BOOK BLITZ W/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE (Jackson Family Distillery, #4) by Mariah Ankenman

Head Over Heels In Love

Jackson Family Distillery, #4

by Mariah Ankenman

Publication date: May 8th 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

BLURB

Catching a woman breaking into his car was not the way Ace Jackson wanted to start his day. Finding out she’s the new hire at his family’s distillery is even worse. Sure, she said she mistook his car for her’s, but there’s something about Millie he doesn’t trust. Too bad all his siblings vetoed his vote. What’s the point of being the oldest if you don’t get to be in charge?

Millie Danes told the grumpy Adonis she wasn’t breaking into his car, but did he believe her? No! The guy has a stick up his butt bigger than the pine trees gracing the Rocky Mountains. Unfortunately, he’s her new boss or she’d try and see if she could melt that icy exterior. But she has more on the line than a job, she needs funds to start her dream. Her very own aerial studio.

When a theft is discovered at work, Ace enlists Millie’s help as a spy in exchange for the money to build her dream. Their tentative truce becomes complicated when desires fan the flames of temptation. In the battle of love, who will fall first?

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EXCERPT

“Millie!”

Her shouted name came from beyond the swinging door. Irritation rose, winning the war over guilt as she quickened her pace. “Ugh, coming!”

She pushed through the door into the back, muttering to herself. “Get your boxers out of a bunch you grumpy asshole. It was five damn seconds.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ace demanded the second the door stopped swinging.

“Well, I was working, until you pulled me back here to yell at me like an angry schoolmarm.”

Confusion drew his brow down. “What the…never mind. How is pulling some dangerous stunt and almost breaking your fool neck working? Last time I checked this was a bar, not some ridiculous stunt show.”

That was it. She knew the guy was her boss, but he was being a giant dick. No one talked to her that way.

“First of all, I wasn’t about to break anything. Before you rushed in and grabbed me—”

“Saved you.”

She arched one eyebrow in disbelief. “Is that what you thought you were doing? Saving the helpless damsel in distress? I got news for you buddy. I have been bottle-walking for years. I know how to fall from the bottles safely. Provided some jackass doesn’t grab me off them and tweak my back.”

His angry demeanor disappeared in an instant. Ace took a step forward, eyes scanning her body as his voice softened. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

Shocked by the sudden switch—and his concern—she shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”

The sudden grab had surprised her and put her off kilter, but he hadn’t injured her back.

He glanced into her eyes, stealing her breath as she saw the unmasked worry filling them. Wow. Who knew Mr. Ice had feelings?

“Really, Ace,” she said gently, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m okay.”

He glanced down at her hand on his arm. The air in the room thickened. A rush of heat filled her. A bolt of electricity shot through her body, her fingers tingling against his warm skin. She quickly pulled her hand back, clenching it into a fist and placing it behind her.

What the hell was that?

Pushing the moment away, Millie cleared her throat. “I know how to fall safely off the bottles. I promise you I would have been fine.”

Ace shook his head, blinking a few times before the angry scowl returned to his face. “Why the hell were you on top of those bottles in the first place? We pay you to work, Millie. Not goof around.”

And there went all her warm fuzzy feelings for this man. Jeeze, it was like Jekyll and Hyde with him.

“I was working.” She lifted onto her toes, still not high enough to be eye to eye with the Grumpy Green Giant. Lifting a finger, she poked him in the chest. “If you take a peek out that door you will see.”

Ace glanced down at her finger, raising a brow when he looked back up at her.

Maybe poking her boss wasn’t the best idea, but he was being a jerk, and she didn’t like to be pushed around. Especially not when she was making him a ton of money.

“Look,” she huffed, flopping back onto flat feet and pushing the door open a crack. “See all those people rushing to get the new drink special? I did that. It’s called creative marketing.”

Ace leaned over her. His chest pressing against her back, the heat radiating off his body nearly suffocating her with its warm, intoxicating scent. Dammit! Why did he have to be so hot? Normally it didn’t matter how attractive a person was, if they were an ass, she wasn’t attracted to them. Her body didn’t get that memo with Ace. Didn’t matter. Wasn’t like she was going to do anything about it.

 

Author Info

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her.

Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books visit her website www.mariahankenman.com

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BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE by Mariah Ankenman

Can’t Help Falling In Love

by Mariah Ankenman

Publication date: February 13th 2025

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

BLURB

Growing up with three brothers, Charlie Jackson had to be tough. Some might call her the B word, but she simply defends those who need it. Unfortunately, not everyone sees her protection as defense. Like the judge who ordered her to take anger management classes after she messed up her jerk ex’s car. Not a problem, a few months pretending to listen to a bunch of people talk about accessing feelings should go down as smooth as the vodka her family makes at their distillery.

Luc Woolf knows all about harboring anger at the world. Growing up with a father who liked the bottle more than his family, he suffered his fair share of rage. But he gave up that emotion long ago when he realized anger did nothing but make a person miserable. These days, he keeps a cool head and helps others process their emotions as a therapist. However, when he volunteers to moderate an anger management course, he meets the one person who tests his careful control, Charlie Jackson.

The two couldn’t be more at odds, but they can’t deny the scorching heat between them. This bad girl wants to show this good boy how much fun breaking the rules can be. After all, opposites attract. But when the struggles of real life interrupt their fun times, will their differences pull them apart or bond them together?

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EXCERPT

Luc Woolf sat at the table, a smart-ass grin ticking up the corner of his mouth. “We have to stop meeting like this.”

The smooth, deep voice washed over her like silk. She would not laugh at his ridiculous attempt at humor. But damn it all, she felt the curve of her lips as a smile she couldn’t seem to stop, turned them up.

“Damn small towns.”

He chuckled. “I thought you owned a bar?”

“I do.”

“But you’re a server on the side?” He tilted his head. “There a large abolition following in Kismet I’m not aware of?”

“No. The distillery does great. So great in fact that we expanded into a restaurant. One of the servers had an emergency and needed her shift covered.”

Dark brows rose. “And the boss filled in?”

“We’re a family run establishment.” She shrugged. “It’s what you do when your family needs help. You help.”

Something passed through his eyes. Respect. She had no idea why, but it made a warm fuzzy feeling rise in her stomach. Luc seemed to understand and even applaud her actions of the evening. Stupid. She didn’t give a rat’s ass what he thought.

Then why was her heart suddenly racing?

“So,” he grabbed his menu again, breaking the moment. “What’s good here?”

“Everything. And I don’t just say that because I co-own the joint. Our chef is amazing. What do you like?”

“I’m not picky.”

He said that, but they were half an hour away from Denver. Hipster central. Trends took off like wildfire in the city and spread like the plague to the small tourists’ towns like Kismet. Currently they’d had to accommodate everything from Paleo to gluten free patrons. She had no problem catering to a customer who had a food allergy, but she really hated the bandwagon eaters who fussed and complained because they were strictly gluten free and then ordered a piece of cheesecake with graham cracker crust.

“No allergies? No weird fad diets?”

“Do I look like I do fad diets?” He arched one eyebrow.

No, he did not. In fact, the man looked like he ate steel for breakfast and iron for dinner. A dark V-neck sweater clung tight to his chest revealing just a hint of chest hair. The sleeves were pushed up past his elbows, revealing tightly muscled forearms. Damn, had she ever found forearms sexy before? She did tonight.

“A meat and potatoes kind of guy?” Her mouth felt too dry. She swallowed, trying for the life of her to find some saliva. “Our steak is amazing, but if you prefer fish, we have a great salmon with dill sauce.”

He held the menu in his fingers, but his gaze focused on her. “It all sounds amazing.”

Her breath caught in her throat, brain blanking. How did this guy render her speechless with just a look? It wasn’t fair. No one should be that sexy.

“Um, yeah. It is.” Clever Charlie. “What can I bring you?”

He placed the menu at the edge of the table, eyes never leaving hers. “You pick.”

“What?”

“You own the place. You know what’s best. You pick something for me.”

Shaking herself out of whatever weird fog she’d been in, she laughed. “You want me to pick your meal.” He nodded. Licking her lips, she placed her hand on the table and leaned down. “How do you know I won’t poison you?”

He wasn’t exactly her favorite person, and she’d made no bones about it. He leaned toward her until they were inches apart. She could smell the sharp mint of his breath, feel its warmth on her lips and cheeks. Her blood began to heat, heart racing in her chest. This was ridiculous! She should not react this way to a man who’d done nothing but annoy the crap out of her since the moment she ran into him.

“You do need me to sign off on your anger management course. If I suddenly die after eating at an establishment you own it might look pretty sketchy to the judge,” he said the words in a teasing tone, the dimple in his cheek catching her eye at his wide grin.

Laughter bubbled out of her. “True. Plus, it’d be a shame to poison all that sexy.”

The moment the words left her mouth she wanted to shove them back in.

Surprise lifted his brow. “You think I’m sexy?”

Embarrassment flooded her, so she did what she always did when she felt insecure. She pushed away from the table, crossing her arms over her chest, and brought out her trademark sarcasm. “Don’t fish for compliments. You own a damn mirror.”

He grinned, leaning back in his chair. “You’re not so bad yourself, Charlie.”

 

Author Info

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her.

Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books visit her website www.mariahankenman.com

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BOOK BLITZ -CONTEMPORARY - SOMEBODY TO LOVE (Jackson Family Distillery, #2) by Mariah Ankenman

Somebody To Love

Jackson Family Distillery, #2

by Mariah Ankenman

Publication date: September 19th 2024

Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

BLURB

Penny Williams is a lot of things; intelligent, shy, socially awkward, but the one thing she wants to be most is a mother. Unfortunately, she’s never been very lucky in the dating world. Men rarely go for quiet nerds, but that won’t stop her. Being an independent woman of the 21^st century, she decides to forgo traditional methods of baby making and try for a medical option. Only, she doesn’t want a random donation. She knows the perfect candidate. The only problem? It’s her best friend.

Bravo “BJ” Jackson would do anything for his best friend, but her latest request has him stumped. He knows Penny would make a great mom. Problem is, he never imagined himself as a dad. She says she wants nothing from him except his little swimmers. The real question is can he step away from a child who would technically be a part of him?

She promises nothing between them will change. But life gets complicated when they discover hidden feelings for each other that go beyond friendship. This deal could destroy what they have. Or it could reveal that what they really want has been in front of them the whole time.

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EXCERPT:

“Hey, BJ.”

“Hey, BJ. You send me a 911 text, took forever to answer your door and all I get is a Hey BJ?”

Her brow furrowed. Nose wrinkling. The small, upturned tip rising even higher. “I didn’t take forever.”

Felt like it to him. Every damn second had stretched into an eternity as he hauled ass over here. The worst of the worst running through his mind. Placing a hand on the door, he pushed slightly. Penny automatically stepped back, allowing him entrance. Once inside her house, he headed straight for the living room. The sound of the door closing, and her soft footsteps followed him.

Normally he’d sit on her couch, make himself at home, maybe turn on the TV. Tonight, he didn’t do any of those things. He stood in the middle of her living room and turned to face her. “Penny, what is going on?”

Long, thin fingers tapped against her thigh. “Um…well, you see, the thing is…do you want to sit?”

No, he didn’t want to fucking sit. He wanted to know what the hell was wrong with his best friend. Crossing his arms over his chest, he remained where he was.

“Right, okay, no sitting. Um, I…kind of need…oh! How rude of me. I haven’t offered you a drink, or are you hungry? I bet you’re hungry. I can make you a sandwich. I got those bread and butter pickles you like and—”

“Penny!” The woman was killing him. He reached out, grabbing her wrist in a firm, yet soft grip before she could turn tail and run off to the kitchen. Tugging on her arm, he gently pulled her to him. “I don’t need anything except for you to tell me what’s wrong.”

She tucked her chin into her chest, refusing to look him in the eye. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Bullshit.”

At that, her face rose. He rarely swore around her, but he was done playing or whatever the hell they were doing. Something had been bothering her for days. He knew it, knew her. He’d tried to let it go, allow her to come to him in her own time, but he was tired of waiting. Tired of her almost coming out with it, then retreating into herself. They were friends, dammit, best friends. She didn’t get to hide her problems. Not from him. Not when he could help.

“Please.” He brought his hands up, cupping her face, stroking the soft skin in a soothing manner. “Tell me what you need.”

“I need your sperm.”

His hands fell from her face. Shock dropping his hold. Hazel eyes grew impossibly wide as she blurted out words he’d never imagined coming from her lips. His brain tried to come up with something, anything, but surely, he’d misheard her. Penny couldn’t have possibly asked him for his sperm. Had she?

“I…what?”

A loud groan left her pink lips. Stepping out of his touch, she brought up her own hands to cover her face. He thought he heard her let out a muffled scream, but he couldn’t be sure of anything his ears were hearing tonight.

Dropping her hands, she turned and paced back and forth across the living room floor. “Okay, remember a while ago when we were talking about me wanting to be a mom, but being too socially awkward to attract any kind of decent man—”

“You mean you being awesome and the entire male species being too stupid to realize it?” Ableists fucks. He knew a lot of Penny’s relationship woes came from her partners not bothering to understand autism or even trying to learn more about it.

She waved away his sentiment, continuing, “Anyway, I was remembering your offer and—”

“Wait, wait, what offer?”

She stopped pacing and turned to face him. “Remember, we were talking about how adoption wouldn’t work, and you suggested I use, um, some guy’s stuff and then said I could even have yours?”

His jaw literally dropped. He would even swear he heard it crack. “Penny…I was…I didn’t mean…I didn’t realize you were serious about it.”

She lifted her chin. “Well, I am, and I really want the second set of DNA to come from you.”

He’d sampled too much of the latest gin batch and was currently passed out in the office having a wild, booze induced dream. That could be the only explanation for what was currently going on because there was no way he stood here, in the middle of Penny’s apartment, talking about her need for his sperm. Nope. No way in hell. This was all some weird, messed up gin fever, and he’d be paying for it in the morning with a hangover from hell.

 

Author Info

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious children and loving spouse who is her own personal spell checker when her dyslexia gets the best of her.

Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books. To learn more about Mariah and her books visit her website www.mariahankenman.com.

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - Daemon Deception (Daemon Series, #2) by Mariah Ankenman

Daemon Deception

Daemon Series, #2

by Mariah Ankenman

Date of Publication: March 3^rd 2018

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press

Cover Artist: Debbie Taylor

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Tagline: Who do you trust when those closest betray you?

 

BLURB

As a witch, and one of the smartest scientists around, Celia’s job is to help the Enforcers defeat evil. Her latest task is to decipher the new language of the Kakodaemons. It should be easy, but she finds it nearly impossible with the demanding, frustratingly attractive council head breathing down her neck.

Euadaemon Damien has been called tough, but he’s tasked with protecting the innocent and war is brewing. He recruits Celia Dahl. Though he needs her brain, he finds much more about the sexy woman appealing.

As they work together, they find themselves engaged in more than just a working relationship. But even those closest can hide dark deceptions. Celia and Damien discover sacrifices must be made if there is hope for humanity and love.

Buy Links:

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Excerpt:

“What do you need?” he asked, once he reached her side, bag in hand.

“There’s a vial inside. A potion I made to lessen the effects of the blood curse. I took one before I broke the spell, but I’m not sure it did much good.”

As horrible as her wounds were, he suspected her potion did help. If Racine’s account was accurate, the blood curse could have been a lot worse. “This?” He held up a glass tube with blue liquid inside, so bright it almost glowed in the dark room.

“Yes,” she panted, clearly in pain. “Pour it directly onto my wounds.”

He hesitated. “Will it hurt?”

She managed a small shrug. “It can’t hurt any worse than it does now.”

If he ever discovered the Sorcerer who created this blood curse, he would put him or her in the ground. After he made them bleed, a lot. Removing the stopper, he tipped the vial over her wounds. The blue, shimmering potion dropped into the deep gashes and started to bubble. Celia sucked in a sharp breath.

“Does it hurt?”

She giggled. “No. It tickles.”

Odd, but better than hurting. If he had his way, Celia would never feel any pain again.

He watched in amazement as the potion bubbled and sparked. Before his eyes, her wounds started to shrink. The skin began to knit itself together. In just a few short minutes, those deep, raw cuts reduced to three long, thin scars. The skin remained red and tender, but the wounds had closed.

“Wow.”

“Did it work?”

“Baby, you are one amazing Witch.”

A smiled tipped her lips as her cheeks tinged a tempting pink. She rolled to her side, then winced and rolled back.

“Well, it’s better. That’s a start. I guess I’ll have to sleep on my stomach tonight.” She frowned and he found the expression adorable. “I hate sleeping on my stomach. I can never fall asleep that way. It’s so uncomfortable.”

He stood and started to unbutton his shirt.

“Damien?”

He didn’t answer, just continued to undress until he was down to his boxers. Then he slipped into bed with her and pulled her onto his chest.

“There. Better?”

She buried her face in his chest. “Much.”

Careful of her back, he wrapped his arms around her and immediately realized his mistake. Celia was naked. He’d removed her clothes himself, but had been too distracted by her wounds to notice or appreciate her nudity. He noticed it now. Silky, soft flesh pressed against every inch of his body. Her firm breasts smashed against his chest, and he felt her nipples begin to harden. One leg draped across his groin, moving slowly back and forth. Yeah, he noticed all right. If the rising tent in his boxers was any indication, he appreciated it, too.

Buy Links:

Amazon      The Wild Rose Press

 

Author Info

RWA® Golden Heart® Nominated author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving husband who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes.

Since 2016 Mariah has published seven books and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon. Whether she’s writing hometown heroes or sexy supernaturals, Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books.

 

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with Mariah Ankenman . . .

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

My writing style infuses a lot of humor, sizzle, and heart. I have a background in playwriting so my stories are always very character heavy.  They might be fighting evil and taking down bad guys, but the heart of the story is always the characters.

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally for you?

I feel it is a bit of both. I have two kids at home so I have to stick to a pretty strict writing process, but I always allow change to happen if it needs to.

Do you have a character that you have been working on for a long time that still isn't quite ready, but fills you with excitement to work on the story?

If you could spend one-week with 5 fictional character, who would they be?

Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series,

Brin Ohmsford from the Wishsong of Shannara,

Rachel Morgan from the Hollows series,

Willow Rosenberg from Buffy and

Kenzi Malikov from Lost Girl.  So much kickass female power!

Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere? What would you do with this time?

I would go to a remote cabin in the woods near a river and just write, write, write.

Can you share you next creative project(s)? If yes, can you give a few details?

Right now I’m finishing up the final edits on Daemon Reckoning the third book in the Daemon series. This book deals with the continued fight against the Kako’s and the High Master. It is Racine and Krista’s story and I had so much fun writing it.

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