DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT by Nina Mason

Title: Dark and Stormy Knight

Author: Nina Mason
Series and Order: The Knights of Avalon, #2
Genres: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Erotica
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Heat level: Very steamy with light BDSM
Formats: E-book and paperback
Online Retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo & Google Play

She’ll risk everything for their love—even her life.

Aspiring screenwriter Gwyn Morland is ready for her big break. That means securing the film rights to elusive author Lady Ruthven’s acclaimed novel—which means traveling to Scotland. It’s a trip timid Gwyn isn’t prepared for, and her fears seem justified when her tour bus careens over a cliff outside of Castle Glenarvon. But the plot thickens when Gwyn is rescued from the brink of death by a handsome and mysterious stranger…

Leith MacQuill is not only the writer behind Lady Ruthven’s novel, but a shape-shifting faery knight bearing a tragic curse: the woman he gives his heart to will die. Saving Gwyn proves to be a dangerous choice when he finds himself falling for her the longer she stays in the castle. Not even his usual BDSM role-playing games are enough to thwart the intense desire they feel for each other. But to stay together, Gwyn and Leith must embark on a dangerous mission into Avalon, the realm of the faeries. Will their love be strong enough to conquer the curse? Or will Gwyn’s new life be stolen from her before it’s even begun?

Here's a little bit about The Knights of Avalon series in Nina's own words:

The Knights of Avalon, the four-part erotic PNR/UF series, was born of a simple idea: to write a series incorporating different forms of divination. From that kernel grew the far more complex world of the series. The “knights” of Avalon, the enchanted otherworld isle featured in Arthurian and Celtic legend, were Scottish noblemen who, after falling in battle, were taken by the fairies to serve as breeding drones to their queen. Each of the four books in the series tells the story of a particular knight and the heroine whose love saves him from his unhappy existence.

Each knight in the series grapples with a different relationship with Morgan Le Fay, the cruel and selfish queen of Avalon. Callum Lyon, the hero of STARRY KNIGHT (book one), is free of Morgan’s influence, having escaped enslavement by faking his own death. Leith MacQuill, the hero of DARK AND STORMY KNIGHT (book two), was expelled from Avalon after the queen discovered his affair with one of her scouts. In book three, KNIGHT OF ENCHANTMENT, Axel Lochlann, a Scottish runemaster of Viking descent, guards the portal between Hitherworld (our realm) and Thitherworld (the otherworldly realm). The fourth knight, Finn MacKnight, doesn’t know what he is or that he’s destined to fulfill an ancient prophecy telling of the queen’s overthrow by a “natural-born” drone. Because of this prophecy, Morgan kills all the male children she bears and punishes the knights who father them

Avalonian knights are vampire-like, but not vampires per se. Members of the Unseelie Fae, they drink blood and can assume the form of any creature they choose, but generally take the form of a particular animal to hunt. Callum’s preferred form is a lion, Leith’s is a Kellas Cat (a cross between a wild cat and a domestic cat found only in Scotland), Axel’s is a gyrfalcon, and Finn’s will be a jaguar.

About the author

Nina Mason is a hopeful romantic with strong affinities for history, mythology, and the metaphysical. She strives to write the same kind of books she loves to read: those that entertain, edify, educate, and enlighten. When not writing, Nina works as a communications consultant, doll maker, and home stager. Born and raised in Southern California, she now lives in Woodstock, Georgia, with her husband, teenage daughter, two rescue cats, and a Westie named Robert.

In addition to Dark and Stormy Knight, she is the author of the following books: Starry Knight (Knights of Avalon #1), Devil in Duke's Clothing (Royal Pains #1), The Duke's Bedeviled Bride (Royal Pains #2), The Devil's Masquerade (Royal Pains #3), The Queen of Swords, and The Tin Man.

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Here are some of the places you can find Nina Mason online:

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Amazon Author's Page: http://www.amazon.com/Nina-Mason/e/B00J5N2PX8

Kensington Author's Page: http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/31680

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Check out Starry Knight, Knights of Avalon #1

 

SEBRING by Kristen Ashley

If you're familiar with us at all, you know we LOVE promoting our favorite authors! One of our all time favorites is the awesome KRISTEN ASHLEY!!!

Nick Sebring has issues. Born feeling like an outsider in his own family, growing up under the shadow of a brother who could do anything, Nick isn’t that great of a guy. But when this culminates with Nick lashing out to hurt his brother through the woman he loves, Nick turns inward and makes some decisions about the man he intends to be. 

And as he does this, he falls in love and truly learns the man that he’s grown to be. 

When his love is murdered right before Nick’s eyes, Nick knows he has to avenge her. He knows how he’s going to avenge her. And he has no qualms using Olivia Shade to exact that vengeance. 

Olivia Shade has grown up on the outside of her family too. Her problem is that they don’t want her outside. They want her all the way in, right under their thumbs. She pays the price for seeking escape and learns her lesson—she’ll never see a dawn where she wakes up free. 

Then she meets Nick Sebring, and even as she fights it, the hope that died years ago starts to blossom. She can find love. She can have a man of her own. She can be happy. She can be free. 

Olivia hopes while Nick schemes. 

However, as Nick peels back the layers of all that is Olivia Shade, he finds something surprising. He understands its fragility. He falls in love with its beauty. He seeks to protect it. 


But he forgets to protect his Livvie from one thing: Nick Sebring.

In the hotel room, Nick heard the knock at the door.

He moved to it, looked out the peephole and felt the corners of his mouth hitch up when he saw her.

Fuck, those big green eyes, perfectly arched dark brows, the olive tint to her skin, the expert way she shaded under her cheekbones…

She was a coldhearted criminal but she was one that was very easy to look at.

And even easier to fuck.

He opened the door.

He was going to say something but he didn’t get the chance when her hand darted out and she caught him under his jaw, using it to push him in and around until his back hit wall.

She stared up at him, her hand wrapped around his jaw, her expression holding an emptiness that was so extreme it was almost like a void he could fall into and get lost forever.

He heard the door swish closed and latch.

Then she was up on her toes, her head moving toward his, those green eyes dropping to his mouth.

She didn’t get her lips to his before his tongue was out, as was hers, both of them colliding and tangling before her mouth slammed to his just as her body pushed in, pressing hard, forcing him tighter to the wall.

He shoved out. Gripping her wrist at his jaw, he yanked it down, twisting and slamming her against the wall, slanting his head to deepen an already deep kiss. Their tongues again clashing before he actually took her mouth.

But he took her mouth.

And like she’d done to his, he consumed it.

His fingers still around her wrist, he yanked it around his back, using his body to shove her tight to the wall, pressing his hardening cock against her stomach.

She arched, and moving quickly, whipped him around so his back was to the wall and she took over the kiss. Tearing her wrist from his hold, she curled her fingers around his throat just as she cupped his hardening crotch with her other hand.

Fucking hell, this woman was hot.

But he was done playing.

And he was done kissing.

Her mouth, that was.

He pushed her away. She struggled to regain control.

She lost this struggle when he caught her hand and dragged her down the short hall into the room.

She lost her footing when he gave her hand a strong tug and she fell into him with a soft gasp.

He let her hand go, caught her hips and threw her four feet onto the bed.

That got him another soft gasp which took his cock from hardening to rock-solid and throbbing.

He bent over her, holding her now intense green gaze, spanning her hips with his hands. Shoving backwards, he found the hook of her skirt, released it and pulled down the zipper.

He moved his fingers to curl them into the sides of her skirt’s waistband. With a vicious tug that took her hips and panties with it, he yanked off the skirt.

Chest to the bed, eyes to her cunt, the black curls neatly groomed with a precision that meant her wax technician was a master with possible OCD issues, they were also glistening with wet.

Having the tussle at the door, seeing the utter perfection of her pussy, smelling her, watching her legs part in invitation, her knees shifting up, Nick couldn’t have gone gentle if he’d wanted to.

Luckily he didn’t want to.

He bent his neck and devoured her.

Fuck, she tasted just as perfect as she looked.

As he fed, he felt her excitement ramp. Tasted it. Ate it. Gave her more. Consumed the result. Drove her to the edge.

And when he had her there, he stopped and moved over her.

Not surprisingly, she used both the pump she already had planted into the bed and the calf she had wrapped around him to flip him and then she was straddling him, pushing up, her hands already to his fly.

Normally, he would not allow this.

Her face flushed with need, her manner urgent, even desperate, all that surged through his blood, his gut, straight to his cock.

So he allowed this.

She tugged his pants down, grabbed his dick, guided it to her and took him home.

At the beauty of her sheathing him, he gritted his teeth against the urge to let go and release way too fucking early. Bucking his hips, he watched how much she liked taking him, her head thrown back, her shining, straight mass of silken black hair swaying.

Then she dropped forward into a hand in the bed by his side, locked eyes with him and rode him violently as he watched until she gave it to herself and she kept doing it until she forced it from him.

Fucking spectacular.

He came down buried inside her, his eyes opening to see her still resting in her hand in the bed, her body moving gently with her still-labored-but-evening breathing, her dark hair framing her oval face, her straight bangs brushing her lashes, her green eyes locked to his trying to brand him, make him hers.

No way in fuck that was happening.

But he’d take more of this.

A lot more.

That said, the woman was going to learn how to give up control.

Not surprisingly, without a word, she swung off his cock, moving immediately toward the side of the mattress.

Nick focused on pulling up his trousers, doing the fly and angling off the bed. By the time he was up and had turned his attention back to her, she was on her feet, facing him, arms twisted behind her to do up the skirt she’d put on.

He held her gaze.

“We got all night, Olivia,” he informed her.

Not even a hint of a response to him calling her the name she hadn’t given him.

Then again, he knew she knew him; she’d make it her business.

She also knew he’d do the same with her, even before he sat next to her the night before.

Her expression might not have changed but his words spurred her to action, this being walking his way.

She stopped. Her eyes still on his, she lifted a hand and touched his chest lightly with just the pad of her middle finger.

It lasted half a second.

Then she dropped her hand, turned and walked away.

He heard the door close behind her and he couldn’t stop his smile.

Fuck yes, a seriously cool customer.

And the hottest fuck he’d had in his life.

 "I want more of that" 

Ok. This is one of my most favorite series' ever. I own all the books in ebook as well as paperback and audiobook. Overkill? Maybe. But I don't care because I love them. When I was offered the chance to read an ARC of Sebring, I was literally bouncing in my computer chair with a big dumb ass grin on my face. Normally this wouldn't be so bad, but I was also at work, A) checking my email when I wasn't supposed to and B) trying not to embarrass myself in front of my co-workers ;) Lol ...moving on.

My biggest worry about this book was: How the HELL is Kristen Ashley going to redeem Nick motherfucking Sebring?! He was a total ass in the previous books. To the point that, forever ago when she first added to her website that the final book in this series was going to be about him, I almost pre-decided I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Ok, so we all know there's no way that would really happen... but still. I was determined I would hate him no matter what, such was my grudge. I was nervous about it. Let me go ahead and quell your fears- she SO TOTALLY redeems him! I was quite thrilled to be honest. :)

Ok, so after the ending in Deacon, I was more than a little anxious to read about Nick "MFing" Sebring. And in the beginning of the book, he won me over. Like by page 4 or something. That prologue, man. It hurt. I hurt for him. But really, it just made me that much more invested to see what was going to happen next.

Here's where I'm going to have a hard time. Anyone who knows me, knows I don't mind spoilers. But. I love this series so much and I feel that it shouldn't be spoiled, so my dilemma is how to write a worthy review and not spoil it?! I'll do my damnedest for you... But I make no promises.

From the blurb, we know that Nick falls in love, and has to watch her die. It broke my heart for him, but I feel like that had to happen for him to learn the man he needed to be. And it did. But it also put him on the path of vengeance, which led to his one true lady love. Olivia Shade. Cool name :)

Olivia is the daughter of a once big time crime dude, who is now not so big time, only he doesn't really see that. And that makes him dangerous. She's always been an outsider in her family, seeing as she doesn't really want to take part in the 'family business'. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much choice. Nick intends to use Olivia in his Plot 'O Revenge, so he instigates a meeting. And whooo boy, that first encounter! *fans self* I want more of that.

As Nick tries to get closer to Olivia without falling for her, he... well, falls for her. And she falls for him. They have clandestine hookups that scorch the pages. Nick's grand plan 'o vengeance ends up taking a turn he didn't see coming due to his feelings. And of course, there's the whole, 'she finds out he was using her' drama we'll have to deal with. Good times. Really! But, again, I can't say too much or it'll spoil all the fun in reading it for yourself! ;)

There's so much going on in this book. We learn about Nick in ways we haven't before. Why he was the way he was in Knight and the subsequent books. What it took to make him realize he didn't like the man he was and what made him want to change the course he was on to a better one. I really enjoyed learning those things. I really felt like KA did a great job in showing Nick in a different light. It didn't feel forced or fake. In fact, he may be one of my new faves! (And trust me, I have a lot of faves) So I give my kudos to Ms. Ashley because she really did a great job bringing Nick back from the dark side.

Olivia. I loved her and I also hurt for her. She was in a position that was not fun. Torn between family and herself. What do you do when you can't really make your own decisions about your life? I can't even imagine... Sucks. She did the best she could and despite everyone trying to hold her down, I felt she was a strong woman. I liked her a lot and I liked her for Nick. They were great together. During the 'big bad drama' I was on edge about how things would go down and end for them. I know how I wanted the book to end...

To be honest, while the ending wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be, I'm really not sure there was any other way it could end. That last chapter and the epilogue, they were pretty damn perfect. I really loved this book, and this whole series. I loved seeing the other characters from this series. ❤ I am so sad that it's over. But, lucky for us KA lovers, I'm sure some or all of these guys will pop up in other books of hers so I'm not too sad ;)  ❤ ❤ ❤

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REVIEW: Big Rock by: Lauren Blakely

We are so excited to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Lauren Blakely’s BIG ROCK! A standalone sexy romantic comedy, BIG ROCK takes everything you love about a Lauren Blakely novel –witty dialogue, smoking hot sex scenes, and heartfelt moments –and puts them into one fantastic book! BIG ROCK is releasing Wednesday, January 6th! Readers can start their new year off right with Spencer! BIG ROCK is a standalone, dirty romance novel written from the guy’s POV. Come join us as we meet Spencer-parts, heart and all!

Big Rock by: Lauren Blakely

Book Description:
It's not just the motion of the ocean, ladies. It's definitely the SIZE of the boat too.

And I've got both firing on all cylinders. In fact, I have ALL the right assets. Looks, brains, my own money, and a big c*ck.

You might think I'm an a-hole. I sound like one, don’t I? I'm hot as sin, rich as heaven, smart as hell and hung like a horse.

Guess what? You haven't heard my story before. Sure, I might be a playboy, like the NY gossip rags call me. But I’m the playboy who’s actually a great guy. Which makes me one of a kind.

The only trouble is, my dad needs me to cool it for a bit. With conservative investors in town wanting to buy his flagship Fifth Avenue jewelry store, he needs me not only to zip it up, but to look the part of the committed guy. Fine. I can do this for Dad. After all, I’ve got him to thank for the family jewels. So I ask my best friend and business partner to be my fiancée for the next week. Charlotte’s up for it. She has her own reasons for saying yes to wearing this big rock.

And pretty soon all this playing pretend in public leads to no pretending whatsoever in the bedroom, because she just can’t fake the kind of toe-curling, window-shattering orgasmic cries she makes as I take her to new heights between the sheets.

But I can’t seem to fake that I might be feeling something real for her.

What the f*ck have I gotten myself into with this…big rock?

This was a quick, easy, and simple read from Spencer's point of view, which I loved that it was done from his view point only. It's a great friends to lovers story- you never know what/who you have right under your nose until you actually DO realize what you have.

I really loved his relationship with his best friend, and heroine of the story, Charlotte. I loved his relationship with his family, too. I also liked that for once there weren't family hang ups to drive the hero to indulge in women- he just does it because he likes it- there's no stupid reason driving that part of the story.

Even though Bradley was a major douche, I liked the stupid ways he tried to win Charlotte over- they made me laugh or roll my eyes at his lameness.

Overall- this was a great read and I was able to read it pretty quickly. I enjoyed the story-line, as I always love a good fake fiancee relationship story that turns real, the steamy moments,  the humor, and minimal drama. And hey- how can you NOT love that cover? MMM-HMMMM. It's a good one. ;)

I absolutely love this book.

This it's one of those rare gems that comes along once in a blue moon and becomes an instant favorite.

There is no pretense, no issues, and no stupidity on the part of the characters. They started out as friends, and they fell for each other over the course of the book. This book is told entirely from Spencer’s POV and that was A.W.E.S.O.M.E. It totally worked. I loved seeing Spencer realize he was falling in love with/in love with Charlotte. Not everyone call pull off an all-male-pov book, but Lauren Blakely not only did it, but she excelled at it!

I want to scream from the rooftops about how great this book was. I loved that even though Spencer came from money, his family was a good family, his parents were awesome and he had a good relationship with both his parents and his sister. You don’t often find that. It’s all too common in books for a character to come from a horrible family to show just how much they’ve overcome in their lives. But here, it was refreshing that his parents were awesome and his sister was cool.

I think part of what made this book so awesome was the friendship that Spencer and Charlotte had. Not only were they friends, but they were business partners. I loved seeing how their one week engagement started to bleed over into their work life. I also love that they would do anything for each other. Neither hesitated (much) when it came to helping out the other person when they were in a bind. Spencer concocted the engagement with good intentions, to help his dad make the sale of the family jewelry store. And it had the added benefit of helping Charlotte keep her ex from trying to win her back. I also loved the rules that they set up for their “relationship” as things started to move from platonic to a more heated variety:

1.    No Anal

2.    One week. Until we break up.

3.    Go back to being friends

4.    No sleepovers.

5.    No weirdness.

6.    No lying.

7.    No falling in love.

Needless to say, they broke their rules one by one (except rule 1…that was always a no-go).

This book was pure perfection and I’m so glad I got the chance to read it. I’m only sorry that I haven’t read any of the author’s books before. I’ll definitely be changing that and binge reading her backlist asap!

I do my best work in the bedroom. This is completely my domain. So it should be no big deal that she asked me to wait here. But something about being in Charlotte’s bedroom is wigging me out.

            Mostly because there’s nearby nudity transpiring mere feet away.

            She’s taking a shower, and no matter how you slice them, New York apartments are approximately thimble size. Let me spell this out—wet, naked, hot woman in a ten-foot radius.

            Got it? Okay. Moving on.

            I pick up a picture frame on her sky blue bureau of the dog her parents have. A fluffy brown summa dog—some of this, some of that. I’m going to focus on this mutt. Zero in on him. Look at his tail. Check out his ears. Yup, this picture is doing the trick. It is helping me not to linger on the naked woman and how well she kisses.

            Or how much I liked it.

            Why the fuck did I like it so much?

            Of course you liked it, idiot. A pretty woman kisses you, and you’re straight—you’d be stupid not to like it. End of story. Doesn’t mean anything. Stop analyzing.

            Especially since she just turned off the shower.

            Maybe she forgot a towel. Maybe she’ll open the door a crack, and ask me to grab one for her.         

            I smack my forehead. Get it together, Holiday.

            I set down the picture, draw a deep inhale and straighten my shoulders. The door creaks open. She steps out of the bathroom wearing only a white fluffy towel wrapped above her breasts.          

            “You might be wondering why I asked you to wait in my bedroom instead of the living room,” she says, in the most matter-of-fact tone.

            I have no clue how she can be talking like we’re having a business transaction when droplets of water slide down her bare legs. But I’m a strong man. I can handle this. I’m not tempted at all by my best friend. Though my dick begs to differ, the traitorous prick.

            “The thought crossed my mind,” I say, as I lean against the bureau, striking a casual pose.

            “Because if you’re my fiancé, you need to be comfortable with me being naked,” she says with a crisp nod.

            Shit, she’s going to do it. She’s going to drop the towel. She’s going to make us practice fucking. I am the luckiest man on the face of the earth.

            Wait. No. I can’t fuck my best friend. I absolutely, positively, can’t screw Charlotte. Even if she tosses the towel on the floor and begs me to.

            I lace my fingers together behind my back, linking these twitchy hands.

            “Okay, so you’re getting naked,” I say, doing my best to imitate her cool-as-a-cucumber tone that is throwing me off big time.

            “No. It’s the idea of me naked,” she corrects.

            I give her a pointed look. “Seems to me it’s both the idea and the reality.”

            “Fine, fine. They’re one and the same, and it’s part of the debrief.”         

            “Is this the exam portion?”

            She walks past me, her arm brushing against mine before she yanks open the top drawer of the bureau. “Yes. This is the practical portion.”

            “And this is because you somehow think we’re going to be required to be naked together in front of Mr. Offerman in order to pull this off? This isn’t like some feats-of-strength style fake engagement where we have to pass certain skill sets in an obstacle course. You know that, right?”

            She nods, as she hunts around in the drawer. “I’m aware of that. I see this as more like the Newlywed game.”

            “And in this version of the game we’re quizzed on how I get used to the idea of you naked and vice versa?”

            Her breath hitches when I say that—vice versa.

            I don’t know what to make of that small gasp, or if it means something about the idea of me au naturel.

            She spins around, and holds up two pairs of panties, one in each hand. “Quick. Do you prefer it when your fiancée wears the black lace thong?” She waggles a scrap of silky-looking fabric that is so hot my face might be engulfed in flames right now because Charlotte owns that? “Or do you prefer her in the white side-string bikini?” She waves the white pair before my eyes, and all I can see is a tiny triangular patch of fabric that’s the slightest bit see-through.

            Forget the flames. I am a fucking inferno right now knowing she owns this too. White panties that reveal pretty much everything.

This hysterical and addictive standalone can be bought everywhere!! Go forth and laugh, swoon and fan yourself into the New Year with this dirty, sexy romantic comedy told from the male POV!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1mtfsnx

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1YRXWLw

Amazon CA: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B01A1E8WO0/ 

Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01A1E8WO0 

iBooks: http://tinyurl.com/BigRocklb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1MVsZKv

B&N: http://bit.ly/213rlAQ

Google Play: http://bit.ly/1l6ZhLY

About Lauren Blakely:

Lauren Blakely writes sexy contemporary romance novels with heat, heart, and humor, and she has had eight books on the New York Times Bestseller list and fifteen on the USA Today Bestseller list. Like the heroine in her novel, FAR TOO TEMPTING, she thinks life should be filled with family, laughter, and the kind of love that love songs promise. Lauren lives in California with her husband, children, and dogs. She loves hearing from readers! Her bestselling series include Sinful Nights, Seductive Nights, No Regrets, Caught Up in Love, and Fighting Fire. She recently released SWEET SINFUL NIGHTS, the first novel in her new sexy romance series Sinful Nights that became an instant New York Times Bestseller. Her new adult forbidden romance, 21 Stolen Kisses, hit e-readers in May and landed on the USA Today Bestseller list. In January, she'll release BIG ROCK, a standalone contemporary romance sure to make you swoon. She also writes for young adults under the name Daisy Whitney. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, text BLAKELY + your email address to 678-249-3375 (please use the actual + sign).

Website ** Facebook ** Twitter ** Newsletter ** Goodreads

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