Teaser Tuesday: Ravished (The Teplo Files) #romance

Happy Tuesday, lovelies!

I've spent the last couple days curled up under a mound of blankets with Ravished, hiding out from Titan. The storm has been a beast! As much as I detest summer, I'm beginning to look forward to warmer months. It'll be wonderful to sit outside and write again! I miss doing that. 

I hope warmer, gentler weather is upon all of you soon too. 

But just in case you're hiding out under the blankets today, I thought I'd give you another little teaser to warm you up. This is from one of my all-time favorite scenes in Ravished... The entire scene is so raw and so intense... I get lost in it every single time. 

I hope you enjoy it. As usual, all errors are my own.

Also... strong language advisory. Tristan likes cursing almost as much as I do. #sorrynotsorry.

* * *

"Stop apologizing and talk to me, beautiful," Tristan murmured, not interested in Lillian's apologies but in the truth. In her letting him in before he really did go mad. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

She hesitated and then straightened, her shoulders going back on a deep breath. "You keep telling me to let you in, but you won't give me the same thing in return. I care about you, and I don't know how to deal with that."

Tristan's heart threatened to expand. His lungs filled with air, the first real breath he felt like he'd been able to take all damn day.

Lillian wasn't finished though.

She bit her lip and inhaled deeply before continuing, "I don't want to stand here and argue with you. Every time we get close to this conversation, we end up fighting, and I am so tired of fighting with you, Tristan. So tired. And yet, we keep doing it. Every time, you do something that makes me crazy, and we start all over again. It's exhausting. Not knowing where I stand with you or what you want from me…. It's too much."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, putting his hand against the wall and hanging his head. He didn't want to fight with her either, but Christ, he didn't know what to say anymore than she did. "What do you want from me?"

She muttered wordlessly, shifting behind him. "I want you to say that I'm not the only one going insane over here. That I'm not seeing things between us where they don't exist. That you're tired of fighting what's between us too! Hell, Tristan, I don't know what I want you to say or do. I just want to know that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Not knowing… I hate it. I hate it so much."

Ah, Christ. She was killing him, one little confession at a time.

"That you're not the only one who feels what, beautiful? The way my heart fucking aches when I look at you?" he asked when she fell silent, turning toward her again. His heart responded to her immediately, aching just like he'd told her it did. And Jesus H. Christ, he was so tired of fighting what that did to him, of feeling like he should, for her sake. "The way my skin crawls when I can't touch you? The way I can't shut my mind off because every fucking thought belongs to you these days? I dragged you into this bullshit because I couldn't stop myself, Lillian. I wanted you. I still want you. I want to possess you. I want you as fucking crazy as you make me. Does knowing that make it better for you? Does that make it easier for you? It certainly doesn't for me."

He stepped up beside her, ran his hand down her cheek.

The rest of the fight went out of her right before his eyes. It drained from her entirely, leaving her eyes wide and watery and her arms wrapped around herself as if she tried to physically hold herself together. She looked so much smaller suddenly, so much more fragile than the woman who'd given him hell for the last few weeks.

"I'm dying to be inside you, Lillian," he whispered, "but I'm not good for you and it kills me that I can't have you."

"That's not your decision to make," she mouthed, nuzzling her cheek into the palm of his hand. "It's mine."

"No, it's not." He shook his head, his resolve wavering, slipping away as she looked up at him, pleading silently with those watery, dilated eyes for exactly what he wanted to give her. "You deserve more than anything I can offer you. Christ, beautiful, all I've done since the beginning is put you in danger. Is that really the kind of guy you want in your life?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "I just want you. God, I want you so much I can't think straight when you touch me." A tear slipped down her cheek, wrecking him.

"Lillian, please don't-"

She shook her head, cutting him off. "But I can't do this anymore. I tried so hard to just take things between us as they come and I can't. I feel insane and I just… can't. We can't. I don't know. I don't know why you make me feel like this, but you do. I don't know what to do, Tristan, and I am so tired of being scared. I'm just done. I'll tell Jason I changed my mind. I'll..." she trailed off, another tear rolling down her cheek. "I'm sorry." She sounded so fucking devastated as she whispered that apology, his chest ached again.

"How do I make you feel, beautiful?" He swiped at her tears, hating that he'd made her cry. Hating that she'd reached her limit somewhere in that club and was ready to walk away now when she hadn't been earlier.

Christ, he couldn't let her walk away. He should, he knew that, but now that it'd come right down to it... he couldn't let her go. Not when he wanted her to stay, and not when she sounded like going would break her in two.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does," he argued softly. "It matters to me."

She shook her head, trying to deny him that truth.

"Tell me, beautiful. Please."

Lillian sighed heavily and gave in again. "You make me feel like I need you and it's terrifying. Like not having you may kill me. Like… like you might consume me if I let you. Like I want to let you. I don't know." She shook her head again. Her frustration was one he understood completely. "You scare me, Tristan. What you make me feel scares the shit out of me, but I want it anyway and I don't know how to stop. I don't want to stop. God, it's not supposed to be like this!"

She felt it too, that consuming need. The clawing addiction and burning desperation.

Knowing that, he couldn't just let go. He couldn't just let her go.

Fuck. He was fucked.

He couldn't stop the way she made him feel. Couldn't fight it. He wanted her so badly, and hearing her say she wanted him just as much destroyed him entirely. Ripped away every reason why he couldn't have her and left nothing behind. Nothing but need, and desperation to take, to claim, to soothe, consume, and possess. An overwhelming desire to keep her here with him regardless of the consequences.

He was so fucking selfish.

"I'll call him-" Once again, she sounded defeated, torn. Like she already regretted making that decision.

"No." Tristan shook his head, his decision made. It'd been made two weeks ago. They both knew it. "Don't. I can't-" He curled his hand around her nape, dragging her closer when words failed. He shook his head, a frantic edge to his voice. "I don't want you to go."

* * *

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Cover Reveal! The Darkness Falls Trilogy by @KrystalWade

Krystal Wade’s popular Darkness Falls trilogy is getting a makeover! That’s right, WILDE’S FIRE, WILDE’S ARMY, and WILDE’S MEADOW are getting brand new covers!

Take a look and let us know what you think!

WILDE’S FIRE (Darkness Falls, Book One)

"There is no pain in this death, only peace, knowing I am going to die with the one I love the most." -- Katriona Wilde

Katriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she's ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she's dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. She's forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What's worse, she has no control over her new future, and it's full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made.

Will she discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Wilde's Fire is the thrilling first instalment of debut author Krystal Wade's urban fantasy Darkness Falls trilogy, already exciting critics with its intensity and immersive, unique world and concept.

Amazon US | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Kobo | Amazon UK

Praise for Wilde's Fire:

"An unforgettable experience in magic, adventure, and love. I was immediately captivated by the story and couldn't stop turning pages."  - Vicki Keire, Best-Selling YA Author

"Krystal Wade's world of war, prophecy, and darkness takes readers on a twisting journey where the fate of a people is at stake and, through courage and faith, love and peace are the ultimate reward. If you're a fan of YA fantasy, look no further than Krystal Wade's debut novel WILDE'S FIRE." - Sarah Balance, Romance Author 

WILDE’S ARMY (Darkness Falls, Book Two)

"Hello, Katriona."

Those two words spark fear in Katriona Wilde and give way to an unlikely partnership with Perth, the man she's been traded to marry for a favor. Saving her true love and protector Arland, her family, and their soldiers keeps her motivated, but the at-odds duo soon realizes trust is something that comes and goes with each breath of Encardia's rotting, stagnant air.

The moment when concern for her missing sister spirals out of control, all thoughts of trust are pushed aside and she finds herself trapped by the daemon tricks Perth warned her of. When so many she's grown fond of die along the journey, will she still be Katriona Wilde, the girl with fire?

Amazon US | Barnes and Noble | Amazon UK

Praise for Wilde's Army:

"The action starts right at the beginning and never seems to cease!  While there are some beautiful, romantic, electric moments that will leave you breathless, there is also plenty of doubt, fear, lying, pretending, and running from daemons to keep you reading straight through to the end! 5/5" ~ Jackie Mcpherson @ Sated Faery

"Absolutely brilliant! Everything I hoped it would be and more! Thrills, romance, surprises...what more could you ask for? 5/5" ~ Farrah @ The Golde Rule of 666

WILDE’S MEADOW (Darkness Falls, Book Three)

Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.

Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.

Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way.

Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?

Amazon US | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon UK

About Krystal Wade

Krystal Wade is happily married to the love of her life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. They live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day she wakes up to find herself stuck in traffic trying to get there.

The horrid commute gives Krystal plenty of time to zone out and think about her characters in full, brilliant details (she’s a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give her a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to her on the fifty mile trek into town (she picks up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe this).

Krystal has been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of her oh-so-large life. When she’s not working, commuting, or chasing after her three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find Krystal outside talking to her chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training her amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Google+

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million

Cover Reveal: Deliver Me by @KatieJarvikBirch #giveaway

One People. One Union. One Future. 

Wynne’s entire life is dictated by the Union: the clothes she wears, the books she reads, even the genes she inherited. And like every other girl in the Union, Wynne dreams of being chosen as a Carrier on her 16th birthday—one of the elite selected to carry the future generation within her womb. Wynne and her best friend Odessa are certain they will both make the cut, but when Odessa is chosen and whisked off to a life of privilege, Wynne is left behind to work as an assistant, delivering babies for the Union.

As Odessa slips deeper and deeper into the role of Carrier, Wynne begins to see the Union for what it really is: a society that criminalizes the notion of love, and forbids words like mother and family.

For the first time in her life, Wynne is faced with a choice: submit to the will of the Union, or find a way to escape and save Odessa before she is lost forever.

Goodreads

About the Author

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist and writer living in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids. She wrote her first novel in fourth grade. The main character was suspiciously similar to herself and the love interest bore quite a strong resemblance to the boy she had a crush on. As an adult, her essays and short stories have been published in Isotope: A Journal of Literary Nature and Science Writing, Saint Ann's Review, Scissors and Spackle and Indiana Review. Her first play, (a man enters), co-written with Elaine Jarvik, was produced in 2011 by Salt Lake Acting Co.

Kate’s debut novel, DELIVER ME, comes out April 15th from Bloomsbury Spark. PERFECTED will be released July 1st from Entangled Teen.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

Enter the giveaway below to win an electronic copy of DELIVER ME from Bloomsbury Spark as well as a $20 Amazon gift card!

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Cover Reveal! Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty (Kiya Trilogy Book #3) by @KatieTeller1

Hi lovelies,

I am very happy to be part of the big reveal for Katie Hampstead's Kiya: Rise of a New Dynasty today. Rise of a New Dynasty is the third and final book in Katie's wildly popular Kiya Trilogy from Curiosity Quills Press. Kiya will drop on February 25th.

Check out the absolutely gorgeous cover below, and then add it to your TBR shelf on Goodreads!

Summary: Tut has grown into his position as Pharaoh, but he is a wild young man. Naomi fears for him, not only because of his recklessness, but because he has put his trust in Ay–the man determined to destroy Naomi—despite her and Horemheb advising against it.

 Meanwhile, death and slavery hang over Naomi and her family. With fear of the booming Hebrew numbers causing talk of enslaving them, conscription is reinstated and Naomi fears for the lives of her other children. Especially since Ay's children are now adults, and just as dangerous as their father. They threaten to take Itani, conspire against Tut, and push for power.

 But Tut is in trouble. While Ay's daughter draws Horemheb's attention, and Naomi deals with the struggles of her family, everyone's distraction could spell death for the young Pharaoh.

About the author:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie’s early years of day dreaming in the “bush”, and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.

After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.

She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing. She is currently at school studying English and Creative Writing.

Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports and be a good wife and mother. She now works as a Clerk with a lien company in Arizona to help support her family and her schooling. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

You can learn more about Katie on Facebook, Twitter, or at http://kjhstories.blogspot.com.

Teaser Tuesday: Ravished Prologue! #thriller #romance

Happy Tuesdays, lovelies!

You've heard a lot about Ravished over the course of the last six months, but haven't gotten to see a whole lot of it yet. I thought today would be a great day to remedy that, so I've got the entire prologue for you. Yay! The prologue takes place immediately before the story begins, and focuses on Kalani Abrams, a former "employee" of the Vetrov family.

This novel is the first of three in an erotic series chock full of romance, crime, mystery, violence, hell... even explosions! It's only just gone to the prereading team for approval, so don't hate me too much if there are errors, mmkay?

Summary: Lillian Maddox is trying to put her life back together after a tragic attack destroys her future as a ballerina. Special Agent Tristan Riley is racing against the clock to stop one of the most ruthless drug manufacturing outfits to set up shop in Seattle in years. When they meet on the dance floor at Teplo, neither is prepared for the explosive chemistry between them, nor for the devastating repercussions of their tryst. In a matter of days, their lives careen wildly off course.

 

After mistakenly accusing Lillian of horrible crimes, Tristan finds himself in a very uncomfortable position. He now has to convince her to go undercover with him to stop the Vetrov family from spilling more blood by unleashing a potent new club drug to the masses. And he has to do it while keeping his hands to himself.

 

Lillian has no intention of making his life easy. In fact, she's made it her mission to make him as miserable as possible for the duration of their time together. But the way he looks at her, and the wicked things he says to her, makes her yearn for something more than the emptiness she's felt since her accident. But she's not prepared to give her heart and her body to Tristan when the world he lives in terrifies her either.

 

Can they find a way to let go and work together, or will the sparks flying between them send everything up in flames?

* * *
Prologue

Paulo Vetrov's heavy steps sounded behind Kalani Abrams, his boots striking the hardwood floor with ominous thumps. Terror fired through her like mortar exploding from a cannon. Everything raced… her mind and heart pounding so fiercely she couldn't catch a breath. Sobs wracked her body as she ran, her bare feet flying across the cold living room floor.

"Why are you running from me, Kalani?" Paulo asked, amusement lacing his deceptive, friendly tone. "My father misses you. He asked me to come speak to you."

Kalani sobbed louder, the reminder of her former employer sending another wave of terror crashing over her like waves. They threatened to drown her, crushing air from her lungs as dread and certainty grasped at her like choking vines.

No way had Anton Vetrov sent a bastard like Paulo to speak to her. Oh no, she'd warmed Anton's bed long enough to know better. His son was the worst sort of monster, a soulless sociopath who terrorized others for the fun of it. Anton set him loose on those who betrayed him as if setting loose a hellhound.

Already, Kalani's cheek throbbed where Paulo had struck her after forcing his way inside her home. Her eye had swollen shut almost instantly, the pain numbed only by the horror of the moment.

God, why had she answered the door in the first place?

Let him wrest her cell phone away from her?

That stupid mistake would cost her everything.

"Please, please," she cried, the words little more than incoherent babbling as she raced into the kitchen, wishing desperately for Thomas to appear on her porch again. She'd give anything to see him. To tell him she was sorry for kicking him out. That she loved him and didn't mean the horrible things she said to him during their fight the day before. That she wanted to be with him, had left Anton's employ to be with him.

If Paulo caught her, she'd never see Thomas again. He'd never know the truth.

Kalani rounded the kitchen table, reaching blindly for the carved wooden chair pushed neatly up against the table. The cool wood glided against her palm. Clutching the edge, she jerked downward, praying the obstacle slowed her assailant down even an instant.

The chair hit the floor with a solid thump.

Kalani kept running.

No more than five feet stood between her and the back door, the promise of freedom and safety beckoning to her like a lighthouse. If she made it outside, she could scream for her neighbors to help her. They'd call the police, and she could tell them everything about Anton Vetrov and his horrible family. In ten years as his paid whore, she'd seen enough. But their new scheme… it was the worst of all.

"You can't outrun me," Paulo sneered behind her, kicking aside the chair as she stumbled toward the patio door, hope spurring her onward.

The chair crashed into the wall half a second before she slammed into the faded wood.

Kalani clawed at the door, desperately trying to unlatch the sticky lock.

The salt of her tears burned her injured eye. Sobs caught in her throat, choking her.

"I told you," Paulo said, so close his hot breath washed across her neck.

"No," Kalani cried when the lock refused to cooperate. "No, no, no."

Paulo's arms closed around her, dragging her backward, away from the door and the promise of safety on the other side. He spun her around, one hand raised. His dark hair lay perfectly on his head. His brown eyes were too lovely, his face too beautiful.

Kalani wanted to vomit at the excited gleam lurking in his dark gaze. He looked as if watching her scramble for her life turned him on.

She kicked her feet, trying to kick him.

Paulo grunted when her bare toes connected with his shin.

His hand came down across the side of her face again.

Pain ripped through her already throbbing cheek, stealing her breath.

"Where are the papers you stole from us?" he asked her.

"Go to hell," she tried to scream at him, but the words were little more than a pathetic whimper. Kalani tilted her head back to spit in his face, determined to fight until she couldn't fight anymore. If Paulo wanted to kill her, she intended to make him work for it. She wouldn't go quietly like his other victims. Victims she'd kept silent about for so long, pretending they didn't exist. Pretending her boss wasn't a monster just like his son.

And for what? A steady paycheck? A life off the streets? A few hits of Ecstasy?

Maybe she deserved death.

"Stupid woman," Paulo snapped, shoving her to the ground. He dropped to his knees above her as she struggled to catch her breath. In one quick, effortless move, he captured her arms between his legs before reaching into his pocket to withdraw a plastic baggie.

Horror turned Kalani's vision black for a moment when she caught sight of the syringe inside the bag. "Please. Oh god, please. Don't," she pleaded as Paulo loomed above her, his weight crushing her.

He ignored her, instead reaching inside the baggie.

Kalani attempted to thrash beneath him, fighting for escape that eluded her. Paulo was too big, too strong. Try as she might, she barely managed to wriggle beneath him.

He jerked the needle from the bag, and leaned forward, grabbing a handful of her hair to wrench her head to the side.

"No!" Kalani screamed as he pushed the needle into a vein in her neck. "No!"

"Quiet," Paulo whispered, depressing the plunger. "This won't hurt at all."

Kalani's neck burned, giving away his lie. She jerked beneath him again, unwilling to give up and just let him kill her even if that is what she deserved. She might as well not have bothered though. He merely sat still, seemingly unaffected by the way she tried to buck beneath him in an attempt to throw his weight off her.

"No one steals from the Vetrov family," he said when she stopped fighting him, stopped fighting the inevitable. "While you choke on your own vomit, I'll find those papers. You'll die, and no one will even know why, you stupid little whore."

"Oh god," she groaned when the drug hit her system in a rush. Her heart rate sped, faster and faster. Her body jerked involuntarily. Everything around her slowed, blurring, fading. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she tried to say, though whether she apologized to god, to Paulo, or to Thomas, who she'd never see again, she didn't know. And it didn't really matter anyway. The words were little more than soundless gasps.

Fluid filled her mouth, gagging her.

She scratched at the ground, grasping for air, for breath, for another chance, but it didn't come. After everything she'd done in her life, she should have expected that, she supposed. But she hadn't.

Death, it seemed, didn't care if she regretted her choices or wanted to make amends.

And neither did Paulo.

Kalani's fingers twitched, and then lay still.

"Whore," Paulo whispered, reaching out to stroke her cheek.

His hateful, angelic face was the last thing Kalani saw.

FALL– The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is now available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KOBO. FADE - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two is available at: Amazon US | UK | DE | FR | IT | ES | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Books-a-Million