RomCon Reader - May/June 2014

Contemporary | Erotic | Historical | Inspirational | Paranormal | Romantic Suspense | Urban Fantasy | YA

S.E. Smith Eliza Gayle Elizabeth Essex Shannon K. Butcher K.L. Docter Dish on the latest in romance!

FINALISTS REVEALED! A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING

KNOCKOUT!

VI KEELAND RomCon速 2014 | Interviews | Articles | Excerpts | Reader Recommendations | Top Rated Books

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www.readerratedbookstore.com Every book approved by a panel of reader judges guarantees a great read.

Add your book! To begin, get your book Reader Rated: www.romcon.com/reader-rating-welcome

All books in the Reader Rated Bookstore have been Reader Rated 7.0 or higher out of 10.

If our ROMANCE reader judges loved it, YOU WILL TOO! www.romcon.com www.readerratedbookstore.com www.romconstockphotos.com

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ISSUE #1

Cover Spotlight: VI KEELAND An interview with Nico from the New York Times Bestseller Worth The Fight - Plus a sneak peek at Worth Forgiving.

Genre Spotlights: 12

SCI- FI: S.E. SMITH

Book Excerpts: 18

How USA Today Bestseller got her start + an excerpt from Hunter’s Claim.

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PARANORMAL: SHANNON K. BUTCHER

Red Night

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ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: K.L. DOCTER

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EROTIC ROMANCE: ELIZA GAYLE Birth Of A Series + an excerpt from Levi’s Ultimatum.

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HISTORICAL: ELIZABETH ESSEX London, London, London + an excerpt from After The Scandal.

Cover photo credit: Peter Dichcov, Model; Tihomir Iliev, Photographer

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CONTEMPORARY: JENNIFER ZANE Wishing

Character interviews and an excerpt from Killing Secrets.

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PARANORMAL: SHARON CRAMER The Execution + Bonus! Character Interview

Shannon plans her next books + an excerpt from Willing Sacrifice.

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SCI- FI: MICHELE CALLAHAN

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EROTIC ROMANCE: ANGEL PAYNE & VICTORIA BLUE No Prince Charming

100 HISTORICAL:

CYNTHIA WOOLF Redeemed By A Rebel

Reader Rated Books: 16 SCI-FI ROMANCE 40 PARANORMAL 53 ROMANTIC SUSPENSE 62 CONTEMPORARY 82 EROTIC ROMANCE 85 INSPIRATIONAL 85 MAINSTREAM 85 SCIENCE FICTION 85 FANTASY 85 MYSTERY 85 CATEGORY ROMANCE 86 THRILLER 86 URBAN FANTASY 86 WESTERN FICTION 86 YOUNG ADULT 97 HISTORICAL 9

reader question

featuring Deeanne Gist “Why did you choose the Historical genre?

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ROMCON JUDGES SAY...

42 FINALISTS

Convention Information & Schedules: 23

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Editor’s Note From the Desk of Michele Callahan

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ear Fellow Romance Fanatic, What is it about a romance fan that makes us different?

Thousands of dollars have been spent by marketing gurus at publishers and retail sales chains to try to figure out what makes us tick…what makes YOU tick. They want to get inside your head and figure out who you are, how much you’re willing to spend to get your favorite author’s latest book in hardcover, if you still read paper books at all, and why you choose the books you do. This one, not that one.This book blurb.That cover.This author, not that. Historical or Paranormal. Contemporary or Sci-Fi. Erotic or Sweet.

As with most things, it’s all a competition to the corporate machines, a game to see who can sell the most books, earn the most money, and figure out what you’re going to love.

They can’t figure it out, and they never will. I think the world is missing the big picture. I have a deep and abiding respect for romance fans, and I do mean both readers and authors. We dare to believe in true love. We are optimistic about the redeeming qualities of all mankind.

We have faith that love is stronger than fear, stronger than hate, and in some cases, stronger even than death. Romance fans glue society together. Those who hold hope in their hearts never stop trying to make the world a better place, whether they’re a mother or father, sister or friend, soldier or teacher. Love holds the world together. Hope keeps it moving forward. And in the end, romance fans are a giant cog in that machine.We dare to hope, dare to dream, and whether it’s a mother or child, spouse or stranger, or just a dear friend, we dare to love another human being…even when it hurts.

That’s courage. That’s faith in humanity. And I’m not sure that can ever be properly studied, quantified, or measured.

At RomCon®, we’re devoted to the romance genre and to the spirit of the community that makes romance a force to be reckoned with in the publishing industry. We never underestimate the power of people who believe in true love. You shouldn’t either. We’ve put together this magazine to highlight some of the books we all love, in all their various themes. I hope you find something you can’t wait to read. I always do.

Hugs & Happy Reading, Michele Callahan Michele Callahan is a certifiably obsessed romance fan, an author, and the founder and President of RomCon®.To find out more about Michele and her books visit her website: michelecallahan.com.

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RomCon® & The Readers’ Crown® are registered service marks of Romance Conventions Inc., 992 S. 4th Ave Ste. 100-422, Brighton, CO 80601 CORPORATE OFFICERS: Founder & President: Michele Callahan Vice President: Jennifer Zane RomCon® STAFF & VOLUNTEERS: Websites and Social Media: Blog Scheduling: Karen Docter Blog Winners: Cynthia Woolf Advertising: Jennifer Zane Book Cover Store: Jennifer Zane Stock Photography: Jennifer Zane Graphic Design: Tabatha Hansen, Jennifer Zane Content Editor: Michele Callahan Social Media Coordinator: Lori Kander Erotic Romance Group: Kasi Alexander Reader Rated Bookstore & Readers’ Crown: www.readerratedbookstore.com heather@romconinc.com Reader Judges: 500+ and counting Elite Level Reader Judges: In no particular order - (Thank you!)

Amy M., Janon S., Candace C., Debbie S., Lori Y., Lorie K., Jessica D., Rebecca C., Pua T., Elaine B., Toni L., Pat R., Jan K., Dottie A., Christina M., Anita M., Laura Y., Amy W., Sheila H., Wendy P. RomCon® 2014 & RomCon® U Convention Convention Director: Michele Callahan Programs and Author Liaison: Karen Docter Programs: Maggie Mae Gallagher, Cynthia Woolf Registration and Staff: Michele Callahan RomCon Stock Photos: www.romconstockphotos.com Art Director: Jennifer Zane Advertising: RomCon Reader eMagazine: Ciick here.

RomCon Website: Click here.

Questions: heather@romconinc.com

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RomCon® 2014

RomCon® 2013 was amazing! We laughed until we cried with an adlib comedy troupe willing to take suggestions from our wild authors and attendees. (Let’s just say things got a little crazy and leave it at that.) We met our favorite authors, played games and had fun like we hadn’t done in years. I felt like a kid again, and for a forty-something mother of three who runs around like a chicken with her head cut off half the time and feels like a taxi driver the other half, that’s priceless.

Every year at RomCon® we remember what it is to be excited again, to have pure fun for no good reason. RomCon® is like the ultimate weekend sleepover with all your best girlfriends. Where else can you sit across from your bucket list authors, the authors you love and feel like you know to the depths of their souls, and talk about both of your favorite things…books? Join us for more fun, more games, and more amazing authors this year. It’s a weekend you don’t want to miss. Do something for yourself this summer. Get your tickets now! To get your tickets, click here.

(L) The amazing Heather Graham, (R) RomCon’s Michele Callahan Learning the ropes at BDSM 101

Fun at the Historical Hijinks Event!

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(L) Shayla Black & (R) Lexi Blake

Author Signing with Melissa Mayhue

RomCon Elite Judges say....

A ‘COULDN’T PUT DOWN’ BOOK THAT’S WORTH TALKING ABOUT!

Jenny D.

Lauren C.

Cynthya P.

CALLER OF LIGHT

BY TJ SHAW I adored this book. I would love to read more about this world and its conflicts. I almost wish that the story was a series and took longer so that I didn’t have to finish it yet. It was amazing.

I can honestly say that there are few books that I wished never ended, and this happens to be one of them.”

SHIFTING DREAMS

BY JM KLINE

WARRIORS ROGUE

BY NANCY J. COHEN

Unique and interesting story, totally not like the other YA books I’ve read.

I can’t wait to read the next one.

I really enjoyed this unusual mix of sf romance and fantasy romance. Both main characters were interesting and grew during the book. The pace of book was excellent, with no slow parts and a lot of surprises along the way.

Karin

Bonnie S.

Chloe C.

FOREVER ALEXA

BY CATE BEAUMAN I really enjoyed the book and am now interested in reading the others in the series.

DOUBLE HER PLEASURE

BY RANDI ALEXANDER

LICK

BY KYLIE SCOTT

Never thought I would like a Menage, but I loved this one.The characters’ personalities really made the whole thing work. I love how much they all care about one another and how they stick together through the hard times.

Amazing work, Randi.

Could not put this book down.

Laugh out loud funny and sexy as hell. Rock star YUM! Can’t wait for the next one.

Samantha

Betsy

IVAN

BY ROXIE RIVERA I loved this book! Ivan sceramed Alpha male which pushed all my hot buttons. Combine a damsel-indistress with a hero with an accent and I’m in love! This is the first in a series so I can keep on enjoying Ms. Rivera’s books. Can’t wait for the next one!

HIDDEN

BY SELENA LAURENCE This book wasn’t only hot, it was deeply touching. I could relate to the characters and their flaws and that drew me in. Loved it! One of my top reads of the year.

Want to read the latest in romance? Want to find great new authors? Want to share your favorite books with others in the RomCon® Reader? Be an Elite Judge with RomCon® and your name could be here!

Click here to learn more.

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Sci-Fi

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SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR

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S.E. Smith

i everyone, I’m Susan but you probably know me as S. E. Smith. My passion for writing has allowed me to create many wonderful worlds and characters that feel more like friends and family than mere characters. Fortunately, readers of science fiction romance and romance in general have quickly embraced my quick-witted, fun and spirited heroines and alpha heroes; not to mention, fall in love with my secondary characters.

I started writing science fiction/paranormal romance when I found it difficult to find books with the type of H/H that I wanted to read about.

I wanted a female who was brave, strong and not afraid to fight for what she believed in. I wanted a hero who was strong, passionate and sensitive, but who made mistakes and wasn’t afraid to admit it.

In other words, I wanted real people who felt real emotions and had strengths and weaknesses that you could laugh, cry and sigh with. When my hubby told me I needed a hobby, I asked myself ‘what if I wrote the stories that are in my head?’ They were, after all, the type of stories I wanted to read. After finishing my first three, I gave them to my sister to read. She told me I had to share them; and so, the floodgates opened and the many worlds in my mind came into existence for others to read. me they

love my books. I draw them into the worlds with the characters. It doesn’t matter what we look like or where we live, we all want to be loved and accepted.

“Fun books. Sci-Fi, romance and comedy all wrapped up in one package. Looking forward to reading ALL the books coming soon.”

Steven.

FUNNY MESSAGES Matthew wrote, “I love your Sci-Fi books not only the sci-fi but the humour (You’ve got a lot to answer for . . . annoys my wife me chuckling away when I’m reading your books).”

FROM MALE READERS “I love all your books.The heroines are smart, funny, interesting and real.The men are alpha but with emotions and flaws.You are one of the few writers that I reread many times.Your books brighten my hectic day and provide a sense of hope and peace. At work I deal with seriously ill and dying patients and at home is 5 wonderful but young and active children so thank you for the joy and relaxation you bring to my world...”

S. E. Smith: Romance that takes 12

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Sci-Fi

Excerpt from

Hunter’s Claim:

The Alliance Book 1

s you to new worlds.

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esse rolled stiffly to her knees before using the side wall to help her stand. She had been frozen in one spot for almost three hours before the lights in the other room had finally gone out. She bit back a groan as her stiff muscles protested. She wasn’t sure if the three men and one woman were ever going to settle down. The one huge guy had come out every thirty minutes to climb into the back of the van before leaving again.

She bent to pick up her backpack before releasing a sigh of resignation. She couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t just leave the alien to die. She had listened to the others talk about what they were going to do to him. She would just as soon shove her dad’s hunting knife into his heart if he had one than leave him to those crazy lunatics.

Straightening up once again, she drew in a deep breath behind the black scarf covering most of her face. She would release him. Well, she would release most of him if she could and leave him the means to finish the task while she ran like hell. She ran her hand over the universal key set her dad had shown her how to use. It would be a huge loss but she wouldn’t have much choice.

Jesse set the black backpack just inside the opening that she had squeezed through before. She might have to run like hell but she couldn’t leave the food behind this time. Her sisters desperately needed it.

Pulling her father’s hunting knife out, she glanced around the fallen debris before quietly stepping out.

She let her eyes sweep the area before she swiftly jogged over to the side of the moving van. Pressing her back up against the cold metal, she waited for several long seconds, listening. Sweat beaded on her brow even though the air was frigid. She could even feel the dampness as it slid down between her shoulder blades, a testament to her fear.

She refused to give in to the terror threatening to choke her though. She couldn’t just leave him to die, even if he was an alien. No one deserved to die the way the men and woman were planning. If she couldn’t release him, the least she could do was end his life in a MAY/JUNE 2014

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Sci-Fi more humane way.

Jesse moved slowly, pausing to listen in case anyone came out to check on the van again. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she reached over and carefully slid back the bar locking the back of the van. Her hands shook as she pulled the door open just far enough for her to slip through the opening. The silence and darkness inside the moving van caused her to start panting.

She had never seen one of the aliens up close before.

She had always done everything in her power to stay as far away from them as possible so she had no idea of what she was about to see.

She fumbled in the front pocket of her black cargo pants for the small penlight that she always carried. She turned it on and moved it along the floor until she saw the leg of a metal bench. Taking a timid step forward, she ran the light up along the bench until she encountered the huge boots of the alien.

She stepped forward on silent feet until she was even with his feet. She frowned when she saw the thick chains holding him to the metal bench. She moved up his body, staring at the chains that were threaded through every few inches up his body. She flashed the light down to the corners and saw that there was a master lock on each corner. She turned to look at the top of the metal bed to see if there were additional locks there as well.

She froze when her eyes locked on a pair of glowing yellow ones that were watching her with silent rage.

Her hand began to shake so badly that she had to use both hands to hold the beam steady.

“I…,” she began in a muffled whispered. She licked her dry lips behind the scarf before impatiently pulling it down below her chin when she felt like she was about to suffocate. “I… oh hell.”

Jesse stared at the beautiful features of the man lying on the table. Even with the gag in his mouth, she could tell he was handsome in an exotic kind of way.

He had long, thick black hair that was pulled back. His eyes were the shape of a lion or tiger.They were a deep yellow, almost gold color and glowed in the reflection of the flashlight. He had high cheekbones and small ridges along his nose which was flatter than a human.

Her eyes moved down over his shoulders and chest.

He had very little hair on him considering he looked like he was part feline. One thing stood out above all others, though. He was huge! He had to be close to seven feet tall and she had never seen any man outside of the movies that muscular.

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Her eyes jerked back to his when she felt more than heard the slight rumble of a growl coming from him.

That was when she realized that she had dropped her left hand down to rest on his stomach. Blushing, she pulled her hand away quickly and took a step closer to his head. She needed to make him realize she was there to help him.

“Please, be quiet,” she whispered next to his ear.

“They will kill me or worse if they catch me and I can’t be… I have to leave….”

Copyright © S. E. Smith: Romance that takes you to new worlds.

Sci-Fi

Author Bio S.E. Smith

Paranormal Author

Contact Susan: www.sesmithfl.com http://www.sesmithromance. com/forum http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6446003.S_E_Smith http://www.facebook.com/ se.smith.5 https://twitter.com/sesmithfl

S

. E. Smith is a USA Today and #1 International Best Selling Author. She has been ranked in the top 100 Authors on Amazon and has had up to 12 books at one time in Amazon’s top 100 best sellers in multiple genres. While her books contain romance, she focuses on the relationships and the unusual situations her characters find themselves.

She invites you to come take a journey to a new world.

I have written stories most of my life. It seems the characters live inside me begging to get out and tell their stories. As a child, I loved laying out under the stars and imagining what it would be like to travel to far off worlds. The one beautiful thing about having such a vivid imagination is seeing it as if I am really there.

Of course, the true work comes from trying to recreate that world on paper so others can see and experience the same thing.

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i F i c S

Score: Book Title: Author: 7.33 Rowena’s Key AJ Nuest FINALIST The Source Christine Murphy FINALIST aHunter4Rescue Cynthia Clement FINALIST

GLORY DOGS: Forged Through Glory

DeZré Storm

FINALIST New Sion Diana Green FINALIST Time for Love Emma Kaye FINALIST The Naughty List L. A. Kelley 7.13 A Highlander In Her Past Maeve Greyson FINALIST The First Servant Mike Arsuaga FINALIST Tin Cat Misa Buckley FINALIST Warrior Rogue Nancy J. Cohen FINALIST The Guardian’s Witch Ruth A. Casie FINALIST Time Will Tell Sandy Loyd 7.8 Troll-y Yours Sheri Fredricks FINALIST

Choosing Riley: Sarafin Warriors Book 1

S.E. Smith

FINALIST Tracking Trisha S.E. Smith FINALIST

Cornering Carmen - Dragon Lords of Valdier 5

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Paul’s Pursuit - Dragon Lords of Valdier 6

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Ha’ven’s Song - Curizan Warriors 1

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

River’s Run - Lords of Kassis 1

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Star’s Storm - Lords of Kassis 2

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Jo’s Journey - Lords of Kassis 3

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Rescuing Mattie - Lords of Kassis 3.1

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Tansy’s Titan: Cosmos’ Gateway Book 3

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Cosmos’ Promise: Cosmos’ Gateway Book 4

S.E. Smith

FINALIST Indiana Wild: Spirit Pass Book S.E. Smith FINALIST

Lily’s Cowboys: Heaven Sent Book 1

S.E. Smith

FINALIST

Touching Rune - Heaven Sent 2

S.E. Smith

FINALIST Caller of Light TJ Shaw FINALIST The Zoastra Affair Victoria Pinder Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

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www.romcon.com MAY/JUNE 2014 to be included in our Reader Rated Bookstore.

All 7.0+ books are invited

Coming June 15!

SCI-FI EXCERPT:

Sci-Fi

RED NIGHT

BY MICHELE CALLAHAN

Prologue Timewalker: Alexa, Seventeenth Daughter of Aryssa Mission: Present Day, Earth - Destroy the Red Death Talent: Invisibility

D

espite years of warnings, Alexa was not prepared for the freezing shock of her journey to Earth. She wanted to scream in agony, but she had no air to breathe in this in-between dimension. Her mother had explained the frigid reality of the time strands, how her naked flesh would feel as if it were being systematically stripped to her bones by endless shards of splintering ice.This oneway trip to the past would last less than a minute. One minute in her own personal Purgatory, and her sins had been many. So, she gritted her teeth and waited.Waited for the agony to subside. Waited for the nirvana of soft green grass brushing at her skin like a thousand tickling fingertips.

Her mother had been Taken, and her mother before her, and so on, since the Archivers had begun recording the Chronicles Of Time. Death or Service. That had been her ancestor’s choice nearly four hundred years ago, and the eldest daughter in each generation now owed the Archiver a life. The family gift -- invisibility -- had been handed down from mother to daughter for seventeen generations. Her heritage swelled her head and chest with pride. But the unrelenting grip of her ancestry also squeezed her with arduous pressure, demanding she not fail. She did not want to be the first of her line to bring her name dishonor. However, a far heavier burden threatened to pull her into the suffocating quicksand of fear. Billions of lives were at stake. Billions.

She would not fail. She was ready. Her mother had ensured that, taught her how to use her gift to cloak her presence, prepared her for the call of the Archiver and the freezing strands. The Taken were never called upon to ride the strands of time unless the assignment was of catastrophic importance. There was no such thing 18

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as an easy task. She had also warned her daughter not to fall victim to the pounding of the blood, the passion of her Gift, until it was safe to do so. The distraction would endanger the strand of time she must now, and forever after, walk upon.

Forever. In a strange world.

Alone.

Panic rose in a crescendo to choke her. Then, as quickly as her roller coaster ride through this icy hell began, it was over. Precious air flooded her starving lungs with heat. She lay semi-conscious on the soft ground and tried to get her bearings as a torrent of warm rain crashed down upon her. A single tear escaped and mingled with the rain on her face. Reality squeezed her heart so tightly she feared it would stop beating. She had arrived, unscathed. There was no going back.

Earth, Midnight, May 6, 2013.

Unless the Archiver had erred.

Heaven help her then. Heaven help the world.

Chapter One Never once, in all the years of her rebellious youth, had she ever been a thief. How ironic that now, when the fate of this world hung in the balance, everything she had was contraband. She leaned back into the taxi’s sticky plastic seat and hoped the crisp white cotton Capri pants and shirt wouldn’t be ruined by the filth. A twenty-dollar bill burned in her pocket to pay the cabbie. Alexa sunk her teeth

BUY N

in Reader Rate

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into a huge red apple and hoped the fruit would provide enough energy to keep her going for a few hours.

Doom Central was calling her name.

Alexa laughed out loud at her own joke and ignored the cab driver’s questioning glance. The overworked cabbie should be used to seeing all sorts of odd things in a city the size of San Antonio. But even here, she knew she was unique. Her waist-length hair was braided and so pale it gleamed silver. Her eyes flashed a vivid blue in a heart-shaped face. Father had always said she was sixty-two inches of trouble wrapped up in a deceptively innocent looking package. The thought made her want to laugh. And cry.

Too soon the cab driver dropped her off at her destination, one of a handful of Biosafety Level 4 laboratories in the country. The lucky place which, in three days time, would be the epicenter of the end of the world. Earth 8 had died a slow and painful death. It took just under five years from the first diagnosed case of “Red Death” for ninety-five percent of the world’s population to be wiped out. And it all started here. No-Where-Ville, Texas. A party like any other…a night colored red with blood.

Yes. She had three more days to track down the two men in charge, erase every piece of data related to the virus, and break into that lab and kill every single cell of “Mutation-6 of Ebola” in existence.

M-6 they called it, until it escaped.

Then it became the “Red Death”, named for the hemorrhagic nature of the victim’s death. They should ed Bookstore! have called it, “stupid-what-thehell-were-we-thinking?”

“Men.” The car stopped. Alexa slid out of the back seat of the cab, ignored the driver’s mumbling, and handed him the twenty through his

NOW

open window with a bright smile pasted on her full pink lips. “Always think they can beat Mother Nature.”

Alexa turned away from the cab. The driver took off mumbling about the faults of crazy women. When she was sure he was gone, she quickly jogged to within sight of the eight hundred twenty-one acre complex.

It was still early. She stopped to lean against the fence and calm her mind. It took tremendous energy to draw the light to her body and redirect it, rendering herself invisible. Cloaking, her mother called it. The semi-dark of pre-dawn would help her avoid unwanted notice. Once she was forced to cloak her presence, she wouldn’t be able to sustain the illusion for more than a couple of hours without a break. And then she’d be so hungry, she’d probably kill for a sandwich.

She patted the protein bar and mozzarella cheese stick in her pants pocket for courage and mumbled to herself, “Such is the glamorous life of the Timewalker.”

The building employees changed shifts at 8:00 a.m.

A quick glance at her stolen Tinkerbelle watch told her she had fifteen minutes. Already, parking lot activity was picking up. Time to move in.

Alexa closed her eyes and stilled the chaos of her mind, called upon the quiet, watchful awareness within herself that allowed her to use her gift. She envisioned herself a small white crystal in a river of light, and pushed the rays out and around her until it flowed like water over a small rock. Many times she’d watched her mother, practiced, and studied the effect in a mirror. It was like looking at something you thought was there, but could never quite see. Bright light made it harder to hide the soft edges of the effect. It wasn’t perfect, but no one could see her unless they knew what to look for.

Luckily for her, no one would be looking. Besides, no one could be truly awake at this ungodly hour. She needed at least two cups of coffee to form a coherent thought before noon. This morning she’d had five.

Silent as a shadow, she crept up to the double glass doors at the entrance and scouted the parking lot for someone she could follow in. Security demanded an access card to get in the front door. She must follow someone into the building, and find one of the two men she knew would have the highest level clearance, and direct access to the viral cultures. Trent Georges or Luke Lawson. Once she spotted either of them, she’d stick to him like a parasite would lunch, steal his badge, and start World War III against the bugs.

Getting caught would mean disaster, so she’d have to MAY/JUNE 2014

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Sci-Fi be extremely careful.

Break into the lab, destroy every single deadly virus, erase all computer files and research materials, track down and follow two men to their homes, evaluate them as threats, kill them if necessary, and eliminate any study material they kept at home. Crush flash drives.

Hack into their e-mail. A sigh escaped before she could stop it. Three days suddenly didn’t feel like very long at all. And she’d already been in this world for several hours.

A loud, and obnoxiously unconcerned whistle sang through the air, freezing her in place. A quick chorus of ‘Good mornings’ followed. Alexa turned to see who was making all the commotion and nearly jumped at her good fortune.

Target Number One was heading right for the front doors.

Luke Lawson was the microbiologist in charge of the Ebola studies. He answered to only one man, Trent Georges, head of the foundation. God had just given her a gift, wrapped up in a tall, sexy package, and she meant to follow him.

Alexa moved quickly, darted right in behind him, and glued herself to his back. She got so close to his muscular frame that his navy blazer sleeves lightly brushed against her breasts a time or two, sending tingles through her entire body.

Great. Hormone overload was just what she needed right now. Did her mother always have to be right?

Four people on an elevator shouldn’t seem like too many, but then she’d never been trying to hide in plain sight. Mr. Chatterbox wouldn’t shut-up with the morning cheer either. Sandwiched between Luke and two women, she flinched in preparation for flight at their every twitch. Stuck on an elevator, she had nowhere to run. No, she didn’t feel overly cheerful. All this happiness was going to give her a headache.

At least the other two women on the elevator weren’t responding in kind. They seemed like much more reasonable people. Or, maybe Mr. Lawson had caffeine intravenously every morning. She snorted at the thought.

Luke stiffened, then turned to stare right down at her with chocolate brown eyes. Or rather, right through her.

She didn’t dare move.A shiver threatened to explode from her body. Suppressing it forced goose bumps to jump out on her arms. Frozen in place like a panicked rabbit, Alexa held her breath, then retreated, and willed 20

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her body to shrink back into the unforgiving elevator wall. She prayed he wouldn’t see her. After a moment, he frowned and turned back around to stare at the glowing numbers as they changed above the elevator doors. Without his chatter, all the air seemed to have left the elevator.What was left was too thick to breathe.

Nerves. Damn. The air escaped from her lungs in a slow controlled hiss when he stepped off the elevator.

Scurrying after him, she dodged people in the hallways as she followed him to his office. Slumped against the wall, she waited for his door to close behind him. Good fortune was smiling upon her yet again. Directly across from his office was another door with the name of Mr. Red Death himself, Trent Georges.

She cupped her hands above her eyes and peered through the glass.

Empty.

A good ten minutes passed while she waited for the hallway to clear out. Someone would probably notice a door opening and closing by itself. Finally, after she’d stood there worrying about the entire mess long enough for sweat to pool and run down her cleavage, she managed to slip inside Trent’s office.

Now she was really grumpy. She hated sweat.

All she needed was ten minutes. She hoped. His computer was state of the art. Not that it mattered. It only took her a few minutes to reboot and scramble his hard drive beyond repair. His notebooks and papers were next. There just happened to be a shredder in his office. Rolling her eyes, she wondered just what that was for. Trent was going to annihilate the whole world and he was probably worried about his checking account.

She glanced at Tinkerbelle again. Ten minutes. One third of her mission for the day accomplished. Not bad.

But she was getting tired. And hungry.Very, very hungry.

Hungry, tired, doomed to sneak around like this for another couple of hours, and, last but not least, her chest still tingled. Now, this whole libido thing was just going to be a pain in the neck. Never before had desire overwhelmed her, threatened her ability to think. Not like this. Every heartbeat sent blood pounding through parts of her body she didn’t have time to think about; and all because she’d walked the strands.

Her mother had tried to warn her of how years of sexual desire would exponentially explode after she reached her destination. Holy hell. Mom could have tried a little harder to convince her. Oh, well. She never was much for listening, anyway. And she sure as

Sci-Fi hell had never liked being told what to do. That’s why she’d waited so long to answer her Archiver’s call. The Archiver owned her. Had owned all the women of her line since time began. Something inside her really wanted to piss him off for that. For forcing her to leave everyone she loved, her parents, her eight brothers, her life. And for making the task so important that she wouldn’t refuse the call.

Sometimes being honorable was hell. She hated the Archiver for giving her the choice. Petty? Sure. But she just couldn’t help herself. She’d ignored him, hoping he would forget about her. Of course, her plan had failed.

The Archiver operated outside the realm of normal time. Another ten years in her life would’ve made no difference to him. May, 2017 wasn’t going anywhere.

Disaster had already struck once. She was just here to try to prevent it from happening again, from becoming a permanent apocalypse. Her job was to change the past. Change the future, and not just for this planet.

The ripple effect of the Red Death had caused more accumulative damage elsewhere. Parallel dimensions. It was one hell of a mess. And he’d sent her.

“Fool.” Obviously he believed in her and her heritage. She wished with all her heart that she shared that faith.

Alexa listened to the muffled voices reverberating through the hallway for a moment before easing the office door open a couple of inches. Immediately Mr. Cheerful’s voice nearly knocked her back inside the room.

“Are you insane, Trent?”

Yelling. High volume. Yes. Absolutely perfect. Luke Lawson’s good mood seemed to have evaporated. A happy smirk slipped into place on her face. She couldn’t help it. No one could maintain that much good cheer for long. It just wasn’t possible. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she wondered what had happened to sour the morning for him.

“Look, Luke. If we don’t take this to the next level, someone else will.”

Alexa peeked around the edge of the door. A rather large man’s back half protruded from the open doorway of Luke’s office. She seized the opportunity and slipped out into the hallway while no one was looking. The big guy started talking again.

“We’re on to something big here. We’ll get millions in grants. If we don’t start animal testing this vaccine, we’re going to miss the boat. And then, when some freak attacks us with this shit, it’ll wipe us all out.”

Alexa slid across the hallway to get a look at the man’s face. He had light blond hair, cut short and balding into deep widow’s peaks. Alcohol had added a deep reddish flush to his cheeks and nose that contrasted starkly with otherwise pale skin. His eyes bulged from his head like an insect’s, or like a bloated fish that had been lying too long in the sun. Black slacks hugged his oversized rear-end a little too tightly and her foot was within easy striking distance of his family jewels. She gritted her teeth and held herself in check. All Alexa really, really wanted was to kick him in the nuts.

Trent Georges himself was within striking distance, sounding like the fool history had proven him.

“No. Number six is the most virulent. The worst of the bunch. I can’t believe I let you talk me into playing around with the damn thing in the first place.”

Alexa managed a quick glance around Trent. Luke was advancing on his cohort. Anger twisted his face, but his voice was deadly calm. “If you start testing on animals, you’re exposing too many people. The vaccine hasn’t been tested.You can’t be serious.”

Trent’s voice could’ve been used to scold a two year old. “They’ll be in quarantine. It’ll be fine.” Trent crossed his arms over his chest. “I submitted the project for approval months ago. Got it back last week.

Donovan is getting the lab set up.You start Wednesday, or you resign. This is my project, Luke.”

“Don’t tell me. Richards signed off on it for you.”

Luke shook his head in disgust. “I don’t care what that idiot in Washington approved. I won’t do this, Trent.”

“Don’t be hasty.” Trent backed into the hallway. “Go home. Think it over. This is a huge project. You’d be in charge. Frankly, Luke, you’re the idiot if you pass this up.”

Alexa dashed into Luke’s office seconds before he slammed the door closed on Trent’s retreating back.

She made herself as small as possible in one corner and watched Luke slump down into the high back chair behind his desk. “Damn it. He doesn’t even have the balls to work in the Hot Zone himself.” Luke ran his hand through his hair, then his fingers pushed into his chest, like he was suffering a muscle twinge there.

“He doesn’t know what he’s starting.”

Thirty minutes later, obvious agitation quickened his steps as he paced his office. Back and forth. Back and forth. Desk to door. Door to desk. His nerves were waking hers up, feeding them more adrenaline for breakfast. Not good. Maybe if she could get to his computer, she could quietly get this part of the job MAY/JUNE 2014

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Sci-Fi done while he wasted time waltzing around his little playpen. And maybe she could stop staring at his tight buns in those khakis.

Yeah. Right. No chance in hell of that happening.

She edged closer to his heavy mahogany desk and the clutter splattered across its shining surface. Most likely, he would notice if she started tapping on his keyboard, but maybe she could get an idea of what he had around just by looking. What she really hoped was that her pulse would stop pounding in her ears.

Trent Georges had disgusted her. So, why would his partner in crime turn her on? According to the history she’d been given, he was equally responsible for the outbreak. Just as many souls hung over his head. So, why didn’t she feel their oppressive weight destroying the attraction when it came to him?

The only possibility appalled her. Destiny. Fate.

The meddling of the Archiver with her life. And his.

A silent “No” fell from her lips. Her jaw dropped at the realization and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his muscular frame. Luke Lawson had wavy chestnut hair, just long enough to bury her hands in and sigh as its softness whispered over her skin. Chocolate brown eyes that would melt her on the spot if he’d actually been looking at her. Broad shoulders. Full soft lips. And his hands. Heaven help her. Every inch of her body begged to be worshipped by those incredible hands.

This can’t be happening. She remembered her mother’s throaty laugh when she’d boldly declared The Prize to be a joke. Alexa refused to believe the Archiver had the power to choose a mate for her before she’d even been born. Her mother had been happy to let the matter drop after a sly, “We’ll see, daughter.”

The Prize. The perfect man for her. A gift given in return for sacrificing her life to save others. A man genetically manipulated to be compatible with her DNA. A man who would sire the perfect daughter. A little girl who would be the next of her line to be Taken. A man who would boil her blood and be the ideal companion for her, for the rest of her life here on Earth 8. He was chosen by the wisest beings in existence, beings chosen

by God Himself to protect all the planets, and the races on them, from themselves.

And her man whistled, at six o’clock in the morning.

Her man was responsible for the end of the world.

Luke was still crisscrossing his office like an enraged army ant rebuilding his fallen fortress. And he was all hers. If she could keep them both alive long enough to claim him.

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Author Bio Michele Callahan Paranormal Author

M

ichele Callahan is a wife, mother, romance and science fiction addict, and founder of RomCon, the only Fan Convention geared toward women who read romance and genre fiction. She suffers from a dangerous case of sci-fi/fantasy fever and never turns down an opportunity to sit through a Star Wars, True Blood, or Matrix marathon. Her favorite things in books; hot heroes, superpowers, freakish things that can’t be explained by modern science, and true love!

Her past jobs include fastfood drive through goddess, nurse’s aide, cashier, anatomy & physiology instructor, medical office manager, and entrepreneur. When she’s at home her life is ruled by her family plus two 100 pound rescue dogs and their wagging tails (which should really be classified as dangerous weapons). www.michelecallahan.com

SCHEDULE

DENVER, CO

J U N E 219-20 0-22 WWW.ROMCON.COM

This schedule is accurate going to publication. Please

Wednesday, June 18 6:00pm - 8:00pm Early Registration

Thursday, June 19 8:00am Registration Opens 8:00am - 8:45am Breakfast- Meal Plan option available* 9:00am - 10:15am Workshop #1- Giving It All Away: The Art and Science of a Successful Amazon Free Book Promotion with Elle Lothlorian- Are you a self-published author enrolled in Amazon’s KDP Select? If so, you’ve no doubt tried a free book promotion and, after giving away between 5,000-15,000 copies, were crushed when you saw absolutely no post-promo sales bounce. Don’t you wish there was some evidence-based, book marketing “magic formula” that could predict whether or not a free promotion is worth your time—BEFORE you try it? Now there is: rd*rr*re*rb (where re=v4+v5/vt). Join Amazon bestselling author Elle Lothlorien for this entertaining exploration of one of Amazon’s most loved/hated programs for self-published authors, as well as a thorough explanation of the formula for successfully “giving it all away”—a move that can catapult your book out of obscurity and straight to Amazon’s bestseller lists.

Workshop #2- How Did She Do It? with NYT Bestselling Self-Published Author Debra Holland Join Debra as she shares a quick overview of what it takes to be successful in self-publishing followed by a Q&A session where you can ask her for tips, tricks and advice on your own journey.

10:30am - 11:45 am Workshop #3- Introduction to e-Book Self Publishing with Smashwords A discussion of trends that are impacting the publishing industry, the exciting advantages Indies have over their traditionally published peers, and a checklist of basics authors need to know when publishing an ebook like formatting, conversion, cover design, ISBN’s, copyrights and distribution. Join industry expert Jim Azevedo, Smashwords’ Marketing Director.

Workshop #4- Book Covers- First Impressions Are Important with Jennifer Zane A cover can make or break your book. Learn the in’s and out’s of what makes a good cover and how to steer clear of bad design. Learn about thumbnails, ebook and print formats, a cover’s ‘feel’, genre-specific design, series design and other important considerations when planning your baby’s ‘look.’ Join Jennifer Zane who has created covers for Amazon, USA Today and NYT Bestselling books.

12:00pm - 1:00pm Lunch Break- Meal Plan option available*

All times and events are subject to change * Activities with an asterisk are either paid

e check www.romcon.com for up-to-date changes.

1:00pm - 2:15pm Workshop #5- Relevant Tools for Today’s Romance Writers- The Basics - Distribution, Discounts, Printing, Pricing and Reach with Robin Cutler from Ingram- The book industry continues to change rapidly, and writers are looking to bring their books to market all while controlling costs, gaining efficiencies in warehousing, print, and worldwide physical and digital distribution. In this session, Robin Cutler of Ingram will provide an overview of tools available today to independent authors and publishers to expertly manage print and digital content, gain easy access to Ingram’s worldwide distribution channel for books and review sales activity - all from one platform.

Workshop #6- Edgy Inspirational Fiction - Compromise or Reality? with JD DeWitt from River Valley Publishing and an Independent Self-Publishing Consultant- A lively discussion and education about the true meaning of Edgy Inspirational Fiction. JD DeWitt is very familiar with the CBA market and its success, but also its limitations.There are so many talented authors writing edgy Christian romance, but don’t have a venue to put out their works.

This session will be geared towards training and education re: Edgy Inspy Fiction with focus on Compromise or Reality when writing this type of work. And, what do readers want?

2:30pm - 4:00pm Workshop #7-The Secrets Of Successful Ebook Authors with Smashwords’ Jim Azevedo This presentation will reveal the best practices of the most commercially successful ebook Indie authors and includes case studies. Led by industry expert Jim Azevedo, Marketing Director with Smashwords.

Workshop #8- Writing Sex Scenes that Make You Sizzle not Shudder by Allie McKnight Loose Id’s CIO/CMO Allie McKnight offers an informative and highly irreverent workshop on the elements of a sex scene, what to do, and what not to do if you want editors to clap, not cringe, when they read your manuscript. Be prepared for frank language in an explicit discussion of sexual practices and positions, how to introduce variety into your (characters’) sex lives, sex toys and sexual dynamics. All sex scenes are not created equal. Learn how to write memorable and meaningful erotic content.

4:00pm - 6 pm Dinner break 6:15pm - 9:15pm Special 3 Hour Master Event- The Ultimate Plotting Workshop with Cherry Adair Spend your evening with NYT Bestseller Cherry Adair! Love plotting or hate it, left brain or right brain, plotter or pantser, no matter how we approach our book it eventually *has* to have a plot. Before (well thought out left brain function), during (seat of your pants) or after it’s written (if we’re lucky, an editor will point out every thread dropped, every detail left out. Or they won’t tell us why they rejected the book) the end result requires a plan of action. New York Times Bestselling Author, and ex-interior designer, Cherry Adair will walk you through a colorful way to see your plot come to life before your very eyes in this all day, hands on workshop. With Post-it notes, a plotting board, and helpful tips, she’ll take all your notes and scraps of paper and walk you through your entire book, step-by-step.You’ll leave with a complete, tightly plotted book, with nary a plot hole in sight. Bring a two page outline of your book, all notes and scraps of paper with thoughts and ideas you have, and Cherry will help form them into a cohesive plot.

e without notice at any time. d events or part of the meal plan.

This schedule is accurate going to publication. Ple

Friday, June 208:00am - 8:45 am Registration Opens Breakfast- Meal Plan Option available* 9:00am - 10:15am Workshop #10- Dating Your Book- Understanding the Amazon Algorithm Through Online Dating Ever done online dating? Scrolled through dozens of photos, skimmed the profiles, waiting for that tingle of interest? I’ve got news for you: the same algorithm that helps you find an online date also matches a reader to a book. Learn how “click-throughs” and reviews affect your book’s ranking, how “designing for the thumbnail” can drive click-throughs to your product page, and how an excellent book description can lead to that critical “first date.” Join Amazon bestselling author Elle Lothlorien as she explains how understanding algorithms is critical in developing a discoverability plan for your book (or finding a date).

Workshop #11- Formatting for Success - A Step-by-Step Approach to Formatting Your Book for Self-Publishing Hospitality Suite- TBD 10:30am - 11:45 am Workshop #12- Creating Great Characters with Rebecca Grace The backbone of any good book is a good character. This workshop focuses on how you can come up with compelling characters for your books. Complete with handouts that will help you every time you sit down to construct new characters. Learn how to make them each unique so that they come alive on the page.

Workshop #13- ERIC CLAPTON WAS WRONG! SELF-EDITING FOR GRAMMAR with editor Helen Hardt Have no fear...grammar can be fun! - Whether you’re a novice looking to Indie publish or a seasoned author, this workshop is for you. Editor Helen Hardt will guide you through the most common grammatical errors she consistently finds in published work and help you avoid these pitfalls in your writing. Topics covered include: misplaced and dangling modifiers, transitive v. intransitive verbs (and the great lie v. lay debate), cumulative v. coordinate adjectives, restrictive v. non-restrictive clauses, and many more. And yes, Eric Clapton was wrong when he commanded Sally to “lay down.” To be grammatically correct, the song should be “Lie Down, Sally.”

Hospitality Suite- TBD 12:00pm - 1:30pm Readers’ Crown Luncheon-* Annual ceremony awarding top prizes for the best in romance. Categories include Contemporary, Historical and even Best First Book.

Tickets can be purchased individually or as part of the Meal Plan.

All times and events are subject to change without notice at any time. * Activities with an asterisk are either paid events or part of the meal plan.

ease check www.romcon.com for up-to-date changes.

1:45pm - 3:15pm Workshop #14- TBD Workshop #15- Distribution Through Apple iBooks- What You Need To Know with Smashwords’ Jim Azevedo 3:30pm - 4:45pm Workshop #16- How To: Self-Editing for Publication Ready Manuscripts Workshop #17- Workshop Summary: Effective Marketing and Distribution Through KOBO Frustrated with discoverability? Would you like a chance to exercise more control in your book’s visibility?

Kobo may be the newest vendor on the block, but they also provide the most control of your book’s lifecycle.

This presentation will reveal the best practices of the most successful ebook Indie authors on Kobo. Led by author Maggie Lynch, who has had several books ranked in the top 5 for weeks at a time, will walk you through why distributing directly to Kobo is important and how you can control your book releases and life cycles to maximum advantage. Maggie will cover: how to coordinate book events; how to impact rankings and alsobought algorithms with views, clicks, recommendations, and downloads; how to use coupon codes in concert with a special event; how to work with bookstores to increase both your print and ebook sells with Kobo; and the differences between the U.S. and International markets in the 190+ countries where Kobo distributes. She will provide a PDF packet with step-by-step instruction on uploading to Kobo and how to control metadata and pricing for maximum return.

Hospitality Suite: TBD 4:45pm - 6:00pm Dinner Break 6:00pm - 7:30pm Author Signing- FREE! All authors are ready to autograph! Free and open to the public. Authors may have books and/or swag to buy and giveaway. Fans may bring their favorite books to be signed.

8:30pm - Midnight Dance of the Decades!

Are you prepared for Decades of Fun? Did you Rule the Rubik’s Cube? Were you tops at Twister or a Pog Pro? Undefeated at Uno? A super-Simon? Come dressed for your favorite decade, sing the hit songs and play games. Fun, prizes, and giveaways. (50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s - top costumes from each decade will win an Amazon gift card and Free Registration to RomCon 2015) Dance And Karaoke Party- FREE and hosted by the fabulous Heather Graham Breast Cancer Raffle to support:

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PARANORMAL

SPOTLIGHT AUTHOR

SHANNON K.

BUTCHER I

’ve been so busy working that I haven’t had time for social media a lot lately, so I thought I’d use this opportunity to catch readers up on what I’ve been doing.

So far this year, I’ve written two books. The first is book five of the Edge, which is my romantic suspense series involving a private security company run by a woman.They encounter science and medicine run amok and are charged with taking down the people responsible. The fifth installment, currently titled ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES, is the last story I have planned for the series, and it revolves around Bella Bayne, the owner of the Edge.

Edge five won’t be out for a while, but book four of the series, EDGE OF BETRYAL, will be out in November of this year. It’s a story I’ve been dying to tell for a while involving Adam Brink and Mira Sage.

Two days ago I finished book nine of the Sentinel Wars, with a working title of BINDING TIES. This is a story folks have been asking about for a long time, and I was so thrilled to get to the point where it was their turn in the overarching story of the series. Joseph and Lyka finally come together in traditional Sentinels style, with a large cast of characters, lots of action, and healthy doses of magic and mayhem.

I don’t have a release date for Sentinels nine yet, but my guess is that it will hit shelves sometime in the spring of 2015. In the meantime, readers can get their Sentinels fix in the latest installment of the series, which just came out last month. Book eight, WILLING SACRIFICE, is the conclusion of Grace’s and Torr’s romantic story line, and takes readers on a bit of a different ride than they might be used from this world.

Next up? I’m doing some travel, but after that I’m getting to work on some pet projects I’ve been tinkering with for a while between my contracted work. It’s too early to talk about what’s in store, but I hope readers enjoy reading it as much as this writer enjoys writing it.

So if you’re on social media sites, wondering where I am, just know that I’m at my keyboard, hard at work on the next book. So many stories to tell, so little time!

Happy Reading!

Shannon K. Butcher 30

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EXCERPT FROM WILLING SACRIFICE

“

He can’t speak, child,” said the old woman, ignoring Torr completely. “His throat was injured. I’ll see to that later.

You tend the wounds you can see.”

Grace’s gaze swept over him, taking in his cuts, burns and bruises. Her visual journey slowed as she saw his lifemark, then again as she noticed the crescent-shaped mark Brenya had burned into his skin. She studied his face, brushing his hair away from a shallow wound across his forehead.

Sympathy warmed her brown eyes, and her touch was so gentle it nearly brought tears to his eyes.

He hadn’t been able to feel all those times she’d touched him before, seeing to his care as he lay trapped inside his paralysis. He’d lived for the times she’d shaved his face or trimmed his hair, reveling in even the slightest contact he could actually feel.

Now he was whole, feeling everything, because she had saved him. Surely that had left some kind of mark on her—some connection that even Brenya couldn’t predict.

Torr kept waiting for her to show some sign that she knew who he was—some tiny spark to light her eyes the way it used to whenever she’d come into his suite back at Dabyr—but that sign never came.

Brenya was right. Grace didn’t know him anymore.

She’d sacrificed herself to save him, and yet he was no more to her now than a stranger.

She crossed to the far side of the hut and began opening wooden boxes, taking out strips of cloth and other supplies.

Something hot and vital shriveled in Torr’s chest. He tried to fight back the swell of grief and rage that rose up within him, but it was a lost cause.

He’d gone through every scenario he could conceive, imagining her whole and healthy, running into his arms, unconscious as he’d last seen her, paralyzed as he’d been. He’d even pictured her dead when he could no longer control himself enough to keep that image away. He’d suffered through countless strings of chaotic emotions that each daydream and nightmare had caused. But never once had he thought that she MAY/JUNE 2014

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PARANORMAL wouldn’t know him, that he would mean nothing to the woman he loved.

A low, animalistic moan of pain escaped before he could stop it.

Grace dropped what she was doing and rushed to his side. Her warm fingers settled on his bare shoulder, and every fiber of his being rose up in welcome.

He would have known her anywhere. By her touch, by her scent, by the sound of her voice and even by the taste of her lips. She was a part of him that went deeper than anyone else he’d ever known, which made her stranger’s gaze feel like a betrayal.

Torr covered her hand, pinning it in place so she couldn’t move away. He stared into her eyes, silently willing her to see his soul. To see his love for her.

All he got in return was more of her tender concern—the kind she would have given to anyone she met. “You’re in pain, aren’t you?” she asked. “Let me go and I’ll get you something that will help.”

Nothing could help him now. The Grace who’d loved him was gone, just as Brenya had said, and no painkillers were ever going to make that okay. # Grace had to work hard to keep from staring at the stranger. He was beautifully built, completely intriguing and equally unsettling.

Brenya was hiding something about this man. Grace was used to the older woman’s cryptic ways, but there was something more to it this time. Something important. Something she felt like she should know.

Not only was this the first man Brenya had ever allowed in their little village—which was enough to make Grace suspicious—but he kept looking at her expectantly, like he thought she’d say something important.

She was only four years old, thanks to years of lost memories. What could she possibly have to say?

“His name is Torr,” said Brenya, speaking for the man who couldn’t.

Grace lifted her gaze to greet him properly and was struck mute by his bright, amber-colored eyes. She’d seen that exact shade somewhere before, but like most of her memories, it slipped away before she could grab hold. But this time a small, fleeting remnant of emotion lingered behind.

His eyes made her sad and joyful all at the same time, and she had no clue why.

She had to clear her throat before she could speak past the rush of emotion. “My name is Grace.”

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He nodded once. A muscle along his jaw clenched with frustration.

Instincts made Grace take a long step back, out of striking range. She didn’t know why certain things set her off, making her insides light up with fear, but it wasn’t the first time it had happened. Sometimes she just freaked out for no good reason, and there was no predicting what would cause it. A look someone gave her, a loud noise, a sharp smell—they all had the power to terrify her.

Brenya knew why, but she refused to tell. She said that some things were best left forgotten.

Grace forced herself to move close to Torr again— close enough to feel the heat his body was giving off.

Dirt and dried blood marred his skin, but did nothing to take away from his animalistic beauty. Like a sleek predator’s body, his was made up of muscular contours meant for speed and power. Every breath lifted his chest, creating the illusion that the tree image on his skin was swaying.

The green leaves were strange, but somehow oddly familiar.

A flicker of an image formed in her mind. A bright golden light shone down on her, shielded by a canopy of green leaves. She could feel cool grass tickling the back of her bare knees, hot tears sliding over her temples, and a deep, throbbing ache pounding in her cheekbone. Sadness and shame filled her soul, along with a burning need for escape—escape that she knew would never come.

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Author Bio Shannon K. Butcher Paranormal Author

Contact Shannon: http://shannonkbutcher.com/ http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/114283.Shannon_K_ Butcher?from_search=true https://www.facebook.com/ ShannonKButcher?fref=ts&ref=br_tf https://twitter.com/ShannonKButcher

S

ince launching her career in 2007, Shannon K. Butcher has penned more than twenty titles, including the paranormal romance series, the Sentinel Wars; the action-romance series, the Edge; and a handful of romantic suspense novels and works of short fiction.

Being a former engineer and current nerd, she frequently uses charts, graphs and tables to aid her in the mechanics of story design and to keep track of all those pesky characters and magical powers. An avid beader and glass artist, she spends her free time making jewelry she often gives away in contests on her website: www.ShannonKButcher.com.

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in Reader Rated Bookstore!

CJ Snyder chose RomCon to design the custom book covers for her Romantic Suspense series.

Learn more about having RomCon design a cover for you.

Click here.

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SHARON CRAMER

CHARACTER INTERVIEW

T

his morning I’m interviewing Ravan from THE EXECUTION. Demographic: he is a 14th century mercenary, 6’2” inches tall, 198 lbs.

Longish black hair, brown eyes, beard and mustache. He is dressed in battle leathers and sports a bow and arrows, sword, and knife. We are meeting at my favorite coffee shop, Luxe’s in Spokane, Washington.

Sharon: “Good morning, Ravan.”

(Taking a sip of the beverage I’ve given him) Ravan: “What is this?”

Sharon:“Coffee...you don’t have that in the 14th century.

Do you like it?”

(Pulling the mug closer as though he thinks I might take it away) 36

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Ravan: “Yes, I do.”

Sharon: “Try it with the sugar.”

(I stare as Ravan mixes in two teaspoons of sugar and gulps the coffee.)

Sharon: “Okay, let’s get to some of these reader’s questions…”

(Removing his bow and arrows, he lays them across the table. His eyes light up as he slurps the coffee again, obviously enjoying it.)

Ravan: “Certainly!”

Sharon: “Our readers almost universally say they are in love with you. How would you respond to that?”

PARANORMAL (He appears confused, shrugs.)

Ravan: “In love with me? I don’t really understand that…I’ve certainly been hated, but I would say few have truly loved me.”

Sharon: “Perhaps it’s an attraction thing You’re hot; surely you know that.”

(He waves a hand overhead.)

Ravan: “Actually I’m quite comfortable, thank you.”

Sharon: “I mean, attractive. Surely you know that.You’re very attractive, even with your scars and all…and charismatic. People are drawn to that.”

(He rises from his chair.)

Sharon: “After you met at the betrothal ball? After your secret rendezvous? Yeah, THAT was a c r a z y , sexy moment.”

Ravan:“That sounds so unseemly.You must understand, Nicolette should never have been betrothed to Adorno.”

Sharon: “I agree. So do our readers; they think you were destined to be together.”

Ravan: (Sarcastically…) “Evidently not. I went to prison; she married Adorno.”

Sharon: (This surprises me) “Oh, that’s right! You don’t know that she…” (I don’t finish this thought.)

(I point him to the bathroom.)

(Ravan has started mildly drumming his fingers on the table, takes another swig of coffee, looks at me suspiciously.)

Sharon: “Sure, right there in the back. It’s the coffee.

Just…when you’re done, push the lever to flush.”

Ravan: “She what? What were you going to say?”

(He looks at me like I’m speaking another language.

Gone for some time, he appears very satisfied when he returns.)

Sharon:“Oh, I’m sorry— spoiler alert. I can’t go there. Uh, let’s look at THIS one…”

Ravan: “Will you excuse me? I must relieve myself…”

Ravan: “I do like this twenty-first century.”

Sharon: “What do you like most about it?”

Ravan: “The gadgets. You have splendid gadgets. Your weapons must be incredible.”

Sharon: “Yeah, great…I guess. Uh, let’s see…reader question number two. When did you first realize you were in love with Nicolette?”

(Ravan shifts in his chair and summons the waitress for a coffee refill. She smiles sweetly at him.)

Sharon: “You might go easy on that. Being a purist and all. It can make you a little hyper and…”

Ravan: “I think I was in love with Nicolette after the… uhm, after we…”

(I flip through my questions trying to change the subject.)

Sharon: “It seems you were hardly surprised that the priest who came to give you last confession was your identical twin. Can you elaborate?”

(Ravan is distracted by a man at the coffee counter who doesn’t like that he is being charged for the extra flavor shot in his latte. Ravan answers my question peers at the man.)

Ravan: “I’d suffered nine months of imprisonment and was to be executed the next morning. I was, perhaps, not in the best frame of mind to be surprised by anything. It was one of those situations where I simply MAY/JUNE 2014

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PARANORMAL thought, ‘Of course he’s my identical twin. Why not?’”

Sharon: “Another question…if you could change anything, what would you?”

(He answers but keeps his eye on the escalating situation at the coffee counter.)

Barista: “I just have to tell you, that was so brave.You’re so-so kind and…tall, and, well, I mean… (awkwardly) …are you seeing anyone?”

(Draining his coffee mug, he slams it back onto the table with a satisfying thud.)

Ravan: “I would have gotten to know the giant, LanCoste, better. He is a man worth knowing—a man worth calling friend.”

Ravan: “I see EVERYONE, and very clearly, might I add!”

Sharon: “Okay, that’s a wrap. Back to the fourteenth century with you.”

Sharon: “Do you have many friends?”

(I wave my hand and Ravan disappears.)

Ravan: “Besides you? You seem to be my best friend…

Mmm…No, I can’t say that I do. I’m a bit of a loner, I guess.”

Barista: “Awe, you didn’t have to do that.”

(I’m trying to regain Ravan’s attention as he is totally distracted by the altercation at the coffee counter.)

(Smiling, I hand her a copy of THE EXECUTION before I leave.)

Sharon: “Here he is…”

Sharon:“Let’s talk about your first sexual experience…”

(When the man at the coffee counter throws his dollars into the barista’s face, Ravan is out of his chair, sword drawn. There are screams from several patrons as he confronts the asshole at the coffee counter.)

Ravan: “I’m sorry, I don’t believe I heard you tell her, ‘Thank You.’” (He pokes the tip of his sword into the man’s chest, backing him toward the door.)

The man, sputtering, holding his coffee in the air, yells, “FREAK! What’s your problem, man?”

Ravan: “You appear to be the one with the problem.”

(With his sword, Ravan flips the man’s coffee up into his face. Screaming, the man stumbles backward and runs from the establishment. Several people cheer.

Ravan returns to our table, grinning.)

Ravan: “I’m sorry, Sharon.You were asking?”

(I don’t have a chance to repeat my question. The barista comes from behind the counter and approaches Ravan.)

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Tomorrow…he would be dead Fourteenth Century France

D’ata, a young priest, is a dark angel amid the deat condemned man—the mercenary, the evil one—D to discover that the face of the murderer is his ow

The twins, unknown to each other until now, rev dungeon, creating an unbreakable bond sealed wit D’ata begins to question which man should truly b an orphanage who suffered the unimaginable? O desires ended in the inescapable darkness of his o

As the sun rises, D’ata knows what he must do. O

PARANORMAL

Author Bio Sharon Cramer Paranormal Author

S

haron Cramer is an aspiring time-traveler, alien princess, and master painter of Halloween faces. In the meantime, she writes from a dank, dark cave, somewhere in Washington State.

She’s just released the first in an epic Sci-Fi fantasy series called THE CERULEAN STAR, and has a breakthrough novel, beloved by an amazingly loyal following, called THE EXECUTION. Movie in the works!

th and despair of the medieval prison. As he enters the cell of the D’ata is immediately transfixed by the killer’s eyes. He is shocked wn, a mirror image of himself.

veal in one night the life events that brought them to this fetid th their darkest secrets. But with only hours until the execution, be condemned. Should it be Ravan, the ruthless killer—a boy from Or, should it be himself, the man of God whose own tormented own soul?

When not painting monsters and planning historical ruin and perfectly crushed hearts, Sharon can be found wandering the woods of Eastern Washington, talking to herself. Driven by sleeplessness and a seemingly endless draw to the keyboard (and the occasional extra strong coffee) she is inspired by unorthodox friends and extreme weather. Mother to three sons, a bad cat, and eleven fish (who all have names) she is married to a man who surely has won the Nobel Prize for Extreme Tolerance.

Only one man would die…but two men would be free.

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PARANORMAL

l a m r o n a Par

Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST Dangerous Dreams Aileen Harkwood FINALIST Primitive Fix Alicia Sparks FINALIST Something Wicked Angela Campbell FINALIST Death Dealer Ashley Robertson FINALIST Prophecy’s Child Brenda Dyer FINALIST A Siberian Werewolf In Paris Caryn Moya Block 7.58 Montana Mustangs Danica Winters FINALIST Ghostly Persuasion Dena Garson FINALIST The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love Erin Quinn FINALIST A Demon in Waiting Holley Trent 7.8 Bryan’s Betrayal Holley Trent FINALIST Blaze of Secrets (Asylums for Magical Threats #1) Jessie Donovan FINALIST Death Lies Between Us Jody A Kessler 7.85 Passion’s Sacred Dance Juli D. Revezzo FINALIST Almost Magic J.M. Kelley FINALIST Gull Harbor Kathryn Knight 7.15 Midnight Bloom Part 1: The Lunar Eclipse Series Kristina F. Canady 7.7 Beyond the Shadows LaVerne Clark FINALIST Moonlight Lisa Kessler 7.2 Night Therapy Lorraine Pearl FINALIST Return of the Fae Lynn Cahoon FINALIST The Naughty List L. A. Kelley 7.6 SNAP: Happily Ever After? Michele Drier FINALIST Persephone’s Orchard Molly Ringle 7.47 Wild Hunt Monica Baker FINALIST A Pirate’s Curse M.L.Guida 7.5 The Execution Sharon Cramer FINALIST Love Reawakened Shelli Rosewarne FINALIST Sufferingof a Witch Suza Kates FINALIST Before I Wake My soul to Take Suzzana C Ryan FINALIST Timeless Night Torie James 7.8 Sweet Revenge Vivi Dumas FINALIST Give Me Hope Zoey Derrick 7.7 Give Me Desire Zoey Derrick FINALIST Give Me Reason Zoey Derrick

Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

40

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2014 FIN CONTEMPORARY: AJ Nuest She’s Got Dibs Beate Boeker Mischief in Italy Bev Pettersen Studs and Stilettos Cara Marsi A Groom for Christmas Carla Krae Kissed Carlene Love Flores Sidewalk Flower Debra Kayn Soothing His Madness DeeAnna Galbraith Delta On My Mind Dolores W. Maroney Lost Melody Elysa Hendricks Must Love Cats Genna Rulon Only For You Hanna Martine Long Shot Heather Ashby Forgive & Forget Heather Ashby Forget Me Not Jackie Uhrmacher Love You to Death Jana Richards First and Again Jean C. Joachim Lovers & Liars Jennifer Simpkins Forgiving Patience Kathryn Freeman Too Charming Kristina Knight What a Texas Girl Dreams Kylie Scott Lick (A Stage Dive Novel) Linda Kage Fighting Fate L.A. Witt Covet Thy Neighbor Mackenzie Crowne A Song for Sophie Mackenzie Crowne That Dating Thing Michelle Garren Flye Close Up Magic MJ Fredrick What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting Monica Tillery Kiss Me, Katie Nadine Christian Home Again, Home Again Patty Campbell Once a Marine Penelope Ward Jake Undone Robin Squire Lavender Days Robyn Neeley Destination Wedding Sawyer Bennett Off Limits Selena Laurence Hidden Shewanda Pugh Crimson Footprints II Sylvia McDaniel The Wanted Bride Vi Keeland Belong to You Vi Keeland Made for You

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EROTIC: Angel Payne Angel Payne Angel Payne Ann Mayburn Ann Mayburn Ann Mayburn Bianca Sommerland Eden Connor Eliza March Harlowe Wilde Jayne Rylon Jayne Rylon Jayne Rylon Jayne Rylon Jayne Rylon Jayne Rylon Jenna Allen Jess Michaels Lexi Blake L.V. Lewis Madison Sevier Parker Kincade Randi Alexander Randi Alexander Randi Alexander Randi Alexander Sorcha Mowbray Sorcha Mowbray

Saved By His Submissive Handcuffed By Her Hero Surrendering To Her Sergeant Ivan’s Captive Submissive Still (Long Slow Tease #1) My Wicked Nanny Delayed Penalty Incidental Contact WereCat Fever Kitty, Kitty Bang, Bang Spread Your Wings King Cobra Mustang Sally Super Nova Report For Booty Pick Your Pleasure 2 Romance Rekindled Taken By the Duke On Her Master’s Secret Service Exit Strategy Anything You Want Spring Training Double Her Pleasure Cowboy Jackpot: St Patrick’s Day Cowboy Jackpot:Valentine’s Day Double Her Fantasy Love Reclaimed Mergers & Acquisitions

FANTASY: Leisl Kaberry Titanian Chronicles Journey of Destiny

MAINSTREAM WOMEN’S FICTION: Elaine Cantrell K. R. Raye Ramsey Hootman Theresa Rizzo

Blue 52 The Colors of Friendship Courting Greta He Belongs to Me

NALISTS PARANORMAL:

HISTORICAL: April Holthaus Ceci Giltenan Colleen Connally Colleen L. Donnelly Cynthia Clement Cynthia Woolf Cynthia Woolf Eliza Knight Jennifer Wenn Jess Michaels Kerryn Reid Kirsten S. Blacketer Merry Farmer Sandy Loyd Sandy Loyd Shanna Hatfield Sylvia McDaniel S.G. Rogers S.G. Rogers Tammy Jo Burns Tammy Jo Burns Willa Blair Willa Blair

The Honor of a Highlander Highland Solution Broken Legacy Mine To Tell The Seduction of Madalyn Heiress Bride Fiery Bride The Highlander’s Sin A Family Affair Taken By the Duke Learning to Waltz An Irresistible Shadow In Your Arms Games Temptation Aundy The Christmas Bride Duke of a Gilded Age Jessamine’s Folly A Thin Line A Traitorous Heart Highland Healer Highland Seer

INSPIRATIONAL: Allie Pleiter E.A. West Jessica James Kristin Wallace

The Fireman’s Homecoming Trust of the Heart Above and Beyond Marry Me

G. Halliday & T. VerSteeg

Luck Be A Lady

SCIENCE FICTION: Angel on the Ropes

CATEGORY: Barbara Lohr Rachel Cross

Dangerous Dreams Primitive Fix Something Wicked Death Dealer Prophecy’s Child A Siberian Werewolf In Paris Ghostly Persuasion The Five Deaths of Roxanne Love A Demon in Waiting Blaze of Secrets Death Lies Between Us Almost Magic Gull Harbor Moonlight Return of the Fae The Naughty List Persephone’s Orchard A Pirate’s Curse Love Reawakened Suffering of a Witch Before I Wake My Soul to Take Timeless Night Give Me Reason Give Me Hope

THRILLER: Kevin V. Symmons Kim Cresswell

Out of the Storm Lethal Journey

URBAN FANTASY:

MYSTERY:

Jill Shultz

Aileen Harkwood Alicia Sparks Angela Campbell Ashley Robertson Brenda Dyer Caryn Moya Block Dena Garson Erin Quinn Holley Trent Jessie Donovan Jody A Kessler J.M. Kelley Kathryn Knight Lisa Kessler Lynn Cahoon L. A. Kelley Molly Ringle M.L. Guida Shelli Rosewarne Suza Kates Suzzana C Ryan Torie James Zoey Derrick Zoey Derrick

Her Favorite Mistake Rock Him

Adrienne Monson Dissension Karen Michelle Nutt Soul Taker Tina Moss and Yelena Casale A Touch of Darkness

YOUNG ADULT: JM Kline Julianna Scott Kary Rader

Shifting Dreams The Holders A Taylor-Made Life

MAY/JUNE 2014

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2014 FINALISTS ROMANTIC SUSPENSE: Angela Campbell On the Scent Ann Mayburn Guarding Hope Arline Todd Deadly Syndrome Brenda Gayle The Doubting Heart Cate Beauman Waiting For Wren Cate Beauman Forever Alexa Colleen Connally Fragmented C.A. Szarek Collision Force Donnell Ann Bell Deadly Recall Geri Foster Out of the Shadows Jane Taylor Starwood Shattered Blue Jerrie Alexander Cold Day In Hell Jerrie Alexander Hell or High Water Kate Allenton Deadly Desire Kate Wyland Forewarning Kathryn Jane Touch Me Kim Cresswell Reflection Lisa Clark O’Neill Nemesis Loreth Anne White The Slow Burn of Silence Maggie Toussaint Hot Water Marsha R. West Vermont Escape Melinda A. Di Lorenzo Tattoos and Tangles Parker Kincade Shadow of Sin Roxie Rivera Ivan Roxie Rivera Dimitri Roxie Rivera Yuri Roxie Rivera Nikolai Roxie Rivera Sergei Sandy Loyd Deadly Misconceptions Tiffany Snow Out of Turn Victoria Michaels Concealed

SCI-FI/TIME TRAVEL: Christine Murphy The Source Cynthia Clement aHunter4Rescue DeZré Storm GLORY DOGS: Forged Through Glory Diana Green New Sion Emma Kaye Time for Love L. A. Kelley The Naughty List Mike Arsuaga The First Servant Misa Buckley Tin Cat Nancy J. Cohen Warrior Rogue Ruth A. Casie The Guardian’s Witch Sandy Loyd Time Will Tell S.E. Smith Choosing Riley S.E. Smith Tracking Trisha S.E. Smith Cornering Carmen S.E. Smith Paul’s Pursuit S.E. Smith Ha’ven’s Song S.E. Smith River’s Run S.E. Smith Star’s Storm S.E. Smith Jo’s Journey S.E. Smith Rescuing Mattie S.E. Smith Tansy’s Titan S.E. Smith Indiana Wild S.E. Smith Cosmos’ Promise S.E. Smith Lily’s Cowboys S.E. Smith Touching Rune TJ Shaw Caller of Light Victoria Pinder The Zoastra Affair

GET A READER RATING! GET EXPOSURE WITH:

A Reader Judge Score

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Romantic Suspense

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Romantic Suspense

hands on my little girl, we’re both lost. He knows I’ll do anything to stay with Amanda, to protect her from her own father, even if it means going back to a loveless, abusive marriage and turn over every penny I’m about to inherit. Running seems like the answer but I’m afraid we can’t run far enough to escape him forever.

I

’m excited to announce the first book in my Thorne’s Thorns romantic suspense series, Killing Secrets, is now available everywhere. I’m especially pleased to share Patrick’s and Rachel’s story with RomCon readers. Before I share the back cover blurb, I thought you might like to meet the main characters briefly first. I’ll asked them all the same question back in the green room of my brain. Just a moment….

Question: At this time in your life when your story is about to begin, what is it that you want most and why is it important to you?

Rachel: Everything I want in life is wrapped around my four-year-old daughter, Amanda. She may not be my blood, but I carried her, delivered her, and bore years of my ex-husband’s demands and control to keep her safe.

I found a way to escape Greg six months ago when I gave the FBI enough evidence to put him away for one of his cons, taking Amanda with me. He’s manipulated his way out of jail now and determined to get us back under his thumb. Amanda is the key to unlock my great-aunt’s multimillion dollar estate. If Greg gets his 48

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Patrick: I want to put the memories, the grief and anger about my wife’s suicide, behind me. I’ll never understand why she jumped in front of a bus almost two years ago, taking my unborn son with her. Yeah, we argued over her belief our baby might inherit her parents’ mental problems.We could have talked it out, but it’s too late. I buried my family. I don’t intend to bury my construction firm, too. Someone’s been attacking Thorne Enterprises for months, damaging equipment, stealing materials, and the violence is escalating. I know in my gut it’s more than kids pissing out territories, even if police aren’t convinced it’s anything more than vandalism.

They’re too busy trying to find the Angel Killer to give my problems more than a passing thought. Even my detective foster brother, Jack, can’t help. My only goal this summer is to keep my business alive, protect my employees, and complete my new multi-million dollar construction project that will finally put my business on track.

Greg: I may have been born in a tenement but I’ve learned how to successfully con my way through life.Then I met and married Rachel James, a woman with family money just waiting for me to pick up. I didn’t want kids, but

Romantic Suspense

K.L.docter my wife’s childless great-aunt had millions to spare and I will have that money now that the old bat has died.

I earned it, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let ex-wife keep it from me. She can run, but she can’t hide forever. If I had skills before she bolted, I have even more now that I’m out of jail and on her trail. I’ll get her and the brat back.

I may not want the kid but I have no compunction in using her to get what I want from Rachel. Anyone who gets in the way of my ex-wife’s millions now is going to get hurt.

Robby: Revenge is on my mind. Murder pounds inside my head from the dark place where the monster dwells but he will have to wait. Patrick Thorne took someone precious to me, my Angel. She was meant for me to love, and that bastard, Thorne, stole her. He will pay. I’ll destroy his construction business, ruin his reputation. I will take everything he holds dear away from him, kill all that he loves. His death is a certainty. I know the exact moment when I will let the monster kill him. It’s only a matter of time, time enough to give my Angel a second chance to say the words. She will say the words or she will die, too.

The Angel Killer: Um, I’m sorry. The monster refuses to answer my question. He simply sits in the corner of the green room, gnashes his teeth, and roars with rage. I’m afraid to ask him to clarify his answer.

Now that you know everyone a little better, I’ll let you dig deeper into their characters inside Killing Secrets.

Everyone has a secret to keep, silence, reveal or kill for…it’s up to you, the reader, to discover them all.

Some secrets are better left dead.

Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune.

Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.

Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.

There is no room for trust in either of their hearts.

But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.

Happy Reading!

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Romantic Suspense

Excerpt from Killing Secrets © Copyright 2014 – K.L. Docter Denver, Colorado

A

t the first crack of gunfire, Rachel dove headfirst into the garden she was weeding.

Listening for the second report she expected to follow, she prayed Amanda stayed at Patrick Thorne’s house where she’d gone an hour ago to play with her new friend, Suze.

Gasping for air, she inhaled the rich, spicy scent of freshly turned soil and crushed nasturtiums instead.

Dirt and grit bit into her cheek and the bare flesh exposed by her cutoffs and T-shirt. The mid-afternoon sun beat hot against her shoulders and legs, and all she could do was lie there and watch a fat bumblebee dip into a russet blossom three inches from her nose.

Had she run almost nine hundred miles only to die like this, grubbing alone in the dirt like a spineless worm?

A surge of anger gave her impetus to lift her head.

She peeked over the flimsy wall of twelve-inch annuals between her and the street. A second gunshot rang out, belched in a cloud of black smoke from an ancient Volkswagen bus that disappeared around the corner.

Backfire?

She groaned, more relieved than embarrassed by her overreaction. Her chin dropped. Taking several deep draughts of the thin Colorado air, she worked to calm the pound of her heart against her ribcage. Her efforts made her head swim. A minute later she was able to push herself out of the three-foot section of garden she’d mown down.

Her nerves had been on edge since she fled Dallas on Friday, five days ago. If she weren’t so overwrought it would have occurred to her Greg would never stand at a distance and take potshots at her. No. Greg liked to look into her eyes when he meted out his punishments.

An icy shiver skimmed her skin. Each day that passed without his appearance should have reassured her she’d made the right decision to accept Katy’s arrangements with the Thornes. As long as Greg didn’t track her and Amanda to Denver, they were safe.

Problem is she hadn’t felt safe since Amanda was born and she discovered what kind of man she’d married. Now she couldn’t pluck enough weeds from Evelyn Thorne’s gardens by day to tear the anxiety from 50

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her heart at night. Her growing sense of trepidation kept her awake long after the morning stars dimmed above the mile-high city’s cloudless skies.

How could the justice system simply hand Greg a “get out of jail free” card? She’d always known the man had connections in high places, but how had he arranged for the evidence in his case—evidence she’d risked everything to provide—to disappear before he even went to trial? If he’d accomplished that feat while behind bars, how in the world was she and Amanda going to stay out of his clutches?

She felt like there were giant bull’s-eyes painted on their backs, that it was only a matter of time before Greg tracked them down. During their marriage the man would spend weeks, even months, laying meticulous groundwork for one of his cons. He’d had six months to plan dozens of new punishments for his betrayer. “‘Til death us do part, darlin’.”

His words echoed over the expanse of time and distance, ringing a fresh peal of dread in Rachel’s breast.

With one hand, she brushed clumps of soil off her tangerine T-shirt and whispered a small prayer. Please don’t let him find us!

She tossed her worry as well as a forgotten fistful of dandelions clutched in her hand into the metal bucket at her side. She flicked cotton dandelion seeds from her fingertips and rubbed at an ache in her lower back.

Examining the flowerbed she’d weeded before lunch, she sighed with satisfaction. She’d made it her mission today to eradicate every weed in the nasturtium bed that ran the length of the house. As missions went, it wasn’t much. But it was something she could control, and the very least she could do for the woman who’d given her another hole to crawl into, saving her from running one more mile.

There weren’t many people who’d hand over their home and greenhouse to a total stranger for a month.

Evelyn Thorne was either a saint or naive as sin. Exactly the kind of mark Greg specialized in conning out of their life savings.

Her insides twisted at the thought of how many innocents had suffered at Greg’s hands. But it was the last innocent, the little girl who’d built an impenetrable wall around her world that tormented Rachel most.

Amanda hadn’t said a word when her mother pulled her out of bed on Friday and drove her away from the sparse home they’d built with Katy. Just as she hadn’t spoken that awful night when Rachel’s doctor friend, Simon, hustled them out of their house to his

Romantic Suspense clinic where he tended Rachel’s broken body. In pain, sedated, she hadn’t registered that her daughter had gone completely mute until the next morning when she woke up in the hotel room where Simon had stashed them. The child just stood there at the side of the bed, her doe-like brown eyes fixed on her mama, clutching the doll her father gave her a week earlier to replace her puppy savaged by a rogue coyote.

BUY NOW

in Reader Rated Bookstore!

Simon hadn’t missed the signs though and, when he gave Rachel money to escape San Francisco, he’d given her enough to take Amanda to a doctor when they got settled. Now that they were on the run again, Rachel despaired of helping her little girl back to normalcy.

BUY NOW

in Reader Rated Bookstore!

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Romantic Suspense Contact Karen: www.karendocter.com https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5754902.Karen_Docter

Author Bio Karen Docter

Romantic Suspense Author

https://www.facebook.com/karen.docter https://www.facebook.com/ kldocter https://twitter.com/KarenDocter

DID YOU KNOW?

Karen Docter chose RomCon to design the custom book covers for her contemporary & RS books.

Learn more about having RomCon design a cover for you.

Click here.

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K

aren/K.L. Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels: Romantic suspense writing as K.L. Docter and contemporary romance with a kick of humor writing as Karen Docter. She’s an award winning author, a four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and won the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division. When she’s not saving her characters from death and destruction or helping them fall in love, she loves camping and fishing with her family, reading, gardening & cooking. If she can do most of those things over a campfire, all the better! FMI: http://www. karendocter.com

Romantic Suspense

c i t n a m Ro pense Sus

Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST On the Scent Angela Campbell FINALIST Guarding Hope Ann Mayburn FINALIST Deadly Syndrome Arline Todd FINALIST The Doubting Heart Brenda Gayle 7.4 Mountain Fire Brenda Margriet FINALIST Waiting For Wren Cate Beauman FINALIST Forever Alexa Cate Beauman FINALIST Fragmented Colleen Connally FINALIST Collision Force (Crossing Forces Book One) C.A. Szarek FINALIST Deadly Recall Donnell Ann Bell FINALIST Out of the Shadows Geri Foster FINALIST Shattered Blue Jane Taylor Starwood FINALIST Cold Day In Hell Jerrie Alexander FINALIST Hell or High Water Jerrie Alexander FINALIST Deadly Desire Kate Allenton FINALIST Forewarning Kate Wyland FINALIST Touch Me Kathryn Jane FINALIST REFLECTION Kim Cresswell 7.9 Deadly Contact Lara Lacombe FINALIST Nemesis Lisa Clark O’Neill FINALIST The Slow Burn of Silence Loreth Anne White FINALIST Hot Water Maggie Toussaint FINALIST Vermont Escape Marsha R. West FINALIST Tattoos and Tangles Melinda A. Di Lorenzo 7.59 Lapses of Memory M. S. Spencer FINALIST Shadow of Sin Parker Kincade FINALIST Ivan (Her Russian Protector #1) Roxie Rivera FINALIST Dimitri (Her Russian Protector #2) Roxie Rivera FINALIST Yuri (Her Russian Protector #3) Roxie Rivera FINALIST Nikolai (Her Russian Protector #4) Roxie Rivera FINALIST Sergei (Her Russian Protector #5) Roxie Rivera FINALIST Deadly Misconceptions Sandy Loyd FINALIST Out of Turn Tiffany Snow FINALIST Concealed Victoria Michaels Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

MAY/JUNE www.romcon.com MAY/JUNE2014 2014 www.romcon.com All 7.0+ books are invited to be included in our Reader Rated Bookstore.

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Contemporary

CONTEMPORARY

VI KEELAND NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

An Interview with Nico from Worth The Fight

R

omcon: How about we start with an easy question…how did you get the name “Lady Killer?”

Nico: Not in the slightest. If he couldn’t hold onto her, that’s his problem. Plus, he’s a bit of a pansy for a woman like Elle, don’t you think?

Nico: That’s not really an easy one. Can I pass?

RomCon: Favorite song when you are working out?

RomCon: [Shakes head and smiles] No passing.

Nico: Cryin’ Like a Bitch - Godsmack

Nico: Okay, okay. The early morning guys in the gym gave me the name. I might have entertained in my loft above the gym occasionally…and sometimes my company would leave through the gym in the morning.

Let me clarify…this was all pre-Elle. I really wasn’t that bad…the guys in the gym are a bunch wash women.

RomCon: Most attractive thing on a woman?

RomCon: What was your first thought when you saw Elle?

Nico: My first thought? Look at those legs. They were sticking out of that little red suit she wears and I had a hard time concentrating at first. Then she started talking and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her mouth. I knew I was done…I just didn’t know how done I really was yet.

RomCon: You said you wanted to ignite the fire in Elle.

What was it that you saw in her eyes that made you believe you could?

Nico: I just knew. I’d talk to her and see a flame in her eyes flicker in the distance. The fire would jump around and taunt me, but she’d tap it down as soon as she caught it burning. But I’m not afraid of a little heat, so eventually I wore her down. [Nico grins] And that little flicker…it turned into one hell of a flame.”

RomCon: Did you feel badly that Elle ended it with William because of you? He was your attorney!

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Nico: I’m a leg man. Even a turkey isn’t safe around me.

RomCon: The one food you cannot live without?

Nico: Peanut butter. I hide it from Elle so she won’t eat it all. She’s addicted to crap, but it’s my one indulgence.

RomCon: If you had one wish, what would it be?

Nico: I’d erase Elle’s childhood and give her a new one with a loving family.

Romcon: Boxers or briefs?

Nico: Commando, Babe.

RomCon: Favorite word in bed?

Nico: “Harder. When she says it, it makes me damn crazy. I have to control myself, be careful not to break her in two.”

RomCon: [Fans self] Whew…it’s getting a bit warm in here, isn’t it? I think we better wrap things up. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Nico: Four kids, two dogs, holding up Vinny’s arm as he wins the championship.

CONTEMPORARY

SNEAK PEEK: WORTH FORGIVING Chapter 1 Jax

B

ack in my hotel suite, I let the pulsating stream of hot water from the shower pound my aching muscles. Taking two weeks off from training might as well have been a year for all the screaming my muscles are doing as I finally got my ass back to a gym. Although my body may be pissed at me for more than just taking a few weeks off.

The last couple of weeks I’ve abused it. Trying to avoid the circus my family’s life has become overnight, I’ve spent half my recent days ducking reporters, and the other half drinking myself into oblivion. It was the reporters who finally got to me. Those assholes are relentless. Pretending to be joggers while I ran my usual path around Arlington Cemetery only to jump in front of me and snap pictures. The more pissed off they made me, the more money they’d likely get for their shots.

I’ve switched hotels twice in the last two weeks, yet the reporters always find me within a day. I’m the cheese to these damn rats and they seem to sniff out where I am before I can even unpack. People in D.C. know who I am, know who my father is. All it takes is a hundred dollar tip to the bellman and the rats are at the door of my suite pretending to be housekeeping.

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If I can get to the airport without being followed tomorrow, I might finally get some peace in New York.

Nobody will care who I am there. The news moves faster, the pictures from the story that ran in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal two weeks ago are hopefully long forgotten.

Drying off after my shower, I make the mistake of turning on the flat screen in my suite’s bathroom, hoping to catch the day’s market report. I wipe the steam from the foggy mirror. Just at it clears, a picture of dear old dad reflects back at me from the TV behind me. Unable to stand the sight of his groveling, pathetic face anymore, I flip it off quickly, saving myself the pain of hearing some speech a twenty-two-year-old Harvard grad likely prepared. A speech prepared using results from a poll on what could be done to save his ailing career, I’m sure.

Turns out my father, the upstanding pillar of the community, public servant extraordinaire, Senator Preston Knight, is the opposite of everything he preaches. The man that I grew up admiring, who I looked up to for his honesty and hard work, is a complete fraud. A fake. A liar. The opposite of everything he supposedly stood for.

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CONTEMPORARY Christian values my ass. Two weeks ago I found out I had a brother. One that is only a few weeks younger than me. The love child of a rising Senator and a drug addict stripper. And the best part? My half brother, the other spawn of Satan himself, is a fighter that just took the MMA Middleweight Championship. Something I dreamed about when I was a kid, only to be told repeatedly it wasn’t a respectable career by my father.

Irony’s a bitch sometimes.

I only wish that’s where the story ended. It seems that once the news of my father’s infidelity broke, there was an endless stream of women that couldn’t wait to share their story. Torrid stories of them and my father.

The sick shit he was into, things a kid should never know about their parent, regardless of their age. And the adultery wasn’t even the worst part. Once he was done with the affairs, he discarded the jaded women like trash, wielding his power and clout to threaten them into submission. A liar, cheater and an abuser.

Lucky me. I look just like him.

Wrapping a towel around my waist, I walk to my ringing cell and answer it, even though I’d rather not.

“Mother,” I answer sternly.

“Jackson, where are you?” She’s done nothing wrong, yet I can’t help but feel resentment toward her.

Why is she still standing by his side?

“I’m leaving town for a while. I’m fine.” Intentionally, I fail to mention exactly where I’m going. Who knows if she’d tell him, even if I told her not to?

“Your father and I have been worried sick about you.” Whatever tension the heated shower helped to uncoil, quickly ravels its way back through my muscles at the mere mention of Daddy Dearest.

“Maybe he should have thought about us before he decided to screw half the women from D.C. to California.”

“That’s not fair, Jackson.” Really? I thought I was being nicer than he even deserves. Lucky for her I toned down my true feelings out of respect for her.

“I need to go.”

“When are you coming back?”

“I don’t know.”

Mom’s quiet for a minute. I wonder if, maybe, she finally realizes that it’s not just all about Dad. It’s about us too. The woman has spent her whole life worrying about his career. His reputation. His success.

Sometimes I think she’s lost who she is.

“Your father needs us, Jackson. He needs our support now more than ever,” she pauses before 58

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going in for the kill. “And the media needs to see us forgive him, if he has any chance of the world forgiving him too.”

“Goodbye, Mother.” I don’t give her a chance to say anything else before I press end, tossing the phone back on the nightstand.

Feeling more pity than anger after hanging up, I pack my suitcases and don’t bother putting clothes on, or pulling the covers back, before crashing in the big soft bed. *** After the best night’s sleep I’ve had in weeks and a quick, uneventful flight, I’m eager to get to the new gym. I make a few calls, checking in with my CFO and assistant. Brady, my Chief Financial Officer, gives me an update on who’s pulled their business from us.

It seems my father’s stink has made its way into my business. Brady’s more concerned than I am. Frankly, I wouldn’t give a shit if the whole damn company folded if I didn’t have people who depended on me for their livelihood. I do my best to assure him everything will settle, but it’s difficult since I’m not sure I even believe my own words.

New York makes it easy to blend in. So many people, a frantic flow of pedestrians maneuvering their way to their destination, most even avoiding eye contact.

Perfect after the chaos of the last few weeks in D.C. Walking everywhere is so much more appealing than the usual town car I’ve grown accustomed to being shuttled in from place to place.

Opening the door to the gym, I’m greeted by a muscle head standing behind the desk. He looks up anxiously as I enter, catches sight of me, and practically snarls. Clearly I’m not who he was expecting.

Walking to the desk, I expect him to look back up, but he pretends I’m not standing right in front of him, even though I’m less than two feet from his face. So much for the customer service in this place.

“Think you can direct me to a trainer named Marco?

I’m supposed to meet him here.”

Muscle head points to the back, but never looks up again. Welcome to New York. *** Marco is the cousin of my trainer in D.C. Although I’ve never met him before, I would’ve recognized

CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY him anywhere. He’s the spitting image of his cousin Mario, only some silver has started to gleam through his thick, shoe-polish-black mane. It’s slicked back in that Soprano-ish way that few young guys can pull off without looking like they’re wearing a costume. This guy wouldn’t look right with anything else. We train for close to three hours, yet a hair isn’t out of place when we’re done.

Marco stops me as I walk out of the locker room, my hair still damp from the long shower. “How long you in town for? Mario said maybe I could look into some local fights for you.”

I laugh to myself, but Marco doesn’t get the joke.

His cousin Mario’s been trying to get me in the ring for some real fights for years. Not a day’s gone by in eight years where we didn’t end a session with him asking, “Want me to book you a fight? You’re ready, you know.”

I’ve been fighting since I was a kid. The trainers tell me I’m good enough to make a go of it in the ring, but I’ve never really given it any thought. I was always expected to do something more appropriate for a living. “After all, you are a Knight,” my father would always say.

“I’m not sure how long I’m staying yet.” I pause, allowing myself, for the first time since I was a kid with dreams of my own, to seriously think about getting in the ring for a real fight. “You know what, I’ll think about it, Marco.” And this time, when I say the words, I really might.

Marco nods. “Stop at the front desk. Get on my schedule for the rest of the week, either way.”

Slinging the strap to my gym bag diagonally over my chest, I wave goodbye to one of the guys I sparred with and head toward the door with a nod back to Marco.

I expect to find Mr. Friendly from this morning at the reception desk, but instead, the scenery is much better.

A beautiful woman sits behind the long counter. She’s completely engrossed in what she’s doing. Unlike the asshole from this morning who intentionally ignored me, she has no idea I’m even standing in front of her.

I can’t help but smile as I watch her thick gray pencil move feverishly over the sketch paper, her petite hands half-covered in charcoal. A slight smile on her face tells me she’s in another place…a good one, one that must be her escape. I can’t take my eyes off her as she studies the drawing, her smile growing even bigger when she lifts her head to take in the full sight of her page. She likes what she sees on the paper, almost as

much as I like what I see in front of me.

“Hi.” Beginning to feel guilty for staring, I finally speak as her head comes up, her eyes traveling slowly up to my face, before reaching mine. For a few seconds, she still doesn’t see me, even though she’s looking right at me. Until she finally comes back from wherever her head has been, and my presence scares her half to death.

DID YOU KNOW?

Vi Keeland chose RomCon to design the custom book covers for her NYT bestselling series.

Learn more about having RomCon design a cover for you.

Click here.

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CONTEMPORARY

Author Bio Vi Keeland

Contemporary Author

Contact Vi: http://www.vikeeland.com http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland https://www.facebook. com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958 https://www.facebook.com/ vi.keeland https://twitter.com/ViKeeland

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V

i Keeland is a native New Yorker with three children that occupy most of her free time, which she complains about often, but wouldn’t change for the world. She is a bookworm and has been known to read her kindle at stop lights, while styling her hair, cleaning, walking, during sporting events, and frequently while pretending to work. She is a boring attorney by day, and an exciting New York Times & USA Today Best Selling smut author by night!

RomCon®’s Michele Callahan and Jennifer Zane with Barbara Vey at Barbara Vey’s Reader Appreciation Luncheon in Milwaukee, WI, April 26 ON THE ROAD

CONTEMPORARY

Y R A R O P M E T N CO Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST She’s Got Dibs AJ Nuest 7.8 The MisAdventures of Pann Haggerty Amanda Ward FINALIST Mischief in Italy Beate Boeker FINALIST Studs and Stilettos Bev Pettersen FINALIST A Groom for Christmas Cara Marsi FINALIST Kissed Carla Krae FINALIST Sidewalk Flower (A Sin Pointe Novel, #1) Carlene Love Flores FINALIST Soothing His Madness Debra Kayn FINALIST Delta On My Mind DeeAnna Galbraith FINALIST Lost Melody Dolores W. Maroney FINALIST Must Love Cats - The Nine Lives of Thomas Cash Riley Elysa Hendricks 7.58 For The Love Of His Life Fiona McGier FINALIST Only For You Genna Rulon FINALIST Long Shot Hanna Martine FINALIST Forgive & Forget Heather Ashby FINALIST Forget Me Not Heather Ashby FINALIST Love You to Death Jackie Uhrmacher FINALIST First and Again Jana Richards FINALIST Lovers & Liars Jean C. Joachim 7.82 Caribbean Crush Jenna Bayley-Burke 7.41 Set to Love Jennifer Rae Gravely FINALIST Forgiving Patience Jennifer Simpkins FINALIST Too Charming Kathryn Freeman 7.2 Lacy (The Doves of Primrose series) Krista Kedrick

Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

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CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY

Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST What a Texas Girl Dreams Kristina Knight FINALIST Lick (A Stage Dive Novel) Kylie Scott FINALIST Fighting Fate Linda Kage FINALIST Covet Thy Neighbor L.A. Witt FINALIST A Song for Sophie Mackenzie Crowne FINALIST That Dating Thing Mackenzie Crowne FINALIST Close Up Magic Michelle Garren Flye FINALIST What Not to Expect When You’re Expecting MJ Fredrick FINALIST Kiss Me, Katie Monica Tillery FINALIST Home Again, Home Again Nadine Christian FINALIST Once a Marine Patty Campbell FINALIST Jake Undone Penelope Ward 7.6 Crossroads Radclyffe FINALIST Lavender Days: Robin Squire FINALIST Destination Wedding Robyn Neeley 7.77 Her Man From Shilo Robyn Rychards FINALIST Off Limits Sawyer Bennett FINALIST Hidden - A Hiding From Love Novel Selena Laurence FINALIST Crimson Footprints II Shewanda Pugh FINALIST The Wanted Bride Sylvia McDaniel 7 A Special Kind of Love Tamara Hoffa FINALIST Belong to You Vi Keeland FINALIST Made for You Vi Keeland

Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

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CONTEMPORARY

Jennifer Zane

WISHING Crazy In Love Series - Book 4

S

ummer vacation. No two words hold more allure for kids; what they dream about all school year long. To me, they are equally potent, equally daydream-worthy in the dead of winter when those long summer days are months and months away.

No, I’m not thirteen. In fact, I’m twenty-nine. I’m Violet Miller and I’m a school teacher. A first grade teacher, to be exact. So when that last school bell of the year rang last week and kids ran screaming out the doors of Irving Elementary eager to ride their bikes, swim, camp and all the other possibilities of the ten weeks of summer break, I was about ten minutes behind them.

Unfortunately, I won’t be manning a lemonade stand or zipping down the water slide at the Bogert Pool, the outdoor swim center downtown. Instead, I’ll spend my days working at Goldilocks, Bozeman’s only “adult” toy store. I have to squeeze in my fly fishing, hiking and camping on my days off. At least until my sister, Veronica, gets back from her cross-country road trip.

“No, honey, you can’t mix the flavored in with the glow-in-the-dark ones,” Goldie West told me as I restocked boxes of specialty condoms. Goldie had 64

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opened the store back in the sixties and had catered to every unusual, and some very kinky, whims ever since.

Both she and the store were Bozeman icons. Infamous and quirky.

Goldie was like the Tasmanian devil, all fluffy hair, long nails and the ability to wreak havoc on anyone in her path. Today, her nails sported a cotton candy pink and her blond hair was teased up like a Southern pageant queen. She wore a T-shirt with a red-sequined heart in the center, black Capri pants and black clogs. Pushing seventy, she looked pretty darn good, although I wasn’t sure if all that hair spray was good for her health.

She had a mind like a vault. Not only did she know everyone in town—their brothers, cousins, wives, dentists—she remembered everything about them since time began. Nothing slipped by her or her Rolodex for a brain. Because of this unique and often annoying ability, I try to keep as low a profile as I can around her. Goldie knows everything about Veronica, since she’s been a faithful employee since college, but being her identical twin didn’t mean I was fair game— or knew what I was doing.

CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORARY “Whoops, sorry,” I replied, looking closer at the boxes and rearranging them into their appropriate shelf space. It was my first time in the condom section, as I was just filling in for Veronica on a short term basis.

She was enjoying Florida and all its steamy summer weather with her boyfriend Jack Reid, packing up his belongings and driving back across the country. Since we lived in Montana, a few time zones away, they were going to be gone a few weeks.

“Did you try out some of the things I put in the box for you?” Goldie stood at the counter pulling red lace thongs from a brown shipping box. To the average person, a conversation about a box from a friend might revolve around hand-me-down clothes or even homemade cookies.To Goldie, it involved a sampling of Goldilocks’ wares: nipple clamps, a vibrator, a sampling of lubes, scented lotions and other things I still couldn’t exactly name. “I hope the Goldilocks Training Program has helped.”

With what? My personally-delivered orgasms or learning the ins-and-outs of a sex store? Nipple clamps

had neat little piles going of variously sized lingerie on the counter.

Goldie talked as if we were testing fire trucks or life jackets, and a person’s safety and well-being were held in the balance. In fact, I’d spent the past three evenings watching Big Boobs III, Junk In The Trunk and Rump Pumping. It was still up in the air whether all that porn was going to give me the expertise I needed to work at Goldie’s, or a backup career as an adult film star.

Sadly, watching those movies was the closest thing I’d had to sex in a long time. My sex life was practically nonexistent. Unless you counted the vibrator test run from Goldie’s box. There was more in that package than I could handle. At least alone. She’d provided everything for my sexual pleasure and then some.

Everything except a man.

“Right. Kitchen supplies.” I finished the glow-in-thedark and moved on to piña colada flavored. “Although I’m not sure if this is the same thing as cooking.

Goldie waggled her eyebrows, her poufy hair going up an inch. “But it can get just as hot.”

Jennifer Zane

weren’t a solo thing and if I told her I’d taken the vibrator for a test drive she’d pull that little nugget of information out when I least expected it. She was fishing here and it wasn’t for trout.

I tried some of my yoga deep breathing to keep from mangling the condom box in my grasp. Goldilocks’ Training consisted of watching ten pre-selected XXX videos, sampling a variety of sex toys, thus the takehome box, as well as taking a field trip to the nearest BDSM club, which was halfway to Butte. All had to be completed within the first month of employment. “Um, yeah,” I replied, hoping to sound non-committal. Since I was only subbing for only a few weeks, I was hoping I didn’t have to fulfill all of the requirements. I didn’t know anyone I could call who would want to venture to a club devoted to varying kinky lifestyles. I had no doubt Goldie would volunteer, but that was a girls’ night out I never wanted to consider.

“It’s like working at the kitchen supply store in the mall. If you’re going to sell the product, you’ve got to test it out first. My employees need to be the experts in the field because people are counting on us.” She

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Thursday, June 19 7:00pm - 9:00pm Early Registration

Friday, June 20 8:00am - 8:45 am Registration Opens Breakfast- Meal Plan Option available* 9:00am - 10:15am Intimate Chat - USA Today Bestselling Erotic Author Angel Payne Intimate Chat - USA Today Bestselling Sci-Fi Author S. E. Smith Event #1- Chat Panel Romantic Suspense Event #2- Bridal Shower Mania!- Whether you love them or hate them, bridal showers are sure to feature silly, sexy, riotous games. Join our authors and come play games, win prizes and enter the drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card.

Giveaways for all who attend. Hosted by Sylvia McDaniel and other authors.

Hospitality Suite- TBD 10:30am - 12:00pm Intimate Chat - Readers’ Crown Romantic Suspense Finalist - Jerrie Alexander Intimate Chat - USA Today Bestselling Contemporary Author Tiffinie Helmer Event #3- The Naked Hero- Sure, we love our heroes au natural, but there’s something to the saying, “The clothes make the man.” Join Geri Foster and other authors in an adult version of paper dolls with some of your favorite heroes archetypes. Swag for everyone and free books for some lucky winners.

Event #4- Paranormal Reader Party- Come have a ball with Paranormal romance authors playing games like Pin The Tail On The Werewolf and Vampire Word Games. Win prizes and make your own paranormal creature mask with Julia Talbot and others.

Hospitality Suite- TBD 12:00pm - 1:30pm Readers’ Crown Luncheon-* Annual ceremony awarding top prizes for the best in romance. Categories include Contemporary, Historical and even Best First Book. *Tickets available individually or it is included in the Meal Plan.

1:45pm - 3:15pm Intimate Chat - Amazon Bestselling Erotic Author Zoey Derrick Intimate Chat - NYT & USA Today Romantic Suspense Bestseller Cherry Adair All times and events are subject to change * Activities with an asterisk are either paid

e check www.romcon.com for up-to-date changes.

Event #5- We Love Cowboys! - Come meet your favorite cowboy authors and have your picture taken with a handsome cowboy hunk. Swag and giveaways abound, but the event is limited to 90 people.

Event #6- Chat Panel- Erotic authors Hospitality Suite: TBD 3:30pm - 4:45pm Intimate Chat - NYT & USA Today Bestselling Erotic Author Jayne Rylon Intimate Chat - NYT & USA Today Bestselling Romantic Suspense Author Heather Graham Event #7- Get Crafty With An Author- Authors do more than write! Do you knit? Crochet? Quilt? Scrapbook? All of that stuff? Authors do too. If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit or get crafty, join Allie Pleiter and other authors as they teach you their favorite non-writing pastimes. We’ll give away a few audio book gift cards and a free guide to Denver yarn shops.

Event #8- Alternate Lifestyles Under The Covers- Have you wondered if menage or D/s is possible in the real world or what makes a D/s relationship work? Whether you’re a reader or an author, come get firsthand information on the topics in your favorite books. Join these authors who really practice the lifestyle they write about. Will discuss the mechanics, motivation, and psychology behind polyamory (menage), BDSM, power exchange and other relationship dynamics. Hosted by Kasi and Reggie Alexander and other Erotic Romance authors.

Hospitality Suite: TBD 5:00pm - 7:00pm Cocktail Hour Hosted by USA Today Bestselling Paranormal Author Carrie Ann Ryan & Friends Dinner 7:00pm - 8:30pm Author Signing Event- All authors are ready to autograph! Free and open to the public. Authors may have books and/ or swag to buy and giveaway. Fans may bring their favorite books to be signed.

8:30pm - Midnight Dance of the Decades (Dance & Karaoke Party) with special guest host NYT Bestseller Heather Graham Are you prepared for Decades of Fun? Did you Rule the Rubik’s Cube? Were you tops at Twister or a Pog Pro? Undefeated at Uno? A super-Simon? Come dressed for your favorite decade, sing the hit songs and play games.

Fun, prizes, and giveaways. (50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s - top costumes from each decade will win an Amazon gift card and Free Registration to RomCon 2015) FREE for all registered attendees Breast Cancer Raffle to support:

without notice at any time. events or part of the meal plan.

This schedule is accurate going to publication. Plea

Saturday, June 21 8:00am - 8:45 am Registration Opens Breakfast- Meal Plan Option available* 9:00am - 10:15am Intimate Chat - National Bestselling Romantic Suspense Author Tiffany Snow Intimate Chat - Award Winning Romantic Suspense Author Michelle Major Event #9- Cherry Adair Vs. Heather Graham Showdown- Pick a side and be prepared to plot and scheme! All senses and extensive knowledge of Heather and Cherry’s books for this no-hold’s-barred Q & A. The more you know, and your willingness to ‘cheat’ (have fun), the more (bribes) prizes you can win. Heather’s side will get big prizes. Cherry’s prizes will be huge. Cherry Vs. Heather--game on.

Event #10- Hot Or Not- Paranormal authors and readers dish about tropes and twists they love and hate. Come armed with your opinions, questions and love of paranormal romance. There will a drawing for a prize at the end.

Hosted by Mina Khan and friends.

Hospitality Suite: Mimosa Madness: Hosted by authors Jerrie Alexander, Anne Marie Becker, Elizabeth Essex,Tiffinie Helmer, Barbara Lohr, Sandy Loyd, Cate Rowan and Marsha R. West. There is nothing quite like champagne, OJ, muffins, and romance in the morning. Join us for bubbly, fun, games and prizes, including a grand prize drawing for a $100 gift card.

10:30am - 11:45am Intimate Chat #11- NYT & USA Today Bestselling Erotic Author Lexi Blake Intimate Chat - Award Winning Contemporary Author Molly Cannon Event #11- Hot Heroes from Other Worlds - Space Cowboys,Vampires with ancient alien DNA, hunky star fighter pilots, explorers, trans-dimensional Djinn, or simply hot alien males looking for human brides – join sci-fi and paranormal romance authors as we play fun games. Hosted by Michele Callahan, S.E. Smith and friends. Win free books, Amazon gift cards, and a Kindle Fire!

Event #12- Chat Panel- Historical Hospitality Suite: Mimosa Madness: Hosted by authors Jerrie Alexander, Anne Marie Becker, Elizabeth Essex,Tiffinie Helmer, Barbara Lohr, Sandy Loyd, Cate Rowan and Marsha R. West. There is nothing quite like champagne, OJ, muffins, and romance in the morning. Join us for bubbly, fun, games and prizes, including a grand prize drawing for a $100 gift card.

11:45am - 12:45pm Lunch Break- Meal Plan option available* 1:00pm - 2:15pm Intimate Chat #13 - Readers’ Crown Winner, Historical Author Elizabeth Essex Intimate Chat #14 - USA Today Bestselling Paranormal Author Carrie Ann Ryan All times and events are subject to change without notice at any time. * Activities with an asterisk are either paid events or part of the meal plan.

ase check www.romcon.com for up-to-date changes.

Event #13- Candyman All Grown Up- Come play a special version of a classic childhood game. Win prizes like books, swag and goodies while admiring some sizzling cover art. One lucky player will win a $50 Amazon gift card. Hosted by Suzanne Graham and your favorite Erotic authors.

Event #14- Build-A-Villain with the Masters of Suspense- Join Heather Graham, Cherry Adair, and other authors to create the most vile villain imaginable! Then vote-only the baddest bad guy survives.

Hospitality Suite: TBD 2:30pm - 4:00pm Intimate Chat - National Bestselling Contemporary Author Sandy Loyd Intimate Chat - NYT & USA Today Bestselling Historical Author Debra Holland Event #15- Chat Panel- Contemporary Event #16- Battle For Survival – Choose a side, try to survive. Join authors from all genres and choose your side (modern human, vampire, shifters, aliens, historical highlanders, etc…) as you come up with ways to survive various apocalyptic events. Which hero would you want at your side? A man in a kilt with a broadsword? A detective with a .45? A vampire with those teeth? Hosted by Maggie Mae Gallagher and friends.

Hospitality Suite: TBD 5:15pm - 6:15pm Dinner Break 6:30pm - 8:00pm 2nd Annual Comedy Improv- FREE! Join the Stick Horses In Pants Comedy Improv Troupe for a “Who’s Line Is It Anyway” style of improvisation with a wild romance twist.

8:30pm-11pm Chocolate Mangasm IV* - $20 Join bestselling Erotic Authors in the annual bachelorette style event with new fun and games. Sponsored by Pure Romance who will give away over $700 worth of passionate play things....(Cash Bar) Tickets available online (click here), at the Registration Desk or at the door.

Sunday, June 22 9:00am - 10:15am Intimate Chat- TBD Intimate Chat- TBD Event #17- Annual Birds-Of-A-Feather Reader Chat & Book Giveaway- Join Heather from the Book Reading Gals blog for a readers only informal chat about books. Lots of free books. Don’t miss out!

10:30am - 12:00pm Event # 19- Chat Panel- Paranormal Event #20- A Magical First- Listen to authors as they read the magical ‘first,’ a kiss, a look, a touch. Guess the book and win a prize! Join Zoey Derrick and authors from all genres in this fun filled event.

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e l y a G

ELIZA New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author

BIRTH OF A SERIES

O

ne of the most frequently asked questions I get (after the question of when Mason’s book is coming out) from readers is how did I decide to write series romance.

When I started writing I pretty much had in my head that I wanted to be a series writer. I’d be reading Sherrilyn Kenyon and Nora Roberts for so long that I couldn’t imagine anything else. As a reader, I get to the end of a good book and even after the HEA I want to know what happens next. I don’t want to say goodbye forever to those characters.

Now that a few years *cough. cough* have gone by, I have a bunch of series in both contemporary and paranormal. But for the first half of 2014 all my writing energies have been focused on the series that surround the Purgatory Club.

In North Carolina a friend took me to a cool Goth/ Fetish show called Purgatory that happens a few times a year. From the first time I walked into the loud techno music filled club that gave me more than a few eyeopening experiences, I’ve been in love. So when less than a year after I started attending these shows, they announced that the Purgatory show would be ending I knew I had to write a series.

Thus a series was born. I wrote ROPED very quickly and based it around the infamous rope swing that happened during some of the shows and the two rope riggers that ran it. I loved writing it and reader feedback was awesome. So I wrote another. This time taking what I referred to as the Purgatory Club in a totally different direction and very far from the reality of my favorite show. I wrote two more after that before 7474

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turning my attention elsewhere. I started another BDSM romance series based in the same town as Purgatory, and despite my good intention to keep them separate, Purgatory kept coming up.

Eventually the nagging question in my mind, who owns the Purgatory Club, demanded an answer and a spinoff series came to life. The Purgatory Masters. I was ready to move into full-length novels and delve much deeper into how Purgatory came to be. To my surprise it was dark, complex and erotic.

Now 9 stories later where Purgatory is either featured or mentioned, it’s clear that I’m addicted. I’ll be releasing the sixth story, HOLD ME CLOSE, in the original Purgatory Club novella series on June 17th and the third book in the Purgatory Master’s book, MASON’S RULE, later this summer.

And as for the real Purgatory show... To my surprise and delight it came back out of retirement and is thriving in North Carolina. In fact, readers who attend this year’s Authors After Dark convention in Charlotte, NC this August, may get a chance to see the live show. The owner of Purgatory has been intrigued with my series for some time and he’s looking forward to coordinating a visit.

2014 is shaping up to be a hot one in Purgatory.

To learn more about Purgatory and the other series I write, come and visit me at my website at http://elizagayle.net or you can find me on Facebook at http://www. facebook.com/AuthorElizaGayle

Erotic LEVI’S ULTIMATUM: EXCERPT

T

In search of someplace to belong...

Levi Hawkins was a typical fun loving, hard partying college student with his whole life in front of him -- until one tragic night ripped his world apart and left him adrift with no home or family to return to. After a soul crushing stint in Afghanistan, he spent a decade wandering the globe searching for something or someone to make him whole again. Weary of regret and consumed by loneliness, he puts his heart on the line and turns to the only people still connected to him by blood.

He found an obsession...

A chance encounter at a lakeside café puts single mother Tori Ford directly in Levi’s path and he’s ready to stake a claim. She wants to keep her life simple. Work hard, raise her daughter, save some money and one day open the pie shop she’s always dreamed of. She doesn’t need complicated and she certainly doesn’t need a wickedly hot Dominant to take control of her future. Except when he touches her she yearns for the pleasure and passion of submission. But Tori can’t take another heartbreak and she can never trust Levi with her heart or her daughter if he won’t open up about the darkness slowly consuming him.

ori backed away from the door Gabe had left ajar and pushed her back against the wall.

Curiosity had driven her to follow behind her boss after he left his office, although she shuddered to think what he’d do to her if she were caught. The rumors of his need to discipline were spread far and wide and employees were often given a choice of the door or the bench. But whatever Levi had started down in the club wasn’t going to get dropped, and if they were going to discuss her she wanted to know. Now she’d overheard more than she bargained for and she didn’t know how to process it. A chance encounter at Nina’s cafe this morning had left her out of sorts and unsettled all day long. Enough that she’d called Gabe and offered to work tonight in the club. A job she had no business taking in this frame of mind.

Her only hope had been to work out whatever the hell Levi’s sudden presence had done to her and regain her focus.

He’d annoyed her, that’s for sure. Even road grime several inches thick and an obvious need of a hot bath with a gallon of soap had not detracted from his good looks. And now that he’d cleaned up he’d turned downright lethal in that department. Her stomach still jolted at the memory of her first good look at Levi in the club. She’d damn near swallowed her tongue. All six foot something of him had exuded a level of innate power she’d felt clear to her bones. It had been so strong she’d glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed.

They had.

Amidst a sea of people in every shape, size and orientation he’d still stood out. Tall and broad shouldered, with dark wavy hair that looked like he’d done nothing more than run his fingers through it with amazing results. He’d trimmed his scruffy beard several inches without removing it altogether and the first thought through her mind had been how would it feel to have that sexy facial hair scratch across her belly or against the inside of her thighs as he...

Damn. When exactly had beards become so sexy?

The moment his piercing blue gaze had met hers across the scarred counter at Nina’s, that’s when.

The appearance of a scruffy stranger sitting with her daughter and coloring together had initially alarmed her. The early warning bells had gone off and her need MAY/JUNE 2014

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Erotic Erotic to protect had taken center stage. Then Hannah had drawn a smile from him that looked both sweet and tortured.The unexpected combination had shaken her to her core.

“Thanks. It’s good to be back. I think.” She heard Levi’s voice just as the door swung open next to her.

Crap. She’d gotten lost in her thoughts and hadn’t heard the men approach. Now she was about to get busted for eavesdropping. She swiveled on her ridiculous heels a little too fast and stumbled on the carpet. She reached for the wall and righted herself but not fast enough.

“Stop.” The stranger’s command came on a low growl far closer than she’d like.

Compelled by his deep voice, she halted in mid-step.

“Come to me,” he ordered in a deep dark unholy tone that made her nearly melt on the spot.

“Levi, not a good idea,” Gabe warned behind her.

She held her breath. Gabe was the top dog at Purgatory and her boss. Levi would have to defer to him. He’d save her.

“Gabe, I respect your authority here, but in this case I’m going to insist.”

Tori sucked in air and waited--and hoped Gabe wasn’t about to turn her over to this--this stranger.

When the heavy sigh of defeat met her ears she cringed. What the hell?

“Please consider she’s one of my best employees.

I’d like to keep her.” With that Gabe swept past her and descended down the staircase without looking back, leaving her alone with an angry Dom. The word Dom slid sinuously through her system and heated her between her legs.

With her only chance at being saved gone, the silence stretched between them. He’d issued his command and likely wouldn’t again. Like most Doms she knew he’d expect for his order to be followed and would wait for the response he sought. She considered her options. Turn around and face the music or flee and probably lose her job.

Her heart beat furiously as she made the only decision she could. Job or no job she was not a coward.

She turned and gasped when she discovered him only inches away from her.

When had he moved and how had she not heard him?

“I half expected you to run,” he commented.

She lifted her chin. “Then you don’t know me very well at all. I don’t scare that easily.”

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Erotic

Author Bio Eliza Gayle

Erotic Author

Contact Eliza: Eliza Gayle is the NY Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of over 25 contemporary and paranormal romance books.

She lives on a small island in the Pacific Northwest and spends her days writing romance, wandering the beach or making faces at her husky named Nanna who begs constantly for attention.

http://elizagayle.net

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/972688.Eliza_Gayle http://www.facebook.com/ AuthorElizaGayle

Before her writing career began, she served in the Marine Corps and lived a crazy life of adventure.

Then she read her first erotic romance novel and everything changed. She’d finally found her niche. So after years of thinking about writing she grabbed her laptop and wrote.

http://www.pinterest.com/elizagaylebooks @elizagaylebooks

To sign up for Eliza’s newsletter go to: http://elizagayle.net/newsletter or visit her website at http:// elizagayle.net

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ON THE ROAD

RomCon®’s Michele Callahan and Jennifer Zane at Barbara Vey’s Reader Appreciation Luncheon in Milwaukee, WI, April 26

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Erotic Erotic READERS’ CROWN FINALIST & USA TODAY BESTSELLER

ANGEL PAYNE & VIC EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT NO PRINCE CHARMING, By Angel Payne and Victoria Blue, released May 12th

B

ritta had finished her own call. She stared at me with open alarm, clearly reading my gawk and sensing I had Killian on the line. “I can take that now,” she prompted.

“Uh, yeah,” I mumbled. “Sure.”

“What?” Killian asked.

“Done,” I blurted. “I mean—errr—Britta’s done.

With her call, I mean. I’ll hold you now. I mean I’ll put you on hold. Then you can talk to her—” “No.” One syllable. Solid steel. “Don’t.”

“Sorry?”

“I’d rather talk to you.” His pause was formidable.

“About last night.”

“Not happening.” Pointedly, I amended, “Please.

Okay?”

“Why?” “Because now’s not the time. And here’s not the place.”

“Because it’s not.”

“Are you always so bossy, Miss Montgomery?” His undercurrent of humor had returned. The traffic noise faded.

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I swallowed hard and turned from Britta, not wanting the woman to hear the way I was talking—make that sparring—with her boss on the phone. Great. That put my vision in line with the door to his office. Like I needed any more reminders of the forbidden territory.

The sanctum I should’ve never entered to begin with.

No matter how magical those minutes had been…

“Listen, I need to get back to work.” I forced myself to say it. “I—uhhh—assume you’re out at meetings, Mr. Stone?”

He grunted. “Yes. Couldn’t be helped. Some stockholders need to have their hands held after the last few days. Fortunately, I haven’t been assaulted by any of your reporter friends.” A long moment went by.

“But damn, if I were in their shoes, I’d pick pursuing you on the phone instead of me in the rain any day.”

“I’m sure you’re very interesting in the rain.”

He let another long moment pass. Thank God. I had a moment to recover from my horror. What the hell was I doing, snipping at him one minute then flirting the next? I was a huge damn mess. An awful, terrible tease.

And confused. So freaking confused by what he did to me.

I listened to his longer, deliberate breaths…enduring shivers down to my toes because of them. When he spoke again, the words were tight and intimate. “And I like the way you think I’m interesting.”

“Why?”

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“Said the pot to the kettle?”

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“You could be standing next to the president and I’d think you were interesting.”

Erotic

CTORIA BLUE Author Bio I had not just said that.

“What if I were standing next to Melinda Gates?”

Victoria Blue & Angel Payne Erotic Authors

On the other hand, who cared what I just said?

His bombshell, making me openly gasp, erased half the thoughts from my head. Few people knew about my fascination with Gates, who used her wealth for some of the most far-reaching humanitarian efforts in the world.

“How—how did you know—” “You’re not the only one who likes to tap at the iceberg, Miss Montgomery.”

His tone dipped into lower registers. He spoke of ice but searing smoke wove seductive tendrils through every nerve ending in my body. Killian Stone had googled me.

N

o Prince Charming is the first book of the Secrets of Stone series by exciting new talent Victoria Blue and USA Today bestselling author Angel Payne. Both authors live in southern California, where they enjoy a mutual love of the ocean and beach,eating sushi, wearing fantastic shoes, and being grateful for each and every day.

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c i t o r E

Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST Saved By His Submissive Angel Payne FINALIST Handcuffed By Her Hero Angel Payne FINALIST Surrendering To Her Sergeant Angel Payne FINALIST Ivan’s Captive Submissive Ann Mayburn FINALIST Still (Long Slow Tease #1) Ann Mayburn FINALIST My Wicked Nanny Ann Mayburn FINALIST Delayed Penalty Bianca Sommerland FINALIST Incidental Contact Eden Connor 7.68 Defeat the Darkness: Demons of the Bayou Eliza March FINALIST WereCat Fever Eliza March 7 Master Marshal (Masters of Tabu 4) Gray Dixon FINALIST Kitty, Kitty Bang, Bang Harlowe Wilde FINALIST Spread Your Wings Jayne Rylon FINALIST King Cobra Jayne Rylon FINALIST Mustang Sally Jayne Rylon FINALIST Super Nova Jayne Rylon FINALIST Report For Booty (Midnight Ink) Jayne Rylon FINALIST Pick Your Pleasure 2 Jayne Rylon FINALIST Romance Rekindled Jenna Allen FINALIST Taken By the Duke Jess Michaels 7.75 Wild At Heart Kenzie Michaels 7.6 Silken Desires Laci Paige FINALIST On Her Master’s Secret Service Lexi Blake FINALIST Exit Strategy L.V. Lewis FINALIST Anything You Want, River Jewel Resort Series, Book 1 Madison Sevier 7.5 Tamed by the Fire Maxine Mansfield 7.9 Silly Girl Michel Prince FINALIST Spring Training Parker Kincade FINALIST Double Her Pleasure Randi Alexander FINALIST Cowboy Jackpot: St Patrick’s Day Randi Alexander FINALIST Cowboy Jackpot:Valentine’s Day Randi Alexander FINALIST Double Her Fantasy Randi Alexander 8.9 Brie Learns the Art of Submission Red Phoenix 7.55 Sorrow’s Muse Shyla Colt FINALIST Love Reclaimed Sorcha Mowbray FINALIST Mergers & Acquisitions Sorcha Mowbray Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

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, M A E R T IN S A M , Y S FANTA Y, R E T S Y ,M L A N O I T RY INSPIR A O G E T A ,C N O I T C I EF C N E I C S Fantasy:

Score: Book Title: Author: FINALIST Titanian Chronicles - Journey of Destiny Leisl Kaberry

Mainstream Women’s Fiction:

FINALIST Blue 52 Elaine Cantrell 7 Duffy’s World Faith McCune FINALIST The Colors of Friendship K. R. Raye FINALIST Courting Greta Ramsey Hootman FINALIST He Belongs to Me Theresa Rizzo

Inspirational: FINALIST The Fireman’s Homecoming Allie Pleiter FINALIST Trust of the Heart E.A. West FINALIST Above and Beyond Jessica James FINALIST Marry Me Kristin Wallace

Mystery: FINALIST 7.31

Luck Be A Lady Wildfire: A Paranormal Mystery

Gemma Halliday & T Sue VerSteeg Mina Khan

Science Fiction: FINALIST Angel on the Ropes Jill Shultz

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7.73 His For the Taking Ann Major FINALIST Her Favorite Mistake Barbara Lohr 7.4 Her Favorite Honeymoon Barbara Lohr FINALIST Rock Him Rachel Cross

Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

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Y, S A T N A NF A B R U , R THRILLE , N O I T C I NF R E T S E W LT U D A G YOUN Thriller: FINALIST Out of the Storm Kevin v. Symmons FINALIST Lethal Journey Kim Cresswell

Urban Fantasy:

FINALIST Dissension Adrienne Monson FINALIST Soul Taker Karen Michelle Nutt 7.2 Gilded Destiny Nola Sarina FINALIST A Touch of Darkness Tina Moss & Yelena Casale

Western Fiction: 7 Heads in the Clouds Amber Polo

Young Adult:

FINALIST Shifting Dreams JM Kline FINALIST The Holders Julianna Scott FINALIST A Taylor-Made Life Kary Rader

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Historical

Historical

ELIZABETH ESSEX

L

ondon, London, London. It’s all I can think about. Because nearly every day for the past eight years, that’s where I have been—in my head, in a 19th-century world that up until recently, had existed only on old maps and in my imagination. But this April, I finally got the chance to go to London in person.

The excuse to spend a full week in the city that loomed so large in my imagination came from my oldest daughter, who is a competitive Irish Dancer, and who would be dancing at the 2014 World Championships set in London. It had been thirty-two years since my last visit—a very short day trip from Dublin when I had been a student studying Irish archaeology—but from the first moments we drove through the twisting streets, I felt at remarkably at home.

Because even though I had not visited this remarkable, changing, living city in over thirty years, my characters had taken me around town every day.

We planned a full week of sightseeing in between my daughter’s dance practices and competition days. We rode the London Eye, visited the Tower of London, Westminster Cathedral and Parliament. We saw the guards at Buckingham Palace (and recited A.A. Milne’s poetry), and strolled down the long length of the Mall. But our favorite times were those where we simply walked, wandering down lanes and through neighborhoods, because everywhere I went, I discovered the characters and stories I had invented in my books: I saw exactly where Meggs had paused on the corner of Spring Gardens and Cockspur Street, eyeing up Hugh McAlden as a potential mark in THE DANGER OF DESIRE. I climbed to the very top of St. Paul’s dome, and down to the bottom of the crypt as Will Jellicoe and Antigone Preston had done in A BREATH OF SCANDAL. I stood on Hyde Park corner where Meggs’s brother Tanner took Claire Jellicoe’s hand and led her reluctantly home in AFTER THE SCANDAL. I walked down the dark lanes of the area outside Westminster once known as the slum the Almonry, and looked up at the same glowing moon.

And I was as thoroughly enchanted as any character in my book. I didn’t just see the city. I saw my city, my London—the London of Meggs and Hugh, Will and Antigone, and of Tanner and Claire—through new eyes, the same way Claire does, in AFTER THE SCANDAL. On her trip through the city, Claire falls in love with Tanner. And by walking in their footsteps, I fell in love, too. With their loveliest of cities.

I’m already hard at work, planning my next trip.

London photos credit: Andy McLane

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Historical Historical EXCERPT from AFTER THE SCANDAL:

“

Where exactly is St. Catherine’s Dock?” Claire felt stupid asking—though she had never heard of it, clearly it was somewhere within London.

But he didn’t seem to mind educating her. “A few miles southeast on the river.” In fact, it was as if he were merely waiting for the opportunity to consult the map in his head.“From here at Cripplegate, down the length of the old London wall to Bishopsgate.”

He made those silently elegant gestures indicating the direction. “Then across Cammomile Lane, down Houndsditch, toward Whitechapel. And south down Minories past Little Tower Hill, and on to Wapping.”

It might as well have been the other side of the world. “Wapping. It sounds so far away. As far away as...”

“A West Indies Island.” He smiled, and smiled with her at the absurdity of it all. “Yes.” “Well.” Claire decided to be brave and adventurous, and turned onto Jewin Street. “I’ve never been to the West Indies.”

Tanner fell in beside her. “Nor I,” he admitted.

His curiously self-deprecating smile was all over his face, from his dancing eyes to his laughing mouth.

He looked entirely boyish. And entirely irresistible.

“Wapping is as exotic as I get.”

And she had thought him so sophisticated and worldly. How remarkable. Then she remembered.

“Oh, no.Your sister lives in the West Indies. I’m sorry.”

“So am I. But I hate to sail.”

“Do you? Oh, goodness—” She covered her astonished laugh with her hand. “And you said you’d been in the navy!”

“I was, God help me.” Yet his face was nearly cleaved in two by that boyish, rapscallion smile. He was as unguarded and open as she had ever seen him.

“I was awful. Completely hopeless. The worst.”

“But you’re so good with boats.”

“Rowing. I’ve learned to be. But I nearly got Jack killed back in the navy. Thought I had done, actually, for years.”

“Oh, no. No.” She reached for his arm, easy and natural, to comfort and reassure him. “You poor thing.”

And then it seemed as if the most natural thing she could do was reach up on her tip toes, and kiss him.

Right there, on his laughing cheek.

He had a dimple, and her mouth landed right there MAY/JUNE 2014

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Historical in the lovely, laughing crease.

Right there in the middle of Cripplegate, with God and everyone in the world watching. It was nothing really, just a quick buss on the cheek—but it was somehow everything. Everything she was feeling. Everything that rose up within her, and had to find expression in action.

Everything she wanted to say and couldn’t.

And so she kissed him.

His skin was rough with the barest rasp of whiskers against her lips. She had pulled back, and turned away before she had time, or thought, to register anything else. But not before she had time to see the almoststunned look upon his face, and see him bring his hand up to touch his just-kissed face.

Heat boiled out of her, basting her from the top of her head down to the toes of her sturdy boots. She was mortified and pleased, and sorry and not sorry, all at the same time.

So she did what she always did when she did not know what to do. She made small talk.

“I went to the Tower once. When I was a girl. To see the lion there.”

“Me, too. Used to sneak in often, or as often as I could get away from my sister. I’d sneak in one gate or another—always thought it a grand lark to sneak into the Tower. But I’d go there, and eat my meat pie.”

It was almost as if he were taking pity on her, and making small talk himself. Except that his talk wasn’t small. It was quite big. Nearly fantastical.

“I loved meat pies. We didn’t have a home where we could cook, so we bought food ready made from carts and cook-houses. My poor sister. I was always hungry. And I’d look at that old lion there at the tower, and he looked hungry, too. And I’d throw him a bit of my meat pie, in solidarity. The keeper used to get after me. Threaten me with his pike.” And he acted it out for her, miming the clumsy oaf of a Yeoman Warder coming after young Tanner with his imaginary pike. “What a life.”

“What an extraordinary life.” And she was glad it had been so.

Glad she had kissed him. Glad he was with her, laughing and having the silliest, easiest fun. Glad he was such a strange, wonderful sort of duke, who had stolen his way across London, and been chased by keepers in their Beefeater reds, and lived his extraordinary life to thrive and be with her. And help her.

And chase after a murderer.

“Oh, God. We’re laughing and Maisy is dead. She’s 94

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not even cold in her grave, because she’s not even in a grave yet. And... And it’s all so...”

“Hard. Yes.” His words were exactly as they had been in the boathouse. “It is hard. Life is hard. All the more reason to laugh while we can, Claire. Don’t you think?”

“I suppose. I suppose I’m just being silly. You must think me mad, laughing one moment, and sober as Friday-faced as a preacher the next.”

“Now that,” he said with another charmingly boyish smile, “is another phrase of the fancy that you ought not to know. Friday-faced. I can’t imagine your very thorough governess taught you that. Your brothers, I assume?”

He was teasing her. “Yes, my brothers. They’re as mad as me. Madder.”

“I don’t think you’re mad, Claire. I think you’ve been up all night, and half the day. I think you’ve been rowed across one half of the county, been walked across the other half of London. And been shoved up against a brick wall and almost raped. If anyone has an excuse to act mad, it’s you. It’s been one hell of a night.”

Claire took a deep, deep breath of London’s coal singed air, and took his hand. “And a day. And it’s not over yet.”

Historical Historical

Author Bio Elizabeth Essex Historical Author

Contact Elizabeth: http://elizabethessex.com https://www.goodreads.com/ author/show/4070864.Elizabeth_Essex http://www.facebook.com/ elizabeth.essex.37 https://twitter.com/EssexRomance

A

ward-winning author of the critically acclaimed Reckless Brides historical romance series. When not rereading Jane Austen, mucking about in her garden or simply messing about with boats, Elizabeth can be always be found with her laptop, making up stories about heroes and heroines who live far more exciting lives than she. It wasn’t always so. Elizabeth graduated from Hollins College with a BA in Classics and Art History, and then earned her MA in Nautical Archaeology from Texas A&M University. While she loved the life of an underwater archaeologist, she has found her true calling writing lush, lyrical historical romance full of passion, daring and adventure.

Her books have been nominated for numerous awards, including the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, and RWA’s prestigious RITA Award, and have made Top-Ten lists from Romantic Times, The Romance Reviews and Affaire de Coeur Magazine, and Desert Isle Keeper status at All About Romance. Her fifth book, A BREATH OF SCANDAL, was awarded Best Historical in the Reader’s Crown 2013.

Elizabeth lives in Texas with her husband, the indispensable Mr. Essex, and her active and exuberant family in an old house filled to the brim with books.

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reader

question with bestselling author

Deeanne Gist

A RomCon® Reader asks Deeanne: Why did you choose the Historical Genre?

Watch Deeanne’s video answer. Click here.

Historical Historical

l a c i r o t s Hi Score: Book Title: Author: 7.75 In The Arms of An Earl Anna Small FINALIST The Honor of a Highlander April Holthaus 7.03 The Reluctant Bride Beverley Eikli 7.3 Highland Courage Ceci Giltenan FINALIST Highland Solution Ceci Giltenan FINALIST Broken Legacy Colleen Connally FINALIST Mine To Tell Colleen L. Donnelly FINALIST The Seduction of Madalyn Cynthia Clement FINALIST Heiress Bride Cynthia Woolf FINALIST Fiery Bride Cynthia Woolf FINALIST The Highlander’s Sin Eliza Knight 7.7 Freedom of Love G.S. Carr FINALIST A Family Affair Jennifer Wenn FINALIST Taken By the Duke Jess Michaels FINALIST Learning to Waltz Kerryn Reid FINALIST An Irresistible Shadow Kirsten S. Blacketer 7.33 Alligator Pear Linda P. Kozar 7.7 Spy Catcher Lindsay Downs 7.33 Upon Your Return Marie Lavender 7.08 Tempted by Adam May Williams FINALIST In Your Arms Merry Farmer 7.5 Conquest of the Heart Michele Stegman 7 Escaping West Morgan K Wyatt 7.17 Laying Claim Paty Jager FINALIST Games Sandy Loyd FINALIST Temptation Sandy Loyd FINALIST Aundy Shanna Hatfield FINALIST The Christmas Bride Sylvia McDaniel FINALIST Duke of a Gilded Age S.G. Rogers FINALIST Jessamine’s Folly S.G. Rogers FINALIST A Thin Line Tammy Jo Burns FINALIST A Traitorous Heart Tammy Jo Burns FINALIST Highland Healer Willa Blair FINALIST Highland Seer Willa Blair Only books with a Reader Rating Score of 7.0+ are listed.

A book listed as a FINALIST has received a score of 8.0+ and is a finalist in the Readers’ Crown contest. Winners are announced June 20, 2014 at RomCon® 2014.

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Historical

HISTORICAL EXCERPT:

REDEEMED

BY A REBEL

BY CYNTHIA WOOLF

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PROLOGUE April 1876 St. Louis, Missouri

T

he iron pressed against Jake Anderson’s back was almost as cold as the rain pouring out of the night sky.

“Knock on the door,” demanded his brother Zach, his voice angry and on edge.

Jake did as he was told and pounded on the front door, hard enough to be heard over the din of the rain.

“What the hell?” said his eldest brother, Liam, when he opened the door. “Jake? Zach? What are you two doing here? It’s the middle of the night.”

Zach growled from behind Jake. “Are you going to let us in or make us stand in this rain all night?”

“Come in. Zach, put that gun away.”

“Can’t until the kid here,” he poked Jake in the back with the gun, “is inside and we’ve talked to you.”

Jake walked into the foyer of the house his oldest brother owned in St. Louis. Steamer trunks and carpet bags lined the hallway down to the parlor.

“Sorry to do this to you, Liam. I know you’re leaving tomorrow,” said Zach, laying his hat on one of the trunks.

Jake threw his hat on the trunk next to Zach’s.

“Yes. At first light. Now, tell me what’s going on and why you brought Jake here at gun point,” said Liam.

“Only way I could get him to come.”

“And?” Liam said, exasperated. “Don’t make me beat the story out of you word by word, little brother. Just tell me the problem.”

Liam pointed at the two chairs in front of the fire, then went to the fireplace and stoked the banked coals to life. He added a piece of wood to the tiny flames before he turned once again to face

Historical Historical them. “Jake. You first,” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.

“I killed an army captain,” Jake said, refusing to sit.

He couldn’t sit. Couldn’t be still. He wanted to scream at the injustice, shout at God for his betrayal.

“Why’d you do a damn fool thing like that?”

Jake shrugged. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” countered Liam.

Zach put away his gun. “No, there’s not,” said Zach.

“There was reason for it, but he did kill the man. I use the word ‘man’ loosely.”

“Damn it, Jake. They’ll hunt you down and hang you for this.” Liam had been a colonel with seventeen years service, Jake knew he was familiar with military justice.

“The son of a bitch deserved to die. And as soon as I can, I’m going to kill the other bastard, too.”

“He’s mine,” snarled Zach.

“Who?” asked Liam.

“The colonel.”

“Jesus! You two had better tell me what’s going on.

Start at the beginning.”

Jake began to pace.The hardwood creaked under his weight and small droplets of water from his wet boots followed in his wake. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to relive that moment when he’d lost Elizabeth, but he knew he had to. For Liam. So he’d understand.

“I went to see Elizabeth just like I did every day, just to snatch a few minutes together.” His voice broke and he paused, gathering himself to face the memory. “Her mother and aunt kept her pretty busy with wedding plans so we didn’t get to see much of each other.

“When I got there, I heard a gunshot come from the house. I ran to the door but the damn thing was locked and I had to break it down. I lost precious moments doing that. When I got to the parlor, there were two men standing over Elizabeth. Her face was bloodied.”

Jake’s voice cracked.

As if the memory were there, right there, and he was watching it all over again, he felt the color flee his face as he remembered Elizabeth’s. He wet his lips and continued on choked words. “Her dress was ripped, skirt bunched around her waist. The one holding the gun was a colonel and the other was a captain. Both in full uniform. The bastard captain was buttoning his pants when I walked in. I shot him on the spot.

“As soon as the colonel saw me, he ran out the other door toward the kitchen. I followed but he was on his horse and riding away by the time I reached the

back door.”

Jake stopped. His body shook. His hands fisted and white knuckled. He took several deep breaths to quell the tears before he could continue.

He watched his brothers eyes fill with pity and he knew he had to finish.

Jake continued as though he were reciting a story.

It was the only way he could get through the whole thing, the only way he could relive those moments.

“When I got back to the parlor, I went immediately to Elizabeth and got down on my knees beside her. The bastard colonel had shot her in the chest, but she was still breathing. She opened her eyes. They were filled with terror until she realized who I was.” His voice cracked. He paused. It was too fresh. The memory too new and painful. Rage filled him.

“Jake,” she said to me. “I tried to stop them, I tried.”

“Shhh,” I told her. “You’re going to be fine. It’s all right.”

“I tried…tried to stop them…stop John but,” she whispered. “I love you, Jake.”

“She closed her eyes and took her last breath in my arms. I held her for I don’t know how long. Finally, I picked her up and laid her on the sofa. I went back to the captain, made sure he was dead and then looked through his pockets to find out anything I could about the colonel.”

“After he’d kicked the shit out of him,” interjected Zach.

“The captain was John Longworth. Elizabeth was engaged to him before we fell in love and she left him to marry me. Longworth was her father’s choice, not Elizabeth’s. She told me stories of the way he treated her. He used to hit her, never where it would show, never where her father could see. I showed her that not all men were monsters. He’d come a long way to do this to her. His papers said he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth.”

Liam turned to Zach. “Isn’t that where you’re assigned?”

“It was,” responded Zach angrily.

“Was?” “Let the kid finish his story. Then, I’ll get to mine.”

Liam nodded. “Continue, Jake.”

“I didn’t know what to do, but I thought I was doing the right thing and went to the sheriff. I explained what I saw and what I did. Then I went to Mayor Green’s office and told him. He sent someone to Aunt May’s to fetch Elizabeth’s mother. I didn’t want Mrs. Green to MAY/JUNE 2014

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Historical come home and find the mess and Elizabeth….”

Jake paused and took a deep breath, needing the air to clear his mind and relaxed his hands not realizing he’d fisted them again until he stopped talking. “After that I went back to her house. The sheriff had already had the undertaker get the bodies.With Elizabeth gone, there wasn’t any reason to stay, so I walked and walked.

I walked all night and somehow ended up at home.

He ran a hand through his hair, still wet on the ends from the downpour outside. “The sheriff came out to my house in the morning, brought my horse with him and took my statement again. That’s when I found out there was another version of what happened. The asshole that got away was Richard Jordan. The bastard told Elizabeth’s father that I’d raped and killed her in a fit of drunken rage and then shot the captain when

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he tried to stop me. Luckily for me, the sheriff didn’t believe him, because I’d gone to him right away and he knew I wasn’t drunk and wasn’t raging against anyone but the sons-a-bitches that did it.”

Jake slumped into a chair, his legs no longer able to support him after reliving the whole bloody mess again.

Zach took over the tale. “That’s where I come in.

The colonel was visiting the fort. Longworth was an old friend of his. Colonel Jordan ordered me and my unit to go with him to arrest Jake. He didn’t know we’re brothers. Colonel Jordan is determined to see Jake hang to protect his career and his own neck. He wants Jake to be tried for murder in an army court.The long and the short of it is, I cold cocked the colonel, my men looked the other way, and I grabbed Jake and ran.”

Zach leaned forward and hung his hands between his knees. “Now we’re both here and on the run from the law. If they catch us, I’ll be court-martialed for attacking a superior officer and for desertion. Jake will be tried for the murder of the captain.”

“Shit!” Liam turned his back on them, his frustration palpable and stared into the flames that were now crackling merrily. “Why’d you come here? I have the kids to think of.”

“We’re not trying to involve you and the kids. I knew you were leaving tomorrow. I wanted to see you before we disappear completely,” said Zach.

Jake, still numb, watched his oldest brother pace the carpet as Jake had been doing only minutes before.

“Liam, I…” Guilt choked the words away.

“What about the sheriff and her father, the mayor?

Don’t they believe you?” asked Liam.

Jake sat back in the chair. He hadn’t slept since the murder happened.Was it really only two days ago? His mind and body were beyond exhaustion. His nerves raw.

“The sheriff believes me and didn’t arrest me. Mayor Green trusts the colonel because he is a colonel and a friend of Elizabeth’s ex-fiancé, Longworth. Jordan has the mayor convinced he and the captain came upon me and I shot the captain. Her father never did cotton to Elizabeth marrying me, a simple farmer, when she could have been a captain’s wife.”

Liam looked at them both. It was a long time before he spoke like he was calculating everything in his mind, weighing each word before he made a decision. “I know you’d like nothing better than to rest, but we can’t. We leave now. Start packing the wagon. We need

Historical Historical to make as much distance as we can before we stop tomorrow. It’s going to be a long journey.”

Liam threw Jake a bag. “Start loading.”

“Where are we going?” asked Jake, clutching the bag, though he didn’t much care where they went.

Everything that mattered in his life was gone.

“Deadwood. In the Dakota territory,” said Liam. “I bought a claim.”

Author Bio Cynthia Woolf Historical Author

DID YOU KNOW?

C

ynthia Woolf’s first historical western romance Tame A Wild Heart, book one of the Tame series, was inspired by her parents first meeting on a ranch in Creede, Colorado.

Her second western series, Matchmaker & Co, is about mail order brides traveling to Golden, Colorado in the 1870’s. The most current series, Destiny in Deadwood, takes place in Deadwood, SD at the time of the gold rush in 1876. It’s the story of three brothers and the lives the women who are their match. Books from her Tame series and the Matchmaker and Co. series have been finalists in the Romcon Readers Crown competition. She expects the current books to be finalists as well. You can find more of Cynthia’s books on her website – www.cynthiawoolf.com

Cynthia Woolf chose RomCon to design the custom book covers for her bestselling books Learn more about having RomCon® design a cover for you.

Click here.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and her critique partners for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.

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