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bynkii · 5 years

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Y’all are weak

(this was originally published on Medium on 31 Jan. 17)

Lemme tell you about a hardcore refugee situation, at least for the United States...

As I’ve talked about before in various places, I grew up in Miami. My family moved there when I was three years old. Had my 3rd birthday on the train from Chicago. I joined the Air Force in 1986, and started basic on Halloween of 1986. (Never start basic on Halloween. TRUST ME.)

So I lived in Miami between 1970 and 1986, with a few years in the very early 90s (Fuck You Andrew.)

Which means I was living in Miami in 1980, which was kind of a banner year in many ways. Arthur McDuffie and the Liberty City riots. Y’all don’t even start to try to call the folks not being “nice” to the cops in Fergeson a riot. If that’s what you call a riot, you’re young, or lucky. It was also the year that a union, of all things, led by Lech Walesa started the strikes that would eventually overturn the communist government of Poland.

(Yeah. A union did that. You millenial techies just learning how to organize? Go talk to the unions. They know how to do that shit.)

And starting on April 15th, a little thing called the Mariel Boatlift happened. Between 15 April and 31 October 1980, just under one hundred twenty five thousand people fled Cuba for Miami. According to the 1980 census, Miami had a population of 346,681 in Miami proper, and 1,625,781 in Miami-Dade county overall.

Ponder that for a second. In the space of four months, depending on how you count, a number of refugees between 7% and 35% of the total Miami (Dade) population just showed up. Here, the breakdown from Wikipedia:

None of them were vetted. Shit, Castro was emptying out his jails. You think Trump’s imaginary Syrian terrorists are bad? Do. Not. Make. Me. Laugh. Here, more numbers. Murder Rates in Miami in the 1980s:

1980: 573

1981: 621

1985: 434

Sorry for missing some years, overall numbers are a pain in the ass to find. But I want you to look at something, specifically 1981. 621 murders. in 2016, Chicago, a city with as of 2010, had a population of just under ten million people had something like 762 murders, and people are freaking the fuck out. Miami, just over a tenth the size of Chicago at the time had almost that many murders.

As best I can tell, everyone in my graduating class had seen at least one dead body. Quite a few of us had witnessed the transition. Shit was weird. In the mid 1980s, this happened:

“Consider this real-life scene: A twenty-two-year-old Miami cop encounters a man strolling at dawn in a quiet neighborhood. The man is naked and carrying the severed head of a young woman. He throws the head at the cop — twice. “I killed her. She’s the devil!” the man shouts. What does that young cop say to the people who ask how his day went?”

Excerpt From: Edna Buchanan. “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face.” iBooks. https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-corpse-had-a-familiar-face/id381566184?mt=11

Her name was Drew. I never knew her last name. We worked together, along with her roommate, at the newsstand in the Coral Gables Bus Terminal. She was funny, sarcastic, put up with no one’s shit, and tried to help me not be such a dweeb. If I am being honest, I had a crush on her, but I was far too scared to let her know. I think she knew anyway.

One fine day, her boyfriend came back from California with something terribly wrong inside, and she was dead. Didn’t even make the front page. It was pre-cell phone, pre-social media. I didn’t even know it had happened, until I saw her roommate a while later, and we were catching up and I said, “So how’s Drew doing?”

Awwwwkward.

It took me a while to convince her that I honestly hadn’t heard, I didn’t know and oh god, I am so sorry for saying that, even out of ignorance. But think about this for a minute:

A cop and an insane person played “hot potato” with Drew’s goddamned head, and it wasn’t even front page news.

That kind of shit is what happens when someone dumps the contents of their jails on you. Not all prisoners in Cuba were political. Some were just scary. To this day, I can’t watch “Scarface”. Too much of it isn’t exaggeration.

I remember because in the fall of 1980, I started 9th grade, and no one was ready for the change in the school demographics. But it happened. The crime rate skyrocketed, shit was so weird that those of us who grew up in Miami in that time can only really relate to people from NYC in the 1970s and LA in the 1990s.

And, we got through it. We figured it out. We arrested the bad folks, and the good folks were awesome. (There was some interesting things going on between the “Marielitos” and the folks who’d come over in the 1960s. A lot of it was not good.) Along the way, whatever culture I was “from”, a lot of it was Cuban. I didn’t live in some honkie enclave, behind gates, only venturing out in tremulous groups.

Shit, my family didn’t even have a car, I rode the bus, or I walked. And, I wasn’t really messed with. I saw fucked up shit, and I saw amazing stuff. I went to parties on Star Island that I only vaguely remember. I was introduced to a plethora of drugs and mostly ignored it all. I totally flunked out of college, but I don’t feel too bad about it. Ultimately, it was one of the best things that happened to me.

I became a person from a single city that had combined two countries, which is why I think the regular freakouts over spanish is so stupid. Mostly because shit, I don’t even know how to order Cuban food in English. What the fuck even is that? It’s Picadillo y maduros y Materva, not ground beef and spices over rice and fried rotting plantains and Yerba Mate soda. Christ, can you imagine ordering Ropa Vieja in English? “Yes, I’d like some old clothes over rice please.”

Sigh.

The point is, we actually had shit going down for a decade after Mariel. We had a murder rate that was literally multiple times the murder rate of the rest of the country in terms of per capita. We beat NYC a few times. (…yay?…)

What we didn’t do was hide in the fucking closet and cry. We didn’t ban Cuban immigrants. We didn’t tremble before the terrifying might of a fucking five-year-old child.

Jesus, the people who are simultaneously bad motherfuckers and terrified of a five-year-old child are all older than me. You can’t blame the millenials for this, this is all baby boomer shit. Probably some GenX in there, some of us are fucking stupid.

Good thing none of them were on 8th street in the 80s, they’d still be shitting their pants.

Stop freaking the fuck out. If one small southern city and county could survive Miami’s version of the 1980s, an entire fucking country will do just fine in the face of the destructive might of a five-year-old child.

Stop being so fucking weak. This is America goddamnit. If you want to be weak and scared, buy a goddamned island and move there. We’ll call it Wussivania and you can wall it the fuck off from everything. But stop being weak. Ain’t no one got time for that.

#movedoverfrommedium

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mcwriting · 6 years

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Nico Di Angelo

Lol I spent the plane and train rides to, through, and from Italy reading The Burning Maze (rip my heart) and rereading MOA and BOO (don't have HOH on iBooks, just print) soooo. Yeah. All the feels returned and I was feeling this lol.

Edit: I just realized I didn’t add ny typical header and word count and background so sorry y’all.

Edit 2: Lord have mercy on me there are probably a million typos

Not Tom holland (sorry not sorry)

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians/ Heroes of Olympus

Ship: Nico Di Angelo x Will Solace (solangelo)

Setting: Camp Half Blood

Word Count: 683

Warnings: 1 bad word lol

Rating: K+

Background: I just really love Nico Di Angelo

After Will calls Nico over to the infirmary, he gets put in an area close to a window (Will wants him to get sunshine).

Every few hours (or less), Will stops by Nico’s space and checks up on him. Will insists on making him actually lay down for the first few hours and is constantly fawning over Nico’s health.

Nico is torn between love and hate for the attention.

After a surprisingly peaceful nap, Nico wakes to find Will standing over him with Gatorade.

“Electrolytes and salt are good for you right now,” Will insists.

Nico thought that was only a Coach Hedge thing.

He sits up and swings his legs around, putting his feet on the ground. Will watches him sip the blue sports drink for a minute before being called to the emergency area (someone just fell and busted his forehead in the arena and needs stitches)

Not long after, Jason appears and takes a seat next to Nico.

“So, uh. Our conversation seemed to get cut short earlier but... I saw you go and, and see, er, talk, I guess to...”

“You don’t have to finish that. But yeah, I decided to clear the air and come out to him. I mean, I’m over him, but I thought he should know, ya know? I figured it was the best way for both of us to become better friends and for me to finally let go.”

Jason put a gentle hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“You, my friend, are one of the bravest, most incredible dudes I know. I am so happy and proud for you.”

“Come on, Jason. You’re too sappy for me,” Nico jokes, lightheartedly pushing Jason’s hand down.

“Hey man, I hate sappiness as much as the next guy, but you know I’m always here for you. And if you ever need help getting a guy, just let me know and...”

“Alright looks like time for another nap for me. Bye Jason see you next week!” Nico says quickly, trying to get out of that awkward situation.

Jason laughs as he stands up and says his goodbye for the time.

Nico, on the other hand, was serious. He goes back to bed.

His second day in the infirmary, Nico is joined by another guest: Percy Jackson.

Nico is sitting up in the stretcher, slowly eating the breakfast Will brought him earlier. Now, Will has opened the curtain once again to announce that Nico has a visitor.

When Percy steps out, Nico doesn’t know how to feel. After yesterday, well, he knew things could be awkward for a little while.

Will gives the other boys space, leaving Percy standing awkwardly with his hands in the pockets of his basketball shorts. His eyes are steely, but expression still light. Nico understands what is behind those eyes. He is one of the only ones who understands what they could have seen.

That’s not the point right now, at least, it doesn’t seem to be.

Nico invites Percy to sit, which makes him relax some more. He won’t meet Nico’s eyes when he starts talking, flustered.

“So, Nico. I... I wanted to talk about, you know, yesterday and just... well first of all, sorry for my reaction back there. I wanted to say something, but obviously that never happened,” he chuckles, finally turning towards Nico again.

“There really wasn’t anything you needed to say. Like I said, I wanted to clear the air and finally admit it. But also, like I said, that’s ancient history to me.”

Percy nods.

“I’m really, really glad you told me, though. I mean, that had to take some serious guts. And I want you to know that you can always tell me anything. And since apparently I’m ‘not your type,’ you can always come to me for boy advice!” He says excitedly.

Nico rolls his eyes, then smiles.

“You’re pushing your luck, Perce. But, uh, thanks for being cool about this. I spent a lot of time hiding from myself, and I’m thankful for the friendship and help you’ve extended to me over the years.”

Percy repeats the move Jason pulled yesterday, clapping a hand over Nico’s shoulder.

“I’m always here. But all seriousness aside...” he leans in to whisper, “Will, eh?”

Nico blushes and gives Percy a joking shove to the chest.

“Alright I think it’s time for you to go, I don’t know, bother Annabeth or something!”

Percy smirks as he rises from the bed. Putting his hands up in mock surrender.

“Okay, okay! I see how it is,” he begins, followed by, “really though, he’s a good guy, just in case you were wondering.”

With that he leaves, and Nico is left to finish his half-eaten breakfast.

Will returns a while later, making a face Nico can’t quite read.

“So I know I told you you’re gonna have to stay here three days but... I need for you to go...” he starts.

Oh no. This is what Nico was afraid of. Surely the other campers knew he was there and were uncomfortable. What were they saying? Did they request for him to leave? Maybe it’s for the better. Gods, what does Will think about Nico?

“Hey, you don’t have to break it to me. I knew when I’m not wanted...”

“What? Gods, no, Nico! I was just gonna make you go take a shower! Hygiene is one of the best healers, you know!”

Nico is dumbstruck by the son of Apollo once again. Will really did want him around still? The other campers weren’t requesting for his removal?

“Wow. Ohhhh, wow. I really am dense. Yeah, though. I will definitely go clean up some and uh, I’ll be back in a half hour or so?”

He gets up and makes his way to his cabin, then the bathrooms, where a hot shower helps Nico clear his mind, and for the first time in a while, things feel... good.

Nico’s last day in the infirmary goes by too fast. Nico has enjoyed spending time with Will, even though his time often got cut short by other campers’ needs. Whenever Will had a break, he had come in and just spent time with Nico, a strong banter running between the two.

Now Will was standing by the bed, wringing his fingers.

“Soooo... this time I really am kicking you out. Your three days is up, and honestly, you’re way better than I would have expected you to be by now.”

Nico grins.

“Yeah I was expecting this.”

“Here’s the deal though. You’re gonna have to have bi-weekly checkups for a while. I need you to come see me Wednesday at 1. Don’t be late.” Will states firmly, though he’s obviously trying to fight back a smile.

Nico feels the skeletal butterflies again.

“Of, of course. Yeah. Wouldn’t miss it.”

With that he leaves.

Over the next three weeks, Nico has found himself with Will more. Of course, he’s making new friends and reconnecting with old ones, but outside of his “appointments,” Nico and Will have ended up at the same training sessions and playing games on the same teams.

Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe someone was doing this on purpose, or maybe the two were just on similar wavelengths.

Either way, Nico can’t stand being around him like this. Spending so much time with Will, he understands the feelings he has, and hopes that Will feels the same way.

Finally, Nico can’t take anymore.

He heads to another check-up with Will, stomach in knots. He steps to the infirmary extra nervous. Today’s the day. He’s finally gonna tell Will. He’s just not quite sure how he’s gonna do it.

“I see you’re messing with your ring, there,” Will observes as he waits for the blood pressure cuff on Nico’s arm to deflate. “Something on your mind?”

How does he know me so well? Nico thinks.

“Just a little distracted is all.”

“Bullshit, Nico. I know you.”

Will is too good.

“It’s just that, these past few weeks, it’s been cool hanging out with you, and...”

“And?” Will grins, removing the cuff from Nico’s upper arm.

This is a lot harder than I expected, Nico thinks, letting out a breath he doesn’t know he’s been holding.

“You know what? Frick it.” He mutters, standing.

Will turns around from where he is prepping a thermometer.

“What was tha...”

He doesn’t get to finish, because suddenly Nico has one hand thrown around Will’s back and the other holding his head, and then their lips are pressed together and Nico’s never felt this way before and he doesn’t know if he’s doing it right but somehow, just somehow, everything feels like this was meant to be.

It feels like an eternity before they’ve separated.

“Nico,” Will whispers.

Nico freezes, then quickly steps back, arms recoiled to his chest.

“Oh, gods. I just did that,” he realizes, before putting his hands to his head and further exclaiming, “I just did that! Oh man, Will, I’m so sorry and I need to go and-”

Will steps forward and grabs Nico’s arm.

“Nico, stop. Look at me.”

Nico obeys.

“Nico, do you know how long I’ve been wanting to do that? I had this big plan and I was gonna get you at the bonfire and gods I can’t believe you would ruin my plan like that!” He rambles.

Nico is left in shock, then suddenly the two burst out laughing.

“I can’t believe you! Hahaha!”

“And you! Ha, That was amazing how you moved in on me! Totally caught me off guard! Haha!”

Both boys steady their breathing enough to have a real conversation.

“You know, Nico, I’ve been having you ‘check up’ with me every week so I can hang out with you. I mean, you really were sick for a while but you’re almost better than ever now.”

Nico can’t believe the lengths this boy went to be with him.

“So I should assume that us being at the same training sessions and on the same teams was part of your plan?” Nico questions.

“Wait that wasn’t you? Because it definitely wasn’t me, although I’m not disappointed that it happened.”

After more conversation and maybe one more kiss, the two decide to show off their newfound relationship at the evening’s bonfire.

With everyone now knowing about the sons of Apollo and Hades being together, people keep coming up and congratulating them on finally realizing the chemistry between them.

Nico is surprised that so many campers shipped them. What’s more surprising is when Nico is stolen away by Percy and Jason, wanting to hear all about how they got together, though Nico can’t answer when Percy says,

“Obviously my plan to schedule them in the same training sessions worked great!”

Nico is more surprised when Jason rebutts with

“Well I should take the credit for getting them on the same teams for capture the flag and stuff!”

Nico can’t help but laugh and clear up the situation.

It’s funny how things work out, he thinks. You believe that no one can accept you or understand you, but maybe things are different. Maybe sometimes family does understand, and maybe, just maybe, you find the one in places you never thought possible.

A/N: I don’t really like this ending :/ but oh well. Sorry I’m an inactive loser (esp to all my followers who are here for Tom Holland content whoops)

Love y’all

#not tom holland #PJO #percy jackson #nico di angelo #jason grace #will solace #solangelo #nico x will #Nico di Angelo x will solace #hoo #boo #blood of olympus #heroes of olympus #pjo/hoo

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cathygeha · 7 years

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Synopsis:

HE CAN TAKE THE HEAT. Hot, hard-bodied Sixten Rapp is a former SEAL who’s raring to begin his brand-new civilian life. He and his Navy “brothers” start a security firm that offers the kind of services only a team of military-trained professionals can provide. But nothing prepared Six for his new client: an innocent woman on a mission to improve thousands of lives. . . unless someone takes hers first.

CAN SHE HANDLE THE FLAMES? Dr. Louisa North knows time is against her as she tries to create a “miracle” medical treatment for a disease with no known cure, until she creates a sample so powerful that the wrong people want to use it as a chemical weapon. At first, Six is unwilling to accept Louisa as his client. But soon he realizes that the danger is real and that there’s much more to this plain-Jane scientist…including a burning passion between them that neither of them can resist. And now that an enemy is on Louisa’s trail, Six will do whatever it takes to protect her―or die trying.

Buy Now: Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Chapters Indigo | iBooks

Review: Under Fire by Scarlett Cole

Love Over Duty #1

Scarlett Cole can write! She took my breath away with her Second Circle Tattoos series then with Preload, a spin-off series from Second Circle Tattoos, I became even more committed to her writing SO when I saw a retired group of men to star in her third series I wondered if she could pull it off. She definitely did!

As an introduction to the Love Over Duty series we meet Mac, Cabe and Sixton – the founders of Eagle Securities. They have saved money while in the military with the idea of opening a business when they retired from the Navy. And, with all three finally on the ground in San Diego and ready to work together they are hiring men to be on the team, spending time together and busy, busy, busy. One night Sixton “Six” Rapp is working a fundraiser as security where he meets brilliant nerdy Louisa “Lou” North. He supports her as she faces speaking to the group willing to donate money toward her research (and other projects) and then they meet again when out on a trail and she helps him with a bit of PTSD. So, both have some issues with hers being anthropophobia and his PTSD. I always enjoy learning something new and this term was new to me (severe timidity and trouble dealing with people). I also learned about “box breathing” and though I have done breathing exercises THIS was new to me.

Anyway, the two hit it off but really get together when Louisa approaches Six with her fears that the lab she is doing experiments has been compromised. The stakes are increased when papers and more go missing from the lab and then Louisa is targeted for kidnap. With Six and his team paid to keep Lou safe and on the job to find out what is going on the case is solved and resolved (mostly) by the end of the book AND there is a HEA for Six and Lou to look forward to as well as the reader getting to contemplate what will happen next in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

UNDER FIRE Excerpt

“Tell me again why you are here.”

She was cute when she was prickly. He reached forward and pulled Ocean’s Eleven, the original one, from a category titled Capers, and handed it to her.

“I heard it’s movie night at the North house, so figured I’d come hang out.” He moved to the sofa, flopped down, and placed his boots on the glass coffee table.

Once the movie started, she came and sat by him, and he did his best to ignore the way her shorts rode up her thighs. He spent more of his time with company in his bed than not. And that company, whoever she was that given day, usually had no issue whatsoever dropping her clothes the moment she stepped through his door. So naked skin he was totally down with. Yet somehow, just that tiny bit of extra flesh had him feeling giddy, like he was the boy who’d lost his virginity in less than two minutes giving it to Jessica McKade.

Louisa slapped his thigh. “At least take your shoes off,” she said before she stuck her hand in their popcorn.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, sitting forward and toeing his boots off.

A week ago, he couldn’t have imagined himself ready to take orders again so soon, but back then, he hadn’t met Louisa North.

Excerpt Two:

Excerpt from Under Fire by Scarlett Cole

“Now that you’ve got a little more color in your face, and you’ve stopped shaking, you want to tell me who those men were, or what they wanted?”

Louisa smoothed her hands down the front of his chest to fix his rumpled hoodie and then straightened the hem. Six grabbed her hands in his and stilled them. His hands were the size of baseball mitts compared to hers.

“I don’t know for sure. They beat you in here by a minute or two at most. They told me that they wanted me to go with them, and that was about it. I don’t want to think this has something to do with the missing sample.”

Thoughts crowded in almost too quickly to process them all. Things like this didn’t happen to her. It went against the rules. Her rules that said she would spend her life doing research away from all the horrid stuff that went on in the world. And shit like this certainly didn’t happen in Mission Hills. She wondered if it was smart to keep the fact that she’d swapped the two samples and disposed of the one they seemed to be after five days earlier from the police when they finally arrived. But this was a golden opportunity to find out where the police were with the theft in the lab. Obviously Six had saved her life, but she didn’t want him to get into trouble for shooting one of the men. She wasn’t even sure how that would work. It wasn’t like he was defending his home. He was defending hers with a gun he’d brought with him which she wasn’t sure was even legal. Crap.

“It’s all such a mess,” she whispered against Six’s shoulder.

“I know. But I’m right here with you,” he said softly.

Her heart pounded again and her head felt groggy, like mud, as though she was hungover. What she really needed was some silence. She tried to pull away from Six, but he wouldn’t let her move. “Let me go,” she said, blowing her bangs out of her face.

Six shook his head slowly. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you’ll walk the police through it step by step, and I’ll tell them what I know. Then we’ll figure out how to make you safe tonight. Then in the morning, I’ll help you figure out what you can do to remain safe while this gets sorted out.”

What if they came back? Oh, God. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. She could go to her mother’s home, but that might lead the people that were after her to her family. Damn. Why had she already decided it was about the sample when it could have been an abduction attempt or an armed robbery, which didn’t make her feel less vulnerable but did quash all the conspiracy theories in her head? What if she was excluding options that were important? She was the daughter of a very wealthy widow. Ransom could be a possibility.

Six squeezed her shaking hands, bringing her back to the present. “And just so you know, staying safe means learning to protect yourself, sweetheart.”

“I did just fine,” Louisa huffed, unwilling to take on the mantle of victim she was constructing in her head.

“You held a rolling pin,” Six said, shaking his head at her. “What were you going to do, Betty Crocker them to death?”

She pushed her hands against his chest, and this time he let her go. It had never occurred to her that someone would violate her home, but Six was right. If she looked at it logically, she obviously needed to upgrade every element of her home security. She couldn’t even remember when she’d last opened the window in the dining room, but she’d obviously become lax in locking it afterward. And none of her external security lights had come on, which meant they either weren’t effective or the sensors were pointing at the wrong places. And her alarm had the ability to be on for just the doors and windows when she was home but awake, yet she never—

“What’s going on inside that head of yours?” Six asked. “Because you disappear inside it sometimes and I worry when I see you start messing with things.”

Louisa looked down at her hands and realized she was restacking the coasters she had placed on the marble. “I was just thinking through what you said. I guess I’ve become a little lazy … I’ve stopped worrying about home security because nothing ever really happens here.”

“Okay, we’ll look at two things. One, how you protect your home, and two, how you protect yourself in the event that someone makes it past all of your other defenses.” He parted her bangs with his finger, and it made her shiver.

Since her father’s death, she hadn’t had anyone to count on. Not like this. “Why are you really here, Six? It’s not about my uneven shelves, is it?” she asked quietly.

Six studied her face, taking in her forehead, her cheeks, and even her neck before meeting her eyes. It was a moment that felt much longer, filled with … something. Potential, maybe. “Because you asked me to help, and—”

He stopped talking at the sound of wheels pulling onto the gravel. Quickly, he shut off the kitchen light, and it became apparent that the exterior lights were on. With a swift jog, gun drawn, he hurried to take a look out the window. Blue and red beams of light flashed onto her kitchen wall. They were the best thing she’d seen all day, well, other than seeing the door to the kitchen burst open and Six rolling in, looking as deadly as any soldier she’d ever seen. In hindsight, now that the danger had passed, she realized he’d looked hotter than any Hollywood action star in a big blockbuster movie.

Even as she wondered what other reason he’d been about to give her for being there, she realized that none of his words, or the arrival of the police, meant she was safe

Praise for UNDER FIRE…

"Fantastic characters, scorching sexual tension, and non-stop action make this one of my favorite reads this year! Highly recommend!" —New York Times bestselling author Laura Kaye

"Scarlett Cole's characters pull you in from the very first page with real emotion and sizzling chemistry. Don't miss this action packed thrill ride."—Cherry Adair, New York Times bestselling author

“Non-stop action and heart-pounding romance...a must-read for romantic suspense fans!” —Cynthia Eden, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author

“Cole has done a wonderful job of giving her characters depth and unique personality traits. She has a way of drawing a reader into a story with interesting descriptions, and the sizzling-hot romance is a huge draw. This series looks to be a good one that readers will anxiously want to get their hands on.” —RT Book Reviews

About Scarlett Cole

The tattoo across my right hip says it all really. A Life Less Ordinary. Inked by the amazingly talented Luke Wessman at the Wooster Street Social Club (a.k.a. New York Ink). Why is it important? Well, it sums up my view on life. That we should all aspire to live a life that is less boring, less predictable. Be bold, and do something amazing. I’ve made some crazy choices. I’ve been a car maker, a consultant, and even a senior executive at a large retailer running strategy. Born in England, spent time in the U.S. and Japan, before ending up in Canada were I met my own, personal hero – all six and a half feet of him. Both of us are scorpios! Yeah, I know! Should have checked the astrological signs earlier, but somehow it works for us. We have two amazing kids, who I either could never part with or could easily be convinced to sell on e-bay.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a really long time. Check through my office cupboards or my computer and you’ll find half written stories and character descriptions everywhere. Now I'm getting the chance to follow that dream.

Connect with Scarlett: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

#Scarlett Cole #Love Over Duty 1 #St. Martin's Press #SMP Romance #Barclay Publicity #Romantic Suspense #Military Veterans #PTSD #Huntington's Disease #anthropophobia #security #biological weapon

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momscookingthebooks · 7 years

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Review Blitz & Excerpt

Book Review Title: Wicked Favor Series: Wicked Horse Vegas #1 Author: Sawyer Bennett Genre: Erotic Romance Publication Date: June 5, 2017 Cliff Hanger: No 4 Stars *This story is for mature audiences only. Contains explicit scenes and language intended for adults 18+ Synopsis: New York Times bestselling author, Sawyer Bennett, is happy to introduce a new Wicked Horse club in Las Vegas and you’re cordially invited to attend the grand opening... As the owner of The Wicked Horse, an elite sex club located along the Vegas Strip, Jerico Jameson never spends the night alone. Gorgeous, ripped, and totally alpha, Jerico doesn’t grant favors and will rarely give you the time of day—unless he wants you in his bed. So when the sister of his sworn enemy shows up asking for help, saying no should be easy. But when Jerico takes one look at her and sees an opportunity to help this beautiful woman while exacting revenge on her brother, he’s not about to pass that up. Beaten and bruised, Trista Barnes is running out of options, and Jerico is her last chance to get out of the mess she’s in. She doesn’t know why Jerico despises her brother so much, but as long as he can help her, she doesn’t care. Jerico offers her safety while opening her up to a sinful world she never knew existed. As she succumbs to Jerico’s erotic charm, Trista lets herself fall into the wicked world of guilt free pleasure with no regrets. Under his strong alpha hand, she blooms, and so does Jerico’s possessiveness. But what happens when Trista finds out she was a pawn in Jerico’s game all along, and that the price for his favor was steeper than she ever imagined – her heart. My Thoughts: Great start to the new Wicked Horse Vegas series! I was so excited to read this as I really enjoyed the original Wicked Horse series set in Wyoming. I went in with expectations and I certainly wasn’t disappointed! The author gave me strong characters that I could connect with and secondary characters that I can’t wait to read about in future Wicked Horse Vegas books. This book was WICKED HOT! Holy crap was the chemistry at the boiling point with these two, but there was also a great love story brewing on the back burner that couldn’t be denied. Both characters had devastating things happen in their pasts and it wasn’t a surprise that the past and future collide. Trista has a very good head on her adventurous shoulders and she is a what you see is what you get kind of girl and I think that is what Jericho finds so intriguing about her. She is adventurous, but innocent and trusting at the same time and Jericho finds this intoxicating. Jericho is charismatic, sexy and everything that Trista can’t resist. I am not going to give you anymore hints on the book as you need to read this very sexy love story. I can’t wait for more! ARC kindly provided by InkSlinger for an honest review.

Purchase Links for Wicked Favor:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2nsRbip

B&N: http://bit.ly/2mkqwE8

iBooks: http://apple.co/2mTmQwn

Google Play: http://bit.ly/2mfpTuZ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/2mkq5trAdd

Add to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34537412-wicked-favor

About the Author:

Since the release of her debut contemporary romance novel, Off Sides, in January 2013, Sawyer Bennett has released more than 30 books and has been featured on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists on multiple occasions.

A reformed trial lawyer from North Carolina, Sawyer uses real life experience to create relatable, sexy stories that appeal to a wide array of readers. From new adult to erotic contemporary romance, Sawyer writes something for just about everyone.

Sawyer likes her Bloody Marys strong, her martinis dirty, and her heroes a combination of the two. When not bringing fictional romance to life, Sawyer is a chauffeur, stylist, chef, maid, and personal assistant to a very active toddler, as well as full-time servant to two adorably naughty dogs. She believes in the good of others, and that a bad day can be cured with a great work-out, cake, or a combination of the two.

Author Links:

Website: http://sawyerbennett.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bennettbooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bennettbooks

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sawyerbennett123/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sawyer-bennett

Amaazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Bennett/e/B00B42TO0U

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6950682.Sawyer_Bennett

Excerpt:

She pops her head in first and gives me a tentative smile. “You busy?”

“Not at all,” I tell her as I wave her in.

She disappears for a moment, and then opens the door wider. I see she’s carrying a large, plastic container that’s dome shaped and has a handle on top. My eyes only flick to it briefly before coming back to her. She’s much better to look at.

Shutting the door behind her, she walks up to my desk with a goofy grin on her face and sets the plastic container in front of me. I look down at it, and then up to her. “What’s that?”

“Something I made for you this morning,” she says, unlocking the tabs at the bottom. She lifts the dome top off, and I’m staring at a cake in front of me.

Slowly, I look back up to her. “You made me a cake?”

“Not just any cake,” she says while wagging a finger at me. “A four-layer, homemade red velvet cake with whipped mascarpone icing.”

“Jesus,” I mutter as I look at the cake, wondering what this weird squeezing sensation is in my chest. When I look back up to her, I have to ask her again, “You made that just for me?”

“Just for you,” she says with satisfaction all over her face. “You said it was your favorite, and I had some time this morning after pancakes.”

I push out of my chair and wave a hand at the cake. “You just happened to have all these ingredients, huh? You routinely use something as odd as mascarpone?”

Her grin turns mischievous as she shrugs. “Well, I may have had to go to the grocery store for a few things.”

Jesus fuck. I can’t believe she did that for me.

My mind races over the years, and I can’t remember anyone doing something so randomly nice for me. So spontaneous and with the sole intention of doing it to please me.

Picking up the cake, I round the desk and head for the side door that connects to my kitchen. “Let’s take this next door.”

I don’t miss the disgruntled expression on Trista’s face as she clearly expected me to act differently. I’m sure she was thinking I’d be a bit more effusive in my praise, and I intend to be.

Just… in my apartment.

She follows me through the door as I balance the cake on my hand. I immediately lay it down on my kitchen counter and spin around just as she’s walking through the door, taking her face in my hands and walking right into her. My mouth hits hers. She gives a huff of surprise as I turn slightly and back her into the refrigerator. Angling my head, I kiss her deeply. It’s possible because she angles hers the other way, opening her mouth to give me entrance.

Yes, it’s a deep kiss, but it’s not sexual. It’s a show of unbridled happiness that makes me feel like a kid, or perhaps it’s gratitude that Trista perhaps thinks this is something other than “just sex”.

When I pull away, Trista’s cheeks are pink and she’s slightly panting. She whispers breathlessly to me, “I should make you cake more often.”

The grin that breaks wide is my answer, followed by another swift kiss. Then I’m turning away from her and grabbing a fork out of my drawer. Without any pomp, and certainly no circumstance to wait for a plate, I punch my fork down into the top of the cake and pull a huge chunk out.

“Oh, my God.” Trista giggles as she comes to stand beside me at the counter. I angle toward her as I bring the fork to my lips, open my mouth wide, and shove the cake in. Cheeks bulging and the taste of rich cake and lightly sweet, tangy frosting coating my tongue, I groan in satisfaction. Our eyes stay locked as I chew and chew and chew, and finally swallow the heaven in my mouth. Trista’s eyes are sparkling with humor and a bit of pride.

“Good?” she asks.

I give a swipe of my tongue over my bottom lip to catch some stray frosting there. “It’s amazing. Thank you.”

She beams a brilliant smile as she sets the cake carrier on the counter and turns toward the door that leads back into my office. “You’re welcome. Now… I’ve got to get going.”

“Wait,” I say as I snag her arm and turn her back to me. “You just got here.”

“And my work is done,” she says impishly, going to her tiptoes to give me a quick kiss. “I’m meeting Mom and Corinne for lunch, and I’ve got to get going.”

Well, there goes all thought of spending my afternoon with Trista in bed rather than golfing.

But I’d never begrudge her time with Jolene and Corinne. Their unity right now is extremely important. I do pull her into me and wrap my arms around her waist after throwing the fork into the sink. Trista’s hands come to my chest as she looks up at me curiously.

“Take the night off,” I tell her softly and I have to admit, the way her eyes go warm makes me feel fucking really good. “Make it an entire day and night thing with Corinne, okay?”

“Really?” she asks with sweetest type of surprise in her eyes.

“Yeah,” I murmur as I tighten my arms around her. “I’ll keep myself occupied with the cake tonight.”

Her lips quirking, she gets a playful look in her eyes. “We could… um… FaceTime each other later.”

My eyebrows rise with interest, but I play a little stupid. “FaceTime?”

“Naked. FaceTime.” She annunciates each word slowly, and my dick perks up at this suggestion.

And for a man who has done about every dirty thing imaginable, it hits me hard that this is something new. Something I’ve never done with another woman and now, I’m glad she’s not coming so I can have something new and unique just with Trista.

“What time might you be calling me?” I ask in a husky voice.

“Be ready around eleven,” she says, pressing into me. “Clothing is optional.”

“Wrong,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “Naked is mandatory.”

#review blitz #book review #excerpt #Wicked Favor #Wicked Horse Vegas 1 #Sawyer Bennett #Hosted by InkSlinger PR

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