Friday, December 8, 2017

If You Were Mine by Jenika Snow
























































































Daisy

I was just a servant to the royal family, a no one in the grand scheme of things. But my heart belonged to Prince Lennon, the somewhat “black sheep” of the family. I didn’t care what others said, or how his reputation for being less than caring about tradition followed him.
I saw the same emptiness in him as I had in myself. I wanted to ease him, let him know that we were meant to be together.
But I would never be seen as anything more than the help.
One day I’d have the nerve to admit how I felt, even if it blew up in my face.

Prince Lennon

She thought I didn’t notice her, that she was just a royal servant.
She was wrong.
I didn’t care if it was frowned upon, royalty mixing with a commoner. I didn’t care what the tabloids or my family might say. I wanted Daisy more than I’d ever wanted anything or anyone before.
Just being in her presence made the loneliness in me lessen, made me want more than the jewels and riches that surrounded me. Being with Daisy would complete me, and I’d have her.
I just needed to make her see we belonged together.


Warning: This was previously published in the Royally Mine anthology. If you want a short and sugary (but still oh-so-dirty) story, buckle up, because this one packs a punch. It hits you right where it counts (wink-wink) and doesn’t let up until you get to the Happily Ever After at the end.

















Daisy

Prick.
Arrogant.
Asshole.
All of those things and more had been said about Lennon, Prince of Hemingway Court, and second in line for the throne. But I knew him, saw him daily... waited on him.
Behind those blue eyes was a man who was lonely, a man who was missing something in his life. I didn't know what that was, but I wanted to help him, wanted to tell him he could talk to me.
I just wanted him.
I had a feeling he acted the way he did because he was pushing people away, because he was hurting inside and didn't know how to deal with it.
I saw it happen with my father before he left us.
But I just was just the help, a servant to the Royal Family. I served him food, cleaned his room, and knew that nothing would ever come of being with him. I’d always wanted him, but I knew I could never have him.
It was my bittersweet reality.
A commoner could never catch the eye of a prince. I was content with that, or at least I pretended to be.
I grabbed the silver tray that held his breakfast and headed toward his room. I passed other servants, even the Duke and Duchess of Alansworth, who were here for a visit, and saw Princess Carolyn just barely slipping into her room for the “night.”
My heart thundered and my hands shook. I curled my fingers tighter, harder into the silver tray, willing myself to be calm. I needed to at least appear that way, even if I didn't feel it on the inside.
But being in Prince Lennon's presence always made me feel unsteady, always had my emotions rising to the top.
I stopped in front of his bedroom door, feeling like my heart was going to burst through my chest. You’d think after being a royal servant for so many years I would have been able to control myself. But the truth was I couldn't, not when it concerned Prince Lennon.
I lifted my hand to give three sharp knocks before entering, but I stopped with my hand mid-air when I heard him shouting to someone on the other side of the door.
“I told you that's not who I am. I don't care what the tabloids say, and I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks.”
I brought my knuckles down on the door, three sharp taps, before gripping the handle and pushing it open. I immediately saw Lennon sitting on the edge of his massive bed, hi cell phone on his lap, his hands tunneled into his short dark hair. His attention was on the ground, his jaw set tight.
I left the door open as I came in, not speaking to him because I knew my place.
I didn’t make eye contact either. “Good morning, Prince Lennon.” I set the tray down on the table off to the side, gave a slight bow, and turned to leave.
“Daisy?”
My entire body stilled, the blood rushing through my veins, pumping harder, faster. I turned around, keeping my hands behind my back, my posture stiff.
“Your highness?” My throat was dry, tight.
For long seconds he didn’t say anything, just stared at me, watching me with this stoic expression. It made my heart beat erratically. I wanted to go to him, just wanted to admit how I felt, how I had felt for so long.
Know your place.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice low, deep.
He kept staring at me, his blue eyes intent, knowing almost. I felt this chill race down my spine, and my entire body reacted just from that look.
“You're welcome, Your Highness.” I forced myself to turn away, to leave the room, but I wanted to stay there. I wanted to have him keep looking at me, keep making me feel like I was special. My thinking was irrational, but it was unavoidable.
I’d felt this way for years, and even if I was only twenty-two years old and a servant, the only thing I wanted was Lennon.
But that was a fantasy, and I needed to realize that my reality was far less glamorous.

















Jenika Snow is a USA Today Bestselling Author that lives in the northwest with her husband and their two daughters. Before she started writing full-time she worked as a nurse.



Author Links










The Crown Service Series by Terah Edun

 

Book Blitz

Crown Service Series
Terah Edun


Young Adult | Fantasy

$50 Amazon Giftcard - (Is open to readers and bloggers)


Blades of Magic (Crown Service #1)

It is not a peaceful time in the Algardis Empire. War is raging between the mages and seventeen-year-old Sara Fairchild will be right in the middle of it.

She just doesn't know it yet.

Sara is the daughter of a disgraced imperial commander, executed for desertion. Sara is also the best duelist and hand-to-hand combatant in Sandrin. She lives quietly with her family’s shame but when challenged about her family’s honor, her opponent inevitably loses.

On the night she finds out her father’s true last actions, she takes the Mercenary Guilds’ vows to serve in the emperor’s army. Using her quick wits and fierce fighting skills, she earns a spot in the first division.

There she discovers secrets the mages on both sides would prefer stay hidden. Dark enemies hunt her and soon it's not just Sara questioning the motivation behind this war.

While fighting mages, blackmailing merchants and discovering new friends, Sara comes across something she’s never had before - passion. The question is - can she fight for her empress against a mage who might unwittingly claim her heart?

This is year one of the Initiate Wars. Sara is hoping it doesn't become the year she dies.


"Blades of Magic is an intriguing start to the Crown Service series, with lots of action and an awesome protagonist. " City Of Books

"The combination of action and mystery, magic and drama kept me hooked and wanting to know more about the world and characters. " Nay's Pink Bookshelf

Grab Blades of Magic (Crown Service #1) for just $2.99 today!"


**********************************************


Blades of Illusion (Crown Service #2)

Sara Fairchild, duelist and combatant, is out for vengeance. Her father was betrayed. Her mother is dead. All she has left is her desire for revenge and a quest for answers.

Now a member of the Mercenary Guilds’ elite guard, she fights on the front lines of her empire’s first civil war. But Sara’s priority isn’t winning the war for the crown or empire. It’s finding out the true circumstances of her family’s downfall while keeping one mild-mannered curator alive.

As emotionally detached as she is from everyone around her, Sara can’t seem to shake the stubborn affection of her one friend. When she stumbles upon the secrets of not one but two Kade mages, she soon finds out that neither of their lives is worth anything to either side.

As she fights to outmanoeuvre a group of fiendish imperial assassins and win a war that grows more complicated by the day, Sara Fairchild knows that no matter what, the empire will never be the same.



Blades Of Illusion: Crown Service #2 - First and Second Chapters


Terah Edun is the New York Times bestselling author of the Courtlight, Crown Service, and Algardis series, set in the eponymous Algardis Universe. Her books boast exhilarating adventures, breathless romance, and incredible fantasy for readers of all ages. 

Her Courtlight and Crown Service series are in libraries and bookstores, are “sure to whet readers’ appetite for suspense and intrigue” according to RT Book Review, and can be seen on the USA Today Happily Ever After blog. Together the series have sold over a quarter million copies. Her books are available in five languages, audio, and print. She is the author of 15+ books and her latest release is here: www.teedun.com/newrelease

You can also find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Website: www.teedun.com




TO THE DUKE, WITH LOVE by Amelia Grey

NEW RELEASE !!
The next lush, romantic novel in the Regency romance series, The Rakes of St. James, from New York Times bestselling author Amelia Grey!
To the Duke, With Love Tour Graphic
TO THE DUKE, WITH LOVE
Amelia Grey
Series: The Rakes of St. James Book 2
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: December 5, 2017
Once destined to marry a peer, Loretta is now forced to be a recluse---until she meets the Duke of Hawksthorn---He never walks away from a challenge.
To the Duke, With Love
There may be times when a gentleman is desperate to gain a lady's attention, but a gentleman would never resort to desperate measures to obtain it.
--A Proper Gentleman's Guide to Wooing the Perfect Lady
Sloane Knox, the Duke of Hawksthorn, is guardian for his sweet, younger sister. Due to his misguided past as one of the infamous Rakes of St. James, Hawk is hoping to avoid the Season by securing a match for her before it begins. He has the perfect gentleman in mind, but for one infuriating---and unexpectedly intoxicating---obstacle: The intended groom's own sister, Miss Loretta Quick.
Having narrowly avoided her own arranged marriage to an unacceptable nobleman, Loretta is determined that her dear brother---a gentle, good-natured soul---should marry for love. Matching wits with Hawk may be her greatest challenge yet...until she realizes it may also be her greatest pleasure. For the young duke's irresistible charm has not only begun to crumble her stubborn resolve, it has claimed her heart in true love as well...
"A master storyteller."
- Affaire de Coeur
To the Duke, With Love
"The latest sterling addition to Grey’s the Rakes of St. James series is another irresistible combination of skillfully nuanced characters, graceful writing imbued with a deliciously dry sense of wit, and lushly sensual romance."
- Booklist
To the Duke, With Love Teaser
"Lively dialogue and stubborn protagonists make this story work.... Romance fans will enjoy Hawk and Loretta's low-key courtship."
- Publisher's Weekly

Other Books by Amelia Grey

Be sure to check Book One in the The Rakes of St. James series.
Last Night with the Duke
Last Night with the Duke (Book One)
Griffin, one of the Rakes of St. James, needs a chaperone for his sisters. Esmeralda is the one he wants. She arouses more than his curiosity. As a chaperone, Esmeralda considered herself too sensible to fall for a scoundrel, but that was before she met London’s most notorious rakes.
Buy Link: Amazon.com
"Grey charms readers with the first in her Rakes of St. James series, a tale filled with romance, fun and enchantment. A quick, charming read from a shining voice of the genre."
- RT Book Reviews

Giveaway

WIN $25 GIFT CARD AND MORE
To the Duke, With Love Giveaway Graphic
Prizes up for grabs:
$25 winner's choice of Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card
Winner's choice of any title from Amelia Grey's backlist
Hurry! Join now!
Contest runs from December 6 - 12, 2017.

About Amelia Grey

Amelia Grey
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over thirty books, Amelia Grey read her first romance when she was thirteen. She's been a devoted reader of love stories ever since.
Amelia has been happily married to her high school sweetheart for over thirty-five years and she lives on the beautiful gulf coast of Northwest Florida.
She is a two-time winner of the prestigious Booksellers Best Award, and she has also won the Aspen Gold, and Golden Quill awards. Writing as Gloria Dale Skinner, she won the coveted Romantic Times Award for Love and Laughter and the Maggie Award. Amelia's books have been published in Europe, Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, and Japan. Several of her books have been featured in Doubleday and Rhapsody Book Clubs.Coming December 5, 2017 Amelia's second book in her new Rakes of St. James trilogy, To the Duke, With Love. If you missed the first one, it's still available at your local bookstore or e-retailer.
Watch for Amelia's third book, It's All About the Duke, coming May 29, 2018. You can email Amelia at AmeliaGrey@Comcast.net
Follow her on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/AmeliaGreybooks, or visit her website at http://www.AmeliaGrey.com.

In partnership with
Book Unleashed Logo