Wickedly Twisted Anthology Blog Tour ~ Kami

Wickedly Twisted: Fairy Tales for Adults

By: Cassidy K. O’Connor, Gracen Miller, Louisa Bacio, A. D. Roland, Sheri Lyn, and Lia Davis

Releases July 26, 2016

Pre-order today at Amazon: http://amzn.to/29Fl1wm

Add it on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30977248-wickedly-twisted


A collection of six wickedly twisted tales from classic fairy tales by six of today’s hottest authors.

To Steal a Prince’s Heart by Cassidy K. O’Connor is a twist on the fairy tale Robin Hood.

No self-respecting girl starts out wanting to be a thief but that’s what happens when war takes the King and all able bodied men off to war. Robin Hood and her merry band of women steal to feed their village, she never expected the Prince to steal her heart. When her true identity is revealed will the Prince stand by her or will she be forced to rescue herself?


Excerpt:

“Remember ladies, er, gentlemen, as soon as the job is done, you scatter to the rendezvous point then we’ll head home together as heroes. Any last words, fearless leader?” Will Scarlet looks to me as she jumps down from the rock she was standing on to address the group. I jump up and look out to a sea of scared but determined faces. “If anything should happen to any of us, know that I am proud of what we have accomplished so far. We were a scared bunch of girls on the brink of starvation. We learned to hunt, to fight and starting now we will not be slaves to anyone else’s generosity. Tonight we take back our rights as humans.” Tears burn my eyes, we are risking everything but it’s worth it to feed our village. I have helped comfort the last starving child in our village; held the last child while they begged for food. One of the younger boys whistles, gaining our attention. “That’s our cue, riders are coming.” I jump down from the rock I was standing on and silently pat myself on the back for having the idea to let them be scouts. “This is it, gentlemen, tonight we feast.” My palms sweaty, I rub them vigorously against my trousers. I didn’t expect to be so nervous.

Celia’s Connection by Gracen Miller is a twist on the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Celia Goldilocks just wants to live her life in peace, but when her past comes calling, her life is upended. With a bounty on her head, she escapes to a cabin owned by three bear shifters. Unfortunately, they’re her father’s biggest enemy, but can they be her salvation instead?

Excerpt:

Curled up on his bed, buried beneath his covers, with her head resting on his pillow, lay the missing Goldilocks heiress. “Goldilocks and the three bears.” Dex’s amusement teased a grin from both Simon and Nick. “The fairytale comes to life.” Nick stared at her. “Ironic.” The fairytale of it all is that she’s our mate. His bear reacted with a violent lurch forward, while the sizzle along his twin flame mark alerted him to the greatest truth of them all… “She’s our twin flame.” Simon walked straight to the bed and swiped a black lock of hair off her cheek. In person, she appeared younger than on the wanted headshot. Pink streaks feathered throughout her hair, a color that hadn’t been in her photo on the news. A rebel judging by her hair and the tattoo sleeve on her right arm. Our kind of girl. Celia jolted awake. “Oh, shit.” Sitting straight up, she rubbed her thumb along her wrist as she gaped wide-eyed at them. “Please don’t eat me.” Simon grinned, and Nick chuckled. Dex’s bear glowed in his eyes, verifying to Simon that his brother recognized her significance to them too. Deadpan, Dex said, “We’re damn sure gonna eat you, sweetheart. You smell too sweet not to devour.

The Brothers Ménage by Louisa Bacio is a twist on the fairy tale Two Brothers

Who says all fairytale princesses are cursed?

As time runs out, the brothers from the wrong side of the tracks must weigh if a lifetime with Daphne is worth sharing their own secret, and if it’ll make a difference.

Excerpt:

Never had he been so close to a nude woman. Never had he seen one as beautiful and alluring as this one. He lived isolated in a cottage, deep in the woods with his brother and foster father, the man who’d taken them in and protected them. Danger lurked outside the forest. For one moment, his thoughts flew to his twin Jacob. They shared everything together. To share this experience—a first touch, a first kiss, whatever was to come next. He’d been around animals his entire life. He knew the ways of relations. He’d just never experienced it. He felt it, being on the precipice of something grand.

Bearskin by A. D. Roland is a twist on the fairy tale Bearskin

A dirty hobo who claims he’s wearing the Devil’s magic jacket befriends a slightly skeptical nurse. Can he convince her he's telling the truth in time for her to break the curse?

Excerpt: Val seemed more human every night he showed up at the little park with Zinnia. She caught him up on TV shows, movies, books, and whatever celebrity gossip she deemed important, even though it was obvious he had no idea who half the people she talked about were. She told him about her friends, her job, and her struggle to put herself through nursing school without having to take out student loans or ask her dad for help. Every night, she fell a little more in love with him. She tried to talk herself out of it. He was homeless. He had the insane idea that he couldn’t change his situation— despite his apparently magic money jacket—until seven years were up. This was a guy who would have another breakdown as the date approached and find a new curse, a new excuse to remain as he was. She’d seen enough patients do the same thing when deadlines approached. On her nights off, they spent hours on the playground, shuffling back and forth in the swings or sitting on the waist-high platform under the big wooden play structure. “What are you going to do when the seven years are up?” she asked. They were stretched out on the grass near the back of the playground, staring up at the stars. The neighborhood was far enough from the main part of town that the streetlights didn’t obscure the sky. He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got more money saved up than I know what to do with. Maybe I’ll buy a house out in the country somewhere. Write a book about my experiences.” He chuckled softly. “I’ll have to market it as fiction, I think.” “I’d buy it,” Zinnia said. You should make it a romance, she thought. And at the end, you shed this skin and we run into each other’s arms and live happily ever after.

Pan’s Curse by Sheri Lyn is a twist on the fairy tale Peter Pan

The race is on. A jealous fairy has put a curse on Peter Pan, and it's up to Captain James Hook and his crew to follow the clues and save him before time runs out, or he'll be gone for good. If she can't have him, no one will. Can James and Peter have their Happily Ever After?

Excerpt:

“Yes, James, it’s true. I really am here. Open your eyes and talk to me. Hear what I have to say. Let me explain, give me a chance to ask your forgiveness.” A bitter laugh rolled out of James at those words. “Forgive you? You really ask for the impossible with that request.” “You think it hasn’t been hard on me to be away? I left my whole life, my existence, and the man I was falling in love with. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t question my reasons for leaving. Thankfully, my love was stronger than my weakness. I toughed it out, because I knew in the end my reward would justify the years.” “Hard on you?” Hook bellowed as he slammed his hand on table. Bottles shook and fell, some crashing with a clatter of breaking glass. “I woke to the news you had left with that shrew and her brothers, never to be seen again. I waited day after day for some sign of you returning. Eventually I had to face it, I was alone in this hell. Everything was gone, my will, my desire and my heart.” James looked into Peter’s eyes and could see the boy he once knew in the stunningly beautiful man before him. Wavy brown hair that wouldn’t stay tamed and fell slightly over one bright blue eye. A mouth that begged to be kissed and taken. James could feel his body instantly betray him at the sight of the ruggedly handsome man. He ached to run his fingers over the stubble upon his Peter’s face.

His Big Bad Wolf by Lia Davis is a twist on the fairy tale The Boy Who Cried Wolf

Neal turns to Shannon for help to track down the rogue wolf, but working together stirs emotions neither of them expected, and a fiery passion that makes it impossible for them to stay away from each other. But is Neal ready to learn all of Shannon’s secrets.


Excerpt:

Shannon stopped in his trek across the living room. He studied Neal with a raised brow. The rush from his earlier shift had his wolf on edge. Ron being in the area didn’t help. Then Shannon had run into Neal in the forest. His scent alone drove both the man and the beast wild.

Hence the cold shower moments before the ranger had showed up at his door. Aroused.

It was all Shannon could do to keep from dragging the other man to his bed. So for the moment, Shannon would plant his ass on the sofa and enjoy the view. “Would dinner be before or after the hunting party?”

A light shade of blush colored Neal’s cheeks as he stuck his hands into his jeans pockets and glanced around the room. “I…um…before, I guess.”

The corners of Shannon’s lips tugged into a smile. Damn, the man was hot. His short brown hair had streaks of golden blond, most likely a result of the ranger being outside all the time. Shannon didn’t think Neal wore a hat. At least, he hadn’t noticed him wearing one in the time Shannon had been in town.

When Neal lifted his grey eyes to lock gazes with him, something unfurled inside Shannon. Unable to stop himself, he rose to his feet and closed the distance between them.

The first time Shannon had seen Neal was the day he arrived in town. They’d met outside the realtor’s office where Shannon had gone to rent his house. Neal had worn his ranger shirt tucked into a black pair of jeans that fit perfectly, giving Shannon a great view of the man’s ass. Using the man’s employment as an icebreaker, Shannon had told him he used to be a ranger. Shannon left out the reason why he’d had to quit—he’d been bitten by a werewolf. An instant connection had formed, and Shannon’s wolf clawed at him, wanting out to meet the ranger. However, Shannon couldn’t let the beast out. Introducing the wolf to the man he wanted to pursue wasn’t an option. At least, not until he was sure Neal wouldn’t run or shoot him.

Shannon wanted to seduce the male, and thankfully, it appeared Neal had the same plan.

Stopping inches from Neal, Shannon cupped his head and kissed him.



Find out more about the authors:

Cassidy K. O’Connor

Website: http://www.cassidykoconnor.com

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/cassidykoconnorauthor?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CKOConnor_auth

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8474402.Cassidy_K_O_Connor

Gracen Miller

Website: http://www.gracen-miller.com/

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/gracen.miller

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GracenMiller

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1378521.Gracen_Miller

Louisa Bacio

Website: http://louisabacio.com

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/louisabacio?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/louisabacio

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4353334.Louisa_Bacio

A. D. Roland

Website: https://ashsartanddesign.com/

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/adrolandauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ashleyauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2838760.A_D_Roland

Sheri Lyn

Website: http://www.sherilynauthor.com/

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Sheri-Lyn-Author-1404626999860565/?fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sherilynauthor

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14742317.Sheri_Lyn

Lia Davis

Website: http://authorliadavis.com

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/novelsbylia/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/novelsbylia

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5829989.Lia_Davis

The Masterpiecers Book Blitz ~ Kami

Title: The Masterpiecers

Author: Olivia Wildenstein

Genre: YA/NA Mystery

Hosted by: Lady Amber's PR

Blurb:

Nineteen-year-old Ivy Redd’s talent with a needle and thread has earned her a spot on a coveted reality TV art competition set in New York’s Metropolitan Museum. The prize: a significant amount of money and instant acceptance into the Masterpiecers, the school that ensures new artists fame and fortune. Her talent has also thrust her and her twin sister, Aster, into the spotlight.

Not that Aster needed help with becoming a media favorite. She managed that on her own by running over a wanted mobster. She told the police it was self-defense, because she couldn’t tell them the truth—the truth would make her sister look bad.

Locked in an Indiana jail to await her trial, Aster watches Ivy on the small TV hanging in the dayroom. It’s the highlight of her day, until she finds out what her sister truly thinks of her. Then, observing her sister becomes a punishment far crueler than imprisonment.

Olivia Wildenstein grew up in New York City, the daughter of a French father with a great sense of humor, and a Swedish mother whom she speaks to at least three times a day. She chose Brown University to complete her undergraduate studies and earned a bachelor’s in comparative literature. After designing jewelry for a few years, Wildenstein traded in her tools for a laptop computer and a very comfortable chair. This line of work made more sense, considering her college degree.

When she’s not writing, she’s psychoanalyzing everyone she meets (Yes. Everyone), eavesdropping on conversations to gather material for her next book, baking up a storm (that she actually eats), going to the gym (because she eats), and attempting not to be late at her children’s school (like she is 4 out of 5 mornings, on good weeks).

Wildenstein lives with her husband and three children in Geneva, Switzerland, where she’s an active member of the writing community.

Author Links:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ahtHJw

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13734301.Olivia_Wildenstein

Twitter: https://twitter.com/OWildWrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/owauthor/

Web: http://oliviawildenstein.com/

Fan Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/931818316929131/

Buy Link:

#Free with #KindleUnlimited

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ahOQk9

 

"Our mother used to say that Ivy sucked all the good from the womb and I was left with the scraps. I hate to think she was right about anything, but my twin sister is exceptional.

“You’re going to do so well,” I tell Ivy, squeezing her hand.

“No touching,” barks the guard watching over us.

It’s just the two of us in the visitation room.

Ivy yanks her hand out of mine. “I don’t know about so well, but I’m going to do my best.” She links her fingers together in a business-like manner. “Has Josh come to see you yet?”

“No.”

“He told me he spoke to your warden about letting you watch the show. You have his permission to look at it whenever you want.”

I give her a weak smile. “That’ll be the highlight of my day.”

She runs her nail underneath the peeling, synthetic wood surface of the table.

“I’m happy you came to see me,” I say.

Her gaze sticks to the tabletop. It’s as though she doesn’t dare look up at me. I think she’s afraid to cry. “Was it really an accident, Aster?” Her voice is so faint that I have to strain to make out her words.

“Yes.”

“You promise me—”

“Yes,” I say. “Stop worrying about this. By the time you come home, it will be ancient history.”

She bites her lip.

“Now go make history,” I tell her."

Right Through Me ~ Kami

Celebrate the release of Right Through Me by Shannon McKenna!

NYTimes and USA Today bestselling author Shannon McKenna launches The Obsidian Files with RIGHT THROUGH ME, a pulse-pounding tale of thrilling suspense and searing passion. A beautiful fugitive and a biotech tycoon with strange powers must face the lethal rage of a vicious enemy bent on their annihilation.

Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a $25 Amazon Giftcard & 3 winners will receive an ecopy of RIGHT THROUGH ME!
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About Right Through Me:
Stranger, speak softly...  Biotech tycoon Noah Gallagher has a deadly secret: his clandestine training as a super-soldier gives him abilities that go far beyond human. Yet he's very much a man. When Caro Bishop shows up at his Seattle headquarters with a dangerous secret agenda, his ordered life is thrown into chaos. Caro is a woman like no other—and her luminously sensual beauty cloaks a mystery he must solve.  Caro's lying low, evading a false charge of murder. She means to clear her name, and she'll do whatever it takes to survive—but seducing a man like Noah is more than she bargained for. His amber eyes have the strangest glow when he looks at her—she could swear he sees the secrets of her heart. The desire smoldering in Noah's eyes awakens her own secret hunger, but Caro has to resist his magnetic pull. Anyone close to her becomes a target. The only right thing to do is run, far and fast, but Caro can't outrun Noah's ferocious intensity—or deny the searing passion that explodes between them.  Nothing else matters—until a vicious enemy bent on the ultimate revenge puts his murderous plan into play. Noah and Caro must battle for their lives...and their love...

Exclusive Excerpt:
“Look,” he said. “I promised not to touch you. I can’t keep that promise anymore.”
She drifted closer, a cloud of sunset colors. Her scent washed over his senses. His supercharged synesthesia translated her aroma into colors in his head. He wanted to strip her bare. His hands flexed with the impulse to seize her. It almost overcame him.
“Leave.” His voice was tight. “I paid you.”
“No,” she said.
“You finished your dance. You said there could be nothing more. So go.”
“Shhh.” She stretched up, touching his cheek with soft, cool fingertips. Then, to his astonishment, she pressed a hot, soft kiss to his jaw.
“This is not helping,” he growled.
She rose up on her bare feet, her mouth near his. Never quite getting there. No kiss . . . just the caressing heat of her breath. The teasing promise of . . . maybe . . . almost.
He was so close to losing control, he didn’t dare inhale.
He stepped back. Not far enough. The sweetness of her perfume taunted him.
She didn’t move. Not one inch. She was enjoying this, feeling her power. It made his teeth grind, and his dick ache.
“You’re still here,” he said.
“I’m not ready to leave.” Her voice was a drifting whisper. “I like the way this makes me feel.”
“I’m ready,” he said. “And it’s my goddamn office.”
“Yes. After hours. And we’re alone. More or less.” She closed the slight distance between them with a single step.
So she was seducing him. He got the message—but he still didn’t dare breathe.
Then she took his hand, and pressed it against her bare belly.
They both inhaled sharply. She was flower-petal smooth against the hard, callused skin of his palm. A flash of hot lust pumped through him.
A swift, shocked ripple went through her, as if she’d had a small orgasm, and then her hand fastened over his, holding it firmly in place. As if she welcomed the touch but didn’t dare allow his hand to wander elsewhere.
“Take the envelope,” he said. “Put it in your bag, and we’re square.”
Her fingers tightened on his hand.
“I asked for a service, you provided it, I paid you,” he said stubbornly. All business. Meeting over. Too bad his dick didn’t get the memo. He was about to explode.
Without saying a word, she turned and headed to the bathroom, purple veils fluttering behind her.
He didn’t have to wait for her to return. But he knew that he would.
She was back minutes later, wearing jeans and a baggy black T-shirt. His exotic dancing maiden was gone but she was as beautiful as ever. Her real hair was a thick, curly dark cloud, caught up in back in a tousled knot of twisted ringlets. Some of them dangled around her face.
“Sorry,” he said stiffly. “That got out of hand.”
“It’s OK. Not your fault.”  She looked down at herself. “I thought it was better to have this conversation in street clothes,” she said. “To see if the fantasy melted away for you without the props. Better for both of us to know right now.”
He looked her up and down. Blood roared in his ears. “That’s not happening.”
Her sig pulsed, excited pinks and reds. “So?”
“I promised not to touch you, and I broke that promise. With your help.”
She nodded reluctantly.
“If you stay here, I’ll break it again. Let me put that right out in the open.”

About Shannon McKenna:
Shannon McKenna is the NYT and USA Today bestselling author of fifteen action packed, turbocharged romantic thrillers, among which are the stories of the wildly popular McCloud series. She’s also the author of the upcoming OBSIDIAN series, the first of which, RIGHT THROUGH ME, comes out in July of 2016. She loves tough and heroic alpha males, heroines with the brains and guts to match them, villains who challenge them to their utmost, adventure, scorching sensuality, and most of all, the redemptive power of true love. Since she was small she has loved abandoning herself to the magic of a good book, and her fond childhood fantasy was that writing would be just like that, but with the added benefit of being able to take credit for the story at the end. The alchemy of writing turned out to be messier than she'd ever dreamed, but what the hell, she loves it anyway, and hopes that readers enjoy the results of her alchemical experiments. She loves to hear from her readers.

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Blog Tour of Carter by Brie Paisley ~ Kami

BLOG TOUR

Carter by Brie Paisley 

The Harlow Brothers 

Book #1

Photograph by Christopher Correia from CJC Photography

Cover model: BT Urruela

Cover model: Jessie Reis

Cover designer: Rebecca Pau from The Final Wrap

Carter

She was the one for me.

The one that I knew would be mine forever until I made the biggest mistake. I pushed her away and I’ve regretted that decision ever since. I’ve tried to move on, tried to put the memory of her behind me, but she’s always consuming my thoughts. Now, she’s back in our hometown, trying to rebuild a new life. I know she’s keeping secrets. She tries to hide them from me, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that I’m the one she needs. Because Shelby Ross is the other part of me that I can’t live without and I refuse to let her go again.

Shelby

He broke my heart.

I never thought I would be able to pick of the pieces he left behind. When he let me go, I ran away from it all, thinking it was the easiest thing to do. But, running has a price and I’ve paid it in full for years. Now, I’m back where it all began, back to putting my life together and starting over. It should’ve been easy, but Carter Harlow is reawakening long buried emotions that I thought were gone. He wants to make me his again. I can’t let that happen. He ruined me, broke me, and I’m afraid I’ll never survive it a second time around.

            

I don’t know what to say, so I just stare up at him. He smiles back at me, and slowly takes his hand off my face. I want to cry out at the loss of his warmth, but I know he needed to move away from me. I watch him as he walks back around the kitchen island, and swallow hard as he refuses to take his eyes off me. His gaze is intense, and I can’t stop the warm sensations that form in my stomach. I go to grab my necklace, but stop midway. Carter frowns then asks, “What is it?” I debate on whether, or not to tell him I still have his gift. Then again, maybe if he sees I’ve kept it all this time, he’ll know I never forgot what we had. I reach into my shirt and pull out my keepsake. I hold it in my hand for a moment, and stare at it before letting it drop. Carter sucks in a breath when he sees it. I watch him closely as a variety of emotions cross his face. Shock, disbelief, and when he looks in my eyes again, he looks at me adoringly. As if he’s seeing me again for the very first time, with such love in his eyes. “I know we didn’t end things on a good note, but I couldn’t bear to part with it. Every time I needed strength or a reminder of what I left behind, I would look at it, and just knowing I had a piece of you made things easier.” I’m surprised by my admission, but at the same time, it feels good to open up to someone again. It’s been so long since I felt like I could trust someone with how I really feel.

“I can’t believe you kept it after all this time.” He grins, shakes his head, and his eyes light up. “Do you remember what I said when I gave it to you?”

Of course I remember. It’s committed to my memory, and it’s one that I used to think of often. “I do. Instead of me giving you a graduation present, you gave me this.” I glance down at my necklace, thinking back to that day. It was a happy day, and I was so proud of Carter for graduating, and getting accepted into Harvard Law. I wasn’t expecting a gift from him, but I remember being excited when he showed me what he bought. I blink, coming back to the present as I say, “As you put the necklace on me, you said it was to remind me how much you loved me. That no matter how far apart we were, it wouldn’t matter because our love for each other was strong.” I glance away from him, as I repeat his sweet words from a lifetime ago. “I remember you saying, that my necklace was your way of giving me your heart and that we’d always be able to find one another.”

I look back at Carter, noticing he’s rubbing his chest. I want to ask him if he’s alright. But I don’t. I know that day meant so much to the both of us. I could see and feel how much he cared about me back then. Which made when he broke my heart that much more painful. He clears his throat before saying, “I’m glad you kept it, and it’s brought you good memories when you needed them.”

I suddenly feel shy, and a bit out of place. The emotions running through me scare the shit out of me, and the room feels as though it’s closing in. Reliving the past then the emotions running through me now … it’s too intense. I look away from him and place my necklace back in my shirt. I get off the stool and say, “I think I should head back to Annie and William’s. I’m sure they’re worried where I am.” I don’t look at Carter. I don’t want to see the hurt in his eyes because he’ll know what I’m doing. I hate that I can’t seem to stay around him, but the wave of all the past emotions and the present ones colliding is overwhelming. I have to get away from it.

“Yeah, okay. I can drive you there since it’s on my way.” I nod and head back to his room to grab my shoes. I remind myself to breathe and stop over thinking everything. It’s stupid of me to act this way, but going for so long without feeling any of this … it’s frightening.

Brie Paisley is a small town gal from Mississippi. She always wanted to write at a young age and was always filling journals with her thoughts and short stories. Brie started with the idea of Worshipped a year ago and with the encouragement of her husband and sister in law, she was able to write her first book. When she is not writing, you can find her reading a good book, painting, scrapbooking, or watching a good movie with her husband and her boxer.

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