NEW RELEASE : Jack and the Jean Stock by H K Carlton

As much as I hate to see the summer end, I'm happy I get to kick back with one last summer read by one of my fav authors, not to mention good friend! The prolific H K Carlton is back with an exciting new story Jack and the Jean Stock and she's generously dropped by to share an excerpt!

Naughty Fairy Tale - Jack and the Jean Stock by H K Carlton

Hi Noelle. I’m thrilled to be back and beyond excited to share a snip from my brand new release with Evernight. It’s something a little different for me. A Naughty Fairy Tale — Jack and the Jean Stock.

This is my updated modern version of Jack, with a twist.

Blurb

Strapped for cash and drowning in his ailing mother’s medical debt, the one bright spark in Jack Castor’s life is working his dream job for a specialty clothing manufacturer that caters to large men. Although his personal life is all but nonexistent, career-wise, he thrives under the tutelage of his friend and father-like mentor, Cronus Gigandet, a gigantic man with a heart to match. But when Cronus dies suddenly, the company’s future is thrown into uncertainty.
Titan Gigandet, Cronus’ wayward son, a giant of a man in his own right, is furious when he learns his father has included his upstart protégé, Jack, in his will, leaving him equal shares in the family-run factory. Reluctantly, Titan rescinds his own self-imposed exile and returns to a company in turmoil.

The gloves come off, and the major players fight for control. With the shareholder’s agreement about to run out, decisions concerning the business need to be made, and quick. But Jack and Titan clash at every turn. The pair is so at odds, the quarrels rapidly become physical, but fists soon give way to angry, forbidden kisses. Though the blazing new attraction does nothing to quell the antagonism or distrust between them.

While battling to save the company, Jack’s mother takes a turn for the worse. Just when it seems like all hope is lost, Titan unearths a stunning find. 

Could this new discovery be Jack’s ‘golden goose’ or just the beginning of the end to everything Jack holds dear?  

Buy Links:

Evernight

Amazon

ARe

BookStrand

Excerpt: 18+ m/m

Titan raised his head and looked down at him, his features ravaged. But as he stared, something in his expression changed. “Help me save my father’s company.”

Was he for real?

When Jack didn’t immediately comment, he fisted his hands into the sweaty t-shirt plastered to Jack’s chest and hauled him upward, so that only his tiptoes touched the wooden planks. “Help me.”

“I’ll do everything I can. I have been…”

“God you smell good, Englishman,” he said, out of the blue.

Jack looked up in time to see his nostrils flare. “All hot and sweaty, just like you were last night.” His sizzling gaze roved over Jack’s mouth.

Another drastic mood swing. Christ he was impossible to read.

Still hanging there he was quite defenseless when Titan dipped his head as if he might kiss him.

“No, we’re not playing that game again.” Determined to get away, Jack yanked on the hem of his shirt, successfully ripping it from Titan’s grip. He stepped sideways as soon as his feet hit the floor, but Titan mirrored him.

His lips hovered just above Jack’s, his breath buffeting his cheeks. “You’re not going to stop me,” Titan murmured.

Jack held his breath when Ti wrapped his free hand around the back of his neck while staring at him. The warmth and weight of his massive palm felt exquisite. A ripple of fear laced with excitement shot up Jack’s spine. This time he was prepared for the violence.

Titan mashed his lips up against his while holding his head, making it impossible for him to pull away. It was brutal; it was ugly and the second hottest kiss—or maybe runner-up with last night’s—he’d ever experienced. His heart pounded. His cock surged.

They fought each other for supremacy with their hands and mouths, groping and nipping. But Jack was no match for Titan’s height and strength. Nor could he fight the desire wending its way through his highly-strung body. Ti overwhelmed him, leaning over

him and into him. In their haste, they ran into one of the tables, knocking several bundles of denim to the floor.

Unexpectedly, Titan curled his leg behind Jack’s as he pushed him backwards, forcing him off balance. When he started to fall, Titan was quick to stop his momentum, lowering him to the denim pillow. He followed, all the while kissing the hell out of him.

Squirming, Jack twisted his head breaking the kiss. “What are you gonna do, just manhandle me?”

“You like to be manhandled.”

His sexy grin made Jack’s stomach flip, his cock pulse.

Titan pushed him down into the bed of denim, but this time when he took his lips he softened just a bit, as much as an aggressive giant could, Jack thought. No matter, it was all arousing as fuck.

Titan unfastened Jack’s pants and shuffled his way down his body. Jack tensed. Did he really want to get into something with his boss? With such animosity still between them?

But when Titan flipped aside the waistband of his formfitting boxers, exposing the tip of his distended cock, Jack could no longer think past his raging hard-on.

Author Bio:

H K Carlton is a multi-published Canadian author of romance and its varied sub-genres, including contemporary, paranormal, historical, family saga and erotica.

H~K

I enjoy writing in many different genres. I write where the muse takes me and make no apologies for it. By now, it’s quite safe to say I will never pick just one genre and stick to it. There are just too many possibilities and stories left to tell. Today time-travel, tomorrow sweet historical romance—the next release might be, down and dirty erotica or ménage. I hope you’ll join me for the ride.
Variety is creativity’s playground—It’s where you’ll find me. 

Social Media Links:

H K’s Blog – Pick a Genre Already (Adult Content)

Twitter

Facebook Timeline

Facebook Author Page

Amazon Page

Goodreads  

Evernight has an exclusive line dedicated to naughty, twisted fairy tales to arouse and entertain (including Jack and the Jean Stock). Check ‘em out — Evernight’s Naughty Fairy Tales, Bed time stories for grown ups…  

Wishing you all a happily ever after… 

Thank you for hosting us today, Noelle!

NEW RELEASE : Memories of Us by H. K. Carlton

I'm thrilled to share the cover of the newest release from my good friend and fellow Evernight Publishing author H. K. Carlton. I can't wait to read it because I can tell from the excerpt that it's going to be another sexy, exciting story.

When the present and the past collide… 

Call Barstow spent the better part of his teenage years fighting off the sexual advances of Karis Hirt. Gorgeous, wild, promiscuous, and his best friend, Trey’s little sister, to boot. This in the teenage boy vernacular is referred to as pure unadulterated hell! 

Determined to keep his friends from his sister, Trey swears all his buddies to a hands-off-the-sister pact, which Call takes very seriously. Call’s pledge is only made more torturous when the sensual little vixen, Karis, is determined to make him break his vow. But his constant rejection only drives her to rebel, leaving her reputation in tatters. 

Years later, Karis resurfaces in Call's life—a subdued version of the wild child he remembers. Suddenly the pact doesn’t seem important anymore, nor does her spotty reputation. As Call begins to reconcile the past-and-present Karis, he is inundated with memories of her and soon finds himself head over heels with the girl who consumed his youth. 

Can Call not only forget but overlook her shadowed sexual history for a bright new future? Or will Karis’ wild past only lead to their eventual ruin?

You can purchase H. K.'s latest from Evernight Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or All Romance Ebooks. And check out her fantastic blog here!

H K Carlton talks NEXT WEEKEND

As promised, H K Carlton is here to talk about her exciting new book, Next Weekend!

Thank you, Noelle, for having me back. I’m so happy to be with you again.

Title: NEXT WEEKEND

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Release Date: January 20, 2015

Genre: Contemporary, erotic, romance, BDSM-lite J okay, mild sub/dom

BDSM-lite (makes me giggle every time) This is the way I like to describe my latest release Next Weekend, my first with Evernight Publishing. This story has an extremely mild dominance / submission theme. It’s actually a burgeoning D/s relationship, with the added little twist; my couple, Miranda and Jordan, are going through a divorce when they realize this new dynamic in their disintegrating relationship. There are no blindfolds, no spanking scenes, no bondage, but instead a subtle and unexpected shift in power.

Here’s the blurb:

Miranda and Jordan Lang cordially invite you to their divorce...

Jordan is not completely surprised when Miranda suggests they separate. Their marriage had been deteriorating from the moment they took their vows. Although heartbroken things didn’t work out with the woman he expected to spend the rest of his life with, he doesn’t contest her decision.

The only thing holding up the final divorce decree is the sale of their get-away cabin. In a weak moment, Miranda heads there for the weekend knowing full well that Jordie will also be there. Accidentally—on purpose, she seduces him and leaves an open invitation for another naughty weekender.

But the next time they meet, Jordie’s anger over the entire situation has kicked in and he finds himself being rough and commanding with her. And even more surprising, his ex likes it.

Follow Jordie as he finds and embraces his dominant side and Miranda her submissive self. Will it be enough to save their doomed relationship or will the issues that drove them apart remain more than they can overcome?

EXCERPT:

“Stop!” He pulled her hair, dislodging her.

She stared up at him, her gaze darting uncertainly, her lovely lips shiny and swollen from his rough use. He fisted his other hand to keep from reaching out and smoothing her lower lip. No, he was certain, any sign of weakness or empathy would shatter whatever precedent he’d set here.

In an attempt to break his hold, she shook her head from side to side. But he held firm, even gripping her hair close to her scalp, where he knew it would hurt. She opened her mouth, silently offering to take him back in.

He stifled a chuckle. Had he just unraveled the secret to keeping his wife interested? He gave her hair another vicious pull, then dropped her carelessly.

As much as it killed him, he stepped away from her and with major discomfort and some difficulty, he tucked his aching cock back into his pants and attempted to zip up. It was a lost cause. He pulled his shirt over to cover himself.

“No. Please…” She knelt on the end of the bed and reached for him, her long fingers grasping, her expression begging for him to return. “Let me finish. I’ll make it good.”

With more willpower than he knew he possessed, he sidestepped her and walked to the bedroom door. At the threshold, he turned back. The look of bewilderment and perhaps even a hint of humiliation marred her generally flawless and regal features. The usual arrogant self-assuredness she wore like a badge of honor fell away. It was what had attracted him to her in the first place and what ultimately drove a wedge between them. But for once she needed direction.

The image she made, legs folded underneath her, breasts rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath, her nipples hard, her skin flushed, her hair a tangled mess from his misuse—it was something he would never forget.

“Next weekend.” He snapped the order. “You’ll be here.” He pointed down at the floor where he stood.

He didn’t wait for a response to his statement but turned and strode to the exit.

Jordan made sure to slam the door on his way out.

Back on the road, driving home, he couldn’t help but grin to himself. He had the most empowering feeling coursing through him. He even resisted the urge to jerk off and find that much needed release. No, he would use that craving to pad his resolve. Their relationship had just shifted. To what and where it might go—he didn’t know? For now, it didn’t matter. What he was certain of—beyond a shadow of a doubt—next weekend, Miranda would be there, waiting for him.

Next Weekend Buy Links:

Evernight     Amazon     All Romance     BookStrand    Smashwords 

H K Carlton is a multi-published Canadian author of romance and its varied sub-genres including contemporary, historical, paranormal, romantic suspense and erotica.

H K’s Blog Pick a Genre Already

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Amazon Author Page

Still Here!

How has it been almost four months since I've written a blog post?! I apologize for not doing a better job of keeping you updated but I've been a little busy, both personally and professionally. I promise not to stay out of touch for so long again. In fact, I hope you check back in tomorrow because my friend, the terrific author H. K. Carlton, will be here to share an excerpt from her new book, Next Weekend, part of the Romance On The Go series from Evernight Publishing. I can't wait!  :-)

Secrets With The Billionaire Available Today!!!

I'm so happy to announce the release of my latest e-book, Secrets With The Billionaire, from Evernight Publishing.

While vacationing on an island resort, ambitious news reporter Tim McInerny is surprised to see the reclusive techie billionaire, Connor Albright. It's clear from Connor's appearance that he's been ill, but Tim approaches him anyway, making clear that he'll write a story with or without Connor's cooperation. Still recovering from a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery, Connor reluctantly agrees to the interview despite his fear the interview will wreck his corporation’s plans for the acquisition of an internet start-up. 

Though they each have their own agenda, it isn't long before professional considerations are thrown aside and Tim and Connor give in to their passion for each other. But their new relationship is threatened when Tim learns that his interview won't be published and that Connor knew about it all along. Both men are forced to choose which takes priority: their careers or their burgeoning relationship. 



And as I promised, here's an excerpt: 

But the reality of who Tim was and what brought him to Connor’s room in the first place caused Connor to extricate himself from the embrace and take a step back.

He watched as the expression on Tim’s face changed from one of desire to confusion. “What’s going on?”

“We can’t do this.” Connor shook his head, trying to shake off the lust-filled cobwebs clouding his better judgment. “You should go.”

Tim’s jaw tightened and he shoved his hands into his pockets, his frustration evident. “Is it because of your heart attack? Is there a medical reason we can’t continue?”

Actually, Connor’s heart was beating furiously at the moment, but it didn’t scare him. In fact, he hadn’t felt this alive and invigorated in months, even well before his heart attack. While he indulged in the occasional one-night stand, it had been a long, long time since anyone had turned Connor on this much. He wanted nothing more than to rip Tim’s clothes off and bury his dick in Tim’s ass as far as it would go.

But he’s a reporter, not a fuck-buddy, Connor reminded himself. Things needed to stay strictly professional between them. He’d exposed enough vulnerability to Tim by talking about the heart attack. Going to bed with him might result in a loss of control that Connor couldn’t let himself sacrifice.

 I'm really proud of this book and I hope you all enjoy it too.  :-)

Buy at Amazon or from the Evernight Publishing site.

Secrets With The Billionaire releases Friday!!!

I'm thrilled to share that my latest e-book, Secrets With The Billionaire, will be available this Friday!!  It's my first book with Evernight Publishing that's not part of their Romance On The Go line or included in an anthology.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cover!!!  The contrast between the cold, stark boardroom and the hot, HOT men perfectly captures the 'opposites attract' chemistry of the heroes of my story, as shown in this blurb:


Tim McInerny, a reporter for The Philadelphia Chronicle, is on vacation when he sees Connor Albright, the reclusive techie billionaire.  It's clear from Connor's appearance that he's been ill, but Tim approaches him anyway, hoping to get an interview.  Connor reluctantly agrees to talk to the reporter once Tim makes clear that he'll write a story with or without Connor's cooperation.  It isn't long before professional considerations are thrown aside and the two men give in to their passion for each other.  But their new relationship is threatened when Time learns his interview won't be published and that Connor knew it all along.  Both men are forced to choose which takes priority: their careers or their burgeoning relationship.



Come back Friday, the day of the release (!!), when I'll share an excerpt from the story.  Hope to see you all here then!  :-)

H K Carlton talks Always Cambridge!!!

It's always a pleasure to welcome my friend and fellow author H K Carlton back to my blog.  As she approaches the end of her exciting series, Always Cambridge, H K and I spend a little time talking how the series started and what's coming up next.

NK:  Thanks so much for joining me.  I'm so excited to talk to you about Always Holly, the final book of your Always Cambridge series.  Before we talk about Always Holly, I'd like to ask about the beginning of the series.  I'll confess I'm asking for selfish reasons because writing a series is one of my writing career goals.  Did you know from the very beginning this was going to be a series or did it start as a standalone novel? 

HK: Thanks for having me Noelle. Perhaps I’m not the best person to give advice on series writing, unless we can all learn from my mistakes. LOL

NK:  Oh stop! Always Cambridge is a great series and it’s part of the reason why I’m interested in writing one of my own.  But go on...

HK:  Thank you so much! (blushing)

I fell into this one. It was one of those plots or story lines that chose me.

Keep in mind, when I began writing Always Cambridge, I was still only writing for myself. So in the very beginning stages, I never intended for anyone else to see it let alone read it. I have always written—jotted things down for my own pleasure. But it got to the point where I had to write things down to get them out of my head. But once I did, it left room for other stories. I didn’t have any set rules. I hadn’t been introduced to editors or guidelines or formatting yet. I didn’t know what I was doing. I just wrote; whatever came to my mind, it went down. In long hand on paper. I didn’t even have a laptop at that point and trying to fight three school age children for a turn on the desktop PC was near impossible. I hadn’t been published or even accepted for any of my other works, when the saga began. If memory serves me correctly, I had subbed Swap (an erotic romance) and You Found Me (historical romance), but had not yet heard back. And to that point had only experienced rejection letters. I had no idea if I even had the chops to sub let alone ever be published. But happily, by the time I finished the AC series, I had.

I never intended to write a series. Always Cambridge in its first incarnation was a standalone. But once I got to what I thought was THE END, I found out quickly, that it wasn’t. I had more questions that needed to be answered, and I originally went back to satisfy my own curiosity. But when I returned to tie up the loose ends, every time I wound one up, there was just more and more. The story just kept evolving and growing and I went with it.

NK:  I never would have guessed that you hadn’t intended Always Cambridge to be a series, but I can see what you mean about unanswered questions and loose ends.  Was there any one question or plot point that made you think, “Oh, I think there’s another book here?”

HK:  The main one was I wanted to know precisely what Holly had been up to the six years that she and Randy were separated. The way it was the first time around, I just sort of glossed over the specifics of how Holly had come to the FBI, after she’d deserted the family. And once I began to develop that line, Alex made his way into the story in a big way and became the voice of the second book, Running. But throughout the series, Alex is Holly’s rock. He’s her sounding board, her consciousness, her voice of reason. Every time her world comes crashing down around her, when the dust clears, there is strong, capable, SSA Alex Orton, to save her from herself.

Also, the way I’d left off in the first version of Always Cambridge, Holly and Randy escape into Witness Protection and that was the end. I thought the reader could make up their own minds and imaginations whether Holly and Randy made it without their enemies coming for them. But that wasn’t good enough for me. I had to know what happened to them. And in developing that part of the story (and in conjunction with the Alex story line) the irresistible Victor Mayhue, reared his oh-so-lovely head, and Holly wasn’t the only one that fell for him. The charming bad boy just kept coming at me and every time I tried to give Holly and Randy the HEA that had always been the entire premise for this story, Victor was there, telling me, it wasn’t over. And he was right. It really showed me that the characters are really the ones who are in charge of things. The author is just the conduit and along for the ride.

And once the characters had all presented themselves and where they wanted to go, well, justice just had to prevail. Right?

NK:  One of things I like best about the Always Cambridge series is how each book is its own self contained story but you still maintain the continuity from the prior stories.  How difficult was it keep the balance between old plots and new ones?  I know that's the challenge of writing a series and I know it's what kind of scares me as I think about attempting it.

HK: This series is a proper saga, in which each new instalment begins precisely where the last ended. They might be self contained stories, but the books truly must be read in sequence. Once I realized it was going to be several books and that I was going to try and get it published, I tried to write the remainder as if it were a stand alone—a giant one with over 300,000 words. What I found difficult was trying not to be too repetitive. Because it was a continuing saga, I didn’t want to keep rehashing the same things, but I wanted to gently remind the reader where Holly was coming from and maybe why she was making the decisions she was. That it was all a product of her upbringing that drove her combined with her need to see justice done. In writing it like it was just one big book, I think kept the continuity needed to avoid too much repetition.

NK:  What was it specifically about Always Cambridge that intrigued you enough to create a world for these characters? 

HK:  I think what intrigued me enough to pursue this story was that in one way, I could relate to Holly on so many levels because in fact there is a lot of me in Holly, to a point. But on the other hand, there are other aspects of the story that I know absolutely nothing about and cannot even relate to. Especially the violence and brutality. I could draw a true parallel between truth and fiction. They say write what you know, which in a way, I did, but on the flip side, what do I know about mob-life or the FBI. What I know about the mob can be summed up between Goodfellas and the Godfather (which I have not even watched in its entirety) And as for the FBI, I’m a diehard Criminal Minds fan. But I did do a tiny bit of research on the Bureau when I realized this series was going to be published.

With this story, I could go anywhere I wished. There were no rules. And so different from anything I had created before. I wrote smut and historical. This was new and different and exciting.

NK: Since you’re just wrapping up one series, I know this is the last question you want to hear, but I’ll ask it anyway because I’m annoying like that.  J   Do you think you’ll write another series? 

HK:  I already have, ’cause I’m annoying like that, too. :p

Another one that was unintentional though. Last January, my beloved editor from MuseItUp, Susan, sent me a submission call for a new collection that MIU was exploring. Wild Darkness Calls—an assortment  of short paranormal erotic romance stories. Susan was my editor on The Devil Take You (historical romance) and I jumped at the chance to work with her again. TDTY was an enormous project and I was so new to this stuff when she was given that mess. I can just imagine her head hitting the desk repeatedly when the poor woman was given the unenviable task of making that raw massive wordy manuscript flow. I knew the story was good, but man, it was chaotic. But she helped me make it something I’m extremely proud of. Anyhoo, paranormal is not really my thing, although, I love time-travel novels (and penned one of those too) J (Shameless plug, Lost Time)

So, for this Dark short (oh and the word dark had to be incorporated into the title as part of the guideline requirements) I wrote about a couple who take part in one of those ghost-adventure, paranormal investigation type deals and end up being possessed by some randy spirits. And at the end of that story, (same type situation as the runaway train that was Always Cambridge) I found there was more to the story. I don’t write small. Short stories don’t work for me. I am way too wordy (as you can tell by this rambling piece). Needless to say this one op story turned into seven. And the first story in the Lustful Possession Series - Meet Me in the Dark, comes out later this year or early in the new year (not sure yet) but I don’t have to tell you, Noelle, about uncertain release dates. (wink) But I threw all my favs into this one. It bends genres (which I love to do) and there’s a little historical time-travel (book 3) along with the ghosties and we take a UK trip, mid-series. Not Scotland this time though, which is my usual destination of choice. J The stories were intended to be m/f, but there is also an m/m relationship that develops between some secondary characters which take over in the later books, then back to m/f to close it out. (for readers like me who don’t mind reading any combination of coupling). But unlike the AC Series, which follows the same characters throughout, this story explores several completely different storylines and characters and does not conclude with the original couple.

NK:  Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts on writing Always Cambridge.  It’s a great series and I hope everyone reads the thrilling conclusion!

HK:  Thank you so much, Noelle. I can’t wait to find out where your muse takes you and your series. And you’ll have to promise me now, I get the exclusive at Pick a Genre! J

Follow the saga from the beginning… Always Cambridge

Author Bio:

H K Carlton is a multi-published Canadian author of romance and its varied sub-genres including contemporary, paranormal, historical, time-travel and erotic.

H K’s Blog Pick a Genre Already