Note: this is a long blog but worth it!

Leave me a comment. Someone will win a $10 GC plus one of my ebooks of their choice.

Ready for some history? In 2004 I finally sat down to write a book. It would be the realization of a dream finally come true. And of course, it would be easy peasy. Nothing to writing a book, right? I think  my head still hurts from banging it on the desk!!

First of all, I had planned to write a straight mystery, because, along with my mother and sister, those were the books I had always read. I even had that first book plotted out, chapter by chapter. So computer, I said, here I come.

Turns out writing a book is a lot harder than it looks. After three months I still had only three chapters written and the head banging began. But then I read Cry No More, by Linda Howard, and a whole new world opened up to me. I wasn’t meant for mysteries. I was meant for romantic suspense. So back to the computer I went, and I wrote that first book in an effort to create a hero as memorable as Diaz in Cry No More.

And I wrote it in a week! 85K words!

Of course, I was the only one who thought it was so wonderful. But it did prompt me to reach out and find the local RWA chapter, which is where I met the fabulous Delilah Devlin and was privileged to be in the critique group with her. The  biggest thing I learned? I had a lot of work to do on that book.

Time marched on. I wrote other books. Eventually a publisher even bought some of them. Wow! I was a published author. But that first book that began my writing life, Run For Your Life, still sat on my hard drive, getting constantly revised.

After five years it was finally contracted as Target and it became the initial book in a series called The Protectors. Well, time marches on and the four-book series did okay, but it became outdated and my style of writing changed and, I hope, improved. So this year my editor at The Wild Rose Press and I dusted it off, I revised every one of the books (one of them with a whole new twist) and we are rereleasing them as Guardian Security. Four hot, suspenseful stories. Four hot, hot heroes.

Take a look. OH, and Run For Your Life/Target is now Moving Target and is set in the town where I lived in Texas for sixteen years, and Quinn’s house is actually my house. Just so ya know!

Oh, and be sure to let me know if you think Quinn is oh so sexy.

Moving Target

Kathryn Burke knows only that she has to get far away as fast as she can. In a frantic, cross-country odyssey, she transforms from pliable Kathryn to feisty, determined Kate Miller, staying one step ahead of the killers on her trail. Then Fate delivers her into the hands of a dark knight with a tortured past. The safety he offers is as tempting as he is. After having his perfect life ripped apart, recluse Quinn sees protecting Kate as his chance for redemption. He never plans on wanting the guarded beauty, never mind falling for her. Denying the explosive chemistry between them is useless, and as danger closes in he must fight to expose the killer or risk history from repeating itself.

Silencing Memories

Just when architect Lindsey Ferrell thinks she’s gotten her life back on track, the terrible nightmares return, and out of nowhere, a stalker sends note to her office. Photos follow, then emails, and she can’t dismiss the threat any longer. Hiring security seems the logical answer, but there’s nothing logical about her body’s reaction to the sinfully sexy expert bent on keeping her safe. Guardian Security partner Nick Vanetta believes there’s more behind the situation than a simple fixation, and he wonders if the answer is buried somewhere in her past. As they dig deeper into her family history, the sizzling attraction between them burns hotter and the job becomes much more than playing bodyguard to this headstrong woman. To protect the woman he loves, he must find the stalker…before it’s too late.

Killing Lies

After her husband was killed and she lost her unborn child, Sarah Madison believed she’d never find love and happiness again. Instead, she has channeled all her energy into her job as assistant to the sexy CEO of Guardian Security. When he proposes a marriage of convenience, the chance to become a mother is tempting, and so is her new prospective husband. His only flaw—the distance he keeps between himself and his sweet little daughter.

Reno Sullivan’s life is a mess. His first marriage was based on a lie, and the fiery death of his wife left him to raise a baby—a constant reminder of his wife’s deceit. He desperately needs someone to mother the child and take charge of his personal life, and his no-nonsense assistant is perfect for the job. Unfortunately, the alluring woman in the bedroom next to his chips away at his determination to maintain the hands-off clause in their agreement and the ice around his heart. A near-tragedy and Reno’s fear of love could kill Sarah’s hopes of turning their fake marriage into happily ever after…

Check them out here:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=The+Guardians+Desiree+Holt

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Desiree+Holt+The+GUardians?_requestid=499583

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Guardian+Security+Desiree+holt+Google+Books

Some days I feel old because I remember long before Internet, long before video on demand and MP3s, I listened to .45 records, watched black and white westerns on Saturdays and had showdowns in the apartment complex corral everyday as we battled it out for the roles of cowboys and Indians.

The Simple Joy of Being a Cowboy

Cowboys always seemed to have the freedom to live life on their own terms.  As an adult, I recognize that living on your own terms also means surviving against the odds.  Beyond the simple romance of riding the trails, there were the sore muscles, the threat of disease, the lack of medicine, the constant search for viable drinking water, dealing with wild animals, hostiles and again, the natural fury of Mother Nature whether it was a storm, the landscape or something else.

Yet, cowboys remain romantic.  They are the dusty knights of the Old West, with jingling spurs instead of suits of armor and six guns instead of swords.

Back in Time

When it came to writing Marshal of Hel Dorado, I imagined that I was diving into a novella, a short romp back in time to world that mingled the spaghetti westerns of Clint Eastwood with the sweeping epics of John Wayne and some good old-fashioned Saturday afternoon fun ala Big Valley and Bonanza (both series that heavily featured brothers), but an odd thing happened when I started to write.

I immersed myself, I found that by eliminating modern conveniences, a ten-mile ride on a horse could take half a day or more instead of twenty minutes in a car. These opportunities were tremendous for character interaction and development, but also challenging because the very elements that attracted me to writing the story were the same elements that stretched my novella into a full-length novel.

But the best part of Marshal of Hel Dorado was taking those risks, taking the time to ride for weeks, to take risks in an unfriendly environment.  I would find myself imagining the soreness after riding all day (fortunately, I rode horses for years so I knew what would hurt) as well as spending time trying to figure out what you can eat when you’re on a trail all day, what options you have for treating wounds and better yet, what kisses were like if they weren’t drugged kisses…

A Whole New Adventure

I think the Fevered Hearts series represents a personal challenge, but it’s also a chance to go back to those days when I played cowboys and Indians, when there was a distinct line between right and wrong, honor meant something and the world was doused in shades of gray.

Admittedly, it doesn’t hurt that the brothers are hot.  Some are bad boys, some are easy-going and more than a few have hidden mysteries.  If I’ve piqued your curiosity, you meet most of the boys in Marshal of Hel Dorado.

Won’t you come play cowboy with me?

Marshal of Hel Dorado Excerpt 

A welcoming whicker from Dawn jerked her eyes open and lightning split the sky wide open, backlighting the figure filling the cave entrance.

She couldn’t believe it.

Sam stalked inside the cave, water rolling off the brim off his hat and dripping down the sides of the horse he led inside. He dropped the reins and pounced her before she could go for the gun.

Water from his oil coat soaked through her britches and undershirt as he plucked the gun from the holster. She scrabbled, but he was already flipping her over, sitting on her abandoned rock. She landed on her stomach, across his knees. She turned her head, glaring up at him.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Oh wouldn’t I?”

She yelped as his hand landed on her backside with a stinging slap.

“That’s for running.”

The second slap wrung tears of surprise and outrage from her eyes.

“That’s for hitting me.”

The third set her lower lip trembling as a fire of tingles burned through the numbness of her backside.

“That’s for charming Micah into letting you keep going.”

By the fourth slap, Scarlett’s cheeks burned in humiliation and fury.

“That’s for taking my damn gun.”

He stood, dumping her onto the rock floor in front of him before retrieving his gun and going to his horse. Her ass stung worse than the time Wyatt had switched her for nearly burning down the outhouse.

With Wyatt in it.

Sam stripped off the horse’s gear, rubbed him dry and pulled out a pouch of feed from his saddlebags. She eased over onto her side, careful to not sit. Her bottom protested even that little movement. It took Sam minutes to feed both horses and then he was turning back to her, walking over, and reclaiming the rock to sit on.

Even in the half gray light of the cave she could read the thunderous look on his face, the tightness to his jaw, the outline of a bruise on his cheek and the red lump swelling just below his hairline. He opened a canteen, a twin for the one that Micah passed off to her, and held it out to her.

“Now, you were going to explain…”

Giveaway

One lucky commentator will win their choice of an eBook copy
of a Fevered Hearts story.

About Heather Long

You can keep up with Heather and her releases via her website at http://www.heatherlong.net Heather Long lives in Texas with her family and their menagerie of animals. As a child, Heather skipped picture books and enjoyed the Harlequin romance novels by Penny Jordan and Nora Roberts that her grandmother read to her. Heather believes that laughter is as important to life as breathing and that the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are very real. In the meanwhile, she is hard at work on her next novel.

MONTANA SEAL DADDY

A Brotherhood Protector Novel #7

Tidbit: Did you know my mother was born in Montana? I have family who still live in that beautiful state and I love to visit.  I spent the first five years of my life on the plains of eastern Montana while my father was in the US Air Force. 

Former Navy SEAL enters the fight of his life to protect the mother of his child from killers who wish to silence her testimony in a murder case

After the sudden disappearance of the amazing woman he fell for on vacation in Cozumel and nearly losing his own life on a politically volatile mission in Syria, Brandon Rayne “Boomer” leaves the SEAL brotherhood and signs on with the private security agency Brotherhood Protectors in Montana. Determined to forget the girl and maybe even try for a real life and start a family, he embraces his new life.

While on vacation in Cozumel, Daphne Miller fell in love with a handsome SEAL. On the verge of committing her heart and life to him, she becomes the unwitting witness to murder. Forced into witness protection, she doesn’t realize she’s pregnant, the product of the hot fling with the sexy SEAL. A year later, still pining for what could have been, with a baby girl to protect, Daphne’s safe house is compromised. In an attempt to evade the people trying to kill her to keep her from being a star witness in a big court case, she heads to Montana to find the only person she knows can help, the baby’s father.

Determined to put his desire for Daphne on the back burner, Boomer focuses his skills and cunning on keeping her alive long enough to testify. Together, they vow to protect baby Maya from being used as a pawn to control the outcome of a critical court case.

Amazon | Nook | Kobo | IBooks | GooglePlay

When my old publisher (Samhain Publishing) closed its doors earlier this year, I was saddened. I loved the company, loved the woman in charge, and I had all these books that came back to me, almost overnight. I’ve been steadily re-editing, purchasing art for covers, getting them formatted, and re-releasing them. It’s costly and time-consuming, and I’m still trying to get most of them out before the end of the year, but it was TOO MUCH! So…I contacted a publisher many of my author friends have been raving about, Entangled, and they accepted my Memphis cop & firefighters/BDSM series—which I will continue to add stories to. Whew! And yay!

All the previously-published stories released yesterday. I’m going to finish up writing the next story in the Delta Heat series next month. So if you never read them, or only read a book or two in the series before, now’s the time to do it, because Entangled is offering a special deal—for a limited time only. ALL of the stories are only $0.99! So, get them now. If you love sexy men in uniform, who love playing naughty games with their friends, this is the series for you!

Here’s the series, in order…

Delta Blue

Five Ways ‘Til Sunday

The more Marti tries to convince Memphis PD Officer Jackson Teague she’s not the right woman for him, the more he wants to marry her. It’s crazy, and he won’t listen to reason. Of course she’s tempted, but there are things she wants to experience before she ties the knot.

All sorts of kinky things that involve knots, but not the marital kind.

When Jackson finds out what’s on Marti’s mind, he knows just what to do. He calls on his brothers in blue, four men he trusts with his life. Between the five of them, he’s sure they can check off each and every item on Marti’s bucket list in a one wild, wicked weekend.

Of course, Marti has to agree to follow through—and he has to figure out if he can bear to share her.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Fournicopia

Gus Taggert is a big, burly cop, exactly the kind of alpha guy new Domme Aislinn Darby wants to tie up and spank. But when she puts him through his paces, she finds herself eager to let him take control–which is something she’s never let a man do before. She’s determined to spread her new Domme wings and prove she can control a scene, even one with him in it. If he’ll give her the chance to remind him of just who’s in charge, she’ll offer a reward–her. Any way he wants her.

One look at the woman behind the counter of the donut shop and police officer Gus knows his buddies on the force have set him up. He’s willing to try all sorts of things with her at the La Forge BDSM club, things he never thought he’d be into. But with Aislinn, he’s ready and willing to obey any command.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Perfect Trifecta

When Craig Eason plays switch in front of an audience at La Forge BDSM club as a favor for a friend, it’s supposed to be a one-time thing. But the cop catches the attention of an enigmatic, powerful Dom watching from across the room–a man who may be the one to help Craig test the boundaries of his own sexuality.

Firefighter Aiden Byrne has strong S&M desires he keeps firmly in check. His sub, Jennifer, thinks she likes it rough, but he’s never been able to let go the way he longs to with her. When a defiant stare from a handsome man on the La Forge stage causes Aiden’s most dangerous need to ignite, Aiden wonders if he’s found someone he can let go with.

Jennifer is on board, as long as she can be an active participant–but none of them is prepared for the scene that will shake them all to the core and change everything.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Twice the Bang

Beau wants Pansy as his own. He’s been taking it slow with the sexy sub, but when he sees he’s not the only one vying for her attention, he realizes a long seduction was a mistake. So he’s ready to stake his claim.

Billy may be new to the lifestyle, and a submissive like Pansy is probably out of his league, but he’ll do whatever it takes to have her, even if he has to share.

Pansy’s stuck between a rock and a hard place–or rather, stuck between a smoking-hot firefighter with ice-blue eyes and a mysterious, sexy cop. Of course, she could refuse to decide between the two and let them both pursue her, and if she’s really lucky, they’ll play dirty.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Once is Never Enough

Mondo is a legendary Dom and Master at the La Forge club. He’s helped his Memphis PD friends navigate the BDSM world and find the women of their dreams. Now, the vice cop and Dom is the last single man standing. But Mondo’s waiting for the right woman, one strong enough to match his dark passions, and he’s sure a timid grade school teacher definitely won’t make the short list.

Sunny Boudreau is content with her somewhat vanilla life, But when a trio of lovers moves in next door, she’s drawn to them and their group of friends, especially a certain tall, dark, and dangerous Dom.

Mondo tries to warn Sonny off, but her first taste of the club only whets her appetite and ignites her desire to prove she’s exactly the woman Mondo needs.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

*~*~*~*

Delta Heat

Burnin’ Up Memphis

When firefighter John Cooper accepts an invitation to go to Club LaForge with his friends, he didn’t expect the sights and sounds of the BDSM club to have such an effect on him. Far from being turned off, he’s surprised to find himself thinking this lifestyle might just be what he needs–especially if Moira, his luscious guide for the evening, is willing to teach him everything he wants to know.

Moira is an experienced BDSM trainer, and she senses that Coop is not only a Dom in the making, but he could also be the man she’s looking for–someone to be her lover and her Dom. But Coop’s best friend just died on the job, and he’s not interested in anything serious right now. Good thing Moira thinks going slow can be sexy when done right…

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Hotter With A Pole

Noah hopes buying the classic ’68 Camaro from a fellow firefighter’s widow will ease some of the grief weighing down his heart. When a noise under the hood sends him looking for a mechanic, he finds so much more. Big and burly Hoyt grabs Noah’s attention right off, and not just because of his bad-boy biker looks and ice-blue eyes. The fact Hoyt is a Dom and a member at Club LaForge certainly interests Noah.

Hoyt never thought he’d feel that rush with a man again after his partner died, but his body certainly reacts to meeting Noah. LaForge seems like the perfect place to meet and work off some energy and explore this sudden flood of desire. The heat between them starts to burn through their emotional barriers, whether the men are ready to make a deeper connection or not.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

Rapid Entry

Firefighter Gage Eastwood doesn’t hesitate to race into his neighbor’s apartment to put out the fire there. Of course, some hesitation might have given him the time to realize he was buck naked. He’s a professional, so he can overlook the fact she’s in her underwear, but after a nosy neighbor snaps some pictures of them, the fire and his naked heroics go viral.

Shy Viviana Moore is a bestselling romance author. She might write about kink, she’s never done anything kinky. So when her hotter-than-hot savior invites her out to his sex club, La Forge, she doesn’t admit at first to her lack of actual kinky experience. Soon, she has more than enough material for a whole new series as well as some hands-on experience of her own, and Gage is wondering if she’d let him be her muse…permanently.

Read an excerpt & check out all the links!

UPDATE: The winners are…Debra and Tamara!

* * * * *

Author’s Note: When Erin found out I’d been invited to do her character interview, she insisted on writing her own article. Go figure.

My name is Erin. Just out of college. Young, energetic, enthusiastic. On the threshold of adulthood. All about finding THE job that’ll make four years of working my butt off worthwhile.

You’d think being in the top ten percent of my class would help, but no luck so far. Maybe it’s my major. Research and Development Management. My brother, Aiden, tried to talk me into something else. Maybe I should have listened.  He says I’m stubborn. I prefer to call it determined.

He’s the only family I have. When our parents died, they left him to handle an impulsive, immature teenager with a chip on her shoulder. Before long before we came to the mutual agreement that he’d be better off going back to work overseas, while I stayed with the housekeeper who’d been in our family for years.

Don’t get me wrong. My brother would help in a heartbeat. All I had to do is ask. Only that wasn’t happening. It was time for me to learn to take care of myself.

That’s how I ended up at a temp agency, looking for a job to pay the bills until something better came along. After hounding a friend who works there, she finally consented to let me interview with an author writing a novel set during the Middle Ages.

Talk about a dream job. Once I convinced March to hire me, I found myself cataloguing mountains of information about medieval weapons, castles and their inhabitants. Even learning to dance and loving every minute of it.

Until all hell broke loose. In the middle of examining an artifact during a terrible thunderstorm one night, lightning zapped March and me into the middle ages. I’m talking time travel. He considered it a wonderful opportunity to observe history in action, but I had my doubts. Especially after he convinced me to masquerade as a young boy.

We found work at a nearby castle. A place to sleep and regular meals while figuring out how to get home. Only being a squire, even on a temporary basis was not my idea of fun. Even though Sir Griffin was a patient, kind man. Not to mention handsome. And, yeah, I fell for the guy. Against better judgement.

In the end, my little adventure taught me some things. Like how to stand on my own two feet. And face my fears. Best of all it helped me realize what I really wanted out of life.

If you love time travel adventure with a twist (and a love story) I’m giving away ebooks of Not Long Ago to the first three people who comment on this blog (Be sure to include your email address). You can continue Erin and Griffin’s story with From Now On, and I’m working on the third book in the series. I can promise you it will be an adventure.

Not Long Ago

Erin has met the man of her dreams, but as usual there are complications. It’s one of those long distance relationships, and Griffin is a little behind the times– somewhere around 600 years.

Erin and her employer, March, are transported to a time where chivalry and religion exist alongside brutality and superstition. Something is not quite right at the castle, and Erin and March feel sure mysterious Lady Isobeil is involved. However, Erin must cope with crop circles, ghosts, a kidnapping and death before the truth of her journey is revealed.

Forced to pose as March’s nephew, Erin finds employment as a squire for Sir Griffin.  She’s immediately attracted to him and grows to admire his courage, quiet nobility and devotion to duty.  Only she must deny her feelings.  Her world is centuries away, and she wants to go home.  But Erin can’t stop thinking about her knight in shining armor.

Mini-Excerpt:

I am a stranger in this world, even though I’ve traveled this way before.

Fate and not design brought me the first time. It hurled me into a distant future, with no idea how or why, taking me from an existence dependent upon modern technology to a place where people fear such things and those who use them. While searching for my way home from this harsh and sometimes violent world, my admiration for its inhabitants who valued honor and duty above all else grew into admiration and respect. I found myself drawn to one in particular, a man who saved me more than once. Only I never expected to fall in love with him.

Torn between my feelings and a longing for home, I returned to my time with only vague memories of my experience. My life went back to normal, but part of me sensed the loss of something more precious than anything I’d regained. Until one day, I saw him again.

This time I’ve come by choice, and it is where I’m going to stay.

Fate willing.

Links:

Not Long Ago (time travel, adventure, romance): http://tinyurl.com/85vgye3
Book trailer: http://youtu.be/vOIQVdWUigU/
Susan’s website: http://susanaroyal.wordpress.com 
All books available at MuseItUp, Amazon, B&N, Goodreads

About the Author

Born in west Texas and raised in south Texas, Susan shares a 100-year-old farmhouse in a small east Texas town with a ghost who harmonizes with her son when he plays guitar. She is a mother of three and grandmother of five unique and special children. Her family is rich with characters, both past and present. Susan’s grandmother shared stories of living on a farm in Oklahoma Territory and working as a telephone operator in the early 20^th century. She learned all about growing up in the depression from her father and experienced being a teenager during WWII through her mother’s eyes.

Susan loves taking her readers through all kinds of adventures. So far, she’s written two books in her It’s About Time series, Not Long Ago and From Now On, and is working on book three. They are time travel adventures about two people who fall in love despite the fact they come from very different worlds. In My Own Shadow is a Fantasy adventure/romance. Xander’s Tangled Web is a YA fantasy with romance. Look for her books at MuseItUp/Amazon/B&N.

Want to know more? Visit susanaroyal.wordpress.com for a peek inside this writer’s mind and see what she’s up to. You never know what new world she’s going to visit next.

What better way to celebrate the dog days of summer than with a small-town romance series filled with heat and suspense? Welcome to Pine Point, where secrets abound. I’ve always loved writing about the quirky wonderfulness of small towns, probably because I grew up in one. They’re charming, often picturesque, and filled with characters who know, love, hate, and have all kinds of juicy gossip about each other – some that goes back generations! So yes, Pine Point is one of those towns.

This series was originally published by Samhain Publishing from 2009-2016 but has found a new home with Entangled Publishing and will be officially releasing tomorrow! (Though you can pre-order all the titles now).  In addition to shiny new covers, each book has updated content, especially Summer’s Song, which has a whole new beginning: a sneak peek at Summer as a child, a pre-teen, and an angsty adolescent. I loved writing it and can’t wait for readers to see it!

In Summer’s Song, our heroine comes home to Pine Point after 10 long years away. She doesn’t have plans to stay, but that changes once she meets a local hunky handyman. But like almost every main character I seem to create, these two have secrets waiting for them. Each title in the Pine Point series is on sale from now through August 27 for only $0.99, so you can treat yourself to this entire collection for less than $4.00! Even better, I’ve joined with 7 other Entangled authors to create a Hot August Nights giveaway, and I’ll hope you check out the webpage below for more information about that.

Enjoy this excerpt of Summer’s Song, and enjoy the rest of your summer!

Summer’s Song

Summer Thompson doesn’t remember the night her brother died, and she certainly doesn’t want to go back to Pine Point and face any memories that might be awoken there. But ten years after leaving her small hometown, she’s back to settle her estranged father’s estate and be rid of the half-renovated mansion she’s inherited. What she doesn’t expect is to find the house occupied by a hunky handyman reluctant to talk about his past.

Damian Knight has been helping his mother and sister hide from a brutal stalker, but now the peace and carefully guarded safety they’ve found in Pine Point is in danger. The refuge they live in is about to be sold out from under them by the lovely but haunted Summer, a woman who quickly finds her way through Damian’s defenses and steals his heart.

But in a small town full of powerful secrets, the past won’t remain buried. Summer has to face her memories and could lose the man she loves, and maybe even her life.

Each book in the Pine Point series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed in any order:
Book #1: Summer’s Song
Book #2: Winter Wonder
Book #3: Spring Secrets
Book #4: Autumn Allure

Summer’s Song Excerpt:

“Hey, you can’t go up there.” A strong hand grabbed her elbow.

Summer turned with a start. “Why not?”

“Not safe yet.” He motioned to the steps, and when she looked closer, she saw a missing riser that gaped like a placid crocodile, ready to snatch up her unsuspecting foot.

“Oh.” She smiled an apology at Mac’s assistant.

He was tall, with light brown hair and deep blue eyes, and his broad, shirtless chest shone with sweat. Muscular biceps, no doubt made strong from summer labor, twitched as he reached for an itch between his shoulder blades. Summer swallowed and tried to chase away a crazy urge to scratch the spot for him.

“I’m Summer Thompson, by the way.” She reached out a hand in greeting. “The—ah—the new owner of this place.”

He studied her with a serious expression. “So I guessed. Damian Knight.”

The one who’s renting the farmhouse. “Listen, I…” She meant to talk to him about that, but she couldn’t quite process the words as his blue eyes locked with hers. He hadn’t yet dropped her hand, which she didn’t mind in the least. Strong. Warm. Sending electricity straight through her.

“Summer!”

Mac’s hand on her shoulder broke her reverie. Summer turned and plastered on a smile she hoped looked normal. “Hi, Mac.”

“Shit. Can’t believe you’re here.” He shook his head and grinned, and she glimpsed the chipped front teeth she remembered from high school.

“Well, I wanted to see the house. I just…” She faltered. “I just found out about it.”

“I know. Your father wanted it to be a surprise for you. Sorry about your loss, by the way.” He looked over his shoulder. “He did a great thing, buying this place. Wish he could have seen it finished.”

She wasn’t sure it was a great thing at all, and still didn’t understand why her father had saddled her with it, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe someone else would find beauty in it. Maybe someone else would want the story that came with owning such an estate.

Mac gestured around the yard. “We’re working on the roof today, obviously. Got another day or so before it’s done. There’s some interior work to do after that. And don’t use these front steps, okay? We still gotta replace a few.”

She nodded. “It looks…” Like nothing I would ever want to live in? Like the biggest mistake my father could have made? She wasn’t sure what to say.

“It’s a helluva lotta work,” Mac interrupted her thoughts. “But your father paid us through Labor Day, and we’ll probably finish most of the major structural work by then. ’Course, I don’t know what your plans are. If you’re gonna sell it as is, or…” He stopped and waited for her to finish the sentence. She didn’t.

“Can I see the inside?” she asked instead. She wanted an idea of the mess she was dealing with. But her doubt grew as she looked around. The needed repairs seemed overwhelming, and those were just the ones she could see.

“Sure.” Mac glanced at his watch and turned to Damian. “You’re leaving early today, right?”

“Yeah.” But Damian didn’t move. Instead he ran one hand through his hair and sent a cloud of sawdust flying. A grin touched his eyes and, for a brief second, Summer saw her own reflection in his gaze. She looked small and dark, a little girl floating on the blue of his iris. He smiled, and in the sunlight, the blue deepened until she felt like she was falling inside it, floating, forgetting who and where she was. Something jumped in her stomach, and her palms tingled. Knights in Pine Point? There hadn’t been any for as long as she could remember.

Don’t fall for the guy whose heart you have to break tomorrow.

Buy Links:
Entangled Store: https://entangledpublishing.com/summer-s-song.html
Amazon: http://bit.ly/SummersSongAmazon
Apple: http://bit.ly/SummerSongApple
B&N: http://bit.ly/SummersSongNook

The Giveaway

Hot August Nights Giveaway Link: http://entangledauthors.myforeverhea.com/

About the Author

Allie Boniface is the USA Today best-selling author of over a dozen novels, including the Cocktail Cruise, Hometown Heroes, and Pine Point series. Her books are most often set in small towns and feature emotional romance with relatable characters you’ll know and love.

A graduate of the University of Rochester and Case Western Reserve University, Allie is a full-time high school English teacher in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York. When she isn’t teaching or writing, she and her husband love to travel.

Take some time to browse around Allie’s website, check out new and upcoming releases, and sign up for her newsletter. You can join Allie’s All-Stars too, an exclusive readers’ group on Facebook where fans and friends chat about life, characters and story ideas, and have exclusive access to prizes, giveaways, and early sales!

Author Links:
Website: www.allieboniface.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorAllieBoniface
Allie’s All-Stars: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllieBonifaceAllStars/
Twitter: @AllieBoniface1
Newsletter Sign-up: http://bit.ly/AlliesNews

UPDATE: The winner is Jennifer Beyer!

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So, this title, Family Values, was totally tongue in cheek. If you’ve read me long enough, you know that sometimes I have to have fun with a title: Fournicopia, Between a SEAL and a Hard Place, Sm{B}itten—for that one I even offered pronunciation advice, smuh-bitten… If you can’t have fun…

Anyways, Family Values is the last of the previously written Lone Star Lovers stories I need to release. Anything you see in the future from that series will be a brand new story. And I do plan to write a couple more of my naughty cowboy menages. Just don’t ask me when.

Family Values releases August 31st, so if you haven’t read it, go pre-order it! I really like this story. It’s hot. It’s sweet. You get to “see” many of the characters from the previous stories in the series in a lovely epilogue… Plenty of reasons not to miss this one, got it?

Read the opening of the story below, but if you’d like to win one of the prequel stories in the series, let me know whether you’re ready for more Lone Star Lovers, and if you’ve got a hankerin’ for a particular theme, say a stepbrothers crossover or a SEAL crossover. Let me know! 

If you’re curious about the rest of the series, just click on the covers!

Family Values

When coming between three brothers, it’s best to just let go.

Angelina Flores lived a perfect ranch-kid childhood, complete with three princes on horseback who treated their housekeeper’s daughter like a princess. At age eighteen, the fairytale came crashing down when she realized she had to choose between Brand, Nate and Eli McAffee.

And when she did choose one—she lost all three.

She’s older now. Wiser, thanks to her college education and a few years’ distance. A distance she’d planned to maintain…until her mother begs her to fill in at the ranch while she takes care of a sick relative.

The minute her boots hit the front porch, the memories come flooding back, right along with the hunger. It’s tough to put the past behind her when temptation is so close. Especially since the brothers seem bound and determined to woo her. Separately. Together. Whatever it takes to keep her right where she belongs—in their arms.

Pre-order your copy here!

Excerpt from Family Values…

For Angelina Flores, stepping across the threshold of the MacAfee ranch house was a moment filled with both nostalgia and pain. The dull thud her boots made on the natural, planed-oak flooring was a familiar sound—and not one she’d heard anywhere else. The faint smells of beeswax and Pine-Sol mixed with the scent of the freshly cut roses in the Mexican crockery atop the rugged fireplace mantel. If she closed her eyes, she could imagine herself at ten years old, running with her muddy boots through the family room to tell her mother about her day, about the animals and the cowboys—her new friends who’d let her ride behind them on their tall horses.

Her childhood had felt enchanted. And she’d had three handsome princes fawning over her, showering her with pretty clothes and dolls. Even then, she’d dreamed of growing up and having a fairytale wedding, and when they’d teased her and asked her which one she’d choose for her husband, she’d asked why she couldn’t choose them all.

How prophetic that now seemed. As, when she’d approached graduation from high school, two of the McAfee men had suddenly let her know of their individual interest.

Oh, she’d been flattered. And thrilled. Until the moment she’d realized she really would have to choose. Then she’d been filled with dread, because she didn’t want to hurt any of them, and she didn’t know how she could favor one over the other, especially when she was also interested in the third.

Angelina shook her head to rid herself of the painful memories and entered with trepidation, wondering what her welcome would be like once the brothers returned home. The last time she’d been here, in this room, she’d been led through it by a hard hand clamped around her upper arm. She’d been escorted crying and half-dressed back to her room off the kitchen, and then her door closed in her face.

The next morning, she’d been taken by the same hard-faced man through the back door to his Expedition parked beside the porch. The chill in the morning air not nearly as cold as his final goodbye at the Dallas airport.

She’d been eighteen, and the only place she’d ever called home had been her home no more. Read the rest of this entry »