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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Thursday 13!


All across the internet people play a Thursday meme called Thursday 13. We'll play too!


In comments, tempt us with
a snippet up to thirteen sentences long. Don't forget your buy link and website/blog link. Have fun!




Share your participation with our ready-to-go tweet or make your own:

Discover great reads. Exquisite Quills' Thursday 13!    

18 comments:

Chris Redding said...

Blonde Demolition
“Hey, kid,” Jesse called to the youngest in the tent.
Mallory shook her head at Jesse. “He has a name.” She treated everyone with the same respect she expected for herself.
“Yeah?” Mark, the just-turned twenty-one-year-old answered.
Jesse shrugged at her, turning his gaze to the young man. “Change that keg.”
She smacked Jesse’s shoulder. “Jeez, Jesse. Ask the kid nicely.” She never understood the stratification men had.
“He pissed me off today.”
She grimaced. “So, I pissed you off yesterday. I’ll help him.”
Jesse’s hand on her arm stopped her. “I’ll help him.”
He frowned at her, released her arm and went to lend a hand.
She took a sip of her beer, but almost spit it out when Jesse yelled, “Holy shit!”
Buy Link: http://amzn.com/B0065KM0D
Website: www.chrisreddingauthor.com

Unknown said...

And The Earth Moved (romcom celeb mystery)

“Get out,” Charlie instructs.
“You were going to drive off,” I protest. “I knew I couldn’t trust you.”
“I was just winding you up. Go and get in my car and I’ll park this one, otherwise we’ll be here all day.”
Feeling affronted I huff, “And I suppose, being a man, you can naturally drive and park much better than me.”
“Gender has got nothing to do with it,” he replies, trying to fit into the driver’s seat and ending up with his knees somewhere around his nose.
He tuts and feels around for the release catch to adjust the seat’s position, sliding it back as far as it will go to give him enough room to fit his legs into the car properly.
I watch in reluctant admiration as he reverses the car at top speed and slings it into the pull-in fifty yards down the lane in what seems like little more than a few seconds. OK. Show-off. So he’s a better driver than me. Truth be told even Noddy in his little red cartoon car is probably a better driver than me too, so the bar isn’t set very high to start with, but CCIA Charlie certainly knows how to handle a vehicle.


FREE TODAY - last chance, this book returns to $2.99 at midnight

Universal Amazon link: http://getbook.at/AndTheEarthMoved

Lynda Coker said...

Stormee Waters

Her palm itched to slap his arrogant jaw. But hitting the most unpredictable man she’d ever met, even in a public restaurant, couldn’t be a smart move. She snatched her phone from his hand. “You’re past being impossible! Who do you think you are—my father?” She shook with indignation.

The bit about their age difference came out of nowhere. The tightening of his concrete jaw confirmed she’d hit the retaliation jackpot. She didn’t bother to hide the smugness in her expression or the satisfaction she received when his complexion darkened .

“If I were your father, Miss Waters, Id march you out to the car and tan your pretty little backside for not knowing what’s good for you.”

Stormee Waters Gives Dirk Savage a Backwash of Trouble

Between The Pages Blog

Unknown said...

Make Me Sweat [Uniformed and Blazing Hot 5]

There was no doubt about it. Aiden Reeves was pure-blown temptation wrapped in a tall, sculpted, muscular package of the sweetest eye-candy sex appeal.

He’s not what you want. He’s not what you want.

The words became a mantra in Eliza’s mind as her gaze dropped to his feet and did a slow climb up his front. Shiny black dress shoes led her to black dress slacks that hugged a set of narrow hips and lovingly encased a cock sure to be impressive in both size and length. A matching black dress coat was left open to reveal a crisp white button-down shirt that stretched across truly well-defined pecs and hinted an equally well-toned abdomen and flat stomach. A black tie with red pinstripes was around his lean neck. His hair was short, blond, and messy despite its stylish cut, and his eyes were the color of a green Jolly Rancher candy.

Eliza felt her belly growl as she dragged her attention down the perfect bridge of his nose to his slightly parted bow-shaped lips. The gash she spotted on his bottom lip coupled with the nasty-looking bruise on the strong line of his jaw were probably the only things that kept her from jumping into his arms to gobble him up from head to toe.

“Were you in a fight?”

She supposed, “Hello,” or, “It’s nice to meet you,” would have been a better greeting. Then again, at least she hadn’t put voice to the other thoughts going through her mind. The ones like “holy mother of hormones” and “damn, temptation never looked so good.”

Pre-Order Buy Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/node/884953
Tonya's Website: http://www.tonyaramagos.com

Susan Macatee said...

From paranormal romance novella, Dreaming Josie.

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “Just stepped in a friggin’ hole. Twisted my ankle, but I think its okay.” He turned back to the woman, but she was gone. He scanned the field in all directions.

“Where’d she go?”

“Where’d who go?” Derek crouched beside him.

“The woman I was talking to.”

Derek frowned. “I didn’t see anyone. You were sitting by yourself.”

“You mean to tell me you didn’t see a dark-haired woman dressed in a green reenactor gown kneeling beside me?”

http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Josie-ebook/dp/B008FZSPLS/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1341001818&sr=1-7

Michele Drier said...

From SNAP: Love for Blood, paranormal romance
The door closed behind me and hands grabbed my arms and pinned them together, straining my shoulder joints.

“Ow, why are you hurting me?” My voice rising made Leonid study me more closely, then he grunted.

“Be careful,” he said to whomever was behind me. “We don’t want to leave any marks that show. She won’t be worth as much if she’s damaged—at least visibly.” Then he smiled, which showed his fangs but didn’t reach the ice that was his eyes. “Are you ready to tell us what we want to know?”

The man in back of me pushed my arms tighter together. The pain in my shoulders increased and brought tears to my eyes. “I don’t know what you want to know. I don’t know who you are. I don’t know who I am. I don’t know where I am.”

http://amzn.com/B00AODXUN2
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Michele+Drier

E. L. Esch said...

From Lucky Seven by E. L. Esch

- http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=x_gr_w_bb?keywords=9781623008109&index=books&linkCode=qs&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20
- www.e-l-esch.com

-----

“Do you want to?”

I stopped laughing. “Want to what?” I asked very quietly.

“Kiss a guy.”

“Oh…oh. I thought you meant—”

“No.” Sven snickered. He adjusted his elbows on the windowsill and looked at me for a long time. Words trembled on the edge of his lips but never came out.

It felt like a hand was squeezing my heart as I inhaled and on exhale told him, “You can if you want.” Is he really going to?

Charmaine Gordon said...

Help Wanted by Charmaine Gordon
excerpt:
But Lance stirred something inside her and she felt as if she’d cheated on her husband just with a thought. The book, wiped clean, had a new place on the lowest shelf toward the end. Just in case.
A glance at the clock surprised her. Almost time for Steve to return and she didn’t have dinner ready. Still wrapped in a damp towel, Sally flew downstairs to the kitchen to select a frozen pork tenderloin for two from the freezer. Placed it on quick defrost, she started risotto rice, Steve’s favorite, on to cook in the big saucepan. Like the whirling dervish of long ago, she ran upstairs to shower and change.
When Steve opened the front door, weary after a long day of physical work, he’d sniff the aroma of dinner almost ready and maybe she’d have time to prepare apple dumplings for dessert.

A rainbow of sails on the river billowed with the wind as a race began, each sailboat displayed different colors; cheers from the east side echoed across the always cold water.
Strictly business, Sally reminded herself, and pheromones be damned, she concentrated on the menu and avoided eye contact with Lance on this gorgeous day outside under an awning on the wrap- around deck.
She ordered pancakes and they arrived right away; his smoldering gaze heated the syrup as she poured more than enough to drown the large perfect pancake on her plate.
“Sally, ever since we met I can’t get you out of my mind; I’m not sleeping or eating.”
“Lance, I’m just a middle aged woman at the beginning of a new phase in my life and that doesn’t mean I’ll make the mistake of pushing someone away who has loved me for thirty five years.”
“All right, you’re mine, Sally, in business because I don’t want anyone else to grab your talent before we have a chance to work together.”
Relieved brunch ended, Sally rose, bumped into Lance on the way up and found herself wrapped in his powerful arms, their lips together. She didn’t break away until his tongue, like a heat seeking missile, plunged into her mouth and then she pushed him away with “No.”

Available in the River's Edge Trio collection
ALLROMANCE
https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-river039sedgetrio-1680246-149.html
KINDLE
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PKLWGEC
SMASHWORDS for ALL Ereading Devices
including Nook, iPad, and More!
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/492517

Unknown said...

From La Déesse Noire: The Black Goddess, due out June 15, with pre-sale starting March 15. (I will be doing giveaways of ARCs on my website and through my newsletter over the next few months.)

**********
Kali Matai’s head bowed under the candlelight of dozen of chandeliers and the mirrored footlights at the edge of the stage. The silence from the stage, the quiet of the spirit of the dancer before them caused a hush across the theatre. La Déesse Noire would perform only once the men settled themselves to give their full attention.

The shapely form held in perfect abeyance, clothed this night in gold-shot emerald green, she might as easily have matched any jewel tone: deep sapphire, amethyst, garnet red. The flickering lights from all sides reflected the rhythmic bass note of the /tabla/ drums, shaking in the jeweled bangles of her gold chain girdle. The bells begin to shake along the edges of her sari as her lithe shape trembled under the sheerest silk in England. The audience could not see the secrets of her body, but would swear they might with the next movement, shake, twist, turn.

The fabric was like water flowing down her collarbone, curling around her shoulder, drifting across her bosom and around her trim waist. With a twist of ankle, the jeweled rings on her toes sent flashes of light tripping across the assemblage, sure to blind a few men, leaving them, for a few moments, with only the thought of their last vision of her. The bracelets shaking at her wrists added a sharp note to music already carrying her body through the steps of the /mujra/ dance.

The sound wafting off the /sarangi/ strings seems to stroke along her inner thighs, her legs twisting to the melody underneath the full silk skirts, caressing her hips and buttocks, the length of her /sari/ slipping on and off her shoulder, covering and revealing her face, rubbing across any part of her body to which she wished to call attention.

Her hips began to shake like they might atop a man lying prone, side to side, fore to aft, hands tracing her legs, no rhythm but one known only to her, that might take her blissfully into /la petite mort/, if a man could but imitate it.

www.MarianaGabrielle.com

Shauna Aura said...

Werewolves with Chocolate

Excerpt:

“We are going to make you come so damn hard. We’re going to make up for our interrupted date.” She felt Kyle grind against her ass, tugging her jeans down.
“Vigorously.”
“Repeatedly.”
“Yesss.” Ellie was gasping, already swollen and wet.
Jake reached his fingers down her jeans to part her, growling when he felt how slick she was. “That’s it, baby.” He rubbed her in just the right way until she was squirming and Kyle was trying to pull her pants off.
“Dammit Kyle, have a little patience,” Jake rumbled.
Ellie helped Kyle push at her jeans and murmured, “It’s ok. I really want you to take me.”

Available FREE!
http://www.shaunaauraknight.com/books/fiction-books/excerpt-werewolves-with-chocolate/

Joan Reeves said...

LuvU4Ever, a Romance Short Story, by Joan Reeves

Once, life had been a bowl of cherries. Now the cherries were gone, and Noelle was left with the pits.

Noelle pressed her forehead to the cold glass and stared at the snowflakes drifting past the hotel window. By the time she left this room, her marriage would be over. Her life would be over because she couldn't imagine life without David. Yet, she couldn't imagine staying with him either. Not since nine little words had destroyed her world.

I told you never to call me at home.

Leave...stay..or dish out some payback first? What was she going to do? She had plenty of ideas ranging from tying him naked to the bed and walking out, leaving the door wide open for the world to see, to sleeping with another man and making sure David knew about it. Let him see how it felt to be scorned.

By the time David walked through the door, expecting his girlfriend, Noelle hoped she'd figured out what to do.

LuvU4Ever, a Romance Short Story is available at most ebook sellers including Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/LuvU4Ever-Kindle (for International Kindle, that's http://authl.it/B00RDY7WUW)

See Joan Sling Words: http://SlingWords.blogspot.com | Readers, sign up for Joan's email list: http://eepurl.com/Yk61n

Unknown said...

Guilty Hearts

"Then you're over her?" Tom's watery blue eyes held hope, and Matt didn't have the heart to destroy it. Every wrinkle and every silver hair on Tom's head was probably caused by something he had done.
"The minute she turned her back on me, I got over her." Or at least he liked to believe he did. After seeing her and holding her in his arms, he couldn't be sure. Back then he had bent over backwards to protect her. Only she wanted Steve and never him. He held his feelings at bay so his best friend could continue to treat her like garbage. When he needed backup with Steve's parents, she deserted him, too. Right then and there, he knew she used him as much as Steve did. He was done, so he split. Now he realized when he left Dee, he also left the people who did back him up.

Sold as a E-book and in paperback.

http://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Hearts-Susan-Jaymes-ebook/dp/B007K1OCQA

http://suemcconnell.com/

Stephanie Queen said...

From PLAYING THE GAME by Stephanie Queen

Excerpt:
The man was no gentleman. Her embarrassment turned to anger in a flash. She jutted her breast out for him to see.
“You can look all you want,” she dared, wanting to shift the discomfort to him.
She thought she’d succeeded, until the signature dimpled half-grin split his face.
“I’m Barry Dennis.” He held out his free hand for her to shake. He held a bottle of beer in the other. The famous lopsided smirk remained in place.
“Must be my lucky night.” She ignored his hand.
He laughed.

Get a copy of this award-winning ebook at
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007BUD1VC

www.StephanieQueen.com

Martha O’Sullivan said...

SECOND CHANCE (Chances Trilogy #1) by Martha O'Sullivan

Breath hitching, Brian crushed his lips to hers. They were white-hot. Burning as intensely as the fire he’d stirred within her.  Resisting glimmered, dulled, then dissipated in her mind. Instead her arms linked his neck and she melted into the heat.  He tasted rugged, felt rough, like the end of a long day. Their mouths collided, parted, rejoined, until they found that familiar crescendo and began the climb. The flame caught, flickered, combusted, as Brian’s tongue snarled with hers and his hands combed her back. And then a flare began to kindle in another chasm, deep within her.
Even through the denim, Brian was rising to meet it, fill it. Rigid against her, he released her mouth and buried his face in her hair. “When I told you I wasn’t giving up so easily this time, I meant it.” He stepped out of her embrace and taking her hands in his, demanded, “Should I leave?”
His eyes had softened to make room for his heart, Lindsay realized. And she could deny hers no longer.,,

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Chances-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B00EX631GM/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378129953&sr=1-17&keywords=red+sage+publishing

Theda Hudson said...

The Lord of the Broken Tower by Theda Hudson

Carlizo entered, carrying a bottle and looking like a king in one of the historical movies she'd loved to watch. She wanted to stroke the velvet jacket and run her fingers over the embroidery of his bright vest.
"You look lovely, Della. That color suits you."
"Thank you, Lord Carlizo. You look impeccable."
"Please, here, call me Ash."
"Very well." She paused. "Thank you, Ash."
He came to her and she leaned forward, as she would at home to trade a greeting kiss. He smelled divine, something like sandalwood, but softer. She took a deep breath.

http://amzn.com/B00FR6LT3E
www.thedahudson.com

Helen Henderson said...

A Thursday Thirteen from Magic and Steel - Mt'wan Comraich - a novella of duty and honor, love and adventure from the Chronicles of the Dragshi.
-------------------------------------------------
Her smile added to the desire Kedar fought to control. “After all these sevenday in the saddle, I prefer to walk.”

An acknowledgement of her wishes, he offered her a crooked elbow as suitable for an escort—or the husband he was supposed to be. At first he thought she would refuse, but with a slight smile she laid her fingers on his arm. The heat that burned through the cloth bore little relation to her light touch. I just hope the ceoltiers play tunes I’m familiar with. Otherwise all those hours practicing the moves of formal court will be wasted. More than anything he wanted to dance with Mairin, to hold her in his arms.
---------------------------------------------
Available at Amazon. For buy links and a free read of the first chapter of this action- and romance-filled fantasy, steer a course to http://ow.ly/JtCd2 Find Helen on the web at helenhenderson-author.webs.com.

Firetulip said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Firetulip said...

Rose of Crimson (a prequel to Bonded by Crimson), a light panorama romance with historical elements

“You disgraced her, used her whenever it pleased you then you married her off to a cripple. Why?” Two deep creases appeared on her forehead as her eyebrows drew closer.
“Kate,” he said, taking a step forward. “Yes, my hands beat her, after my lips kissed her, but I had no power over my body’s actions. Violence escalated each time. For weeks the beast ordered me to kill her in a most savage way, disembowel her. I fought the fiend, but I could feel the drive for blood grow within me. The entity waned to turn me into a monster. It was the best I could do for her. Master Rokov was a good man. He loved her. Not an aristocrat, but a rich merchant. His family owned lands.”
Taking a long step backward, she widened the distance between them. “Oh, he owned lands. That makes all the difference. He was a hunchback.”
“A childhood disease disfigured his face and body, but he was born healthy and able bodied.” Matthias refused to believe Kate would be so superficial. But he had to admit the sight of Master Rokov wasn’t for the faint at heart.
“He was like Quasimodo.” Her voice shook.

Available on
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rose-Crimson-Zrinka-Jelic-ebook/dp/B00REOM562/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420857492&sr=1-1&keywords=rose+of+crimson
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/rose-of-crimson/id954876377?mt=11
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rose-of-crimson-zrinka-jelic/1120963982?ean=2940046484519
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-ca/books/rose-of-crimson/I-O8D6evDkacS2PiO6L4pg?MixID=I-O8D6evDkacS2PiO6L4pg&PageNumber=1