Tis the Season by Kristen Hope Mazzola is available now! Amazon -- https://amzn.to/2PhfbT1 will be FREE on #KindleUnlimited It’s finally my time. I am an outlaw. The son of Abel Hellock. The legacy of my club. They all called me too sweet for the life. My club was losing faith in me and the entire organization. I had to prove to them and myself that I was the man my father would have wanted me to be. When the holidays rolled around, I was more Scrooge than Jolly Saint Nick. That is until she tested me: a girl that I didn’t know but I needed to protect. I wasn’t prepared for how my life was about to change. But if there is one thing I have learned from being in my organization: you have to be ready for anything. I am Collin Hellock and this is my story. About the Author: Bestselling author, Kristen Hope Mazzola, is a Florida native that has found herself loving a North Carolina life. She writes contemporary romance ranging from steamy romantic comedy, sexy erotica, angsty new adult, all the way to sports romance – with dirty bikers, hot military men, and swoon-worthy rockstars in between. Author Links: Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1fQ2eZI Amazon: http://amzn.to/2eUz8P8 Twitter: http://bit.ly/1gZdki8 Website: http://bit.ly/1dBeHku Goodreads: http://bit.ly/184qzve
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Today we have the cover reveal for Alexandra Silva’s Someone Like You! Check it out and pre-order your copy today!!
Title: Someone Like YouAuthor: Alexandra SilvaGenre: Contemporary RomanceRelease Date: January 31st
About Someone Like You:Dorian Anson is my friend. She's the only person who's ever questioned my smiles. My jokes. The one liners that have our friends shaking their heads at me. I've lived my life on those smiles. They never failed me, until her. I wasn't counting on her when I designed my front. I never imagined the possibility of someone like her coming into my life. The wild hair, the kind smile and those eyes that see everything. She was the girl with the beautiful soul, pretty face and whole heart. But hearts aren't made to stay whole. I watched hers break. I watched her tears fall. I watched as her world tilted on its axis and shattered at her feet. This girl. She sees me, all parts of me—the truths I try to hide, the secrets I bury. What's mine and what's not. She sees it all, and I can only hope the truth isn't too much. That she won't walk away. That she won't leave me...alone. We both have a past. We have ghosts. We have fears. I'm hoping that somehow in the end, we'll have each other too. I've never needed anyone before her, and I know I'll never want anyone else after her. There is no one like her. My pretty girl. Dorian.
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Exclusive Excerpt:“I believe I kissed you thoroughly.”“You did. I should’ve raised the ante.” She chuckled as she reached down and picked the bag up from where it’d fallen onto the chair. She handed it over to me with a smirk. Her lips pursing like she was trying not to laugh. I kept my eyes on her as I opened it and then I looked in, “lube? You got me lube?” She burst out laughing. Her eyes actually watered. “You were complaining about how your dick was getting friction burn from your hand, so…” “So…you got me lube?” She took the bottle from my hand and inspected it before she said in a soft and sultry tone, “it’s not just any lube. It lasts longer, making a little go a looooong way. Oh, and apparently it tingles all the right places.” “You got me tingly, long-lasting lube. Just what every guy wants for his birthday.” “I got you something else too.” She reached into her bag and took out a small cardboard box with a little blue bow stuck on top. “Oh wow, is this a cock ring to go with the lube?” I asked teasingly as I took the box from her. “You shouldn’t have.” “Shut up and open it, Becca was right, you’re testy.” “Stop calling her Becca, she’s not your friend. She’s my assistant.” “Just open the damn box before I really do take that one back.” She poked my shoulder. After the lube, what else could she possibly get to top it?
About the Author:Alexandra Silva is a lover of words and romance. She blames the classics and a nutty English teacher for her obsession with books and fiction. Come rain or shine with either coffee or wine in hand you can find her with her nose stuck in a book and her head in the clouds. She lives in London outnumbered by her very loud boys, with her very own hero and their two wild cats--Jack and Jill.
Connect with Alexandra:
Facebook | Facebook Page | Readers Group | Instagram | Bookbub | Goodreads | Book+Main | Twitter | Amazon
PERMISSION, the highly anticipated conclusion of the dark and gritty Perversion Trilogy from USA Today bestselling author T.M. Frazier is available now!War breaks out in Lacking. The streets aren't safe. When an unexpected person from my past arrives in town, I'm forced to make a choice between the life I've always wanted, and a life I never knew I could have. I didn't know how strong I was until I met Grim. But am I strong enough to live without him? PERMISSION IS BOOK THREE IN THE PERVERSION TRILOGY BOOK ONE: PERVERSION BOOK TWO: POSSESSION Download PERMISSION today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2DnVtnQ AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2MVBVqx Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/Permission Nook: http://bit.ly/2OCnVUl Kobo: http://bit.ly/2OAcD2J Paperback: https://amzn.to/2Px3bgB Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2Np7gHa Excerpt: Grim’s expression softens. “Let me make you feel good. Let me erase some of the hurt.” He pulls me against him for a searing kiss that makes me want nothing more than for him to be inside of me. Injuries be damned. His lips release me all too quickly. The gentle night breeze licks across my wet mouth, cooling my lips. Grim continues to my neck, sucking behind my ear. I dig my fingernails into his back as he trails his talented tongue down my shoulder then across my chest until he’s staring at my naked breasts. “Perfect, beautiful tits,” he whispers with such awe it almost sounds like a prayer. Sucking my nipple into his warm mouth, he toys with it between his teeth and tongue. I kick out my legs, needing more. So much more. "Shhhh...I got you, Tricks." I groan into the night as he moves to worship my other nipple. I’m in ecstasy and frustrated all at the same time. He lowers his lips down my body, trailing his lips across my skin, down past my navel. When he reaches my shorts, he tugs at the button. I lift my hips, to assist him in ridding the barrier of clothing between us. “Tell me if I hurt you,” he murmurs, his breath creates a tingling sensation against my already sensitive and swollen clit. I can only nod my response because his lips are on me again, silencing my words and consuming my thoughts. He's kissing me passionately in my most intimate place, parting my pussy lips with his tongue and lapping me up like I'm the most delicious morsel he’s ever tasted. He groans against my core. I'm holding onto him for dear life, my fingers splayed in his hair to anchor him to me and me to the ground. Grim massages my inner thigh with one hand while he works a thick finger inside of me with the other. Gently, too gently. There is no pain, only Grim and pleasure and everything I want in the world right here between my legs. I tense as he sucks my clit into his mouth. A feeling of pure electric heat sizzles throughout my body. My insides ache as the pressure builds and builds from a spark into an uncontrollable raging fire. He lifts away slightly, teasing me by blowing softly across my wet pink folds. I shutter so hard my teeth chatter. Arching my back, I pull on his hair, greedily and shamelessly grinding myself against his perfect face. He must like my reaction, because he groans against me, fucking me with his fingers and licking me over and over again like a crazed animal. As if making me come is all that's important in this world. “I’m close,” I tell him, pulling his hair even harder, egging him on. He lets out a guttural groan, flattening his tongue against my clit, stroking it up and down and back again. The tension I feel within me is borderline pain, twisting me from the inside out. I'm about to burst through my own skin. Grim lightly bites my clit before sucking it into hard his mouth one last time. I come apart on a roar of my own, screaming his name into the night. I contract around his tongue, coating it in a flush of wetness I can feel dripping down my ass cheeks as I writhe against his face. The pleasure smashes into me over and over again, shattering me into pieces like a hammer against glass. For the very first time in my life, I’m happy to be broken.Start the trilogy today with PERVERSION Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LAHwpP AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2AzVzrm Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PerversionTMF Nook: https://goo.gl/6cHFKH Kobo: https://bit.ly/2JwQaQX Audible: https://amzn.to/2DcdxQk Paperback: https://amzn.to/2LTMTR3 Continue the trilogy with POSSESSION Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O0BRuf AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2pqqLkp Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PossessionTMF Nook: http://bit.ly/2pquEWm Kobo: http://bit.ly/2QM36Ht Paperback: https://amzn.to/2PtGHNe 4.5 Star Review by Lorena This conclusion really was full of surprises that I wasn't expecting, but boy was it a damn good conclusion!I couldn't sit still, I was just so enthralled that I couldn't stop reading because I just needed to know in what direction this story was going to end. So much violence, suspense and definitely romance. I loved how this book ended, this story had the perfect ending and I loved Grim and Tricks. They were just so perfect for each other. Tricks may have been broken and she went through so much with Los Muertos, but she definitely came back to the living and all with the love of Grim. He is the one who brought her back to life. I don't think this story could have gone any other way. I definitely think this was a damn good series that will have you on the tip of your seat.
About the Author T.M. (Tracey Marie) Frazier never dreamed that a single person would ever read a word she wrote when she published her first book. Now, she is a five-time USA Today bestselling author and her books have been translated into numerous languages and published all around the world. T.M. enjoys writing what she calls sexy‘wrongside of the tracks romance’ with morally corrupt anti-heroes and ballsy heroines. Her books have been described as raw, dark and gritty. Basically, what that means, is while some authors are great at describing a flower as it blooms, T.M. is better at describing it in the final stages of decay. She loves meeting her readers, but if you see her at an event please don’t pinch her because she's not ready to wake up from this amazing dream.Connect with T.M. Frazier Facebook: http://bit.ly/TMFRAZIERBOOKS Amazon: https://amzn.to/2JWHAv8 GoodReads: https://amzn.to/2OjmESr Join Frazierland:http://bit.ly/frazierland Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.m.frazier/ BookBub: https://bit.ly/2xtlQ4u Twitter: @TM_Frazier Stay up to date with T.M. by signing up for her mailing list: http://bit.ly/TMFrazier Website: http://www.tmfrazierbooks.com For Text Alerts: TEXT “TMFRAZIER” TO 77948 *Standard text messaging rates apply* ♥ ♥ ♥
If you knew love would hurt you, would you fall?
If you knew love would leave you, would you let it go? If you knew love could never be, would you try? From bestselling author Randi Cooley Wilson comes a gut-wrenching love story about heartbreak, second chances, and letting go. The ifs that linger between the pages of this novel will break your heart and stay with you long after the final chapter. Emerson Shaw thought she’d left her old life behind her, but when she returns home for her best friend’s wedding, she has no idea her past is waiting to reclaim her. Dark and broken, Lincoln Daniels never wanted to find love. But when he met straight-laced Emerson, he fell. Hard. The only thing they seemed to have in common was an undeniable mutual attraction, but from the moment he laid eyes on her, there was something about her that called to him. Until he lost her. Tormented by demons and consumed by dark desires, it took years to slowly glue together the shattered pieces of their what ifs. Just when Emerson is finally ready to let go and stop existing in a past full of pain and regret, Lincoln returns, turning her life upside down. What begins as a tentative friendship quickly escalates, and the two soon realize that all the ifs lingering between them no longer matter. If is a love story about two damaged people whose future depends on promises made in the past. What happens when two broken people meet, fall in love, and realize they can never be? What happens when all the what ifs no longer make sense? If you knew your heart would break, would you still fall? This book is intended for mature audiences.
♥ ♥ ♥♥ ♥ ♥
Randi Cooley Wilson is a best selling author of paranormal, urban fantasy, and contemporary romance books. Born and raised in Massachusetts, she attended Bridgewater State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies. After graduation, she moved to California and worked in Marketing, Public Relations and Advertising on Luxury and Global Lifestyle Brands. In 2014, Randi published the bestselling and award nominated Revelation Series, the Royal Protector Academy Series, and the Dark Soul Series. Randi makes stuff up, devours romance books, drinks lots of coffee—though she prefers champagne—and has a slight addiction to bracelets. She currently resides in Massachusetts with her daughter, fur baby, and husband.
♥ ♥ ♥Pretty Little Player, a sexy, new standalone from New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner, is available now!
Bedroom games are fine … but I need a woman who won’t play with my heart. After years in the military, I’ve faced down a lot of things, and there’s not much I shy away from. Except relationships. Because when you catch your wife in bed with another man, that tends to sour even the most hardened man against women. When I was hired to keep surveillance on a woman with a checkered past, I went into the job anticipating the worst. But what I found was a woman who turned my head. Who made my blood heat and my body burn. A woman who made me feel alive again. A woman who was nothing like what I expected, but everything I wanted. A woman who, it turned out, needed my protection. And wanted my touch. And as the world fell out from under us, and everything I thought I knew shifted, there was only one reality I could hold onto—that the more I got to know her, the more I wanted her. But if I’m going to make her mine, I’ll have to not only keep her safe, I’ll have to prove to her that I’ve conquered my own fears and doubts. That I’m done looking into the past, and that all I want is a future—with her. Download your copy today! Amazon: https://amzn.to/2KdlbeL AppleBooks: https://apple.co/2SPFsKn Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrettyLittlePlayer Nook: http://bit.ly/2zgrrOt Kobo: http://bit.ly/2A7VfMO Google Play: http://bit.ly/2zfANKm Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2DsGTtY About J. Kenner Kenner (aka Julie Kenner) is the New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and #1 International bestselling author of over one hundred novels, novellas and short stories in a variety of genres.Though known primarily for her award-winning and international bestselling erotic romances (including the Stark and Most Wanted series) that have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list, JK has been writing full time for over a decade in a variety of genres including paranormal and contemporary romance, “chicklit” suspense, urban fantasy, and paranormal mommy lit. JK has been praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations” and by RT Bookclub for having “cornered the market on sinfully attractive, dominant antiheroes and the women who swoon for them.” A six time finalist for Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award, JK took home the first RITA trophy awarded in the category of erotic romance in 2014 for her novel, Claim Me (book 2 of her Stark Trilogy) and in 2017 for Wicked Dirty in the same category. Her Demon Hunting Soccer Mom series (as Julie Kenner) is currently in development as a television show. Her books have sold over three million copies and are published in over twenty languages. In her previous career as an attorney, JK worked as a clerk on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and practiced primarily civil, entertainment and First Amendment litigation in Los Angeles and Irvine, California, as well as in Austin, Texas. She currently lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and two rather spastic cats.
Connect with Julie Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JKennerBooks/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliekenner/ BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/j-kenner Stay up to date with J. Kenner by joining her mailing list: http://juliekenner.com/contact/subscribe-to-the-julie-kenner-newsletter/ Website: www.jkenner.com
Series: The Sins of Seven Books 5-7
Author: Dani René
Title: Bound
Series: Sins of Seven - Book Five
Author: Dani René
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 18, 2019
My life came with a vow.
A promise to the blood line I’m born from.
Even though I loved my family, I knew I could never escape.
I’m bound to duty.
Until she walks into my life.
Blonde. Blue-eyed. Far too beautiful.
I shouldn’t bring her into this life.
My secrets are far too deadly.
Promises will be broken, but deception is right at my door.
Now I have a choice to make.
Love or blood.
Title: Envy
Series: Sins of Seven - Book Six
Author: Dani René
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: February 8, 2019
Cover Model & Photographer: Darren Birks
Seven Sins had nothing for me anymore.
That is until she walked in.
Eliana doesn’t remember me, she wouldn’t.
Taken from me years ago, I had no choice but to say goodbye.
It’s time to right the wrongs of the past.
But there are secrets woven into our lives that will soon spill over.
I’d always envied my brother. We were always at war.
But now it’s time to ask for his help.
To put our differences aside and save the girl I love.
Title: Vice
Series: Sins of Seven - Book Seven
Author: Dani René
Genre: Romantic Suspense with MM/MMF/FFM scenes
Release Date: March 1, 2019
My life is perfect, but my story isn’t.
My tastes are frowned upon.
However, I don’t allow society to dictate my proclivities.
I’m cruel. I’m cold. I’m heartless.
The list of submissives wanting me to train them is endless.
But when two of my newest students walk in, I’m challenged in every way.
Dani is an international bestselling author and proud member of the Romance Writer's Organization of South Africa (ROSA) and the Romance Writer's of America (RWA).
A fan of dark romance that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. It's from this passion that her writing has evolved from sweet and romantic, to dark and delicious. It's in this world she's found her calling, growing from strength to strength and hitting her stride.
On a daily basis, she has a few hundred characters, storylines, and ideas floating around in her head. From the feisty heroines she delivers to the dark, dominant alphas that grace the pages of her books, she promises light in a world filled with danger and darkness.
She has a healthy addiction to reading, TV series, music, tattoos, chocolate, and ice cream.
Title: Kings of Mayhem
Series: Kings of Mayhem MC #1
Author: Penny Dee
Genre: MC Romance/Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Marisa, Cover Me Darling
Release Date: January 28, 2019
Blurb
When a King loves
He loves hard
CADE
Iâve loved her since we were five years old.
We grew up side by side.
Two kids tied together by the Kings of Mayhem Motorcycle Club.
But I broke us.
I broke her.
So, she fled.
Now sheâs back after twelve long years.
And Iâm going to show her all the reasons why we should be together and make her forget all the reasons why we shouldnât.
INDY
Iâm back in town but only because I have to be.
Iâm here to help my mom bury my father.
And the sooner we get it done, the better.
Because I want to see Cade as much as I want a hole in the head.
He broke me onceâno, he broke my everythingâ and Iâll be damned if Iâll let him do it again.
Get in and get out. That is the plan.
But you know what they say about best-laid plans.
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS Title: Brothers In Arms Series: Kings of Mayhem MC #2 Author: Penny Dee Genre: MC Romance/Contemporary Romance Cover Design: Marisa, Cover Me Darling Release Date: February 26, 2019 Blurb
Someone is going to pay.
But who?
CADE
They took someone from me.
And Iâm going to make them pay.
In blood.
But before I can do that, I have to make sure my girl is safe.
And I will do whatever I have to, even break my own heart, to make sure she survives.
Because she is my queen.
My everything.
INDY
Heâs changed.
His grief is overwhelming and I can feel the gap widening between us.
Someone is coming after the Kings of Mayhem MC.
And we are trapped as they play out their evil scheme.
Because under the cover of darkness, they are coming for each of us, one by one, to play out their own twisted vendetta.
And no one is safe.
Pre-order Links
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
Author Bio
Penny Dee writes contemporary romance about rockstars, bikers, hockey players and everyone in-between. She believes true love never runs smoothly, and her characters realize this too, with a boatload of drama and a whole lot of steam.
She found her happily ever after in Australia where she lives with her husband, daughter and a dog named Bindi.
Author Links
Author: ML Nystrom
Genre: MC Romance
Series: Dragon Runners, bk 4
Release Date: December 15, 2018
Publisher: Hot Tree Publishing
Cover Designer: Claire Smith
On sale for $1.99! Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2NTARrI All other links: books2read.com/table Intimidating and living by a strong code of ethics, Table’s integrity is unwavering, as is his ironclad will when it comes to safeguarding those he cares about. He’s the man to guard your back, shelter you in time of need, and be the shield. Just don’t ever lie to him. Table’s life is turned upside down when he unexpectedly discovers he’s a dad. Trying to navigate his life as a single father to a baby girl, he takes a break from his Dragon Runners MC brothers, moving to the family farm. When Table meets nomadic Lori, who trades work on the farm for rent, he’s as intrigued as he is wary. She’s a woman who wears her attitude like armor. And despite her fierce independence, Table can see the fear dancing in the shadows of her eyes. It’s enough to make him look that little bit closer. With the support of his MC brothers, Table not only is reminded that family is more than blood, but that some women are just worth fighting for. Amazon US: https://amzn.to/2NTARrI Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2pehOdP Amazon AU: https://amzn.to/2pgmQGF Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2OtO8nY iTunes: https://apple.co/2PFOIiC Kobo: http://bit.ly/2xhzs4Y Nook: http://bit.ly/2QwMz9h (Please add your review here.)
Table by M.L. Nystrom
Brittany's rating: 5 of 5 stars This is by far my favorite of the Dragon Runners books. I LOVE Table. Love, love, love, love, love him. He's dark and broody, and even though he has a kid (I hate romance novels with kids in them), he's just perfect. He's so protective and strong and man, if he were a real person, I'd climb him like a tree. While this book is darker than all the other Dragon Runners books, ML Nystrom does a great job with writing it. Some of the subject matter is very heavy, but Nystrom handles it amazingly. I can tell that she liked this story, because her writing just seemed to be...more than her previous books. There should be a trigger warning due to scenes of domestic abuse. And just so you all know, I've claimed Table as mine. View all my reviews
I've had stories in my head since I was a child. All sorts of stories of fantasy, romance, mystery and anything else that captured my interest. I'm a voracious reader, and have spent many hours in my life devouring books, therefore it's only fitting I should write a few myself!
I've spent most of my life as a performing musician and band instrument repair technician, but that doesn't mean I'm pigeon-holed into one mold. I've been a university professor, belly dancer, craftsperson, soap maker, singer, rock band artist, jewelry maker, lifeguard, swim coach, and whatever else I feel like exploring. As one of my students said to me once, "Life's too short to ignore the opportunities." I have no intention of ever stopping so welcome to my story world. I hope you enjoy it! a Rafflecopter giveaway The Vendetti Empire: Capo Dei Capi - Ruthless Matteo Vendetti by Sapphire Knight -Cover Reveal12/17/2018
Title: The Vendetti Empire:
Capo Dei Capi â Ruthless Matteo Vendetti
Author: Sapphire Knight
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Cover Design: CT Cover Creations Release Date: December 17, 2018
Blurb
Theyâre the Vendetti crime familia, the most powerful mafia name in New York...
Matteo Vendetti is a man who gets what he wants. As heir to the Vendetti Empire and the capo dei capiâs throne, heâs only required to do one thing. He must get married to prove that heâs matured and is stable enough to take over. The stipulation doesnât sound like much of a challenge until he realizes who his betrothed is. Violetâs the Bottaro Princessa, not just a random woman he met by chance in another country.
Sheâs youngâtoo young by his standards.
Sheâs headstrongâa problem for a dominant man like Matteo.
Sheâs desirableâthe biggest issue of all.
Before long, Matteoâs questioning himself, wondering if Violetâs really such a burden, or if just maybe, heâs falling in love with something other than the Empire.
Warning - This book is EXTREMELY STEAMY! Be prepared with wine and a fan!
Purchase Links
B&N / KOBO / APPLE BOOKS
Early Review
"WOW! Matteo and his brothers are HOT! By the time you finish The Vendetti Empire youâre not going to know which one you love the most. Iâll happily take them all!" â Victoria Ashley, New York Times Bestselling Author
Excerpt
Her gaze flicks at me curiously, no doubt wondering what Iâm in for and how I got to be the one in line to marry Matteo in the first place. His bloodline is practically Italian royalty, and Iâm not from their part of Italy. If we were home, I wouldnât be considered âgood enoughâ for him, and Iâd more than likely be his throwaway whore than his wife. I donât know how my father pulled it off, either. Sure, weâre part of the five influential families in Chicago, but marrying the boss of bosses in New York is a damn big deal in our world. My papa no doubt had some favors in his back pocket he called in.
I also canât help but wonder, who could want us dead that badly for him to show his hand to the Vendettis?
Family Structure
The Vendetti Familia
Romano and Liliana Vendetti â Parents
Matteo âRuthlessâ Vendetti (33) â 1st and Capo dei capi, head of the familia
Salvatore Vendetti (30) â 2nd
Valentino Vendetti (27) â 3rd
Dante Vendetti (24) â 4th
Luciano Vendetti (21) â 5th
Santino Vendetti (18) â 6th
Cristiano Vendetti (16) â 7th
Also by Sapphire Knight
Oath Keepers MC Series
Secrets
Exposed
Relinquish
Forsaken Control
Friction
Princess
Sweet Surrender â free short story
Love and Obey â free short story
Daydream
Baby
Chevelle
Cherry
Russkaya Mafiya Series
Secrets
Corrupted
Corrupted Counterparts â free short story
Unwanted Sacrifices
Undercover Intentions
Dirty Down South Series
1st Time Love
3 Times the Heat
Complete Standalones
Gangster
Unexpected Forfeit
The Main Event â free short story
Oath Keepers MC Collection
Russian Roulette
Tease â Short Story Collection
Capo Dei Capi Vendetti
The Vendetti Empire - part 1
The Vendetti Queen - part 2
Author Links
THE SONGBIRD TRAPPED IN A CAGE
My manager made a deal with the devil Now his right-hand man has come to collect. I owe the mob money, which means Tony Brando--the beautiful, terrifying enforcer--now owns me. I'm to headline at his boss' casino until the debt is paid. Unless he decides to keep me on the hook...indefinitely. Note: This steamy stand-alone romance is the third in USA Today bestselling author Renee Rose's Vegas Underground series. No cheating, no cliffhangers.
Pepper You know your career’s reached a new low when you’re booked for eight weeks in Vegas. I stare at the giant neon marquis with my name in lights as the limo pulls up to the Bellissimo Casino and Hotel. I don’t care if the Bellissimo is the swankiest, hippest place in Sin City, it’s still Vegas. The shithole performers go to for low stress, easy money. Usually after they’re burned out. So why the hell am I here twenty months after the release of an album and less than fourteen hours after the last performance of a grueling tour? Because Hugh, my asshole manager, sold me out. And now my parents, Hugh and I are in a world of trouble only I can fix. Anton, my bodyguard, gets out first, then offers a hand to help me. I ignore it, because, yeah–I’m twenty-three, so fully capable of getting out of a car on my own, and not prissy enough to want help, although I appreciate the gesture. I climb out and shake down the skirt of my strappy, babydoll dress, which I paired with a beat up pair of brick red Doc Martens, and pop my earbuds out, the RadioHead album still playing. A forty-something woman in a blue dress and heels clips out of the door, making a beeline for Hugh. Behind her, a huge, broad-shouldered man stands just outside the gold-trimmed door watching. Watching me. That’s not unusual. I’m the popstar, after all, but it’s the way he watches that sends rockets of warning shooting through my veins. His unimpressed, quiet observation and fine Italian suit give him away. He’s Tony Brando, the man who now owns me. I recognize him. He showed up to my concert in Vancouver, and again in Denver. He’s the reason we’re here, despite the fact that I’m three hours from a total collapse, about to lose my voice and in desperate need of some alone time. Of course, even if the mob wasn’t after me for millions of dollars, Hugh probably would still have me booked until the next century. My well-being never factored into his or my parents’ plans for my career. I told Hugh two years ago I needed a break. Time to find my muse again and make the music that catapulted me into stardom in the first place. I wanted to hole up in a studio to record my next album, which would fix the cash flow problem my parents were in after some bad investments last year. But Hugh had a sure-fire scheme. An idiotic, dangerous plan that my parents and I blindly trusted him to execute. “Welcome, Ms. Heart. I’m Angela Torrino, director of events. The Bellissimo is so thrilled to have you, as you can see.” She gestures to the hundred foot neon sign out on the strip with my name in lights. I shake her hand and try to force a smile. Try not to glance at the pinstriped suit lurking behind her. Hugh trots around and takes over, as always. “Thanks for making the arrangements, Ms. Torrino.” He pumps her hand. “Now, if you can get us access to the stage, we’ll start loading in so Pepper can rehearse before her performance tonight.” Right. Rehearse–now. Because lord knows it’s a sacrilege to actually have one day of rest after traveling before I perform. Or even an hour. I follow Hugh and Ms. Torrino toward the hotel/casino doors, Anton right behind me and slightly to my left. Ms. Torrino stops to introduce Hugh to the large man in the doorway. Brando ignores her and steps forward. His movements are graceful for a man at least six and a half feet tall and over 250 pounds. His gaze is clearly on my face, and not in the wow-I’m-meeting-the-famous-young-rockstar-Pepper-Heart way. No, it’s more a big bad wolf surveying his prey. His gaze skims on my mouth, then lower, to my braless breasts and on down my bare legs. Then back up again and a more leisurely pace, finally resting on my eyes. I’m pretty sure he likes what he sees, but he doesn’t leer. The smirk on his mouth is more one of satisfaction, like I’m a fine wine that’s just been delivered to him and he’s savoring my scent. My stomach knots. “Ms. Heart, this is Antonio Brando, one of the Directors of Operations here at the Bellisimo,” Ms. Torrino chirps from behind him. I’d like to say his big scary visage makes him ugly, but it would be a lie. Even with the light lines of scars marring his rugged jaw, forehead, and left cheek, he’s beautiful. Like some sort of Roman demi-god sent to Earth to rip apart men and conquer women until the lowly humans have all been tamed. He doesn’t offer his hand. I don’t either. In fact, I give him my best fuck you stare–the one I usually reserve for Hugh. “I’m looking forward to your show tonight.” His baritone moves through me, vibrating right between my thighs. I really wish my body didn’t have this reaction to his closeness, because I’d much rather hate the man than be turned on by him. But he’s massive masculine power; he radiates quiet confidence and control. And menace. Yes, there’s an undercurrent of violence to him that sends shivers running down my spine. I clamp my lips together because I can’t think of anything to say that won’t get my kneecaps broken. And I’m pretty sure that happens here–the Bellissimo is owned and run by the Tacone crime family. Besides, and more importantly, I don’t want him to hear the state of my voice. It’s almost gone. I’ve been sick for weeks now and I honestly don’t know if I can make it through this last stint in Vegas. Hugh bustles to my side and grabs my elbow in that controlling way of his. “Come on, let’s get you to that stage so you can rehearse. I want no flub-ups tonight.” I put my head down and follow, not because I agree that I need the rehearsal time, but because I need to get away from Brando’s searing regard. As fast as possible. Hugh’s grip tightens on my elbow as we move through the casino. “Do you want to get us all killed?” he hisses in my ear, his breath stinking of sour coffee. “I thought you already took care of that,” I rasp in my most dry, bored tone–the one that sets him off on a rampage. Then I tune out the lecture as Bellissimo guests call out my name and start snapping photos. I grin and flash them the peace sign as we walk through casino on a long parade from the front door to the concert hall where my tour bus is parked in the way back. Of course we could’ve just pulled around there to begin with, but this is Hugh’s strategy of making sure everyone knows there’s someone famous in the building–hyping the show. My band members and roadies have the luxury of slipping in the back in peace. I honestly don’t mind, though. I love my fans. They’re the reason I write music. The reason I sing. A group of rowdy frat boys jostle too close, getting into my space to snag selfies with me. Anton barks for them to back up, shielding my body with his, but suddenly casino security swarm around us, forming a protective bubble. “I don’t know, she only has one bodyguard,” one of them speaks into a comms unit, then, “You got it, Tony. We’ll stay with her at all times.” Tony. I twist around to see my huge keeper. He’s walking casually behind us, his lips moving as he gives orders to his staff. Our gazes meet and lock, his dark, promising. My heart picks up speed. I want to march back and say all the things I bit back when we met outside, but it’s like the Earth is rumbling beneath my feet. The Tetonic plates shifting and moving, rearranging. I may have thought I could handle Vegas. Handle my obligations at the Bellissimo. Get in, get out; hold my breakdown until it’s over. But now that I’ve met Tony Brando, I know I’m in way over my head. It’s hard to imagine I’ll survive this gig with my soul intact. # Tony Merda. Pepper Heart is nothing like what I expected. I figured her for a party girl–a spoiled young rock star who’d pissed her money away like water. Either that, or a child in need of growing up, maybe whose parents or manager had grossly mismanaged her career and finances. And the latter may still be true, but Pepper is neither a child, nor a vapid starlet. She’s every bit a woman. A beautiful woman with slender, muscular legs like a ballerina. Youthful, braless–fuck yes, braless--tits that shift under her sweet little babydoll dress like they’re begging to be licked. She has a fluffy, platinum bob over a pink underlayer and heavy black eyeliner around those eyes. Those eyes were what stripped me of my judgment about her. Big, deep, the color of warm caramel: they are full of pain. And if I see that asshole manager of hers grab her by the elbow like that again, I’m going to yank his tie so tight his eyes pop out. I swear to la madonna. I order my guys to keep an eye on her at all times, because I don’t like the fact that she only has one bodyguard, and fans who want to get up close to that ripe little body of hers. I trail behind her entourage at a distance, telling myself I’m just making sure they’re fulfilling their obligations to me. To Nico. And Junior. Pepper Heart owes a shit ton of money to the Tacones and it’s my job to make sure she pays it off. I’d say she’s lucky she has the talent and following for me to squeeze, but it’s not luck. Junior Tacone knew what he was doing when he let her borrow 900K to produce and release her last album and world wide tour–which sold sluggishly. He knew we could put her to work at the Bellissimo. Forever, if we need to. The sweet little songbird’s in my cage now. And fuck if I don’t wish she was the spoiled brat starlet drinking and partying her way through her tour. Because I don’t like to squeeze a woman. I have a big fucking problem with it, actually. It’s always been my sore spot. The don warned his son Nico about me when he sent us off to Vegas together, years ago. When Nico decided to make a name for himself away from Chicago. Don Tacone said, “Trust Tony. He’ll be your most loyal soldier. Just don’t ever ask him to hurt a woman. And don’t you ever hurt a woman. Or else all bets will be off.” The don knew. He turned a blind eye as I worked to right the wrongs of my childhood. Bloodied my hands and my soul vigilante style. So I hope to God Pepper’s shows sell out, we get her debt paid and send her out of here unscathed. Because I don’t want her to know the kind of violence I’m capable of. What I’ve done since I sold my soul to the devil Don Tacone. I stop one of the cocktail waitresses. “Deliver a bottle of our finest champagne to Ms. Heart’s dressing room with my compliments.” It’s not because I feel guilty. It’s just to smooth things over between us. A gesture of welcome, to show her she’ll be treated with respect, so long as she does as she’s told. Definitely not because I give a shit what she thinks about me. Or because that sexy little glare she gave me when we were introduced got me harder than a rock. I shouldn’t celebrate the fact that she’s not afraid. Putting her at ease is definitely not part of this job. USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR RENEE ROSE is a naughty wordsmith who writes kinky BDSM novels. Named Eroticon USA's Next Top Erotic Author in 2013, she has also won The Romance Reviews Best Historical Romance, and Spanking Romance Reviews' Best Sci-fi, Paranormal, Historical, Erotic, Ageplay and favorite couple and author. She's hit #1 on Amazon in multiple categories in the U.S. and U.K., is often found on the list of Amazon's Top Author list. She also pens BDSM stories under the name Darling Adams. |