Here's a sneak peek into the first chapter of PHOENIX FALLING!
A sneak peek into the first chapter of PHOENIX FALLING….
Coming November 28th
Chapter One
Sun
The cacophony of music and laughter and humans on the hunt for their latest lay stirred the animal lurking restlessly within me. My phoenix was only a bird in the strictest sense—an integral part of my being, my alternate form, he was more mythical monster than modern-day member of the Aves class of vertebrates, with the flesh-rending talons and unstoppable strength to match. Not to mention the immortality. And what he wanted right now, more than anything, was to pick the meat from the bones of the nearest human body for daring to disturb his peace.
Only one thing saved them: the scent of the female we had come here to meet. Risk. Her essence mingled beneath the odor of human sweat and alcohol and sex, reaching my nose and my animal simultaneously. The creature stirred in my chest for a far different reason than anger. This was hunger of a different kind.
Need.
Lust.
My all-too human cock stiffened immediately. I’d had the same reaction to Risk before I’d ever met her, the first time I’d caught her scent in a bar very much like this one several months ago. She’d been a possible source for the intel my clan needed, intel that had led us to the discovery of the enemy compound located right on our doorstep. The Anigma contingent had been decimated, its remnants scattered, but I had no doubt that the threat was just beginning. And I needed Risk’s help to prevent the war I feared would be coming all too soon.
“Sun.” Risk leaned against a wall in the darkest corner of the club, head tilted back to meet my much taller gaze. Despite the lack of light, my phoenix saw every detail of her clearly. The thick blonde hair draping her shoulders, with its garish red and blue streaks. The silky-smooth skin gracing her body. And oh, that kick-ass body. Risk was high-octane sexual appeal wrapped in an athletic form prepared to take down any comer, and with my phoenix’s gifted sight, I couldn’t miss a single curve of a single muscle that came together to make that gorgeous physique.
My animal took it all in, staring from my eyes, breathing through my nose. I barely managed to suppress his avaricious growl as it rumbled up inside my chest. When it came to this woman, being both animal and man seriously sucked—there was zero possibility of ignoring her.
“Risk,” I murmured, her name like gravel in my tight throat. The female had gone to ground not long after our battle with Maddox’s Anigma soldiers, a fact I still found suspicious, but since she’d also dropped Cale, my fellow warrior and her former lover, around the same time, Cale had convinced me it was no more than fickle female hormones rearing their ugly head. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t be watching her closely. My phoenix would ensure that, if nothing else.
One feminine brow arched above a deep blue eye.
I quirked my own. “What?”
Risk straightened away from the wall. “I should be the one asking you that. You requested this meeting, not me.”
I had, hadn’t I? And I was standing here dazed over the female’s erotic draw rather than getting down to business. “Of course. Perhaps we could sit.”
She turned to lead the way. “Perhaps we could.”
A frown tugged at my mouth at the same time that a hint of uncertainty tugged at my brain. And wasn’t that a mind fuck in and of itself. The Archai prince unsure of himself around a human woman. My people survived because the strongest of us ruled, and as first in line for the throne of the largest Archai clan in the world, formality had been drilled into me for a thousand years. What did I care if Risk was amused by the precise way that I spoke? She had been drawn to Cale, after all, the playboy of the Archai warriors council. Her type definitely wasn’t tall, deadly, and decidedly stiff.
I had been weaned not just on formality but on command, and yet neither I nor my animal objected as Risk preceded me along the back wall of the club until she came upon an empty booth, raised on a dais to overlook the writhing figures on the dance floor. It was as private as things got in a place like this, but Risk insisted on setting the location of our meetups. Yet another thing I had no control over when it came to her.
The phoenix screeched his displeasure at the idea that we were not the ones in charge, particularly of her. I shook off his reaction and followed Risk into the booth.
The curved walls cut the chaos of our surroundings in half, insulating the two of us in a quasi-intimate atmosphere that did nothing for my current mood. I had never met Risk alone before; always Cale had accompanied me. Now, with Risk at the back of the circle, facing out toward the club, and me moving instinctively close to grant us a modicum of privacy, the draw of the female was impossible to ignore. I had never been close enough to feel the warmth radiating off her skin, to taste her with no more than a bending of my head toward her neck. I cursed under my breath at my body’s instant reaction and scooted back a few inches, bringing my knee up onto the seat to give myself more space.
If she noticed, Risk didn’t let on. This time when she arched a brow, I knew what she was thinking.
Time to talk.
“Your assistance with our previous problem proved to be invaluable, Risk.”
She raised her hand. “There’s no need to butter me up. I did a job, and I’m happy to do another one. For the right price.”
Agreed. But first, follow-up. “We’d like to know if you’ve seen any indications that the group we discussed previously has returned to Nashville.”
She tapped her red-tipped nails against the slick table. “Not as a group, no. Though there may be individuals out there—I’m not specifically hunting them anymore—I haven’t seen the kind of activity we tracked before.”
The word hunting on her full lips had certain parts of me throbbing harder than the bass line of the current song torturing everyone from the club’s speakers. I shifted in my seat. “Good.” I narrowed my eyes on her. “If you should happen to see—”
“You’d be the first to know, big boy. Again, for the right price.”
“You would be compensated generously, of course.”
“Of course.”
I’d carefully considered the next order of business. Not only could information about possible Archai females hidden in the wider human population be a priceless commodity, as seen by the fierceness with which the Anigma had sought such females out, but that same information held danger if outside forces ever learned of the person to have gained it. Risk had begun to earn our trust, but with something this important, our need to be sure was high.
Unfortunately I was running out of time. I still wasn’t a hundred percent certain of the female, but I had no choice. We desperately needed her eyes and ears.
“I want to enlist your help in finding a female.”
The slightest smile curled one side of her lips. “I think I told you the first time I met you, Sun, I wasn’t that type of girl.”
She had. I remembered wondering if I looked that hard up, that I’d need to hire a hooker to get some action, as Cale put it. The Risk back then had teased me, her smile suggestive, while she called Cale baby. The Risk sitting across from me now barely allowed her lips to curve. What had prompted the change in her?
I didn’t return her smile. “Wrong type of female.”
“What type of ‘female’ were you looking for?” Neon lights hanging over the dance floor glinted off the metallic hoop piercing her nose.
I studied her for another long moment before taking the plunge. “Not just any female. We have two criteria: specifically, you would need to look for someone whose mother died young, most likely committed suicide, and who were subsequently left to be raised in an orphanage or foster care.” There were hundreds of other possible scenarios, but we couldn’t track them all, not yet. Our first starting point was the lineages of the women who had already been discovered. Risk gave us a second avenue to make headway on a desperate—and with the Anigma threat ever looming, time-critical—mission.
“Why?”
The word brought me up short. “Why…?”
Risk tipped her head to drill me with that deep blue stare. “I might be mercenary, Sun, but I won’t put women in danger without a reason. Why do you want to find this ‘female’?”
“We have reason to believe someone who went missing from our…family…long ago may have given birth to a daughter that ended up in just such a situation. We’re looking for leads.”
It was the story we had decided to tell Risk to earn her help. When I considered how close it was to the truth, something deep inside my chest felt broken. We were missing not one female but possibly thousands, the offspring of psychs who had been separated from the Archai for hundreds of years. Those daughters carried the genes that made them capable of conversion, and every one was infinitely valuable. My clan had only recently discovered that such psychs were possibly hidden, unknown and unknowing, in the human world. Unfortunately our enemy had figured it out long before the Archai had.
How many females were being tortured right now, like the women we had rescued from my old friend turned Anigma general, Maddox, and his nightmare army? How long would it take to find them? How many wouldn’t survive long enough to be found?
Risk pushed the fall of her long blonde hair behind one ear. She was known in the underground as the best finder money could buy—you name it, and she could find it. I was praying that included people.
“I’m not buying your story.”
Smart woman. “You don’t have to.” She simply had to do as I requested.
Risk’s calculating brain made her dangerous but also effective. And yet it wasn’t her mind that made my animal stir inside me. Every time I looked at her, the creature that shared my body raised his head, eager to stare out of my rainbow-hued eyes at the gorgeous female.
Not that I allowed him to. A female like Risk—wild, independent, secretive—was not for me.
And yet I couldn’t deny that her appeal had never waned. She was earthy, the air around her practically vibrating with energy, both carnal and emotional. A female made for sex. And a female who used that sexual energy often if Cale’s stories were to be believed.
Definitely not for me.
We could have her for a time.
True. And I was tempted. So very tempted. My animal knew that. But…
“Do you have more specific parameters?” she was asking now.
“No.” There was no definitive way to know if a particular female was, in fact, Archai without a triggering bite. But we had to try, and it was too big a task to take on by ourselves alongside the other issues we were facing. How we would handle the possible psychs once we found them was a question we hadn’t answered yet.
Risk frowned, her fingernails continuing their tap dance on the table. The sound put me on edge. “Age? Description? Anything?” she asked.
Feeling the less said, the better, I kept my mouth shut and shook my head.
“Well”—Risk raised that imperious eyebrow once more—“that’s going to be a long-ass list.”
“I understand. If we could start locally and then expand outward?”
The tap dance stopped. Risk leaned toward me. “If I find any reason to believe you would use that list to harm them—and I will be looking—you won’t be getting it. Once I’m sure they will be safe…” Risk shrugged. “It’s your money.” She named her figure.
The price was fair. I didn’t hesitate. The Archai had no worries about money, given we’d been accumulating wealth and investments for millennia. Not to mention that I was, in fact, a prince. I gave the female a silent nod.
“Will do.” Risk began to slide her way around the opposite side of the booth. “I’ll have an answer for you by the end of this week.”
She paused at the opening, her stare on the dance floor. I waited.
She glanced back at me through the veil of her hair. “It was good to see you again, Sun.”
Surely not. And yet there was something almost…wistful in her tone. As if she truly had missed someone. Cale, more likely. Except she had been the one to break things off with the warrior, not the other way around. Why would she miss him?
That certain something underlying her words had me speaking without thought for the first time all night. “Risk, are you all right?”
I shouldn’t ask. Shouldn’t want to know. Shouldn’t care for anything more than having her body. And yet I was unable to hold the words back.
She seemed puzzled. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Why indeed. I gave her another nod.
She stood, preparing to leave.
“Risk…”
She hesitated, gaze still on her exit.
Whatever had been on the tip of my tongue, I swallowed it down. “Good night.”
“Good night.”
PHOENIX FALLING releases on November 28th! Don't forget to preorder your copy!
What are readers saying about 40 AND (SO OVER) FIXING IT?
What are readers saying about 40 AND (SO OVER) FIXING IT? Let’s see!
"Their story is funny, emotional and steamy. I have to mention that I fell in love with Carter's son Thad immediately. I am loving the silver foxes and can't wait for more Black Wolf's Bluff stories." - Linda, GR reviewer
"40 and (so over) Fixing It is the 3rd book in the series, a wonderfully emotional romance featuring a grumpy hero with a goey soft center; a sassy, strong-willed heroine yearning for family - and a heartbreakingly endearing little boy ready to open his heart to new people. Add in a possessive peacock, old friends and a charming little town, and you've got the perfect story to while away an evening. Just make sure you clear your calendar first, because you won't want to put this book down! The HEA had me tearing up and I can't wait to see what happens next in Black Wolf's Bluff." - Silke, GR reviewer
"A great second chance at love read with steam, some surprises, humour and amazing characters. I loved their banter and tension that didn’t include over the top drama…..handled everything with maturity and clarity, like true adults." -Di, GR reviewer
Grab your copy today!
Carter's Dating Disasters Take #1 🤣
Here's a sneak peek into the first chapter of 40 and (So Over) Fixing It to quench your thirst....
Carter's Dating Disasters Take #1 🤣
Carter Deveraux was going to kill his sister. No more blind dates, no more harassing him till he agreed. He wouldn’t have to put up with Emma’s pestering because she wouldn’t be around to pester him anymore. He would make sure of it.
“Carter?”
The woman standing beside his table had to be at least half his age. Maybe more, given he was fifty and she didn’t look like she was out of her teens. That might just be the clothes, though; the barely knee-length plaid skirt she wore was more suited to a Catholic schoolgirl than a dinner at a restaurant listed in the top ten of New York City. Come to think of it, so was the tight white button-down. And God almighty, she was wearing knee socks.
Thank God he hadn’t taken her to the Prime—Linc would never let him hear the end of this.
He belatedly realized he was still sitting and came to his feet. “Chloe?” Was that the name Emma had given him? Or maybe it was Zoey? All the women she’d set him up with were starting to run together at this point, which probably meant he should take a long, long break from dating.
As he pulled out the woman’s chair, trying hard not to stare down the deep vee of her open shirt, he amended that thought. A permanent break would be best, at least if it was Emma engineering the dates.
“Zoey.” She smiled up at him, her lips a soft pink that reminded him of his cousin’s youngest daughter. He tried hard to shake that thought as he returned to his seat.
“I apologize, Zoey. It’s nice to meet you.”
Their waiter came by with the bottle of Screaming Eagle Sauvignon Blanc he’d ordered before Zoey arrived, and Carter resisted the urge to card his own date to verify her age.
And he’d thought having a ten-year-old son made him feel old. He couldn’t resist rubbing a hand over the beard that covered his jaw—a beard that was more white than dark blond these days—as he stared down at the menu. Emma had to have set him up with Zoey just to mess with him. This wasn’t about making up for Carter being alone while Thad was with his mother for the weekend. This was about Emma fucking with her older brother, and when he finally escaped this nightmare of a date, he was going straight to wherever his sister was and strangling her.
After they ordered, Carter poured Zoey a glass of the wine, sticking to water himself. “Where did you say you knew Emma from?” His sister seemed to know everyone and made friends as easily as other people breathed.
Zoey fingered a strand of her silky blonde hair, which he had to admit was eye-catching as it fell over her shoulders. “We met at Zen.”
Of course they had. Emma’s favorite bar, right around the corner from her apartment. Sometimes he thought she spent more time there than she did at home. Of course, she didn’t cook, so Zen’s above-average kitchen made meals convenient. And everyone loved her there. Literally the entire bar lit up when she came in.
That was his sister for you. Life of the party—and the source of trouble, always.
“Oh. When was that?”
“Last week.”
As Zoey told the story of meeting a group of friends at the bar, then striking up a conversation with Emma over martinis, he resisted the urge to lecture her on the dangers of trusting people in the city, particularly on dates. He wasn’t her parent, after all.
Not that she seemed bothered by their age difference. She was currently fingering her wineglass as she stared up at him adoringly. That look had him shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“So…you’re a daddy.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m a father, yes.”
She traced the soft curve of her glass, the long pink tip of her fingernail matching that baby-pink lipstick. “Do you believe in corporal punishment?”
He choked on the swallow of water he’d taken just to give himself something to do with his hands. “Do I what?”
She glanced up at him from beneath unnaturally long lashes that framed soft, innocent-looking blue eyes. “You know…spanking.”
His lips tightened. He really was going to strangle Emma. “No. No, I don’t spank my boy.”
“Boy?” Zoey straightened in her seat, the flirtatious facade falling away in favor of a confused pout. “You have boys?”
“I have a son.” Surely Emma had told her. Oh, not details about Thaddeus, of course, but that he had a child.
She tilted her head, and a lock of golden hair curved over one side of her face. “But have you ever wanted a baby girl?”
“Sure, maybe.” Although he was getting a bit old for that. His ex, Rachel, hadn’t wanted children until her career had been well-established. She’d also been ten years younger than him. Bringing home a newborn was a totally different thing at thirty than at forty. He was definitely feeling his age with Thad rapidly approaching his teen years.
At least his son hadn’t decided he was too old to cuddle with his old man yet.
“How about now?”
His gaze jerked from the cut-crystal glass he held to the woman across the table from him. What the hell was she talking about? “Now?”
“Yeah.” She smiled, the flirtatious curve of her lips dotted perfectly in the center with a drop of her wine. He watched in horrified fascination as her tongue sneaked out and swiped up the last lingering bit. “Now. There are plenty of baby girls available if you just…look around.”
Baby girl.
Daddy.
Baby girl.
Daddy.
Spanking.
“No.” The word shot from his mouth with zero finesse. “No, definitely not now. Not—”
Zoey’s flirtatious look shattered, laughter taking over. “I’m sorry, I can’t—”
He couldn’t stop staring as Zoey leaned back in her chair, clutching her stomach as if it ached as she laughed and laughed. Each time the sound eased off, she’d take another look at him and off she went again. He was beginning to get irritated when she finally caught her breath enough to explain.
“I’m sorry, Carter.” Chuckles bubbled up, interrupting her words. “I thought I could do this, but I just can’t keep it together. The look on your face…”
More laughter. What was wrong with his face?
And then he remembered.
“She put you up to this, didn’t she?” he asked sourly. He’d even considered the idea earlier. The Catholic schoolgirl outfit—and that’s definitely what it was, he could see now—had tipped him off, but he’d never considered Zoey being in on it.
And thank God she was. Saved him from some very awkward conversation after the baby-girl comment.
He ran a hand down his face, scrubbing hard. Now that he thought about it, strangling might be too good for Emma.
When he looked again, Zoey was still struggling to control her amusement. Her laughter made him feel about the same age as Methuselah.
“She did put me up to it,” Zoey confirmed. Her bright smile dimmed a bit as she watched him. “You don’t mind, do you?”
His chuckle was still a bit reluctant. “You, I don’t mind. Emma…”
“She’s in for it later, I gather?”
“Definitely.” From the corner of his eye he noticed their waiter approaching with full plates of food and sighed, releasing his pent-up irritation at his sister—for now. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy dinner.”
And they did. When Zoey dropped the flirtatious facade, he found a pleasant young woman—still far too young for him at twenty-four—who was easy to talk to and spend time with. She told him how she’d met Emma during a “munch” her BDSM group was having at Zen, how Emma had overheard a bit of conversation and introduced herself. Which didn’t surprise him at all. And the sense of fun he got from Zoey told him exactly why she’d agreed to this blind date.
“Besides”—Zoey shrugged as they lingered a bit, waiting for dessert—“you never know when an older guy is going to be interested in someone a bit younger.”
“I don’t think it’s difficult to find an older man who’ll go for a younger woman.” That seemed to be the preferred scenario with too many men he knew.
“But not you, huh?”
“My son is nearly half your age, Zoey,” he told her.
Her laughter said she didn’t take offense. “Well, I’m sorry to hear that.”
After dinner, he hailed a taxi in the early evening rush of traffic, settled Zoey inside, and prepaid the fare before giving her a wave as she drove away, all the while thinking about how many times in the past year he’d sent a woman home in a taxi, either after dinner or after something else. He wasn’t celibate and he had no objections to a little fun, but women didn’t stay overnight on the rare occasions Thad was with his mother and Carter found someone he was interested in. After this, though, he felt like a moratorium on dating was a necessity to cleanse his palate.
A daddy?
As he waited at the corner for the light to change, he snatched his phone from his back pocket, then crossed the street with the crowd, beginning the ten-block walk to his penthouse. His temples tightened with a headache as he clicked on his sister’s name and waited. Emma picked up just as he came to the next cross street.
She was already laughing.
“I guess you thought that was funny.”
“I don’t even have to hear your version of what happened to know it was damn hilarious,” Emma said, her laughter nearly choking her. She always reminded him of sunshine, which allowed her to get away with far more little-sister shit than he would like to admit. Today, though, he’d forgotten his sunglasses and wasn’t in the mood.
“Putting Zoey in that position wasn’t funny.”
Emma’s laughter didn’t dim the least bit. “She was in on the whole thing. How’d you like the outfit, by the way?”
He growled.
Emma snickered. “Lighten up, Daddy.”
“If you’d like I can come over there and show you what corporal punishment is all about.”
“Don’t think so,” Emma sing-songed. “Even our daddy couldn’t get away with that.”
Not that he’d tried much. Emma was a force of nature, bowling all of them over. When she got her head wrapped around an idea, there was no shaking it. Unfortunately his dating life was the idea she’d wrapped around, and she wasn’t letting loose.
He had to stop appeasing her.
“Tell me you didn’t have a little fun,” she said. “You could be at home in that New York loft, looking out on a bustling city with silence behind you. With Thad at his mom’s…”
“It’s quiet. I know.” He sighed, releasing his irritation with his breath. “I actually do like quiet every once in a while.”
“You’d wallow in it if I let you.”
“At least next week I’ll be gone and you won’t be able to throw any new prospects at me.” He and Thad were headed to the Tennessee mountains to see JD and his new fiancée. Apparently the mansion was surrounded by woods that would be perfect for Thad to get out and explore. Even if the idea of woods gave Carter hives. Talk about quiet. He definitely wasn’t a woods kind of guy. He wasn’t sure why JD seemed to enjoy it so much. Or Lincoln, who thrived on the adrenaline of his constantly packed Manhattan restaurant.
Guess sex could adle any man’s brains.
“Watch it or I’ll follow you down there,” Emma warned.
He shut up and let her babble on about meeting Zoey, which led to various other topics in a stream of consciousness he could barely follow. Yes, he was definitely looking forward to getting away next week. He loved his family, but their mission to make sure he was happy since his divorce was getting a little too intrusive.
Especially Emma. Maybe he’d get lucky and his cell phone wouldn’t get reception at JD’s place.
Emma was winding down about the time he reached the door to his building. “I’m about to hit the elevator, Sis. I’ll have to catch you later.”
“You better. I plan to get all the juicy tidbits from Zoey in the meantime. Bye!”
Carter groaned. Of course she would. And every last moment would be dissected until she found just the right pieces to rib him about.
Great.
When was he leaving?
40 AND (SO OVER) FIXING IT releases on July 12th! Don't forget to preorder your copy!
Well 2023 Is Being a PITA
How’s Your New Year Going?
I’ll tell you, mine isn’t going to plan. 😊 That’s par for the course the past couple of years, I guess, for all of us. I started the year off with Covid, and I’ve basically been sleeping and trying to get my brain to work ever since.
So how do I want the rest of the year to go?
Not like this! I began the first week of January on a new mindset journey, working to build more positivity into my life, be kinder to myself, take care of myself. All of that went by the wayside when I became ill. (That happens when you’re sleeping 22 out of every 24 hours! Luckily I’m now down to 14-16 hours of sleep a day. *eye roll*) I’ve been berating myself for not getting better faster, for “starting back at square one” with everything, including my weight loss. But constantly going over the bad things in my mind isn’t helping anything. The sleep helps, but not mentally putting myself down the whole time I’m awake.
How can I change that? The only way to accomplish change is deliberately, one step at a time. So I’m revisiting my plan for this year, and yeah, starting back at zero. Where do I go from here? What can I nourish my soul with? What plans do I have to move toward a more positive mind and body?
And then begin with the first step.
But I’m sure the plan you’re most interested in is my writing plan for the year.
And I definitely have plans! Right now, because my brain is so scrambled, I’m working on plotting three books: the next Silver Foxes book, the next Archai Warriors book (Phoenix Falling), and most important of all, THE NEXT ASSASSINS BOOK!!!! Woot! Assassins will be back this year. I’m planning a minimum of three more books in that series, to be released in 2023 and 2024. Each book will feature a member of Nix’s team, completing the arc from their dangerous past. But I’ll also be including threads from each of the Agozi brothers. We’re not leaving our boys behind! So get ready for a wild ride coming later this year. 😊
I’ll have more specifics starting in March, so keep an eye out. In the meantime, happy reading!
~Ella
Did you know the final audiobook for the SOUTHERN NIGHTS series has finally arrived! TEACH ME is now available in audiobook, featuring the fantastic duo of Jason Clarke and Stella Hunter as Conlan and Jess. Listen to their story as well as TRUST ME (Jack and Maddie) and TAKE ME (Gabe, Sam, and Peyton) today!
Did you know TEACH ME is currently free in ebook? Grab your copy on amazon and add on Whispersync audio for only $7.49! No need to use your monthly credit. 😊
Griffin Undone Is LIVE
Arik & Kat have arrived!
I’m not sure if I can adequately explain what it means to see this book out in the world. It is the book of my heart, the one I longed to write from the beginning of my tentative tiptoes into the world of putting words on paper. It has been ten years in the making, but I knew now was the right time to unleash Arik and Kat and the Archai on the world.
A time when I needed hope. A time when many of us need hope, I think.
So my hope right now is that GRIFFIN UNDONE will bring something special to your life as you read it—and not just steam. 😉 Though there’ll be plenty of that, I guarantee you! And I’d love to know what you think. Consider leaving a review on Goodreads or your favorite retailer to share your thoughts on the book. I can’t wait to hear them.
Now, go forth and buy! And don’t forget GU’s audiobook, also releasing today with duet narration from Stella Hunter and J.F. Harding. You don’t want to miss the growl in his voice, trust me!
All versions of the book can be found at the link below.
Happy release day, Arik and Kat!
NARRATOR REVEAL!
I'm excited to announce the narrators for the upcoming
GRIFFIN UNDONE audiobook!
My first paranormal romance is…wait for it…NOW LIVE FOR PREORDER! And it is narrated in duet by Stella Hunter and J. F. Harding!
These two sound amazing! I can't wait for you all to hear the full thing, but in the meantime, you can check out an extended teaser on my Facebook page to whet your appetite. The audiobook will release simultaneously with the ebook on November 29, but you can preorder now at the links below!
I hope you're as excited for this one as I am. What do you think of the sneak peek?
She’s the perfect prey. The perfect instrument for my revenge.
And the only crack in my centuries-old armor.
Arik
For nine hundred years I have roamed the earth, a griffin shifter without a clan, an Archai warrior unable to fight the one enemy that matters: my parents’ killer. The only thing I care about? Vengeance. And I’m about to start a war to get it.
Nothing will stand in my way—except a red-haired female whose power could change everything. She’s the weapon I need to devastate the enemy, but in order to use her, I have to keep her alive, on my side…
And away from my heart.
Kat
All my life, I've never really belonged. Adrift, with nothing to tether me in place. Until one night at work when I lock gazes with a pair of smoldering silver eyes that steal my breath, and it feels like finally being seen for the first time. But in the next second he's gone. That same night the silver-eyed man saves me when a monster attacks, but not before the monster’s bite unleashes a deadly power I never knew crouched deep within me.
Now I’m no longer human—and no longer safe.
Except with Arik. He’ll teach me control, train me to fight. But his secrets could kill me as easily as the power I struggle to wield. In the end, I’m forced to choose: fight in a war I don’t understand, or escape the male who wants to use me. War might take my body, but even if we win, Arik could tear apart my soul.
This epic new paranormal romance series features a shifter species of mythological creatures, the basis for all human myth—and they bite.
New Series Announcement!
If you follow me on social media, you saw my Big Announcement™️—I'm writing a new series! And if you've been with me for a while, you'll see a whole new side of Ella, because I'm writing paranormal romance! The Archai Warriors is an epic new paranormal romance series featuring a shifter species of mythological creatures, the basis for all human myth—and they bite.😉
Welcome to the world of the Archai!
She’s the perfect prey. The perfect instrument for my revenge.
And the only crack in my centuries-old armor.
Arik
For nine hundred years I have roamed the earth, a griffin shifter without a clan, an Archai warrior unable to fight the one enemy that matters: my parents’ killer. The only thing I care about? Vengeance. And I’m about to start a war to get it.
Nothing will stand in my way—except a red-haired female whose power could change everything. She’s the weapon I need to devastate the enemy, but in order to use her, I have to keep her alive, on my side…
And away from my heart.
Kat
All my life, I've never really belonged. Adrift, with nothing to tether me in place. Until one night at work when I lock gazes with a pair of smoldering silver eyes that steal my breath, and it feels like finally being seen for the first time. But in the next second he's gone. That same night the silver-eyed man saves me when a monster attacks, but not before the monster’s bite unleashes a deadly power I never knew crouched deep within me.
Now I’m no longer human—and no longer safe.
Except with Arik. He’ll teach me control, train me to fight. But his secrets could kill me as easily as the power I struggle to wield. In the end, I’m forced to choose: fight in a war I don’t understand, or escape the male who wants to use me. War might take my body, but even if we win, Arik could tear apart my soul.
I'm so excited to bring this new series to you! Even more exciting, the audio production is already underway, and the audio will release simultaneously with the ebook! Stay tuned for a narrator announcement coming soon.
I'll be writing this series alongside my contemporary novels, so you'll still be getting more Assassins and other fun stuff from me!
GRIFFIN UNDONE will be here November 29th, but you can preorder your copy NOW:
The Silver Foxes Are Here!
The brand-new series I promised is now LIVE! The Silver Foxes of Black Wolf’s Bluff is an over-forty, later in life romance series featuring heroes and heroines forty and above. Book 1 releases today!
40 AND (TIRED OF) FAKING IT
Welcome to Black Wolf’s Bluff, where turning forty doesn’t mean your life is over. It might just mean the spark that can light up everything is right around the corner.
She’s turning forty.
Lily Easton’s series of lackluster boyfriends ended three years ago with the ex from hell—self-absorbed, thoughtless, and seriously bad in bed. After she dumped him, he told everyone in their small town she was the horrible lover. Being made the dating-pool pariah allowed her to focus on her goal of becoming the first female mayor of Black Wolf’s Bluff, but with that accomplished, the arrival of Lily’s fortieth birthday is a stark reminder of everything she’s still lacking: love, commitment, and some seriously intense orgasms.
He's here to do a job.
John David Lane walked away from Black Wolf’s Bluff thirty years ago, determined to find his own success and leave behind the family who hated him. Now he’s back, but not to stay. He plans to turn the family estate he has inherited into a high-end resort, the kind that would completely transform this backwoods town. To succeed, he’ll need the help of the “lady mayor,” but he didn’t count on the desire for something far more personal with Lily than political negotiations.
Dive into an all-new small-town romance that proves falling in love isn’t impossible after forty — and neither are seriously intense orgasms!
You can grab your copy of 40 AND (TIRED OF) FAKING IT right now at the retailers below!
Right now you can even get the sale price of $2.99, good through June 1st.
And keep an eye out for book 2, coming later this summer!
TAKE ME is NOW AVAILABLE in audio!
My spicy, suspenseful m/f/m romance is narrated in duet by Jason Clarke, Stella Hunter, and Connor Crais! They bring Gabe, Sam, and Peyton to vibrant life. Early listeners are loving it, and I can't wait for you to hear it.
Sneak Peak at 40 and (Tired of) Faking It!
I told you I was writing an all-new series, and here it is!
I can't wait for you to meet the Silver Foxes of Black Wolf's Bluff This is a contemporary romance series featuring mature characters in the small-town setting of Black Wolf's Bluff. Book one, 40 AND (TIRED OF) FAKING IT, is John David and Lily's story.
40 AND (TIRED OF) FAKING IT is available for preorder at your favorite ebook retailers. It's currently priced at $2.99, but the price will be going up on release day, (May 31!) so reserve your copy today!
Who knew life after forty could get more exciting than the sparklers atop her decadent dark chocolate birthday cake?
A series of lackluster boyfriends led Lily to the ultimate ex. Not only was he terrible in bed, but he told everyone in their small town that it was her fault. Struggling to be seen as successful as the first female mayor is hard enough, but the juicy rumors only give the patriarchy a good reason to keep her in her place.
She’s turning forty, and tired of pretending that her ho-hum life isn’t lacking the important things: love, commitment, and some seriously intense orgasms.
Finding success away from the family who’d hated him consumed John David’s life. He’s back in Black Wolf’s Bluff, but not to stay. He’ll use his skills as a real estate developer to transform the family estate that held his most hated memories into a high-end resort, the kind that would raise the profile of this backwoods town. He’ll need the help of the “lady mayor,” but in return, maybe he can teach her about more than five-star resorts and lavish lifestyles.
He needs to remember he’s here to do a job, then get back to his real life, which doesn’t include lessons in small-town hospitality, quirky residents, or local politics…and definitely doesn’t include seriously intense orgasms with the “lady mayor” who’s nothing like he expected.
Welcome to Black Wolf’s Bluff, where turning forty doesn’t mean your life is over. It might just mean the spark that can light up everything is right around the corner.
SURPRISE! New Audiobook News!
DENY ME Is Now Available In Audio
It seems like the surprises just keep rolling in! Not only did we have the surprise release of SOUTHERN NIGHTS ENIGMA: THE BEGINNING -- you've got your copy, right? No? Then click HERE* -- but I got a huge surprise last week when Audible unexpectedly released DENY ME in audiobook with no warning. WOW! I'm so excited to get this audio release to you a bit earlier than expected. 🙂
You don't want to miss the fabulous narrator team, Stella Hunter and Jason Clarke, as they bring King and Charlotte to life. Jason even brings his yummy growl to bear! Be sure and grab your copy quick. *
A Special Announcement!
I've been thinking for a while about a box set for SOUTHERN NIGHTS: ENIGMA. Except that's usually three books, and this series is awkward in that it has five... And I had another bonus idea... Plus I have a bonus short that comes after DECEIVE ME...
So... I decided to do a collection! SOUTHERN NIGHTS ENIGMA: THE BEGINNING contains books one and two, the Halloween short, SURPRISE ME, and a brand-new, never-before-seen epilogue for COME FOR ME that tells Elliot's origin story with the team. I'm so excited to share this with you!
When private security gets risky, always have a team at your back.
See how the hard-hitting security specialists of Team Enigma began in this brand-new anthology that includes Come For Me and Deceive Me, as well as two additional bonus shorts. Don’t miss the extras, including a brand-new, never-before-seen epilogue sharing the story of how the lone-warrior Elliot became a member of Team Enigma!
AVAILABLE NOW!*
ASSASSIN'S MARK Is Now Available In AUDIO!
It’s finally here — ASSASSIN’S MARK is LIVE on Audible! The fantastic Jason Clarke and Stella Hunter have done a phenomenal job bringing Levi and Abby to life. You don’t want to miss this!
ASSASSIN’S MARK
Keep an eye out for ASSASSIN’S PREY, coming soon.
I knew the minute I saw him that Levi Agozi was too perfect to be real. I didn't care. He came to me, asked for me, and, dazzled by his dark good looks and the bad-boy aura surrounding him, I gave in. Willingly.
My father is set to become the next governor of Georgia, and he'll use me to get there if he has to. He'll hand me over, virginity and all, to the man with the biggest bank account and political pull.
I wanted something more.
I wanted Levi. And I had him—until I woke up, disoriented and confused, at his mercy. He’s a bad boy, all right. A sexy, deadly assassin. And I'm the pawn torn between him and my father, two powerful men intent on destroying each other.
I might not understand their war, but I do understand one thing: no matter who wins, I lose.
“I inhaled this sexy, gritty, thrilling new series and I can’t wait for more!” — Lara Adrian, NYT Best-selling Author
𝐄𝐋𝐈 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐍𝐈𝐗 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄!
🔥 🔥 🔥
𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦: 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘰𝘻𝘪 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘺. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘹–𝘋𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘢 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴, 𝘸𝘦’𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵.
𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘭𝘪 𝘈𝘨𝘰𝘻𝘪 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘦. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰.
🔥 🔥 🔥
You don’t want to miss this pivotal story in the ASSASSINS universe!
AVAILABLE NOW!
Deny Me is coming soon!!
The ASSASSINS series has taken over the whole summer! I hope you’ve loved the series as much as I have. We’re up to book 4, but don’t despair—there will definitely be more! Eli’s story will be coming this December, with more books in the planning stage beyond that, I promise. ASSASSINS will continue for a long time to come!
So what’s next, then? SOUTHERN NIGHTS: ENIGMA, of course! We get a glimpse of King Moncrief and his heroine in ASSASSIN’S HEART, and I plan to release their story, DENY ME, in October. That’s right, I plan to cross over Enigma and Assassins in coming books! So, Deny Me in October, and Eli’s book (title to be determined) in December.
Stop thinking about 2020! (I know you’re thinking it; I can feel it. That schedule isn’t ready yet, LOL!)
DENY ME is up for preorder! Head over and grab your copy!
DENY ME
Assassin's Heart!
In case you haven’t heard, I’ve been releasing a few books lately.😉 ASSASSIN’S PREY released just yesterday, and the next installment in the series will be out AUGUST 26TH!
♦ ASSASSIN’S HEART ♦
My brother believes he made me a killer. The truth is, I’ve always been different. I can smile while sliding a knife between your ribs—and not feel a moment of regret.
Until Leah.
A man like me shouldn’t have a family. But the minute I opened my eyes from a coma and saw her, I knew I’d forever be tied to her. A nurse who nurtures life. A mother.
I’ve stalked her for two years, unable to stop but refusing to give in to the need to have her. To love her. Until the night her daughter is taken. I’ll light up the world to get Leah’s child back to her.
And then I’ll walk away for good. Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I know how she’ll look at me after seeing who I truly am.
She’ll see the murderer inside me. And God help me, but she’ll be right.
Assassin's Prey is here!!!
♦THE ASSASSINS SERIES CONTINUES ♦
AVAILABLE TODAY!!
She was my revenge. Now she’s my everything.Read the continuation of Levi and Abby’s story—from the assassin’s point of view.
I killed my first man at the age of twelve. I've been killing ever since. I thought it was all I lived for…until Abby. Until the woman I'd kidnapped became the woman I couldn't walk away from.
She owns a piece of me I wouldn't take back, but the rest? The only way to protect her is to hold back the parts inside me that are too ugly to ever reveal. I'll keep her safe, even from me.
And it works. We have the nights, and I hunt my way through the days. Alone.
Until an attack reveals a threat we didn't see coming. One that could take away the dream I didn't realize I had.
Everything. With her.
I'm on the hunt of my life. My prey might run, but in this fight—for her, for us—they don't stand a chance.
🍾 🍾 ASSASSIN’S MARK is here! 🍾 🍾
I’ve waited a long time for today. Release day is overwhelming, but with a book—and a series—like this, it is…indescribable. Really, there are no words.
ASSASSIN’S MARK was written at a time when I was struggling so much. It changed how I wrote, how I viewed my writing, how I viewed my world, more than I can even describe. I hope you love Levi and his brothers as much as I do, and follow them for many books to come. It’ll be an adventure you won’t forget!
ASSASSIN’S MARK
I knew the minute I saw him that Levi Agozi was too perfect to be real. I didn't care. He came to me, asked for me, and, dazzled by his dark good looks and the bad-boy aura surrounding him, I gave in. Willingly. My father is set to become the next governor of Virginia, and he'll use me to get there if he has to. He'll hand me over, virginity and all, to the man with the biggest bank account and political pull. I wanted something more. I wanted Levi. And I had him—until I woke up, disoriented and confused, at his mercy. He’s a bad boy, all right. A sexy, deadly assassin. And I'm the pawn torn between him and my father, two powerful men intent on destroying each other. I might not understand their war, but I do understand one thing: no matter who wins, I lose.⠀ ⠀ ⠀
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*TAKE THE RISK TODAY!*
COVER REVEAL!
ASSASSIN’S MARK will be here in *one month*!!! I’ve waited so long to reveal this cover, y’all! I’m totally in love, and I hope you will be too. <3 Be sure to preorder your copy today so ASSASSIN’S MARK shows up on your e-reader ASAP on June 24th!
ASSASSIN’S MARK
I knew the minute I saw him that Levi Agozi was too perfect to be real. I didn't care. He came to me, asked for me, and, dazzled by his dark good looks and the bad-boy aura surrounding him, I gave in. Willingly.
My father is set to become the next governor of Virginia, and he'll use me to get there if he has to. He'll hand me over, virginity and all, to the man with the biggest bank account and political pull.
I wanted something more.
I wanted Levi. And I had him—until I woke up, disoriented and confused, at his mercy. He’s a bad boy, all right. A sexy, deadly assassin. And I'm the pawn torn between him and my father, two powerful men intent on destroying each other.
I might not understand their war, but I do understand one thing: no matter who wins, I lose.
The damp night air felt heavy with suspicion—mine. My brothers would tell me I was crazy, but I knew what my senses were saying. They’d been honed over years on the streets to keep all three of us safe, and right now they were screaming.
Something wasn’t right.
“Where the hell is this guy?”
The words came out a low growl, but I had no doubt Remi and Eli heard them through the communication device in my ear. It was Eli who answered.
“On his way here, maybe? It’s not even a quarter till, Levi. Not everyone’s got a stick up their ass like you.”
I shot a bird toward the window of the office two buildings down where my youngest brother was working his magic with the surveillance equipment. In our business, you better have a stick up your ass when it came to details or you were dead. Easing deeper into the shadows of the overhang I stood under, I scanned the street once more. “I’m telling you, something’s not right. I don’t like it.”
“When do you ever like anything?” Remi asked. He waited on a second-story balcony directly across the street, hidden behind a brick column, his favorite Remington 700 pointed in my general direction. Watching my back—and giving me a hard time. My relationship with my brothers in a nutshell.
“Never,” Eli said in my ear, proving my point.
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