It's time to start putting your summer reading list together, and the crew from Get Lost in a Story is ready with a few sizzling read recommendations:
E. E. Burke
Romance and rodeos, Old West adventure, even a few ghostly tales.
Deadwood's wild past and exciting present come alive in Wild Deadwood Tales, a limited edition collection of 17 original short stories written by USA Today and Amazon bestselling authors: E.E. Burke, A.C. Wilson, Amanda McIntyre, Angi Morgan, Ginger Ring, Jacqui Nelson, Lizbeth Selvig,
Maggie Ryan, Megan Kelly, Nancy Naigle, Paty Jager, Peggy McKenzie, Sylvia McDaniel, Teresa Keefer, Terri Osburn, Tina Susedik, Zoe Blake.
Proceeds from Wild Deadwood Tales go to benefit the Western Sports Foundation, an organization providing critical assistance to athletes competing in Western lifestyle sports. Whether they need help recuperating from an injury or planning for the future, WSF is there for them.
Keep our rodeo heroes riding strong. Purchase your copy of Wild Deadwood Tales today.
Excerpt from Unexpected Calamity
Jane slapped her hand on the smooth surface to get the booze clerk’s attention. “Pour me two fingers of oh-be-joyful,” she bellowed.
The bartender wiped out a glass with his apron and set it in front of her. For some reason, he held the bottle upright instead of pouring. “That’ll be two bits.”
“I’ll pay when I’m finished.” She reached for the bottle.
He held it away and narrowed his eyes. “Here, you pay before you drink.”
If she had anything to pay with, she’d have pulled out the coins. As it was, she was broke. She could always pay later. “How do I know it ain’t bluestone swill?”
“Pay or go elsewhere,” he insisted.
“Don’t you recognize me?” She took off her hat. “Calamity Jane. I’ve been featured in dime books with Deadwood Dick. That’s worth a free drink.”
“Not in here it isn’t.”
“I’ll buy her a drink.” From behind, a man reached out and laid two bits on the bar. She glimpsed his strong, long-fingered hand and neatly trimmed nails, which were almost familiar...
When she spun to look at him, she couldn’t see his face on account of it being so dark inside and him having a wide hat brim pulled low over his eyes. But she could make out the light brown mustache framing his mouth.
A shiver rippled over her skin like an unexpected cold snap.
As he sauntered away, she stared in disbelief at the fine frock coat stretched across his shoulders, the long golden hair hanging from beneath the hat. With his back to her, he dragged out a chair. It looked like he was rejoining a poker game with four others.
A gambler. Of course, he just reminded her of Wild Bill.
“Hey, mister,” she called out.
He didn’t turn around. Some of the other men glanced up at her but went right back to playing cards.
“Here’s your drink,” the bartender said.
Jane gave her attention to the whiskey long enough to toss it back in one burning gulp, set the glass on the bar and turned to give the stranger her thanks.
He was gone. In fact, there wasn’t even a chair where he’d been sitting.
Jillian Stone
FAE WORLDS
One veil…Five worlds.
One veil keeps the human world separate from the Fae born. Some believe it’s safer this way. That magic and mundane simply shouldn’t mix. But what happens when worlds collide, and the veil is crossed? Or worse, broken?
Fae Worlds is a limited edition fantasy romance anthology featuring five never before published novellas ranging from sweet and playful, to downright dark and dangerous. Travel into diverse new worlds of magic and possibility, danger and desire, brought to you by five unique and imaginative authors:
Marie Andreas, C.C. Dowling, Lisa Kessler, Jillian Stone, Linda Thomas-Sundstrom.
Pre-order at Amazon before June 5 and get the ebook for $2.99
Excerpt from Night Bloomers by Jillian Stone
Everyone’s heard the strange stories about Paradox Lake…
Owen climbed into the driver’s side and immediately wanted to haul her into his arms, taste those soft pliable lips, run his hand under that little sweater with all those cute buttons…
“Nice truck.”
He nodded. “Bought it a few months ago—last years model.” A glimmer of moonlight lit the interior. “So where am I taking you, Elsbeth?”
She stared at him. “Where would you like to take me?”
His eyes narrowed. He knew what he would have done with most women. “I understand you live near an ancient woodland on the north shore. Strange lights reported around the lake these past few days. Maybe you could give me a tour? Show me were the faeries hang out.” He grinned. “I seem to have captured a Moonflower. I figure I’d better take advantage.”
She stared at him wide-eyed. “Who have you been talking to?”
“Nate Goodson, Francis MacLeod, both of them mentioned you. Also, there’s an old trapper named Beckworth Adams who lives on the south side of the gulch—know him?”
“Am I being questioned about the Henry Hazlitt thing?”
“No rush—doesn’t have to be tonight.”
“I can only imagine the kind of crazy faerie stories you’ve been told, especially by Francis.” She stared at him for the longest time. And she chewed her lip which was so damn distracting he had to look away. “Nate Goodson probably complained about me being against the waterpark—the petition and all.”
Owen nodded.
“So am I a suspect?”
He chuckled softly. “A fatal car accident as strange as this one is always considered suspicious. Prominent citizen loses control of his 450 SL but still manages to drive it through a hundred and twenty-five feet of dense forest—doesn’t even clip a tree—before he runs it off a cliff.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t add up. Hell, it might never add up.”
“And you’re thinking…what?”
“Something happened out there, Elsbeth.”
Moonlight edged the shallow rapids of the La Chute River. They both stared out the windshield at the fast-moving water.
“I suppose you could drive me home. Along the way, I could show you a few faerie hot spots.” She turned away from the river. “No guarantee you’ll see anything. The fae are leery of coppers.”
“What about you, Elsbeth Moonflower, are you leery of coppers?”
“Depends on the copper—I try to keep an open mind.”
“So there’s a chance for me.”
“Maybe.” She wagged her head a bit. “Maybe there’s more than a chance.”
He turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. “Seatbelt.” She pulled the strap around and he helped her buckle up. He looked up into large liquid-blue eyes.
“When did you get so cute and sweet, Owen?”
“Cute and sweet? Not—too hot to handle?”
She stared at him. “Better than arrogant asshole.”
Nan Dixon
Fitzgerald House Bed & Breakfast - A World of Open Arms and Open Hearts
Excerpt from TO CATCH A THIEF
Sage boosted his butt onto the stool, moaning like he was Gramps after being in the saddle for a day.
Two women worked behind the counter drawing beers. He closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths.
“Sage?”
His eyes blinked open. “Carolina?”
The napkin slipped out of her fingers and floated to the floor.
“You got the job.” Did that make him feel better or worse since she hadn’t called?
“First day.” Her deep blue eyes had that stunned look, like a white-tailed deer caught in a four-wheeler’s lights at dusk.
“How’s your mother?” He schooled his voice, hoping she couldn’t catch his disappointment.
Her shoulders moved up and down with her sigh. His eyes dropped to her chest. Even in the modest polo, he didn’t need much imagination to remember how she’d pressed against him as they’d kissed.
So why in blazes hadn’t she called?
“They can’t get her seizures under control.” Her fingers crushed the second napkin she pulled for him. “She’s still in the hospital.”
He caught her hand. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks.” She stared into his eyes.
The noise of the room slipped away. He wanted to make the pain in her deep blue eyes disappear, too.
She shook her head. “Um, what can I get you?”
“What’s on tap?”
“First day.” She winced. “Lots of Southbound.”
“I’ll have their seasonal.” He could have one beer and make it last through dinner.
“I’ll get that.” But she stayed right in front of him.
He smiled. Maybe she hadn’t been blowing him off. Warmth flooded through him.
“Sage?” she asked.
“Yeah?”
“I need my hand back.”
Cripes. He let go and the warmth faded like a leaking balloon. He was an idiot. “Sorry.”
Over her shoulder, she quipped, “I didn’t mind.”
“Like I said, I’m available for dinner or just a shoulder to cry on.” Preferably in bed, but even he wasn’t crass enough to suggest that to her. He wanted to help any way he could. It was the Cornell way.
Angi Morgan
RANGER GUARDIAN
Texas Brothers of Company B, #3
They took his daughter... Getting her back is all that matters.
“Fishing or the barber shop? Which do you want to do after pizza?”
He’d let Skylar Dawn decide. This was her day to play hooky and his to wonder about their future.
“Pizza, then Mr. Craig at the candy shop.”
The old-fashioned barber pole looked like a candy cane. He didn’t bother to correct her. It didn’t matter.
Where had the time gone? Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Skylar Dawn rocking in the saddle. This was probably the longest she’d been in it. No matter, he’d let her ride with him on the way back. That would help.
“My, my, my,” she said, sitting back in her saddle like him. “Have you and Mother had another fight?”
“What? Since when do you call Mommy ‘Mother’?” He knew the answer. His mother-in-law always said “my, my, my,” so this had to be her insistence on proper English. Never mind that. He needed to answer the real question. “Why do you think we had a fight?”
“You’re acting funny, Daddy.”
He guided Jupitar to face both Skylar Dawn and her little pony. What could he say to make her feel better? No lies. He refused to do it. But he also refused to make his daughter’s life miserable.
“Hey, baby. Sometimes things go wrong. So, yeah, Mommy and I argued. But that doesn’t mean we don’t love you or each other. Remember that time you had a fight with Stacy? What was that about?”
“Bumble. She said he had a stupid name. We aren’t supposed to say stupid in school.”
“That’s right. But you still went to play at her house that Saturday.”
She nodded her sweet little head. “You and Mommy are still friends, too?”
“Always. No matter what.”
“Okay.” She shrugged, pulling the reins to go around him.
Dammit. No matter what happened…
“What’s that?” She pointed behind him.
He turned in his saddle and saw a dust cloud.
Dust? After all the rain they’d had last night? Not dust. Exhaust!
“I don’t know, sweetheart.”
The sound of all-terrain vehicles echoed off the stock pond’s built-up back containment wall. There were several of them. The Thompsons had only one. This was not good. Something was off.
“Hey, baby girl, I think you need to ride with Daddy for a while.” He guided Jupitar next to Stardust, then reached down to lift Skylar Dawn. Setting her in front of him, he looped his left arm around her.
“You’re squeezing too tight, Daddy.”
“We’re going to go fast, baby. You like fast, right?”
“Yes!”
He kicked Jupitar into motion. The mud might slow down the men headed their way, but not his mare. She was as fast as the lightning that had cut across the sky in the early morning hours.
“Hang on, baby!”
A gunshot pierced the sound of the galloping hooves. He couldn’t slow down enough to tell if they were really aiming at them or not. Mud shot up from Jupitar’s legs. The wind whipped their faces as the sun beat down, warming them. His mare darted to the right, causing him to rise in his saddle.
Skylar Dawn screamed. “Daddy, slow down!”
“I can’t, baby. I can’t.”
Public Exposure! The information they’d obtained must have scared them into going after all of Kendall’s family. It was the only explanation. He hadn’t been on any major Ranger cases. No one was after him. It had to be Brantley Lourdes.
“Haw!” he shouted to Jupitar.
No use trying to get his cell out of his back pocket. Both hands were occupied controlling Jupitar and holding on to Skylar Dawn.
If he could just make it back to the house…
Nancy Thompson
Once Upon a Time…
…a struggling single mother found out she was really a princess. Except Sophie Baldwin outgrew that fantasy a long time ago. She wasn't sure she even believe in "happily ever after" anymore.
Until the handsome stranger showed up on her doorstep and whisked her away to an exotic kingdom…
Luc Lejardin had been dispatched to bring Sophie to St. Michel to take her proper place among the French royalty. As next in line to the throne, she needed his protection 24/7. But watching over the reluctant royal was proving Luc's most challenging mission. How could he keep his mind on business when all he wanted was pleasure…in the princess's arms?
Buy link:
Amazon
Well, it's bulls and blood
It's boots and chaps
