Saturday, October 15, 2016

Saturday's Series Spotlight: Romanus by Mary Calmes


Romanus #1
Summary:
Stopping to offer help one sultry summer night, Mason James is unprepared for the change that this simple act of kindness will bring. After giving an old man a ride home, Mason discovers a new, magical, and even dangerous world he cannot hope to understand. But he also finds Luc Toussaint and is intoxicated at first sight... and even the secret Luc protects won't be enough to keep Mason away from the truth of his heritage and their love.

Chevalier #2 
Summary:
Fireman Mason James thought finding out he is a Romanus—a rare class of gargoyle—would be the surprise of a lifetime, but he’s proven wrong when he discovers he is the son of a comte and goji nobility. But his newly discovered family doesn’t think his gargoyle lover, Luc, is good enough for a goji of Mason’s stature—how could a warrior ever be? But despite the Moreaus’ uncertainty and elitism, they are Mason’s only chance to unravel the mystery behind his mother’s death, find a solution for the class divide that might separate him from Luc, and discover what it truly means to be a Romanus.

Romanus & Chevalier
Summary:
Books 1 & 2 in a complete paperback collection.
Romanus #1
This novella came to my notices during my research for last year's Random Paranormal Tales series but time got away from me and I never had a chance to read it.  Well, this year I made sure to rectify that and loved it!  This is my first gargoyle story and if others are written even half as good as Romanus, it won't be my last.  Mason and Luc's connection may be instantaneous but that doesn't mean it'll be easy going.  Awesome addition to my paranormal shelf.

Chevalier #2
When I saw that Chevalier came out earlier this year, I wanted to read these two stories almost immediately but then I said, "No, I'll make myself wait till October" now whether that was necessary or not is pretty unlikely.  This amazing duology by Mary Calmes(who by the way is one of my favorite authors) will be a great read anytime but, yes, waiting till October may have heightened the scene a bit as it seemed to workout that I read them after dark but I would have loved them just as much in broad daylight spring, summer, or winter.  In Chevalier, we learn a little more of Mason's past and family and if you ask me he's better off without them but if you want to know if Mason and Luc come to the same conclusion you'll have to read for yourself.

RATING: 


Romanus
Of all the things I thought I would see on my drive home from the fire station, a naked old man stumbling down the middle of the road was the absolute last. Normally my response would have been immediate: I would have been out of my truck and over to him without even turning off my ancient Dodge Ram pickup. But I was tired—I had just come off double shifts—and so was not thinking as clearly as usual. I veered slowly around him, and he was framed in my rearview mirror before I realized what I was doing.

I slammed on the brakes, jolting awake, having been half-asleep behind the wheel. What the hell was I doing? I couldn’t drive around a staggering grandfather and leave him all alone on the two-lane road. Firemen didn’t do that. We helped people, even ran into burning buildings to get them out. We didn’t leave people behind.

It was so late, or early depending on how you looked at it, but either way the old man should have been home in bed. Putting on the hazard lights, I grabbed one of the two thick wool blankets I kept stashed behind my seat for not-quite-this-sort of occasion and got out of my truck. Firemen carried all sorts of emergency items in their vehicles just to be on the safe side, and I was no exception. As I jogged back toward the old man, I grew more and more worried the closer I got. He looked really confused.

“Sir!”

He was looking around like he was trying to get his bearings, and when my voice reached him, he turned fast and snarled at me, eyes wide, hands curled into claws, baring his teeth. It was strange, and I took a step back but raised my hands to try and soothe him. When he lunged forward, I took several more steps back as he growled, swiping toward my face, trying to reach me.

“Please, sir,” I said, lowering my voice, making it soothing. “Let me help you. I wanna help you.”

His eyes were huge, the pupils completely dilated, and he was panting with his mouth open. He looked feverish and he was trembling, even though in the warm, sticky summer air, he should not have been cold.

I held up the blanket. “Sir, please, lemme help you… I really wanna help you.”

He closed his eyes tight for a moment, and when he opened them, I was struck by the milky blue eyes studying my face. I smiled at him with my brown ones, hoping that they conveyed the warmth everyone always said they did. After several long moments, he bowed his head as though accepting his fate. It was almost as if he thought I was going to hurt him instead of help him.

Slowly, gently, I put the blanket around his shoulders, stepped closer, and wrapped it around him so he was draped underneath it, covered up. I smiled wide and noticed his answering shiver. I gently rubbed his upper arms and stared into his face.

He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

“How ’bout some water?” I suggested, leaning close to him, easing my arm around his back, prodding him forward, back toward my truck.

As we walked slowly together back the way I had come, he withdrew his left arm from the blanket and curled it around my shoulders. Only then did I notice that he was bigger than me, taller, and when he leaned a little more heavily, I struggled for a moment before I found my stride again. I was used to carrying people, so I just had to find my balance.

After I got him tucked in on his side of the truck and ran around the front to the driver’s side, I explained that I was going to take him to the hospital.

He shook his head no.

“Sir,” I began, pulling a bottle of water from the small cooler I kept beside the blankets stashed behind the seat of my truck. “You need to be seen by a doctor to make sure––”

“No.” He shook his head. “Home.” He pointed down the road.

But I didn’t think he was in any shape to be making decisions. He looked so out of it. I made my voice soft, soothing, coaxing. “I think you––”

“No,” he cut me off the second time, again gesturing ahead of us at the pavement.

I pointed down the road and only then realized that I was nowhere near where I was supposed to be. I must have taken a wrong turn.

“Shit,” I groaned. I had to be on the other side of the mountain. Not that Wyndam, Kentucky was a big place. I just had to double back and go down the road, and I would be close to Winchester, which was just half an hour or so out of Lexington, but still… it was late, I was exhausted, and now I was playing taxi for a clearly impaired old man. It was possible that he had dementia or Alzheimer’s and had no idea where in the world home was.

“Home.” He pointed again down the dark two-lane road.

“Okay,” I sighed heavily as I put the Ram into drive.

After awhile, the old man starting speaking softly in French, which I recognized from high school but couldn’t remember enough of to answer him back. The words I did get were “friend” and “good.” When he reached out to pat my thigh, I smiled over at him.

“Fear?”

I glanced back at him before turning again to the road. I didn’t want to hit any furry creatures skittering across the pavement. “Pardon me?”

“You… fear me?”

“Uh no,” I said, grinning, “not so much.”

He banged the dashboard hard with his fist, and when I looked back at him, his pupils were dilated again, and he was growling.

“Calm down,” I soothed him, reaching out to pat his shoulder, wanting him relaxed, not flinging himself at me while I was driving. I did not need to end up in a ditch because I swerved off the side of the road. “Please, sir.”

After a moment, his shoulders slumped, and he closed his eyes.

“That’s it, just breathe,” I coaxed, rubbing circles on his shoulder.

When he opened his eyes, they were pale and milky once more.

“There you are.” I smiled, and he nodded slowly, reaching out for my hand.

Old people, dogs, kids, they all loved me. It would have been nice if hot men did, too, but you couldn’t have everything.

“Romanus,” he said softly.

“Is that your name?”

He shook his head, put a hand over his heart. “Fabron Chaloner.”

“I’m Mason James.” I smiled wider. “Mace, okay?”

He nodded, squeezed my hand. “Romanus.”

I must have reminded him of someone else, but that was okay. “How far down this road, Monsieur Chaloner?” I asked, my eyes on the road.

When he didn’t answer, I turned back to look at him.

“Fabron.”

“Sorry, Fabron,” I repeated his name.

He pointed at a turn in the road, and I saw what looked like runes carved into a sign before I took the left down a dirt road. It snaked deep through a heavily wooded area, the brush so deep that it scraped along the sides and roof of the truck. After a second I realized how stupid I was being and slowed down to a crawl. I was afraid that if someone was coming down the same road to the street while I was coming up that I would be in a head-on collision. Putting the truck’s high-beams on, I stopped every few minutes just to listen. When there was nothing but the buzz of insects, I went forward again. After what seemed like forever, I came to a clearing, and the first thing I saw under the moonlight was a huge bonfire. There were several cars parked in front of the huge Tidewater-style home, the kind with the porch that basically wrapped around the house both on the first and second floors. Seeing all the people milling about, it looked as though Fabron had wandered off from some kind of gathering.

Parking, I darted around to the passenger side of my truck and started to help him out. I immediately noticed that he was snarling again, his eyes jet black from the pupils being huge and his teeth were bared.

“Should I growl back?” I chuckled as I reached in to help him out.

He didn’t calm, but neither did he lunge at me as he’d done before. Instead he continued to softly snarl, almost like purring, as I moved his legs, easing him to a standing position before leaning him against the truck. As soon as I slammed the door behind me to guide the old man to the house, I noticed that we had drawn a few spectators.

“Hi,” I greeted the gathered crowd. “Can someone tell me if this gentleman belongs here?”

No one said a word; everyone was just staring at me with wide eyes. What the hell?

Chevalier #2
Chapter One
IT WAS a cold and surprisingly wet instead of snowy January night that left the asphalt covered by a slick sheen of ice. It made keeping the wide ass of the tiller truck where it belonged near impossible at high speed. We were lucky to get to the scene in one piece.

Even though we weren’t battling a fire, the captain still required us to suit up. He didn’t want us to get cut up by branches, so it was pants and jackets, helmets, and even face guards. It made sense with what we were doing. What didn’t make sense was us being there to begin with.

I think the people who reported the whereabouts of the body called us instead of the cops because between the two, police or fire, we had the ladder to get up to the body. It was the whole kitten stuck in a tree thing. Firemen got pets down from trees, so a corpse qualified as well. All I knew was it was a gory mess I could have gone my whole life without seeing.

By all accounts, the man had been hang gliding when his equipment failed and he crashed. All of his limbs were broken and twisted at some grotesque angle, impaled by the branches, which in a fall from considerable height had become wooden harpoons into soft flesh. It wasn’t the gore but the sight of the poor bastard’s neck twisted around 180 degrees that made me grateful I’d skipped dinner.

“Jesus, Ty, be careful,” I growled at the guy to the left of me on the platform when he bumped me again, the second time even harder than the first. If I hadn’t kept my balance, he would have knocked me right off the hydraulic lift hovering more than seventy-five feet off the ground. Goddamn rookie. Urgency I respected, but not eager-beaver showboating—especially for a corpse that was just a retrieval job.

“Fuck you, Mace,” he snarled at me. “I’m being just as care—”

“The fuck you are!” I barked. The point was moot as I watched the rookie sail out of the basket into space only seconds later, after leaning out too far.

Of my two choices to grab—the hotshot rookie or the corpse—it was an easy decision. Firemen saved lives, even annoying ones. Tamping down my anger, I lunged for Tyler Cantrell, managing to catch his hand before he plummeted to a waiting death some three stories down.

Time slowed. I heard the cracking of the branches and watched as the blood-soaked body sank through the canopy and out of my view. I yelled for everyone to take cover instead of crying out in pain as I felt my left shoulder wrench violently from its socket when I flipped out of the bucket. My flailing right hand somehow managed to find a hold, saving us both from the concrete below.

I heard yells from underneath us as the platform shuddered and slowly begin to lower.

“Fuck me,” Tyler cried out, trying to reach for the bottom of the basket, but dangling too far beneath it to get a grip on anything but my wrist and arm. “Don’t let go, Mace!”

Like I would let him go. The guy was a fucking idiot for not watching what he was doing in the first place, but good or bad, the job made us brothers. I closed my eyes, ignoring the stretch on my tendons that threatened to give way because of Tyler’s 175 pounds, and concentrated on keeping my grip. There was still enough equipment below that if the fall didn’t cripple us, the gear on the ground damn well would.

What felt like hours blessedly wasn’t longer than a few agonizing minutes that caused me to break out in a sweat. The second I felt hands on my legs, I let go of the thin metal rail I’d been holding on to.

It was a fast tumble down as I was lowered roughly to the ground.

“Goddamnit!” Captain Ryers yelled, and when I opened my eyes, he was standing over me. “What the fuck were you thinking?”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but my friend Frank Miller put a hand up to stop me.

“What the fuck did you learn in training? Anything?” Ryers snarled with sufficient rancor to pucker many an asshole.

His tirade was not directed at me, but instead at Tyler, who was panting for breath beside me.

“Aww shit,” Frank groaned as he helped peel me out of my jacket. “Brother, your shoulder is fucked up. I’ll bet you money you dislocated it.”

“That’s a sucker bet,” I said, smiling through gritted teeth.



AN HOUR later at University Medical Center, the ER doctor confirmed Frank’s diagnosis. It was, in fact, a separated shoulder, and it would be at least two weeks before I could even think about carrying equipment, pulling people from burning buildings, or lifting a fifty-pound hose.

“You know, of course, that Ryers is gonna transfer that fuckin’ probie back to fuckin’ Louisville, right? He’s a goddamn menace.”

It was hard to argue. Ty was young, younger than the rest of us, and basically a cocky asshole. I made it no secret that I didn’t like him, but I didn’t want to see him forced out, either. “I should talk to Ryers.”

“Talk to Ryers about what?” The man himself asked as he stormed into the ER cubicle. “The job’s dangerous enough without some rookie running over experienced line men to be first up the ladder.”

When people met Kevin Ryers, they had the distinct impression that he was big. He seemed tall, he seemed loud, and he sort of filled the space around him. In actuality he was shorter than my own six-one frame, and rounder, but whenever any of us, any of his crew, described him, we always started with “He’s really big.”

“Sir, I—”

“That cocky fuck nearly killed one of my best guys,” Ryers snarled at me, tipping his head at Frank. “As it is, his stupidity dislocated your shoulder and made a big mess a fuckin’ catastrophe. With the cold, it took ESU an hour to scrape our vic off the damn sidewalk. No, he’s out. And you, kid, you need to get your ass home and heal up.”

I just stared at him.

“What?” he growled, hazel eyes darkening to olive green as he looked at me.

“I tried to stop—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, James, give it a rest,” he said, patting my good shoulder. “I saw the whole thing. Goddamn probie leaned way out and lost his balance, pushed the body out of the tree, and almost flipped you right over. If you hadn’t grabbed hold of the rail of the platform, then you’d’ve both taken a concrete dive. I can’t believe you kept your grip with that big dumbass hanging off ya.”

On the surface, it was impossible. But I had more than just human blood running through my veins.

It was a discovery that had made everything in my life more believable.

It was only a year ago that my simple stop to offer a seemingly impaired old man a ride home spun my life into something totally bizarre. The elderly man was Fabron Chaloner; he turned out to be a gargoyle and, lo and behold, told me I was one too. Not that I had horns growing out of my head or bat wings or claws, but what I did have was the ability to move between two worlds: human and goji, or gargoyle.

I was unique among my newfound kind. I was a Romanus, and my job, as far as I knew, was to be the bridge between humans and the chasse, or tribe, of gargoyles I had discovered. I had already introduced my best friend, Finn, to the gargoyles and that had gone exceedingly well. I wasn’t counting Finn as a huge success or anything, though; he was just too weird to let anything throw him for a loop. The fact that he and the Rouen, the leader of the chasse, Raoul Orane, got along so well had not missed my radar.

What I had also not missed was that, to many members of the tribe, I was a disappointment. They were expecting me to do something, be something, but no one could say exactly what that something was supposed to be. A Romanus had a specific purpose within the chasse, but as far as I could tell, even Raoul was fuzzy on the details. It was the blind leading the blind. I was new to even being a gargoyle, and it was similar for Raoul, who’d only just settled into his new position as Rouen. He’d been researching the Romanus and making inquiries here in the US and abroad, but so far, nothing had produced a hit.

It was fine with me. Fighting fires took up most of my available time. I worked double and sometimes triple shifts at the firehouse as needed, so I really had no time to commit to finding out what kind of gargoyle I was supposed to be. There was no instruction manual. Of course, that didn’t stop the tribe from expecting me to do something, and every time any of them saw me… it was like being a headlining magician in Vegas where every person encountered on the street wanted to see a trick. The disappointment when I just smiled and waved was palpable. No one besides Luc understood that it wasn’t some failing on my part.

Luc Toussaint.

Just thinking about him caused an ache in the pit of my stomach. Work had taken him out of town, doing consultation on other construction sites for his boss, and I missed him like crazy. Luc was a leon—lion—a soldier of the chasse. He was a big, strong, beautiful man who liked me just as much as I liked him. Despite the fact that my world and most everything in it was upside-down, I had never been happier in my personal life. Luc just got me. We fit. He read me like no one ever had, and I had the same instinct with him. Just thinking about him washed calm through my entire being.

“James!”

My head snapped up, and I was suddenly back from thinking about my lover to the here and now where I was looking at my captain’s face. He was scowling. “Sorry, what’d ya say?”

“I said,” he barked, “that your ass better be back at work as soon as possible. I don’t have time for this shit.”

I agreed quickly, and Ryers, for once, seemed appeased.

Author Bio:
Mary Calmes lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two children and loves all the seasons except summer. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, with a bachelor's degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will so not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and falling into the work. She can even tell you what her characters smell like. She loves buying books and going to conventions to meet her fans.


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Romanus #1
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Chevalier #2
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Romanus & Chevalier Paperback
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Once Upon a Midnight Box Set

Title: Once Upon a Midnight
Authors: Dakota Cassidy, Stephanie Rowe, Renee George
Melanie James, Claudy Conn, Toni Aleo, Kelly Cozzone
Tracey Jane Jackson, A.D. Justice, Julia Mills, Gena D. Lutz
Diane Rinella, Aubree Lane, A.K. Michaels, PM Briede, Jami Brumfield
Amanda Washington, Wynter Daniels, Nicole Garcia, Michele E. Gwynn 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: October 11, 2016

**All Proceeds Benefit the Epilepsy Foundation**


**Currently 99cents**
Summary:
Just in time for Halloween 

20 New York Times, USA Today & Amazon Bestsellers deliver one sizzling anthology to meet all your romantic heat requirements. Jam-packed with alpha males, paranormal hotties, vampires, werewolves, shifters, Greek Gods & More. This limited edition set is sure to be THE box set of the year, so don't miss out!

Stories Included:
Fangs Of Anarchy: Forbidden Alpha by Dakota Cassidy
Worlds and forbidden love collide when vampire biker Irish McConnell and werewolf librarian, Claire Montgomery hunt for a killer.

Dark Wolf Rising (Heart of the Shifter) by Stephanie Rowe
Shifter Cash Burns vanished from her life ten years ago, but when an assassin closes in on Brynn McKenzie, Cash is her only chance to stay alive.

A Shade of Midnight (Midnight Shifters Book 4) by Renee George
With the lives of her two loves on the line, will Mina be forced out of the light of her new life and back into the shade of her past?

Fur Ever Yours by Melanie James
The Fates etched Rafe & Mina's destiny in stone long ago. Now, one twisted wolf seeks to destroy them both. Will he succeed or will Mina and Rafe's bond be strong enough to survive?

Lady X by Claudy Conn
Lady X has to escape her Dark Warlock father. To do so, she travels into the past and slams into a hunky wizard with an agenda.

Broken Pieces by Toni Aleo
From the moment Oceanus von Stein, second-in-command to the Patchwork family, caught sight of Taegan Conner, daughter of the leader of the Wolves, he knew he would never love another. Only now, she has been promised in marriage to another, an arrangement to strengthen her family's alliances--and she gets no say in the matter. Can they find a way to be together, or will they both always be two Broken Pieces?

Fated by Fire by Kelly Cozzone
Gareth Cadell fights to save the survival of his red dragon clan. He -didn't expect to find his soul mate in the process. Can he end up saving them both?

Bound by Secrets by Tracey Jane Jackson
Brodie has waited centuries for his mate and Payton is more than he could have ever expected, particularly when she challenges him at every turn.

The Grudge by AD Justice
Two brothers. Best friends. Immortals. One woman - the subject of their mutual obsession. Immortals can hold a grudge for a very long time.

The Fate of Her Dragon  by Julia Mills
Sleepless nights, a man haunting her every thought, his voice calling, begging, needing...her...
Not even the Universe has the answers and time is running out... 
The Fate of her dragon may be the death of them all!

Created Darkly, a Kris Chase novel by Gena D Lutz
Necromancer Kris Chase's purpose is simple. Blindly raise the dead for the primary elite, selfnecro-governed group, the Center. The problem is, she couldn't care less about what the Center expects from her. Instead, she is more content with snuffing out the life-force from every vile creature she can get her hands on; the same monsters her brethren indiscriminately create... for the right price.

Moonlight Serenade by Diane Rinella
Instead of leading Dale to the woman of his dreams, a psychic guides him to a lucky charm--Glenn Miller's guitar pick. Does the key to Dale's happiness lie with the famous bandleader or the deceased rocker of the same name? Maybe the ghost in the grey fedora knows ...

Catamount Ridge  by Aubree Lane
Exactly what’s happening up on Catamount Ridge was a mystery, but with the mountain lions acting so strange, it fell Jessie and Derek to track down the elusive beasts. The cats odd behavior was troublesome, but Jessie has a bigger problem on her hands. For in the light of day, Derek seems far more dangerous than any normal mountain lion.

The Black Rose Chronicles, Deceit and Lies by AK Michaels
The Black Rose is a highly trained assassin. Her newest assignment is the mysterious, enigmatic and deadly Vampire, Cassius Allarde and she has to decide if he warrants her execution. Will she survive her meeting with the mighty Vampire?

The Fate of Demons by PM Briede
Her entire reality is threatened when Octavia Howard is forced to work with the one creature she fights to protect her home from, demons.

Bear-i-licious Cowboy by Jami Brumfield
Ashlee has given up on love, despite her best friend's insistence that she get back into the game. When she is forced to attend a dating mixer she discovers a world that was hidden from her, a dangerous world full of supernatural creatures she never imagined were real. Tucker is an alpha bear more concerned with protecting his pack than finding a mate, but his goddess has other plans and forces him to choose a woman to call his own.

Lucky Blow by Amanda Washington
When an enslaved demigod earns her freedom, but loses the one thing that matters more, she'll have to join forces with an old flame and steal from a cast of powerful gods to get it back.

Spirited Seduction by Wynter Daniels
Ryan's murdered sister's ghost appears to him to warn him that her friend Emily will be next. Emily shunned her psychic abilities after she became the target of a killer while working with the police years ago, but she can't ignore her friend's dire message from beyond the grave. Despite their differences, passion sizzles between the couple until sinister, unseen forces threaten to tear them apart forever. *previously published

Reckless Descent by Nicole Garcia
Will one fallen angel's drastic mistake result in spending the rest of his eternal life in damnation, or will he be set free from the shackles of Hell and finally experience the love he has always been waiting for?

Darkest Communion by Michele E Gwynn
Torn from his beloved by jealousy, and cursed to walk the night alone for eight-hundred lonely years, a dark and twisted love triangle comes full circle in Bucharest, Romania for a vampire, a gypsy, and the woman they both desire.

**All Proceeds Benefit the Epilepsy Foundation**


Author Bios:
Dakota Cassidy 
Dakota Cassidy is a national bestselling author with over thirty books. She writes laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, grab-some-ice erotic romance, hot and sexy alpha males, paranormal shifters, contemporary kick-ass women, and more. 

Invited by Bravo TV, Dakota was the Bravoholic for a week, wherein she snarked the hell out of all the Bravo shows. She received a starred review from Publisher Weekly for Talk Dirty to Me, won an RT Reviewers Choice Award for Kiss and Hell, along with many review site recommended reads and reviewer top pick awards. 

Dakota lives in the gorgeous state of Oregon with her real life hero and her dogs, and she loves hearing from readers!

Stephanie Rowe
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Stephanie Rowe is the author of more than 40 novels, including her popular Order of the Blade and NightHunter paranormal romance series, and her sizzling new Wyoming Rebels cowboy series about nine rugged brothers. Stephanie is a four-time nominee of the RITA® Award, the highest award in romance fiction. She has won many awards for her novels, including the prestigious Golden Heart® Award. She has received coveted starred reviews from Booklist, and Publishers Weekly has called her work "[a] genre-twister that will make readers...rabid for more."

In additional to her paranormal romances, Stephanie also writes a thrilling romantic suspense series set in Alaska. Publisher's Weekly praised the series debut, ICE, as a "thrilling entry into romantic suspense," and Fresh Fiction called ICE an "edgy, sexy and gripping thriller." Equally as intense and sexy are Stephanie's contemporary romance novels.

A life-long reader, Stephanie began crafting stories at age ten, but didn't realize it was her dream until she was an adult. Once the light dawned, she immediately left behind "work" as the world defines it and went to "work" as she defines it, which means getting up every morning with a smile in her heart so she can spend the day doing that which makes her spirit sing.

Stephanie believes in learning to listen to your heart in order to figure out what your dreams are, and then opening yourself to the inspiration that will direct you there. She believes we all deserve the right to enjoy life, and for the ride to be as easy as we want it to be, and that we all should accept nothing less than making our dreams come true.

Stephanie lives in New England, and spends every day doing her best to fill it with people, observations and activities that uplift her soul, which include writing, hiking with her rescue dog, friends, and her amazing family.

Renee George 
Renee George is a USA Today Bestselling author of urban fantasy, paranormal romance, erotic romance, contemporary romance, and romantic comedies that highlight varying themes including traditional, ménage, gay and bisexual relationships. A published author since 2005, she has written and published over 30 books in the past decade. Accolades include: EcataRomance Award for Best Paranormal Erotic Romance and Best Gay Erotic Romance and a Literary Nymph Blush Award for Best Paranormal Romance.

Melanie James
New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author, Melanie James spent 14 years as an IT systems administrator before tiring of the hustle and bustle of the technology world. She's doing what she loves, by writing paranormal comedy, steamy paranormal, and contemporary romance books. Melanie has a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in Leadership and Development, with a minor in Women's Studies. She is working on her Master's Degree in Adult Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Melanie is married to a wonderful man who supports her dreams and goals. She has two children, three step-children, a beautiful daughter-in-law, and an adorable grand-baby. 

Claudy Conn
Some may know Claudy Conn as Claudette Williams/Melanie Davis, two names she used when publishing her regency and historical romances, with Random House, Zebra and Doubleday.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes historical and regency romances, has stepped into the world of paranormal romance as well, with her hits such as The Legend Series, Through Time Series and the Shadow Series.

We asked what does she do when she isn't writing and she tells us, she and her hot husband love hiking, swimming, traveling and playing with their variety of animals--wolf Cherokee and her now overgrown hybrid pup, Rocky the Man, included. Her favorite things she says are, chocolate, fries and pizza. 

Toni Aleo 
I am a wife, mother, and hopeless romantic.

I have been told I have anger issues, but I think it's cause of my intense love for hockey!

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena's glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn't pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son's hockey games, my daughters dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, and reading the latest romance novel.

I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, and did I mention I love hockey?

I am currently working on Empty Net, and I hope to have it out by November!

I hope to hear from you on here, my Facebook, or my twitter! Thank you so much!

Kelly Cozzone
Kelly Cozzone was born in New Martinsville, WV. After spending 15 years in Myrtle Beach, SC, she finally made it back to her adopted hometown, Austin, TX. 

When Kelly isn't writing the mystery stories she loves, she is following her beloved Texas Longhorns. An avid football fan, she spends her fall months rooting on her favorite teams.

In addition to being an author, Kelly writes for Examiner.com and shares her thoughts and stories that strike a chord in her on her blog. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Women.

Kelly has been happily married to her husband for 20 years and has three children who are her life. 

Tracey Jane Jackson 
New York Times Bestselling Author, Tracey Jane Jackson, was born and raised in New Zealand, and that's where her love of horses was formed. Her grandfather taught her to ride at four years old, and she couldn't get enough.

Her love and passion for Abraham Lincoln and the entire Civil War era might have come from her American father, however, he lays no claim to influencing her. Tracey's mother used to tell her she was simply born in the wrong place in the wrong time.

Tracey hasn't always wanted to write. It took her a long time to get started, but now she doesn't seem to be able to stop, the joy of escaping to the 1860s is too much fun.

She's been happily married and gooey in love with her husband for more than twenty years. They live in the Pacific Northwest with their two sons.

AD Justice 
A.D. Justice is the USA Today best selling author of the Steele Security Series (Wicked Games, Wicked Ties, Wicked Nights, Wicked Intentions), the Crazy Series (Crazy Maybe, Crazy Baby), the Dominic Powers series (Her Dom, Her Dom’s Lesson), and two stand-alone books, Just One Summer and Intent.

When she’s not writing, she’s spending time with her own alpha male character in their north Georgia mountain home. She is also an avid reader of romance novels, a master at procrastination, a chocolate sommelier, a twister of words, and speaks fluent sarcasm. An avid animal lover, A.D. Justice has three horses, two dogs, and one cat.

While the primary focus of her books have been romantic suspense, she has plans to expand into different sub-genres of romance. Stay tuned to read what she has in store for you!

Julia Mills 
Mom of two rockin' girls, Reader of everything, Author of The Dragon Guards series and many more surprises to come!

I am a sarcastic,sometimes foul-mouthed, not afraid to drink a beer, always southern woman with 2 of the most amazing teenage daughters, a menagerie of animals and a voracious appetite for reading who recently decided to write the storied running through her brain. I read my first book, Dr Suess' Cat in The Hat by myself at 4 and was hooked. 

I believe a good book along with shoes, makeup and purses will never let a girl down and that all heroes of all the books 

I have ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to my daddy! I am a sucker for a happy ending and love some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance.

I am still working on my story but believe it will contain all of the above with as much SPICE as I can work into it. CHEERS!

Gena D. Lutz 
Gena D. Lutz is the USA Today Best Selling author of Sonnet Vale, Paranormal Hunter, which was one of 13 contributions to Romancing the Paranormal: All New Tales. She writes in both the paranormal romance and urban fantasy genres and has five novels currently in publication.

Diane Rinella
Enjoying San Francisco as a backdrop, the ghosts in Diane Rinella's one hundred and fifty-year old Victorian home augment the chorus in her head. With insomnia as their catalyst, these voices have become multifarious characters that haunt her well into the sun's crowning hours, refusing to let go until they have manipulated her into succumbing to their whims. Her experiences as an actress, business owner, artisan cake designer, software project manager, Internet radio disc jockey, vintage rock 'n' roll journalist/fan girl, and lover of dark and quirky personalities influence her idiosyncratic writing.

Aubree Lane 
Aubree Lane lives in the beautiful foothills of Northern California with her husband, two wonderful sons, and a super special peek-a-poo, named Tanner. When not managing the pooper-scooper, Aubree enjoys warm sand, hot sun, and the cool waters of the Pacific.

Her motto: Write Until Your Butt Hurts, and Your Eyes Are Crossed.

AK Michaels
A K Michaels, Ava, is an award winning indie author of Paranormal Romance With A Bite and has several scorching series available.

PM Briede 
I have been a fan of realistic fantasy all my life. The idea of alternate explanations for the mundane, fascinates me. As a woman with deep southern roots, I am not one who is quick to dismiss the otherworldly. However, the idea that our world isn't as big and foreboding as it seems, also plays heavily into my writing.

I am the author of fan favorite cliffhanger series, The Charlotte Grace Series and The Empathy Delacroix Series. I have also written a novel, The Underground.

Jami Brumfield
Jami Brumfield has a passion for the paranormal, supernatural, and mythological worlds for most of her life. She believes there is a kernel of truth in every story and loves playing detective to discover what that hidden truth is. She has written most of her life. She started with poems and short stories, then graduated to journalism working for online websites. It was only a natural progression that her love of writing and her passion for the unknown would combine. Her books are a product of that union. She lives in Arizona with her amazing husband and two fur-babies, Maximus and Zeus. 

Amanda Washington 
Amanda Washington is a lover of animals, books, dark chocolate, and red wine. She's always up for a good adventure (real or fictional), and when she's not building imaginary worlds, she's dipping her toes into reality in southwest Washington with her husband and their boys. 

Wynter Daniels 
Wynter Daniels has penned more than two dozen books in various romance genres including paranormal, romantic suspense and contemporary for several publishers including Entangled Publishing and Carina Press. She lives in sunny Florida with her family and a spoiled cat.

Nicole Garcia
N.Y. Times Bestselling author Nicole Garcia has a degree in Nursing, but has been a stay at home mom for the past 9 years. Her passion is reading and decided to make a career out of sharing her love for books. Writing and promoting has become a full time job for her now. There are so many unknown authors out there that deserve to have their books read by many. So, after promoting for authors for two years, she decided to follow her dreams and start writing her own books. Nicole started writing poetry when she was just a little girl and had always loved the feeling it gave her. Currently she writes steamy Paranormal, Contemporary, and New Adult Romance, but plans to write other genres in the future. Hope you will join her in all the fun ahead. 

Michele E Gwynn
Michele E. Gwynn is a freelance journalist in San Antonio. She writes for newspapers, magazines, and online websites like Examiner.com (under the categories of Film, Animal Rights, and Sex and Relationships), Alwayz Therro Magazine, FashionErotica Digital, and more. She also edits websites and books.

Gwynn has published several books and has three series currently; the Kriminal Erotic Series (crime/detective for 18+); The Harvest Trilogy (Horror/Sci-Fi #UFO series inspired by a true event); and the Angelic Hosts Series (supernatural action/adventure, romance YA & NA). She also has a new Contemporary Romance Short Story - Waiting a Lifetime. Coming to Amazon soon (2015) are the third books in all three series, and her first darkly romantic paranormal vampire novel (title not yet released). The new year will see the publishing of the first full novel in her new series, The Ghosts of Cardiff, Murder in the Vale: The Mystery at Llandaff Cathedral, and the long-anticipated second children's book, The Cat Who Cooked Spaghetti.


Dakota Cassidy
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Toni Aleo
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Kelly Cozzone
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Tracey Jane Jackson
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A.D. Justice
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Julia Mills
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Gena D. Lutz
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Aubree Lane
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AK Michaels
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PM Briede
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Jami Brumfield
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Amanda Washington
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Wynter Daniels
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Nicole Garcia
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