New Release Spotlight: International Guy, Volume 1 by Audrey Carlan

Title: International Guy, Volume 1

Author: Audrey Carlan

Release Date: July 10, 2018

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Message From the Author: Audrey Carlan

Hello my lovelies,

My name is Audrey Carlan and I’m the #1 New York Times and Worldwide bestselling author of Calendar Girl. I’m here today to share with you my brand new blockbuster series, International Guy! I cannot express how excited I am to share this story with you. Not only will I promise you a new book boyfriend to swoon over, but an intense serial that will take you on a journey unlike any you’ve had before.

This story is told primarily through the eyes of my hero, Parker Ellis, CEO of International Guy, Inc. known to his team as the “Dream Maker”. He is joined by his partners Royce Sterling, the “Money Maker” and Bogart “Bo” Montgomery dubbed the “Love Maker.” The IG team helps individuals all over the globe with unique problems often involving life and love coaching.

Now I’m going to introduce my main man, Parker Ellis!

Audrey: Hey Park, how’s it hanging, brother?


Parker: Nice and tight, a little to the left.


Audrey: Gross. 


Parker: Pretty lady, you asked. <He laughs heartily.>


Audrey: I’ve been asked to find out from you what would you consider the perfect date in each of the cities you’re traveling to in International Guy: Volume 1?


Parker: Well, to start, Paris is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world. And what is the most romantic symbol in Paris?


Audrey: The Seine River?


Parker:  Audrey, babe, no. The most iconic symbol is the Eiffel Tower.


Audrey: Oh, well yeah, that makes sense.


Parker: For me, a perfect date would be to bring my beautiful woman to the Jules Verne restaurant overlooking all of Paris. Follow dinner up with a walk along the Seine. Especially if you can stop over one of the bridges and kiss her under the moonlight. Women eat that shit up.


Audrey:  We eat that shit up?


Parker:  Well yeah. There’s nothing wrong with it. Romance is a part of the wooing process. I dig it. I enjoy a nice meal with a beautiful woman. And there’s nothing like holding a woman’s hand while walking along a majestic body of water.


Audrey: Okay, what if you were in New York?


Parker: The city that never sleeps? A personal fave of mine.


Audrey: What would you consider a perfect date there?


Parker: Hands down, dinner and a Broadway show. I believe Phantom of the Opera is still running and it has rave reviews. Plus, it’s a rather interesting and twisted love story. This gives you plenty to talk to your woman about after the show. Preferably back at her place.


Audrey: Mm hmm. And the last city? Copenhagen?


Parker: Easy. Castles. I’ve never met a woman that wasn’t enthralled by royalty or relics from a past time. I’d take my date during the day on a tour of a sprawling castle then to a comfy hole in the wall pub that offered the traditional hygge along with a pint or a nice bottle of red wine.


Audrey: Hygge?


Parker:  It’s essentially a feeling of coziness and comfort. It’s that sensation you get when you’re snuggled up close, maybe in a corner booth at a pub, or sitting next to your woman in front of a warm fire.


Audrey: I can see that. I love cozying up to my husband, especially on cold nights. 


Parker:  Exactly. What I think men don’t realize now a days is that women aren’t expecting too much. They want a man they’re dating to spend quality time doing different and interesting things with them. It’s not about the exact date, as in where you’ve gone or what you do when you get there. It’s more about the intention of the date. Which in my opinion is all about togetherness. Living in the moment. Experiencing things with someone you care about. Perhaps even trying new things. Feeling out what makes your partner smile. That’s when you know you’ve got something special and that’s what I shoot for on all my dates and with all of my clients.


Audrey: What would you say is your primary philosophy about dating?


Parker: Come on, Audrey, you know me. You know me.


Audrey: Answer it anyway!


Parker:  Life is about meaningful experiences and not taking the special moments we’re given for granted. Every person I take out I strive to share something unique, something memorable.


Audrey: I like that. It’s very deep.


Parker:  I know something else that can get very deep.


Audrey! Hey, I’m married!


Parker: Just sayin’…hook a brother up already.


Audrey: Maybe I already have?


Parker:  I cannot freakin’ wait to see who you set me up with. She better be hot!


Audrey: Come on. You know me. You know me. 


Parker: Yeah, she’s hot. 


Audrey: Totally.

Excerpt: International Guy, Volume 1 by Audrey Carlan


“When you said you would take me to dinner, I had no idea it would be at the world-famous Jules Verne Restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.” Sophie squeezes my hand as an attendant leads us through a secret entrance for restaurant goers.

We’re in the belly of the beast, surrounded by iron bars and rivets galore as we wait our turn to go into the private elevator that slowly takes you from the ground level up 380 feet to where the restaurant resides.

“This way, Messieurs-dames.” The attendant, who is smartly dressed in an all-black suit, gestures to the open elevator.

It’s compact and cozy, the entire back wall glass. The sun is just setting over the horizon as we ease our way up the country’s most iconic monument.

“This is incredible!” Sophie gasps, leaning against my side.

I frown. “Have you not been to the Eiffel Tower before?”

“No, I have, but I was a child then. We visited on a school outing, and of course, I have seen it
from below, walked the path, but have not experienced it as an adult.”

I hook an arm around her waist. “I’m glad we’re doing it together.”

“More first-time memories?”

She remembered. “Yes. And with a beautiful woman by my side, one I’ll never forget.”

“Then we should kiss, non?” She turns, flattens her chest against mine, and wraps her arms around my neck. “First times should always be marked with a kiss.”

I bend forward and cup her soft cheek.

She lifts up onto her toes, bringing her lips a scant inch from mine. “Do not think about it. Just do it.”

’Nuff said. I lay my lips over hers and take her lips in a slow, meaningful kiss. She opens her mouth instantly, inviting me in. I accept the invitation, licking deep and devouring her. Her sugar-and-spice scent swirls around me, coating me in heaven. Her tongue dances with mine as I turn her head left, then right, going deeper, wanting more. Our kiss becomes heated, bodies pressing against one another, trying to get closer. I need skin . . . her skin.

She moans into my mouth right as the lift stops and the bell dings, announcing we’ve made it to our destination. It takes serious effort to leave the beauty of her mouth and body, but I peel myself away, and she slides her hands down her dress, making herself presentable once again.

I guide her in front of me as the attendant takes our names and looks up the reservation I made this morning when we got to Rolland Group Inc. I was lucky to score a reservation, but apparently midweek is easier when you’re planning on spending several hundred euros a plate.

We’re seated in a position that’s perfect for two and right next to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which give us a spectacular view of Paris at dusk.

“Did you know that Chef Hugues de Saint Vincent will be making our meals tonight? He is a culinary genius.” Sophie smiles wide, and I vow to do more to put that smile on her face.

My name is Parker Ellis. You can call me The Dream Maker. This is where my story begins.

There’s a world of women waiting for me, but my journey starts here, in three cities: Paris. New York. Copenhagen.

International Guy Inc. is owned and operated by Parker Ellis, a ladies’ man with a high IQ and a big libido. He’s the most successful life and love coach in the world, and he’s smart enough to know he can’t run a multimillion-dollar company alone.

He hires two friends whose areas of expertise complement his own. They comprise The Dream Maker, The Love Maker, and The Money Maker. Together, they advise the wealthiest people in the world: Hollywood hotshots, European royalty, and the CEOs of multibillion-dollar companies. And sometimes they can’t help it when things heat up and they end up in bed with their clients. Quite literally.

This International Guy likes his playboy lifestyle, and he’s not looking for commitment. After all, there’s a whole world waiting for him. But as he goes from city to city, and from woman to woman, it’s possible that he just might find his own love along the way…

Amazon US     Amazon UK     Amazon DE

Audrey Carlan is an internationally renowned author who writes wickedly hot love stories. Translated into more than thirty different languages across the globe, Audrey’s books have hit the bestseller lists for the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly. She is best known for the worldwide bestselling Calendar Girl series and Trinity saga, and her novel Resisting Roots is scheduled to become a PassionFlix movie.

Audrey lives in the California Valley with her two children and the love of her life. When she’s not writing, you can find her teaching yoga, sipping wine with her “soul sisters,” or with her nose stuck in a steamy romance novel. Find out more about Audrey through her website (www.AudreyCarlan.com), Twitter (@AudreyCarlan), or Facebook (@AudreyCarlan).

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New Release Spotlight: Unfinished Business by S.C. Cunningham

Unfinished Business

He loved being him… he got away with murder.

She loved being her… until she met him.

The steamy roller coaster ride of psychotic David’s obsession with his childhood sweetheart, a skilled mix of fuelled tension, dark humour and pulsating sex scenes.

With the help of her gutsy friends, fun-loving city girl Tara Warr is the only victim to survive David Howard’s death list. Whilst lounging in prison the hypnotic sexual tour de force enlists an eager recruit, seduces a prison warden and relocates to the sunnier climes of Mexico, a freedom short-lived when his charred remains are found in the fire of a plastic surgeon’s clinic. The police cease their search, finally Tara and her friends can relax, David is dead.

Laughter soon turns to fear when he communicates via Tara’s laptop that he is very much alive, knows their every move and is ready to finish what he started. He is among them, but who? He has a brand new face.

Tara has had enough, time to turn the tables and make him suffer. A woman unafraid of death is a dangerous thing. Has David finally met his match?

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David Howard had been remanded for Attempt Murder. After a year of mental health issues his victim Tara Warr needed closure. Against her better judgement, she visited him in prison.

Visiting Room, HM Belmarsh Prison, South East London, England

David stepped through the doorway into the visitor’s room, followed by two guards. He looked healthy, tanned and cheerful, nothing like the pale, broken, repenting convict she was expecting... what is this place, a bloody holiday camp?

Faking calm, she watched him saunter towards the chair in front of her and settle leisurely into its seat. Typical David, he took his time, enjoying all eyes on him.

She’d forgotten how intimidating he was, his threatening air and mocking grin unnerved her, crushing what little composure she had. She eyed his shackles, doubting their strength, wanting to run for the exit, but her legs froze, paralysed, invisible tentacles bound tight; she couldn’t move… fuck, fuck, fuck… this is a bad idea.

Killer and prey sat staring at each other through the flimsy glass partition.

He’d obviously been pumping iron whilst inside, his body pulsed as strong as an ox… an image of him naked, pushing her against a wall, flashed her mind. She caught her breath, blushed and looked down at her hands… shit, shit, shit… he’s doing it again.

David smiled; he could read her like a book.

He sprawled back in his chair and calmly surveyed the scene before him; four burly prison guards, a rotund, sweating lawyer and the beautiful Tara Warr. The love of his life, sitting all prim and proper, butter wouldn’t melt. He sniffed the air, locating her smell as it seeped through from the connecting room.

Why hadn’t she come to him before, when he needed her, all those years ago, bent over the headmaster’s desk, his body torn in two… why?

He sighed, no matter, she’s here now. These past months, locked up, he’d missed her; she’d been his obsession for over twenty years, his every waking, sleeping, living thought. They had a bond, in life and death she was his, he was hers, she just hadn’t got used to it yet.

Watching her had been his life’s work, it had kept him alive. He knew every inch of her, what she smelt like, tasted like, felt like, knew the tiny sound she made at the back of her throat as he entered her. He loved every detail, every movement, every gesture, he knew her by heart. He watched her now as her body stiffened… did he disgust her? His eyes hardened.

Sniffing the air he smelt fear, his cock lurched.

He knew she was resisting, but that made it all the more exciting. He could do patience when needed. He sat quietly, observing, staring directly into her eyes. She fought it at first, but then succumbed. Her breathing calmed and her body stilled, he had her full attention.

Staring into her face… there!

He saw it, the black of her pupils dilated to treble their size… attraction… ha! I have you, my angel… David is back and you still love him… ha!

He smiled, she may have been out of physical reach for the past few months, but the mental hold was still there, she was his, he was going to enjoy this visit.

Relaxing further into his seat, he let his legs fall open, all the while keeping eye contact, he dropped his hand to his lap and cupped his cock, giving it an encouraging tweak, ever on the verge of arousal it, leapt to attention.

Heady palpable sex pulled at her through the glass, she flinched with shame and turned away. This man had tried to kill her, she should be spitting on him right now, not watching him get a hard on; she wanted to climb up onto his lap… the bastard.

How can you fear and want someone at the same time? Hypnotism, drugs, brainwashing… what has he done to me? he’s a killer for chrissakes, what the hell is wrong with me?

She closed her eyes, rocked her head back and took a long slow calming breath… focus, it’s only a man… with a few issues… well, more than a few issues, murder is a little serious… but he had good reason, I would have done the same… urrgh, who is more deranged, him or me?

The room fell silent, waiting for her reaction.

The four bulky wardens on guard, two behind David and two behind Tara, stood attentive, backs rigid, arms crossed, legs apart, silently waiting for any sign of trouble, stealing cursory glances at the classy long-legged blonde in the black suit. She was not the norm for Her Majesty’s Belmarsh; it seemed lover boy David swung both ways, Jonesy would not be happy.

Warden Jones was not, standing, seething, behind David he assessed his competition… so this is the bitch he’s obsessed with, the name he calls out in the night.

He gave David a warning punch to the shoulder, knocking his hand away from the semi lob, resisting the urge to reach down and grab it himself. As with everything about David, his cock was impressive, and Jonesy had seen enough cocks in his time to know, the prison showers were a daily peep show.

He looked over at the bitch; she didn’t have what David needed, what the hell was her hold over him?

Tara looked up to find Jonesy inspecting her legs; she tugged at her skirt pulling it over knees. The two guards behind her sniggered, she glanced back to their grinning faces, not understanding the joke, she looked over to her lawyer for support, the overweight, sweaty little man was standing at the door hugging his briefcase, anxious to leave… he said this was a bad idea, he was right.

She’d arrived with brave intention, but the moment she saw his handsome face and lounge-lizard body sprawled across the seat in front of her, she froze, unable to breathe, let alone string a sentence together.

She knew he was evil, knew what lurked beneath the handsome packaging, she’d experienced it first-hand, but she also knew the energy in his fingertips, the power in his kisses, the incredible feeling of connection as he entered her… how could someone blessed with so much turn out so bad… could she help him, change him?

He broke the silence.

‘Darling Tara, it’s good to see you, you got my letters then,’ he beamed, eyes flirting, brazenly scanning her body. ‘Sorry I can’t offer you a drink.’

Bile retched at her throat… the bastard.

Closing her eyes she was back in his apartment, naked, bound star-shaped to the bed, choking on the red wine being poured down her throat, drowning, fighting for life, his laughter ringing in her ears.

Panic pumped her rib cage, she put a hand on her chest to quieten it … breathe in, out… in and out.

Focusing on the scratched, smeared glass between them, she forced herself to tune into the sounds of prison; slamming doors, metal on metal, distant cries, repetitive life outside the suffocating visitors’ room… breathe in and out… in and out.

Knuckles clenched tight, she dug fingernails into the palm of her hand, forcing her mind to still, to concentrate on the pain… he can’t get to me here, I’m safe… in… and out.

They sat in silence.

British Author S C Cunningham (The Penance List, Unfinished Business and The Deal) creates psychological and paranormal thrillers with a skilled mix of fueled tension, dark humor, and pulsating sex scenes. Her works offer a fresh level of sincerity and authority, rare in fiction.

Cunningham writes what she knows. Abducted as a child, she survived; and every night for months afterward, she prayed to God, asking for a deal. This personal journey sparked the fuse behind the intriguing and riveting fictional world she portrays in The Deal, the first in the Fallen Angel Series. Twenty years later she crossed paths with a violent serial attacker, thus sowing the seed for her thrillers The Penance List and Unfinished Business part of The David Trilogy. She is currently working on Book III For My Sins.

An ex-model, British born of Irish roots, she married a rock musician and has worked in the exciting worlds of rock music, film, sports celebrity management and as a Crime Investigator for the Police – Wanted & Absconder Unit, Intelligence Analyst, Major Crime Team, Investigations Hub.

Having worked in the music to film industry, she writes with film in mind. The Penance List has been adapted to film screenplay.

Website      Twitter      Facebook       Instagram       LinkedIn      Google+      Amazon Author Page USA      Amazon Author Page UK 

Giveaway - Win a signed copy of Unfinished Business (Open Internationally)

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