No Secrets Goes Live Tomorrow! #Multicultural #New Adult @nonaraines

Good morning, friends! I'm so excited to share the release (happening tomorrow) of my multicultural New Adult romance No Secrets! 

She wants him…

            Alyxandra Franklin crushed on Cris Garcia the first time they met. He wasn't like the guys in her crowd, the boys in grown-up bodies. No, Cris was a man. A man who'd stand up for his girl, hold her close and keep her love safe. In spite of her feelings, Alyx never made a move on him. How could she? He belonged to her best friend, Gabi. And now it's too late.

He hates her…

            Cris figures if he never sees Alyx Franklin again, it'll be too soon. She's nothing but a spoiled stupid rich girl, too busy partying to care about anyone but herself. She's the reason Gabi, the girl he loved, lost her life.

            But he's wrong. Gabi had secrets. When those secrets blow up his life, Cris is willing to go to any lengths to unravel the lies. Even if that means befriending Alyx—and sleeping with her—to learn the truth.

Only 99 cents through December 3! Find No Secrets here:

Amazon:  https://amzn.com/B01N3W0N2Q

All Romance: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-nosecretsamulticulturalnewadultromance-2167966-178.html

iBooks: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/no-secrets/id1173065461?mt=11

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/no-secrets-6

Excerpt:

He took her hand. "Come with me."

She allowed him to lead her to an alley next to the building. "What's here?" she asked, not afraid, just curious.

"This." He took her in his arms and kissed her.

Her lips were so pillowy soft, he wanted to lick them, bite them. Whoa, slow down there. Good way to scare her off.

She must have read his mind, because she placed her hands on his chest and gently urged him back. Her eyes were clouded with confusion. "Maybe we should…I don't know, slow down some."

He took a step back, disappointment settling in his gut. But he wouldn't be like that pushy douche outside Chauncey's who kept pestering her, who wouldn't take no for an answer. "Okay."

"I mean…" She shook her head. "I don't know what I mean. I like you, Cris. I have for a long time. But I just—"

"Because of Gabi, you mean?"

"Yeah. I was her friend, and you…"

"Yeah."

"Is it weird that we're—"

"No," he answered quickly. "We both…we cared about her." He couldn't choke out the word love. "But she's gone."

Alyx was silent, as if weighing his response. "I hope it's not wrong."

A pang of guilt zinged him, but not because of Gabi. Because he was here with Alyx under false pretenses. She thought it was just a date. He had other motives.

But enjoying her company wasn't a lie. The way he felt holding her, kissing her—that was real. "Does it feel wrong?" he asked, holding his breath for her answer.

"No," she said at last, lifting a hand to his cheek. "It feels really, really right."

They kissed again. Gently, he urged her mouth to open. He tasted hops and yeast, but the bitter tang of the brew was no match for the sweetness of her kiss—a flavor he wanted more of.

When he released her, reluctantly, she sagged against the side of the building. Her eyes were dreamy and soft. She smiled hesitantly when he gave a quiet laugh. "What's funny?"

"Just…your makeup." Scary looking as it was in the glow of the streetlamp, it couldn't hide her natural beauty. "I never pictured I'd be kissing a zombie."

She laughed. "Well, I'm kissing one too."

When he tried to kiss her again, she stopped him. "Wait."

After fumbling in her purse, she pulled out a handful of tissues and touched them to his face. He jerked back at their moist feel. "What are you doing?"

"They’re wipes. To take off the makeup," she answered.

He snorted. "Baby wipes?"

"Hush, you. No, they're for makeup." Gently, she swiped the cloths across his forehead, over his cheeks, down his nose. He watched her as she tended to him carefully, tenderly. Her concentration on the task just made him hotter. Each time her fingers brushed his skin, his pulse spiked.

It felt like foreplay.

******

Thanks so much, friends! I hope you'll check out the story and its related romance, No Promises.

Have a wonderful week, all!

Nona Raines

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

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Readers, please don't panic!

My upcoming title is a m/f erotic, but please don’t panic dear fans. My Portland Men series is still going strong, to include (but is not limited to): shifting Rockin’ the ’Nog to reflect the series, as well as Ides of March, and creating a sequel to Ascend.  Rewriting the two books above came about because of the question of Ascend’s sequel. (Read: twisting my elbow and giving me the Stink Eye.) More on that in the next blog entry because I first want to discuss my m/f erotic novel and why I didn’t shift that one to m/m.

The book is, and has always been, a response to my fans’ question of, “Hey, what’s the story of Annabel and Jeremy?” Thing is, if I were to portray the situation in its fullness, then my Jeremy stops being relatable and transforms into an abusive a*shat. Yes, Jeremy was in a terrible emotional and intellectual space regarding his fearful choice to stay in the closet, and that resulted in damage done to him as well as the people in his inner circle.

Is there any value to read about this traumatizing mental landscape? No. Butterball is already out. But there is a story to tell. In sum: Annabel’s.

What is it like to be uncomfortable in one’s own skin?

What is it like to lost and orphaned?

What and how can torn souls be healed?

Those questions, and finding those answers, is the core of my upcoming The Veteran’s Homecoming. It’s my honor to introduce Annabel Lawrence and Jeremy’s brother Zachary Roberson.

Now, Annabel has been wronged by Jeremy but that isn’t anything I will discuss. I like to keep my heroes, wounded or otherwise, stay heroic. So…Jeremy’s past is in the past. However, it is referenced because what Zach knows is the lies. Why? Because this Jeremy is pre-Travis (in Butterball) and, consequently, he’s still closeted.

That means his life is a lie.

That means that he needs to keep the reason for his broken relationship to be a secret.

That means, when given the opportunity to come clean to his brother Zach..but fails

That means, Annabel is is Zach's target for justice. Zach is a marine. Honor is the heartbeat of Zachary Roberson. He learns too late that honor honor isn’t the course of his brother at that time in Jeremy’s life. Annabel, furious about the past, is on a quest for justice.

The two come together like a swirling confluence of raging rivers…and fall in love.  Isn’t that a lovely thing? Did I mention that Zach’s personal sexual kink is BDSM’s owner/property? Annabel’s miniscule amount of trust makes that sort of play problematic.

Now Zach must find a way to fix what he broke. He needs to heal what he injured. He needs to accept that Annabel may very well be his future.

Welcome home, marine!

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So, another moment of genius or madness? Intrigue the audience or alienate them?

Time will tell...