Breaking Away Video and Giveaway

Book Blurb:

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Release: June 10, 2014

Book 5 in the ASSASSINS SERIES. 

About BREAKING AWAY....

BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.

To Nashville Assassins’ leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy… as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That’s until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his very angry sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.

For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman… and her hot-as-sin uncle.

However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, one night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of “One Last Time” that has the potential to be something more… if only Reese and Claire allow it.

Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?

Do you live in Nashville, TN? Join author Toni Aleo on June 14th for the celebration of BREAKING AWAY RELEASE! Tickets are still available!

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Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines. 



When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

Marilyn Baxter Guest Post

Today I'm super excited to welcome author Marilyn Baxter to my blog. Her new book Better as a Memory releases today and is currently on my kindle waiting for me at home. I absolutely love the cover for this book! Better as a Memory is available today from your favorite digital book retailer.

Congrats on your newest release, Better as a Memory! I can't wait to see you at RWA in July and hopefully at the Heart of Dixie luncheon in June.

This is the book that was part of the readers voting contest. How exactly did that work?

The “What’s in a Name” novella contest was a little like American Idol.  But I only had to write one novella, not sing a different song each week!  The contest was comprised of three rounds of voting with each round presenting a little more of the story.  Round One began with the title (based on a song title) and a two-paragraph synopsis.  Then everyone voted.  Round Two had the top 25% in each sub-genre move forward and the first 300 words of each novella was added to the title and synopsis.  Round 3 had the top 3 vote-getting entries from each sub-genre compete with the first 1000 words of their novellas posted along with the title and synopsis.  When the dust settled after Round 3, I was one of four finalists.

The Boroughs editors chose the overall winner, but all four finalists got a contract for their novellas.  I wasn’t the overall winner, but I did have the highest number of votes thanks to oodles of friends who voted and promoted the contest for me.  As a result of my top votes, I was invited to submit a full-length manuscript to Boroughs as well as have the novella published. 

Now that you are a published author, do you still enter your books in contest?

I haven’t entered anything recently, but I’m always open to that option.

What are you currently working on now?

I’m letting a few ideas percolate right now.  One is an unfinished NaNoWriMo project.  It’s a spin-off from the full manuscript I mentioned before and features a heroine who’s an attorney in Atlanta and a hero who is an international photographer.  She’s very career-driven and he comes from a large Italian family with a mother who keeps bugging him about settling down and starting a family.  The book opens with him returning to Atlanta after months of being out of country and out of touch, and he learns his attorney friend with benefits has a little surprise due soon – HIS surprise.  She ends up on forced bed rest and when her caregiver turns out to be more about taking than giving, he offers to step in and look after the mom-to-be. 

I also have a few ideas floating around for stories set in Ireland.  I visited that beautiful country last fall and feel the need to set something there so I can visit again vicariously.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

I almost hate to list them because I’ll surely leave one off.  But I’m absolutely mad for Roxanne St. Claire.  Her romantic suspense novels kept me up all night reading to see whodunit, and her contemporary romances have me sighing a happy sigh at the end because they dig so deeply into the characters’ emotions but always have a happy ending.  Linda Howard was one of the first romance writers I read and Mister Perfect is on my list of all-time favorite books.  Another one of the first romance authors I read is Linda Winstead Jones.  She lives in the same town as me, and many of her category romances are set right here in Huntsville, Alabama.  That has made them come alive, not to mention she’s a terrific writer.  I’m also a huge fan of Kristi Gold who writes for Harlequin Desire.  She can pack so much romance into 55,000 words!  And she has the most swoon-worthy sheikh heroes.  She writes a mean cowboy hero too!  And last, but certainly not least, are my Writing Playground pals Kimberly Lang, Andrea Laurence, Kira Sinclair and Dani Wade.  They write in a variety of romance sub-genres and have won multiple awards.  We’ve taken the journey to publication together, through thick and thin, and I don’t know what I’d have done without them. 

Will you be at any events in the future where readers can connect with you?

I will be at the Heart of Dixie Romance Readers’ Luncheon on June 14 in Huntsville, Alabama.  There’s more info here:  http://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=1223.  This luncheon is such a fun event with authors from multiple genres, raffle baskets and a benefit book signing afterward.  This year we’re donating our proceeds to the Cullman, Alabama library.  They are still trying to recover from the massive tornado that struck the town on April 27, 2011.  This is the first year I’ll be attending as an author and I’ve had SUCH fun putting together goody bags for the folks who sit at my table as well as an author basket for one lucky attendee to win.  If you’re near the area, come join the fun! 

I will also be attending the Romance Writers of America annual conference in San Antonio, Texas.  I’m not sure yet if I’ll be signing at the literacy signing, but I’ll definitely be there to support my fellow writers and help the cause of literacy.  If you’re at RWA and recognize me via my nametag, please say hi!

The Key Cover Reveal

I'm so excited for the release of The Key by KT Grant! I loved The Gate, the first book in the Dark Path Series and am counting down the days until The Key is released on June 9, 2014! I'm lucky enough to help out with the cover reveal and even have a super sexy excerpt to share.

Synopsis: Erika has reinvented herself as an author of erotic romance under the pseudonym, Lily Fredericks. After her eight month sabbatical in New Orleans, she’s returning to Manhattan to promote her new book. Chris is handling her book tour and wants Erika to give him another chance. She’s forgiven Chris, but Max is always in her thoughts. Sick of waiting for Erika to come to her senses, Max takes matters into his own hands. He’ll go to New Orleans to claim her before it’s too late.

With Erika back in Manhattan, both Chris and Max try to seduce her in the hopes she’ll choose one of them. As both men battle for her heart, a woman from Max’s past reappears, bent on revenge. Chris will ruin Max anyway he can in order to make Erika his own. However Max has something up his sleeve to insure he’s the victor, but not without a price—Erika’s soul.

Excerpt from The Key

The walk felt like an eternity but lasted mere minutes. When he reached the corner of his hotel, he placed Erika on her feet. Swaying, she latched onto his arms. He spotted the nervousness in her eyes, and his chest tightened.

As he set his lips on her forehead, he cupped her face. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to. You say stop, and I will.”

She spread her palm over his rapidly beating heart. “Does my safe word still apply in this situation?”

“Yes, but only because it’s adorable when you scream ‘whiskers’ when you come.”

She smacked him in the stomach. He curled his arm around her waist and flicked the tip of her nose with his tongue. Her face colored an adorable pink.

He started walking backward and linked her hands with his. “Will you come up to my room and spend the night with me, Miss Walsh?”

She dug the edge of her front teeth into her bottom lip and tilted her head, acting shy. “What if I want you to be gentle with me, Mr. Crawford?”

He stopped and almost coughed as his breath caught in his lungs. “If…if that’s what I have to do in order for you to be with me, then yes.”

She lifted their combined hands, slipped his thumb inside her mouth, and sucked.

His dick jerked. That familiar tingling in his lower back spread around front and disembarked between his thighs.

“Enough,” he snapped and drew his thumb out of her mouth. He rubbed her saliva across her bottom lip. “Give me your answer. Now.”

She presented him with a smile worthy of an experienced seductress. “Yes.”

The walk across the lobby took too long for Max. Erika purposely taunted him by not rushing. He would have carried her in his arms like he had on Bourbon Street, but he needed to remain in control. He always stayed at the Hotel Monteleone while in New Orleans, and he didn’t want that to change. He kept his frustration at bay while she viewed the splendor, spying the lounge off to the right and the slow moving carousel inside making up the bar.

“Oh, my God, it’s a real carousel? And it moves?” She stepped toward the room, her face full of awe.

“At night, they have piano music and live singing. Next time I promise we’ll sit at the bar.” Hooking his arms around Erika from behind, he rested his chin on her shoulder. “But unless you want me to fuck you on top of the bar, we should go up to my suite as soon as possible.”

She laid her palm on his cheek and gave him an amused glance. “If we don’t, will you jizz in your pants in front of everyone here?”

He dropped his head into the crook of her shoulder and held back a laugh. If only she knew how close he was to losing it. “Put me out of my misery, and let’s go upstairs.”

She turned and, grabbing his hand, hurried to the set of elevators. She giggled loud, the sound of her joy echoing off the walls.

A few people loitering, including those behind the front desk, sent Erika and him curious stares, but he didn’t care. He chuckled along with her. When they reached the elevator doors, he pushed aside her hands, so he could punch the button first. She gave him a playful pout. He returned the favor by cupping her ass and squeezing her generous flesh.

“We’re grabby tonight, aren’t we?” She brushed up against him.

He continued caressing those two marvelous muscular globes, exultant her weight loss hadn’t affected her posterior. “I can’t stop touching you.”

“How about kissing me?” she whispered. When the elevator doors open, she yanked him inside by his collar.

He slapped the button to his floor then pulled Erika into the corner. He snuck a peek behind to see if anyone waited to enter—not that he would have allowed another inside. Once the doors slammed shut, he claimed Erika’s mouth, feasting on her lips, drunk on her taste.

Taken with You

Taken with You is the 8^th book in the Kowalski series from Shannon Stacey. The publisher is Carina Press and the release date was April 1, 2014. From the back cover.~

Hailey Genest has seen most of her friends marry and have babies, and she's happy for them, but it was a lot easier before she hit forty. She's spent her entire life in Whitford, Maine, and if she hasn't found her Prince Charming by now, she has to accept she's probably not going to. When a new friend suggests they go on an adventure and embrace being single, Hailey agrees.

Surviving in the woods is game warden Matt Barnett's idea of a relaxing vacation. But when he meets two women in need of help, he leads them back to safety—a task that proves more fun than expected, thanks to a certain hot blonde. He can't resist pushing her buttons, even though she's made it clear that the rugged, outdoorsy type just isn't for her.

Hailey is glad to see the back of her tempting-tour-guide-slash-pain-in-the-ass. When he shows up in her life again, she's determined to avoid him, no matter how good he looks in his uniform. But that's easier said than done in Whitford, especially when he's renting the house right next door….

I’m a big fan of Shannon Stacey and love her Kowalski series so much. I was so excited that after all the cousins found their mates, we continued with the series for other singles in Whitford. Bonus we got to visit with so many of the Kowalskis in this book.

I really loved both Hailey and Matt.  They had a connection from the moment they met in the woods, even though Matt looked beyond rough in his vacation-mode attire.  Their chemistry only increased the more time they spent together once Matt moved in next door.

Of course while Matt and Hailey are attracted to one another, they are both looking for someone a little different. Hailey wants someone who works regular hours, enjoys the theater and eating at nice restaurants. Matt is looking for someone who enjoys doing everything outdoors, is flexible with schedules, and won’t be turned off when he comes home smelling gross.

I thought Hailey really worked hard to fit in to what Matt was looking for, even when she really didn’t enjoy some of their outings. Matt was really surprised me by not being as open to doing the things Hailey wanted to do. I knew part of it was because of his past, but he made me really mad when he hurt Hailey. I was really glad when he figured out what a bonehead he had been and really loved them as a couple.

I really enjoyed Taken with You very much.  It was laugh out loud funny and times and I loved the chemistry that only grew stronger between Hailey and Matt as the book progressed. I highly recommend this series to anyone who loves contemporary romances.