The Aspen Valley Series (Thrown, Jumped and Branded) by Colette Auclair (Spotlight)

Terri Osburn gives Colette Auclair a shout out in the USA Today Happy Ever After blog at this link

 

The Aspen Valley Series:

 

 

The Kentucky Derby is just one week away and I am highlighting the EBooks Thrown, Jumped , and Branded in Colette Auclair’s award-winning Aspen Valley series!

 

 

 

Thrown (December 2013; $5.99) is the first book in The Aspen Valley Series.  Professional horse trainer Amanda Vogel dreams of riding jumpers in the Olympics, but after seeing her best friend die in a riding accident, she’s so traumatized she can’t compete. Broke and desperate, she takes a summer job in Aspen teaching some big-shot widowed movie star’s spoiled daughters to ride—and braces herself for three miserable months. But the movie star is funny, down-to-earth, and gorgeous—and his spoiled daughters are just desperate for a mother figure. By Labor Day, she has to choose between capturing a gold medal…and the man who has captured her heart.

 

 

Jumped (August 2014; $5.99), the second book in The Aspen Valley Series, is Colette Auclair’s steamy sequel to her “page-turning debut” (Library Journal), Thrown. A young woman in the equestrian fashion business finds herself head over heels for her ex-husband.  Thoroughly enjoying herself at her best friend Amanda’s wedding, Beth is shocked when she is seated next to her ex-husband, Finn, at the reception. Determined to not let this fluster her, Beth strikes up a conversation only to learn Finn isn’t the same man she walked away from. 

 

Relieved the reception is over, Beth is looking forward to a relaxing weekend against the beautiful backdrop of sunny Aspen at Amanda and Grady’s estate.  Little does she know Finn will be partaking in the weekend activities.  But just as Beth decides to keep as much distance between her and Finn as possible, Finn has a terrible accident and Beth is stuck being his bedside nurse.  Over the course of the weekend, Beth and Finn discover that the wounds of their failed marriage are not all that’s left. There are sparks…and hope. But just as they decide to give it another try, Finn confesses a huge secret that could destroy everything he’s fought to get back—Beth, their relationship, and another chance at love.  Will Beth turn away, or will she take a leap of faith and say “I do” once (again) and for all? 

 

 

Branded (December 2014; $5.99), the third book in The Aspen Valley Series, will take readers on a wild and dreamy ride through the beautiful valleys and mountains of Colorado.  Professional, polite, and pearl-wearing, dressage rider and resort consultant Cordy Sims is the last person anyone would expect to initiate a weekend of debauchery. And yet, that’s exactly what she does after meeting a handsome stranger at an Aspen resort. Agreeing that they’ll leave personal details at the door, they indulge in a memorable weekend of carnal recreation. On Sunday night, Cordy doesn’t want to leave this charming, seductive man, but she must play by her own rules.

On Monday, Cordy sits in a meeting at the ad agency that’s hired her as a freelancer, and her professional and personal worlds collide. Turns out agency owner Jack Cormier looks just as good in the boardroom as he did in the bedroom. Forced to work together, Cordy and Jack can’t ignore the chemistry that crackles between them, or the deeper feelings that have developed. But secrets and scars from their pasts may prove too formidable, even for a love that’s as powerful as it is unexpected. 

 

Praise for The Aspen Valley Series:

 

“The story portrays two convincingly flawed but likeable characters who find each other’s aults both provocative and exciting, as they try to decide whether a second chance at marriage is worth the risk.”

—Publishers Weekly on Jumped

 

“Harris, the Brunswicks’ chef, is a clairvoyant Cupid, full of honest evaluations of people and their love lives. He adds a spark to the story as Auclair continues to build her cast of series characters and develop their varied personalities.”

—Library Journal on Jumped

 

“In JUMPED, the author returns to the Aspen area with many of the same characters that were in her well–received debut novel, THROWN…Major and minor characters are interesting and likable, and the friendships add to the primary romance. There will be at least one more book in the series. Look for BRANDED to release in December. If you like horses, a tangled relationship, and a series that flows from one book to the next, check out these titles.”

—Romance Reviews Today on Jumped

 

“If you’re looking for a highly entertaining, fast-paced, horsey beach read, Jumped should fill the bill.”

—Horse Nation on Jumped

 

“There is enough tension among all the forces at play to keep the pages turning. Debut novelist Auclair is a 2012 Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Finalist, winner of the 2011 Winter Rose Contest, and a finalist in the 2011 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest.  Recommended for most romance fans.”

—Library Journal on Thrown

 

“Romantic fiction with an equestrian theme gets a fun new twist in this novel which follows trainer Amanda Vogel… the star is single, handsome, and has the hots for Amanda. But both characters are carrying hefty loads of their own baggage, and as they navigate through various dramas and horse-related mishaps, the layers (both physical and psychological) start to come off. Thrown weaves horses into the story with a practiced tone, and the accuracy of equine knowledge and horse people adds to the plot. For a fun, entertaining read, be sure to pick up this debut novel by Colette Auclair.” 

—Horse & Style on Thrown

 

“Totally accurate, as far as HorseGirls go…Colette Auclair nails the horse stuff…whether it’s describing Amanda’s selection of appropriate mounts for Grady’s beginner daughters, or setting up a human cross-country course for the girls to play Olympics over, or accurately detailing an episode of colic (including the joy when the horse finally poops), or explaining the feeling of connecting with a once-in-a-lifetime horse…my favorite part about the book, aside from the discussions of how horse training prepares just about anyone for human training…is the humor…Aside from getting the horse stuff right, the characters are also well-developed…The story is quite a page-turner, so be prepared to be completely unable to stop–like a runaway horse except actually fun.  And the book does have one pretty detailed sex scene and multiple explicit make out sessions, so it’s not for kids. Bottom line: if you like romantic comedies, you’ll definitely enjoy Thrown.”

—Horse Nation on Thrown

 

Colette Auclair has been a copywriter for more than twenty years.  She’s ridden and shown horses since she was ten and owns a lovely twenty-year-old Thoroughbred mare.  Thrown, her first novel, was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist in the single-title contemporary romance category.  It also won the 2011 Winter Rose Contest (Yellow Rose Romance Writers) and finaled in the 2011 Cleveland Rocks Romance Contest (NE Ohio Romance Writers Assoc.)  Jumped is second and Branded is third in the Aspen Valley series.  Please visit coletteauclair.com.

LIFT: Authors Raising Autism Awareness (week 3) GIVEAWAY

Week 3 of LIFT doesn't let up! We have such incredible donations from amazing authors this week.

If you missed the LIFT t-shirts, there's still a chance! Reserve yours in our "round two" LIFT order today! Don't be left out when we have LIFT selfie day!

This week's MegaGiveaway benefits The Autism Spectrum Disorder Foundation.

Thank you to the generous authors donating!

A.L. Jackson

Amalie Silver

Cindi Madsen

Faith Andrews

Gia Riley

Jen Frederick

K. Bromberg

Lia Riley

Mandi Beck

Molly McClain

Nicole Storey

S.R. Grey

Whitney Barbetti

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Twisted by Cynthia Eden (Spotlight, Guest post, excerpt and GIVEAWAY) Tasty Book Tours

It is my pleasure to have a guest post by the talented Cynthia Eden...

Can You Read Me?

by Cynthia Eden

I have a confession to make…I’ve always wanted to be able to read people.  To be able to look at someone and pick up on all the unconscious “tells” that people give off to others.  I think it would be so much fun to understand all the secrets that people tried so hard to keep…but still managed to reveal with the wrong body language.

In my latest novel, Twisted, my heroine can “read” just about anyone.  She sizes up her prey in just a glance and can find all the secrets that people would prefer to keep hidden.  While doing my research to develop Emma Castille’s character, I picked up a lot of tips about how to read someone’s body language. I thought I’d share a few with you. (You may already be aware of these “tells” and some could be new.)

1.     Look for signs that indicate stress. Some usual “stress” signs include...a person rubbing his forehead or rubbing his hands against his thighs.

2.     People will stall…If you ask someone a question and instead of responding, she…clears her throat, glances away, bites her lip…then odds are good this person could be thinking of a way to lie…or this person just knows you aren’t going to like the answer that’s coming!

3.     Protect me. You know the little notch at the base of your throat? Right there as you angle down to your chest? If you see a woman touch that notch, she’s trying to protect herself. Your questions could definitely be putting her on edge.

4.     It’s all in the eyes…If a person’s pupils constrict, she is probably looking at something she doesn’t like—something that bothers her.  Cops will often show suspects pictures of their victims just so that they can watch their responses to those images. The eyes truly can be the window to the soul.

5.     Shoulders, baby, shoulders.  If someone is frustrated or exasperated—you’ll see the shoulders start to tense up.  If someone is relieved—those shoulders will drop. 

Do you have any particular “tells” that reveal your emotions? Please share them with me!

Thanks so much for checking out my post. Have a great day!

Best,

Cynthia Eden

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Twisted
Available 4/28/15

Blurb

In the second seductive Lost novel from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Eden, an obsessed Last Option Search Team agent goes looking for trouble—and finds her in the Big Easy.

Dean Bannon comes to New Orleans for one reason only: to track down a missing sixteen-year-old girl. That’s before he meets the drop-dead gorgeous con artist who makes him want to lose his legendary control.

With her past, Emma Castille doesn’t claim to be psychic. She just notices things other people don’t. Like the fear in a runaway’s eyes-or the pain in an ex-FBI agent’s heart. Her chemistry with Dean is blistering, but Emma follows her passion . . . not someone else’s orders.

Then a madman breaks into Emma’s home and leaves a twisted message: “You’re next.” Now Dean refuses to let her out of his sight until he pries every last secret from her full, sexy lips. And suddenly Emma’s aching to give him everything he wants.

Excerpt

“A reading …” he said. She almost shivered. The guy had one of those amazing voices that, once a woman heard it, she didn’t forget. Deep and rumbly. A voice made for darkness.

And sex.

She’d detected no accent in his voice, and Emma was very good at recognizing accents. Accents, habits, behavior—she noticed them all.

Like the way Dean Bannon had a habit of rubbing his jaw with his index finger and thumb. He did that when he was thinking. When he was annoyed, she’d noticed that a muscle flexed along the left-hand side of his jaw. And—

“Your name is Emma Castille.”

She leaned forward. “I can use the cards if you want. Some people like that part.” She actually did know what all of the cards meant, so she could shuffle them and give a reading, no problem. But she preferred to work in other ways.

“You’re not psychic.”

Were they back to that?

She put her hands in her lap. Emma didn’t believe in making nervous gestures. She didn’t believe in giving away anything at all with her body language.

“What you are …” Ah, now he did smile. Her father would have called it a shit-eating grin. The more PC term was probably a Cheshire cat smile. Whatever the name, that smile annoyed her. “What you are, Ms. Castille … is a criminal. A fraud.”

Maybe she should grab her chest and dramatically gasp. She didn’t. “Wonderful for you,” Emma said. “You pulled up a background report one me.” She let her eyes widen a bit. “It’s amazing just what one can find if a person knows how to use a search engine.”

A furrow appeared between his eyes.

“How about I say what … you are?” Emma asked him. “A washed-up FBI agent who snapped on the job. You held your control tight every single day, but the bad guys—they just didn’t stop, did they? You hunted them, you stopped them, and more appeared. While you were fighting the system, they kept coming, and the bodies kept piling up on your watch.”

He shot right back to his feet. The folding chair slammed down behind him.

“You and your father bilked desperate people,” he accused. “You told them you were psychic, that you could help find their missing children. And you—”

“We found them.” Two girls who’d vanished. They’d found them. “We just didn’t get to them in time.” And she would not go back to that place.

She motioned toward Manuel. He knew the signal meant he could take over her booth. There was no way, no way, that she was going to stay there with that prick while he slammed the most painful moments from her past in Emma’s face.

Manuel, pale, tattooed, with piercings in his lips and eyebrows, quickly claimed her spot.

Emma jumped to her feet. Muttered her thanks, and fled right past the guy she was starting to think of as Agent Jackass.

She pushed through the crowd. Wasn’t there always a crowd in Jackson Square ? And that was why she loved the place. It was so easy to vanish in a crowd. To be anyone.

The crowd closed around her.

To be no one at all.   

She hurried around the back of the cathedral. She knew the streets so well. Her home was close by. Emma would get inside and forget Agent Jackass.     

I’m being followed.

Emma stilled at the intersection. A horse-drawn carriage rolled by her. Voices called out.          

And he touched her.

Emma didn’t flinch. Didn’t scream. She looked down at the hand on her shoulder. “When a woman runs away from you, that means you need to stay the hell away from her.”

His hold tightened on her. “You and I aren’t done.”

She looked up at his face. Had she really thought the man was handsome? Annoying, that was all Dean Bannon was.

“I need to find that girl, and you’re the only lead I have so far.”

“Then you’re not a very good investigator.”

Ah, that muscle flexed in his jaw. Lovely.

GoodreadsLink

Goodreads Series Link

Buy Links:  Amazon | B & N | iTunes | Kobo

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Author Info

 Award-winning author CYNTHIA EDEN writes dark tales of paranormal romance and romantic suspense. She is a New York Times, USA Today, Digital Book World, and IndieReader best-seller. Cynthia is also a two-time finalist for the RITA® award (she was a finalist both in the romantic suspense category and in the paranormal romance category). Since she began writing full-time in 2005, Cynthia has written over thirty novels and novellas. Cynthia lives along the Alabama Gulf Coast. She loves romance novels, horror movies, and chocolate. Her favorite hobbies include hiking in the mountains (searching for waterfalls) and spelunking.

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

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Shadowed Origins by Shyla Wolff (VBT, Excerpt, GIVEAWAY) Goddess Fish Tours

Shadowed Origins

by Shyla Wolff

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BLURB:

The road to freedom is rarely an easy journey.

Following a lifetime of captivity and torture, fate tosses Kyley into a world of freedom and opportunities, danger and espionage. During her inspirational journey, discovery of life’s offerings shores up her determination to conquer the fears that keep her from exploring a world where romance is more than a fantasy. Her continued hard-won freedom hinges on the abilities of the paranormal group that rescued her. Always looking over her shoulder, she knows Roth must reacquire her to complete his plan for mass annihilation and anarchy.

Taylor’s telekinesis and special-ops training granted him seamless passage to work with Kenner’s paranormal unit. When he rescues a young waif from the clutches of her psychopathic guardian, he’s unprepared for the emotional backlash created by their connection.

The knowledge that her emotional baggage includes years of abuse dictates he help her conquer her triggers and fears. Aware she’s not encountered a kind touch, much less any expression of passion, he represses his own desires in order to teach her that not all physical contact includes pain. He longs to free her adventurous streak and inspire her to achieve emotional as well as physical confidence.

Since being adopted by her psychic warriors as a kid from the streets, Kiera’s never doubted her place in life or the direction of her path. Her unusual upbringing included weapons training, unique fighting skills, and how to maximize her paranormal abilities. After pulling Carlin, a computer prodigy, from death’s grasp, she learns you don’t always get to choose whom you love. Her destiny is twofold. Protect Carlin from the monster who wants to destroy the USA and find her mate—a man who will save her life, more than once.

A chance meeting between Kiera and Kyley sets off a chain of events they couldn’t prepare for and might not survive. Can the girls work together and prevent Roth from destroying the ones they love?

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Exclusive Excerpt:

Roth dragged the tip of the cane up and down her body through the sauce that covered older wounds. She acknowledged his eagerness building, breathing harsher even as her skin burned. Tension oppressive, the air became pregnant with the promise of soul wrenching pain.

She knew to make noise increased the length and severity of the beating. She tried to be quiet. Impossible. A whimper escaped as he walked around the foot of the bed to the other side. The new cane glided along her skin. God it burned. She wondered again if she’d survive this. How many times would he revive her before turning her over? He loved symmetry.

“Oh, baby, would you like to tell me where you’ve been? How about your new friends, I’d love to know all about them, especially where to find them,” he sounded manic.

“Actually—on second thought, I’d rather you wait until I’ve had my fun. You know how I hate interruptions during entertainment.”

Tears streamed down her face. She bit the inside of her cheek to hold back the scream and again buried her head in the pillow. The copper taste of blood filled her mouth, her cheek burned. Nothing from their shared past compared to the agony of the hot sauce covering her body. With a bitter sluggishness, her mind receded from the present. Internal memories and thoughts beckoned.

Deep down, the realization rose that she’d not survive. A silent prayer went up for Taylor—that he was alive and well. The far reaches of her mind coaxed her to an altered reality, the memory of Taylor holding her with such tenderness, playing with the dogs, their plans to visit the horse farm, swimming in their indoor pool. How naïve to think her life could have endless days such as that. Foolish. “Taylor,” breathed on a sigh would be her mental amulet, champion for continued sanity.

“Taylor? Taylor? The man who protected you at the mall? Then who was it that helped you escape from the Moonshadows restaurant? How did you contact them and where can I find them? Tell me now, slut!” His painful grip in her hair brought her gaze to meet his crazed expression.

Her mistake just went viral in Roth’s mind as evidenced in his wild eyes. Taylor’s name from her lips might foreshadow his death. She sobbed. How could she have been so thoughtless?

Her screaming, sobbing, and pleading would echo throughout the house. She had no more pride left to protect. Now, there was life and there was death. She wanted to live, despite this.

Yet, she wouldn’t give Taylor up even if it cost the ultimate price. If she did survive, her four legged friends wouldn’t care how many scars she bore. “I’ll tell you, Roth, please. I’ll tell you. Please stop, let me tell you…” Please, Lord, please just let him stop for a minute. Let me breathe. I won’t tell him anything that would hurt Taylor.

“Scream all you want, baby, there’s no one close enough to hear you. I will find out what I want to know.”

“Stop—Please, God, don’t do this!”

“Oh no, baby, we haven’t even started.”

Buy links:

Extasy books  
Amazon

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Life teaches us many lessons. One of the most important ones Shyla’s learned is to take the time to enjoy family and friends. Our circumstances change on a daily basis. However small the differences may seem, they add up over time. Through a lifetime of various trials and tribulations, she’s discovered the enjoyment of sharing her stories with those that would relish participating in the journey of extaordinary people through their everyday lives.

LINKS

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Feedback by D.L. Richardson (VNBtM, guest post) GFT

Please join me in welcoming D.L. Richardson (and wishing her Many Happy Returns!)

D L Richardson

Author of Feedback

Thank you for hosting me. Can I also tell you that today is my birthday! Yes, I can hear you all singing “Happy Birthday To Me”. I thought I’d bring along a virtual birthday cake for everyone to enjoy. I love blowing out the candles on a cake and making a wish, but today I’ll let you blow out the candles and make a wish.

The Reading Addict: What is one of your hobbies and how has it enriched your writing?

D L Richardson: Other than writing and reading, and gardening and renovating the house, my favorite hobby is playing my piano or guitar. I’ve often declared music as my first love. It began when I joined the choir and then I sang in high school (what you’d call Glee Club, I suppose). Music was like the first boyfriend I had, a sweet memory but not something I could spend the rest of my life doing.

I tried to pursue a musical career. For ten years, from the time I was 16 to 26, I played bass guitar and sang in a band. I wrote the lyrics. I wrote some of the music. It was a blast, like I said, a wonderful memory but not something I could see myself doing for the rest of my life.

When I decided that writing was what I wanted to do, I sold my bass guitar, amplifier, microphones, recording equipment. I had a brief hiatus but years later my then boyfriend (now husband) bought me an acoustic guitar for Christmas and I picked up the hobby again.

Music is a wonderful creative outlet for me. Playing the piano and guitar feeds my soul and I still write songs, purely for me, though if you want to hear two original songs they feature on the book trailers to my YA paranormal romance novel Little Red Gem.

“A Million Miles” from Little Red Gem

YouTube Internet link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW763MSi_9A

“Side of the Road” from Little Red Gem

YouTube Internet link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7rYl_Oj0XI&feature=youtu.be

For me, music taps into the emotions better than any other medium. Trying watching a movie with no sound. It’s just not as heartfelt.  So, when I need to really tug at the heartstrings of readers, I’ll often play music or play my piano, guitar to awaken the emotions inside. And I play to make myself happy. A hobby needs to something a person enjoys or why do it.

Thanks for sharing my birthday with me.

D L xoxo

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Feedback

by DL Richardson

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BLURB:

Ethan James, Florida Bowman, and Jake Inala are three teenagers who need organ transplants. When they receive the organs of deceased CIA agent, Dylan Black, they inadvertently take on the task of completing the mission Dylan died midway through, that of deactivating bacteria bombs threatening millions of lives. The teenagers are kidnapped by a man who believes in the theory of feedback, that information is retained in the memory of organs, in this case those of the dead CIA agent. And their captor will stop at nothing to get the information retained inside their bodies. With their lives under threat, the memories stored in the CIA agent’s mind begin to awaken within each of them, except the one piece of information they are abducted for - the location of the bombs.

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EXCERPT

Wanting to run and actually running were two different things. For many reasons. My legs were like concrete pylons, numb from sitting on the plastic chair for so long. The acrid perfume wafted toward me again like an invisible web, trapping me to the seat. Miss Redkins blocked my exit, and the incessant beep-beep-beep of her phone from texting the encyclopedia acted like a sensor alarm. I’d never liked the sense of being trapped.

I nudged Melanie, and she begrudgingly moved over half an inch. No amount of fresh air would appease me. I should be the one up on stage, not Katrina.

“Sit where you can watch me,” Katrina had demanded during breakfast this morning.

“She’s practiced real hard,” Mom had added, kissing Katrina on the cheek. “She’s always wanted to be a dancer like her big sister.”

The spotlight dimmed. I wanted to cheer and applaud Katrina’s tiny feet in first position, but my heart had sunk to somewhere stinkier than the bottom of the trash can.

I slid down into the chair. If I had to be stuck here, at least I’d attempt to shrink into myself. Hiding behind my fringe would have been a good option, except that clips held my hair on top of my head. I couldn’t lift up the collar of my school blazer. It hung in my locker. I might have used the collar of my white shirt to shield my face from the crowd, but that look was so last year. My final hope lay in covering my face with my hands, but I doubted I’d be able to stop the flow of tears if I did.

Why couldn’t Katrina have been born with a bad kidney? She’d be in the audience and I’d be the one up there on the stage.

But Katrina didn’t have a defective kidney. She had a tutu and a dance coach.


Buy links:

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

D L Richardson writes speculative fiction. She currently has three young adult teen novels published and one short story anthology. Her first two YA novels The Bird With The Broken Wing and Feedback were best sellers and highest ranked YA fiction at OmniLit. Her third YA novel Little Red Gem was runner up on Paranormal Books Best Standalone YA book of 2013 and the book trailer was featured on USA Today website.

Upcoming works include Curious, a limited edition bundling of three YA novels, a serialized science fiction novel, Fear of Falling Further the second anthology of short stories, and Poison in the Pond, a novella adapted from of an unpublished novel written in 1996.

She lives in Australia on the south coast with her husband and dog.

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