What’s an alpha to do when he’s found his fated mate, but she reacts to the news by kicking him in the balls?
Gretchen Halbmond became a diehard Daddy’s girl the day her mother ran out on them both. She doesn’t believe in love and isn’t looking for it, but when her ailing father is attacked and left bloody by wolves on the wrong side of the law, she goes out in search of what she does believe in: Justice.
Sheriff Talon Garde has way too much on his plate. Humans have breached shifters' carefully guarded privacy and are about to go public. If he can’t stop them, what happened to Gretchen’s father is going to be the least of everyone’s worries.
More importantly, despite Talon’s rep as a bad ass alpha whose growl strikes fear in the hearts of criminals, Gretchen’s scent makes him go all squishy inside. She’s THE ONE, he’s sure of it. There’s just that small matter of convincing Gretchen it’s pointless to fight fate…and surviving the way she fights it.
Standalone novel with NO cliffhanger.
NOTE: While this is book 2 of the Huntsville Pack series, all the books are completely standalone. The series does revisit favorite characters, but the plots don’t carry over from book to book, they are resolved at the end of each story.
“What was that?” She pushed at Talon’s shoulders, trying to get him to pay attention.
“Huh? What was what?” He mumbled the words into her breast and then swallowed more of her nipple, his tongue going back and forth over the tip.
“Talon,” she said, fighting not to succumb to the delicious sensations Talon had stirred in her body.
“Yeah, say that again,” he said, his voice thick with lust. He’d given up on her belt and was now trying to cram his hand down her pants.
An animal chuffed in the dark, the sound as derisive as a human snort. The hair on the back of Gretchen’s neck stood up and a shiver crept up her spine. There was no mistaking that sound. A shifter was out there, watching them and thinking it was funny.
“Come on, sheriff.” Not knowing what else to do, Gretchen whacked Talon on the head.
He winced and ducked. “Ow. Why do you keep hitting me?”
“Because when there’s no blood in your brain, it stops working. I’m just giving you a little kick-start, so pay attention. Please.”
NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author Michelle Fox lives in the Midwest with her husband, kids, the occasional exchange student and two, sweetly disobedient dogs. She loves fantasy and romance, which makes writing paranormal romance a natural fit. Occasionally, she goes through a maverick phase and writes contemporary romance. In her spare time, she's been known to shake her bon-bon at Zumba, make spectacular cheesecakes, hoard vintage costume jewelry and eat way too much ice cream (Ben and Jerry’s Karamel Sutra for the win!).
Weary from a messy break up two weeks before her wedding Coldra Ashe decided to start over in her hometown of Richmond, Virginia. Returning home for the first time in many years she soon discovers secrets from her mother, Lauren Ashe’s past. Her mother’s lies quickly wreak havoc on Coldra’s life and her mother’s secrets will test her tenacity.
CHAPTER ONE: The First Sign
Coldra
2012
Our wedding is only five months away. I sat across my dining room table. Jamal kept playing with his cell phone. His text messages kept pinging. In the past few months he was always busy when it came time to discuss wedding plans.
"So here is the final proof for the wedding invitation.” I pushed it across the table.
Jamal let out a big sigh. "Is everything alright babe? We're just getting started. That is unless you want to cancel." I let out a chuckle. Jamal continued to stare at the invitation.
Jamal sighed again.
"You look tired maybe we can pick this up tomorrow”, I said.
"Col, we need to talk."
I pushed him out the door. "We can talk tomorrow."
I sat down on my couch and began to cry. Maybe I was the fool by refusing to believe what was obvious. I knew it was over. Tomorrow I'd meet him for lunch and I would ask him point blank.
****
I was supposed to have my bridal shower this weekend. I guess the other woman living with my ex-fiancé made sure that didn’t happen. I arrived to find my mother, Lauren, waiting for me at the loft-style apartment right off of Twentieth Street downtown that I’d rented. After three years of scrimping and saving for my wedding, my three thousand dollars served another purpose. I should have been married to Jamal now, but his affair dictated otherwise. Seeing my mother’s face reminded me of her life lesson about rainy day funds. “Every woman should have a rainy day fund, for fair-weather people.” Her advice proved to be right. At five foot three she barely saw over her luxury SUV’s steering wheel. I was quite amused at her navigating through the building’s turnabout. She didn’t care; I was with her at the dealership the day she picked it up. It was one of the many lavish birthday gifts she received from my father over the years. We had that kind of life.
“Dressed for the spring, I see. You couldn’t wait to put your capris on. Could you?”
“As a matter of fact, I think I look exceptionally good in my capris for my age. And besides, you are living on the waterfront, so I had to look the part.”
Living right off of the river was going to be perfect, which was why I didn’t have to visit the apartment before signing the contract. I knew my city which influenced my decision to move back home. Lord knows I needed some peace and tranquility. At night I would be able to sit on my deck and watch the city lights reflect on the river’s water. In the morning the sun would shine on my deck. Unfortunately, the beauty of my hometime also reflected the darkness of the economy. There were many abandoned factory buildings up for sale.
“How was your trip?” my mother asked me right when I walked in the door.
“It was uneventful. I packed my bags and left. I hope my furniture has made it to the apartment.”
“It did. I had the movers place everything by room.”
My mother started eyeing me. I hate it when she does that.
“Uneventful. When my clients used to say it, it meant the exact opposite.”
“Mom, it’s stuffy.” I walked over to the factory-size window and attempted to open it.
“Ow…oww.” I had put my all into punching Jamal. He didn’t even have the decency to wait before he moved his other woman into our home. How did I find out? Well, the day I was supposed to get on the road, I had to pick up one last box. He was adamant about me coming to get it. This a-hole answered the door with the same executive assistant who was at his beck and call. He put the box in my car and expected a hug. Well, he got my fist instead.
“Are you okay? Let me see. Your hand is swollen. You need to see a doctor.”
“Ice will be fine, Mother. I am fine.”
“Your hand is swollen. You should see a doctor soon. Uneventful…yeah, right,” my mother said. “How about telling me how your hand became swollen? How are you supposed to hold babies with a swollen hand?”
“Babies?” Jill’s mother, my mother’s cousin, had wasted no time telling my mother that her daughter would be my boss.
Can anyone keep a secret in this family? I thought.
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything, Mother.”
Her eyes widened, then became like slits, a sure sign she was perturbed. “You know your cousin can’t keep a secret. I already knew you were going to work at the daycare. I personally think it is beneath you to work in that science experiment.”
“Just because she is not in a nice neighborhood does not mean the daycare is a science experiment.”
“I want to know what happened to your hand!” she replied.
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, it is so not important. I sorta, kinda hit Jamal.”
“You hit Jamal!”
“Yes, I went to pick up my last box, and his ‘other woman’ answered the door.”
“You hit him?”
I threw up my hands, waving her off.
“Go ahead, Mom, I’m ready. Let me have it.”
Brookita R Braxton, an Air Force Veteran and a government employee, has always been intrigued by the mother/ daughter relationship dynamic. After being given up for adoption at an early age and losing her adopted mother to a terminal illness, her curiosity evolved into story lines. Brookita lives in Alexandria, Virginia. She attends church and spends time with her family and friends. This is her first novel.
Everything Avianna Linton thought she knew was shattered in one traffic stop. With her life turned upside down, she flees to the bright lights of New York City hoping for anonymity and a new life.
Rising from nothing, Noah Adams holds onto his power and control with a bone-crushing grip. No one dared challenge his authority until her...
Avi’s disdain for Noah is barely contained, and Noah does everything he can to restrain himself—a concept he has little experience with.
There’s more between the two than either of them realize. A force looms near, hovering with deadly precision and motivated solely by revenge.
Avi wonders who her new friends truly are and if she’s already in too deep. Noah, accustomed to getting what he wants, will do whatever it takes to draw Avi's in deeper.
Deeper is an interracial romantic suspense novel by new author allyn lesley.
Zo pointed toward the dance floor, addressing his employer’s unvoiced question. “Under the ball.”
Noah saw her clear as day and dancing way too close with someone who might soon be leaving the club with a limp. He blew out a breath. She knew better than this, yet she still tested the limits set up for her protection.
A restraining hand on Noah’s arm paused him mid-stride. “Boss?”
Noah’s eyes widened at Zo’s hand. Immediately, the younger man’s hand fell away, and he wisely stepped back. Even in the dim light, Noah saw embarrassment tinge Zo’s face.
“I, um. Excuse me, Mister Adams, but I can’t let you go over there,” Zo said, swallowing the fear his boss evoked.
“Let. Me?” Noah pointed at himself and straightened to his impressive six feet and five inches. “And who’s going to stop me?”
Allyn Lesley writes real stories about real people.
As a teen, Allyn lost herself in the pages of some of Romance’s heavyweights, trusting that a happy ever after was just around the corner. In Allyn’s own writing journey, as in life, she’s learned that people don’t always experience recovery and restoration after a fall. Her stories speak to the gritty side of life where the right choice isn't always easily identified and happiness not quickly gained.
