The Feedbag Cafe was empty when Matt took a corner seat early that morning and perused the bill of fare. Breakfast was served at the hotel where he was staying, but the out-of-town guests had no personal knowledge of Neal Blackwell. Matt counted on the café to serve up a generous heap of local gossip along with his cackleberries and bacon. What he hadn’t counted on was coming face-to-face with Blackwell’s widow. No sooner had his eggs and bacon arrived than he spotted her storming into the restaurant. She paused for the briefest of moments at the doorway. Even from a distance, he could see the fire in her eyes. Whoever had earned her ire this time deserved his sympathy, that was for sure. At least she wasn’t packing iron. Picking up his fork, he was just about to dive into his breakfast when her gaze zeroed in on him. As a Ranger, he’d been the target of angry men and blazing guns, but he’d never been as tempted to hide as he was at that moment. Unfortunately, there was no time to follow through with his cowardly wish. For before he could move, she dashed toward him like a…

Putting the book back on the shelf, Connor’s gaze floated to two pictures in wooden frames. One photograph was of a young woman with a book—much like the ones on the shelf—opened and covering the bottom half of her face. Her mouth wasn’t shown, but there was no denying the smile in her blue eyes or the obnoxious French writing scrawled over the cover of the book. The second picture was of a young Gabriel with a wide grin and black tie draped around a white button-down shirt with his arms wrapped around the waist of a young woman. A curtain of dark, curly hair rained over her face as she twisted away from him, but there was no denying the playful grin beaming from her. The clinking of glass alerted him to someone behind him. He swiveled, and ice ran through his veins. Gabriel lingered at a drink cart set up beside the lone brown leather chair on the other side of the desk. He had the lip of a crystal decanter pressed against a short glass. Amber liquid flowed from one container to the other. Gabriel waited until his glass was filled before lifting his gaze to Connor….

Every so often, we challenge authors to describe their new releases using the letters of their titles! Enjoy this Title Challenge from Juno Rushdan’s latest romantic suspense release, along with an exclusive excerpt from UNITL THE END:  U is for unexpected N is for necessary T is for thrill ride I is for intrigue L is for love * T is for twist H is for heart-stirring E is for entertaining * E is for edge-of-your-seat N is for national security D is for danger Excerpt:  Did you find out why they changed security protocol?” Jess asked, driving the armored truck along the dark, deserted road stretching before her like a giant black hole. “Nope.” Roger stared out the passenger window. “I don’t care either.” She tried ignoring the dread that always bubbled in her gut on Route 15. This road was the worst part of their quarterly drive making deliveries from Nexcellogen to Fort Detrick. Her gaze flicked to the rearview mirror. All clear. She half expected to find the boogeyman chasing up behind them. So ridiculous. Nothing was different about this run—except the sidearms she and Roger both carried. A new security requirement that substantiated the unnerving rumors among the drivers about…

“I’M CURIOUS,” JINX SAID, her voice sounding strange even to her. “How did you get that scar?” She watched Angus swallow, then seem to relax, his blue eyes bright with humor. “Well, it’s kind of an amusing story.” He smiled. “I got pushed out of a barn loft when I was eleven.” “That’s awful.” He sat up straighter until they were eye to eye. “It was my fault. I asked for it.” “You asked to be pushed out of a barn loft?” “I was teasing her. She warned me that if I didn’t stop she would knock me into tomorrow.” “She?” Jinx felt goose bumps break out over her skin and for a moment she could smell the fresh hay in the barn, feel the breeze on her face, remember that cute cowboy who’d taunted her. Her heart began to pound. His smile broadened. “She was a spitfire, as fiery as her hair back then.” Jinx felt heat rush to her cheeks. “Tell me her name wasn’t JoRay McCallahan.” “Sorry, I’m afraid so,” he said and laughed. “I wondered if you would remember.” “When I saw you, I thought I’d met you before, but I couldn’t think of when that…

Picture a Reptile House. An enclosed space, just a guy and a girl. Low lights. Cool air. Soft music. Kind of romantic. If not for the snakes. If not for the fact that Mai is deathly afraid of snakes. And if not for the fact that Anthony and Mai are both intent on crushing their crushes on each other. 🙂 Here’s a scene from How to Quit Your Crush. Happy Reading! *** “I don’t like thinking about my future, but I like thinking about yours,” Anthony says. “Picturing you with Petri dishes and eyedroppers like in middle school.” “Can they be really good Petri dishes–not the plastic ones?” “They’re primo Petri. And you’re working late one night and all of a sudden, you stand up and cry, ‘Eureka.’” “I have never once in my life cried Eureka.” “Quiet. This is my vision.” “Fine.” I gesture for him to continue. “What have I done?” “You’ve cured cancer. All kinds of it.” “In one Petri dish?” “I said it was a really good one.” “That’s quite the vision.” But I’m smiling because it really is. “And where will you be?” “Like I said, I don’t like thinking about my future.” “Give it…

The king smiled. “Lady Marjorie, I bid you welcome. Forgive me for not seeing you sooner, but I had a great many matters of state to attend to.” His tone was affable, but as he moved toward her, she could hear a clinking sound, and her heart sank. The convent prioress’s cold warning had been true. James did wear an iron chain of penance under his doublet, in sorrow over his father’s death. Like the courtiers downstairs, he would never forget the high treason Lord Hepburn had been party to. “Your Grace,” she whispered, curtsying deeply. “It is an. . . an honor to be here.” “Your chamber is comfortable?” “It is lovely. The tapestries are beautiful.” “Good, good. There is someone I wish you to meet,” said the king, gesturing to his right. “Of course. . .” Marjorie’s voice trailed off as her mouth abruptly forgot how to form words. She was being introduced to Lady Janet Fraser? One of the most influential women in Scotland? That would be a mark of favor, surely. Confusion turned her mind to mud, but there was no mistaking the stunning beauty now standing in front of her. That blazing-red hair, not quite…

It was then that Kerry walked by the back kitchen opening, and she paused at the doorway. “Errol! What are you doing here?” she said, stepping into the main lounge. The boy brightened at the sight of Kerry, his entire face opening up and his demeanor changing as he smiled at her. But then, as if remembering his mission, he quickly sobered. “Hi, Miss Kerry. I just wanted to come by to say how sorry I am about Ms. Joy.” Kerry stepped forward and took the boy into her arms in a hug. “Oh, Errol. Thank you so much. That is so kind of you.” Errol pulled back and unclenched his fists from the bag he was holding. He looked up at Kerry with a sad longing in his eyes and Jesse could see he was debating a question. “Will the shop be open again for us kids to come in for a lesson?” Kerry looked around at Jesse and his brothers, then back at Errol. “Errol, I’m not sure. The family has to do some figuring out about that.” Errol let out a breath and looked at Jesse. The boy nodded soberly as if he fully understood, despite his…

CHAPTER FOUR EXCERPT OF SOPHIE JORDAN’S THE VIRGIN AND THE ROGUE Something was not right. All throughout dinner the sensation, the aching discomfort, only grew. Following dinner, Charlotte excused herself and managed to make it to her bedchamber, where she hastily shed her clothes as though they burned her skin and climbed into bed. It was bad. Terrible. The queasiness was unlike any other time. The symptoms were different. More . . . pronounced. She curled into a ball and dragged the pillow between her legs, hugging it tightly. Usually she endured the twinges of pain until they passed. The slight cramping that was improved by hot water bottles and Nora’s tonic. She would keep to bed for twelve hours until it passed. This was not like that. This did not feel in any way endurable. She was vaguely aware of her bedchamber door opening and closing and footsteps approaching her bed. She inhaled and exhaled in slow, even drags of air, her fingers digging into the soft linen pillowcase. Her sisters’ voices carried to her ears. Even in her current condition, there was no mistaking the agitation in Marian’s voice floating above her. “What did you do, Nora? She…

Flora was ten minutes early. Did that matter? Nerves were jumping around in the pit of her belly, but she always felt that way before seeing Jack. A man striding past gave her a wide berth and she realized it was because she was smiling at nothing in particular. Feeling positive, she walked up the steps and rang the bell. One day, she promised herself, she was going to have a proper front door of her own. Maybe flanked by olive trees, or pots filled with trailing plants. Jack opened the door. He was wearing jeans, and his shirt was open at the neck. His feet were bare and there was a hint of shadow on his jaw. Here in his own domain, he seemed younger and more relaxed. “You found us okay?” His gaze connected with hers and she felt a searing flash of chemistry that almost knocked her off her feet. Feeling a little disorientated, she stepped into the house. His fingers brushed lightly against hers, sending a shimmer of heat coursing through her. For a wild moment she thought he was going to simply kick the door shut and drag her against him, but instead he closed…

“Why are you out of practice?” Gabe pursed his lips. “Is the rigor of vet school enough of an answer?” “If you need it to be.” He looked her way, his bright hazel-green eyes standing out starkly from the gray skies behind him. “If you’d said anything but that, that’s the only answer you’d have gotten.” “My sister tells me I’m good at cutting through the bull.” “I’ve got no reason to disagree.” He drummed his thumb on the steering wheel. “Aside from a close friend who went to vet school with me, you’re the only girl who’s been in that seat for a while. By design.” Olivia waited to see if he’d offer more. She had so many questions. They’d reached the end of the road, but the parking lot to the river access was a hundred feet away and underwater. The floodwater was flowing over the road, swallowing it up and reaching halfway up a signpost. If the dog had come this way, most certainly he’d angled off in another direction away from the river. “I had a fiancée,” Gabe added after a bit of silence. “A serious one. Before I entered vet school. I was a firefighter-EMT…