a look at Lucy Felthouse & ‘Good with His Hands’ #DownandDirty #Anthology @cw1985 @romancerebels69 #ParkRanger #BlueCollar #Romance

On May 8, 2018April 17, 2018 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, PublishersLeave a comment

Today we have author Lucy Felthouse visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Lucy Felthouse is the award-winning author of erotic romance novels Stately Pleasures (named in the top 5 of Cliterati.co.uk’s 100 Modern Erotic Classics That You’ve Never Heard Of, and an Amazon bestseller), Eyes Wide Open (winner of the Love Romances Café’s Best Ménage Book 2015 award, and an Amazon bestseller), The Persecution of the Wolves, Hiding in Plain Sight and Mia’s Men (The Heiress’s Harem Book 1). Including novels, short stories and novellas, she has over 160 publications to her name.

A look into Good with His Hands in the Down and Dirty anthology

~ Blurb ~

* Layla is enjoying a beautiful moorland walk in the English countryside when suddenly, clouds start to roll in. The weather was forecast to be fine all day, so Layla is woefully unprepared when the heavens open and her visibility is reduced to next to nothing. Trying hard not to panic, she carefully makes her way towards a remote hut she spotted before the fog descended. When she arrives, though, she discovers park ranger Stuart already there, and luckily for her, he’s much more prepared than she is, and they soon find a way to pass the time until the storm blows over.

~ Excerpt ~

* Anticipation seeped into Layla’s body, increasing with every second that ticked by. Each handhold she groped for, each push off with her feet brought her that bit closer to the moorland plateau she’d been wanting to explore ever since she’d seen photos of it in a Facebook group. She was a keen hiker—or walker, she’d never really understood what the difference was between the two—but she’d always stuck to places she knew well, or had at least visited a couple of times before, mainly because she always walked alone, and getting lost was bad enough without doing it by yourself.
* But one Sunday evening, after a flurry of yet more stunning photographs of the area had been uploaded to the group, Layla made up her mind. The following Sunday, she would join the seemingly scores of people that headed up to the dramatic-looking gritstone edge in Derbyshire’s Peak District every weekend, no matter the weather. Hikers, climbers, fell runners… they all raved about the place, despite the crowds. And if she did get lost, well, she’d just ask one of them for directions. No problem. Then, providing it was indeed as amazing as the photo-uploaders proclaimed it to be, she’d add it to her list of regular haunts. It’d make a refreshing change from her usual low-level trail walks.
* Now she was beginning to understand what all the fuss was about, and she wasn’t even at the top yet. After leaving the relative familiarity of the car park, she’d trekked through some dense woods—surprised to pass only one or two small groups of people on the way. She’d half expected it to look like London’s Oxford Street but with outdoorsy folk in hefty boots and backpacks instead of shoppers with umbrellas and carrier bags. The moment she’d stepped from the shadow of the woods, the landscape had opened up in front of her and she’d got a real sense of how special it was. Then she’d glanced up and to her right and, taking in the height of the edge she had yet to climb, realized she hadn’t seen the half of it yet.
* With one last push to get her onto a particularly large boulder, then a small step, she was there. On the gritstone edge, the moorland plateau—whatever you wanted to call it. As she took a couple of tentative steps forward and looked around, she decided she wanted to call it heaven. It was like nowhere she’d ever been before—so removed from everyday life that she was half convinced she’d stepped onto the moon, except it was unmistakeably England. Wild, untamed, rugged, but England nonetheless. How had she never been up here before? And were there more places like it? She suddenly felt like the worst kind of ignorant city dweller—her walks up until now had made a mockery of wearing walking boots. She may as well have done it in flip flops.
* She turned at the sound of voices behind her, and moved aside to let a group of three men in their early twenties pass. They had enormous, weirdly-shaped bags strapped to their backs, and yet strode along—exchanging smiles and nods with her when they drew level—as though their burdens weighed nothing.
* Layla shook her head incredulously and started to follow in the footsteps of the men. She didn’t need to consult her walk instructions yet—there was only one path, keeping footfall to a concentrated area for conservation purposes, according to a snippet of text she remembered reading on her printout. The trail stayed close to the edge—not so close as to be dangerous, but close enough to afford the most amazing views. The ground beneath her feet was made up of rough grasses, rocks and boulders in shades of gray, brown, and black, scrubby bushes, and what she suspected was heather. To her left, the stunning countryside went on for as far as the eye could see, with delightfully twisted trees in the foreground, followed by brown and green fields, woodlands, moorlands, and more fields, broken up only very occasionally by a road—often only identifiable by the moving glint of light that passed along them—vehicles highlighted by the reflection of the sun off their metalwork. It’d be easy to forget civilization even existed while up here.
* To her right, the moorland, a wash of browns and oranges stretched out—a haven for wildlife, no doubt.
* And ahead was… what was that? She squinted, trying to block out some of the bright sunlight so she could make out what she was looking at. She was still none the wiser, but after a minute or two she’d gotten close enough that she thought she knew. Set against the bright blue sky were a series of enormous… what did you call something that was bigger than a boulder? Bigger than a car, even! Amazed, she hurried closer to see the gigantic gritstone rocks, which she quickly realized had been where the men that had passed her earlier were headed. She now knew their oddly-shaped backpacks had contained climbing equipment, which they were currently sorting through in preparation for their chosen pastime. She took the opportunity to stop and have a drink of her water as she watched other climbers who’d arrived earlier scaling the rock faces, displaying incredible skill and physical strength as they navigated overhangs, seemingly impossibly smooth surfaces, and all manner of physical challenges.

~ Down and Dirty anthology ~

Releases: May 22, 2018 | Publisher: Romance Rebels Publishing | Cover Artist: Sinfully Sweet Designs

* Get in, get down…and get filthy with these sexy, hardworking, blue-collar heroes who don’t mind when things get a little dirty while at work or at play. This collection of 22 brand new stories from USA Today and International Best-Selling authors is full of scorching hot romance tales that will be sure to leave you breathless for more. These men work hard, and play even harder.
* From cops to mechanics, and miners to brewmasters, they aren’t afraid to go all in. At the end of the day, when they find the woman who completes them, they learn that love and life can be just as messy as their day job…and they wouldn’t have it any other way.
* Featuring stories from: Lori King, Maia Dylan, Sarah Marsh, Elena Kincaid, Cecile Tellier, London Saint James, Bella Settara, Rose Nickol, RL Merrill, Ashley Malkin, Lucy Felthouse, Scarlett J. Rose, Sydney Lea, CR Moss, Samantha A. Cole, Danielle James, Ava Campbell, Eva Moore, Kimberlie L. Faye, Sabrina Sol, Nikki Prince, and Mia Hopkins! Visit the Facebook Page

Want more by Lucy Felthouse? Check out her story Mia’s Men…

~ Blurb ~

The Heiress’s Harem: Book One
* Mia Harrington’s father just lost his brave battle with cancer. Naturally, she’s devastated. With her mother long-since dead, and no siblings, Mia has a great deal of responsibility to shoulder. She’s also the sole beneficiary of her father’s estate. Or so she thinks.
* Unbeknownst to Mia, her father made a change to his will. She can still inherit, but only if she marries a suitable man within twelve months. If she doesn’t, her vile cousin will get everything. Determined not to lose her beloved childhood home, she resolves to find someone that fits the bill. What she isn’t expecting, however, is for that someone to be into sharing women with his best friend. In the meantime, Mia’s friendship with the estate gardener has blossomed into so much more.
* She can’t possibly plan to marry one man, while also being involved with two others …or can she?

~ Excerpt ~

* Mia Harrington thanked James, her father’s butler—her butler now, she supposed—as she stood from behind her father’s desk in the estate office—now also hers, to welcome her visitor.
* “Mr Lenton. Thank you so much for coming, and on such short notice. Please, come in, and take a seat. Would you like something to drink? Tea, coffee, water?”
* The grey-haired, bespectacled man gave a tight smile and bustled over to the chair Mia had indicated. “Thank you, Miss Harrington. A glass of water would be fine.” He took a seat, then began removing files and papers from his briefcase and placing them on the desk.
* Once Mia had delivered two glasses of water to the desk and taken her own seat, the solicitor fixed her with what was undoubtedly an often-practised solemn expression. “Thank you. May I firstly offer my sincere condolences on the loss of your father? He was a wonderful man, and he will be greatly missed.”
* Mia barely resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She’d received so many condolences and expressions of sympathy in the last thirty hours that she was in danger of drowning in them. In many ways, of course, she deeply appreciated them—it was heart-warming and offered the merest sliver of comfort to know that she wasn’t the only one who’d loved Edward Harrington and genuinely mourned his loss.
* It was the sound-bite condolences that drove her crazy, from people that had barely known him, and those she’d never even heard of, let alone met. How could it possibly help Mia to know that Mrs Pipes from the post office in the village was terribly sorry for her loss? And it would only get worse once the death announcement went into the newspaper.
* She mentally shook herself. While Mrs Pipes might not matter, Mr Lenton most definitely did. He had been her father’s solicitor for many years now, and was here to discuss her father’s will with her. And, although she’d much rather not be dealing with the fallout, would much rather Edward Harrington was the one in the office with her right now, poring over paperwork; in the absence of a time machine or a magic wand, she had no choice. She had to hear what her father’s wishes were, and carry them out to the very best of her ability.
* Her remaining family members—distant as they were—thought it odd that Mia didn’t already know her father’s wishes. It wasn’t as if his death had been a surprise, after all. The man had been valiantly fighting cancer for two years, and finally it had won, leaving Mia devastated. Just because she’d known it was inevitable didn’t make bearing his loss any easier. In fact, the only thing that made it remotely tolerable was knowing he was no longer suffering from what, especially towards the end, had been horrific side-effects and discomfort.
* It was that overwhelming love and admiration, as well as simply not wanting to contemplate the “after”, that resulted in Mia’s refusing to talk to her father about what he wanted to happen once he was gone. Years ago, when he’d re-done his will following his wife—Mia’s mother’s—death, he’d basically told her she was the main beneficiary, as well as the executor, and that his funeral wishes were all there in black and white. With that knowledge in the back of her mind, Mia saw no need to further distress her father, or herself, by discussing something she wished with a fervent—albeit pointless—hope that she would never have to deal with. But here it was.
* “Thank you, Mr Lenton. I appreciate that,” she lied.

Buy Mia’s Men here…
Amazon (universal link) | Add to Goodreads

Thank you for joining us here today, Lucy Felthouse! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your stories.

a look at Ashley Malkin & ‘Fighting the Inferno’ #DownandDirty #Anthology @romancerebels69 #firefighter #BlueCollar #Romance

On May 7, 2018April 17, 2018 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, PublishersLeave a comment

Today we have author Ashley Malkin visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Ashley was born in England but has lived in Australia since she was three years old. Her love of reading has grown into a love of writing stories. All her stories will have a happy-ever-after, because that’s what she feels everyone deserves. She likes to call it ‘Ashley World.’ It’s a world of infinite possibility where love conquers all adversity. She hopes you enjoy escaping into her world for a little while.

Find Ashley Malkin here…
Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Website | BookStrand

A look into Fighting the Inferno in the Down and Dirty anthology

~ Blurb ~

* Blayne Simmons is a firefighter, a job he loves as much as he hates the flames he battles. He exists in a world on fire, but is frozen inside by the scars of a fire he failed to conquer. He works hard, plays even harder. Satisfying his needs, nothing more, until Felicity Kendall enters his tightly-controlled world.
* Felicity is alone. She has to be, because everyone, everything, she loves burns to ashes. When a ruggedly handsome firefighter attempts to pick her up in a bar, she’s stung by the bitter irony. He’s clueless to the depths of her hatred of firemen. They saved her as a child, and delivered her into a world of pain. She should have burned. She wished she had.
* When fire thrusts Felicity into Blayne’s arms, he discovers she is the victim of a deadly game. A game he will win, because Felicity is now his.

~ Excerpt ~

* “What are we heading into, Dan?” Blayne asked, wanting to be prepared. His intense focus had kept him from being burned again, and he intended to keep it that way.
* “House fire. Phoned in by a neighbor, no word yet on anyone being unaccounted for.”
* If there was anyone missing, Blayne would go in and find them, it was his specialty. He would never leave anyone to the flames. He knew how much it hurt, how frightening it was to feel trapped and helpless. He always got them out, even if they were dead, he never left them to burn.
* The house was gone when they arrived, the flames shooting through the roof and high into the night sky. People were huddled in groups on lawn across the wide street. Some wore only night gowns or pyjamas, others had coats thrown over their night attire.
* “Go,” Dan said to him. “Put the hoses on the garage,” he called to the other four men on the crew. “I’ve spoken to the home owners, we might have someone trapped on the top floor.”
* Blayne turned the headset microphone on, released the valve on his air cylinder and fitted the mask. He was ready to enter by the time he was standing by the door. It was hot, but not molten. He donned his gloves and stepped aside as he flung open the door.
* Smoke rushed out, but no flames. He entered the garage, looking for the woman he was seeking, in case she’d made it downstairs before succumbing to the smoke. Flames were coming through the rear wall, and he ducked as a petrol can exploded in the heat. Flames filled the air above him, and he waited for the flare to dissipate before continuing his search.
* There was no car in the garage, and he could see the stairs leading to the second level were smoking, but not yet alight.
* “It’s clear downstairs, I’m going up to look for her.”
* “Kenny will join you when the hoses are set.”
* Blayne tested the bottom step, it creaked, but held firm. Taking the stairs two at a time, he swore as another petrol can exploded below him. The door at the top of the landing was intact. He twisted the handle, but it didn’t move. He unclipped his axe, and with one swing, the door knob was gone.
* The door swung open and smoke billowed over him. The room was dark and filled to the ceiling with smoke. He was blind, so, this is where he used his other senses. Blocking out the roar of the flames and the hiss as the water hit them, he listened for signs of life.
* Walking slowly, he tested the floor with each step, making sure it would hold him. He could see the flames growing higher through the smoke. The fire was going to take this house, all of it. He had another five minutes, tops, and the room was going to be engulfed, despite the water they were pumping at it.
* Then he heard it. Sobs, faint, but wracking. The flames were loud, but he’s used to listening for the sounds of the living amongst the roar of the fire’s tempest. She was here. As tempting as it was to throw caution to the wind and run to find this Felicity woman, he couldn’t save her if he was dead. He turned and trod carefully toward the sounds, rewarded as the sobs grew louder.
* “No more,” he heard. “Not again, not again. It’s not real.”
* He banged into something solid, and heard a small scream. He felt around, and decided it was some sort of desk or a table. Squatting, he could just make out a huddled shape curled beneath the piece of furniture. A woman was curled in a ball, her arms around her knees, as she rocked.
* “Felicity?”
* She started and lifted her head. Wide, terrified eyes stared out of an elfin face. A face he’d seen before. It was the woman from the bar, only now she looked fragile and defeated. He knew that with one touch, she’d shatter. She was begging to be saved from the nightmare with that look. Not the nightmare of this fire, but the nightmare of whatever was haunting her, chasing her. She was defeated, scared, alone, helpless. Fuck.
* The roar of the flames rushing into the room was deafening, taking all other options from him. It was time to leave. Ignoring the fact that she didn’t like to be touched, he reached in and scooped her up. It was that or leave her to the flames. Not an option.
* Blayne scarcely noticed her added weight as he rose to his feet, remaining stooped as the ceiling started to flame. She weighed nothing, but what was more disturbing was that it was her. The woman who had consumed his thoughts, his dreams, for two weeks.
* Hunching over the delicate woman in his arms, he protected her from the heat at his back with his jacket and his body. He trod a careful path back to the stairs, fighting an unfamiliar fear with each step on the smoking timber floor. If he lost her now, then he’d never discover who she was and what made her so unforgettable. I need to solve the fucking mystery and purge her from my system. His arms tightened reflexively around her at that thought and he swore loudly at his confusing reaction.
* “Are you real? Is this all a dream?” He barely hears her murmured words above the roar.
* “No, angel. This is a fucking nightmare.” The fire, and the complication she was proving to be to his sanity.
* “All dreams are nightmares,” she murmured, coughing weakly as her eyes flutter closed.
* “Fuck.” She was out, her body now hanging limply in his arms. He pulled her close and hated how his heart clenched. She felt good in his arms. Insane. This is fucking insane.

~ Down and Dirty anthology ~

Releases: May 22, 2018 | Publisher: Romance Rebels Publishing | Cover Artist: Sinfully Sweet Designs

Want more by Ashley Malkin? Check out her story Embracing Her Beasts…

~ Blurb ~

* Policewoman Bligh Saunders risks her job and her life as she pursues what she believes is a gang on ruthless killers across the country. When she finds the killers, she is thrust into a nightmare world she never envisaged could be real. But it is, and she has to accept that fact, or die.
* Monroe, Parish and Dorian Crossman come home to Pine Falls to help protect the pride they fled from forty years before. The brothers believe they are ready to put the pain of their past behind them, but when they discover their mate, bleeding a close to death, their pain nearly breaks them.
* The pride in Pine Falls is strong, but Parish and Monroe need to make it stronger if they are to save their mate and make Caleb Mabry’s pride a cohesive fighting unit. When the enemy returns for Bligh, her mates, and the pride, must unite, or lose their newest member.
* “Embracing Her Beasts” A tale of murder, love and suspense, will be released on April 3rd, Exclusively at SirenBookstrand.

~ Excerpt ~

For an excerpt, visit the buy link below.

Buy Embracing Her Beasts here…
BookStrand

Thank you for joining us here today, Ashley Malkin! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your stories.

a look at R.L. Merrill & ‘Mud and Honey’ #DownandDirty #Anthology @rlmerrillauthor @romancerebels69 #DeputySheriff #BlueCollar #Romance

On May 5, 2018April 5, 2018 By Casey's CornerIn Authors & Books, PublishersLeave a comment

Today we have author R.L. Merrill visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Once upon a time… a teacher, tattoo collector, mom, and rock ’n’ roll kinda gal opened up a doc and started purging her demons. Several books later, R.L. Merrill is still striving to find that perfect balance between real life and happily ever after. You can find her lurking on social media where she loves connecting with readers, educating America’s youth, being a mom taxi to two busy kids, in the tattoo chair trying desperately to get that back piece finished, or head banging at a rock show near her home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Find R.L. Merrill here…
Facebook | Instagram | Newsletter | Twitter | Website

A look into Mud and Honey in the Down and Dirty anthology

~ Blurb ~

* A deputy sheriff and a tree trimmer meet during storm cleanup on a treacherous road and literally fall for each other in the line of duty. Calvin wants to explore their connection and Flor is game. Then things get sticky when his hard-earned sobriety is threatened and her pride is bruised. Their chemistry can’t be ignored, but can they get past their personal obstacles? It’ll take some getting dirty to get to the sweet in this story of broken hearts and fresh starts.

~ Excerpt ~

* So that’s how I found myself parked on Crow Canyon road, blocking part of a lane, waving traffic through a coned-off area where Alcosta County Public Works was trying to remove a downed tree that, if left to hang there, would end up in the middle of traffic the next time it rained. The hillside looked awfully close to sliding right down on top of us, it was so saturated, but I supposed that’s why the good old sheriff’s department was out here keeping the public safe.
* Cars flew by, ignoring signs to slow down, and my field training officer, Sergeant Diaz, warned me this could be a seriously hazardous situation. Diaz and I had thrown down some flares to hopefully grab the attention of drivers multitasking in their SUVs. Maybe we needed to put up a Starbucks sign. People sure as hell seemed to stop for that.
* I couldn’t help but be distracted myself. Way up high on the hillside, a lone tree trimmer was strung up in the tree, trying to cut back some limbs that had fractured but hadn’t dropped. The guy’d been up there for at least two hours and the crew kept a close eye on his progress. He’d come down a few minutes prior and was on his way up the second tree, and for the life of me, I couldn’t help but watch the graceful way he managed to climb the ropes like some sort of acrobat in Cirque du Soleil. He was obviously experienced. I turned back to watch the traffic but I kept glancing back, captivated by his movements.
* The wind picked up and howled through the canyon, causing his ropes to sway. Someone in his crew shouted at him in Spanish and he flipped them off. I chuckled to myself at their camaraderie before I turned back around.
* In time to see my life flash before my eyes.
* Diaz shouted as the SUV heading right for us skidded at a forty-five-degree angle. The driver overcorrected and clipped our patrol car, causing the front end to slam into me and knock me backward. The SUV crashed into the trees, one of which the trimmer was suspended from.
* Everyone froze as that tree groaned and lurched sideways, falling into the tree next to it. The trimmer dangled between the two, frantically trying to grab on to one or the other. He swung into the tree that the car hit and it creaked ominously, shifting farther into the other one, so he let go. He swung to the other tree and wrapped his arms and legs around the trunk.
* And just like that everyone sprang into action. Except me. I was still trying to catch my breath from where the fall had knocked the wind out of me. Diaz ran to my side.
* “Sonofabitch, Graham! You alright dude? You went down hella hard.”
* I nodded as I coughed and gestured for him to help me up. He was shorter than my six feet three inches, but he was a stocky guy and he had me on my feet in no time.
* “Paramedics are on their way. You need to get checked out.”
* I did a quick assessment: bruised ribs and hip on one side, and both hands scraped. Maybe a little road rash, but other than that, I was fine.
* “Let’s check the driver.”
* Diaz cursed under his breath and ran with me over to the SUV, now crumpled against the tree.
* The airbag had deployed and the woman was groaning when we got to her side. With her cell phone clutched tightly in her hand.
* “Ma’am, are you alright?” Diaz asked as I checked the backseat.
* Fuck. She had two kids in booster seats. They were both crying, but neither looked hurt.
* “My car just started skidding. I don’t know what happened,” she said over and over. Diaz and I both shook our heads, knowing exactly why she didn’t know what happened.
* California had adopted strict hands-free laws this year, and since the lady’s car was fairly new, it most definitely was equipped with hands-free or Bluetooth technology. She was one of those holdouts who made things dangerous for the rest of us.
* I opened the rear door and looked into the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen.
* “Hey sweetie, are you alright? Did you bump your head?”
* The little girl clutched her American Girl doll to her and shook her head, her cries settling down to whimpers and sniffles.
* Her little brother was still wailing away. He looked to be a little younger than her, maybe two to her four years old. She looked over to him and held out her hand. He took it and squeezed, continuing to cry.
* “I don’t know what happened,” the mother was still mumbling.
* “Ma’am, the ambulance is on the way, do you feel like you can—”
* A cracking noise came from the other tree her car had smashed against and it shifted, jolting the car. Diaz and I exchanged looks and began moving quickly. He went for the driver’s seatbelt while I fumbled with the car-seat buckle on the little girl’s seat.
* “Honey, I need to get you out of this car, okay? I’m going to get your brother out first and then I want you to wrap your arms around my neck so I can carry you both, okay? We need to hurry.”
* She nodded, her big blue eyes growing even wider. I leaned across her and started working on her brother’s buckle, but he just screamed louder for his mommy and slapped at my hands.
* Diaz got the mother out of the car but she was so out of it she didn’t seem to notice her kids were still inside. I worked frantically to get the boy out of his seat, finally springing the buckle from the latch and moving quickly to scoop him up into my arms.
* I heard another crack and then shouts from the public works crew.
* The little girl snaked her arms around my neck and I backed out of the SUV with both kids in my arms. I managed to get several steps away as the tree groaned once more and fell forward onto the car.
* The tree trimmer screamed as the rope, which was caught in the second tree, pulled his legs away from the tree he was holding on to.
* That was a female scream.
* That’s a woman up there!

~ Down and Dirty anthology ~

Releases: May 22, 2018 | Publisher: Romance Rebels Publishing | Cover Artist: Sinfully Sweet Designs

Thank you for joining us here today, R.L. Merrill! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.