Internship with the Devil

Say hello to author Jaqueline Snowe today. Jaqueline is doing a Virtual Book Blast Tour for Internship with the Devil, a Contemporary Romance available September 1, 2020 from City Owl Press. The Book Blast Tour will take place August 31, 2020 to September 4, 2020.

Jaqueline Snowe will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3468/

Blurb

Grace Turner scores the opportunity of a lifetime interning with an Ex-NFL player. But working under Brock Anderson turns out to be the job from hell. The hometown hero turned athletic trainer has a reputation as the best in his field, but his volatile personality makes working with him miserable.

Despite the animosity between them, he’s highly respected in his field and interning under him could mean everything for her career. The long days, longer nights, injuries, and busses filled with smelly athletes are the easy part. The biggest battle is the unwarranted attraction to Brock that she can’t seem to shake.

But as Grace spends more and more time with her brooding boss, she uncovers that his abrasive nature is deep rooted in his grief—something she’s no stranger to.

The glimpses of the man beneath the harsh exterior Brock presents to the world leave Grace conflicted in her feelings for him. As the internship draws to a close, Grace is faced with a choice that could set her future on an entirely new course.

Excerpt

“Please,” I scoffed. “People watch you all the time. You must know that. You’re this presence that people like watching. I don’t know. You’re fascinating.” He blinked slowly a couple times, making me feel all sorts of nervous. “Nevermind.”

“No, finish your thought. I’m curious.” He nudged me with his leg and raised his dark brows.

“Fishing for compliments, Brock?” I teased, but stopped when his expression turned serious. My stomach soured, empathy taking over. This was a guy who thought very low of himself since the accident. As tough and intelligent as he was, he was a little broken inside. “You handsome, silly man.”

One side of his lip curled up, but those dark blues eyes waited for me to continue. I put my small hand on his arm this time, squeezing him. “No one watches you with pity, Brock. If that’s what you’re thinking. They watch you with awe and pride. Here you are, in the prime of most men’s athletic years working your ass off for a sport you were forced to give up. You’re amazing, really. You’re intelligent, everyone who works around you admires the hell out of you, and you refused to let life get the best of you. You help the dumbasses like Q and Chip, make sure your staff is treated fairly, and you helped me with this project which you had no obligation to do. You’re a good guy, Brock. Sometimes, I think you forget that.”

My heart pounded as his face fell slightly, his lips pressing together so hard they turned white. His eyes shattered me and I panicked, needing to ease the tension. I patted his knee with a shaking hand. “Although, you can be a bit grumpy.”

Author bio and links

Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She identifies as a full-blown Gryffindor and prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a new mom to her adorable son. Her life revolves around balancing her day job in education and her incessant need to write and explore the world with her wonderful baseball-loving husband.

Buy links:

 Amazon: https://smarturl.it/Shut1Amz

Amazon Paperback: https://smarturl.it/Shut1AmzPrt

B&N: https://smarturl.it/Shut1BN

Kobo: https://smarturl.it/Shut1Kobo

iBooks: https://smarturl.it/Shut1iBooks

GoodReads: https://smarturl.it/Shut1GR

City Owl: https://smarturl.it/Shut1CO

Social Media:

Blog: http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/blog

Website: http://www.jaquelinesnowe.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jaquelinesnowe

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaquelinesnowe

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/jaquelinesnowe

Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/snowebirds/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53516600-internship-with-the-devil

Back to ordinary life

Last Monday we took the train home to Dendermonde. Our extended stay at the coast was over, as my sister had to start work once more - the final three schoolyears, as she takes her pension on July 1st 2023. I'm already looking forward to that day! No more frustration and hectic life, no more talk of school and all the problems that arise...

So now it's back to normal life. At least here in Dendermonde we don't need to wear a face mask all the time. It's only obligatory in the shopping streets and when you enter a shop or a civil building, like the town's administration hall. For the rest you can walk without. I've already been taking walks a couple of times. The shops I frequent are easy to reach without having to go through the center of town. If you keep on the outside of the town ring, you only have to put on your mask before you enter the supermarket.

What I find weird is that I seem to forgotten where everything is in the house! I was so used to the flat and it's setout, so now I have to learn again where I put the sugar, cooking utensils, etc here at home!

In good two weeks' time the house next to us (where Willy used to live) will be sold online. I'm curious to see how much it will go. The house is in a much worse state than ours, but it will be a measure if we decide to sell ours as well when Christine takes her pension. We've been thinking about this for some years already, but haven't come to a decision yet. Financially it won't be a problem to keep on both the house and the flat, even on two pensions. But the house is a big one and asks for a lot of upkeeping. And of course we grow older by the year. The flat is smaller and easy to maintain. And you have everything you need in Heist. But my doctors are here and I'm used to them. Indeed, it will be a difficult decision - and we have to decide in the years to come.

End of the summer vacation

The neighbors have gone already. We leave tomorrow. It's clearly the end of summer and the vacations.

We've been here the entire summer, since July 3rd. Haven't been to another place, as was originally the plan. But corona came in-between. The original plan was a trip to Italy early in July and then another one to England early August. Then we changed to a trip to France between July and August - but once more corona hindered our plans. Just before we were due to leave, the number of contagions rose alarmingly and we cancelled once more.

Christine has to be at the office tomorrow, although only half-time. The other half she works from home. Because of the corona rules there can't be more than 2 people in the room. So now she works Monday afternoon, Tuesday,Wednesday  and Friday morning at the office. The schools are going to reopen on September 1st for all students, but as the situation is, that won't probably last very long. I gather that after a week or two they'll need to close the schools like they did in March.

I just hope that next year will be different and that we can go back to ordinary life. It's so disheartening not to be able to travel as you like. Normally we are off to some place whenever there is a shorter or longer vacation. Now we could only travel to South Africa and make a trip to England. So sad!

It will be a long autumn, winter and spring. With all the restrictions it's no fun to go outside, wearing a mask (I can't breathe properly wearing one), so you stay indoors and only go out when it's needed. Hopefully the government is going to change the rules next month. It would be so much better if you only had to wear a mask where it's busy. Most places where we go aren't. That would make a big, positive change.

I often wonder if this whole corona pandemic isn't worse than a war. Agreed, a war is bad, but at least they had occasions to laugh and make fun at times. But for us this situation looks endless. There's no real hope because there still isn't a vaccin. And the number of contagions rise in almost every country for the second time.

One positive thing: I begun writing again and hope to finish this novel in the coming months. I'll have enough time on my hands to do so!

The Promise Kept

Today we say hello to Maggie Mae Gallagher, author of The Promise Kept, a contemporary romance and romantic comedy available August 19th from Blushing Books. Maggie Mae is now doing a virtual book blast tour to promote this release. The Book Blast Tour will take place August 17 - 21, 2020.

Maggie Mae Gallagher will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:
 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3445/

Blurb

Cybil Roe gave her heart away thirteen years ago only to have it wind up shattered. With painstaking determination, she has rebuilt her life into something to be proud of today. Yet all her future plans are upended when the only man she has ever loved returns to Echo Springs. Nor does it help that he seems bound and determined to draw her back into his life. Cybil vows to stay away from him, no matter what seeing him all the time does to her resolve.

Miles Keaton wiped the dust of his hometown off his shoes years ago, never expecting that life would lead him back to the place where he had begun. Coming home to Echo Springs, to Cybil, to start a new law practice and a new life is a risk he never thought he'd take. She hates him – with good reason. Years ago, he walked away when she needed him the most. But now is he back, and intends to argue the case of his life, one more important than any he has debated in a courtroom, because she is the one woman he cannot live without.

Can Miles convince Cybil to take a second chance on him, or will a secret she has kept all these years destroy any future they might have?

Excerpt

“Oh, yes. Right there,” she murmured.

Cybil sighed at the strong hands kneading her tense shoulders. Golden sunshine warmed her skin. Azure waves lapped against the pristine, ivory sand not fifteen feet from where she lounged on a luxurious padded chaise. Her tanned skin glistened in the sun. The coconut scent from her suntan lotion wafted on the gentle breeze and mingled with the salt from the ocean waves. The simmering heat of the tropics caused perspiration to bead on her forehead and evaporate with the light wind. The sunglasses perched on her nose shaded her gray eyes from the radiant sunlight.

It was without a doubt a perfect day.

The light breeze played with the loose tendrils of her inky hair while the sexy-as-sin Pablo—he of the broad, tanned shoulders, gorgeously thick black hair, and soulful eyes—massaged her shoulders with his long, talented fingers. The man had the most wonderful, gifted hands and knew precisely where to exert the most pressure. And those thumbs of his were singularly skilled at ferreting out every ache and pain.

God, she had needed this getaway—away from the cold, the snow, the dreaded holidays, and nonstop work.

She muffled a moan.

Cybil couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. She could still taste the lime and salt from her frozen margarita. And she was a breath away from suggesting to Pablo that they take the massage indoors to her beachside bungalow. The thought of those hands massaging other regions of her body left her achy and needy. It had been so long since she had been with a man. Since this was a vacation, she didn’t have to worry about getting attached. Cybil moaned as he dug into a knot on her left shoulder.

Pablo lowered his face. Cybil shivered, heady anticipation humming along her skin. Was he going to nibble on her ear? Suggest naughty, decadent delights to be had if they retreated indoors? She was ready and willing for anything the guy had in mind.

“Purrr.” A cold, wet nose pressed against the side of her cheek where it met her ear, amplifying the sound. The purr increased in tenor. Something tickled her nose.

Cybil cracked an eye open. A pair of golden eyes stared at her with expectation and determination, with a side of feline disdain that she had yet to acknowledge him.

Author bio and links

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Maggie grew up listening to Cardinals baseball and reading anything she could get her hands on. She remembers her mother saying if only she would read the right type of books instead binging her way through the romance aisles at the bookstore, she’d have been a doctor. While Maggie never did get that doctorate, she graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with an M.A. in History.

Maggie is a bestselling and award-winning author published in multiple fiction genres. She also writes erotic romance under the name Anya Summers (http://www.anyasummers.com/¬). A total geek at her core, when she is not writing, she adores attending the latest comic con or spending time with her family. She currently lives in the United States Midwest with her two furry felines.

Website: https://www.maggiemaegallagher.com/

Social Media:

Facebook: FB.me/MagMaeGallagher OR https://www.facebook.com/MagMaeGallagher/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/magmaegallagher/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7846308.Maggie_Mae_Gallagher

  

Twitter: @magmaegallagher OR https://twitter.com/magmaegallagher?lang=en

Amazon Author Page US https://www.amazon.com/author/maggiegallagher

 

Amazon Author Page UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maggie-Mae-Gallagher/e/B00JG1IIVC/

Bookbub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/maggie-mae-gallagher

Newsletter https://www.maggiemaegallagher.com/newsletter/

Pre-Order Links

Amazon https://amzn.to/2UbMvQE

Nook https://bit.ly/3dyNhyN

Kobo https://bit.ly/3dHWzYE

iBooks https://apple.co/2XwRPQI

The first book in this series will be on sale for 99 cents from 8/15-9/15

On #Sale only #99cents THE FIXER UPPER @magmaegallagher until 9/15

#ContemporaryRomance #SmallTownRomance #SpicyReads #HotRomance #BookBoyfriends

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Xky3b0

Nook: https://bit.ly/2VQiXZI

Kobo:  https://bit.ly/2VS1Neu

Apple https://apple.co/38xZX7q

Two Ink Minimum

Please say hello to author Michel Prince. Michel's doing a Virtual Book Blast Tour for Two Ink Minimum, a Contemporary Romance available now. The Book Blast Tour will take place on Thursday, August 13, 2020.

Michel Prince will be awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Please use the following link to place your comment:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f3459/

Blurb

In book one of Permanent Hangover, all Finn Gardner wanted was a breath of fresh air when he stepped into the alley behind the Permanent Hangover Bar and Tattoo Parlor. At first sight, he’d thought it was just another homeless person to shoo away from the building. Instead, he found someone who needed help - his help. Having been given a second chance himself, Finn believes in paying it forward. The Hangover has taken more than one lost soul in over the years.

Bailey Parson needed to get away. She left her life in Chicago behind and escaped to St. Paul, but she never once thought far enough ahead to what her next step would be when she arrived there. To her, what she was running from was much more to worry about than some half-baked plan. After a month stuck on the streets, a new need arose, as the temperature started to drop - survival.

Given a chance by a stranger, Bailey works to find her way. Not only winning over customers and the staff with her smart wit and empathy, she wins over the standoffish tattoo artist. Keeping their relationship forward focused, Finn hoped to avoid both of their baggage. However, when Bailey’s past threatens to destroy everything they built together, Finn’s left with decisions to make.

Does he give up the beautiful curvy woman, the only one whose touch calms him? How much of his dark past would he need to unlock to save her? A past with the potential to destroy what they have together. More importantly, can the lovers turn the scars of the past into a design strong enough to see them through any challenge? Or, will the permanent ink leave them with open wounds and no chance of healing?

Excerpt

“Nevaeh is an outlet. One that needs little attention,” he confessed as his chest pressed against her back. The warmth leached from her, melting more than the flurries from the touch. Brushing her hair to the side his fingers tickled her neck as he leaned down.

“What did you do with her?”

“You want to know how I touched her? Every detail?”

Her eyes fluttered as his voice got harsh.

“I make her face away from me.” His hands slid down Bailey’s arms, and once again he wrapped his fingers around her wrists. This time he brought them above her head and placed her palms flat on the door. Hardness pressed against her mid-back, dwarfed by his height and encompassed by him, heat leached from his body to hers. “She grips the top of the bathroom stall. I don’t want her to look at me. Talk to me. The moans she makes annoy me to the point I almost stop, but my body protests. It wants me deeper inside. Pounding at an ungodly pace because all I want to do is get away from her.”

“Why do you do it then?” Bailey’s voice struggled to escape her lips. The gooseflesh wasn’t coming from the cold. Her core ached at the vision he’d placed in her head. Even with the cruelty, she wanted the touch. Yearned for it to the point her legs weakened.

“Punishment.”

Bailey turned around to face him. “For you or me?”

Finn leaned down, and for the first time in her life, a man touched her in a way that didn’t make her skin crawl. Cupping her cheeks, he dipped his head. Her heart beat hard against her chest and blood rushed to her lips causing them to throb in anticipation.

“I don’t like to be touched. It burns me in a way I can’t stand,” he said as his lips caressed hers with an absent touch. “She doesn’t require much. Whether it’s her mouth, ass, or pussy, she is a receptacle more efficient than my hand.”

“You don’t even like to touch yourself?” Bailey asked as her hands itched to reach for him and feel his body. No touch rule. One she hadn’t seen before. How degrading she thought and realized he was holding her.

“I like the thought of touching you, Bay. A little too much.” 

Author bio and links

USA Today Bestselling author, Michel Prince, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history and political science. Michel writes new adult and adult paranormal romance as well as contemporary romance.

With characters yelling “It’s my turn damn it!!!” She tries to explain to them that alas, she can only type a hundred and twenty words a minute and they will have to wait their turn. She knows they’ll eventually find their way out of her head and to her fingertips and she looks forward to sharing them with you.

When Michel suppresses the voices in her head, she can be found cheering for her son in a variety of sports. She owes a huge thanks to her family for always being in her corner and especially her husband for supporting her every dream and never letting her give up.

Michel was awarded Elite Status with Rebel Ink Press in 2013, the service award for her local RWA chapter Midwest Fiction Writers in 2013 and 2014, and Sweetest Romance at IRAE 2015.

She resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, and dogs, Bolt and Sawyer.

www.MichelPrinceBooks.com

www.facebook.com/MichelPrinceBooks

www.Twitter.com/MichelPrince1

www.instagram.com/michelprincebooks

Buy Links:

Amazon US https://tinyurl.com/rb6spvm

Amazon UK https://tinyurl.com/v6txpp2

Amazon AU https://tinyurl.com/r8rrqr8

Amazon CA https://tinyurl.com/u2272pz

Nook https://tinyurl.com/v45648s

Kobo https://tinyurl.com/skt5ak6

Apple https://tinyurl.com/t7uhjks

Google https://tinyurl.com/y78ze7dt

Audible https://tinyurl.com/ybhokp9m

Life in the tropics

Belgium is suffering under a prolonged heatwave - the first one ever of its kind. The record of the highest day temperature was broken on Saturday - it was the warmest day ever with a temperature of 37+ degrees Celsius in Ukkel (where the weather institute is based).

Since Friday last it's been hot. That day we could keep the temperature in our flat down to mere 26°. But as we face south and we don't catch any sea breeze it's very hard to maintain a lower temperature inside. We close all windows and doors and also let the shutters down, but still the temperature rises. Right now it's well around 30°. Feels like living in the tropics!

Luckily, I manage to sleep well. Heat never bothered me for sleeping. I lay on top of my mattress,  only dressed in a light cotton pyjama - and sleep. And both my sister and I don't lose our appetite either. Yesterday we had a harty paella for dinner (well spiced) so the sweat ran down our face, but it tasted very well.

This weather will continue until at least Friday, they predict. We are seriously thinking of installing airco by next year, as it looks like our summers are becoming warmer and warmer each year.

How's the weather where you are?

Heatwave coming up

It looks like we're in for our first heatwave this summer. Yesterday the temperature began to rise, and for the following days the KMI (weather office) predicts temperatures up in the 30ties Celsius. We have a heatwave when the temp is above 30° three days in a row. And they already say it's gonna stay hot well into next week...

Yesterday and hopefully today we were able to stay outside on our terrace. There was a good breeze yesterday afternoon, which made it bearable. And today it looks like we're going to be able to put down some parasols so we can rest in the shade.

But when it becomes over 30° then the south facing terrace is just too hot by day. The only times when you can sit it is early in the morning for breakfast and late at night for drinks. For the rest of the day, you have to stay indoors. Before corona we used to take a walk in the shade (the big appartment blocks throw shade on the promenade until late in the afternoon) but now you have to wear a mask I just don't feel like doing it.

So most likely, the following days we'll be watching a lot of movies and series. We have a big collection of DVD's and there's always something you haven't watched for some time.

How do you cope with extreme heat?

Staycation

This is a new word in Belgium. Because of the corona crisis, a lot of Belgians have cancelled their holiday plans and stay at home. The board of tourism has lanced a big campaign, advertising for destinations within Flanders or Wallony.

We also do a staycation. We're ever so lucky to have our flat at the coast, with its big roof terrace (30 m²) As the weather cooperates, we live a lot outdoors - on our own terrace where we stay in our own bubble and don't have to wear that stupid mask. My sister keeps busy by reparing and painting the outside wall. The block of flats dates back to 1969 and in such old buildings there is always something to repair. Chris has a good pair of hands and is very handy - unlike me!

I keep busy with bringing and fetching when necessary, and most of all reading. I've read a couple of books already - a mix of thrillers, romances, even young adult fiction. Some of these stories are better written than most of the adult ones. Is it my age? Now I'm in my sixties I tend to go back to the time I was a teenager or even younger, finding old strips on the attic and sitting there, reading them anew...

Hopefully next year will be different - and better, without corona.