We’ve all heard at least part of the famous quote by John Donne, a English clergyman and poet who lived from 1573-1631.

“No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.”

My drakons tend to want to be islands onto themselves. Ezra, the hero of Drakon’s Plunder, even owns a private island where he lives by himself. Being an introvert, I get that. I’m often happier by myself reading, writing, walking, and doing whatever it is a do in the run of a day. But even being an introvert, I know it’s impossible to live in the world without ties. We all have family or friends we’re close too. Maybe not many, but there are those people who have a profound affect on our lives every day.

Sometimes the people who touch our lives aren’t those we’ve actually met. The words of an author can move or inspire us. A painter or artist can create a work that makes us feel some deep emotion or even question the world we live in. An actor or actress on television or the big screen may bring to life a story that stirs us in some unfathomable way. Or perhaps we hear a news account or witness a world event that forever changes us.

The point is, all of us are in this journey called life together. And even a reclusive drakon had ties to the world. (And since he’s been around for about 4000 years, maybe he even met John Donne.)

Drakon’s Plunder

Blood of the Drakon, Book 3

Life is not going well for archaeologist Sam Bellamy. She’s stuck in the middle of the ocean on a salvage boat with people who want her dead. It wasn’t her gift for being able to sense objects of power that got her here, rather her need to make a secret society called the Knights of the Dragon pay for killing her mentor. Sam doesn’t believe in dragons, but the Knights do, and if she can get one of the sacred artifacts they’re searching for away from them, she’ll consider it payback.

Ezra Easton is content to run his marine salvage company and live alone on his private island. He may be a four-thousand-year-old water drakon, but he’s civilized enough to know just because he pulls an injured woman from the ocean, doesn’t mean he gets to keep her…

When she wakes up, she has a few tall tales to share, and it seems the Knights are after her. But this drakon won’t give up his treasure.

BUY LINKS:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072KF3JVT
Entangled: https://entangledpublishing.com/drakon-s-plunder.html
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/drakons-plunder-nj-walters/1126552516?ean=9781640631724
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/drakons-plunder/id1247580768
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/drakon-s-plunder
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072KF3JVT

About the Author

N.J. Walters is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who has always been a voracious reader, and now she spends her days writing novels of her own. Vampires, werewolves, dragons, time-travelers, seductive handymen, and next-door neighbors with smoldering good looks—all vie for her attention. It’s a tough life, but someone’s got to live it.

Visit me at:
Website: https://www.njwalters.com
Blog: https://www.njwalters.blogspot.com
Newsletter Group: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/awakeningdesires/info
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/N.J.WaltersAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/njwaltersauthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/NJWalters
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/author/njwalters
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/n-j-walters

After publishing six books in the Perfectly Series, my next goal was to be part of a boxed set. In May 2017, I joined the Tropical Tryst Boxed Set managed by Nicole Morgan of Romance Collections. Boxed sets can have different goals like exposure to new readers or aiming to make a best-sellers list, but what I’ve enjoyed most about being in a boxed set with 24 other authors is learning about different marketing strategies.

What’s cool is that each author seems to have a “go-to” method to promote. One author posts to 25 different Facebook groups twice a week, another writes tweets and Facebook posts. Some of the authors have made cool graphics and videos incorporating all the covers in the set. Other authors have made HeadTalker campaigns, which are group tweets and FB posts. Someone started a Tropical Tryst Instagram account, someone set up a newsletter swap, and someone else organized Tropical Tryst swag giveaways. I planned a mini blog hop, and we’ll be guests on over thirty different websites including USA Today HEA – all for free (that’s my specialty :D). I love sharing marketing and promotion efforts with other authors. Writing is usually pretty solitary but being in a boxed set creates a really fun camaraderie.

The Tropical Tryst Boxed Set features 25 brand new sexy romances set in hot and tropical settings. Escape with us for only 99 cents. It’s available for pre-order now and will be released Aug. 1. Can’t wait to share Perfectly Skeptical, a Perfectly Series novella, with you!

About Perfectly Skeptical (Perfectly Series novella)

Dr. Brianna Scott looked forward to sleeping away her staycation, until a windfall meant an upgrade to palm trees, an ocean view . . . and the sexy Dr. Matt Gaelen. She’ll have fun, but can a holiday fling really turn into a soul mate for life? Doubtful.

Matt has no radar for sniffing out gold-diggers and protecting his heart. Except Brianna is more turned off than turned on by his wealth. What are his chances of getting her to overlook it? Dubious at best.

Improbable and iffy – the typical path to love.

Buy links:
Amazon:

Barnes and Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tropical-tryst-nicole-morgan/1126270355?ean=9781508076988
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/tropical-tryst
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Nicole_Morgan_Tropical_Tryst?id=kOO4DgAAQBAJ

Where to find the author…

Linda loves to connect with readers ~
Website:
https://www.lindaoconnor.net
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LindaOConnorAuthor
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/LindaOConnor98
Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Linda-OConnor/e/B00S7CNLEA
Blog:
https://www.lindaoconnor.net/news-muse-and-interviews/

Visit www.tropicaltryst.com for special pre-order giveaways and join the Tropical Tryst Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/TropicalTryst/) for updates and a chance to win Tropical Tryst swag!

As sports romance readers, we love professional athlete characters because they are confident, fit, and capable of feats that are not possible for the rest of us.  In other words, they are the closest thing we have to a real-life super-hero.

There are lots of sports romances that center on mainstream sports like football and hockey, but at the time I was drafting my debut novel, Lessons in Gravity, there were almost none that centered on the types of sports I loved and think are the sexiest: non-motorized outdoor adventure sports.  (Examples: backcountry skiing, surfing, mountaineering, rafting, and mountain biking)

To me, these types of sports are the sexiest because they take athletic ability far beyond what you see in a city-sport, plus the stakes are way higher because chances of rescue are very slim if the athlete gets hurt.

Lessons in Gravity is specifically a rock-climbing sports romance. In summary:

Falling for the star of a rock climbing documentary is not a good idea, especially if you’re the filmmaking intern who will be dangling from the side of a three thousand foot cliff with a camera while he climbs Yosemite’s most treacherous spire without a rope.

(If you’ve been following the news in the past few months, the “climbs Yosemite’s most treacherous spire without a rope” part might sound familiar.  In June, the esteemed professional rock climber Alex Honnold stunned the whole world when he climbed Yosemite National Park’s 3,000-foot El Capitan cliff, yes, without a rope. It was crazy. And amazing.)

So, what’s sexy about rock climbing? Let’s hear it straight from April, the heroine of Lessons in Gravity, as she secretly watches the hero, Josh Knox, climbing on a boulder in their campground.

His deep focus was inherently dramatic, and she could see that this, thousands of feet in the air and set against some of the amazing vistas that supposedly existed in Yosemite, would make for some stunning cinematography.

Climbing might be a bizarre sport, but she had to admit, it was also a little sexy. The height. The fearlessness. The confidence. The apparent impossibility of it all.

Another sexy aspect of rock climbing and other adventure sports is that the athletes are reminiscent of the fearless explorers of yesteryear, like Amelia Earhart, Lewis and Clark, or Vikings. In the words of Josh Knox:

All the continents have been discovered, the West has been won, the wilderness has been mapped. To climb new routes is to explore a final frontier, and it’s one of the few things left in this world where your survival is based solely on your skill. It’s deeply satisfying. Climbing an old route a different way is also a new frontier. It’s a new frontier of skill. An evolution of what is physically possible.

For discussion

Let’s get a conversation going in comments: Which sport do you think is sexiest? Also, have you ever tried rock climbing, and if not, would you ever?

Next Book!

I will soon be releasing news about my next book, which is set in the same world as Lessons in Gravity but with an exciting, foreign setting and a female pro athlete. My email list subscribers are always the first to know details such as these, and I’d be thrilled if you’d consider joining up!

Sale

If you happen to be a reader who lives in Canada or Australia, Lessons in Gravity is on sale on Kobo for one week at 75% off, so go grab it before the price goes back up!

Lessons in Gravity

All eyes are on Josh Knox…

Fearless. Guarded. Cut-to-perfection. Daredevil rock climber. The best in the world.

This time he’s poised to scale Yosemite’s notoriously treacherous Sorcerer Spire, with Walkabout Media & Productions filming every move.

April Stephens’s dream to be a documentary filmmaker rests on her acing her internship with Walkabout, and that means getting the abrasive Josh to give her more than one-word answers in his interviews.

The problem is, with every step forward professionally, she and Josh are also taking a step forward personally, and after watching her stunt pilot father die in a fiery crash, a guy who risks his life for a living is the last person she should be falling for. Especially because in one month her internship will have them dangling three thousand feet in the air from the side of the Sorcerer. She’ll be filming. He’ll be climbing without a rope.

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBooks  |  Kobo  |  Goodreads  |  Book Trailer

About the Author

Megan Westfield has dabbled in many hobbies and pastimes over the years, ranging from playing the cello to cake decorating (i.e., icing-eating) to a dozen different outdoor adventure sports. Eventually, she discovered the only way to do it all was though writing—her first and strongest passion. She grew up in Washington state, attended college in Oregon, and lived in Virginia, California, and Rhode Island during her five years as a navy officer. Megan is now a permanent resident of San Diego where she and her husband count family beach time with their two young kids as an adventure sport.

Website  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  YouTube  |  Newsletter

UDPATE: The winner is…Colleen!

* * * * *

Note from Denysé: I’ll pick a random comment and send the winner a copy of the set, too. Winner will be picked tomorrow by noon!

* * * * *

This particular set of stories came about as the World Romance Writers chatted about themes for future sets after the best-selling debut set, Letterbox Love Stories. We wanted to do something a little more exotic and add a touch of suspense, so the idea of tales set in Africa was born. I’ve long been a lover of the movie Casablanca, and wanted to try something in a similar vein to the movie. So, with a tip of the hat to that classic movie, I hope you enjoy a peek at this one–the first in a series of stories with this set of characters because I know their adventure is just beginning…

 Escape to Africa: A Dangerous Liaison

World Romance Writers
Kobo Books  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Amazon

In late 1942, Casablanca, an undercover French operative is given information vital to the alliance, and it’s now up to her to get the microfilm to someone who can insure it’s turned over to the Allies. Isabeau Renault has kept her cover in place for many months in Casablanca, and probably saved countless lives because of her activities. But, with the resistance being choked by the Nazi stranglehold, will she be able to get the most important intelligence she’s ever held safely out of Casablanca, or will she die trying? It all hinges now on the owner of a popular café, an American named Cade Maddox, a man few know anything about, but who appears to have a friendly relationship with the Prefect of Police, and several German officers.

Excerpt:

“Cassi, I need to talk to you.”

Cade Maddox’s voice dug into her brain.

“I will join you at the bar, Monsieur,” she repeated. “In five minutes!”

The rapid, muted voices that followed her assured her the maid, Diata, was living up to her fierce name, the lion. She sat at her dressing table and took quick inventory of her hair and makeup. Dark, curling tendrils escaped the elaborate style and she twisted them back into place and tucked pins into the coils. She picked up a brush and dusted darkly tinted powder across her cheeks, peering closely at her reflection. She barely recognized herself these days, but it kept her alive and unnoticed among the citizens of Casablanca.

Gathering her wits, she took a deep breath and stood. Eluding Maddox was more draining than it should be, but something about the man got under her skin and made her jittery. The man was impressive, six feet plus in height, dark eyes, tanned skin, he looked at home in Casablanca, though she knew he was American by birth. Braced for the on-going deception, she stepped into the narrow hallway and walked to the main area of the café, her casual manner wholly feigned. Inside she was shaking in her sandals as she prepared to dodge Cade Maddox and his too shrewd eyes.

“What brings you here, Monsieur? You’re usually holding court at the Stardust this time of the evening.” She sat at the small corner table he’d chosen, the strategic position not escaping her notice. From here the entire main room could be watched, while the wall at his back assured no one could approach him unnoticed.

Maddox smiled. He looked like a wolf who’d just scented prey.

“I was planning to lure your dancer away to work for me,” he said. “Jolene keeps running them off just when the Germans get used to them.”

“How unfortunate for you.” She shook her head when the bartender began to approach the table with a drink for her. He shrugged and headed back for customers who did want to drink.

“Why don’t you drop in this evening,” Cade suggested. “I’m expecting company that might interest you.”

“And why do you think your company would interest me?”

She hadn’t made eye contact with him since sitting down, and he clearly hadn’t missed the ruse. He’d told her on more than one occasion that she intrigued him, and because of it, he was determined to discover what she was hiding. For his sake, she prayed he never did!

For a moment silence hung between them. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded. “Drop by this evening, you might enjoy yourself.”

“I’m busy this evening,” she told him, “if things get boring here I’ll consider your offer.” The scrape of the chair moving indicated he’d left his seat. A slight displacement of air seconds later and he was gone, footsteps so careful they were soundless. Maddox was an enigma she had no time to figure out, he could be dangerous to her. Before she could think too much about it the bartender shouted her name and it was time to get back to business.

As the evening wore on, Isabeau wondered if Cade could be trusted. The question plagued her as she went about her business, serving drinks, flashing a false smile, and presenting yourself as the perfect hostess. This was a job she could do in her sleep, she’d been in Casablanca for several months, even the false face she wore had become much too familiar. And much too comfortable. Her intuition had often saved her so she rarely disregarded it, and against all good sense she knew Cade Maddox was someone she was going to need if she expected to escape with her life.

*~*~*

Denysé Bridger
Romance for the discerning reader…
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Readers Group

UPDATE: The winner is…Toni Whitmire!

* * * * *

Do you love reunion stories? I do. Especially when the couple faces great odds to get back together. It could be family issues, different backgrounds, or the infamous “We were on a break!” line that Ross kept spouting on Friends, much to Rachel’s chagrin (until the very end). But whatever it is, when two people that have allowed their soul to trust another human being on the deepest level find the courage and the strength to make their way back to that original realization despite genuinely tough times – I’m a mess. A happy, story-fulfilled, blubbering mess.

And with that, I introduce you to Dare and Abby from Real Deep, the second book of my REAL MEN series. These two have been through a lot! Abby’s from Money (with a capital M), Dare isn’t. Yet he’s the only one who’s ever ‘seen’ her. And for his part, no one’s ever been there for Dare before, either. So in the backstory, when they break up, it’s a tragedy.

But there’s something about being stuck on a practically deserted tropical island that strips away the rest and brings out only the gold…

If you like reunion stories, I’m betting you’ll want to take the journey with Dare and Abby, two of my very favourite characters.

And as an added benefit, Real Deep is another exciting installment of the Real Men series. This series introduces readers to the brotherhood of a group of men who have bonded through serving as army reservists in various location. They’re connect to the fictional town of Jack’s Bay in northern Ontario as well as the fictional town of Golden, British Columbia.

Today, I’m giving away one copy of Real Deep to a randomly chosen commenter below! All you need to do is:
Follow me on Amazon and…take your pick of: signing up for my newsletter or following me on the social media of your choice.  Let me know in the comments what you chose. Giveaway ends on Sunday at midnight, so let all your friends know!

See you August 7th, folks! And I should have more information about a new, special, summer of 2017 release!

Real Deep

Real Men #2

Deserted tropical island, hunky male models. Sole female photographer. Everything is on track for Abby Haines to please her sleazy boss and win the make-or-break photography contest of the year so she can prove herself to the wealthy parents who’ve disowned her, keep the career she loves, and oh yeah. Eat.

That is, until the past love of her life shows up. The scumbag.

Part-time solider and handyman extraordinaire Dare Logan gets things done. But life just ratcheted up a few degrees for the guy from the wrong side of the track. If he doesn’t kowtow to the creepy shoot director, he can’t save his fledgling renovation business and take care of his mom and sister. And now he’s got to deal with Abby—the woman who broke his heart, proving that what he could provide for her wasn’t enough. Super.

But when they’re sent on a dangerous trek across the island and fate plays with their deeply-entrenched principles and worse, their hearts, choices will have to be made, and the stakes are no longer simple.

Amazon
Kobo, B&N, Nook, iBooks, Inkterra & Other Retailers

Real Men

A new, small town military romance series. Featuring full-length stories and meet-cutes.
Read the entire series to fall in love with the men of Jack’s Bay!

About Susan

Susan Saxx writes sexy, unexpected, heartwarming romances. Her REAL MEN series focuses on a band of Canadian military reservists and the strong women they fall in love with. Meet the cowboy, the ex-hockey player and more at her website, and join her mailing list for exclusive teaser stories and release updates!

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Saxxy Reads FB Readers Group

Hated enemies.  Trapped together.  Fight one another?  Or fight together and maybe survive?  Or maybe die…

Aliyana Montero will do anything to rescue her sister from the ruthless kidnappers who took her from outside the school where she works. Even if that means accepting help from Ram Torres, the most infuriating—and sexy—man Ali has ever met. She and Ram first met on a mission in Afghanistan and they clashed instantly. Ram accused her of being hotheaded and impulsive. She thought he was cold and arrogant. Both refused to acknowledge the heat that flared between them. Now, as her sister’s life hangs in the balance, Ali will have to swallow her pride and once again work with the man who has secretly haunted her dreams.

Read the opening of Trapped…

Sergeant Ali Montero had to admit it—she was worried as hell. She tried to force the snakes roiling around in her belly to stop, but her gut was tight. Worry plagued her as her combat boots thudded down the dirty ply-board floor that was in desperate need of a good sweeping. She knew what was coming: Chief Wyatt Lockwood, the leader of Bravo SEAL team here in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, had requested a private meeting with her. Now, she reluctantly dragged herself toward his office, wishing the reprimand—or whatever he had in mind—was over.

For sure, these meetings were never a good sign. The SEALs she worked with called them “woodshed moments,” meaning you were probably in deep shit and Lockwood was going to let you know it. She’d been with Bravo team for over three months, and now, in June, her number had come up and the shit was probably going to hit the fan.

What had she done wrong? She bit her lower lip, trying to figure out why he’d be calling her, of all people, in for a roasting. Like her fellow SEALs, Ali wore a tan t-shirt and desert camo trousers. Unlike the others, she wore her long black hair back in a ponytail most of the time.

J-bad, in their cramped, one-story brick compound behind the wire, everyone wore a sidearm. They knew their base was a major target for the Taliban, given the SEAL teams’ talent for decimating the enemy. Ali was part of a snatch-and-grab team aimed at killing high-level Taliban commanders or capturing the bastards alive, then handing them over to the CIA for interrogation.

Actually, she suspected she knew what had brought on this meeting. Ever since arriving in J-bad on special assignment to the SEAL team, one guy had put her in his sights: Petty Officer Two, Ram Torres, a Mexican-American born in Nogales, Arizona. For some reason, he seemed to hate her on sight. He’d never accepted her as a part of their all-male team, even after Ali had tried to warm up their frosty relationship. The SEAL would have none of it, constantly turning his back on her efforts to be pleasant.

She wished she could avoid him, but they were a small team and inevitably found themselves thrown together at times they would have preferred never to see each other again. Ever!

Ali slowed down as she approached Lockwood’s office, pausing at his door hanging slightly askew on its hinges. There was nothing perfect about the SEAL group’s housing. The Navy Seabees hadn’t made up this hodge-podge of three-quarter inch ply-board. Rather, the first SEAL units had cobbled it together hastily within the grey cement structure. It wasn’t great carpentry, nor was it an engineering feat to brag about. But it kept them out of the elements and dry, and that was all that mattered.

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and down the quiet passageway. Lockwood had told her to arrive at 0800. To Ali’s relief, the area was empty. She didn’t want her teammates knowing about this—although she was sure word would get back to the guys sooner or later. She knocked firmly on the door, and from the other side, she heard the reply in a heavy Texas drawl, “Mosey on in, Montero.”

LINKS:

Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Trapped-Delos-Book-Lindsay-McKenna-ebook/dp/B071NMJT18/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1494340722&sr=1-1&keywords=Trapped+by+Lindsay+McKenna

KOBO.com
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/trapped-131

BN.com
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/trapped-lindsay-mckenna/1126323626?ean=2940157541019

iBooks/Apple
https://linkmaker.itunes.apple.com/en-us/details/1232470113?country=us&mediaType=books&term=Trapped+by+Lindsay+McKenna

Most people have their super crush. The waiflike model, the handsome and alluring actor or the cutest member of the boy band who makes you squeal every time he picks up his guitar. They are the stuff dreams are made of…the accidental meeting where they fall instantly, irrevocably in love, whisk us off to their mansion to live happily ever after.

I’m game! Let me just check with my husband first.

There is a lot of good advice on the internet about how to date a supermodel. To bag a female, you need to be yourself. Don’t be scared to ask. Don’t assume she’d stupid. In other words, be bold and natural and the astute beauty will give you a chance. Said husband will be pleased he’s in with a shot.

Unfortunately the news is not so flattering when it comes to pursuing my dream man. The most prevalent advice given is ‘DON’T’. Apparently, dating a man prettier than you are should be avoided at all costs. The reasons? You won’t be able to wear their shirt the morning after…because it won’t fit you. You will get jealous of seeing your super-stud cozying up to other beautiful people for photoshoots or movie scenes, people you will never be able to complete with. And get this. They will go to lots of parties, which they may or may not invite you too—but if you go, be aware you are likely to be the ugly duckling.

Whaaaa? Talk about double standards. Do females—the same ones who understand how a female supermodel will give anyone a chance if they are true to themselves—in the next breath say females won’t cope with a little healthy competition.

I, for one, don’t believe it. And I will not give up on Max Riemelt, just because I can’t fit into his morning after shirt! Cole Langford got his beauty in The Rebound and he wasn’t nearly as nice about it as I would be. So, leave a comment and share the details of your super crush. What would you be willing to give up to get them?

THE REBOUND 

One Night Stand Series

One bite is never enough…

Madison St James’s life was a glittering fairy tale, until her Prince Charming turns out to be Prince Cheating. With the help of a sexy stranger, Madison lets loose her inhibitions for one night of no-holds-barred sex.

It’s hot. It’s sensual. And so real that Madison doesn’t know if she can return to her superficial life, except her mother isn’t going to make her escape easy.

Cole Langford has one of the most powerful names in Maryland, but none of the money and prestige that goes with it. But he knows first-hand about getting knocked down by power-wielding megalomaniacs.

Lately, Cole’s libido’s is MIA, until he finds the very trouble he’s been trying to stay away from in Madison St James. But Madison is like decadent candy, and Cole can’t resist one more bite.

Get your copy here!

About the Author

Toni J Strawn is the author of the super-spicy contemporary One Night Stand novels, which include His Rules, The Rebound and Her Release, with His redemption coming soon. These can be read on their own, or as a trilogy.

Toni loves everything romance. Hot, bad, crazy, out-of-control romance. In the One Night Stand series the characters are set up for ultimate one night stand, before turning it into happily ever after—no matter how much they have been through. Because everyone deserves to find love. Right?

While not locked away in her Romansion—a tiny writing shed at the bottom of the garden—Toni can be found with super-hubby Chris and the kids, or feeding her addiction to reading…you guessed it…romance ©