Hot Pants and Valentines by Desiree Holt
Her hot pants certainly heated up Valentine’s Day.
They met by accident in a bar on the night of Valentine’s Day. She had walked out on a cheating boyfriend. He was at loose ends and feeling fidgety. One drink opened the door to a night of erotic adventure. No holds barred. No restrictions. Except…no names. She was Val, he was Ace.
For a year they each regretted the inability to contact each other. Then, next Valentine’s Day, they reconnected in the most unexpected place…
This Ain't No Love Story by Aliyah Burke
His reputation precedes him. Will she allow them a shot?
Josh “Helter Skelter” Jones loves being unattached and picking a woman he wants, when he wants. A trip home changes all of that when he meets Neyda Hughes. Again. Now she is all he can think about, but his reputation has preceded him and she’s skeptical of believing he means long term. Can he win her heart for his own by Valentine’s Day?
Lovestruck by January Bain
What if Cupid’s arrow is real?
What if Cupid’s arrow is real? When the ancient artifact is discovered by a newfound witch and lent to a friend for her Valentine’s Day display, all Hades breaks loose when it inadvertently falls into the wrong hands.
Magic is in the air as two polar-opposite people, small-town Emma Hurst and big-city man Stone Collins, are forced to deal with his over-the-top romantic gestures that threaten embarrassment at every turn. Being swept off her feet by a heartthrob is one thing, but having love forced on her by a spell is quite another, something Emma won’t stand for. Soon no one knows what’s real and what’s been caused by the tricky god of love.
Will Cupid win, or will cooler heads prevail? It’s going to take every last sprinkle of Valentine magic to sort out this kerfuffle…
For One Night Only by Raven McAllan
For one night only. However, commitment has a habit of sneaking up on you. Then you have a choice, is it one night only or something more?
Ava Welsh has split from her toe-rag of a boyfriend and needs a partner for a wedding.
Conal Camlin has waved bye-bye to his grasping girlfriend and needs a partner for an award night.
When they literally bump into each other, they both have the same thought.
Here’s someone to accompany me to a one-off event.
Neither wants commitment, just a partner for that one special thing. Could they make this one night only thing work? Of course, they’ll need to spend time together, to make sure it looks real. But spending time together means you get to know each other. And when you get to know each other, you discover if you like each other.
Can they really say goodbye and thank you, and go their separate ways after each single night, or could it be the start of something more? Will Valentine’s Day be the end of their no-commitment vows?
General Release Date: 9th February 2021
Excerpt from This Ain't No Love Story
“It’s so good to see you, Josh. How long are you here for?”
“Easy there, Auntie Bea, you’re too strong for me like this. Going to crack my ribs.” Even as he teased, he hugged his only living relative. The woman who had raised him.
She tsked and stepped back to look at him. “A bit thin, but some of my cooking will fix that right up. Now, how long are you staying?” She propped her hands on her hips.
Josh “Helter Skelter” Jones thought about his answer before allowing it to leave his mouth. This was his hometown. Not that he knew everyone, but he was damn sure that his aunt did. Known on his team for being a man-whore, he had no intentions of dipping anything of his into a woman here because it would only lead to headache for him because of his Auntie Bea. So, giving some time for her here would work. That would leave time for him to be another anonymous face in a large city to get some pussy before he needed to go back. He had no problems splitting his time half and half, he’d not seen her in a while.
“Two weeks,” he said, wrapping an arm back around her and resting his cheek on the top of her head. Even now, she still smelled like fresh baked goods, as she’d done when he had been growing up.
“Valentine’s Day? They don’t give you enough time off. That’s hardly any time for us to catch up. Or for you to meet this lovely little woman I think would be perfect for you, and why are you shaking your head at me?”
“Not here to find a woman, Auntie Bea. I’m here to visit you.”
Once again, she stepped away from him and turned to look up in his direction. “Are you into men? I mean, that’s fine, I still love you, but there are some nice ones of those around as well.”
“I’m not gay, but I am glad you would still love me. I just don’t have time for any relationship right now, not with work keeping me as busy as they do.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes but didn’t speak for a few moments. “Need to get married and have some babies, if you want my opinion.”
Excerpt from Lovestruck
Emma Valentine Hurst’s hand hovered over the open chocolate box. Hmm. A sinfully dark chocolate truffle or a heart-shaped melt-in-my-mouth orange liquor? After her dismal morning, both.
She slipped the first one into her mouth, closed her eyes and let it melt on her tongue while trying to ignore the ongoing struggle of wills between mother and son right behind her. A sudden, sharp snap alerted her to trouble. She whirled around to discover her new Cupid-with-arrow display teetering precariously on its pedestal. In a flash, she leapt the short distance, just in time to save the display from toppling over, but not in time to stop the child from taking off with his prize, clutched in his candy-stained hands—the bow and arrow recently held upright and loaded for action by none other than Cupid himself.
“Timmy! Stop that! Put that back right now. Don’t you dare, young man, I’m warning you!”
Timothy Adam Jones took off like a bat right out of, well, Hades for the front door of the newly minted Valentine’s Candy Shoppe, his mother Vanity trying desperately to catch up with the five-year-old. He seemed to have been blessed with feet that must be invisibly winged like Mercury or Hermes, depending on whether one preferred the Romans or the Greeks. Emma was personally more enamored of the Greeks, as their mythology came first, though Cupid was decidedly more Roman.
But the determined child, who had already made the front entrance, also had the advantage of being sugar-fueled, thanks to his doting mother allowing him to graze at each and every candy bin to his heart’s content, hence Emma’s dismal morning. To Vanity’s credit, she was hampered by her four-inch heels, a tight pencil skirt and a multitude of hair extensions that obscured her sideways vision like blinders on a plow horse. The fashion plate succeeded in only teetering dangerously back and forth on the tiled floor and within precarious inches of a towering display of cut-glass crystal stemware.
Emma swallowed the remains of the chocolate and charged after the child, waving off his mother, who gave her a grateful, though chagrined, look. After all, he had her Cupid’s arrow clutched in his tight little fists, having torn it from her new Valentine’s display. So now the display didn’t make sense, for why would Cupid be holding his arms out so awkwardly? Pretending to mime an arrow? It just wasn’t going to work.
Excerpt from Hot Pants and Valentines
Dax Rutledge stood on the sidewalk, studying the crowds moving past him and debating with himself. It was barely ten o’clock and he was ready to bag it all and go back to his motel room. The entire city seemed to be caught up in Valentine’s Day fever and he thought if he had to look at one more red heart or drawing of Cupid, he might hang himself. Or throw up. It was hard to get in the mood for love when there was only a team of one.
He and Clint Wilder, who’d become like a brother to him since they’d both been assigned to the same SEAL team, had planned to spend the time at some resort, just hanging out. But then Shelley, Clint’s very sweet lady who traveled for a living, had suddenly had the week off. He’d pretty much had a Taken sign hung around his neck since he’d met her. When she’d discovered at the last minute she’d have the week free, there’d been a change in plans and they’d headed to Florida.
She’d insisted he bring Dax with him and promised to hook him up with some of her friends. Maybe he’d even get to have some outrageous sex.
Which was how they’d ended up spending their free week here in Florida. In Tampa, on Hillsborough Bay, of all places. He saw enough water as it was. But Clint had wanted to spend the time with her, and Dax couldn’t blame him. Things seemed to be getting pretty serious with the two of them. If he could make sure Clint and Shelley had the week together, no problem.
Was that a twinge of jealousy poking at him? Hell, no. He only had room for one dedicated relationship at the moment and that was the SEALs. But, he thought, what the hell? He was currently unattached and didn’t have any place else to be. And maybe he’d find someone to hook up with while he was here.
Shelley owned a cute little house in South Tampa that even had two guest rooms. At first Dax had felt uncomfortable staying there with them, but they’d gone out of their way to make him feel at home. He’d bought himself a set of ear plugs so when they went off to bed at night, he wouldn’t accidentally hear anything. The two of them had been great about including Dax in some of their activities and he’d had fun with them. When they went off by themselves, they always used Shelley’s car and left Dax the one he and Clint had rented. He’d managed to amuse himself and now the week was coming to an end. It was Valentine’s Day and Clint and Shelley would definitely be celebrating.
Excerpt from For One Night Only
Ava Welsh glanced at the elaborately decorated piece of card in her hand and fought back the desire to rip it into tiny pieces and-or cry her eyes out. Why that on top of everything else?
In the space of a week, she’d split from Malc, her toe-rag of a boyfriend, who thought, as she had the better job, he should just give his up and sponge off her. Never going to happen, and he was most put out when she told him so. On reflection, she’d realised she’d paid for most things anyway, and enough was enough.
He’d retaliated by saying she was rubbish at sex and Ava had replied with, ‘It takes one to know one.’
That had been Monday.
Tuesday she’d had a visit from Clare, her best mate, saying Brad, her brother, was getting married at short notice and no, the bride wasn’t pregnant. They were just mushily in love and didn’t want to wait. Then she’d dropped the unwanted news that Ava was invited.
Just as she became a Billy—or was it Milly—no-mates?
Today was Wednesday and it was shaping up to be as bad.
The invitation to the wedding had arrived. And, to add insult to injury, the ceremony was on Valentine’s Day. Ironic or what? Everyone all loved-up, with cards from not-so-unknown admirers…and her. She would be card-less, admirer-less and less than enamoured with the whole thing. The fact she usually loved anything romantic, Ava chose to ignore. She was off men and romance big time. It was bad enough being partnerless, without love and romance being rubbed in ad nauseam. She knew Brad. He’d be so besotted with his bride, it would be hearts and flowers every which way and no doubt schmaltzy love songs on a continuous loop.
Aliyah Burke
USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Aliyah Burke is an avid reader and is never far from pen and paper (or the computer). She is happily married to a career military man. They are owned by six Borzoi. She spends her days at the day job, writing, and working with her dogs. She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached here. She can also be found on Facebook or Twitter: @AliyahBurke96. And Pinterest.
If you would like to be kept abreast of what's going on in the world of Aliyah, you can sign up to her newsletter here.
Raven McAllan
After 30 plus years in Scotland, Raven now lives near the east Yorkshire coast, with her long-suffering husband, who is used to rescuing the dinner, when she gets immersed in her writing, keeping her coffee pot warm and making sure the wine is chilled.
With a new home to decorate and a garden to plan, she’s never short of things to do, but writing is always at the top of her list.
Her other hobbies include walking along the coast and spotting the wildlife, reading, researching, cros stitch and trying not to drop stitches as she endeavours to knit.
Being left-handed, and knitting right-handed, that’s not always easy.
She loves hearing from her readers, either via her website, by email or social media.
January Bain
January Bain has wished on every falling star, every blown-out birthday candle and every coin thrown in a fountain to be a storyteller. To share the tales of high adventure, mysteries, and full-blown thrillers she has dreamed of all her life. The story you now have in your hands is the compilation of a lot of things manifesting itself for this special series. Hundreds of hours spent researching the unusual and the mundane have come together to create a series that features strong women who don’t take life too seriously, wild adventures full of twists and unforeseen turns, and hot complicated men who aren’t afraid to take risks. She can only hope the stories of her beloved Brass Ringers will capture your imagination as much as they did hers when she wrote them.
If you are looking for January Bain, you can find her hard at work every morning without fail in her office with two furry babies trying to prove who does a better job of guarding the doorway. And, of course, she’s married to the most romantic man! Who once famously replied to her inquiry about buying fresh flowers for their home every week, “Give me one good reason why not?” Leaving her speechless and knocking her head against the proverbial wall for being so darn foolish. She loves flowers.
If you wish to connect in the virtual world, she is easily found on Facebook, Twitter and writes a weekly blog about her journey on Blogger. Oh, and she loves to talk books…
Desiree Holt
A multi-published, award winning, Amazon and USA Today best-selling author, Desiree Holt has produced more than 200 titles and won many awards. She has received an EPIC E-Book Award, the Holt Medallion and many others including Author After Dark’s Author of the Year. She has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and in The Village Voice, The Daily Beast, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The London Daily Mail. She lives in Florida with her cats who insist they help her write her books, and is addicted to football.
You can follow Desiree on Facebook and Twitter and check out her Blog.
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