a #NKBlogTours feature: R.C. Matthews & 'Devil's Cove' @RCMatthews123 #GothicRomance

Today we have author R.C. Matthews visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* R.C. Matthews is the author of contemporary and historical romances featuring bold, sassy heroines and magnetic alpha heroes. Warning! The chemistry between her characters is off the charts hot, so read at your own risk. She resides in the Midwest and is surrounded by men: her husband and three sons. During her free time you'll find her watching The Walking Dead, reading a fabulous book or hanging out with her family.

What are you going to tell us about today?

~ Blurb ~ * Shrouded in unspeakable horror and spoken of only in whispers, the abandoned Devil's Cove Manor lures Captain Devlin Limmerick and his unquenchable thirst for revenge to its doors. Feared as the Devil on the high seas, the pirate's desire to avenge his past is matched only by his hunger for the powerful young medium he has coerced to aid him in his nefarious quest.
* Blinded from youth and touched with an ability to communicate beyond the grave, Grace is both feared and revered by the uneasy town folk. Yet she is powerless against the unrest brewing within the manor walls and finds herself drawn to the Devil's darkness. Still, she refuses to sacrifice her soul to set Devlin's unspeakable plans in motion.
* But an evil lurks within these walls, and their very souls are in jeopardy. Grace's presence at the manor spurs inexplicable happenings, forcing Devlin to believe nothing is as dead as it seems - not even his heart. Plunged into the throes of passion and danger, they discover the only way out is to search deep within and summon the courage to believe in true love. ~ Excerpt ~ For an excerpt, visit the Amazon link below. Buy Devil's Cove here... Amazon Find R.C. Matthews here... Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Website Thank you for joining us here today, R.C. Matthews! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

Tricia Owens & 'Descended From Dragons' #TriciaOwens @GoddessFish #UrbanFantasy #ParanormalRomance

Today we have author Tricia Owens visiting. Welcome!

What would you like to tell readers about yourself?

* Tricia Owens wants you to know that Las Vegas is actually a pretty cool place and you won't be eaten by a troll there. Probably. A former casino games dealer and cruise ship editor, Tricia has traveled extensively, visiting over 70 countries. She writes full time in several genres including urban fantasy and romance. Her favorite setting is her home town, the city of sin.

A look into...

~ Blurb ~ * Beneath the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas lies another city. A secret city in plain sight, full of warlocks and demons, shape-shifters and golems. A city that feeds off the chance magick that is generated by gamblers and which is ruled by mysterious beings called the Oddsmakers.
* It is in this strange underbelly of the occult that Anne Moody runs a cursed pawn shop for the desperate, the curious, and the magickally inclined. Though the job is boring, it keeps her under the radar. None of her customers have any inkling that she is a dragon sorceress with a power that's been feared throughout history. However dragons are no help when a stone statue ends up in her shop that is more than it appears. The statue is a gargoyle named Vale, who is shrouded in mystery and secrets. When she learns that Vale is possessed, and that the person responsible for cursing him plans to take over Las Vegas with a horde of demons from Hell, Anne realizes it is up to her to defy the Oddsmakers and save the city, and possibly the world. ~ Excerpt ~ * A shift of the eyes to the left. I followed Orlaton's line of sight to a riveted metal trunk that sat on the floor at the base of one of the bookshelves. Like a pirate's chest, it was sealed closed by a large, ancient padlock. The padlock was probably only window dressing. The real locks were magickal, and they would hurt you if you tried to break them, if not outright kill you.
* "I've made my mistake. I will never make it again," Orlaton murmured.
* His cheeks were white. His shoulders had hunched. As I looked at him, dread crawled up my spine like a spider. There had been horror in his voice. A wretched sort of anguish. Anguish still bound up in fear.
* I looked at the chest again. It didn't look so simple anymore. Now it looked like someone's nightmare.
* "What's inside it?" I asked, reluctant to hear the answer.
* His eyes shimmered behind their lenses. "Do you really want to know?"
* Orlaton had taken this somewhere darker than I'd intended this conversation to go. I wanted to back away from the haunted knowledge in his eyes even as a part of me wanted to defend him. Orlaton was no wounded bird, but something in that trunk had hurt him. Badly. I couldn't begin to imagine how terrible—how wickedly devious—it must have been to have slipped beneath his guard.
* I couldn't begin to imagine what it had done to him before he had managed to stop it.
* "I suggest you don't do what I did," he warned in a voice that trembled. He aimed a meaningful look at the gargoyle statue. "Some magicks…linger. Some magicks destroy you when you least expect them to."
* "I'll get help," I promised him. A name came to mind, one I hadn't thought of in years.
* His mouth thinned into the smile of a ghost. "I'd wish you luck, but it won't help you." Buy Descended From Dragons here... Amazon Find Tricia Owens here... Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Website Thank you for joining us here today, Tricia Owens! It was a pleasure getting to know you and your story.

ANNOUNCEMENT! Tricia Owens will be awarding a $75 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour! So be sure to leave a comment AND use the Rafflecopter below. Also, visit the other tour stops for a greater chance of winning!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday Tea with Mariposa Cruz

Hi all! Grab a cup of tea – or whatever it is you like to drink – and join in the discussion. Mariposa Cruz is here today to talk about her new book Roar! that's come out with The Wild Rose Press. Welcome, Mariposa!

My background:
~ I’ve been scribbling stories in notebooks since childhood. In college I published my first short story and wrote articles for the school newspaper and I’ve been alternating between fact and fiction ever since.
~ In my freelance writing I’ve been fortunate to meet a variety of real-life characters including the lead for a Jimmy Buffet cover band and a baby rock diva. I love writing paranormal romance because it opens a whole realm of possibilities.

Inspiration for Roar!:
My dad warned me about bears prior to our family camping trip to Yosemite. No bears raided our camp, but they roamed through my dreams the entire trip and have resided in my imagination ever since. After I finished Howl, I knew my next shifter story would be about bears. As with many of my stories, the research for Roar! started in the Children’s section of the library. I’ve found that research aimed at kids tends to be more user-friendly (plus I see enough fine print reviewing contracts for my day job).

Blurb:
~ Focused on the bottom line, Linda Underwood answers to no one. Linda’s world is torn apart when a black bear shifter turns her weekend rendezvous into a desperate struggle for her life. As a recently-turned shifter, she is determined to beat her affliction by ignoring her beastly impulses.
~ After the accidental death of his wife, shifter Flynn Cromwell finds solace immersed in his work in a remote mountain cabin. When he discovers Linda’s ravaged body near the brink of death, he’s compelled to protect her. Can Flynn save Linda from her own stubborn nature and defend her from a vicious shifter with a taste for her blood?

Excerpt:
~ “What’s this?” Flynn snatched her right foot.
~ “Hey,” Linda protested. She tried to pull free, but he held firm. As his thumb traced the sole of her foot, a shiver of pleasure raced along her leg.
~ “You don’t seem the type to have ladybugs inked on your toes, what’s the story?”
~ “There is no story,” Linda hissed. Flynn held her foot higher.
~ “All tattoos have stories, spill it.”
~ “When I was little my mother called me Ladybug, don’t you dare tell anyone!” Linda said.
~ “I’ll take it to the grave.” Flynn raised his other hand then gently lowered her foot.
~ They ate in silence for a few minutes, which suited Linda since her previous meal ended abruptly. She was in no mood to discuss her personal life with a total stranger who paused and stretched, the sun glinted on his unruly dirty blond hair. Linda caught Flynn’s scent, dark and rich. For a moment, she longed to climb into those muscular arms, breathe him in while her mouth explored the sweet taste of his full lips.
~ Flynn’s gaze met hers. “You want me.”
~ “That’s ridiculous, I just met you.” Linda snapped her cheeks flushed. Maybe her mind snapped after the attack. No woman with an ounce of sanity would be attracted to someone so irritating.
~ “It’s animal magnetism, baby, don’t fight it.” Flynn murmured his deep voice an octave lower.

For more on Roar! visit The Wild Rose Press

For more about Mariposa Cruz visit her Blog