Sunday Snippet: Call to Come Home

March 30, 2014

Whew. How great did Arrow's episode seventeen turn out? Birds of Prey surpassed my expectations and blew my mind. Always love it when shows do that to me. J

Walking Dead also delivered a solid episode. I'm so ready for the finale tonight and crossing my fingers the group will all be together by the end of the episode… even though Terminus can't be a the refuge it's touted as being. Too easy, right? LOL

Bitten has one more episode and I'm dying to know if the show will be renewed. Still reading the books and there's a lot the producers can mine from the various storylines. I'll cross my fingers and hope for a green light on season two in the near future.

Tonight's post is from Call to Come Home, a novella where my characters are reunited after a planetary invasion, but have to separate again.

Here's the tagline:

Hollace is on a mission in enemy territory to retrieve power cells to keep their temporary base station running. She bumps into a man she shares a past with, the presumed dead son of her commanding officer. When Verge refuses to leave with her, ignoring the call to come home, she takes matters into her own hands to reunite father and son… and to pick up where she and Verge left off.

And a sneaky peek…

Hollace wrapped her arms around Verge's waist. "Return with me." She laid her head on his shoulder.

Verge angled her chin up "You don't have the space to bring the one hundred plus people I have back at the abbey." He brushed his lips over hers. "I won't leave them."

Hollace pushed. "We'll come back for everyone. Mount a full recovery op."

Verge stiffened and eased away. "I won't abandon my group. I got them this far, I'll see them all the way… or die keeping them safe."

Less than thrilled, Hollace called him on the idea. "You've been damned lucky so far, Verge. That luck won't hold forever." She gathered her fortitude and waited for his response.

He shrugged. "I'll take my chances." He turned and straightened the rumpled sheets.

Disappointed and pissed, Hollace lashed out. "You're an ass, Verge. You'd really do anything to avoid seeing your old man again, wouldn't you?" She stalked across the room and started throwing her gear into her rucksack.

Verge came up behind her, grasping her shoulders. "Not really, but if it makes you feel better, believe what you want." He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "We can make a go of it here. We shouldn't have to give up our home."

Hollace leaned into his embrace. "I wish you were right, Verge, I truly do. But the decimation is too complete. Our home is slowly dying." She turned, facing him. "You know that, don't you?"

His internal debate played over his face. "I'm still not leaving. We could find more survivors." He cupped her face. "So, go. Do what you have to do to find a new home for everyone else. Don't worry about us."

Hollace leaned in close. "I'm coming back. Count on it." She caught his mouth with hers for a quick, hard kiss.

Verge gave her a half-smile. "I know you believe that and I'll be here if you do." He eased away, taking a step back.

Hollace grabbed hold of his waistband, stopping his progress. "When I do." She let go. "And you'd better be here. Or I'll find you in the afterlife and kick your ass."

Hollace is just stubborn enough to track Verge down in the afterlife and make good on her word. LOL And of course, it won't be as easy as she wants it to be either. Where's the fun in that?

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Shyler: Finding Home #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

This week's post is from, Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella from Ellipses Press, Ltd., and I'm previewing the first meeting between Shyler Lumen and Marshton Grey. Let's just say sparks fly.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

~*~
Shyler smiled with satisfaction. She had her shadow neutralized in under thirty seconds, but something didn’t feel quite right. The guy was built. Solid. Muscular. Hard.

Why didn't he resist?

And dammit, she felt a zing. Did he have to be so flipping handsome, too? She couldn't let herself be distracted by super hot shadow man.

She huffed out a breath to regroup and got down to business.

She let go of his head, but kept her legs strategically positioned. "Well, hell. I'd hoped you'd at least try to fight back so I could use lethal force if necessary."

A whiskey smooth voice, answered with casual ease. "My mother taught me to never argue with a woman. Especially one who packs a punch."

Interesting thing for a mother to teach her son. Shyler tried a different approach.

"You have five seconds to tell me why you're following me." And explain the lack of trying to break free. "Who are you?"

Her prisoner slowly lifted his right hand. "If I may?" He made a downward motion, toward his back pocket.

The man had a truly fine ass.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

~*~

~*~

Please visit my website 

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

Banner Thursday—Capital City Seasons

Welcome to my new blog feature—Banner Day!

The general idea behind the posts is to reveal some type of artwork pertaining to one of my books—a cover, a banner, or maybe a logo or web page header.

If I didn't create the work, due credit will be given along with what I love about the graphic design. I've been very lucky to have some spectacular art for covers. J

To get things started, I'm going to post banners, beginning with the various series I have underway. I maintain three blogs, so I'll be rotating from week to week. My other blog locations are: Skylin O'Thomas and Skye Ritchey.

The first one I'd like to feature is Capital City Seasons.

Tagline: Capital City Seasons: High stakes adrenaline and hot romance are an explosive combination.

Blurb: Meet the men and women of Capital City. They work hard on the front lines and behind the scenes to keep the city safe and sometimes… they find love in the middle of a tense situation.

Capital City Seasons is a futuristic series set on a different planet. The inhabitants are descendants of Earth ancestry, but the books don't focus too much on how they got to their current location, but do mention historical points in their past.

Books available

Available at Amazon

Books in progress

Escape on Equinox

Midsummer Mayhem

Blaze on Beltane

Sunday Snippet: Boxing Day

My week in TV started with an intense episode of Walking Dead and kept amping up from there with Arrow and Bitten. I kind of wish I had a Chris Hardwick type to decompress with after watching the latter two also. LOL Seriously, the season finales may break my brain. And the glimpses we're getting of Orphan Black have me impatiently waiting for April 19.

Tonight's post is from Boxing Day, a short story with something of an interesting spin on the narration.

Here's the tagline:

Aeryn Gray packs up the personal belongings of Nash Nitali and spies a pair of boxing gloves. The sight takes her back through their weird brand of courtship and she takes some time to reminisce about their long, tangled affair.

And a sneaky peek…

Aeryn grabbed the last of the stuff from Nash's locker. A can of shaving cream, some crumpled up newspaper, and a pair of boxing gloves. Seemed weird to box up his life, throwing bits and pieces into random containers. She snagged the gloves, lifting them to her nose, inhaling the scent of leather, newspaper, and Nash.

She slid her hand inside the leather, a tingle of awareness shooting through her. "Geez, how stupid to get turned on by a boxing glove."

Then again, so many of their big moments happened before, during, or after Nash put on the gloves. Snapshots played out in her head, starting at the beginning when she got her first glimpse of Nash, in the ring on Sigma base. God, the man looked hot throwing punches and jabs, his feet moving lightly over the surface, a quick shuffle-slide motion. Aeryn sank down onto Nash's bunk, letting the memory make her smile.

She sobered. "Not the best first impression I've ever made." More like the worst.

To be fair, Nash played a big part in her crappy attitude that day. She'd entered the gym, intent on working out some aggression. Her commanding officer missed their scheduled briefing at 0600 to go over her transfer from Theta. Aeryn hated early morning meetings and having her CO blow her off started her day on a sour note.

She never got her workout in. Instead, her attention focused on the sparring match in the ring. One combatant had a T-shirt on and the other—who turned out to be Nash—went shirtless. She slowly made her way over, quickly picking up on several mistakes the bare-skinned man kept making over and over.

Standing ringside, she shouted. "You're telegraphing your next move. Keep your eyes forward and focused on your opponent's face."

Nash shot her a quick glance and suffered a left hook for his trouble.

Aeryn shrugged and propped her elbows on the raised surface. She watched several more moments, shaking her head at the stupid mistakes Nash kept making. He might look incredible with defined, sinewy muscles flexing and bulging with each jab, but he obviously didn't know shit about boxing. He dropped his guard and caught a hard uppercut.

Aeryn slapped her hand on the floor of the ring. "Oh my God! You're dropping your guard. Are you stupid? Or do you just like pain?"

Nash held up a gloved hand, stopping the match, then turned and faced her. "No, I'm not stupid, and no, I don't like pain." Using his teeth to unfasten his glove, he flung it off. "We're training, learning how to look for weak spots. Can't find them if they're not there, right?" He removed the other glove. "Now it's my turn. Who the hell are you? You've gotta be new because no one else would ever be obnoxious enough to interrupt one of my sparring matches."

Aeryn flushed, her face heating. "Just transferred in from Theta." Maybe she'd jumped the gun by offering her opinion, but being called rude stung. "Aeryn Gray, Lieutenant."

Nash blinked and jerked his head. "Aeryn Gray?" He tilted his head to the side. "You're my new pilot?" His quickly scanned the wall, glancing at the clock. "Wait. What time is it?"

The pieces clicked in her brain and a wave of anger smacked her in the face. "0700. I waited half an hour for our briefing." She lifted a shoulder. "I guess you had better things to do." Turning, she started for the exit. "Can't say it's been nice meeting you." She waited a beat. "Sir."

Gathering her gear, she shoved the hatch open and left the gym, a bitter aftertaste lingering from her not so stellar introduction to Nash Natali.

Her new commanding officer.

I always have fun writing horrible first impressions. Makes figuring out how the story unfolds from there more interesting. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents Shyler: Finding Home #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

Well, last week I apparently forgot to add my link to the blog sign up. What can I say? I had the longest, strangest week ever. LOL

If you're interested, scroll down for the introduction of Marshton Grey. J

This week's post is from the same book, Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella from Ellipses Press, Ltd., and it introduces Shyler Lumen, an Inter-Stellar Police Inspector on the trail of a brilliant but deadly chemist.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

~*~

Flight 2289 from Queen City, Mars—Arrival Terminal—Furlough 99

Inspector Shyler Lumen hated transport flights through space. Especially when they took her to the ass end of the universe.

Long and boring, she always, always got stuck on the ones that had too many people. Her Chief Inspector would say anyone aside from the pilot and herself would be one too many in her book.

He'd be right.

But she didn't consider herself a true loner…she loved cities, the noise, the people, and the crime. But lately, she lacked tolerance for almost everything. After ten years on the job, she didn't feel like she made a difference anymore.

Burnout.

Work. Life. Everything.

She needed a change. A career overhaul. Something different that wouldn't involve a long flight when she had nothing but time to think. And fight the urge to maim the guy shoving his elbow into her ribs.

Geez, she needed to stay away from confined spaces. Total killjoy. Shyler had zero patience for forced intimacy with people she didn't know, who couldn't help but invade her personal space. Elevators, public transportation—especially when crammed full—got to her every damn time.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

Please visit my website 

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Midwinter Crises #MFRWHook

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Today I'll be sharing a glimpse of Midwinter Crises, book one of Capital City Seasons from Ellipses Press, Ltd.

Tagline: When a madman wants to blow up the city during the Midwinter holiday, it's just another day on the job for Ben and Jess.

~*~

Capital City.

Where no one knew anyone's name… especially during the Midwinter holidays.

Everyone went about their self-prescribed traditions—too busy to care about anything more than spending money and finding the next 'perfect' item so it could be crossed off a way too long list.

But somehow, not even the sheer volume of credits exchanged from Discovery Day to Midwinter's Eve managed to quell the number of embittered and downtrodden who picked this time of year to go off the deep end or make a stand for their cause.

And someone had to deal with them… diffuse the situation, garner a peaceful outcome. If not, things could get very ugly.

The 'someone' people called? Ben Murphy. A top negotiator, his proven ability and track record made him the go-to person when wanting to avoid bloodshed.

Because why would anyone want that to go along with their holiday cheer?

A lone man held the city hostage, his metaphorical fist ready to destroy the main power grid. A person might wonder how he'd managed to position himself to do it. That would, no doubt, be addressed in the slew of after action reports turned in once the crisis had been averted. Heads would roll. Jobs would be lost. And none of those issues mattered now that the guy had taken control of the central power facility.

What did matter?

Resolution.

Hopefully quick, painless, and peaceful. No one wanted to watch the city grind to a screeching halt during the most profitable quarter of the year. Not that Murph cared much about that aspect, especially when the joy of the season usually got lost in the shuffle of the crowds.

In fact, the holiday cheer being piped through the sound system of his private transport grated on Murph's last nerve. He tuned it out and focused on the view from the window, looking out over the expanse of Capital City. As of now, everything remained bright, shiny and lit up… and Murph loved the sight.

He should… he'd grown up with it. He might not have seen much of it lately—his self-imposed exile from the city and Jessa Muldoon prevented it—but he would always appreciate the sight.

For better or worse, Ben Murphy was home.

~*~

~*~

Blurb: Mixing the holidays with a guy who wants to blow up the city is just another day on the job for Ben Murphy and Jessa Muldoon.

Capital City teems with tourists, shoppers, and anyone else who can cram their way into the limits for the Midwinter celebration. The entire holiday will go to hell in a hand basket if Ben can't negotiate a peaceful resolution with the man holding the city hostage. If he fails, sharpshooter Jess will step in and take the guy out.

Not exactly the post-breakup reunion scenario Ben has in mind for seeing Jess… but he'll take it. He let work split them up once, now it has a chance to bring them together. Ben will take the opportunity and run with it.

~*~

~*~

Available: Amazon

Please stop by my website 

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: The Baracas File

Hello!

Okay, no Arrow episode this week and I missed my favorite show. L But, we did have new Walking Dead and Bitten, which made me super happy. I love reading the speculation about Daryl and whether he'll fall in with those rogue survivors or play nice until he can track down Beth. I'm rather hoping for the latter. It would make a nice bookend to the episode where he more or less sent his past life up in flames.

Bitten's episode for this week has me full of anticipation. I cannot wait to see Elena's worlds collide. J Orphan Black is gearing up for next month and I'm following their instagram page with an obsession. My twitter feed is rife with speculation… to the point I'm pondering a blog post with my wish list for the season. I'll just add that to my ever growing pile of stuff that needs attention. J

Tonight's post is from The Baracas File, a novella featuring danger and intrigue and my two main characters get sucked into the vortex of trying to figure out why the contents keep getting people killed.

Here's the tagline:

Briggs Felderzon, an investigative reporter, will stop at nothing to discover what's in the Baracas File, the contents of which results in his brother's death. Myrrh Gold, his brother's partner in the Inter-Stellar Police, decides to help him… but Briggs isn't sure he trusts her.

And a sneaky peek…

Briggs asked a point-blank question. "Were you sleeping with my brother?"

Myrrh blinked, but answered. "It's none of your damned business, but no, we never had sex." She got up and paced the floor.

Briggs noted her agitation before pushing harder. "Why not? You're exactly his type. Zell wouldn't let working together keep him from going after what he wanted." One of his brother's lesser-known faults.

Myrrh snorted and spun around. "He might not, but I would." She resumed walking back and forth in front of the fireplace. "Look, Zell and I were tight, but as partners, not lovers. I loved him because he became my best friend." She stopped and pinned Briggs with her gaze. "I know you like to dig deep for the truth, but you can put your shovel away. There's nothing buried here."

Briggs tilted his head and searched for any sign she held back. Finding none, he nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Myrrh chuckled. "Frustrating to be wrong, isn't it?" She crossed the small distance separating them. "Now it's my turn."

Briggs frowned, confused.

Myrrh rolled her eyes. "Quid pro quo. I can either take you in for interrogation or…" She jerked her head toward the wingback chair. "You can have a seat and we can chat, off the record, about the Baracas file."

Briggs roughly grabbed her arm. "What do you know about it?" His suspicions went to maximum overload. "Tell me now."

Myrrh yanked out of his grasp and jammed her finger into his shoulder. "Don't ever put your hands on me again." She shoved him back then nudged him toward the chair. "If you want more information, you can sit your ass down and I might be willing to discuss the file. But you get nothing unless you understand the stakes." She paused, meeting his gaze again. "Am I clear?"

Briggs gave a curt nod and sat. He needed answers. He'd play nice until he had a better idea of where and how she fit into the murky picture.

But… if she had anything to do with Zell's death, Briggs would make sure she paid a very high price.

This novella is still pretty much in the planning and conception stage, but this part spurred the idea in the first place.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars – The SFR Brigade Presents #sfrbp Shyler: Finding Home

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

My post today features the first snippet from Shyler: Finding Home, a Furlough 99 novella available from Ellipses Press, Ltd. I'm introducing Marshton Grey.

Tagline: Inspector Shyler Lumen always gets her man—even if she has to go through Marshton Grey to do it.

~*~

Greyswell Industries—Head Office—Queen City, Mars

"What's the death toll?"

"One hundred and fifty-seven as of ten a.m. this morning."

Marshton Grey nodded curtly, accepting the information and his chief of security quickly exited the plush office. The man had gone above and beyond by keeping Marsh informed of the situation. Now Marsh had to do damage control and nip the problem in the bud. He'd already laid the building blocks to make that happen.

Marsh stood up from behind his desk, gathered his travel documents and pressed the intercom to his admin.

"Lucy, I'm unavailable until further notice."

"Have a safe journey," her soothing voice answered. "I'll see you aren't disturbed, Mr. Grey."

Marsh trusted her to do exactly that. Super-efficient, his admin would block, handle, or delegate whatever came up while he had to be off planet. He peeled off his suit and tie, and threw on a pair of comfortable dungarees. Didn't worry about an overnight bag, he had plenty of wardrobe options located where he'd be headed.

Furlough 99.

Ass end of the universe.

~*~

Available at Amazon 

Please visit my website

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

Sunday Snippet: Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My!

March 9, 2014

Whew. Crazy weather week of back and forth between frigid temps and snow and a lovely little warm-up that didn't last very long. LOL At least I had good television to watch.

As predicted, Arrow's episode fifteen, The Promise, proved to be seriously bad ass. I almost think they crammed too much into the hour—I would have loved to see a little more detail. I'm just not quite down with Slade being so uber-pissed at Oliver over Shado's death. Yes, I'm aware the Mirakuru IS the reason he's not particularly rational. But Ivo's manipulation seemed a little conveniently heavy-handed. Of course, Oliver's guilt doesn't help so there's that. LOL I'm also really interested to see if the rumor mill speculation about who Felicity's father is proves correct.

Bitten is still eating my brain. Seriously, the final episodes of the season should be mega-uncomfortable for the characters. And if Daniel Santos doesn't die a horrible death like he did in the books, I'm gonna lose my mind. J

Only one episode of Banshee left and I'm actively praying Rabbit gets his due. Then I'll probably have to wait for next season to see what the fallout will be from Proctor, but I can deal. Something to look forward to. J

Tonight's post is from a bonus story in the Top Dog Pilots 'verse, Banter and Brawling and Sex, Oh My!, featuring Cutter and Maggie and set between Surviving the Trap and Bucking Convention.

Here's the tagline:

Max Cutter always goes along for the ride with Maggie Harper. He pretty much has to… she always gets into the most interesting situations and someone has to cover her ass.

And a sneaky peek…

A commotion drew Maggie's attention away from the conversation. A fellow military man, probably a grunt patrolling the mine, got caught in the crosshairs of a two groups of rowdy miners having a major disagreement.

The guy should've known better than to hit a watering hole filled with the people he kept in line all day. But it sucked to be off-duty and not really have any place to go. Cutter had a notion of how important blowing off steam could be—he and Maggie certainly figured out a way during the flight qualifications and readiness training. His lips quirked, but he focused hard to not get too caught up in the memory.

Maggie nudged his arm and shot him a look.

Cutter shook his head. "Oh, no. You don't really wanna get involved in this, do you?" He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "After the week we just had?"

Maggie shrugged. "How can we not? A dozen to one? Not very good odds, Cutter." She turned her attention back to the ruckus. "The guy needs some help."

Max did a quick scan of the bar. Two crewmen from other ships sat over in the corner and about twenty more miners filled the place. Once he and Maggie got involved, the odds were sure to go from bad to beyond fucked. But what the hell. The lone guy didn't stand a chance otherwise.

Cutter sighed, dropped his arms, and scooted his chair away from the table.

Maggie grinned. "Knew you'd see it my way."

She got up and spun her chair around, grabbing the backrest and lifting it off the ground. She charged forward and jabbed it into the first beefy guy she came across.

Cutter followed her into the fray, punching the miner in the face and watched him drop like a stone.

Maggie glanced back, a wide smile splitting her face. "Nice one, Cutter." She jerked her head to the left. "Let's even things up a little and take out the giant over there."

She didn't wait for a response. She hefted the chair over her head and brought it crashing down on the shoulders of the second biggest guy in the room. His head whipped back and forth and he turned, cocking his arm, the muscles bunching up under the flesh. Cutter made a flying leap and kicked out, catching the man under the chin with his booted foot. The burly guy went sailing back into the wall and dropped to the floor.

Maggie let out a whooping yell. "Holy shit, Cutter. That was beautiful!" Her laughter rang out and she ducked, a pool stick narrowly missing her head by an inch or two.

Ahhh. Nothing like a good brawl to bring my couples together. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars – The SFR Brigade Presents #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

~*~

My post today features the final snippet from Boyfriend's Brother, available now from Silver Publishing. I introduced Jason in last week's offering. Today we see some interaction between Jason and Chloe.

Tagline: Chloe Timmons mixes a potential marriage proposal, a close call, and her boyfriend's hot brother. She can walk away… but she may lose everything.

~*~

Chloe smiled. "To apologize. Marc and I get carried away sometimes in the name of so-called fun. Occasionally, someone gets hurt. I'm not proud of that fact."

Jason didn't accept or reject her apology. Instead, he asked a question. "Okay, tell me this. Was the lap dance your idea, or did Marc put you up to it?"

Chloe pondered a moment. "He thought it would be amusing to see the look on your face." She grimaced. "I kinda agreed."

Jason blew out a heavy breath. "Well, that's just great. You two are perfect for each other." The light finally turned green, and Jace stepped toward the curb.

He couldn't wait to get the hell back to base.

Chloe's strong grip stopped him. "Look, it was a shitty thing to do." She let go of his arm. "Let's start over. Come to dinner tomorrow." She shrugged. "I can't cook for crap, but I know the best takeout places in town."

Jason didn't know if it would be a good idea to spend time with Marc right then, but he found himself relenting and accepting her invitation. "I like spicy ethnic foods."

Chloe's laughter rang out. "The kind Marc hates. Good choice. Stop by around seven. You know the address, right?"

~*~

Available Now

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading! 

Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Boyfriend's Brother #MFRWHook

Welcome to Book Hooks, the weekly smorgasbord sampler hosted by the MFRW Authors Blog.

Readers: get hooked and reel in some great books. Authors are sharing short excerpts from their work. Please enjoy and consider picking up the full book by clicking on the buy link.

Today I'll be sharing a glimpse of Boyfriend's Brother, my brand new release from Silver Publishing.

Tagline: Chloe Timmons and Jason McIvey are at a crossroad. The only thing in their way is Jason's brother.

~*~

Chloe ducked and looked up in Jason's direction. "Little help here?" She stood back up, and Max's fist connected with her jaw, her head smacking back against the wall.

Stars burst behind her eyelids, but she shook it off. Jason sucked in a breath and winced.

He kept his tone light. "Thought you'd never ask."

He stepped into the fray, grabbing one of the guys and spinning him around to meet his fist. The guy went down, but Jason got grabbed by the arm and Max got a solid punch in, splitting Jason's lip in the process. Jason landed his own jab and knocked Max backward to land on a pool table. Max didn't get back up, and Jason's face showed more than a little satisfaction with laying the guy out.

He made his way over to Chloe, and with their backs together, they slowly made their way out of the bar. Only two of Max's friends made an attempt to follow, but the crowd more or less swallowed them up when Jason and Chloe stumbled out the door.

Once outside, Chloe leaned up against the exterior, slowly sliding down until she crouched close to the sidewalk. Still seeing stars, she figured she hit her head harder than she thought. Looking over toward Jason, two of him hovered in her line of sight, but she attributed that to the alcohol. She let out a chuckle that ended on a groan.

Jason sucked in the cool night air, then turned to check on her. Her cheek burned, and she'd lay odds she'd have a big purple bruise along her cheekbone. Bet that would look really lovely tomorrow.

He used his thumb to wipe the blood off his lip. "Well, that was fun."

~*~

Blurb: Chloe Timmons and Jason McIvey are each at a crossroads.

On what may be her last weekend as 'just a girlfriend', Chloe quells her restlessness by hitting the town and runs into her boyfriend's brother, Jason, a fellow pilot in the area for an air show. A barroom brawl brings them together.

Chloe thinks her boyfriend Marc may propose, and she's not sure she's ready for marriage. Jason McIvey has to decide if he's staying in the military or going civilian. When Chloe and Jason spend the night together, it doesn't make either decision easier.

Buy Link: Available at Silver Publishing

Please stop by my website

Reel in more great books! Visit the other participating authors.

Sunday Snippet: Automatic Failure

Holy jeezits. Arrow blew my mind this week. My twitter feed was full of a bunch of not so great comments, but I loved, loved, loved everything about fourteen. And episode fifteen is supposed to be filled with even more bad-assery. And Bitten just keeps getting better and better. I seriously can't wait each week for the next episode. My fingers, and all other appendages, are crossed for a second season. Also read about the Flash pilot being filmed. Currently, that's the show I'm most looking forward to for next season.

I've also been enjoying seeing Jamie Bamber on my screen in The Smoke. He's so good at roles he can sink his teeth into, and playing Kev definitely gives him room to flex his acting chops. J

Tonight's post is from Automatic Failure, a novella with lots of family drama, something of a personal favorite writing kink for me.

Here's the tagline:

Piper Kemp, a flight instructor,  steps aside to avoid letting her personal feelings influence a decision about whether to pass one of her students. But when he crashes and almost loses his life, Knox Petruci steps up to defend Piper and opens a can of worms because her student happens to be his brother.

And a sneaky peek…

Ken whirled around and faced his oldest son. "You betrayed our family by taking up with the woman who ruined your brother's career."

Knox bit back an angry retort—they never worked on his dad. "Really? I see things a tad differently, Dad." He met the older Petruci's gaze. "Piper saved Abel's career. And probably his life. So what if he doesn't fly planes?"
Ken made a strangled choking sound. "Petrucis for four generations have flown, that's what."

Nice. "Gee, thanks, Dad." Knox made the fifth, so his father's argument made a moot point.

Apparently Knox didn't rate.

Ken waved a hand between them. "You know what I mean."

Knox shook his head. "No, Dad, I don't. Abel is a damned fine officer." He turned away and paced. "Hell, he's got a thing for cryptology. How many codes did he crack in his first six months?"

Ken snorted. "You're missing the point, Knox." He sank down into the leather wingback chair.

Knox moved to stand in front of the fire. "No, I'm not. You can't blame Abel for being incompetent. That would hit too close to home, so you lay the responsibility at Piper's feet." Knox sighed. "She risked her career and did the right thing by taking herself out of the equation, but you won't cut her any slack." He shoved his hands in his pockets, clenching his fists. "Instead, you’re pissed Abel didn't cut it as a pilot, even when he's got a shot at the admiralty because he's extraordinarily good at what he does." Knox angled his head and pinned Ken with his gaze. "I guess having only one son qualify as a pilot isn't quite good enough." He glanced away again, gazing into the fire.

Several long moments passed before Ken cleared his throat. "Look, Knox…" His voice trailed off.

Knox closed his eyes, willing his dad to continue. When a full minute went by, Knox's shoulders slumped and he admitted defeat. He removed his hands from his pockets and smoothed the creases from his uniform pants, giving the elder Petruci more than enough time to finish his thought.

Exhaling slowly, Knox turned on his heel and strode toward the foyer. He shouldn't have hoped his dad might actually open up.

Ken rose, following behind Know. "Son, wait. You don't have to leave. At least stick around to see your mother when she gets back."

Knox paused with his hand on the door. "I don't think so, Dad. I'll call her tomorrow before I ship back out." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Piper and I have dinner plans."

The way his dad's mouth thinned to a slash across his face gave Knox all he needed to walk out and not look back.

I always love exploring the relationship between parents and offspring, especially when it interferes with the hero and heroine in some way. J

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flip.

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars – The SFR Brigade Presents #sfrbp

Welcome to the Science Fiction Romance Brigade Presents, a weekly sneak peek sampler hosted by the SFR Brigade.

Readers: enjoy brief glimpses of currently available, soon to be released books, or works in progress. Authors are sharing short excerpts for your enjoyment. Please have fun and spread the joy.

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My post today features another snippet from Boyfriend's Brother, available March 1 from Silver Publishing. I introduced Chloe in last week's offering. Today we meet Jacon McIvey, aka Marc's brother.

Tagline: Chloe Timmons mixes a potential marriage proposal, a close call, and her boyfriend's hot brother. She can walk away… but she may lose everything.

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Jason McIvey stretched and buried his head under the pillow on the bed. Five more minutes, then he'd get up, grab a shower, and meet the guys in his squadron for breakfast before boarding their transport.

Until then, he could pretend he didn't have a huge decision to make and that he enjoyed the sometimes stupid and lame tripe that went along with flying—because he'd always love being in a cockpit.

A cool hand settled on his hip, and his eyes blinked open. Shit. Last night's 'hangar' hadn't left yet. He winced at the crude name his fellow test pilots gave the bevy of females that always came cleared for action—ready, willing, and able to accommodate any of the guys—especially if the men looked hard and hot. The names and faces might change, but the women never failed to appear whenever a civilian air show rolled through their towns.

Bitta… Bitsy… hell, he couldn't remember the woman's name, probably wanted a repeat performance from the previous night. Her fingers trailed up and down Jason's thigh, and he scrambled for an excuse to make a quick exit. Would she believe he'd choose grabbing something to eat over sex? Did he care if she didn't?

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