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Resplendent Ruin (Resplendence #1)

10/17/2015

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I'd like to welcome fellow Liquid Silver Books author Bella J. to my blog to tell you about her new book, to be released Nov. 16. That's quite a cover. Youza. It's all yours, Bella.

So I know a lot of writers tend to write about characters that they can relate to, characters that reflect a lot of the writer.  But I have to admit that Juliette Mason and I are nothing alike. 
Juliette is reserved, sophisticated, goal orientated and responsible.  I on the other hand am none of those things.  No, really. 
Sure I can be sophisticated if the situation requires me to be, but reserved? Nah-ah.  Stubborn? Yes.  Am I goal orientated? If you consider me always getting my way goal orientated, then sure.  Responsible? Maybe – but I think it's more of an OCD tendency than being responsible.  I have a certain way of doing certain things and tend to freak out if it's not done the way I like it.  Well I call it a freak out session; my husband calls it a tantrum.  It's a matter of opinion.
Okay, so one thing that Juliette and I do have in common is the big brown eyes.  Other than that – nada.  And she's got long curly hair I so wish I had. 
Anyway, Juliette is the opposite of me and I chose that kind of character because I already had Knox all figured out.  Big bad-ass guy with a temper and dangerously smoldering blue eyes – what better match for him than an uptight, sophisticated, woman who lived her life according to a daily schedule right? 
So I had these two very complicated and complex characters who I knew would just be perfect for each other.  But since I love ‘complicated’ so damn much, I tossed a very handsome, very ambitious and highly successful fiancé into the mix.   Why? Because what is love if not complicated? And would love be cherished and appreciated if it just fell out of thin air right into your lap? I think not.
Right, so back to the brooding sexy as hell bad boy – Knox Taylor.  Now that's where a little of me gets mixed into the story.  I have a soft spot for bad boys who intimidate the hell out of me – and then have me think a hundred dirty thoughts at once.  Knox is dangerous, wild, and a man who hates complications.  He doesn't give a flying fig about anything that doesn't result in him getting his way with minimal fuss and zero to none effort.  So imagine the rude wakeup call he gets when Juliette waltzes into his life and throws him one big curveball by being the one complication he really, really wants but just can't have.  Yup, those two characters just scream drama, passion and loads of sexual tension – the perfect recipe for a Resplendent Ruin.
So of course I had to write about them.  I was just too damn curious and had to find out where these two characters would end up.  And the end result was.... well, you'll just have to wait and find out for yourselves *wink*

Blurb

Juliette Mason had it all—the perfect job, the perfect home, the perfect fiancé. She lived the perfect life. Until everything slowly started to fall apart.

Daniel, her attractive and success-driven fiancé, was the love of her life. For years she wanted nothing more than to finally walk down the aisle, to be Mrs. Daniel Clarke. But as time went by, the cracks in their relationship started to come to the surface, and Juliette found herself in a place she never imagined she would be. It was a place where she started to question everything about her life and her dreams, a place where nothing about her life made sense anymore—a place where she found Knox Taylor.

Knox didn’t count on falling in love. In fact, Knox didn’t count on anything really. He was blissfully happy living a fast life of reckless behavior, impulsive decisions, and beautiful women. He lived the perfect life of a flourishing bachelor—but then she happened.

Excerpt
“Why are you in my room?”

Juliette yelped and jumped at the same time. She dropped the cuff which was still clutched in her hand, and the sound echoed through the room as it clashed against the bedpost.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, holding her hand against her chest. Her heart was beating a hundred miles an hour, and she could feel all the blood drain from her body, rushing to her burning cheeks.

“Why are you in my room?” His voice was right behind her now, and she swallowed hard. Not wanting to turn around and let him see the embarrassment on her face, she kept her back to him.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered and tried to scurry past him. But before she was able to make a getaway, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. A shockwave of extreme undiluted need shot up from his touch, through her spine, straight to her core. Holy crap, she couldn’t breathe.

His stare burned through her skin and her body felt like it was on fire. Startled by what she felt, she looked up at him.

His midnight hair was damp and unruly as ever, and his face slightly flushed.
There was no stopping her gaze from moving down.

“I, um…I…” She couldn’t think of a single thing to say, not one damn thing as she stared at his incredibly well-built, unbelievably toned chest with the faint dusting of black chest hair.

Down, down, down—like Alice in the rabbit hole—her attention went, until they reached the very prominent, very masculine V. Or what Lexi would call it, the “penis-pointer.”--Oh no, she didn’t? Did she just think about his…
Yes. Yes, she did.

“Up here, sweetheart,” he said, still clutching her wrist.

Her gaze shot up, another wave of embarrassment making its way to her already burning face. He had that damn arrogant grin he wore so well on his face. He knew the effect he had on her. He knew every dirty little thought that flashed through her mind during the last five seconds. Smug bastard!

She jerked her arm out of his hold and her skin instantly mourned the loss. “I just came to return your jacket.” It was a miracle that she didn’t stutter since she couldn’t form a single sentence in her head.

His arm dropped to his side and her eyes followed the movement. That’s when she noticed the white towel wrapped around his waist. For a split second the thought of what was behind that flimsy white towel made her thighs clench and her stomach tighten.

Look away!

He cocked a brow. “And you needed to put it in my room?”

“Well,” she searched for words, or an explanation, or something, “I just wanted to make sure you got it back safely.” Well, I certainly aced that explanation.

He looked at her suspiciously, and then his eyes went dark. “Whatever. You can leave now.” He dismissed her.

Oh hell no!

She gave a step forward. “Do you think that women actually find this whole jackass approach of yours attractive?” she spat out.

“I don’t know, do you?”

Struggling—yet again—to think on her feet, she just stared at him, completely blank. Nice.

He gave a step toward her, traces of the darkness in his eyes she saw a second ago gone. What she could only interpret as a sexy-as-hell grin crossed his face, showing off his ridiculously distracting dimples.

I want to trace those dimples with my tongue… Stop!

All of a sudden the entire atmosphere between them changed from awkward, to angry, to--electrifying. Her skin tingled, and she was suddenly painfully aware that except for the flimsy towel wrapped around his waist, he was completely and utterly naked.

With somewhat furrowed brows and the corners of his mouth pulled back just enough for her to wonder if he was about to smile or frown, he slowly started toward her. With each step he took, she instinctively gave one step back. This was probably what trapped prey felt like being stalked by a wild, hungry predator. Adrenalin would pump through the prey’s veins as it prepared to run for its life or brace itself for impact. The only difference was that the adrenalin pumping through her veins was for an entirely different reason than wanting to escape her predator. In fact, she wanted to run to the predator.

Stupid, stupid prey!

She inhaled sharply when her back hit the wall. Her body started to shiver as he leaned into her. Heat burned through her skin while her heart beat wildly inside of her chest.

He placed his hands flush against the wall just above her shoulders and looked down at her, his eyes a frenzy of heat and seduction. Every inch of her body felt electrified, like it was leaning over the edge of unadulterated lust in search of ecstasy.

He cocked his head to the side and he stared at the soft, exposed skin of her neck. She was pretty sure he could have seen the vein pulsating to the rhythm of her heart. She felt completely intoxicated by the way he moved, the way he smelled, and the way it felt having him so close up against her. She closed her eyes and felt him slowly trace the edge of his nose up her neck, all along her jaw until she could feel his lips brush against her ear.

“Tell me, Jules,” he whispered, the words coated with sheer unmistakable allure.

“Tell you what?” she asked dazed. She could not remember what the hell they were talking about.

He focused all his attention on her lips while he kept his mouth mere inches from hers. It was complete agony having his lips so close to hers and not being able to feel it.

“Do you find my jackass approach attractive?”

His warm breath waved over her wet lips and an inferno of flames erupted inside of her, leaving her incapable of thinking about anything else than what his lips would feel like pressed firmly against hers.

Connect with Bella J
Website      http://bellajauthor.wix.com/sassy
Facebook   
www.facebook.com/BellaJ1983
Twitter         https://twitter.com/BellaJ_Author


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A thrilling promotion on great romance books

10/4/2015

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Who doesn't like a great deal? Kobo and Liquid Silver Books is teaming to bring readers just that, and I'm trilled to say that two of my Gulf Shore series books are included.

Shore Feels Right and Shore to Please will be part of a BUY 2, GET 1 free sale only on Kobo from Oct. 6 to 11.


And in celebration of that, I'm collaborating with five other Liquid Silver authors for a Facebook, Twitter and blog promotion we're calling " Thrilling Romance. Thrilling Authors. Thrilling Deal."

Now through the end of the day on Oct. 11, drop by our Facebook event page to see all the surprises, prizes and fun we have in store for you. There will be hijinks, hot men and who knows what else. Hey, we're writers. We'll think of something.

Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/oznyjkx.
And here's a rundown on the books and authors who'll be participating in the "Thrilling" multimedia promotion. Let's start with my books.

Shore Feels Right, Gulf Shore Book 2

Once a pariah among her coworkers, marine biologist Monica Sims has spent months reinventing herself as she seeks redemption. A history of failed relationships leaves her leery of romantic involvement, until she meets Cosby Williams, the new co-owner of Nauti-Toys watercraft rentals.
As things heat up between them, Gulf Shore Aquarium responds to the stranding of a group of pilot whales. When a billionaire bachelor lends his private plane to the rescue effort, Monica catches his eye—and an obsession is born.
How will she cope with the unwanted attention? And will her past sins come back to doom her newfound happiness with Cosby?

Kobo link  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/shore-feels-right

Shore to Please, Gulf Shore Book 3
Tara Langley thought she’d found the love of her life, but he betrayed her with another woman. So she buried herself in her mission: convincing Gulf Shore Aquarium that dolphins and whales belong in the wild, not in artificial pools.
If Tara had her way, Paul “Flipper” O’Riley would lose the job he loves. Flipper is the head dolphin trainer, and the aquarium’s dolphins are his babies. While he’s open to having a real family one day, Tara is the last person he'd choose to be his wife and the mother of his children.

These two should be sworn enemies, after all. He certainly swears at the sight of her. And his surfer-dude looks and lover-boy reputation aren’t exactly what Ms. Prim and Tidy had in mind when she pictured her ideal man.
But in the age-old way of opposites attracting, Tara and Flipper find themselves inexplicably drawn to each other. There’s no possible way a relationship between them could work, right?
As the two try to find common ground amid the quicksand, Flipper and his coworkers become the targets of an increasingly more menacing campaign to force the aquarium to release the dolphins under its care. Will Gulf Shore Police Detective Joanna Tompkins catch the culprit before it’s too late?

Kobo link   https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/shore-to-please

And now let's hear from my Liquid Silver pub sisters.

KaLyn Cooper
Blog  https://kalyncooper.wordpress.com/

Explosive Combination
Separately, Harper Tambini and Rafe Silva are lethal…together, they’re explosive.
ATF Special Agent Harper Tambini is kidnapped by a Colombian drug lord and forced to use her explosives knowledge to kill his competition before she can escape with the help of undercover CIA agent Rafe Silva. As they make their way through the rivers, mountains and jungles, their desire for each other detonates.
But Harper reminds Rafe of his murdered fiancée, and the shadow world he wants to leave. Harper learned the hard way that men never stay, so now she doesn’t keep them around long enough to see if the sparks can light a fire that will last forever. In their short time together, can they crystalize a relationship, or will it all blow up?

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/explosive-combination
 
Christmas in Cancun
Busy building a new career with his catamaran company, former SEAL Jack Girard had all but forgotten about his grandfather’s quest to find the golden Mayan goddess statues until his brother’s beautiful widow, Jillian, and adorable daughter, Addison, arrive in Cancun with the research materials. His need to complete the family mission is almost as strong as his desire for Jillian.
Between raising her daughter alone and finishing her doctorate in Mayan anthropology, Jillian doesn’t have time for a man in her life. Although, after mourning her husband’s murder for two years, she’s ready for a man her bed.
An underwater Virgin Mary statue and centuries-old manuscripts lead the two of them through the Mayan Riviera and directly into danger.
During steamy Caribbean nights together, will they develop the ability to move on and discover the real treasure isn't gold?

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/ebook/christmas-in-cancun

Tara Quan
Blog http://www.taraquan.com/ 

More Than Strangers
Jason Reynolds has his life mapped out, and it doesn’t include a smart-mouthed redhead on a mission to save the world. A security specialist at the top of his game, he is on the cusp of wealth and power. Love is a distraction he simply can’t afford.
Struggling to bury memories of an unforgettable night, Nulli O’Hara chases her dream to a city fraught with violence and death. Six months later, she becomes a kidnapping target, and Jason is the man sent to keep her safe.

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-christmas-together
 
A Christmas Together
Despite Dubai’s oppressive heat, heiress Brennan Caruthers is gearing up to throw a holiday party. She has almost everything a modern woman could want—a tight-knit circle of friends, challenging career, financial independence, and an impressive shoe collection. But when armed men attempt to kidnap her straight off a six-lane highway, she’s forced to revisit her past and ends up spending the nights leading to Christmas with a man she’d rather forget.
Major Karl Reed can’t imagine a worse end to his year. Cover blown and mission details leaked, his Delta unit and their families have become targets of a vengeful criminal cell. After receiving news of a failed attack on his estranged wife, he rushes to the Emirates to whisk her into hiding. But when his damsel in distress digs in her stiletto heels and presents him with a better plan, he’s forced to become her unwelcome houseguest. Assuming he keeps them both alive, they might just celebrate their first Christmas together.
https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/more-than-strangers
 
Monette Michaels
Blog: http://wp.me/pL05w-tM 

Eye of the Storm, SSI Book 1
Keely Walsh has three doctorates, five older brothers and has never met a situation she couldn't handle. While consulting with the NSA, she discovers sensitive government information indicating her brother, a private security operative, is in danger. Keely travels to the dangerous Triple Frontier in South America to warn him and his colleagues and finds the last thing she expects--a man who sends icy shivers down her spine even as he lights every one of her fires.
Ren Maddox, co-owner of Security Specialists International, a security firm that works for large corporations and governments, is on an intelligence-gathering mission for the U.S. government when a petite strawberry blonde armed with a Bren Ten and an attitude ten feet tall pops out of the Argentine jungle with a warning of imminent danger. The fact she is one hundred percent correct shocks him to his socks. The fact she is Tweeter Walsh's baby sister and can fight like the fiercest Marine is beside the point. No one who looks like Keely should ever be in danger. And once he gets her out of the current situation, he’ll make it his life's work to protect the feisty, sexy, little woman from any and all danger.
One alpha male. One determined and independent female. One hot, tumultuous relationship.

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/eye-of-the-storm-a-security-specialists-international-book
 
Cold Day in Hell, SSI Book 2
Calista Meyers is a world-famous, soon-to-be-ex-supermodel. After arriving for a fashion shoot in Cartagena, Colombia, she realizes her agent has misled her about the nature of her last modeling assignment.
Paramilitary leader Jaime Cruz paid her slimy agent a lot of money to get Callie to his part of the world. Cruz has threatened to kidnap and kill her younger brothers if she attempts to leave the country.
What’s a Marine brat to do? Callie calls on her childhood friend Keely Walsh-Maddox and Keely’s husband Ren, the owner of Security Specialists International, to help her.
SSI sends operative Risto Smith to rescue Callie. The former Marine has had a thing for the model ever since he’d first seen her picture on a magazine cover. But he knows he isn’t nearly good enough for a lady like her. She’s an assignment and can be nothing else.
Callie knows Risto is just the man for her and decides to use the close quarters of their escape from Colombia to convince the stubborn male. When Risto leaves her in Panama and disappears, Callie is upset but not defeated. But after two months passes with no word from Risto and with her enemy Cruz in the US and back on her trail, Callie once again turns to Risto for protection.
This time, it would be a cold day in hell before Callie allows Risto to turn his back on their love.  

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/cold-day-in-hell
 
Weather the Storm, SSI Book 3
Research librarian Elana Fabrizzio was in the wrong place at the wrong time. While working her late night shift at the library, she overhears a man hire a mercenary to kill Keely Walsh-Maddox and other Security Specialists International operatives. Things go from bad to worse when the man kills a student and a security guard on his way out of the library.
SSI operative Vanko Petriv is in New York City on holiday and is redirected to Washington, D.C. to become Elana’s personal security. Turns out the man she overheard is the traitor SSI has been pursuing for quite a while. Her eyewitness testimony would eliminate the treacherous thorn in SSI’s side and rid the intelligence community of a traitor once and for all.
Vanko is instantly attracted to the courageous Elana and vows to make her his. Elana is surprised when she’s attracted to Vanko. Bad past experiences have made her leery of dominant men.
When another enemy from Elana’s past appears, Vanko does what is needed to keep her alive. Their burgeoning attraction is threatened from all sides, but true love weathers any storm.

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/weather-the-storm-1
 
Olivia Night
Blog http://olivianight.weebly.com/blog

Seduction in Sierra Leone
In the mangroves of Sierra Leone, two strangers raised a world apart find themselves inextricably connected. Seduction in Sierra Leone, the first in a series of three novels, is a fast-paced tale of murder, lust, and love that transports the reader to a foreign and mysterious world of danger.
Aislinn Salameh, an American relief worker, is searching for purpose in her self- imposed lonely world. The stranger who enters her village on a blistering hot day looks more animal than man. She knows she should stay far away but can’t stop herself from being drawn to the mysterious man.
Brandt Fairlane is haunted by the sins of his past. Detached from others, Brandt has spent his life alone. His line of work is too dangerous for the luxuries of love and family.
When Brandt sees Aislinn and her haunting eyes, he knows he must possess her. But when Brandt’s past comes back from the dead and Aislinn is caught in the crossfire, it is up to him to keep her safe. In order to survive, they must learn to rely on one another. As they run for their lives, the heat between them becomes undeniable. Now, Brandt must not only protect Aislinn from a madman committed to stealing her away, but he also must protect her from himself. Because if Brandt steals her body and her heart, he’ll never let her go.

https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/seduction-in-sierra-leone
 
Tiffany Hassett
Blog https://naughtyandniceromance.wordpress.com/2015/10/02/kobo-super-sale/

Darling’s Desire
Darling Roberts is going back to the lake house her mother disappeared from thirteen years ago. She needs to decide to stay or sell. The locals believe the place is cursed, but her best friend thinks it would be a blast to spend the weekend there before heading to Europe. BFF Madison is determined to set Darling up even if that means dragging a recently widowed rock-and-roll drummer to the scene of a murder.
Ross Daniels has a secret. He can’t stand the pitying looks well-wishers have given him since his wife’s accidental death. The European leg of the Becket tour can’t come soon enough. A weekend stay at a mutual friend’s lake house seems like a decent way to kill a couple of days before hopping a plane, at least until he spends some time with temptation herself. Passions ignite and Ross feels his heart beginning to beat again. Darling isn’t who he thought she was, and he can’t get enough of her sweet soul and lush curves.
Darling is determined to take charge of her life and the lake house is just the place to begin. Ross is a scrumptious distraction, but she knows she has to keep things in perspective. Why would a world-famous drummer want to hang out with her in a small town that even the locals want her run out of?

https://store.kobobooks.com/it-it/ebook/darling-s-desire

What do you think of ALL the Romantic Suspense books in the KOBO Buy 2 Get 1 FREE Sale? Have you read any of the above that you can recommend to others? (Here's a secret: The lucky writer of one COMMENT below will win a prize!]  
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    Annette Mardis writes the kind of contemporary romance novels she loves to read: sexy, funny, smart and filled with "ah" moments.

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