MARKED Anthology – First Glimpse of HER

MARKED: Three stories of passion, possession, and ink

Stories can take us from our everyday world into the future, or to places in the current here and now that we’ve never before been. They can show us heat, and passion, and in the case of an anthology, provide more than one trip to a fabulous happily-ever-after.

Kit Rocha, Lauren Dane and Vivian Arend welcome you to MARKED. Three brand new stories we’re thrilled to share with you.

We’re stopping off at some our favorite blogs with some steamy excerpts. Each of us has pulled a snippet from our novella following a chosen theme, to give you a taste of what you’ll find in MARKED. The theme for this post?

~~~First Glimpse of HER~~~

 

Beyond Temptation

Kit Rocha returns to Sector Four in BEYOND TEMPTATION. A promise to a dying friend backfires when Noah Lennox finds that the girl he was supposed to rescue is all grown up–and wearing O’Kane ink. He wants to protect her from the secrets of their past, but she wants him. And an O’Kane woman always gets what she wants.

~*~

Music washed over Noah as he slipped through the door, a rough bass line that pounded in time with his heart as

Emma gripped the hilts of the knives strapped to her sleek thighs and circled her hips with a raw, knowing sexuality that had Noah’s dick half-hard already.

Emma was stripping at the most infamous bar in all eight sectors, a fact that would have been crazy enough all on its own. But tattoos curled around her wrists, cuffs that stretched from the tops of her hands halfway to her elbows, a sight only slightly less infamous than the bar. Members of Dallas’s gang wore those cuffs, inescapable proof that she really had joined up with the O’Kanes.

Appreciative noises rose from the crowd as Emma slipped the sharp end of one blade under her shirt, slicing the tight black cotton right down the middle. It pulled away, baring her breasts–and the taut pink tips of her nipples.

~~~***~~~

Rocky Ride

Take a ROCKY RIDE with New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Vivian Arend as she leads you back to the Six Pack Ranch. Anna Coleman might be the law around Rocky Mountain House, but bad boy Mitch Thompson knows that under the stiff RCMP uniform is a woman with a passion for speed and pleasure that matches his own, and he’s not giving up until she’s his.

~*~

Mitch grinned harder, pushing her against the car before she could run away and clean up the signs of their wild debauchery. He pinned her in place, his hands pushing her wrists to the roof as he slid one leg between her thighs and held her bare ass to the car door. Her dark brown hair was a mess tumbled about her shoulders, her pupils still full and dark against her pale blue irises. The flush on her cheeks from the wild sex, not some maidenly blush. “I like you dirty,” he admitted.

Her eyes flashed brightly for a second before she pulled on her cop uniform. Not the navy slacks and powder-blue shirt, but the mental shield she wore. As real as a tangible piece of fabric, Anna transformed before his eyes from his sexy, uninhibited lover to the woman who wrote up tickets and toed the line.

All the lines. All the time.

~~~***~~~

All That Remains

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Lauren Dane takes you into a brand new world in ALL THAT REMAINS. Summer Killian falls fast and hard when Charlie arrives in Paradise Village. But the heat turns all the way up when she learns Charlie is also with Hatch – the man she loved three years before. While she’s not sure she’s cut out for a triad, neither man is going to give her up.

~*~

“I met someone. She’ll be at the social tonight.”

Hatch already had his cap tucked in his back pocket but he smiled as he took some bread and cheese as they headed out the door. “You work fast.”

“This one is different . I think. Strawberry blonde. Big blue eyes. Freckles. Flirts just right. Her mouth, Christ, baby, she’s got a mouth on her that may be as lush as yours. It’s the woman from the path last night. I didn’t see all of her in the dark, but in the full morning sun she’s beautiful.”

“You know I love redheads, but I have a deep weakness for those pale strawberry blondes.” Hatch slid his sunglasses up his nose and it felt to Charlie like he was changing the subject. “You’re antsy now, aren’t you?”

“Not antsy really. I just… she’s different. I don’t know if I can say why. Made me think about roots and a woman to fit in that space in our life.” He shrugged. Of the two, Charlie knew who was the more sentimental one.

~~~***~~~

Enjoy the sneak peeks? Check out MARKED, available now in digital and print.

Introductory price: $2.99!

Barnes & Noble | Amazon | ARe | iTunes | Smashwords | Google Play

Price rises to $4.99 on March 1st

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Release Day: Love & Other Games Anthology

Today, we’re celebrating the release of Love and Other Games, a collection of four sexy new adult stories centered around athletes competing in the Winter Games by Ana Blaze, Melinda Dozier, Aria Kane, and Kara Leigh Miller.

Worth More Than Gold by Ana Blaze

Amy Pierce, the klutzy sister and manager of America’s Skating Sweetheart, is used to being invisible. But when a friend drags her to a party near the Olympic Village, Amy catches the eye of a sexy Norwegian ski jumper. It’s a magical night, but an awkward next morning has her running.

Everyone knows Erik Andresen’s best shot at an individual medal was back in 2010, before an injury pulled him from the competition. He’s there for his team, but a hot night and a remarkable final training session have him wondering if a gorgeous good-luck charm could give him another chance at the podium. With a little bit of luck, these two might have a shot at something worth more than gold.

Ana Blaze’s: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Trouble With Gold by Melinda Dozier

US snowboarder and notorious prankster, Ty (Trouble) Madsen is only getting a taste of his own medicine when his Olympic teammates shackle him to a fence wearing nothing but his boxers.

Reception and protocol volunteer, Nadia Hoffman, gets up close and personal with the sexy snowboarder to rescue him, but she’s not the kind of girl who lets her hormones get in her way. A professional performance could help her land her dream job at Olympics Committee Headquarters, but her new assignment supervising the rambunctious US Snowboarding Team is making that difficult.

Can she see behind the snowman in the community center bathroom and into the warm heart of the man everyone calls Trouble?

Melinda Dozer’s: Website | Twitter | Facebook

The Girl Behind the Gold by Aria Kane

Greek aerial skier Lia Milonas’s parents are about to lose the family farm. Saving it means medaling and landing a huge sponsor. While her no-nonsense attitude has her well on her way to a medal, it hasn’t won her a place in fans’ hearts.

“Come back with a story that will make readers cry, or don’t come back.” This is what Brandon James’ boss told him before he left New York to cover the Winter Games for Moment Magazine. With a wink and a smile, he can charm his way into any invite-only party, but that career-making story is nowhere to be found – until he meets Lia.

The two strike a deal that should get them both what they want – but neither would have guessed they’d also find what they need.

Aria Kane’s: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Ice Gold by Kara Leigh Miller

Colton Campbell thrives on the fast paced, adrenaline rushed lifestyle of being an Olympic hockey player. Despite Brenna Jessup’s abhorrence for the games and the athletes, she’s hand-picked as the official photographer for the U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. When a faux pas by Brenna almost costs Colton his career, she owes him. Too bad for her, Colton doesn’t want apologies — he wants retribution! And he knows just how to get it — and her — in the process.

Kara Leigh Miller’s: Website | Twitter | Facebook

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

The authors are hosting a Facebook party on release day filled with fun, surprises, and PRIZES! You can find the event here!

Be sure to check out the #OtherGames hashtag every day in October for winter Olympian sexiness! 

Giveaway

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Review – Unbound anthology

Disclaimer: I’m a big fan of the Shifters Unbound series by Jennifer Ashley but I haven’t previously read the others in this anthology. If you have been following these series, your reading experience will likely be very different from mine.

Enforcer by Angela Knight

This is the climax of Angela Knight’s Time Hunters trilogy. Dona and Alerio have fought their attraction for 2 years. After a battle that almost took Dona’s life, Alerio decides to stop wasting time. They both want each other but they will have to fight both the ghosts of Dona’s past and their current enemy, the Victor, to have any shot at happiness.

I was a little lost with some of the futuristic phrases in this one but Dona and Alerio’s romance was easy to follow. Dona’s past was compelling and made the conflict believable and it was nice to see a heroine that kicked ass. Alerio was a little too perfect to me, and without any flaws, I wasn’t that interested in him. This was an okay read for me but I don’t think I’ll be picking of the other books in this series. Enforcer is the longest story in this anthology and takes up almost half of the book.

“First you kick Ivar’s cyborg ass, then you tell the girl how you feel. Viola: your basic happily ever after. All you need now is a fairy godmother and a magic glass dildo.”

Alerio’s swallow of ale slid down his windpipe. Once he stopped coughing, he wheezed, “Glass slipper, not glass dildo.”

“You’ve got your version, I’ve got mine.”

Perfect Mate by Jennifer Ashley

Cormac has arrived in the Nevada Shifertown looking for a mate, specifically Nell. Nell has spent more than half her life alone, has raised her two sons into adulthood, and has no intention of taking a new mate. But when a past shifter enemy shows up and endangers her oldest child, Cormac shows her that she doesn’t always have to go it alone.

Nell was a fierce heroine and I liked her strength and Cormac was everything I like in a bear shifter. However, this story was less than 24 hours long from the time Nell and Cormac meet until the I love yous and permanent mate bound. The romance itself seemed very rushed and I didn’t quite buy their HEA.

“No, he’ll have a snarling mama bear ready to kill for her cub,” Nell said. “I hope I rip this stupid dress when I shift to beat his ass.”

The Hunter’s Cabin by Jean Johnson

This is a steampunk story from the Vulland Chronicles. I was confused from the beginning and gave up less than halfway through. I can only assume that the earlier books in the series are necessary to understand this world.

No Surprise More Magical by Hanna Martine

During the old political regime, Kelsey and David were forced to become engaged. When the regime fell, David gave Kelsey what he thought she wanted and released her from the vow. Now they have to work together and both start to realize what they really want.

This story seemed to stand alone without having read Liquid Lies, the previous book in the series. Unfortunately, nothing about it held my attention and I found myself skimming often. I did enjoy the end and found it believable.

Genre: Sci-fi/Paranormal Romance
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Format: Print and digital

Preorder:
Amazon
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