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

5 Aug 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

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.

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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Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Love in an Undead Age by A.M. Geever

1 Aug 20191 Aug 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

♦ ♦ ♦

Surviving the zombie apocalypse was hard but saving the human race might be fatal.

Ten years after the zombie apocalypse a good man is still hard to find… just ask Miranda Tucci. Most are ill-equipped to breach Miranda’s emotional defenses, and even in San Jose, California, the most technologically advanced outpost of civilization left on the planet, there’s no app for mending a broken heart. But when Connor MacGuire turns up at nearby Santa Clara University, even Miranda begins to wonder if she has finally found someone she can trust.

The Jesuit priests who lead the community at Santa Clara University are the only counter-balance to the ruthless City Council that rules Silicon Valley. They have hatched a scheme to break the monopoly on a vaccine for the zombie virus that the Council and its powerful ally, Mario Santorello, control.

As the Jesuits’ plan approaches a critical stage and Miranda is recruited to join their mission, the ghosts of her past collide with the present, plunging her into territory both strange and familiar. Will corruption continue to spread and the vaccine be used for political advantage, or can Miranda survive long enough to usher in a new age of civilization? It’s only the fate of humanity that’s suddenly resting on her shoulders. If she can bring her love life back from the dead, how tough can saving the world be?

Love in an Undead Age is a post-apocalyptic romance wrapped inside an adventure that explores universal themes: love and loss, betrayal and redemption. What choices do we make in order to survive, what do they cost us, and are they worth it in the end? Are some breaches of trust too damaging to forgive, or can the healing power of love truly conquer all?

♦ ♦ ♦

Enter to win the Goodreads Giveaway HERE!

♦ ♦ ♦

“Are they inside?” she yelled as she powered the hatchet down again.

“Just trying to block their path,” said Doug. “How you doing there?”

Another shot, then another.

“I need another minute,” Miranda said.

“That’s about all you’re gonna get.”

Doug’s rifle fired almost continuously. Then the world began to sparkle as bits of glass showered over her. Miranda flinched away and leapt up, turning once again to the window behind her. Zombies were trying to slither through. They cut their arms on jagged glass still stuck in the frame, but didn’t stop. Zombies didn’t feel pain. They never even noticed.

Connor’s breath came in scraping gasps as he sprinted across Monterey Avenue.

“The bank!” Seffie shouted.

Connor saw it on the corner: a squat Bank of America building. Low enough that they could get to the roof, but high enough that they could escape the horde. He glanced over at Mike.

Mike wasn’t there.

Connor skidded to a halt and turned back. Mike was down on one knee, still by the motel down the road, trying to shake off two zombies. If they got him down, he was done for.

Without thinking Connor ran back. From his peripheral vision he could see zombies – tens of them, soon maybe hundreds – spilling out from the parking lots and abandoned buildings of this semi-industrial strip of old San Jose. They were closing in from all sides, stalking their prey with an inexorable herky-jerky momentum.

♦ ♦ ♦

I enjoy stories of survival in extraordinary circumstances. It’s not the incident itself that I find interesting but how people react to it. Why brings out the best and the worst of human nature? Do people always break one way or the other, or is it a bit of both? Since zombies can be anything – metaphors, monsters, even jokes – the possibilities for exploring these questions are endless.

As a native Pittsburgher and fan of George Romero films, perhaps it was inevitable that the hours-long NIGHT OF THE LIVING/DAWN OF THE DEAD postmortems that my brothers and I conducted led to this novel. Despite all this my husband and our menagerie of furry critters are woefully unprepared for the zombie apocalypse. The idea of becoming a zombie because my car runs out of gas has gotten me to the gas station on more than one occasion.

♦ ♦ ♦

Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ Depraved (Sinful, Book 3) by Trilina Pucci

31 Jul 20192 Aug 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

Savagery. Sin. Depravity—-these are my virtues.

My religion.

Depraved, an all-new sexy and gritty mafia romance standalone from Trilina Pucci, is available now!

My name is Dante Sovrano, head of the Chicago Mob,

and I run this city.

Everyone bows down to me.

Except her.

The moment I saw Sarah, I knew she’d be trouble.

She’s fiery and cutthroat, wrapped up in a lickable package.

But there are dark secrets hiding behind those gorgeous blue eyes.

And I plan to know them all because she’ll have to make a deal with the devil to solve her problems.

Too bad the devil always takes your soul.

And I’ll be keeping it—

Because Sarah London is mine.

Review

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

“We’re gasoline set to a fire. We’re a beautiful fucking disaster.”

Depravity has never been so gratifying! Trilina Pucci has accomplished an incredible task of captivating us with her amazing words and character building. Dante Sovrano and Sarah O’Malley are the perfect pair!

“We’re depraved, Dante. I recognized your darkness because it’s mine as well.”

They are both strong willed, but roles are different when they’re in the bedroom. Man oh man how hot they get when they get privacy!

“Punish me in our bedroom, but because you love me, you’ll never do that in our life.”

I guarantee once you read this book that you’ll love it too! There will be no need to repent! 😉 Depraved by Trilina Pucci 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.

Excerpt:

“You look good in my chair.”

I grin at his deep timbre and let my head fall to see him enter the office, “I feel like a boss.”

My brows give a little wiggle to accentuate my flirting.

“Mmm” he gravels as he walks toward the desk. “You wanna be the boss?”

The way he looks at me. Fuck. Like he’s stripping me bare down to exactly where he wants me, it makes every part of my body light up.

“Yeah.” I purr, rubbing my crossed ankle up my other leg slowly and then back down.

Dante sits against the desk, pressing a finger against the paper I’m tracing and pulls it until it’s too far for me to touch. He pulls it up, folding and putting it in his pocket.

“What would you order first? And remember, you have to be specific or shit gets lost in translation.”

He might be letting me take the reins, but we both know that in this game, Dante always runs the show. Just the way I like it.

“Take off your shirt.” I level, tilting my head and biting my lip.

He reaches over his shoulder and drags the t-shirt off his body, smirking as he does, tossing it onto the chair next to him.

Fuck, he really is gorgeous. My eyes take in all the colorful swirls and patterns on his hard chest and arms. His body alone is intimidating but it’s the accessory to his intention. That’s what really makes him the man he is.

“You like what you see.” he states, appreciating the compliment my eyes are giving him.

“I was just thinking that tattoos make good men look dangerous.”

His head lifts as his thumb skims across his lip, “I am fucking dangerous. So, what do they make me?”

“Authentic.”

The newest ALPHA in A Sinful Series is the definition of depraved. Dante Sovrano is ruthless and knows exactly who and what he wants. Good luck standing in his way.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Don’t miss out on the special release week price of $2.99.

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About Trilina

Trilina is an author, wife, and mama to three rowdy kiddos. When she isn’t making grilled cheese sandwiches, she can be found writing saucy novels that titillate and excite her readers.

Pucci’s journey started impulsively. She wanted to check off a box on her bucket list. But what began as fulfillment has become incredibly fulfilling. And now she can’t see her life without her characters, her readers and this community.

She currently resides in Northern California with her Italian stallion and her feral children, where the days are slow and easy and wine pours are heavy. (just kidding…maybe)

Connect with Trilina

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Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ Defying Gravity (Gravity, Book 2) by K.K. Allen

26 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

Their greatest risk was the one they never took …

Defying Gravity, an all-new emotional sports romance from USA Today bestselling author K.K. Allen is available now!

It was an accidental spring fling three years ago—one week spent in the mountains of Big Sur and no one was the wiser. Ignore the fact that Tobias James was my neighbor and my best friend’s older brother. Or that upon our return his hoop dreams were waiting for him, robbing us of any potential future we could have shared.

Now, I’m fulfilling my own dreams in L.A. and my biggest dream of all is about to come true. The last thing I expected was for my past and my present to collide.

Not now. Not here. Not him.

But he struts back into my life like he never even left. Unfortunately, I’ll never forget what happened after he did.

The ball is in my court, but Tobias isn’t below stealing—my power, my resolve, my heart… When he wants a second chance to reignite our connection, my answer is simple. We can’t.

Not unless we defy the rules our dreams were built on and risk everything.

Download your copy today or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

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Download the FREE prequel, Falling from Gravity, today!

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Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

“Ours was a forbidden love that danced among lightning in equal measures of excitement and fear.“

Defying Gravity is the second book in the Gravity Series. This book starts out as a teenage crush that becomes a spring fling romance. But later on becomes a second chance at falling in love and for making their dreams come true. I loved the struggle and how K.K. Allen portrayed that their relationship wasn’t easy, but could still endure time and distance.

“You know as well as I that you can’t put a label on what we are. We’re just Amelia and Tobias. We’re moon and earth, living among the stars and sun. We’re everything. And no matter the distance, we still make sense together.”

Despite the circumstances Amelia and Tobias find themselves in the second time around, they find a way to be together.

“I’d much rather live with you in secret, than without you in a lie.”

Defying Gravity by K.K. Allen is an EPIC read that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

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

Excerpt:

“Where can we find the best view in Los Angeles?”

I had to think about that one. Every trail I’d hiked in the area ended with a gorgeous view, but I didn’t think a hike was what he’d had in mind. That gave me an idea. “Griffith Observatory has some nice views. Not sure how parking is this time of night.” I was still thinking. “Or there’s always Canyon Lake Drive.”

The look he gave me next wrapped a string around my heart and tugged gently. “Somewhere you haven’t been with a dude.”

Forcing back my smile, I grabbed his phone. “Drive. I’ll program the directions so I can enjoy the ride.”

I tried to ignore the pleased look on his face when I blushed at his request, but it was almost impossible to ignore him when I handed back his phone and my fingers accidentally brushed his. Our eyes connected on a beat, the electricity so charged between us that I felt the vibration throughout my body.

We rode the rest of the way in silence, like we both knew the conversation to come was a big one. Besides that, neither of us was a fan of small talk. Maybe that was why we’d always gotten along so well. We preferred hours of comfortable silence to awkward conversation. It made each moment we were together meaningful.

“Almost there,” he said once we were on Western Canyon Drive. “Where should I park?”

“You’ll keep going up the hill. Park on West Observatory Road. You’ll see the line of cars. I usually find a spot up close, but—” I made a face as I looked around his truck. “My car is three times smaller than this.” I grinned at him. “You might want to park about a half mile away.”

He chuckled. I didn’t understand why until he continued driving past where I recommended and almost reached the top of the hill, when he slowed. Just then, like fucking magic, a large truck was pulling out of a parallel parking spot, leaving it vacant.

“You are kidding me.”

He laughed again and parked with ease. Growing up in Malibu didn’t give us many opportunities for parallel parking, but I was certain he’d had his fair share of chances to get it right in Chicago.

I hopped out of the truck just as he made it to my side. “So impatient to hang out with me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Keep dreaming, James.”

He rolled his head back, grinning. “You realize there are women out there dreaming about a night just like this, right?”

I hoped he could feel the heat of my glare. “You don’t say.”

His lips pressed together like he was biting back a smile, then he took my hand in his and tugged me forward. “Let’s move. We have to make it before sunset.”

This time, silence didn’t fill our gaps. It dissipated with the first view we encountered before ever reaching the observatory.

“Wow.” I tugged away from him and walked to the balcony of the outlook.

As I stared out over trees and rock mountains, I had an epiphany. Taking Tobias here conveyed an unspoken promise that I’d never shared the same space with another man. I hadn’t even questioned the intimacy of what that meant, because it felt natural, just like everything with Tobias, even when the world was trying to pull us apart.

My choice had always been Tobias, even when he wasn’t around for me to choose. My heart still belonged to him.

A breeze whooshed by, tossing my hair. I breathed into the wind as it continued to beat against me, like the week hadn’t been enough for me to endure. And then strong arms wrapped around me from behind as my insides softened to putty. It had been only a week of knowing Tobias was back in town to stay, and I already knew I was in trouble.

Neither of us dared a word as he held me there, the hills of LA a beautiful sight before us, but it was his touch, his breath, his nearness that stole my focus. We’d never even made it to the observatory, but I knew what his mission was in wanting to take me somewhere with a view.

It was reminiscent of the one we’d shared in Big Sur, and I couldn’t ignore the rush of those memories that surfaced in the moment.

We stood in silence for a long time while Tobias held all of me—physically, emotionally, and metaphorically. His presence grounded me in a way that only my soul could feel. He owned me. All it took was the admission, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt at peace.

Once upon a time, Tobias had called me his moon. His rock. His strength. The one he reached for when the waters got rough. As risky as it was to admit it, I still wanted that to be true.

“Should we keep going?”

I knew Tobias was referring to the observatory, but my response was to a different interpretation of the question.

“Yes.”

Meet K.K. Allen

K.K. Allen is a USA Today Bestselling and award-winning author and interdisciplinary arts and sciences graduate from the University of Washington who writes heartfelt contemporary romance stories that are as real as they are inspiring. K.K. is a Hawaiian girl who was raised in Seattle, and currently resides in central Florida. She works full time as a digital producer for a leading online educational institution and is the mother to a ridiculously handsome little dude who owns her heart.

K.K.’s publishing journey began in June 2014 with the YA Contemporary Fantasy trilogy, The Summer Solstice. In 2016, K.K. published her first Contemporary Romance, Up in the Treehouse, which went on to win the Romantic Times 2016 Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best New Adult Book of the Year. With K.K.’s love for inspirational and coming-of-age stories involving heartfelt narratives and honest emotions, you can be assured to always be surprised by what K.K. releases next.

Connect with K.K. Allen

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2IcBh8V

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Blog Tour, Review & Excerpt ~ Making Up (Shacking Up, Book 4) by Helena Hunting

22 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

**“I LOVED both Cosy and Griffin! This story was ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!”- Kendall Ryan, New York Times bestselling author**

Making Up an all-new laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author Helena Hunting is available now!

Cosy Felton is great at her job—she knows just how to handle the awkwardness that comes with working at an adult toy store. So when the hottest guy she’s ever seen walks into the shop looking completely overwhelmed, she’s more than happy to turn on the charm and help him purchase all of the items on his list.

Griffin Mills is using his business trip in Las Vegas as a chance to escape the broken pieces of his life in New York City. The last thing he wants is to be put in charge of buying gag gifts for his friend’s bachelor party. Despite being totally out of his element, and mortified by the whole experience, Griffin is pleasantly surprised when he finds himself attracted to the sales girl that helped him.

As skeptical as Cosy may be of Griffin’s motivations, there’s something about him that intrigues her. But sometimes what happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas and when real life gets in the way, all bets are off. Filled with hilariously awkward situations and enough sexual chemistry to power Sin City, Making Up is the next standalone in the Shacking Up world.

Download your copy today!

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Review:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

I found myself another EPIC read by Helena Hunting!!!

Making Up is the fourth book in the Shacking Up Series by Helena Hunting. Helena is so great at creating characters that are equally intelligent and attractive with a twist of quirkiness that has you truly laughing out loud. I enjoyed Griffin’s and Cosy’s interactions and how it proves opposites do truly attract!

Each time I learn that Helena is releasing a new book, I know that once I read it I will not be disappointed. This is definitely one of those times. Making Up by Helena Hunting will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!

~ Thank you to the author, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for generously providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excerpt:

We’re a couple of minutes away from my apartment, which also means we’re almost at the end of our date. End-of-date protocol often means a goodnight kiss.

And I’ve eaten onions. Lots of them. What the hell was I thinking? I feel around in my shorts pocket, hoping I have a random stick of gum. I find a tiny square packet and pull it out, along with an old tissue. I shove that back in my pocket and sigh with relief as I carefully open the Listerine Pocketpak. There’s one strip left. I pop it in my mouth, wishing I had water since my mouth is dry and I’m suddenly super nervous.

Griffin pulls up in front of my apartment building. I swallow a bunch of times, trying to get the strip to dissolve on my tongue and glance out the tinted window, seeing it from his perspective. I don’t live in a bad part of town, but I sure as hell wouldn’t leave this car sitting out here for any length of time unless I wanted it keyed or stripped down.

Griffin shifts into park and turns to me, one hand resting on the back of my seat near the headrest. “I had a great time, Cosy.”

“Me too, thanks for dinner.” I tried to fork over my share, but he was quick on the credit card draw.

“It was my pleasure.” He leans in the tiniest bit, a nonverbal cue that he’s going in for a kiss.

I mirror the movement, giving him the go ahead. My stomach flutters in anticipation. I exhale slowly through my nose. Even though the Listerine strip should be doing its job to mask the onions, I don’t want to ruin the moment by breathing that in his face.

His fingertips skim my jaw, and I close my eyes. And then his lips brush my cheek. I wait for them to move a couple of inches to the right, but after what feels like a lot of seconds—and is probably only a few—I crack a lid.

Griffin is still close, a wry smile on his lips and a smolder in his eyes.

“Seriously, that’s it? A kiss on the cheek?”

His smile widens, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. He’s nothing like the guys I usually end up on dates with. College boys don’t take things slow. If I were out with one of the guys from school, I’d be sitting in a beat-up Civic with some stupid music playing, and he’d be all over me with his tongue halfway down my throat, copping a feel.

“I thought all the onions you ate were the equivalent to garlic for vampires.” Griffin fingers my hair near my shoulder. I’d really like him to finger something else. Wait. I mean I’d like to feel his hands on me. Not in my pants. Okay, maybe I’d like them in my pants, but not after date number one.

“I wasn’t thinking, and I really like onions. A lot. In hindsight, it’s not a great date food. I feel kinda dumb. And I guess at first I wasn’t so sure about you. How was I supposed to know you’d actually be kind of normalish?”

“Normalish?”

“Well, you drink club soda on purpose, so you can’t be all there.” I tap his temple.

Griffin circles my wrist with his fingers and drops his head, lips brushing over my knuckle. “We can’t all be perfect, now, can we?”

“I suppose not, and perfect is boring.”

“That it is.” He hums against my skin, and I feel it through my entire body. “I would like to try that kiss again, if you’re still interested.”

About Helena

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of PUCKED, Helena Hunting lives on the outskirts of Toronto with her incredibly tolerant family and two moderately intolerant cats. She’s writes contemporary romance ranging from new adult angst to romantic sports comedy.

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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Alessio (Guzzi Legacy Duet, Book 2) by Bethany-Kris

15 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

ALESSIO

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

Cover Reveal Credits: Lee Ching @Under Cover Designs

SYNOPSIS

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

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.

EXCLUSIVE REVEAL EXCERPT

“A happy birthday,” Dare said.

Alessio almost smiled, but pain was a fucking bitch. Twenty-three years old today, and he’d forgotten. Someone else had to remind him. Appropriate for it to be Dare. At the darkest points in his life, Dare always remembered his birthday for whatever reason.

“Is it, though?” he asked.

“What?”

“A happy day.”

Dare made a noise under his breath as Gian Guzzi came to sit next to Alessio in the wicker chair beside his. Corrado’s father said nothing, dressed in his night clothes with a black robe tightened at his middle, he stared over the back property, and rested his hand along his jaw as he waited for Alessio to finish his conversation. It was late for the man to still be awake.

“Les.”

“Ignore me,” he muttered. “Thinking out loud.”

But also not a lie.

This wasn’t a happy day.

And tomorrow didn’t look good, either.

Welcome to his life, lately.

“Why don’t you take a break, come back here for a bit, and reset—”

“That’s Alessio?”

Cree.

In the call’s background, Dare confirmed what Cree asked. A shuffle of the phone sounded before more movement echoed through the speakers. Alessio heard the slam of a door before Cree came onto the phone.

“Where are you?” Cree demanded.

Alessio arched a brow over at Gian. The man didn’t even glance his way. “Away.”

“Doing what?”

“Thinking.”

Cree let out a harsh sound. “You don’t call people?”

“I’m a grown man, I can—”

“Tell the people who give a fuck that you’re safe, Les.”

His throat jumped as he swallowed back a biting retort that would have only saved his pride but hurt someone else. “I’m safe.”

A second passed. Cree sighed. “Good.” Then, after a brief pause, he added, “Corrado called two days ago looking for you. You should at least tell him where you are, Les. You don’t have to go back—I understand things are going on that hurt you, but he’s worried.”

Good for him.

Because he hadn’t given a shit about Alessio before.

As fast as the seed of doubt drifted through his mind, the pain following behind just as fast, Alessio tipped his head down, and shook it away. It wasn’t true, and a huge part of why this happened was because Corrado hadn’t wanted to hurt him.

Yet, here they stood.

The same result.

Alessio didn’t do well with pain, and especially not if someone he loved caused it. He had a handle on this shit—this thing between them. He assumed they were comfortable, but this had taught him he had been lying to himself.

Complacent.

It took nothing to be ruined.

Nothing but a woman.

“I’m not calling him,” Alessio said, “there’s nothing for me to say.”

Hadn’t he said enough when he showed up to the penthouse over a week ago? He believed so. His words had cut with each one said—landing like knives against the man he loved to the ends of the earth and back. Alessio didn’t need Corrado to tell him how much he hurt him with the things he said. He was aware.

But that was good, too.

Partly.

Why should Alessio be the only one to hurt?

He wouldn’t be alone.

He needed to get his shit figured out before he went back for a second round. He didn’t want to keep cutting into Corrado. As much as he hurt, it wasn’t fair he continued hurting Corrado, too.

Because he loved.

He gave a shit.

He would have never done this to Corrado.

Ever.

READ WHERE IT ALL STARTED…

BUY NOW (FREE WITH KINDLE UNLIMITED)

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ABOUT BETHANY-KRIS

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, Excerpt, Review & Giveaway ~ Corrado (The Guzzi Legacy, Book 1) by Bethany-Kris

9 Jul 20199 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

CORRADO

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet Legacy, #1
Publication Date: July 8, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/326maWC

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2XrBucM

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2RXCFj4

B&N: http://bit.ly/2LzDCNr

iTunes: https://apple.co/30cxTB4

SYNOPSIS:

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

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.

EXCERPT:

“Introducing yourself, Alessio?” the man asked.

Alessio.

Corrado decided right then that he hated that name. And the man it belonged to, as well. The problem was, when Alessio turned his gaze back on Corrado, the humming was back. He couldn’t look away from the ocean of blue that stared back at him, or the way that as much as this guy rubbed him wrong … he wanted to know why.

Or anything about him at all.

“You’re not causing trouble, are you, Corrado?” his father asked out in the hallway.

“Define trouble.” Alessio chuckled. “Is he allowed to play with knives where someone can’t keep an eye on him at the same time?”

The man next to Alessio smacked him in the back of the head, making him glower back at him.

“Fuck off, Dare,” Alessio muttered.

“Play nice, Les.”

He looked back to Corrado again.

“But why, though? This is way more fun.”

Fuck him.

And the fact Corrado found he liked it.

Yeah, fuck that, too.

The other man, Dare, shook his head. “All right, Les, since you’re feeling chatty today, you can take Corrado around and show him the rest of the complex while I talk business with Gian.”

Alessio scowled. “I didn’t volunteer to be some mafia principe’s babysitter for the day.”

Dare smirked. “I’m sorry. Did I preface that with, if you feel up to it and it pleases your spoiled fucking ass to do it? No, so do it.”

“Fine.”

“Did you introduce yourself properly?”

“No,” Alessio said. “Because I didn’t think there was a point.”

Dare sighed and waved between the two boys. “Alessio, you already know Corrado Guzzi … or you know what I told you about today. Corrado, meet the pain in my ass, also known as Alessio Sorrento.”

“Thanks for that.”

“But not a lie,” Dare replied. “And now my good deed for the day is done. Gian, do you think these two will be fine alone?”

Corrado’s father smiled a bit, amusement playing in his gaze as he nodded. “I think they’ll be fine while we chat.”

“Good, let’s begin.”

Alessio passed Corrado another look as Gian and Dare drifted away from the doorway, disappearing altogether. “Are you going to stand there all day, or what?”

Corrado didn’t move. “I’m not doing anything with you.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to work. Dare said what he said.”

“Fuck him, and you.”

“Oh, he swears, too.”

Corrado’s jaw flexed with his annoyance. “What is your problem?”

Alessio looked him over again, his gaze slow and deliberate. All over again, Corrado felt that same flare of frustration and interest all rolled into one. It warred inside his mind, clashing together and making him want to punch this guy in the mouth just because.

“Do you like what you see, or …?”

“Why, because I stare?” Alessio asked.

“Because your stare lingers.”

REVIEW:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS

Corrado is the first book in The Guzzi Legacy and it is set as a duet. This story is spellbinding! Especially when reading how Corrado and Alessio initially meet, to how their relationship develops and grows. I was intrigued when I first read the synopsis and was fascinated with how Ginevra would tie into their relationship once I started reading further into the story. I’m eager to see Ginevra and Alessio’s future interactions, as they were limited to the one initial encounter in this book. I’m so looking forward to book 2!

What can I say other than I loved all aspects of this story! It was a phenomenal and EPIC read that I would highly recommend! Bethany-Kris never fails to release a book that Ill end up loving and writing characters that stick with you! Corrado by Bethany-Kris 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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook •Goodreads • Pinterest • Mailing List • Instagram • Bookbub • Amazon Author Page

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Release Blitz, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Corrado (The Guzzi Legacy, Book 1) by Bethany-Kris

8 Jul 20198 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

CORRADO

by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet Legacy, #1
Publication Date: July 8, 2019
Genres: Adult, Romantic Suspense, Organized Crime. Erotic Romance

LIVE! LIVE! LIVE!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/326maWC

Amazon CA: https://amzn.to/2XrBucM

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2RXCFj4

B&N: http://bit.ly/2LzDCNr

iTunes: https://apple.co/30cxTB4

SYNOPSIS:

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

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?

EXCLUSIVE RELEASE EXCERPT

CORRADO by Bethany-Kris

Ginevra wiped away the one tear that escaped the corner of her eye as the elevator came to a stop on the highest floor. It opened to the hallway leading to the penthouse. She took another quick, deep breath; she had her weak moment in private, and now it was done.

Right?

Yep.

She decided.

Soon—surely—she would be back home in New York with her sisters. Back where she belonged, and far away from a complicated man, and whatever mess he had dragged her into here. That’s what would happen.

Ginevra unlocked the penthouse and opened the door to the dark entry. She couldn’t remember if Corrado had turned off the lights when they left, or not. Probably, though. Kicking off the heels and pulling down the wet straps of the dress around her arms, she tried to remember where the light switch was for the damn entry.

Then, the lights came on.

All at once.

She spun around fast, letting go of the straps of her dress as she froze in place at the sight of a stranger leaning against the wall at the very end of the hallway. A man, actually. His shaggy, dark hair hung over his eyes, and yet even through the dark strands, she could still see the stormy blue eyeing her from the side.

His lips, the lower fuller than the top, stayed affixed in a grim line as he chewed on something in his mouth—gum, maybe? Her gaze traveled over the golden hoops in his nose, his steel cut jaw line, and the few days’ worth of facial hair covering his cheeks and throat. Even under the leather jacket he wore, and the black jeans that molded to his thighs and ass, she could plainly see he was fit by the way the material of his white T-shirt stretched across the bands of muscle that made up his chest.

He leaned against the wall like he didn’t have a care in the world, his black, scuffed combat boots hooked one over the other, despite the fact she could clearly see the tension wrapping his body. Like he was forcing himself to stay right there, and not come any closer.

My God.

He was devastating.

That was the first and only word to come to her mind.

Devastating.

A lot like Corrado, really. That first look at him had made her silent, and took away her breath, too. This was no different.

Except she didn’t know this man, and why in the hell was he here?

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice faint.

The man smiled.

Just a ghost of one, though.

He lifted his head a bit, giving her a better view of the planes that made up his handsome face, and the war that raged in his stare. “Alessio Sorrento—I like Les, though.”

Les.

That text …

“But it ain’t about me, is it?” Alessio asked, his voice a deep bass that came off both edgy and dark. “Lately, it’s been all about you, Ginevra.”

How did he know her name?

She wondered …

No one had said either way—man or woman, they didn’t say who the other person was for Corrado. She hadn’t assumed, but a part of her just figured it was a woman because that was the default. Not that she cared either way who someone loved or fucked behind closed doors. That was their business, and as long as people were happy, what did it matter?

But now, staring at this man, and the way he looked at her like he was both curious, but he wished she would drop dead on the fucking spot, too, made her think …

This was him.

This man was Corrado’s … person. They were a them before Ginevra ever came into the picture, clearly. Those shoes with different sizes on the rack when she first arrived at the penthouse; the different style jackets, like they belonged to entirely different personalities; the offhanded remarks Corrado made without realizing it—and we use it, he’d said—and then ignored when she questioned him; or even his hesitations when he nearly slipped up like telling her the master bedroom was his, but he’d almost said something different.

She knew now.

It meant these two men had been a thing for a while. She was in the middle. He came before her. She understood what she had missed.

It hurt worse because of it.

“Yeah, it’s been all about you, huh?” Alessio smirked, adding lower, “And I’m here to find out why that is.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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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Cover Reveal, Excerpt & Giveaway ~ Descending Into Madness by Stacey Marie Brown

1 Jul 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ Leave a comment

Title: Descending Into Madness

Series: Winterland Tale

Author: Stacey Marie Brown

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: July 26, 2019

Cover Designer: Jay Aheer at Simply Defined Art

♦ ♦ ♦

Your holiday season is about to get deliciously naughty…

What if Alice Liddell’s story didn’t happen the way you think? What if it wasn’t Wonderland she fell into, but Winterland. This mad tale is dark, twisted, sexy, and nothing like the legend you know.

After losing her job and finding her boyfriend/boss cheating on her with her replacement, twenty-five-year-old Alice Liddell has moved back home to save money and regroup.

She doesn’t think things can get worse until her younger, more responsible sister, Dinah, gets her a job—as a Christmas elf.

Dressed in a slutty costume with fathers peeking down her top and kids vomiting on her, she wants nothing more than to escape the reality of her life.

When she sees a sexy, shirtless man, carrying a glowing red light, and bearing antlers, her curiosity gets the better of her. But following him might be the biggest mistake she ever made.

Falling into another realm, Alice finds herself in the world of holiday legends and fairytales. But she is not prepared her for the dark madness of this place. Nothing is what is seems and no one is what they are in the fairytales.

Even the mysterious, sexy Scrooge.Welcome to Winterland, where the good guys from the North Pole have gone bad, and the only way to survive is to descend into its madness.

♦ ♦ ♦

“Scrooge moved us quickly, keeping to the shadows, his attention always flicking to the sky or behind us, making sure we weren’t being pursued. We shadowed the stream, trying to leave no tracks in our wake. Penguin hummed holiday tunes under his breath the entire way, before falling asleep in Scrooge’s arms. “Don’t worry, no one’s gonna bother following us where we’re going,” Hare grumbled, hopping from embankment to rock in the middle of the creek. “Why should they? What they couldn’t finish, this place will. Probably safer turning back and facing the wooden pecker brigade.” “What do you mean?” I gulped, stumbling over hidden roots and rocks, my exposed feet cut and bleeding, slowing me down to the last person. “Where are we going?” “Mount Crumpit.” Hare winked back at me. “Thanks.” I frowned. “I kind of grasped that part. But seriously how much worse can it get than Tulgey Woods or the Queen’s palace?” Scrooge glanced over his shoulder as Dee and Dum knocked together, giggling at my naïveté. Hare sniggering along with them. “For fuck sake…this is supposed to be Christmasland.” I tossed out my arms, feeling my sanity slipping. Exhausted, bleeding, dirty, hungry, and barely dressed, I was hitting my limit. “Joy, fun, love, and innocence reigns. Where elves build toys, Santa delivers presents to good little children, reindeers play games like soccer, and Mrs. Claus makes fuckin’ cookies.” “This is Winterland, Ms. Liddell.” Scrooge’s dark eyebrow lifted, his olive skin rippling down his torso, looking creamy in the moonlight. “And it’s just a part of Christmas. It’s not all of it. Good with the bad. Ying and yang. Except it hasn’t been equal in a long time.” “Tell me where we are going.” I demanded, annoyance folding my arms over my stomach. “I’m sick of surprises right now.” Scrooge walked to the edge of the tree line, twisting back to me. “Why don’t you see for yourself?” He waved the arm not filled with a snoring bird and motioned for me to step out of the forest. Nerves leaped around in my stomach as I ducked under a branch, walking past him. My gaze taking in the drastic change in landscape. Fields of treeless land covered in snow stretched out before me before dramatically rising into a sheer mountain face, the top of it so high I had to crane back my neck. The snowy top was curved, twisted, and scary, horror version of the Matterhorn in Disneyland. Actually, it looked similar to the mountain where the Grinch lived. Oh…no… “Welcome to Mount Crumpit.” Hare bounded past me, nodding at the top. “Where your worst fears come to life.”

♦ ♦ ♦

Enter the Giveaway today – a Rafflecopter giveaway

♦ ♦ ♦

Stacey Marie Brown is a lover of hot fictional bad boys and sarcastic heroines who kick butt. She also enjoys books, travel, TV shows, hiking, writing, design, and archery. Stacey swears she is part gypsy, being lucky enough to live and travel all over the world.

She grew up in Northern California, where she ran around on her family’s farm, raising animals, riding horses, playing flashlight tag, and turning hay bales into cool forts. She volunteers helping animals and is Eco-friendly. She feels all animals, people, and environment should be treated kindly.

♦ ♦ ♦

Book Tour, Excerpts & Giveaway ~ The Thirteenth Guardian by KM Lewis

26 Jun 201926 Jun 2019 ~ bookeverlasting ~ 1 Comment

Sci-Fi

Date
Published: June 11, 2019

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

Da Vinci’s secret pales. Michelangelo concealed an explosive truth in his famous
Creation of Adam fresco in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Eve did not cause
the fall of man. She carried a far more devastating secret for millennia—one
that will change the world forever.

As
the modern-day world suffers the cataclysmic effects of the “Plagues of Egypt,”
Avery Fitzgerald, a statuesque Astrophysics major at Stanford, discovers that
she is mysteriously bound to five strangers by an extremely rare condition that
foremost medical experts cannot explain. Thrust into extraordinary
circumstances, they race against time to stay alive as they are pursued by an
age-old adversary and the world around them collapses into annihilation.

Under
sacred oath, The Guardians—a far more archaic and enigmatic secret society than
the Freemasons, Templars, and the Priory—protect Avery as she embarks on a
daring quest that only legends of old have been on before. Avery must come to
terms with the shocking realization that the blood of an ancient queen flows
through her veins and that the fate of the world now rests on her shoulders.

Excerpt #1

Remi had always dreamed that he would do meaningful work in his life. His parents repeatedly told him that he had a great destiny ahead of him and that one day he would do amazing things. Remi believed that perhaps one day he would become a senator or congressman and would change the lives of millions of people. The fact that at twenty-one, he was now in a room with the President of the United States, his chief of staff, and possibly the only congressman left alive, working on a plan to keep the United States government functional, left him with mixed feelings. It was awe inspiring on the one hand, but on the other, the circumstances around which it was happening were terrifying.

As the four men conferred around an old coffee table, which had now become the platform on which the future of the United States was being shaped, the door to the war room burst open and a Marine rushed in with terror in his eyes. He doubled over, choking, like something was stuck in his throat. Remi rushed to his aid.

“What now?” the president barked. He was frustrated and at a loss after everything that had happened over the last few hours. He had run out of patience, and his capacity for sympathy was completely eroded.

“Mr. President, you need to come up to the surface entrance. You need to do it now,” the Marine said, gasping for air.

The president knew enough about the Marines’ degree of professionalism that he did not object.

Everyone followed the Marine down the hall and hopped into the Humvee for the three-minute ride up the steeply inclined roadway to the entrance of the bunker.

“Maybe you should slow down for a minute and catch your breath.”

“I am going to be fine, Mr. President. I am able to breathe a lot better now, sir.”

“Sorry I was curt earlier. It’s been a rough few days, and my nerves are a little frayed. I should have been more compassionate.”

They stopped at the head of the roadway, which was protected by a steel gate large enough for a semi-truck. Instead of opening the gate, the Marine walked to the side and opened a smaller door that led down a short hallway and to a steep set of stairs. The group of men climbed up the stairs in silence and emerged at the top of the guard tower.

The president was the first to step out of the stairwell and into the guard tower opening. He let out a loud gasp. His chief of staff followed and let out an equally loud expletive. As Remi stepped out of the stairwell, he had instinctively braced himself for anything; yet still, what he saw shocked him to his core.

Excerpt #2

One of the larger pods immediately adjoining the foyer served as Florianne’s study but was also set up like a reading room in a library. Several leather club chairs were positioned in the center of the room, and the walls were lined with shelves replete with papyrus scrolls, codices, ancient manuscripts, religious texts, important documents, and books from around the world. Some of the scrolls and manuscripts were from eons gone by, but there were also copies of all the holy books from current major religions—the Bible, Torah, Talmud, Quran, the Vedas, the Upanishads, The Agamas, Kojiki, and more. This amount of ancient history and medieval texts had not been under one roof, at the same time, since the Royal Library of Alexandria in the third century BC.

The shelves also had two copies of all the important books of modern times: The Republic by Plato, The Communist Manifesto, The Prince by Machiavelli, The Wealth of Nations, The Meaning of Relativity, On the Origin of Species, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Moby Dick, Arabian Nights, Things Fall Apart, and much more.

After they had eaten to their fill, the group moved to Florianne’s library. As they settled into the comfortable leather furniture, Toni asked, “So where is our gracious host? I have been looking forward to meeting Florianne. Without everything she did, we would all be dead. Without her, all our families would be dead. I am eternally grateful to her for everything she has done for us. I want to let her know how thankful I am.”

Eli stared at the floor then looked back up to his new friends, who sat in a semi-circle, facing him. “I have a lot I need to tell you.”

Eli described his trip to get to Innsbruck and how close he was to never finding Florianne. He told them about the Vespa ride up the mountainside and his companion, Urich. He told them about finally finding Florianne’s estate and spending the last two days, as the deadly winds raged above ground, getting the full history of Florianne, her family, the Guardians, and their secret organization.

He described how intense Florianne was: her gaze never wavering from Eli’s eyes, her voice appearing to grow instantly stronger and more deliberate.

“It felt like it was more than just Florianne talking. It felt like, in her voice, hundreds of men and women from across the ages were speaking directly to me. It was the most incredible experience.”

In the soft glow of the generator-powered light bulbs that lit the bunker, as Avery, Remi and Toni looked on, Eli begun to tell the most important story they would ever hear.

About
the Author

K.M.
Lewis has lived in multiple countries around the world and speaks several
languages. Lewis holds a graduate degree from one of the Universities featured
in his book. When he is not writing, Lewis doubles as a management consultant,
with clients in just about every continent. He does much of his writing while
on long flights and at far-flung airports around the globe. He currently
resides on the East Coast of the United States with his family.

Contact
Links

Website