Kaufman
The Season Austin Arrows Book 2 By Nicole Edwards Release Date October 25, 2016
Synopsis
Spencer Kaufman When I signed on to the NHL, I promised to give 150% to the game. I’ve done that. Little did I know, but they would ask more from me than merely my skill on the ice. The team wanted me to be their captain. It’s an honor, one I’ve done my best to fulfill. Although I can’t take all the credit, I was there to lead when we won the Stanley Cup. I’m still at the helm now, when we’ve hit rock bottom. I know I have let my fears get in the way. I’ve let down the team, even if they don’t realize what I’ve done. Now that the new season’s underway, I’m being called out. I deserve it. I can deal with that. It won’t be easy, but I’ll persevere. What I can’t deal with is her. She surprised me. She came out of nowhere and blindsided me. And there’s one serious issue. Now that I have her, I refuse to let her go. *This is a full-length, standalone novel. It is part of the Austin Arrows series, but can be read independently.
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Excerpt
The SEASON: Kaufman (Austin Arrows, 2) Chapter 1 Noelle Thursday, October 6th “I MADE AN EXTRA CHICKEN breast. You want one or two?” I chuckle, can’t help it. “Seriously. One or two? Can I possibly ask a dumber question?” That unladylike snort … yeah, that was me. While I fork my chicken breast onto my own plate, I don’t bother waiting for a response. I know what the answer will be. Two. Always two. Extra protein is never a bad thing. After adding a heaping spoonful of steamed vegetables to my plate, I grab my wineglass and head to the table. I’m starving because I missed lunch today. That sometimes happens with my job. There are days that’ll go by when I’m bored to tears, standing behind the bar, and others when I can hardly stop long enough to take a breath. Sometimes I’ll snag some fried pickles if I get a chance. Today was the lack-of-breath kind of day. Go, go, go. All day long. As I step out of my small galley kitchen, a knock sounds on my door. My bare feet squeak on the linoleum as I come to an abrupt halt. I manage to do that fancy lift and tilt thing to keep my wine from sloshing over the edge. Disaster averted. “Noelle! Honey, it’s Mom and Dad!” Or not. “Crap, crap, crap.” I glance between my front door and the small, two-seat table in my breakfast nook currently set up with, nope, not one but two place settings. For the record, two is not a good number when the single girl’s mom comes banging on the door. “Open up, Noelle! We thought we’d surprise you!” Okay, well, I have to say my parents definitely accomplished their goal, because I am completely befuddled as I stand here debating what I should do. To a normal person, it might be a no-brainer. Open the door, let the ’rents come on in. I’m not so sure this situation is going to qualify me as normal. To answer or not to answer? That is the question. On the other hand, I could be as quiet as possible and pretend I’m not home. Which, with my luck, won’t work. The fact that all the lights in my apartment are blazing and my baby blue Prius is parked directly in front of my window doesn’t help my cause any. Since no one else in the world drives a baby blue Prius, I can’t very well hide it. Crap. But I could’ve gone out with friends, right? Could I be so lucky that they’d think that? It is a possibility. Maybe. Or, better yet, maybe they’ll think I’m at the Penalty Box. I tend to work a lot. Yes, that’s definitely more logical. Except, yep, you nailed it, the car is here. Then again, if I weren’t so pathetic and didn’t choose to spend all my free time at home—unless I’m at my best friend Ellie’s—it might be an easier sell. They know me. I’m not the going-out type. Plus, they’ve probably already stopped by the bar to see if I’m there. They know that I much prefer a microwaved dinner at home, especially on a rare evening that I don’t spend waiting tables and slinging beer because I choose to. Another knock makes my heart skip a beat. “Stay calm. It’s cool.” I’ve been telling myself that far too much lately. “Noelle! Are you all right, honey?” Knowing my grumpy upstairs neighbor is likely going to have a cow any second now, I rush to the front door, unlock the deadbolt, and turn the knob. Instantly, Marie Dexter barrels into me, pulling me into her arms, crushing my face to her generous bosom. My mother smells like roses. A sweet, familiar scent that makes me hug her back, despite the inconvenient timing of her arrival. “Hi, Mom,” I say, my words muffled against her boobs. She pulls back to look at me. “What took you so long? I was getting worried.” My dad slips past my mother, giving me a knowing smirk. Ed Dexter loves when Marie goes all motherly on me. Come to find out, when my sister and I aren’t around, he gets to be the one Marie mothers. Not that he minds. They’ve been married for thirty-six years, so he’s used to it, or so he says. “Ooh. You got new curtains.” My mother gently pulls away to admire the floor-to-ceiling cream sheers hanging on the wide front window. I follow her gaze, glaring at my car sitting right there. Traitor. I focus on the comforting hand my mother has on my arm. Always keeping me close, that woman. I’m the oldest—my sister, Julie, who is seven years younger than me, was an oops baby—which should’ve meant my mother didn’t coddle me quite so much. That isn’t the case. Never has been. I’m not sure if it’s because there’s such a huge age gap between me and Julie, but whatever the reason, my mother likes to baby both of us equally. I’m thirty-four. You’d think she would’ve toned it down by now. Nope. In fact, I think she might be getting more motherly. Honestly, she’s been this way since I was little. And, truthfully, I was the normal kid. The kind who wanted to do nothing more than be outside. Yep, totally me. Right up until sixth grade, when we moved to Austin, next door to the girl who would quickly become my best friend in the world. Either there was something in the Texas water or someone injected me with a doofus hormone, because upon moving here, I became stupid, which translates to: boy crazy. I think my mother worried about me more then. That lasted about two years. Three tops. When it became glaringly obvious that Tony Something-or-other wasn’t going to fall madly in love with the short, frumpy girl with glasses and braces, I decided to focus on my schoolwork and left the flirting with boys up to my best friend, Ellie. She was much better at it than me. Luckily, I’m not so frumpy anymore, and I’ve shed the braces and glasses. Sure, I’m still short, and my boobs never did really develop, but that no longer bothers me. I’m me. That’s what matters. What does bother me is the fact that Mom and Dad pop in unannounced all the freaking time. Of all nights, why did it have to be now?
RUSH
Amazon: http://geni.us/B5mA iBooks: http://geni.us/AhAJS BN: http://bit.ly/NErushBN Kobo: http://bit.ly/NErushKOBO GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/NErushGP Website: http://nicoleedwardsauthor.com/rush-aa-1.html
A Million Tiny Pieces
Amazon: http://geni.us/2wTx B&N: http://bit.ly/NEamtpBN Kobo: http://bit.ly/AMTPkobo Google Play: http://bit.ly/AMTPGplay iBooks: http://geni.us/11Lc Website: http://nicoleedwardsauthor.com/a-million-tiny-pieces.html
Naughty Holidays 2016!
ON SALE FOR $0.99 WHILE ON PRE-ORDER! Amazon: http://geni.us/wE8JCtK B&N: http://bit.ly/NEholidays16BN KOBO: http://bit.ly/NEholidays16Kobo iBooks: http://geni.us/TkpVE Website: http://nicoleedwardsauthor.com/naughty-holidays-2016.html Want to win a signed paperback of Kaufman AND $50 Visa gift card? Here is what you need to do: 1) Watch the Nicole Edwards Author Facebook page from October 25th - 28th to get the names of the 37 blogs participating in the Kaufman Tour giveaway. 2) Go to those blog's Kaufman Tour posts and find the 3 digit code located on the top tour banner. 3) Once you have that code go HERE and follow the directions on the form to enter. 4) Repeat for each blog you find the code for! The person with the most correct entries will win a signed paperback of The Season: Kaufman AND a $50 Visa gift card! If there is a tie, then the tied entries will be entered into Random. org to determine the winner. This giveaway will end and no longer accept entries on November 1st, 2016 11:59pm CST. Winner will be emailed by November 10th, 2016. HINT! Only the blogs with this giveaway info are participating in the giveaway! Which means there is a code on this post!
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Honor
By Jay Crownover Release Date October 18, 2016
Synopsis
Don’t be fooled. Don’t make excuses for me. I am not a good man. I’ve seen things no one should, done things no one should talk about. Honor and conscience have no place in my life. But I’ve fought and I’ve survived. I’ve had to. The first time I saw her dancing on that seedy stage in that second rate club, I felt my heart pulse for the first time. Keelyn Foster was too young, too vibrant for this place, and I knew in an instant that I would make her mine. But first I had to climb my way to the top. I had to have something more to offer her. I’m here now, money is no object and I have no equal. Except for her. She's disappeared. But don’t worry, I will find her and claim her. She will be mine. Like I said, don’t be fooled. I am not the devil in disguise... I’m the one standing front and center.
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Excerpt
NASSIR I was in the Point for less than a day when I got word that the man that ran the streets wanted to see me. I like to lay low. I liked to blend in, but here it didn’t see like that was an option. Instead of desert sand, the battleground here was asphalt and concrete, and as soon as my presence was known, it was as if this place recognized the fight lying dormant inside of me. This city called to it. I don’t know why I instantly felt like I fit, but I did. So I went to see the man in charge, fully expecting to offer him the last of my cash in order to gain a foothold in the desolate kingdom. I was a survivor. I could do without money for a little bit. No man was more resourceful than I was. I walked into a disgustingly gaudy strip club, offended by its crass ugliness. I was expecting to meet the ruler of the land, state my intentions, and let him know I would bow to no man here or anywhere else ever again. I was expecting a shakedown and maybe some strong-arming since I was obviously foreign and undocumented. I was technically legal since my mother had been an American citizen before she fell in love with an extremist, but I hadn’t really existed on paper since she handed me over to killers and radicals when I was just a kid. Mossad didn’t want me to be anything other than their trained attack dog, so they hadn’t offered up any proof of identity for me during my time at the end of their string. What I wasn’t expecting was that my cause, my reason, my purpose for living, and my something to believe in would be dancing nearly naked on a horrifically ugly stage, looking like she was going to cry at any second. She was so much more than freedom. She was Honor. She was beautiful, young, innocent, and so obviously resigned to her fate. It pulled at a heart I was stunned to find I still had buried somewhere deep underneath the brutal history that filled up the inside of me. It was the first time I felt it beat, and the pulse of its yearning scared and electrified me in equal measure. I started to move toward her like all those invisible gods I spent my life killing for were leading me directly to her when suddenly a man twice her age and triple her size leaped from his seat next to the stage and hurled himself up onto the platform directly at the girl. In the blink of an eye he was on top of her, rough hands all over her naked flesh. I heard her scream. I saw her long limbs flail and thrash under him. A red haze filled my vision and I forgot all about staying quiet and laying low. I forgot all about being a ghost, and realized that I could channel the fight that had been forged into my very soul, the fight that was slumbering restlessly inside me at that moment, into protecting something so innocent. She woke the fight up and she kept it alive.
About The Author
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs. Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover
Honor
By Jay Crownover Release Date October 18, 2016
Synopsis
Don’t be fooled. Don’t make excuses for me. I am not a good man. I’ve seen things no one should, done things no one should talk about. Honor and conscience have no place in my life. But I’ve fought and I’ve survived. I’ve had to. The first time I saw her dancing on that seedy stage in that second rate club, I felt my heart pulse for the first time. Keelyn Foster was too young, too vibrant for this place, and I knew in an instant that I would make her mine. But first I had to climb my way to the top. I had to have something more to offer her. I’m here now, money is no object and I have no equal. Except for her. She's disappeared. But don’t worry, I will find her and claim her. She will be mine. Like I said, don’t be fooled. I am not the devil in disguise... I’m the one standing front and center.
Pre-Order Links
Excerpt
NASSIR She harrumphed and slid off the desk so she was towering over me in those killer heels. I was glad she was back in her right skin. “Business only?” I nodded solemnly and ran a tired hand over my face. It was a deal with the devil, but we both knew she was going to make it anyway. “Very lucrative and profitable business only, and if for some reason the cops shut me down, I’ll return your investment plus fifty percent of my own.” “How much did you sink into this place? And how much do you expect me to buy in for?” I shrugged. “I spent enough to make it what I wanted and you can pay in the same Race did. Two hundred K. I’m the primary backer, so my word is law, but if you see something now working or a way I missed to bring more money in, we can have a discussion.” Race had actually put in double that amount, but I wasn’t about to tell her that, and no one had ever accused me of being honest. She whistled. “That’s a lot of money.” “You have it.” She would hate to know that I knew exactly what her bank balance was. It paid to have a computer hacker on the payroll. There wasn’t much about her I didn’t know, both inside and out. “I do have it. I just don’t know if I want to give it to you.” It sounded like she was taking about a lot more than money. “We open this weekend, so you don’t have much time to decide.” “I feel like I never had a choice. The second you showed up in Denver, this was all bound to happen because you always get your way.” I shook my head slightly. “Not always.” We both knew that. Her eyes sparked with charcoal flecks and she took a step closer so that she could bend down and put her hands on the arms of my chair. She leaned closer and closer until her mouth was hovering a mere millimeter away from mine. When she spoke, the words danced across my lips and tasted like victory and fate. “No, not always.” Her lips pressed into mine and I had to curl my hands around the arms of the chair to keep from grabbing at her. She teased the clamped seam of my lips with her tongue and lightly scraped her teeth across my bottom lip. I wanted to toss her backward on the desk and bury myself inside her with no finesse, just pure, animalistic lust. She brushed her lips back and forth and laughed lightly as I bit down on my already injured tongue to keep from reacting. If I mauled her now, it would undo any progress I might have made with her. he pulled back and reached out to run her finger over each of the high arches of my eyebrows. It was the softest, gentlest touch I had ever felt from another human being and it made my focus on her pulse even more heavily in my veins. “Fine. I’m in. I’ll write you a check.”
Giveaway
About The Author
Jay Crownover is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Marked Men, The Point, and the Saints of Denver series. Like her characters, she is a big fan of tattoos. She loves music and wishes she could be a rock star, but since she has no aptitude for singing or instrument playing, she'll settle for writing stories with interesting characters that make the reader feel something. She lives in Colorado with her three dogs. Website: http://www.jaycrownover.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJayCrownover?ref=hl Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/JayCrownover Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/Crownover |
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