❤ SERIES READING ORDER ❤

What if a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ could happen twice?

Torn concludes the story than began in Connected.
This series must be read in order as they are not standalones.
There will be more spin-off books coming soon.

Book #1: CONNECTED — Kindle | My Review
Book #2: TORN — Kindle | Paperback

 

❤  ABOUT THE BOOK ❤

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

 

❤  SERIES READING ORDER ❤

#1 TEN TINY BREATHS
My review | Kindle | Paperback

#2 ONE TINY LIE
My review | Kindle | Paperback

#3 FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE
Excerpt | Kindle | Paperback

 ❤  BOOK #1 — KILLING SARAI ❤

Currently available for purchase.

From the author of the New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal bestselling novel, THE EDGE OF NEVER, comes a story of passion and survival…

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

This is their story…

 ❤  BOOK #2 — REVIVING IZABEL ❤

To be released December 10th, 2013. 

Determined to live a dark life in the company of the assassin who freed her from bondage, Sarai sets out on her own to settle a score with an evil sadist. Unskilled and untrained in the art of killing, the events that unfold leave her hanging precariously on the edge of death when nothing goes as planned.

Sarai’s reckless choices send her on a path she knows she can never turn back from and so she presents Victor with an ultimatum: help her become more like him and give her a fighting chance, or she’ll do it alone no matter the consequences. Knowing that Sarai cannot become what she wants to be overnight, Victor begins to train her and inevitably their complicated relationship heats up.

As Arthur Hamburg’s right-hand man, Willem Stephens, closes in on his crusade to destroy Sarai, she is left with the crushing realization that she may have bitten off more than she can chew. But Sarai, taking on the new and improved role of Izabel Seyfried, still has a set of deadly skills of her own that will prove to be all she needs to secure her place beside Victor.

But there is one test that Izabel must face that has the potential to destroy everything she is working so hard to achieve. One final test that will not only make her question her decision to want this dangerous life, but will make her question everything she has come to trust about Victor Faust.

 ❤  ABOUT THE BOOK ❤

Book #3 in the Bad Boys series
Release date: September 3, 2013

When it comes to passion this hot, it’s all or nothing. 

Olivia Townsend’s wealthy cousin Marissa had everything a girl could ask for—a great job, a privileged life, and all the friends she wanted. Or, at least, all the friends money could buy. But one case of mistaken identity has turned her privileged world upside down.

An abduction gone wrong lands her right in the lap of the sexiest, most dangerous man she’s ever met. To Marissa, he’s an enigma, but one to whom she’s irresistibly, inexplicably drawn.

With him comes a new world of freedom and passion, of dark shadows and dangerous secrets, a world where nothing is what it seems—except for the blind passion that Marissa can’t escape—or maybe even survive.

 ❤  SERIES READING ORDER ❤

Book #1 — Down To You
Kindle | Paperback | My review

Book #2 — Up To Me
Kindle | Paperback | My review

Book #3 — Everything For Us
Kindle | Paperback

 ❤  TEASER ❤

I glance down at the outfit I agonized over.  “What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

He walks slowly toward me. For some reason, the mental image of a lion stalking his prey comes to mind and chills spread down my back.

“Nothing’s ‘wrong’ with it.  I’m just wondering how you expect anyone to concentrate.”  He stops when he’s within a few inches of me. He’s close enough that I can feel his body heat, but still far enough away that I can breathe somewhat naturally.  Part of that might have something to do with the fact that he’s looking me up and down rather than staring into my eyes with that sexy black gaze of his.  “I can just make out the shadow of your nipples through that shirt. The material is like the perfect tease.  Makes me want to peel it off you.  And that skirt cups your ass the way I’d like to. Makes me wanna dig my fingers into it, then my teeth.   And those shoes—they make your legs look like they go on forever.”  He drops his voice down to a whisper when he glances back up to my face, to my eyes.  “Makes me wanna wrap them around my waist and show you how good I can make you feel.”

❤  BOOK #1 – TEN TINY BREATHS ❤

Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.

Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.

Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.

Buy for Kindle | Buy for Paperback | Read my review
Standalone New Adult Romance. Currently available for purchase.

❤  BOOK #2 – ONE TINY LIE ❤

“Make me proud.”  These were the last words Livie’s father ever spoke to her. In the seven years since her parents’ tragic death, Livie has done her best to keep this promise through her every choice, word, and action, while looking after her sister with strength and maturity. But with college right around the corner, unexpected challenges will test her resilience—and her heart.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy to marry someday. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots; a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say “no” to; and Ashton, the arrogant—and extremely attractive—captain of the men’s rowing team who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

Buy for Kindle | Buy for Paperback | Read my review
Standalone New Adult Romance. Currently available for purchase.

❤  BOOK #3 – FOUR SECONDS TO LOSE ❤

Release date: November 4, 2013.

Owning a strip club isn’t the fantasy most guys expect it to be. With long hours, a staff with enough issues to keep a psych ward in business, and the police regularly on his case, twenty-nine-year-old Cain is starting to second guess his unspoken mission to save the women he employs. And then blond, brown-eyed Charlie Rourke walks through his door, and things get really complicated. Cain abides by a strict “no sleeping with the staff” rule. But being around Charlie challenges Cain’s self-control…and it’s been a long time since any woman has done that.

Twenty-two-year-old Charlie Rourke needs a lot of money, really fast, in order to vanish before it’s too late. Taking her clothes off for men makes her stomach curl but Charlie tells herself that at least she’s putting her acting and dancing skills to good use. And though her fellow dancers seem eager to nab their sexy, sophisticated, and genuinely caring boss, she’s not interested. After all, Charlie Rourke doesn’t really exist—and the girl pretending to be her can’t get distracted by romance.

Unfortunately, Charlie soon discovers that developing feelings for Cain is inevitable, and that those feelings may not be unrequited—but losing him when he finds out what she’s involved with will be more painful than any other sentence awaiting her.

❤ ❤ ❤

EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Chapter 2 ~ Charlie’s POV

He’s just standing there, boring holes into my face.

Given I’ve never laid eyes on him before, I don’t know what his normal complexion looks like but I’ll bet it’s not the sickly white pallor that I see now.

Like he’s seen a ghost.

I try to catch Ginger’s eye, to see if she thinks his reaction is strange, but I can’t.

“Sorry…I knocked but you didn’t answer,” she offers in apology. It’s true, she did knock and we waited for close to a minute before entering. I don’t know what he was doing in his office—behind the closed door with a sign that reads “boss man” and pair of lacy underwear pinned to it—but, by the stunned look on his face, we’ve interrupted something. A glance down confirms that his belt is at least buckled.

“This is my friend, Charlie, who I told you about.” Ginger’s long, slender fingers point to me and I force a bright smile. “Friend” sounds a bit misleading, seeing as everything I’ve ever told Ginger about me is a deliberate lie.

I only met her three weeks ago. Her beginner pole dancing class was just finishing up and she stayed on to watch the advanced class. I guess I impressed her because she sat through the entire hour and then talked my ear off in the change room after about how good I am. I took her proffered number with no intentions to call. The next week, Ginger cornered me after class and wouldn’t leave until I went out to lunch with her. Last week, she coerced me into shopping. There’s nothing wrong with her. I’d say she’s in her mid to late twenties, so quite a bit older than me. She has an easy, genuine laugh and a sarcastic sense of humor. She’s persistent, too. I just didn’t plan on getting to know people, seeing as I won’t be in Miami long.  But I guess you could say that we’ve become friends—lies and all.

It’s ironic that we met when we did, actually. By my pole-dancing skills and looks, Ginger automatically assumed I was a stripper. There was no judgement in those bright green eyes when she asked which club I worked at. That’s why I admitted to the few unappealing adult clubs I had applied to and the appalling “interview” at one called Sin City. The one I had run out of. Her pixie-like face lit up, which was not the reaction I was expecting. Then she explained that she bartended at the well-revered Penny’s Palace and offered to get me a job. She asked about my experience and I, of course, lied. I told her that I had worked in Vegas.

I haven’t been back to Vegas since I was six. I have certainly never stripped there.

After my experience with Sin City, I wasn’t sure if I could go through with it. But Ginger promised me that the owner, Cain, is like none other. The way she talks about him, I’d think he holds some sort of ‘boss of the millennium’ award.

But he’s still staring me down.

He hasn’t blinked, once.

I catch the almost indiscernible shake of his head before he offers in a clipped tone, “Charlie. Right. Hi.”

“Hi.” I was cool and confident coming in here, leveraging countless hours of acting classes to ready my wide, friendly smile. Now though, under this man’s steely gaze, I hear the wobble with that one tiny word. I step forward and hold my hand out.

His coffee-colored eyes finally pry themselves from my face to glare down at my hand—without moving—and I fight the urge to retract it. Ginger swore that this guy was first class but… he still makes his money off the sex trade. A lot of things get shaken under this roof and hands are probably not one of them. I never did shake the hand of that slime ball at Sin City—Rick— before he instructed me to climb onto his lap two minutes into my interview. I shouldn’t be surprised by this guy’s reaction.

These owners are all the same.

I take a breath, reminding myself that I’ve handled my fair share of degenerates and can do this.

Hell, I’m a degenerate.

As if snapping out of a daze, Cain finally accepts my hand in his, his coffee-colored eyes locked on mine. “Hi Charlie. I’m sorry. You just…startled me. You look a lot like someone I know.” There’s a pause. “Like someone I knew,” he corrects himself softly. His voice carries with it a smooth, educated sound, which surprises me, given our surroundings.

“Okay, well, I’ll just be at the bar, getting things set up.” Ginger scoots out of the office, closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with this man. I take a few calming breaths. I’m going to throttle her.

I don’t know what to expect now. Ginger didn’t tell me much about Cain, other than that he’s really nice and honest, he treats his employees very well, and if I’m going to dance in Miami, then Penny’s is the place to work. She did say that he sometimes comes off as intimidating but he’s just reserved. And he’s got a lot on his plate, running this place.

She certainly left out details about his physical appearance, I realize, as my gaze skates over his frame to see the well-defined curves beneath a fitted button down black dress shirt and black dress pants. As if that body isn’t enough, his face is flawless—angular cheekbones and a sharp jaw combine to give him a masculine yet almost pretty look. He’s like a sculpture—and about as opposite to Sin City Rick as you can get.

Basically, Cain is panty-dropping hot.

That your boss is panty-dropping hot is an odd thing to leave out of the equation. Cain’s the type of guy that makes you lose your words and your train of thought when he walks by. Except Ginger, it would seem.

But attractive or not, I’m feeling all kinds of uncomfortable right now, as Cain’s hard, intelligent eyes slowly roll over my body, appraising me. Taking a deep breath, I pull my shoulders back. I hold my chin up. I look him straight in the eye. I do all the things I know to do to appear confident. I will not cower under the intense scrutiny. If I’m going to be up on his stage, taking my clothes off for his customers, I can’t be unnerved by this.

And so I stand and let him pass silent judgment while I survey his office, taking in all the shelves, crammed with boxes. Aside from the large desk on one end and a black leather couch tucked into a corner, it seems like a storage room. Looking at him, I’d expect something sleek and tidy.

“Ginger said you have experience?” His tone is more gentle than it was when we first stepped in.

I answer without hesitation. “Yes, one year in Vegas. At The Playhouse.”  I fight the urge to start twirling one of my loose blond curls. I know my tells and that’s one that says I’m lying. Ginger warned me, under no circumstances, to lie to Cain Ford, because he always finds out anyway and it pisses him off when he does. It’s kind of impossible to heed that warning though, given my situation.

Plus, I am a very proficient liar.

And I’m banking on him not doing an in-depth reference check. Short of divine intervention, he won’t find a Charlie Rourke that worked at The Playhouse in Vegas.

Because Charlie Rourke doesn’t exist.

Pre-order for Kindle | Pre-order for Paperback
Standalone New Adult Romance. Release date: November 4, 2013.