Reader's Edyn

Monday, June 1, 2020

Blitz: One Hot Texas Summer (Prentice Brothers of Sweet Ridge #1) by Nicole Flockton + GIVEAWAY

**One Hot Texas Summer by Nicole Flockton**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! I have yet another new to me author and book to tell you about today! Yay! Please allow me to introduce to the blog, Nicole Flockton and her release ONE HOT TEXAS SUMMER … Plus a GIVEAWAY!

**NICOLE FLOCKTON**

**BIO**

USA Today Bestselling author Nicole Flockton writes sexy contemporary romances, seducing you one kiss at a time as you turn the pages. Nicole likes nothing better than taking characters and creating unique situations where they fight to find their true love.

On her first school report her teacher noted "Nicole likes to tell her own stories". It wasn’t until after the birth of her first child and after having fun on a romance community forum that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.

Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and two fabulous kids. She also enjoys watching sports and, of course, reading.

To find out more about Ms. Flockton, please visit:

**ONE HOT TEXAS SUMMER**

Publication date: May 26^th, 2020

Series: Prentice Brothers of Sweet Ridge #1

Publisher: Tule Publishing
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

**BLURB**

She’s been fooled before by sweet words and hot kisses

Kelly Turner loves being a florist, and being asked to take the lead on the new site for the town’s festival is an honor. If only she didn’t have to work closely with the town player, Tate Prentice. After being burned once by a serial cheater, her inconvenient attraction toward Tate needs to be nipped in the bud.

Tate Prentice’s focus is on ensuring his father recovers fully from his stroke and making sure the family’s peach farm continues to thrive. When his brother nominates the farm to be the satellite site for the festival, he’s less than impressed. The only good thing is he’ll be working with Kelly – even though he knows she’ll never give him a second glance, not with his reputation.

The more time Kelly spends with Tate, the more she sees the man behind the reputation. Can she trust her instincts, or will her heart be broken once again?

**EXCERPT 1**

“There was another reason I wanted to meet with you today, Kelly.” The teasing tone had exited Macy’s voice and Kelly gripped her glass a little tighter. Everything in her was screaming for her to run away.
“Okay. This sounds serious.”
“Not really.
What I’m about to ask is going to be a big task. And I know it’s short notice, but if anyone can pull it together you can.”
The more Macy talked, the more apprehensive Kelly became. What did her friend want of her? “Okay, I’ll listen, but I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to do what you want me to do.”
A chair scraped over the floor and Kelly looked to her right. She should have controlled the urge. Tate Prentice had walked in and was sitting down at the table with his brother. He took off his cowboy hat and ran his fingers through his brown hair, giving it the just-out-of-bed look instead of the flatness from wearing his hat. Tate chose that moment to look over at her, and his eyes widened with shock at seeing her. He nodded and just the corners of his mouth quirked up and dammit, her heart gave a little flutter at the gesture.
Hell, she needed to get control of herself. This was beyond ridiculous.
With a concentrated effort she returned his smile and then turned back to look at her friends. Both had sly little grins on their faces.
Now would be the perfect time for a sinkhole to open up beneath her chair and suck her down. No way was she going to be able to get away by answering her friends with a vague response.
“What?” she asked, trying to feign innocence.
“That was an interesting exchange between you and Tate Prentice. Anything you want to tell us?” Charlotte asked before clamping her straw in her mouth and taking a long sip. If it was an attempt to hide her smile, it failed miserably.
“Nope. He’s just been coming into my store a lot recently to buy flowers. Wants a different arrangement each week.”
“Hmm, I hadn’t heard he got himself a girlfriend,” Macy mused, looking over at the table where the Prentice brothers sat. Kelly resisted the urge to glance over to see if they were looking at them.
“You think he has one girlfriend? Just look at him and you have heard about his reputation, right? I’m sure he’s got many girlfriends.” Damn, she hadn’t been able to keep the snark out of her voice. Not to mention how telling it was to comment about his looks.
“You sound a bit put out by that thought. Care to tell us why?” Macy asked.
No way was she answering that. And Macy still hadn’t told her why she wanted to meet with her. Yes, she could turn the conversation back in that direction.
“What I’d really like to know is why you asked me here.”
Macy wagged her finger. “Uh-uh, I know what you’re doing here, and it’s not going to work.”
Kelly rolled her eyes. “Fine. You want to know why I have a problem with him? It’s because I don’t want to think of my flowers as being a kiss-off gift to Tate Prentice’s latest bed partner.”
Of course, the song would finish while she was speaking. Her words echoed around the bar and everyone looked her way, including Tate and his brother.
Seriously, where was that damn sinkhole when she needed it?

**EXCERPT 2**

Outside, the sounds of summer surrounded them. Crick- ets trilled, calling for company. A light veil of humidity hung in the air, not quite stifling yet. Come July and August, humidity would be heavy and unpleasant. Hopefully, Mother Nature would play nice for Founders’ Day and make the days and evenings pleasant.
“Where did you park your car?” he asked.
“Behind the shop.”
“Okay.” Tate headed in that direction, aware that he still had his arm around Kelly’s shoulders. Interesting. Why hadn’t she shaken him off? Not that he was complaining. She fit snugly, and he could get used to it.
A second later, she took a step to the right and his arm slipped to his side. The universe liked to give and then take away from him pretty quickly.
“You don’t have to walk me to my car, Tate. I’m a big girl and can get there by myself. The town is safe.”
He shoved his hands in his pocket to stop from reaching for her again. “I’m aware of that, but Dad would box my ears if he knew I’d let you walk alone after spending the evening with you.”
“Ahh, the gentlemanly gestures. It’s kind of sad they’re dying out.”
“You sound like you don’t want that to happen. You do know you just told me I didn’t have to do one of those gentlemanly gestures with dinner.”
She shrugged. “I have mixed feelings. I’ve been on my own for a long time. I’m an independent business owner. I’m in charge of my own life. And I love that, but when I listen to Mom talk about the early days of her and Dad’s courtship, it kind of makes me sad that some of those traditions are being lost. Some days, I’d like to experience it, and other days I don’t.”
Tate itched to rest his arm on her lower back as they walked down the darkened alley by her shop. Would this be one of those gestures she wanted? He compromised and raised his hand to her lower back, not touching but close enough that he could if she needed it. “I’m sure in time a balance will be struck that will please everyone.”
“I hope so,” she murmured as they stopped by her car, unlocking it. The flashing lights brightened the night for a heartbeat.
Deciding to risk it, he leaned around her and opened the door for her. “I had a really nice evening tonight, Kel. Thanks for asking me to join you.”
She looked up at him, the action bringing her face closer to his. In the muted glow from the only light in the parking lot, he caught the way her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Tate bit back a groan. Memories from earlier in the day when he’d been tempted to kiss her in his kitchen slammed into him. His blood heated and his lower body tightened in his jeans.
He didn’t miss the increase in her breathing. “Kel?” he asked, sure of what he wanted but not wanting to assume she wanted the same thing.
“Tate,” she whispered and swayed a fraction toward him.
He rested his hand on her hip and lowered his head, keeping his eyes open. If she pulled back, he would give her space. Only she raised her face and their lips met.

Buy Links

**GIVEAWAY**

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$20 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for joining us today!

HAPPY READING!!!

Blitz: The Right to Remain Silent (Crescent City Kings #3) by Anya Summers + GIVEAWAY

**The Right to Remain Silent by Anya Summers**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! I have yet another new to me author and book to tell you about today! Yay! Please allow me to introduce to the blog, Anya Summers and her release THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT …

**ANYA SUMMERS**

**BIO**

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Anya grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Anya never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Anya is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance under the name Maggie Mae Gallagher. A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the Midwest with her two furry felines.

To find out more about Ms. Summers, please visit:

**THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT**

Publication date: April 23, 2020

Series: Crescent City Kings #3
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romamce

**BLURB**

He never expects to find her there…

Officer Quinten Blackthorne is working undercover to bring the Rudnikov Mob Empire to its knees. He never expects to find his best friend’s baby sister, Becca, in the center of a powder keg situation at the infamous mobster’s home. With her life on the line, he does the only thing he can think of to save her – he pretends that she’s his fiancée, who knows nothing of his clandestine activities with the criminal enterprise, and stands as her stalwart protector.

Forced into marriage…

But Quinten never expects the mob boss to force them into marriage at gunpoint as a test of loyalty. Not to mention, the idea of her belonging to him isn’t unappealing, nor is he as averse to the prospect as he lets on. Becca, with her sweet curves and take no prisoners attitude, fascinates him, stirs him, and leaves him craving her submission. Yet his past is fraught with broken dreams and death, so he uses his friendship with her brother as a shield against his yearning to claim her as his own.

Resistance is futile…

However, circumstances soon compel Becca and Quinten to become the most unlikely allies in a deadly game of deception. Now they must depend on one another for survival. As they race to unlock the keys to breaking the case, will Quinten be able to maintain his hands-off policy with Becca? Or will he surrender to the earth-shattering passion and turn their marriage of convenience into the real deal?

Publisher’s Note: This steamy friends to lovers romance contains elements of power exchange. While it’s the third in the Crescent City Kings series, it can be enjoyed independently.

**EXCERPT**

Becca searched for a potential exit. Guards were stationed in groups of two at doorways and stairwells, each guy more terrifying than the next, with hard faces that probably wouldn’t blink if she was shot dead where she stood. The further into the mansion she trod, the more Becca felt like she was heading to her own funeral. Bile threatened in the back of her throat. She hated that a part of her was impressed by the interior of the home because of the artwork on display. The paintings and sculptures were museum quality. If she wasn’t mistaken, they passed an original Renoir.

The heels of Becca’s black leather boots clicked against the hardwood flooring. Her heart thumped in time with those clicks, like a ticking clock winding down to zero. Konrad and company ushered her up a grand staircase that made the one in Gone with the Wind look cheap and insignificant. At the top, they steered her to the right, down a wide hall with glossy hardwood floors and high ceilings.

When they reached the end of the hall, the two henchmen who had joined them opened a pair of double doors that must have belonged to a Buddhist temple at one time. Becca’s clasped hands shook as she entered what amounted to a sitting room parlor with an enormous ivory marble hearth. The fire inside intended to ward off the chilly night couldn’t make the cold terror in her bones dissipate. Every piece of furniture and décor in the parlor spoke of wealth. There was a Louis XIV desk in one corner. But the room held all the warmth of a mausoleum.

“Have a seat. The boss will be with you shortly,” Konrad indicated in a bullish tone and pointed toward the chocolate Chesterfield sofas while his buddies shut the doors with a resounding thud and sealed them all inside. Sealed Becca inside. She assessed the room. Floor-to-ceiling inlaid shelves held first editions behind panes of glass. There was a vase on a pedestal that looked to be from the Ming Dynasty, or was at least an excellent reproduction. She studied her surroundings for a potential avenue of escape. The only way out would be to jump from the large crenelated windows. Two stories up, she could break something—like her neck. Only three guards were present in the room, odds that weren’t great, but left her a fighting chance.

Konrad shifted his hand to the butt of his gun until she finally complied with his order. Even if she escaped past Konrad and his two buddies, jumped out the window and didn’t break anything when she landed, the boatload of guards stationed over the grounds were far too numerous to outrun. The odds were not in her favor in making it to the gate and beyond for help.

Becca said a silent prayer at the echoing clomp of multiple footsteps approaching. Her anxiety ratcheted up to cataclysmic levels.

The double doors swung inward. Becca wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting, but it wasn’t a relatively trim man with salt and pepper hair, dressed in gray tweed slacks and a button up navy cardigan sweater over his ivory dress shirt. He looked much more like a history professor than a criminal mastermind—at least, until you looked into his eyes. They were cold, devoid of any humanity or warmth, and calculating. Rudnikov assessed her from head to toe as she rose. That stare made her feel underdressed in her jeans and Kelly-green chenille sweater. A sense of helplessness invaded her soul. The uncertainty infused by doubt that she would live through the next hour.

Rudnikov didn’t travel alone. He had four of his paid thugs guarding him. Becca skimmed her gaze over them. They were all similar in manner and form to Konrad, as if they had come off an assembly line. But it was the last man her gaze landed on who brought her up short. She kept her jaw from dropping to the floor, but just barely.

Quinten Blackthorne was a member of Anton Rudnikov’s mob team? What the hell?

Not six weeks ago, she’d danced with the man at her brother’s wedding. Quinten was an officer with the New Orleans Police Department and one of her brother’s best friends. He’d been a groomsman in the wedding party, and had looked downright sinful in his tux, like a dark prince of the underworld.

Why was he here? What was he doing with Rudnikov?

Tonight, Quinten wore a charcoal gray suit, almost identical to the rest of the crime lord’s hired goons. Shock flitted through his warm cognac eyes the moment his gazed landed on her. The man was mister badass personified. The utter confidence Quinten exuded in his pinky made the hired goons look laughable at best in their attempts to seem imposing. He was the alpha of alphas, top of the food chain, and he knew it. The suit, combined with the ivory dress shirt, was unbuttoned at the neck and stretched over muscles that should be indecent. Becca knew that from experience. The night of the wedding, as he’d held her on the dance floor, she’d had the good fortune to feel those muscles flex beneath her hands. The man was ripped, and solid as a tank. He wore his hair, black as midnight, in a military style cut. And he had one of those masculine faces that tended to have perpetual dark stubble which, combined with his strong angular jaw, full lips, and dark slash of eyebrows, only served to make him hotter. As in: five alarm fire, panties have disintegrated into ash, and a woman was ready and willing to do whatever the man wanted.

“Miss O’Malley, a pleasure to meet you. I thank you for coming to meet with me on such short notice. I’m Anton Rudnikov. My associate, Sasha, speaks highly of you and your gallery. I admit, I’ve not had the chance to attend one of your showings, but I am impressed with your use of color in your art,” Anton Rudnikov stated with a friendliness that belied the underlying air of hostility in the room.

“Thank you, Mister Rudnikov. You have a lovely home with some rather spectacular artwork. If I’m not mistaken, you have an original Renoir in your entryway.” Becca redirected her attention to the mob boss. She shook his hand, hoping she was hiding the dread coursing through her.

“You’ve got a good eye. If we had more time, I would give you a tour,” Rudnikov said with a frigid smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Did that mean her time was running out?

Quinten marched up beside Rudnikov, directing a scowl her way. His fury was evident; he glowered, apparently angry that she was there. Well, that made two of them. Becca wasn’t thrilled about the fact either. But he held her gaze, trying to impart some indistinct meaning that went straight over her stunned head. If she were being fanciful, she would have said he was pleading with her.

Quinten beg someone? Yeah, right.

She imagined even the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang moved out of Quinten’s way when he approached. In front of the entire crime entourage, he snarled, “What the fuck are you doing here, Becca?”

Rudnikov glanced between them, speculative interest and suspicion in his dead gaze. “You two know each other, Quinten?”

Quinten grabbed her hand and squeezed her fingers. Hard. Like he was trying to pass along a meaning that she still didn’t understand—mainly because her entire day had taken on a weird damn Twilight Zone bent, with danger and betrayal filtering in through every crack. Quinten, with her hand still gripped in his much larger one, turned to Rudnikov and said, “Yes, we do know each other. She’s my fiancée, sir. She doesn’t know that I work for you.”

At the pressure on her hand, and Quinten’s declaration, Becca stared at Quinten like he had gone mad. Fiancée? What the hell? What was the man playing at?

“Is that a fact? I don’t see a ring on her hand,” Rudnikov replied, his face an inscrutable mask.

That was it. They were dead. Her story would end, here, now, holding Quinten’s hand. On the bright side, Becca thought, she wouldn’t die alone. Tension oozed in the room. She’d frozen and even forgot to breathe. The guards had their hands in position against their firearms. Becca prayed she wouldn’t pass out or pee in her pants in terror.

“That’s because she’s miffed with me. We had a fight the other night and she took it off. But she loves me.” Quinten stared down at her from his six foot plus height, his cognac gaze imparting a play along message while he pretended to be a man besotted.

Becca didn’t understand—any of it. Not why Sasha had betrayed her trust, or whether Quinten was a dirty cop and only coming to her rescue because he was friends with her brother, or whether the mob boss intended to let her walk out of his house alive.

“Is this true, Miss O’Malley?” Rudnikov asked like he was daring her to dispute Quinten’s outlandish claim.

Pain shot up her arm from her hand as Quinten squeezed. Becca tried to keep her expression serene. Doubt shrouded Rudnikov’s hard glare. Better to have the crime boss believe she was with Quinten than alone and at his mercy. With a silent prayer, she tossed her lot in with the devil she knew. “It’s true, Mister Rudnikov. I’m engaged to the big lug—for now, at least.”

“And why just for now?” Rudnikov’s stare made her want to squirm. But she held it together—barely. Staring Rudnikov in his eyes the color of mahogany, Becca knew what it was like to stare evil in the face. The man would have no qualms about ending her life, right here, right now. The bastard wouldn’t even flinch at the blood spilled in his ornate sitting room.

“Because the blasted man keeps dragging his heels. Any time I try to set a date, he gives me the runaround. He’s the one who proposed and made me all insane with wanting the whole fairytale wedding deal. It’s almost like he doesn’t want to marry me, and I took the ring off until he’s willing to set a date. And why didn’t you tell me about all this, sweetie?” She glanced at Quinten and found approval there.

Rudnikov chuckled and said in a deprecating manner, “Because business is the providence of men, Miss O’Malley… and to show that there are no hard feelings, I will help you young lovebirds out. I can’t have one of my men breaking a vow with my newest business associate, now can I? You’ll marry. Tonight, in fact. Robbie, call Father Vincent. Ask him to be here within the hour to perform a marriage ceremony.”

“But, but… I don’t think—” Becca sputtered. Marry Quinten? Was Rudnikov serious?

Quinten’s hold on her hand tightened even more. She wondered if she would have any bones left before the night was over, or if they would crack into jagged pieces. Quinten protested, “Sir, that’s a generous offer. But she wants a big church wedding and I don’t—”

Rudnikov waved him off. “Nonsense. It will happen tonight. You can always do the fancy wedding later.”

Becca opened her mouth to refuse but shut it again at Rudnikov’s piercing glare. In the game of chicken, he had called their bluff and was waiting to strike. Becca moved closer to Quinten, choosing her side.

Buy Links

Book 1 is also 99¢ for a limited time!

**GIVEAWAY**

Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)

$25 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks so much for joining us today!

HAPPY READING!!!

Blitz: The Gladiator's Downfall (Age of the Andinna #1) by Kristen Banet + GIVEAWAY

**The Gladiator’s Downfall by Kristen Banet**

Good Morning, Everyone! So thrilled to see you all today! I have yet another new to me author and book to tell you about today! Yay! Please allow me to introduce to the blog, Kristen Banet and her release THE GLADIATOR’S DOWNFALL …

**KRISTEN BANET**

**BIO**

Kristen Banet loves to read books that make people cry. She likes to write books that make people cry (and she wants to hear about it). She's a firm believer that nothing and no one in this world is perfect, and she enjoys exploring those imperfections--trying to make the characters seem real on the page and not just in her head.
She might just be crazy, though. Her characters think so, but this can't be confirmed.

You can find more of her works under K.N. Banet!

Check out her social media to catch what's going on in the worlds inside her head. She drops teasers, new covers, and opens ARC reader slots through her Facebook group, The Banet Pride.

To find out more about Ms. Banet, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheBanetPride/

**THE GLADIATOR’S DOWNFALL**

Publication date: December 14, 2018

Series: Age of the Andinna #1
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Reverse Harem

**BLURB**

Mave knows where she stands in life.

She’s an Andinna. A member of the winged, horned, and tailed warrior race that the Elvasi Empire defeated in the Hundred Year War and then enslaved. She’s a slave, and has been one for a thousand years, the personal property of the Empress of the Elvasi Empire, since the end of the War. She’s a gladiator, thrown onto the sands of the Colosseum to die, though it backfired on those who wanted her dead. She’s the Champion of the Colosseum, and has been for roughly nine hundred years.

All of these things have marked her as an outcast among her own people. Hated, distrusted, and despised, she knows the name of her people, but not much else.

But she knows where she stands. Keeping her head down and her blades sharp has carried her this far, and she refuses to acknowledge the deepest wishes she holds in her heart.

Those will only get her killed.

Alone, she’s stood against everything they have ever thrown at her, refusing to give them what they want.

What Mave doesn’t know is that it’s all about to change.

**TEASERS **