Wednesday, December 29, 2021

Stuff Your E-Readers Today Only! #StuffYourKindle #StuffYourEreader #contemporaryromance #romancereaders #giveaway #freebooks

December 30 Free Book Event!

Click here to start stuffing your e-reader with over 600 free romances - many of them free today only!

No signups. 
No strings at all. 
Just a thank you to all readers for loving books as much as we do. 
We've got Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple & Google!




Monday, December 20, 2021

Merry Christmas! More free romances than you can shake a stick at! #freebooks #giveaway #romancereaders #holidayromance #ChristmasRomance

Merry Christmas!


My gift to you today is a sh*t-ton of free books! 

Click below and start filling your e-reader with all the goodies.

Sexy and Steamy Romances - This giveaway runs through January 08, 2022.

December Winter Lust & Romance - Runs through December 31, 2021.

December Steamy Romance - Ends Jan. 3rd.

Holiday Giveaways - Ends Jan. 10th.

The Sexy Side of Love: Spicy Romance Giveaway - Ends Jan. 15th.





Monday, December 6, 2021

Our Christmas Love Story is $0.99 for the first and only time! December 6-10 only! #Christmasromance #holidayromance #romancesale #romancereaders #booksale

Our Christmas Love Story is on sale!





Smashwords | Eden Books | Google Play | Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Amazon |

The Bassist and A Rockstar Christmas Wedding in one set! Normal price is $4.99!

Dylan and Jen meet on Christmas Eve when she saves him from a mountain blizzard, but that’s only the beginning of the story. Dive into this book and find out how a rockstar and a sci-fi writer become Mr. and Mrs. Smith on Christmas Day one year later.

This set is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

West Coast Soulmates is a spin-off from the Jacob and Beth's Rockstar Life series featuring bandmates and their lady loves.

Goodreads | Bookbub |

The Bassist:

What is an L.A. rockstar doing in Big Bear on Christmas Eve?

A sudden, strong blizzard has submerged the mountain in snow, keeping my family home. Resigned to spending my first Christmas as a widow alone, I’m startled by someone pounding on my cabin door—a handsome man carrying a guitar and needing shelter.

Dylan is sweet, funny, and the complete opposite of my former husband. As we get to know each other, he’s so damn hot I can’t resist learning what he has to offer.

Is this a single night of passion, or the beginning of lasting love?

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Sunday, December 5, 2021

The only place to read My Once and Future Loved Revisited originals versions is now at Eden Books @edenbooksus

My Once and Future Love Revisited series new


Effective immediately, MOaFLR original versions can only be found at Eden Books store. These first editions will be available through December/the end of 2021.

If you see the new series title at a store - Jacob and Beth's Rockstar Life - those are second editions. 

If you're reading through MOaFLR books, picking up a Second Edition will not line up with your Original Edition product, and here's why:

8 years after Kissed was published, I've refreshed the series. The books still have the same series story, but Beth and Jacob's POVs have been changed to 1st person to match West Coast Soulmates. That change divides each book into more chapters, with one POV per chapter.

The placement of scenes has also been altered starting with Betrayed - chapters from Forgiven were moved to Betrayed, chapters from Loved moved to Forgiven, and chapters from Completed moved to Loved. We believe the edits will make for a more compelling series read for new readers.

As of December 3rd, 2021, Completed's revision is still in progress, so it is off sale, along with the series set, until the new edition is finished.

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Surprise Anthology! Merry Ever After features Vi, Pen, Tijan, Marie, Lucy and Kennedy #holidayromance #Christmasromance #romanceauthors #romancereaders #freebook

 

It’s the season for gift giving!

Five FREE standalone holiday short stories!


Hot Item by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward

Getting into a fight with a sexy stranger over the last hot toy on the shelf was not the way I intended to spend Christmas Eve.  And I certainly didn’t plan on spending hours more trying to win a contest to decide who would get to buy it.  But when our time is up,would the toy be the only hot item I wanted to take home? 


One Night Only by Lucy Score

After a Christmas Eve concert mishap, divorced Brooke finds herself snowed in with the silver fox retiring rocker she’s been trying to interview. Will it take a Christmas miracle to get him to open up to her or does the tattooed bad boy of punk rock have other ideas on how to pass the time?


A Kellan Holiday by Tijan

Humans are so simple with their holiday traditions.

They are ignorant of the powerful and majestic creatures among them, like me.

I am the most powerful demon above the surface.

Nothing can stop me...except, well, some stupid prophecy.


Holiday Swing by Kennedy Ryan

For our five-year wedding anniversary, my husband decides he wants another woman. 

The traditional gift is wood, but okay. 

After trying everything with little improvement, our marriage counselor suggests we experiment to reignite our sex life. A swing party is my husband’s adventure of choice. 

Once inside, I can’t go through with it. Seeing him walk off with someone else, I realize we want very different things. Our marriage is over, and I have no intention of having a random hook up with a stranger. 

But then away from the noise and revelry, I find him. 

It’s one illicit encounter. A night with no names and no inhibitions. 

I don’t hold back, knowing I’ll never see him again.

And I don’t…until my parents’ Christmas party…


Nochebuena by Marie Force

Nochebuena is the Cuban community’s Christmas Eve celebration, and in this short story, the cast of Marie Force’s Miami Nights Series comes together to mark the holiday after a year of change that's touched nearly every member of the family. Catch up with the characters from How Much I Feel, How Much I Care and How Much I Love and get a sneak peek at the couple that will headline book 4, How Much I Want. If you haven’t read the books yet, you’ll still enjoy this short story set in the Miami Nights world! 




COVER CREDIT:

Cover designer:  Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative


Grab your free copy today, before it goes away! 

Available for only a limited time!

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/y20g69cp6x



Friday, November 26, 2021

#BlackFriday Deal on West Coast Soulmates! #exclusive #booksale #contemporaryromance #romancereaders #blackfridaysale #blackfridaydeal

Exclusive West Coast Soulmates Sale!

For Black Friday, West Coast Soulmates is 30% off! 


Offer good through Nov. 29, 2021 only!

This set includes THE BASSIST, THE PIANIST, THE ROOMMATE, plus 
A ROCKSTAR CHRISTMAS WEDDING!

These stories are intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.



The Bassist:

What is an L.A. rockstar doing in Big Bear on Christmas Eve?

A sudden, strong blizzard has submerged the mountain in snow, keeping my family home. Resigned to spending my first Christmas as a widow alone, I’m startled by someone pounding on my cabin door—a handsome man carrying a guitar and needing shelter.

Dylan is sweet, funny, and the complete opposite of my former husband. As we get to know each other, he’s so damn hot I can’t resist learning what he has to offer.

Is this a single night of passion, or the beginning of lasting love? 

The Pianist:

Where do you meet a great girl when you’re famous? Realizing I haven't cultivated a life outside the group in years is a lonely epiphany. With most of the band coupled up now, I’m the seventh wheel, and it sucks. The groupie scene is our drummer’s thing, not mine.

When a beautiful woman mistakes me for my identical twin brother, the awkward encounter turns into a possibility for something real.

Something lasting.

Something like love—and it scares the hell out of me.

Being the guy that falls too easily has burned me in the past, so with Hannah I’m determined to take things slow and not screw it up.

If only my evil twin wasn’t hell-bent on tearing down everything I try to build. 

The Roommate:

Rosalind and I have had a BFF Chip since 7th grade—the ultimate best friend favor. At age 25, Ros calls in her chip.

Her little brother lands in an hour.

And he needs a place to crash.

For more than one night.

No problem, right?

I pick Patrick up at LAX, expecting the same slight and nerdy boy I last saw in high school. He's still a nerd—new IT job—but all grown up and more gorgeous than any best friend's little brother has a right to be.

When he walks around my apartment in only a towel, it’s difficult to keep seeing him as only a friend.

Ros completely bails on us, so I propose pooling our money into a two-bedroom and officially becoming roommates. He’s polite, sweet, clean, and cooks.

What could go wrong?

I could fall in love with him. 

A Rockstar Christmas Wedding:

Organizing a Christmas Day wedding in two weeks is insane.

Dylan proposed the week of Thanksgiving and suggested a Christmas wedding. We met on Christmas Eve, but he means this year. It’s a private argument I’m winning—until he tells his rockstar friends and their wives who are my best gals. Now everyone’s excited!

Complicating things? I took a pregnancy test the day before that proposal, Dylan lives in L.A., and I live in Big Bear. That baby’s coming in six-ish months, so we need a house, which I have on the mountain—we met in a snowstorm—but he doesn’t want the two-hour commute.

It’s the first big test of our relationship and it scares me.

Which will win—my practical side or the magic of the season?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations. Picks up where The Pianist ended and is a sequel to The Bassist

Friday, November 12, 2021

COVER REVEAL - The Summer Proposal by Vi Keeland @ViKeeland @GiveMeBooksPR #coverreveal #contemporaryromance #romancereaders

 

COVER REVEAL
Title: The Summer Proposal
Author: Vi Keeland
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
Photographer: Rodolfo Martinez
Model: Michael Yerger
Release Date: January 10, 2022
 

BLURB
 
The first time I met Max Yearwood was on a blind date. 

Max was insanely gorgeous, funny, and our chemistry was off the charts. He also had the biggest dimples I’d ever laid eyes on. 

Exactly what I needed after my breakup. 

Or so I thought… 

Until my real date arrived.  

Turned out, Max wasn’t who I was there to meet. He only pretended to be until my real date showed up. 

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. 

Before he left, he slipped me a ticket to a hockey game a few blocks away, in case things didn’t work out on my actual date. 

I tossed the ticket into my purse and went about trying to enjoy the man I was supposed to meet. 

But my real blind date and I had no connection.

So on my way home, I decided to take a chance and stop by the game. 

When I arrived, the seat next to me was empty.

Disappointed again, I decided to leave at the end of the period.

Just before the buzzer, one of the teams scored, and the entire arena went crazy. 

A player’s face flashed up on the Jumbotron. He was wearing a helmet, but I froze when he smiled. 

You guessed it: Dimples

Apparently, my fake blind date hadn’t invited me to watch hockey with him, he’d invited me to watch him play

And so began my adventure with Max Yearwood. 

He was everything I needed at the time—fun, sexy, up for anything, and only around for a few months since he’d signed with a new team three-thousand miles away.   

Max proposed we spend the summer helping me forget my ex. It sounded like a good plan. Things couldn’t get too serious when we had an expiration date. Right?

Though, you know what they say about the best-laid plans. 

 
GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59585168-the-summer-proposal
 
 
PRE-ORDER LINKS
 
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3Fd02gb 
Paperback: https://amzn.to/3D61XSJ
 
Sign up for Vi’s mailing list now and be the first one notified when it goes live! ➜ https://www.subscribepage.com/i6h3o5
 
Do you like texts better than email? Receive text notices of Vi’s new releases by texting the word BOOKS to 77948 You will ONLY receive a text when a new book goes live - no other messages at all!
 
 
AUTHOR BIO
 
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
 
 
AUTHOR LINKS
 
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup
Website: http://www.vikeeland.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vikeeland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViKeeland
Instagram: http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Countdown to Christmas list of holiday-themed books! #ChristmasBooks #ChristmasRomance #romancenovels #romancereaders

Counting down to Christmas


My Etsy Christmas Boutique opened 10/22 and designs are super cute:



I have t-shirts and home decor as well!


The Bassist ($4.99) and West Coast Soulmates now have paperbacks. B&N finally put their WCS version up!

I'd love to do a hardcover WCS, but it's too big. The limit is 550 pages. :(

The Ultimate Guide to 125+ Holiday Movies and 136 new Christmas movies here.

Soul Sisters at Cedar Mountain Lodge series is only $0.99! Stories from 5 authors.

Louise Bay has one coming soon. Pre-order at Amazon, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or Google Play. Release Date: November 16, 2021.

You might like this review of The Christmas Wedding Guest.

Pre-order this heart-warming collection of sweet Christmas romances for only $2.99 and have eight all-new stories waiting on your e-reader on November 2nd!

Check out Under the Texas Mistletoe.

The Angel Tree (A Willow Creek Standalone Christmas Novella) because this cover is too adorable!

Love 2 Jingle U is $0.99.

Twelve Naughty Days - K.A. Linde, Skye Warren, Fiona Cole, Nana Malone, Claire Contreras, Nikki Sloane, Giana Darling, Sierra Simone, CD Reiss, Laurelin Paige, M. Malone, Angelina M. Lopez - On sale for a very limited time at just $3.99!

CHRISTMAS IN ROSE BEND is live! By Naima Simone.

Jill Shalvis' collection Holiday Ever After is out, too.


If you know of other new releases with a Christmas/holiday/winter theme, post them in the comments!

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

West Coast Soulmates now has paperbacks! #paperback #romancebooks #romancenovels #contemporaryromance #rockstarromance #Christmasromance #romancereaders

West Coast Soulmates Paperbacks Arrive!

West Coast Soulmates series collection - Amazon | Barnes and Noble |

Settle in for sweet and spicy romance where never giving up leads to true love. This set includes THE BASSIST, THE PIANIST, The ROOMMATE, and A ROCKSTAR CHRISTMAS WEDDING!

These stories are intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.


The Bassist paperback - $4.99

What is an L.A. rockstar doing in Big Bear on Christmas Eve?

A sudden, strong blizzard has submerged the mountain in snow, keeping my family home. Resigned to spending my first Christmas as a widow alone, I’m startled by someone pounding on my cabin door—a handsome man carrying a guitar and needing shelter.

Dylan is sweet, funny, and the complete opposite of my former husband. As we get to know each other, he’s so damn hot I can’t resist learning what he has to offer.

Is this a single night of passion, or the beginning of lasting love?

This story is intended for readers over the age of 18 due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.


Monday, October 25, 2021

Well Played by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward RELEASE DAY #contemporaryromance #romancereaders @ViKeeland @PenelopeAuthor @GiveMeBooksPR #releaseblitz


RELEASE BLITZ
Title: Well Played
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 25, 2021
 

BLURB
 
It all started with a bet.

When my young son inherited half of his great grandfather’s historic inn, I decided to move us both to the place where I grew up.

Notice I said half of the Inn.  The other half now belonged to Levi Miller, the famous quarterback who had other ideas about what we should do with the property.

We won’t mention that I accidentally injured him during our first meeting, causing him to get eight stitches.

You could say we got off on the wrong foot.

We bickered a lot as we both moved into the property while we figured things out.

He wanted to unload the rundown place which, admittedly, needed a lot of work.

I wanted to restore The Palm Inn to its original beauty and re-open it as a bed and breakfast.

We couldn’t agree on anything.  So Levi made me a proposal.  One he thought I would surely lose.  If I could sell out the place by the time he had to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let me run it.

But in the weeks that followed, we got more than we bargained for while we were living under the same roof.

Levi and I got closer, and before I knew it, my nightly fantasies about the brawny Adonis became a reality. Not to mention, he was so great with my son.

We were in over our heads in more ways than one.

Because not only was he the last man on Earth I should be falling for because of our deal, but Levi was also my ex’s older brother.

And now the inn was the least of my problems.
 
 
GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58875176-wp
 
 
PURCHASE LINKS
 
US: https://amzn.to/3CcfEzl
UK: https://amzn.to/3E90J9A
CA: https://amzn.to/3mb94Dm
AU: https://amzn.to/3vSlbc5

"Free" in Kindle Unlimited
 
Also available in paperback: https://amzn.to/2WLN1tq
 
 
VI KEELAND
 
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
 
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup
Website: http://www.vikeeland.com
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vikeeland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViKeeland
Instagram: http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland
 
 
PENELOPE WARD
 
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
 
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
 
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps
Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@penelopewardofficial
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor 

Friday, October 22, 2021

If you're not reading THE DRUMMER yet, you've missed out on 3 chapters! #rockstarromance #contemporaryromance #romancereaders #readromance

THE DRUMMER is an epic rockstar romance


Read the first three chapters of The Drummer today for free.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Comment on the posts with your favorite parts!


The Drummer is publishing exclusively at my Buy Me a Coffee page for only $1 a month. 6 chapters will be released in October alone and you don't want to miss that. 

The first three chapters are Public! 

But chapter four has to be Members Only because it is NSFW - and so is most of the rest of this book. Lincoln and Michaela are explosively hot!

Once you're a Member, you'll get notified the moment each chapter is published, and get to comment on every post. I may even use your feedback in the final version that hits stores next year.

BMAC (or in my case, chocolate) is like Patreon, only more flexible for you and me.


Lincoln Adams is only supposed to be a drunken mistake, the consequence of a little too much Christmas wedding eggnog. Once he’s asleep, I sneak out of his apartment expecting to never see the drummer again.

Except I left my guitar at his friend’s house.

And my earring on his floor.

An earring he uses to leverage me into a lunch date where he starts chipping away at the armor erected around my heart while heating up my body with a need I’ve never felt before. One last indulgence before making it clear I won’t do a relationship ever again.

Until a surprise mutual connection brings us together for a week of sharing and sensual delights.

What happens in Virginia can stay in Virginia—right?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Thursday, October 21, 2021

EXCERPT REVEAL - Well Played by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward #excerptreveal #contemporaryromance #NSFW #romancereaders @vikeeland @penelopewardofficial @GiveMeBooksPR

 

EXCERPT REVEAL
Title: Well Played
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: October 25, 2021

Excited about Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward’s upcoming release, Well Played?
Check out this SNEAK PEEK!


Presley
 
Harper picked up the notebook that contained my to-do list from the table and opened to a fresh page. Clicking the pen open, she scribbled across the top.

To do with Levi

I chuckled. “Are we making a dirty to-do list?”

She wiggled her eyebrows and put the pen to the paper. “We certainly are. Tell me one thing you fantasize about doing with him.”

Monday, October 11, 2021

Win a BMAC membership and start reading THE DRUMMER today! #giveaway #contest #contemporaryromance #rockstarromance @buymeacoffee #buymeacoffee

Answer this question correctly

and win a free Buy Me A Coffee membership to read The Drummer!

In The Bassist, what is Jen missing - that her sister notices -  when she and Dylan go to her mom's New Year's Eve party?


Reply to carlakrae@willowickarts.com with the correct answer and win!



The Drummer is publishing exclusively at my Buy Me a Coffee page for only $1 a month. 6 chapters will be released in October alone and you don't want to miss that. The first three chapters are Public! But chapter four has to be Members Only because it is NSFW - and so is most of the rest of this book. Lincoln and Michaela are explosively hot!

Once you're a Member, you'll get notified the moment each chapter is published, and get to comment on every post. I may even use your feedback in the final version that hits stores next year.

BMAC (or in my case, chocolate) is like Patreon, only more flexible for you and me.


Lincoln Adams is only supposed to be a drunken mistake, the consequence of a little too much Christmas wedding eggnog. Once he’s asleep, I sneak out of his apartment expecting to never see the drummer again.

Except I left my guitar at his friend’s house.

And my earring on his floor.

An earring he uses to leverage me into a lunch date where he starts chipping away at the armor erected around my heart while heating up my body with a need I’ve never felt before. One last indulgence before making it clear I won’t do a relationship ever again.

Until a surprise mutual connection brings us together for a week of sharing and sensual delights.

What happens in Virginia can stay in Virginia—right?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.



Friday, October 1, 2021

Start reading THE DRUMMER today! #rockstarromance #contemporaryromance #romancereaders #newrelease

Start THE DRUMMER now!

Starting today, this rockstar romance starts publishing exclusively at my Buy Me a Coffee page - and you get full access for only $1 a month! Subscribe now. The first chapter is free.


BMAC (or in my case, chocolate) is like Patreon, only more flexible for you and me.

Once you're a Member, you'll get notified the moment each chapter is published, and get to comment on every post. I may even use your feedback in the final version that hits stores next year!


Lincoln and Michaela were introduced in A Rockstar Christmas Wedding.

Lincoln Adams is only supposed to be a drunken mistake, the consequence of a little too much Christmas wedding eggnog. Once he’s asleep, I sneak out of his apartment expecting to never see the drummer again.

Except I left my guitar at his friend’s house.
And my earring on his floor.

An earring he uses to leverage me into a lunch date where he starts chipping away at the armor erected around my heart while heating up my body with a need I’ve never felt before. One last indulgence before making it clear I won’t do a relationship ever again.

Until a surprise mutual connection brings us together for a week of sharing and sensual delights.

What happens in Virginia can stay in Virginia—right?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.


Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Support me on my BMAC page and read two exclusive chapters from The Drummer! #WIPWEDNESDAY

Wanna read two chapters from The Drummer?

Become a Supporter and read two deleted chapters from Lincoln and Michaela's story before they're offered to anyone else! 

The two posts are for Supporters and Members only, so put something in that tip jar today.

Chapter One | Chapter Two |

Lincoln Adams is only supposed to be a drunken mistake, the consequence of a little too much Christmas wedding eggnog. Once he’s asleep, I sneak out of his apartment expecting to never see the drummer again.

Except I left my guitar at his friend’s house. 

And my earring on his floor.

An earring he uses to leverage me into a lunch date where he starts chipping away at the armor erected around my heart while heating up my body with a need I’ve never felt before. One last indulgence before making it clear I won’t do a relationship ever again.

Until a surprise mutual connection brings us together for a week of sharing and sensual delights.

What happens in Virginia can stay in Virginia—right?

This story is intended for readers 18 and over due to adult language, sexual content, and adult situations.

Pre-order: Apple | Barnes and Noble | Kobo |


Saturday, September 11, 2021

Twenty Years #neverforget

Twenty Years...

I still remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. The tragedies and stories of inspiration. And bravery! How united we were on 9/12.

I was 24. Tech Guy would turn 22 that December. His friends were even younger. We were awakened Friend 1 on the answering machine saying, "We've been hit!" He was in the Army Reserve. They were all told to get in uniform and wait for orders to come.

Clearing the fog of sleep, I rushed out to turn on the TV and it showed the news. And the horror. I was glued to what was coming in until we had to go to work. We called in and our boss still wanted us to come.

At the time, we and Friend 2, also Army Reserve, worked phone sales for a gold club manufacturer. Most people didn't show up, and certainly not on time. We told Jim, our boss, that no one would want to get calls on the East Coast that day. They were waiting for news! Reluctantly, he accepted reality and we went home to return to the TV.

I was an opener, and for weeks it was rough to call anywhere close to where the planes struck on 9/11. It'd been standard practice to start the day on the East Coast and move West through our shifts. Of course they didn't want to talk about golf! Everyone was grieving.

My ex-fiance was away at Army Boot Camp when 9/11 happened. He eventually came back early over a bogus medical thing and I was relieved. Some people can handle war and come out more or less okay. Some will be forever changed. But, because he was sent home early and could reapply in the future, he was determined to go back - and this time as a medic. I knew in my gut it was a bad decision for him and tried to convince him, but he was young and stubborn.

He ended up in Iraq eventually, for a while, when one of our bases was bombed during chow time. He saw things he can't forget and had to work to save lives. His service eventually beat him up enough to leave him in chronic pain. On disability. Even in a wheelchair for a while. Took a really long time for him to get to a good place, even with gaining a wife and five kids. They met online at a time that that was still totally crazy and I'm still amazed it worked out.

Friend 2 eventually went full-time Army and is still in today. Met his now-ex-wife in the service, and has been saved from suicide twice in acts I can't call anything but divine intervention. He has a daughter and no kid needs that pain. Over the past 20 years, anytime I saw a report of servicemen dying in the Middle East, I've held my breath until we got the names. Or happened to hear from him the same day.

I didn't lose anyone personally on 9/11, but I always watch the ceremonies when broadcast. The reading of the names. The stories from families and survivors. It's important to not get numb about history. My grandparents lived through Pearl Harbor and WWII. My uncle served in Korea and Vietnam in the Navy, my dad in Vietnam in the Army. My mother was a history teacher. We must remember - not only to hopefully learn from the past, but honor the sacrifices big and small that bring us through painful times.

We move forward, but let us not move on.

And never forget.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

COVER REVEAL - Well Played by Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward #coverreveal #contemporaryromance #romanceauthors @ViKeeland @PenelopeAuthor @GiveMeBooksPR

 

COVER REVEAL
Title: Well Played
Authors: Vi Keeland & Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Cover Design: Sommer Stein, Perfect Pear Creative
Photo: Celso Colaco
Model: Gonçalo Teixeira
Release Date: October 25, 2021
 

BLURB
 
It all started with a bet.

When my young son inherited half of his great grandfather’s historic inn, I decided to move us both to the place where I grew up.

Notice I said half of the Inn.  The other half now belonged to Levi Miller, the famous quarterback who had other ideas about what we should do with the property.

We won’t mention that I accidentally injured him during our first meeting, causing him to get eight stitches.

You could say we got off on the wrong foot.

We bickered a lot as we both moved into the property while we figured things out.

He wanted to unload the rundown place which, admittedly, needed a lot of work.

I wanted to restore The Palm Inn to its original beauty and re-open it as a bed and breakfast.

We couldn’t agree on anything.  So Levi made me a proposal.  One he thought I would surely lose.  If I could sell out the place by the time he had to leave for training at the end of summer, he would back off and let me run it.

But in the weeks that followed, we got more than we bargained for while we were living under the same roof.

Levi and I got closer, and before I knew it, my nightly fantasies about the brawny Adonis became a reality. Not to mention, he was so great with my son.

We were in over our heads in more ways than one.

Because not only was he the last man on Earth I should be falling for because of our deal, but Levi was also my ex’s older brother.

And now the inn was the least of my problems.
 

 
GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58875176-wp
 
 
PAPERBACK PRE-ORDER LINK: https://amzn.to/2WLN1tq
 
AMAZON LIVE RELEASE ALERT: https://www.subscribepage.com/2FreeBooks
 
 
VI KEELAND
 
Vi Keeland is a #1 New York Times, #1 Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author. With millions of books sold, her titles have appeared in over a hundred Bestseller lists and are currently translated in twenty-five languages. She resides in New York with her husband and their three children where she is living out her own happily ever after with the boy she met at age six.
 
Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/vi.keeland
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Vi-Keeland/435952616513958
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ViKeelandFanGroup
Website: http://www.vikeeland.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViKeeland
Instagram: http://instagram.com/Vi_Keeland
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6887119.Vi_Keeland
 
 
PENELOPE WARD
 
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
 
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
 
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps
Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor



Monday, August 30, 2021

The Aristocrat by Penelope Ward release day! #contemporaryromance #romanceauthor #romancereader #releaseday #newbook @PenelopeAuthor and @GiveMeBooksPR


RELEASE BLITZ
Title: The Aristocrat
Author: Penelope Ward
Genre: Standalone Contemporary Romance
Release Date: August 30, 2021
 

BLURB
 

From New York Times bestselling author Penelope Ward, comes a new standalone novel. 

The one that got away. Every girl has one, right?

Mine was a charming, British aristocrat who turned my world upside down one summer.

From the moment I first spotted Leo in the distance through my binoculars, I’d been captivated. I certainly never expected to find a man showering outside of the property across the bay in his birthday suit.

Then I noticed his housemate staring back at me with binoculars of his own—watching me watching Leo.

That made for an interesting conversation starter when I inevitably ran into them.

Turned out, the handsome Brits were only renting that house for the summer in my seaside town.

Leo and I formed an instant connection, even though we were technically opposites by all appearances. I taught him how to dig for clams, and he taught me that not all wealthy and powerful guys are pretentious.

Despite knowing he was totally wrong for me, I couldn’t seem to stay away.

It was a wild and crazy few months. And before I knew it, we’d fallen in love.

We both had one wish: more time together.

But Leo had obligations back home. He lived a life I’d never fit into. And I was going to law school. So, we decided to end it and never look back.

A part of me always felt like I’d let my soulmate walk away.

I believed our story was over.

Until five years later when he sent me a letter that shook me to my core. 

I’d thought my world was turned upside down that first summer?

Well, I knew nothing yet.

GOODREADS LINK: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58567712
 
 
PURCHASE LINKS
 
US: http://1click.bz/TheAristocratUS 
UK: http://1click.bz/TheAristocratUK
CA: http://1click.bz/TheAristocratCA
AU: http://1click.bz/TheAristocratAU
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3iigYYL
B&N: https://bit.ly/3D3qKHK
Google Play: https://bit.ly/2XB7QaN
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3AQ5hjs
Audio: https://adbl.co/3g9L7Jh
Paperback: https://amzn.to/2TgxM9T
 


AUTHOR BIO
 
Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.
 
She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.
 
With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over twenty novels. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.
 
 
AUTHOR LINKS
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/penelopewardauthor
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/PenelopesPeeps
Instagram: http://instagram.com/PenelopeWardAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PenelopeAuthor