Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Harvey Havel - The Thruway Killers - Virtual Book Tour


Fiction 
Date Published: 2015

Droogan McPhee is the son of a wealthy entrepreneur who owns several liquor stores throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts. His step-mother is roughly Droogan's same age. Together they plot to kill his wealthy father for the inheritance money, until Droogan shoots his step-mother instead by mistake. What follows is an odyssey along the New York Thruway, as the police will stop everything to make sure that the fleeing Droogan is captured and brought to justice. 







Harvey Havel is a freelance writer and novelist. His first novel, Noble McCloud, A Novel, was published in November of 1999. His second novel, The Imam, A Novel, was published in 2000. 
In 2006, Havel published his third novel, Freedom of AssociationHe has just published his eighth novel, Charlie Zero’s Last-Ditch Attempt, and his ninth, The Orphan of Mecca, which has just been released.  His new novel, The Thruway Killers is his latest work.
He is formerly a writing instructor at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey.  He also taught writing at the College of St. Rose.  Currently, he teaches literature at the University of Albany (SUNY).  
If you can’t buy one of his books here, copies of his books and short stories, both new and used, may be purchased at www.barnesandnoble.com, www.amazon.com, and by special order at other fine bookstores.  

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Monday, May 30, 2016

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. 

 This week's theme was to pick books that are perfect for beach/summer reading. I grew up on the coast, and Mariela isn't too terribly far from a really nice beach area herself, so we definitely have a good beach book or two that we can recommend :) 

I am going to be honest, I don't remember a whole heck of a lot about this book. I do remember it was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it a lot. Enough that I bought the sequel in hardcover as soon as it came out, something I NEVER do for romance novels. Of course, that was well over a decade ago. There is one scene that comes to mind, that involves the heroine getting shot at on the beach and her running away serpentine-style and getting teased about it by the hero. 
 

This one is probably a little more action-packed than a beach read would warrant. But it does happen in an amazing beautiful cove, with lots of boats and beaches, so I am gonna say it works. 



This one has lots of action and shooting, plus it tosses in some magic in there! But Sea Haven is a gorgeous place to read about, perfect for the beach! 



While this book doesn't have anything to do with the beach, the lead girl is an Olympic diver, so there is some water involved. Mostly, this book just evokes a strong sense of summer and is a pretty great romance! It was actually my very first straight-up romance! 



This one doesn't have anything at all to do with summer, the beach or water. BUT! Meg Cabot is an amazingly hilarious writer, so anything by her is perfect for taking along on a carefree day on the beach!







I read this one when I went to the beach and it was the perfect read while laying by the sea!  I super loved this series!



I super duper loved this book!











Blog Tour: Game of Fear by Gledé Browne Kabongo





Game of Fear
by 
Gledé Browne Kabongo
Genre: YA Thriller
Pages: 251
Release Date: February 24th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:
A desperate act, an explosive secret, and a diabolical enemy—all part of a treacherous game, with no limits.

Overachieving good girl Abbie Cooper has her future all planned out. As senior year at her elite private school kicks off, she has one simple goal: get into the Ivy League. But at St. Matthews Academy, nothing is ever simple. The pressure is overwhelming, the secrets are dirty, and the games are wicked. Abbie has a dirty secret—one that could destroy her chances of getting admitted into Princeton, and the lives of those closest to her. 


One morning, she discovers a note in her locker with the warning, “I know what you did”. Then a photo arrives in the mail. It captures her most shameful deed—the shocking blunder she can never erase, in glorious detail. Someone is out to ruin her, but who and why? The answer lies with the sender of the photo, a mysterious girl known only as The Avenger. For a price, she assures Abbie her secret will remain safe. There’s only one problem: The Avenger may not exist at all. If Abbie doesn’t uncover her true identity before acceptance decisions are made, it’s game over…


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Excerpt
Black Friday, 9:00 p.m.
I pull into Shoppers World off Route 9 in Framingham. I score a parking spot close to the cluster of stores that include Starbucks, Old Navy, and Taylor Books, the place of the drop. I text the girls to let them know I’ve arrived at the bookstore. They tell me they’re hanging out at a fast food joint on Route 30, a five-minute drive from me. I take a visual sweep of my surroundings, looking for anyone suspicious. My hands are clammy. I wipe them on my dark jeans, several times.
At 9:15 p.m., I take a deep breath, calm my nerves, and exit the car with the big brown paper bag with the handles and a plain, black scarf on top. I walk at a steady pace, careful not to appear nervous or in a hurry. I enter the store, and I’m greeted by the smell of new books and an extensive display of fiction bestsellers. Customers are scattered in every section of the store. I mentally remind myself not to let my eyes wander. Look straight ahead. The cameras are embedded in the ceiling.
I stroll past the eReader Center, toys, games, and the teen section. I stop in the diet and nutrition aisle and pretend to browse.
“Can I help you find something?” I feel my leg muscles tightening, my body ready to make a run for it but I don’t. A store employee is assessing me with a forced smile. She is an older lady, perhaps in her fifties with glasses perched on her nose, and barely-there lips.
“No, ma’am. Just comparing these diet books.”
The woman backs up a little and presses her glasses further down her nose. She takes a good look at me. I mentally scold myself. The diet section? Really?
“It’s for a friend,” I explain.
She raises an eyebrow.
“You know what, she can come look at the books herself. I’ll probably get yelled at for picking the wrong one, anyway.”
Another fake smile.
“Excuse me.” I ease past the skeptic. I can feel her eyes on me as I head to the back of the store, my heart hammering in my chest. I must be giving off that nervous vibe. There was no reason for her to be suspicious of me. I look back to see if she’s still staring at me. She is. I have to drop the money before she calls store security. I’m on her radar. Soon, she will start following me around the shop.
What if someone already moved the decoy bag? What if people witness the exchange? It’s now or never. I glance backward again. Ms. Skeptical has her head down, looking at some paperwork in the customer service center. I duck into the next aisle and ease my way to the opening where the newsstand and magazines are. Two people are browsing through the magazines, their backs to me.
Decision time. Do I swap the bags while their backs are turned or wait until they leave? The risk in that strategy is that more customers might show up in the area, increasing the odds that one of them may take the bag to the front of the store and explain to the staff that someone forgot it.
My body is suddenly freezing. My hands are shaking so badly I’m afraid I’ll drop the bag. One of the browsers turns around. Her eyes land on me, then the bag on the bench. “Is this your bag?”
“Um…yeah. My friend is in the ladies’ room, and she sent me over to get it.”
“Okay.”
She won’t leave. She just stands there, waiting for me to make a move.
“Are you going to pick up your friend’s bag or just stare at it?”
I want to yell at her and tell her that it’s none of her freaking business. Instead, I take tentative steps toward the bench with the bag identical to the one growing heavier by the second in my hand. I pick up the decoy bag loaded with empty shoe boxes and the same black scarf on top. I turn around and take a slow, tense walk down the aisle of biographies. I stop in the middle, drop both bags on the floor, and pretend to browse again.
Painful seconds tick by. She’s still here. The other customer browsing the section has left. The store will close soon. My plan is to wait out Ms. Nosy. Another minute goes by. I can’t stand it. I’m sweating profusely. I want to take off the baseball cap, but I can’t. I walk casually to the end of the aisle and take a book off the shelf. I scan through the pages, unable to absorb any of the content. I then peek around the corner. She’s gone.
I exchange the bags and duck back to the biography aisle, careful to keep my head down, and then slowly backtrack through the store. The double doors are only a few feet away from me. I’m moments from a clean getaway when I hear someone call out.
“Miss, Miss, you forgot something.”
That’s it. They’re going to haul me off to jail. They’re going to call the cops if they opened the bag and saw the money. If I make a run for it, it makes me look guilty, and they’ll definitely call the police. My only chance of walking away unscathed is to turn around slowly. Damn it. Miss Nosy again.
“Yes?” I say, my voice as sweet as honey.
“You forgot this,” she says, holding up the scarf. “You dropped it on the way out.”
What did she do, follow me and pick up the scarf the minute it dropped? I remind myself to look at the positive side of things. She thinks it belongs to the empty shoebox bag I’m carrying.
“Thank you.”
I take the scarf from her and rocket out of the store. I don’t stop until I reach my car. I jump inside, dump the bag on the passenger seat and burn rubber out of the parking lot. Once I’m safely on Route 9, and certain no one is following me, I pull my phone out of my jacket pocket. I give a voice command to call Frances.
I let her know the drop was made.
“I have an idea,” she says.
“What?”
“Callie and I should drive to the store to see if anyone walks out with the bag.”
“Whoa. That wasn’t part of the plan. I don’t want you guys caught in the middle of this. She could be dangerous. She could have another accomplice. There are too many unknowns, Frances. It's a good idea but too risky.”
“Okay. We’ll meet you at the house then.”
I know she’ll go against my advice. I don’t have the energy to argue further.
I make a second call, to Ty, and I leave him a message.
***
“We got there too late,” Frances says. “It was ten minutes before closing when we got to the store, and mostly employees were still around. The bag was gone.”
“She must have been watching me from somewhere,” I say.
Callie concurs.
We’re on the sofa in my bedroom, recounting the evening’s events. I’m relieved that the drop was made, but this story is far from over.
“It has to be somebody familiar with this area,” Frances says. “What if she was in the store the whole time?”
Goosebumps appear on my arms, and I shudder. I think back to the store employee who looked at me with suspicion, and the woman who chased me to return the scarf I dropped.
“What’s wrong, Abbie? Callie asks.
I tell them about the two ladies at the store. The only problem is I don’t know either one of them. The store employee was older. Sidney hates anyone over thirty. The younger lady, the one who just happened to be at the spot where I was supposed to make the exchange, seemed to be just a customer. But was she?
“That is odd,” Frances says.
“The younger lady could have been there to pick up the cash. Which means, The Avenger was afraid I would recognize her face.”
“Which brings us back to Sidney,” Frances says.
“Right.”
My cell phone rings, putting an end to our supposition. I scurry off the sofa and grab the phone off the bed. It’s better to stand when I answer. I don’t say a word when I accept the call.
“You’re competent after all,” she says, her tone scornful. “I knew this game would be fun.”
“You got what you wanted. Now it’s your turn to hold up your end of the deal. You know what I want from you.”
“I’m not ready to quit this game, not when things are just starting to heat up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Your next assignment.”
“We had a deal,” I shriek, anger rising like bile in my throat. “You promised the photo in exchange for the money. I followed your instructions. Now, it’s time to step up. Are you going to add ‘filthy liar’ to your list of crimes, too? Extortion is a crime. You do know that, right?”
“Did you really think I would make it that easy?” she asks. “This was only a test. You passed. Congratulations.”
“You can’t do this.” My voice gets louder as my panic mounts. I pace the room. The girls follow the conversation from the sofa, disbelief in their eyes.
“Why should you get away with it? How is that fair?”
I have to get through to her, somehow. “So you want to even the score? Who made you the moral police? Without me propping up your extortion scheme, you have nothing, you hear me. Nothing. You know what, send the picture to the Easter Bunny or whomever. I don’t care. I’ll survive the fallout. I’m that desperate to get rid of you.”
I hang up on her, and then make my way to the bed where I collapse.
Frances and Callie join me, looking as if they have grave concerns about my mental state.
“I’m sorry, Abbie. Are you okay?” Frances asks. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Hang up on her. Now, you’re in for it. You don’t know what she’s going to do next.”



About the Author
Gledé Browne Kabongo writes intense psychological thrillers—unflinching tales of deception, secrecy, danger and family. She is the Amazon Bestselling Author of Game of Fear, Mark of Deceit (Eye of Fear Anthology), Swan Deception, and Conspiracy of Silence. Her love affair with books began as a young girl growing up in the Caribbean, where her town library overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. She was trading books and discussing them with neighbors before Book Clubs became popular.

She holds both an M.S. and B.A. in communications, and worked as a freelance news reporter right out of college. After she abandoned the dream of winning the Pulitzer Prize as a reporter for the Boston Globe, she jumped into marketing management for over a decade. Gledé lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two sons.
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Friday, May 27, 2016

Ashley Terrell - The Black Sheep Shadow - Virtual Book Tour



Non Fiction / Self-Help / Memoir
Date Published: April 19, 2016


The city lights blind your amazement. The sound of the traffic challenges you to be alive. Families ask bystanders to make magic and capture the moment with photographs. Newly engaged couples seal their union by kissing under shooting stars while loving by crossing their hearts.

But if your heart was under arrest, wouldn't you want to embrace something to feel like others?

Go insider the world of one courageous sheep as she discovers that her heart was under attack by darkness. As she travels on a spiritual journey to understanding her purpose, overcoming the undertones of low confidence, self-acceptance, and the importance of inspiration, she rose against the odds with forgiveness and strengthening her faith.







Your past does not define your future.

In the dark, we do not have shadows.
In the light, we do.
Even me.
Even you.
Even sheep.

It is time out for hiding the scars and pain.
It is time out for disguising when we need help.
It is time to stand up and embrace yourself.
Regardless of violence.
Regardless of opinions.
Regardless of loneliness.
Regardless of beauty.

You are who you are.
Your future is what you want it to be.
You have a shadow. You have an identity.
Even black sheep have shadows.

God’s sheep are only black because society locks us in a room with the light off.
What’s going to make you determined
to turn the light on?


Here is my story.



 Ashley Terrell is the founder of Stella Bistro Foods and Black Sheep Inc. Terrell is the host and co-director of Cooking with Stella (2016).  She resides on the East Coast where she enjoys blissful sunsets and sounds of ocean waves.







Contact Links


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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Blog Tour: Cheerleading Can Be Murder by Carissa Ann Lynch



Cheerleading Can Be Murder
by 
Carissa Ann Lynch
Release Date: April 5th 2016
Limitless Publishing

Summary from Goodreads:
Getting on the cheerleading squad is hard enough without a psycho on the loose...

For Harrow High freshman Dakota Densford, life should be easy. All she has to worry about is talking to cute boys and remembering her locker combination. But when cheerleading tryouts draw near, she learns the cards are stacked against her—spots on the varsity team are limited. Dakota faces her competition head-on, but when her life is threatened, that takes the competition to a whole new level.


High school is never easy, and freshman year is off to a rough start…


Between Dakota’s uniform being ripped up and masked vandals trashing another girl’s house, everyone is suspect. To complicate matters further, Dakota has a thing for Andy McGraw, but she finds him locking lips with another girl.


The harassment continues, and when Dakota finds suspicious flyers inside her best friend’s locker, she doesn’t know what to think. The principal’s unfeeling, overachiever daughter, Brittani Barlow, will do anything to secure her place on the team. But Dakota’s neighbor, on the other hand, definitely fits the profile of a sociopath.


Cheerleading has become a game of life or death.


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About the Author
Besides my family, my greatest love in life is books. Reading them, writing them, holding them, smelling them…well, you get the idea. I've always loved to read and never considered myself a "writer" until a few years ago when I couldn't find a book to read and decided to try writing my own story. With a background in psychology, I've always been a little obsessed with the darker areas of the mind and social problems so I try to channel all of that into my writing.  I'm the author of the Flocksdale Files trilogy, the Horror High series, Grayson's Ridge, and This Is Not About Love. I reside in Floyds Knobs, Indiana with my husband, children, and massive collection of books.

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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Cover Reveal: Versions, Virtues, Variations

VERSIONS eBook 1563x2500 VIRTUES eBook 1563x2500 VARIATIONS eBook 1563x2500
*covers designed by Deranged Doctor Design*
ABOUT THE BOOKS:
VERSIONS – August 2016
Base Branch 7
The truth doesn’t have versions. Or does it?
Rin Lee covered her childhood in dirt and danced on its grave. Only she pranced a little too hard and spent her young-adult life tiptoeing the straight and narrow. Things finally paid off in the form of a job with the Department of Defense, a home of her own, and a boyfriend muscled enough he put Zach Efron to shame. Until one text reveals a hideous truth that splinters her world.
Suddenly she can’t trust Nate or their surrogate family of friends. Can she possibly trust Luck—the man who mirrors her soul, scares her beyond the neat confines she’s erected around herself, and makes her scrutinize the versions she’s always been too angry to see?
Luck turned to the streets out of necessity, while Rin slapped on blinders and ignored those willing to help her. A stupid move for a sultry young woman. But the skills she learned in the rough and tumble underbelly of DC will serve his latest assignment well. Because people like them have the instinct to survive.
VIRTUES – September 2016
Base Branch 8
Once they’re gone, can you ever get them back?
As a CIA spy turned traitor to her country, Cara Lee kissed her virtues goodbye long ago. After seventeen years, her retribution ended with the burial of her enemy and a fresh start with her daughter. If only she could forgive herself enough to rebuild their relationship.
Luck—her daughter’s fiancé—wasn’t Cara’s only attempt at atonement. She took Marina Sorensen off a Swedish street corner and schooled her in the art of survival. Too bad the girl sold her and Luck out to the thugs of Brödraskapet.
Her disciplined nature prods Cara to tie the loose end—one way or the other. But the commander of the UN’s special forces has other plans. The last thing she wants is another government job. Given an ultimatum—and a babysitter—she plays along.
Tyler Grace should have been a farmer in east Texas, but the universe had other plans. A tactical expert for the Base Branch, when he finds a problem, he seeks the best way to fix it. Cara presents an obstacle he’s ill prepared to conquer—but he’ll die trying.
Struggling to sort through her past, Cara clings to the one virtue she has left, while Tyler dares to prove she never lost them.
VARIATIONS – October 2016
Base Branch 9
Decisions split paths. Bad decisions compound and suddenly you are no more than variations of yourself.


Author Bio:
USA Today bestselling author Megan Mitcham was born and raised among the live oaks and shrimp boats of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where her enormous family still calls home. She attended college at the University of Southern Mississippi where she received a bachelor's degree in curriculum, instruction, and special education. For several years Megan worked as a teacher in Mississippi. She married and moved to South Carolina and worked for an international non-profit organization as an instructor and co-director.
In 2009 Megan fell in love with books. Until then, books had been a source for research or the topic of tests. But one day she read Mercy by Julie Garwood. And Oh Mercy, she was hooked!
Megan lives in Southern Arkansas where she pens sizzling suspense novels. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest & Goodreads. For news, giveaways, and exclusive offers sign up for her newsletter at www.meganmitcham.com!

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Monday, May 23, 2016

Scorpio’s Kiss Blog Tour




Title: SCORPIO’S KISS
Author: Monique Domovitch
Publisher: Lansen Publishing
Pages: 588
Genre: Romance

Scorpio's Kiss is a spell-binding tale of love, ambition and greed that will keep the reader turning the pages until its surprise ending. Set in New York and Paris amid the glamorous and competitive worlds of art and real estate, Scorpio's Kiss takes the reader from the late 1940s to the 1960s through the tumultuous lives of its heroes.

There is Alex Ivanov, the son of a Russian immigrant and part-time prostitute. He yearns to escape his sordid life and achieve fame and fortune. His dreams of becoming a world-class builder are met with countless obstacles, yet he perseveres in the hope of someday receiving the recognition he craves.

Half a world away, Brigitte Dartois is an abused teenager who runs into the arms of a benefactor with an agenda all his own. When she finds out that her boss has an ulterior motive, she flees again, determined to earn her living through her art. This career brings her fame, but also the unwanted attention of her early abuser.

Domovitch’s novel is a compelling tale, filled with finely etched characters and a superb understanding of the power of ambition. Scorpio's Kiss promises to resonate with all who once had a dream.

For More Information

  • Scorpio’s Kiss is available at Amazon.
  • Discuss this book at PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads.
Book Excerpt:
The days were getting shorter. The boy looked up in surprise at the sky, which had suddenly grown dark. He pulled his worn sweater tight against the October chill, blew warm breath into his cupped hands and hurried on. The newspaper bag strung across his shoulders was almost empty. He no longer had to put it down at every street corner to massage his sore back. He was almost home.
Alexander Ivanov lived at the end of the world. To the twelve-year-old, that was exactly what Brooklyn was; the end of the world. Maybe because the one time he had been to the city, what he called Manhattan, it had taken forever on the subway.
Alex hated living in Brooklyn, and never more so than when his mother talked about her youth in Leningrad with tears running down her face. She would revert to Russian, which he didn’t understand, but the passion in her eyes spoke more volubly of the beauty of her old country than words could convey.
Every day on his way back from school, weighed down by the load of newspapers, he passed the same dusty old stores, their signs barely legible from the peeling paint; the same ratty tenement buildings in which people suffocated in the summer and shivered in the winter; the same old women in their ritual wigs and shapeless dresses, vacant and blank expressions of hopelessness etched on their faces. Hopeless, that was how he sometimes felt; and then he would remember Manhattan and feel better. If there was one thing Alex wished for, it was to live in Manhattan. He yearned for Manhattan the way his mother pined for her old country.
Alex walked along Main Street, where pickles marinated in barrels, salamis swung from hooks, and sausages dried in their cotton bags. He was oblivious to the sights and smells around him. One by one, he took the papers from his bag, and with a quick, experienced motion, he threw them. His aim was almost perfect.
Tomorrow was collection day. He would stop at each house along his route and wait while his clients went to get their money. After making change, he would thank each one of them politely even though most never bothered to leave him a tip. His work would take him more than twice as long as on normal delivery days. Still, he looked forward to it. Collection day was when he could go home, count out his profits and decide how much of the money he could save. This week, if all went well, he might reach the fifty-dollar mark in his bank account. Fifty dollars! It was a fortune.
He reached into his bag, pulled out the last newspaper and aimed it with unerring precision at the Kodesky’s front porch. At that moment the door swung open and old man Kodesky stepped out. The paper flew through the air like a projectile and landed with a thud in the startled man’s well-padded stomach.
“Hey, you no-good little piece of shit!” He waved his fist. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Alex did not hear a word. He was a million miles away, dreaming of the day he would escape the hell of living at the end of the world.
Even now, two years later, he could still remember every detail of his trip to Manhattan. After a long subway ride, he’d emerged in the city surrounded by skyscrapers so tall, he could only see the top by looking up high and leaning back. People on the street rushed about in the lightly falling snow, pushing and jostling each other, their arms full of brightly wrapped packages. It was one week before Christmas and there was a dizzying feeling of joy in the air. Alex had been almost drunk from the excitement. This must be what Leningrad was like.
Deep in his dreams of unlimited delights, he walked home. Three blocks later, Alex climbed the stairs to the dingy one-bedroom apartment where he and his mother lived.
Before he was born, his mother had tried to make the apartment look warm and inviting. She hung pretty paper on the walls and crisp curtains over the windows. The furniture was inexpensive but attractive and functional. Whatever nesting instinct had once inspired Marlena Ivanov’s efforts had long disappeared. For the past twelve years she had done nothing more to improve her home. Indeed, she had not done even the most basic of repairs. Over time, the wallpaper had become worn and faded. The curtains lost their freshness and the once attractive furniture became old and shabby. The sour stench of poverty clung to the apartment like old dirt.
Alex closed the door behind him and dropped his canvas bag on the floor. He sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose. From the kitchen came the smell of boiled cabbage.
“Is dat you Alexander? Vere ver you? Is nearly six o’clock and dinner is been ready for hour,” his mother’s heavily accented voice called out from the bathroom. “I getting ready to go out. You vill ave to eat alone.”
Through the thin door came the sound of the toilet flushing. A moment later Marlena appeared wearing a tight pink sweater set and a black satin skirt. Her dark hair was freshly coifed, the marks of the bobby pins still imprinted between each wave. Her mouth was painted crimson in the shape Joan Crawford had made popular a decade earlier. From ten feet away the smell of vodka on her breath was overpowering.
“Will you be coming home by yourself?” asked the boy suspiciously.
“Vat you vant me to do?” She picked up her purse abruptly and threw in her lipstick. “You vant to eat. I not do dis for me. A boy need food to grow big, strong. Someday you understand.” A moment later, she was gone.
Marlena Ivanov was a bitter woman. She made no secret of the fact that raising a boy by herself was a heavy cross to carry, one she deeply resented. Alex sometimes thought his mother hated him almost as much as she did his father. He had never seen his father. He knew, only because his mother repeatedly told him, that Pavel Ivanov had been a gambler and a womanizer. Whatever wages the man had earned, he just as quickly spent on those two vices. The day Alex was born was the day Pavel Ivanov decided that married life was not for him. He disappeared, leaving his seventeen-year-old wife to deal with the struggles of working and raising a son by herself.
After a dinner of cabbage soup, Alex turned off the lights and climbed under his blankets. In the dark, he could clearly see his mother’s empty bed a few feet from his own. He turned his back to it and curled up.
Hours later, the muffled sound of laughter woke him up. The bedroom door swung open and the light turned on.
“Turn dat off. You vake up boy,” his mother ordered in a shrill whisper. The light flicked off. “Das better. I like dark.” She laughed. “Now, come to Marlena.” Clothes rustled. From his cot, in the corner of the room, Alex guessed every gesture, every movement. Old springs creaked. The sounds were loud, magnified by the stillness of the night.
Alex covered his ears. By trying hard, maybe he could keep the noises from reaching him. It was too late. The guilty stirring in his loins had already begun. His mind swirled in a mix of emotions too strong for him to understand. Maybe if he thought of something else. Someday I’ll drive in from the city in a brand new Cadillac. I’ll show them all…
The next morning, Marlena kissed the man goodbye and turned triumphantly to Alex. “See dis?” She pulled out a ten-dollar bill from between her breasts. “Dis can buy food for whole week.”
Alex looked away, embarrassed and ashamed, and returned to the picture he was drawing on the back of his spelling book. 



Giveaway!

Monique Domovitch is giving away 5 paperback and 5 ebook copies of SCORPIO’S KISS!


Terms & Conditions:
  • By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
  • Five people will be selected to win one of five paperback copies and five people will be selected to win one of five ebook copies of SCORPIO’S KISS
  • This giveaway begins April 18 and ends on July 18.
  • Winners will be announced on Monique’s tour page on July 19.
Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!




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About the Author


Monique Domovitch has had many careers, starting with being one of Canada’s top models. When she retired from modeling she moved on to a career in the financial services as an adviser and planner, specializing in helping women attain financial freedom. During those years, she was also one of the first women in Canada to host her own national financial television show. During all those years, Monique’s dream was always to someday become a writer. Ten years ago, Monique attended a writer’s conference where the first line of one of her novels was read out loud in a workshop, attracting the attention of a publisher and an agent.

Since that life-changing conference, Monique Domovitch has published nine books, four with Penguin using the pen name Carol Ann Martin, two with Harlequin using her own name, and another two with Lansen Publishing. Scorpio’s Kiss was previously published as two novels, Scorpio Rising and The Sting of the Scorpio. Scar Tissue, her latest, is her ninth novel and she is hard at work on her tenth.

A great believer in the energizing power of writers’ conferences, she says that if not for that first conference she attended, she would not be published today.
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