Purchase Links 

 iTunes  https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/billionaire-undone/id851582936?mt=11

Amazon  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K0WG8G8

Synopsis

After four years of working for “the billionaire boss from hell” Ally Caldwell thinks she finally has her life on the right track. Her fiancé is out of dental school, ready to go to work at a thriving practice, and it would finally be her turn to go back and finish her college degree. Unfortunately, her carefully planned future crumbles when she finds out that her fiancé, the man she’d nearly killed herself to help get through school, has been cheating on her. With her wedding looming in the near future, Ally’s blindsided, realizing she’d never even knew the man she’d been planning to marry. Suddenly, her carefully organized life is turned upside down, and not one single thing is turning out the way it was supposed to happen. Even her boss, Travis the Tyrant, is beginning to act differently, throwing Ally into an even more confused and chaotic state of mind. Travis, the one man who she’d always counted on to be a jerk, was now the guy who actually steps up to try and help her straighten her life out again. Unfortunately, she doesn’t much care for his highhanded arrogance or his methods of “helping.” Ally wants to hate Travis. It makes her life so much simpler to fight with him than to admit to the combustible chemistry growing between the two of them. But as she begins to see more and more of the real Travis beneath his dark façade, she can’t seem to resist the dangerous lure of their unlikely attraction.


Billionaire Travis Harrison does everything he possibly can to repair the Harrison name after a scandal nearly destroyed his family years ago. He makes sure he keeps himself and his actions in check, his emotions buried under a thick layer of ice. Only his secretary and assistant, Alison Caldwell, makes him come close to losing his carefully constructed image. The obstinate female keeps shoving him closer and closer to the edge of sanity every single day. But when he finds out about her fiancé’s betrayal, his protective instincts roar to life inside him, making him want to ensure she’s never hurt again. The only problem is…Ally doesn’t want his help, and the infuriating woman does everything she can to push him away, even as the two of them are swept into an undeniable passion that neither of them can possibly ignore. Before long, Travis finds himself in ruthless pursuit of something much more important and elusive than just a business deal.
 Can these two very different, very stubborn people actually be meant to be together? Find out if Travis and Ally can let down their defenses and surrender to a love so powerful it will rock them to the depths of their souls in Billionaire Undone, Book Five of The Billionaire’s Obsession series.

Excerpt

“So why were you so insistent that I was coming with you to Colorado?  You’re obviously comfortable with the crowd here.  You know the Colters well.  Why is this any different than any other charity function?”  She’d been wondering that for a while now.  

“It’s an auction and a ball,” Travis answered grimly.  

“So?  You attend auctions,” she shot back at him.  

“It’s not a typical auction.  Tate thought it would be interesting to have a billionaire auction to raise more money.  Bastard!  And he has the connections to gather a very wealthy crowd.”  

“So only billionaires will be there?” Ally asked, bewildered.  

“No.  Billionaire’s are the auction items.  Women are bidding on the billionaire of their choice to be their escort for the ball.”  Travis visibly shuddered.  “I can’t believe Sutherland showed up.  Poor bastard.  I hope he knows what he’s getting himself into.  Tate’s own brothers conveniently had to be out of town.”  

“So you’re going to be auctioned off?”

“Hell, no.  I’m exempt because I have a woman.  It’s just the single guys.”  

“So you brought me along as your cover?” Ally asked, biting back a laugh, knowing that was probably initially the reason he’d needed her here.  

He hesitated for a moment and then answered, “Yeah. I’m not going up on some auction block like a damn antique or a show horse for sale.”  

Ally snickered, “Well, you are priceless and a stud.  That’s hilarious.  And I think it’s very unique.  I think it will be fun.  And the men that are participating are good sports.  Is Tate going to do it?”  

“Yeah.  Some unsuspecting woman will have to put up with his ornery ass all night,” Travis grumbled.  “He got a surprising number of men who volunteered.  We should raise a lot of money.”  

“So I’m going to be in the same place as many of the world’s most eligible bachelors?” Ally asked teasingly.  

“No.  You’ll be there with me,” Travis told her gravely.

Other Books In The Series

Currently free

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 Genre: Adult Contemporary Steamy Romance

Down on her luck, nursing student and full-time waitress Kara Foster gets a massive blow to her already desperate financial situation that will surely find her living on the streets. Needing nothing less than a miracle to save her, Kara gets rescue from an unknown, unlikely and overwhelming source. Billionaire Simon Hudson makes her an offer that is impossible to refuse, but terrifying to accept from a man that she's never met. Will the handsome, alpha billionaire really be a solution to her problems, or will he end up being a major complication and a danger to her emotional sanity?

Reclusive billionaire Simon Hudson would rather be behind a computer creating computer games than rubbing elbows with the elite and he knows exactly what he wants...until he meets Kara Foster. Something about Kara touches Simon in ways he's never experienced and definitely doesn't like. For over a year, Simon watches over Kara, but stubbornly refuses to admit his desire to possess her, not even to himself. But when she ends up in a situation that could very well be her destruction, Simon steps up to help her, not realizing that in saving Kara, he might very well be salvaging his own soul.

"Mine For Tonight" is book one of "The Billionaire's Obsession" . Books in this trilogy do not stand alone and need to be read in order. They include:

Mine For Tonight - Book 1 "The Billionaire's Obsession"
Mine For Now - Book 2 "The Billionaire's Obsession"
Mine Forever - Book 3 "The Billionaire's Obsession"
and Mine Completely - a Valentine's Day romance featuring Simon and Kara

This is a steamy romance and is not intended for YA readers. It contains steamy love scenes, explicit language and adult emotion not appropriate for YA readers.

Amazon  * B&N  * Google Play 


Once a serial trilogy, The Billionaire's Obsession is now complete with a bonus story in this complete collection about Simon and Kara. (This Series also includes The Free book MIne For Tonight)

This complete collection of The Billionaire's Obsession includes:
Mine For Tonight
Mine For Now
Mine Forever
Mine Completely

Down on her luck, nursing student and full-time waitress Kara Foster gets a massive blow to her already desperate financial situation that will surely find her living on the streets. Needing nothing less than a miracle to save her, Kara gets rescue from an unknown, unlikely and overwhelming source. Billionaire Simon Hudson makes her an offer that is impossible to refuse, but terrifying to accept from a man that she's never met. Will the handsome, alpha billionaire really be a solution to her problems, or will he end up being a major complication and a danger to her emotional sanity?

Reclusive billionaire Simon Hudson would rather be behind a computer creating computer games than rubbing elbows with the elite and he knows exactly what he wants...until he meets Kara Foster. Something about Kara touches Simon in ways he's never experienced and definitely doesn't like. For over a year, Simon watches over Kara, but stubbornly refuses to admit his desire to possess her, not even to himself. But when she ends up in a situation that could very well be her destruction, Simon steps up to help her, not realizing that in saving Kara, he might very well be salvaging his own soul.

(This is a erotic romance. It contains graphic language, very steamy love scenes and lots of emotion.)

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Author Note: This novel is the complete story of Sam and Maddie, but reading The Billionaire’s Obsession – The Complete Collection (Simon and Kara’s story) first is highly recommended to enhance your reading pleasure.


Sam and Maddie are here!


Billionaire Sam Hudson has pretty much lived his life with no apologies because he tries never to do anything that he’s sorry about…except for what he had done in the past to Dr. Madeline Reynolds. Many years and regrets later, Sam meets up with Maddie again by chance; his brother Simon is marrying Maddie’s best friend and the two of them are forced to be civil. But Sam wants to be more than polite, and he wants another chance to make things right, so he offers Maddie a bold proposition, an offer he knows she’ll have a very hard time declining even though she hates him.


Dr. Madeline Reynolds adores her best friend Kara and her fiancé Simon, but being forced into the company of Sam Hudson, because they are both in Simon and Kara’s wedding, is pure torture. She’s hated Sam for years, but when he offers her a bargain, something near and dear to her heart, she’s torn between her dislike for the man and the offer of something she’s always desperately wanted. Once, Sam Hudson nearly destroyed her, but Maddie discovers that sometimes things aren’t always what they appear to be. Is Sam really a devious heartbreaker, or is there something more to him beneath the surface?


Can two people with so many years of hurt between them learn to trust each other again?


Please note: This is an erotic romance and not appropriate for YA readers. The book contains graphic sex, language and situations not appropriate for YA readers.

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Billionaire Max Hamilton thought he was finally starting to find contentment, more than two years after losing his wife Mia in a tragic drowning accident.


He'd been reunited with a sister he hadn’t realized existed. Finally he had family again, a reprieve from the pain and loneliness that had haunted him since his devastating loss. Yeah…he was as happy as a man could be, considering he had lost the other half of his soul and most of his heart when fate had torn his wife away from him.


Or so he believed…until the day he rescued a mysterious woman in the park, a female who somehow had managed to reignite a part of him that he thought was long dead...
Suddenly, Max's protective, dominant, possessive male instincts flare to life, leaving him at a loss as to how lightning could possibly strike twice in one lifetime. Is he truly being given another chance at real happiness, or would it be dangled in front of him, only to be taken away once again?


Find out by reading The Billionaire’s Salvation, Book 3 in The New York Times Bestselling series, The Billionaire’s Obsession. This is a complete contemporary erotic romance novel with no cliffhangers!

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The Billionaire's Obsession Series:


1. The Billionaire's Obsession - The Complete Boxed Set (Simon and Kara)
2. Heart Of The Billionaire - The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Sam (Sam and Maddie)
3. The Billionaire's Salvation - The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Max (Max And Mia)
4. A Maine Christmas...Or Two
5. The Billionaire's Game - The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Kade (Kade and Asha)


The Billionaire's Game - The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Kade


With his professional football career over due to a tragic accident, billionaire Kade Harrison takes on the task of solving a mystery for his brother-in-law and friend, Max Hamilton. Without his former career to fill every minute of the day, Kade's looking for something to challenge him--now that he's lost the career that had meant everything to him. But what starts out as a simple favor soon becomes a whole lot more than he bargained for when the woman he's seeking slips away from him every time he gets close to finding her. When Kade does finally corner her, things start to get even more complicated. Asha Paritala is nothing like he expected, and the female he had tracked down as a favor for Max soon becomes a woman he wants for his very own, a woman who makes protective and highly predatory instincts he didn't know he had flare to life inside him. Kade soon discovers that he wants Asha's total surrender to the desire and passion that vibrates intensely between the two of them, but he also wants her trust, the one thing Asha's history makes it difficult for her to give. Can Kade convince her that some things are worth risking it all?


Caught between two worlds, Asha Paritala is homeless, broke and damaged from a life of abuse and neglect. Born of an American mother and an Indian immigrant father, Asha was raised as an Indian woman by a foster family after the death of her natural parents when she was little more than a baby. She's spent her entire life under the control of others until finally breaking free two years earlier, and she's determined to keep her freedom, even if it means she has to struggle to survive. But when she meets Kade Harrison, her resolve is tested. After Kade helps her through a bad situation, she finds herself beginning to trust Kade as she's never trusted a man before. Kade is everything she always thought a man should be, but can she lose herself in him completely when she knows she's damaged and confused. And is it really possible that she could be a lost sibling to two people like Max Hamilton and Maddie Hudson? Asha is tempted by the possibility of family, and the irresistible lure of a man like Kade Harrison. Can a woman caught between two cultures, so flawed and so backward, really reach out and take what she wants, or will the instinct to run from the pain of her past destroy the hope of happiness for her future?


Find out if two broken souls can heal each other in The Billionaire's Game, book 4 of The Billionaire's Obsession series!!


This is a complete novel with no cliffhangers. 18+ due to sexual situations and graphic language.

J.S. Scott is a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of erotic romance. She's an avid reader of all types of books and literature. Writing what she loves to read, J.S. Scott writes both contemporary erotic romance stories and paranormal romance erotics. They almost always feature an Alpha Male and have a happily ever after because she just can't seem to write them any other way! She lives with her husband in the picturesque Colorado Rockies.


Contact J.S Scott On Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/authorjsscott
Twitter - @AuthorJSScott

BLURB:

NY Times Bestselling Author, Lori Ryan, delivers the heart pounding suspense and heart soaring romance she's come to be known for in this three book/one novella set! With over 150 five star reviews for the books in the set and an average of 4.7 stars on the boxed edition, you're sure to fall in love with the Sutton Capital Series. And, at only 99 cents for a limited time, there's no excuse not to get caught up in time for the next book coming this year!

Legal Ease: A marriage-of-convenience that ends with hearts and lives on the line.

Penalty Clause: An unusual prenup is the only way for Andrew to win Jill's heart, but will he lose her anyway?

Negotiation Tactics: When well-meaning friends push Chad and Jennie together, Jennie ends up on the run from dangerous criminals...and her own heart.

Bonus novella, The Baker's Bodyguard: Jesse doesn't know if she'll ever have the courage to face the world again, until Zach comes along and holds her up, showing her just how strong she really is.

AUTHOR BIO:

Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romance with a twist of suspense. She lives with an extremely understanding husband, two wonderful children, two mostly-behaved dogs, and a lone little cat in Austin, Texas. It's a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn't change a thing.


EXCERPT from Baker's Bodyguard

He looked up in time to see Jesse slip into his room. She was clad in nothing but a sheer pink nightie that only reached the tops of her thighs. It left little to the imagination. Zach couldn’t seem to find his tongue as she walked toward him, all innocence and lace. He watched, stunned, as Jesse reached for the hem of the nightie and pulled it up, uncovering a world of treasure – all for him. The gorgeous creamy skin of her thighs; the little valleys between her hip and her stomach that he knew would be sensitive to his touch, making her squirm and moan under him. The soft, hot mound of curls covered only by a small pink scrap of fabric, so flimsy he could easily tear it off with his bare hands. Too shocked to question why she was here and what she was doing, Zach growled and lunged to reach for her. He reached out to pull her hot little body down onto his now very hard lap. Zach sat up with a start when the sweet lacy concoction he’d dreamed up evaporated in his arms. He was left with nothing but the empty feeling where Jesse had just seemed to be. That and an erection he could pound nails with. Groaning, he lay back on the bed. What the hell was I thinking? I can’t get through six months of this. But then Zach heard something else. It wasn’t an intruder. He’d rigged an alarm on the door to the penthouse, and that hadn't gone off. Plus, he knew these sounds. These were the sounds of someone checking. Monitoring with a hypervigilance wrought from anxiety and fear. The soft clicks as Jesse checked closets, locked and relocked doors, tore at Zach’s heart. He stood and joined her in the living room. She turned when she heard him, and he watched the embarrassment wash over her face. He knew the source. She hadn’t wanted him to know what she was doing. Zach put out his hand and took her smaller one in his. “Come on, sweetheart.” He almost winced as the endearment left his lips, but he kept a straight face for her. She wouldn’t know he had never called another client sweetheart. That he’d never crossed such a line in his professional life before. Get it together, Zach. “Let’s get you to bed.” Zach led Jesse into her bedroom and pulled back the covers. He tucked the blankets in around her and then turned the light off in her bathroom. She lay in bed, watching him with wide eyes. He checked her closet. Checked under her bed, because he knew she needed that for now. Then he grabbed the comforter she had tossed on the floor. He stretched out as much as he could on the armchair in the corner of her room and pulled the cover up then turned out the lamp next to him. “Good night, Jesse.” The room was silent for several minutes, and Zach began to think she’d fallen asleep. Then he heard a soft whisper come from her bed. “Thank you, Zach.” Fuck me.

Amazon buy link  
http://www.amazon.com/Sutton-Capital-Series-Boxed-Set-ebook/dp/B00IDRVHP4/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399307363&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=tton+series+lori+ryan

Marie Astor - SEARING LIES

Purchase Link

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Searing-Lies-Love-Power-Sin-ebook/dp/B00K40M50E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399288289&sr=8-1&keywords=searing+lies

Synopsis

As the only child of an industrial magnate, Allyson Roberts has it all: love, fortune, and a promising career. Her perfect life goes up in smoke when she sees her father’s name in the papers next to horrible accusations. In a blink of an eye she loses her fiancé, her employment, and her fortune. Just when she seems to have hit the bottom, Ally is recruited by an undercover agency that is interested in her skills. She takes the job with only one goal in mind: to clear her father’s name. Vengeance is the only thought on her mind as she convinces herself that her heart has no room for love–or does it?

A former top agent in his field, Jake Morrissey has inner demons he can’t put to rest. Now he bides his time as a training instructor. He’s sworn off women, but try as he might he can’t keep his eyes off Allyson Roberts. When he’s asked to partner up with Ally on a new assignment, Jake is tempted to end his retirement. Will he keep running from his fears or will he find the strength to become the man he once was?

Excerpt

Ally stepped off the bus and surveyed her surroundings. From watching the highway signs during the drive she knew that they were at the far end of Connecticut. The parking lot was surrounded with lush greenery. Several low-slung buildings comprised the compound: this could’ve been a bed and breakfast or a camping facility, but it wasn’t.

One by one the recruits filed out of the bus, breaking into small cliques that had formed during the bus ride. Their luggage had been unloaded next to the bus, but no one touched theirs, awaiting further instructions. Ally stood aloof, hoping that she wasn’t looking like an outcast. First impressions were important, and she was keenly aware that she wasn’t exactly succeeding in that department. Heather Darlington, the girl who had sat next to Ally during the bus ride, had ignored Ally the entire time, chatting instead with the two guys who sat across the aisle. Ally could have tried to join in, but she chose to spend the ride looking out the window instead. She wasn’t here to make friends anyway.

“Good morning, team.” A deep male voice brought them all to attention. “Welcome. I am Jake Morrissey and you may address me as Instructor Morrissey. I will be one of your instructors during your stay here.”

Ally focused her attention on the speaker. He wasn't anything she expected a training instructor to be. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. Six feet tall, with his muscular and trim body, he looked more like a model for GQ Magazine than a training instructor for an undercover agency. Not that Ally cared: as far as she was concerned she was off men indefinitely.

“Real work will begin tomorrow,” Morrissey continued. “You will have a busy schedule, so I suggest you use today to get settled and organized. As I call out your name, come up front to pick up your room assignment and orientation package.”

One by one Ally’s teammates were called. Jake shook their hands and handed them their assignment folders.

“Allyson Roberts.”

At the sound of her name Ally felt her knees tremble. She braced herself and walked towards Morrissey in what she hoped was a steady step.

“Welcome aboard, Allyson,” Jake Morrissey greeted her with an extended hand.

“Ally, everyone calls me Ally,” Ally blurted out as Jake’s warm, firm hand closed around hers.

A faint smile appeared on his lips. “Glad to have you aboard, Ally,” he said, his gray eyes locking with hers for one electrifying moment. “You’re in building C,” he added matter-of-factly.

“Thanks.” Ally grabbed the folder from him and hurried after the rest of the recruits. She could feel her face burning. Everyone calls me Ally? What the hell was she thinking? This wasn’t everyone, for crying out loud. This was her training instructor.

About The Author 

Marie Astor is New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. Marie is a die-hard romantic, which is why she loves writing romantic suspense and contemporary romance. In her spare time, Marie enjoys being adventurous out-of-doors. She often gets new story ideas while she is hiking up a mountain or trying to avoid bumping into a tree while skiing.

Marie loves hearing from readers and always answers all of her emails personally. Visit Marie at www.marieastor.com to learn more about Marie’s new book releases and events.

Books by Marie:

 

Love, Power & Sin Series

Searing Lies

Janet Maple Series

To Catch a Bad Guy

Catching the Bad Guy

Bad Guys Get Caught

Standalone Contemporary Romance Novels

This Tangled Thing Called Love

Lucky Charm

Smitten at First Sight

More books by Marie:

A Dress in a Window (a short story collection)

Over the Mountain and Back (a young adult fantasy adventure novel)

Links:

Website: www.marieastor.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marieastorcollection?ref=hl

Twitter: @marieastor

There is a Facebook event and twitter party to celebrate the release please hean on over 

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/events/238630676342613/?ref=5


Twitter
http://www.savingsforsanity.com/2014/04/marie-astor-searinglies-twitter-party_25.html

BLURB:

NY Times Bestselling Author, Lori Ryan, delivers the heart pounding suspense and heart soaring romance she's come to be known for in this three book/one novella set! With over 150 five star reviews for the books in the set and an average of 4.7 stars on the boxed edition, you're sure to fall in love with the Sutton Capital Series. And, at only 99 cents for a limited time, there's no excuse not to get caught up in time for the next book coming this year!

Legal Ease: A marriage-of-convenience that ends with hearts and lives on the line.

Penalty Clause: An unusual prenup is the only way for Andrew to win Jill's heart, but will he lose her anyway?

Negotiation Tactics: When well-meaning friends push Chad and Jennie together, Jennie ends up on the run from dangerous criminals...and her own heart.

Bonus novella, The Baker's Bodyguard: Jesse doesn't know if she'll ever have the courage to face the world again, until Zach comes along and holds her up, showing her just how strong she really is.

AUTHOR BIO:

Lori Ryan is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling author who writes contemporary romance with a twist of suspense. She lives with an extremely understanding husband, two wonderful children, two mostly-behaved dogs, and a lone little cat in Austin, Texas. It's a bit of a zoo, but she wouldn't change a thing.


EXCERPTS for Penalty Clause

Excerpt One:
And oh, what incredible flesh his was. Jill had guessed Andrew would be good looking as an adult, but good looking didn’t begin to describe the perfect model of manliness sitting before her. Jill casually let her eyes drop to his chest and was amazed at the hard expanse of it, evident under the snug fit of the sweatshirt he wore. Andrew’s jeans hugged lean hips and long legs and Jill suspected there wouldn’t be an ounce of fat under those clothes.
The soft, faded material of Andrew’s jeans tugged tightly acros
Jill watched Andrew over her mug, and made idle small talk with him about New Haven but her heart rate was going a mile a minute. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. That dirty blond hair that was just a tad too long. Scruffy chin and strong jaw. And, those eyes. Those eyes that that were so steamy and sinful, they made Jill feel like she could melt in a puddle at his feet if she didn’t look away.
Just last night Jill had wondered what Andrew would be like all grown up and here he was in the flesh as if her thoughts had conjured him out of thin air.
s his thighs as he raised his feet onto the rungs of his kitchen stool. Jill swallowed a groan and dragged her eyes away from his lap. Except her gaze caught on other parts of his lap as she tried to pull away and she couldn’t prevent the quick glance at his zipper or the imagined images of what lay beneath it.

Excerpt Two:

“Nora asked me what my intentions toward you were. When I told her we were just spending time together, she told me you have a reputation for being – and I swear to you, I’m quoting here – ‘good in the sack.’ It was by far the most uncomfortable conversation I’ve ever had,” Jill said.
Andrew’s fork hung in midair as he stared, open mouthed at Jill, a horrified Of course she did. Who am I kidding? This is Nora we’re talking about.”

Jill just laughed as she watched Andrew try to process her conversation with Nora. “At least you didn’t have to sit there and figure out how to explain our relationship to her,” Jill said.
Andrew grinned at that. “‘Spending time together,’ huh?”
“I couldn’t think of any other way to tell her I was banging her grandson.” Jill blushed furiously as the frank colloquialism left her mouth. She picked up her wine glass and sipped to try to cover her embarrassment, but Andrew leaned in, moved the wineglass out of his way and kissed Jill soundly on the cheek.
“I like banging you, Jillie Walsh.”
Excerpt Three:

Jill settled back for the rest of the trip, leaning back in her seat and watching the road in front of them. They drove in silence for a while; the kind of comfortable silence that neither felt driven to break or fill simply for the sake of it. When Andrew spoke, his tone was serious for the first time in the trip.
“Do you still want it? Family? Love? Kids?” Andrew asked Jill.

Jill felt a kick in her gut at the question and measured her response. “I do. The only problem is that I no longer believe that love can be lasting and I can’t figure out a way around that. And, I know that Jake was an ass, at best,” Jill stopped and grinned at Andrew, acknowledging the reference to Jake’s ass-ness once again.
“But...” She took a shaky breath and continued, “When we got married, we were in love. It just died somewhere along the way. I honestly don’t know how I would trust in love again or trust that my husband wouldn’t leave again. I think I’d walk around waiting for the other shoe to drop all the time.”
Jill was quiet for a minute before she continued. “With Jake, I was so sure, so confident of our love and our marriage until one day I was completely blindsided. I don’t want to be blindsided like that again. I don’t think I could handle that.”

Becky McGraw Cover Reveal

Synopsis

Carrie Collins has been trying to hold it together for three years, since her husband Sean was killed in the line of duty during an undercover drug operation gone bad. If that and the mountain of bills she was left with weren't bad enough, her son becomes mixed up with the wrong crowd at school. Carrie feels like a failure as a mother, and does the only thing she can think of to fix things, she goes back to her parent's ranch.

 Her dead husband's best friend, the man accused, but later exonerated of, Sean's murder shows up at the ranch with his new wife and offers her a break from the kids and the craziness of her life. Carrie is reluctant to accept, but he won't take no for an answer. She goes to the R & R Ranch, but doesn't find relaxation there. What she finds is a tall, charismatic ex-rodeo cowboy who not only ties her emotions in more knots than his lasso, he wakes up her dormant libido.

 Carrie fights the attraction, because the last thing she needs is a man like Dylan Thomas in her life, a tumbleweed kind of guy who tells her in no uncertain terms he isn't looking for a relationship. She knows her kids deserve better and so does she. Her kids aren't there though, and the temporary fantasy he represents becomes too much to resist.

 Dylan Thomas wants nothing more than to return to competitive bull riding after an almost career-ending injury landed him at the R & R Ranch teaching rich greenhorns to ride bulls. A year and a half of catering to those wealthy snobs has him bored and restless, until a curvy brunette convinces him it might not be so bad to hang around for a little while longer.

 Carrie Collins takes hard to get to an olympic-class level though, and it takes everything in Dylan's bag of tricks to get close to her. When things finally heat up between them, he finds out there are a couple of things she hasn't told him about. Like the two kids she has who show up at the ranch, and the job she has accepted there.

 His temporary fling with the cute ranch guest suddenly gets a lot more complicated and permanent. Especially when former associates of her son turn up at the ranch demanding money she doesn't have. Dylan knows then he's borrowed a helluva lot of trouble he didn't need in his life by getting involved with her, but when the opportunity to leave presents itself, how can he leave her in danger?

Excerpt

The throaty rumble of a powerful engine reached Carrie Collins inside the barn and her eyebrows knotted.   She laid the saddle blanket back on the shelf, and dusted her hands on her jeans as she walked to the door.  Shielding her eyes, she looked at the road to see who was paying them a visit.   Maybe it was one of her mother’s friends from church, she thought, but then a slick, black motorcycle emerged from the trees onto the gravel drive leading up to the house and she realized she was very wrong.  Neither rider wore a helmet, both wore bandanas instead.  One rider was in black leather and the other in white. 

Concern shot through her, and Carrie considered going back inside to get the shotgun her daddy kept in the office, just in case, but the kids and her daddy were in the house.  He could see her from there and she knew he must hear the loud engine too.  She walked out of the barn to stand under the tree and wait for them to make it to the barn. 

The bike stopped, and the driver put down the kick stand.  He leaned down to fiddle with something at the side of the bike and she noticed the pattern on his bandana said Groom of Doom interspersed with hearts over crossed bones.  Cute,  but definitely not bad ass, she thought, feeling a little better about her mysterious visitors.  A man wouldn’t wear a bandana like that if he was a bad guy, would he?

From the curves the white leather suit hugged, it was obvious his passenger was a woman.  She swung her long leg over the back of the bike and stood.  Carrie squinted and made out that the wording on her white bandana that said Bitchin’ Bride.  The man on the front of the bike looked back up, and his sunglasses were gone.  Recognition hit her between the eyes and Carrie gasped.  “Trace…”

His jaw tightened, accentuating the scar on his left cheek, which he had to have gotten in prison.  Trace Rooks was still handsome as sin, but he looked rougher, tougher and much harder than he had when she saw him last in court.  When they convicted him of killing her husband, Sean.  Heat shot up her throat and gathered as pressure behind her eyes.  Trace hadn’t killed Sean, she reminded herself, shoving the old bitterness she’d lived with for three years away.  Sean’s other best friend, Seth Copeland, had not only killed Sean, he had set Trace up for the crime. 

Seth was in jail now, and Trace was free.   But it was obvious from the look in his haunted eyes that Trace wasn’t free at all.  Not any freer than she was.

The woman with him glanced at Trace, before quickly walking over to Carrie to extend her hand.  “I’m Ronnie Win—“ she started, then a fleeting smile curved her red lips.  She glanced back at Trace again, then corrected, “Ronnie Rooks.”

“That’ll take some getting used to,” Trace said with a laugh as he got off the bike and walked over to drape an arm around Ronnie’s shoulders.  “Ronnie and I got married in Vegas.”

Married?  Trace Rooks?  The man her husband said was a world-class player who would probably never get married was married to none other than the Shark Lady.  The woman who had represented him during his trial, and recommended a plea deal that sent him to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.  At the time, Carrie thought the slick attorney was brilliant, that she would get him off scot free.  To Carrie, even the three year sentence the judge handed down was pretty damned close to getting him off scot free.  But Trace evidently thought otherwise, because on his way out of the courtroom he had threatened to strangle this woman.  And now they were married. Unbelievable. 

Her eyes locked with the woman beside Trace and Ronnie Rooks full red lips curved to spotlight her perfect white teeth.  Carrie ran her hand over her own hair, which she’d done nothing to except pull back in a haphazard ponytail that morning.  She hadn’t worn makeup since Sean died three years ago, so she knew she must look a mess in comparison to the striking woman. 

“Wow,” was all Carrie could push past her frozen vocal chords.

Trace hugged Ronnie to his side.  “The honeymoon is over and Ronnie has an election to win,” Trace informed with a surprising smile for the beautiful redhead. “But I wanted to stop by to check on you and the kids.  I’ve uh, been meaning to do that for a while.”

What Carrie wanted was to get Trace out of there.  His stopping by, or worrying about her at all was astonishing to her.  She was embarrassed at the nasty things she’d said to him at the courthouse as they led him off to jail.  Those words should have assured she would never see him again.  But here he was.  Typical Trace.  He never knew when to leave well enough alone.  Even though he’d been a player, he was a good man.  It was the reason he had been Sean’s best friend.  When someone needed help, Trace was always there.  He was the one who should be wearing the white leather suit. 

Well, Carrie didn’t want his chivalry or his concern. She’d been doing just fine on her own for three years now.  Seeing him just reminded her of Sean, dredged up old memories she had been trying to bury since her husband died.  The kids would feel the same.  Chris and Izzy had enough problems right now, and so did she.

Carrie sucked in a breath and forced a smile.  “Oh, that’s sweet, Trace, but I’m fine—”

His eyes narrowed.  “It’s obvious that you’re not fine, Carrie,” he grated.  “Seth might be an asshole, but he didn’t lie about what was going on with you.  You moved out here because the kids were out of control, and you lost your house.  I want to help you, if you’ll let me.”  Trace’s eyes fell to her left hand, and Carrie hid it behind her back.  “It’s been three years since Sean died, and you’re still wearing your wedding ring?” he asked incredulously.

Because in her mind she was still married to him. The man she had dated in high school then married when she was eighteen had been the love of her life.  Yeah, they’d had their problems, but Carrie knew Sean would always be there for her.  Unless he was working, which he did most of their married life.  Or he did something stupid.  Like get himself killed. 

Anger and grief warred inside of her and Carrie spun the ring around her finger with her thumb.  Trace Rooks of all people knew how much she loved Sean, how much he had meant to her.  He had been Sean’s best friend and the best man at their wedding.  Him questioning her about still wearing her ring, like she didn’t have a right to do that, pissed her off.  She didn’t owe him or anyone else any explanations about how she handled her grief.  “I don’t want any help,” Carrie said firmly. 

His arm fell from around Ronnie’s shoulder, and his hands clenched into fists at his side.  “Well that’s too damned bad, you’re getting it,” he said taking a step toward her.  It’s the summer, so the kids are out of school right?”

Carrie’s neck rocked back on her shoulders to meet his eyes.  What the hell did that matter?  “Yeah, they’re out of school.  Why?”

“You ever hear of the R & R Ranch?” Trace asked.

Ranch?  That place was a spa for rich people who were looking for adventure.  Not somewhere she would ever visit in this lifetime.  “Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

“The owner is a friend of Ronnie’s and we’ve made arrangements for you to go there for a week.  You need a damned break.  Ronnie and I will keep Chris and Izzy for the week,” he said.  The woman beside him gasped, and Trace glared down at her, before looking back at Carrie.  “I want to see them anyway.”

Before Sean’s death, Trace had been a fixture in her kid’s life.  She had tried to shield them from the ugliness of the murder trial, because they considered him an uncle, but Chris knew.   She couldn’t keep him away from the television when the trial was going on.  The more he watched behind her back, the angrier and more withdrawn he became.  Carrie hadn’t had a chance to talk to her son since Trace had been cleared.  “Um, that’s probably not a good idea.”

“Why the hell not?  I want to talk to him.”

Carrie didn’t miss the hurt in Trace’s tone.  He loved her kids as much as Sean had, but they didn’t feel the same now.  Because Carrie hadn’t had time to talk to them.  “Chris doesn’t know you’ve been cleared,” she admitted looking away.

“Why haven’t you told him?” he demanded.

Carrie heard the unmistakable sound of a pump shotgun being racked and spun toward the barn door.  Her tall, lanky thirteen-year-old son stood there with her father’s shotgun to his shoulder, eyeing down the sight at Trace. 

“Get out of here murderer,” he growled trying to sound fierce, but his voice trembled.

Fear shot to her throat.  Carrie swallowed it down and tried to force calm into her tone, “Chris, put the shotgun down.”

It was true.  Chris was out of control, but she had no idea how to help him.  Counselors hadn’t worked, suspension from school for smoking pot hadn’t worked, grounding for the summer hadn’t worked.  Moving away from the nasty group of friends he’d been hanging out with at the old house hadn’t worked.  Carrie was afraid he was going to end up dead or in jail if she didn’t do something.  She just didn’t know what to do.  He needed a man in his life, a good man other than her father who was just too old to deal with teenagers any more.

Trace stepped forward and spread his arms.  “Shoot me,” he invited and Ronnie and Carrie gasped at the same time.  “If it will make you feel better and you think it will bring your daddy back, just do it, kid.  I loved him too, and I love you.”

Carrie thought Trace must’ve lost his mind.  The gun shook in Chris’s hand, and she thought he might do accidentally shoot him.  Trace was even bolder though, he showed no fear as he took a step around her, then another toward Chris.  Carrie saw Chris’s eyes fill, but his grip on the gun got tighter.  His finger moved into the well of the trigger.

“I love you, Chris.  I want to help you,” Trace said taking another step toward him.  “I didn’t kill your daddy.”

“They sent you to jail.  You killed him!” Chris said in a higher voice.

“Seth Copeland killed him,” Trace countered taking another step toward him.  “Ask your mother,” he said gruffly shooting a glare over his shoulder at Carrie.

“It’s true, honey,” Carrie said with a waver in her voice.  “He’s in jail, and Uncle Trace has been cleared.  It was all a mistake.” 

Chris swung his eyes toward her, then back to Trace. The barrel of the gun lowered a few inches, and his shoulders relaxed a little.  Carrie’s did too, but Izzy picked that moment to run around the side of the barn yelling her brother’s name.  Chris tensed again and swung the gun in Izzy’s direction.  Carrie screamed, Ronnie gasped, and as if in slow motion, Trace shot forward to tackle him around the waist.  The gun exploded and Carrie squeezed her eyes shut, because she just couldn’t look.  Her ears rang as the sound reverberated through the trees, and she prayed that she hadn’t just lost her daughter too.

About Becky McGraw

Becky McGraw is a married mother of three adult children, and a Southern girl by birth and the grace of God, ya'll. She resides in South Texas with her husband and dog Abby.

A jack of many trades in her life, Becky has been an optician, a beautician, a legal secretary, a senior project manager for an aviation management consulting firm, which took her all over the United States, a real estate broker, and now a graphic artist, web designer and writer.  She knows just enough about a variety of topics to make her dangerous, and her romance novels interesting and varied. Being a graphic artist is a good thing for her too, because she creates her own cover art, along with writing the novels.

Becky has been an avid reader of romance novels since she was a teenager, and has been known to read up to four novels of that genre a week, much to the dismay of her husband, and the delight of e-book sellers.

She has been writing fictional short stories and novels for fun, as well as technical copy for her jobs for many years. She was a member of the Writer's Guild on AOL, as well as a founding member and treasurer of the first online chapter of the Romance Writers of America, From the Heart Romance Writers. Currently, she is a PAN member of RWA and a general member of FTHRW.

You can find Amazon Bestselling Author Becky McGraw at: 

http://www.beckymcgraw.com/

beckymcgrawbooks@gmail.com 

facebook.com/beckymcgrawbooks

Texas Trouble Series by Becky McGraw:

Book #1 - My Kind of Trouble (Cassie & Luke) 

Book #2 - The Trouble With Love (Sabrina & Cole)

Book #3 - Double the Trouble (Karlie & Gabe)

Book #4 - Looking for Trouble (Jess & Wade)

Book #5 - Trouble in Dixie (Katie & Tommy)

Book #6 - Asking for Trouble (Jazzie & Beau)

Book #7 - Chasing Trouble (Jenny & Chase)

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