Showing posts with label Chapter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chapter. Show all posts

Saturday, 20 June 2015

Chapter Blog Tour: Burned by Melody Anne #ForbiddenSeries






Title: Burned
Forbidden Series #4
Author: Melody Anne
Publication Date: June 16


Tyler Knight isn’t nearly as hardened as his brothers. He was too young to remember the horrific death of his parents, the betrayal of his mother, or the weakness of his father. But he’s watched his brothers, and the hardened life they have led, and he’s always been the calm in the storm for them all, bringing light to an otherwise darkened world.

When he watches his brothers find a ray of sun in their otherwise turbulent lives, he wonders why he can’t find the same and he goes on a quest, for the first time doing it all on his own without the negative words of his brothers in his ear. But he’s about to learn that no matter how much he may want to hide from his dark past, it’s something that won’t disappear. And it’s about to catch up to him.

See the exciting conclusion to NYT best-selling author Melody Anne’s Forbidden Series with Tyler Knight’s story.

 
 
 
Chapter Four
 
 
Elena took long, deep breaths in front of the restroom mirror. She was in a major battle to get her heart to quit racing. Those words, those exact words he’d spoken to her twenty years before, had been too much for her to handle.
She’d been unable to speak. She’d just lurched up from the table and run.
“What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay? Let me get you a washcloth.”
Her friend Piper had rushed through the door and was talking a mile a minute and not giving Elena a chance to answer. But Elena couldn’t answer yet anyway. She was too frazzled.
Piper handed her a cool washcloth, and Elena pressed it to her forehead.
“Okay, I’m giving you exactly sixty seconds to pull yourself together and to tell me what in the hell is going on. If I need to go and kick that guy’s ass, then I’m your girl. I’m officially a brown belt in karate now.”
The fact that Piper was deadly serious yanked Elena’s mood completely around. She broke out into a smile and then began laughing uncontrollably.
“I’m starting to get really worried now, Elena. Seriously. If you don’t stop laughing and talk to me, I’m going to have to call in the paramedics,” Piper said, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her foot impatiently.
“I’m so…so sorry Piper. It’s just that you are the best friend that any girl could ever have, and I love you so much. Thank you,” Elena said between fits of laughter.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re my bestie too,” Piper snapped. “Now, tell me what is going on! I mean it, Elena. I’m serious!”
“Okay, okay. It’s just that things are going just fine. I know he wants me, wants me desperately, which is pretty great, actually — all things considered — but then the bastard tells me to prove it and I just lost it and headed for the hills.”
She didn’t have to expand on that. Piper knew the entire story. She knew what those words meant.
“It’s settled. I am going to kick his worthless ass. Truly, I am,” Piper said as she made one hand into a fist and hit the other one with it.
“No. Don’t do that,” Elena said, overcome with a fit of giggles again. “You’ve done exactly what I needed you to do. I needed a minute to calm down. I need to end the evening on the proper note. With the proper touch. Or maybe not so proper.”
Her friend looked at her dubiously. “Then we’re leaving?”
“In a few minutes,” Elena told her, and Piper threw up her hands. “I’m going to go back out there, sweetie, so I can get him hot and bothered and then leave him wanting more. I need you to come out of the bathroom in exactly five minutes and tell me it’s time to go, and then we’ll talk more. I promise.”
“I don’t like this, Elena. I don’t like it at all.”
“I know you don’t, but because we will do anything for each other, you’ll carry through with my crazy plans,” Elena said before checking herself out in the mirror.
She looked slightly crazy, but then she was feeling a little bit crazy at the moment. She was insane, actually, to think she could carry this off. But she was doing it, and she was doing it well — so far, at least.
“Fine. You have exactly five minutes,” Piper warned her as she plopped down on one of the benches in front of the full-length mirrors.
“Thanks. Love you tons.”
With that, Elena walked steadily ahead, took another deep breath, and swung the door open. When she turned the corner of the short hallway, she found Tyler leaning against the wall, His expression was unreadable, but that was fine by her. She could wear a pretty damn good mask of her own, if she had to say so.
“Are you okay, Elena?”
That was all he said.
“I’m sorry. My drink hit me wrong and I got overheated — hot all over. I had to cool down,” she said as she slinked up to him. His eyes widened when she put out a hand and caressed his chest. “I believe you told me to prove it.”
And she leaned against him, circling her hand behind his head and pulling him down to her. She captured his lips and opened herself up, her hands splaying across his chest, her tongue tasting his excitement.
Tyler’s shock at her boldness lasted only a second, maybe less, and then he was pinning her against the wall as his mouth devoured hers.
Elena had been prepared for the kiss, or at least she’d thought she’d been prepared, but as his tongue traced the contours of her mouth, her stomach tightened and her core grew dangerously wet. And she knew that no amount of preparation in the world could have clued her in to how good it would feel to be in his arms.
She was no longer a little girl fumbling with what to do, and this wasn’t an innocent kiss.
His body was hard and unyielding, and he was running his hands up and down her sides, drawing closer and closer to her breasts with each pass. What he was doing with his mouth — she’d never experienced anything like it before.
His touch was searing her, and when a low groan erupted from his throat, the sound traveled straight through her veins and pulsed deep inside her. No, she hadn’t thought this revenge plot through. Not at all.
“Oh, Elena, are you as turned on as I am right now?” He leaned back only far enough to trail his lips across her jaw and trace the skin at her neck.
“I…uh…we… Too pubic…public!” she stuttered, her embarrassment quickly forgotten with her hunger so exposed. Her desperate fingers were clasping his shoulders, holding him to her. She was trying to stop, but her body was rebelling.
“No one is back here,” he said. He slipped his hand beneath her shirt and stroked her now quivering stomach.
When he reached the underside of her breasts, she held her breath. She should tell him to stop. This wasn’t part of her plan, but she waited, instead, for what was coming next. She was aching for this.
He didn’t disappoint her. His hand traced over the lacy fabric of her bra, and his palm cupped her jutting nipples, making her moan in pleasure.
“You like my touch, don’t you, Elena?” he said. He sucked her bottom lip into his and bit down gently. “Yes, I can feel how much you do,” he answered for her. “Let’s go back to my place.”
She was trying to remember why she couldn’t do that, why she had to say no.
“Um, Elena… Hello!”
Elena heard her name, knew it wasn’t Tyler speaking, but for the life of her she couldn’t drag herself out of the sexual fog that was surrounding her.
“Go away. Elena’s busy,” she heard Tyler growl.
“I don’t think so,” Piper replied.
“Piper!” Her friend’s irritated voice brought Elena back to reality, and she managed to push, rather than pull, against Tyler’s chest.
That was all it took for him to take a step back.
“I’m ready to leave now,” Piper said, sending a meaningful look Elena’s way, reminding her that this was what she’d asked her to do five minutes ago.
Five minutes ago seemed liked eons.
“I’m sorry. Yes, it’s time to go,” Elena said. She hoped no one noticed that she was panting.
“Don’t,” Tyler said, almost a panic in his eyes. “I’ll take you home later.”
Elena was oh so tempted, but she needed to pull herself together. If she went home with this guy tonight, she would be the one losing. Yet again.
“Sorry, Tyler,” she said, the purr back in her voice. “I have to leave now.”
After walking a couple of steps away, she turned back around and pulled a piece of paper and pen from her purse, jotted down the number and moved back over to him. She slipped it right there into the front pocket of his trousers, and she let her hand linger there, so close to where she knew he was the hardest. Damn, how she wanted to touch him. Touch wasn’t the word she was really thinking, of course.
“You may call me,” she said with just enough sass that she watched a spark light his eyes.
She didn’t look back at him again. She took her friend’s arm and walked away, and she didn’t breathe again until they were outside in the fresh air.
“You are so spilling,” Piper growled as she hailed a cab and they slipped inside.
“I will. I promise,” Elena said, leaning her head back against the vinyl headrest. “Just not yet. For now, I’m going to close my eyes and try to get my body under control.”
“You’re in trouble, Elena, big trouble. If you carry through with this, I don’t think Tyler Knight is going to be the one who gets punished.”
“Yeah, I know that too,” Elena said.
And then she was done talking. Her friend was right. She was in trouble — big, huge, monstrous trouble.
 
If you missed the first three chapters, check out these blogs :)
 
Chapter 1

Chapter 2

 
 
Chapter 3
 
 
About Melody Anne

 Melody Anne is the author of the popular series, Billionaire Bachelors, and Baby for the Billionaire. She also has a Young Adult Series out; Midnight Fire and Midnight Moon - Rise of the Dark Angel. She's been writing for years and published in 2011. She hold a bachelors degree in business, so she loves to write about strong, powerful, businessmen.

When Melody isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and pets. She lives in a small town that she loves, and is involved in many community projects.

See Melody's Website at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to all her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or at twitter: @authmelodyanne.



 

Thursday, 26 June 2014

Chapter Release Blitz: UnWritten by Chelsea M. Cameron

 
 
 
UnWritten by Chelsea M. Cameron

 
July 2014


 
 
Blair Walton isn't your average tattooed children's librarian. She's also one half of bestselling romance author, Scarlet Rose. Along with her bff Raine, she spends her nights writing books so steamy, she's afraid they would shock her Southern conservative grandmother to death, if she knew about them. Blair and Raine keep their smut peddling ways a secret from everyone, including family.

 

On deadline for their latest book and out of ideas, Raine suggests (demands) that Blair find a guy and "do some research." It just so happens that Blair has a guy that's ready and willing. Declan Bennet has all the qualifications: He's British, looks fabulous in a suit and gets bonus points for being a single dad. But what started out as a research project quickly turns into something much more. Someone else is writing this love story and Blair has completely lost control. But will Declan still feel the same way when he finds out the truth about Blair and her secret motives?

 




Chapter One


Contains adult language

“What’s another word for ‘pussy’?” Raine said, squinting at me over her laptop. I looked up from mine and thought for a moment.

“What’s the context?”

Her not-quite-blue-not-quite-grey eyes went back to her screen.

“He’s licking it.”

“Her pussy?”

“Yeah, but I’ve already used that word, like, a million times.” I sighed and saved the chapter I was currently working on.

“Send it to me.”

Her fingers clacked on her keyboard and then my email dinged. I ignored the massive amounts of unread mail in my inbox, including several fan letters (which I felt horrible about ignoring) and opened the document.

My eyes did a quick scan as Raine stared at her computer, a frown on her face. I deleted a few of her uses of the word and tweaked the phrasing.

“Okay, sending back.”

It seemed odd, seeing as how our laptops were practically touching on our shared desk. I reached for my coffee cup, tried to take a sip and found it empty.

“Damn. I’m out. Want a refill?” Raine handed me her cup without taking her eyes off the screen. It was nearly one in the morning, but we had a deadline next week, and we hadn’t missed one yet and had no intention to start.

I tried to remember the last time I’d made a pot of coffee, and couldn’t, so I tossed whatever was in the coffeepot and starting making a fresh pot.

“You know, we really should get one of those Keurigs. You know it would be a tax write-off. And it’s not like we can’t afford it.”

Raine just made a non-committal sound.

I was always the one who had to make the first move. When the two of us had met as TAs in the English department at college, I’d been the one who’d had the crazy idea of writing a romance together under a pen name and trying to get it published.

The two of us had spent the hours we were supposed to be doing keg stands and getting STDs typing away. It took us two years to write our first book, and most of it was spent trying to figure out how to combine our brains into one story. And then, by some miracle, we’d actually gotten an agent to take us seriously, and then a publisher and here we were, three years after getting our first book deal, with five books under our collective belt, three of them bestsellers under the name Scarlet Rose (Scarlet for my middle name, Rose for Raine’s mother).

“Ugh, I can’t look at this anymore, or I'm going to set it on fire,” Raine said, rubbing her eyes and getting to her feet and stretching her back.

“I know the feeling,” I said, hoping that by staring at the coffeemaker, it would somehow brew faster.

“We are never going to make this deadline.”

I turned and gave her a look.

“You always say that and we always meet them. Look, let’s take a half hour break to recharge and then we can marathon until four. Okay?” That would only give me a few hours of sleep, but I’d functioned on much less.

That was the price you paid for being a secret writer.

Raine came over and put her chin on my shoulder.

“Why did we sign this contract again?” I sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“Because the money was good and we can’t say no to Marilyn.”

“I’m still terrified of her.”

“You wouldn’t be human if you weren’t,” I said as the coffee finally started to pour into the pot. Marilyn, our editor, was one of the scariest women I’d ever met. Initially, she seemed sweet and nice. But she was deadly with a red pen and she had an uncanny ability to read people. Her hair was always curled, her shoes were always spiked heels and her lipstick was always cherry red. She was beautiful in the way that a sharpened blade was beautiful.

I poured coffee into both our cups, adding lots of sugar to mine, and lots of powdered creamer to Raine’s.

“I’m calling out tomorrow. There’s just no way I can put up with morons after all this.”

“I wish I could. Sabrina’s on vacation, so I’m shit out of luck.” I worked in the Children’s department of our small local library and Raine was a bank teller. Totally glamorous jobs they were not.

Raine kissed one of the tattoos on my shoulder and picked up her coffee cup. My arms were both covered in ink and I had several others on my chest, back, legs and feet. My mother was convinced I got them to spite her, but really none of them had anything to do with her.

“Blaiiirrrrrr,” she whined, shuffling back to the desk. “I don’t wanna write any more.”

“Too bad, kiddo. We have a deadline.” They say you never really know the measure of a person until you live with them, but I think you never really know it until you try to write a book with them.

“Drink your coffee, babe. It will make you feel better.” She did as I asked, and sat on the couch. I turned on the television and went through our saved shows. We had the latest episode of New Girl on there, which would be perfect for a half hour of wasting time before we had to go back to work.

I snuggled next to Raine and before I knew it, my eyes were closing.

****

“Blair!” A voice pierced my eardrums and then something smacked my arm. My eyes flew open to realize that the living room was filling with the weak light of predawn.

“We both fell asleep,” Raine said, yawning and stretching. I’d fallen asleep tucked into her side.

“Shit, what time is it?”

“Nearly six.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” I stumbled to my feet and grabbed my coffee cup, intending to throw it in the microwave.

“Words. We have to make words,” I said, but Raine’s eyes had closed again.

“No words. Sleep.”

I had two options. I could go back to sleep for a little while, or I could force myself to stay awake.

Normally I would do the second, but I was so beyond tired that I knew if I didn’t get at least a little more sleep, I was going to pass out on the copier at the library. Again.

“Bed. Going to bed.” Raine didn’t answer.

I stumbled toward my bed and fell face first on it, and was out until my alarm rang again at seven thirty.

****

“And they lived happily ever after,” I said for what felt like the ten thousandth time in my life. I closed the book and looked out at the faces that stared at me with rapt attention. I had a good turnout for the toddler story hour, and everyone had been on their best behavior. I stifled a yawn behind the book and got up from my rocking chair.

“Thank you everyone for coming. We’ll see you next week.” Then we sang “The Goodbye Song” and each kid gave me a hug. More often than not, at least one little bugger would wipe their nose on my shoulder. I must have an immune system of steel because I rarely got sick.

As the tots were collected by their frazzled parents and taken off for naps or snacks, I went to re-shelve the books I’d used.

The children’s room at the Sullivan Library was decorated to look like the pages of Where The Wild Things Are, complete with the monsters and Max in his costume. There was even a little jungle nook with plastic vines hanging down. I loved it here and I couldn’t believe I’d managed to get this job right out of college.

I’d worried that my appearance would hinder my chances, and undo the good of getting my Master’s in Library Science and my summer internship with the Library of Congress.

But Madeline, the head librarian, had taken one look at my resumé, then me, smiled, and said I was hired. I’d been working here ever since.

They had no idea about what I did at night with Raine. I gave no explanation for the fact that I often appeared weary, and constantly covered up my dark circles with makeup.

The most ironic part was that the library carried my books. Mine and Raine’s. Sometimes the other librarians would ask me if I’d read them and I always said no.

I did various chores around the room, picking up some of the toys, re-shelving books that had been scattered around by little fingers, and checking them to make sure none had snot on them. Anti-bacterial wipes were my friend.

Focused on my tasks, I almost didn’t hear the tiny voice, humming in a corner. I peered between two of the shelves and found a little boy wearing an outfit nice enough for family pictures. His hair was so blond it was almost white, and gelled back from his face to show his bright blue eyes. A quick glance around showed that he was sans parent.

“Hey there,” I said, using my soft library voice. I’d honed it over the past few years of working with kids.

“Shhh,” he said, putting a finger to his lips. He looked about three or four, I’d guess. I got closer and I saw that he even had little dress shoes on. Poor kid.

“Okay, I can be quiet,” I said, sitting down next to him, folding my dress under me. “I’m Blair, what’s your name?”

“I, Drake,” he said in a whisper that wasn’t a whisper. This kid was adorable.

“Hi, Drake. It’s so nice to meet you. Are you here all by yourself?” We’d had more than one child go missing, hidden in between the stacks. I kept expecting his frazzled mother to come around the corner and sigh in relief before yelling at him not to run off.

“Yup. I big boy.”

“You are a big boy. You’ve even got your big boy clothes on. Did you pick those out yourself?” He was about to answer when I heard footsteps and a woman, looking frantic, emerged around the corner.

“Drake!” she said, nearly falling over in relief. I wondered if this woman was his mother, because where he was fair as could be, she had silky black hair, dark eyes and gorgeous tan skin. Drake didn’t look pleased to be found.

“Thank you for finding him,” the woman said as I stood up to let her collect him.

“No, I don’t wanna!” Drake said.

“But we’re going to meet your daddy. Don’t you want to see Daddy?” At the mention of seeing his father, Drake’s eyes lit up and he grinned.

“Daddy!”

“That’s right, we’re going to see him.” She leaned down and picked him up. She was tiny, but had the body of a woman who had probably run a marathon or two. She was also dressed just as well as Drake, with a black skirt, white ruffled top and gorgeous heels. I looked down at my cute-but-sensible red ballet flats and sighed. I never got to wear sexy shoes like that at work.

“Bye, Drake. Come and see me again and I’ll help you choose a book,” I said, waving at him as the woman carried him to the door.

“Bye-bye, Blair!” he called in his sweet little voice.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

 

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

 

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

 








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