Read Chapter 1 from Bella and the Summer Fling

Book 2 in my Love on the Track series releases on February 22nd! But you can read a sneak peek of the first chapter here. 

Missed book 1? Find it here on eBook, Paperback and in Kindle Unlimited.

Chapter One

Bella

It’s just after midnight. I can hear my brother Brent’s phone playing music in the room next to mine. When he lived here full time, he’d always listen to music to fall asleep, and whatever tunes he was obsessed with at the time would soon become my favorite music, too. Now that he’s home from college, I guess not everything has changed. He’s taller, more muscular, and acts like he’s all grown up. But he still needs music to fall asleep.

I finish drying my hair and then I sit on my bed, exhausted from the night, but somehow still unable to sleep. My body feels like every single nerve is awake and ready to party. I’m too excited. Too giddy, too surprised. Too… floaty.

I’m so much of so many feelings right now.

The greatest though, is pride.

I look over at my nightstand, which is now the temporary home of my shiny new trophy. I’ll have to find the perfect place to display it tomorrow, but for now, it’s right here next to my bed. My smile widens. My new trophy is at least two feet tall, with a white marble stand two sparkly blue columns. At the top, there’s a little golden dirt bike with a guy on it. On the bottom, engraved in a small golden plate are the words:

Women’s Class

2^nd Place

Not bad at all for my first ever race. I may have had a dirt bike since I was six years old, but up until a few weeks ago, I only rode it for fun. I never tried to be particularly fast or talented, because it all seemed too impossible for me to achieve. I just rode around on the dirt bike track, jumping over small jumps, and having fun. It was my hobby, not my career or anything. I didn’t need to be fast or spend money on races that I had no chance of winning.

But that all changed when I met Liam Mosely.

He’s eighteen like me, but unlike me, he didn’t go to high school and waste all his days stuck in a stuffy building with demanding teachers and dramatic classmates. Instead, he’s been homeschooled while he focused solely on dirt bike racing, or motocross as it’s called professionally. He finally got good enough to race with a professional team last season, but then he was kicked off when he got into not one, but two fist fights with fellow racers. Fighting is unsportsmanlike and against the rules. He was kicked off Team FRZ Frame in a heartbeat, and they didn’t care that he had a good reason for doing what he did.

Liam’s dad decided to exile him to spend the summer with his mom here in Roca Springs, Texas It's a teensy little country town that no one has ever heard of. And it’s where we met. He never did tell me why exactly he got into those fights that derailed his professional career, just that he had a good reason for it. My smile slips a little bit. I don’t want to be stupidly crushing on a guy with an anger problem. But the Liam I know doesn’t have one. I believe him when he says he’s not normally a fighter.

Tonight I watched him back down from a bet with my brother. He could have gone out there and raced him and totally won because Liam is much faster than Brent. But he didn’t. He didn’t want to fight, didn’t want to cause any more bad blood. So whatever reason made Liam punch those other guys, I’m sure it was justified. Because I hate the idea of crushing on a guy who talks with his fists.

Not that it matters, by the way. I totally can’t crush on Liam Mosely.

Even though I just kissed him.

I swear my heart is still beating twice as fast as it should be, even though the night is over. The races are over, and that kiss is over. I came home and ate dinner and showered and now I’m still feeling that dizzying rush of adrenaline and excitement. I guess nights like this will take a while to get over.

I participated in my first ever motocross race and kissed the hottest guy I’ve ever kissed, all in one night. And now I have a shiny trophy and the memories of Liam’s soft lips to remember it by.

This was a good night.

But it can never happen again.

I definitely want to race again, maybe even race several more times. But that kissing Liam thing? Never again. Sure, he’s crazy hot and talented and always seems to listen when I’m talking to him, but he’s not boyfriend material. Boyfriends don’t move back home at the end of summer, and that’s exactly what Liam will be doing.

He’ll try to get picked back up on another professional race team and I’m sure it’ll happen for him. He’s too good of a racer to be left out in the cold. He’ll get picked up, and he’ll race professionally again, and he’ll become even more famous and even bigger of a deal than he is now. He’ll meet some charming supermodel or maybe even an actress—whoever she is, she’ll be gorgeous and perfect—and they’ll fall in love and get married and he’ll forget all about little ol’ me, Bella Castro, the random girl from a small town who kissed him one night after a race.

I take a deep breath and pull down the sheets on my freshly made bed. It’s time to go to sleep. Otherwise I’ll just sit here and stare at my trophy and think about him all night. I may not be a psychologist, but I know that’s not healthy.

I crawl under the covers and lay down, listening to the gentle beat of Brent’s music from his bedroom. One full song plays. Then another. Then five more.

Ugh, I can’t sleep.

I roll over in bed and grab my phone off the nightstand. My mom hates cell phones because they take away too much of our time. I was one of the last people in school to get my own phone because she hated them so much, but finally when I turned sixteen and started driving, my dad convinced her that I needed one for safety reasons. Mom says you can’t enjoy real life when you’re looking at a phone all day. I get it, kind of. But my real life happens to be on my phone. I check Snapchat and then Instagram, where I scroll through beautiful photos and weird photos and memes until my eyes hurt. It’s just after one in the morning. I’m still not tired.

My phone lights up.

Liam: You awake?

Oh crap. He’s texting me! In the middle of the freaking night. I should put my phone away. I should turn it off and go to sleep. But…

Me: Yup

My phone rings. It’s not just a phone call – Liam Mosely is Facetiming me at one in the morning. Oh crap. Oh crap, oh crap. I’m wearing Mickey Mouse pajamas and my hair is in a bun and I have no makeup on! This is not okay!

But maybe that’s for the best. If Liam sees me looking like all gross, maybe he’ll realize that it’s pointless to keep up this flirting thing with me. Maybe he’ll stop calling, stop hanging out with me at the track, stop being my friend. Then maybe I can finally get over him and move on with my life.

I sit up in bed and I answer the call.

“You’re up pretty late,” I say in a voice just above a whisper. Brent is in the next room over, after all and he will flip if he knows I’m talking to Liam.

Liam is wearing a black shirt, and he looks just as heart-crushingly hot as ever. He smirks. “You’re one to talk.”

I roll my eyes. “I was about to go to sleep.”

“Want me to let you go?”

I shake my head. “I can talk. What’s up?”

“Why are you whispering?” he says, leaning closer to the phone when he says the last word.

I feel a blush creep to my cheeks. “My brother is in the next room,” I say. “It’s better if he doesn’t wake up.”

Liam’s expression goes from playful to somber. “I tried to talk to him. Before your race started, just him and me.”

“What?” My eyes widen at my outburst and I remind myself to go back to a whisper. “You did? What did you say?”

He shrugs one shoulder, then lays back in his bed. He’s holding the phone above him and I can almost imagine that I’m standing in his room looking down at him while he lays in bed. The thought does weird things to my stomach.

“I told him I was sorry,” Liam says. “He didn’t seem to care.”

“Wow.” Brent hadn’t told me about this. He was excited for my first race and he was happy for me on the whole drive home, but he never mentioned this.

“He just needs time,” I say, and for all I know, that’s probably a lie. My brother hates Liam. I don’t think he’ll stop hating him any time soon, unfortunately.

Liam’s lips twist into a smile. It’s a little forced, like maybe he’s trying not to think about my brother’s lack of goodwill toward him. “So what did you think of your first race?”

“It was exhilarating. And amazing,” I say. I want to lay down, too, but that feels somehow too intimate. So I keep sitting up on my bed, looking at my phone for the video chat. “It was scary, too, but mostly fun. I owe it all to you.”

“Nah, you did this. It was all you.”

I shake my head. “You gave me the skills and the confidence to race. You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to get out there and race.”

His eyes soften. “I’m glad you had a good time. My first race was a disaster.”

“Oh yeah?”

He nods. “I was six years old and I thought I was a little badass.” He chuckles at the memory. I had drank a whole bottle of chocolate milk on the drive to the track, and it was the middle of the summer, so it was like a hundred degrees outside. I was so nervous, and it was so hot, and when I was at the starting line, my stomach started hurting. All I had all day was that chocolate milk. No food, no water. And then halfway through the race, it came back up.”

He cringes at the memory. “I puked half curdled, hot, chocolate milk while I was riding. It got all over my helmet and my clothes. It was so gross.”

“Eww!” I say with a laugh. “That’s awful.”

“Yeah it was,” Liam says with a smile that makes my own stomach hurt. “I didn’t even finish the race. My very first race, and I got a DNF.”

“I’m sorry,” I say.

“Nah, it’s all good. I went back the next weekend, and my dad made sure I didn’t have any chocolate milk. I think I got tenth place. I sucked. But I didn’t care, I just wanted to keep racing until I won.”

“And how long did that take?” I ask.

His teeth bite down on his bottom lip. “Longer than I care to admit.”

“Whaaaat?” I say sarcastically. “You mean the great Liam Mosely wasn’t always a winner?”

“Not even close.” He turns on his side to talk to me. Now it looks like we’re laying next to each other… if, well, if I was his phone. I’d be right next to him.

“I think I was around eight or nine before I won a race. It was hard. It took a lot of work, and my dad only brought me to the track. He’d sit on his phone or his laptop the whole time, doing work. He couldn’t teach me anything because he didn’t ride dirt bikes, and he didn’t care about the sport. I think he just kept taking me to the track because he felt bad about the divorce. But I kept riding, and I learned from watching others, and soon I got better.”

I yawn. “When did your parents divorce?”

“When I was six.”

“Wow, me too,” I say. “I hated it. Brent didn’t really care much. Or at least he acted like he didn’t care. My parents are still friends, though.”

“Yeah, mine are too.” He shrugs. “Kind of. My mom got remarried, and she’s pretty happy now. Phil is a good guy.”

“Plus she lives in Roca Springs, so clearly your mom is awesome,” I say with a grin.

He rolls his eyes. “I don’t know about that.  I prefer the big city life.”

We keep talking, about our childhood memories, and dirt bikes, and television shows. I don’t know when it happens, but soon I’m lying down, too, watching Liam through the phone while he lays in his bed.

We talk about a lot of things. And we don’t talk about that kiss we shared tonight. I find myself staring at his lips while he talks, imagining what it would be like to kiss him again. For real this time. Not as a silly bet. Not as a joke.

Another yawn overtakes me.

“I should let you get to sleep,” Liam says, his voice soft and soothing. He’s nothing like the arrogant version of himself that’s often portrayed on YouTube or articles from motocross magazines. He’s sweeter in real life.

“I don’t want to go to sleep,” I say, just as my stupid mouth betrays me and breaks into a yawn again.

He laughs. “It’s almost three in the morning.”

“Really?” I say, glancing at the time. “Wow.”

“Go to bed,” Liam says, peering softly into the phone. He looks so cute right now, his hair all messy on his pillow. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

I nod as I yawn again. “Okay. Goodnight.”

I hang up and drop my phone on the nightstand. Then I sink into my pillow and close my eyes. My whole body feels warm, electrified. I’m really not supposed to have a crush on Liam Mosely.

But right now, I don’t really care.

Introducing my new series, Love on the Track!

It's a new year and I have a new series! The Love on the Track series features two new characters and a small Texas motocross track! With cameos from Team Loco sprinkled throughout, you'll love Bella and Liam's adventure as they navigate their enemies-to-lovers relationship.

The first book releases on February 8, 2019. Check out the summary below:

Roca Springs might be a small, boring Texas town. But it’s my town. I’m about to graduate high school and I plan on spending every second of my summer break at the local motocross track. I need the lowkey vibes of a dirt bike track because my best friend is too stuck on her boyfriend to hang out anymore, and after royally humiliating myself in front of my crush, I have no desire to date any time soon. Dirt bikes are my passion. Not guys.

The last thing I need is for disgraced motocross star Liam Mosely to show up. He was kicked off his professional race team for being a stuck up, cocky, arrogant jerk, and after spending one day with him, I can’t say I disagree.

The guy is trouble.

But he’s also super hot.

Something tells me this summer won’t go according to plan.  

Bella and the New Guy is the first book in the Love on the Track Series, a clean, sweet young adult romance.

Preorder here!

Chapter 1 teaser from Forever and a Day

I'm so excited to announce the publication of Jett and Keanna's last novel! Forever and a Day will feature their wedding, and I'm writing it to be a standalone novel so you can read it if you haven't read the entire series. It will release on January 22, and the pre-order will go up soon. Until then, check out this excerpt from the book!




Chapter One

Keanna

My teeth bite down on my lip as I hold the nail up against the drywall. No matter how many times I’ve done this, I’m always afraid I’ll smash my thumb with the hammer. Coordination isn’t exactly a talent of mine, which is why I don’t ride dirt bikes like the rest of my family. After a few timid taps, the nail is secure and I remove my fingers and then drive the nail further into the wall. I reach for the framed document and line it up, making sure it’s perfectly straight. This wall decoration is more important than a piece of art. It’s an accomplishment.

Stepping back, I can’t help but crack a smile as I admire it. This feels exactly as cool as Bree said it would. My name is on an official diploma.

Sure, it’s just an associate’s degree, but it’s better than nothing. I’ll get my bachelors in a couple of years and I’ll hang that on the wall, too. After all, that’s what an office is for, right?

I’m so psyched that I recently got my own office at The Track. While the facility has a very uninspired name—I mean seriously, who names a dirt bike track The Track—it’s my favorite place in the world. It’s where I plan to work until my parents retire and then the place will be handed down to my boyfriend and me.

The Track is the motocross facility that was founded by my dad and my boyfriend’s dad, who are both former professional motocross racers. I guess Jett is my fiancé, but it still feels weird calling him that, and I find myself calling him boyfriend instead of fiancé. He proposed a while back with the most gorgeous ring ever, but then we never talked about it much. Life has been too busy. I’ve been in college classes and he’s been traveling the country racing dirt bikes for Team Loco. I’m actually at The Track far more than Jett is, and he grew up here.

We’re a top-notch facility that has four different motocross tracks, a gym that’s open to the public, a daycare for when parents are riding or racing, and a little shop up front that sells motocross gear. The world of motocross was totally new to me when I moved here to Lawson, Texas, but now it’s my life. Sometimes it feels like a little too much of my life, but I’m grateful for it nonetheless.

My office used to be a storage closet, but after my dad and Jace agreed to promote me to assistant manager of the entire facility, they also decided that I needed a real office. The construction only took a few days, and now I have my own place with my own diploma, and an actual salary that goes with it. No more working hourly for me.

I’ve only been in here for a few months, and my office still isn’t perfectly set up the way I’d like it to be. That’s the thing about Pinterest inspiration photos. They look so beautiful and cozy but when you try to implement the same exact design, it looks off. Like a little girl wearing her mom’s high heels. It doesn’t fit right because you have no idea what you’re doing.

But at least it’s mine. These last few years of living here with my adoptive parents have been the most amazing years of my life. I finally feel secure. Safe. Having grown up with Dawn, my biological mother who was so incompetent at raising me that we often lived in our car or some random man’s house, it feels good to finally be settled. My new parents, Becca and Park, have done everything possible to make sure I feel like a part of the family. And I do. Most days I don’t even think about Dawn anymore. It’s been a couple of years since I last heard from her, when she called me up on New Years to ask for some money after abandoning me with Becca and Park. Yep. She abandoned me. She met Becca, who invited us over to lunch, and then my mom just left, leaving me to fend for myself. It wasn’t long after that I was adopted by the very couple who took me in after Dawn abandoned me.

That was my old life.

Good freaking riddance.

This is my new life.

With classes over, the summer break is starting and I’ll get a little time off from college. I try to travel with Jett to some of his races, but I’m also needed here at my job. It’s a complicated balance, but I do what I can.

Jett is a sponsored motocross racer for Team Loco, which means they travel around and race the supercross and motocross circuits every year. Each season is around 25 races long, and at the end of it, whoever has the most points wins the overall series. Jett and the other members of Team Loco have collectively earned way more points than the other racers, as per usual. Jett is amazing. He’s kind and warm and thoughtful, and he’s a badass racer too.

I love him so much and can’t wait to marry him. But for now, we’re just taking things slow, I guess. He has racing, and I have work and school. There’s plenty of time to settle down and live the married life later on. I’m only twenty-one, after all. I don’t have to get married right away. But sometimes it is weird knowing that we’re engaged and we’re not even planning a wedding.

Jett didn’t have to give me a ring to make me want to stay in a relationship with him. He pulled me out of a dark time in my life and made me see that life could be happy, fun, and beautiful. I would stay with him no matter what—rich or poor, ring or not. He is one hundred percent my soul mate.

My office phone rings, pulling me out of my thoughts about Jett. I lean over and answer it, seeing on the caller ID that it’s only the front desk calling me and not a customer.

“What’s up?” I say.

“Have you been online lately?” Morgan says in this weirdly high-pitched voice that sets my senses on high alert. She’s the girl my mom hired to replace me when I moved from working the front desk to being a manager. We’re only about a thirty second walk away from each other, but she can’t leave her spot at the front desk to come talk to me in case a customer walks in, so she calls me.

“No,” I say, sitting in my desk chair. “Is it something about The Track?”

She pauses for a split second and that’s all it takes to make my stomach tighten. We live in a glass bubble. Sure, it’s just a glass bubble that only the world of motocross pays attention to, and it’s not like we’re worldwide celebrities or anything, but it’s enough to make you stressed out. My boyfriend is famous in his line of work, and his dad, Jace Adams, was also famous back when he was younger. They’ve graced the cover of motocross magazines, DVDs, posters, and t-shirts. The sport of motocross worships Team Loco.

By association, The Track is also pretty popular since it was founded by two former professional motocross racers. My dad was also famous back in his day, and he’s Jace’s best friend. While most of the attention we get is from the fans, there’s always jealous, hateful people and internet trolls who try to take us down. Especially me, a motocross girlfriend.

So when Morgan pauses just for a second, a familiar dread builds up in my chest. I know it’s about me. It has to be. “It’s not about the track,” she says.

I let out a long breath and slink further down my chair. The screensaver on my computer is showing a slideshow of photos, most of them featuring Jett and me. A few show my little brother, or pictures of our past vacations. All I have to do is pull up the internet and search my name and find out what’s going on. But ugh, I don’t want to.

“How bad is it?” I ask.

“Not too bad,” she says, but I don’t believe her. “Just some stupid article.”

“Where?”

“Motocross Girls.”

“Thanks,” I say, hanging up the phone. Motocross Girls is supposed to be all about empowering women in the sport of motocross and lifting each other up. At least that’s what their website claims to be about. In reality, they love to post articles tearing down the girlfriends of motocross racers. Because I guess they only care about women when they’re talking about themselves. Not anyone else.

I’ve had this talk with every girlfriend on Team Loco. As soon as one of Jett’s teammates starts dating someone, I’ve felt it is my duty to warn them about how toxic and heartbreaking it can be to be a motocross girlfriend. It shouldn’t be like this, but it is. The fans get jealous. They hate you because you’re dating their celebrity crush. They turn you into some monster in their heads and then try to find any way possible to insult you online.

I wish I could ignore this news, but I know I need to look it up. I have to know what people are saying about me, what the customers who walk into the building will be thinking when they see me.

I pull up the website and the first thing I see is the title of their newest blog post.

Keanna Park – Legitimate Fiancé or Hired Pawn?

I roll my eyes at the absurdity of that title. Then I read.

It’s no secret that talented hottie Jett Adams has been off the market for a while now. After earning a reputation as a player, the bad boy racer settled down with a mysterious new girl that no one had heard of before. Millions of hearts were broken, but we thought she’d go away sooner or later. The southern girl from a broken home doesn’t have much to offer Jett, after all.

But then they got engaged, and those broken hearts shattered to pieces. Was this it? Was Jett Adams actually going to tie the knot with some backwoods girl who doesn’t deserve him?

Ladies, I think the answer is no.

I don’t know the reason – maybe focusing on his career? – but Jett clearly just wanted to take himself off the market, or at least make it look like it. So he found a girl to be his “girlfriend.” Now she’s his “fiancé,” and it’s been over a year since the massive Tiffany diamond ring appeared on Keanna’s finger, but guess what? No wedding has been planned. Sources close to the couple (if you can call them that) have confirmed that no Save the Dates have been sent out, no wedding planning has taken place, and there’s absolutely no talk of them actually tying the knot.

We’ve all been bamboozled.

That’s good news, girls. Jett only wants us to think he’s off the market. Clearly he’s not.

I wonder how much Keanna got paid to go along with this ruse? It’s a story like something straight out of a pathetic Hallmark movie. Only in the real world, Keanna, he’s not going to fall in love with you. You are just a business transaction.

Case closed.

The First Love Anthology

The First Love Anthology is a collection of five novellas about first love. These quick, romantic teen reads are perfect for anyone who loves a good story about finding your first love. They can be read in order or as standalone stories.


Preorder the eBook for a special price of just 99 cents! Price will go up after release day. 

You can also get the paperback now for just $9.99. 

Click here to find The First Love Anthology on Amazon.

This anthology includes:

** The Text Dare

Sixteen-year-old Jess Parker is stuck babysitting her little brother all weekend, which is why she accepts her best friend's dare: to text the random phone number they found written on a lost piece of algebra homework. When the owner of the number texts back, Jess and Max hit it off through their anonymous conversation. The last thing Jess expected was to spend her boring weekend texting the guy of her dreams, and now that she's crushing hardcore on a guy she's never met, she hopes he's actually the guy he claims to be.


**My Un-Famous Neighbor

Shelby Cross lives in the literal middle-of-nowhere. The only time people come to her town is because they run out of gas or make a wrong turn. So when a dangerously cute boy and his mom show up at her parent's diner one morning, it's a surprise when they announce they plan on living there. Shelby knows that only people with secrets move to the middle-of-nowhere, and she's right. Clay Thompson has a pretty big secret. He used to be famous.


** Heartbreaker

Mae Warren is a heartbreaker. Starting with her first boyfriend in seventh grade to the most recent victim in her senior year, Mae can't date a guy longer than two weeks before she's tired of him. She doesn't see a problem until her BFF Jacie challenges her to date someone for an entire month. Determined to win this bet, Mae chooses to date Jaxon, the guy who's crushed on her for years. This should be easy...right?


**The New Guy

Dance class is no joke for sixteen-year-old Asha Bronte. She's been elected as an officer for the class, which is a huge responsibility and honor, and she's not going to screw it up. She has goals in life, and her family is worse than broke, so the only way she's going to college is on a scholarship. Her academics and extra-curricular activities have totally taken over her life.


Liam Bavaro just moved to town and his first day of school isn't going so well. The only elective class available is dance. Dance class? He'd rather drop out and live life as a bum than ever step foot in a tutu or tights. The cute girl at the sign up table clearly doesn't want him to join her class, either. And, well, now Liam can't say no.


** For Just One Day

Emma has better ways to spend her Friday night, but unfortunately she's stuck at a museum with her mom and her mom's new boyfriend. When she slips away and the lights go out, Emma finds herself locked in the ancient building with no cell phone and no way out.


Jaxxon is on a mission to find something he lost in the museum before it closes. What he finds instead is a pretty girl who is accidentally locked inside the building with him. They're both dealing with their own issues, but for just one night, they'll have to set it aside and figure out how to rescue themselves.

The Immortal Mark Box Set

The Immortal Mark box set has a shiny new cover!

This series is leaving Kindle Unlimited on October 24th, and it will be released for sale on all other ebook retailers. So if you haven't read the series yet and you have Kindle Unlimited, make sure you borrow it ASAP so it's on your kindle, then you can read it at your leisure, even if it's after October 24th.

Already read this series? Please click here and leave a quick review for the box set over on Amazon. Most people review the books individually and then the box set doesn't get any review love. Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated and needed because they help an author's visibility on the giant that is Amazon.

Haven't read The Immortal Mark yet? Here's what it's all about:

Book 1: The Immortal Mark

The only thing Cara got for her eighteenth birthday was an unexpected invitation to move out of her uncle’s house. College isn’t an option for a poor girl with average grades, so when her best friend Riley finds them a mysterious job opportunity that includes room and board, Cara is interested but thinks it sounds too good to be true.
The night before their interview, Cara has an epic night out with Theo, an impossibly handsome guy she just met. He’s charismatic, a little mysterious, and it feels like she’s known him her whole life.
When she runs into him at her interview, he’s cold and elusive. He makes it very clear that he doesn’t want her working with him, which only makes their mutual attraction burn hotter. Cara takes the job for Riley’s sake and promises herself she’ll avoid this jerk and his mood swings, no matter how hard it is to keep away from him.
Soon she finds out her millionaire employers aren’t normal guys who live and travel in luxury. They’re immortals. Theo wasn’t trying to ruin her job prospects. He was trying to save her life, because the girls they hire never make it out alive.

Book 2: The Immortal Truth
Cara and Riley know the truth about their new job, but they can’t say a word about it to anyone or they’ll be killed. While their fates hang in the balance, Theo has promised to find a way to help them. Theo has been shielding Cara from the horrible truth, but Cara has just discovered some truths that even he didn’t know. 

Book 3: The Immortal Bond
After discovering who’s really in charge of the Rosewater Clan, Cara and Theo find themselves in a deadly imprisonment they can’t seem to escape.

See The Immortal Mark on Amazon

Also available in audiobook! Click here to see the audiobook versions. 

Happy Book Birthday to INTO THE DARKEST NIGHT by Cassandra Giovanni!

This is my stop during the bookstagram blitz for Into the Darkest Night by Cassandra Giovanni. This bookstagram blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. This bookstagram blitz runs from 18 till 24 September. See the tour schedule here.



Into the Darkest Night (Chaos Theory Duet #1)

By Cassandra Giovanni

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Age category: Adult

Release Date: 18 September 2018

Blurb:

I was born a child of the Elite; destined to live a life of privilege in Sun City.

With one decision I gave it all up.



Ana Jacobs knows the Elite and their depravity all too well. She was one of them once. Her father was a member of the Inner Circle and head of the Trinity funding the corruption of Sun City. When he learned she knew the names of those he'd hidden so well, he turned his back on her; had her kidnapped and tortured to protect his secrets.



When she escapes the island and learns of her father’s death at the hands of a knife-wielding vigilante called the Nightwatchman, she returns to Sun City, vowing to use her knowledge to protect the city. As a city cop, she blends into the background, and no one suspects her real motives.



Levi Bennett knows where Ana’s been. He's also an Elite, but where Ana was sent to the island, he ended up there by accident. While Ana buries herself in her work and stopping the flow of illegal drugs and weapons into the poverty-stricken Blue District, Levi covers his pain by partying and spending his trust fund on buying bars and restaurants.



Thrown together by Levi’s constant pressing of the limits, the two can’t deny the connection they share through their dark pasts.



Their demons are one in the same, but some demons can’t be tamed.

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Book Excerpt:

“So, you and Lily?” I ask, pointing between the two of them as the familiar burn settles into my throat. Alcohol isn’t something I’ve missed, and I watch Levi from the corner of my eyes as he shakes his head when the bartender offers more. It’s in direct violation of everything in his files. My fingers tingle, and I pull them into fists at my sides as I look back to Robbie. He nods, and his nose twitches as he signals for the bartender to fill him up. Lily tucks a loose strand behind her ear and shakes her head to the bartender. She shifts from foot to foot as she stares down at her tan and teal cowboy boots.

“Want to dance?” Robbie asks Lily, and her eyes widen with relief.

“Yeah, that sounds great.”

They disappear into the crowd on the dance floor, and I sit on the stool beside Levi, letting my head roll to my shoulder, so I’m looking at him. “Just happened to get too loud tonight?”

He smirks, watching the crowd sway to the music. “Check the business’ file like you did mine, and you’ll see it happens regularly. Our neighbors just aren’t that fun.”

“Mhmm,” I reply as I lean back.

“So, you and Robbie—how did I not know you?” Levi finally asks, changing the subject.

I raise my eyebrows at him, and his hands are in fists, the smile on his lips gone.

“It was after you went missing— but I was around before that – we’re both Elite, well, were. You were just a tad bit engrossed with Lily from what I remember,” I reply.

His eyes drift to the ceiling. “Ah, yeah—that.”

“It must’ve been awkward coming back to…” I don’t know how to put softly your best friend dating your girlfriend. I don’t understand why my throat thickens as I watch his reaction. I shouldn’t care if it bothers him.

Maybe it’s because I get how lonely coming back is. My toes curl in my shoes at the thought. Loneliness is my only friend.

Levi leans forward, pressing his muscular forearms into his knees. “Just a little bit.” His shoulders lift, and his eyes come up to mine, causing an eruption of tingles up my spine. “But they’re good for each other. I’m not who I used to be, so it’s not like it would’ve worked anyway.”

Butterflies erupt out of dormant chrysalis I never thought would be awakened as his eyes flick over my face. The calculated smugness is gone, and the man before me is part the innocent boy I had a crush on all throughout high school and part damaged man that I feel, stupidly–no doubt–that only I could ever understand.

I turn in the stool, so I’m facing the bar. “Do you have anything that doesn’t taste like Windex?”

Levi laughs as he goes behind the divider. He reaches up to the top shelf lined with expensive looking bottles, and his shirt lifts, showing one of the dimples in his back and a pale scar that travels diagonally from it. My eyes follow the line to a tattoo of a kanji—Japanese character—for a skill I’ve yet to master.

Seishinteki kyōyō: spiritual refinement.

Judging by its placement on his back, he has almost as many skill marks as I do. Not only did Levi survive the same hell I did, but he’s received the same training.

Levi Bennett is a Shinobi—a ninja.

Just like me.

We’re something that isn’t supposed to exist in the modern age, yet here we are. I watch as he mixes me a drink, dropping a cherry in the glass before sliding it across the concrete counter to me.

“How’s paying for your father’s sins going?” he asks.

I raise an eyebrow, looking at the dark pink drink. “What’s this?”

His voice is level as he answers, “Unoriginal Sin.”

My eyes lift to his, and he leans down on his forearms, so our faces are inches apart.

“Real original, Shinobi,” I say, my voice so low only he can hear it.

He stands up and rubs his hand over his the scruff around his mouth down to his chin.

“I guess we’re more similar than I thought,” he says. His eyes flick to the television as he nods to it. “He’s trying to save the city, too. Looks like he’s doing a better job, though.”

I read the text scrolling across the screen since the volume isn’t on.

The Nightwatchman has struck again, this time taking out Adam Cleary, an international businessman. It appears Cleary was involved with sex trafficking.

My ears ring. Another name from my list and my prime suspect for the Nightwatchman is standing in front of me with his arms crossed and pulsing with irritatingly sexy muscles.

About the Author:

Cassandra doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since then Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character’s stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. She writes romance books in various genres, including adult romance, new adult romance and teen romance. She also has several kids books. In addition to being a published author, Cassandra is a successful full-time financial marketer. When she’s not making the characters in her head come to life, she either has her bow and arrows or longboard skateboard in hand. She’s happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with their daughter Hope and their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.



You can find and contact Cassandra Giovanni here:

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Giveaway

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Teaser from Alluring Aiden

There's only nine more days until Alluring Aiden releases! To celebrate, I'm sharing an excerpt from one of my favorite scenes. Check it out below:

Aiden

How the hell could anyone cheat on her? She’s gorgeous and sweet and obviously smart. She rides dirt bikes and works at a bike shop. She is literally the definition of my dream girl.

And some jack hole threw her away for a fling? I don’t get it. Maybe he got hit on the head and forgot he was already dating the greatest girl on this side of the planet.

I close my eyes and let the hot bubbly water soothe muscles I just worked out. It’s not nearly as much fun keeping my right arm out of the water, but being in here with Jenn makes up for that small annoyance. I’m glad I took the risk and came in here. The hot tub feels amazing and I’ve made a new friend.

Well, maybe. I’m not sure if we’re in friends territory yet. But I know that’s all we can be. First of all, she’s way out of my league. Like ten thousand miles away from my league. And of course, the ever present problem that comes with being a professional motocross racer – I’ll be gone as soon as this arm heals. My buddy and team mate Zach knew he couldn’t get attached because of our busy schedules and yet he recently went and got himself attached anyway. Dumbass. He seems really happy though, and I guess they’ll find a way to make it work. I know I wouldn’t be that lucky. There’s no sense in trying to date anyone.

I don’t think relationship bliss is in the cards for me. The more I think about it, the more I realize I have no idea how to date someone. Motocross has been my life for as long as I can remember. Mikey and I spent every waking second at the local track, and the only time I saw girls was in school. I had a couple girlfriends in junior high, which didn’t really count because all we did was hold hands in the hallway. And then in high school, I travelled every weekend for the races, going to every track within driving distance, and Mikey got famous with his professional racing deal, and I just didn’t have time for girls. I like girls. A lot. But there’s never been time.

Now, I’m sitting across from one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen and she’s got this content if not a little sad look on her face and I’d give my left nut to swim across the distance and kiss her.

But I wouldn’t even know how.

And she’s newly single, so kissing her would be a pretty jackass thing to do. She needs time to heal and get over him. And she needs to find someone better than me to date.

Pre-order your copy today! 

What I'm reading in Kindle Unlimited

After doing my annual reader survey, I noticed that 60% of my readers use Kindle Unlimited. (Don't know what that is? It's like Netflix for books! For $9.99 a month you can read all the Kindle Unlimited books you want, which includes many of my own books! Learn more here.)

There are SO MANY great books in Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program, and I thought I'd take some time to share some of my favorites with you all.

The School Dayz series by Jennifer DiGiovanni

I love this author so much! Not only is she super sweet online, she's also a fantastic writer of YA contemporary romance. If you love my books, you'll love her series as well.

Click here to read on Kindle Unlimited

The Briarwood High series by Maggie Dallen 

I love these because they're all standalone romances that can be read in any order. Perfect for YA romance fans!

Click here to read on Kindle Unlimited

The Fight Camp series by Deirdre Riordan Hall 

This one isn't a contemporary, but I LOVE it so much! I actually love everything by this author and I'm pretty sure all her books are in Kindle Unlimited, including her YA contemporary novels, so check out her author page.

Click here to read on Kindle Unlimited

Join my Reader Group!

I've started a private reader group on Facebook where I can interact with readers on a more personal level! I'll also share advanced copies of my new books for review and hold giveaways and post teasers.

If you're a big fan of my books, this is the group for you! Join below:

Amy Sparling's Crew Facebook Group · 2 members Join Group A private group for fans of Amy Sparling's books. Interact with Amy personally and get special information about her upcoming books, giveaways, and ex...

Pre-order Alluring Aiden Today

Alluring Aiden releases in one month, but you can pre-order it now!

“It’s just six weeks. Or forever. You choose.”

Aiden is supposed to be travelling the country with his professional motocross racing team. He isn’t supposed to break his wrist over summer and be benched for the whole fall season. He definitely isn’t supposed to find himself falling for a hometown girl who loves dirt bikes as much as he does. 

And when her boyfriend cheats on her, he probably shouldn’t agree to be her fake boyfriend just to piss him off. 

But Aiden has never been good at doing the right thing.

Jenn’s relationship just fell apart. She thought she’d had it all: a hunky motocross racer boyfriend, an awesome job at her dad’s shop, and a promising career as a physical therapist on the horizon. Then it all falls apart, leaving her broken and hopeless. 

A fake relationship might get back at her ex, but there’s something in the way Aiden looks at her that doesn’t feel very fake at all. 

Alluring Aiden is the second standalone book in The Team Loco Trilogy, a series of flirty, sweet NA contemporary romances. Contains steamy scenes, no cliffhanger, and a happily ever after.

CLICK HERE to pre-order Alluring Aiden on Amazon