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, formerly published by Silver Publishing. I have the rights back and will be re-publishing in the very near future. J

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

~*~

To that day, Jason didn't get his brother's need to push everything too far—like when Jace first met Chloe and Marc set it up so Jace mistook her for a stripper. As usual, Jason had responded exactly as expected, with an overreaction much to Marc's great amusement. Jason had been so angry he'd stalked out of the club so he wouldn't punch his brother in the face.

He'd got halfway up the block before he heard the clatter of heels running to catch up with him.

"Jason! Please, wait. Hold up!"

He had slowed his pace but didn't stop walking. In his current mood, if Marc happened to be with Chloe, Jason would lay him out and enjoy doing so. He wanted to be happy for his brother. Hell, he had been happy for him. Chloe had outlasted every one of Marc's previous hookups. Jason had been proud of him… until five minutes before then.

Chloe had caught up, minus her shoes, which dangled from her fingertips. Jason admired the fact she'd chucked them in favor of speed. She fell into step beside him and walked to the next intersection where he had to wait for a red light.

"He's sorry, you know?"

Jason snorted. "Yeah, he is. Which is why he didn't come with you."

Chloe shook her head. "No, he didn't come with me because I asked him not to."

Jason had inclined his head. "So he just sends you out—alone—to soothe his pissed off brother. What a prize." And he needed to shut up. Chloe would think he'd gone completely insane.

Chloe had a very angry look on her face. "Marc knows better than to try and argue with me when I set my mind on something. He wouldn't try to stop me, no matter how pissed off you are."

Jason had all but snarled. "Really? Why the hell not?"

Chloe shouted back. "Because I'm a soldier, just like you two. I don't need backup."

Jason scoffed. "Whatever." He turned away, ignoring Chloe.

She gave Jason a considering look. "He's right about you."

Jason laughed. "Right about what? That I'm a stupid moron who falls for anything?"

Chloe tilted her head to one side. "There is that. But he also said you're a stand-up guy." She laid her hand on his forearm. "Being pissed off on my behalf—without knowing or meeting me—demonstrated his point nicely. Thank you."

Cover Art Subject to Change

~*~

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.

~*~

~*~

Please stop by my website

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

Sunday Snippet: The Cockpit

April 27, 2014

Greetings,

Whew. Wild week in TV. Arrow, of course, amped up the tension and drama with a total shocker at the end of the episode. Okay, maybe not a total surprise, but wow, I'm dying to see what happens next. S.H.I.E.L.D went to great places and planted some new seeds for a future season (I hope!) and Orphan Black delivered another taut hour of viewing pleasure. I have several things I want to see happen with Rachel, but I'll save those for a fandom blog post. LOL I'm honestly not sure about the whole Helena/religious cult dealio, but I'll keep watching to see what happens.

Writing wise, the week ended up being way more productive than expected, in a truly odd way. I've been updating my Works in Progress page and the exercise is shaking off some cobwebs and getting the creative juices flowing again. I love it when that happens. J

Tonight's post is from The Cockpit, a sexy little short story about a pilot's R&R with an old friend.

Here's the tagline:

Lark Fisher pulls R&R and hits the most happening bar on Virgo, The Cockpit. Imagine her utter stupefaction when she finds out its owner is not only an old friend, but the one who got away.

And a sneaky peek…

Lark walked in and glanced around. She liked the atmosphere. Crowded enough to get lost in, but not so packed she couldn't breathe. And the setup vaguely resembled a cockpit of a plane, wider at the entrance, tapering and funneling down toward the bar at the end. A grouping of game tables filled one bumped out section of the space and several rows of seats faced a staged area where a squared circle and two cage pits lined another additional bumped out space. The middle area, teeming with people, didn't have an empty table in sight.

She angled her way toward the bar, skirting the side of the room with the boxing ring. Her eyes narrowed when she caught a glimpse of one of the opponents using a punch jab combination exactly like her former CO. No one boxed like the old man. Except maybe Fox. But it had been a long ass time since she'd seen him anywhere near a boxing ring.

Lark hit the bar and climbed up onto a barstool. The bartender placed a shot glass in front of her then studied her for several moments. He turned and carefully selected a bottle of Cornea Red and filled her glass.

Lark's lips quirked. "You're very good." She downed the liquor. "How'd you know?"

The man waggled his eyebrows. "Trade secret." He stuck out his hand. "Name's Charlie. Welcome to The Cockpit."

Lark shook his hand. "Thanks." She craned her head, getting a better look at the interior. "Great place. Right mix of everything." She tapped the smooth wood surface of the bar and Charlie poured her another round. "How long has it been here?" She lifted the tumbler. "I'm sure it didn't exist the last time I hopped R&R to Virgon." She definitely would've remembered.

Charlie tilted his head. "Round about three years. The guy who bought the place had a very specific idea of what he wanted and made it happen." He grabbed a larger glass and filled it with chipped ice and soda then slid it down Lark's way.

She grinned. "Where did the owner find you? And how do you know—wait, never mind. Trade secret, right?"

Charlie laughed. "I worked at the former most popular establishment—The Cockpit pretty much crushes the other watering holes in the area—and yes, the how is top secret." He leaned in, speaking in low tones. "But if you stick around long enough, I just might share the information."

Lark gave him a wide smile. "I just might do that, Charlie." She took a long sip of the icy drink. "What can you tell me about this place?"

He propped his forearms on the counter and filled her in. People flocked to the welcoming establishment, especially the ones who hated clubs and thumpy music they couldn't talk over. The bar had its fair share of fights and assholes, but anyplace that served alcohol did.

Lark nodded. "What does the owner do for security." She glanced around but didn't see the usual contingent of bouncers anywhere.

Charlie snorted. "We rarely need it. The owner can pretty much quell a major incident with a hard look." He flicked his gaze toward the fighting area. "Or a quick go round in the ring."

Lark scoffed. "Really?"

Charlie straightened. "Oh yeah." Charlie jerked his head toward the sparring match. "He's in there right now." A smile split his face. "Oh! And he just took out the brawler wannabe who wouldn't keep his mouth shut." Charlie shouted over the crowd. "Nice one, boss! Wanna a tall, cold one to celebrate?"

Lark swiveled around on the stool to get a look at the owner. He gave Charlie a thumbs up and spit his mouth guard out. The protective headgear came off next.

Lark let out a bark of laughter. "No fucking way. You've gotta be shitting me."

Charlie gave her a questioning look.

She explained. "Your employer and I go way back."

Charlie's eyes widened. "You know the boss man? Hey, Fox! Got a lady sitting here who says she's an old friend of yours."

Fox threw a towel around his neck and stepped out of the ring, straining to see over the group of people going back to their tables.

His eyes widened and he made his way to the bar. "You got the lady part wrong, but Lark's definitely a friend." He made the introductions. "Charlie, this is Captain Lark Fisher. Lark, meet your new best friend, Charlie." He nodded toward the bar tender. "Charlie, her drinks are gratis, which means we might have to close up shop tomorrow." Lark laughed and rose to pull Fox into a hard hug.

Fox stepped back and swept his gaze over her. "You look great. The Olympus agrees with you."

Lark's brows knit. "How did you know?"

Fox chuckled. "It's the only battleship in orbit right now. The old man keeps me up to date so I know when to stock extra alcohol." He snorted. "He neglected to tell me you'd be aboard though."

Lark grinned. "You would've ordered extra, wouldn't you?"

And so begins a fun reunion…

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

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Surviving the Trap #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 Surviving the Trap, book one of the Top Dog Pilot series coming in June from my personal imprint, Starry Sky Press. Today, I'm introducing Max 'Ripper' Cutter.

Series Tagline: Two top pilots, Max Cutter and Maggie Harper, like to mix a little personal with their professional life.

Book Tagline: A week of hell pushes Maggie into risking her friendship with Max by sleeping with him.

~*~

Max had always wanted to fly.

But this?

Hitting trap after trap, over and over? Sure as hell didn't qualify as flying.

More like a teeth-jarring, brain-scrambling, headache-inducing nightmare. The planes weren't designed for it. Hell, the pilots even less so. He'd never heard nor read about anything like this in the scores of military history books he devoured. What the brass hoped to prove by tying flight quals to this display of madness had to be beyond Max.

Unless they were attempting to discover which gave out first—the pilot or the plane?

His opinion? It would be a dead heat.

Planes were like women. The more respect someone showed them, the more someone dug down deep to understand how they worked and what they needed, the more that person could make them hum with satisfaction. Flying was almost as good as sex. Almost. When Max flew, an indefinable something thrummed in his blood. The precision, the instinct, the ebb and flow, the give and take of response—all of it heightened the experience.  Exerting just enough control to bend the plane to his will while at the same time giving himself over. To become one with the machine.

~*~

Blurb: One week of extreme training, two top guns, and a healthy dose of unresolved sexual tension equals two pilots pushed to their limits, looking for a way to get through the hellish experience and possibly into each other's arms.

Coming in June 2014

Please visit my website http://www.skyewrites.com

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Sunday Snippet: Clubbing on Space Station Delta

Hello!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Lovely week in TV. Arrow had a rockin' episode. I love it when Oliver doesn't get things right and makes huge mistakes. S.H.I.E.L.D also had another awesome episode. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they end this season. Also? Orphan Black returned!! I love this show SO MUCH!!

And seriously? What an opening episode. I have sooooo many theories and I can't wait to see if I'm on track or totally off the rails. LOL The writing never fails to keep me coming back for more and the acting just blows my mind. If you're not watching this, you should be. J

Tonight's post is from a funky little novella called, Clubbing on Space Station Delta.

Here's the tagline:

Macie Gunn discovers a very different side to Nix Handleman, her commanding officer, when they get some downtime on Space Station Delta. Macie likes what she sees, but wonders if Nix will keep the stick out of his ass once they return back to duty.

And here's a sneaky peek…

Macie had no idea someone as uptight as Nix could cut loose and dance. He had some moves, too. Interesting to see a very different side to him.

A good time. They'd all gone out to have a good time. Blow off steam. Relieve tension. Who knew Nix Handleman could actually get the stick out of his ass and have fun? Macie certainly didn't. Okay, not entirely true. She remembered Nix before Eick's death. Back when he used to smile and get jokes, and even crack a few. But the Nix she'd come to know recently didn't do that often. In fact, he'd gone so all business, all the time, she wondered if maybe her imagination had gotten away from her about that earlier time.

It hadn't. But her surprise and, well, utter shock, in the Club Loco discotheque couldn't be contained. When the hell did Nix learn to bust a move on the dance floor? The guy had some skill, too. Trying not to let her mind get totally blown, she found it very interesting to see such a different side to Nix.

The man danced with confidence and an odd grace. He could do the old school stuff. His mom made him and Eick take lessons one summer. But the current shake and shimmy style, hopping up and down and gyrating to the beat of the drum tracks… yeah, she had no clue he had it in him. How could she not know something so delicious?

The fodder would keep her loaded on zingers for months.

"Don't even think about it, Mace." Nix's voice caught her by surprise.

And sent a shivery tingle down her spine.

Macie angled around and faced the bar. "Think about what, Nix?" How did the guy know she'd been counting the ways she could use tonight's discovery back on the ship?

He dropped down on the stool to her right. "You know exactly what. And I'll say it again." He signaled the barman for two shots. "Don't even think about it."

Her cheeks went hot. "Come on, Nix. You can't expect me to unsee what I'm seeing here tonight." She slid the glass closer, but didn't drink… yet.

Nix downed his shot. "I don't, but even an upstart like you knows there are certain unwritten rules you don't mess with." He lifted two fingers, ordering another round.

Macie tossed her drink back, swallowed the bite and the burn, then slid her gaze toward Nix. "And what cosmic law are you referring to?"

Nix leaned in close. "The one that states that what happens in Loco stays in Loco." He hopped off the barstool and danced his way back to the middle of the floor.

Macie's mouth dropped open. "Totally didn't see that one coming at all." She tilted her head to one side, keeping her gaze fixed on Nix who danced and weaved through the crowd of revelers.

Reaching back, she grabbed her second shot and drank it down. "I wonder if Nix's analogy goes for the whole space station."

Gotta say, I had a huge smile while writing this brief scene. J

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

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Midwinter Crises #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 Midwinter Crises, book one of the Capital City Seasons series available from Ellipses Press, Ltd. Today, I'm showing a glimpse of Jess and Murph's first meeting.

Series Tagline: High stakes adrenaline and hot romance are an explosive combination.

Book 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.

~*~

A little set-up--Murph explained how he talked a drug-crazed man out of his violent fit of rage and impresses Jess.

Doubly impressed now, she had to shake her head. "So you put yourself on the hot seat. Interesting." She let her gaze peruse him, traveling from his feet upward to his face. "You don't look like you have a death wish."

Ben chuckled in response. "I don't. Trust me." He pivoted around, stepped closer to her. "Unless it would convince you to have dinner with me?" Lowered so only she could hear, his voice sent sexy shivers down her spine.

Jess made sure she kept her jaw from dropping. Still clad in full riot gear and this too handsome for his own good guy wanted to have dinner with her?

A guy who didn't wilt under pressure, put himself in the line of fire and still maintained a clean, crisp and dare she think it—fresh—appearance in ninety degree heat had to have something wrong with him.

Maybe he went for chicks in black? Or women who carried powerful weapons on the job.

And maybe she should just respond to his offer already.

Shrugging, she accepted his invitation. "Dinner's good." She had a way to discover if Murph was as unflappable as he appeared. "But only if I get to pick the place." She stood up and flipped open one of the pockets on her vest.

~*~

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.

Seeing each other in a tense situation six months after breaking up is not.

  

Available at Amazon 

Please visit my website 

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Banner Thursday—Midwinter Crises

Welcome to Banner Day!

Today, I'm featuring my banner for Midwinter Crises, book one from Capital City Seasons.

  

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.

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.

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 here: Amazon 

Books in progress

Escape on Equinox

Midsummer Madness

Blaze on Beltane

Thanks for reading!

Please visit my website 

Sunday Snippet: Close Quarters

April 13, 2014

Whew. It's been a long week filled with a few bumps and bruises. First up, one of my published titles, Boyfriend's Brother, is temporarily off the shelf. I'm hoping I found a new home for it, but I'm waiting for confirmation. I'll keep everyone posted when I know anything for certain.

TV fare ended up being light this week, but S.H.I.E.L.D. totally delivered an awesome episode. I won't discuss because seeing Captain America: Winter Soldier is a true bonus before getting into any details. J

Tonight's post is from Close Quarters, a sequel to Follow Me, which is going through another draft. Hopefully none of the plot threads will need major readjustments after I'm done.

Here's the tagline:

After trying to out maneuver their crew mates who bet on whether they'd ever hook up, Molly and Sloan discover an abiding love and embark on a committed relationship. Their biggest problem? Trying to figure out how to live in close quarters without making each other insane.

And a sneaky peek…

Molly grabbed up the latest forms that had been turned in by potential trainees. She had over one hundred to review, at last count, and she needed to weed through them within a week's time.

She could really use an office.

Currently, her quarters served that function and talk about not being ideal. She liked to spread the applications out and make separate piles for those who had potential and those who didn't. Then she broke down the possible recruits into different levels and from there she would build her newest class and any future classes.

A damned huge undertaking. One she didn't know if sure she was up for.

Sloan had been a huge help with separating the good from the bad, part of the reason she had everything in their quarters for now. It probably drove him nuts because Sloan was nothing if not neat.

For herself, she functioned better in chaos, relying on her instincts to do the job. She opened the door to her quarters and saw Sloan standing in the middle of the living area, a bewildered look on his face. Uh oh. Not good.

She breezed through the door after deciding to take a humorous approach. "You lost?" She sat the latest stack of applications on the table and then cleared a space on the seating area. "Have a seat, Sloan." She stepped back and waited.

Sloan crossed over to the seating area and sat down.

He heaved a big sigh before speaking. "Molls. I know this is the biggest attempt to recruit that we've done since the world ended, but please… our quarters look like a paper bomb went off." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "I hate being an ass about this, but gods, Molly, I'm afraid to walk through here for fear I'll move something important."

He stood up and sat right back down. He couldn't even pace around to work off his frustration.

He looked back at Molly, who hadn't responded verbally. She just raised her eyebrows at him, waiting for him to continue.

So he did. "The bed? I can't even see the bed for all the paper on top of it." He closed his eyes before continuing. "Would it be possible to contain this stuff to a single room?" He opened his eyes again and waited for a comeback.

Sloan's bitching irritated her, but unfortunately, she could see his point. Didn't mean she had to like it, though. She had one week to get through a mountain of paperwork.

What was one more week? Really?

Apparently, too much.

Molly pasted a smile on her face. "Right. Single room coming up" She walked into the bedroom and gathered all the forms from the bed in a haphazard pile and then stalked back into the living space. "Happy?"

She tossed the papers by the pile she just came home with. Dammit. She didn't want to argue with him, but she really felt the pressure to get this finished.

Sloan shook his head. "You didn't have to do that." He got up and carefully stepped around the papers still on the floor. "Look, I know you have a system that works for you and spreading out helps the process."

He stopped in front of her and pulled her to him. "I've worked on this with you enough to get that." He stroked his hand over her hair. "Let me help you. There has to be a way we can keep the process going without wrecking our own space… at least until they assign an office to you." He leaned back to see how she was taking his suggestion.

Molly's face remained impassive while she mulled over Sloan's offer.

She hated giving up any kind of control but even she couldn't stand the mess they were living with right now.

What the hell?

He could help her go through everything and organize it a little better. Which meant they'd be putting in a long night. Molly grinned and looked up at Sloan.

Instead of answering, she stepped back and pulled him toward the newly cleaned off bed. If they were going to be up all night, at least they could start things off with some fun.

I actually had the best time writing that scene. J

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

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Midwinter Crises #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 Midwinter Crises, book one of the Capital City Seasons series available from Ellipses Press, Ltd. I'm introducing Jessa Muldoon, an expert marksman with an elite tactical unit.

Series Tagline: High stakes adrenaline and hot romance are an explosive combination.

Book 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.

~*~

Not far from the airport, in a cozy apartment, the phone rang.

Crashed out after a long training session, Jessa Muldoon fumbled around to answer it. Her voice sleepy, she managed to catch the call on the third ring. "Better be good."

Her CO, Chris Renfer's voice came through loud and clear. "Black Alpha."

Instantly alert, Jess sat up and swung her legs out of the bed. As a sniper for the Specialized Tactical Unit, when Jessa received a call, it didn't matter if she'd been out late and up all night working with fellow law enforcement types. When they said go, she went.

And when they used the top operational code, she went in a big hurry.

She bit back a yawn and made herself focus. "Yeah. I'm up. Give me the bullet points." She grabbed her pants and tugged them on. Glancing at the clock, she groaned and fished around for her shirt. She hated middle of the night wake up calls.

"Team's been called up. Guy wants to blow the power grid. Talker's been called in."

Jess stopped struggling into her t-shirt. A negotiator. Great. She had no doubt who it would be.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gave herself a moment to be pissed.

Why did the crazy people have to come out during the holidays?

Probably so she'd have to face the one person on the planet she'd rather avoid?

Dammit.

"Muldoon." Renfer's clipped tone snapped her back on task.

"Yeah." Jess shook her head and stood up. "Yeah. Gimme fifteen. I'll be in." She clicked off the phone and grabbed her shoes.

Happiest time of the year her ass.

~*~

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.

Seeing each other in a tense situation six months after breaking up is not.

Available at Amazon Amazon 

Please visit my website 

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Sunday Snippet: Climate Control

Holy crap. What a week in TV—oh, and a kick awesome movie, too.

The Walking Dead's finale delivered the best ending line, maybe ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but damn close. I completely enjoyed Rick's journey over the entire season. And seriously, The Talking Dead and Chris Hardwick are so great. I love having that hour after TWD to decompress.

I have to take a moment to mention S.H.E.I.L.D. also. I'm one of the fans who completely enjoy the show, but the last several episodes have really amped up the drama and awesomeness. I'm excited to see what happens through the end of the season.

Arrow's Deathstroke blew my mind. Manu Bennett is truly remarkable in his performance. I love and hate him… at the same time. LOL I had a flurry of back and forth emails with a friend not long ago and one of the things we love the most about the show is how much Oliver totally screws up so much. His heart is usually in the right place, but he'll make the wrong call and everything blows up in his face. I, for one, love that about the show.

And finally… Bitten. Whoa. The season finale rocked!! I can't believe how much they crammed into forty-something minutes. I made the right call about who really pulled the strings, but I won't spoil anything here. LeBlanc and Santos got brilliantly awesome send offs. Basically, the perfect finale… even the very, very end. LOL I do have a bit of a quibble with Rachel, but I'm actually hoping there's more to her too stupid to live moments… and maybe my speculation will pay off regarding her. Come on, season two. *prays for news soon*

Last, but not least, gotta mention Captain America: Winter Soldier. I LOVED it. It's now at the top of my fave Marvel movies. I've always been a Cap girl anyway, but this movie just kicked major ass. And totally blew up the Marvel 'verse. LOL

My one and only gripe is having Natasha be former KGB. If her birthdate is 1984, the timeline doesn't fit since the KGB disbanded in something like 1991. Hmm… unless she joined at birth. *shrugs* It's a tiny blip. Besides, I can go with comic canon and assume she's doing the slow aging thing if I really need to. J

Whew… should get to the actual post, right? Tonight's snippet is from Climate Control, a short story that puts my characters in a bizarre situation where they have to get creative.

Here's the tagline:

When the climate control on their ship goes haywire, Ned and Lakin have to heat things up and cool things down. During the wait for a fix, they discover a mutual attraction and the temperature goes from chilly to blazing in record time.

And a sneaky peek…

Ned shivered. "Lakin, is it getting cold in here?" He glanced up, his gaze scanning the ducts.

Lakin followed his line of sight. Sure enough, a burst of frosty air spewed from the vents.

She rolled her eyes. "Dammit. It's gotta be something with the climate control." She rubbed her hands over her arms, the friction bringing goose bumps to the surface.

[Pass the word. Climate control is down for at least six hours. Pass the word]

Ned groaned and headed over to his locker to grab some fatigues and an extra blanket.

Lakin took the clothes and shoved them back onto the shelf, but took the bulky cover from Ned.

She had a better idea. "Ned, you're not on shift any time soon, are you?"

Ned shook his head. "No. Not until midday, why?"

Lakin's lips curved into a smile and she jerked her head toward his bunk. "Wanna share body heat?"

Ned grinned. "When did you get so smart?"

She smirked. "I always have been. You've just never noticed." She sat on the edge of the berth and drew her legs up onto the thin mattress, scooting over to give him room.

Ned spread the blanket out, then crawled in beside her. "Remind me to pay better attention." He shifted around, trying to get comfortable.

Lakin rolled onto her side, facing the wall. "Stop. You gotta be sideways. Turn toward me." She reached back, trying to grab his hip.

Instead she found the solid flesh of his torso. His abdomen rippled under her fingers, reacting to the light touch. Holy shit. How did she not know how built he'd become?

Huffing out a breath, she apologized. "Sorry. I hate that tickly feeling when someone gets me in the gut."

Ned angled forward, spooning up behind her. "It's all right. Just unexpected." He relaxed, drawing the blanket more snugly around them.

Lakin shivered a little and let the warmth of his body seep into hers. She grasped his hand, dragging his arm across her hips, draping it around her waist. He moved in closer, bringing his groin flush with her ass.

The hard ridge of his cock nestled between her cheeks. Even through the thin pants they each wore, she couldn't mistake the swelling of his erection.

Oh, my. She got goose bumps again… but not from the chill.

Gotta love it when characters discover their attraction in unusual ways, right? LOL

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

ML Skye

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Midwinter Crises #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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This week's post is from Midwinter Crises, book one of the Capital City Seasons series available from Ellipses Press, Ltd. I'm introducing Ben Murphy, an extraordinary negotiator who never loses his cool under pressure.

Series Tagline: High stakes adrenaline and hot romance are an explosive combination.

Book 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.

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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 had come home.

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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.

Seeing each other in a tense situation six months after breaking up is not.

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Get Hooked: Reel in a Great Book—Surviving the Trap #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 Surviving the Trap, book one of the Top Dog Pilots series coming this summer. J

Series Tagline: Two top pilots, Max Cutter and Maggie Harper, like to mix a little personal with their professional life.

Book Tagline: A week of hell pushes Maggie into taking risking her friendship with Max by sleeping with him.

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Groggily, Max glanced at the clock wondering why Maggie didn't just look for herself. "Twenty-two minutes." Yawning, he sat up, blinking and trying to focus. "Why?" Something seemed off with her, but he couldn't pin it down, so damned tired his brain rebelled against anything taxing.

Maggie grabbed his arm, tugging him out of his seat. "Come on." She led him out of the ready room, not giving him time to ask questions. Questions she wouldn't answer anyway if she didn't want to. "Come with me." Not letting go, she made her way down the corridor and across a passageway.

Max tried to play catch-up. By the second day of madness, he'd learned real, honest rest would not be an option and trained his body to go on half-alert when not in the cockpit, sort of like being on standby. He figured it the only way he could catch some sleep. Maggie had effectively interrupted his schedule of a catnap and bracing shower followed by hauling ass back to the hangar deck to run pre-flight checks. The routine played like a mantra in his head. Nap, shower, checks.

So, right. Running a little behind here. Max didn't know what Maggie wanted, but she seemed determined to drag him as far away from the ready room as possible. "Maggie, where are we going?" And how the hell did she even have the energy to walk right now. She almost crackled with vigor.

Maggie slowed down, but didn't let go of his arm. "Cutter, just shut up and come with me." Without another word, she rounded the next corner to duck through an open hatch, quickly pulling Max in behind her.

He stumbled a bit, barely clearing the raised threshold before she dogged the hatch. They were in an empty causeway. One used if a fire broke out on the ship. It was supposed to remain empty unless the fire signal had been activated. Clearly, the lack of sleep had Maggie unhinged.

Reaching to undo the hatch, he muttered. "You know we can't be here, Mags." Next thing he knew, Maggie had him backed up against the bulkhead, her lips sucking on his neck sending him into a state of shocked arousal. "What the hell?" He shook his head, wondering if he'd maybe fallen asleep somewhere back on the flight deck. "Mags?"

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(Cover art subject to change)

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Blurb: One week of extreme training, two top guns, and a healthy dose of unresolved sexual tension equals two pilots pushed to their limits, looking for a way to get through the hellish experience and possibly into each other's arms.

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