Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Everlast Series by Juliana Haygert

Destiny Gift
Juliana Haygert
(The Everlast Series #1)
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Her gift will bring light to a world of darkness…
In 2047, the world exists in permanent darkness. Nineteen-year-old Nadine, a student at NYU, works hard to better her family’s life in the harsh conditions. When she starts having strange visions of someone named Victor, she tries to ignore the flashes, afraid she might be going insane.
But when she bumps into a very real Victor, her entire world shifts. Her visions taking a turn for the worse, Nadine is bombarded with prophecies of eerie fates, unfamiliar gods, sharp-clawed demons… and instructions. Along with the reluctant Victor, she finds her path entwined with yet another man, Micah, who may be able to shed light on her dark revelations.
Directed down an unbelievable path of magic and mayhem, the three must unravel clues from the visions in order to restore an ancient creed. The chance to bring sunlight to the world again is in Nadine’s gift, but only if the evil forces behind the darkness don’t manage to stop her first.
If you like Urban Fantasy Romance with Post-Apocalyptic elements, you’ll love this action-packed story about destiny, self-discovery, and love. Destiny Gift will entice fans of Lauren Kate, Cassandra Clare, and Kim Harrison.

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Soul Oath
Juliana Haygert
(The Everlast Series #2)
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Her soul will restore life after death…
It’s been three months since the events that changed Nadine’s life, and she’s finally starting to put the pieces back in some semblance of order. But she knows this new normal cannot last. Until Victor and Micah find the scepters that will restore them to their true forms, their human bodies will require her healing touch. It’s only a matter of time before the men return to wreak havoc on her world again.
As if to prove her right, Victor shows up, a swarm of demons on his trail. After turning him away, Nadine is forced to flee to safety, unwilling plunged right back into the chaos of the mystical world. Despite her attempts to keep her family out of the battle, the unthinkable occurs, and her only hope lies in the oath she forces Micah to make.
Confronted by her greatest fear, Nadine finds a new motivation. Vengeance. And when seeking revenge, no risk is too great, including her own life.

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Cup of Life
Juliana Haygert
(The Everlast Series #2.5)
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

He will live forever, but his existence will mean nothing without her.
Not even a god can break a soul oath. Refusing to accept Nadine’s imminent death, Micah goes on a perilous journey to discover a way to change her terrible fate. A legend about a cup holds the key, but the price to get it may be more than he is willing to pay.
A short novella from Micah’s point of view about his attempt to use love’s light to break through death’s unforgiving darkness

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Everlasting Circle
Juliana Haygert
(The Everlast Series #3)
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

Her fight against darkness will only delay death…
With the last battle fast approaching, the time to gather allies for an army is running out. As are the number of days left in Nadine’s life.
Despite Micah’s insistence that they find a way to stop Nadine’s impeding death, she chooses to focus all her attention on strategies to win the war instead. With a new hero, a new god, and new abilities, she starts to believe they might actually have a chance to lift the never-ending veil of darkness. Until a betrayal throws a wrench into their carefully made plans, setting them back to square one.
Lost and angry, Nadine contemplates giving up, but her warrior spirit won’t allow her to admit defeat. Her time on this Earth might be ending, but she has too much to accomplish before she dies. Against all odds, Nadine will keep fighting to win the war… even if it takes until her very last breath.

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Author Bio:

While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting--but equally gratifying--life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
Subscribe to Juliana's newsletter to stay up-to-date with new releases: http://eepurl.com/CKsmX

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Blitz + Excerpt and Giveaway: Falling for You by Charlotte Blake

Falling For You
Charlotte Blake
(Great Escapes, #1)
Publication date: September 12th 2017
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Sometimes love finds you whether you want it to or not …
Grace Clark is a star at her job as an art director at Boston’s biggest advertising firm. But inside she’s still mourning the loss of her sister two years ago. Losing Mia and a failed engagement have been enough to keep her heart on lockdown ever since.
Luke Arnold is tired of relationships that don’t go anywhere. Usually women are all over him, but it’s been years since he’s met someone he could really fall for.
But when he sees Grace from across the room at the Redview Lodge, he can’t keep his eyes off her. They meet in the New Hampshire mountains over Thanksgiving, and they find in one another something that neither of them expected.
18+
NOTE: This STAND-ALONE romance contains very steamy love scenes. All of the books in the Great Escapes series can be read in any order.

Goodreads / Amazon

EXCERPT:

Mia turned up the radio as her sedan flew across the slick road.
Let’s Go Crazy.
She was excited about the trip home. She had been living in New York, and despite the close proximity to Boston, she hadn’t seen her sister, Grace, for four months. Mia was just finishing school, and between internships and the huge amount of work she had been putting in to earn her MBA, there just wasn’t any time. She was lucky to have a sister like Grace. She understood when Mia was too busy to talk. And with Grace, she never needed to feel pressured to have a perfect relationship. When they did get a chance to see each other, it was as if they had never been apart.
Though lately Mia had been trying to make extra time to connect with her heartbroken sister, at least on the phone. Grace was just getting on her feet again after a long depression. Her fiancé had pulled a fast one on her, and there had been a few months of Mia visiting her often, trying to coax her off the couch and into therapy. Grace had been absent from work long enough that her job was on the line. She had some savings, but not enough to last her more than a few months.
Grace had resisted at first, but Mia had seen this kind of thing before and had known exactly what to do. In the end, she’d found the right doctor and therapist for her sister and then harassed her until she made, and kept, appointments with them. It took some time, but eventually she had started to come back to herself. Mia credited the meds more than anything, though she knew Grace hated having to take them.
She was back to work now, though, busy again, and they still talked a couple times a week to touch base, more if Grace needed someone to cry to. Mia was relieved that she would have a chance to focus on her for a bit, and was glad the mellow holiday at home wouldn’t distract them too much. There were lots of tears in those weekly calls, and though they’d ebbed away a bit, she couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around her sister in a big bear hug.
She and Grace had grown up at their parents’ place in Boston. It had been even longer since she had seen them, and she couldn’t wait to catch up on all the family gossip. Her mom tended to try to keep family secrets just that: secret. But her dad had let slip that her aunt’s daughter had been working, no joke, as a stripper. Everyone in the family was in a tizzy about it, but were too afraid to confront her. Mia would have loved the opportunity to get the details first hand, but really she had been relieved to find out that her aunt and cousin would not be joining them for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Probably too embarrassed, she thought.
She laughed aloud as the music played. She had never been close with her cousin, but Angie had been known to jump around from school to school, project to project, job to job. Whatever the story was, Mia was sure there would be plenty of secondhand lurid details once she pulled into the driveway. She’d get her mom to talk, even if it took all week.
It was getting late, nearly eleven, and she was eager to get there. She had expected to arrive by nine, but no such luck. The traffic out of the city had lasted for hours. But now she was on the move again. The snow had turned to rain, which meant the roads were pretty clear now, and she pushed on the gas a little harder.
The music on the radio changed, and a moment later Winter Wonderland was blasting through her speakers.
“Aw, yuck!” she shouted at the radio, wrenching the volume down.
It wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet, and already with the Christmas music! The last thing she needed was to get that junk spinning through her head all night long.
She picked up her phone to switch to her playlist. She was an expert at her phone, and could make most of the selections, even texting, without even looking at the thing. One day they’d probably just implant the information into people’s brains somehow, but for now she just had to wing it like everyone else.
But it was late, and she was on the freeway. She needed to look at the screen to select some different music. She checked around her for cops and then waited for a straight stretch of road. She held the phone up to the steering wheel so she could glance back and forth between the screen and the road, scrolling down the list, searching for something classic, something she could sing to, to wake her up a little for the last hour of the drive. More Prince, maybe.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw a movement, something white speeding by her passenger side window. A motorcycle? No.
It was a truck, and it was going way too fast. He was going to cut her off. She dropped her phone and blared her horn, then watched in horror as it tipped onto two wheels, about to flip over right in front of her.
How was this happening?
She steered right to get out of the way. The back end of the truck clipped her car at just the right spot. Just the wrong spot.
She was airborne. There was no sound but for her own blood pumping, ringing in her ears.
Time slowed down.
As her car flipped through the air again and again, her thoughts went blank. Adrenaline rushed through her body as the first airbag went off, but when the car smashed upside down onto the pavement, she only registered the pain.
And then it was over.
She was gone.

Author Bio:

I am happy to call the San Francisco Bay Area home, where I lives with my husband, two kids, one dog and three cats. I started writing at an early age, but have only been writing novels for the past five years. I love the idea of love conquering all, and that is what drove me to begin the Great Escapes series, where the reader follows couples meeting up in exotic locations around the world. In this series, each book is a stand-alone, and each can be read in any order.
But readers, be forewarned, there is a healthy amount of steam in these books!
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy Great Escapes! 

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Blitz + Quotes and Taglines, Teaser, and Giveaway: Cimmerian Shade by Various Authors

Cimmerian Shade: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Collection
Publication date: September 12th 2017
Genres: Adult, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Dare to discover what lurks in the shadows in **New & Exclusive** paranormal and urban fantasy stories from your favorite NY Times, USA Today, and International Bestselling authors.
Under moonlit skies, witches, werewolves, vampires, demons, dragons, and more, battle not only for their mates, but to stay alive…
Fall for the alphas who play by their own rules despite the odds, whether century-old curses or forbidden love, or worse. For them, what lies in the darkness is worth the fight when it comes to romance.

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QUOTES AND TAGLINES:

Kyna must battle dark magic and secret societies, deal with kidnappings and satanic weddings, as she struggles not to lose her heart to one of two men—a former Navy SEAL hired to protect her or a wizard hired to train her. Soon she will realize just how true it is that “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
What Lies Within Us by Kiki Howell & Gina Kincade
Inferno. The hottest paranormal nightclub in the city. Can you stand the heat?
Torch Song by Lashell Collins
Man, being a ghost sucks.”
In his stoic way, he delivered a deadpan reply. “Undeniably and indescribably.”
Ethereal Witness by Angelica Dawson
What lengths would you go to prove yourself to your family?
Love Story of a Reaper by Elvira Bathory
Her body burned for them both and the need that poured from her bloomed like the flower she thought she never could be.
Burning Midnight by Erzabet Bishop
Talk about a killer kiss.
With This Heart by Red L. Jameson
Their shared carnal voracity fanned an appetite no amount of indulgence could satisfy.
Saltwater Siren by Muffy Wilson
Drayden saved her life – but her incessant need for vengeance could mean the end of his.
Dangerous Beauty, Sexy Beast by Dariel Raye
“I’m sorry, but was someone talking about me? I thought I heard the word ‘legend’?”
Rose Tears by Amanda Pillar
Bree Brigand’s quest for the truth starts when she learns everything she knows is a lie.
Rogue by Savannah Verte
An island of secrets, a lifetime of anguish, one epic homecoming.
Hexing Hearts by Alyssa Drake
“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m not in that sort of business. I’m a concierge, not a concubine!”
Dragons Curvy Concierge by Mychal Daniels
Magic doesn’t bind you to a dragon without a reason.
Credence – Moon Dragons by Decadent Kane
“Tristan had other women grace his bed, but none quite like this one. He had to hand it to whomever had delivered her to him, she definitely was Satan in a beautiful, Sunday hat.”
Kiss of the Fallen by Kharma Kelley
Pan leans down against me and whispers against my cheek, “Tears of a goddess.” His deep, riveting whisper is tantalizing. Qualm tickles under my skin with his admiration. “Forgive me, but I’m finding your tears utterly captivating.”
Selene by Shelique Lize
Dealing with vampires and demons? Piece of cake. Dealing with the ex he still loves? Not so easy…
One Last Lullaby by Kallysten
I felt the angry witch’s curse spreading through my body as if a million icy fingers were taking root under my skin. I was doomed.
Lust by Liz Gavin
“One tiny spell and Samantha’s on the run for her life.”
Witch Playground by Isis Pierce
A wolf’s love is forever…and so is the bond of the pack.
Frozen Soul by Catherine Banks
The darkness will consume them if they don’t face it together.
Taste Of Darkness by Catherine Vale

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Blitz + Excerpt and Giveaway: Three Heart Echo by Keary Taylor

Three Heart Echo
Keary Taylor
Publication date: September 12th 2017
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Suspense

The demented thing is that this evolved from the most sickly sweet, heart-wrenching love story you’ve ever heard. I went to Sully because I just couldn’t get over Jack’s murder. I couldn’t deal.
—
Iona came to me for the same reason most did: because there was no closure. A love cut too short. She begged me to open the gate between the living and the dead.
We should have left it shut.
—
This. This is not a love story. This is a possession story. A story of lies. A story of two faces. This is a story of death and violent echoes from the other side.
And there will be no happy endings.

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EXCERPT:

There’s been this look of dread and apprehension in Sully’s eyes since the moment he opened the church doors to find me. It’s been growing into something hard and cold moment by moment. But with my revelation, it solidifies into something heavy as the world.
“Sit down,” he says in something very close to a growl. He points to one of the two chairs set in the middle of the room.
I sit, dread and fear and anticipation climbing in my throat.
Sully closes the door, and locks it.
The huge man stalks around the room, lighting a match to first one candle, then taking it to light the others. The room gradually grows lighter until a dozen of them are lit, and I can finally see more than a foot in front of me.
I rub my hands over my arms, because suddenly I realize that it is freezing in here, despite the roaring fire Sully has kept in the other room.
Deep, slow breathing pulls my attention back to the man.
He stands in one corner, before a solitary, lit candle. His back is turned to me, his hulking shoulders blocking out most of the light, casting him in an eerie glow. His long hair hangs around his face. He breathes, slow, deep. But there’s a quiver to it. Something unsteady.
I want to ask him if he’s okay. To ask what is the matter, because everything in me screams that there is.
But I’m too petrified to open my mouth.
A draft pushes through the edges of the covered window, sending the flames dancing atop the candles. A shiver works its way down my spine.
Sully suddenly steps back from the corner and drops down into the seat across from me. He holds his hands out.
“The watch,” he says nodding to his right hand. “Your hand.” He indicates the left.
I can’t stop shaking. I set the pocket watch in his hand, and trembling, I rest my hand in his other. He closes his fingers around mine, fully engulfing it with his size.
Sully’s eyes slide closed. I watch his face, seeing something come over it. Like he’s slipping underwater, preparing to hold his breath against certain death. His breathing becomes very light and shallow. His entire body becomes very still. The temperature of his hand drops.
The pain in my chest comes to a peak and I realize just how hard my heart is beating. My hands are slick with sweat. I lean forward in my seat, far too close to Sully’s face for comfort.
My breath is held.
“Jack,” Sully says, his voice low and deep. I jump when he speaks, startled, a bent twig on the verge of snapping. “I know you’ve moved on, but I have someone here who wishes to speak to you. If you wish to speak to her, please show yourself.”
Sully is quiet for a long moment afterward that seems to roll into an eternity of anticipation.
“What’s happening?” I whisper, a cloud of breath billowing out from me.
Sully lets out a slow, long shh, his face suddenly going peaceful.
All the blood in my body drops into my feet.
“Iona,” Sully says. There’s something breathy in the way he says my name, something disbelieving and hopeful and so full of everything.
“Jack?” I breathe as tears spring into my eyes.
“Yes,” Sully says, and he suddenly opens his eyes. But they only meet mine for a moment. They shift off to the right, next to the window, by his shoulder.
Goosebumps flash onto my skin as my eyes follow Sully’s.
“Can you see him?” I whisper. I want to shy back, to put some distance between myself and the ghost only he can see. But I’m also dying inside, knowing he is hidden from my eyes.
“Yes.”

Author Bio:

Keary Taylor is the USA TODAY bestselling author of over twenty novels. She grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now splits her time between a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest and Utah, with her husband and their two children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. 

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Cover Reveal: Willow Harbor Series by Alyssa Rose Ivy, Jennifer Snyder, Juliana Haygert, and Sarra Cannon

Willow Harbor Series

by Alyssa Rose Ivy, Jennifer Snyder, Juliana Haygert, Sarra Cannon

(Willow Harbor #1-4)

Publication date: October 2nd 2017

Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Romance

Strange neighbors. Hidden Desires. Small-town charm.

Welcome to Willow Harbor, where everyone has a secret.

What’s yours?

Shifter’s Fate (Willow Harbor #1)
Sometimes fate can’t be ignored…
Mattie is desperate when she accepts a librarian position in the small coastal town of Willow Harbor. She plans to spend a few months there, enough time to get a reference and move somewhere she actually wants to be. But fate has other plans.
Pierce has given up on finding his mate. His family line of true shapeshifters will die out, but there is nothing he can do with only a few weeks left before his birthday. Until Mattie shows up in town.
When Mattie’s past catches up, and Pierce’s family turns on him, will fate be enough to see them through?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35391012-shifter-s-fate

Vampire’s Descent (Willow Harbor #2)
Sometimes the past comes back with a vengeance…
Claire Meyers knows her twin brother Danny didn’t commit suicide. Determined to prove it, she heads to her hometown of Willow Harbor, South Carolina to learn what really happened. Only what she finds is more than she bargained for.
Mason Danver didn’t ask to become a vampire. He didn’t ask for his soulless marker to seek him out either. All he wants is to help the one girl he’s never allowed himself to have figure out what really happened to her brother.
As the mystery surrounding Claire’s brother’s death begins to unfold Mason learns he’s more connected to Danny’s death than he ever thought possible.
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35391037-vampire-s-descent

Hunter’s Revenge (Willow Harbor #3)
Sometimes all you want is revenge …
As a human who knows the supernatural world exists, Tessa Ford has always felt like an outsider. It doesn’t help her estranged father barely wanted her around and that she’s never quite fit into her mother’s new family. Going away to college seemed like a blessing in disguise, until she realized she still has to pretend to be happy there too.
After losing his entire family to demons and becoming a hunter, Landon Armstrong didn’t think he had anything else to lose. Until a demon kills the man who raised him as his own and gave him a purpose at a young age. Now Landon is set on finding the demon responsible for taking that man away from him and exacting revenge. He has one task to check off his list first…notify the man’s daughter of his passing.
When Landon unexpectedly shows up to inform Tessa her father has passed away, she doesn’t know what to feel. All she knows is that she wants—needs—a chance to prove herself and help Landon take down the demon responsible. Too bad for her Landon is adamant that she’s not cut out to be a hunter. Tessa isn’t about to let that stop her. Even if in the end, she dies trying to take the demon down alone…
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35391072-hunter-s-revenge

Triton’s Curse (Willow Harbor #4)
Sometimes freedom comes at a cost…
As the last in a line of powerful witches, Grace McKay has been held captive for years by a greedy demon who treated her more like a possession than a human being. Three days ago, she escaped. Sure that he’s out searching for her, Grace runs as far and as fast as she can. That is, until she falls asleep at the wheel and crashes her car in the mysterious town of Willow Harbor.
Once a mighty triton, Leonidas Kosta is now a slave. Ten years ago, he trusted the wrong person and ended up shackled, cursed to live in human form, and the prisoner of a manipulative siren named Selena. Leo resigned himself to his misery long ago, but when a beautiful and secretive woman named Grace crashes near the docks where he works, she awakens something inside him he’d thought was lost.
Both desperate for freedom and a life on their own terms, Leo and Grace are reluctant to open their hearts to anyone. But when the demon tracks Grace down and Leo’s boss demands far more than he’s willing to pay, will they have the courage to trust each other? Or will their freedom be taken from them forever?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35394960-triton-s-curse

Tour + Review and Giveaway: Temptation Trials Part One by B. Truly

Temptation Trials Part I
B. Truly
Publication date: June 3rd 2017
Genres: Adult, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Romance

Will you be Tempted? Will Love save your Soul?
One nation under his reign.
Cardinal sins of man caused humanity to pay the price. Cali Nasser grew up in a world succeeding World War III. The aftermath forced the world dictatorship that she must now live in. A new Regime arose from the ashes. They demanded obedience and cooperation from every citizen, even in matters of the heart.
One domain … One accord … One nation. That is the moral code. In Cali’s eyes, it all revolves around a twisted plot for control.
It used to sicken Cali how people would allow the Regime to test their love through the Temptation Trials. That is, until she met Kincade. Cali’s entire point of view changes when she falls for him. She struggles with herself, debating if she should challenge the government’s law of arranged marriage.
Cali’s childhood friend, Stefani, always kept a positive perspective about their lives until she was threatened with the same dilemma, at odds over the man she loves.
Now Cali and Stefani face a desperate choice—submit to the Regime’s will, or fight for what they value most—love. Although lust, mistaken for love, could lead to damnation. Do they give up on love or sign up for the Temptation Trials, a reality TV show where every temptation is laid before them?
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Can love save their souls?
Rated Mature 18 +
Adult, Dystopian Romance with sensuality and sexual content.

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Review:
3 stars

I really enjoyed reading Temptation Trials Part 1, although it wasn't as exciting as I was hoping it would be. It is a very unique story with it being a reality television show in a dystopian society. Very original, but lacking that spark that I love in books. There were twists throughout, but many I found to be predictable.

I wasn't a huge fan of he romance aspect because for starters, I hate love triangles, and I guess I should have possibly expected and prepared for a love triangle possibility seeing as how the book is set in reality television.

I would recommend this book if the synopsis sounds interesting to you. It was a good, enjoyable book and I would be interested in reading the next part.

Author Bio:

B Truly has wanted to be an author since she was fifteen years old and is grateful to have accomplished this dream. She has very vivid dreams and a wild imagination. She likes to read, watch tons of TV shows, and movies. She’s addicted to romance and gets a thrill out of action and suspense. She writes New Adult and Adult Romance, Fantasy, Sci-fi, and Paranormal.
B Truly has three wonderful children and a husband who defines the person she today. She works full-time as an Ultrasound technologist in Sugarland, Texas. 

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Blitz + Excerpt and Giveaway Just Three Dates by David Burnett

Just Three Dates
David Burnett
Publication date: July 1st 2017
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Should you only marry for love?
Since breaking with her last boyfriend, Karen has refused to trust any man her age. For the past three years, she has not dated the same one twice, and only one in ten has received even a goodnight kiss as she turned him away. Karen is an artist. She follows her feelings, lives in a cluttered loft, and gushes over vivid sunsets.
Mark still dreams about his almost-fiancée, and his date book has been empty since he threw her out a week before he’d planned to ask for her hand. His friends call him the “Ice Man,” since he seldom smiles, especially at a woman. A math professor at the College, logic guides his behavior, he loves order, and an elegant proof is a thing of beauty.
Both Karen and Mark have all but abandoned hope of ever falling in love, and, left on their own, these opposites would never attract. So, their mothers become matchmakers, entangling them in a series of dates, extracting promises that they will go out together three times, suggesting that, in the absence of love, a “marriage of convenience” is a live option.
If you like heartwarming stories based on true-to-life behaviors, with complicated relationships and a less-than-certain outcome, you will enjoy Just Three Dates!

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EXCERPT:

“You need a wife.”
The waiter had just refilled his glass, and, as Mark Stuart raised it to his lips, taking a deep drink of water, his mother spoke, causing Mark to gag. He plunked the glass onto the table, snatching the napkin from his lap and covering his mouth, barely preventing the liquid from spewing out. Then he lifted his head to see his mother sitting back in her chair as if prepared for a fight.
Mark’s eyes met hers. He now understood her dinner invitation, why his father had not accompanied them to the restaurant, and the reason she had chosen the Plantation House, with its tuxedoed waiters, soft music, and thirty-dollar midday entrees—a place only a woman like Elizabeth Stuart would have selected as the scene for a confrontation concerning her son’s need for a wife.
Surely, he would not make a scene, not here, not in public, not as he had each time she had broached the subject in the past.
That was, without a doubt, what his mother would be hoping.
His eyes stayed fixed on hers as he took a deep breath, internally debating his response. Mark placed his knife and fork across his plate and reached for his glass—a goblet of wine—this time, taking a long, slow sip, returning the glass to the exact spot from which he had lifted it. Then, he rested one forearm on the table and leaned forward, primed to meet his mother’s attack.
Her hand quivered and a few drops of water sloshed over the rim as she lifted her glass for a drink, but she did not look away.
“Tell me, Mother, why do I need a wife?”
He almost smiled as her head snapped up, surprise written on her face. His question was uncharacteristic. Generally, he led with a denial.
“Mark, we’ve been through this so many times.” She sighed as she reached out to pat his hand. “You need a wife to help you in your career. A college is not solely an educational institution, you’ve seen that for yourself. It’s social. It’s political. You’re a brilliant mathematician, Mark, but if you want to be a department head, or president of a university, you must do more than teach and write papers. You’ll be expected to attend parties and dinners, court donors. You’ll always be expected to bring someone with you, a date, perhaps, but preferably your wife.
“If you do need a date, well, you are twenty-nine years old and practically all of your friends are married. You’ll soon find yourself recruiting your sister to be your date.”
She held up a hand as he began to respond. “Moreover, you’ll be expected to give parties and dinners, and you know nothing about such things. You need a wife who can help you.”
She paused, apparently waiting to hear his rebuttal. It would have been one she had heard before—his assertion that teaching was a noble calling, that he was happy to have received that call, and that he had no ambitions beyond the classroom.
But Mark knew she would counter each of his arguments and the back-and-forth would continue until they both were tired and angry, neither daring to mention the woman he had almost married—the real reason he had no interest even in dating, much less in marriage.
So, today, he did not rise to her challenge. He waited.
Seeming to take his silence as agreement, his mother continued.
“You’re lonely.”
Mark shook his head.
“Yes, you are. You live alone, you dine out by yourself. You love photography, you love hiking, and they are both solitary pursuits. You depend on me, your father, and your sister to listen when you want to talk. We love to see you, Mark, but, as I said, Emily is getting married, soon she’ll be busy with a family of her own. And your father and I, we’re getting older…” She opened her arms, palms up, as though her point should be obvious. “You need a wife.”
Again, Mark did not respond. His mother smiled, a jungle cat sensing a win. Still, she pounced for the victory move. “It’s expected, Mark. People will think something is wrong with you if you aren’t married.”
“You’re afraid they’ll think I’m gay?”
“If they thought that, it might be different, but you’re not,” his mother rolled her eyes, “so they will think you’re weird, or antisocial, or that you’re so disgusting no one will have you. Mark, you need a wife.”
Argument was pointless. His mother’s mind was made up and, knowing her, she had a plan of some kind, a plan he might as well hear now. In any case, he had not even dated in over three years so agreeing with her would not send him hurtling toward the altar.
“You may be right.”


Author Bio:

David Burnett lives near Charleston, South Carolina, where he walks on the beach almost every day and photographs the ocean, the sea birds, and the marshes that he loves. Three of his four books are set in Charleston, and he has always enjoyed the Carolina beaches.
David enjoys photography and has photographed subjects as varied as prehistoric ruins on the islands of Scotland, star trails, sea gulls, and a Native American powwow. He and his wife have traveled widely in the United States and the United Kingdom. During trips to Scotland, they visited Crathes Castle, the ancestral home of the Burnett family near Aberdeen, and Kismul Castle on the Isle of Barra, the home of his McNeil ancestors.
He reports that he went to school for much longer than he wants to admit, and he has graduate degrees in psychology and education. He and his wife have two children and a blue-eyed cat named Bonnie. 

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