Book Tour Featuring *Jagged Line Paradise* by Brynn Ford @xpressotours #giveaway

Jagged Line Paradise
Brynn Ford
Publication date: April 15th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

A single moment of human brutality marks the difference between heaven and hell. It’s a rapid free fall from paradise and the drop is catastrophic.

Back then, we were just a couple of dirt poor teenagers who had nothing except for our friendship. I wanted it to be more and one night I made my move. Everything was perfect then, but perfection is fleeting. For one brief shining moment, everything was beautiful, but an inconceivable nightmare sent us straight to hell…to depths from which we could never return.

I left our hometown—a place she once called paradise—to flee the aftermath of that brutal event that broke us so completely. I left her behind to pick up the broken pieces of her soul that had shattered irreparably. And now, I’m going back to face the wreckage that I thought I’d put behind me—my father’s gruesome legacy, the trauma of our past, and the girl who survived it all without me by her side.

She hates me now for leaving her behind and I don’t blame her.
I don’t blame her, but I want her.
I want her, even though I know I should stay away from her.

I could be dangerous.
I am my father’s son, after all.

Content Warning: This book contains brief scenes of violence and is premised around a theme of trauma and healing. Some parts may be triggering to some readers—discretion is advised.

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—

EXCERPT:

“What did you wish for?” he asks, picking the candle from the cupcake and licking the frosting off the end.

I’m momentarily distracted by the way he sucks the end of it into his mouth. My heart skips a beat and butterflies flap their wings like crazy as my mind drifts. I shouldn’t be thinking about my best friend’s tongue licking frosting off things…and places.

I shake my head and take the cupcake from his hand, working to peel the wrapper off as I turn forward to look at the mountain sunset. “You know I can’t tell you that. Then it won’t come true.”

He moves to sit beside me, hip to hip, with our legs dangling over the edge. He sets the candle down on the dirt beside him and pulls the hood of his sweatshirt up before shoving his hands into the pockets. I don’t know why he wears hoodies in the summer—it’s scorching hot until nightfall—but it’s kind of a signature look for him.

“But if you tell me what you wished for,” he says, “then I could make it come true.”

“Really?” I lick blue frosting off my finger before I set the cupcake wrapper beside me. “What if I wished for a million dollars?”

“Then I’d get it for you.”

“How?”

He chuckles. “I don’t know. But I’d figure it out if that’s what you wanted.”

I swallow hard though I haven’t even taken a bite of the cake yet. “You really have to stop being so nice to me.” I take a dramatically large bite of mostly frosting and say the next part with a full mouth and good humor. “You’re gonna spoil me.”

Andrés nudges his shoulder against mine. “You can’t spoil someone who’s already spoiled, brat.”

The way he calls me brat makes my spine tingle and I don’t know why. I’m glad the sun is falling behind the mountain line and darkness creeps in to hide my flushed cheeks.

“Did you make this?” I ask, glancing over at him to find him watching me, his eyes on my mouth as my tongue swipes frosting from my bottom lip.

His eyes lift to meet mine and he smiles. “I did. Are you impressed?”

“I am. You wanna bite?” I hold out the remaining half of the cupcake in offering.

His thick, dark eyebrows knit together as he looks at it. “Yeah. Sure.” He leans in and takes a bite from the side at a strange angle and his lips brush against the top of my finger.

It makes me flinch, but not in a bad way. It’s because of the way my stomach tightens at his touch. Touch isn’t foreign between us, it’s always been there—hugs and side jabs and the occasional playful wrestle. It’s just that things have felt different lately.

Good different.

Scary different.

Author Bio:

Brynn Ford is an independent author of romance in all of its beautiful and sensually taboo forms. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful and strives to bring the unmentionable aspects of passionate romance into her stories.

Brynn resides in the Midwest with her husband and sons, whom she expects will someday be embarrassed by their mom's books. When she isn't obsessively writing, you may find her binge watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.

She is quite the idealist, despite her fascination with the wicked and warped aspects of humanity. Some of her stories may run out of words before a happily ever after, but she's a firm believer that her characters continue to live on outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories don't end just because there aren't anymore pages to turn.

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Book Tour Featuring *The Glass Slipper* by K. Webster @KristiWebster @xpressotours #giveaway

The Glass Slipper
K. Webster
Published by: Dangerous Press
Publication date: April 20th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Betraying the most powerful man in New York wasn’t something I ever envisioned when I first started playing games with Winston Constantine. But he’s engaged in far more dangerous games than ours, and his enemies are out for blood.

Winston has my heart, the Morellis have incriminating photos, and I’m left with nothing except three stepbrothers who want to hurt me and a future in doubt. I knew Winston wouldn’t be my prince charming, but that didn’t stop me from falling for him.
After all, the slippers fit, and I let myself believe I’d be dancing with Winston forever.
Until too much truth comes to light.

Until I realize instead of ruling the board, I was just a pawn.

In the end, I have only one question. When his game with me is over, will I be able to pretend as if the glass slipper wasn’t a perfect fit?

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—

Author Bio:

K Webster is a USA Today Bestselling author. Her titles have claimed many bestseller tags in numerous categories, are translated in multiple languages, and have been adapted into audiobooks. She lives in "Tornado Alley" with her husband, two children, and her baby dog named Blue. When she's not writing, she's reading, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and researching aliens.

You can easily find K Webster on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Goodreads!

Can't find a certain book? Maybe it's too hot for Amazon! Don't worry because titles like Bad Bad Bad, This is War, Baby, The Wild, and Hale can all be found for sale on K's website in both ebook and paperback format.

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Book Tour Featuring *Cruel Beasts* by Allie Santos @xpressotours #giveaway

Cruel Beasts
Allie Santos
(Moretti Academy, #1)
Publication date: April 2nd, 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Reverse Harem, Romance

I stood in their way and now they vowed to destroy me.

All I wanted was to experience life without my every move monitored, and Moretti Academy was my chance at freedom.

They had other ideas.

The werewolf I grew up with, the cold fae sleeping with school staff, and a dragon with psychotic tendencies set their sights on me—and not in a good way.

The university was supposed to save my life by bringing out my dragon, but the cruel beasts tormenting me may kill me before I get the chance to live.

CRUEL BEASTS is a 96,000 word paranormal romance with enemy-to-lovers/love-hate themes. This is a REVERSE HAREM novel, meaning the main character will end up with more than one love interest by the end of the series. This is book ONE of FOUR in the series. Triggers: Contains foul language, sexual scenes, heavy bullying, cliffhanger, and jealous/possessive themes.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Blinking, I registered he was still frozen under my touch and gaping down at me with those blue, gold flecked eyes. I lifted a finger, getting on my tip toes to poke his forehead as I’d done a million times before.

“Who’s this, Beckett?” A smooth low feminine voice said, and I finally peeked to see who the other three forms were. I met my neighbor’s furious gaze before jumping to Tanner Volkov’s cold arrogant features and finally settling on a waif of a girl that rivaled the guys’ height.

“I’m Maya—”

“She’s nothing. Some kid I grew up with,” Beckett interrupted me and grabbed my arms in a hard grip. I stifled my wince as he forcefully loosened my hold from him and shoved my arms away.

“Kid?” I muttered, confused. “You’re two years older than me.” I peered into his impassive expression as his gaze roved over me with derision. I frowned, where were the usual smiles?

“More of an annoyance than anything,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken and shrugged. I refused to believe this rude creature in front of me was Beckett.

“I see you’re firmly belted on the douche train. Is this some ‘being an ass’ phase you’re going through?” I asked, honestly curious.

Enzo took a step forward, pulling my attention to him when he gripped the collar of my uniform. “I thought I was clear yesterday.” The material stretched as he forced me closer to his face. The shirt became half untucked and air brushed my exposed midriff. I had to inch onto my toes so the collar didn’t choke me.

My eyebrows went up. “Clear about what, exactly?” Okay, now I was poking at him on purpose, but were these guys for real? A vein pulsed on his forehead as his jaw worked furiously and golden eyes slitting murderously. “You have really nice eyes.” Maybe offering him a compliment would help the redness fade from his face. Was he even breathing?

Author Bio:

Allie wishes she'd discovered books sooner than she did but has made up for the lost time by reading everything romance related that's crossed her path. She has a proclivity toward sexy, possessive heroes and headstrong, stubborn heroines. So, it's no wonder characters just like that bustle to escape her imagination.

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Book Tour Featuring *Harm’s Way* by Karen Renee @karenreneewrite @xpressotours #giveaway

Harm’s Way
Karen Renee
(Riot MC Biloxi #1)
Publication date: April 13th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

If it weren’t for bad luck, Stephanie Combes would have no luck at all.

On top of stealing her identity and ruining her credit, Stephie’s ex-boyfriend has shamed her in the most unexpected way. As a card dealer, she’s determined to make a fresh start in Biloxi where the tips are better and she can climb out from under her shame and debt. Running into her long-lost stepbrother and his sexy-as-sin best friend wasn’t in the cards, but that was her bum-luck rearing its ugly head. The last thing she wants is another man in her life.

When it rains it pours, but lucky for Stephie, Har is there to save the day during the deluge. Staying with Har temporarily should be no problem, but they can’t deny their lust. The more Stephie distances herself, the more Har fights to keep her around. And he fights dirty.

Michael “Har” Walcott’s motorcycle club is in turmoil. As president of the Riot MC Biloxi chapter, he’s determined to get his club out of the drug trade, but his brothers are resistant. The last thing he needs is a woman dividing his focus from his brothers and his club… which is precisely when he meets a spunky and seemingly familiar brunette.
She’s familiar because Stephanie was once a stepsister to Har’s best friend Brute. Allowing her to distract him isn’t an option. But after her roof collapses, Har steps in to save the day. The more he learns about Stephie, the more he wants her to stay.

He fights his attraction, but he can’t control his impulses.

He hasn’t felt anything like this for a woman in years. It’ll be a cold day in hell before he lets it slip through his fingers again.

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—

Author Bio:

Karen Renee is the award-winning author of the Riot MC series, the Beta series, and upcoming O-Town series. She has been writing since she was a teen, but has only recently brought her dream to life. Karen spent years working in the wonderful world of advertising, banking, and local television media research. She is a Jacksonville native, as well as a proud wife and mother. When she’s not at the soccer field or cooking, you can find her at her local library, the grocery store, in her car jamming out to some tunes, or hibernating while she writes and/or reads books.

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Book Tour Featuring *Cruel Devil* by Daniela Romero @Daniela_Writes @xpressotours #giveaway

Cruel Devil
Daniela Romero
(Devils of Sun Valley High, #3)
Publication date: April 30th, 2021
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance, Sports

Dominique Price hates me.
He wants me.
He can never have me.

At least that’s what I tell him.
Good looking, arrogant, football God, everything comes so easy for him. I won’t be just another game to win.
It doesn’t matter that I want him.
It doesn’t matter that with just one look, he takes my breath away.

He’s my brother’s best friend and officially off limits.
But when he touches me, I forget what we’re supposed to be.
Acquaintances. Enemies. Nothing.
And I dream of what we could be.
Friends. Lovers. Everything.

If only everyone’s expectations weren’t standing in the way.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

—

EXCERPT:

Dominique stalks across the living room and mutters out a “baby Henderson,” in greeting as soon as he sees me.

My shoulders stiffen. He knows how much I hate when he calls me that.

“Satan,” I respond, lifting my cup in salute.

He stops and turns toward me, a single arrogant brow raised in question. “Satan?”

I shrug. “Self appointed Devil,” I remind him.

He snorts. “No one’s called any of us Devils since Highschool.”

Another shrug. “I know. That’s why I gave you an upgrade. Satan is much more fitting, don’t you think?”

Author Bio:

Daniela Romero is a Snarky AF, Latinx Author, who happens to also be a Mom of 3. Born and raised in sunny California, she now makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and is happy to enjoy all four seasons even if the snow can sometimes be a bit much. She hates cheese--of all kinds--and yes that means she orders cheeseless pizza. Daniela is an ENTJ all the way which means she loves to talk (a lot) and is probably as extroverted as they come so feel free to shoot her a message, send a raven, throw up smoke signals. Whatever it may be. She love's chatting with readers so feel free to stalk her.

No really!

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Book Tour Featuring *Pressure* by Chiquita Dennie @304_publishing @xpressotours #giveaway

Pressure
Chiquita Dennie
(The Driven World, #2)
Publication date: April 8th, 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pressure is a hot, enemies-to-lovers romance, contemporary romance written in K. Bromberg’s Driven World Project.

Malik Pierce lives with his family’s high expectations in his head. He does his best to make them proud. Slated as the next CEO for a billion-dollar racing company and on track to become its top strategist, he should be on top of the world, but life has handed him a cheating scandal that won’t be simple to solve.

Sarai Lambert wants a man she can trust to do the right thing, but right now, Malik isn’t that man. Not yet, anyway. She can’t sit back and wait as life passes her by. She has to move on, but when she does, the happy life she thought she’d get in exchange for leaving her hometown is nothing but a dream… until or unless Malik can pull himself together and fix the problems in his life.

Will they find a path forward together or are Malik’s problems too much for either to bear?

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—

EXCERPT:

Forty minutes later I was getting out of the cab in front of my condo and stepping inside the elevator. It had just turned midnight and I was exhausted from the day. I was tempted to take off my shoes in the elevator, from being on my feet all day and then having dinner. The elevator dinged and I stepped off on the penthouse floor. This was the same building Kamden used to live in and he actually sold me his place for a lower cost. I wasn’t ready to buy a home since I traveled so much. Strolling out I bumped into a brick wall of a hard-chiseled body wearing only a white t- shirt and gray jogging sweatpants.

“What are you doing here so late?” Malik asked.
I checked my watch, seeing it just turned one am.
“It’s late and I live here,” I quipped as I motioned toward Kamden’s old

place.
“Since when?” Malik wondered, holding a trash bag and staring at me.

I slightly pulled on my dress, feeling his eyes on me.
“Since Kamden sold it to me a few weeks ago,” I answered, not wanting

30 PRESSURE

to explain that I left my old place that I shared with Christopher and stayed with my mom, then eventually got tired of being under constant scrutiny.

“You have fun with your friends?” Malik asked. I walked around him and inserted my key in the door.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but I did.”
He chuckled. “That mouth, Sarai, is terrible.”
“I get that a lot,” I told him, walking inside of my place and shutting the

door in his face.
I leaned against the door and blew out an exasperated long held breath

and closed my eyes, cursing myself out for having that last glass of wine at dinner. I actually thought Malik was attractive outside of his usual suits.

I pulled off my shoes and headed to my bedroom where I removed my dress, tossed it over the couch and grabbed my silk robe. I couldn’t sleep without taking my makeup off at night, so I picked up a makeup wipe remover and cleaned my face when the doorbell rang again.

“Who the hell is that?” I asked myself before sliding my feet into my black kitty house shoes. I looked through the peephole and sighed. Turning the knob, I opened the door and Malik’s eyes and mouth focused on my body in the robe. I cleared my throat.

“Yeah.”

“You left this in the Uber. The doorman gave this to me when he saw me in the mailroom,” Malik said, holding out my purse for me to take.

“Thanks,” I replied, and grabbed it from him.

“I figure since you’re living in Kamden’s place now, Cicely works for you,”” Malik said.

I nodded. “Basically, I inherited her from Kamden. She refused to cut her hours down,” I joked.

“That’s Cicely,” Malik replied.
There was an awkward silence between us.
“Uhm. Well I need to get some sleep for tomorrow. Because someone is

demanding I meet with them,” I hinted. He chortled and stepped back heading toward his apartment door. I closed the door, leaned against it and closed my eyes.

“You can’t, Sarai. He’s off-limits,” I said to myself. Heading back to my bedroom I finished cleaning off my makeup, brushed my teeth and got in bed to sleep the rest of the night away. Right as I closed my eyes and set the alarm, my phone buzzed, and I picked it up off the charger on the nightstand.

Author Bio:

Chiquita Dennie is an Author, Filmmaker, Podcast host, and Entrepreneur. Born in Memphis, TN, and currently a Los Angeles CA native. Her background in film/tv has taught and shaped her passion for writing with her debut romance novel Antonio and Sabrina Struck In Love. Since its debut, fans have embraced the unconventional love story of Sabrina Washington and Antonio De Luca an Amazon Best Seller series.

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Book Tour Featuring *City of Whispers* by Katt Powers @Katt_Powers @sdsxxtours #giveaway

 

This is my stop during the blog tour for City of Whispers. Join us for this tour from Mar 22 to Apr 22, 2021!

City of Whispers

Imperial Assassin Book 1

by Katt Powers

Genre: Epic Adventure Fantasy

A disgraced assassin. A sinister plot. Will her one shot at redemption send her to the grave?

Dhani Karim is furious. Wrongfully expelled from the Imperial Assassins, the snarky killer is forced into a lowly unranked position in a remote desert colony, working with a guy who’s clearly damaged goods. And when they barely survive an attack on what should have been a routine assignment, she fears clearing her name could cost her life.

Struggling to navigate a land where she’s the only person who can’t wield magic, things get worse when she receives a death threat and her unwanted partner vanishes. But when the clues lead to a violent cult, Dhani finds herself in a race against time to stop a bloodbath that will consume thousands of innocent lives.

Can she expose a deadly conspiracy before it causes a massacre?

City of Whispers is the thrilling first book in the Imperial Assassin fantasy adventure series. If you like kickass heroines, high-octane action, and off-the-charts snark, then you’ll love Katt Powers’ gritty tale.

Buy City of Whispers for a pulse-pounding page-turner today!

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Can you, for those who don't know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author? 

I’m an Australian and I’m both an anthropologist and an archaeologist. For Americans, it’s really important to note that archaeology and anthropology are totally separate disciplines in Australia - like chalk and cheese.

I’ve always made up stories in my head, even as a small child. In fact, I preferred my own company and my toys even when I was very small, and amused myself for days. 

My author journey started when I was about 12. I was horse-mad (yes, I had horses) and wrote horse stories, longhand, on foolscap paper.  

Then I started reading fantasy. This was the early 1980s (ok, I’m old), and I read books like The Sword of Shannara, then Lord of the Rings, Duncton Wood, The Belgariad, The Dragonlance series...I was hooked. 

From there, it was just natural that I started writing fantasy. 

Long story short, I got my first publishing contract in 2002 with Magellan Books. The following year I got an agent, and had an offer on a novel from one of the Big Five publishers. 

Unfortunately two things happened. My marriage fell apart, and then I became very ill from a hereditary illness. I almost died four times. 

I stopped writing fiction until 2015. City of Whispers is my first novel since 2003.

 I live on a 24 acre bush property on the Murray River in the state of South Australia. There’s no street lights, we’re about 30 kilometres from the nearest town and we can’t see our neighbours. I despise streetlights with a passion, so this is heaven for me.

I’m married, have two children and a fabulous step-daughter and son-in-law (who are both huge fantasy readers). We have two very naughty dogs, Wiley and Scout. 

What is something unique/quirky about you? 

I’ve lived most of my adult life in outback Australia, which means when I’m doing fieldwork, I’ve had to camp alone. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Cities are far more scary than anything you find in the outback. 

I’m of Aboriginal (Wiradjuri) descent, speak an Aboriginal language (Arrernte, pronounced uh-RUN-duh), and have been through Women’s Law (women’s initiation) for the Two Women Dreaming near Watarrka (Kings Canyon), in the Northern Territory. This means I have pretty serious kinship and spiritual responsibilities to both the land and the ladies who put me through Law. They are my aunties, mothers and grandmothers Aboriginal way, even though they are not blood relations as white people have family. 

Tell us something really interesting that's happened to you! 

Probably the most interesting thing? Hmm. I’ve climbed halfway up Mt Everest. That was the travel highlight of my life. 

Where were you born/grew up at? 

I was born in Sydney and spent some of my younger life growing both there and in a very famous country town called Bowral. Anyone who’s a cricket fan will know that Bowral is the hometown of the legendary Aussie cricketer, Sir Don Bradman. 

What do you do to unwind and relax? 

I exercise - no joke. Everyday, I walk or run between 10-15 kilometres. Partly I do this to unwind and I also do it to keep fit for my archaeology job. A lot of archaeology is field surveys, where you might have to walk up to 30 kilometres in a day. 

When did you first consider yourself a writer? 

When I started winning short story competitions - then I knew I was at a place in my writing where other people thought I could write.

Do you have a favorite movie? 

I have a few! Independence Day, LoTR, all the Indiana Jones movies (except the fourth one), Himalaya, Amelia, Love Actually, The Day After Tomorrow, The Lion King, Avatar.

You can probably tell I have eclectic tastes.

What inspired you to write this book? 

City of Whispers came about as I was REALLY annoyed by how so-called kickass female characters were being written by some female writers. Snarky, stick-thin glamazons who never seemed to train, had no muscles or scars, but were somehow experts with weapons...and they were usually 17 years old. 

So I set about creating a totally believable, kickass female character. She’s 28 at the start of the series, snarky, ruthless, morally grey, and a little world-weary. There’s scars, both inside and out, she’s not angsty, knows what she wants but life keeps screwing her 50 times sideways and kicking her down. 

I was writing another book (which I will publish), and in it, I had a minor character who was an assassin-bodyguard for an empress.

In 2016, I was out bush doing fieldwork in an Aboriginal community called Wingellina (Google it. I assure you it’s REMOTE), and as I was going to sleep, the idea for the Imperial Assassin series featuring the empress’s bodyguard came into my head. 

What can we expect from you in the future? 

I’ll finish off the Imperial Assassin series and at this stage have three more series planned. Some are in the same world, but others are not. 

Do you have any “side stories” about the characters? 

Yes, I do. I share them as short stories or and extra scenes to my newsletter subscribers. 

After a time living in the NSW Southern Highlands, she worked as an anthropologist in the Northern Territory for many years. 

A decade ago, she retrained as an archaeologist specialising in human remains and Aboriginal archaeology. She now works as a senior archaeologist for a large ecology and heritage consultancy. She is of Aboriginal descent and is deeply grateful to have spent over 20 years protecting Aboriginal heritage. 

She is currently writing two series:

The Imperial Assassin series follows the adventures of Dhani Karim, wrongly expelled from the Imperial Assassins for a murder she didn’t commit. Demoted to a rankless covert operative, she fights to prove her innocence and regain her place in the Assassins.

The Children of Dust and Flame series involves Nimala Sirasena, a young woman forced to become the Empire’s secret weapon to save her adopted family. Nimala must overcome hate, prejudice and her own mysterious background if she’s to succeed and save the people she loves.

Katt currently lives on 24 acres in the Murray-Mallee region of South Australia with her husband, two very naughty dogs and lots of prickles.

She does not like Vegemite and has never seen the movie Titanic.

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Book Tour Featuring *JUST MY LUCK* by Adele Parks @AdeleParks @HarlequinBooks

 

JUST MY LUCK

Author: Adele Parks

ISBN: 9780778331735

Publication Date: April 6, 2021

Publisher: MIRA Books

About the Book:

Adele Parks has brought her #1 Sunday Times sensation, JUST MY LUCK (MIRA Trade Paperback; April 6, 2021; $17.99) to the US! 

Be careful what you wish for... 

After spending happy hours, parenting classes and barbeques together for the last 15 years, Lexi and Jake Greenwood have celebrated and shared almost everything with the Pearsons and the Heathcotes, including their lottery numbers. Then one night, the unthinkable happens. Someone has been telling lies – lies dark enough to burn bridges and tear the tight group of friends apart. When the Greenwoods win a stunning $23 million in the lottery with their group’s numbers shortly after their dramatic falling out, the Heathcotes and Pearsons believe they’re entitled to part of the prize... and the three couples will do anything to claim what is theirs. 

Reader beware: the last chapter will change everything. 

A compulsively readable portrait of the fragility of friendship, the corrosiveness of sudden wealth, and the dark side of good luck, Adele Parks’ latest domestic thriller will make you think twice about trying your hand at the lottery.

Purchase Links:

Harlequin 

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Amazon

Books-A-Million

Powell’s

Excerpt:

Chapter 1

 

Saturday, April 20

 

I can’t face going straight home to Jake. I’m not ready to deal with this. I need to try to process it first. But how? Where do I start? I have no idea. The blankness in my mind terrifies me.

I always know what to do. I always have a solution, a way of tackling something, giving it a happy spin. I’m Lexi Greenwood, the woman everyone knows of as the fixer, the smiler—some might even slightly snidely call me a do-gooder. Lexi Greenwood, wife, mother, friend.

You think you know someone. But you don’t know anyone, not really. You never can.

I need a drink. I drive to our local. Sod it, I’ll leave the car at the pub and walk home, pick it up in the morning. I order a glass of red wine, a large one, and then I look for a seat tucked away in the corner where I can down my drink alone. It’s Easter weekend, and a rare hot one. The place is packed. As I thread  my way through the heaving bar, a number of neighbors raise a glass, gesturing to me to join them; they ask after the kids and Jake. Everyone else in the pub seems celebratory, buoyant. I feel detached. Lost. That’s the thing about living in a small village—you recognize everyone. Sometimes that reassures me, sometimes it’s inconvenient. I politely and apologetically deflect their friendly overtures and continue in my search for a solitary spot. Saturday vibes are all around me, but I feel nothing other than stunned, stressed, isolated.

You think you know someone.

What does this mean for our group? Our frimily. Friends that are like family. What a joke. Blatantly, we’re not friends anymore. I’ve been trying to hide from the facts for some time, hoping there was a misunderstanding, an explanation; nothing can explain away this.

I told Jake I’d only be a short while, and I should text him to say I’ll be longer. I reach for my phone and realize in my haste to leave the house I haven’t brought it with me. Jake will be wondering where I am. I don’t care. I down my wine. The acidity hits my throat, a shock and a relief at once. Then I go to the bar to order a second.

The local pub is only a ten-minute walk away from our home, but by the time I attempt the walk back, the red wine has taken effect. Unfortunately, I am feeling the sort of drunk that nurtures paranoia and fury rather than a light head or heart. What can I do to right this wrong? I have to do something. I can’t carry on as normal, pretending I know nothing of it. Can I?

As I approach home, I see Jake at the window, peering out. I barely recognize him. He looks taut, tense. On spotting me, he runs to fling open the front door. 

“Lexi, Lexi, quickly come in here,” he hiss-whispers, clearly agitated. “Where have you been? Why didn’t you take your phone? I’ve been calling you. I needed to get hold of you.”

What now? My first thoughts turn to our son. “Is it Logan? Has he hurt himself?” I ask anxiously. As I’m already teetering on the edge, my head quickly goes to a dark place. Split skulls, broken bones. A dash to the hospital isn’t unheard-of. Thirteen-year-old Logan has daredevil tendencies and the sort of mentality that thinks shimmying down a drainpipe is a reasonable way to exit his bedroom in order to go outside and kick a football about. My fifteen-year-old daughter, Emily, rarely causes me a moment’s concern.

“No, no, he’s fine. Both the kids are in their rooms. It’s… Look, come inside, I can’t tell you out here.” Jake is practically bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. I can’t read him. My head is too fuzzy with wine and full of rage and disgust. I resent Jake for causing more drama, although he has no idea what shit I’m dealing with. I’ve never seen him quite this way before. If I touched him, I might get an electric shock; he oozes a dangerous energy. I follow my husband into the house. He is hurrying, urging me to speed up. I slow down, deliberately obtuse. In the hallway he turns to me, takes a deep breath, runs his hands through his hair but won’t—can’t—meet my eyes. For a crazy moment I think he is about to confess to having an affair. “Okay, just tell me, did you buy a lottery ticket this week?” he asks.

“Yes.” I have bought a lottery ticket every week for the last fifteen years. Despite all the bother last week, I have stuck to my habit.

Jake takes in another deep breath, sucking all the oxygen from the hallway. “Okay, and did you—” He breaks off, finally drags his eyes to meet mine. I’m not sure what I see in his gaze, an almost painful longing, fear and panic. Yet at the same time there is hope there, too. “Did you pick the usual numbers?”

“Yes.”

His jaw is still set tight. “You have the ticket?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sure?” 

“Yes, it’s pinned on the noticeboard in the kitchen. Why? What’s going on?”

“Fuck.” Jake lets out a breath that has the power of a storm. He falls back against the hall wall for a second, and then he rallies, grabs my hand and pulls me into the room that was designed to be a dining room but has ended up being a sort of study slash dumping ground. A place where the children sometimes do their homework, where I tackle paying the household bills, and where towering piles of ironing, punctured footballs and old trainers hide out. Jake sits down in front of the computer and starts to quickly open various tabs.

“I wasn’t sure that we even had a ticket, but when you were late back and the film I was watching had finished, I couldn’t resist checking. I don’t know why. Habit, I suppose. And look.”

“What?” I can’t quite work out what he’s on about. It might be the wine, or it might be because my head is still full of betrayal and deceit, but I can’t seem to climb into his moment. I turn to the screen. The lottery website. Brash and loud. A clash of bright colors and fonts.

The numbers glare at me from the computer—1, 8, 20, 29, 49, 58. Numbers I am so familiar with, yet they seem peculiar and unbelievable.

“I don’t understand. Is this a joke?”

“No, Lexi. No! It’s for real. We’ve only gone and won the bloody lottery!”

 

Excerpted from Just My Luck by Adele Parks, Copyright © 2021 by Adele Parks. 

Published by MIRA Books

About the Author:

Adele Parks is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of twenty novels, including Lies Lies Lies and Just My Luck, as well as I Invited Her In. Just My Luck is currently in development to be made into a movie. Her novels have sold 4 million copies in the UK alone, and her work has also been translated into thirty-one languages.

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