Add POSSESSION Club X 3 (January 2015) to yourGOODREADSshelf.
Kane Jackson, the ruler of the fantasy section of Club X, has always been different from his brothers. The bastard son of Cassian March III, he grew up without the money and privilege Cassian and Stefan enjoyed from the March name, instead only knowing his father as the man who abandoned him and seeing himself as unloved and unwanted. He let love in once and like everything else in his life, all that came from it was pain. His heart hidden behind the walls he’s built since then, Kane is now just the dark figure who rules over the fantasies of others but has none himself.
Abbi Linde can’t seem to get a break. Too many bad men and bad choices have left her bruised and broken, but the opportunity to dance at Club X could change everything. For the first time, she might be able to make a life for herself and find the happiness she longs for. After what feels like a lifetime of heartbreak, Abbi still believes one day her dreams will come true and she’ll find the love that’s eluded her.
Even the darkest heart craves the light, but will the darkness be too much for love to overcome with these two souls?
Temptation Club X #1 by KM Scott Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance Release Date: August 3, 2014
The Club X Series, a scorching hot new erotic contemporary romance series by New York Times bestselling author K.M. Scott.
Cassian March, the public face of Tampa’s most exclusive nightspot, Club X, has a great life. Women, sex, and money are his for the taking, and no man indulges his desires more. Life is short, and he plays hard. He lives by only one rule—never let a woman get close.
Olivia Lucas needs a job, and if that means working at a club that specializes in making members’ wildest fantasies come true, then that’s what she’ll do. A girl’s got to pay the rent, right? She never expected to fall for the gorgeous owner of Club X, though, but a man like him would never go for someone like her. Or would he?
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Surrender Club X #2 by KM Scott Genre: adult, contemporary, erotic romance Release Date: November 3, 2014
Stefan March lives for a good time. Born into wealth, he sees everything in terms of what he can have, especially women. So far, life has denied him nothing and no one. When he meets his newest bartender, he instantly knows who his next conquest will be, but Shay’s not like the usual women he collects. To get her, he’ll have to be more than just the player he’s always been.
Shay Callahan is beautiful, determined, and intelligent. She’s got plans for her life, and they don’t include getting sidetracked by a man, and certainly not her wealthy player boss. Her job at Club X is for one thing—money to fund her education—but if she can make Stefan March see he’s not God’s gift to women, all the better. She never expects to find out there’s more to him than meets the eye.
As different as day and night, can these two see past who they think they are to find love?
A writer for years in other genres, K.M. Scott writes sexy contemporary romances like the ones that she loves. In love with love from the moment she picked up her first romance novel, she considers herself blessed that she has the chance to tell her own characters’ stories now. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading, feeding her addiction to TV, or cooking a new dish for family and friends. She loves to hear from readers, so drop by her Facebook page and say hi or e-mail me at kmscottauthor@gmail.com.
Vampires exist. So do werewolves. The creatures that you fear in the darkness? They’re all real. And the baddest of the paranormals…those who love to hurt humans…they’re sent to Purgatory, the only paranormal prison in the U.S.
His job is to stop the monsters.
Deadly forces are at work within Purgatory. The monsters are joining together—and their plans have to be stopped. FBI Agent Shane August, a very powerful vampire with a dark past, is sent into the prison on an undercover assignment. His job is to infiltrate the vampire clan, by any means necessary.
She wants to help the prisoners.
Dr. Olivia Maddox wants to find out just why certain paranormals go bad. What pushes some vampires over the edge? Why do some werewolves turn so savage? If she can understand the monsters, then Olivia thinks she can help them. When she gets permission to enter Purgatory, Olivia believes she is being given the research opportunity of a lifetime.
Olivia doesn’t realize that she’s walking straight into hell.
To survive, they have to rely on each other.
When the prisoners break loose, there is only one person—one vampire—who can protect her, but as Olivia and Shane fight the enemies that surround them, a dark and dangerous passion stirs to life between the doctor and the vamp. Shane realizes that Olivia is a woman carrying secrets—powerful, sinful secrets. Secrets that a man would kill to possess.
And Olivia realizes that—sometimes—you can’t control the beast inside of you. No matter how hard you try. Some passions can push you to the very limits of your control…and the growing lust that she feels for her vampire…it’s sending her racing right into a deadly storm of desire.
Welcome to Purgatory…a place that’s a real hell on earth…
REVIEW:
MARKED BY THE VAMPIRE is the second instalment in Cynthia Eden’s contemporary, adult Purgatory paranormal series. Purgatory is an island prison for the supernatural-those that cannot be controlled. This is Dr. Olivia Maddox and FBI Agent Shane August’s storyline. Although this is the second in the series, MARKED BY THE VAMPIRE can be read as a stand alone. Some of the previous storyline characters play secondary roles and any information from the prior story is imparted where necessary.
Told from third person POV the story follows Olivia Maddox as she has gained access to Purgatory to further her research surrounding the darkest of the supernatural powers. But Olivia has a secret-one that if discovered or released-will place everyone in danger. So to add to her protection, vampire and Para Unit specialist Shane August is sent in undercover only to realize a little too late that they have both ‘literally’ been thrown to the wolves. Someone knows about Olivia’s true identity and is hoping that Purgatory will keep her under control.
The attraction between Shane and Olivia is immediate. They have a connection that can only be called fated and in this Shane is determined to protect Olivia at all costs-even if it means taking out everyone who threatens the woman he believes to be his mate.
The secondary characters include many of the previous storyline characters as well as a new cast of villains who are on the hunt for the ultimate in supernatural powers. The storyline is well paced; the suspense and mystery will keep the reader on the edge of their seat-and in the end-there was very little difference between good and evil. Trust must be earned and very little is earned throughout the story. Needless to say, Olivia had some major issues of trust, especially when she found herself imprisoned by the very people who had promised to keep her safe.
Cynthia Eden writes an exciting and intense story with all the hallmarks of a paranormal mystery-the reader is never sure just who is the bad guy; who is the betrayer; and who can be trusted with your life. Life in Purgatory is hell, but working with the Para Unit is like working for the Devil-himself.
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
“I’ve got a plan, love. Trust me.” He advanced into the darkness.
Her nails sank into his skin. “No. Look, dammit, I get that it’s too little, too late, but I wasn’t exactly high on choices upstairs.”
He frowned down at her. She wasn’t looking at his face in that total darkness, but instead staring just over his shoulder.
“Give me something here—I mean, make me know that I’m with the good guy.”
Oh, but he couldn’t do that. He’d never been exactly good, not even when he’d been working with the FBI. If she only knew the things he’d done, she might just run back up to the wolves. “I work with Pate.”
“Give me more. Why are you at Purgatory? What’s going on?”
He pulled her closer. Wanted to take her mouth again but didn’t. Control. “We don’t have time for a fucking long discourse here, love. So here are the simple facts. I’m working undercover—a cover that I blew for you. And right now, I’m the only thing standing between you and death, so if you want to die, then by all means…” He let her go. “Don’t trust me.”
In the darkness, he saw her wrap her arms around her stomach. “You…you haven’t killed? Your file was all lies?”
“I’ve killed plenty.” Brutal truth. “And that’s why I’m your best hope of survival.”
She rocked back on her heels. “Have you killed innocents?”
The woman was so naive. “There are no innocents in this world.”
Her body trembled. He could see the small ripple that shook her.
With his back teeth clenched, he demanded, “Now are you coming with me or do you want to try your luck with the wolves?”
Her hand lifted, tried to find him in the dark. He stepped toward her so that she touched his chest.
The Wolf Within Purgatory #1 by Cynthia Eden Genre: adult, romance, mystery, paranormal Release Date: November 2012
FBI Special Agent Duncan McGuire spends his days–and his nights–tracking real-life monsters. Most humans aren’t aware of the vampires and werewolves that walk among them. They don’t realize the danger that they face, but Duncan knows about the horror that waits in the darkness. He hunts the monsters, and he protects the innocent. Duncan just never expects to become a monster. But after a brutal werewolf attack, Duncan begins to change…and soon he will be one of the very beasts that he has hunted.
Dr. Holly Young is supposed to help Duncan during his transition. It’s her job to keep him sane so that Duncan can continue working with the FBI’s Para Unit. But as Duncan’s beast grows stronger, the passion that she and Duncan have held carefully in check pushes to the surface. The desire that is raging between them could be a very dangerous thing…because Holly isn’t exactly human, not any longer.
As the monsters circle in, determined to take out all of the agents working at the Para Unit, Holly and Duncan will have to use their own supernatural strengths in order to survive. But as they give up more of their humanity and embrace the beasts within them both, they realize that the passion between them isn’t safe, it isn’t controllable, and their dark need may just be an obsession that could destroy them both.
USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.
Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.
Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.
(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people). Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.
Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.
With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…
HARD AS IT GETS is one steamy read! How did you first get into writing?
Thanks so much! And thanks for having me here! I’ve been a writer all my life. I’m a historian by training, so writing non-fiction was a part of my job for the fifteen years I worked as a college professor. But I started writing fiction in 2008 in kind of an unusual way. I hit my head on July 4, 2008. I didn’t think much of it that day, but soon after I realized I’d really hurt myself, and it turned out I had a minor traumatic brain injury. As I recovered, I was filled with an amazing urge to be creative, so I started taking guitar lessons (still not very good at that!) and wrote my first novel in 12 weeks (fortunately, I’m better at that LOL!). The experience of writing that first book was truly transformative. It was what I was supposed to be doing, so I revised that book until it sold and kept writing new ones. And I haven’t looked back since!
Why did you choose to write romance?
I had been an avid reader of paranormal romance for years at that point, so I wrote what I loved. But I also picked romance—unconsciously, I think—because to me it’s an incredibly hopeful genre. Romance stories are inherently stories about people who can’t find love or think they don’t deserve it who overcome the odds and find it in the end. In the years leading up to starting writing, I experienced a number of very hard personal losses, so writing in this genre was one way I worked through those issues.
What does “Hard Ink” refer to? What importance do tattoos play in your story?
Hard Ink is the name of the Rixey brothers’ tattoo shop in the Hard Ink series. Nick and Jeremy Rixey are co-owners, though Nick (the hero of book one, Hard As It Gets) prefers to be more of a silent partner, despite Jeremy’s efforts to put Nick’s artistic talents to work. In this series, tattoos are a way people remember, pay penance, or highlight what’s important to them. The act of creating permanent marks on skin has deep meaning to them. And the shop creates a gritty setting where diverse kinds of people meet and interact in the series. I really love it!
Describe Becca—what do you love most about her? And Nick?
I’d love to! Because I really loved writing these characters!
Becca Merritt is smart and strong and honest and protective. I really loved the way she was willing to stand up for those she loves, even against people and forces who might be stronger and even a little scary. There’s a scene in particular when she dresses down Nick’s Special Forces teammates after a fist fight where I was particularly cheering for her! LOL
Nick Rixey is, omg, so freaking hot, you guys! He’s brooding and tortured and honorable and when he falls he falls so hard. I especially loved Nick’s mix of hard, alpha edges with his artistic side. When Nick shows Becca what her idea for a tattoo might look like on her skin, it’s just scorching!
What significance does the military play in the book?
Military themes are central to the whole Hard Ink series. The military isn’t just sexy window dressing nor is it just there to provide an intriguing backstory. The prior SF guys are this series are entirely defined by their military experience good and bad. It informs their identity, their sense of honor and duty, their view of the world, and of course gives them the skill set required to fight the battles they face in the series. The overall series mystery the characters are working to solve revolves around a military conspiracy in Afghanistan, so even though they’re out of the Army, the military themes are central.
If you could describe your book in a 140 character tweet, what would it be?
In#HardAsItGets, an ex-soldier joins forces w/his dead commander’s daughter to regain his tarnished honor & save her brother from a gang
Is there a particular author or book that has influenced your writing?
There are a number of authors that have influenced me, but if I had to pick one it would be J.R. Ward. A lot of what I know about how to write sexy, authentic male point of view comes from reading her books. And I definitely learned the importance of a good bromance to a romance novel from her Black Dagger Brotherhood series, too. Given my ginormous fangirling, you can only imagine how flipping excited I was when this happened:
“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets
You guys, I bawled like a baby in the middle of a huge workshop put on by my publisher. For real. LOL
What advice would you give aspiring writers looking to get into the publishing industry?
Here’s my advice:
1) Write, write, write. You can’t revise what you haven’t written and you can’t sell what you haven’t written. And the psychological and emotional boost you’ll get from writing “The End” for the first time cannot be overestimated.
2) Revise, revise, revise. That first time you type “The End”? Yeah, you’re nowhere near done. Your book will need to be edited, by you, several times before you ever put it in front of an agent or editor. You get one shot with them, so don’t waste it by not showing them your very best and most polished work.
3) Find critique partners. And your mom, siblings, and best friend do not count (unless you’re really lucky, like me, and your best friend happens t also be a professional author). You need other aspiring writers in your genre who will give you honest but constructive feedback about how to improve your manuscript. Let them catch all the embarrassing goofs and plot holes you thought you caught before it gets to an agent or editor.
4) Want to be a professional, then act it. And by that I mean join the professional organization(s) of the genre in which you write. Through them you will find classes to help hone your craft, critique partner match-ups, networking opportunities, calls for submission, and other opportunities invaluable to breaking into publishing.
5) Don’t give up. You will hear way more no’s than yeses, particularly early in your writing career. Stick with it. Believe in yourself. Give yourself one day to wallow in the rejection and eat a bunch of chocolate and then get right back on the horse. If your first book doesn’t sell, chalk that up to learning and write a second.
What can fans of HARD AS IT GETS look forward to next?
I’m currently writing four series: two contemporary (Hard Ink, Heroes) and two paranormal (Hearts of the Anemoi, Vampire Warrior Kings). I’ll have books from all four of those releasing in 2014. My next release is Hard As You Can (Hard Ink #2) coming 2/25/14!
About Hard As It Gets:
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.
Tall, dark, and lethal…
Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey’s tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome–pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He’s left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander’s daughter. Loyalty won’t let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.
With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn’t expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.
Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge…
Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.
Sharpshooter by Cynthia Eden-Release Day Promotion
Sharpshooter Shadow Agents #3 by Cynthia Eden Release Date: July 23, 2013
Harlequin is releasing the print version a little over a week and a half before the digital version. The print releases is July 23 and the digital release is August 1.
Heart-pounding action meets smoldering desire in USA TODAY bestselling author Cynthia Eden’s Shadow Agents miniseries! Two years ago Gunner Ortez saved Sydney Sloan’s life on a mission gone wrong. And ever since then, he’s been watching her back. Now a hostage-rescue mission is about to blow the Elite Ops agents’ lives apart once again.
Working side by side back in the jungles of Peru, the heat between Sydney and Gunner is hotter than ever-and so are the threats to their lives. With the danger escalating, Sydney knows Gunner is her only hope at successfully completing their assignment. But the ex-SEAL who arouses passion she’d only dreamed about also poses the greatest risk to the secret she carries in her heart…and in her belly.
USA Today Best-selling author Cynthia Eden has written over twenty-five novels and novellas. She was named as a 2013 RITA® finalist for her paranormal romance, ANGEL IN CHAINS, and, in 2011, Cynthia Eden was a RITA finalist for her romantic suspense, DEADLY FEAR.
Cynthia is a southern girl who loves horror movies, chocolate, and happy endings. She has always wanted to write (don’t most authors say that?), and particularly enjoys creating stories about monsters–vampires, werewolves, and even the real-life monsters that populate her romantic suspense stories.
Cynthia’s foreign sales for her books include translations to Japan, Germany, Thailand, Greece, and Brazil.
(Back in the day…) Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Alabama where she studied Sociology (because people interest her) and Communication (because she likes to write about said people). Cynthia has worked as a college admissions counselor, a teacher, and as an editor. But now, Cynthia is thrilled to be spending her days making up stories.