites/">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/ReeseRyanWrites">YOUTUBE</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeseRyanWrites">TWITTER</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reeseryanwrites/">INSTAGRAM</a> | <a href="http://bit.ly/VIPReaderList">NEWSLETTER</a> | <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/reeseryanwrites/">PINTEREST</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7048347.Reese_Ryan">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/authors/reese-ryan">BOOKBUB</a> | <a href="https://amazon.com/Reese-Ryan/e/B00CD31WJ0/">AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE</a></h2>
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</div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-47512193516300192012020-09-02T09:00:00.001+00:002020-09-02T09:00:01.765+00:00Review: Neaderthal Seeks Human and Neaderthal Marries Human by Penny Reid | (Knitting in the City Books 1 and 1.5)<p><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">NEANDERTHAL MARRIES HUMAN</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71suL8PElsL._AC_UY218_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="136" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71suL8PElsL._AC_UY218_.jpg" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br />There are three things you need to know about Janie Morris:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> 1) She is incapable of engaging in a conversation without volunteering TMTI (Too Much Trivial Information), especially when she is unnerved, 2) No one unnerves her more than Quinn Sullivan, and 3) She doesn't know how to knit.</span><p></p><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After losing her boyfriend, apartment, and job in the same day, Janie Morris can't help wondering what new torment fate has in store.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">To her utter mortification, Quinn Sullivan—aka Sir McHotpants—witnesses it all then keeps turning up like a pair of shoes you lust after but can't afford. The last thing she expects is for Quinn to make her an offer she can't refuse.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">New York Times Bestselling Author Penny Reid’s debut novel!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">★ AAR top 100 romances of all time ★</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Neanderthal Seeks Human is book #1 in the Knitting in the City series. Each book is a standalone, full length (110k words), contemporary romantic comedy novel, and follows the misadventures and exploits of seven friends in Chicago, all members of the same knitting group.</i><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></i></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></i></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>NEANDERTHAL MARRIES HUMAN</b></span></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/418HY3aZWJL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="313" height="205" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/418HY3aZWJL.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><br />There are three things you should know about Quinn Sullivan:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> 1) He is madly in love with Janie Morris, 2) He’s not above playing dirty to get what (or who) he wants, and 3) He doesn’t know how to knit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">After just five months of dating Janie, Quinn—former Wendell and unapologetic autocrat—is ready to propose marriage. In fact, he’s more than ready. If it were up to Quinn, he would efficiently propose, marry, and beget Janie with child all in the same day—thereby avoiding the drama and angst that accompanies the four stages of pre-matrimony: engagement, meeting the parents, bachelor/bachelorette party, and overblown, superfluous wedding day traditions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">But Janie, much to Quinn’s dismay, tosses a wrench in his efficacious endeavors and challenges him to prove his devotion by going through the matrimonial motions, no matter how minute and mundane.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Will Quinn last until the wedding day? Or will he yield to his tyrant impulses?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This book is not a standalone. It is the sequel to ‘Neanderthal Seeks Human,’ and is book #1.5 in the Knitting in the City series.</i></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></i></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>MY REVIEW(S)</b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b><u><i>Neanderthal Seeks Human</i></u></b></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">The story opens with Janie Morrison having a really bad day, including a wardrobe malfunction and termination of employment. The only (possible) bright spot in her day is being escorted out of the building by Quinn Sullivan, a security guard she's been admiring from afar for months. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Quinn helps her get a job at his company. Yes, his company, not just the company he works for. Owing to the fact that he 'worked' a security guard at her former company, it takes weeks before Janie realises Quinn is THE boss. It was a little odd, because there were obvious hints and (although Quinn didn't hit her over the head with the info), he also didn't intentionally keep it from her. Still, I found the boss/employee dynamics a tad problematic.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Janie had several quirks that made her odd and interesting. Her tendency to drop trivia at odd moments made me laugh in some parts, and Quinn seemed to love it. I liked her girlfriends and the whole idea of the knitting club. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This is a lighthearted story with some drama thrown in for good measure. I found the writing and the story enjoyable. The story was told entirely from Janie's POV and I felt like I didn't get to know Quinn enough. This opinion was solidified when I got to the epilogue, which was in Quinn's POV. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><u><i>Neanderthal Marries Human</i></u></b></div><div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">This is a sequel to Neanderthal Seeks Human, set about five months after the events of book one. As you may have guessed from the title, this is pretty much a wedding romance story. Despite the happy ending in the previous book, Quinn is convinced he has to make a case for marriage. He comes up with an elaborate plan to get her to say yes. I'm on the fence about the proposal scene. There are sweet parts to it, but some aspects made me uncomfortable. I'd definitely have problems with it in real life.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Anyway, it turns out Quinn was right. Practical as ever, Janie's first instinct is to say no (for now). It's too early to think about marriage, since their love hasn't been life-tested. Her plan to rectify it in the short space of time to their wedding is interesting to say the least. Definitely something Janie would do.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">We find out more about Quinn and his family in this story, which is nice. There's an even mix of humour, and drama, with themes of friendship, family, broken trust and reconciliation in the midst of wedding planning. This is more of an extended HEA for Janie and Quinn. It's sweet without being too heavy on romantic conflict.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Amazon Ember, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">If you enjoyed book 1, you'll enjoy this.</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Amazon Ember", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></div></div>Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-475805872860236339.post-16977810157212461252020-09-01T20:28:00.001+00:002020-09-01T20:28:33.759+00:00Review: Ravensewood Series by Talia Hibbert <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><b></b></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">The series</b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This series was my introduction to Talia Hibbert’s writing. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and humour. I particularly liked the fact that the main characters were ordinary everyday people - a refreshing change from the billionaire and royal romances I’ve been reading lately. Each of the main characters was flawed in a way that made them feel real and relatable. I should say, each story deals with one or more issues that may be triggering for some readers.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">I listened to the audiobooks for the main 3 books in the series. The production was great, and I loved the narrator (Rupert Channing). The spin-off (book 1.5) wasn't available as an audiobook, so I read the ebook and often found myself reading it in Rupert Channing’s voice.=</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>A girl like her (book 1)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512zr2PNGKL._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="223" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512zr2PNGKL._SY346_.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>Evan is the new guy in town. Nice guy that he is, he decides
to introduce himself to his next-door neighbour by baking him or her a pie. The
neighbour turns out to be Ruth Kabbah, a girl with a sullied reputation in the
small town of Ravenswood. Evan doesn’t care about the gossip and is genuinely
intrigued by Ruth. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I liked Evan very much. He was the perfect combination of
sweet and macho. Ruth is weird in a good way, and I also liked her a lot. They
complemented each other well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I enjoyed the story and the characters who are perfectly
flawed. It was a nice change from the billionaire and royal romances I’ve been
reading lately.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This was my first Talia Hibbert book, and I thoroughly
enjoyed her humour.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The audiobook narration was also excellent<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Damaged Goods (Book 1.5)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sYcgk1K+L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="205" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51sYcgk1K+L.jpg" width="136" /></a></div>Pregnant and soon-to-be-divorced, Laura, returns to her
childhood home to get away from her abusive husband. She reunites with her
childhood friend, Samir. Though they haven't seen each other in years, time falls away as they rediscover each other. Laura had a lot of unlearning and re-learning to do in her journey to finding herself and regaining her confidence. Samir's love and devotion to her was sweet. It was great to see Ruth and Evan from book 1. I was both surprised and impressed by her relationship with Laura. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Untouchable (book 2)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lKEFDFodL._SY346_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="223" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51lKEFDFodL._SY346_.jpg" width="148" /></a></div>Nate returns home to Ravenswood with his two kids to help
take care of a sick mother. His search for a nanny reunites him with Hannah
Kabbah, an old schoolmate. Hannah works as a waitress, due to an ill-advised (albeit
justified) action a couple of years ago which cost her the career she’s always
dreamed of--working with children. Fortunately, Nate doesn’t care about this,
and after seeing his kids take to her at a chance meeting, he hires her as
their nanny.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But their attraction for each other gets in the way. Both
Nate and Hannah are individuals who normally do the right thing, so their
growing attraction isn’t what either of them would choose. For one, she works
for him. They decide to handle the matter of their attraction like adults (yea,
like that was going to work). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I liked both Nate and Hannah, but my favourite characters
were Nate’s kids and his brother, Zac (hero of book 3).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>That Kind of Guy (book 3)<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515bct8wWJL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="256" src="https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515bct8wWJL.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>I learnt a new thing: Demi sexuality. This is the hero’s
orientation and he’s tired of having to hide and pretend otherwise or explain/defend it. For once in
a romance novel, it is the hero (Zac) who’s off sex trying to find a real
connection. The heroine (Ray) is recently divorced and unwilling to trust her
heart to a man again. This combination paves the way for a "just friendship" to form between
the two. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When Ray has to attend a function where she’ll meet her ex
and his new wife, the idea of a fake boyfriend seems like a good, safe plan.
Who better to fake date than the guy she’s come to like a lot and trust? Neither
expects their relationship to develop beyond friendship, but their weekend
together reveals otherwise.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a slow burn romance but once it’s lit, it scorches.
This story had many unexpected things (for a romance novel) that made it a
truly special book. I enjoyed Zac and Ray’s journey of love and learning to
trust their feelings for each other. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br />Empihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01894671064010437610noreply@blogger.com0