What Happens in College… by Vanessa M. Knight

Title: What Happens in College . . . 

Author: Vanessa M Knight

Series: Ritter University #2

Genre: New Adult Romance

Release Date: August 25, 2015

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Summary:
One upload. One thousand likes. One lapse in judgment and she lost it all.

Ritter University Novel – Book Two

Egged house, keyed cars, and lawsuits all behind her, Karina Wolfe needs to bury her past deep beneath the skeletons in her closet. No one can ever find out what she did. No one.

Her freshman year at Ritter University is the perfect opportunity to re-invent a better, shinier, more responsible Karina. Her goal? Keep her head down and stay away from the thing that screwed up her life in the first place—guys. It shouldn’t be that hard, in theory. If only Ryan Kent wasn’t so darn gorgeous.

Ryan Kent is the poster child for responsibility. He’s always done what’s expected of him. He didn’t have much choice. But now that his mother’s cancer is under control, he finally feels free. Almost. If he could only convince his dad to trust him to make his own choices, life would be good. If he could get Karina to take a chance on him, life would be perfect.

Ryan doesn’t know what Karina did before they met. Karina doesn’t know how to protect Ryan. When taking chances collide with trust, can what happens in college endure, or will it stay in college?

*Reader Note* This Ritter University book is part of series of interconnected but stand-alone books.

1. What is the biggest influence/interest that brought you to this genre?
I'm so glad to be here today. I love talking about the new adult genre (I love reading and writing it even more). It's such a great time in life. Generally the parents are out of the picture— well— maybe not completely out of the picture, but their taking a backseat to the future that the new adults are trying to build.

It's a time of exploration. What do you want to do with your life? Where do you want to live? Who do you want to be with? There are so many questions and so many options available at this point. It's the special time in life when the options outweigh the questions.

As you get older, the dating pool narrows as people marry and pair off. The options narrow as well, as bills and potentially children and family become the focal point of your life. (Not complaining here, I love this part of my life too, it's just different.)

To me, this was a great time in my life. It was fun and scary and full of promise. And I love to visit there in my New Adult novels.

2. When writing a book, what is your favorite part of the creative process(outline, plot, character names, editing, etc)?
I'm a super-dork. I admit it. I love planning out the book. I love creating the characters and outlining the story. I make graphs and there are pictures and flowcharts (I said I was a dork, did you not believe me?)

Each document helps me piece together the basic elements of the story and allows me to focus on narrowing down those basic elements into a workable story.

3. When reading a book, what genre do you find most interesting/intriguing?
I love anything contemporary. I love getting lost in the emotions of it all. Don’t get me wrong, I like reading a good suspense, fantasy or historical as well. But my heart lies in the present.

There's no extensive world building needed when you're looking at the here and now. It allows you to focus on people and the emotions that are inherent in the genre. It's fun to see how the author works with current topics and trends. It's also fun to see if they can step outside of the stereotypes and weave a tale that's different and unexpected.

4. If you could co-author with any author, past or present, who would you choose?
This was a hard one. There are so many amazing authors I'd love to work with. So many of them are for different reasons. I absolutely adored Judy Blume growing up.

I have two sisters and brother, all younger and I could relate to those older siblings. There was an entire year in junior high, where I had to have the vaccuum in my room so my baby sister wouldn't come in and break my stuff. She liked pens and would write on anything that she found. So the vaccuum literally stood in the doorway, guarding my room, since she was terrified of the noise and refused to go anywhere near the machine.

I always wanted to write like Judy Blume and would have loved to do something with her.

As I grew older I loved, loved, loved Christopher Pike. I'm not normally into scary, but he did scary in such a way that I couldn't put it down. And I would buy book after book, even though I knew I'd have to sleep with the lights on for the next couple nights after finishing his latest novel.

Today, I would love to work with Cora Carmack. I can't stop reading her books and I love her characters. I would love to do a Rusk University/ Ritter University crossover. How fun would that be?

5. Have you always wanted to write or did it come to you "later in life"?
I always wanted to write. When I was in eighth grade, I wrote the dedication to two of my teachers in the yearbook. It was pure heaven. I continued to enjoy writing all through high school, but it was never something I took seriously.

It wasn't until after college, when my son was at an age where he no longer needed my attention 24/7. It was then I picked up my laptop and wrote my first novel.

It was horrible and sad, but it's complete. That book will never see the light of day, but it got me interested. That interest lead to me to join writing groups and take writing workshops at local colleges. It was the stepping stone to all of the other books I've written and I don't regret writing it, no matter how atrocious the grammar.

It's been an absolute pleasure talking to you today. Thank you so much!

Author Bio:
I write contemporary romance novels with a dash of suspense. I’m a member of Romance Writers of America and Windy City RWA.

Living in Chicagoland with my husband, son and menagerie of dogs and cats, keeps me on my toes. When not writing or working or playing wife and mom, I love to scrapbook, watch movies and read anything I can find.

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Courting the West Box Set

Title: Courting the West

Authors: Debra Holland, Kirsten Osbourne, Lily Graison

Cynthia Woolf, Jacquie Rogers, Sylvia McDaiel, Paty Jager

Merry Farmer, Keta Diablo, Caroline Clemmons

Genre: Sweet to Spicy Historical Romance

Release Date: October 15, 2015

Cover Design: Skhye Moncrief

Summary:
Courting the West
10 Western Novels
Available as a boxed set for a limited time!

NYT, USA Today and Bestselling authors bring you ten Western romance novels featuring sexy cowboys and sultry heroines. This boxed set is loaded with a variety of sweet to steamy romances designed to entice your senses and warm your heart.

Books Included: 

Painted Montana Sky by Debra Holland
In 1894, Lily Maxwell, aspiring painter, travels to Sweetwater Springs, Montana, with her precious cocker spaniel to work on an artistic project that could launch her career. For years, Lily has denied herself happiness because of her equestrian accident that left her with a damaged hip, a limp, and a sense of unworthiness. Her inability to bear children has kept her from giving her heart to anyone.

After rancher Tyler Dunn’s wife abandoned him and their son, he wants nothing to do with women. But this new girl in town, with her lovely violet eyes and her wonderful talent, stirs feelings in Tyler.

After Tyler rescues Lily’s dog from being swept away by the river, Lily develops a friendship with him, the people on his ranch, and his young son, Oliver. Yet the two of them dare not give in to their feelings for each other.

Can these lonely souls find their hearts’ desires under the majestic Montana Sky?

Daisy(Suitors of Seattle Series) by Kirsten Osbourne
Raised with advantage and privilege, Daisy must now find a husband. Because of her overwhelming shyness, she chooses to let her aunt, Harriett Farmer, find her a husband.

Aunt Harriett’s suggestions are not what she expected. Setting her up to be a Mail Order Bride, she sends her to Montana to meet Eli King. What she finds is a life vastly different than what she's used to. Can she possibly find love and contentment, or is she doomed to a life of regret?

His Brother's Wife(Willow Creek Series) by Lily Graison
When Grace Kingston accepts a wedding proposal through a mail-order bride agency and travels across country to be married, she has no idea her bridegroom is a fourteen-year-old boy. There’s no way she can accept his offer but with depleted funds, and winter coming on, Grace has little choice but to stay. Things go from bad to worse when she meets Jesse’s older brother, Rafe. The attraction is immediate. He’s surly, rude and downright pig-headed but he makes her pulse race with a single glance.

Rafe Samuels thought to teach his brother a lesson by making him take responsibility for his rash behavior but one look at Grace and his plans go up in smoke. She isn’t the dowdy spinster he imagined and having her live in his house and not be able to have her is the worst kind of torment. But putting her out of his mind is impossible.

As fall turns to winter, Grace finds that living with the two brothers isn’t as simple a thing as she once thought. Jesse still thinks marriage is in the cards, and Rafe is a devilishly handsome distraction she doesn’t need. She can’t decide if he hates her or wants to kiss her. And how does she avoid breaking Jess’s heart when it becomes clear that the attraction between her and Rafe is mutual?

Tame a Wild Wind(Tame Series) by Cynthia Woolf
Catherine Evans fell in love when she was three years old, head-over-heels, forever kind of love. The very first moment she saw twelve-year-old Duncan McKenzie, she told God and her pony that she was going to marry that boy. He was handsome. He was kind. He was strong and smart and all the good things a boy should be. For thirteen years she loved him with every beat of her heart. And on her sixteenth birthday he walked away from her father's ranch, and from her. He didn't look back over his shoulder. Not even once. And from that day forward, Catherine Evans swore off all men. Her heart turned to stone, her will to iron, and her vow to God changed. She'd run her father's ranch. She'd succeed. She'd survive. And she would never, ever love another man as long as she lived.

Duncan McKenzie left the ranch ten years ago, desperate to escape temptation in the form of a budding young lady too innocent to claim for his own. But Catherine's frightened father summons him home. The ranch is under attack and the old man's stubborn daughter refuses to seek help. Duncan left a sweet young girl behind a decade ago. He returns to a defiant siren, a woman whose heart is as wild as the land she would sacrifice her life to protect. When Catherine's father coerces her into marrying Duncan, the fire in her eyes spells trouble, but it's the kind of trouble Duncan has no desire to resist. Marriage is the only way he can protect her. Especially when Duncan's own past comes calling in the form of one extremely dangerous and vengeful outlaw, Catherine's cowardly enemies want the ranch badly enough to kill for it, and his reluctant bride is very much in their way.

Sleight of Heart by Jacquie Rogers
A Straight-Laced Spinster…
Lexie Campbell, more comfortable with neat and tidy numbers than messy emotions, is determined find the sharper who ruined her little sister and make him marry her. When his lookalike brother Burke appears, she greets him with a rifle and forces him to help her. Can she resist his magic charm?
A Gambler With Magic Hands…

To claim the family fortune, smooth-dealing Burke O’Shaughnessy has to find his brother Patrick, despite being saddled with an angry spinster. But when Lexie shows an astounding talent for counting cards and calculating odds, he figures she might be useful after all. Can he draw the queen of hearts?

A Hero's Heart by Sylvia McDaniel
Wade Ketchum is searching for his only surviving sibling when he finds a ready-made family.

Rachel Cooke is stranded on the Oregon trail with three orphans and a rebellious sister, until gambler Wade Ketchum rescues them. The hardened cowboy is searching to find his long lost brother, is out of cash and has no time for a praying spinster. When Rachel runs out of options, she makes a deal. Wade must pretend to be her husband and help her reach Oregon. But somewhere along the trail, pretending becomes real. Can she help Wade realize that he still has a heart capable of love?

Laying Claim(Halsey Homecoming Series) by Paty Jager
Jeremy Duncan commits to haul one last load of supplies across the great interior of the Yukon before heading home. But, he has to trade his pack animals for sled dogs and leave Skagway in the middle of a blizzard due to one strong-willed, business-minded beauty.

Determined to find her older brother, Clara Bixbee doesn’t care how she gets across the pass, as long as she does, and soon. Hiring handsome pack guide Jeremy Duncan seems to be her best choice. Especially after she saves a young girl being beaten by the local gang leader and needs to escape Skagway fast.

Sarah Sunshine(A Montana Romance) by Merry Farmer
She was done with her shameful past…
But Sarah Withers’s past isn’t done with her. Though she longs for Roy LaCroix—body, heart, and soul—old wounds and fresh battles threaten to end her second chance at an honest life before it begins.

His future is only a heartbeat away…
But how can Roy LaCroix stay true to the woman he’s waited so long for when he and Sarah are embroiled in a twenty-year-old feud that threatens to keep the star-crossed lovers apart? Roy must choose: be a man of substance, or to stay true to his heart.

Only love can stop history from repeating itself before it’s too late…

Chasing the Dead(Bannister Brothers) by Keta Diablo
The Apache kidnapped me to dispel an evil ghost from their village. If I tell them I don't possess the same skills my madre did, they'll cut my throat and feed me to the dogs. Celesta was the best spirit chaser in all of New Mexico before she died.

The most I can hope for is that Emmett, my fiancé, will rescue me. Is he capable of such a thing? Poppy must not have thought so because he sent Deacon Bannister to save me. Deacon…the man who walked away days before our wedding a year ago. The man who still melts my bones after one look.

We're running for our lives from Uday, the vaporous ghoul tracking us. He lusts after Sacheen, the beautiful maiden banished from the Apache village who travels with us. The warrior killed her father when Sacheen refused to marry him, and then Sacheen's brother killed Uday.

The ghost's powers grow stronger every minute on our journey back to El Vaquero...and so does my love for Deacon.

The Most Unsuitable Courtship(Kincaid Series)  by Caroline Clemmons
Storm Kincaid wants justice; Rena Dmitriev wants vengeance.

When Storm’s best friend and the friend’s wife are murdered, Storm secures a temporary appointment as Federal Marshal so he can trail and capture the killers. He follows them to twenty one year old Rena’s home, which is in flames when he arrives. She has surived by following her elderly husband’s instuctions while the men murdered the him. Storm intends to take her to the nearest town where she will be safe. She can identify the men who killed the person who had been her husband in name only and like a grandfather to her, and she vows to kill at least one of them. Whether or not Storm allows her to accompany him, she assures him she will go after the murderers. She is the only person alive who can identify the evil foursome whose policy has been to leave no witnesses. Storm agrees to take her with him. She’ll be safer with him to protect her than she would riding alone.

As a powerful and passionate love blossoms, they unite to rescue three orphaned children, fight the elements, and encounter the killers. Will their love be enough to protect them?

Author Bios:
Debra Holland
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Debra Holland wears several hats when it comes to writing. As a psychotherapist, she writes nonfiction books. The Essential Guide to Grief and Grieving is her first nonfiction book. More nonfiction books about grieving, boundary setting with difficult people, and relationships, are forthcoming.

Debra also writes fiction--Historial Western Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy Romance, and Science Fiction. Her Montana Sky series, sweet historical Western romances, is published by Amazon Montlake. The Gods' Dream Trilogy (fantasy romance) is available on Kindle.

Debra lives in Southern California and has one dog and two cats. She's a second degree blackbelt and teaches martial arts. She also is a corporate crisis/grief counselor. You can join her newsletter subscription list or learn more about her at her website.

Kristen Osbourne
USA Today bestselling author Kirsten Osbourne knows how to write romance. Each book is an experience that transplants the reader, indulging them in decadence, intense emotion and sweeping love.

Hailing from the state of Wisconsin, she has lived in Texas for over thirty years as a mother, writer, and wife. Married to the love of her life for more than fifteen years, she knows that true love exists and shares that vision with the world.

She writes contemporary and historical romance as well and also ventures into the realm of paranormal romance. She invites you to join her in her world of fantasy, love, and make believe, no matter the location, where there is always a happily ever after at the end.

Lily Graison
USA TODAY bestselling author Lily Graison writes historical western romances and dabbles in contemporary and paranormal romance. First published in 2005, Lily has written over a dozen romance novels that range from sweet to spicy.

She lives in Hickory, North Carolina with her husband, three high-strung Yorkies and more cats than she can count and is mother of two and grandmother of three. On occasion, she can be found at her sewing machine creating 1800's period clothing or participating in civil war reenactments and area living history events. When not portraying a southern belle, you can find her at a nearby store feeding her obsession for all things resembling office supplies.

Cynthia Woolf
Cynthia Woolf is the author of fifteen historical western romance books and one short story, and one novella with more books on the way. She was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

Their closest neighbor was one quarter of a mile away, so her little brother was her playmate and her best friend. That fierce friendship lasted until his death in 2006.

Cynthia is an avid reader. Her mother was a librarian and brought new books home each week. This is where young Cynthia first got the storytelling bug. She wrote her first story at the age of ten. A romance about a little boy she liked at the time.

Cynthia loves writing and reading romance. Her first western romance Tame A Wild Heart, was inspired by the story her mother told her of meeting Cynthia's father on a ranch in Creede, Colorado. Although Tame A Wild Heart takes place in Creede that is the only similarity between the stories. Her father was a cowboy not a bounty hunter and her mother was a nursemaid (called a nanny now) not the ranch owner.

Cynthia credits her wonderfully supportive husband Jim and the great friends she's made at Colorado Romance Writers for saving her sanity and allowing her to explore her creativity.

Jacquie Rogers
Jacquie Rogers - I'm a former software designer, campaign manager, deli clerk, and cow milker, but always a bookworm. Reading is my passion--westerns, fantasies, historicals of any era, and all with a dash of romance. If an author can make me laugh, I'll buy every book he/she ever wrote.

While I'm a country girl by birth, I currently live in suburbia with my very patient husband (important point: we are the staff of one cat) I don't think you can ever take the country out of a girl's heart. That's probably why my stories often take place in Idaho where I grew up. (Hearts of Owyhee series and some of my short stories, too.)

On my website you can find lots of Bonus Features for my stories and other fun stuff. Please let me know if you've posted a review and I'll give you a sneak peek into my next book.

Sylvia McDaniel
Sylvia McDaniel is a best-selling, award-winning author of western historical romance and contemporary romance novels. Known for her sweet, funny, family-oriented romances, Sylvia is the author of The Burnett Brides a historical western series, The Cuvier Widows, a Louisiana historical series, Lipstick and Lead, a western historical series and several short contemporary romances.

Former President of the Dallas Area Romance Authors, a member of the Romance Writers of America®, and a member of Novelists Inc, her novel, A Hero's Heart was a 1996 Golden Heart Finalist. Several other books have placed or won in the San Antonio Romance Authors Contest, LERA Contest, and she was a Golden Network Finalist.

Married for nearly twenty years to her best friend, they have one dachshund that is Queen Supreme Dog in the house and a good-looking, grown son who thinks there's no place like home. She loves gardening, hiking, shopping, knitting and football (Cowboys and Bronco's fan), but not necessarily in that order.

Paty Jager
Award-winning author Paty Jager and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. On her road to publication she wrote freelance articles for two local newspapers and enjoyed her job with the County Extension service as a 4-H Program Assistant. Raising hay and cattle, riding horses, and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Her penchant for research takes her on side trips that eventually turn into yet another story. ​

Merry Farmer
Merry Farmer lives in suburban Philadelphia with her two cats, Butterfly and Torpedo. She has been writing since she was ten years old and realized one day that she didn't have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. It was the best day of her life. She then went on to earn not one but two degrees in History so that she would always having something to write about. Today she walks along the cutting edge of Indie Publishing, writing Historical Romance and Women's Sci-Fi. She is also passionate about blogging, knitting, and cricket and is working towards becoming an internationally certified cricket scorer.

Keta Diablo
Keta Diablo lives in the Midwest part of the United States on six acres of woodland. When she isn't writing or gardening she loves to commune with nature. She adores animals and has made it her mission in life to help feed hungry children in the USA. Greatly disturbed by the statistic that one in every five children goes to bed hungry, she donates her time and support to local food and animal shelters.

Keta is a multi-published author in both erotic romance and gay fiction. Her erotica novel Decadent Deceptions was a finalist in the MOLLY contest sponsored by Romance Writers of America and has been nominated for a Red Carpet Award in 2014. Her paranormal novel Where the Rain Is Made has been nominated for a Bookie Award by Authors After Dark. Her historical novel Sky Tinted Water has been nominated for a RONE Award by Ind'Tale Magazine. Keta's books have received numerous Top Pick, Book of the Month, and Recommended Read awards from the top professional review sites.

Caroline Clemmons
Caroline Clemmons is an Amazon bestselling and award winning author of historical and contemporary western romances. A frequent speaker at conferences and seminars, she has taught workshops on characterization, point of view, and layering a novel.

Caroline and her husband live in the heart of Texas cowboy country with their menagerie of rescued pets. When she’s not indulging her passion for writing, Caroline enjoys family, reading, travel, antiquing, genealogy, painting, and getting together with friends. Subscribe to her newsletter here to receive a FREE novella.

Debra Holland

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Kirsten Osbourne

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Lily Graison

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Cynthia Woolf

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Jacquie Rogers

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Sylvia McDaniel

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Paty Jager

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Starlight Wishes by ME Montgomery

Titles: Starlight Wishes

Author: ME Montgomery

Series: Polaris #3

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Dates: October 17, 2015

Summary:
Her wishes dissolved in the darkness…

Jennifer Mitchell grew up knowing what she wanted out of life, and she didn’t let anyone dissuade her. But not all wishes come true. After years of blaming herself for a horrifying experience, she feels her dreams are forever shattered. Attempting to move forward, she searches for someone who can help her escape the nightmare of her past. Many have failed, but now the one person she has sworn to ignore has dared her to dream again and won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. Can she trust him? Will this choice be the final piece to her heart, or will it be the one who shatter her life into total disrepair?

His wishes struggled to find light…

Tyler Cranston’s life was planned for him at an early age. He lived his life to please others, only to have everything go tragically wrong. Now as an adult he chooses his own path, living and playing hard and earning a playboy reputation along the way. But being carefree isn’t as ‘freeing’ as he thought it would be, and he longs for something more. Now once again he’s willing to do anything to make someone else happy, but she believes she’s happier without him. How can he prove he is worth the risk when he isn’t even sure himself?

Through tears and whispered wishes in the dark, can Jennifer and Tyler become the light for each other and turn their ordeals of the past into dreams for a future?

Warning: : 18+ for sexual content and some violence

Damn! Damn! Damn!

My mental swearing pulsed in rhythm with my rapid heartbeat as I hopped around on one foot, nervously trying to shove my right leg into the uncooperative leg of my shorts. Just as I thought I had found success, I bumped into the bottom corner of my mattress and fell forward, face-planting almost on top of a lump shaped like a foot. I sucked in my breath, cursing my clumsiness as I stood up. I glanced over my shoulder at the form stretched out on my bed, but he didn’t as much as flinch. 

Phew. Unable to stop myself I gazed at the broad, tanned back that tapered to a narrow waist. The sheet rested just below the slight indentation at the base of his spine. I knew what I’d see if I removed the bed covers – a drool-worthy tight ass and long, muscled legs. I’d felt their power as my hands clutched and squeezed those muscled cheeks while my own demanding legs wrapped around his in an effort to pull him tighter to me. Even now, my heart accelerated at the memory of how he made me feel; not just the multiple orgasms I hadn’t known I was capable of having, but the care he’d given afterward.

Moving my eyes upward, I marveled at how I could see the definition of the muscles in his relaxed arms as they cradled his head under the pillows, unperturbed by the events of last night. In sleep, his lips lost their quirky smile, and his closed lids hid the teasing, arrogant brown eyes; eyes in which I got lost during a particularly vulnerable moment. He looked content and at peace, the exact opposite of how I felt this morning. I ripped my eyes away from their feast and managed to get my shorts pulled up and zipped. With as much stealth as I could manage, I opened a dresser drawer and grabbed the first shirt my fingers landed on.

If I could smack myself with any real results, I would. What the hell had been wrong with me last night? Every guardrail, every rule I’d put into place to protect myself from just such an event had been tossed aside, betrayed by my stupid desires. I’d let him, begged him even, to make love to me. Make love? No, that was more my style. For him, I’m sure it was sex, plain and simple. Well, maybe not plain and simple, more like spectacular and mind-blowing, at least for me. Regardless, how could I have allowed such a thing to happen? Had I drunk that much? You wish you could use that as an excuse, but you knew exactly what you were doing. You’re a first class idiot, Jennifer Marie! Now you’re just one more notch on his bedpost.

Feeling suffocated by my thoughts, I shoved my feet into my canvas slip-ons. I turned to the nightstand and stretched out my hand to grab my cell phone. I stopped when I saw the bottle of pain reliever and two of its contents beside the glass of water he’d set out for me the night before. Why did he have to be so damn thoughtful? And who would have imagined the innocent quest for those little white tablets would bring about more havoc than what they were designed to cure? I tried to stifle the memories they conjured, picked up my phone and tip-toed out of the bedroom. 

In the kitchen I found some paper and scribbled out an excuse, a lie actually, and left it where I hoped he might find it. I found my purse and quietly opened the door of the apartment. A next door neighbor with a newspaper tucked under one arm and a cup of coffee in his hand was just opening his door. He paused when he saw me, a knowing grin on his face. He winked at me, confirming that I hadn’t been able to completely muffle the cries of pleasure that had burst past my lips last night. Scowling at him, I hurried down the hall, anxious to put some distance between the man in bed and me so I could figure out how to fix this. Fix? The little hammers in my head ramped up their tapping to full blown pounding as if suggesting this would be no ordinary fix, but full-blown reconstruction time.

I knew I was taking the coward’s way out this morning, but I was doing both of us a favor. In the end, he’d be grateful I’d let him off the hook. Massaging my temples as I rode the elevator down to the lobby, I continued to convince myself it was better this way. Reaching the front door, I closed my eyes and shook my head in disgust. I had always promised myself I would never do the walk of shame, and yet here I was, stealing away in the early hours of the morning. And even then I couldn’t do it right. I mean, whoever heard of anyone sneaking out of their own home after a night of the most mind-blowing sex they had ever had?

Author Bio:
M.E. Montgomery has been an avid reader her entire life, and her Amazon account will attest to that fact! Recently, several voices began telling their own stories in her head. After being assured she wasn’t crazy and this was the sign of an emerging novel, she decided to put her fingers to work and started typing, and with lots of encouragement, decided to share Alex, Kayla, and Aiden’s dramatic and heartwarming tale.

Her family considers her adept in most subjects, to include science, history, reading, spelling, and all mathematical studies, which loosely means she is the homework queen to her four school aged children. Fortunately, her biology and elementary school teaching background help her to keep up the expert façade, at least for now.

Although born and raised in the Washington DC metro area, she has considered many places to be called home since she left to attend college in North Carolina. She is a proud Navy wife, setting up hearth and home wherever in the world the Navy sends her husband. When she’s not reading or writing, she loves to go camping with her family, drinking wine on the deck, and romantic getaways when her husband’s work permits.

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Starlight Wishes #3

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North Star #1

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True North #2

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Release Day Blitz: A Montana Born Christmas Box Set

Title: A Montana Born Christmas

Authors: Jane Porter, Megan Crane, CJ Carmichael, Katherine Garbera

Melissa McClone, Roxanne Snopek, Dani Collins, Alissa Callen

Genre: Contemporary Adult Romance

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Summary:
Ready to two-step under the mistletoe with a hot cowboy? How about a gorgeous tycoon? Spend a white Christmas in Montana with eight heartwarming, contemporary romances. This limited edition collection features sweet and sexy holiday stories from bestselling and award-winning authors. You’ll find eight romantic heroes to fall in love with in A Montana Born Christmas boxed set. And all for less than a dollar!

Christmas at Copper Mountain by Jane Porter
Life has been tough at Copper Mountain Ranch and widower Brock Sheenan’s kids have never had a proper Christmas. His new housekeeper, Harley Diekerhoff, is determined to change that–but she doesn’t count on falling in love with her taciturn boss.

Come Home for Christmas, Cowboy by Megan Crane
Christina Grey Cooper has finally given up on her marriage and returned home to Marietta to lick her wounds. But Dare can’t let the love of his life go, even if what’s standing in the way of a true holiday miracle is himself… Can the magic of a White Christmas in Montana help him save what he’s nearly lost forever?

A Cowgirl’s Christmas by CJ Carmichael
Betrayed by her father, Callan Carrigan has to decide what matters most to her. Fighting Court McAllister to get back the family ranch, or giving Court what he really wants—her heart.

A Cowboy for Christmas by Katherine Garbera
Back in Marietta, disgraced, the last person Annie Pruhomme wants to see is hunky Carson Scott. Does he hold a grudge, and why does he still look so hot?

Mistletoe Wedding by Melissa McClone
An instant family isn’t on ranch foreman Tyler Murphy’s Christmas list, but event planner Meg Redstone’s kisses are. Getting her under the mistletoe, however, is going to take a miracle…or help from Santa.

A Sweet Montana Christmas by Roxanne Snopek
A marriage in jeopardy, a decrepit honey farm and an unexpected birth on a dark, snowy night. All they need to rediscover their love is a Christmas miracle.

Blame the Mistletoe by Dani Collins
Commiseration over being alone for the holidays turns to a holiday fling, making Liz Flowers think Blake Canon is giving her the Best Christmas Ever. But when family secrets are revealed and their children arrive home early, will they be able to keep the season bright?

Her Mistletoe Cowboy by Alissa Callen
Ivy Bishop plans to spend Christmas holed up on an isolated Montana ranch far from the city and her ex-fiancé. But the more time she spends with the workaholic cowboy next door the more she realizes her heart isn’t actually broken – yet.

A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS by Katherine Garbera
     Marietta, Montana did Christmas in a big way with all the storefronts on Main Street draped in garland and twinkle lights.  The Main Street Diner wasn’t any different with its rustic wreath made with layers of old ropes and decked with red poinsettia leaves and Rocking Around the Christmas Tree playing merrily on the jukebox as Carson Scott opened the door.
     No one was exactly sure how the Wednesday night tradition had started,  not even Carson, but he knew that his brothers had done it for him.  It had been in the dark time right after Rainey had been killed in a head-on collision out on highway 89 on her way back from Livingston.  He’d sat at home every night with baby Evan drinking too much Red Bull.  His oldest brother Alec had insisted that they all meet in Marietta at the diner for dinner.
     Alec had thick blond hair like their momma and piercing blue-gray eyes that Carson had heard more than one girl describe as colder than the glaciers in Glacier Park.  But Sienna, Alec’s wife, had said that she knew how to warm him up.  Which had led to a lot of ribbing by Carson and his other brothers.  Alec needed to be taken down a peg or two at times.
     But not on Wednesday nights.  Carson showed up here after he dropped Evan off at his maternal grandparents’ house and ate chili and cornbread with his brothers.  There were five of them all together and sometimes Flo, who ran the grill, gave them a hard time about being carbon copies of their dad, but that didn’t bother any of them.  Their old man cast a long shadow and had a reputation for being honest and hard-working.  There were worse things a man could be known for.
    There were only five weeks left until Christmas and Evan was being cagey about what he wanted from Santa this year.  He’d hinted he wanted a mommy that wasn’t in heaven.  And the last thing that Carson was interested in was dating any woman, much less one to become Evan’s new mommy.
    “Isn't that Annie waiting tables?” Alec said as they entered the diner.  The walls were heavy red brick and the floor solid wood.  There was a counter with red leather-covered stools bolted to the floor in front of it, and for as long as Carson could remember beehive-haired Flo was standing at the grill cooking delicious food, trading gossip, and flirting with any man who entered.
     “Annie who?” he asked.  He was holding the door open for his younger brother Hudson who had a shopping bag from The Mercantile in one hand and his Stetson in the other.
     “Prudhomme.  Is there another Annie you’d care about?” Alec asked.
     “I thought she'd left town for good,” Hudson said.
     Annie.  Here.  Wow.
     Why?
     How?
     When?
     It didn’t make sense.  He ate here every Wednesday with his brothers.  She hadn’t been here last week.  Why was she here now?
     Carson craned his neck around his brothers’ shoulders to look at the  waitress.  Goddamn it.  She hadn’t changed.  She was still the same slim pretty girl he remembered.  She wasn't tall but had long legs and dark brown hair that hung to her shoulders and curled slightly at the ends.  He stared at her until she turned and he met those pretty gray eyes that he had thought he’d never see again.
     He hardened his heart.  If there was one thing he knew without even talking to her it was that this was a temporary move.  He doubted she was back to stay.  That wasn’t her style and Marietta wasn’t her town.
     At eighteen it had felt like he'd never love again when she'd left Marietta – and him – all in the same cloud of dust. But at thirty-three he knew that was a lie.  He had loved again and married and had a chance for real happiness.  But now he wondered –was that another lie he’d told himself to make Annie’s leaving him okay?
     “Yup,” he said, answering his brothers as he turned back to the laminated menu, trying to be blasé when inside he wanted to go and talk to her.  Go and find out why she was back and what it meant.  Had life turned that ballsy, sassy girl he’d loved into a bitch or tamed her?
     But he kept his head down studying the laminated menu like his sanity depended on it.  It wasn't as if he didn't know what he was going to order.
     He always got the same thing when he and his brothers came into town to eat on Wednesday nights.  His son was visiting his maternal grandparents at their home on the modest section of Bramble Lane.  Rhett and Lily had moved out to Marietta after Rainey had died to be closer to Evan and they said having Carson around made it hard for them to bond with Evan.
     The thing Carson was proudest of was his son and how well he and the six-year-old had grown up together after Rainey died.
     “Yup?” Alec asked.
     “That girl—” Hudson said.
     “I know.  I'm surprised she's here too,” Carson said trying to play it cool.  But the thing with brothers was they always knew when he was bullshitting them.  “But let’s face it... everyone ends up back here eventually.  You said Pop wanted some help with something?”
     Alec’s brother nodded.  “He's determined we need to get that old red barn renovation finished by the New Year.  I could use some extra help to finish the work.”
    “I'll send my hands over tomorrow.  Is he still planning to sell it?”
    “You know Pop, if you can't ranch it then it's a bad investment.  And he bought it for Trey to live on with his wife but they aren't interested in  settling down here.”
     “What’s his hurry then?”
     “Lane has a friend who is looking for a place out this way.”
     “You do?” Carson asked Lane.  “I thought all your buddies were career military.”
     “He's retired,” Lane said.  “Like me.”
     “Is he like you?” Carson asked.  Lane had lost the bottom half of his left leg in an IED explosion in Iraq and now had prosthetic leg.
     “Why?” Lane asked.
     “Just wanted to know if we should make the halls and bath a little bigger in the house,” Carson said.  “Maybe we should anyway”
     “Nah, he’s still got both his legs,” Lane said.
     “How old is he?” Alec asked.
     “Barely thirty but all that fighting has taken it out of him,” Lane said.
     “We were lucky to get you back when we did,” Carson said.
     “Thanks, boys.  Good to know you care,” Lane said.
     “Ah, they all care about youngest Scott boy,” Annie said coming over to their table.
     She walked toward them wearing the traditional Main Street Diner white apron over her own clothing.  There was something almost defiant in her manner.  It had to stick in her craw that she’d left here to make it big and now she was waiting on all of Marietta.
     Her brown hair swung around her high cheekbones with each step she took.  A pair of faded denim jeans hugged her legs and the tips of her worn brown boots were scuffed.  Her smile didn’t reach her eyes and she’d managed to chew off most of her lipstick.
     Hellfire.  It had been fifteen years and one look at Annie was all it took to get him hot and bothered.  It wasn’t that she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.  She had an attitude bigger than the Montana sky, but she’d always just had something that made him stand at attention.
     “We care about all the Scott boys,” Alec said pointedly.  “Even Carson here when he was dumb enough to fall in love with a girl intent on leaving.”
     “Sorry,” she said.
     There was something her eyes that made her seem… more than sorry, almost sad and he cautioned himself about feeling anything for her, even pity.
     “Really?” Carson asked.
     “More than you can know,” she admitted.  “But you boys didn’t come here to hear about my mistakes.  You want dinner, right?”
     “We sure do.  Did Flo make her jalapeno cornbread today?” Hudson asked.
     “Yes she did,” Annie said, taking a pen from the pocket of her apron and holding up her notepad.
     “Chili and cornbread for me and root beer,” Alec said.
     “Same,” Hudson said.
     “Same again,” Lane said.
     She looked at Carson and for a moment he remembered the last time he'd held her in his arms, but he'd known then she was leaving.  She was always on her way out of Marietta.
     “I'll have a Sprite instead, but otherwise the same,” Carson said.
     “Still don't like caffeine?” she asked.
     “Nope,” he said.
     She nodded and walked away and all he could do was watch her.  And admire the way those faded jeans hugged her butt.  Maybe it was just physical… his reaction to her had always been strong.  He realized his brothers were watching him watch her and he cursed under his breath.  The last thing he needed was Annie back in Marietta this close to Christmas.  Christmas always made him wish for things that couldn’t be.
     Annie Prudhomme was definitely something that wasn’t meant to be.  She’d proven that the day she drove out of town and left him the dust.
     “Wednesday dinners just got a little more interesting,” Hudson said.
     He punched his brother in the arm, but he felt it as well.  There was something about that woman that always made the world seem a little brighter when she'd been in the vicinity.  And he knew he couldn't be stupid again. Couldn't let himself get involved with a woman who clearly wasn't long for Montana.
     The front door opened, bringing a burst of cold air and the jingling of the sleigh bell wreath on the door.  They all smiled and waved as Paige Joffe walked in with her two little ones, six-year-old Addison and five-year-old Lewis.  For a while the town matchmakers had tried pairing the two of them up but both Paige and Carson had resisted.  She was nice enough and pretty, but just not the woman for him.
     He didn't know her story except she'd come to Marietta from somewhere in  California and had the misfortune to move in during a bad snow storm last February.  But she seemed to be adjusting to it.  Addison was in the same class as Evan at school.
     “Evening Scotts,” she said with a friendly wave.  Her shoulder-length straight dark blonde hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.  She had a strong chin and dimples when she smiled, which she didn’t do that often.  He’d really only seen her smile when her kids made her laugh.
     “Ma'am.”
     “How's my new waitress treating you?” she asked.
     “She'll do,” Carson said, but he didn’t want to talk about Annie.  And it was obvious she didn’t want to talk to him either.  She’d pretty much avoided their table after she’d dropped off their food.          “Don't forget to come out to my place this weekend to pick out your tree.  The best ones are going fast.”
     “Can I come by Saturday morning, first thing?”
     “Yes, ma'am,” he said.  “We're going to have sleigh rides for the little ones too.”
     “I spoke to Nate.  He’s got his foreman’s sister staying with him for the holidays.  She’s trying to get a baking operation off the ground.  I hate to stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but I wondered if she might come out to the tree lot.  Maybe sell some gingerbread house kits?”
     Carson was all for helping out a neighbor and he knew Ty Murphy and respected him.  “Sure.  Give her my number and we’ll get it all set up.  I’ve asked Sage to send Rose Linn out to sell hot chocolate.”
     “You just didn’t want to have to drive to town to get some for yourself,” Hudson said.
     “You got me,” Carson said with a grin.
     Paige’s phone vibrated and she glanced at it before smiling at their table.  “Sounds delightful.”
     Paige waved goodbye and moved toward her office at the back of the diner.  The evening dinner crowd was thick but not too bad and a few times Carson glanced at Annie as she carried dishes to the tables.  When she caught him looking she stood straight and gave him a cheery smile.  But when she didn’t notice, he saw fatigue in her every move.  Whatever she’d come to Marietta for, she hadn’t planned on waiting tables.
     “Hard to believe Mama's little tree farm has grown so big,” Hudson said, pulling his attention from Annie.  “Remember when she used to make us water them?”
     “Yes.  She loved her trees,” Carson said.  Their mother had been Montana  born and bred but instead of ranching she'd always had her mind set on growing trees and preserving wildlife.  Their father had given her all of his support and turned fifty acres into a forest where she started her no-cut Christmas tree program in the nineteen-seventies and it was still thriving forty years later.  They had to move some of the trees by pallet truck and forklift now, but the families that owned them wouldn’t have it any other way.
     Carson did a traditional cut-tree service for the town as well and he was happy to be the caretaker of his mother's trees.
     After they ate their dinner and his brothers left, Carson sat there nursing his Sprite and pretending he was waiting until it was time to pick up Evan.  A smart man would be on his feet and down at Grey’s Saloon instead of sitting in a corner booth watching the one who got away.

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