Promo Blitz and #Review: The Christmas Bride by Sylvia McDaniel #LiteraryNook

Happy Friday, everyone! Today I'm sponsoring a blitz for Sylvia McDaniel's The Christmas Bride. I've also reviewed this Christmas themed romance. The author is offering two digital copies of her book, so make sure to check out the Rafflecopter below. 

A Western Romance Novella (Book 4, Burnett Brides Series):

Eugenia Burnett has gotten what she wants. Her three sons are married and she has three grandchildren, with the fourth on the way. But she hasn’t given up her matchmaking ways. Now she’s moved on to the people she knows and she’s matching widows and widowers together. Until one widower, Wyatt Jones let’s her know in front of a crowded restaurant that he’s not interested in any of the women she keeps sending him except her. Sworn never to remarry, she doesn’t need a husband or want one. She’s a free spirit doing what she pleases and no one is going to boss her around. But Wyatt wants Eugenia and she says no.
In this western historical romance novella, come back to the old west and spend Christmas with the Burnett family. See Eugenia meet her match in cowboy Wyatt Jones.

The Christmas Bride

By Sylvia McDaniel

Excerpt:

The door to the café opened, the cold wind slamming it against the wall. The restaurant grew quiet with the sudden entrance, and Eugenia turned to see who was making such a racket.

Wyatt Jones stood in the doorway, his muscular frame filling the opening. His cowboy hat sat at an angle on top of his head, and his large brown eyes scanned the room.

In his hand, he carried a duffle bag.

Eugenia tried to ignore the big man as he strolled through the doorway and removed his Stetson.

Their gazes locked across the room, and he smiled, his full lips turning up in a grin that made her body soften and her heart give an extra little ca-thunk. He spoke to the waitress, but his gaze never wavered from Eugenia.

Uh-oh. A tingle of nerves zinged through her bones. This couldn’t be good.

His boots made a rhythmic thump, thump, thump on the wooden floor as he walked with a determined stride straight toward her, his bag in hand, his spurs jingling. Nervously, she licked her lips.

Myrtle’s back faced the door, and she continued to blather about something. But Eugenia couldn’t seem to focus on the words. All she could see was this handsome cowboy walking her way. She couldn’t stop staring at him. She knew he was coming for her.

She’d already sent several women his way, and she didn’t think he was here to thank her for curing his loneliness.

Wyatt stopped at their table, touching the rim of his hat as he glanced at Myrtle. “Morning Mrs. Sanders. Nice to see you.”

He pivoted to Eugenia, his brown eyes dancing with merriment. Staring into those earthy eyes, a warm flush settled over her like a blanket. He opened the bag, withdrew a casserole dish, and laid it on the table. He took a second dish out and placed it alongside the first one, and then another, and another.

Oh dear.

When he finished, six clean, empty casserole dishes sat in front of her.

His mouth turned up in that slow, lazy grin that burned a sizzle along her spine. Why did this man make her feel like she’d raced her grandchildren around the yard and couldn’t catch her breath? Why did this man make her more nervous than a virgin on her wedding day? Why did this man have her wondering how his lips would feel against her own?

“Eugenia,” he said in that deep drawl that sent shivers skittering over her. “You’ve been mighty busy, sending women out to my house. You’ve kept me and my men well fed the last couple of weeks.”

“Glad I could help,” she said, her voice sounding breathy and soft.

He leaned in close and put his hands on either side of her, effectively pinning her in the chair. She felt the urge to jump up and run, but resisted. She sat there, stared him in the eye and refused to back down. No longer would she back down to any man. Never again.

“While I appreciate the effort, I’m not taking the bait. There’s only one woman in this town that I’m interested in pursuing to become my wife.” The deep timbre of his voice was low and commanding.

“And pray tell, who would that be?” she asked, knowing she would have him hitched as soon as possible.

“You, Eugenia Burnett. You.”

Buy Links:

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Bride-Western-Romance-Novella-ebook/dp/B00FJA99TO/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384632963&sr=1-3&keywords=the+christmas+bride

Barnes & Noble - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-christmas-bride-sylvia-mcdaniel/1117325633?ean=2940148919889

Smashwords - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/375320 

***Nona's Review for A Christmas Bride***

A Christmas Bride is a historical novella whose heroine, Eugenia Burnett, is an inveterate matchmaker. In the earlier books in the Burnett Brides Series (which I haven’t read), she was determined to find brides for her three sons.

All her sons are now happily married, but Eugenia hasn’t given up her matchmaking ways. Now she’s employing them to find mates for her friends and acquaintances. One man who refuses to be matched is Wyatt Jones, a handsome older rancher. No matter how many widow-women visit him with casseroles (at Eugenia’s urging), he’s determined to remain single. That is, until he falls for the matchmaker herself.

I enjoyed the fact that this story features a mature couple. Wyatt and Eugenia both been married previously, and both have experienced love and loss. Nothing should stand in their way, right? Wrong. Eugenia doesn’t want to get married again. Though she loved her husband, he was the boss in their relationship. And she values her freedom too much to ever knuckle under to a man again.

This was an entertaining story. There’s humor when Eugenia’s sons and daughters-in-law turn the tables on her and plot ways to get her and Wyatt together. This involves the two of them working together on the church Christmas program.  There’s danger when the two of them are caught in a blizzard. When they find themselves trapped in a line shack, Eugenia’s determination to resist Wyatt’s charms weakens. The only place to sleep is a single bed and baby, it’s cold outside.

Eugenia was an admirable, strong minded character. Though I respected her determination to be her own woman, I thought she went on about it a bit too much. Wyatt was a real gentleman and the perfect foil for her. He wanted her to be an equal partner, but wouldn’t allow her to walk all over him.

As I mentioned, The Christmas Bride is a follow-up to the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone. It’s a fine choice for anyone who enjoys historical romance with a touch of humor and sexiness.

Author Bio: 

Sylvia McDaniel is a best-selling, award-winning author of historical romance and contemporary romance novels.  Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances,  Sylvia is the author of The Burnett Brides a western historical western series, The Cuvier Widows, a Louisiana historical series, and several short contemporary romances.

Former President of the Dallas Area Romance Authors, a member of the Romance Writers of America®, and a member of Novelists Inc, her novel, A Hero’s Heart was a 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Several other books have placed or won in the San Antonio Romance Authors Contest, LERA Contest, and she was a Golden Network Finalist.

Married for nearly twenty years to her best friend, they have two dachshunds that are beyond spoiled and a good-looking, grown son who thinks there’s no place like home. She loves gardening, shopping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco’s fan), but not necessarily in that order.

Currently she’s written sixteen novels and is hard at work on number seventeen. Look for her the first Tuesday of every month at the Plotting Princesses blogspot http://plottingprincesses.blogspot.com/.

Be sure to sign up for her newsletter to learn about new releases, contests and every month a new subscriber is entered into a drawing for a free book.

http://www.SylviaMcDaniel.com or www.facebook.com/SylviaMcDanielAuthor

You can write to Sylvia at P.O. Box 2542, Coppell, TX 75019 or visit her web site:

Author Links:

Twitter - https://twitter.com/SylviaJMcDaniel

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SylviaMcDanielAuthor

Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150774.Sylvia_McDaniel?from_search=true

Website - http://www.sylviamcdaniel.com/

Amazon Author Page - http://www.amazon.com/Sylvia-McDaniel/e/B001KI5TAM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1378748178&sr=8-2-ent

Giveaway:

2 ebook copies (one to each winner) of The Christmas Bride

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link to promo schedule - http://wp.me/p3SVfE-bd

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

Facebook, Twitter, Blog

Happy #Thanksgiving! And the Things Rach is Thankful for...

Here at the Divas, we'd like to wish you all a wonderful and sexy Thanksgiving!


It's been hard for me to come up with things for which I am thankful this year. I have buried two family members, and a family pet in the last ten months, and have another family pet who is terminal. It's been a whopper of a year, and a friend of mine has blamed it on the year "13".

As the year nears a close, however, I remember that while today was a difficult day, it was not nearly the disaster I was worried it would would be. We made it through, with the stuffing, and the gravy, and the fall-off-the-bone turkey, and it wasn't until the rush of the meal prep and cleanup was over that I realized that though our family seems to be growing smaller with every passing year, the core of love, support, and humor is still there. We are battered, bruised, and sometimes beat-down. But today was filled with laughter instead of tears, and I am eternally grateful for the family I still have, and the new addition to the household, our five-month-old Shepard mix Honey. In just over a week this little girl has made herself right at home.

I am also thankful for my writing, my love of words, my craft, and my readers. While this past year has seen a lot of personal turmoil, it has also brought me some great professional growth. I've published two books since January, and worked on a third and fourth, one currently under contract with Twenty or Less Press, due out soon. My writing has given me a place to escape, to focus, and to look forward to, and for that I am exceptionally thankful.


What are you all thankful for this year?

#Romance Author @AnitaPhilmar Shares Naked Rebel!

Happy Friday, everyone! Erotic romance author buddy Anita Philmar's been kind enough to share a bit of her story Naked Rebel with us today! And it looks amazing!

Naked Rebel

A spy that prefers to work alone, Nick Royster’s assignment is turned upside down when his superiors sends him a personal companion. Not appreciating the need to watch someone else’s back, he attends a dinner of Salsar’s inner group. Only to learn, he has to sacrifice Rane to get the information he needs to end the war.

Rane knows the important of winning. Her family slaughtered by Salsar, this is her homeland and she plans to do whatever it takes to win her peoples’ freedom.

With everything on the line, can these two have any future together or does love and war equal heartache?  

Excerpt

“I know it’s not much, but its home.” At least for the last few months it’d been. Once he’d reached the rank of top miner, it’d taken less than a year to make head foreman. Yet, he still didn’t know the location of nustru’s purification plant.

“Nice.” A muffled voice rang through his small two room unit.

He glanced around at the bare walls. She couldn’t be serious.

Yes, he didn’t have to live in a tent, but the place wasn’t a proper home for a woman either. An ugly brown couch stood right by the door while a yellow counter with a cooler and stove occupied the opposite wall. The doorway to the back led to a tiny bathroom and an even smaller bedroom.

Not willing to argue about how she never should have been sent here, Nick walked over and looked inside the cooler. “Would you like something to drink?”

“That would be great,” whispered through her veil.

Nick grabbed a protein drink and turned to see her struggling with the hood covering her head. He set down her drink and stepped to her side. The black cloak covering her really did its job. He couldn’t see any part of her except her small hands.

“Let’s see, how can we free you from this contraption?” He fingered the rough fabric covering her shoulders and lifted the lip of the cloth running along her biceps.

She stepped back and lowered her head.

He pulled. The hood fell away, revealing her reddish-gold hair.

A loud rip preceded a soft feminine scent, which filled the room. The cloak covering her body tore into long strips and crumbled to the floor at her feet.

A bullet of lust shot straight to his loins at the spectacular view. Full, creamy breasts covered by a skimpy piece of pink lace led to a narrow waist. Another strip hung on her curvy hips and restricted his view of her luscious center. A dark stain on her panties made him wonder if she was already wet with need.  

“Nick?”

  

Purchase link - http://amzn.to/THkxHH

Also check out my free read-- Hot Prairie Nights. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/256801

Find Anita Philmar

Website:  http://www.anitaphilmar.com/

Email: anitaphilmar@yahoo.com

Blog: http://www.anitaphilmar.blogspot.com/

FB: www.facebook.com/anita.philmar

GR: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1329767.Anita_Philmar

A Naughty Little Christmas: Eight Christmas Romances for only #99cents! #boxedset

New Release! 8-Author Christmas Boxed Set only $.99

A Naughty Little Christmas - Cowboys, Cops, and Kilts: 
8 Seasonally Seductive Romances from Bestselling Authors

Hi everyone! Nona here. Well, Thanksgiving is next week, and Christmas is right around the corner. And guess what? Randi Alexander and seven other awesome romance authors have an early Christmas gift for us! A Naughty Christmas is a boxed set of eight sexy Christmas romances available for only 99 cents! Check out the info below to find out more!

*~*~*~*
COWBOY JACKPOT: CHRISTMAS
Cowboy Jackpot Series, Book 1
Randi Alexander
Award Winning Novella. A lucky first kiss in front of a Las Vegas slot machine pays off big for bull rider Boone Hancock and college student Gigi Colberg-Staub.
*~*~*~*
A NAUGHTY NOELLE
The 19th Precinct, Book 1.5
Ann Bruce
When injured vice cop Sergio Ramirez accepts Noelle Mason’s offer to help him, she has no idea the danger she faces, most of it from her desire to share her bed with him.
*~*~*~*
HOLIDAY SURPRISE: UNWRAPPED
Aliyah Burke
Recuperating in wintery Massachusetts, Heath Dixon gives cold-hating Kassia Green something much hotter to focus on. But can he keep her after Christmas? Like…forever?
*~*~*~*
CHRISTMAS ANGEL
Opal Carew
Given one chance to break the curse which has held Angelique in its grip for two hundred years, she is faced with a heart-rending decision. Can she sacrifice Nick's happiness for her own freedom?
*~*~*~*
A HIGHLANDER FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Dawn Halliday
In the wintery Highland mountains, Aileen and Niall unleash their forbidden passion. But Aileen is promised to another this Christmas, and the wicked Lowlander will stop at nothing to have her.
*~*~*~*
ILLICIT CHRISTMAS
Yvette Hines
Even during the holidays a woman can have one reckless night that will change her life forever...especially when the man she was with is determined to prove they belong together.
*~*~*~*
HER XMAS PRESENT
Christin Lovell
After being apart from each other for a year, Libby and Tyler realize their feelings for one another are more than platonic. Are they willing to risk years of friendship on a chance at love?
*~*~*~*
ALL SHE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS
Paige Tyler
Hayley Knowles has always fantasized about getting spanked by her husband, Conner. But how can she possibly ever get her husband to do it, especially since she’s too shy to tell him? This is the holiday season, though, so maybe Hayley might get exactly what she wants for Christmas!
*~*~*~*

Get These 8 Great Books for Only $.99 at:

AMAZON

AMAZON UK

BARNES AND NOBLE

SMASHWORDS

We hope you enjoy all the holiday sexiness!

Randi

"Rode Hard and Put Up Satisfied"

RandiAlexander.com

Facebook

Facebook Fan Page

Twitter

Wowie! Thanks for stopping by and giving us the word, Randi! I'm hurrying off to get my copy now!

Have a wonderful week, all!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

Facebook, Twitter, Blog

#GuestBlog Featuring Julie Rowe, Author of Secret Santa

Well hello folks,

It's getting to be that time of year again - the holiday season. I just love reading holiday books through the whole month of November and continuing straight through New Year's. Today we have a very special guest, Julie Rowe, who is here to talk to us today about her new release, Secret Santa, in the Timeless Keepsakes anthology. Be sure to enter the raffle below for the great prizes on this tour!

Take it away Julie! 

The Tradition of Secret Santa

I grew up on a small farm in the Canadian prairies which means we were pretty self-sufficient. We had a large garden, so our veggies were either fresh or pickled. We ate our own beef and chickens (don’t get me started on the chickens – I remember picking feathers out of my hair for hours!), and we didn’t have a lot of money for extras, like store bought items. We had a great Christmas tradition though that lasted all of December when my brother, sister and I were kids. This Secret Santa tradition made Christmas fun and taught us to appreciate more than just the presents under the tree. 

At the beginning of December my mother would put a small cradle for baby Jesus under the Christmas tree. It was the family’s job to fill the cradle with straw, but you had to earn every straw that went into the cradle by anonymously doing something nice to another member of the family. We picked a new name out of hat every few days and that person was the recipient of our gift of good deeds. The good deed could be anything, making someone’s bed while they were in the bathroom, putting a cup of hot chocolate next their bedside table before bed or sneaking an extra special snack in their lunch. It became a bit of a competition to think up new and nicer things to do for each other. By the time Christmas Day rolled around, we were way more proud of the huge mound of straw in the cradle than we were of the new doll, truck or stuffed animal we received. Getting to be a Secret Santa turned out to be the best gift of all.

In my Timeless Keepsakes story—Secret Santa—nurse Kenzie Bowman, grieving the death of her twin brother,receives an unexpected gift at the staff Secret Santa party: the bullet that killed him and a message of hope and love. That message is the real gift.

Do you have any Secret Santa traditions in your family? What is the best gift you’ve ever received that didn’t cost money?

That was such a cool tradition. Thanks for sharing it with us Julie. Here's a little excerpt from Secret Santa 

Chapter One

“I hate Secret Santa,” Kenzie Bowman muttered to herself. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall, as far away from the crowded hospital’s emergency department lunch room table as possible. The table was covered in wrapped boxes and gift bags. A bevy of nurses rummaged through them looking for their name on a tag, squeals of glee and laughter filling the remaining space in the room.

Anyone walking by would think it was Black Friday. They’d be lucky if they didn’t end up treating one of their own for a bloody nose.

She used to love Christmas. The decorations, buying just the right gift for a friend, singing carols, and spending time with the people she loved.

Until last year.

Until her twin brother, Kennon, was killed on Christmas Day.

Now, she just wanted the entire event to be over. She never wanted to see another Christmas tree, hear another Christmas song, or taste eggnog ever again.

Her friend Amy surfaced from the circling sharks with a gift in each hand. “I found yours, Kenzie,” she said with Christmas cheer that darn near dripped sugar.

Oh joy.

Amy bounced up to Kenzie and thrust the gift into her hands, then proceeded to rip the paper off her own.

“Ohh,” she squealed, segueing into a victory dance as she hoisted her booty into the air. “A bottle of Baileys! Santa loves me, yes he does.” Amy paused mid-dance to lever her laser-sharp gaze at Kenzie. “Your turn, Ebenezer. Open it.”

“What’s the point? I don’t wear perfume, I don’t like scented candles, and I don’t drink alcohol. We know the likelihood of one of those three items being in this box is eighty-six-point-three percent.”

“You sound like a computer when you talk that way,” Amy said, enunciating each word individually.

“Better than having your eardrums blown out by indiscriminate screaming.”

Amy’s eyes narrowed to two slits. “Open the box.”

“Have I mentioned how much I hate Secret Santa?”

“The box, Kenzie. Now.”

“Fine.” Kenzie rolled her eyes and picked at the festive paper. “But if this gift sucks it’s going home with you.”

Amy’s fierce expression slowly turned into a frown. “You don’t just hate Secret Santa, you hate Christmas, don’t you?”

“Do you blame me?” Christmas was supposed to be a time of joy and love, spent with friends and family. All that was impossible for her now. She and Kennon had been all each other had for eight years now. A heart attack had taken Dad from them. Mom followed him to the grave four months later.

Amy glanced away at the crowd of nurses and doctors for a second, then met Kenzie’s gaze. “I suppose not. But it’s not healthy for you to brood.” She watched Kenzie’s fingers as they slowly peeled the tape from the paper. “Come to my place Christmas Day,” Amy said, the words rushing out of her mouth like a five-year-old who’d had too much candy. “Don’t stay home alone. Please.”

“I won’t be good company.”

“That’s why you should come.”

The last of the tape came off the paper and Kenzie carefully folded it and threw it into the garbage can. The box in her hand was too small for a bottle of Baileys, so it was down to perfume or candles. She opened the top, pushed aside the tissue paper, and pulled out a glass ball about the size of her fist.

The glass was plain, no decoration or sparkles. Something hung inside it, tied up in some string. She turned the ball to see if she could get a better look—

A bullet.

A smashed, wrecked bullet.

Pain seized her diaphragm and brought her breathing to a screeching halt. The agony ricocheted through her body until even the tips of her hair hurt.

“What’s that?” Amy asked, staring at the ball, confusion furrowing her forehead. “It’s not very festive looking.”

It could only be one thing.

“The reason why I hate Christmas.” Her voice sounded strangely calm.

“Huh?”

“This isn’t from staff, it’s from my brother’s best military buddy.”

Why? Why would he do this? Give her the one thing guaranteed to rip her heart out while it was only barely still beating.

“It’s the bullet that killed my brother.” The words came from far, far away. Almost an echo.

Amy’s gaze jerked up to meet her own. “Your brother? But I thought he… Shit,” she breathed out as a whisper. “How do you know it’s that bullet?”

“Because he tried to give it to me before.”

“He what?”

But Kenzie wasn’t listening anymore. She was drowning in sorrow. It clouded her mind, sight, and hearing, pulling her under into a dark and silent world. Somehow she walked from the lunch room to the waiting room, but she had no memory of doing it. This must be what teleportation was like. Going from location to location without the inconvenience of conventional travel.

People turned as she entered the waiting area, most of them likely hoping she’d call their name.

Except for one.

One man stood slowly, staring at her face, his gaze apologetic. He was tall and fit, with a squared face that was strong rather than handsome. Every woman in the room turned to stare at him, but he didn’t seem to notice. His whole focus was on her.

She angled her head back sharply then turned and walked a little ways until she got to a large wheelchair-accessible washroom. She went inside. He followed her in and she shut and locked the door.

Kenzie glared at the man who had been trying to give her a damaged bullet for the past three months. A man she’d refused to see again after their first disastrous conversation. A man she’d told to go to hell.

A man she’d once thought she loved.

Gage Remington.

She held out the box to him. “I don’t want this. I never wanted to see it and to find it in a glass ball pretending to be a Christmas ornament—” For a moment she ran completely out of breath. “Take it.”

He made no effort to accept the box. “Damn it, Kenzie, he wanted you to have it.”

“My brother wanted me to have the bullet that killed him?”

“No. He wanted you to have a reminder of what you have to live for. ‘We’re all just a bullet or a breath away from oblivion; don’t waste yours’—wasn’t that the phrase you used to say goodbye with?” He took a step toward her. “He made me swear. It was the last thing he said to me before—”

She thrust a warning finger an inch from his nose. “Don’t say it.” She paced a step or two away, then back. “I never knew how stupid and childish it was to say the rhyme our grandfather taught us until the damn bullet showed up.” She shoved the box at him and spun, grabbing for the door handle, but he got there before she could get the door open.

He took her shoulders into his hands and turned her.

She didn’t want to see him, didn’t want to touch him, didn’t want to face the reality of her life with her brother—her best friend—no longer in it.

She pounded on Gage’s chest and fought to get herself free.

He simply gathered her up and pulled her into his intractable embrace. Someone was crying deep, shuddering sobs that sounded like they were coming out of the throat of a tortured person.

That’s when she realized—she was the person crying.

About Julie Rowe:

Julie Rowe’s first career as a medical lab technologist in Canada took her to the Northwest Territories and northern Alberta, where she still resides. She loves to include medical details in her romance novels, but admits she’ll never be able to write about all her medical experiences because, “No one would believe them!” In addition to writing contemporary and historical medical romance, and fun romantic suspense for Entangled Publishing and Carina Press, Julie has a short story in The Mammoth Book of ER Romance (September 2013). Her book Saving the Rifleman (book one of the War Girls series) won the novella category of the 2013 Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Her writing has also appeared in several magazines such as Today’s Parent, Reader’s Digest (Canada), Canadian Living, and Romantic Times Magazine.

For more information about Julie, please visit her online at www.julieroweauthor.com, on Twitter @julieroweauthor, or at her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/JulieRoweAuthor.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

@miadowning007's Spy Games: Endgame Available Everywhere Now! #Erotic

Happy Friday, everyone! I'm thrilled to have the awesome author Mia Downing with me today. It's a celebration, because Endgame, the third installment of her erotic Spy Games series is enjoying its worldwide release today! We're really lucky, because she's sharing a super-hot excerpt with us, too.

Welcome, Mia, and thanks so much for being here!

  

An Adult Five Minutes In The Closet From Spy Games: Endgame

Mia Downing

Thanks, Nona, for having me today! With the release of Spy Games: Endgame to all retailers this month I thought I’d post and excerpt of one of my fan’s favorite scenes and give you a little lead in to the background.

Aaron Anderson, my hero in Spy Games: Endgame, is a unique individual. He’s got four older brothers who are confirmed man whores but has very little sexual experience himself. You see, after a bad experience with sex his first time at sixteen, he decided to follow a higher calling and become a priest. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out. So now he’s an actor on the verge of a blockbuster film, trying to figure out the whole sex thing. At one point he describes L.A. as a bakery and he has gluten intolerance. He really wants to indulge in the beauties around him but fears the consequences.

Then Aaron met Charlotte Smith at his brother’s wedding and the sexual urges became stronger than the fear. She should be scary as hell because she’s a bit on the cold side and has an air of danger about her that excites the hell out of him. She’s pretty and intelligent, not at all a bleach blonde beauty who can’t string together two sentences.

So when the woman of his desires is given to him as a bodyguard, he’s stoked. He’s never wanted a woman before, not like this, and definitely not one like Charlotte. When she rejects his advances, he decides to go back to his childhood—the only time he was lucky with the girls—to find a solution to get her interested.

The closet excerpt from Spy Games: Endgame

“Charlotte?”

“What?” she snapped and winced. Way too much heat that had nothing to do with her anger.

“I heard a noise.”

Her spy senses went on full alert, stifling desire. “Where? Did you wake Jake?”

“No, it’s in my room. Will you check?”

She grabbed her gun from the coffee table, a little less anxious as she rose. The sensors would have gone off if his room had been breached. “Afraid of monsters in the closet, baby cowboy?”

“No, I’m afraid of muggers and hostage takers in the closet.”

“Bloody hell.” How he could go from pissy to ’fraidy cat in no time flat, she had no clue. She entered his room, gun pulled. “Where did you hear a noise?”

“The closet.”

She stalked over, flicked on the light, and opened the door, ready for action. It was huge, filled with clothes top to bottom, bigger than her university dorm when she was a girl. She cleared the area, checking each space. The door clicked closed behind her. Then the light went out, and she sucked in a breath. “Aaron? You okay?”

“I’m right here.”

She turned and collided with six-one of hard man. He smelled suspiciously of fresh toothpaste instead of beer, and that bare chest was hot and welcoming against her sweatshirt. “You did this on purpose?”

“No! The door closed behind me, and the light went out. I think they’re outside. We should wait here.” He wrapped his arms around her. “I’ll protect you.”

She wanted to snort. As if he could protect her. She had skills that would make a ninja cry with fear. He had…well, six weeks with a piss poor trainer.

And he was a liar. Only she hoped his pants weren’t on fire. She needed his pants to stay on or she’d come undone. Being in his arms felt a hell of a lot better than she thought it would.

Time to call his bluff.

“I have my cell phone. I’m calling Jake.” She whipped it out of the pocket of her sweatshirt, and the display lit up Aaron’s face.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t. I lied. There’s no one here.”

“You did this? To get me alone?” She let the display die out, and the room darkened.

“Yes,” he admitted. “I’m not sorry, though. So don’t think I’m going to apologize and let you walk away. Not this time.”

She should be pissed. She should kick his ass and teach him what his brothers obviously failed to teach him. But instead, she found herself horny as hell. Jake’s permission echoed in her ears, and the part of her that had been dead for so long wanted to know why she couldn’t just enjoy this for a change? She deserved to feel, deserved to be happy, even if it was absolutely, totally wrong.

Wrong was proving to be way fun.

Aaron’s hands found her hips, and he tugged her flush against his hard…everything. So hard. Chest, belly, thighs, cock, all like heated rock and pressed against her. Every molecule in her body went on high alert, tuning in to his energy. His mouth found her neck and then that ticklish spot under her ear.

“One of the fun games I played as a teen was five minutes in the closet,” he murmured against her skin.

Somehow, this was not how she pictured Aaron spending his formative teen years. “I thought you were on track to be a priest from birth.”

“Nope. Not until after sixteen.” He nipped her ear lobe. “I did lots and lots of making out before that, though.”

She fought a moan and called forth any bitch left in her. “How old were you when you started locking girls in the closet and molesting them?”

“Fifteen. Andersons start young.” He nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent. “You game?”

“Aaron, do you know how many hours of sleep I’ve had in the last twenty-four?” Strangely, she felt wide awake. Five minutes in the closet with Aaron was beyond tempting, even if it meant she’d be crossing the line she’d drawn in the hallway.

“It will be hot. Fun. Worth every minute of sleep deprivation.” His voice dropped an octave, so seductive it gave her chills of the best kind.

“I’m sure it will, love.” She sighed, and he kissed his way around her throat, tonguing the depression at her collarbone.

He must have spent a hell of a lot of time in a closet debasing young girls, because oh, did that mouth make parts of her incredibly needy. Starting with her nipples— they begged for his mouth. Her pussy clenched and the dampness grew between her thighs. Men didn’t make her wet. Not in this life, anyway.

One large hand brushed the underside of her breast and the nipple tightened with need. Maybe one kiss, just one. She didn’t have to give in and fuck him. Yes. A good, hot kiss and a bit of groping would suit her perfectly.

She tapped her phone to bring the display back up while Aaron nibbled his way from her ear to her throat again. Enough light glowed in the closet now to see shelves beside her. She set her gun on a shelf and punched up the timer on her phone.

He lifted his mouth from her neck and frowned in the dim light. “What are you doing?”

“Setting a timer.” She clicked a few buttons and placed her phone on the same shelf as her gun. The closet went black as the display light died out. “You have earned five minutes.”

Her words must have finally sunk in, because he sucked in a breath. “What if I want more?”

Just like a man to think about himself. “Too bad.”

“What if you want more?”

Good question.

~*~

Buy Links for Spy Games: Endgame

(there may be a delay in finding it at all stores, but The Wild Rose Press has mobi for Kindle, epub and pdf available now!)

Amazon: Print and Digital

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~*~

If you haven’t started the series yet, then start with Spy Games: Trained for Seduction (book 1).

Blurb for Spy Games:Trained For Seduction…

Book 1 of the Spy Games Series!

Emma Walters didn't choose to be a spy, but when her crazy father was caught selling bombs to the wrong people, she was given a choice--become a spy or rot in jail. Her exciting new life as agent Kate Wells becomes more so when she discovers her new boss is the agent--undercover and investigating her father at the time--who took her to third base. Emma is already half in love with the dark and dangerous Chase Sanders. Kate wants nothing more than for him to finish what he started, but he's the devil incarnate. And one doesn't make deals or fall in love with the devil.

If someone had told Chase he'd fall in love with a certain virgin when he was on his last mission, he would have shot them dead, sniper style. She was nothing more than collateral damage, damn it. But watching the sexy new spy morph into a bombshell killing machine is too much to bear. So when the powers that be command him to train her in the art of seduction for her first--and possibly last--mission, he's scared witless. Making love to Kate means preparing her for sex with another man.

Somehow, Chase has to find a way to get Kate in--and out--of her mission without dying. And without falling in love.

This book is an erotic romance. It contains graphic language, explicit, smokin' hot sex, menage, lots of juicy conflict, some suspense, a dark and dangerous spy boss and a spunky bombshell heroine.

Trained For Seduction is available in e-book or print

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~*~

About Mia Downing…

Mia Downing started creating heroes at age four, but her heroes back then rode ponies to rescue the princess, and only kissed her on the cheek. Today, Mia's heroes still rescue those in need, but the price of their toys and the expertise of their seduction leads to a lot more than a peck on the cheek. When Mia isn't busy creating new stories for her readers she fills in as an underwear model for a prestigious lingerie company. She also lives in New England with her family, and enjoys horses and knitting.

Fun facts: Mia can juggle (poorly,) create balloon animals and face paint. She was the hit entertainment of two family parties. No clown suits were involved.

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*******
Whew, is it hot in here or what? Thanks so much for sharing Endgame with us today, Mia. I've got my copy already--what are the rest of you folks waiting for?

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Nona Raines

Hot Contemporary Romance
Edgy ~ Emotional ~ Erotic
www.nonaraines.com

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