UPDATE: The winners are Annie Kavanagh and Amy Dudley!
*~*~*

Depending on how long you’ve been reading me, you might not be aware of my naughty, nine-book, cowboy ménage series, Lone Star Lovers. All my sexiest fantasies are rolled up in those stories. Two cowboys, three cowboys, four… All that attention on one lucky girl… Heck, it’s not really fair, and there must be something in the water in Two Mule, Texas because there’s a whole lotta sharin’ goin’ on. 🙂

Comment for a chance to win your choice of
one of my Lone Star Lovers books! 

Family Values

Three brothers competing for one woman’s heart learn the values of patience and sharing….

Angelina Flores lived a perfect ranch-kid childhood, complete with three princes on horseback who treated their housekeeper’s daughter like a princess. At age eighteen, the fairytale came crashing down when she realized she had to choose between Brand, Nate, and Eli McAffee. And when she did choose one—she lost all three.

She’s older now. Wiser, thanks to her college education and a few years’ distance. A distance she’d planned to maintain…until her mother begs her to fill in at the ranch while she takes care of a sick relative.

The minute her boots hit the front porch, the memories come flooding back, right along with the hunger. It’s tough to put the past behind her when temptation is so close. Especially since the brothers seem bound and determined to woo her. Separately. Together. Whatever it takes to keep her right where she belongs—in their arms.

An Excerpt from Family Values…

For Angelina Flores, stepping across the threshold of the MacAfee ranch house was a moment filled with both nostalgia and pain. The dull thud her boots made on the natural, planed-oak flooring was a familiar sound—and not one she’d heard anywhere else. The faint smells of beeswax and Pine-Sol mixed with the scent of the freshly cut roses in the Mexican crockery atop the rugged fireplace mantel. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself at ten years old, running with her muddy boots through the family room to tell her mother about her day, about the animals and the cowboys—her new friends, who’d let her ride behind them on their tall horses.

Her childhood had felt enchanted. And she’d had three handsome princes fawning over her, showering her with pretty clothes and dolls. Even then, she’d dreamed of growing up and having a fairytale wedding, and when they’d teased her and asked her which one she’d choose for her husband, she’d asked why she couldn’t choose them all.

How prophetic that now seemed. As, when she’d approached graduation from high school, two of the McAfee men had suddenly let her know of their individual interest.

Oh, she’d been flattered. And thrilled. Until the moment she’d realized she really would have to choose. Then she’d been filled with dread, because she didn’t want to hurt any of them, and she didn’t know how she could favor one over the other, especially when she was also interested in the third.

Angelina shook her head to rid herself of the painful memories and entered with trepidation, wondering what her welcome would be like once the brothers returned home. The last time she’d been here, in this room, she’d been led through it by a hard hand clamped around her upper arm. She’d been escorted crying and half-dressed back to her room off the kitchen, and then her door closed in her face.

The next morning, she’d been taken by the same hard-faced man through the back door to his Expedition parked beside the porch. The chill in the morning air not nearly as cold as his final goodbye at the Dallas airport.

She’d been eighteen, and the only place she’d ever called home was her home no more.

Angelina took a deep breath and stepped farther into the room. She set her suitcase on the floor beside her and tilted her head to listen for any sounds of movement in the house. Her mother had said the MacAfee boys were at an auction in San Angelo, and that she’d have the place to herself for the weekend, to acclimate and to shore up her nerves.

“Mama, you know why I can’t be there,” she’d said in the early morning hours, holding back her hair and squinting at the digital alarm beside her bed.

“I have no one else I can trust, mija. It’s been years. Things have changed. You have changed. No one will say a word about the past. Have I ever asked anything of you, Angel?”

Angelina’s shoulders had slumped. “I don’t know if I can go there,” she’d whispered.

“I know it will be hard, Angel. I know. But you must take my place and look after the boys while I am away. Do this for me, please?”

She’d taken a deep breath and gripped her cellphone harder. “How long? How long must I stay?”

“Your Aunt Cecilia is having a hysterectomy. I might be weeks.”

Angelina shook her head. Her stomach twisted in a knot, and sudden nausea made her skin clammy. “I’ll have to call my boss. Damn, he’ll probably let me go. I just started there.”

“Gracias, mija. You will see. You worry for nothing. The past is the past.”

But the past wasn’t so distant that she didn’t feel the same longing as she gazed around the room for dreams she’d shattered when she’d followed her heart to make the biggest mistake of her life. And she would never forget the shame.

After picking up her bag, she trudged toward the kitchen and beyond it, to the small bedroom that had been her own when she was a child and the world had seemed such a bright place, full of romantic possibilities.

But princes didn’t exist, at least not in her realm. And she wasn’t a starry-eyed chatterbox anymore, eager to sit on certain cowboys’ knees. She was a college graduate. Had her own job—maybe. Her own place. She’d made a life for herself. The fact she still felt pangs of loneliness late at night when she went to bed alone was something she’d eventually outgrow. Someday. And somewhere far from the MacAfee ranch.

This giveaway has closed!
*~*~*

I have several books that I’ve had out on a book giveaway site for a while now. I’m getting ready to close those giveaways out—TOMORROW.

So, if you don’t already have these stories, go download them now!
Just click on the covers of the stories you want!

Novel/Novellas

Short Stories

I can’t believe I forgot to post this notice on this page. I did post on the Collections site and put out FB and Twitter notes to advertise the new story, but for some reason, probably the holiday “fugue”, I didn’t post it here. But it’s never too late to pick up your copy of this holiday story!

Love in Lockdown: The Gift by January George!

Download your FREE copy of the latest installment of the Love in Lockdown story, THE GIFT!

An ICU nurse yearns for her family at Christmas… 

The LOVE IN LOCKDOWN authors are back with another short story! This one’s written by a nurse about an ICU nurse! January George’s short story is filled with details only a healthcare worker can provide. Read it for a little look inside at the hardships these brave folks face during these challenging times.

Follow this link!

Open Contests & Giveaways

Enter these contests while you still can!

1. Flea Market Finds and Christmas Puzzle Contest! — Last day to enter! Win an Amazon gift card!
2. Lizzie Ashworth: A Holiday Gift for You! (FREE Books!) — This offer ends soon!
3. Susan Saxx: A Refuge Bay Christmas #1 — Their Daughter’s First Christmas (Contest–2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!
4. ‘Tis the Season to…Plan! (Contest–2 Winners!) — Win a FREE book!
5. The Challenge, if you decide to accept it… (Contest) — Win an Amazon gift card!

UPDATE: The winners are…Elaine and Laura!
*~*~*

Come to Refuge Bay. Where trouble is brewing in a young girl’s heart this holiday season…

Dear Reader: There’s something special about Christmas.

Yet, it’s also worrisome, and daunting, in a weird way,. There’s so much hype about the happiness, that, especially for a young girl, newly adopted, who’s not quite sure about her place in the world or in her new family, it brings all those emotions to the forefront in a jumbled up, messy way.

Messy Christmases. We all know about those. Right? 🙂

When I wrote A Refuge Bay Christmas #1: Their Daughter’s First Christmas, Trasher’s voice and heart, came to me, loud and clear. (Trasher is the name of the young girl—there’s a whole story there.)  As did the voices of her 2 gay dads, Nathan and Og. They notice something’s definitely off with their new, young daughter, the one who came from a background of abuse, and whom they’re crazily committed to. They all live together in an old century home in Refuge Bay, just off the Chesapeake Bay.

The whole story simply came, and early readers are really enjoying it.

Here’s the blurb!

A Refuge Bay Christmas #1: Their Daughter’s First Christmas

An Orphan. Two Gay Dads. Her First Real Christmas. And It’s scary…

When Nathan and Og fell in love, little did they realize their union would culminate in an adoption: that of the six-year old runaway child they found at Hope House. Now her first Christmas is fast approaching, and everything is hard for the orphan who’s never had a real family. She’s still dealing with ghosts of the past, and she’s trying to do it alone. How can Nathan, Og, and the whole gang at Hope House, show her everything Christmas can be, in a forever family? Most importantly, how can they make sure that the Refuge Bay community’s unparalleled Christmas magic will work its special miracle…on her?

Early reviews:

“A great read. This reads like a warm fuzzy blanket or an awesome Hallmark Christmas movie!” – Goodreads Reviewer

“I don’t know what it is about this series, or these people but I am totally hooked!”– Goodreads Reviewer

Please note, this book can be read as a standalone, though readers will enjoy the additional details provided by the main series.

If you’re in the mood for real heart with a dollop of sass, some fun, and two men (as well as a whole community of people) that deeply love a newly rescued, feisty orphan who’s used to solving her own problems, you’re invited to enter their world this Christmas season, as well as that of the century home they live and love in, Hope House.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3aFy80f
Other Retailers: https://books2read.com/u/4EP82z

~Susan Saxx~~

Contest

For you today? An Early Christmas Gift: Here’s a Christmas Giveaway for TWO lucky commenters!
For a chance to win an e-book copy of Nathan Unwrapped, the first book in the series, let me know in the comments below:   What is your favorite Christmas story trope? I literally can’t wait to hear what you have to say, because I’m crazy about the holidays too! :))

***For ANOTHER chance to win, follow the fabulous Silver Daggers blog tour for this book here: https://www.silverdaggertours.com/sdsxx-tours/a-refuge-bay-christmas-book-tour-and-giveaway.

And…Merry Christmas!

About the Author

Susan Saxx is a top 2 Amazon bestseller with her m/f small town military romance series, Real Men. She has a passion for the small towns of North America, and sets her compelling stories in the north country (Jack’s Bay), mountain country (Terrence Point, Dawson Ridges, Golden) and Chesapeake Bay area (Refuge Bay), replete with quirky yet big-hearted neighbours always willing to lend a hand–and an opinion, whether requested or not. Susan has also started writing m/m romance and has garnered excellent reviews with her first book in the genre, Nathan Unwrapped.

Susan also loves Christmas. Enjoy the many holiday books in her series! Check them all out at Amazon and her site: www.susansaxx.com.

Learn more about Susan, her newsletters and her books at www.susansaxx.com.

Hi Delilah Fans!

The holiday season is always a time for raw nerves and overwrought emotions. I for one am susceptible to depression, that kind of misery that makes you want to never leave your bedroom. Maybe it’s natural that when the days are their shortest, our energy levels will sink as well. The weather is cold (for most of us), the nights last forever, and our culture’s coping skills involve spending money we can’t afford.

Over the years, I’ve found relatively inexpensive ways to celebrate the season without going to great expense. One year I solicited donations from a few friends to purchase and have delivered a new range for a neighbor with six kids and no functional oven. Other years I baked cookies and candies to share with neighbors and friends. I always try to send out Christmas cards with a short note updating friends about my past year.

This year, besides a joyful week with all three adult kids at home, cookies for neighbors, Zooming with siblings and their kids, and a nice meal for my 97-year old mom, what I’m giving you are some free stories to snuggle up with. Some are naughtier than others, but among them, I hope you find something that makes your day a little brighter. Here’s the line-up:

 

Holiday Journey: Follow the chance encounter of two travelers stranded in an airport just before Christmas. The attraction is instantaneous but even though he’s willing, she’s wary. Novelette Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/675289, set your own price.

Christmas Hideaway:  Caryn hadn’t expected a snowstorm when she hid away in a remote cabin to lick her wounds. She also hadn’t expected an overbearing park ranger to confront her. But the snow kept falling and the temperature kept dropping, trapping her at his cabin. What could possibly go wrong? Novella Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/685194, set your own price.

A Taste of Love: Senna and Teutonius, both enslaved Celts serving their Roman masters at a remote encampment in occupied Britain, manage to exchange warm greetings amid holiday duties. Short Story Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/759904.

His Only Love: An enslaved Greek, hopelessly in love with the Roman commander, finds a moment of pleasure with a slave of his own before facing the wrath of his beloved. [Explicit gay sex, BDSM.] Novelette Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/759899.

A Gift for Jarrod: A young man enters a training academy for submissives, anxious to understand his unusual desires. His Christmas couldn’t be more wonderfully unexpected. [Explicit BDSM] Novella  Make it yours at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/383857.

AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Lizzie Ashworth

With all that has been happening this year, I think everyone can use a little holiday cheer. If you’re interested in what it’s like to experience Christmas in the bayou (a.k.a., Louisiana) or missed my last week’s post, check out Papa Noël: Who Dat? Find out if you’re on the naughty or nice list and meet the gators.

Over my many years and dozens of Christmas parties, I’ve seen (and participated in) countless traditions. However, the one that I’ve heard and read about the most is one that I have never seen in practice—that is, kissing under the mistletoe. A couple of years ago was the first time I saw mistletoe in person. Well, kinda. See, I’d seen it before, but I didn’t know what it was. Turns out, there was plenty that I did not know about mistletoe. This was brought to the forefront when I began writing my short story “Valentine Mistletoe“ (published In Holiday Heartbreaker’s Cupid’s Bow Anthology), which is a holiday story with a twist. Since this is the season, I thought it would be fun to post some mistletoe trivia facts, and there’s no better place to start than the beginning…

• The name “mistletoe” originates from the combination of two Anglo Saxon words—mistle and tan. The word mistle means a stick or a twig, while the word tan means—hold onto your socks—dung. That’s correct. Dung, as in poop, manure, excrement, caca. So, literally, mistletoe means poop on a stick. Now, that image doesn’t make me feel all warm and romantic, much less like kissing. Let’s move on, although, what I have to say next isn’t that much better.
• Mistletoe is a flowering (or angiosperm) and parasitic plant. It is unable to live on its own and requires attaching itself, via a haustorium, to a host tree or shrub to feed off (extract carbon, nutrients, and water) in order for survival. For this reason, it does not grow on the ground and cannot be grown in a planter. Technically speaking, mistletoe can attach itself to any tree, however, it most commonly grows on apple, oak, and willow trees. I guess, one could say mistletoe has a preference.
• Being parasitic makes mistletoe highly resilient because it does not have to compete with other rooted plants in soil for water or other necessary nutrients. This is also an adaptive quality, as mistletoe originated in the tropics, a place where, in general, the soil is filled with microorganisms but is poor in nutrition. Additionally, few birds eat mistletoe due to the color of the berries. Actually, most animals shy away from eating the berries as they can be poisonous in large amounts.
• More than 1,500 species of mistletoe exist. However, what most people are likely familiar with is the European mistletoe known as Viscum album.
• Another fact about mistletoe is that it has a gender. Yes, there are male and female mistletoes. Female mistletoe is what most people hang in their homes, as this is the one that has berries. Now, if I was less of a person and really tacky, I would point out the irony that the female mistletoe has balls and the male mistletoe does not. 🙂
• Finally, mistletoe won’t kickstart the allergies since it has no discernible scent. I know, someone is going to tell me they know someone who is allergic to it—you know, because there always is that one person. Actually, that probably would make for a comedic scene breaking into a fit of sneezing beneath the mistletoe instead of becoming all starry-eyed or transforming into a blithering ball of awkwardness…

So, why would anyone from a kissing tradition under parasitic, poisonous poop on a stick? Read the rest of this entry »

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to bake. And not just simple sugar cookies. My dream was to run a bakery or maybe manage a fancy restaurant. I spent my childhood learning everything I could from a master chef. I was definitely lucky, at least in that regard. But let me back up…

My mother and I lived in this gorgeous manor when I was a child, but we weren’t the homeowners. Not even close. Mom was a maid, and I was the maid’s daughter who always snuck into the kitchen to “help” the moody head chef, Pascal Caron. After a while, Chef Caron realized I seriously wanted to learn how to cook and bake, and I wasn’t just there to annoy him. He took me under his wing, and my eyes opened to the world of culinary and artsy dishes.

Then I grew up. After my secret boyfriend dumped me and left me pregnant when I was eighteen, I learned quickly that life wasn’t fair and my dreams had to go on hold.

For the next ten years, I worked dead-end waitressing jobs with no end in sight, but I never stopped whipping up fantastical creations in my meager kitchen. I make everything from scratch, and I use graham cracker crusts for my shells. What do I make? Well, let’s see…cheesecake, doughnuts, muffins, tarts, pies, cakes, brownies, and more. Hmm, I would love something chocolatey right now. Sorry, but I skipped lunch and my belly is growling. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, your mouth will water from one taste of any of my desserts—I guarantee it. I’m not normally an over-confident person, but I know I rock in the kitchen.

Mom, my daughter Lacey, and my best friend, Shana, are the best! They’re so supportive. Then there’s Jeremiah—better known as Jim. He’s unlike any man I’ve ever met. He’s so sweet and sexy, and more than determined to fulfill my dreams of opening a bakery. How could I have lucked out with him?

Now, I’m off to bake Jeremiah and Lacey a yummy surprise. He loves anything with blueberries in it, so we’re having a torte for dessert tonight. But don’t tell him, okay? First things first, though, I need to make a sandwich or I might just eat the dessert all by myself. It’s been known to happen, and yet I complain about my waistline. *sigh* Anyway, thank you so much for reading!

Arresting Jeremiah

Injured Parole Officer Jeremiah “Jim” Borden never expected Calista Barlow, the sassy blonde waitress he’s craved for months, to ring his doorbell. She slips into his heart—and his bed—but he’s obsessed with a gangland investigation that threatens his career and maybe even his life.

Calista doesn’t trust easily, not with a daughter to protect and the stalker who keeps calling her. After her violent ex-boyfriend returns, she finds solace in Jim’s arms.

Jim may have to forego his need for answers to protect the ready-made family he adores, but how will he and Calista escape an unseen enemy that is always one step ahead of them?

Excerpt from Arresting Jeremiah…

Calista entered her bedroom and her mouth dropped open. Oh my God.

Her date reclined on her bed as though he starred in a photoshoot. Candlelight flickered across him. The sultry gleam in his eyes arrested her, holding her captive. His sexy smile weakened her knees. None of her past lovers rocked a pair of classic black slacks and a crisp white dress shirt like he did. His chest hair, a few shades darker than the locks on his head, poked from the parted fabric and teased her.

How would that thick hair feel against her nipples? Soft? Coarse? Just right?

Jim was spread out for her pleasure like a Christmas present. She wanted to unwrap him, layer by layer. Maybe he should unwrap himself, so she could enjoy the show.

Her gaze traveled the length of his body to the bulge pressed against his zipper. Yum! He’s hard already. She licked her suddenly dry lips.

“Stare all you want, but it’s more fun to touch.” He patted his thigh, the invitation clear.

“I’m tempted.” She cocked her hip to one side. “I guess the blueberry clafoutis can wait, but you’re a little presumptuous to think this is how the night would end.”

Then again, she did mention having breakfast together. What did she expect him to think?

“End? Honey, we’re just getting started.”

She laughed, grasped the hem of her blouse, and pulled it over her head. Her favorite perfume scented the room, and she picked up the bottle. “You like?”

“Hell, yeah. A lot.”

She sprayed a few drops on her fingers, caressed the pulse at the base of her throat, and dragged her touch down between her breasts. His guttural growl teased across her nerve endings, shooting rockets through her belly. She shimmied her skirt down her hips and kicked aside her heels. A red satin bra and panty set sheathed her body. She locked her hands together behind her back before involuntarily covering her breasts and stomach.

“Damn, look at you. Come here, Calista.”

Add to Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55223686-arresting-jeremiah
Check it out on BookBub – https://www.bookbub.com/books/arresting-jeremiah-arresting-onyx-book-2-by-amber-daulton

Purchase Links
Amazon – https://amzn.to/32vAlqu
Barnes and Noble – https://bit.ly/2E4eJYO
Apple – https://apple.co/35BOuo1
Universal link – https://books2read.com/u/mVKvMP

About the Author

Amber Daulton is the author of the romantic-suspense series Arresting Onyx and several standalone novellas. Her books are published through The Wild Rose Press, Books to Go Now, and Daulton Publishing, and are available in ebook, print on demand, audio, and foreign language formats.

She lives in North Carolina with her husband and demanding cats.

Social Media Links
Website – https://amberdaulton.wordpress.com/
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Twitter – https://twitter.com/AmberDaulton1
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Book Bub – https://www.bookbub.com/authors/amber-daulton
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LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/pub/amber-daulton/87/538/368
The Wild Rose Press – https://www.thewildrosepress.com/authors/amber-daulton