Feast Your Mind on Science Fiction Romance—The SFR Brigade Presents: Summer Cafe #sfrbp

Welcome to the Summer Cafe presented by the SFR Brigade.

Our theme this year is like a seven course meal, something for anyone whether you like the appetizers best or prefer to start with dessert. Whatever you're hungry for, the Brigade has a treat for you.

Readers: Get ready for some tasty morsels in the form of wonderful excerpts from talented authors. We've also got prizes, enough to fill a space port's food court.

Authors: Sprinkle some space dust on your best work and serve it up to the galaxy. This is the supernova hot portion of our dinner, so steamy stories are in the mix here.

~*~

A Little about ML Skye

My fascination with science fiction and life among the stars started at an early age, watching reruns of Star Trek with my dad when he got home from work. The romance came later, thanks to my mom and her wild, wacky reading group. The gaggle of women kept me supplied with romances throughout junior high and high school and I'll be forever thankful to each and every one of those ladies.

When the writing bug bit down hard and wouldn't let go, I found a natural drift toward romance mixed with science fiction. I enjoy reading about love under or out among the stars, why not write about it? After taking the plunge, I haven't looked back and I love to throw in some different themes, what life on a different planet or in the future might be like, or how humans formed a colony somewhere else, but still have many of the same traditions and responsibilities of their ancestors.

My current titles all have a tie-in with deep space, the home of millions of stars. Whether it's the last known station at the end of the universe, a first year celebration in a city on another planet, pilots flying together on a space cruiser, or a couple who are separated by an entire galaxy, the recipe for love and disaster are in equal portions.

For my newest release, Dress for Dinner, book three of the Top Dog Pilots series, Max Cutter and Maggie Harper are in a great place after getting through hell week in Surviving the Trap and dealing with a huge change brought on by tragedy in Bucking Convention. However… the recipe for keeping their relationship a happy one is tested by a big secret Maggie is forced to share followed by a whole buffet of sour grapes during a dinner party from hell.

Here's an excerpt:

Once everyone got seated for dinner, Cutter almost broke his promise to be nothing but well-mannered and affable. Not five minutes into the first course, after draining a glass of wine, Celine planted her stocking-clad foot in his lap. Even with Maggie's warning, the action took him by surprise. He swallowed the bisque too quickly and sputtered when it went down wrong. Reaching for his water glass, he used the motion to cover a fast but firm removal of the offending appendage.

Celine didn't take the hint. Oh no. The second course arrived and she upped the stakes.

Lifting her goblet, she nodded. "Major, another glass, please." She held his gaze.

Cutter leaned forward and poured, his eyes narrowing when she sent a wink in his direction.

Her foot found its way back to his lap, this time resting snugly against his cock with just enough pressure to show she meant business. If he tried the previous maneuver to get rid of her, it would cost him. Possibly a future generation.

She raised her glass and smirked.

Fine. He'd ignore the blatant seduction she obviously thought she'd accomplish. Gut instinct told him she wanted to get back at Maggie. Yeah, not gonna happen. He managed to carry on a decent conversation with Essex and the admiral, until Celine asked for her third refill of the table red.

Cutter frowned, but poured. "There you are, Mrs. Rockwell Harper." He settled back and picked up his fork.

Celine gave him a catlike smile. "Thank you, Major." Her toes moved nimbly over his crotch.

Max dropped his utensil and made a garbled choking sound. Essex shot him a warning glance and Cutter shifted a little under the scrutiny. He couldn't exactly blurt out the admiral's wife had a target lock on his dick and tried her hardest to make him go off. Glaring in Celine's direction, he moved his ass as far back in the seat as possible.

Available on Amazon ~ $1.99

~*~

Tagline: A formal dinner with an admiral challenges Cutter's ability to play nice.

Blurb: Max and Maggie are training up and coming pilots and life is great. But when Maggie's uncle, a retired admiral, brings his new and much younger bride to the ship for their honeymoon, Maggie takes one look at the woman and sees disaster. An emergency makes her miss the full dress dinner, leaving Max alone to deal with the hot simpering mess.

~*~

Contest Giveaway!

Now for the really fun part of the blog hop—lots of prizes!

The SFR Brigade is offering a galactic giveaway.

Details below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~*~

Author Giveaway!

I'll be offering three lucky participants the first two titles in the Top Dog Pilots Series.

Please leave a comment with your favorite recipe for a good book.

A tall glass of iced tea, a shady umbrella, and a hot story?

A fruity cocktail, sandy beach, and steamy romance?

Let me know what you love for your summer reading pleasure.

SURVIVING THE TRAP

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

Available on Amazon ~ $1.49

Take one week of extreme training, stir in two top guns, and mix up a healthy dose of unresolved sexual tension and discover two pilots pushed to their limits, looking for a way to get through the hellish experience and possibly into each other's arms.

BUCKING CONVENTION

A tragic loss puts Cutter on the edge and it's up to Maggie to pull him back.

Available on Amazon ~ $2.99

Max and Maggie survive Hell Week and start a relationship that works. Tragedy strikes Max's wingman and when Maggie shows up as the replacement, she discovers a very different Max. Not a good thing when he lives to fly… and can't.

Buy link

~*~

Please take a look at the other awesome entries on the blog tour and stuff yourself with great reads.

Thank you for reading!

Please visit my website for more information.

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Dress for Dinner #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 Dress for Dinner, book three of the Top Dog Pilot series coming in August from my personal imprint, Starry Sky Press. Today, I'm sharing a glimpse of where Cutter and Maggie are in their relationship.

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

Book Tagline: A formal dinner with an admiral challenges Cutter's ability to play nice.

~*~

Major Maggie Harper zipped up her rucksack and placed it next to Max Cutter's beside their front door. After a six week furlough, they were headed back to the Pathos and its commanding officer, Drake Essex.

Two years with the same CO, one she respected, had done wonders to temper her penchant for requesting transfers. Or maybe the two plus years with Cutter had settled her down. Either way, Maggie looked forward to getting back out in the black.

She checked the time. Still early yet. Cutter had the shower running… maybe she'd join him. Peeling off her shirt, she hit the steps at a run and ducked into the bathroom. Shimmied out of her shorts and panties and quietly popped the shower door open.

Cutter stood with this forehead against the wall, water sluicing over his skin. He still made Maggie hot. The planes and angles of his muscles, the way his skin glistened under the steaming spray. She eased up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, sliding her hands up to his chest. Cutter grabbed one and brought it to his lips, grazing her knuckles.

"Wondered if you'd join me."

~*~

Blurb: Max and Maggie are training up and coming pilots and life is great. But when Maggie's uncle, a retired admiral, brings his new and much younger bride, to the ship for their honeymoon, Maggie takes one look at the woman and sees disaster. An emergency makes her miss the full dress dinner, leaving Max alone to deal with the hot simpering mess.

Coming in August 2014

Please visit my website

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

A Gift from the Stars—The SFR Brigade Presents: Bucking Convention #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 Bucking Convention, book two of the Top Dog Pilot series coming in August from my personal imprint, Starry Sky Press. Today, I'm sharing a glimpse of why Cutter needs Maggie.

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

Book Tagline: A tragic loss puts Cutter on the edge and it's up to Maggie to pull him back.

~*~

The dream came again.

No different than the last three nights.

Captain Max Cutter struggled to pull himself out of the nightmare. Didn't want to be trapped inside it, watching his wingman's ship collide with an asteroid, exploding on impact.

There hadn't been time for Ray 'Snark' Kiwolski to eject. The accident happened that fast. The huge space rock hit at exactly the right spot on Snark's ship. One moment they argued about who had more skills in the gym and the next—BOOM—game over.

The explosion sent Max's bird into a tailspin and he had to quickly deal with the recoil or suffer the same fate. Pure instinct got him out of it because Max couldn't tear his eyes away from the carnage of the other ship. He'd give just about anything to have been able to do so.

Because he couldn't seem to escape the vision.

He saw it again and again. Relived the loss over and over, waking up in a cold sweat, the shock and trauma all but strangling him as he fought to breathe.

It had been the worst thing he'd ever seen. The explosion had been bad enough, but the aftermath? So much worse. Snark might not have been able to eject on his own, but the impact took care of that. And Max had to confirm what they'd all known.

His wingman had lost his life.

~*~

Blurb: Max and Maggie survive Hell Week and start a relationship that works. Tragedy strikes Cutter's wingman and when Maggie shows up as the replacement, she discovers a very different Max. Not a good thing when he lives to fly… and can't.

Maggie wants to support Max and help get him back on an even keel, but living and working with him tests her patience and mettle. It's so much easier to handle two tons of space craft than a surly man.

Coming in August 2014

Please visit my website 

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

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 sharing a glimpse of how Maggie and Cutter go from zero to hot.

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 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?"

~*~

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

~*~

Thank you for reading!

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

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

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! 

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! 

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! 

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! 

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.

~*~

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

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 Timmons stretched, then snuggled back down under the covers. She had one whole week of freedom during the semester break and didn't have to get up at half past ugly o'clock.

One of seven flight instructors who taught wet behind the ears cadets the ins and outs of flying—basic aeronautics, combat maneuvers, advanced weaponry assaults—she'd just finished putting twenty-five newbs through the wringer.

And most of them had passed muster.

She smiled when her boyfriend, Marcus McIvey, spooned up behind her. A marine first sergeant, he usually took leave when she had downtime, and they went off somewhere that had sand, sun, and cool, frothy drinks. At least, they had over the last two years.

Marc brushed his lips over her shoulder. "Morning, Chlo. Gonna sleep in today?"

She made a noncommittal sound, not quite ready to have coherent conversation yet.

Marc dropped a kiss on her temple, then eased out of bed. "Go ahead if you want, but I need to get up."

Chloe blinked and yawned. She flopped over on her back and observed Marc pulling open drawers and throwing clothes in his rucksack.

~*~

Gift yourself with more great sneak peeks!

Visit the other participating authors

Thank you for reading!