Showing posts with label multicultural romance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multicultural romance. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Private Party Teaser #rabtbooktours




BDSM Erotic Romance, Multicultural & Interracial

Date Published: August 7, 2026



Newly divorced, Brandi’s in trouble. What she doesn’t need? Her past coming back to haunt her.

 

Reeling from her ex-husband’s infidelity and buried in the mountain of debts he left behind, Brandi needs to make money -- a lot of money -- fast, or she’ll lose her home. When she applies for a job as a hostess at an adult club, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with her high school flame.

Greg has grown up a lot since high school, but he’s never forgotten the woman who left him behind. No longer a quiet geek, the self-made multi-millionaire intends to win Brandi back, and his first step is to make her an offer she can’t refuse. He hires her as his escort for the evening at an adult party in his mansion. Now he has one night to convince her he’s matured into the masterful mate she needs.

The following excerpt contains material suitable only for readers 18+. 

EXCERPT

Brandi stared at her reflection in the mirror. The lush black velvet suited her better than she’d expected, contrasting nicely with the soft brown of her skin. She’d had her hair styled last month -- the day before her world fell apart -- and it fell just below her shoulders in a shimmery dark curtain. Definitely a good investment. She twisted sideways, wiggling her butt. Yup. That skirt was short. Real short. Short enough she’d be afraid to bend over. Then again, if she bent over her breasts would probably spill right out of the low-cut top that formed the other half of the costume. Did people really work in outfits like this?

She gave her head a mental shake. Of course they did. If you wanted the big tips, you needed to show off a little of the merchandise.

Life wasn’t fair, and happily ever afters only happened on the pages of those sappy romance novels. Losing her job and then watching her husband desert her for a teenaged slut sure brought that one home in a hurry. She needed this job, needed to pay off the huge stack of bills he’d left her with before she lost her home as well, and in this labor market she couldn’t afford to be picky.

When she’d seen the ad for a hostess at a local after-hours club, she’d plastered what she hoped was a come-hither smile on her face and applied for the position. If nothing else, it would give her some breathing room while she figured out what she wanted to do. She’d be damned if she’d let that lecherous excuse for a husband ruin her life.

Opening the front closet, Brandi perused the selection of winter coats. Since she’d been reduced to using public transit, she’d better make sure the skimpy costume didn’t get her mugged before she got to the interview. The man who’d dropped off the costume had been very specific. The interview for the job was at three sharp, and the manager did not expect to be kept waiting.

Picking a thick wool coat that fell partway down her calves to hide the scandalous outfit, she made sure she buttoned it all the way up to her chin. Catching a chill and sneezing all over the manager would not improve her chances of getting this job. She grabbed her purse off the side table and locked the door behind her.

* * *

Oh, shit! Brandi folded her hands behind her back and tried not to stare. Greg Bridger. With the way her luck had been going lately, why hadn’t she realized it would be him doing the hiring when she desperately needed the job? Greg Bridger was the guy she’d spent her entire high school career dating. The guy everyone expected her to marry. The guy she’d walked out on for the worthless piece of trash who’d just deserted her for the pom-pom queen.

She hadn’t kept track of him for the past ten years, hadn’t really given him much thought while she’d been so entranced with her scumbag of a husband. Maybe she should have. He carried himself with a self assurance that spoke volumes. He wore his dark hair short these days, in a cut that flattered the rugged lines of his face. Six feet tall, he had the muscular frame of someone who spent hours every week at the gym. That hadn’t always been the case.

Although he’d been quiet in high school, more of a geek than a jock, Greg had always had plans and dreams, big dreams. Somehow she never thought of him settling for a safe job like manager of an adult club, even if it was the most popular club on the east side of town. Maybe he’d decided to trade in his dreams of corporate success for that fantastic body.

She had no idea if she had a snowball’s chance in hell of getting this job. If Greg recognized her, he gave no sign. He circled her slowly, his eyes impersonal as he made notes on the clipboard he was holding. Was it her imagination, or did his eyes linger with just a hint of lust on her cleavage? And should that upset her or give her hope?

Brandi made an effort to rein in her errant libido and tried not to fidget. It wasn’t her fault. Seeing Greg again had been a shock, and reawakened feelings she’d long forgotten. He’d been an enthusiastic, if somewhat awkward lover in high school, and he’d matured impressively in the last ten years. Sex appeal was stamped all over his rugged frame, and if she were honest with herself, she had to admit that her husband had never really satisfied her in the bedroom. She’d always longed for him to be a bit more inventive, but he’d never really done more than give her a quick slam-bam before he’d rolled over and commenced snoring.

After the first few disappointing months, she’d resigned herself to a less than inspired sex life. She was surprised to feel the corner of her mouth tugging upward as she wondered if the little tart he’d run off with was getting bored with his insipid technique yet.

“Do you find this amusing? I was under the impression you wanted this job.” Frost tinged Greg’s voice as he stopped in front of her, one dark eyebrow raised in query.

“Not at all, sir.” It was fairly obvious he didn’t recognize her, and personal history aside, she really did need this job. “I was thinking of something else. It won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t.” His voice rang with disapproval. “I expect my staff to pay close attention to my instructions at all times.”

“Of course.” Damn. She really needed this job.

“Well, then.” His gaze swept over her in frank assessment before he consulted the tablet. “I have to say, I don’t feel you are suited for the position.”

Brandi felt her heart drop. She really needed this job. “You don’t? I’ll work really hard, I promise.” She hated the whining note in her voice. “I’ll do whatever you want me to. Just give me a chance.”

A hint of a smile hovered at the corner of his mouth. “I’m afraid not. We are looking for someone younger, someone the clients will keep buying more drinks from in the hopes of getting lucky.” His gaze swept over her briefly. “You are definitely not the cheerleader type. The clients would take one look at you and know they were outclassed. I do, however, have another opening that you might be interested in. If you would care to take a seat out in the lobby while I finish up here?”

Crap! He’d as much as told her she was over the hill. Definitely not something you want to hear from an ex-lover. Then again, he had mentioned another position. She’d come looking for a job, not a lover. At least he wasn’t holding their shared past against her, assuming he even recognized her. He’d given no signs.

 

 

About the Author

Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog whose breed defies description, a cantankerous Himalayan cat, and too many fish to count. She spent many years trying to fit in and act normal, but finally gave up the effort. She started writing romance in 2008, and her fate was sealed when she won a publishing contract with Red Sage Publishing and just a month later Changeling Press accepted her first submission. Since then she has published more than thirty stories in a variety of sub-genres, all with a happily ever after.

She has two handsome sons and six adorable grandchildren and enjoys spending time with them whenever she can. Her hobbies, when she’s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar, singing and of course, reading.

 

Website

Facebook

Twitter (X)

Goodreads

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress




RABT Book Tours & PR

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

The Shores Of Our Souls Teaser #rabtbooktours




Multicultural Family Saga / Fiction

Date Published: 4-21-2026

Publisher: Ground One Press



She’s a sheltered American. He’s a Middle Eastern diplomat. Can their love lead to lasting peace overseas?

New York City, 1981. Dianna leaves her small southern town for the bright lights and rich culture of the Big Apple and a prime job at the Met. Sparks fly when she crosses paths with a charming Lebanese diplomat. A shared night of passion launches her into an exciting romance and opens her eyes to a bloody conflict far from home. But as warring factions take hold overseas, she can’t shake the feeling that her new love is hiding dark secrets.

Qasim has never known peace. When he gets the chance to bring his country’s troubles before the United Nations, he abandons his family obligations to heal his war-torn homeland. But his true mission takes a detour when he falls for a beautiful American woman. Against the urging of his closest friend and mentor, he wants to share his heart and hopes with her.

In the face of cultural barriers and mounting war, can Dianna and Qasim find the strength to stand up for their love and a lasting peace?

 

Excerpt


February 13, 1981, New York City


Dianna scans the bar through strobe-lit smoke. A haze casts a film on the room’s mirrored walls, hung to give the illusion of space.

“Are you sure this is where you want to be tonight?” Sophia waves her elegant hand through the smoke and lights a cigarette. She feels a pang of guilt for dragging Sophia here. Two decades older, Sophia is more fairy godmother than buddy.

“Sorry,” is all Dianna shouts over the din and shrugs. She catches her stomach sticking out ever so slightly in one of the mirrors and takes a deep breath to pull it in.

“Dianna, I’m afraid I can’t stay much longer,” Sophia says.

Doubting she has the courage to stay here alone, Dianna ponders her options. She looks up at the scum-covered ceiling and asks for inner strength. The subway will close soon, and she has no car.

Then she sees him.

He wears a European suit. An expensive watch with a black face and gold hands glints on his right wrist. Not much taller than she, but wiry, he seems at once exotic and familiar: olive skin graces distinct, proportionate features. His dark hair reminds her of her mother’s, and his graceful stance, her father’s. He moves with a purposeful gait, arms relaxed, head tilted slightly to the right. He seems part of a world she has yet to experience.

The man circles her, moving through the crowd, around chatting couples, each time drawing nearer, until he stands before her, touching her forearm. “Have you seen a woman...?” he begins. Dianna misses the rest of his sentence because of the blaring music, his accent, and the word “woman.” He could be fibbing to make himself appear less threatening. Or maybe he has been stood up. “Look around you,” she says and laughs. “Women everywhere. What did she look like?”

He moves in closer and speaks directly into her ear so she can hear him. Dianna shivers as she catches a whiff of his cologne. Her eyes catch his. With his tailored suit and self-possessed energy, he almost fits right in. Yet his eyes betray him. This man has suffered. She knows all about pretending. She’s hooked. Dianna gazes at the green stone with a pang of pride. She doubts this man wants to hear much about her college days or the job that put her through school. “Yes,” she replies.

 


About the Author


KATHRYN BROWN RAMSPERGER is an award-winning author, editor, and creativity coach. A former National Geographic writer and researcher and humanitarian staff member for the International Red Cross, she has lived and worked in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, regions that deeply inform her storytelling. The Shores of Our Souls is a Foreword Indies finalist and a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Literary Competition. She’s a recipient of the Hollins University Fiction Award.

Having firsthand experience in the places she writes about, Kathryn brings a unique authenticity to her stories, blending rich cultural details with the universal themes of love, redemption, and peace. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and publications management at George Washington University. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two adult children, off to their own world adventures, but still parent a feisty feline. Next on their bucket list: Croatia, Portugal, or Tanzania!


Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Instagram

Tiktok


Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/TheShoresofOurSouls

Amazon






RABT Book Tours & PR

Thursday, June 4, 2026

The Shores Of Our Souls Book Blitz #rabtbooktours




Multicultural Family Saga / Fiction

Date Published: 4-21-2026

Publisher: Ground One Press



She’s a sheltered American. He’s a Middle Eastern diplomat. Can their love lead to lasting peace overseas?

New York City, 1981. Dianna leaves her small southern town for the bright lights and rich culture of the Big Apple and a prime job at the Met. Sparks fly when she crosses paths with a charming Lebanese diplomat. A shared night of passion launches her into an exciting romance and opens her eyes to a bloody conflict far from home. But as warring factions take hold overseas, she can’t shake the feeling that her new love is hiding dark secrets.

Qasim has never known peace. When he gets the chance to bring his country’s troubles before the United Nations, he abandons his family obligations to heal his war-torn homeland. But his true mission takes a detour when he falls for a beautiful American woman. Against the urging of his closest friend and mentor, he wants to share his heart and hopes with her.

In the face of cultural barriers and mounting war, can Dianna and Qasim find the strength to stand up for their love and a lasting peace?

 


About the Author


KATHRYN BROWN RAMSPERGER is an award-winning author, editor, and creativity coach. A former National Geographic writer and researcher and humanitarian staff member for the International Red Cross, she has lived and worked in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, regions that deeply inform her storytelling. The Shores of Our Souls is a Foreword Indies finalist and a finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom Literary Competition. She’s a recipient of the Hollins University Fiction Award.

Having firsthand experience in the places she writes about, Kathryn brings a unique authenticity to her stories, blending rich cultural details with the universal themes of love, redemption, and peace. She studied creative writing at Hollins University, and publications management at George Washington University. She currently lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two adult children, off to their own world adventures, but still parent a feisty feline. Next on their bucket list: Croatia, Portugal, or Tanzania!


Contact Links

Website

Twitter

Goodreads

Instagram

Tiktok


Purchase Links

https://mybook.to/TheShoresofOurSouls

Amazon






RABT Book Tours & PR

Saturday, March 21, 2026

Faceless Book Blitz #rabtbooktours




Contemporary Romance



There are three things that I know about myself:

 

1. I am a woman of no importance at all.

2. I am a woman who, one day, fell in love with the least likely person.

3. I am a woman who faced the worst aspects of herself—and vows to never go back.

 

Briseis Cunningham—plain and ordinary!

 

After the 2024 Presidential Election, Briseis, a patriotic tour guide, felt like she wanted to take a tour of her own city of Philadelphia, looking for resolution in the past. While sitting on the tour bus, she has flashbacks of the last three summers, and what was occurring in her country at the time. Weighted down by the worries of the choice her nation just made, she undergoes a great deal of soul searching.

 

Beginning with one summer, in 2022, she accepts a job, working at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. While there, she meets all the talented performers, but one stands out the most: Jin Chang, a Face Changer.

 

From there, it all begins!

 

Follow the tale of an American woman who stumbles on love for a man from another side of the world… and while also having to come to terms with what has just happened in the United States, her fear of the loss of the American Experiment, and her worries of where her country is headed.



About the Author

 

 Hello, readers! My name is B. J. Quander, and I am an American Revolution history enthusiast, who has always been compelled to learn about the origins of the United States of America, as well as the countries that created it, that have inspired it, and the native nations that this land belongs to.

I also have a great respect for the constitution, the law, and strictly upholding it. After all, many of my fellow Americans, along with other nations who have helped us, have died for the American Experiment to live. Being a native Philadelphian, I have felt the tie that connects us back to the foundations of a war that was fought on principles of a free government and defiance against unchecked authoritarianism. Did we fail? Plenty of times. But the dream still was there, and it felt real. Or it did once. This book I wrote is about a heroine who worries about the sun setting on our nation, as opposed to the sun rising on it, while also being willing to fall in love. Thank you for stopping by.

 

Contact Links

Publisher’s Website

BookBuzz


Purchase Links

Amazon

Kobo

iBooks

Satin Romance

 

 

RABT Book Tours & PR

Friday, June 27, 2025

Jack and Gil New Release Blitz #IndiGo

Title: Jack & Gil

Author: Emily Carrington

Publisher: Changeling Press

Cover Art: Angela Knight

Genres: Action Adventure, Box Sets, Dark Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, New Releases, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

Themes: 2nd Chance Romance, Elves, Dragons & Magical Creatures, LGBTQ+ Gay, Multicultural & Interracial, Shapeshifters

Series: Jack & Gil (#4)

Multiverse: SearchLight Academy (#11)

Book Length: Box Set

Page Count: 470

Synopsis

Gilbert Sullivan, crown prince of the basilisks, hates his name, but he fears the rhyme may be prophecy.

Rhyme of Longing (Jack & Gil 1): When Prince Gilbert Sullivan meets Jack Sowerby, the new head of SearchLight, his attraction won’t let him stay away. Jack’s need for Prince Gilbert blossoms and he’s unable to resist -- until he’s forcibly changed into a magical creature. Will their shattered relationship ever be restored?

Rhyme of Longing (Jack & Gil 2)

Jack is falling apart, but no one seems to notice. As Jack withdraws, the tide of war rises. Jack must find a way to regain his strength and determination or SearchLight will fall. And he’s convinced he must do it alone.

Rhyme of Love (Jack & Gil 3)

Gil struggles to hide his loss of status from Jack, but when he finally confesses, Jack blurts out his secret. Jack knows he screwed up. Well, almost. Running the risk of losing Gil, Jack must learn to lie convincingly, or he’ll lose SearchLight, his life, and Gil, as well.

Excerpt

Jack & Gil
Emily Carrington
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2025 Emily Carrington
Excerpt from Rhyme of Longing

Jack wanted so badly to be done with this night that he felt uncomfortable in his skin. That was not the proper way to begin thinking about his sixty-eighth birthday, his five-year anniversary as the head of SearchLight Academy. This was a party for both those things but no one said “no” to Agent Weinberg.

Not necessarily the most powerful magical being in the world, she was still the head of the entire organization. Even though she held the nominal title of “head of Public Relations,” SearchLight’s whole reason for existing was to protect the relationship between magical and nonmagical peoples. Which was, of course, officially, no relationship at all. SearchLight was a secret and must remain so.

The influence she held would make most magical creatures bow in submission. Jack, being merely human, was suitably impressed. And although as yet not cowed, he was too fond of his life to waste it needlessly. Not that Agent Weinberg had killed anyone. Recently.

Jack took a deep breath in through his nose as the limousine pulled up to the curb. He’d been commanded to take this limo and the implicit service of a driver, and although he hadn’t enjoyed it particularly, he was glad that he hadn’t needed to find a place to park in downtown Washington, DC. So, unsure if he was supposed to tip the driver but wanting to show his appreciation, he stepped around to the driver’s side after the car was parked at the curb and offered the person behind the wheel, whom, his telepathic sense, told him wasn’t human, ten dollars.

“Would you be trying to bribe me to take you home, Agent Sowerby?”

Jack saw the humor in the green eyes turned up to his and smiled. “Never in life,” he told the Irish-sounding sprite or Faery or leprechaun. Damn, sometimes he wished for a werewolf’s sense of smell so he’d know the magical creatures around him at once.

“You’re a good man, Agent Sowerby. Don’t let her bully you now.” And with that, he winked and rolled up his window. Jack stepped around the car to the sidewalk and watched the limo drive away.

“Hey there.” The voice was soft, lightly accented, and full of a syrupy, sarcastic undertone that put Jack’s hackles up. He turned more slowly than he could have, wanting to appear older and so less threatening. He gazed at the three people facing him and saw they were all armed.

He was aware of others watching from the doorway of the restaurant but knew they wouldn’t intercede unless it became obvious he couldn’t handle himself. That was one thing about Agent Weinberg he didn’t like much. She believed in the “sink or swim” philosophy.

The woman who’d spoken was smiling in a particularly condescending way. “Got a handout for me?” She twirled the knife in her right hand as she reached out with her left for the ten spot Jack still held.

Jack offered it, keeping a good distance from her, forcing her to step forward to take the bill. He was aware of the other two moving to flank him. He disliked using his telepathic sense against what he considered to be defenseless people, magical or mundane, and yet he wouldn’t risk his own life to preserve theirs. “I suggest you take this and be on your way,” he said softly, putting a slight psychic push into the words. He blanketed the area with his calming presence, lacking the ability to focus on more than two people at once. Both of the men who’d been flanking him stopped. One of them shook his head but the other was definitely under Jack’s control.

“Back off,” Jack said and watched the woman lower her knife a little.

She snatched at the bill and her knife hand flicked upward.

Jack dropped the ten spot and caught her wrist. The knife’s blade skidded across the waterproof material of his trench coat. He forced her to drop the knife as he said, “Go away.”

The man under his control turned and fled. But the other lunged at Jack. Yanking the woman close, Jack used her as a shield. The other man’s blade slid between her ribs. He swore, stumbling back, and lost his grip on his knife. As he turned to flee, Jack lowered the woman to the ground. He shouted, “Someone call nine-one-one.”

Someone joined him out on the sidewalk. It wasn’t Agent Weinberg. It wasn’t a SearchLight agent he knew. There was regal bearing in the other’s posture as he crouched beside Jack. “Let me heal her.”

Jack didn’t protest, although he did skate his telepathic sense outward to determine if this was a magical creature. The fact that he’d said “heal” rather than “help” argued for him not being human. He came into contact with an impenetrable psychic wall and winced as his telepathic sense bounced off. Well, there weren’t all that many humans who could resist even his most casual reach. Ergo, this was a magical creature.

Jack nodded and said, “Go ahead.” He retreated inside his own head and as he pulled out his cell phone, unwilling to trust to others to call for help, he watched the broad-shouldered male beside him spit into his hand and press the palm against the wound even as he pulled the knife free.

Dragon, Jack thought. Dragons could heal with their saliva or a blood exchange. But this wasn’t a dragon Jack knew.

Purchase at Changeling Press

Meet the Author

Emily Carrington is a multipublished author of male/male and transgender women’s speculative fiction. Seeking a world made of equality, she created SearchLight to live out her dreams. But even SearchLight has its problems, and Emily is looking forward to working all of these out with a host of characters from dragons and genies to psychic vampires. And in the contemporary world she’s named “Sticks & Stones,” Emily has vowed to create small towns where prejudice is challenged by a passionate quest for equality. Find her on Facebook at Shapeshifter Central or on her website.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Shapeshifter Central

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 Changeling Press Gift Code! 


Blog Button 2

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Raincatcher Pre-Order Blitz #rabtbooktours


Sci-Fi Romance, Multicultural & Interracial

Date Published: January 24, 2025


 

2147: Pollution has poisoned the earth, the seas and the air. Fresh, clean water is as precious as gold.

 

Rauni’s Mistress (Rain Catcher 1)

In the squalid red light district of Hobart Town, Roxy Talia earns her living as a porn star to make ends meet. Tobin Kane follows the monsoon rains across the ocean, collecting precious fresh water before it falls into the polluted seas. He and his crew have been blackballed within the industry. Tobin is determined to find a way to keep his beloved ship, the Rauni. That involves Roxy, the sexy vixen who holds the key to saving his future and has been the star of his lusty fantasies for years. Tobin will do whatever it takes to keep his ship -- even if he has to kidnap Roxy to do it…

 

Aqua Vitae (Rain Catcher 2)

When Audrey Purcell’s lover Kirk disappears in the aftermath of a bomb blast, the bittersweet experience transforms the shy, bookish girl into a brazen and reckless risk taker. Each shore leave sees her swimming in alcohol and rejoicing in one-night stands -- her latest fling being Joachim Muller, a navy commander with a body to die for. Her career takes a great leap forward when she’s given command of a derelict rain catcher, the Aqua Vitae -- but her success comes with a price. The echoes of her painful past clash with the promise of the future, threaten her lifelong dream with destruction.




EXCERPT


Excerpt from Rauni's Mistress


With wide eyes and a madly beating heart, Roxy Talia watched the tall, good- looking stranger enter the crowded hotel bar.

He was absolutely perfect.

His crisp uniform proclaimed him to be an officer, non-military, a merchant mariner of some sort. Standing in the doorway, silhouetted against the street lights, he presented an imposing figure, broad shoulders, trim waist, nicely shaped legs. Once he'd removed his face mask, he'd scanned the dimly lit bar room with barely disguised distaste. His chiseled features wore a sad, resigned expression.

When his dark, intense eyes settled on her where she sat at the bar and the spare stool beside her, Roxy's heart fluttered. Her nipples had hardened the instant his eyes met hers. That warm feeling in her belly she'd thought she'd never feel again washed through her like a spring tide.

He fit her needs exactly, but what was it about him? Her response was as bewildering as it was desired. She'd often thought these last few years that she'd become anesthetized to good-looking men. After all, she had her pick yet here he was, the man she had assumed didn't exist, shattering her jaded expectations.

He strode toward Roxy, fixing her with an unwavering gaze.

Roxy gasped, and her sudden intake of breath surprised her. She was actually nervous at the approach of this man. She took a deep breath to calm herself and tamped down the fear that her disguise was not good enough.

That afternoon, Roxy had taken considerable steps to prepare her deception. She'd dressed in a conservative business suit with a white blouse and knee-length gray skirt. She'd chosen platform stilettos to give her height, a tight bandeau to minimize her bust and a platinum wig to disguise her natural jet hair. For her face, she'd applied ivory foundation and powder to hide her golden skin, blue lipstick to alter the line of her lips and a fake mole on her right cheek. To hide her trademark green eyes, she'd inserted blue contacts and added azure eyeliner and turquoise shadow to alter their shape.

The hodgepodge of styles, business and tart, created a jarring amalgam of looks that would confuse any observer. At least that was what she'd intended. She believed herself to be unrecognizable and the three drunks who had tried to pick her up so far tonight hadn't seen her for who she truly was.

This man, however, was sober. It would be the test of her preparation and acting skills to fool him. He towered above her, his face impassive, his attitude commanding. "This seat taken?"

His voice was like honey. It flowed into her ear like sweet syrup, warming her all the way down to her fluttering belly.

"No," she said. The voice she'd decided on was deeper than her own, husky with a faint European accent to hide the Australasian nasal twang. She'd been practicing all afternoon, intending it to lead any listener to think she was just another environmental refugee trying to fit into Hobart Town and not quite succeeding.

The officer sat down. There hadn't been even a flicker of recognition. If anything, he displayed total indifference.

Roxy relaxed. Surreptitiously she gazed at the stranger in the bar's mirror. In between the bottles of imported and domestic Aqua and Hydra water and the ubiquitous range of Gills Beer, she considered his heavily defined features, trying to get a handle on his personality, as if facial lines told you anything about the inner workings of the mind.

His ebony skin, wearing the sheen of perspiration which was unavoidable in Hobart Town's enervating humidity, glowed in the bar's dim lighting. His short, black hair was closely cropped, exposing a nicely shaped skull. His face was heavily textured and seemed to attract the shadows.

"I'm Tobin," he said and she jumped in surprise.

He was staring back at her reflection. "I'm Su Sha Xie," she said, quickly adopting the name of her worst enemy in kindergarten, a petulant little girl who once had stolen her crayons.

His dark eyes narrowed. "Funny, you don't look Chinese."

"It's a long story."

Tobin signaled to the barman. "I'm not into long stories today. Want another?"

"Why not?"

He fished out his card, scowled and flicked it to the barman. "Wanna sit?"

She followed his gaze to a newly vacated table in the corner. "I thought we were."

"Something more comfortable."

"I'm not a hooker," she said.

"I didn't think you were." He stood up and waited, looking down at her. "Coming?"

Tobin's self-confidence was staggering. Then she figured out what it really was. He didn't care if she came with him or not. She was just a woman to him, one of thousands out on this hot Hobart night. Roxy quelled her momentary annoyance by reminding herself that this was exactly why she was here in disguise. She wanted, for once, to be just an ordinary woman.

"Sure."

The barman returned with two beers. Tobin took his card, picked up the bottles and, weaving through a group of drunken marines, strode over to the table.

Roxy followed. The view of his physique from behind was as impressive as from the front. His broad shoulders gave way to bulging biceps which were barely contained by the short sleeves of his shirt. He sported a trim waist, slim hips and oh so tight buns atop sturdy but shapely legs. The musculature of which screamed both stamina and strength.

Roxy approved. Unlike the men she knew, Tobin's body lacked the artificial contours gained in the gym. He was used to real work, and hard work at that.

Tobin sat down without waiting for her. "I meant it. I'm not a hooker."

"I believe you." He took a swig of his beer, his eyes fixed on hers. "I'm not looking for a hooker."

"What are you looking for?"

He took a swig of beer and motioned to the chair.

She sat.

"So, keeping it short, what's your story?" she asked finally, putting an amused tone in her voice.

He looked into his beer. "No potted histories, please. Let me tell you who you are and then I'll tell you who I am."

Her heart stopped. Damn it, he'd recognized her after all. She'd hoped she could have at least one encounter with someone who didn't know who she was. Her anticipation of the night she'd planned collapsed and the despair in the bottom of her chest stirred.

"We are two of a kind," he said slowly. "You tell me you're not a hooker, I say I believe you. Then you tell me again to make sure. You are balancing on stiletto heels to make you appear taller than you really are. You are wearing an appalling wig and, geeze, to apply all that makeup you must have used a bricklayer's trowel. So, I'm assuming you don't want to be recognized."

His eyes trapped her in an inescapable gaze and she felt like she was falling into their dark depths. Within her chest her heart thudded like a prisoner beating against prison bars and in her ears, her blood roared. She could barely breathe waiting for him to say her name and shatter her desire. She so much wanted this stranger not to recognize her.

"You don't want to be recognized," he repeated. "Well, that's fine by me. I don't want to know who you really are, and I'll believe whatever you tell me."

Confusion roiled inside her mind. What game was he playing? Did he recognize her or not?

Roxy cleared her throat. "You said we are two of a kind."

"Well, you see, Su, I don't want to be me tonight either. So the reason I'm here, in this bar in this dodgy hotel in this stinking rotten town, is to be anyone but me, okay? Like you, I want to be someone else, if just for the night."

 

About the Author

Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

 

Author on Facebook

Author on Twitter

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

Pre-Order Today



RABT Book Tours & PR

Friday, December 13, 2024

Trust Is Sacred New Release Blitz #IndiGo

Title: Trust is Sacred

Author: Emily Carrington

Publisher: Changeling Press

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male

Cover Art: Angela Knight

Genres: Action Adventure, Dark Fantasy, New Releases, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense

Themes: Gay, Holiday Themes, Medical Romance, Multicultural & Interracial, Werewolves & Wolf Shifters

Series: Medically Necessary (#3)

Multiverse: Searchlight Academy (#12)

Book Length: Novella

Page Count: 114

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Without trust, nothing is sacred. Not even long-held beliefs.

Oliver’s terrible secret is eating both himself and his would-be mate alive. He and Amir have been apart for three months, and absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder. Unfortunately, there’s terror, pain, and deceit lying between them.

Amir thinks purging and confession are medically necessary for spiritual and physical well-being. Oliver will stop at almost nothing to hide his scars.

Can these two be mated in truth or will Oliver’s past and Amir’s unstated fears push them away before the werewolves’ most sacred holiday, Winter Solstice?

Excerpt

Trust is Sacred (Medically Necessary 3)
Emily Carrington
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2024 Emily Carrington

August

In a very real sense, Oliver’s heart hadn’t ached this way in years. It was a mixture of longing and a sweet promise of eventual homecoming. He’d just sent his lover away on an airplane, back to New York. Amir would gather together his staff, choose a new doctor to take over his practice, and then be back down here to live with Oliver.

To become Oliver’s mate.

Werewolves didn’t have spouses. Except when they did. They also didn’t have Life Dancers. That was a psychic vampire thing, knowledge Oliver had gained over the last month. Wolves had mates, a name for their beloved, the person with whom they wanted to spend the rest of their lives.

He’d had a mate before. This time would be different. He’d protect his mate. He’d keep him safe, no matter the cost, and he wouldn’t allow his nightmares to drive them apart. To shove his lover toward the singular choice of suicide.

He pulled up in front of Llosgia Maxine’s house, where his heart told him he belonged. Granted, she hadn’t exactly accepted her title of alpha, or the duties commensurate with that status change. She would, though. He had faith. Well, mostly he had faith. Sometimes he worried that Tilthos Charles’s words would come true and Llosgia Maxine would choose to take up no title at all.

Except, of course, she’d already claimed Director of Werewolf Watch for herself. Maybe she couldn’t take on that responsibility and…

The front door opened and Tilthos Charles stepped out, looking even stronger than he had the night before, when he’d arrived at Llosgia Maxine’s and asked for a place for himself and his lover to sleep. Now, in the dimness of false dawn, the alpha above all alphas shouldn’t have been able to use his limited vision to see more than a car approaching. However, that didn’t seem to be the case because he smiled and waved as if he knew exactly who was arriving.

Oliver considered driving away. He didn’t want to hear the political answer as to why the Kreisha pack was still allowed to exist after all the shit three of its members had pulled. Geoffrey Huntington, Noah Travers, and Josiah Cobb had plotted to drive Tilthos Charles mad. They had made it so hearing his rightful title had caused him physical and psychic pain. They’d forced him to attack his lover, Luis. Now, though, surely Tilthos Charles was coming to tell him they’d been forgiven for some fucked-up political reason that boiled down to the alpha above all alphas… what? Didn’t want to kill? That might just be it.

The alpha above all alphas’ soft voice was in his head suddenly. Open the door, Oliver.

Oliver unlocked the doors. He waited for the alpha above all alphas to sit beside him, or order him to get out of the car, denying him his escape.

He acknowledged his expectations had no basis in reality, especially because everything he’d seen of Tilthos Charles when the leader was in his right mind was favorable. Still, he didn’t actually know how Tilthos Charles governed. He was only assuming, based on the one alpha he knew, that Tilthos Charles might have allowed power to go to his head.

“So uncharitable,” the alpha above all alphas said after opening the door. He sat in the passenger seat, folded his white cane, the symbol of his visual impairment, and then buckled himself in. “Feel free to drive if it will make you less edgy.”

“You’re reading my every thought?” Oliver asked. He’d assumed his shields were better than that.

“Not quite. You’re not projecting everything, I don’t think, but you’re very unhappy with me and that carries just fine.”

Oliver relocked the doors and pulled out of the driveway. “Where are we going?”

“Somewhere that you can drive and listen without getting us in an accident would be good.”

Oliver grunted.

To his amazement, the leader of most of the world’s werewolves on this side of the Atlantic laughed. “You sound like Luis when he’s unhappy. Please tell me what’s bothering you.”

Oliver couldn’t bring himself to accuse the alpha above all alphas of any wrongdoing. Instead, he asked, “What happened to the six wolves who attacked you?”

“Huntington, Travers, and Cobb have been placed with different packs, separated by quite a bit of geography. Their new alphas reassure me their movements will be closely observed.”

Oliver turned off Llosgia Maxine’s street and just headed south, away from Washington, DC. He knew he wouldn’t be able to drive in heavy traffic and listen. “Why are they still alive?”

“I’m not in the habit of killing every single wolf who’s tried a coup. There would be considerably fewer wolves in the world if I exacted that sort of revenge. They’re being watched by three alphas I trust implicitly and I’m sure these bastards will show their true colors again. And unlike in baseball, they only get two chances.” He turned his head away from Oliver. “They’re not the only ones I’m watching. Kreisha Alexander let this go on right under his nose. At best, the very best, that makes him not perceptive enough.”

He faced Oliver again. “I’m asking you to keep me informed if he does anything inappropriate, dangerous, or careless. I don’t order you because I don’t want to step on your agency that way.”

“Please order me,” Oliver blurted.

That got him a raised eyebrow.

“Kreisha Alexander is in the habit of ordering his wolves not to share things, good or bad, outside the pack. If I have your order first, and because you outrank him, I’ll be able to tattletale.” He grimaced. “That came out more bitter than I anticipated or meant. I’m sorry.”

Tilthos Charles seemed to have caught onto another part of his speech, however, because he said, “Is there anything you’re forbidden to share with me?” There was a growl in his voice.

Purchase at Changeling Press

Meet the Author

Emily Carrington is a multipublished author of male/male and transgender women’s speculative fiction. Seeking a world made of equality, she created SearchLight to live out her dreams. But even SearchLight has its problems, and Emily is looking forward to working all of these out with a host of characters from dragons and genies to psychic vampires. And in the contemporary world she’s named “Sticks & Stones,” Emily has vowed to create small towns where prejudice is challenged by a passionate quest for equality. Find her on Facebook at Shapeshifter Central or on her website.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 Changeling Press Gift Code! 


Blog Button 2

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

The Arrangement Book Blitz #rabtbooktours

 

Multicultural Romance, Romantic Comedy, Contemporary Romance

Date Published: 08/13/2024

Publisher: Harbor Lane Books, LLC.


 

Perfect for fans of Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi and Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project, and lovers of rom-coms across all mediums.

 

On the eve of his 30th birthday, Arjun Chowdhury is handsome, successful…and single. When Arjun’s mother offers to set him up with an arranged marriage, he reluctantly accepts. However, he realizes that even a “straightforward” road to the altar has its bumps.

The biggest bump of all is Nisha Nandan, a failed romance novelist whose chance meeting with Arjun leads to an undeniable connection. With the date of his wedding quickly approaching, Arjun must decide: should he listen to his heart, or to his brain?


Purchase Today


RABT Book Tours & PR

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Over Their Heads New Release Blitz #IndiGo

Title:  Over Their Heads

Series: The Deep End #2

Author: Alex Winters

Publisher: Changeling Press

Release Date: March 1, 2024

Heat Level: 4 - Lots of Sex

Pairing: Male/Male, Male/Male/Female (Male/Male interaction)

Length: 103 pages

Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary Women's Fiction, Multicultural & Interracial

Add to Goodreads

Synopsis

Nash Archer may be a virgin, but as a college freshman, away from home and unsupervised for the first time, he doesn’t plan to be for long. Maybe that’s why he falls for the handsome, cocky stranger cruising him in the campus library and follows him back to the academic dorms for his first boy-on-boy action! But when he discovers that he’s just another notch on a very big belt for his sexy new lover Ridge, Nash huffs off before they can exchange numbers. He figures he’s blown his first chance at a relationship with a real live guy.

Ridge Madison feels bad about dismissing the cute freshman from the campus library, but what’s Nash to expect? That’s what cruising is, after all -- fast, hot, and no strings attached. So when Nash storms off, why does Ridge move heaven and earth to find Nash to make up for things? And what will he do when he finds out Nash has already met someone else? Someone who Ridge also wants?

Tanner Sinclair can’t believe it when she finds herself stuck in the middle of the two hottest guys on campus. Ridge is her algebra tutor, a sexy stud who knows it. When he rudely dismisses his latest conquest as she arrives for her tutoring, Tanner leaves abruptly and tracks Nash down in the campus cafeteria. The two hit it off and wind up sharing a night of passion the likes of which neither of them has ever experienced before.

As three very different lives collide, passions ignite while the lovers give the term “college experience” new meaning. Will they find themselves in over their heads?

Alert: The following excerpt contains material suitable only for adult readers.

Excerpt

Over Their Heads (The Deep End 2)
Alex Winters
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2024 Alex Winters

Nash

“Nice, uh… place?”

Nash Archer heard his own voice, sounding rich and thick and very, very far away. It was as strange as everything else about the curious predicament he’d suddenly found himself in. The sexy stranger in the clingy Lost Lake University T-shirt rolled his soft hazel eyes. “Is that all you have to say?”

Nash arched an eyebrow, desperately struggling to appear cool, calm and collected when, after all, his heart was racing a million miles per minute. “No,” he replied, still in that far away voice. “I’m sure I’ll have more later but… for now? I’ve never been in the Academic Dorm before.”

“Me either, until I moved in.” The stranger agreed, wriggling atop the narrow ledge against the big picture window overlooking the campus ten stories below, not to mention the glistening shimmer off Lost Lake. “We’re both freshmen, remember?”

Nash stood cautiously, his hand still resting on the small countertop just inside the tidy dorm room. “Oh. Yeah.”

“Why don’t you come a little closer?” Smart Guy asked, cool and confident-like, nodding at where Nash clung to the counter as if to a life raft. It sounded less like a come on and more like something he’d said to every visitor he’d invited in. A cheesy line. Nash didn’t like that. He wanted to feel special.

Unique. This might have been old hat for his sexy host, but it was all new to Nash and he supposed he was still hoping for a little pomp and circumstance.

“I will,” Nash promised, heart still thudding and palms still clammy, just like they’d been the whole walk across campus. “I’m trying to take this slow, though, you know?”

Smart Guy -- they hadn’t exchanged names back in the campus library, just furtive glances and soft, lingering smiles among the towering stacks that hid them from prying eyes -- gave a playful snort.

“Virgin, huh?”

“How’d you guess?”

Nash wasn’t shy about it. Not exactly. He was here, after all, in this sexy stranger’s dorm room in the middle of the day, staring at his hard body outlined in the flattering sunlight streaming in through the window at his back. He wouldn’t be able to hide his boy-on-boy virginity for much longer anyway.

Smart Guy shrugged, the slight movement sending a glint off his thick glasses, so at odds with his firm, buff body. “Virgins always want to take their time.”

Archer finally chuckled, an angsty combo of genuine humor and pent-up nerves. “Oh, you’re an expert on such matters, huh?”

Smart Guy smiled. Thick lips. Plucky little nose holding his glasses up beneath a spray of soft blond curls that looked like fresh hay in the afternoon sun streaming in behind him. “Not an expert, no, but… enough to know you’re going to stay a virgin if you don’t come any closer eventually.”

Nash glanced at the glaringly obvious hard-on beneath the hem of Smart Guy’s faded maroon T-shirt, so stiff and erect it was teasing the waistband of his shorts away from an impossibly flat belly. “Not until you put that thing away,” he teased, even as Nash inched gently closer across the vinyl flooring beneath his feet.

Smart Guy glanced down as if not having noticed the sudden draft on the front of his shorts. He glanced back up, fixing Nash with a penetrating gaze, the same one that had so enraptured him back in the library. “Why would I do that?” he challenged in a voice that was as confident as Nash’s was timid. “I mean, isn’t that what you came here for?”

Nash couldn’t argue with that logic. He had come here for that very thing. Had come to college, in fact, for that very thing. Dick. The one thing that had eluded him back in high school. The one thing he’d craved for as long as he could remember. He nodded, unafraid now that the door had been shut behind him. After all, he’d come here for someone like Smart Guy, who was so lean and buff, beckoning Nash with the outline of his hard, stiff dick as he lounged atop the window ledge like some sweet confection, just out of reach.

Nash nodded, but stopped just shy of contact. “It is pretty, your dick.” The words shocked him, even as they thrilled him. He’d never spoken like this before. Never done anything like this before. Met some random hot guy in the library? Followed him home to his dorm? Praised another guy’s cock without glancing around the room for stray witnesses?

Nash was unmoored, floating through unfamiliar territory, feeling things out as he went along. It was as frightening as it was thrilling, and he never wanted it to end.

Smart Guy’s eyes widened, and not ironically. He seemed genuinely surprised. “How do you know? You won’t even look at it.”

Nash shrugged almost casually, as if perhaps they were studying a movie poster in front of the local theater and not, in fact, some random guy’s cock. “I can just tell. It’ll be just like the rest of you. Hard. Smooth. Pretty.”

Smart Guy was blushing. A first. Nash smiled, to have made another boy blush. Was that a first, too? he wondered, reaching out a trembling hand to slide a lock of feathery blond hair behind Smart Guy’s blushing ear.

Smart Guy sat perfectly still, letting out a soft, almost helpless sigh. It sounded so alluring, so deep and guttural and desperate, Nash wanted to actually feel it. He leaned in for a kiss, surprising Smart Guy yet again. He felt the flinch, the stiffening and then, suddenly, the softening as his sexy host warmed to their lips’ tender embrace.

Nash leaned back before things could get too heavy, watching as Smart Guy smiled, licking his lips as if to prove to himself -- to both of them -- that it had just happened. The kiss. Their first. His, certainly. His first ever.

“Nice,” Smart Guy marveled, less full of shit than he’d been all afternoon. He sounded genuinely surprised. So surprised he had to go and repeat himself, as if to make sure. “That was really… nice.”

“Right?” Nash murmured, swallowing hard and nodding at the same time. “Nice,” he breathed, leaning in for another kiss and closing the distance between them at the same time. He leaned gently back once more, smiling with full, wet lips. “And slow.”

“Okay, okay.” Smart Guy nodded, hands still gripping the window ledge at his side. “I can see the upside of this.”

Nash struggled to control his heart rate, smiling. “Funny, all I see is upside.”

Smart Guy glanced gently sideways, peering out the window behind him at the small but tidy campus below. “Want me to close these, or…” His casual tone made it clear the question was purely rhetorical. Nash played along anyway, enjoying the verbal foreplay as he kept his cocky lover-to-be on his no doubt sexy toes.

“That depends,” Nash sighed, tugging playfully at the hem of his lover’s T-shirt. “Can anyone see us?”

“I mean, we’re ten floors up. Nothing around but mountains and trees and this pretty boy undressing me with his big, brown eyes.”

Nash paused, the fabric halfway up Smart Guy’s smooth, toned abs. He’d been called a lot of things back home -- nerd, dweeb, spazz and much, much worse -- but never… pretty. Never, in a million years, pretty. “I’m here, you don’t… don’t have to butter me up anymore.” Try as he might to hide it, Nash’s tremulous voice reflected the years of rejection, insecurity, and unrequited attraction he’d never dared give voice to before.

Let alone act upon.
Purchase

Changeling Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iTunes | Smashwords

Meet the Author

Alex Winters is the pseudonym of a busy restaurant manager whose curious young staff would love nothing more than to follow him around the dining room reading his steamiest, most romantic passages aloud! When not writing romantic holiday stories of various heat levels, he enjoys long walks with his wife, scary movies and smooth jazz. Visit him online to see what stories are brewing up next!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Instagram

Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a $10.00 Changeling Press Gift Code! 


Blog Button 2