BLOG TOUR: The Gifted and The Damned by Dana Michelle Burnett

The Gifted and The Damned (The Vampire Wars Series, Book #1)
by Dana Michelle Burnett
Blurb:



Seduction was her gift...He was her weakness...In the small town of Corydon Indiana, witches, seers, and shape shifters live hidden from the everyday world in plain sight. They live under the constant memory of the trials of Salem and live by a code of secrecy. 

Ruby Malone, the only siren ever born to her family of witches, held the hearts of many men in the palm of her hand, making her the talk of the supernatural community, but there was only one man that she wanted. Making seer Archer Wallace hers was the only thing Ruby cared about until a war between the gifted and the vampires turned her world upside down.

Suddenly, the world that Ruby knows is gone. Archer is off fighting in the war and Poe Corvus, a rebellious shape shifter with a past, tempts her to be the siren she was born to be.

Available for purchase at 

Excerpt

Ruby looked up at me, her green eyes glittering in the near
darkness. My gaze fell on her red trembling lips.

Before I could stop myself, I was kissing her, forcing my tongue
between her teeth. At first, she fought me, but then I felt her mold herself to
me and press herself against my groin.

There was no waiting. I pulled at her clothes, almost tearing them
off her. Her creamy flesh beckoned me, smelling of earth and sin. I tore away
my own clothes so that I could hold her warm body against my naked skin.

She reached up and took my face in her hands, “Look at me.”

I looked down into her green eyes, feeling my very soul pull
towards her. “What?”

Ruby brushed her hand over my cheek, “I do love you. I love you so
much that it scares me sometimes.”

I was kissing her then, trailing my lips along her jawline and
down to her neck. I could hear her unsteady and ragged breaths as I licked at
her collarbone, but my own breath was coming just as fast.

I eased her down onto the floor and stretched out beside her. My
lips found her breast, she cried out as they closed around her nipple. I
brought my hand up to knead the other breast, pinching that nipple between my
first finger and thumb. Ruby arched her back and twisted her fingers in my hair
as my tongue circled her nipple before taking it between my teeth in a gentle
nibble.

I pulled her closer, sliding my hand under her so that I could
clutch her buttock. I ran one finger along her cleft, teasing her nether
opening.

She drew in a sharp breath and bucked her hips upwards as if trying
to get closer to me. I ached with my need to impale her, to fill her
completely.

I groaned, low and animalistic. I shifted so that I could move
further down, leaning over her and brushing her hair off her neck and
shoulders.

“Can I really trust you?” I asked as I teased her skin with a
feather touch.

“Yes,” she gasped. “Yes.”

I brought my lips back down to her lips and then trailed along her
throat, between her breasts, and stopped just below her stomach. I positioned
myself between her legs, eased her thighs apart, and then lowered my mouth to
her wet slit.

Ruby gasped as I buried myself there, lapping at her inner folds.
She bucked and cried out as I held her down and worked her over. She was still
twitching when I moved back up her body, kissing her hot flesh, as I took her.

She clutched at my shoulders, pulling me closer. I felt her come
apart again and again until I could not hold back anymore. I swore as a shudder
overtook me.

We remained on the floor, Ruby’s head against my chest. My fingers
tracing the ridges of her spine as I listened to our hearts beat in time.

About The Author

Dana Michelle Burnett spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more. Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was include in The Best of Foliate Oak 2006.  

Dana Michelle's Spiritus Series introduced the idea of a ghostly romance and became a Kindle bestselling series. Her Gypsy Fairy Tale Series combined the magic of the Tuatha De Danann and the Irish Travellers and the first book in the series, Once, was included in the Faery Realms Multi-Author Box Set. With this new series, Dana Michelle dives into the trials and tribulations surrounded the paranormal gifted during a war with vampires.

She's an avid reader of anything dark and romantic. Dana Michelle lives in Southern Indiana with her dancing diva daughter and an assortment of pets.

Dana Michelle loves connecting with her readers. 

You can find Dana at 

               

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Presented By

BLOG TOUR: “Limelight” by H.L. Holston, Sara York, Eleanor Bruce, and E.M. Leya

Limelight

By H.L. Holston, Sara York, Eleanor Bruce, and E.M. Leya 

Blurb: 

Some dream of fame and fortune, but it isn't always everything one might think it will be. It doesn't matter what entertainment industry you're in, you have to sacrifice, and when it comes to love, well that brings on a million other issues.



Inside you'll find three stories about men in the limelight. They worked hard to gain the fame they've found, but in doing so, they all have longed for one thing — Love. Some things might come easy for these men, but when it comes to sharing their hearts, things are never simple and either are the men they desire.

Available to purchase at 

Time Gone By by E.M. Leya

Jon is one of the biggest names in Hollywood. The fame and fortune he has is like nothing he ever imagined, but he left behind the only man he'd ever loved to achieve it.

Wyatt thought he'd put the past behind him and moved on, focusing on his career as he hides the truth about himself from those who are closest to him. Why should he risk his family and friends with being honest when his only reason left town six years ago?

When fate throws the two men together again, they are forced to confront things from the past that they both don't want to admit, but the passion and desire for each other is stronger than ever, proving that no matter how much time has gone by, the heart knows what it wants.

Excerpt

"Hey."

Jon looked up to see Wyatt standing
in the doorway.

"Want some company?"

"Sure." Jon sat up
straighter as Wyatt took a seat across from him. "So nursing, huh? It
suits you."

"Thanks. I debated on becoming
a vet, but that was too many years stuck in school. I enjoy this. Now that I'm
back home and working here, it's nice. I worked in Phoenix for about a year, but hated every
minute of it." Wyatt leaned back, stretching his long legs out in front of
him.

"Yeah, I don't blame you. I
hate living in the city. I miss this place."

"You could move back."

Jon tried to ignore the hopeful
gleam in Wyatt's eyes. "Yeah, I don't think that would work. Most my
business is in California.
It's just easier to stay there." Honestly, he hated it and thought about
moving back all the time, but the main reason he didn't was sitting right
across from him.

"You look good." Wyatt
didn't hide the way his gaze traveled over Jon's body.

"So do you." Jon returned
the same stare, and then wished he hadn't. He could still remember that body
pressed up against his, the taste of Wyatt's lips against his own. It was as if
it all happened yesterday.

"You want to go grab a cup of
coffee downstairs and catch up?" Wyatt asked.

"Aren't you working?"

"Got off about ten minutes
ago. I was hoping you were still here."

"Why?" Jon shook his
head. "Sorry, that was rude. It's just…" Jon stood and went to the
doorway, looking down the hall.

"I know, Jon. It's hard for me
too, but I miss you. Miss talking about stuff. You're my best friend."

"I was." Jon turned to
look at him.

"You still are. No one will
ever know me like you do."

"It's been nearly six years,
Wyatt."

"Doesn't feel like it
sometimes."

Jon turned to look at him,
struggling with the emotions he'd locked away for so long. "Sometimes it
seems longer." He shrugged. "I didn't even know you'd gone to
school."

"Yeah, you were pretty upset
when you left. I figured you weren't checking up on me much."

That wasn't true. He might not have
asked about him, but he did look for him every time he came back to town. Okay,
so that wasn't often, but still, Wyatt was always on his mind when he was
visiting. "Can you blame me?"

Suck This, Neil Patrick Harris by H.L. Holston & Eleanor Bruce

Dante Moretti has a big problem. His acting career has hit the skids and he's desperate to land the lead role in the next Hollywood blockbuster. It’s his last chance to get back on the superstar track.

But, his personal life is a train wreck. No sane director will work with him any longer. Solution? Bribe his best friend and former co-star, Chris Parker to play the role of his long-term boyfriend. Showing the world he’s in a committed relationship will hopefully convince casting agents he’s reformed, stable and trustworthy.

Even if it’s a lie.

What Dante doesn't count on is the public’s reaction to the announcement that Chris and he are a couple…and his own feelings for Chris spiraling out of control.

Under the merciless cameras of the paparazzi, Dante is forced to choose--his leading man status or the man he thought was just his best friend. Who ever thought that pretending to be in love would be this hard?

Excerpt

He’d never seen
Chris and Katie go at it like this before. Sure, they had bickered on set, but
this was a war of words. If Dante had one ounce of bisexuality in his bones, he
would have been cheering for them to make out after they stopped arguing. They were
that hot together in the heat of passion. He was beginning to see the appeal of
their coupling from the show now. No wonder Space
Pirates fans had cried when Katie’s character had died in Chris’ arms.

But he had to
stop this now. At least half the crowd had out their cell phones and were
filming Chris and Katie’s argument. Going from past experience, Dante knew the
clips would be up on YouTube within minutes. He had damage control to do.

Dante pushed
himself between his two former co-stars and shouted, “Enough!”

That got everyone’s attention. Chris looked at
him in confusion, Katie, well, she looked impressed he’d intervened.

He grabbed
Chris’ hand tightly, glanced to the other man for permission, and when Chris
nodded, Dante said in a deliberately loud voice, strong enough to reach the
line of fans still strolling in the front door of Hollywood Book and Poster.

“I’m sorry we
sprung this on you here, Katie and not in private beforehand. But, I’m not
going to apologize for dating Chris.” He paused dramatically, and forty fannish
faces pressed in closer to listen. “Not when I feel like the luckiest
son-of-a-bitch on the planet that he even agreed to go out with me. He’s
everything I ever wanted in a partner, and I refuse to hide the fact we’re a couple.”

Dante laid his
next monologue on thick.

Staring deeply
and what he hoped was adoringly into Chris’ face, he said, “I love him and I’m
keeping him for as long as he’ll have me!”

You could have
heard a pin drop. They were well and truly out of the closest now. Katie’s
expression had softened a bit from her previous stance, but Dante could tell
from the fire still in her eyes, they’d have more explaining to do after the
autograph signing.

While she still
appeared doubtful, the crowd around them erupted into chaos. More phones came
out and their fans’ commentary started:

“How long have
Chris and you been dating?”

“I thought Chris
was straight?”

Finally, one
triumphant voice exclaimed, “I knew they were f**king! I knew it.”

Center Stage by Sara York

Country music is Slade Pepper’s first love and he can’t walk away from the stage, but being gay and in country music doesn’t allow him to have a personal life. Slade takes the month off to decompress and search his soul. He meets Corbin Branford and can’t say no to a passion filled night. One night turns into more, but Corbin has no idea who Slade is, and Slade tries to keep it that way...until a fan blows his cover. Corbin is angry enough to leave, but Slade Pepper won’t give up without a fight.

Excerpt

Corbin rocked his hips against
Slade’s, his thumb playing with the button of Slade’s jeans. “I’ve been
watching you all night, and God, I’ve wanted to touch you.”

Thunder rumbled outside and the
lights flickered. The rain came down, growing louder as the thunder died out.
Corbin leaned back, his gaze searching. “Let’s eat and then we can figure out
what…Mmm, damn, you sure are sexy.”

Slade nodded, his body hot from
Corbin’s touch. “Eat first, then maybe something else later?”

Slade wanted that something else
very much. He was hot and getting hotter, but Corbin hadn’t eaten. The guy was
probably starving.

“I’d like to know more about
you. Are you visiting with your family?”

Slade moved to the table and
pulled out a chair, holding it for Corbin. He was a southern gentleman. No
matter who he liked to fuck, he’d been raised with manners, and those manners
would be used.

Corbin quirked a brow as he sunk
into his seat. “Nice touch. I think we’ll most definitely be doing something
after I’m no longer starving.”

Slade slid into the other chair
and picked up his burger, taking a bite. He moaned and closed his eyes,
focusing on the flavors in the meat. “They really are good burgers.”

“Thanks. I’ve won a couple of
awards, nothing big, but you know, it helps.”

Slade smiled and took another
bite as he stared at Corbin, taking in his small frame and lean muscles. The
guy really was beautiful. If only he could stay on this island, then maybe he
could actually have a relationship. But he’d be gone in a few weeks. Perhaps
Corbin wouldn’t mind a part-time gig. Hell, he might actually enjoy it.

About The Authors



Emma Marie Leya, aka E.M Leya lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her daughter, two dogs, a cat, and two birds. When she isn't writing, she is an avid swimmer with a passion for the mountains. She's often found playing outdoors.



You can find E.M at

            

 Writing is Sara York's life. The stories fight to get out, often leaving her working on four or five books at once. She can't help but write. Along with her writing addiction she has a coffee addiction. Some nights, the only reason she stops writing and goes to sleep is for the fresh brewed coffee in the morning. Sara enjoys writing twisted tales of passion, anger, and love with a good healthy dose of lust thrown in for fun.



You can find Sara at

      

H.L. Holston & Eleanor Bruce met when a friend put them in charge of the writing awards at a local sci-fi convention, but bonded over their mutual love of Bruce Springsteen. In real life, after many years of teaching social studies at the high school level, Holly has now semi-retired to Florida where she tutors reading and writing in between scrapbooking and reading romance novels. 

Eleanor has been a professional business writer since 1989 and an amateur fiction writer for over fifteen years and dreams of following the E Street Band around once she retires, unless Holly talks her into buying a condo on the beach in Costa Rica.

You can find Holly at 

      

You can find Eleanor at 

   

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Presented By

RELEASE BLITZ: THREE HOURS by Dannika Dark

Three Hours

(Seven Series, Bk # 5)
By Dannika Dark

Blurb: 

Destiny will find you

Naya James is a confident woman who also happens to be an exotic dancer. She doesn’t care if people judge her, just so long as they don’t disrespect her. Life has been good, but when two dancers from her club are kidnapped, Naya puts her life on the line to uncover the truth.

Wheeler is the black sheep of the family, evident from his extensive tattoo collection to his dark personality. Nothing like his twin brother, Ben, who can do no wrong. Wheeler’s pack loyalty is put to the test when Austin orders him to act as a bodyguard for a woman he’s despised for years—one who presses his buttons every chance she gets.

A dark secret unravels, uniting two enemies and threatening to fracture the brotherhood of the pack. A tortured soul, a violent past, a fiery romance, and a shocking twist that will leave you breathless.

Available for purchase at 

      

Excerpt

I
leaned forward and gripped the top of the chair on either side of his head. “I
don’t like this situation any more than you do, but I’ve never had anyone speak
to me this way. I don’t form unhealthy friendships with people, but this isn’t
exactly a friendship. I need a bodyguard, and neither of us seems to have any
choice in the matter. So let’s just play nice, okay?”

His
eyes glided down my neck and settled between my breasts. Wheeler’s pupils
widened and, my God, I needed to get away from him. The closer I got, the more
I picked up his heady scent. Wheeler was the opposite of the refined men in my
life—powerful men with expensive clothes and imported cologne. Most were
shorter or had a leaner frame than his medium build. Something began to
culminate between us that I knew he must have felt, because he didn’t have a
comeback. I wondered how it would feel to have those inked arms wrapped around
my body, for the bristles on his face to scratch against my stomach as he laved
my breast with his tongue. Would his hands feel as rough as they looked? Was he
a gentle lover or animalistic?

The
ropes of muscle in his arms were taut from the tight grip he had on the
armrests of the chair.

Oh, no. This couldn’t be happening.

My
cell phone rang and snapped me out of my fantasies. I stood up and put my hands
on my hips. “I have a feeling that before this is all over, we’re going to end
up killing each other.”

A
sardonic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Now that sounds like fun.”

The Seven Series

About the Author

This is the segment where you learn a little more about who I am, so here's what I can tell you:  I drink copious amounts of vitamin water placed precariously close to my laptop while writing. These are two healthy habits I have no intention of breaking. I'm a transplant living in the south, but I was born in the 70's to a military dad who moved us around the world.

When I'm not writing (which is all the time), I'm hunting down Indie music, watching movies, reading, eating Tex-Mex, discovering new ways to humiliate myself bowling, and burning up my laptop battery on the Internet. I have a relaxed, easy-going personality and don't like drama. I live with a cat who thinks she is a dog, or a goat (she eats plastic, so I'm not sure which).

Throughout my life, I've had insomnia. Counting sheep never worked and eventually I would imagine those sheep were the sole source of food after an apocalyptic battle where only thousands survived. I made up stories in a futile attempt to bore myself to sleep. The problem was, I got so wrapped up in my "head stories" that I would continue them through the following nights, changing it up each time to make it more exciting. Eventually, I started writing my ideas down - creating short stories, and then I discovered my love for poetry.

It's almost embarrassing how many spiral notebooks and stacks of paper I have of poetry and lyrics.

Another passion: digital art. I design all my book covers, marketing, and series art. I'm a very visual person and pursued photography as an avid hobby for many years.

I am not a YA author (I feel like I have to state this only because I've had a few people ask), but I think it's wonderful there are so many books available to teens in Urban Fantasy and Paranormal.

I am finally doing what I have always wanted to do: giving my characters a pulse through writing full time. I focus on adult urban fantasy romance, but I don't like labels and I enjoy blending genres to break out of the confines of predictability.

But it's what I love to do.

Danni

You can stalk, I mean find Dannika here: 

            

Presented by 

COVER REVEAL: Knight of Ocean Avenue by Tara Lain

Knight Of Ocean Avenue

By Tara Lain

Blurb

How can you be twenty-five and not know you’re gay? 

Billy Ballew runs from that question. A high school dropout, barely able to read until he taught himself, Billy’s life is driven by his need to help support his parents as a construction worker, put his sisters through college, coach his Little League team, and not think about being a three-time loser in the engagement department. Being terrified of taking tests keeps Billy from getting the contractor's license he so desires, and fear of his mother's judgement blinds Billy to what could make him truly happy.

Then, in preparation for his sister’s big wedding, Billy meets Shaz—Chase Phillips—a rising star, celebrity stylist who defines the word gay. To Shaz, Billy embodies everything he’s ever wanted—stalwart, honest, brave—but even if Billy turns out to be gay, he could never endure the censure he’d get for being with a queen like Shaz. How can two men with so little in common find a way to be together? Can the Stylist of the Year end up with the Knight of Ocean Avenue?

Release Date: May 1, 2015

Paperback from Dreamspinner 

Excerpt

“Okay, I need to ask, and I have nothing on it so don’t get
defensive.”

Billy squinched his nose. “That’s not the best way to keep a guy
from getting defensive.”

Shaz grinned. “I know. Not subtle, but seriously, why haven’t you
taken the contractor’s license test?”

Shit. Defensive.

Shaz held up a hand. “I assume it has something to do with your
reading ability, but I thought Clancy and Yerby and all those others on your
bookshelves overcame that issue.”

“Yeah. Pretty much.”

“You read well enough to take the test? Because if not, I’ll bet
they’ll let someone read it to you.”

“I can read.” He put down his fork.

Shaz leaned over and picked up the fork. “Come on, darling, this
is Shazzy Wazzy. I am no threat at all to you.” He scooped some mashed potatoes
and flew them like a plane toward Billy’s mouth.

For a second, Billy compressed his lips. Jesus, the guy was
impossible to resist. He burst out laughing. The first time he’d ever laughed
at this subject. “I’m afraid to take tests. I panic.” His heart beat fast just
thinking of it. He snapped the potatoes off the fork and chewed.

Shaz put a hand on his arm, which made him feel calm and excited
at the same time. “How do you know?”

“Know what?”

“That you panic when you take tests?”

Billy frowned. “I’ve blown every test I tried to take since the
eighth grade. It got so bad I had to drop out of high school. I could have
tested out, but I couldn’t take the test, and I never got my GED because I—”

“Couldn’t take the test. My God, that’s awful.”

The frown got deeper. “Like I said, I’m too dumb to take tests.”

Shaz leaned over until all he could see was that pretty face.
“This has nothing to do with dumb. Does it?”

Billy stared at his almost empty plate.

“Does it?”

He shook his head.

“What does it have to do with? Who made you afraid?”

“What?”

“I said who made you afraid. Someone did.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re a strong, capable man who isn’t afraid to take the
whole damned world on his shoulders. There’s no reason for you to be afraid of
anything unless someone told you there was.”

He nodded slowly. His heart hammered so hard it felt like his
chest would explode. “I got beat up a lot in grade school because I was small
and couldn’t read.” He shrugged. “I know. Hard to believe, right? Behemoth that
I am. Anyway, my eighth grade English teacher was the worst, I guess. I could
barely read, and she gave us test after test. I couldn’t read the books and I
couldn’t read the test.” His pulse hammered in his ears. Like he was back there
in that god-awful room. “She constantly told me how dumb I was and made sure
the whole class knew it. I didn’t grow until I was sixteen. I was still a
little runt then and got beat up every day while they called me stupid.” Shit,
tears pushed out of his eyes. This was not good. “I have to stop talking about
this. I have to go.”

“No, Billy, I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault.” He fished in his pocket and pulled out a wad of
bills. He threw some on the table. Maybe a hundred dollars. Then he ran for the
door.

“Billy!”

The cool evening air hit him like a bucket of water in the face.
Where the hell was he going? He’d driven his truck. It was full of furniture,
and Shaz had no way to get home. Billy Ballew did not leave a friend behind.

He stared down the sidewalk. That bench looked inviting.
Staggering a little, he walked to it and sat. Just breathe. That’s why
he never talked about this subject. Never even thought about it if he could
avoid it. If he could just forget it, things would be better.

“Billy.”

He looked up at Shaz, who stood on the steps of the restaurant.
The man walked toward him with that graceful saunter of his. “You didn’t go. I
wouldn’t have blamed you if you left me here to rot.”

He managed to cock half a smile. “Too dry in California to rot.”

“Wither and blow away, then.” Shaz sat next to him. “I truly am
sorry. I didn’t mean to open wounds. I have too many of my own to be picking at
yours.” He held out his hand with a palm full of money. “You dropped
something.”

“I want to pay for dinner.”

“Nope.”

“The champagne.”

“Nope. The least I can do after spoiling your meal is pay for it.”

“But—”

“Never argue with a queen, darling. We always win.”

About the Author

Tara Lain writes the Beautiful Boys of Romance in LGBT erotic romance novels that star her unique, charismatic heroes. Her first novel was published in January of 2011 and she’s now somewhere around book 23. Her best­selling novels have garnered awards for Best Series, Best Contemporary Romance, Best Ménage, Best LGBT Romance, Best Gay Characters, and Tara has been named Best Writer of the Year in the LRC Awards. In her other job, Tara owns an advertising and public relations firm. She often does workshops on both author promotion and writing craft. 

She lives with her soul­mate husband and her soul­mate dog in Laguna Beach, California, a pretty seaside town where she sets a lot of her books. Passionate about diversity, justice, and new experiences, Tara says on her tombstone it will say “Yes”!

You can find Tara at

               

Presented By

BLOG TOUR: Fallen Idol by Nikki Lynn Barrett