Blog Tour, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~ Alessio (Guzzi Legacy Duet, Book 2)

ALESSIO

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Legacy Duet, #2
Publication Date: August 5, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance, MMF

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SYNOPSIS

The son of a prominent Cosa Nostra Don, Corrado Guzzi’s life should have been all mapped out. He would be what every other Guzzi man was, too—made, mafia. It’s their way. But when given another choice, the chance to be something more, he takes it. Even if it comes with strings.

It’s there that he might find where he belongs, and Alessio Sorrento. The man who could change his whole life.

This love thing? It should have been easy, but they made it hard. Nothing about a relationship like theirs is simple. Dictated by rules, weighed down with things left unsaid, and already hanging by a frayed thread.

This is what love looks like before, and after.
Before she came along.
And after she was there.

It takes one woman to change everything.

Ginevra Calabrese wasn’t ready for this—for them.

So, what happens now?

*

NOTE: Corrado (book one) and Alessio (book two) are a duet within The Guzzi Legacy series, and should be read in order. All other titles in the series are standalone. This is NOT a love triangle.

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Excerpts

Corrado (Guzzi Legacy Duet, Book 1)

“What are you doing?” he snapped. 

Ginevra’s brow knotted, and she glanced down before lifting the book. “I just … wanted to get another book, that’s all. I thought it would be rude to interrupt.” 

“So, instead you eavesdrop?” 

“It’s not like you were being quiet. I could hear you all the way down in my room, thanks.” 

Corrado sucked in a shaky breath, willing his nerves to calm. He was snappy because of the shit happening around him, and sure, Ginevra didn’t help in a lot of ways, but it wasn’t her fault, either. She didn’t choose to be here, but rather, she had been thrown right in the fucking middle of it. 

This whole blow out between Alessio and him had been years in the making, always one step away from it happening. They hung on together by a thread because of literally everything else in their life except Ginevra. 

Sure, she was a catalyst. 

She pushed them over the edge. 

And it still wasn’t her fault … 

She didn’t ask for this, but here she was. It also wasn’t lost on him that there was an almost poetic irony to the fact Corrado had realized all the things he’d done wrong in his relationship, what he wanted with Alessio, and that he was ready to fix it … at the same time he was looking this woman in the face, and feeling something he couldn’t explain for her. 

He wouldn’t say he was in love with her. 

But it was something. 

The only other time he had felt that for anyone was Alessio, and so, he didn’t know how to correlate this thing he felt to anything else.

Koi no yokan, he knew. 

Except … it only made this harder. 

More difficult. 

Compli-fucking-cated. 

Ginevra hadn’t asked for this. 

Neither did Alessio. 

Corrado didn’t know what to do. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “I’m just in a mood lately, is all. It’s not your fault, and I shouldn’t be short with you, Ginny.” 

She didn’t smile. 

She only shrugged. 

“Doesn’t even faze me now,” she replied, “I think it makes sense, actually.” 

“I’m sorry?” 

“Your moods. I thought it was just you before I knew about … him. But now I think it’s really you without him.” 

Corrado’s throat tightened, a lump forming there. 

Why? 

Because she was right. 

Entirely. 

 

 Alessio (Guzzi Legacy Duet, Book 2)

“I noticed she’s not in your bed,” Alessio said. 

“You’re here,” Corrado replied. “I left the option open, if she wanted, and I think her conscience sent her across the hall.” 

Right. 

“Or her morals, yeah?” 

Corrado sighed. “Are they not the same thing?” 

“Not really. One means she might feel guilty, and the other says she thinks it’s wrong to have sex with someone in a relationship with someone else, Corrado. Guilt is a byproduct of an action.” 

“I don’t think the latter is the problem, all things considered.” 

“Or it becomes a problem when the other person is using the bedroom down the hall.” 

“I didn’t come find you to talk about where Ginevra is sleeping,” Corrado said sharply.

Ah. 

Who’s defensive now? 

“Well,” Alessio said, shifting and dropping to the floor eight feet below soundlessly, “I suppose that means you’re sleeping alone then, doesn’t it?” 

Corrado gave him a look. 

Alessio just shrugged. 

That was his way of telling his lover he wouldn’t be joining him in bed, either. And if there was anything Corrado hated the most, it was sleeping alone. Maybe it was because he’d become used to Alessio sharing a bed with him over the years, or because he woke up ready to fuck as soon as he cracked his eyes open. 

It could have been a lot of things. 

“You should suffer a little,” Alessio murmured as he came to stand in front of Corrado in the doorway, “for what you did. Take your penance, Corrado.” 

 

Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

“Koi no yokan.”

Alessio is the second book in The Guzzi Legacy Series. It’s a continuation of Corrado, Ginevra and Alessio’s story. Although it’s been a while since I’ve read a MMF, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I shouldn’t have been surprised that Bethany-Kris surpassed my expectations!

“Loving may make you vulnerable to being hurt, but it’s courageous to love all the same.”

After reading Corrado and the way it left off, I was eager to see how Ginny and Les’ relationship would develop. How they all came together was so beautifully written and the sex scenes were on fire!

“They were three imperfect people who had somehow found a way to fit together.

I am so excited to read more from this series! I’m loving the Guzzi boys, especially Bene because he seems like the fun and easy-going brother. Alessio by Bethany-Kris is an EPIC read that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

~ Thank you to the author for generously providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

READ WHERE IT ALL STARTED…

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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Blog Tour, Review, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Dirty Pool by Bethany-Kris

DIRTY POOL

by Bethany-Kris
Publication Date: May 6, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance, Standalone

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SYNOPSIS

To get what he wants, he’ll have to play a game of dirty pool.

Michel Marcello never wanted to be a mafioso like every other man in his family—he wanted to be more. That doesn’t mean he’s unfamiliar with the life, or that he can’t hold his own against other made men.

They forgot where he came from …

His chance encounter with the fiery and beautiful daughter of Detroit’s most notorious Irish mob boss stokes flames beyond the ones that ignite between Michel and Gabbie Casey. Rivals shouldn’t mix, but these opposites have never been more attracted, either.

The lines between family loyalty, their duties, and responsibility begin to blur.

Love ruins all.

But these two aren’t the only ones playing this game, and it just became far more dangerous to get out alive.

*

Dirty Pool is a standalone romantic suspense.

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REVIEW

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

Michel & Gabbie’s story is another fine example of Bethany-Kris’ consummate writing skills!!!! Another Marcello man to love

“Michel wasn’t like them. He wasn’t obvious. A silent sort of vicious.”

Michel Marcello is mentioned in many of the other Marcello books. You may know his name, but most disregard him because he’s not technically part of the Cosa Nostra family. Be warned, he may not be a made man but that doesn’t mean he knows nothing of his legacy. I love that Michel chooses a different path but still finds himself in trouble.

“A long time ago, Michel had decided that he didn’t want to be … like every other man in his family. It wasn’t because he thought he was better than them, or that he couldn’t handle the way they chose to live. He’d simply wanted to be different, and do more than just the mafia.

…That part of him was just like them—just as volatile, and dangerous. Just as cunning, and quick on his feet. He simply didn’t show it.”

Gabbie Casey is a perfect match for Michel. She’s got spirit, also she is just as fierce and loyal as any other Marcello female. Despite the bad blood between the Italians and the Irish, Michel and Gabby do not want to let each other go so they fight hard to keep each other. ‘Cause that’s love!

“Love came when one was not expecting it because one could not plan for love. That wasn’t how it worked. Love was not meant to be a thing you went out and found for yourself, because it was the thing that found you.”

This is another great book by Bethany-Kris that I highly recommend reading. I found another EPIC read. Dirty Pool by Bethany-Kris will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

~Thank you to the author and Indie Sage PR for generously providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.~

ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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Limited Time Sale: Heath by K. Webster and Nikki Ash

Heath

by K Webster and Nikki Ash
Publication Date: October 25, 2018
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

99¢ Limited Time Only: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

What you can expect from Heath:
It’s hot!
It’s sexy!
It’s emotional!
It’s full of angst!
It’s a love story unlike anything you’ve read!
A modern telling of a classic tale…
This isn’t a typical love story. This is a story of what happens when love is so powerful and all-consuming that it has the ability to destroy everyone involved. It’s definitely not pretty and it’s certainly not a fairytale, but it’s their story and it couldn’t be told any other way.
“Who do you love?” I ask, my lips delicately brushing over hers. “A madman,” she teases.
If God had a plan, it didn’t include us. Nothing this fiery—this intense—could come from the heavens. The flames that continually burn through us are straight from the bowels of hell. A devil and his queen.
The powers she has over me are unexplainable. Otherworldly. An intensity that doesn’t die out with this lifetime, but will drag me into the next because we are linked in a way that transcends everything.

About K. Webster


K Webster is the author of dozens romance books in many different genres including contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance, and erotic romance. When not spending time with her husband of twelve years and two adorable children, she’s active on social media connecting with her readers.
Her other passions besides writing include reading and graphic design. K can always be found in front of her computer chasing her next idea and taking action. She looks forward to the day when she will see one of her titles on the big screen.

 

About Nikki Ash


Nikki Ash resides in South Florida where she is an English teacher and mom by day and a writer by night. When she’s not writing, you can find her with a book in her hand. From the Boxcar Children to Wuthering Heights to the latest Single Parent Romance, she has lived and breathed every type of book.
Reading is like breathing in, writing is like breathing out. – Pam Allyn
While reading and writing are her passions, her two children are her entire world. You can probably find them at a Disney park before you would find them at home on the weekends!

Cover Reveal & Giveaway: Spoken by Melanie Weiss

SPOKEN

by Melanie Weiss
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Genres: Adult, Young Adult, Coming of Age

AVAILABLE NOW! (#Free with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS

High school freshman Roman Santi has everything — good looks, great friends, a mansion with an infinity swimming pool — except the one thing he really wants. A relationship with his father.

When Roman’s life gets turned upside down, (thanks, Mom!?), he is forced to leave his pampered Hollywood lifestyle and move into his grandparents’ Midwestern home. Sleeping on a lumpy pullout sofa and starting at a new high school is the worst, but Roman’s life starts to look up when his pink-haired friend, Zuzu, and his crush, a classmate named Claire, introduce him to performance poetry through the high school’s Spoken Word Club. While his mom is flying back and forth to L.A., trying to return them to the life they had, Roman becomes part of a diverse group of characters who challenge his rather privileged view of the world. Through Spoken Word, Roman recognizes the hole in his own life he needs to fill and discovers his voice. Spoken Word leads Roman on a journey of new friendships, first love, and finding the dad he never knew.

“Spoken” is an uplifting, funny, and heartfelt coming-of-age story that captures how the honesty of performance poetry binds together students from all different walks of life and forever changes Roman’s life.

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EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

I crash onto the brown leather sofa in the family room, even though I’m all sweaty from playing an hour of basketball with Sebastian. I jam a mound of Chunky Monkey into my mouth straight from the container. Those are two things I’m not supposed to do in my house.

Technically, this is Kirk’s house, but my mom and I have lived here for four years, so, basically, it’s my house, too. I’m watching, for the umpteenth time, Catch Me if You Can, which is one of Kirk’s favorite movies. I figure that cancels out the other stuff I shouldn’t be doing.

Rather than more hanging out, I know I need to deal with The Iliad, which Mrs. Lee assigned us last week in English. But if there ever was a quick fix for wanting to read, this 750-page epic Greek poem written a thousand years ago would do the trick. I mean, maybe in college you have to read a book like that. In ninth grade, it’s just a sadistic teacher move. I’ll look at the SparkNotes later on, which is probably what every single kid in the class will be doing.

I commit to the seventy-inch screen and burrow my whole body into the cushy sofa. I love this part, where a teenage con artist, played by Leo DiCaprio, starts to write his name on the chalkboard, introducing himself as the substitute teacher, even though he is really another student in the class.

Just as I’m comfortably comatose, I hear tires screech into the driveway. As I look out the window, Kirk jumps from his silver Mercedes sedan and rushes toward the house. Now this is weird, because Kirk is never home before dinner on a weekday, especially when he’s directing a movie, like he is now, on the Universal backlot.

I slide down lower on the couch, but he doesn’t even glance my way. I watch as Kirk, his face flushed red, charges through the marble foyer and up the stairs toward the master bedroom suite. His hefty frame makes a loud thud on each step as he climbs.

I grab another full spoon of ice cream and return my attention to Leo, but then I hear the yelling.

“This is shameful, Steph!” Kirk screams at my mom.

The bedroom door slams shut. Now it’s just muffled voices as they continue to argue. I drop the full spoon back into the sweating carton, not hungry anymore. This is ratcheted up way past their usual fighting.

I turn the volume up on the TV, hoping that will help me focus on what’s in front of me instead of what’s going on upstairs.

Then I see a few big drips of ice cream on the dark cushion between my legs.

“Shit!” I say to myself as I lean forward to mop up the mess with my T-shirt. My smearing has the wrong result. The white, sticky stain takes on a life of its own.

I don’t need Kirk to see this and be pissed at me today, too. Mom’s got him worked up enough about something.

I shift my thigh so it’s covering the evidence. I’ll deal with it later.

Turning my head to look up at the stairs, I wonder what annoying thing Mom did now. I’m caught off guard as I see her whip down the stairs, calling frantically from the hallway, “Roman, where are you?” Seeing me on the sofa, she rushes into the room. As she grabs my hand, my left thigh sharply separates from the sofa, and she pulls me up to my feet.

“We’re leaving here. We have to go now.”

Mom sniffles big. Her eyes are wet and red. She’s wearing white shorts and a black tank top with the word PINK spelled out in pink rhinestones. Her dark hair is shoved into a messy ponytail. This is not how my mom would ever leave the house. Something bad happened.

“Pack some clothes,” she says softly. “And your toothbrush.”

Dazed, I stand my ground until she grabs my arm and marches me through the sparkling kitchen, with its white-marble countertops and two of everything—two fridges, two ovens, and even two dishwashers. Sunlight pours in through the many windows. I’m hurried past the kitchen island, with its four red-leather barstools. I’ve spent countless hours here, sitting on my butt and eating, doing homework, or just hanging out.

I’m not giving up all this awesomeness, am I?

ABOUT MELANIE WEISS

Melanie Weiss is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and worked as a journalist for newspapers and magazines for 20 years. She began writing her novel, Spoken, shortly after her younger child left for college in 2015 and she became an “empty nester.” She currently manages a scholarship foundation at her local high school that provides scholarship support to more than 60 graduating high school seniors each year. Spoken is her first novel but it won’t be her last.

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Publicist | Literary Agent | Book Consultant
IG @TheLiteraryLobbyist

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Runaways by Rachel Swindon

RUNAWAYS

by Rachel Sawden
Publication Date: November 9, 2018
Genres: Adult, Women’s Fiction, Travel, Romance


🌴 ✈️ REVIEW ✈️ 🌴

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 STARS

Runaways is Rachel Sawden’s debut novel. I found that the author did an amazing job of taking the reader on enlightening excursions through Harper Rodrigues and her two best friends road to self discovery while traveling.

Harper likes to be in control and plan all facets of her life. She sets aside her dreams after her sister’s unexpected death for the stable and steady life that she thinks she needs to live.

“Fail to plan, plan to fail” became my new mantra to handle the ebb and flow of my emotions.”

After some unfortunate events early in the novel, Harper reaches a crossroads in her life where all her plans will have to change. She decides to embark on the trip with her best friends using her life savings and chase her dreams of traveling the world and taking amazing photographs.

This book is takes you on an adventure and you experience it along with Harper, Lana and Jade, as well as all the various people they meet on their travels. I found this to be a very enjoyable read and recommend this book. Thank you to the author and Indie Sage PR for generously providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Runaways by Rachel Sawden will join the ranks of BIBLIO-SUPERIOR!

AVAILABLE NOW! (#Free with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS

Harper Rodrigues’ five-year plan was on track. She’d worked hard to secure her graduate marketing job, her boyfriend Adam was set to propose any day, and she was learning to process the death of her sister. She’d been through some dark times, but there was light at the end of the tunnel.

At least, that’s how it had seemed until the day she was fired in the morning and dumped by nightfall.
Now, with her life plans in ruins, Harper turns to her best friends who are going on the trip of a lifetime – five-months traveling across Asia and Oceania. Determined to see the silver lining in her unraveled plans, she decides to book a plane ticket to join them and resurrect her dreams of becoming a travel photographer.

But Harper’s travels aren’t all sunshine and cocktails. With Adam begging for her forgiveness and proposing on the eve of her departure, Harper knows she must be on her best behavior. But when she meets Xavier, an enigmatic poet on the beaches of Goa, that may just be easier said than done.

Runaways is the empowering and racy tale of one woman’s voyage of self-discovery. A must-read for fans of travelogues and romance alike.

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ABOUT RACHEL SAWDEN

Writer, traveler, content creator, master of random jobs, avoider of the 9-5. In 2010, Rachel Sawden set off on a trip around the world hoping to be given a sign of what to do with her life. That sign never appeared. It turned out the entire trip was the sign. When she returned to her home in Bermuda, she began to write about the countries she traveled to because she was still obsessed with them and had run out of people to listen to her drone on about her trip. She turned a life-long personal challenge of ‘write a book’ into Runaways, her debut novel. She has continued to travel, take photos, and write ever since.

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Cover Reveal & Giveaway : Contempt by Bethany-Kris

CONTEMPT

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #3
Publication Date: March 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

Cover Reveal Credits: London Miller

SYNOPSIS

How much is too much?

Five years—that was the deal. Renzo Zulla gave up five years of his life to repay a debt to an organization that only wanted to break him before they could make him. Their way, their rules. He doesn’t move without their okay, even if his latest job puts him right in front of her. But the five years are almost up, and he knows exactly where he’s going first.

Love doesn’t follow rules …

Heartbroken and alone—that’s how she survives. Lucia Marcello is alive, but a part of her still feels dead without him. She’s spent far too much time running away from her past and the pain she constantly holds tight because it’s easier than hating the people who caused it. But life has a way of bringing you back when your heart never will.

Love doesn’t fade …

But time means nothing, and forever might be only an illusion for them. Because where fate doesn’t step in, reality does. If hate is a game you play with your heart, and contempt is the game you play with your mind … where does that leave love?

Vendettas don’t care about love.

It’s in God’s hands now.

Note: CONTEMPT is the final book in a three-book Trilogy following the same couple.

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EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

Lucia couldn’t breathe.

Oh, God.

She couldn’t fucking breathe.

She felt frozen on the side of the road. Standing just beyond the sidewalk, people blew behind her going in all directions. She could see people walking on the other side of the street, too. Going to somewhere, or coming from something. She didn’t know, but they all seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Her world had slowed.

Almost stopped.

Like her heart.

She was sure her manicured fingernails were digging crescent marks into her palms, but fuck, she couldn’t feel anything. Nothing but the beats of her heart. A thump-thump-thumping beat that felt like it was about to pulse its way right out of her chest, if it were possible.

She couldn’t hear anything, either. The city had seemed so loud to her that day. Almost two weeks in New York, and for whatever reason, the city came alive more than ever. And just like that, with a split second, it turned into nothing. No noise; nothing. There was only a rushing in her ears—her blood, she knew.

She had seen him.

Didn’t she?

She saw Renzo.

He was different, sure. Gone was the young man, and in his place was someone else who looked like him and stood like he used to. Gone was that leather jacket that he told her once he had won in a bare-knuckle boxing match. In its place was a new leather jacket full of zippers and opened so she could see the barest hint of ink peeking out at his throat. Strong features dusted with dark facial hair, and eyes so fucking expressive.

Those eyes hadn’t changed.

Even from all the way across the street, it had been his eyes that she noticed first.

Hadn’t it been him?

It had to be him.

Where had he gone?

Lucia felt like she had suddenly walked into the Twilight Zone, and absolutely nothing felt right or made sense. She knew that she probably looked like an idiot standing there on the side of the street staring across as though a ghost had just crossed her line of vision.

But that’s exactly what it felt like, too.

He was the fucking ghost.

A ghost from her past.

Sort of.

Renzo couldn’t be from her past when he had never left her mind, right? He still felt like a constant presence in her life every single day. He was never far from her thoughts. He was always in her heart, even though it felt empty, too.

God.

She couldn’t date because this man had ruined everything for her. Sex, men … love. All of it. She didn’t even try.

Her mind screamed move.

Her body didn’t.

She closed her eyes, and opened them again, looking away from the passing cab to stare across the street, only to find it was empty. Coming to visit Rose had been a last-minute decision—she kept in contact with Renzo’s younger sister just because she felt like it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, she didn’t call as often as she wanted to, and she certainly didn’t get to visit as much as she should, but Rose had never said anything one way or another.

And Diego …

That kid couldn’t wait to get on the phone with her. He could chat for hours about the most mundane things, but Lucia didn’t care. She would sit there and listen to him go on and on as long as he wanted her to listen.

She figured that since she was in the city, the least she could do was stop by. Especially as she still wasn’t sure when she was going back to Cali.

But she had not been expecting to see …

Well, had she even seen him?

It felt like her mind and heart had played a trick on her. It was as though she stepped out of that car, and saw what she wanted to see, and maybe … not what was there. Was that even possible?

Lucia didn’t know.

It felt like it.

Jesus.

But in her heart?

Her gut?

Her lungs?

That lost soul of hers?

It all said the same thing … she’d seen him.

She knew.

The parts of her that mattered—they knew.

DON’T MISS THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY! FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED!

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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Release Blitz & Giveaway: Stalk Her by Ker Dukey

NEW RELEASE FROM

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING AUTHOR KER DUKEY

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A $20 GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY

 

STALK HER

A DUKEY’S DARK DELIGHTS TITLE.

A collection of Dinky (small) Dark reads.

by KER DUKEY

Ever get that feeling you’re being watched?

You probably are.

Her sad eyes.

Her thick lips.

Her long dark hair.

Her quickening of breath.

Her hurried footsteps.

Her undiluted fear.

The anxiety a woman has when she knows she’s being followed does something to the sadistic animal inside me.

We all have issues, mine just run a little deeper than most.

My sister and I had a childhood tarnished by an abusive parent.

We grew up two very different breeds of our mothers’ creation.

Then I discover the beautiful, yet broken, Alice Young.

She’s seeking advice, a place to unburden her thoughts.

What she gets is a dangerous, callous predator who wants to quench his thirst with her tears.

My precious, Alice, feels so alone, but she’s not alone.

I’m watching her.

Erik Ross feeds on the fear of others.

Alice Young may prove to be too damaged, for even his appetite.

 

 

STALK HER

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Meet Author Ker Dukey

I have always had a passion for storytelling, whether it be through lyrics or bedtime stories with my sisters. I wanted to be an actress growing up so I could live many roles but I learned early on that my mind was too active… I would want to change the script. I would watch films and think of ways they could have improved the story if they took another direction so I thought it best that I tell my own.

My mum would always have a book in her hand when I was young and passed on her love for reading, inspiring me to venture into writing my own. I tend to have a darker edge to my writing. Not all love stories are made of light, some are created in darkness but are just as powerful and worth telling.

When I’m not lost in the world of characters I love spending time with my family. I’m a mum and that comes first in my life but when I do get down time I love attending music concerts or reading events with my younger sister.

You can find me on Facebook where I love interacting with my readers.

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Release Blitz, Review & Giveaway: Lust (The Elite Seven, #1) by Ker Dukey

 

NOW’S YOUR CHANCE TO DELVE INTO THE SECRET SOCIETY

 

THE ELITE SEVEN

LUST an Elite Seven novel by Ker Dukey is LIVE!!

Keep reading to grab your copy & to enter to win a $20 gift card!!!

 

I was born with wealth, athletic ability, and looks that could melt the panties off a nun.
I had a clear path to success.
Until fate dealt me a cruel blow, leaving me empty and in need of purpose.
My only focus now is to become part of The Elite—a secret society in one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.
But everything comes at a price, and with The Elite, you have to earn your place.
Lucky for me, being sinful is in my DNA.
The only obstacle to full initiation is my task: seduce the un-seducible, the forbidden, and lure her with the sins of the flesh.
Easy for a man like me…in theory.
She started as my task, but what happens when the lines between lust and love blur, and the need for power rages war with the need for her?
Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak—they’re for The Elite.
This is my life, my chance, my legacy.
I am Rhett Masters.
I am Lust.

 

📚 REVIEW 📚

LUST (The Elite Seven, #1)

By: Ker Dukey

Publication Date: February 11, 2019


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 STARS

Lust is the first book in The Elite Seven Series. This is definitely a MUST read! The author’s writing really had me enthralled! This is the first novel I’ve read by Ker Dukey and I was expecting something darker, as most of her books are noted to be a darker romance.

“Lust is a force all its own. It consumes the mind and body, and causes even the most loyal to indulge in its sinful ways.”

This story follows Rhett Butler and his journey to become part of the Elite. It’s truly tragic what caused him to feel he needed the Elite and my heart broke for Rhett. As the story develops we are introduced to Chastity Griffin. This is where things change and the plot thickens. With his actions or lack there of, we discover more about this Elite society.

Overall, a great introduction to the other six “deadly sins” and to the secret Elite society. Thank you to the author for providing me an ARC of this book. Lust by Ker Dukey will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ELITE…how fitting!!!😉


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The Elite Seven

7 AUTHORS.
7 STORIES.
7 DEADLY SINS.

 

Since 1942, The Elite Seven Society have created and guided influential leaders, molding the country into something better. This society was birthed by Malcom Benedict, II who wanted more for Americans. More wealth. More influence. More power. Some leaders have the skills, but not the influence, and that simply wasn’t fair according to Mr. Benedict. He invested his own money and time to construct a society that bred the best of the best, year after year.

But to be the best, you must be ruthless.

Good leaders make sacrifices. Sometimes the sacrifices are hard, but the rewards are plentiful. Mr. Benedict made sure to indulge these leaders with their utmost desires. A devout Catholic himself, he designed a society that rewarded his leaders with the sins that were frowned upon. If they were giving up love and happiness and joy for the betterment of the country, they deserved something in its stead.

Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.

Choosing leaders for this society means that it takes intense focus. Only seven are to be selected, and the investments and time are showered upon the new seven chosen every four years. The predecessors of each group of seven choose people who fit the sin that will mold them into who they are needed to be in the future—what America needs them to be. This is after a detailed study of many potential candidates. The university’s acting dean behaves as a liaison for the society bringing the college applicants to the predecessors so that the selection may begin. The society members who are going out will bring forth a candidate that the society votes on and approves.

After they are chosen, the initiates are given a token and an invitation to initiation. The initiation will be a test to their character and ability to do what’s right for the betterment of the society. Once the initiates pass their test, they are discreetly branded with the mark of the society, and are groomed through challenges during the course of their elite education to breed them into the influential people they were meant to be.

Once in The Elite Seven, there is no getting out. The money and power are their reward. Should they choose to stray or break the rules, the society strips them of everything. Anything they once had will be removed. Opportunities will never arise. They will no longer have the support of the society. To this day, there have been no known occurrences of anyone from the society having to be banished. This elite group of people are what every young man and woman aspire to be a part of. While the group is a secret society, they are whispered about amongst the privileged folks in the country. Anyone who is anyone knows of the group and secretly hopes it’s their son or daughter who are selected, for good fortune is showered on the family for decades to come.

Lust: NOW LIVE

I was born with wealth, athletic ability, and looks that could melt the panties off a nun.
I had a clear path to success.
Until fate dealt me a cruel blow, leaving me empty and in need of purpose.
My only focus now is to become part of The Elite—a secret society in one of the most prestigious colleges in the world.
But everything comes at a price, and with The Elite, you have to earn your place.
Lucky for me, being sinful is in my DNA.
The only obstacle to full initiation is my task: seduce the un-seducible, the forbidden, and lure her with the sins of the flesh.
Easy for a man like me…in theory.
She started as my task, but what happens when the lines between lust and love blur, and the need for power rages war with the need for her?
Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak—they’re for The Elite.
This is my life, my chance, my legacy.
I am Rhett Masters.
I am Lust.

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Pride: Releasing February 25th

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.

But who said the devil was a he?

In my world, she was out to cause havoc on all our lives.

She’ll use the one thing I care most about to control me—force me into her Elite world, filled with sin, deceit, and power. And under her spell, I’ll lead a sinister brotherhood of seven at one of the most prestigious universities in New Orleans.

Seven tasks set forth by the devil herself, promising nothing less than the forbidden fruit of power. What they don’t understand is it will all end in bloodshed and regret.

They call me the alpha. The one in charge. The one with pride bigger than any task I could be given. And my pride won’t let me be anywhere but at the top of the food chain until she gives me what I truly want.

My task is Meghan Thorne.

She’s too pure for me to touch, too good for me to ruin—and the only thing standing in my way to freedom.

Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak…they’re for The Elite.

As they say, pride comes before the fall.

I am Mason Blackwell.

I am Pride.

PRIDE By J.D Hollyfield

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Wrath: Releasing March 11th

I’m a motherless son to a father who hates me. Fury has lived and breathed in my black heart for so long, it’s a part of my soul now. The only thing that’s ever mattered to me is protecting my twin sister, Sabella, from my father’s temper.

So when the chance to join a secret society presents itself, there’s no question I’ll do whatever it takes to become a member and earn my place in the ranks of only the most Elite.

With a taste for the deviant, I’m drawn to the darkest of desires, and no one ever leaves my bed unscathed.
My task: seduce Patience Noelle, St. Augustine’s sweetheart and the mayor’s beloved daughter—then break her heart.

Sinning is what I live for, and deviance is my passion. Failing has never been an option.

But what happens when my sin becomes my curse—when destroying the only woman I’ve ever wanted is my key to protecting my sister?
Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak…they’re for The Elite.

This isn’t just my chance, it’s my legacy and reckoning.
I am Samuel Gunner.
I am WRATH

WRATH by Claire C. Riley

 

Envy: Releasing March 25th

It was temptation that broke the sinner.

People say I have everything.
They’re wrong.
I may have looks, money, and privilege, but I don’t have the one thing that really matters, the one thing I crave: a woman with eyes only for me.
I’m searching for my woman—one who will fall to her knees because I’m her king. She’ll wear the crown of my tarnished name, and long for me when I’m not near. And when I am close, she’ll be naked across my lap, feeling the sting of my palm across her milky skin.
You could say I’m a sinner because I’d do anything to have the perfect woman—compliant to my every need and whim—and I’m envious of every couple who walks around naive to the luxury they have.

That’s why I joined The Elite, the most prestigious brotherhood in the south.
It’s the one place that will give me what I cannot have.
Only…the task assigned to me is too much for my jealous eyes.
Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak…they’re for The Elite.
Those who envy have no peace.
My name is Sabastian Westbrook.
I am Envy.

ENVY by M.N Forgy

 

Greed: Releasing April 8th

I was born into a world of darkness—one that never touched me when I was around my brother, Mason Blackwell. Leader of The Elite Seven. The thing about darkness, though, is it’s persistent. Eventually, it pushes itself into my life, penetrating my soul and leaving its stench latched to every vein, rooted inside every bone, and sunken into every pore. I thought I reached rock bottom when I fell in love with my brother’s best friend. My very own brand of drug with no comedown. My own nightmare I never woke from. But I was wrong. So very wrong. When I returned to New Orleans, I arrived as a shell of the girl they once knew. Put on a smile. Be the sweet innocent girl they remember.

I’m Evie Blackwell, hostage to my demons. Can the damned be saved?

I’ve done some unforgivable acts in my years, but I never asked for forgiveness. Nothing beats the feeling of wrapping my hand around someone’s throat and watching as their life bleeds down their cheeks. She was everything I should have stayed away from. The first night I saw her, I knew I was doomed—a slave to the girl with the pretty eyes and soft smile. The girl who turned out to be my best friend’s baby sister. I couldn’t stay away. I had to be near her, even if it meant ruining her in the process. I wanted to wreck her, so I could piece her back together—a puzzle only I knew how to solve.

I’m Micah Dixon.
Greed.
I come for everything and get everything I come for—and I want all of her. But she’s changed, and so have I.
I’m much, much worse now…

GREED By Amo Jones

 

Gluttony: Releasing April 22nd

My life has been served to me on a gold platter to be devoured by my silver spoon.

Money, money, and more money. It’s the backbone of the Goddard name. I’m the only son, so it’s all mine for the taking.

But sometimes money isn’t enough. I always want more, yet nothing seems to satisfy me.

My father has made sure I become a part of The Elite Seven. Where most candidates are chosen, I was given my place. Everything comes at a price, though. Luckily, I can afford any price—no one has more money than God.

The Elite Seven have their initiations. My assignment is personal and beneath me: steal a car and send a warning. It’ll hurt my best friend in the process, but we both made a pact going into this. There’s no line we won’t cross.

My task makes an ugly turn and I nearly take a life. Such a small, unimportant person—someone no one would even notice was gone. She’s a problem my money and power can easily sweep under the rug.

It’s what my father wants. It’s what my brothers want. But when she finally opens those big, innocent brown eyes, I realize I’ve found what I’ve been searching for my entire life. I don’t want my little problem to disappear…I want to keep her.

Accept your sin wisely, for the tasks given to earn your place are not for the weak—they’re for The Elite.

Money is my legacy, but I want something money can’t buy.
I am Baxter Samuel Goddard V.
I am Gluttony.

GLUTTONY by K. Webster

 

Sloth: Releasing May 13th

I don’t give a fuck.
Not about money or fame, beauty or power. I’ve had all those things since birth, and trust me, they’re a fucking snooze.
I don’t give a fuck about anyone, not even myself.
Until my father proves evil can exist in the most holy of places. For the first time ever, something like interest stirs in my soul.
He wants me to enroll at St. Augustine.
Join The Elite.
Court the virginal daughter of Archbishop Savoie.
Prove to him I’m worth the family name.
I’ll do it all.
And I’ll do it so well, no one will know what’s coming. People are so quick to underestimate the wicked and lazy.
They forget idle hands are the best tools for the devil’s work.
I am Rush Dempsey.
I am Sloth.

SLOTH By Giana Darling

 

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway: Salvatore by Cecy Robson

SALVATORE

by Cecy Robson
Publication Date: March 13, 2019
Genres: Adult, Gritty, Contemporary, Romance, Standalone

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SYNOPSIS

Desperate men do desperate things . . .

Salvatore Torre is a dangerous man. If you’ve lived the life Sal has, rage is to be expected and maybe so is heart. After his father killed his mother in a jealous rage, Sal was left to raise his two younger brothers, becoming a parent long before he was ready.

Desperate for money to support his family, Sal sought help from his old friend, Vincent Maggiano, the son of New Jersey’s top crime boss being groomed to take over his ailing father’s empire.

Sal never planned to join the mob. He also never planned to fall for his brother’s sweet and ultra conservative counselor, Adrianna Daniels.

Aedry isn’t the type of girl Sal is usually drawn to. Her skirts are longer, her hair is tamer, and her heels aren’t clear. But he can’t deny the attraction he feels. And Salvatore’s dark, sexy, and dangerous persona is the exact opposite of the clean-cut business men who usually catch Aedry’s attention.

Neither planned on a life of crime nor did they plan on love. But now, both are in too far.

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT- CHAPTER ONE

“What do you think, Salvatore?”

Donnie taps her iPad with her long red nails when she finds yet another pair of shoes she wants. Like I actually give a shit what she’s buying with Vincent’s money.

“Sure. Get them,” I answer, not bothering to really look and fixing my gaze back on the door.

She pouts in that way that annoys me, but probably gets Vin hard. “That’s what you said about the other six. I’m serious. Which ones should I get?”

I don’t have to tell her that Vincent will buy her whatever she wants so long as she keeps blowing him, but I come close. The muscles along my back are ready to tear away from the bone. Every nerve along my spine fires a warning that shit’s about to go down. But I don’t show it, my face giving nothing away. “Donnie, I’m paid to watch your back. Not help you pick out shoes,” I mutter.

She starts to argue, but a knock to the door shuts her up, so does me motioning her to the corner. She may spend her days worrying about what she looks like and what she’ll wear, but she’s not stupid enough to ignore me.

I lean against the wall, opposite the door. Donnie might have shrugged off Vin yelling down the hall, but I didn’t. He isn’t happy. Neither are the other mob bosses in Jersey. It won’t be long before hell itself rains down on us. “Yeah?” I ask, keeping my deep voice casual, like my piece isn’t already clutched in my hands.

“Vincent wants you in on the meeting,” Lucca says.

Lucca’s smart. And for someone who hasn’t been in the family long, he’s tough and good on his feet. But I pick up enough in his voice to know this meeting’s not going as planned. So maybe Vin didn’t send for me. Maybe Lucca thinks I’m needed. If so, things are a lot worse than I thought.

Donnie looks at me, her preoccupation with shoes nothing more than a memory. “Lock the door behind me,” I tell her.

She rushes forward. I snag her elbow and pull her in tight to whisper in her ear. “You hear shots, you leave out the back, through the alley and down the street. Find a diner, a store, any place with lots of people. Got me?”

She nods, but she’s trembling already. Shots fired means there are plenty more to come. The other family knows who Donnie is to Vin. But if they don’t know she’s here or if they find her with too many witnesses, she’ll be okay.

She clutches my arm when I start to leave. “Sal . . .” she says.

Donatella and me are from the old neighborhood. We’ve known each other since back when we were kids and we were too stupid to know shit about organized crime. Now, we’re more stupid, because we’re willingly a part of it. She wants to say something like “be careful” or “keep him safe” or something else I don’t need to hear. So, I don’t.

I crack open the door, making sure Lucca’s standing there alone, and step out.

His eyes cut toward the hall leading to Vincent’s office, where he’s meeting with Arturo, the boss in charge of most of South Jersey, including Atlantic City. Yeah. Shit’s going down. But I don’t move until Donnie clicks the door lock behind me.

Lucca starts forward, moving fast. I haul him back. “Easy,” I mutter.

That’s all he needs to hear. He slows, mimicking my pace and stance, chest out, hand curled near the piece at his waist, face hard and unreadable.

Arturo’s men stand in unison when we round the corner. At the sight of me, Vin’s men rise, too. They see what I want them to see in me and Lucca and me. A united front. It solidifies our crew and tenses Arturo’s. As Vin’s crew fixes their hard stares on the other family, I know they’re ready for what the next few minutes will bring.

I reach Vin’s office door. It’s open, wide open, and it pisses me off. An open door shows weakness and it demonstrates how scared Vin is about being alone with the other boss.

I march in and take point to Vin’s right. Lucca starts to head to his opposite side, but he catches the subtle motion of my left hand that tells him to stay by the door. I want to tell him to shut the door and lock it, but I can’t without raising the paranoia already thickening the air. Like I said, Lucca’s smart. He shuts the door and flicks the deadbolt.

Arturo huffs when he realizes he’s closed in. “What the fuck’s this?” He doesn’t turn around from where he’s seated directly in front of Vin, but his second sitting beside him and his enforcer straighten at my presence. I expected them to react upon seeing me, but I don’t expect the same response from Vin’s third, Angelo. Their reaction is so subtle that everyone gathered seems to miss it. But me, I don’t miss a thing, ever. The one time I did, it cost me the only woman I’ve ever loved.

“Just a little privacy, Mr. Sorenzo,” I answer, because Vin waited too long to respond and he’s already lost enough face.

Vin eases back in his chair. He knows I’m there and that I have his back, but his fingers digging into the armrest give away he’s scared shitless. Christ. How many times have I told him to keep his hands relaxed and his expression like stone? His ailing father has been grooming him to take over his empire for six fucking years and Vin’s still not ready. The other bosses are honing in on his incompetence. Which is why I’m not sure how much longer I can help keep Vin alive.

“Let’s get back to business,” Vin says, trying to sound harder than he is.

Arturo smiles in that sleazy way of his and tosses a hand out. “I believe we’ve reached a standstill,” he says.

“You’re right, we have,” Vin fires back, getting pissed. Good, anger is better than fear and, right now, it’s exactly what he needs. He leans forward. “You’re not getting the rest of A.C. And you’re not getting an eighty percent―”

My 380 auto is out and pointed at Arturo’s enforcer before his fingers reach the hilt. “Move and I’ll blow your fucking head off.” Without me telling him, Lucca rams his guns in the back of Arturo’s and his second’s skulls. Smart guy. I reach for my 9 mil tucked in my leather jacket, not even blinking when I shoot Vin’s third in the leg, blowing out his knee cap.

With a scream, Angelo falls to the floor howling. “What the fuck?” Vin growls, leaping to his feet.

I don’t explain why I shot one of his made men, someone he trusted. My next bullet goes into the enforcer, the impact and his pain enough to send him flying off his chair. He went for his Sig. I wasn’t waiting for him to pull the trigger. Outside, all hell’s breaking loose, my heartbeat pounding fast in my chest until I hear the voices of Vin’s family taking control.

Less than a minute later, a sharp rap to the door is followed by Benny’s deep voice. “Sal?”

“All clear,” I tell him, my tone steady. “You?”

It’s not my words that he believes, it’s the confidence behind them. “All clear,” he responds in the same tone, letting me know they have Arturo’s men on the ground.

Vin’s reaching into the drawer, pulling out his Glock. To his credit, he’s not questioning anything anymore, not after Arturo’s enforcer went for his piece. He’s reining in his shit like he needs to.

Lucca covers me as I strip everyone of their weapons. Angelo is wailing like the little bitch he is. The enforcer is swearing, pressing the wound to his shoulder as blood seeps through his fingers. I intentionally missed his heart. But no one needs to know that.

I drop the weapons beside Vin and far out of everyone’s reach. Arturo and his second haven’t said a damn thing. They weren’t scared of Vin before. But they are now.

I’m not sure what Vin’s going to say. My fear is, he may say the wrong thing in front of Lucca that makes him look pathetic. Lucca is loyal, so are a few others, but if they keep seeing Vin acting like he’s acting, they’ll lose whatever respect he’s managed outside his title of boss.

“Vin knew you were playing him, you pussy,” I tell Angelo, lying through my teeth. “Were you going to kill him in front of Arturo? Was that your way into the family, you lying piece of shit?”

In not answering, he answers enough. At Vin’s nod, Lucca puts a bullet in Arturo’s second, and finishes off the enforcer.

Vin motions to the door. “Call in a few of my men,” he tells me.

I unlock the door and do as he asks, after I make sure everything is still under control. Vin’s not ready to be boss, but he isn’t stupid, at least not completely. He knows Arturo needs to die by his hands and that he needs witnesses to see as much. I pick three who have started to question Vin’s strength, knowing they’ll tell the rest of the family what’s about to go down, and to show them what happens to those who don’t stay loyal.

The men pile in, but Vin doesn’t let them get too comfortable. He shoots Arturo in the face with his Glock while the last two who enter are still busy taking in Angelo writhing on the floor. Vin keeps his face neutral, his confidence returning now that he knows his life isn’t immediately on the line.

I take a step back when he prowls toward Angelo. Angelo was Vin’s trusted third. To be who Vin wants to be, he has to send a message. But I don’t tell him that. It’s something he needs to realize on his own. “What did he promise you after you killed me, pussy?” he asks Angelo.

Angelo doesn’t deny his intention. Doesn’t beg for his life. He knows it’s over. So, he hits Vin the only way he can. “Your father’s the pussy for letting a chicken shit like you take over.”

Vin’s heel comes down hard on Angelo’s face, smashing his nose in. But he doesn’t stop there. He snatches the paperweight on his desk and flings himself to the floor, bashing Angelo’s face in, not stopping until the side of his temple caves inward.

To anyone eyeing me, it looks like I’m watching everything and immune to it all. Yeah. My face never gives anything away. That doesn’t mean my body’s not punishing me on the inside. I fight back the nausea working its way through my gut and how hard my heartbeat thunders out of control. Weakness in the mob and in life gets you killed. I need to live, despite how my sins have all but sliced my throat.

“Fuck,” one of the boys says, looking away. He’s new and probably has killed with his gun. But shooting someone is easy. Too easy. It’s not intimate. Not like killing someone with your bare hands like Vin just did.

Vin stumbles to his feet, out of breath and covered with plenty of Angelo’s DNA. His face twists as if angry, which makes him look good, but I know better. “Get rid of them,” he says, spitting out blood that hit his mouth.

“What about his men?” someone else asks.

“All of them need to go,” Vin says, falling back into the leather seat behind his chair.

“All right, boss,” another says.

Vin’s focus darts my way. He expects an approving nod from me. But he isn’t going to get it. As much as I’m a part of this shit, it doesn’t mean I like it.

Or that I don’t want out.

* * *

I climb into my Range Rover and shut the door tight. Vin’s hand is shaking as he takes a drag of his cigarette. I knew he wasn’t going to keep it together long, so I made it like he needed to be away from the cleanup in case someone heard the shots and called it in.

“Is Donnie coming?” he asks, sprawling across the back seat.

“Yeah. She’s picking out girls she thinks you might like. Says she’ll be right out.”

I snagged Donnie at a street festival a few blocks away after I secured Vin in my ride. She flung her arms around me and started crying when she saw me. I quickly pulled her off me and led her to Vin. Donnie cares as much as someone like her can, and mostly for all the wrong reasons. I know this and, maybe, she does, too, which is why we’re outside a strip club Vin owns waiting on her and whoever she’s recruiting to lift Vin’s spirits.

“How many girls is she bringing?”

“Two, maybe more,” I answer, not because she told me, more because this has become the norm.

“Yeah, she knows how to take care of me,” he says with a laugh, despite how his hand continues to tremble.

This isn’t the first time Vin’s killed with his hands or the first time I’ve watched him do it. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t fucked with my mind or given me more nightmares to stash in my memories. Christ, it took all I had not to puke, seeing all those bodies lying in a mound and the mess Vin made of Angelo’s head. But I still have a conscience. Real mob bosses surrender their’s to get what they need. If he’s going to be one, he needs to lose what’s left of his fast.

He takes another drag, his forced humor fading. “How long has Angelo been playing two sides?”

“No idea,” I mumble.

He straightens. “Then how did you know Angelo was in on it?”

I rub my eyes. I’m only twenty-seven and I already feel too old for this shit. “He tensed at the same time and in the same way Arturo and his second did.”

Vin curses under his breath and reaches for another cigarette. “I didn’t see shit and I was looking at them the whole time. How the hell do you pick up on these things?”

“It comes from the years I spent fighting,” I answer, looking out through my tinted windows and wondering what the hell is keeping Donnie.

“In the octagon?” Vin asks.

Vin knows I fought in the mixed martial arts circuit for a few years, just like he knows I fought anyone who messed with me on the street. We’ve known each other since we were kids and long before his father became the most feared man in Jersey. I’m not sure why he’s asking, but don’t bother to question it. Vin isn’t the same guy I once called a friend.

“Yeah,” I mumble. “It helped me anticipate my opponent’s next move.”

“You miss that shit?” he asks.

Considering I was on my way to becoming the next light heavy weight champion? Hell, yeah. Fighting in the MMA put money in my pocket and gave me a way to unleash my rage. But neither were enough when push came to shove. “It was all right,” I tell him.

Vin takes a few more drags before he says, “I want you to think about watching my back full-time. I’ll pay you a hell of a lot more if you do.”

Any other boss would just tell me this is what I’m doing and not give me a choice. But for all Vin’s not the same guy I once knew, he was there when my world imploded around me. And in hiring me to watch his mistress, he’s able to keep me on the mob payroll without staining my hands with their blood. That doesn’t mean I haven’t made a lot of people bleed. It only means I haven’t killed anyone. Yet.

“I make enough watching your gumad,” I respond.

Vin doesn’t like my answer, but he doesn’t push it. After what went down with Angelo and with his second serving time, I’m the only person he completely trusts. But, despite our friendship, the time’s coming when I’ll no longer have a choice but to do what he wants.

In killing Arturo, Vin will either gain respect from the other bosses or turn them against him and the family. I don’t think any of the higher-ups want war, but they’re greedy and looking to expand their domains. My gut tells me that when Vin’s father Carmine dies, the cards unfold. But they won’t be in Vin’s favor, and if he doesn’t wise up fast, none of us will make it out alive.

The back door to the strip club opens and Donnie steps out, leading three laughing and almost naked women in clear heels forward.

“I won’t forget what you did for me today, Sal,” Vin says, right before the women pile in.

He won’t. I know that. Just like I know I added a nail to my own damn casket the day I went to him for help.

I’m supposed to take Vin and his dates back to Donnie’s. But Vin’s not waiting to get there. I crank the engine when I hear his zipper yanked down and the first sound of smacking lips. He groans, likely relieved the day is finally going in the direction he wants.

You, go take care of my buddy, Sal,” he says between sharp intakes of breath.

I stiffen and not in a good way when a blonde with more hairspray than brains falls laughing into the front seat. With a hard stomp, I step on the brake and set my SUV in park. She’s already naked by the time I reach into the center console and shove a condom in her hand.

She huffs. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I’m not.”

She looks insulted, but I don’t care. She’s going to do what Vin’s paying her to do, whether I want her to or not. It takes a while for me to get hard enough for her to roll the condom in place. Once she does, she immediately buries her face in my lap.

I lean my head back against the headrest. I should enjoy what’s happening. And at one point I did, seeing it as the perks of the job.

Now, all I wonder about is how my life became what it is, and how I’ll ever survive it.

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ABOUT CECY ROBSON

Cecy Robson is an author of contemporary and new adult romance, young adult adventure, and award-winning urban fantasy. A double-nominated RITA® Finalist, Winner of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence, and published author of more than twenty titles, you can typically find Cecy on her laptop or stumbling blindly in search of caffeine.

Connect with Cecy online:

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Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway: Harbor (Renzo + Lucia, #2) by Bethany-Kris

HARBOR

by Bethany-Kris
Renzo + Lucia, #2
Publication Date: February 4, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance


💫 REVIEW 💫

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

Bethany-Kris never ceases to entice me with her words. This is the second instalment in the Renzo + Lucia Trilogy. Privilege is the first book and I do suggest you read it first to appreciate where the characters story began.

In Harbor, we discover how Renzo and Lucia’s bonds are forged through the many events they undergo while fleeing their crimes while trying to find their safe ‘harbor’.

While on their journey we catch many glimpses of a very common Marcello trait in Lucia, which is her stubbornness. The way that the author expresses how Lucia carries herself, as well as the strength that she possesses to follow through with what she feels is right is commendable. It is a trait that I find truly admirable.

“Marcellos didn’t bow or bend. Not even to one another.”

In Harbor, you see more of Renzo’s resilient nature and his need to protect all of whom he holds dear. Whether it be his brother Diego, his sister Rose, but most especially Lucia. He shows how much he loves her time and time again.

“There was something about this girl that brought him down from the clouds, and at the same time, kept him sky high.”

I am eagerly awaiting the final instalment in this trilogy. Contempt is set to release March 4, 2019. I truly hope that Renzo finds his way home in Contempt.

“Home was where the heart was, right? That’s how the saying went. As long as he was with Lucia, Renzo figured he was always home.”

This book is truly another EPIC read from Bethany-Kris and I highly recommend you read it. Harbor by Bethany-Kris will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

AVAILABLE NOW!

SYNOPSIS

Lucia Marcello is the good girl—or she used to be. The youngest mafia principessa of her family, she’s not the one who falls for the man from the wrong side of the tracks, and she certainly shouldn’t have run across the country with him.

She’ll leave everything behind for him …

Renzo Zulla is the bad guy—society and life labeled him that way. The only person left to take care of his siblings, he couldn’t afford the distraction of falling in love with a rich girl far beyond his league, and he definitely shouldn’t have her riding shotgun as he runs for his life.

He doesn’t want her anywhere else …

Love keeps them together.
Fear keeps them running.
Chaos follows them everywhere they go.

How long can they keep moving before someone finally catches up?

The cost of love is always high.
Never harbor it blindly.

Note: Harbor is book two in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.

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DON’T MISS PRIVILEGE, BOOK #1 IN THE RENZO + LUCIA TRILOGY!

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SYNOPSIS

They didn’t come from the same world …

Born rich to a family of mafia royalty, Lucia Marcello was already destined to succeed. She wanted for absolutely nothing, until she met him.

Born poor to parents who never cared, Renzo Zulla was already destined to fail. He has struggled for absolutely everything, but she’ll prove to be his biggest fight yet.

She’s high society from the upscale suburbs.
He’s a drug dealer from New York’s slums.

They just weren’t meant to be … until they were.

What would it take to change a life—an entire perspective? All the things you thought you knew and wanted?

For them, it took thirty-six days.
And the privilege of meeting each other.

They shouldn’t be.
They don’t fit.
Love doesn’t care.

Note: Privilege is book one in a three-book trilogy following the same couple.

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to four young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.

To keep up-to-date with new releases from Bethany-Kris, sign up to her New Release Newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bf9lzD

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