UPDATE: The winner is…Misty Dawn!
*~*~*

On Monday, Men in Uniform will be out there, ready for you to binge-read nine succulent, sexy tales about those men in uniform you love! This is a collection of novellas, all by Entangled authors in their super-hot One Handed Reads line!

My story, of course, features a Navy SEAL. Now, if I published it by myself, you’d be paying $2.99 for the title. But for only $2 more, you will get 8 more stories from some truly remarkable, smutty-minded ladies! You know you don’t want to miss this.

To entice you further, I’ve included the “first kiss” scene below, but if you’d like to read the fun, high-octane action scene where they first meet,  you can find it on this page:  Men in Uniform. Don’t be fooled by the opening line. It gets crazy pretty fast!

Want to win a $5 Amazon gift card? Read the excerpt and tell me how likely you are to try to get your hands on Men in Uniform!

Men in Uniform

Nine sexy stories about our favorite men in uniform, from some of the biggest names in romance…

Along Came a Spider by New York Times Bestselling Author Delilah Devlin: All Spider Longren wants is time alone to recharge after a grueling mission, but what he gets is caught in the double crossfire of passion and danger.

Coming in Hot by USA Today Bestselling Author Kate Meader: Firefighter Tyler has one problem. He’s still got his V-card. And he wants his best friend Evie to help him lose it, only she has no idea he’s wanted her for years. Time to make his move.

Precious Cargo by USA Today Bestselling Author Nicole Morgan: With a hit out on Alena’s life, U.S. Marine Brandon is faced with protecting her while completing his mission… And keeping his hands off her is the hardest task of all.

View from the Top by USA Today Bestselling Author Carmen Falcone: Retired Air Force pilot Mack always desired Jenny but couldn’t act on it because she’d been too young. Now, years later, he’s ready to show her they’d make a great couple—in and out of the bedroom.

Two for the Road by Bisou deVie: One city girl from LA. One sexy Greek paramedic from Canada. One road trip. What could go wrong?

Call Me Crazy by Rebecca Royce: Faith keeps calling Sheriff Wyatt about something odd she keeps seeing in her yard… But all he sees is one sexy woman he wants for a night of hot passion.

The Navy Seal’s Secret Baby by Kat Baxter: A hot NAVY Seal, an awkward teacher, and a weekend of hot sex. It was supposed to be temporary, but a baby changes everything…

Always Ready by Kimberly Nee: In town for a few days from his job in the Coast Guard, Steve helps Lauren live out her sexual fantasy. But it’s the staying together part that’s challenging…

Ready for Trouble by Tina Donahue: Jake loves his job as a cop and loves the steamy Florida women more—as long as they’re into casual. And that means hands off his boss’s sister…

Pre-order your copy here!

An excerpt from Along Came a Spider…

“Thank you, Spider Longren. You’ve gone above and beyond the call of duty.”

One brow arched. “I’m all in, all the time…”

Her breath caught. Knowing the moment was heading into dangerous territory, she forced a smile. “That some SEAL saying?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She drew another deep breath. “We should rest.”

He nodded but didn’t move. Neither did she.

“I want to kiss you,” he said.

Oh, I’d like that, too… But then what? Was she really ready? Was this even real?

“Just a kiss. I think I earned it.” Then he groaned. “That didn’t come out right. Babe, you don’t owe me anything.”

His voice was a little raspy, sexy as hell. Her nipples prickled and hardened. “Oh, but I do feel…indebted,” she said, letting her voice go husky. Running a finger along the side of his cheek, she teased, “A girl should always pay her debts, don’t you think?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She moved forward on her cushion and turned her body. He did the same. When he lifted his hands to cup her face, she felt as though every bone in her body melted. She licked her bottom lip then tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes.

His kiss was gentle but thorough, his mouth pressing against hers. At first, she only noted the warmth and firmness of his mouth, and then he began circling his head, dragging their lips, and heat built inside her.

When she gasped for breath, his tongue swept inside, and she couldn’t hold back a little moan. It felt so good. So freaking hot.

When he pulled back, she followed, but his hands still held her face. His chuckle was warm, and she couldn’t hold back a little laugh of her own. She’d been so eager to continue.

“Now we know,” he whispered. He dropped his hands then pushed up abruptly from the sofa. “I’ll grab a sleeping bag from the bedroom. Until we have better hardware on the door and some sort of warning system set up outside, I’ll sleep on the porch.”

She nodded, even though she felt guilty about him sleeping on the hard porch. Still, he was right. Someone needed to stay alert. With a sigh, she rose and moved toward the bedroom. They met at the doorway, and she moved backward, feeling a little awkward now that her body was cooling.

Spider started to move past her but then paused and reached out an arm. He dragged her against his chest and kissed her forehead. “I don’t expect anything, Jessie. This isn’t…payment. You understand?”

She nodded, her face rubbing against his. “It feels good.”

“Feels right,” he said, his voice rumbling. And then he moved back. “I’ll be outside.”

Don’t forget! These two offers are still open!

1. Flashback: Hard SEAL to Love (Contest–2 Winners)
2. A Giveaway! Get your free book now!

UPDATE: The winners are…Ann and Michelle Levan!
*~*~*

I’ll make an announcement soon about a new SEAL story. Can’t share the news until I have a hard date and cover to share, but it should be very, very soon! In the meantime, I have lots of military heroes for you to enjoy, including several stories centered around a Navy SEAL or two or three… 🙂

Enjoy the excerpt I’ve included. I really, really enjoyed writing a story that featured a female amputee. And you would not believe the number of online articles I read and YouTube videos I watched to make sure I got the details right! I was determined to do Kylie justice.

Here are all my currently available titles in Uncharted series.
Peruse these lovelies…

Click on the covers to learn more!

Contest

I’ll choose two winners! Tell me whether you’re ready for more SEAL stories for a chance to win your choice of an Uncharted SEAL story!

Hard SEAL to Love

Former SEAL, “Big Mac” McLane, is sure he earned all kinds of bad karma somewhere when his first mission with Charter Group is guarding the “Love Boat” and its activity director. Okay, so the cruise line is sponsoring a special cruise for wounded soldiers and their families — a great cause — but Big Mac doesn’t do well around families and children, and Kylie Hammond is cute, but he feels like he has two left feet whenever she’s around. But he’s going to do his job, keep it strictly business, fade into the background whenever she’s around, but it seems Kylie has other ideas…

Kylie knows the big SEAL isn’t exactly gung-ho for his new assignment, but she can’t be more pleased. The big man’s the yummiest thing she’s ever seen, and coaxing blushes and glares from him becomes her favorite sport. But then things begin to go wrong aboard ship, people disappear, and then someone’s killed. The thing her charity most feared — a terrorist attack at sea — appears to be underway. Now, she has to trust Big Mac and his team to keep her wounded soldiers safe.

Excerpt

Mac stepped through the entrance of the Hampton Inn. The lobby was a study in orderly chaos. Suitcases were lined up and stacked against one wall. Men and women, some in wheelchairs or walking with crutches and walkers, and missing limbs—some multiples—filled the space.

Mac tamped down a feeling of guilt for being able-bodied and whole as he walked through the throng, nodding now and then as he passed the veterans. He headed to the concierge and asked where he could find Kylie Hammond. After being informed which conference room Soldiers’ Sanctuary had commandeered to hand out welcome packets to arrivals, he headed down a hallway, relieved he didn’t have to push through a sea of bodies. He was ready to start this op. Sooner the better. Five days would fly by, and then he’d have the down time he needed to get his head on straight before the next assignment.

Stepping inside the room, he noted two long conference tables filled with plastic buckets of folders. Three elderly men manned the table.

One of them who sported a gray buzz cut and a surprisingly muscular build glanced his way. He lifted his chin in greeting.

Mac decided he was as good a place to start as any and strode toward him.

The old man held out his hand. “Joe Olinksy,” he said, in deep, loud voice. Then he leaned against the table edge and whispered, “You with Charter?”

Mac eyed him then glanced at his two buddies who were moving closer. His presence as part of the security team was supposed to be on a “need-to-know” basis.

Grinning, Joe waved a hand. “We’re part of your support. Eyes and ears only. We’re a little too long in the tooth to be the muscle, but we’re here to help. We’ll be staying in the stateroom next to yours.”

Skeptical that this band of elderly brothers could be of any service at all, Mac drew a deep breath and gave Joe’s two companions another look.

“This is Morty,” Joe said, pointing toward a thin man with a round, pot belly. “And that’s Sly.”

Sly smiled, and his teeth were blindingly white and little too large in his mouth.

“Ex-marines, 3rd Division during Viet Nam,” Joe said. “You a SEAL like Wiley?”

“Semper Fi,” Morty said, grinning.

Mac grunted, revising his original assessment. These guys had seen real action. “I’m looking for Kylie Hammond.”

“She’s out in the atrium,” Joe pointed toward the windows behind him, “getting a cup of coffee. She’s been manning the tables since dawn. And don’t worry about us. We can handle ourselves. After all our help on the last cruise, Poppy made sure to add us to the team. We’ll have your six.”

The three elderly men hadn’t been mentioned in any of the briefings he’d attended back at HQ. Wiley for damn sure hadn’t said a thing, but then again, Wiley had looked a little smug when he’d heard Mac was being assigned to protect his wife’s best friend. He cleared his throat. “Mac McLane by the way,” he said, giving a nod to all three men.

“We’ll see you aboard the Oceanus,” Joe said.

Mac left them and thought about calling Wiley to find out why the hell he hadn’t mentioned his geriatric buddies. Just to bitch because he was already dreading the coming minutes. He didn’t have a lot of experience with Ms. Hammond’s brand of womanhood. He’d served with women in the field, and slept with the women who swarmed bars outside Navy bases, hoping for a hookup with a SEAL.

Women outside those two categories tended to make him nervous. In his experience, women had served only two purposes, as support and/or stress-relief for a SEAL. Not that he looked down on them. He liked the women he’d known. But he hadn’t had to think much about what kind of impression he made or how to talk to them. He could be gruff and blunt. What the hell would he talk about for the days and nights he and the princess would be glued to each other’s sides?

Entering the atrium, he glanced around for someone who fit the picture he’d made up in his mind. She’d be pretty, no doubt. He couldn’t imagine anyone who was friends with Poppy Shackleford and attending her social functions looking any different.

Most of the small round, brightly tiled tables were filled with men and a few women. Probably wives of the wounded soldiers, who’d be accompanying their husbands on the cruise.

One woman sat alone, her head bent over her cell phone which lay flat on the tabletop, a tall Styrofoam cup beside it. Her hair was a mass of dark brown curls. Her body, what he could see of it hunched over the table, was slender. Her bare arms and the tops of her shoulders, revealed by an olive tank, showed well-developed muscles. She wore no jewelry, save for a watch on an olive-colored web strap. Faux military-issue? And now he wondered whether she was one of those who was so enamored of military men she wore cammo pajamas. He’d met a few like that. As he moved nearer, she must have sensed someone watched her.

The woman’s gaze lifted from her phone and locked with his.

As he took in her features, he slowed his steps. Wide-set green eyes whose gaze never wavered, tan skin, rose-colored lips, cheeks that were prominent and high. She was lovely, but didn’t wear a hint of makeup. She didn’t need it. Unbidden, interest flared inside him, heating his blood.

“Are you Mac?” she asked, her voice even and little husky.

His tongue felt thick as he gave a crisp nod and replied. “You Kylie?”

Her smile was a little tight, but she pushed up from the table to greet him, her arm reaching forward.

When he looked down at her hand, with its long fingers and short bare nails, his gaze dropped to her legs. Another shock stole his breath. She wore shorts which ended at mid-thigh, revealing one long, nicely turned limb paired with a shapely thigh that disappeared into the black cup of a prosthetic limb.

I have an upcoming book, Rescuing Hi’ilani, tha is part of Susan Stoker’s Special Forces world. Now, I’m not sure when it happened, but I went from a dip-my-toes-in-the-water kind of author to “aw heck, hold my eyeglasses” kind of author…

So, rather than writing s book, I have my mind on writing a series.  (Yes, I’m am masochistic – all dancers are.)

When I got my first idea and started writing the book, I brought in a few of Susan’s characters because it’s her world and really – it’s a fabulous place to hang out. But her Delta Forces groups are ‘teams’ – not just one soldier by himself.

So Delta Force Team Member Jackson “Ajax” Guard needed a few partners in … um… hotness?

But first let’s start with Jackson… I admit I really had to look for the right ‘visual.’ I wanted clean cut, but with that yummy factor… and I’ve always been a fan of (the original) Roswell. The actor who played Max did take a turn as a HOT werewolf…so, ta-da! Jackson Guard…

Hmm… a team just isn’t a team without a commander. A man with history. A man with experience. He’s seen things. Survived those things. And knowledge can be sexy.

I know!! James Remar… I’ve always been a huge fan… gravely voice, a good presence. Yes, ma’am. He’s Commander Chastain! He can command me anytime—but I digress.

After that I picked a bunch of (ahem) hot guys and started looking for names. Birth names, team nicknames, check.

But I didn’t want to introduce the whole team in one book. Everyone but the commander and Jackson were on leave, so two of them were going to be called back into the fold.

How did I decide which ones? I asked my Reina’s Readers [https://www.facebook.com/groups/ReinaTorresReaders/] on Facebook. I posted the picture with the whole Delta Force Team and asked folks to vote on the two teammates that should come back.

Of Mace, Cullen, Baron, Shado, & Train: Baron and Train received the most votes even though Shado held an early lead.

So when the book comes out, you’ll have the chance to be introduced to a little over half the team as they’re Rescuing Hi’ilani.

Want to know when this book comes out? You can Follow me on:
Book Bub – https://www.bookbub.com/profile/reina-torres and
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/author/reinatorresromance

GIVE AWAY

Totally thrilled to know this one is coming out in the near future… but I’m curious. After you see Jackson “Ajax” Guard get his HEA, which Team Member do you want to see shackled with love?

(happy to give a copy of Rescuing Hi’ilani to five commenters)

UPDATE: The winners is…Betty Sue!
*~*~*

©Diana Cosby 2019

I love creating characters and building a complex story, but I also enjoy making up the setting. I used to joke with one of my critique partners that I could write four pages describing a leaf falling to the ground. But, for me, there’s something magical about crafting the background for each scene.

As I write medieval romantic suspense, except for a trip to Scotland, Ireland, or England, or through the use of photographs, I’m left to create the setting for the story through my mind. Or, am I?

I love walking through the woods, and as an amateur photographer, enjoy taking photos of nature. Though the timeframe of my stories is hundreds of years ago, the scent of flowers, whisper of the wind through the trees, and brilliant sunsets would have existed back then.

So, as I move through the forest or walk into a clearing that exposes a scenic view, I take in the beauty of nature, the scents, and the sounds.

When I sit down to write, with the story running through my mind and thoughts for setting inspired from nature, I craft the next scene.

Contest: ***ONE winner will be drawn from everyone who posts on my guest blog post about, ‘Setting ‒ Inspiration From Nature,’ on Delilah’s blog between 24 February 2019 – 2nd March 2019. The winner will receive one of Diana’s mugs and a tote.

Diana Cosby, International Best-Selling Author
www.dianacosby.com
The Oath Trilogy
MacGruder Brother Series
Forbidden Series: Forbidden Legacy/Forbidden Knight/Forbidden Vow/Forbidden Alliance‒Aug. 6th 2019/Forbidden Realm TBA

About the Author

A retired Navy Chief, Diana Cosby is an international bestselling author of Scottish medieval romantic suspense. Books in her award-winning MacGruder Brothers series have been translated in five languages. Diana has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lady Jane’s Salon in NYC, and appeared in Woman’s Day, on USA Today’s romance blog, “Happy Ever After,” MSN.com, Atlantic County Women Magazine, and Texoma Living Magazine.

After her career in the Navy, Diana dove into her passion – writing romance novels. With 34 moves behind her, she was anxious to create characters who reflected the amazing cultures and people she’s met throughout the world. After the release of the bestselling MacGruder Brothers series, The Oath Trilogy, and the first two book of The Forbidden Series, she’s now working on book #4, Forbidden Realm, of the five-book series, which will be released August, 6th, 2019.

Diana looks forward to the years of writing ahead and meeting the amazing people who will share this journey.

My dog Lou is a pug/terrier cross and she’s almost sixteen and a half years old. She came into our lives fifteen years ago when she was about a year and half old, but even at that young age our vet was sure she’d already had at least one litter of puppies. When we got her, she looked a little rough. Patches of fur were missing from her tail, and she smelled terrible. We were told she lived mostly outside, which is horrifying to me considering the kind of winters we have in Manitoba. But with love and good food, which she didn’t have to hoard anymore, her coat grew sleek and she gained weight. Boy, did she gain weight!

In those early years, she was a bundle of energy. She loved to walk or even run, so we went out every day, in all kinds of weather. She was affectionate and funny.

These days, in her elderly state, she’s still affectionate, but she doesn’t have much energy. We still go outside together in all kinds of weather, though our walks are very slow and don’t cover much distance. At this point we don’t know how much longer we’ll have her. All we can do in the time we have left with her is love her and care for her.

I didn’t know how much I loved dogs until we got Lou. I had dogs on the farm as a kid, but they were outside dogs that lived in the barn; my mom didn’t believe dogs and cats should live in the house. For years before we got Lou we had cats, and I loved them, but hands-down, Lou is my favorite pet ever.

Lou has inspired me to include dogs as characters in some of my books. In my latest release, CHILD OF MINE, Brady is Cole’s Golden Retriever. He’s even on the cover of the book, which makes me very happy. When Cole and Lauren marry and she moves in, Brady falls head over heels in love with Lauren and is her constant companion.

Another dog that ended up on one of my covers, albeit in cartoon form, is Spike in CHILL OUT. Spike is a Mastiff rescued by the hero of the story. He was inspired by my friend Michelle’s dog Indy, also a rescued Mastiff. When Michelle worked in my office, she regularly brought Indy to work with her and I got to know this gentle giant. In real life, Indy (a girl, by the way), wasn’t as big as I made Spike in the book. Like Brady, Spike totally falls for the heroine. Both dogs have very good taste!

The fictional dog most inspired by Lou is Stanley in TAKE A CHANCE ON ME. This book may have my favorite cover of all my books because it features Stanley in all his adorableness. There are definite differences between Stanley and Lou; for starters, Stanley is a male dog. He’s also a pure-bred pug and Lou is a cross. But in attitude, and in shedding prowess, Stanley is all Lou. When Lou is gone, I’ll look at that cover and fondly remember my little buddy.

Do you have a pet? Do you like to read about fictional pets in romance novels?

Child of Mine

Is Lauren’s love for Cole stronger than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Lauren didn’t intend to sleep with her brother-in-law Cole on the day of her husband’s funeral. But now that she is pregnant, she’s not sorry. Cole’s given her a baby, a long-wished-for miracle. He’s been her friend forever, though she never told him or anyone else how unhappy her marriage to his cheating brother was. And she’s afraid to tell the small town that considered her husband a hero that the baby isn’t his.
Cole’s been in love with Lauren since he was sixteen. It kills him that everyone believes the baby is his dead brother’s. All he wants is to claim the baby, and Lauren, as his own. Though she marries him, will Lauren’s heart ever be his?

Lauren must tell the truth or risk losing Cole. Is her newly-discovered love for him greater than her fear of scandal in her hometown?

Buy Links:
The Wild Rose Press: https://catalog.thewildrosepress.com/all-titles/6519-child-of-mine.html
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY
Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY
Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY
Amazon.au: https://www.amazon.com.au/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY
Amazon.de: https://www.amazon.de/Child-Mine-Masonville-Book-1-ebook/dp/B07MBVK9LY
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/child-of-mine-jana-richards/1130197427?ean=2940161413616
Ibooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/child-of-mine/id1449022684?mt=11

Excerpt

Cole wrapped her in his arms. He held her securely, whispering reassurances. “It’s all right, Lauren. Don’t cry. It’s going to be okay, sweetheart.”

She clung to him, her face buried against his neck. How wonderful to be held, to be touched. It had been so long—

What was she doing? This was Cole, her friend. She pulled away from him. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

She turned away and tried to wipe the tears from her face. After she got her tears under control, she made herself smile at him. “Do you remember the homecoming dance? The time I tripped in my new high heels and sprained my ankle?”

“Of course I do. You couldn’t walk, so I carried you from the school gym to Billy’s car, and he drove you home. I remember you were a lot heavier than you looked.”

She swatted his shoulder, hiccupping laughter mixing with her tears. “Very funny. I was trying to make a point.”
He wiped the tears from her cheek with the pad of his thumb, his dark eyes full of tenderness. “So what was your point?”

“You’re a good friend. You’ve always been there every time I’ve needed you, and here you are again. Thank you.” He stared into her eyes, but said nothing. She couldn’t look away. He continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb, the tiny caress acting like a balm to her battered heart. She placed her hand on his cheek.

“Cole.”

They reached for each other in mutual need. He pulled her against his chest, his mouth descending on hers in a hungry, urgent kiss. She sighed against his mouth, and he brought her closer. He wants me. It had been so long since someone had wanted her. Only her.

Contest

Win a $25 Amazon gift card and an ecopy of LIES AND SOLACE!
Contest ends February 28th! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d04251232896/

About the Author

When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and the occasional dash of the paranormal. Her paranormal romantic suspense “Seeing Things” was a 2008 EPPIE finalist.
In her life away from writing, Jana is an accountant/admin assistant, a mother to two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga, movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada with an elderly Pug/Terrier named cross Lou. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.janarichards.com

Social Media Links:
Website: https://www.janarichards.com
Blog: https://janarichards.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JanaRichardsAuthor
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JanaRichards_
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/janarichards
Amazon UK Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B002DEVWWG
Newsletter Signup: https://janarichards.com/contact.html#newsletter
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2892274Jana_Richards
Google+ Profile: https://plus.google.com/100820406211390323245
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jana-richards

UPDATE: The winner is…Ronda Barnes!
*~*~*

Yes, I’m late posting! I spent the day binge-watching Outlander with my dd and her hubby who was home from the police academy. Now, we’re all caught up! Loved Ian’s ending. I actually wish the story would follow him now! Can I admit that last season was a bit long and boring? Is that sacrilege?

Anyways, so I’m late. Here’s a puzzle. It’s a picture for something I think would be lovely on a short story cover. Tell me what you think that story should be about—however brief!—and you’ll be entered to win a $5 Amazon gift card!