Posts in the Western genre

Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: Kari Lynn Dell’s RECKLESS IN TEXAS

Got the Monday fatigue? We’ve got just what you need (Nice. Didn’t even need to try rhyming!). Here’s a heart-pumping exclusive excerpt of Kari Lynn Dell‘s Reckless in Texas, out now!

Joe signed his name in savage, illegible slashes, passed the program back to the girl, then stepped down the fence into the shade of the bucking chutes to watch the last couple of bareback riders. A skinny guy from Waxahachie settled onto the back of a buckskin they’d named Thumper, for good reason. The stocky gelding pounded the ground like it had insulted his mama. That kid better be stronger than he looked, or this wasn’t going to end well.

The cowboy cocked his arm back and nodded. He spurred the hell out of Thumper clear to the end of the chute gate, then the horse jammed his front feet in the dirt and jacked the kid up onto the rigging. The next lunge whipped his shoulders back and his head slammed off Thumper’s butt. He went limp, knocked out cold. Joe sprang away from the chute, racing toward the middle of the arena as Violet and Cole spurred into action.

The cowboy’s body flopped off the side of the horse, his weight pinning his gloved hand in the rigging. Thumper dragged him by one arm, boneless, defenseless, the horse’s rear hooves crashing down around his legs. Violet rode hard to the horse’s left side while Cole came up on the right to flip the catch on the flank strap so the buckskin would stop kicking. They thundered around the end of the arena, three abreast. Violet made a lunging grab and got hold of the back strap of the cowboy’s chaps, hauling up hard to lift his body out of harm’s way. Thank God he was a scrawny little shit, Joe thought as he sprinted to meet them.

Cole bailed onto Thumper’s neck the way a steer wrestler would jump a steer. He buried his feet in the dirt, his arm locked around the buckskin’s nose, his mass and strength too much for even the stout gelding.

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Kennedy Layne, Melinda Leigh, and D’Elen McClain

We are so close to the weekend we can taste it, so how about a celebratory Deal Alert? Don’t miss these amazing titles from Kennedy Layne, Melinda Leigh, and D’Elen McClain!

Red Starr Box Set: Vol 1 by Kennedy Layne

From USA Today Bestselling Author Kennedy Layne comes a thrilling hostage rescue series that will lead you down perilous paths of passion, intrigue and suspense…

Starr’s Awakening (Red Starr, The Prequel)

Catori Starr has been lost in a crippling grief since losing her husband, Red. Since learning he went MIA on a rescue mission abroad, she has existed more than lived. She’s a shell of who she used to be. Restarting Red Starr HRT is a last-ditch opportunity to overcome her pain-and keep her husband’s legacy alive. With a team of cherry-picked men, she must now decide if she’s willing to set aside a years-old grief to begin a new life filled with the potential of fated dreams…or deadly peril.

Hearths of Fire (Red Starr, Book One)

Neal Bauer tried returning home once before and he found that some things aren’t meant to be. When a local cult invades the town of Hearth and draws a family friend into their way of life, he has no choice but to try again. He hadn’t expected the dormant fires of a past love to resurface, but is it possible to rekindle their smoldering passion when it could all be taken away by a sinister faction who has other plans for their future?

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Guest Post

Guest Post: 5 Great Romantic Movies from Mia Hopkins

Thank you so much for having me on EverAfter!

Today I’d like to share my top five favorite romantic movies. The list is pretty eclectic, but all of these movies have elements that remind me of Clark and Melody, the sexy friends-to-lovers from my latest release, Cowboy Player.

Like the heroines of Moonstruck and Amélie, Melody resists falling in love—she’s a busy woman, and she’s long given up on romance. Like the characters in It Happened One Night, Clark and Melody share lots of banter. Like City Lights and Eat Drink Man Woman, Clark and Melody’s story has a big reveal at the end.

City Lights (1931)

This silent movie from 1931 is one of my favorites. Without any spoken dialogue, Charlie Chaplain tells the sweet story of a tramp and the blind flower vendor he loves. The visual gags are amazing, but the final scene between the two main characters is full of genuine emotion—I was in tears the first time I saw it. (And by “in tears” I mean full-on crying!)

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Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: NO ONE BUT YOU by Leigh Greenwood

Hard times call for desperate measures in this absolutely engrossing excerpt from No One But You by Leigh Greenwood, out July 5th, 2016!

“Mrs. Winborne is looking for someone to help her on her ranch,” Rose explained. “I told her you were the perfect man for the job.”

“Why me?” Salty asked, turning to George. “Are you dissatisfied with my work?”

“Of course not,” George said. “I’d hate to see you leave, but I wouldn’t want to do anything that would stand in your way.”

“Stand in the way of what?”

“Mrs. Winborne’s offer is a little out of the ordinary,” Rose said. “I’ll let her explain it. George, why don’t you take Jared into the kitchen? I made gingerbread which he might like. Then you can round up Zac and Tyler to help me with dinner.”

Salty would have been happy to look for George’s two youngest brothers himself, but it looked like there was no way out of this interview. He didn’t know whether it would be kinder to tell Mrs. Winborne right away that he wasn’t interested in leaving the Circle Seven, or allow her to explain her offer and then turn her down.

“I can tell you’re uncomfortable with being put on the spot,” Sarah said.

“A little,” Salty agreed.

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Autumn Thorns Yasmine Galenorn
Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: Scenes in SADDLE UP to Make You Laugh & Blush

We are so thrilled to have Victoria Vane on our blog! Today she’s sharing one scene from Saddle Up that made her laugh and one that made her blush!

Saddle Up is an emotionally engaging story. I ran the whole gamut of emotions while writing it. My hero and heroine are both sympathetic characters who are disillusioned with their dreams and now trying to find their place in the world. While Keith is jaded, Miranda is still idealistic enough to want to make a difference in the world. It is my hope that readers will find Saddle Up to be an emotionally engaging story. The ending is satisfying but also bittersweet and may even bring on a tear or two.

There are several scenes that will definitely inspire a good chuckle. Here’s a favorite funny snippet between Miranda and her grandmother, Jo-Jo:

“When we’re finished here, we should also go and take a look at some used equipment. With winter coming on, we’re going to have to feed a lot of hay to those mustangs. I think we might need a bale splitter. I wish I hadn’t already sold ours, but I didn’t think I’d ever need one again. I’m hoping we might be able to rent one.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until we hire someone to help us?” Miranda asked.

“I suppose we could,” Jo-Jo agreed. “I’ve just become used to doing everything myself. To be honest, now that you’re doing my morning chores, I’m not even sure how to occupy my time.”

“That’s probably a good thing. You’ve worked hard for a lot of years. You should do something for yourself now, Jo-Jo. Something you enjoy.”

“You mean like reading, knitting, or needlework?” Jo-Jo rolled her eyes. “I’ve tried all of those things over the years, but never could sit still long enough to do any of them.”

“Then maybe you need to find something more active? How about a yoga class?”

“Yoga? Sweetheart, I’ve had no reason to put my legs around my neck since Bud passed on.”

“Jo-Jo!” Miranda squealed.

“Don’t look so scandalized.” Jo-Jo laughed. “I’ll have you know I’ve read the Kama Sutra cover to cover.” She added with a wink, “You gotta spice things up from time to time when you’re with the same man for fifty-some years.”

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Guest Post

Guest Post: Nicole Helm’s Favorite Places to Write

When I sit down to write, I have to do it in my house. I would love to work outside on a nice day, or in coffee shops, libraries, museums—but I am far, far, far too distracted by people watching. So, because it produces the most words, home is my favorite place to sit down and write.

At home, there are two places I write that fulfill two different needs for me. I love them both for different reasons, and they both function in different ways. I’m not sure I could pick one place, because I write at random times, whenever I can squish in a few minutes, so even if I had a dedicated office room, I’m not sure I’d stay in one place.

But, I have two main places in my house that I go to work when I know I have to work.

We’ll call the first one: Fancy Pants Author Desk.

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Exclusive Excerpt

Exclusive Excerpt: RODEO SUMMER by Jillian Neal

We are so excited to bring you this little taste of Jillian Neal’s Rodeo Summer. This brilliant Contemporary Western is out right now!

When the doors opened on the upper floor, he stepped onto the plush carpeting and halted abruptly. What the hell? Rushing his steps, he headed towards Summer, seated on the floor with her head in her hands right outside Brant Preston’s hotel room.

“Summer?” He stood in front of her. She wasn’t escaping until she explained herself. “What the hell are you doing in front of Brant’s suite?”

She lifted those eyes that he swore held the secrets of the whole damn universe and stared at him. The wildfire he’d seen there before was gone. Pain and fear broadcast from every square inch of her beautiful body.

“Talk, darlin’. Because I’m trying to keep my cool, but if I’m about to find out that you just walked way over a mile in the dark from the hotel you had me leave you at with ten-dozen half-drunk assholes out and about in this tourist-trap town looking for something sweet to take a’holt of, I’m gonna have something to say about it. I thought you hated Brant.”

She swallowed, and he edged closer. Rubbing her hands over her eyes, she slumped and then returned her gaze to his. “I do hate Brant. I always did.”

“Then why are you looking to get in his room?”

“I’m not.” She stared up at him, narrowing her eyes defiantly. “I’m in front of Brant’s room … because my little boy is in there.”

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Jill Shalvis, Melody Anne, and Bonnie R. Paulson

Looking for a little escape mid-week escape? Let us slide over a warm drink and these steals from Jill Shalvis, Melody Anne, and Bonnie R. Paulson!

My Kind of Wonderful by Jill Shalvis

Unexpected and Undeniable…

Bailey Moore has an agenda: skiing in the Rockies, exploring castles in Europe, ballroom dancing in Argentina. Now that she has a second lease on life, she’s determined not to miss a thing. What she doesn’t realize is that item #1 comes with a six-foot-one ski god hot enough to melt a polar ice cap. She doesn’t want to miss out on him either, but Hudson Kincaid isn’t the type of guy to love and let go. And as gorgeous as Cedar Ridge is, she’s not planning to stick around.

As head of ski patrol at his family’s resort, Hud thinks he’s seen it all. But never has he run into someone like Bailey. She might look delicate, but her attitude is all firecracker. And her infectious joy touches something deep within him that he’s been missing far too long. Now he’ll just have to convince Bailey to take a chance on her biggest adventure yet . . . something rare and all kinds of wonderful.

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Steals & Deals

Deal Alert: Joanne Kennedy, Frances Fowlkes, and Georgette Heyer

Do you know what makes an ugly weekend better? Books. What’s better than books? Books you got for a steal! This week’s Deal Alert features great titles from Joanne Kennedy, Frances Fowlkes, and Georgette Heyer!

Cowboy Crazy by Joanne Kennedy

Sparks fly when a sexy cowboy collides with a determined city girl out in a West filled with quirky characters and sizzling romance. Acclaimed for delivering “a fresh take on the traditional contemporary Western,” Joanne Kennedy’s books might just be your next great discovery!

From stable to boardroom…

Sarah Landon’s Ivy League scholarship transforms her from a wide–eyed country girl into a poised professional. Until she’s assigned to do damage control with the boss’s rebellious brother Lane, who’s the burr in everybody’s saddle. He’s determined to save his community from oil drilling, and she’s not going back to the ranch she left forever. Spurs will shine in this saucy romp about ranchers and roots, redemption and second chances.

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