The Monsters Within
Kody Boye
Publication date: June 15th 2020
Genres: Horror, Mystery, New Adult, Romance
Not all monsters can be seen.
When Dean McAllen wins a writing fellowship that offers him the chance to escape his abusive homelife, he boards the first plane out of Utah and prepares for a life free of dysfunction.
Not long after arriving in the small town halfway across the country, he meets Brad Michelson. Kind, sweet, and caring, the fellow artist is everything Dean could ever want in a man. He’s also Dean’s first true shot at love.
But what Dean doesn’t know is that Brad harbors a darkness inside of him—and though Brad has struggled to hold it back his entire life, Dean will soon find that the monsters that dwell within Brad’s conscience are real, and out to destroy them both.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play
—
EXCERPT:
We drove along a dark road that night. Flanked by cars that slowly but surely fell behind, I watched the vehicles traveling alongside us disappear as we advanced out of the city limits and onto the lost stretches taken only by farmers and their equipment. Beside me, Brad drove with the window down, one arm braced along the frame, his free hand around the wheel. He drove without a care in the world, humming softly to Top 100 on the radio; and I, left only to observe, watched the fields before us extend forever into the distance.
“This is nice,” Brad said, tossing his fringe away from his eyes, “isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “It is.”
His hair—which was lengthier on the top but shorn along the sides of his head—blew haphazardly in the wind, creating the impression that we were two kids doing nothing more than enjoying the world for what it was. He was twenty-one, I eighteen, fresh and new and completely and utterly enamored. I tried my hardest not to watch him out of my peripheral, but found myself doing that regardless.
Remember, remember, the code to remember, I thought. Straight men get a pass because their love doesn’t last.
Of course it didn’t. That was why it was stupid for me to even consider that this was anything more than just a casual outing. Besides—if anyone was going to make the first move, if they even were, it would be him.
Which wasn’t going to happen.
I drew in a long breath of the cool night air and smiled as the scent of grass and wildflowers entered my nose.
“They have much of this up in Utah?” Brad asked.
“I lived at the edge of Salt Lake,” I replied, “so it was mostly lots of flatland, mostly farms.”
“There’s a lot of that here. But this—this is absolutely beautiful.” Brad smiled as he turned his high beams on. “Do you see?”
The world bloomed before me. Wild, untamed, uninhibited—the grass extended on both sides of the road and was marked only by the separation of land with wooden fences and wire. Flowers dotted the area at various intervals, creating the impression that this place, though encroached upon by humanity, was untouched. It was utterly magical, in a sense—and, in a way, haunting.
So far out, there were no lights to be seen; and with no traffic behind us, it was dark as it could.
Normally, I wasn’t afraid of the night. Something, however, gave me cause for concern.
But what was it?
Was it the belief that we would simply pull over alongside the road and stop? Was it the fact that we could get stranded out here and not be found for hours? What, exactly, was it?
I brushed the thought off as I considered it and cleared my throat as Brad continued to drive.
“Something up?” he asked.
“I… just realized that I haven’t asked you about your art.”
“Oh. That.” Brad laughed. “No need to worry. It’s not like we’ve exchanged notes or anything like that.”
“Still,” I said. “I’d like to see some of it sometime.”
“My phone’s in the back seat if you want to reach back and grab it.”
“You have it on your phone?”
“All my stuff’s digital, and the files are in the cloud. Go ahead—grab it.”
I twisted around, quickly located his phone, then loosened the seatbelt around my waist before leaning back and clawing at his phone.
“What’s your PIN?” I asked, lowering my head and tilting the phone at an angle to avoid blindsiding him.
“0434,” he replied.
I started typing the numbers in.
Brad inhaled.
I looked up.
He asked, “What the hell is that?”
And I paled.
Hovering alongside the road was what I at first assumed to be the rear lights of a car. The only problem was: they were too small to be from a car, and lower to the ground. And worst yet, they were moving.
“What in the world…” I started to say.
Brad pressed his foot down on the accelerator.
The headlights shifted.
A brief glimpse of fur could be seen.
Then whatever it was lunged for the car.
Brad jerked the wheel.
We swerved to the left.
He corrected.
We centered along the middle of the lane.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Brad replied, “I—”
He paused.
“What?” I asked, turning my head to face him. “Brad, why are you—”
“Look behind us,” he said.
I did.
And saw that the red lights were moving—directly behind us.
“It’s just the light reflecting off its eyes,” I said as Brad slowly began to accelerate the car. “Slow down, Brad. Everything’s going to be fine.”
“It’s chasing us,” he said. “It’s fucking chasing us.”
“Yeah it is. But we’re going to outrun it. We—”
Brad increased his speed.
The car continued to accelerate.
The lights—or, more aptly, eyes—continued to pursue.
But what was even more haunting was that they weren’t slowing down.
No.
They were speeding up.
A low, trembling breath escaped me; and Brad, seemingly aware of this, pressed his foot even harder on the accelerator. Even as the car began to pick up speed, and the wind whipped through the open window, the figure kept pace—and I, so enraptured by its presence, could only watch as it continued to pick up speed.
“It’s following,” I said. “It’s following us, Brad.”
“It’s fucking chasing us!” the man yelled. “The goddamn thing is fucking chasing us!”
“Go faster! Faster!”
“I’m trying!” Brad screamed. “I’m fucking trying, Dean!”
I twisted my head back toward the window.
Saw that it was moving toward my side of the vehicle.
Saw that it was attempting to come up alongside us.
Brad, hysterically laughing—or, I should say, crying—at this point, refused to turn his gaze to the side as the figure continued to pick up speed.
“Faster!” I said. “FASTER!”
He slammed his foot on the accelerator.
We went sailing forward.
The speedometer passed sixty…
Seventy…
Eighty…
Ninety.
When we coasted one-hundred, I thought for sure that he was going to lose control and crash. But somehow, someway, he didn’t. He was able to maintain control of the vehicle.
“We’re coming up on a curve,” I said. “Brad! Brad!”
“I see it!” he cried. “I see the damn thing!”
“Slow down!”
“We can’t!”
“Why?”
“It—”
I refused to turn my head, but apparently, he could still see it, because he continued to accelerate to a speed we shouldn’t have been going regardless of whatever was chasing us.
We came along the curve.
He began to slow.
Then, suddenly, he lost control.
Somehow, we didn’t flip. Instead, we began to spin at an alarming rate: once, twice, a third time, then a fourth. When the fifth and sixth revolutions took place, I opened my eyes, and saw a flash of red before them.
“Brad!” I cried. “Brad!”
Something grabbed me.
I screamed.
He screamed.
The car spun three more times, then came to a stop.
Head spinning, stomach lurching, I opened my eyes to find that there was absolutely nothing to be seen.
Whatever was chasing us was gone.
“Buh… Brad?” I asked, trembling. “Are you all right?”
“I’m okay,” he said. “I’m… I’m fine.”
“What the hell just happened?”
“I don’t know, Dean. I… I don’t know.”
Author Bio:
Though he was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho, Kody Boye has lived in the state of Texas since 2010. His first short story, [A] Prom Queen’s Revenge, was published at the age of fourteen. He has since gone on to publish numerous works of fiction, including the young-adult novels When They Came, The Beautiful Ones, The Midnight Spell and ALT CONTROL ENTER, as well as fiction for adults. He currently lives and writes in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
The Longing of Lone Wolves
Lana Pecherczyk
(Fae Guardians, #1)
Publication date: June 8th 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
He bargained with her to break his curse. She stole his heart instead.
Rush is a Fae Guardian, a wolf-shifter whose enhanced abilities have made him a ruthless protector of Elphyne. His job is to protect the realm from the human enemy, and to ensure the sins of the past never come to pass again lest magic die forever. But one night of weakness resulted in a curse worse than death – exile. He now spends his lonely time longing to be part of the living, once again protecting them from monsters… until one washes up on the shores of his lake.
Clarke is human. She’s beautiful, feisty, and fierce. She’s also the only person who can see him, speak to him, and touch him.
If he hands her over to the Order, she’s his ticket to having his curse removed. The more he learns about this human enemy, the more he realizes she’s not the monster he’s been trained to believe. In fact, she’s capable of inciting passion he’d never dreamed possible again, but Clarke has a message from the past… sins are already repeating. This time, if they don’t stop the coming evil, it won’t just be magic that dies. It will be everything.
The Witcher meets Beauty and the Beast in this gripping, epic fantasy featuring steamy romance, a dash of time travel, a band of brothers, shifters, fae protectors and their strong willed women from our time. If you love your books full of page turning action, intrigue, and romantic tension then this book is for you. For fans of Kristen Ashley’s Fantastical series or Sarah J Maas’s adult fantasy romance.
Goodreads / Amazon
—
EXCERPT:
As Clarke wended down rocky terrain, the snow melted and revealed fresh dirt and abundant nature. The more they descended, the grumpier she got. Something shifted inside when she saw how the world had changed because of the way she’d lived her old life. Death had been on one side of the mountain and life on the other. Even though she’d had a part, she didn’t want to be lumped in with humans who’d intentionally destroyed the world.
The fae’s words came back to her. “We don’t choose the rules of life, but if we don’t follow them, we’re destined for nothing.”
“You know,” she said as she dodged a divot in the path. “We’ve been walking for hours and you still haven’t told me your name.”
She was also tired, itchy, and hungry.
The fae nudged her between the shoulder blades. She almost lost her footing.
He may have a giant sword, scary mother-fucking teeth, and a powerful body she was sure could snap her in two, but her instinct just wasn’t feeling the fear. He had the ability to control her words and her actions, yet he’d only just used the power. She rounded on him.
“Take these off me,” she demanded. “Free me.”
He looked down his nose and flicked his gaze to the restraints. Her breath stuck in her throat and, for a moment, she thought her instincts needed a serious talking to. But then he moved toward her. Fast.
With a speed that left her breathless, and a flick of his powerful hand, his bone knife sliced through her restraints. Clarke’s fists dropped to her sides.
He leaned forward, his menacing presence only inches from her face. And then he sniffed, nostrils flaring as he trailed his nose along her cheek, jaw and neck. Where he stayed. Hot air puffed out as he exhaled, and goosebumps erupted over her flesh. The tattoo under his eye flared, casting an eerie blue glow as he bared sharp teeth and bit the air, snapping with an audible click.
Clarke squeaked. A tremble of fear skated up her spine.
He raised a brow. “It matters not if you are free. You will not run.”
“And why not? Because you’ll compel me to stay?”
“Because, woman,” he growled, mouth curving into a wild, wicked grin, “I am the reason for those goosebumps on your skin. I am the reason children have nightmares, and in there”—he pointed into the shadowed woods only a few hundred feet away—“there are far worse things than nightmares. I am the reason you will live to breathe another day.”
“So I need a monster to fight a monster, is that it?”
Stupid woman. Stop provoking the beast.
His eyes narrowed and held her gaze.
An unearthly howl came from deep within the woods. At least, Clarke thought it was a howl. It could be any manner of creature in this foreign place. His pet wolf stiffened and raised his hackles.
Watching the woods, the fae stilled in a way that was wholly inhuman. He reached for his sword. Fingers locked tight around the hilt. Knuckles whitened. His ears pricked up straight.
Leaves rustled and trees whispered that night was falling. Then the tension left his shoulders and he let go of the sword. He tossed a self-righteous look at her, and then swaggered away, continuing toward the very forest that had caused him concern only moments before.
Goddamn it. She wanted to stomp her feet.
Smug, smug bastard.
She should leave just to spite him. But where would she go? To the human city that brutalized fae and animals through a barbed wire ceiling? The one the source of her dread came from? No thanks. She had to face facts. She was in a strange place and on her own. There were dangers out there in the night, and her gut said to go with the fae. He had the upper hand.
She hurried to catch up, for she knew something he didn’t. She could make friends with nightmares. She’d had practice.
Author Bio:
Lana Pecherczyk is an author from Western Australia. She makes a mean chocolate cake and is a fan of ‘pro-caffeinating.’ She writes kick-ass, action-packed, sometimes funny romance in all sorts of sub-genres – Paranormal, Fantasy, Superhero, Sci-fi and a dash of Contemporary. Basically, if it’s got swoony men, strong women and page turning action, then she’ll write it. She also wins love by daylight, fights evil by moonlight.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
False Start Fairy Tale
Kelly St-Laurent
Publication date: June 9th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Adèle Villeneuve is attempting the impossible. At twenty-four she’s opened an events company in her small French village, which at last count has a population of 1501. Even her parents tried to stop her. But Adèle has a plan. Or, at least she did.
Then the Reniers returned to town.
Aside from the dilapidated chateau that’s sat in ruin for the past forty years, Saint-Germain is known for one other thing: a bitter feud between the Reniers and the Villeneuves that has gone on for so long no one remembers how it started. It’s practically folklore, a hatred so deep it ended with the Reniers leaving France back in the eighties, never to be seen or heard from again.
Until now.
With the feud reignited, Adèle’s quiet life is upended. Even more so when she finds out that the Reniers are not only refurbishing the chateau but also opening a competing events company. When Finn Renier, the alluring son of her father’s enemy, offers her a truce that could save her business, she makes a decision that goes against her family, a choice that changes everything.
As she finds herself falling for the one person she’s not supposed to, secrets and lies become entangled, a dangerous truth threatening to be revealed.
Because Finn isn’t all that he seems.
And the Reniers didn’t just return to Saint-Germain for a fresh start.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
—
EXCERPT:
“How about a drink?”
I stare at him, certain that he’s joking. “A drink?”
“Yeah.”
He says it with such confidence. I can’t imagine what it’s like to walk around with that level of self-assurance. “I can’t have a drink with you.”
“Why not? You did last Friday.”
“You showed up at my table. Uninvited, I might add. And that was in Laval. My papa’s office is right over there and he would disown me if he saw me speaking with you, let alone having a drink with you.”
He watches me closely. “Do you always do what your dad wants?”
“No.” The moment I say it I have my doubts.
“So, have a drink with me.”
“Sure,” I say sarcastically. “We’ll go into the café where Gloria’s only known me all my life. I’m sure she won’t tell Papa.”
A subtle hint of annoyance crosses those cover model features of his. “Are you serious about not being seen in public with me?”
“Are you serious in not realizing why?” I glance around, worried that we’ve been talking too long. Saint-Germain’s gossips have eyes everywhere.
“Adèle, it’s just a drink. I’m not asking you to marry me.”
My mind conjures up an image of him in a suit, standing at an altar, watching me, teary-eyed as I walk down the aisle. Appalled at my disturbing, traitorous thoughts, I get to the point. “Our families are at war.”
“Should I be sharpening my sword?” he asks. “Or will it be pistols at dawn?”
Both those words are far too phallic for my liking. “Surely you have something better to do, like repair your dilapidated château so you can put me out of business.”
“The workers start next week.”
“Well…” I have no comeback to that.
“If you won’t drink with me, will you at least take a walk with me?”
“Why?” I ask, confused.
“Because I’m new to town. Aren’t you supposed to be friendly to newcomers?”
“There are plenty of other people you could ask,” I tell him.
He chuckles at that. “As far as I can see, there are two other people my age in Saint-Germain. You and your cousin.”
“Then ask her,” I say.
“I’m asking you.”
My heart does an unmistakeable flutter, proving itself to be as traitorous as my thoughts. I realize I need to be blunt. “The only way you could ever get me to drink with you is if it was to toast your family’s departure from Saint-Germain.”
He moves even closer. “We’re not going anywhere.”
“Then I suppose you’ll have to get used to drinking alone.”
The air between us thickens, his eyes glancing at my lips. For a fleeting second I think he might kiss me. For a horrifying moment, I think I want him to. But then it passes, like temporary psychosis. Still, a worrying realization persists.
I cannot trust myself around Finn Renier.
Author Bio:
From the moment when she believed that the worlds inside the television were real, Kelly St-Laurent has run away with her imagination.
Born in one of the most beautiful corners of the planet, she spent her childhood inspired by the mountains and oceans of New Zealand, constantly wondering about the places beyond the horizon. At age nineteen she decided to find out and hopped a plane to Canada. And, so began her love affair with the Great White North, that has come to be her second home.
Prior to writing her first novel in 2016, Kelly worked as a production coordinator in visual effects where she got to help bring fairies, dragons and monsters to life.
Kelly currently lives in Montreal with her husband Alex and their Shetland Sheepdog Bucky. When she isn’t writing, she’s often found re-watching her favorite films with a wine in hand.
She still believes the world inside her television is real.
Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js
Billionaires on the Beach: A Sweet Billionaire Romance Boxset
Published by: Enchanted Quill Press
Publication date: June 1st 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Sink your teeth into this addictive anthology of gorgeous Billionaires finding true love on the beach.
Billionaires on the Beach is a limited collection of stories from clean and wholesome authors.
Packed with adorable meet-cutes, swoon-worthy romance and so many happily ever afters, you’ll be left beaming ear to ear by the end.
This collection includes:
Forbidden romance
Secret Babies
Fake marriages
Second Chances
Enemies to lovers
Sun, sea and sand
And many heart-soaring dates!
This anthology is the perfect staycation for readers who enjoy sweet and clean Billionaire romances. Only available for a limited time. Scroll up and one click now to get started.
Goodreads / Amazon
—
SNEAK PEEKS:
“The Billionaire’s Nanny” by Laura Burton
Benjamin’s smile turned to a look of horror as she waved her phone at him.
“I’ve followed you on Instagram.”
Benjamin dragged a hand through his messy hair and looked away with a sheepish smile.
“Ah. You found me, then.” He stooped down and picked Maggie up in his arms. She cuddled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Benjy,” she said in a baby voice. The sight made Krista melt inside.
“You were right. You are fun.”
And insanely sexy, she added silently with a smirk.
“Well, you might notice I haven’t posted for a month,” he pointed at her phone as he bobbed Maggie up and down. Krista got to her feet and patted the sand off her legs.
“Well, I’m sure your 1.2 million followers miss you. Let me take a picture of you with Maggie.”
Krista positioned her phone up to capture a picture of Benjamin stooping his head low against Maggie’s brow. She looked up at him with big eyes and her hand touched his cheek. The two of them were perfectly framed by the sunset and glowed dark against the ocean.
“Your followers will die when they see this.”
—
“My Real Life Time Out” by Rimmy London
“The way you navigate the world around you—the way you care for it. There’s something so genuine about you that makes me want to be more. I love being around you. Everything about you.”
He paused to take a shaky breath. “I just wanted to tell you now instead of pretending I didn’t feel anything…because I do.”
His gaze was tentative, vulnerable and so unusually insecure. He’d said the perfect words, all smothered in simmering glances like butter.
—
“I Never Told You” by Jessie Cal
Jess finally shoved the last piece of her s’more into her mouth. “I think it’s time to call it a night,” she said with her mouth full, and his heart ached a bit. Thoughts of holding her in his arms and watching the night sky flooded his mind, and he shook his head like shaking off a spell.
“Do you need help getting Bill’s grandkids in the tent?” he offered, standing with her.
“That would be great.” She squeezed his arm as a thankful gesture, and he forced himself to ignore the electricity that came with her touch. “If you can carry Zach, I’ll pick up little Cole.”
Even in the way she dragged her feet, he could tell she was tired. His mind suddenly conjured an image of him pulling her into a comforting embrace, but he pushed it aside.
After laying the last boy down inside the tent, he stepped out only to find himself standing in front of her again.
“Thank you.” She let out a tired sigh. “You must be exhausted.”
“I enjoyed every minute of it, though,” he said, flashing her a soft smile. “Minus the shark incident, of course.”
She blurted out a laugh then covered her mouth so as not to wake the kids. “Really? Cause that was the highlight of my day.”
“You’re mean.”
She stifled another laugh. “Good night, Logan.” She leaned in and wrapped him in a hug. Her hair smelled like salt water which was oddly comforting. When she pulled back, he grabbed her hand. He had no idea why, or what he would say. And she was looking at him, waiting for an explanation, but he didn’t have one. He simply wanted to hold her hand.
No, that wasn’t true. That wasn’t all he wanted.
He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her about all the crazy flutters he’d been feeling in the pit of his stomach all night, but then she looked down at their fingers laced together, and he no longer knew what to say. What was she thinking? Did she like the way it felt as much as he did? Should he just pull her into his arms and kiss her?
“I think being on this island is messing with our heads,” she whispered, slipping her hand out of his and pulling away. “Good night, Logan.”
And there was his heart again, racing at the sound of her saying his name. “Good night, Jess.”
GIVEAWAY!
https://kingsumo.com/js/embed.js
BeckyBookstore 