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Cover Reveal—Ascension by A.S. Fenichel
I’m so happy to help my very good friend, author A.S. Fenichel, reveal her beautiful new cover for her upcoming release with Kensington Publishing-Lyrical Press. I “oohed” and “aahed” when she first showed me, and I still think it’s simply gorgeous. Plus, you’re going to love the story inside the cover when Ascension releases this fall.
Isn’t it stunning? And here’s the equally intriguing blurb:
Find out more about Ascension, The Demon Hunters, Book 1, from…
Kensington-Lyrical Press ♦ A.S. Fenichel ♦ Goodreads
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Bad Behavior
Welcome back for another Sunday snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme. This week’s bite-sized excerpt is from ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series. (Catch up on previous snippets here.)
Consummate badgirl Sara is the maid of honor at her sister’s impending fairytale wedding. Curtis is the groom-to-be’s tall, dark & tattooed brother, aka the best man, and unfortunately for Sara, he’s also a cop. And we all know cops & badgirls don’t mix…
Curtis caught her arm when she tried to spin away. He met her narrowed gaze with an unwavering stare of his own. “Just making sure everything goes smoothly for my brother. And your sister.”She yanked, and his fingers tightened around her wrist. “By handcuffing me to six feet of good behavior?”
“Six-two. And babe, if and when I put the cuffs on you, you can count on my behavior being very, very bad.”
Now available in ebook & print:
Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iTunes • All Romance • More Retailers
ICING ON THE CAKE
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
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Lisa Carlisle—New Release
I met author Lisa Carlisle at EC’s annual RomantiCon convention. She’s adorable & a lovely person. She has a new release this week, so let’s check it out!
Better Than Cake by Lisa Carlisle
After the worst fight of their relationship, the last place Stephanie wants to be is a wedding reception. She still can’t get over what happened. Could their five years of marriage be destroyed after a blast of heated words? Johnny suggested separating. Separating! Now with her marriage on the line, she has to put on a brave face and pretend love is grand.
Johnny doesn’t know why he’d freaked out the way he had and is left with one emotion. Regret. He doesn’t want to lose Stephanie. He must find her and make things right.
Stephanie enters the reception, fearing the end of her marriage. Johnny has something else in mind—a much more decadent proposal that will turn her friend’s wedding into an event they’ll never forget.
A short erotic romance for only 99 cents!
Amazon ◊ B&N ◊ Kobo ◊ All Romance
An Excerpt from Better Than Cake by Lisa Carlisle
Who gets ditched at a wedding? Stephanie paused and took a deep breath before walking into her friend’s reception. Something like this could only happen to her.
Ditched wasn’t a strong enough description. “Maybe we should try separating.” Johnny’s words echoed in her mind, lashing her psyche raw with repetition.
Separating! She closed her eyes. Unthinkable.
It’s okay. You can do this. Stick it out for a couple of hours and then you can deal with the mess.
How would she explain her husband’s sudden absence? He was at the ceremony, but wouldn’t be at the reception. What would be a reasonable explanation? They were spending the weekend here in Cape Cod so it would be tough to feign a work or family excuse.
Illness. Yes, something about seafood. That would be plausible at a seaside resort. Food poisoning. She had an excuse—but it didn’t make her feel any better about the situation.
Beyond the Sea wafted out from the ballroom, appropriate for this Cape Cod seaside resort. She glanced up at the imposing exterior of the multi-level hotel. Her hand trembled so she clutched her silver purse tighter. She raised her chin to steel herself and entered the hotel.
Stephanie scanned the place settings to find hers. Mr. and Mrs. John Silvio. Table nineteen. She dropped her purse to her side, but her fingers still clenched it. The last place she wanted to be after a killer argument with her husband was a wedding. She forced herself to enter the reception area, squeezing through all those decked in suits and evening gowns. Searching the table numbers for nineteen, she followed them to the back of the room. She guessed she’d be furthest from the head table, since she was neither family nor close friend, but an old college roommate of the bride. She made her way to the back of the room, braved a smile, and introduced herself to the couples already seated.
“Hi. I’m Stephanie.”
“Elaine,” a heavyset woman with puffy blond hair said. “You’re alone?”
Great. Just fantastic. Starting right with the topic she wanted to avoid. “Yes. My husband couldn’t make it tonight. Something he ate earlier,” she babbled. “Probably the shellfish.” She shrugged.
The others introduced themselves as she sat down and peppered her with questions about where they bought the seafood. A few shared their stories of food poisoning.
It was going to be a long night.
Once the attention was off her, she replayed the fight for what had to be the fortieth time since it happened. After a ripple of snide comments evolved into a tsunami of a fight, she stormed away from Johnny and ended up talking to herself like a crazy person as she pounded through the surf.
“Separating? Why does he take a small argument and blow it up into something like this? How could he do this to me at my friend’s wedding? What the fuck!”
A couple of miles later, she had calmed down. It wasn’t all his doing. She was the one who’d dragged them here when he had other plans. Her fury decreased as the sun sank lower in the sky, replaced by a cloak of sadness.
She didn’t want to split up.
Her eyes began to water. How the heck would she make it through the night without breaking down? Her marriage could be over. How long could she sport a brave face before it dropped?
“Excuse me,” she said and hurried into the ladies room. She barely made it through the door before her eyes pooled with tears.
She grabbed tissues and blotted them, fixing her smudged makeup the best she could.
“You can do this,” she told her reflection in the mirror.
As much as she dreaded being at a wedding while her own marriage hung in jeopardy, she had to put her feelings aside for the sake of Caryn. She’d only get married once.
Hopefully.
* * * * *
Johnny caught glimpses of the ocean from the cab and couldn’t help but brood on what he had said to Stephanie down the beach this afternoon. A cold black cloak had surrounded him since, fastened with shackles of regret. The same question echoed in his head ever since.
Why?
Why had he freaked out the way he had? Said the things he had? The day had started out great. They woke up at the bed and breakfast and had the morning free before the ceremony. They’d rented bikes on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and had ridden past sand dunes and shacks, cranberry bogs and duck-filled ponds, villages and pine forests, and even a couple of lighthouses. The scenery was one thing, his beautiful wife riding alongside him something else. He could barely keep his eyes off her lithe body and on the trail.
When they’d stopped to buy sandwiches from one of the beachside shacks and had a picnic lunch on the beach, things were still good. It wasn’t until after the seaside wedding ceremony this afternoon that he’d opened his mouth and all kinds of stupid fell out. And for what? Something trivial, not something to throw away a marriage over.
Their argument had stirred weeks before. He resented her for dragging him to a wedding when he’d already had plans for his monthly camping trip with his buddies, He had stormed about it for days, but downright exploded on the beach earlier. Telling her she was too controlling, she shouldn’t speak for him and make him cancel his plans to do something she wanted. How his outdoor trips were how he decompressed from work and if she didn’t get it by now, she didn’t get him. She’d countered, saying he used the same justification for his softball games, and sometimes he had to suck it up and act like an adult. Snide comments had escalated into verbal jabs. Past grievances were drudged up as their defenses rose. Accusations flew, growing uglier, and digging up past perceived injustices, until finally, he had suggested a trial separation.
He still wasn’t sure why he’d said it. A heat of the moment incident, blurting out something to end the fight with something he didn’t even mean.
Her shocked expression had turned to one of hurt as she blinked back tears. Then she’d lashed back at him. “If you’re so shallow and selfish that you consider a weekend away from your buddies such brutality, then yeah, maybe we should.”
When she had stormed away from him across the beach, he had turned away thinking to hell with her and pounded through the sand in the opposite direction. It wasn’t until he had turned back several minutes later to see she was gone that he realized he might have made the biggest mistake of his life.
◊ ◊ ◊
About the Author
Lisa loves stories with dark, brooding, isolated characters and tough, independent, caring heroines. Her reading tastes very widely and she’ll read almost anything—especially mysteries, romance, and non-fiction on any new topic of interest.
She is thrilled to be a multi-published author writing since she’s wanted to write since the sixth grade. Her travels and many jobs have provided her with inspiration for novels, such as serving in the Marine Corps in Okinawa, Japan, backpacking alone around Europe, or working as a waitress in Paris. Her love of books inspired her to own a small independent book store for a couple of years.
Lisa lives in New England with her husband and their children. She spends her days writing for corporate clients and her evenings writing stories and novels.
Visit her website for more on books, trailers, playlists, and more:
Sign up for her newsletter to hear about new releases, specials, and freebies:
www.lisacarlislebooks.com/subscribe/
Lisa loves to connect with readers. You can find her on:
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – When Curtis Met Sara, Part 2
Welcome back. 🙂 The Sunday snippet is part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme, so click over there for a list of participants when you’re done here.
This week’s offering follows directly after last week’s bite-sized excerpt from ICING ON THE CAKE. If you missed it, take a quick peek to catch up. 😉
His eyes twinkled and the corner of his mouth twitched. “Curtis Lawler, Conn’s older brother.” He didn’t offer a hand to shake—just stepped closer, completely invading her personal space. “And you’re Sara.”“Figured that out on your own, detective, or did they show you my mug shot in advance to make things easier?”
“It’s Constable first class, but that’s a mouthful, even for one that works as well as yours. Probably easiest if you call me sir.”
“Never going to happen, lawman.”
“Never’s a long time,” Curtis’ gaze locked with hers and a wicked smile curved his sensual lips, “and for the record, I’m not a patient man.”
ICING ON THE CAKE available now in digital & print
Amazon • B&N • More Retailers
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up… -
Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – When Curtis Met Sara, Part 1
Sunday snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
Ready for another eight-sentence excerpt from ICING ON THE CAKE? This is one of my favorite parts of the book—where Sara and Curtis meet for the first time.
We’re with Sara as she tries to slip out of the church after her sister’s wedding rehearsal. Curtis is the best man, and since he’s been charged with keeping an eye of the trouble-making maid of honor, he’s about to intervene.
“Last one to show up, now the first one to leave.” Conn’s brother took a few more steps, positioning himself between Sara and the outer door. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of some fine-fitting jeans. “You’re not trying to skip out on the rehearsal party, are you?” His stance and tone were casual. His pointed remarks, not so much.“Aww, isn’t this sweet? We haven’t even been formally introduced and already you’re devastated at the thought of an evening without me.”
Check back next Sunday to read Curtis’ response. Or better yet, buy the book and read the whole snarktastic, sexy thing right now. 😉
Amazon ♥ Kobo ♥ iTunes ♥ B&N ♥ All Romance ♥ More…
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up… -
Icing on the Cake in Paperback!
Look what arrived today… paperback copies of ICING ON THE CAKE and I have to tell you, they’re sooo pretty! And hot! 😉
Available now from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Amazon UK. More retailers coming soon. 🙂
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – The Favor
It’s July and ICING ON THE CAKE has released! Woohoo! We’ll be spending time with Curtis & Sara for the next couple months for the Sunday Snippet, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme. I hope you enjoy their fireworks!
Chapter One of ICING ON THE CAKE opens the day before Conn & Nia’s (from CUP OF SUGAR) wedding in Nia’s tiny hometown, six hours north of the city where the characters currently reside. And since Sara, the maid of honor, is conspicuously absent from the impending wedding rehearsal, Conn recruits help from his brother, the best man…
“Since you’re flying solo this weekend, I need a favor.” Conn’s smile thinned. “Keep an eye on Sara, make sure she doesn’t cause any trouble.”“Babysitting detail.”
“Yeah.”
“Is she that bad?”
“I hope not,” Conn said as the church’s front door slammed and all heads turned toward the entryway from the vestibule.
Call him fucked-up, but one look at the dark-haired beauty who’d just strutted into the building, and Curtis kinda hoped Sara lived up to her troublemaker reputation.
Available Now!
Amazon • All Romance • iTunes • B&N • Kobo • Amazon UK • more
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
And Book 1 in the series, CUP OF SUGAR, is on sale for 99¢ for one more week. Grab it now, if you haven’t yet. 🙂
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Training Rain by A.S. Fenichel – Cover Reveal!
Today I’m happy to share the shiny new cover for one of my very good friend’s upcoming releases. TRAINING RAIN by A.S. Fenichel is the third book in her Psychic Mates series, and if you enjoy action-packed paranormal romance, you won’t want to miss it!
Coming Soon from Ellora’s Cave Publishing!
While you’re waiting for TRAINING RAIN to release, check out the first two books in the series…
KANE’S BOUNTY — Amazon ♦ EC ♦ B&N
JOSHUA’S MISTAKE — Amazon ♦ EC ♦ B&N
Connect with A.S. Fenichel online:
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Sunday Snippet – ICING ON THE CAKE – Prologue
Sunday snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
Starting today, I’ll be posting from my July 1st release, ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series. This book can be read as a standalone, but I still think it’s better if you read CUP OF SUGAR first. (PS: CUP OF SUGAR is on sale for 99¢)
I’ve never included a prologue in a book before, but there’s one in ICING ON THE CAKE, a short scene that revisits Conn & Nia before the new leads’ story starts. So here’s a little sample from that…“They’ll be here soon. I checked the highway report a few minutes ago, everything’s clear and accident-free,” Conn said while wrapping his arms around her.
“For now. Look at it out there…it just keeps coming.”
He slid his hand lower, inside the front of her jeans. “Kind of reminds me of you.”
Nia’s breath hitched as her body responded to his touch. “This isn’t a good time.”
“I disagree, sweetheart—you coming for me is always a good time.”
COMING SOON — July 1st
Blurb
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
Available for pre-order at Kobo. Other retailers will be live very soon!
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Sunday Snippet – CUP OF SUGAR – Authority
It’s Sunday snippet time, part of the Weekend Writing Warriors meme.
This is the last Sunday I’ll be sharing from CUP OF SUGAR. Next week I’ll be teasing you with snippets from Book 2 of series, so I hope you’ll stay tuned.
If you’ve enjoyed the CUP OF SUGAR excerpts, now’s a great time to pick it up, because it’s on sale for 99¢ for a limited time.
So, for the final snippet from this neighbors-to-lovers story, let’s go with something fun and a little bit dirty. 😉
“Let me do this,” the tip of her tongue swirled around his cock, “I want you to come in my mouth.”He groaned. As if he could refuse that offer.
Her lips closed around him, took half his length, then slid back up, releasing him. “Can I tell you something?”
“Sweetheart, you’re sucking my cock. You just told me to come in your mouth. That pretty much gives you authority to say anything.”
CUP OF SUGAR 99¢ Sale
Amazon • B&N • Kobo • iTunes • All Romance • more
CUP OF SUGAR, Book 1 of the Close to Home series
Nia has one rule—don’t date neighbors. Simple, except the guy next door is single, handsome, and not inclined to close his blinds while naked. When her car dies, Conn takes “being neighborly” to a new level by offering a ride to her long-distance destination. Nia has resisted his looks and charm for months. Surely she can handle a few hours in his truck…
For months, Conn has blatantly put himself on display, hoping his pretty blonde neighbor would tire of secretly watching and come knock on his door for a cup of sugar—or more. No such luck—until an unusual opportunity arises. After a six-hour drive turns into a sweet-and-sexy weekend, Conn wants more than neighborly status with Nia. To get it, he must convince her to break the rule protecting her heart—by putting his on the line.
ICING ON THE CAKE, Book 2 of the Close to Home series
Nia and Conn’s wedding will be fairytale perfect…if their siblings can get along.
Free-spirited, anti-establishment Sara has always been on the outside of her family’s fairytale mold. Now she’s being forced smack into the middle of it at her sister Nia’s wedding. Alongside the cocky and annoyingly sexy best man—Conn’s cop brother.
Curtis doesn’t buy in to organized romance and fairytales. But for his brother, he’ll throw on a tux and fake it for a few hours. His flak vest would have been a better choice around the maid of honor. He should have brought his handcuffs too, because somebody needs to restrain the dark-haired spitfire—and he’s just the man for the job.
One night to indulge the spark between them, then goodbye—that was the agreement. Curtis isn’t looking for a relationship and he sure doesn’t want a troublemaker for a girlfriend. The last thing Sara needs in her daily life is a cop looking over her shoulder, no matter how hot he is.
But giving in to their chemistry is much more fun than giving it up…
