Conflict of Interest
by Teresa Michaels
Cover Designer: Mayhem Cover Creations
Synopsis
Ambitious and insightful, Gabby DiVergilio only has one thing standing in the way of her climbing the corporate ladder: her new business partner, Lucas McCarthy. He's arrogant and dismissive, driving her mad with his sexy Irish accent in every possible way.
Recently promoted to the executive ranks, Lucas must prove that he’s the right man for the job. He never expected that the HR professional he’d be forced to work with on a daily basis would be gorgeous, challenging and smart as hell. He’s not the type to accept help from anyone, especially not a bubbly, policy-enforcer that he’d rather bend over his desk. Never one to lose focus, Lucas avoids Gabby at all costs until circumventing her becomes career suicide. Fraternizing in the workplace is strictly prohibited and neither one of them are willing to break the rules. But with their undeniable chemistry about to ignite, Lucas and Gabby must decide which consequence is worse – combusting from sexual frustration or violating company policy. Meet the Author
Teresa Michaels lives in the New England area with her husband and children. Curveball is her debut novel.
Social Media Links
Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/authorTMichaels
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Title: Ugly
Author: Margaret McHeyzer
Genre: YA/NA
Release Date: October 26, 2015
Blurb
If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to see.
If I were dead, I wouldn't be able to feel.
If I were dead, he'd never raise his hand to me again.
If I were dead, his words wouldn't cut as deep as they do.
If I were dead, I'd be beautiful and I wouldn't be so...ugly.
I'm not dead...but I wish I was.
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Price will change to $3.99 soon after release
Trailer
Prologue
It’s days like today I wish I was dead.
“Lily Anderson, you get your ugly ass out here right this minute. Don’t make me come after you,” Daddy screams. He’s so angry. I knew the moment I heard him come home from work I was in for it. I was in my bedroom, lying on the floor trying to do my math. He slammed the front door so hard the windows in my room shook. And then I knew, I knew I was in for it. “Lily Anderson!” he yells again. As soon as I heard him yell I ran to my hiding spot. I’m inside the closet in the hallway, wedged as far into the corner as I can get. Mom’s old coat hangs in front of me and I can still smell a faint waft of the perfume she used to wear. “Lily Anderson!” he shouts. I can hear the anger in his voice and I can already feel the pain he’s going to inflict on me when he opens the closet door. I know what’s coming. I close my eyes tight, scrunching them up so no light can seep through. I put my hands over my ears so I can’t hear him. “I swear to God; if I have to find you, you will not sit for a month.” My knees are folded into my chest. I’m trying to make myself small, invisible, so he forgets I’m here. I’m rocking myself, trying to block out what he’s saying. School is safe. School is safe. School is safe. I keep repeating the mantra because in a few short hours I’ll be back at school. Maybe tomorrow I can go to the library after school, stay there until it closes and then sneak in after Dad’s passed out, because he’s had too much to drink. It was never like this before. Ever. I’m twelve years old and I can remember when Mom, Dad, and I were all happy. But that was years ago. It’s been a long time since there’s been any happiness in this house. Well, before Mom died anyway, and not a day since. Mom died when I was nine. I don’t remember much about her, except I remember her telling me how ugly I am. How life would be better if I was taken away from them. How I’ll never be anything, because I’m stupid and ugly. Sometimes I dream happy things. Like me, Mom, Dad and a little blond-haired boy all going for a picnic. The sun beamed down on us as we played outside and laughed. We’d eat yummy sandwiches Mom made for us, and we’d drink homemade lemonade. We’d spend hours outside, laughing and talking and just having fun. Mom would tell me how pretty I am, and how much she loved me. She would play with my hair, braid it, and then we’d go and pick bright flowers to take home and put in a vase. Dad would smile and call us “his girls”, always kissing Mom and hugging me. Dad would put the little boy on his shoulders and run around the park, trying to catch the clouds. I love those dreams, and I hold onto them; wishing they were real. But I’ve never had a mom like that, and my dad doesn’t talk much unless it’s with his fists, or to tell me how ugly and useless I am. I feel him walking around the house. The floorboards creak and the vibrations from his footsteps come through the floor to where my bottom is. I close my eyes tighter and try and breathe as quietly as I can. Please go away, Daddy. Please go away. My heart is beating so fast. My hands are shaking and I’m trying really hard not to think about what’s going to happen the minute he opens the closet door. Shhh, it’s so quiet. The only sound is my heart thrumming in my ears. Nothing else. Not a whisper, not a rattle…nothing. Maybe Daddy’s left. Maybe he’s gone to the pub to have a few drinks. Maybe, just maybe, he’s left...forever. I take a deep breath and just relax for a moment. My shoulders drop and I finally stop rocking. Slowly I take my hands down from my ears, and I’m so happy because I can’t hear him yelling at me. I can’t hear him at all. Gradually, I begin to unscrunch my eyes from the way I’ve tightly closed them. But something’s not right. There’s light coming into the closet. I don’t even get a chance to open them fully before a rough hand reaches in, latches onto my ponytail and yanks. “I told you it’d be worse for you if I had to find you,” Dad says, as he drags me out of the closet by my hair. I’m desperately trying to hold onto my head so he doesn’t rip my hair out. My feet are trying to find traction on the dirty floorboards. “Please, Daddy. Please. You’re hurting me,” I begin sobbing as I plead with him. “Then your ugly ass should’ve come when I called you, you stupid bitch. You’re fucking worthless, you ugly idiot,” he says. But now his voice is calm as he continues to drag me toward the family room. That’s when he’s most scary. When his voice is low and his eyes are filled with hate. He throws me against the side of the sofa and takes a step back to look at me. I look up and can see he’s the angriest I’ve ever seen him. “You dumb, ugly piece of shit,” he says, as he paces back and forth in front of me. “Sorry, Daddy. Whatever I did, I’m so sorry.” I cower into myself, trying to make myself as small as possible. “You’re just too fucking stupid, aren’t you?” he spits toward me as he brings his hand up to scratch at his chin. “I’m sorry,” I say again. Tears are falling hot and fast down my cheeks. My head hurts from where he was pulling my hair, but I don’t dare try to rub the spot. “You ugly fuck.” He kicks a boot into my leg. The pain is instant and my leg feels like it’s shattered. “Please, Daddy,” I beg again, burying my face into my hands. But ‘please’ never seems to work. Nothing does.
I’ve just got to take the beatings, because that’s what stupid, ugly girls do.
Author Bio
There's something about the written word that is pure magic. Possibly it's the fact there are 26 letters in the English alphabet, and they can create something so beautiful or so empowering they're capable to change our lives. How important is it that we break suit and stretch our minds? I like to think of myself as 'unique'. My stories aren't for everyone, and sometimes I may push what you believe to be 'normal'. Normal is subjective. I prefer to be known as a person who's never been 'bound by custom' but is 'unique by choice'. I hope you do read and enjoy my stories.
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Fill your e-reader with USA Today Bestselling author's entire READY series now for just .99c as a special preorder/release day price! You can to go back to the beginning with Logan and Clare's story in When You're Ready, or get to know Mia and Garrett in Ready for You. And don't miss your chance to meet the swoonworthy guy next door, Jackson Reid, Ready or Not! Make sure to grab all five books now for just .99c! About THE READY SERIES:***SPECIAL PRE-ORDER/RELEASE DAY PRICE!*** Fall in love with the Ready Series…from the very beginning. "This is the most beautifully written, heartfelt romance I have ever read.” "Do yourself a favor. Get this book.” “J.L. Berg has done it again... 5+ stars for Mia and Garrett.” From USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg comes a series of heartbreak, second chances, and sweeping love stories that will stay with you for a lifetime. Family, future…forever. It all begins here. Are you Ready? Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play Read an excerpt from WHEN YOU'RE READY:“I’d really love to discover some of those hidden talents.” Oh, hot damn. What did I just fucking say? Shit, I should not be allowed in public anymore. I had just dropped the lamest pick-up line ever, in the middle of the home improvement store, right in front of Clare’s daughter, no less. Thank God Colin hadn’t been around to witness that little slice of failure. I would never have lived it down. Dear God, this woman made me crazy. I never expected to see her or Maddie again. I tried to make myself forget about that night in the hospital, telling myself she deserved better. And she did. But as hard as I tried, those searing green eyes kept making their way back into my thoughts, reminding me of a woman who had shown me another path. A path that could have been possible if I were a different man. If I were capable of giving myself over to another, but you have to have a whole heart to do that, and I’m pretty sure mine was never fully formed. But looking up at those now familiar eyes, I felt the tension ease in my chest, and the ice loosened a bit. Seeing Clare again felt exactly the same. It gave me a deep sense of being connected and tethered. Having come from the family I did, it wasn’t something I’d ever felt with anyone, and therefore I was having a difficult time trusting myself around her. I tried returning to my life, resuming my normal routine, only to be haunted by her face; a constant reminder of what I could never have. After the quiet little pub the other night, I went downtown, finding a spot that was the exact opposite of the one I had just left. I played the part of carefree bachelor, buying rounds of drinks, doing body shots with a few overly eager women. I had every intention of following one of them home. By the end of the night, after most people had made it home, I had a young brunette pushed against the dirty brick wall of the bar, waiting for a cab to take us to her apartment. I didn’t know her name, and I didn’t care. I wouldn’t be around by morning anyway. My hand slid down her bare thigh and pulled it around my hip. She looked at me, seductively licking her lips, her not so subtle way of giving me permission to do whatever I want, wherever I want. It was then that I looked into her eyes and saw...nothing. The brown eyes staring back at me were full of lust, but nothing else. They were the same blank eyes that I had been looking into ever since Melanie. Since her, I’d survived by seeking out women who gave nothing in return. Because it was all I could give back. Knowing the eyes staring back at me weren’t the ones I wanted, I pushed away from the brunette as the cab pulled up to the curb. Cursing under my breath, I didn’t even give her an explanation, just threw her some cash and walked away. "Well, we should let you get back to whatever you were doing. I’m sure you are busy," Clare said. “No, actually. I was mostly done. I just needed a small part for my sink,” I answered, holding up my purchase while nervously wrapping my other hand around the nape of my neck. All right asshat, stop being creepy. Time to leave. "I could help you,” I blurted out. “I've been known to be handy on occasion. I could help you shop, and then install it for you.” The words continued to free-fall out of my mouth, without any sign of stopping.Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play GiveawayWant to win a $10 Amazon gift card? Fill out the rafflecopter below! a Rafflecopter giveawayAbout J.L. BergJ.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready Series. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls that drive them batty on a daily basis. When she's not writing, you will find her with her nose stuck in a romance novel, in a yoga studio or devouring anything chocolate. J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC. Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Newsletter Release Date: October 26, 2015 SynopsisJust when you thought you had it all. Chloe Cahill’s dreams changed after becoming pregnant in high school. She married her high school sweetheart just after graduation and together they welcomed a handsome son into the world. Now that Alex, her son, is in school she sets her eyes on finding the perfect job. Chloe feels the need to grow dependent upon herself instead of always relying on her husband. But what happens when her husband’s eyes start to wander? Jackson Cahill thought he did the right thing by marrying his pregnant girlfriend just out of high school. Lately he’s been feeling restless in his marriage. One late night of drinking turns his life upside down but it just doesn’t end there. Jackson’s got himself in a real mess, both at home and work. The dilemma may just be too big of a disarray for him to get out of. Can Chloe and Jackson keep their marriage from falling apart? Or will they decide to veer down different paths?Purchase LinksGiveaway
One of Five Amazon ebook sets of the entire Love Series (6 books & 1 novella ea. set)
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About the AuthorUSA TODAY bestselling author Megan Smith is a New Jersey native creating the memorable characters her fans have grown to adore. Smith is a wife and mother, who makes time for her family, professional life and the creation of her fictional characters. Fans of The Love Series— Trying Not To Love You, Easy To Love You, Hard To Love You, Let Me Love You and Made To Love You — are captivated by relationships, special bonds and family ties pervasive in Smith's emotional, energized and engaging work. Smith is also the author of the 2014 releases, Finding Us (Finding Series), Forever Light (Forever Love) and a few top-secret projects. Literary Agency Representation: Jamie Bodnar-Drowley of Inklings Literary AgencyConnect with MeganWebsite: http://www.authormegansmith.com/ Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-M-Smith/225762494227939 Facebook Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/megansmagnificents/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorMSmith Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/authormegansmith Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6959231.Megan_Smith Goodreads Fan Group: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/161755-megan-smith-books Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/Y4MXbTitle: Secret Dreams
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