teaser – Tawdra Kandle

Book Blog, Promotion and Publicity, Teaser Tuesday

One Week Until Hanging By A Moment Releases!

May 17, 2016 No Comments

One week!

Seven days!

168 hours!

Yes, I’m literally

HANGING BY A MOMENT

waiting for this release.

Book 2 of the Keeping Score Trilogy

comes out May 24th,

and I can’t wait.

Amazon/iBooks/Google/Nook/Kobo

So since it’s #TeaserTuesday, I thought I’d give you a little sneak peek.

“Babe, you awake?” Leo’s voice was low and husky, murmuring against my ear.

I snuggled a little closer to him. “Mmmmm. Kind of.” My bedroom was dark except for the faint glow of the streetlight just outside. Tonight, for the first time all week, I hadn’t dropped right off to sleep after I’d laid my head on Leo’s broad chest.

“I talked to my mom a little bit tonight before they all left.” His fingers moved in small circles on my upper arm. “She didn’t push, but she suggested I give you and your mother some space tomorrow. She said you two need to talk about some stuff and make decisions.”

Panic welled up inside me, and it was on the tip of my tongue to argue. But I knew deep down that Leo couldn’t stay glued to my side forever. We both had to figure out what was going to come next for us, just like my mom and I had to do the same.

“Yeah.” I swallowed hard. “She’s probably right.” I turned a little, resting my chin on Leo’s sternum, staring up into his face. “But don’t go far, okay? I’m not sure I’m ready to go cold turkey on my Leo addiction.”

He brushed his hand over my hair. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll sit in the car outside, just in case you need me.”

I sniffed. “You don’t have to do that. Maybe after breakfast, you could just go home for a little bit.”

“That works.” He crunched up, bending so that his lips could reach the top of my head. “Hey, Mia? We haven’t really talked about anything serious yet. I mean, about us. But I wanted to say this now, before anything goes any further.”

Trepidation gripped my gut. “I’m not sure I’m ready to deal with this.”

“Babe, no.” Leo slid me off him, rolling to lay on his side so that our faces were close together. “Nothing bad. I just wanted to say . . . I love you, Mia. I didn’t say it to you last week. I hoped you understood it, but I thought I better be clear. I love you. I loved you before, and I never stopped.”

I traced his jaw with one finger. “I love you, too, Leo. Still. Always. Forever.”

He released a breath as though he’d been holding it. “Okay. Good.”

I frowned. “Did you doubt that I did? That I do?”

“No, not really.” He nuzzled my neck. “But I wasn’t sure if you were ready to deal with me again. I know you needed me this week, but I was afraid once things started to settle down, you’d think that maybe I wasn’t worth the effort.”

Following my finger with my lips, I kissed his chin. “You’re worth everything, Leo. And I hate that it took my dad—what happened, I mean, to get us back together, but I’m not going to have any regrets anymore. Loving you is part of me, and so are you. I wouldn’t have made it through this week without you.” I paused, enjoying the feel of the late-night scruff on his neck. “That first day, before you got here, I wanted to die, too. It hurt so bad, and I felt like nothing was ever going to be right again. But then you came to me, and I’ll never forget that you were here for me.”

“I always will be.” He tipped up my chin and kissed my lips, softly. “Nothing in my life works without you.”

Want MORE? You can read a sample chapter here . . .

And if you preorder, the full book will show up magically in your ereader next week!

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If you haven’t read WHEN WE WERE US yet, grab it now so you’re ready for next week!

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Book Blog, Teaser Tuesday

It’s A Ghoul Thing Teaser

September 29, 2015 No Comments

Coming next week!

The Halloween read you can’t miss.

Eight paranormal short stories by the fabulous authors of Romantic Edge Books! Supernatural and sizzling, this is one set you don’t want to miss.

Masked (A Gwen Sparks short story) by Stephanie Nelson
When Gregory Arthur—a tiger shifter—hires Gwen for Halloween night, she and Dorian must figure out why Gregory’s daughter is haunting his house before the suspected murderer figures them out. But like everything in Gwen’s life, not everything is as it seems. If she’s not careful, she may be the killer’s next victim.

Temporal Tango (Miss Series Short) by C.G. Powell
Since Tango’s birth as a human, his mind has been charmed to forget most of his past. What secrets will be reviled when the spell is broken at midnight on the eve of Veronica’s eighteenth birthday? Immortal life as a cat was not all that it was cracked up to be, and somethings are better left forgotten.

Fire&Ice (A Little Flame Short, #7.5) by Melissa Lummis
Fiamette Jurato isn’t your everyday healer, but even she’s never seen this particular problem before. And it doesn’t help that her patient is a stubborn jackass of a troll. Seriously. A real troll. A spoonful of sugar can’t make the medicine go down when the patient would rather die than swallow his pride.

Moon Dust (The Werevamp Diaries-1) by Olivia Hardin
When Magical And Undead Creatures cross paths with humans, sometimes they get hurt. That’s when Rhiannon, doctor to the paranormal world, steps into action. What she doesn’t expect is to get an urgent call from her secret crush. Risking her life to grant him a favor might not be the smartest decision she’s ever made, but sometimes love means taking chances.

Unforgettable (A Serendipity/Recipe for Death Short) by Tawdra Kandle
When seers at Carruthers Institute sense impending world doom, Cathryn Whitmore sends for her top agents. Their mission could help battle the forces of evil, but it’s also going to sorely test their love for each other–especially when someone from the past makes a surprise appearance.

Curse of the Tolomato Cemetery (Olde City Angels) by Mandie Stevens
Eva and Thomas are used to dealing with things that go bump in the night, but on an unexpected day off, the last thing they expect to encounter are vampire pirates–and Thomas’ old flame.
When the vampires capture that ex-lover, the two must brave a haunted cemetery to stop the quest and save the day.

Disguise (Secrets of the Succubus) by Amanda Latzel
Gisele Green’s lifestyle comes with nice perks–hello, unlimited orgasms–-but on All Hallows’ Eve not even expensive cosmetics can hide the succubus inside. Usually she’d stay hidden from public view, but this year she’s blackmailed into being part of the festivities. With all eyes on her, she must maintain her disguise, or lose the life she loves in the human world.

Knead to Know by Liz Schulte
Maggie Edwards can’t sleep, eat, or die—but she can bake. However, just before the Halloween grand opening of her bakery, a pesky reporter witnesses an accident in her kitchen and gets a little too close to the truth. If she can’t convince him to keep quiet, not only will she lose her chance at happiness, but they both could lose their lives.

Preorder your copy today for only 99 cents!

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And since it’s #TeaserTuesday, here’s a tiny sneak peek at Unforgettable, the Serendipity/Recipe for Death short in It’s A Ghoul Thing. This segment is from Rafe’s point of view.

We were both quiet as I unlocked our front door. It was always a relief to me to come home, to this place that Nell and I had made our own sanctuary. It was usually bright, with loads of natural light, and even now, as the sun began to sink lower in the sky, its last beams shot through the skylights.

Nell stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the lake. I came up behind her, sliding my arms beneath hers and pulling her body up against me.

“Beautiful sunset.”

“Hmmm.”

“You’re far away from me.” I eased her black hair out of my way and kissed the white column of her neck.

“I’m thinking.”

“Care to tell me about it?”

“I was wondering about Joss. About what would have happened if she hadn’t died in the forest that day. What if I’d been sent to rescue both of you? What if it’d been three of us in that cabin in the woods?”

“What if I’d never come to King when I was in high school? What if my father had lived? Nell, life is a series of choices mixed in with random shit that happens. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you keep thinking like that.”

“And God knows I’ve already been there.” She meant it as a joke, I knew, but I heard the thread of despondency in her voice.

“You were strong enough to get past what happened in King. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, Nell. And I love you.”

“You loved Joss, too.” It was that same careful tone, no accusation. Just a matter-of-fact statement.

“I did.” We’d been through this before. I never denied what I’d felt for Joss. “But what I had with her isn’t what you and I share. We’ve built a life. We’ve made a home.” I turned her around to face me and tipped up her chin with my finger. Storms raged in those ice blue eyes. “Hey. Nell Massler, you are it for me, now and tomorrow and all of my days. If you’d ever say yes, I’d make it official and tell the world that I belong to you.”

“I don’t need a piece of paper to define how I feel.”

“I don’t, either. All I need is you.” I lowered my mouth to cover hers, kissing her with all the depth of passion I felt. When I opened my eyes, hers had quieted into a measure of tranquility, nearly as calm as the still lake outside our windows. “You’re my home. You’re my world. You’re why I’ll do whatever we need to do in order to stop Mallory Jones.”

She buried her face against my chest and nodded. When she spoke, her voice was muffled.

“We’ll stop her together. Whatever it takes.”

“We will.” I rubbed my hand down her back, letting it graze her ass. “But for the rest of tonight, let’s not talk about her, or tomorrow, or anything to do with Carruthers. I’ll order a pizza, we’ll take it to bed, and then I’ll do my damnedest to keep your mind off anything the least bit upsetting.”

Nell sagged against me. “I don’t know. I’m pretty tense. It’d take quite the man to make me forget my problems tonight.”

I kissed her again, my fingers gripped her backside.

“Challenge accepted.”

Book Blog, Teaser Tuesday

The One Teaser

May 19, 2015 No Comments

If you visit this site with any regularity, I hope you’ve heard of The One Trilogy. Heck, I hope you’ve read them all! But just in case, today’s Tuesday Teaser gives you a sampler of each book. Bon appetite.

The Last One

“Thanks.” The light was changing as the sun rose fully, and I laid down my pencil. The sketch had turned out well, though not quite the same as I imagined it would look in paint.

I dropped my head back and let it roll, working out the kinks from thirty minutes of looking up. Without breaking the movement, I reached for Sam’s mug. “That smells heavenly. Can I have a taste?”

His brown eyes darkened as they wandered down my face to my lips and back up again. He held the mug to my mouth and tilted it until I tasted the hot sweet liquid on my tongue.

“Mmmmm.” I closed my eyes in appreciation and ran the tip of my tongue over my top lip.

Next to me, Sam made a noise deep in his throat. When I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him, he was closer than I’d expected. He stared down at me before his gaze dropped lower to my body. I’d run outside in the same clothes I’d worn to bed, my favorite soft white tank, with no bra underneath, and an old pair of green cotton shorts that barely covered my ass. It wasn’t appropriate outside attire, clearly, but that wasn’t bothering Sam.

Or maybe it was. His throat worked as his eyes made their way back up to my face. I held my breath, and for the space of a few rapid heartbeats, he didn’t move. And then slowly, so slowly, he snaked the hand not holding the coffee cup around my shoulders and caught my chin between his thumb and forefinger. With just the slightest pressure, he coaxed it up, leaned forward an inch and touched his lips to mine.

I wanted to move my arms around his neck, open my mouth and deepen the kiss. But I held back, afraid of spooking him. Instead, I closed my eyes, waiting for the touch of his tongue to my bottom lip, and let him tug my chin to open my mouth.

His lips were firm but languorous, moving as though we had all morning to do nothing but sit here, connected only at our mouths. His tongue teased, first stroking the inside of my lips, then circling around my tongue, seeking and taking. His fingers splayed over my jaw, moving my face up a little to give him even more access.

He didn’t touch me anywhere else, but I felt the kiss in a line of fire down my body. I wanted to grip his shoulders and pull him down on top of me in the grass. I wanted the weight of him on me, to feel him against my breasts and between my legs.

But I didn’t move. At the same time that I wanted more, this kiss was enough, because it was Sam, and because he had initiated it. With his arm still around me, I felt cherished and protected in a way I’d never known I wanted. His chest pressed against my back and along my side, cocooning me.

I knew the minute he began to pull back. He moved away from me, and I felt the brush of his breath over my still-parted lips. When I opened my eyes, he was staring into them under brows that were drawn together. I didn’t look away, and for a few seconds, he didn’t either.

“I need to get to the fields.” Without warning, he dropped his hand from my face and stood up. I’d been leaning on him more than I’d realized, and I had to catch myself from tumbling off the boulder in his absence.

“Okay.” I looked up at him, waiting. I wanted to push him. God, how I wanted to rise up on my knees, even knowing how the rock would bite into my bare skin, wrap my arms around his waist and make him kiss me again. I craved the touch of his hands down my back and on my ass.

“I need to go.” He repeated the words, but still he didn’t move. I stayed silent this time. His hand reached out toward me, and for a dizzy second I thought he might draw me close again, but he only touched his fingertip to one of my red curls. I held my breath.

The First One

I laced my fingers into hers and squeezed, pressing our palms together. “Ali, don’t ever think I don’t want to touch you. God, right now, all I want is . . .” I took a deep breath. “I can’t even say it, because if I do, I’ll end up making it happen.”

“Why don’t you?” She smiled and raised our joined hands to her lips.

“I think . . .” This wasn’t going to be easy. Not when part of me—the part that was a distance south of my cerebral cortex— was screaming that I was an idiot. “I want you, Ali. I want to kiss you all the time. I want to touch you all over. I want to peel off all your clothes, and let you take off mine, and lay out there on the blanket, skin to skin, nothing between us but the night air.” God, I was a fool. “But I like you a lot. You’re more than just my girlfriend, you’re my best friend.” I reached across and tucked a strand of her silky hair behind her ear. “I want to make love to you.” Saying the words made it so real, the throbbing under my zipper became almost unbearable. “But I want us to be ready. Both of us. I want us to make the decision together, so we have no regrets. When we’re together, really together, I want it to be the best moment of our lives. Something we never forget. Something we think about for the rest of our lives.”

When I dared to look into Ali’s eyes, I was half-afraid I’d see incredulity and maybe even scorn. What I was saying wasn’t exactly popular philosophy among high school students. But instead, I saw the sheen of tears and the unmistakable glow of love.

I recognized that expression. I’d seen it in my mother’s eyes when she looked at my father, and in Iona’s when she talked about Mark. I’d known for a while it was how I looked at Ali. Love was more than just the girlfriend/boyfriend stuff that went on all around us at school. It was a big deal, life-changing and forever. It was Ali and me, together against the world for the rest of our lives.

That was exactly what I wanted. And why I was willing to wait for sex. Getting it right was more important than getting it right away.

The Only One

Ten minutes later, Rilla was back in the kitchen. I sat at the table with Piper on my lap, and the island counter between us meant I only saw Rilla’s upper half. She’d pulled her hair back in a low ponytail, which made her eyes look even bigger. But what caught my attention was her shirt. It was deep blue and sleeveless, showing her toned arms. The top few buttons were undone; there was nothing revealing about the blouse at all, but it actually fit her, molding to her curves just enough that I wanted to investigate closer.

And then she stepped closer to us, and I couldn’t hide my grin. “Rilla Grant, are you wearing jeans?”

She flushed, but I could tell by the way her eyes shone that she was pleased I’d noticed. “Yes. I thought tonight would be a good time to give them a try.”

Rilla and Meghan had gone shopping together just the weekend past, and while I hadn’t seen any of her new clothes until now, I knew she was excited about what she’d bought.

“Come in here and let me see!” Mom called from her room. “Dang, I always miss out on the good stuff.”

Rilla grinned and turned toward my mother’s room, giving me a tantalizing view of the way the denim hugged her ass. God almighty. Who knew shy little Rilla Grant was rocking a body like this under all that material?

I knew I had to rein myself in. I hadn’t been blowing smoke when I’d told Rocky that Rilla and I were only friends, that she worked for me, that she was far too young for me. I meant it all. But just for now, just for tonight, it was fun to let my mind down paths of possibilities. It felt right to pretend that we were a little family, that I was going to enjoy a night out with my girl and my daughter.

Mom ooohed and ahhhed, and once Rilla was satisfied that she was settled for the evening and would be all right while we were out, the three of us got into my truck. I buckled Piper into the backseat and then stood back to help Rilla climb in, clasping her small hand tight in mine for a little longer than necessary and holding back from giving her a boost. My fingers itched to cup her backside, just to cop a feel over the jeans. I lectured myself sternly as I walked around to the driver’s side. Cool it, buddy.

Teaser Tuesday

The Only One Trailer

April 14, 2015 No Comments

This teaser #Tuesday is brought to you by the extraordinarily beautiful trailer for The Only One, made by Olivia Hardin. I am totally and completely in love with these piece. . .the music, the images, the words. . .it’s all perfect.

If you haven’t read The One Trilogy yet, you’re missing out on some smokin’ hot couples, some sweet love and some funny characters, all living in the small town of Burton, Georgia. And you don’t want to miss all that.

Teaser Tuesday

The First One Tease

March 10, 2015 No Comments

Tuesday is Tease Day! Today we’re going to check out a little of The First One, Book 2 in The One Trilogy.

The One Trilogy is very near and dear to my heart. These characters have wormed their way into my heart, so that I think we may be visiting the small Georgia town of Burton more in the future.

In The Last One, we met Sam’s little sister Ali, who’s worked side-by-side with him to keep their family farm afloat. She and Meghan become friends, and Ali confides that the father of her little girl Bridget is not the guy she married suddenly seven years before; it was actually her high school boyfriend, Flynn Evans, who left town never knowing he was going to be a father. He broke Ali’s heart, and although Sam has no idea that Flynn is Bridget’s father, Ali confides in her brother that she never got over her very first boyfriend.

When Flynn returns to Burton in The First One, he’s in for quite a few surprises. It’s not smooth sailing by any means; both Ali and Flynn have years of hurt to overcome. But one day Flynn and Bridget surprise Ali with a picnic. . .

Flynn lay back on the blanket with groan. “I don’t think I can move again for at least a week. You’ll have to stand guard over me until I can get up.”

I laughed. “You’re on your own, buddy. I happen to know the mosquitos’ve started coming out, and down here they bite like a son-of-a-bitch.”

He feigned shock. “Why, Miss Reynolds, such language. And in front of your child.” He shook his head, tsk-tsking the whole time.

“She can’t hear anything from down at the water, and she’s not paying any attention to us at all. She’s playing water sprite.”

“Well, in that case. . .” Flynn reached for my hand and threaded his fingers through mine. “I’ve been waiting all evening to hold your hand.”

I couldn’t help my smile. “Oh, really? Well, you’ve shown great restraint, then.”

“I’d say so.” He tugged a little, throwing me off balance so that I landed on his chest, my boobs pressed against him and my hand pinned between us. “Now, this is even better.”

“What’re you doing, Flynn?” I swallowed, wondering if he could feel my heart pounding against him.

“I’m holding you. I’m enjoying feeling you against me. You might even say I’m canoodling with you. Isn’t that what people do on picnics, after they eat? They canoodle?”

I shifted, bringing my head back just far enough that I could see him better. “I don’t know. Is that what’s traditional?”

He rubbed his hand in slow circles, up and down my back. “I remember being on a picnic with you, at another spot on this very river. Just the two of us. And after we ate, I undressed you. And kissed you. And touched you here.” He slid his hand to cover one of my breasts. “And touched you here.” The same hand shimmied lower, to cup me between my legs. “And I made you come for the first time. Do you remember that?”

My breath was coming in shallow gasps. “Of course I do.”

Flynn lifted his head to whisper in my ear. “If we were alone right now, I’d do it again. I’d make you come, over and over, until all you could remember was my name and all you could feel were my fingers and my lips.”

“Mommy? What’re you doing?”

I jerked away from Flynn, trying to sit up, but he had a grip on my arm. “Mommy’s fine, honeybunch. She’s just canoodling with me.” He grinned, and I was pretty sure my whole body was about to burst into flames.

“What’s canoodling?” Bridget crossed her arms over her chest, one eyebrow raised in skepticism.

“It’s what two people—two grown-up people—do when they like each other very much. And I like your mother very much.”

My daughter shifted her stare to me. “Do you like Daddy very much, too?”

I licked my lips, and Flynn rubbed his hand on my hip. Like I needed another distraction. “I—yes, Bridget. I like your daddy very much.”

She nodded. “Okay, I guess that’s all right. Is it time for cookies yet?”

Flynn pushed himself to sit up, holding onto my hand all the while. “I think we can make that happen.” As he reached for the basket, he lowered his voice so that only I could hear him. “Funny, I was just wishing for the taste of something. . .sweet.”

I swatted his arm. “Flynn Evans, you’re incorrigible.”

Laughing, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles. “Oh, I try, sweetheart. I do try.”

The Only One releases on April 7th, but you can preorder it here! Don’t wait. . .

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Mason Wallace left his hometown to live his dream: he had the perfect career, a gorgeous wife and a beautiful baby girl. He was on top of the world, until it all shattered with the sudden death of his wife. Now he’s back in Georgia, running his bar and trying to take care of his family. And he needs all the help he can get.

Rilla Grant’s never been farther than twenty miles from her family’s farm. Her overprotective father wants her to marry their church’s youth pastor and settle down into the life he’s chosen for her, but she’s not sure that’s what she wants anymore. Rilla’s chafing to make her own choices, and that includes starting her own PR business and maybe even moving off the farm, no matter how much her dad hates it.

When Mason asks Rilla to work on some promotion for his bar, she’s both excited and terrified. Excited, because it’s just the opportunity she’s wanted, and terrified because Mason, with his electric blue eyes and drool-worthy body, is the kind of guy who makes her knees weak and her heart pound. He’s the only one who’s ever tempted Rilla to defy her family, and when she does just that by moving in to help take care of his daughter, they’re both forced to make a decision that’ll change their lives forever.

Sometimes love isn’t the easy choice. Sometimes it’s the only one.