Showing posts with label The Wild Rose Press. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Wild Rose Press. Show all posts

Monday, March 9, 2026

SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - YA FANTASY ADVENTURE - A SEA OF SHIPS AND SOULS by Jordan S. Keller

A Sea of Ships and Souls
by Jordan S. Keller
Date of Publication: March 9th 2026
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Adventure 
ISBN: 978-1509264612
ASIN: B0GBY23QNF
Number of pages: 242
Word Count: 83,000
Tagline: A Dread Pirate’s curse. A Sea Sprite’s secrets. And one boy who dares the tides.


BLURB
As the son of two washers, Jace Kit has only dreamed of adventure—until a fabled Sea Sprite washes ashore and turns his world upside down.

The Sea Sprite needs a hero to save the Ocean Queen from a ruthless pirate terrorizing the Remos Ocean. With a legendary trinket and handmade boat to his name, Jace is her only hope—even though he knows the trinket is fake.

With Jace's skilled sailing and the Sea Sprite’s magic, the pair enters a competition to win a ship capable of catching the pirate. The only thing darker than the depths are the Sea Sprite’s secrets, and Jace realizes too late his adventure might cost a price too high to pay.

Wild Rose Press      Amazon     BN     Indie Bound     Walmart


Excerpt:

The cove was calm when Jace arrived. The horrors carried in by the damaged ship were washed away with the tides overnight. The clear waters took Jace’s breath away, as it did every time, and for a moment, he forgot his purpose for coming. Legends told of angry Sea Sprites luring sailors into the water and returning their skulls to empty offering bowls. Their mystic lullabies compelling sailors to leap headfirst off their ships.
It wouldn’t take a magic song to lure Jace. He’d followed the stunning refraction of water and sky without question. Without hesitation. Without regret. The compass needle in his soul never wavered from the water, his true north.

Jace stepped toward the shore, his leather boots sinking into the sand and his gaze unwavering from the water. I’ll stop at the waterline, he reminded his body. His soul pouted at the refrain, and his legs stopped an inch from the foamy wave cresting the sand. As the wave pulled back into the ocean, the distance returned some sense to Jace. He couldn’t walk himself into the middle of the ocean without risking ruining his boots, which his parents worked hard to get him. Nor could he get far enough into the cove with just his legs to satisfy his hunger.






Author Info
Jordan S. Keller is the award-winning author of the Ashes Over Avalon superhero trilogy, the cyber-punk dystopian Failing Gravity, and oceanic adventure A Sea Of Ships and Souls. She is a type-one diabetic, a serial dog walker, and is impatiently waiting for her favorite bands to visit. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and their critters. 

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . Jordan S. Keller . . . 


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

I believe writing (or story telling) was ingrained in me at a young age. I spent a lot of evenings sitting around bonfires and kitchen tables listening to the memories my family recounted. I loved finding stories within my favorite songs and fell asleep each night day dreaming about my own imaginary words. In college, I fell in love with the campus radio program because I was able to meet so many interesting people and hear their stories. I don’t think becoming an author surprised anyone.  



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?

Rory is a character that has haunted me for years. I’ll write a couple of pages about him every few months but can’t figure out where to place him. Sometimes he’s stealing space ships, other times he’s a casino mob boss, one time he was a girl and was in a magical high school. I see him so clear in my mind but can’t seem to figure out his world just yet.

 

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so, which one(s)?

The main character in my superhero romance trilogy, Ashes Over Avalon, is the woman I wish I could be. Fire powers and cool costume aside, Abigail is confident, unafraid to chase her dream, and powers through any obstacle. Whenever I’m struggling with something, I’ll look in the mirror and ask myself, “What would Abigail do?” 


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

Nothing is official yet, but I’m in the early drafting stages of a project close to my heat: Project: Ghost Kid. It’s a young adult paranormal novel featuring a skeptic, a non-believer, and a half ghost trying to infiltrate a secret society of ghost hunters.



If you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern, and spend one full year. Where would you go and what would you do with this time?

If I could go anywhere for a year, it would be Japan. I feel like you’d need a whole year just to truly see everything, but to be honest, I’d spend a lot of that time and money eating. I’d want to try every ramen bowl I could get my hands on.


Thank you Jordan S. Keller for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.

You can visit her online at: 
https://www.jordanskellerauthor.com/  
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089315640473
https://www.instagram.com/jordanskellerauthor
https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanskeller_author



Hosted by

Presented by

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

SPOTLIGHT - ROMANTASY - THE OATH OF BLOOD AND ROSES by C. M. Hano


The Oath of Blood and Roses
Hearts Of Dalaria, #1
by C. M. Hano
Date of Publication: May 6th 2024
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press 
Cover Artist: Lea Schizas 
Genre: Romantasy
ISBN: 9781509254347
ASIN: B0CW1JZGN4
Number of pages: 322 Word Count: 95,000
 
Tagline: Love was never part of the oath.


BLURB
Charming and arrogant, elite Ashana, Calian, has one serve his prince. He has never considered breaking his oath...until her.

Clover Celestia. The High Princess with a stubborn streak and a spark that incinerates his oath to ash. She’s nothing he expected and everything he needed.

Inch by inch, she slowly incinerates his defenses until he faces the truth—that all he wants is to mark his princess.

Because she’s his.

His goddess. His Fated.

Bound by the chains of her past, Princess Clover dreams of living freely. But when her parents are murdered, she’s suddenly thrust into a war she never knew existed.

As she navigates the choices—and betrayals—of her new role, she must also confront her desire for the man who forced her hand.

The Ashana. Her protector. Her Fated.

Unexpected and forbidden, theirs is a love that could destroy a realm... and doom them both.
Amazon     BN     Kobo     GoogleBooks     AppleBooks


Excerpt
My parents are dead. I can be free if I go with him. Even if it means being bound to him until death. Alma will be safe. She is brave, selfless, and I know she will take care of the kingdom. This was a chance for me to get away from here. I won’t give him the satisfaction of kissing me. I will learn who that shadow man was and why he killed my parents.
A sacred bond that can only be enacted by using blood magic. That confirmed the suspicion that magic had come back to the realm and our goddess will be reborn again. There was a lot I didn’t know about this oath, but what I knew was that once I agree to it, I won’t be able to lie to him, kill him, or betray our original vow. That was the full extent of my knowledge of this oath, but he didn’t know that.
“Blood oath,” I spat.
“This will hurt, which is why I preferred the kiss.” He held out his right hand and then ran his blade across his palm, then across my right. I didn’t wince, and I saw the flicker of amusement on his face. I have withstood far worse pain in much more sensitive places on my body.
“Intriguing,” he said.
“Chloe, you don’t have to do this,” Alma pleaded, reaching for my left hand.
“It’ll be all right,” I told her. I am not a ruler or leader. Mother burned any chance of that out of me the day she made the first cut. But Alma, she is. That is why my next order can be said so easily.
“Once we leave, you will assume the throne. Cancel the ball and inform the other kingdoms that the entire royal family is dead because of an unforeseen accident. This man will let me make an official document having you take the throne because of my death. This is an order and not a request.” Snagging my left arm, she turned me toward her.
“Don’t do this,” Alma begged. I jerked my arm from her grip, handed her the dagger, and then turned back toward the man.
“Get on with it.”
“As you wish.” We joined our cut palms, blood mixing, and then he pulled me into him.
One hand gripped my waist, and I felt the hardness of his body against me.
“Do we have to be this close?” I asked. Completely ignoring me, he began the oath, and my mouth filled with the flavor of magic as our joined palms burned.
“Under the rights of the Blood Oath, I swear we will leave your people unharmed if you come with me willingly and without complication. If you break this oath, your people will pay with their lives. Do you swear by it?”
Our gaze didn’t falter. “Under the rights of the Blood Oath, I swear to come with you willingly and without complications, and you will leave my people unharmed. If you break this oath, you and your people will pay with their lives.” It came out a lot easier than I thought it would.
“Sheathe your swords,” he ordered his men, our eyes still locked onto each other.
“Lower your weapons,” I ordered. “Leave these quarters and don’t follow us. Don’t come after me, if any of you disobey me, you will be executed.”
“Chloe.” Alma sounded defeated, and it broke my heart.
“Draw up a parchment willing the kingdom over to her and then stamp it with the royal seal,” I ordered the man.
“You heard her.” The entire time, our bloodied hands, bodies, and eyes never faltered from their positions. I knew he was trying to intimidate me into submission, but I have been through worse with Mother. Alma and the guards left the chambers. The man stepped back from me, our embrace broken, but not our eye contact. One of his men brought over the parchment. He examined the message, and then went over to my stationary and sealed it with the royal crest that belonged to me.
“Bring that to the one called Alma. We need to get going.” He then approached me. “You are a very brave woman.” He snapped his fingers and one of his men brought over some rope.
“Is that necessary? I just swore to you I wouldn’t escape.”

“I don’t want you getting any wicked ideas about stabbing me, Princess.”





Author Info
C. M. Hano is a Fantasy Romance Author who aspires to write strong female driven, hot and magical adventures, and being a good mother. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and three beautiful children.


The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . C. M. Hano . . . 

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

I haven't been asked this before, but I have been told that my writing style reminds readers of Anne Rice's. Given her immense talent, I take that as a compliment. I believe this similarity arises from my immersive writing approach. By that, I mean I create detailed scenes that allow readers to see the world through my main character's eyes. It’s like watching a movie in your head while also being the main character of that film. I tend to be quite detailed and use exposition more than I probably should.


Do you take your character prep to heart? Do you nurture the growth of each character all the way through to the page? 

When I am thinking about the characters of my story it is very important for me to figure out there family first. Are their parents alive or dead. Do they have siblings? Is there extended family. This helps me establish their backstory. How they grew up? Because in my honest opinion, I have to know about their parents relationship with them as well as with each other. I then figure out where they are in their life. Meaning, are they happy, sad, angry, lonely, anxious. Then why? What caused them to feel this way? 


Do you have a character that you have been working on that you can't wait to put to paper? 

Yes. I have a story I have been working on for about a year now. The story hasn’t started yet, but the plotting is nearly finished,d and I am getting super excited to get started.


What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year? 

My main writing/publishing goal for this year is to finally get a literary agent. More importantly, I would love to connect with more readers. A book deal would be amazing. All of this I am manifesting every day. 


If you could spend one-week with 5 fictional characters, who would they be and where would you spend that time? 

The five fictional characters would have to be as follows: 

  1. Dean Winchester from Supernatural, 
  2. Netyri from Avatar, 
  3. Mulan from Mulan, 
  4. Belle from Beauty & The Beast, 
  5. Evelyn O’Connell from The Mummy. 

We would likely all spend time in a library and gym so Evelyn, Belle, and I can learn how to fight from the other three. And these five fictional characters resonate with me on a personal level. 


 

Thank you C. M. Hano for giving a little insight to you. Your work is appreciated.
 

 



Hosted by

Presented by

Monday, March 3, 2025

BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE - CHASING SHADOWS by Cat Jameson

Chasing Shadows
by Cat Jameson
The Wild Rose Press
Publication date: March 3rd 2025
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Suspense




BLURB

Annie O’Toole is St. Louis Public Defender, passionate about fighting for the underdog and determined to prove herself as the badass trial lawyer she knows she can be. Getting assigned to defend the kid charged with shooting billionaire businessman, Michael Grayson, is a big step up for her career. At least until the hot guy she seduced at the Justice for All Ball shows up at her office in response to her deposition subpoena. Turns out the sexy stranger who introduced himself only as ‘Mick’, the guy she’s been fantasizing about since slipping away while he slept — is none other than the billionaire himself, Michael Grayson.

She’s horrified. He’s furious. He thinks she set him up. She thinks he’s an arrogant ass in a Savile Row suit. Sparks, intrigue, and bullets fly in a mix of swoon and suspense as the two battle each other, the bad guys, and an off-limits attraction neither can ignore. When the evidence leads back into Michael’s inner corporate circle, the two are plunged into a world of international intrigue, corporate espionage, and murder — with a side dish of unresolved family drama as Annie is forced to turn to the only expert in corporate intrigue she knows, her own uber-wealthy, estranged grandmother. Now all she has to do is solve the case, escape her grandmother’s plans to take over her life (again), and save her client, her career, and the man whose lifestyle she despises . . . and whose touch she can’t forget.

Goodreads

Amazon


EXCERPT

Michael wouldn’t have been surprised to see actual sparks flashing from her fingertips, given the effect of her touch on his skin. He pulled her against him, his hands sliding down over her hips to cup her ass, drinking in the feel and smell of her. But without her heels, she barely reached the middle of his chest. He grabbed her hand and led her to the bed.

“Climb up,” he ordered. “I want you at eye level.”

She laughed. “I’m not that short.”

He wrapped a fist in her tousled curls and pulled her to him. Bending his mouth to her ear, he sunk his teeth into her earlobe. She jumped.

“Get on the damn bed,” he whispered into her ear.

She scrambled onto the bed.

“Much better,” he murmured.

He ran his hands up her thighs until his fingers brushed the tiny swath of lace beneath the shimmering fabric of her dress. She inhaled sharply as he slid his fingers between the lace and the silk of her skin. He loved the way her breath hitched at his touch. He slid the lace slowly down her legs.

“I think you just stole my turn,” she breathed, her palms on his shoulders as she stepped out of the thong.

“Royal prerogative. The prince makes the rules— and can change them.” He let the lace fall to the floor and ran his fingers lightly back up her legs, enjoying the subtle shifting of her body in response to his touch.

“Don’t princesses get to make rules too?” she murmured, her eyes closed. “Or am I Cin—”

He pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting her off mid-syllable. “Sin is exactly what you are…temptation incarnate.”

Her lips curved. “My, you do credit me with extraordinary powers.”

He brushed his lips beneath her earlobe. “How would you feel about turning those extraordinary powers over to me for the night?”

She opened her eyes. It appeared to take a bit of an effort. “Hmm?”

“Are you amenable to being my royal subject for the night?”

She stilled. A beat of silence stretched between them.

“Depends on what you mean. Are we talking ‘safe word’ kind of subject?” she finally asked.

He smiled. “No safe word required.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that because you are the serial killer I suspected and I’m going to die no matter what?”

He clicked his tongue. “Damn. Shouldn’t have used my credit card to pay for this room. What was I thinking?” His hands moved to her waist, and he kissed the hollow of her neck. “Looks like I’ll have to let you survive the night after all.” He traced a slow finger down to where her cleavage disappeared in the fabric of her dress. She shivered. His pulse kicked up a beat.

“So?” he asked again.

She shot him a half-apologetic look. “I’m not a very compliant person.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Ah, but that’s what makes it interesting. Stepping out of your comfort zone heightens the experience.” His fingertip slowly circled first one nipple, then the other, through her dress.

Her eyes fluttered closed. “You make it really hard to think straight.”

He stepped back, lifting his hands up in the air. “Far be it from me to confuse the decision-making process. Take all the time you need.”

She shot him an exasperated look, then bit her lower lip, considering him. Finally, a half-smile flitted across those lips. “What the hell—so long as no safe words are required—long live the prince.”

His cock saluted her decision. Affecting a calm neither he nor his anatomy felt, he moved away from her and sat in the chair by the window. Crossing one ankle over his knee, he took his sweet time perusing her, his gaze raking her body. She fidgeted.

“Stand still,” he ordered.

She froze.

He let the tension build for a long minute, then said. “Take off your dress. Slowly.”


 

Author Info

Cat Jameson is a writer of contemporary romance novels packed with equal parts suspense, snark, and spice. A native Missourian, she moved to St. Louis to attend law school, sure only that she didn’t want to practice criminal law or be a trial lawyer. So of course, she became a career criminal defense lawyer who spent decades teaching trial techniques to other criminal lawyers around the country. (“We make plans. The gods laugh.”)

Cat spent most of her legal career in St. Louis and the city features prominently in her books, as does her experience in criminal law. Today, she resides in Columbia, Missouri — ‘the middle of the middle of flyover country’ — where she is deep into her second act as co-owner of a metaphysical bookstore.

When not writing, shopkeeping, or playing with grandkids, Jameson is most likely to be road-tripping with her best friend and business partner in a ten-year-old van named Woo — stopping at every bookstore and thrift shop along the way, loading up on things they do not need and have no room for.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / Facebook


GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Giveaway


Presented by

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - TWICE A TARGET (Task Force Eagle, #4) by Susan Vaughan

Twice A Target
Task Force Eagle, #4
by Susan Vaughan
Publication date: January 29th 2025
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance





BLURB

Disaster strikes DEA Agent Holt Donovan twice, when a gunfight ruins his mission and a car crash kills his brother and sister-in-law. Home on the Colorado ranch to raise his infant nephew, Holt enlists a nanny—Maddy McCoy, the woman who once jilted his brother. The world-traveling photographer never expected to return to Colorado, the only real home she ever had, and to the man she never forgot. Burned out from covering too many starving children and refugees and short on funds, Maddy agrees, vowing to keep her heart safe. What neither of them knows is that by bringing her into his home, Holt has placed her in the crosshairs of a killer. As Holt and Maddy cope with their desire for each other and the resentments of the past, their investigation into the brother’s death leads them into escalating danger and a shocking discovery.

Goodreads

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks


EXCERPT

Bobby’s siren wail penetrated Holt’s consciousness like a nail in his skull.

He opened one eye. The lighted digital clock beside his bed read two o’clock. Right on time, little guy. “Coming,” he mumbled.

One foot on the floor. The other. He raked fingers through his hair, then pushed to his feet. Starting for the door, he snapped alert as though slapped.

Maddy McCoy.

He’d finished some paperwork in the office, then slipped off to bed early. But escape didn’t work worth a damn. The image of Maddy’s sassy face and the memory of her scent kept him torturing his sheets for hours before he finally slept.

Damn, she was in the master bedroom. He couldn’t troop through the house in his skivvies. Blinking in the darkened bedroom, he stumbled back and forth like a drugged steer as he searched for his jeans. Didn’t he leave them on the chair? Or on the floor? No. He put away the clean ones and tossed the manure-smeared ones into the washing machine. Where they remained.

Bobby cranked it up a notch. He could rival that opera singer, Luciano something.

Hell with it. Holt hit the door and burst into the hall.

And collided with a slim figure in filmy white.

He stumbled to a halt and braced himself as his arms went around her to stop her fall. She emitted a small yelp like a cartoon eek. Under his hands, her slender body in the silken covering was a miracle of curves and soft, toned female flesh. His body tightened and his pulse raced off to distant planets. The hallway suddenly didn’t have enough air.

He immediately set her away a step. Then he stepped back another. “Sorry. Bobby.” The baby’s cry subsided to hiccups and whimpers. No emergency, to his relief.

“Thought that was my job,” she said. “Two o’clock bottle. Diaper change. Like that.”

“You’re here to spell me when I’m doing ranch work.”

“A rancher needs sleep.” She returned his scowl, although humor tugged at the corner of her lips. “Why do you want me here if you won’t leave Bobby to me?”

He opened his mouth, closed it again with a snap.

Bobby cranked it up again. Only taking a breather. His wail rivaled an air raid siren.

“If you’ll get out of my way,” she said, tossing her hair and smoothing her nightshirt so it highlighted her breasts, “I’ll see to the baby.” The grin popped out, accompanied by a slow perusal down Holt’s body. “Nice…legs.”

He blinked, shot a glance downward. Damn, betrayed by his tented boxers. His Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed hard. He jerked to the side along the wall, as if someone had pressed a knife to his side. “Bobby’s all yours.”

“Great!” She turned and swung her hips as she flounced toward the baby’s room.


 

Author Info

I wanted to write as soon as I learned to read. I dabbled with stories and poems for years, but didn't start writing seriously until many years later. My favorite books have always been mysteries and romances, so the mix in romantic suspense was a natural. I love writing romantic suspense because it throws the hero and heroine together under extraordinary circumstances and pits them against a clever villain. My books have been both a Romantic Times Magazine Reviewer's Choice Nominee and a finalist for the Daphne du Maurier Award. Reviewers have called my books fast-paced, thrilling, action-packed, sizzling, and highly emotional.

I have also published a children's Christmas picture book, Sleigh Magic.

I am a West Virginia native but I have lived for many years on the coast of Maine.

For more information about my books, please visit me at susanvaughan dot com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram


GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Giveaway


Presented by

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - NA CONTEMPORARY - I LOVE THAT GIRL by Hannah R. Goodman

I Love That Girl
by Hannah R. Goodman
Publication date: January 1st 2025
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: New Adult, Romance





BLURB

Once called the four-headed monster in high school, only to be decapitated by the disaster of coupling up, four childhood friends have healed their wounds and found their way back to each other in college—or so they thought.

Now, months before they enter the “real” world, decapitation once again is imminent by way of: a rejected proposal, a birth control fail, an almost ménage a quartet, and a secret (and-thought-to-be-impossible) hook-up. Everything explodes over the course of a Christmas vacation in Florida, leaving the survival of these four friendships, once again, on the brink.

Goodreads

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks


EXCERPT:

We locked eyes for a moment, the dim light and dark shadows between us. Her wavy sunset-blonde hair was in a messy bun, with tendrils falling around her face. I wanted to let her hair down, scoop it up with my fingers, inhale the flowery scent of her shampoo. I didn’t move a single part of me except my eyes, which traced the dotting of piercings up her left ear and then roamed across to her smallish nose that had just a blush of light freckles that matched her hair and down to her button-shaped mouth.

“Okay,” she said, her shoulder sliding out from the old sweatshirt that she cut the hood off of. I wanted to kiss her shoulder so badly, I had to put my hand over

my mouth and pretend to cough.

The blackout made the moment dreamy. I reached over and pulled her shirt up to cover her shoulder, and when my fingers made contact with her soft skin, her expression changed, softened, and relaxed. She smiled.

“I’ll get the wine.” She popped up, slid her feet into her fuzzy slippers, walked over to the kitchen area, and snatched the almost full bottle. Then she said, “Do you have a set of cards? We can play Bullshit. Remember how much we used to love that game?”

I laughed and said, “I think it was the only drinking game we knew in high school.”

“I’m pretty sure we were the only people who actually found a way to make it a drinking game.”

In the darkness, her hair piled up, she looked like a princess but also like an angel, and while I couldn’t find those words in the moment, that’s what I saw. A princess-angel with a pretty but foul mouth. The combination was exhilarating.


 

Author Bio:

Psychotherapist by day and writer by night, Hannah R. Goodman prefers tea over coffee, cats over dogs, and staying in over going out. Hannah is a graduate of the Solstice Program where she earned an MFA in Writing For Young People.In 2018, Black Rose Writing published her contemporary YA novel Till It Stops Beating, which was praised by reviewers for its realistic and hilarious depiction of first love, first loss, and first mental break down. Her publishing history goes back almost 20 years when she published My Sister’s Wedding, which won first place in the 2004 Writer’s Digest Self Published Books awards Children’s/Teen Division. The Wild Rose Press will publish her New Adult novel I Love That Girl on January 1, 2025.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Substack / Instagram / X / Amazon / Blue Sky


GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Giveaway


Presented by

Monday, November 25, 2024

BOOK BLITZ w/EXCEPRT - CONTEMPORARY - MEN IN BOKS AREN'T BETTER (Plus One, #1) by Amanda Nelson & Lisa-Marie Potter

Men in Books Aren’t Better
Plus One, #1
by Amanda Nelson & Lisa-Marie Potter
Publication date: November 25th 2024
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: Contemporary, Romance





BLURB

Pressured by her looming deadline and an unfinished romance manuscript, author Molly Covington applies her immersive research skills and goes all in. She hires a male companion for inspiration during three days of research in Las Vegas.

Enter sexy, confident Jared Washington—an extreme sports enthusiast and relationship skeptic who moonlights as a Plus One male companion. Molly’s contract puts him within arm’s reach of buying his own business and making his dreams come true.

The chemistry between her and Jared is surprisingly easy. Before their Vegas rendezvous comes to an end, one of them will need to lay all their cards on the table to discover if they’ll be lucky in love.

Goodreads

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks


EXCERPT

Searching for an escort was not the same as searching for porn.

At least, that’s what I kept telling myself as I hit enter on my keyboard. Holding my breath, I waited as the list of results—Elite Males, Premium Gigolos, Stags R Us—populated my laptop screen. I perched on the edge of my black leather desk chair in my home office overlooking the Seattle harbor. All the entries sounded like adult films. Each one screamed precisely what to expect, which made choosing any one in particular impossible.

With one eye shut and a tentative finger, I clicked on the top entry, Elite Males. An obscene amount of oiled flesh filled most of my monitor—a close-up photo of a smooth-chested guy flexing his defined muscles while lying on his back. The shot highlighted his torso and prominent tattoos, capturing only his lips and chin; he was clean-shaven, and his jaw was also, for some reason, shiny. Ugh! Too much! The home page wasn’t quite as bad as I’d expected but still cringe-worthy: almost laughable. The guy in the image provided what was supposed to be an enticing, yet exaggerated, display, which I assumed—combined with his other “talents” listed in the reviews that read like porn—must have earned him his five-star rating. To each his own.

The parts of the man I could see on my screen were considered conventionally hot. However, after reading the list of customers’ erotic comments, I swallowed back the bitter tang filling my mouth. I felt dirty just looking at his image—and desperate. But I guess, for all intents and purposes, I was. My deadline from my publisher loomed overhead, and I had no manuscript to submit. My stomach rolled.

“It’s been a year, Molly,” Renee had said last week after huffing into the phone. “The editors expect something after that advance. Your reputation will only buy you so much time. Can you at least give me the first fifty pages so I can appease them? Try to barter an extension?”

Picturing Renee’s scowl was easy—an otherwise non-existent crinkle above the bridge of her button nose, with her perpetual bold lips in full pout mode.

A cold sweat broke out across my forehead. “I’ll get you something soon. I promise.”



 

Author Bio:

Amanda and Lisa-Marie are a co-writing team of best friends who share imaginary worlds, including a short story, Shivers, published in Moments Between. Lisa Marie Potter (BIPOC) is a mom of four who grew up in Nottingham, England, and now resides in Alaska with her husband and golden retriever. Amanda Nelson grew up in Maryland and moved to Arizona, where she attended college and currently lives with her husband and four kids. Both women are members of the Author’s Guild and were part of a Manuscript Academy Podcast featuring their writing and critique group. They also review books on their socials, hike the Olympic National Park, and fight over the same fictional crushes.

Website / TikTok / Instagram / X


GIVEAWAY!
Rafflecopter Giveaway


Presented by

Friday, June 21, 2024

COVER REVEAL - CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE - DANGEROUS DESCENT by Evie Jacobs

Dangerous Descent
by Evie Jacobs
Publication date: September 2nd 2024
Published by: The Wild Rose Press
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense





BLURB

The first rule of undercover work—don’t get attached…

Pilot Elise Hughes left the family business in the Florida Keys and now flies the rich and powerful to and from the Rocky Mountains. When she has to execute a by-the-book emergency landing, it’s no big deal. But being stranded in a small town with her handsome new colleague is something else entirely.

Obsessed with getting justice for his murdered father, undercover FBI agent Eric Erickson believes retribution is finally within reach. Until things get complicated. And dangerous. And he’s forced to face a few too many realities—including Elise’s connection to a well-known crime boss.

After Elise is kidnapped by the same man who took Eric’s father, he has a choice to make—find Elise or exact revenge. Meanwhile she has a choice of her own—trust the dangerous family she never knew she had or the man who’s been lying to her from the start.

Add to Goodreads

Pre-order





 


Author Info

Evie Jacobs loves words. As a child, she read constantly. And when she wasn't reading, she was writing. Not much has changed. By day she works in a library surrounded by books, and by night she writes steamy action/adventure romance. She lives in Colorado with her husband, two cats, and six bicycles.

Website / Facebook / Instagram


XBTBanner1
Presented by

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - PNR - THE HUNTING GROUNDS (Soul Masters, #1) by K.R. Gastreich


Soul Masters: The Hunting Grounds
Soul Masters, #1
by K.R. Gastreich
Date of Publication: February 7th 2024
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 978-1509253302
ASIN: B0CP6GMWRK
Number of pages: 320
Word Count: 90k


Tagline: He wants to claim her soul. But can she capture his heart?


BLURB
On a hike through the forest, Mayela stumbles into a terrifying world where immortals hunt souls. To survive she secures protection from a Soul Master. When he demands payment, Mayela fights back. But how can she fight the desire consuming her heart?

Every soul Nathan claims expands the power of his realm. In Mayela, he finds a rare gift that could guarantee his place among the Soul Masters. All he must do is secure her allegiance without losing his heart. And Nathan has no heart to lose. Or does he?  

With eternity at stake, Mayela and Nathan ignite a transcendent passion that breaks all the rules. Among the Soul Masters, a malevolent force awakens. The final hunt is on…
Amazon      BN     Bookshop

Excerpt:
Then everything froze. Joni, the customers, the cars outside. All movement simply stopped. The chime on the front door sounded. My throat went dry. Somehow, I knew what was happening. I knew who had arrived, though I didn’t understand how or why.
Twisting around, I peered over the rim of the booth. Standing in the doorway was the man from my hallucinations, a creature of the dark plains. Tall and slim, broad-shouldered, dark in aspect. That same man had beheaded a snake in my kitchen. Not my kitchen, I reminded myself. The illusion of my kitchen, part of the same hallucination of an impossible world. The Hunting Grounds, he’d called it. Where we go to hunt souls.
My mind spun with the impossibility of what I was seeing. He couldn’t be real.  Yet here he was, in Joni’s shop. Except, he looked different. His hair was peppered gray instead of black. His skin seemed a shade darker. Or maybe lighter? It was like wrapping my head around a mirage, trying to remember what he looked like in my nightmares. But the simple force of his presence, the quiet luminescence of his spirit, was unmistakable. That was him.
Without so much as a glance in my direction, the man stepped into the shop and started toward the counter. Everything stirred at once. Several people looked his way. Joni let go a long, low whistle.
“Well, I’ll be!” she exclaimed. "We haven’t had anyone that drop-dead gorgeous walk in here since…Well, ever!”
She kept staring, mouth agape, as he ordered coffee. Then her face lit up, and she jumped into action, wiping down the table next to me.
“I’ve got an idea,” she said. “I think you should go for him.”
“What?” I croaked.
“He’s totally your style.”
“I don’t date men in suits.”
“What are you talking about?” She laughed. “Look at him! It’s fate. I can feel it.”
“Joni –”
“Sir!” She called. “Sir, we’ve got an empty table right over here. Next to the windows.”
Holy crap! I sank deeper into my seat. “I’m serious, Joni! Send him somewhere else.”
“Straighten up, beautiful.” She patted me on the shoulder. “Give it a shot. What’ve you got to lose?”
Then she was gone. I cast about frantically for an escape, but there was no back exit from the booth. Unless I wanted to crash through the window. Could I do that? Crash through the window?
Yeah, I could do that. But I’d have to leave my insects behind, and –
And there he was, taking the table next to me. His chair scraped against the floor. His clothes rustled as he settled in. Minutes passed while my heart pounded inside my chest. I kept my face turned, pretended to stare out the window, wondered whether it would hurt to feel the glass shatter against my skin.
Idle talk filled the coffee shop. Customers came and went, orders were taken, steam forced through frothing milk.
Still the man said nothing.

I snuck a glance in his direction. Damn, he was handsome. Heart stoppingly so. Desire tugged at my gut, a strangely familiar sense of attraction, as if we’d known each other before this moment. As if I’d been bound to him in a time before memory.


About the Author:
K.R. Gastreich is a recipient of the OZMA Award for fantasy fiction and the Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency, as well as a winner of the Women on Writing Flash Fiction Contest. Her fantasy novels feature high-stakes romance, gripping battles, and darkly lyrical prose. In addition to Soul Masters and The Silver Web trilogy, she has published short stories in Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, 69 Flavors of Paranoia, and World Jumping.

A proud native of the American Midwest, K.R. Gastreich lived for many years in Texas and then in Latin America before returning to the Kansas City Metro where she grew up. When not writing she enjoys hiking, camping, studying dance, and spending time with her family.

To learn about new releases and other events, visit K.R. Gastreich’s website at krgastreich.com, or follow her on Instagram @EolynChronicles.

The Book Junkie Reads . . . Interview with . . . K.R. Gastreich . . . 

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

I think Kirkus Reviews nailed it when they called my writing “darkly lyrical.” I do not shy away from the dark side, but I also love to find poetry and romance in everything. I believe this shows in my writing. 

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

Both! Writing comes naturally and takes work! Anyone who has followed my novels will see that my style has changed a lot since my first book, Eolyn, to my most recent release, Soul Masters. Part of this change is due to the difference in genres. But also, I have worked hard to improve my craft. I’m inspired to write, but I approach writing in a disciplined fashion.

Have you found yourself bonding with any particular character(s)? If so which one(s)?

I love all the characters in Soul Masters. One of my favorites is Anne. She is sexy, smart, and indomitable. She has a dry sense of humor, and she dresses perfectly for every occasion. Anne is also dead. She lived in her human form many centuries ago, and now thrives as a soul in the liminal realms.  

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

Well, I’m working on a sequel to Soul Masters. I’m very excited about this series and the potential it has to generate tons of stories. 

I am also designing an oracle deck in collaboration with DGS Games. The deck is based on the cosmology of a fantasy world called Faelon. It’s been a lot of fun to write, and the artist I’m collaborating with is amazing. I can’t wait to launch the deck later this year. 

What are some of your writing/publishing goals for this year?

Get Soul Masters into the hands of readers who love adventure, romance, and stories on the dark side!

Where would you spend one full year, if you could go ANYWhere, money is not a concern? What would you do with this time?

I’d love to spend a year in northern Italy. I would write and take short trips to France, southern Italy, Germany, and Spain.

Thank you K.R. Gastreich for joining and giving a little insight to you and your process. Your work is appreciated.



Hosted by

Presented by