Saturday, November 30, 2013

Extinguished Is Here!

Guess what?! The Dangerous Attraction box set that includes Ignited (book #1 of my Titanium Security series) and Fallen SEAL Legacy by fellow author Sharon Hamilton hit the NY Times and USA Today Bestseller lists last week! Woohoo!

And in other awesome news, I've just released book #4 of the Titanium series! Extinguished is out now, for only $2.99.


She’s wanted him forever…

For years former Marine Jordyn Bridger has been in love with a man who refused to see her as anything but his best friend’s little sister. A mind-blowing kiss finally changed that, but then he disappeared from her life. Now he’s back, to recruit her for a job with his NSA-sanctioned Titanium Security team. They’re going after the terrorist responsible for the recent attacks on their team and Jordyn is eager to lend her skill set to the hunt. She’s determined to prove to Blake that she’s capable of holding her own—both in the bedroom and on the battlefield.

He’s never walking away again…

Former Marine Scout/Sniper Blake Ellis hid his true feelings for Jordyn for years out of respect for her and her family, but once he learns those feelings aren’t one-sided, he can’t keep his distance any longer. When a team tragedy thrusts Jordyn into the front line with him on a battlefield, Blake will do whatever it takes to protect her. She’s everything he ever wanted in a woman but he was too stubborn to see it. Now it might be too late for them. As they race to capture the terrorist they’re hunting, Blake and Jordyn find themselves fighting for their lives. If they want to make it out alive they must work together to defeat an unseen, powerful network that will stop at nothing until their entire team is dead.
 
Available now at:
Kindle
Nook
Kobo

I hope you enjoy this latest addition to the series! 

Happy reading,
Kaylea Cross

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

It's Release Day for Laura Kaye's Hard As It Gets!

By Laura Kaye

It's finally here! The release of my new book - my twelfth book! - Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1)! I am so excited I can't hardly believe it! LOL Especially since people have been sending me pictures of Hard As It Gets in the wild everywhere - at CVS, Publix, WalMart, Kroger, B&N, etc.!

Here's what it's about and where you can find it!


“Edgy, sexy, and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!”
~J.R. Ward on Hard As It Gets

About Hard As It Gets:
Five dishonored soldiers.
Former Special Forces.
One last mission.
These are the men of Hard Ink.

Tall, dark, and lethal...

Trouble just walked into Nicholas Rixey's tattoo parlor. Becca Merritt is warm, sexy, wholesome--pure temptation to a very jaded Nick. He's left his military life behind to become co-owner of Hard Ink Tattoo, but Becca is his ex-commander's daughter. Loyalty won't let him turn her away. Lust has plenty to do with it too.

With her brother presumed kidnapped, Becca needs Nick. She just wasn't expecting to want him so much. As their investigation turns into all-out war with an organized crime ring, only Nick can protect her. And only Becca can heal the scars no one else sees.

Desire is the easy part. Love is as hard as it gets. Good thing Nick is always up for a challenge...


Buy at Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon.uk | BAM | Kobo 
B&N | iTunes

All day on the 26th, keep your eye out for New Release Blog Blitz Posts! There will be Q&As, guest posts, excerpts, reviews, book trailers, and more! I cannot say THANK YOU enough to everyone participating in the blitz, so please turn out and support them!



Plus, don't forget to join my New Release Celebration on Facebook to win tons of prizes from me and 16+ guest authors!

Thanks for reading!

Laura

SEAL The Deal comes out on Friday 11/29/13

This will be a short post. I'm writing it from the SFO getting ready for a flight to Munich, then Genoa, Italy. We'll be going by ship to Brazil. Going from Winter in Italy to Summer in Rio. I'm going to stand on the deck of the ship and see if I can see the swirl of the water change...See if I can feel the change in the season. Do you think I will?

SEAL The Deal is the full-length novel expanded from the novella I submitted to Uniform Desires, with the lovely Delilah Devlin, Cat Johnson, Elle James, JM Madden and Melissa Schroeder. It is also
the first novel I have written that takes place almost entirely in Sonoma County. One of my critique partners, Kent Sorensen, a professional photographer, gave me the lush and beautiful vineyard pictures we are using in the trailer.   youtube: -http://youtu.be/KxsteiBlsQ0 ~~

The Fifth book in the series will be partially written on this cruise. I started my research for a hunky SEAL at the San Francisco Airport tonight. I already know where the bomb will be housed, and how the terrorists get on board. And for those that want to know, Fredo will finally win Mia's heart, although they won't be the primary romance. All the regulars will be there, Kyle and Christy, Armando and Gina, Cooper and Libby, and now Nick and Devon.

And for those of you who like audio, Accidental SEAL is now out on Audible and iTunes. Hope you enjoy my narrator's (JD Hart) Golden Voice like I do.

People often ask how we get our stories. Tonight I got a little inspiration from the SFO Airport Duty Free shop (and I smell like a whorehouse). Hope you can appreciate my enthusiasm.

Hope you'll join me on this next Navy SEAL journey. Here's the blurb:

Special Operator Nick Dunn gets the call he has been dreading since before his last deployment. His sister is in her final stages of cancer.  Nick only vaguely remembers Devon Brandeburg, his sister’s best friend, but boy has she grown up.

Devon has created a small financial fortune through her success in real estate. Her career is her main focus, but a closely guarded secret is her total lack of experience with men.


What starts as a deathbed promise turns out to be a hot affair neither one expected. Nick becomes Devon’s teacher in her journey to womanhood. As she comes alive in his arms, the student brings the teacher something he’s never allowed himself to want, and now knows he needs.

Sharon Hamilton, NYTimes and USA/Today Best-Selling Author
Life is one fool thing after another.
Love is two fool things after each other.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Countdown to Being Prince Charming commences.


You’re no Prince Charming.

 

Gunny has given up everything, including the Marine Corps, for a second chance with the woman he loves. Madam Eve has given him one night to prove to his ex-wife Lissa he’s all she ever wanted. Fail, and she’ll marry another man in the morning.

ONLINE COUNTDOWN

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Meet Hard As It Gets' Nick Rixey!

by Laura Kaye

Hi everyone! Less than one week until the release of Hard As It Gets (Hard Ink #1)!!! I can't even believe it's almost here! 

Today, I want to introduce you to my hero, Nick Rixey, who's in a bad place at the beginning of the book. This excerpt gives a good look into the internal workings of the man:

Nick fell heavily into his desk chair and pulled his drawing into his lap. Following from Jeremy’s rough sketch, the half fireman, half soldier tattoo was nearly done, though that didn’t mean he understood why he kept letting his brother talk him into doing this. Part of it was that art had always been the one thing he and Jer had in common. Well, that and video games. That was about where it ended. Only a year separated them, but Rixey had been sports, and his brother had been books. Rixey had been parties and drinking and hell-raising of the usual teenage variety, and Jeremy had been quiet around everyone but his small circle of Goth and punk friends.

But there was more to it, and Rixey knew it. He continued to do these tats and apprentice toward a license he didn’t really want and had no intention of using in the long term because he was fucking floating through life.

No purpose. No plan. No mission.

For a dozen years, all he’d worried about was completing the mission and getting everyone home safe. In Afghanistan, his team had done counterinsurgency work, counternarcotics work, which had often been the same thing, and local police force training. It had been challenging, dangerous, and sometimes frustratingly thankless work, but it had given him the sense of purpose in life he’d been lacking as a younger man.

Now? Wish in one hand, shit in the other. See which one fills up the fastest. He chucked the pad to the desk.

The Army had given him more than just a purpose. It had made him part of something much bigger than himself, placed him in the middle of a brotherhood who understood him implicitly. Nearly a year later, he still mourned the loss of the six good men gunned down in the ambush. Eric Zane, Carlos Escobal, Jake Harlow, Walker Axton, Marcus Rimes, Colin Kemmerer. Their memory was a weight on his shoulders he was privileged to carry. But in not doing more with his life, he wasn’t doing enough to honor their memory. His survival should’ve meant something, shouldn’t it?

You do have a mission, shithead. Keep Becca safe. Find her brother. Get whoever is harassing them to back the fuck off. Maybe that’s why you’re still here.

Fair enough. It was a worthy mission. And if it filled the void for a few days, all the better.

A kind of peace settled over his shoulders—well, as close as he freaking got to anything in the same zip code as peace. And it was enough. Really, it had to be, didn’t it? With a last glance at his soldier-fireman, Rixey pushed up from the chair and made for his bed.

What was on the other side of his soldier identity?

Someday soon, he’d have to figure out the fubar of his career and find his own next mission. Wasn’t anybody going to drop that shit in his lap. But, damn, oh stupid thirty in the mothereffing morning was too early to put his brain cells to work on that particular conundrum.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I really enjoyed writing Nick's journey in Hard As It Gets, and I can't wait for you all to read more!

There are a TON of fun things planned over the next few weeks:


And don't forget: I've got a reward of some exclusive content for anyone who pre-orders Hard As It Gets (or who already has pre-ordered)! Submit proof of pre-order using this form, and on December 1 you'll receive my behind-the-scene notes and character dossier for the whole Hard Ink team!

Edgy, sexy and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!" ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward on HARD AS IT GETS
Pre-Order at Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Did you have a favorite line from the excerpt?

Thanks for reading!
Laura

Friday, November 15, 2013

We've Got Your Men in Uniform Right Here!


So I'm in this bundle...you might have heard if it? The six of us in it have been known to have big mouths when it comes to shouting about our books, especially when it's a topic we're passionate about, such as military men. And have we got some military men for you!

UNIFORM DESIRES contains 6 stories by 6 military romance authors you might have heard of. ;) I'm excited we can offer it to you, even if only for a limited time, at the crazy low price of 99 cents, but this price won't last long so if you want it grab it!

Need more convincing? How about an excerpt from my story in the box set, CINDERELLA LIBERTY. One of my military consultants currently in Afghanistan went above and beyond and helped me brainstorm plot, fact check the scenes on location and even proofread for me, all while deployed and working 12 hour days and I couldn't be more appreciative. It wouldn't be the book it is without his vast input.

Enjoy the following excerpt, inspired by my Marine friend and his love of both care packages and canned sardines, and then head to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo and grab it before it's gone!!

By Cat Johnson
Only in the UNIFORM DESIRES Box Set

Marine Gunnery Sergeant John "Crash" O'Malley has two goals for the immediate future. One, enjoy his liberty in New York City, and two, survive his deployment to Afghanistan. What he didn't plan on is Trish. A guy can't have a one-night stand with his best friend's sister and then abandon her at midnight when his liberty ends, but starting a new relationship days before shipping out would be crazy. Then again, Crash never did do things the easy way.

What he doesn't realize is that his friend's displeasure over Crash breaking the "no sisters rule" is nothing compared to what the insurgents have in store for them in the Helmand Province. Now it's a matter of survival because Crash's new objective is to get home and make Trish his.

CINDERELLA LBERTY EXCERPT:

As he closed the door against the heat, Crash saw Zippy was already inside. "Hey. What's going on?"
Tearing into a cardboard box, Zippy glanced up. "Care package from home."
"Cool." Crash smothered the envy.
It was ridiculous. He wasn't lacking for anything. Most things he needed he could get at the exchange. If they didn't sell it on base, he could go online and order from a place that would ship to him here.
His mom asked he if needed anything and Crash always told her no. She was getting up there in years and she was on a fixed income. He couldn't expect her to haul packages to the post office when he could order whatever he needed on his own. But there was something about getting a little piece of home at mail call that made a guy feel good.
He sat on his rack and glanced over. "What'd you get?"
"All sorts of shit. It's like Trish bought out the store." Zippy pawed through the sizable box.
Trish. That piqued Crash's interest in the box further. "Yeah? Anything good?" Christ, that had sounded a little too interested.
Zippy starting unloading the contents onto the desk. "Peanut butter. Crackers. A couple of DVDs. Box of cookies."
"Oh, that's nice." The cloud of disappointment darkened over Crash.
"Here." Zippy turned and tossed a smaller box toward Crash.
As it came sailing across the room, Crash reached out and caught it between his fingertips. "What's this?"
"I don't know. Open it. It's got your name on it."
His eyes widened when he turned the box in his hands and saw it did indeed have his name written on it in bold black marker. CRASH. Nothing else, but he knew who it had to be from.
"Trish sent me something?"
"I guess so." Zippy didn't look surprised or suspicious. He was too busy tearing through the rest of the box.
If Zippy wasn't concerned that Trish was sending Crash things, then Crash figured he needn't worry. He couldn't beat down the excitement as he tore the packing tape off and opened the flaps of the cardboard box. He smiled at what he saw on top. A note, in handwriting he didn't recognize because they'd never written to each other before. Strange that he knew the feel, the taste, the scent of this girl, but had never seen her writing until now.
Crash.
I remembered you said you liked these so I thought I'd send some along. FYI, don't know how you can eat that stuff!
Trish
He peered into the box and found half a dozen cans of sardines, a box of crackers and a bag of beef jerky. His favorite snacks on earth. They'd talked about food that weekend they were together. He remembered she'd made the funniest face when he mentioned the sardines. He'd teased her because she'd never even tried one, but had already decided she hated them.
His heart clenched as he tried not to make more of it than there was. She'd been sending stuff to her brother. She'd probably just thrown this in as an afterthought.
The falseness of his rationalization echoed through him. Trish had remembered their conversation. She'd taken the time to search out and find exactly the things she knew he liked. This was no afterthought.


          Cat Johnson
NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author
    Giveaway      Website     Newsletter


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

A New Holiday Marine: Marine Under the Mistletoe is Here!

He used to believe in magic…
Kaiden Nelson looked like every other Marine, only most of his guys didn’t grow up in a family of nudists, celebrating the wheel of the year and the lunar cycles. His buddies wouldn’t name him a witch, either. But after more than a decade at war, Kaiden isn’t sure he can—or even wants to lay claim to that calling anymore. He’s got too much blood on his hands and he’s tired…tired of war, tired of fighting, some days…he’s tired of living. When he’s sent on leave for the holidays, he’s unsure if he can ever really go home again.
She’s a candle in the night…
Rowan Harper lives in two worlds, the mundane where she handles tech issues for a major corporation and the pagan where she celebrates the sabbats and esbats with her coven. Like so many in the region, she keeps her beliefs private. It makes life more bearable from others who would judge, and she likes nothing better than the great sabbat retreats the coven takes to the sprawling lake house. It’s a time where she sheds the shackles of everyday life and embraces the divine.
The wheel turns…
When Kaiden turns up at the coven Yule, his Circle of family and friends are eager to welcome him. He feels unworthy of the open warmth and shies away to the darkness, but Rowan refuses to leave him in the shadows. Can the inexorable pull of one woman help him face down his demons as they hold vigil against the longest night of the year?

HL_Marine under the mistletoe_Banner
Excerpt
He grunted, but didn’t complain. The boys cleared out without further warning and the goddess in the pale, gray silk dress descended the stairs slowly. He didn’t get a glimpse of her feet, but the way the long skirt swirled around her, it gave her the effect of floating.
“Aaron?”
He parroted her tone. “Rowan?”
The man’s nudity hadn’t bothered Kaiden when he’d arrived, not really. He hadn’t been gone so long he didn’t remember the comfort most others had in their skin—hell, a comfort he’d once shared. But when Rowan achieved the last step, Kaiden fought the desire to strip off his jacket and throw it at the other man.
Realization dawned across Aaron’s chastised expression. “Oh. My apologies, you two haven’t met…I forgot. Rowan Harper—this is Lorraine and Henry’s son, Kaiden. Kaiden, Rowan Harper—she joined Blue Circle a few years after you enlisted, give or take.”
“Merry meet, Kaiden.” She smiled, walked straight to him and brushed her lips to his—the contact a violent shock to his system and he blinked once, going completely still. “It’s truly lovely to have you with us this year.”
It took his mind what seemed like a full minute to catch up. “Hello.” The word came out strained and harsh, but either she gave him a free pass as they were strangers or she didn’t notice it. Aaron, on the other hand, did and shot an odd look in his direction.
Rowan gestured toward the stairs. “Do you remember the way to your room? I put fresh sheets on the bed and fixed it up when your parents told me you had confirmed coming this year.”
He knew exactly where it was, but his manners finally kicked awake. “Please.” Following her up the stairs, he glanced back at Aaron once, aware of his amused gaze. Kaiden didn’t care for the sensation of being watched. He’s a friendly. They’re all friendlies. This is home.
The mental litany didn’t ease the tension winding him up. At the curve in the stairs, she paused to wait for him and Kaiden picked up the pace. He might be fucked up, but that didn’t mean he had to be rude.
“Sorry, it was a long flight.” Mentally groaning at the obviousness of the comment, he sucked in a deep breath, determined to do better, and inhaled fruity, deeply feminine, deliciously sensual scent that sent a shiver of awareness through him and his blood plummeted to southern regions.
“Undoubtedly, but you’re home now.” She started climbing again, lifting her skirt with one hand. “I meant what I said downstairs—I am very happy to welcome you home this year. Your mother speaks of you often.”
“She’ll be annoyed with me.” The effort to make casual conversation came out rough and jagged. “I got an earlier flight and thought I could avoid anything too elaborate when I arrived.”
“Ahh.” She hesitated and her teeth clenched together in a smile-grimace.
“It’s okay.” He held up a hand, palm out. “I know my parents. They’ve planned something special—especially since I haven’t been home for so long. They can still have it all happen, and I get some time to be here before it starts.”
“I could talk to them if you like.” It was a kind—if tempting—offer.
“Thank you, but the last place you need to put yourself is between my parents and I.” The sentence came out far tougher than he’d intended. Exhaling a hard breath, he concentrated on sanding down his attitude. “And by that, I mean I haven’t been the poster child for good son. They’re entitled to react in a way that makes them happy.”
They’d arrived at his door and he found the silence almost as unnerving as the house itself. He’d picked out this room all those years ago because it was farthest from the others, nestled off a quiet hall that had a storage closet and attic access.
“Rowan, please ignore me. I apparently haven’t been around real people in a while.”
“Oh?” Her too-innocent eyes glittered under the glow from the single lamp illuminating the hall. “And what mythical people have you been spending time with?”

And if you're curious about the Cracker Crack that Rowan bakes in the story, be sure to check out the recipe here.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Veteran's Day Recognition...

Every generation has a war to deal with.
I remember exactly where I was on September 11, 2001. I was sitting on the couch holding my six month old son, wondering what the hell was going to happen next. I sat transfixed for hours, watching the shocked aftermath as the traumas kept piling up.
I knew we were heading to war. I just didn't realize how long and drawn out it would be, or how many servicemen and women would be impacted.
4,483 troops were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2012.
I can't even begin to imagine how many family members, spouses, children will be forever impacted by their deaths.
Every citizen in the country should be thanking them for risking their safety for our freedom.
I'll be honest. Before I had my son, I considered Veteran's an extra day off. But the older I get I realize the sacrifice they've made for us, and I appreciate it so much more.
I don't have a serviceman close in my family close anymore to tell them thank you, but for any of you reading this that DO, please tell them thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Part of my thank you is writing the Lost and Found series. I want every service man and woman to realize that no matter what condition they come home in, they will find a home, and love. If I could take every one of them into my home and hug them personally, I absolutely would.
My books are my version of a hug.
This Veteran's Day, do something for the people that have protected your way of life. Make a donation to Wounded Warrior Project (I'm an Advanced Guard and make automatic monthly contributions) or take a load of books or movies into your local VA. Shop at a site that donates part of their proceeds to veterans services, like The Veterans Site. There are many ways you can make an impact on those that have protected us for years.
We have an anthology coming out tomorrow. Uniform Desires. Part of my proceeds from that will be going to Wounded Warrior.
FIND A WAY TO SAY THANK YOU! Either by your money, time, compassion or support. I promise you they WILL appreciate it.